#yeah the point is it's not dead and abandoned but I find other projects more attractive atm ^ ^;

[yukipri]

I've seen a few asks and repost of the take flight all brothers au and it got me wondering if you think you might work on it again, I find the idea really cool and I love all of the art you did for it as well

I think the recent asks are a result of me reblogging my old Cody Take Flight art for Cody Day (2/2/24), along with a bunch of my other Cody-centric arts! So it wasn't due to me pushing just that art to hint at something upcoming, unfortunately.

While I don't consider that AU abandoned, I don't see myself working on it in the immediate future. I'm very, VERY bad at working on multiple story projects at the same time, and right now I'm still going full steam ahead on the Prime Override. And while I won't say Take Flight is directionless, and it does have a more serious underlying plot that I was hoping to eventually steer it towards (fully aware that folks who prefer fluffy crack may not like it much), Override is much more focussed, with many goals I'm trying to reach.

Other projects include two Valentine's Day arts that I'm cramming to try to finish before V-Day, a number of other standalone sketches/arts, and of course wary preparation for TBB S3 (all of which u can see WIPs for on my Patreon!). I unfortunately can't do all of these at once!

If there's ever a lull in my inspiration for Override, or I need to take a break, or I suddenly get a spark of inspo, maybe I'll do something then. But for now, i can't promise anything for it at the moment.

Thanks for your understanding!

❀ ❀ Send YukiPri an Ask! ❀ ❀

[creative-caramel-coffee]

Left Behind and Bleeding

Summary: you’ve been feeling forgotten all week when your period shows up you just want to curl up and hide. Will your girlfriends look after you this time?

TW: Angst, periods, being forgotten, anxiety, feeling left out, abandonment issues, self-doubt, mentions of drug use, teasing

Words: 1.2K

A/n: it’s that time of the month when I hit you with another period fic lol. Sorry it’s a bit short. Also … I may be projecting again … maybe hehe.

It had been a bad few days to say the least. To start off you had plans to hang out with Natasha, but she got given a last-minute mission, so you had to postpone. Which would have been fine on its own, but it seemed yo have sparked a pattern.

All week people had been cancelling on you, having some reason or another that seemed valid at the time but looking back made you overthink.

Wanda had some people she needed to visit, and you understood. But everyone seemed to be prioritising other things. Even your mother wasn’t answering your calls. Leading you to believe she was either dead or ignoring you.

On the fourth day of having nobody to hang out with in the usually very busy tower, you were getting fed up.

Your mind had been trying to spin a story that everyone simply didn’t like you. That they would rather hang out with other people and that you really didn’t have anyone in your corner.

Of course, you had been fighting the notion for days now, but it was getting harder to ignore as people continued to have bigger, better things to do without you.

Nat had gotten back from her mission and had immediately gone to do some training and after you caught her watching a movie with Clint. You had moped around your room all afternoon, feeling like you were a B-list avenger at best.

Your mind had convinced you that nobody cared and so you had spent the afternoon crying alone in your room.

When dinner came, it seemed everyone had returned. Something you had not been counting on, so your eyes were still red and puffy when Jarvis announced dinner.

In a panic you threw on some sunglasses in an attempt to keep the others from finding out.

Yet it had simply orchestrated a point of teasing for the whole meal. Everyone wanted to know why you were wearing them, but you kept your head down and tried to seem cheerful.

Sam was trying to convince people that you must have been high, while wanda could practically hear your loud thoughts from the other end of the table. Her and Nat exchanged expressions when you got up from the meal not even halfway through.

Feeling awful you almost cried when you got back to your room to discover your period had started.

Life seemed to be throwing more than a few curveballs at you, it was throwing the full field.

You stuck in a pad and threw on some warm pjs before crawling under the covers and letting a few tears fall while your breathing evened out.

Wanda had finished her dinner around the same time as Natasha had so, they had met up in the kitchen while washing their dishes.

“Wanda?” Nat asked from where she was drying her plate off.

“Yeah?” Wanda asked, her hands covered in suds.

Nat chewed her lip for a second before carefully selecting her words. “Was there … anyone off with Y/n these last few days?” Nat asked.

“I don’t know why?” Wanda said and Nat frowned.

“What do you mean ‘I don’t know’ werent you here?” Nat said.

“No? I told you I was visiting friends for a few days.” Wanda said.

“Oh my god.” Nat said feeling bad. “Did we both ditch her for a week?”

“No? I mean surely, she had the others to hang out with. Right?” Wanda said.

“Jarvis?” Nat called to the ceiling.

“Yes, Ms Romanoff what can I do for you?” The AI responded.

“Who in the past week has cancelled plans with Y/n?” Nat asked.

“In the past week I believe each of the avengers have been either ‘too busy’ or had ‘other plans’ to spend time with Ms L/n.” Jarvis said.

“Oh god.” Wanda said. “Jarvis? What has Y/n been doing this past week?”

“Ms L/n has spent most of her time in her room. Either sleeping or crying. She also has been avoiding everyone for the last half of the week.” Jarvis said and Wanda and Natasha’s hearts broke.

“We are the worst girlfriends ever.” Wanda said feeling awful.

“We should go check on her.” Nat agreed and the two of them headed for the lift.

When they stood outside your bedroom door Natasha hesitated for a second.

“What if she doesn’t want to see us?” Nat asked.

“Im sure she will, it’s Y/n. She may be sad but her hearts still twenty-four carat.” Wanda said and Nat nodded and knocked.

When no response came, she gently opened the door. Making out a Y/n shaped lump in the bed she entered and quietly walked over to your side.

Wanda took note of the chocolate wrappers on your bedside table and the hot water bottle you had cuddled up to.

You had seemingly used your powers to heat up the water-bottle and your brow was creased in pain.

“Nat?” Wanda said and Natasha nodded.

“I see.” She said.

Wanda sighed and slipped into bed behind you. Gently playing with your hair as Nat went to search for some pain medicine for you, knowing that you wouldn’t have taken any yet.

Wanda rubbed slow circles on your back and brushed a hand onto your cheek.

“Y/n baby, can you open your eyes for me my love?” Wanda asked softy. You let out a small whimper and Wanda’s heart melted.

“Wands?” You asked in a small voice.

“Yes, baby its me.” She said pressing a featherlight kiss to your cheekbone.

“Hurts.” You said softly and she nodded.

“Natty’s gone to get you some medicine.” Wanda said just as Natasha walked back in with some pills and a glass of water.

“Here you go my sweet girl.” Nat said as wanda helped sit you up, leaning into her side.

Nat passed you the medicine and you took it without protest, telling both girls just how bad you were really feeling.

“I’m sorry we weren’t here my love.” Nat said brushing a curl from your cheek.

“That’s ok. You had important things to do.” You mumbled into Wanda’s chest where you had buried your face.

“Baby girl, nothings more important than you.” Wanda said stroking your hair.

“Why don’t we put on a movie, and you can try and get some sleep ok?” Nat said gently and you nodded, shuffling over to make room for her on the bed.

Wanda used her magic to open the small mini fridge in the room and floated a pint of your favourite icecream and three spoons over.

“I got this for you before I left my love.” Wanda said with a smile passing you a spoon.

Natasha slipped in beside you and Wanda, passing you the remote you put on an episode of Parks and Recreation as you began to eat some icecream and cuddle.

After a few spoonfuls Nat stole the container, Afterall you have been making a mess. There was even icecream on your nose which wanda softly kissed away, making you giggle as you begun doze in the presence of your two amazing girlfriends.

[joe-spookyy]

Dude tell me your thoughts about Daniel Cain + any headcannons??

hi what greatest ask i’ve ever received because all i ever have are thoughts about daniel cain. sorry this is gonna be an essay. um.

tldr - dan cain is a super fascinating character (especially when you read him as queer) and his high empathy makes it difficult for him to make the hard but necessary choices found often in the medical field, but easy for him to be manipulated by those he thinks can help him do the most Good. also he is not immune to herbert west. full post under cut and it’s pretty good you should read it.

ok first off he is literally JUST like me for real. but second. i really think he’s a fascinating character no matter how you read him. his empathy is Soooo high and it affects literally everything he does - sometimes for the worse cause he’s a doctor and honestly cannot afford to be getting this upset every time he loses a patient. but it’s part of him, which i think makes him a super interesting counterpart to herbert. he’s so distinctly Human and he cares so much about the people around him, and he’s a horrible doormat/people pleaser. this is, obviously, not at all like herbert. narrative foils oooooh. when i met bruce abbott he told me he thinks dan is a “spineless worm”, which may be technically true, but i think the way dan is so easily convinced to go along with herbert is because of this heavy empathy. he wants to do everything within his power to make things better, and what could really be better than conquering death? how much pain could he stop just with that?

because of that, i think it makes SO much sense that it was so easy for herbert to initially manipulate him into working together. plus i also think later on in the films his feelings for herbert get in the way of his judgement to. an incredible extent. herbert just has to ask and dan will immediately be at his every beck and call. hes like a dog. he wants out but he can’t stop coming back to herbert. i struggle to find any other way to explain why he’d still be living with herbert after the first movie - after all, herbert kind of did kill everything dan ever loved (girlfriend, cat, legitimate medical career). and i think these things affected him on a really deep level (which. yeah. obviously) but the way he acts in bride is so indicative of what that kind of trauma does to a person and it’s fascinating to me. he projects so hard on to gloria because of how guilty he felt for not being able to save meg. he shuts down in a lot of the more serious situations. sure, he did have his little going into shock moment in the first film, but it’s a reoccurring thing in bride. he doesn’t seem to have such a strong moral code anymore, but that empathy is still there - even though what he’s doing with herbert and their little bride project isn’t quite morally Right, all he really has left is herbert and he is dying for a way to get back to the normalcy that herbert has pulled away from him. and yet, he’s never able to really Leave. he can’t move out, he can’t stop helping herbert, he can’t really get meg back as much as he tries. but he’s too far down the rabbit hole to really care at this point. he just cares about getting what he loves back.

and sure. did he abandon herbert at the end of the first movie for meg? yeah. did he abandon herbert at the end of the second movie for francesca? also yes. did he rat herbert out to the authorities? yes (but that’s a character choice i simply cannot get behind he would not do that shit after everything he still does obviously love and care about herbert if he was gonna be a narc he would have done it after the first movie herbert didn’t even do all that much wrong in the second movie like come on he was just getting creative. whatever. anyways.) now, his choice to save meg in the first movie makes a lot of sense, in my opinion. he assumed herbert was dead (which. not a bad assumption tbh) and meg was his girl - it makes a lot more sense to save her than someone he hasn’t known for nearly as long. but when he chooses to escape with francesca and leave herbert behind, it’s a little bit jarring. he’s obviously gotten close with herbert. they still live together, they bicker like a married couple, and if we’re being honest he kind of follows herbert’s every command. again. like a dog. and plus! they just created life together in a quite homoerotic fashion!!! why in the world would dan fumble this?? well, i think i can explain it. herbert represents a lack of societal normalcy. think like doctor praetorius in the bride of frankenstein. herbert’s heavily queercoded, he actively defies god, he kills and he disrespects the dead and he’s terrible socially and he shoots up drugs (sorta) and he is all about medical malpractice. this is the opposite of what someone like dan SHOULD want. dan’s straight passing (or straight if you want to read him that way which i don’t recommend cause otherwise this analysis doesn’t make as much sense), kind and friendly, and wants a good, normal career in the medical field. and he loves his perfect girlfriend. meg (and later francesca) represent these “good” and “normal” things that dan wants and is expected to want. herbert, again, represents the opposite. so for dan to choose herbert and save him over either meg or francesca, he would be choosing to step away from the life he is “supposed” to live, the socially acceptable life. people are already suspicious of him and west as we see in the novelization of the first movie, and to save his visibly queer strange little “roommate” over the woman he’s supposed to love would have certain implications that would draw dan away from this life of normalcy that he wants so badly. but most importantly. herbert always comes back. he’s a part of dan that can’t be escaped.

well. that was a lot. headcanons. umm. i think you probably got a lot from the novel i just wrote but here’s more.

- i loveeee the dan starts smoking after meg dies hc

- i don’t believe he ratted on herbert. i think they’re still working together making freaky shit to this day. even as old men.

- i know i just said queer the whole time i was talking but he’s bisexual and you aren’t allowed to disagree with me. herbert’s gay though. emphasizes the differences between them - dan CAN choose that “normal” life but herbert can’t.

- i think he ends up needing glasses as he gets older. he wears em to read in the first movie and i think his vision declines.

- also he goes grey earlier than herbert imo cause of all the stress. herbert makes fun of him for this but herbert’s hairline is. ummmn. less powerful. so dan has ammo to fight back.

- i don’t think he’d ever be able to get a cat again after rufus. or really any pet. i don’t think he trusts himself not to damage everything he touches

- i think he’s a huge talking heads stan. you could argue this as canon because of the stop making sense poster above his bed, but i think he’s a super fan. and maybe i’m projecting. so what.

- no matter how many times herbert does it or offers it to him, he refuses to take any of the reagent.

uhh. yeah. sorry that this post is so long i hope it is sufficient to what you were looking for. thank you sincerely so much for asking this was the most fun i’ve ever had. bless up.

[violeteclipseboaty]

So I recently went to go watch KOTPOTA again. I wanted to share my thoughts overall on the film, I couldn't properly do it before because I had forgotten some stuff lol

The pacing: at first watch I though it was kinda weird but watching it again I realized it pretty much went straight to the point, if anything I wanted MORE but you know the movie would've been too long but I wouldn't have minded either way. I mean, I've watched the Avatar and Harry Potter movies, so yeah I could've handled that lol

I really like the environment they set up with the eagle clan; their culture, their tradition with the eggs, and their bond with the eagles. I hope we get to see more details in the next movie.

The cinematography was amazing, they really nailed it. The sceneries were outstanding. A lot of that stuff reminded me back to Rise, back when it was filled with human life, now sadly the structures are abandoned and overtaken by nature but look pretty either way. The action scenes omg were so engaging and just done so well.

Let's talk about the main characters:

Noa: Great character. He's curious, smart, brave, and compassionate. I know a lot of people wanted him to be Caesar's descendant but i didnt really care about that. I'm excited where his next journey will take us if they have the chance to make a sequel (please 🙏) I'm pretty sure at the end of the film, Noa now has a new view of the world he lives in and now questioning his entire existence lol

Raka: loved him!! I really like how he truly understood what Caesar stood for. I did notice some things he believed were wrong lol but he's got the spirit and would lighten up the mood after what happened with Noa's clan. He's got a good heart, he sacrificed himself for Mae despite knowing her for a very short amount of time after all. Also I refuse to believe he's dead so there's that also and I hope he comes back to guide both Mae and Noa onto the path for the coexistence of both apes and humans.

Soona: I really wish we could've gotten more scenes with her, but I really like her. She's brave, sweet, and a ride or die for both Noa and Anaya. I hope we get to see her more in the next film

Anaya: yall already know cause I made a seperate post lol but loved him and I wish we had more scenes with him as well! I felt so bad for him when we see him again with Proximus, he's been through enough!

Proximus: he was a great villian and I did not like him, which is good! Not all villians need a sad backstory, this dude was clearly only hungry for power. He was twisting Caesar's words, enslaving other apes, killing humans, and wanted access to technology capable of bringing destruction and chaos. He's smart and knows how to be resourceful. I find it funny that he was talking smack about humans yet his way of thinking and actions are similar to the bad side of humanity. I only wish we could've gotten more scenes with him; he was underused and I thought he would have a much bigger role based on the trailers, but I enjoyed his presence overall.

Mae: I've already made a seperate post about her character and I still sorta feel the same way about her. Rewatching it again, I got to sympathize more with her situation. She's a survivor who clearly grew up and was taught misinformation about apes, but after meeting Raka and bonding with Noa; i truly believe she'll come around and change her mind. I believe in her, and I hope we get to see her again and get more of her backstory to understand her better.

The movie was great. The plot, visuals, and acting were so well done. I took about 5 years for them to work on this, and it SHOWS. Their dedication shows that when enough time is given; movies that involve CGI can be done properly. I'm sick of projects being crunched and the visuals ending up looking like 💩 because the teams/artists aren't appreciated enough. I definitely recommend watching at least twice, and I pray for a sequel.

[animegirl1363]

The Haunted Dorm of Scepter 4

Fandom: K Project

Summary: A test of courage turns into a night of survival when Hidaka, Domyoji, Goto, and Enomoto have to solve a mystery before it's too late.

External: AO3 / SquidgeWorld

@kresurrectionfest

Scepter 4 dorms are cheap for a government job. But Dorm 4 was special. It hosted a lot more amenities that the usual dormitories did not have; including a basement level.

Huddled in the commons room of the dorms, Hidaka, Domyoji, and Enomoto were listening to one of Goto’s horror stories.

“There is a haunted dorm on the grounds of Scepter 4. Once upon a time, long ago, it is said that former members brought in video tapes that a captured strain had. Those members watched the tapes and eventually they were all found dead. All of this happened to everyone that lived in the dorm. Now it rests abandoned, haunted by the owner of those VHS tapes. Whomever watches those tapes will die within 24 hours.”

Thunder boomed making Hidaka jump out of his skin.

Domyoji and Enomoto were both tuned in.

“The six VHS tapes are scattered around the dorm. Before the tapes were recovered by Scepter 4 there were reports of missing children. Parents reported that the kids were watching this children show before disappearing. The tapes tell a story, an unsolved mystery. Those who figure it out are said to have everlasting good luck.”

Goto finished his story with a smile.

“Do another one!” Domyoji yells. Which made Enomoto flinch.

“No! Gotti, why would you tell a spooky story like that!” Hidaka cried.

“Huh? Because we are here on a test of courage. Of course I would tell a scary story.” He smiles.

“I wonder if the story it true.” Domyoji wonders.

“Of course its not true.” Enomoto says trying to convince himself.

“Let’s go find those tapes!” Domyoji says.

“They don’t exist!” Hidaka shakes his head.

“Oh, I already went and found the tapes.” Goto nonchalantly pulls out all six tapes from his travel bag. “I was excited for this, so I came here ahead of time.”

All the color drained from both Hidaka and Enomoto’s faces. Domyoji was excited much to the dismay of his older co-workers. Domyoji and Goto quickly set up the television to play the video tapes.

There were six tapes in total but none of them lasted over thirty minutes long. Some tapes were videos of an old cartoon show. Some were videos of interviews with the creator. There were some that showed news reports of the disappearance.

“That was underwhelming.” Domyoji grumbled.

“The real challenge starts now.” Chuckled Goto. “Now we just have to survive the curse.”

“There is no curse.” Hidaka said. Enomoto nodded in agreement.

“It really did not tell a mystery at all….” Enomoto pointed out.

“Yeah, that just means this whole thing is a rumor after all.” Hidaka says.

The group all went to sleep. Since it was a test of courage, they all slept in separate rooms in the dorm. The group all did their nighttime routine. Hidaka looked out the window. Tonight was the night of a blood moon. While beautiful, it sent shivers through his body. Any other time he would admire a sight like this. But not tonight. He wanted this night to be over already. Hidaka closed the curtains and hide himself underneath the blankets on the bed.

-

Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzzt.

Hidaka woke up.

Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzzt.

He stared at his cell with fear in his eyes and his sword in hand. Beads of sweat trailed down his horror-stricken face. He did not move an inch closer to the phone. Why? Because it was turned off. Hidaka turned off his phone before sleeping. The screen was blank, yet it was ringing like it was turned on.

“Who is calling?”

Hidaka jumped as he heard the voice. It was the same voice from the video tapes he watched earlier. He swallowed air and slowly reached out for the device.

“H-hello.”

“Let’s bake a pie. Do you know where we can bake a pie?”

Hidaka’s trembling hand dropped the phone to the floor.

“LeT’s BAKE a PiE!”

Hidaka ran over to the window to escape through there. What lied behind the curtains completely froze him. A void of darkness greeted him. Nothingness in every direction. He was sure that they were still on Scepter 4 premises. Was this a dream. The only semblance of light was the red dot in the sky, the blood moon. Hidaka shot blue aura at the window to break it. Not a single crack formed on the glass.

“LeT’s BAKE a PiE!”

Hidaka dived for the phone. “Okay! I’ll bake a pie.”

“Great!” Was all the voice said.

Hidaka turned on his phone and tried to call Munakata, but he only got the dial tone. Then he opted to call Goto, who picked up.

“Hidaka.”

“Gotti, where are you? What is going on?”

“I am making my way to the kitchen.” He replies.

“The- kitchen….” Hidaka had hoped this was all a dream, but if Goto got the same call then it is impossible for this to be a dream.

“Hidaka are you still there? Meet me in the kitchen.”

Hidaka was going to say something else, but the call disconnected. He took a deep breath. He opened the door happy to see nothing was in the hallway. The electricity was not working making the atmosphere feel really heavy. His footsteps echoed every step on the floor. Slowly but surely he got closer to the kitchen. There was a junction, one going towards the kitchen, the other going towards the commons room and the main entrance. His body turned towards the direction of the main entrance, however that was a bad idea.

Gray wool began to ooze from the pictures hanging from the wall. All forming together on the floor into a disordered monster. Hidaka recognized it to be the sheep companion from the cartoon on the VHS tapes.

The brunet turned tail down the hallway towards the kitchen witch his new friend right behind him. He burst through the double door to the cafeteria and the monster close behind. The monster flew right past him shooting out strings of wool at Hidaka. The brunet flipped over a nearby table and used as a shield and lined up a perfect shot of blue aura at the monster. It cried out in pain. From behind the monster Goto came out of the kitchen and threw a paper talisman onto the monster. The amulet caused the sheep monster to lose form and turn into a grey puddle on the floor.

“Gotti!” Hidaka jumped into his arms.

“Hidaka, I’m glad you’re safe.” Goto was calm and collected. He was the same as usual. In a way it was comforting to Hidaka.

“What is going on?” Hidaka asks.

“I don’t know.” Goto shrugs. This was not the answer Hidaka was hoping for. “I did find this tape in the kitchen. Whatever is going on, I think this will help us.”

“I thought you found all of the tape earlier?”

“I did.” Goto opens up his bag to reveal all six tapes from earlier. This confused Hidaka. “We might be in some sort of alternate dimension. Or a dream.”

“This is no dream because how are we having the same one!?” Hidaka said. Goto nods in agreement.

“True. We should get back to the commons room so we can watch this.” Goto began walking in the direction of the double doors.

“What about Enomoto and Domyoji?”

“They are waiting for us.”

Hidaka was happy to regroup with everyone else. On the way to the commons room there was no issues thankfully. The group was happy to be together.

“I tried hitting the door, but nothing happened.” Domyoji grumbles.

“We are effectively locked in.” Says Enomoto.

“Then our only way out is to solve this mystery.” Goto said waving the tape. He goes to set up the television set.

“What happened with you two?” Hidaka looks at Domyoji and Enomoto.

“I had to go to the bathroom and ran into one of those sheep monsters.” Enomoto explained.

“He ran into my room. So we’ve been together since then.” Finished Domyoji.

“Guys it’s set up.” Goto called them over. Even with no electricity the television set still worked properly.

-

In a sealed off room, there was a girl sitting in a chair, well chained down is more accurate. She looked to be a kid. She was doing nothing while there was a voice over talking over the footage.

“According to the records, her parents went missing. Her powers are incomprehensible. She has no other family to speak of. Her name is….”

“Isn’t she the voice actor for that cartoon show?” Another voice chimed in. “That was the show that was involved with the kids getting spirited away. You think her powers have something to do with it?”

-

The video suddenly went static. The group staired on in confusion.

“Is this the mystery we are supposed to solve?” Hidaka wonders.

“Goto do you know more about this rumor?” Enomoto asks.

“Only what I told you.” Goto says.

“It seems there is more to this rumor that meets the eye….” Enomoto starts trying to piece together the events. “We need more information on this case. If she was taken in by Scepter 4 then there has to be information on her in the database.”

“Is there a basement here? A VHS tape could have appeared there like in the kitchen where I found this tape.” Goto said.

“Yeah. There should be a staircase around here that leads to the basement. I will need to go to the computer lab to access the database.” Enomoto said.

“We don’t even know if the computers will work.” Hidaka pointed out.

“The television worked, so it’s worth a try.” Domyoji points out.

The group splits up into two. Hidaka is paired with Enomoto. Goto and Domyoji are going to the basement.

-

Hidaka and Enomoto split apart from Goto and Domyoji. Taking a look at his phone, Hidaka noted that the time had not moved forward. In fact it was it was 25 o clock a time that did not exist. The brunet felt like he was going crazy. “What is this place…?”

“If I had to guess it might be the manifestation of that girl’s strain power.” Enomoto said. “From those videos she did have the ability to manipulate reality.”

“I still hope this is a dream.”

“It isn’t. I get the feeling if we die here, we die for real. It feels like we’ve been isakai into a video game that turned real.” Enomoto concludes.

Enomoto’s sentence send a cold wave through Hidaka.

The duo arrived at the computer lab. To their surprise there was only one working computer in the lab. They slowly moved up to it, weapons ready to be drawn. On the screen was a game based on the cartoon they watched earlier.

"You are good with games Enomoto.” Hidaka playfully pats Enomoto on the shoulder.

It was a point-and-click adventure game. The title character was going to the store to get ingredients for a pie. There was the grocery store, the candy shop, and the animation studio. Enomoto had to click the correct building. He clicked the grocery store building but that was the wrong answer.

Two of the computers in the lab had the screens crack with wool oozing from them.

'I don’t WaNt tO go to the animAtioN stUdiO.'

"Enomoto!" Hidaka shouts.

The picture on the screen changed. All of the buildings changed to be the animation studio. Enomoto gulps as he clicked the animation studio. Suddenly static appeared on the screen.

-

'Investigators are looking into this strange phenomenon. As of right now, there were six confirmed deaths and one survivor has been taken in by Scepter 4.'The reporter says. 'The Pied Piper animation building seemed to just spontaneously caught fire. Fire fighters are still trying to find the cause of it.'

'Pied Piper studios have been the center of attention lately because one of the shows made there have been under scrutiny. Many people have reported their children going missing after watching one of the cartoons made by them.’

Due to the fire, the company went bankrupt and closed down.

-

Hidaka and Enomoto both listened to the message.

"Do you know that studio?” Hidaka asks.

"I have read about them on forums. Whenever I looked up information on them, it all seemed like an internet creepypasta.” Enomoto says furrowing his eyebrows. "We need a timeline of events. Clearly something is up with this studio and that is why this spirit seems upset.”

“How did the story go?”

"It went that the company was in so much debt that higher ups overworked the employees on this one show that many of them died.” Enomoto explained.

One by one the computers ejected gray wool from the screens. The room began to shake violently.

"I don’t think the spirit liked your story!” Hidaka screams. The two bolted towards the door slamming it behind them.

"I can see that the story does not line up with the truth now! It doesn’t have to be so mad!” Enomoto was not the most athletic of the bunch, so he was struggling to keep up with Hidaka. Luckily, the grey wool blob did not follow them. It gave them a chance to catch their breath and make a slower trek through the halls.

“I don’t understand, if it wants us to solve the mystery why is it trying to kill us?” Hidaka wonders.

"Vengeful spirits are often unreasonable.” Enomoto said. Then the look of an idea crossed his face. “The nurses office would have information. Hidaka let’s head there. The nurse office should have a computer there too.”

The duo made the trek to the nurse station. It was a clean and sterile as you would expect of a doctor’s office. The air was chilly as the two went to the file cabinet. Of course it required a passcode, but all they had to do was carefully cut out the lock to open the drawers. In one of the drawers there was a tape. Enomoto quickly took it out. They made a mental note to keep it close by. Both of them went through all the files, reading over the information to find a match of who they were looking for.

"Huh?” Hidaka ran into a file with a picture of a young child on it. “Reality augmentation. Deceased parents. Found at Pied Piper studios. Enomoto! I think I found something!”

Name: Kanzaki Hattori.

Age: 7.

Abilities: Reality Augmentation. Strain has many abilities that affect the mind and vision. Can shift through screens and walls. Handle with care.

Notes: Captured at Pied Piper Studios. Parents are dead. Kanzaki can have emotional outbursts, give medication daily.

Cause of Death: Found in the Sceptor 4 well by dorm 4. Security footage show it was done by two Sceptor 4 members.

Hidaka felt like throwing up. He wondered why Sceptor 4 officers would do that to a kid. “Why would they do that?”

"Sceptor 4 was a very different place before the captain took over." Enomoto was trying to piece together everything. Something was not adding up. “If her parents went missing why was she taken by the animation studio…? This is confusing.”

Just then the sound of breaking glass could be heard. Over on the desk, the computer was broken. there was an arm sticking out from where the screen was shattered. In its hand was a tape. The duo looked at each other with horrified expressions.

"So are you going to take it?” Hidaka’s voice was shaking.

"Huh! Me!” Enomoto shakes his head.

The tape needed to go back with them. They both grabbed the tape together and pulled it out of the ghost hand. They hurried back to the commons room to wait for Goto and Domyoji.

-

Domyoji And Goto stood atop the staircase that lead down to the basement.

"Why did we not take the elevator?” Domyoji whines.

"And risk getting stuck in there.” Goto points out.

when they reached the bottom, Domyoji felt his foot land in liquid. “B-blood!”

Domyoji’s face paled at the sight.

"The blood of those who died.” Goto says walking ahead. Domyoji shivers. Now he understands why Hidaka gets creeped out by Goto.

"Hey, can’t you talk to the dead or something?” Domyoji catches up with Goto.

"Huh? That’s ridiculous.” Goto chuckles. Domyoji stares at him.

There were no dorms in the basement floor. It was set up to have interrogation rooms. They walk up to one of the rooms but all of the glass windows are blank. They could not see through into the rooms. It would be weird if they were in reality. Since the glass is made for those outside to look in.

Goto could hear voices.

'I thought we could get some fast cash if we let her do this voice acting gig.’ A male voice says.

'We don’t have the money to buy ourselves out of this contract.’ A female voice says. ‘Or get a lawyer.’

“Do you hear that?” Goto asks Domyoji.

"I thought you couldn’t talk to the dead.” He was clearly fearful of Goto right now. His nervousness was clear as he backed away from Goto.

Goto continues to listen.

'And this rumor about how they are kidnapping kids! I want out!‘ She continues. 'Are they using her powers to take the children? How?'

"Hmm…."

"Gotti?” Domyoji waves his hand in front of Goto.

"Huh?”

"You kind of spaced out.” Domyoji said.

"Yeah… I was listening to the people talking.”

"Who was talking?” Domyoji questions.

“You didn’t hear it?” Goto asks. He shakes it off and continues to walk ahead. Goto stopped at another interrogation station when he heard screams. "Did you hear that at least?”

Domyoji shook his head.

"Hmm. Now that I think about it. The people here died in very specific ways.”

"You are just now remembering this part of the story!”

"While in the room with her, the light fixture fell on top of a workers head. And another had a computer blow up in their face.” Goto recalled. Goto slowly opened one of the doors to the interrogation room. It was empty room save for a table and two chairs. The door slammed shut locking Goto inside. He could hear Domyoji tugging on the door from the other side.

Goto let out a breath to calm himself. He reached into his bag and pulled out a paper talisman. He placed one in the bottom left quadrant of the window.

From above the vents began to spill out red liquid into the room. Goto quickly put a paper talisman in the upper left quadrant of the window. Gray wool crawled into the room from the vents. Goto pulled out his sword and cut a line connecting both walls and made a barrier separating him from the monster. His aura powers will keep the monster at bay the red liquid is still raising. He placed a talisman in the bottom and top right quadrants. The gray wool monster let out a terrifying high pitched screech. It hurt Goto so much that he had to cover his ear. Although that did not help him at all. His wall was breaking due to his discombobulated focus because of the sound.

On the outside, Domyoji was punching, kicking, and blasting the door with everything he got. Not a single scratch. He turned his attention the window. Domyoji had no time to think, Goto was in trouble. He took out his sword and began slashing at the glass.

The monster stopped screeching and began thrashing at the barrier. At this point Goto feet were not touching the ground. He could feel and hear Domyoji hitting the glass. Goto channels his aura into the talismans to make a portal through the window. One of Domyoji’s attacks flew through the portal hitting his barrier. Goto, along with the red liquid, poured out the portal into the hall.

"Goto!”

"Run!” Goto quickly grabs Domyoji and runs towards the stairs with the mass of grey wool behind them. The duo makes it to the exit slamming the door closed on the monster. Goto put a ward on the staircase door to keep the monster locked inside. The duo returned to the commons room to wait for Enomoto and Hidaka.

-

The four found themselves together again.

Enomoto was setting up the television set. Hidaka and Enomoto looked at Goto in horror. To them Goto looked like he was covered in blood.

"G-Gotti.” Hidaka stutters.

"I’m fine Hidaka. Just a little mysterious red liquid on me.” Goto says nonchalantly. Even in times like these, Goto still finds a way to mess with his friend. Hidaka wanted ask what happened but decided against it for his own sanity. Knowing They were alive was enough.

Everyone relayed their new found information.

"Weird that you could hear it and not Domyoji.” Hidaka says.

"We found two more videotapes.” Enomoto said. He pressed play and everyone tuned in.

The screen showed the inside of a building. There was door and voices could be heard from outside of it.

'You haven’t given us our dues and now this company is in the middle of a Kidnapping scandals!' A male voice said. 'We are leaving!'

There was static and sounds of a struggle.

'The authorities are still trying to find the missing parents. Pied Piper Studios has reported that they will be doing whatever they to help support the child until further notice. As of right now the show has been put on a hiatus.'

'This is our most popular show. A money maker. With this cartoon we will be able to pay all of our debts.'

Then the tape ends.

“So her parents were killed by the higher ups at the Pied Piper Studios.” Enomoto said.

"Then what happened to her? Or the missing kids?” Hidaka asks.

They popped in the other tape. To their dismay it was just another episode of the cartoon show.

"Hey, guys, how many different voice actors were hired for this show?” Domyoji asked. The group look at him in confusion. “Every tape had different voice actors for several characters.”

No one had bothered to pay attention to the end credits.

"I watched the end credits while you all talked at the end of the tapes. Most of the characters are kids, so maybe they hired kids to do the voices.” Domyoji says.

"They could have been using Kanzaki’s powers to steal the kids through the television.” Goto says.

"That would mean they were kidnapping kids for this cartoon show to use them!” Enomoto gasped. “That is horrible!”

"At some point she must have used her powers to burn down the studio.” Hidaka adds.

"This kid's life was not kind to her. Everyone just used her." Domyoji says.

The group sat in silence taking in all of the events. Slowly but surely sunlight began to filter into the building indicating morning has arrived. Hidaka looked at his phone and it showed a normal time. He breathed a sigh of relief, thankful it didn't something like 28 o' clock. The boys all felt a wave of exhaustion wash over them. It wasn't like they got a peaceful sleep. They grabbed their stuff from the dorm rooms and left the building. They had a little time to rest before their shift so they had to hustle to their normal dorm rooms.

On the way, Hidaka remembered the well. "Wait! Is there a well here. Where is it?"

Enomoto lead the group to the well. Goto looked down in it. "There is a sheep plushy at the bottom."

"What about a dead body?" Hidaka shakily asks.

"No." Goto answers as he turns his back to the well.

Just then, a hand grabs the edge of the well. Slowly a little girl climes out of it. Her head pokes over the edge. She was holding the sheep plushy.

Hidaka, Enomoto, and Domyoji all went pale. Goto turns around and sees the little girl staring back at them. She hands Goto the doll and he takes it with a smile. He then reaches in his bag pack for a talisman to give her.

"It's a charm for good luck and good fortune. I hope the afterlife is treating you better." He says.

She take the charm and puts it on her wrist. She says, "I didn't want any of that to happen...."

"We know." Goto nods.

She goes back into the well and they all wave goodbye.

"What are you going to do with that?" Domyoji asks.

"Well...."

-

Hidaka, Enomoto, Goto, and Domyoji were standing in front of a Scepter 4 showcase cabinet. They had it dressed up as like a guide and put it in next to a map of the place.

"Thank you uEnomoto for getting it clean. It looks good as new." Goto said.

"Ugh. It took so much time and cleaning supplies to wash out everything." Enomoto cringed at the 3 days spent washing that doll. There was years of build up dirt on it. Surprisingly he got out most of the gunk with the help of internet tutorials. He could still smell cleaning chemicals on himself.

"It looks cute." Hidaka said.

"It still seems creepy." Domyoji says.

Everyone had to get to work. They did solve they mystery and survived. It seemed the four had an aura of good fortune ahead.

[maria021015]

SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 28 AHEAD!

“Okay, fire!” Lydia called out and the ten slivers of water Zaida was controlling flew through the air like knives at bulletspeed as her palms snapped forward and outwards from their parallel position, as if she was pushing - and technically, she was. The empty water bottles stacked atop the Lacrosse bleachers clattered to the grass in shredded pieces. Unfortunately, the bench beneath them also split into two, leaving one side drooping as it lost connection to its centre support beam.

“You’re getting stronger,” Stiles noted with an impressed nod as he climbed up the steps to run his fingers along the sharp edge of the serrated metal seat.

“Aim is still a bit rusty.” Zaida grimaced at the damage she’d caused. “You think Coach will notice?”

“Coach still hasn’t noticed my name isn’t ‘Bilinski’.” Stiles snorted. “He’s not gonna see it.”

“We’ve been practising for a whole month, and I’m still no closer to perfecting my blocks. We should be focusing on that, instead of this. This, I’m good at.” Zaida huffed, resting her hands on her hips. Using her powers always left her fatigued. “The other day, I was in the library and I felt you get absolutely slammed at practice. Lucky the place was dead, otherwise people would have seen me get knocked on my ass seemingly out of nowhere.”

Since practising with Lydia and Stiles, Zaida’s powers had been getting stronger. Unfortunately, that meant all of her abilities were heightened, including her telempathy. Instead of just feeling echoes of emotions, she was starting to feel physical sensations as if they were happening to her, and her nervous system was responding in kind. The impact of Stiles getting knocked down had caused her own muscles to respond to the force, and she’d fallen too.

“We’ll work on blocks tomorrow. You’ve pushed yourself hard enough for today.” Stiles pointed out with a worried glance. He handed her a spare bottle of water - a full one, this time - and she took it gratefully, unscrewing the cap and drawing it to her lips.

“I should probably head home soon so I don’t get another lecture.” She rolled her eyes just thinking about what was probably awaiting her at the apartment.

“Xander’s still giving you crap about training?” The boy asked, looking to Lydia for an answer as Zaida sculled her water.

“He thinks that the more powerful she gets, the easier it will be for other supernaturals to sense what she is.” The redhead explained with a shrug. “And he’s probably not wrong.”

“At least he’s stopped leaving case files of werewolf victims around the apartment for me to ‘accidentally’ find. Guess he finally got the message that I’m not going to abandon you guys just because Scott’s a wolf.” Zaida wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Things are getting better, but they’re still tense. Just wait until he sees the results from Harris’ pop quiz today.”

“That exam was hard, don’t beat yourself up over it, Zay.” Lydia sighed, encouraging her friend.

“What did you even get? Because I guarantee it was better than me.” Stiles chuckled humourlessly.

“She got an eighty-four, it’s not even that bad.” The redhead assured the brunette and Stiles’ jaw dropped.

“That’s the mark you’re ashamed of? That’s still a ‘B’.” He pointed out. “I got a sixty-five.”

“It’s a B minus .” She reiterated. “Which isn’t good enough for Xander. I’m usually a straight ‘A’ student, and I finally managed to get my grades back up after all the Kanima business, only for that asshole of a chemistry teacher to surprise us with the quiz from the ninth circle of hell.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say it was the ninth circle. Possibly the sixth?” Lydia jested with a tilt of her head and a sly smirk.

“Yeah, maybe for you. You still got a ninety-seven.” Zaida scoffed and tossed her ponytail over her shoulder dramatically. “God, I can’t wait for summer.”

“That makes both of us.” Stiles groaned. “Four long weeks to go, and I am counting down the days.”

“Let’s just hope Harris’ final isn’t as bad as the quiz was. I need to keep my average up for end-of-year reports.” Zaida pursed her lips. “We’re still all studying for the English exam on Wednesday, right?”

“Yeah, Scott and Allison are going to meet us at the library.” Stiles nodded in confirmation.

“Because that won’t be awkward at all.” The brunette drawled sarcastically. The two still hadn’t spoken to each other since their break-up, much to Scott’s dismay. Zaida herself hadn’t exchanged any conversation past polite pleasantries with the huntress. Allison had moved into an apartment building just down the street from Zaida’s and whilst she was still part of the group, she was distant from all of them except Lydia. Zaida found it funny how the girl had thrown the redhead to the side for months only to then latch onto her when she had no one else. Well, not funny so much as slightly unbelievable. “Isaac’s coming too.”

“Great.” Stiles’ mood instantly shifted as his eyes darkened. He’d made it abundantly clear that he liked the boy about as much as he trusted him - which was not at all.

“Jackson might come too.” Lydia piped up with a hopeful glint in her green eyes.

“That’s what he always says, but you know he never shows up,” Zaida spoke gently, knowing it was a touchy subject for the girl. Jackson was moving to London as soon as Sophmore year was over. He still was coming to terms with everything that had happened, and apparently being around them just reminded him of the things he’d done, so he usually avoided it. Usually, being always.

“This time could be different,” Lydia suggested, still holding on. Stiles looked away, busying himself with tying his shoelaces - even though Zaida could have sworn they were already tied. She could feel a pang of sadness in her chest. Was it his, or was it her own? She couldn’t really tell sometimes.

“So, you really think she's gonna come back to you?” Stiles asked as he carried his Lacrosse equipment across the field, his best friend next to him.

“Yeah, I know she is.” Scott insisted, still convinced that he and Allison would eventually get back together. “What about you and Lydia?”

“Ahh. Well, the ten-year plan for making Lydia fall in love with me is currently on the back burner. I don’t think she’s ever gonna notice me in that way, man, and I can’t force it. If it’s gonna happen then It’ll happen on its own.” Stiles shrugged. He wasn’t bitter about it by any means, but he couldn’t deny it was still disappointing.

“Why don't you just ask her out?” Scott suggested as if it were the easiest and most obvious option in the world.

“Yeah, okay,” Stiles scoffed sceptically. “Why don't you just get into the goal and help me make team captain like you promised, there, big guy!”

“Hey, you know what I just realized?” Scott said as he stepped between the goalposts. “I'm right back where I started.”

“What do you mean?” Stiles questioned, not quite understanding what he was getting at.

“I mean, no lacrosse. No popularity. No girlfriend. Nothing.” The boy shrugged as he answered.

“Dude, you still got me!” Stiles huffed, feigning at being offended.

“I had you before.” Scott smiled, spotting a redhead and brunette approaching from the other end of the field.

“Yeah, and you still got me, okay? It's a life fulfilled.” Stiles grinned, scooping the ball into his net with a tilt of his stick. “Now, remember - no wolf powers.”

“Got it.” Scott nodded and got into position.

“No, I meant it! No super-fast reflexes, no super-eyesight, no hearing…none of that crap, okay?” Stiles eyed his best friend warily. “You promise?”

“Would you just take the shot already?” Scott cried out in exasperation, and Stiles pulled the stick back and launched the ball through the air. Scott’s eyes glowed yellow as he caught the ball with superhuman speed.

“I said no wolf powers!” Stiles complained, appalled.

“Scott cheats during games, why wouldn’t he cheat in practice too?” Zaida’s voice from behind him made Stiles jump, swinging the Lacrosse stick around and unintentionally almost knocking the girl in the head. Lydia stood just a little way off, crossing her arms and waving hello.

“Watch where you point that thing.” Zaida managed to dodge the equipment easily. “Last day of Sophmore year is over and you guys are…practicing Lacrosse?”

“Well, you got any better suggestions?” Scott asked, approaching from the goals.

“I do, actually. The rest of us are celebrating with burgers and drinks at the Preserve. Wanna come?” She offered with a smirk.

“The rest of you being…?” Stiles questioned with a narrowed gaze.

“Yes, Isaac is coming.” Zaida rolled her eyes, knowing what he was really asking. She looked past him to Scott. “Allison’s gonna be there too.”

The wolf looked at his best friend with hopeful eyes, and Stiles sighed heavily, giving in. “ Fine .” he relented.

“We’ll pack up the gear and meet you in the car park." Scott nodded and both boys packed up their things and headed towards the locker rooms.

Lydia and Zaida didn’t have to wait long in her black Beetle for the boys to arrive and hop into the Jeep. Lydia pulled out of her car spot and waited for Stiles to do the same before driving off, leading the way to the spot where they’d organised to meet the others. Isaac and Allison had been tasked with picking up drinks and food respectively. When they got there, they all helped carry something through the woods to the spot that overlooked the whole of Beacon Hills. The summer air was hot even though the sun was dipping under the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange. They ate, and laughed, and some of them drank until only the dull moonlight and twinkling lights of town miles away from them illuminated the night.

Zaida was nursing a sour grape cruiser, sitting alone on a rock overlooking town when Stiles noticed she’d gone strangely quiet. He could immediately sense something was off as he took a seat next to her and bumped her leg playfully with his knee. “What’s wrong?” He asked - the others were too distracted to notice.

“Lydia just told me that her dad’s coming to pick her up on Sunday. He’s taking her to spend a week with him in Los Angeles.” She explained in a low voice.

“But…weren’t you girls supposed to leave for Monterey on Sunday?” He realised and Zaida nodded.

“I know how much Lydia wants to see her dad though. He’s never around, and I couldn’t ask her to miss out for me. We can always go another time.” Zaida tried to brush it off even though she was extremely disappointed. She’d been looking forward to their trip for months.

“You know…I could still take you?” Stiles offered and she looked to him in surprise. “Don’t look so shocked. I once promised you I would take you, didn’t I? I’m a man of my word.”

“Even though I ditched you to go with Lydia?” She arched a brow, still feeling slightly guilty for pushing Stiles out of the trip.

“I get it - it made more sense for the two of you to go. It would have raised less suspicion.” He shrugged.

“How would we explain it?” She wondered. “Xander thought I was going to Lydia’s lake house with her.”

“You can still go ahead with that story. Lydia won’t be in town and Xander would never find out she was actually with her dad in LA and not with you.” He suggested.

“What would you tell your dad?” Zaida questioned, pointing out the flaw in his plan.

“I could say I’m going on a camping trip with Scott?” It was the first thing that came to his mind. “Dad won’t question it.”

“The problem with that is Scott’s not going to be out of town. What if they run into each other? And won’t Scott be wanting to hang out? What are you going to tell him about where you are? And what if Xander and your dad talk and they realise that both of us are supposedly out of town on separate trips? They’d definitely think something’s up.” She listed everything that could possibly go wrong, her mind working on overdrive.

“Okay, yeah, you’re right.” He admitted and scoured his brains for an answer. “Okay, new plan. You keep your story the way it is. I’ll tell my Dad that I’m staying at Scott’s for a few days, so if he does talk to Xander he’ll think I’m still in town. Then I’ll tell Scott I’ve got the flu and can’t go out. He’ll be so busy moping about Allison going to France for the summer that he won’t be going anywhere, so Dad won’t see him in town. Then when we get back you just tell Xander the trip got cut short because Lydia’s dad wanted to take her to LA. It means we’ll only get a couple of days, but it’s better than nothing.”

“That…” Zaida slowly nodded as she processed everything, her excitement sparking. “That could actually work.”

“So…is that a yes?” He raised a brow and turned to him with a broad smile.

“That’s a definitely!” Zaida agreed and held up her drink in a cheersing motion before taking a long swig. She’d get to go to the beach house after all.

[innocence-wont-save-you]

[An overseer is ‘sitting’ next to the scavenger as they look at Innocence’s sleeping form.]

Hey bud, isn’t it kinda weird our friend is uh… still sleeping? Like, we should be moving out by now. I mean I know we’ve been waiting for like, six minutes, but it feels like a month! And yeah, I know you don’t understand me.

(OOC: Heyyyy so uh, sorry if it’s rude but I didn’t see a place to submit an ask on the website so I’m asking here. Is this blog ever going to be updated in the near future? If not, do you plan to still continue it or is like, irl stuff putting weight in your shoulders? I wanna join the disc and ask questions but stupid anxiety is making me not do it. If you’re still working on it or left the project, don’t feel pressured to continue, it would be selfish of me to ask that of you.

tl;dr: I kinda just want an update on the current situation Innocence Won’t Save You is in.)

OOC: YES HI HELLO I'M STILL ALIVE THANK YOU FOR ASKING ACTUALLY

Short answer: Yes there's. Shit going on in my life. Mostly school work; this has been one of my busiest quarters so far and I'm constantly swamped with work and haven't had the free time to really sit with IWSY and work out what I want/need to do.

Longer answer: Yes there is currently no way to submit on the website I am so sorry. When I said this would move off Tumblr I meant it and I was finding ways to do that, but I kept hitting roadblocks because I started learning web dev Solely for IWSY. Ultimately my progress on the javascript tutorial stalled (due to aforementioned busyness) and other people let me know that Neocities isn't... the best place to host comments locally? So that threw a wrench into the plans.

I've admittedly not written much for IWSY in the time since I announced we'd be migrating off Tumblr. In hindsight I kind of wish I'd waited a little, but I think this quarter would have done this to me regardless of if I'd wanted to migrate or not. However, I still want to work on IWSY. This project is NOT abandoned. I'm just very busy :'D in a good way though! After a bit of a rough spell, my life right now is, without exaggeration, the best it's ever been, and aside from just plain being busy, I'm also trying to enjoy being alive for once. Unfortunately it means things have been and will continue to be very, very slow here for the foreseeable future.

But I do have a small update. I gave up on trying to code comments locally, and instead found an open source commenting plugin called Isso that I'm hoping to install on the website. Actually doing so will require time I don't currently have since I. Uh. Don't know python. But if all goes well, I will have that set up at some point, and then I can get started on scene 14. I can't guarantee anything on that while this quarter is still going on unfortunately, but I will promise you all that once my summer break starts (which is in June since my school runs on a quarter system), I'll put more time and effort into this again.

If you'd like to help get the comments set up I would deeply appreciate it, but again I don't think I can see myself writing any long form creative fiction until I have the time to dedicate my mind to it, especially given what IWSY is. I'm really sorry about that, but I'm glad to hear that you're still interested in this story! So sorry about the radio silence, I really should have updated a few times since the last post I made, but thank you again for asking and reminding me to at least say something.

So TLDR, no the story isn't dead, I'm just hella busy and trying to appreciate life.

[guizh0ng]

Remember

Chapter 6: Aftermath

(WARNING: REALLY SHORT AND RUSHED CHAPTER)

"What do you mean they got away?! AND THEY KILLED HALF OF OUR GUARDS TOO?!" A mysterious woman emerged from the shadows, suddenly slamming her hands on her desk.

"Woah, Haha..Chill down, ya sure ya aren't spending too much time with Ahriman? You seem so uptight these days, what would El say?" The other man in the conversation stopped talking and stubbed out his cigarette.

The two people were inside an undisclosed office, which appeared to be dimly lit but had a lot of furniture related to ribbons.

The other man was wearing a rust-coloured tux, he crossed his arms and smirked at the woman, "Stop it Felìx, you know this is a serious matter, we could've moved on to France by now instead we're still stuck in Italy!" The woman made a point.

"Woah-Ho! Didn't know you wanted to go to France that bad! Relax would ya, are you forgetting the alliance we have?" Felix reminded her, and she instantly understood the significance of this detail.

She let out a deep sigh and sat back down in her chair, showing a more reflective and considered demeanour, "Just get out." She gave a quick order and then turned her chair around.

Felìx, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by her sudden transition and shrugging casually, before walking out of the office.

"Those assassins better take care of them, if they want to make up for their part of the deal." She muttered to herself, seemingly frustrated or concerned about something, and laid back on her chair with another sigh.

_____________________________________________

Viktoriya walked around the abandoned trading warehouse, which seemed to be empty due to the absence of guards.

She had sent the rest of the agents back to the agency before returning to this location again, as she needed to find something.

After several hours of searching, Viktoriya seemed to have come up empty-handed, which was frustrating and disappointing.

She sighed and lifted her wrist, opening her digital watch to reveal a projector that lit up and showed the image of Espen appearing, "Did you find anything?"

"No, all I could find is rubble and dirt.." Viktoriya admitted as she continued to search through the area, but her demeanour and pace had slowed down considerably.

Espen snickered, "Well, it would help if you're not such a mess"

"Hey, I'm not messy!" Viktoriya countered immediately with a furrowed brow, her response to Espen's banter caught her off guard and made her chuckle.

"Oh yeah? Aren't you the one wh–" Just as Viktoriya was about to tease Espen back, she heard footsteps coming her way

She knew that no one else was in the area but it seemed like reinforcements had been sent back after all.

The footsteps sounded more like a group, and she knew she needed to hide.

"I'll get back to you" Viktoriya reported to Espen as she turned off her watch.

She decided to conceal herself behind one of the racks, hoping to stay unnoticed.

As she hid, she peeked around one of the corners to get a look at them.

She was right, they had the look of people from the mafia.

Their clothes, their demeanour, their presence... everything screamed 'organized crime.'

They passed by quickly but Viktoriya knew she needed to get out of there immediately.

It was only a matter of time before more of them showed up, and she couldn't risk facing an entire group.

She turned on her watch again, and the projection of Espen appeared once more, "They probably went there because they smelled your garbage ass sock–"

"THAT WAS JUST ONE TIME OKAY, And is that all you have to say?? I almost got caught y'know" Viktoriya felt an annoyance rising within her, as she was weary of Espen's constant bantering.

"Imagine. Anyways, get yourself out of there before your dead" Espen resumed.

"I'll be laughing at you when your dea–"

"What."

"Nothing"

Viktoriya was about to turn off her earpiece just to annoy Espen until she stumbled upon a certain..shades, she picked it up and reported to Espen immediately, "I think I found something afterall"

_____________________________________________

Sora sat on the edge of the bed as Amara treated her wounds, casting her arm where the bullet went through but she was too preoccupied by her thoughts to feel the pain.

Ever since the mission, Sora hadn't been able to get an ounce of sleep.

She couldn't believe she killed someone, she thought she would only have to defend herself and inflict minor injuries but never take a life.

She felt a deep weight on her shoulders and the guilt and regret of her action was becoming too much for her to handle.

"There, don't worry, your wounds will heal up pretty quickly" Amara gave her reassurance with a smile, and stood up to take the first aid kit back to its cabinet.

She wanted to keep the atmosphere light and positive despite the dark circumstances.

Amara knew that Sora needed support and encouragement right now, and she was there to provide it.

"Thanks.." Sora silently mumbled.

"Anytime, and hey don't worry too much, you did great for the first time out there" Amara happily replied as she left, and on another side of the room was Iris, sitting down as she tended to her wounds.

As Iris finished up wrapping up her hand, she looked at Sora.

She felt pity for the young girl, who had spaced out and seemed to be in a daze.

Having her hands bloody on her first mission must not be doing well for her mentally and emotionally.

Sora had signed up for this, yes, but Iris knew that the reality of the situation would have hit her like a ton of bricks.

Iris wanted to help Sora in this difficult time, but she didn't know how to approach her, still she decided she'll just roll with it "Hey, are you doing..okay?" She asked hesitantly, but Sora's look conveyed more than just words could.

It was a look that said, 'You think?' She felt so frustrated and disbelieved, as if she couldn't believe that Iris would ever understand what she was going through.

"Right..well hey atleast your still alive, and that's what matters, you did great! Don't you know that?" Iris pointed out as she sat down next to her, but Sora moved away slightly when she did so.

"Say..you still don't have a role here, and we still don't have someone at the Research Physchologist team yet..do you want to be there?" Iris queried, Sora quite taken back by the offer, was about to think on it "You're a really observant and understanding person, despite our circumstances, though you haven't spread out that skill yet I know you'll do great as our Psychologist but it's your choice" Iris finished up her conclusion, with Sora who doesn't really care what position she'll hold.

All she cared about was solving the mystery within her.

Sora glanced at Iris, and gave her a quick nod as a way of acknowledging her.

"Well, that was qui–"

"Sora! There you are! Oh, I knew you we're still alive!" Nemo burst open the door and immediately went to Sora, hugging her tightly.

Sora was quite shocked by this reaction, as she had expected Nemo to be mad at her for leaving him alone.

But instead, he looked really happy to see her.

"I thought you wouldn't come back safely, thank goodness you are" Nemo pulled away from Sora, and she glanced at him expecting to see that he was injured badly.

But all she could see were light scratches, the most major injury she could see was a cut on his neck.

It was strange.

But maybe Sora might have just underestimated his skills.

"Now let's go, I heard Barnaby is cooking dinner!" Nemo was about to pull away Sora from her bed until Amara coughed loudly on purpose as she diverted Nemo's attention on her "And without treatment? Yeah, no chance" Amara said as she forcefully dragged Nemo away from Sora to get him treated.

"Sora! Just wait up for me!" Nemo shouted at her, which she just turned away, she didn't wanna deal with this.

_____________________________________________

Sora has stood in the hallways, leaning over the wall.

She was waiting for Nemo and sighed lightly as she did so.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of two people, presumably males, talking.

She stayed still and stayed silent, trying to listen in on what they were saying.

She knew that listening in could be risky, but she was too curious to ignore it.

"Why did you have to take off the ship?! You know you haven't gotten proper training since I don't know..six months ago! I thought you were smarter than this." Yamir, who was facing her direction but not looking at her at all, was nagging Aiden, who was facing away and had his left arm covered in bandages, and Sora looked rather guilty looking at his injuries.

She knew she had caused those injuries, not directly but still, and felt a wave of guilt and shame wash over her.

Aiden's wounds were a reminder of her actions, and she felt responsible for his pain.

She looked away, feeling too ashamed to say anything.

"Awwee, you do care about me, but don't worry it's just a fractured bone, we have Amara to worry for this" "Aiden brushed it off, trying to make light of the situation and pretend like it was no big deal.

However, Yamir sighed and gave him a sharp look, showing that he wasn't buying it.

He knew that Aiden's injuries were more serious than he wanted to admit, and he felt concerned for him.

He wanted to make sure that Aiden was taking care of himself, "Are you really that sure? You look like your arm is about to fall off" Yamir told him as he crossed his arms and looked at him sternly.

"Honestly, the pain isn't that bad..besides it was worth it" Aiden mumbled the last part, but unfortunately Yamir seemed to have heard it.

'What does he mean by that? I never knew he was into dying' Sora jokingly thought.

He was starting to grow even more concerned for Aiden and his situation.

"Is it really?" Yamir argued back.

Aiden chuckled lightly and looked at him, "Really."

"Hey there, Sora!" Nemo suddenly swung open the door, and Sora jumped slightly at the sudden noise.

With Nemo mentioning her name immediately, Aiden turned around finally noticing Sora was standing there the whole time.

"Sorry, Amara kept talking about injuries and that, you must've been bored, let's go!" Nemo swiftly grabbed Sora's hand and pulled her along as they walked through the halls, headed for the dinner table.

Sora was surprised by the sudden pull, but she didn't protest or resist, even though it was quite uncomfortable.

She followed him through the halls, eager to get to the dinner table and see what awaited her there.

_______________________________________________

Iris was whistling a musical song as she walked off the hallway after saying her 'see ya later' to Amara.

She was wondering if Viktoriya had gotten back from her search yet too, despite how convenient her timing was.

As she kept walking, she passed Viktoriya in the halls unexpectedly and instantly ran up to her, hugging her tightly.

Viktoriya was surprised and pulled away after a short while, but was clearly happy to have her friend back with her again.

"Viktoriya, there you are! I thought you wouldn't come back, I was about to send everyone looking for yo–" Iris stopped in her tracks when she looked at Viktoriya, noticing the exhausted look on her eyes "..What's up?"

"Aiden. Seriously man, you gotta do something about him, we can't keep risking EVERY mission because of him, I-..I'm getting tired of dealing with him." Viktoriya confessed her exhaustion to Iris, and her gaze softened as she did so.

Iris touched the back of her head and comforted her, allowing her to lean into her shoulder.

Iris didn't know how to properly comfort her, but she wanted to be there for her anyway.

She could tell that Viktoriya was exhausted and needed support right now, and she wanted to be there to provide it.

She wanted to be a friend that she could rely on in tough circumstances like this.

"Alright I'll talk to him, don't worry" Iris lovingly played with Viktoriya's hair, pulling away gently after a while of playing around with it.

She wanted to make Viktoriya feel comfortable, and the playful gesture was sure to provide some warmth and support for her.

She understood that Viktoria was tired and worn out after the events she had just faced, and she wanted to comfort her in any way she could.

"Thank you..Oh yeah, while I was looking for something, I found this" Viktoriya pulled out the shades she had found on the ground at the abandoned trading warehouse.

Iris took them out of her hands and inspected them before handing them back to her.

"I think it might help us track down where the mafia will strike next." Viktoriya concluded.

_______________________________________________

Both Nemo and Sora arrived at the dinner table, half of them weren't there yet but they still went to the tables, Nemo offered Sora a seat next to him which she politely accepted.

Slowly, the rest of the agents arrived at the scene.

Sora had never been to the dinner table before.

Everyone around her was covered in bandages but still happily chatting, laughing and telling stories as if everything was fine.

The sight of them was shocking, but the happiness they conveyed was even stranger to her.

Her wounds had healed by now, but she felt out of place and like an outsider in this scene from a happy movie.

Six days, and she felt like she was already falling behind.

Every time she woke up in this place, she sometimes didn't even know how she got there, whether she woke up tired or cold.

She would just crawl back to sleep, hoping to figure everything out.

Everyone kept telling her she was doing fine, that she should just keep her head low and let the days pass.

But she found it hard to believe them.

She didn't know what to do anymore if she wanted to rest, work, or anything else.

She would just tell herself that she would figure it all out eventually...

"Hey, You haven't touched your food, what's up?" "Nemo interrupted Sora's thoughts, and she looked up to look at her.

Sora nodded in response, and her eyes shifted towards the food in front of her.

It was just a plate consisting of a turkey leg, mushroom soup, and plain white bread.

She picked up her spoon from her side and scooped up some soup from her bowl.

Come to think of it, this was her first proper meal ever since she had first woken up here.

She blew on the soup a bit on the spoon instinctively, to try and cool it up, and then took a sip.

It was already cold, but still delicious.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

The Bellamy house was alive with activity and noise. Three pottery wheels churned loudly as their users struggled to master the motions needed to control the clay. Only the oldest Bellamys were trying their best to make plates out of clay lumps. The twins were with their father and Saturnia was visiting her grandmother to give Roman and Abe some bonding time with their young teenager. Abe Jr was down for a nap, allowing the Bellamys to get started on their craft without interruption.

“This was my mother’s favourite medium to work with,” Roman said to no one in particular. Abe already knew about Kamalani’s art work and Theo wasn’t paying attention to anything but the whirling wheel before him. “I donated some of her pieces to the Strangetown Art Gallery once I figured out that she was semi-famous there. I think they’re even more popular now that she’s dead.”

Well, somewhat dead anyway. Mostly dead. Dead enough to never return...I hope.

While his father pondered the status of his deity angering mother, Theo gave up on his plate and turned his wheel off. This was boring and pointless. Roman was clearly trying to prove some point to his son, though about what, Theo had no idea. His other father was focused intensely on his project, trying to force the clay to follow his design with minimal results. This little craft exercise had failed. Neither one of his parents were interacting with Theo, aside from Roman’s ramblings, and whatever bonding they’d been hoping for with their son was never going to happen.

They meant well, which had to count for something. Some of his friends' parents barely saw them or never tried to spend time with them and here Theo's parents were, trying their best to bond with him. Theo had better things to do than sitting around watching a wheel turn while his parents pretended that their relationship was still fine. He could hang out with his friends or study for his latest potion exam on a day like this. He wasn't a baby anymore. His parents had a new baby now to occupy their time with anyway. 

It took only seconds to dial the number he'd had memorized since grade school. While Theo had a dedicated circle of friends, there was one person he wanted to see more than anyone else.

"Hello, Adam? Are you busy? Do you want to hang out this afternoon? My parents are being weird again. Yeah, some craft that my crazy grandma sold a lot of back in the day. I know, right? It's insane. Oh, you're hanging out with Medora? Well come to Arkhelios and we'll all hang out at the usual place."

Theo listened intently to Adam's reply, staring at his little brother playing loudly in the hall. His parents had Abe to focus on now, so surely they wouldn't mind if he left for a few hours. They might even prefer his absence, so they could continue to talk out their various problems without their kids nearby to overhear. They would definitely welcome the space to talk amongst themselves, Theo just knew it. By hanging out with Adam and Medora, he'd be doing his parents a favour.

After hanging up with Adam, Theo sent a quick text to his father's phone and vanished into thin air once it had sent. It truly was easier to beg for forgiveness than ask permission.

Roman looked at his phone, hearing it buzz faintly over the turning of his wheel. After reading it, he angrily turned to where he had assumed Theo was and saw only a mess where his son should be.

"Dammit!" he swore, alerting Abe from his own project. "Abe, your son has abandoned father-son time to 'hang out with his friends'. It's not like he lives with those friends at school and sees them everyday or anything. We only see him for a brief time in a month and now he's leaving us again."

"At least he's letting us know where he is," Abe pointed out, looking as disappointed as his husband. “I never want to relive that time he ran away from home. Who knows if we'd ever find him again. He knows a lot more about the world now and could get into so much worse trouble."

"You're afraid of the same thing I am?" Roman asked, looking curious despite his efforts to hide his fear. "That he'll follow our example? That he's going to throw away his future on a boy?"

"Of course," Abe confirmed, looking disappointed that Roman even had to ask. "Why wouldn't I? I don't know why you think that you're on your own, Roman. He's our son; we're in this together. We're on the same team."

"Yeah?"

For an instant, Roman forgot his worry over his teenage son and allowed himself to feel hope like he'd forgotten how to.

"Yeah."

Roman's heart fluttered like he was the teenager in the household. Abe was saying all the things he wanted to hear, all the things he thought he'd never hear again from his husband. He and Abe had a rocky history with trust and teamwork, but maybe things were starting to get better between them. Maybe they worked better when they were under pressure or in danger and had a common enemy to fight. They were both stubborn and convinced they each had the right idea for every problem, but when it counted, Abe and Roman stuck together.

From the very second Abe learned he was pregnant at sixteen to the time he sat next to an unresponsive Roman who had just been shot, Abe had vowed to never leave Roman's side and Roman had done the same. Sure, neither one of them had been great at upholding that vow over the years, but they had made it just the same and confirmed it again when they married. It wasn't a demonic contract anymore, but despite everything that had happened between them, Abe knew that he would always treat it like it was. For better or worse, his fate was tied to Roman Bellamy and no demon, teenager or affair could ever change that. He’d never let it.

[forevertrueblue]

Tony Stark fans, I feel like I've abandoned you. And I want to talk about it.

I've been a Marvel (mostly MCU) fan for roughly a decade now. First casual, then somewhere between casual and hardcore, and now it's been one of my top fandoms since around the time Black Panther and Infinity War came out. Tony/Iron Man has been the one I've called my fave for so long (since I saw Iron Man 3 in 2013; before that it was Cap) and have always stuck by that but lately I've been realizing how distant I feel from that side of the fandom and the content in general. Some of that was deliberate, because after awhile I realized I wanted to find PEACE with his MCU story rather than just complain about it, and a lot of others were still so stuck on their disappointment.

I would still read fics and stuff (still do at times!) but maybe because of the mixed feelings (projects like Endgame and some others have changed how I view certain earlier ones and find them more difficult to revisit now, both with Tony and other characters) I find myself not rewatching the content from that era a lot anymore. I did watch all 4 Avengers movies earlier this year but a few weeks ago my dad was watching Iron Man 3 on TV and I was so weirded out at how distant and almost alien it felt to me, and we're talking about the Iron Man trilogy movie I consider my favorite. I don't NOT like it, but the connection I used to feel was now more like "omg how could I have forgotten about xyz!" which made me feel like a fake fan.

So there's that and how I feel like I'm on a completely different wavelength from the rest of that side of the fandom. And I sort of know why. I've managed to make peace and move on, while a lot of them haven't. I know that's healthy, and normal for fandom, but what is kind of eating at me is that this feels different because I'm still very much in the Marvel community, just in a different way. Now, that was my plan for after Endgame, because I knew I wanted to cover this stuff "professionally" and liked the idea of being a bit more of a neutral party. (And I have been doing that, and it's been great!) But then the Loki show happened.

I won't go on about it but the Loki show did a lot of things which appealed to me specifically. (It even did some things I wanted them to do with Iron Man's story, which has given me some solace.) But man is it weird to feel more of a connection with the Loki side of the fandom right now than the Iron Man one; not like having the same mindset as the fandom because it's very divided and I know the show is a point of contention with a lot of people (believe me, as someone who was very much against a certain element of the show while it was airing and have now come around on it, I sympathize with a lot of different viewpoints), more like being more up-to-date with the goings-on and stuff. I get that it's part of my job since it's a current project, but yeah.

And I know this is the nature of fandom, and things will continue to change. (It's interesting because I can actually track my life in this way.) But this in particular feels weird because I'm still very much in the Marvel fandom, and it's interesting because after 5 years I would normally have a different "main" fandom by now (and I have had a few come, go, and come again) but thinking about it maybe I sort of do? Marvel is vast and does have a lot of subfandoms after all, so I guess I've just changed allegiances, except not really because Tony is dead and I'm just mostly focusing on more current stuff, but you know what I mean.

I guess because it really feels like I'm "betraying" the Iron Man fans, and that I "gave in" to Marvel and am still on the train when many others are not after what happened to him in the end, plus what happened in Spider-Man: No Way Home because the IronDad legacy and Spider-Man were what a lot of us were holding onto after Tony was gone. (That movie actually made me glad Tony died before the forgetting spell happened and I think that ending - even as is, without Tony forgetting - might have turned me off the MCU, at least for awhile, if I hadn't already been more attached to the Loki characters by that point.)

I'm interested (and kind of scared) to see how I'll look back on this in another 5 years. I'll probably be cringing in some way, like I do with every other fandom, or maybe even because of posts like this. Like I said in the intro, I really would love to talk about all this will people so I encourage anyone who has thoughts on any of this to message me about it!

[youmissedone]

He was failing hard at not seeming like a clone, he knew. Every time Rain looked at him like he was nuts, Carlos knew he'd screwed up. He had to try to keep this up, though. If he couldn't kill her - and he knew he couldn't, not by himself and not again someone who can come back from all this - then he had to delay or sidetrack her somehow to give Alice and the others time to escape. What happened to him at this point... didn't matter. Protecting them was the mission now.

As he listened to her story, Carlos wondered if it was even true. This ice was thick as hell, he knew. Not many firearms could penetrate it enough to break through and make a hold wide enough for a human being to fall through it. Hearing that Jill had given Alice a Kriss Vector put things into perspective. The rounds from that could definitely have gotten the job done. "So it wasn't any kind of ruse... Valentine really did defect," he said, trying to sound either disappointed or discouraged by that when he was actually so glad to hear it.

When she asked if he'd been hit on the head with a surprising amount of genuine sincerity and curiosity, Carlos had a eureka moment. That... could serve to explain some of his deviant thoughts and behaviors. And he didn't even have to lie. He did get hit on the head, and he had an egg on the back of it to prove it. It wasn't all that bad, he hadn't even lost consciousness, but it'd hurt like hell. "Yeah, I did, actually," he said, rubbing the back of his head where the egg was. "I got tossed around a bit when the facility flooded. I'm not sure what I hit, exactly. Concrete, maybe."

As Rain said they didn't leave orders uncompleted, Carlos chuckled cynically, drawing from emotions that still resided within him from that fateful night in Raccoon City. "Yeah, we don't, do we..." he said darkly. "We do whatever we're told, with little to no information, no backup plan, and if we die, so what, right? And what has it ever gotten us, Ocampo? You're right, we don't leave orders uncompleted. But have you ever asked yourself why? Let's say we find Project Alice and kill her. Great. Mission accomplished. Now what? This facility's destroyed. Where do we get our next orders from? Wander to another facility and hope they accept us? Where does it end?" He knew he was on shaky territory here, but hey, he'd taken a hit to the noggin and wasn't thinking straight. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Her severe reaction to hearing the Red Queen referred to as a computer reminded Carlos of exactly who he was talking to. Not that he'd forgotten, but when someone wore the face and used the voice of your friend, it was sometimes hard not to slip back into nostalgia again. "I don't know!" he exclaimed, still going with the idea of the head injury having done something to him. "I don't feel like myself anymore. Maybe it was the crack on the head, maybe it's hearing that Valentine abandoned us, maybe it's losing our entire team... again... I don't know. I'm just getting tired of all the bullshit, I guess."

"You want to find Project Alice, fine, I'll go with you, I'll help you. But... for all anyone knows, we're dead. So if we were ever going to cut our losses and break the cycle, be something more than just expendable slaves... that time is now," he said, hoping he wasn't about to get shot in the head or something. "Maybe Valentine realized the same thing. Have you thought of that?"

Despite her being a clone of Rain, and despite the creepy way she lacked a lot of Rain's emotion, some of it was peeking through. Carlos could see desire to pay Alice back, not just to follow orders. He could see anger and some amount of affront at being treated as expendable. It was there. Maybe buried, or maybe reduced, but it was there.

When she mentioned DNA and several versions of him, his brow furrowed, pretending he didn't know, that he didn't see that disgusting room with hanging tracks of clone blanks being cycled like clothing on a dry cleaner's rack. Pretending... that he didn't know Becky had been created from combining his and Alice's DNA. Probably the only kid I'll ever have, he thought grimly. "What do you mean?" he asked. Whatever she wanted to tell him, he wanted her to say it. Information was power, and the more of it Carlos had at his disposal, the better off he knew he'd be.

"Oh no, you're not scraping me off that easily. I'm coming with you. We're stronger together," he said firmly. If Rain was really dead set on finding Alice, he had to think of a way to slow her down or of something to do once they got there to prevent something terrible from happening. This is gonna be interesting...

[Sooo... saw that ask about Carlos and clones, and it made Bad Rain wanna say hi] Rain silently assessed the man in front of her from behind the dark-tinted goggles of her gas mask. After her little dinner date in the ocean, her retinal implants started malfunctioning and she could no longer discern if this was a new Carlos or what. "...I thought you were dead," she stated.

Carlos was pretty sure he was the last man standing as far as whoever was still left inside the quickly-failing facility. On their side, that is. There were still plenty of clones running around, and Jill had beaten him to the midget submarines with whoever she still had with her. At least nobody had noticed he was still kicking, or that he'd taken one of them for himself. He barely knew how to work it, but right now it was his only chance. The failing facility was quickly flooding from every angle, so he had to get out of there fast.

Alice and the others were long gone as well - he hoped, anyway - and Barry... Well, Barry hadn't made it. Maybe that was for the best, considering the injuries he'd gotten from that uber licker had probably doomed him anyway unless they could locate some of the antivirus. Carlos had stood by him until the end, hoping they'd bought enough time for Alice and the others to escape.

Carlos wouldn't have figured Alice would agree to leave him behind, but... hey, there was a child involved, and someone had to buy time somewhere. Barry was already screwed and Carlos... was kindof used to taking one for the team. His narrow escape from death back in Nevada was proof of that. He didn't blame Alice one damn bit for taking the opportunity and getting the hell out. At the end of the day, people like her and him were protectors, and sometimes protectors didn't walk away with their lives.

That didn't mean he wasn't going to try. Laying down and dying for no damn good reason wasn't something Carlos was about. He was gonna try to fight his way out of here, or he was gonna make his death useful in some way. So he'd taken one of the midgets subs, donned the trappings of his clone from whatever Umbrella commando attire he could find stored in it, and set out. He didn't know who he was going to run into, after all.

It was a while before he encountered Jill's sub, with any and all communications having been wrecked by all that water. And of course, he didn't have the benefit of any retinal implants. Surfacing so he could get out and see what had gone down, he was met with a disappointing scene. There was no sign of Alice, Becky, Leon, or the rest of the strike team. Except... for Luther. Poor bastard. Luther had been a good guy, and Carlos was sorry to see he'd met his end here. Jill and her clone army wasn't anywhere to be seen either, though. Where did everybody go?

He turned when he suddenly heard Rain's voice, of course knowing she was a clone. Any Rain he ran into anywhere was a clone at this point. He'd heard Alice's tearful accounts of what had happened to the original Rain enough times to know for sure that she was completely dead. Silently, Carlos told himself to be careful, play the part.

When she said she thought he was dead, he had to resist the urge to crack some kind of joke. That was what came naturally to him, something to the effect of , rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated or, I'm a lot harder to kill than that. But clone Carlos wouldn't make jokes. About himself... or the fact that Rain was drenched. What'd you do, decide to take a dip in the ocean? Nope, he had to play it straight.

"No. And neither are you, it seems," he answered flatly, still holding his rifle at the ready, acting like he was suspicious of her for a moment, before lowering it. "Rest of the team is, though. Whatever that explosion was let half the ocean in and took everyone out. I'm blind here, save for the GPS system in the sub. No comms, no maps, no target scanners, nothing. The salt water fucked with all of it," he said, acting annoyed yet also restrained about it. "Where's Project Alice and the rest of the intruders? What about Chief Valentine?" he asked, remembering the various monikers he'd heard the Red Queen use inside the facility.

There just hadn't been enough time, though, to perfect everything before Rain showed up, and Carlos knew these clones were smart. They were engineered that way. So he hoped his outfit was on correctly, that all his major scars were covered, and that he didn't have too much of a haggard five o' clock shadow. Anything like that could give him away, and he knew he couldn't take on a clone version of Rain alone... especially when he knew the clones had access to Las Plagas enhancements that made them damn near indestructible...

[stanfordsweater]

people also project their daddy issues onto John, i find. he’s not allowed any dimension, i’ve come across so many fics where he’s drunk off his face constantly, where he’s verbally and physically abusive, and it absolutely bleeds into people’s versions of what canon is. same with Sam.

yeah, i totally agree with that and i think that characterizing john as cartoonishly abusive gets in the way of any kind of good-will reading of the show. i get it, because he's a character ripe for flattening-- he's barely present in the flashback episodes outside of something wicked, where he appears to remind dean to take care of (a hilariously depressed) young sam and then to show how traumatized dean is by the shtriga attacking his brother. john is more present in the show in his absence, weird as that sounds. he dies in the first episode of season two, but the consequences his behaviour has on sam and dean means that he's still one of the most memorable characters in spn, as well as the most controversial character on the show.

i think most of john’s actions stem from fear that sam and dean will be killed like mary was, and he’s manipulated by heaven and hell to bring sam and dean to the point they need to be in order to house michael and lucifer. john’s love for mary was engineered by heaven, him hunting azazel was a part of his plan the whole time, and he clearly has a lot of love for his sons-- see him crying, talking to sam in dead man’s blood and in my time of dying (can we not fight?), the way he hugs dean, the way he always talks about leaving them behind to “keep them safe...”

but. but but but.

one of my favourite things about john is that he is really complex, and i don’t think it’s fair to say that he isn’t verbally abusive.

john’s taking out his anger at sam for questioning him/frustration and feelings of failure that they may be too late to save the vampires’ victims... on dean. these things are not his fault, and dean has done nothing but obey john’s orders for this entire case, and yet...

it’s not something any of the winchester’s seem surprised by. sam gives dean this kind of can you believe it? look, and dean shrugs it off. this is a very common dynamic in abusive families, where the abuser takes out their emotions on other family members. this is not okay. john is not behaving as an ideal father. he also has a whole second family as of season four, one that he visited once a year, leaving adam with some serious abandonment issues. all around not a great look.

so, do i blame people for extrapolating deeper abuse from these interactions? no, i don’t. that being said, john being physically abusive or an alcoholic is not canon. at worst, canonically, john is a functional alcoholic by consequence of the job, like the majority of hunters, dean, probably sam, and about 9 million people in the us as of 2007. he’s a complicated man, and he only becomes more complicated as time heals sam and dean’s wounds and blurs their memories, but john was never (canonically) a violent alcoholic. at the same time, he wasn’t winning any parenting awards, regardless of his best intentions. that’s the tragedy of john winchester, and it’s a theme that repeats throughout the entire show.

[carlsainz]

an angst imagine with briss where HE is the one getting hurt by a girl he thought was his forever

to make it even sadder, this one's slightly inspired in liability by lorde :)

this became too personal, i'm sorry i'm just projecting

love's a weird thing, brendan thought to himself. you can love your family, friends, things or whatever and, albeit they're the same thing, they're always different types of love. it was a thing capable to make people insanely happy or sad, cause wars and inspire writers, artists and many other people.

some people just want to be loved by others, especially romantically, so they spend their whole lives chasing it but that's not how it happens. in brendan's case, he thought he had found his forever, the person that would love him the way he deserved, but the boy couldn't be more wrong.

when he first met her, he felt a deep connection, as if he already met her. the conversation was easy, they had a lot of things in common and the chemistry was perfect. one thing led to another and soon they were dating.

and that's when the problem begins, at least to her, because brendan thought everything was fine. he was, in fact, a needy person. that was a thing he could only share with a few people, having to disguise it under the cool side personality and everything, when in reality, deep down, he was just a person desperately needing love and affection. of course he had that with his family, but, somehow, it wasn't enough for him.

with her, he felt safe enough to show this side and he truly thought it was ok, he felt seen and cared for, but never loved, though. everything went south when she stopped answering his texts after a few months of relationship. she always came with different excuses and brendan believed every one of them.

then, she always seemed busy with something so they stopped hanging out almost completely, while the texts became more sparse. at that point, brendan started to feel the numbing fear growing inside him. the familiar fear that preceeded rejection and abandonment. insecurities took him and, during the last days, he used to cry alone in the dead of the night, thinking about how he was just a liability and not enough to anyone. not to his family, not to his friends, and especially not to his partners.

finally, he reunited enough courage to confront her. he asked her out and they went to some cozy cafeteria in the campus. there, brendan started asking if something was wrong, receiving a negative response, "no, everything is fine," she had said.

but then, at some point, she gave up on trying to being nice.

"you really wanna know what's wrong, brendan?" the boy just nodded. "you're so damn needy all the time, you need affection, then you need love, you need attention like a fucking pet. you know, when i first heard about you, i thought you were some cool dude that was really cool and nice, but turns out you're a little much for me. at first it was cool and everything because you didn't show this side of yours but i can't stand it, i only kept it going because i like what you give me. but i really can't and that's why i think we should break up."

brendan could only nod, too flabbergasted to speak as she left. when her words started to sink in, he felt terrible, like someone was repeatedly stabbing him in the heart. that was the reason he didn't allow people to see that side of him but he knew the risks and took them anyway. in his melancholic walk home, he could only think "yeah, maybe i'm a little much for everyone."

that day, he cried and cried for hours and no one was able to help him or make him stop crying, the pain too recent, the wound too open. that was also the day he fully stopped believing that, eventually, he would find someone who would love him as much as he loves them. that would understand his side and reassure him, not hurt. that day, he decided no one would ever hurt him again because he wouldn't be open to the world anymore.

[bthump]

You mentioned that Guts compartmentalizes Griffith, making a difference between him pre and post eclipse, can you cite some specific examples of that? Some people I've talked to are skeptical and think that he really doesn't do that, and that if he did, he'd be calling him Femto instead of Griffith to make a sharper distinction.

Yeah, no problem! Though just for the record, if you’re getting into a heated argument with someone online then I’d prefer for you to just use my opinions instead of linking back here, yk?

It's not something I'll ever make a big deal out of of course, my blog is public and I fully accept that anyone can find me, and I'm cool with people linking to me in general and in chill discussions etc. But I want to avoid the possibility of getting dragged into an argument lol so yk, just use your judgement wrt whether someone might be a dick to me if you’re linking my blog plz and ty <3

So anyway! This is under a cut because I've illustrated all my points with cited panels from the manga lol, so it's long.

First of all, as far as I can remember, basically no one calls him Femto except Void. Idk why, but even other magic beings and the narrative itself tend to refer to him euphemistically (the fifth one, the incarnate, the desired, etc) than by name, so it would be kind of weird if Guts called him Femto. It just seems more natural to have Guts refer to him as Griffith imo.

Secondly, tbf I’d say it's a little more nuanced than Guts compartmentalizing different versions of Griffith completely, but like, in the opposite way most people might assume lol. He conflates human Griffith and Femto/NGriff by projecting his feelings about human Griffith onto Femto/NGriff, rather than by projecting Femto/NGriff onto human Griffith, ykwim?

He's not angry at human Griffith, his memories for human Griffith and residual feelings for him are still part of what keeps him going:

The campfire from those days saving him from the black flame of hatred or whatever:

(chapter 130)

The lights in Guts’ mind Schierke sees:

(chapter 228)

When he, eg, gets mopey when NeoGriffith abandons him on the Hill of Swords, comparing it to him abandoning human Griffith in the snow.

(chapter 182)

Or when he thinks of NeoGriffith as his "true light," in a context where the rpg group (including Casca) are described as "warm lights," which should tell you what that means lol.

(chapter 190)

And, in case the Beast of Darkness being Guts' subconscious needs explanation, here's a post on that.

Or when he sees NeoGriffith's ass and forgets his urge to kill.

(chapter 177)

You get the idea. There are zero instances of Guts remembering human Griffith with anger. He thinks about him kneeling in the snow with a sense of regret a whole lot

(chapter 130)

Or he thinks of him as the final part of his sad dead Hawk memories montage:

(chapter 90)

But when he feels anger pre-reincarnation, he generally thinks about Femto’s empty helmet, without a human face under it.

(chapter 142)

Or NeoGriffith (though interestingly his face is also obscured here, which I’d forgotten til I found the image lol, nice)

(chapter 328)

ANYWAY, aside from the general vibe of how Guts relates to his anger and to Femto/NGriff vs his quite tender memories of human Griff, he also outright says they’re different here:

“As if he’d been stolen from the past, the way he used to be.” ie he looks like he used to when he was human, but that’s only an illusion because he’s not the same person anymore.

(chapter 177)

“That’s not the Griffith you know anymore!”

(chapter 178)

“Don’t talk to me in that same voice!” (slightly less straightforward, but Guts wouldn’t be so angry and fucked up about NGriff looking and speaking like human Griffith if he viewed him as fundamentally unchanged)

(chapter 178)

Also demons taunt Guts by pointing out that his friend became a monster and he can too, which isn’t Guts’ own thoughts but meshes with them nicely:

(chapter 119)

Thinking about Griffith’s literal physical transformation while trying to hunt Femto down during the mock Eclipse fits as well imo:

(chapter 164)

There aren’t like a ton of explicit statements here (though really, how many do you need? Guts still explicitly states it) but it’s the consistent vibe of how Guts views Femto/NGriff.

Though as far as I can recall, there is one line that arguably contradicts this:

“He hasn’t changed.”

(chapter 345)

This is a direct reference to NeoGriffith proclaiming "Nothing has changed” while “deserting” Guts on the Hill of Swords.

There are two ways to take this (assuming it’s purposful and not accidental bad contradictory writing). Either this is just a reference to the dream specifically, ie Guts thinks his ambition hasn’t changed. Or Guts’ attitude is shifting with time and distance and especially with bitterness over NGriff’s refusal to engage with him. I personally prefer the latter take lol, I think it’s potentially interesting.

ETA: OH AND ALSO I ALMOST FORGOT BUT you also have Rickert asserting that NeoGriffith isn’t “his” Griffith, and NeoGriffith tacitly agreeing:

(chapter 337)

Which isn’t Guts’ point of view but it is a narrative statement that NeoGriffith is distinct from human Griffith and it supports Guts making a distinction between them as well.

Anyway yeah that’s what I got off the top of my head. It’s been a while since I’ve read the whole manga so I could be forgetting something, but hopefully this helps. Thanks for the ask!

[vvienne]

XICHENG FIC RECS

hold my hands by Snooze (Chiruka)

Transplanting a core into a new person isn’t without repercussions. One year after the events at Guanyin Temple, Jiang Cheng found himself once again faced with the possibility of losing everything he had. Reconciling with his brother, learning to let Jin Ling go, and dealing with his blooming emotions toward the First Jade of Gusu — will Jiang Cheng accomplish what he wants before time runs out?

it all passes someday by screamlet

A week before the anniversary of Wei Wuxian’s death, there was a commotion outside Lan Wangji’s house.

*

Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji over the years.

The Unlikely Expression of Love by manamune

When everything has settled, when everyone else has moved on with their lives and their friends, Jiang Cheng has a realization which shouldn’t actually be a surprise:

He’s lonely.

Indigo, lavender, and violet (I don't wanna be red) by ohwhatevrewhatevr

It, in the pale colors of the late morning, is the closest to perfect Jiang Cheng will ever reach. He strokes Lan XiChen's hair and presses a light kiss to where his ribbon and hair meet. The sky is a pale blue, and the pastels of flowers and clouds are spread out through the window, a brilliant world waiting for them, them in the gentian house, safe from stronger breezes - there is the clutter of birds fluttering and chirping outside. It is a warm, perfect, spring morning.

Jiang Cheng and Lan XiChen have been together for an year. In which, no one ever really gets over things, Jiang Cheng has the misfortune of interacting with his brother, the juniors help out with the proposal, and there's a marriage.

Altitude by starknjarvis 

When Jin Ling lures Jiang Cheng to the Cloud Recesses under false pretenses, he finds himself out of place among this new family Wei Wuxian has formed.

Lan Xichen, at least, seems pleased to have his company.

Perhaps there is still a chance for Jiang Cheng to make amends and move forward.

[Modao Zushi Online] GLITCH REPORT: My Brother Got Chased Down And %$@*$&@ By Gusu Dungeon Boss??? by oh_fudgecakes

Modao Zushi Online is a virtual reality MMORPG. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian are top ranking players in its new server, currently tied with their arch-nemesis from their previous server, Wen Chao. In an attempt to defeat him, they take on the Gusu Dungeon Boss, Zewu-jun, to win the reward of a legendary weapon. Ever the cheat, Wei Wuxian tries to take advantage of a glitch to defeat the seemingly undefeatable boss. It backfires. Jiang Cheng gets fucked by a boss monster.

He can't get enough.

Meanwhile, Lan Xichen, the unwitting staff member in charge of controlling Zewu-jun, absolutely did not sign up to be pulled into a secret virtual reality fling with a player. Mod Ji, who has to deal with Wei Wuxian's incessant glitch reporting of his brother's sex life, is long-suffering.

Mulberry by xxdz

Jiang Cheng grits his teeth and pushes harder. He feels like torn silk, the embroidery needle sinking in again and again and again; patiently, desperately, endlessly trying to make something beautiful out of something broken.

Jiang Cheng builds his sect, learns embroidery, and raises his nephew.

we can raise a little family by lanyon

“Well, brother,” says Wei Wuxian, leaning against the outside of Jiang Cheng’s chambers. “I had heard that you and Xichen went on a night hunt and came back with a baby, which is not the order I’d choose to do things in…”

In which Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen acquire a baby of unknown origin, and are the very last to know what it means.

Beyond the Impossible by Silverine

Summoned by Lan Qiren, Jiang Wanyin goes to the Cloud Recesses to drop his nephew Jin Ling, expecting to discuss relevant matters with his old master. Instead, he's asked to take with him no other than Sect Leader Lan himself, all the way back to Lotus Pier. If the reason why he accepted such an outrageous task is indeed a mystery, he's about to be surprised by how this entire trip, their encounters, and his warm company, suddenly feel fated.

Incrementally by xxdz

Jiang Cheng is trapped in a day on repeat where he begins by waking in Zewu Jun’s bed at dawn and ends by dying painfully at dusk.

It’s getting very irritating, and he has the sneaking suspicion that his chances to solve his own murder are rapidly running out. Soon, his death will be much more permanent.

All in all, worst birthday ever.

Audience of One by WinterDreams

“Then let an established star go first,” Lan Xichen interrupts again before Lan Wangji can give a stubborn reply. Both men twist toward Lan Xichen, and he smiles at Wei Wuxian’s tilted head. “If I publicly date a man for awhile first, your engagement shouldn’t receive as much backlash.”

Or, that AU where everyone is famous in some way or another, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have been dating in private for years, and Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng pretend to date publicly for their brothers' sake.

A Bit of Ruthlessness by jirluvien

When Jiang Cheng hears that Lan Xichen went into seclusion following Jin Guangyao’s death, it’s almost as if he can see the grabby hands of a restless ghost, reaching out for something to keep him company. For something warm and living and devastated. And as history has proved time and time again, the Lans are perfect victims when it comes to giving in to ghosts.Yeah, no. Not on Jiang Cheng’s fucking watch.A story about grief, determination, unexpected friendships, abandoned watchtowers, and letters. So many letters.

All Tied Up In You by Clearpearls

Yet again, the night had come to this:

Jiang Cheng on the floor, kneeling, Zidian wrapped around his wrists.

Alone.

Thank You, and I'm Sorry by Hamliet

Jin GuangYao might be dead, but his story is not. Taking advantage of the chaos he instigated, someone makes an attempt on the life of the young new leader of the Jin Sect. When Jiang Cheng takes Jin Ling to the Cloud Recesses to have him study while he attempts to work with Wei WuXian and his husband Lan WangJi to eliminate the threat, he encounters a mourning Lan XiChen, lovestruck teenagers, and a persistent corpse--and both pairs of brothers find themselves struggling to move on.

saturn's rings (don't be a heartbreaker) by iskendaris

Set after the seige of burial mounds, Yunmeng rebuilds as they hold the first Discussion Conference at Lotus Pier. Sometimes the night is a gift, a refuge for loneliness. "So stern, Sect Leader Jiang," Lan Xichen murmured, "So glacial... What will it take to melt that icy exterior? What can I say?"

"Nothing. There's nothing you can say or offer."

reciprocity by jukeboxhound

There’s a pause before Lan Xichen says, in a tone that’s a little more neutral, “I would like to paint on you.”

“…What?”

“Of course, if you say ‘yes’ but then change your mind at any point, for any reason, you need only say so and I will stop immediately,” he adds.

Well, silver lining: Jiang Cheng is feeling much more awake than he was a moment ago.

Talent Hunt Crew Finds Angry Guy Shouting On College Campus, Recruits Him For Vocal Projection Abilities by oh_fudgecakes

Jiang Cheng, resident Angry Guy and heir to a conglomerate empire, has never been the apple of his father’s eye. Quashed under the shadow of his brilliant brother, the music prodigy Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng sees his chance to turn things around when he is recruited by the All-Stars Lan Talent Hunt. One problem: he can’t sing to save his goddamn life.

As he struggles to develop his nascent singing abilities, Jiang Cheng finds himself sucked into the whirlwind drama of reality TV, helped along by his adoring siblings, his irritable vocal coach Wen Qing, and strangely enough, the unfairly attractive host of the All-Stars Lan Talent Hunt, Lan Xichen. Somewhere in the glare of the stage lights and an unexpected first love, Jiang Cheng stumbles upon the thing he was searching for all along: the courage to dream — and to attempt the impossible.

Marginal Costs by ohwhatevrewhatevr

“You think you know what you want, Er-Ge,” A-Yao says. “But you should consider what you’re willing to give first,” he says wryly, taking Lan XiChen’s chess piece with slim, skilled fingers.

Lan XiChen looks up at A-Yao’s concentrated expression and the hint of contentment on his face that he is special enough to be allowed to see.

“It’s not just one decision, but the lead up to many more. One decision decides what else you’re going to have to pay, and each time you have to ask yourself, ignoring the sunk costs, if this time it’s worth it as well.”

When his sworn brother looks up at him with those clear, amber eyes, waiting, Lan XiChen feels the pull and gives in: he asks.

“Are you happy being in love?”

(First half is two sad sworn brothers talking, internally mourning how unfortunate their other sworn brother’s death was :/ and second half is when a mopey boy in blue meets an angsty boy in purple whilst chasing a demonic cultivator, and a lil bit of sexy dual cultivation happens.)

Somewhat Tender by theherocomplex

There is no defense against kindness; it has always undone him.

I didn't expect you to be lonely (too) by bettydice (BettyKnight)

Jiang Cheng's life is a mess, he's a mess, and he doesn't miss his brother at all. So when his sister gifts him ten sessions with a massage therapist, who turns out to be someone he was crushing on for a hot minute as a teenager and is still as hot as ever... yeah, that might as well happen. It won't have to mean anything.

This feels intimate to Jiang Cheng in a way that's probably very inappropriate and maybe even pathetic. Nobody touches him like this, right where he’s hurt the most. There's no one who handles him so gently, so carefully.

It's the gentleness that's his undoing, he thinks. He would be able to deal better with it if it was painful.

Life for Rent by yodasyoyo

“Yeah well. You’re not taking me seriously. This guy is my soulmate!”

“Soulmate.” Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes. “Whatever.”

“Just because you don’t believe in them—”

“I believe in them!” Jiang Cheng says. “I’ve never denied they exist.”

“Just last week you said that it was an evolutionary quirk that had been used by greetings card companies, movie makers, and corporations to exploit lonely and vulnerable people.”

“And I stand by it! That doesn’t mean that soulmates aren’t real. Just incredibly unlikely and probably pointless.

-

Or:

Xicheng vs Soulmates. Fight!

Halfway Around the World by theherocomplex

Normally, Jiang Cheng would be seething, jaw clenched tight, if someone sounded like that while they were talking, but — Lan Xichen has the trick of always making you feel like you're in on the joke, whatever the joke is. That you're laughing together.

Whelmed by yodasyoyo

For months now Jiang Cheng’s been idly fantasizing about how it would be if something were to come between Wei Ying and Lan Zhan. Mostly those daydreams have been simple enough — they break up (probably because Lan Zhan is boring or Wei Ying is annoying), Wei Ying is sad for a couple of days (Jiang Cheng’s willing to allow some space for feelings, he isn't a total monster), but then Wei Ying realizes he’s better off, he gets over it, and Jiang Cheng gets his brother back.

Unfortunately the fantasy version of events has only proven partially true, so far. They've broken up. Wei Ying has been sad.

Now weeks have passed, though — and Wei Ying is still sad, every. Single. Day.

It’s like Jiang Cheng's stuck in a looping GIF, and it’s driving him insane.

Or:

Jiang Cheng plots, Lan Huan pines, and, unfortunately for Lan Qiren, Wangxian are inevitable.

[space-helen]

Heartbeat

Words: 2586

Pairing: Fox Mulder x Reader

A/N: I hope this is ok!! I really enjoyed writing this :)

Request:  Do you think you could do a Mulder x Reader where the reader has diagnosed anxiety, and the only thing that helps her in panic attacks is listening to recordings of calming heartbeats to the point where she’s almost in love with the sound? And one of the creature’s abilities is to distract people by making hallucinations of their biggest weaknesses, and so in the middle of conflict it makes her listen to Mulder’s heartbeat, making her flustered, and she has to abruptly admit her feelings towards him and her fascination with hearts afterwards or while everything is happening? Bonus points if he or Scully find out she has a bunch of heartbeat ASMR in her search history, and they bring it up in conversation before the actual conflict, making her flustered before anything actually happens. (I also want to clarify, I’m not requesting an NSFW fic since I don’t know how you feel about it, I want it to be purely cutesy and romantic.) - Anon

______________________

The sounds of heartbeats played through the headphones as you relaxed backwards in your chair. You closed your eyes and focussed on the soothing pattern. Even if there was no regular pattern to the heartbeats you’d find them.

You breathed in through your nose and held your breath for a couple of seconds before letting it out. Today had been extremely stressful and your anxiety had been through the roof leading to a panic attack. You’d excused yourself from the situation and had come straight here.

Scully entered your shared office to see you behind your desk, going to her own she put down a file “You look relaxed.” she commented and when she had no response from you she turned to your desk. “Y/N?”

Again no response, the sounds playing through the headphones had consumed your mind. 

“Y/N?” she gently put a hand on your shoulder which had you opening your eyes quickly with a start and scrambling to pull the headphones off.

“Dana.” you could feel the embarrassment rise in you. “I’m so sorry I was just listening to a tape and I guess I had the volume up high?”

“Well you either seemed totally engrossed or bored with it. Either way you were relaxed and that’s all that matters. You gave us a little scare earlier, I’m sorry I couldn’t excuse myself sooner” she apologised.

“It’s ok.” You reassured. “Today has been stressful. All those people-” you started to recount the event.

“Y/N, Y/N please don’t worry about it. It’s the end of our shift anyway you should go home.”

“Are you sure?”

“More than. Go on, I’ll be here a little while longer until Mulder comes back.”

“I don’t mind waiting for him too.”

“No. Really don’t worry. We’ll call you if it’s important, you need a break.”

You smiled “If you insist.” Standing up you moved to the coat stand to grab your bag and coat. “Thank you.”

Dana watched you leave the office and sat back and relaxed for a second before deciding to open the file in front of her. An hour soon passed before she was startled out of her workflow by the phone ringing.

Picking it up quickly she pressed the phone to her ear “Dana Scully how may I help?”

“Dana. It’s Y/N. Can you do me a huge favour?” your voice came from the other side of the line.

“Sure what is it?”

“I was supposed to return that tape I was listening to to the library tonight. Would you be able to? I’m so sorry I would have done it myself but I totally forgot and just remembered now.”

“Yeah sure. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”

“Uh.” you hesitated and went quiet “Actually” you paused again “Nevermind, ignore me it’s nothing.”

“Are you sure? If I’m out I don’t mind.”

There was a silence “Can you book me out a tape with heartbeat sounds? Anything will do.”

“Sure. Is that all?”

“Yeah that’s it. Thank you Dana.”

“No problem. Get some rest Y/N I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Have a lovely night.”

The phone call had ended and Dana had to admit she was slightly confused by your request. Standing up she moved over to your desk and picked up the cassette player. Curiosity took over and she was soon pressing the play button and bringing the headphones up to her ear to try and get a hint of what you were listening to.

The sound of heartbeats filled her ears and she quirked an eyebrow. She put the played and headphones back down before ejecting the tape and putting it back in it’s case.

Picking it up she returned to her desk and slipped it in her bag as footsteps approached her office. She turned to see Mulder approaching.

“How’d it go?”

He flopped into an empty seat in the office “We have something big on our hands, and not like we’ve seen before.”

“How urgent?”

“We’ll need to start first thing. For now though get some rest.”

Scully nodded “I will but you have to promise you will too.”

He put his hands up “I will.” he pushed himself to a standing position as he walked with Scully out of the building “How was Y/N today?” he questioned.

Scully smiled and quirked and quirked an eyebrow, she knew how much he liked her “She’s good. Had a bit of a wobble earlier but I think she’s ok. It happens to the best of us.”

“As long as she’s ok.”

“Yeah she is. Actually, I have to go and run an errand for her so I’ll catch you tomorrow?”

“Bright and early.” he replied with a smile before parting.

Dana was soon arriving at the Library, she found the heartbeat tapes and looked through them and their descriptions. She noticed your name on many of the checkout lists and picked one that your name wasn’t present on.

She quickly signed back in your old tape and out the new, slipping it into her bag and she continued home.

You’d had a pretty decent night's sleep and were now entering the office. Putting your bag down on your desk you turned to take off your jacket, not realising someone else was in the room. 

“Do I not get a good morning?”

You turned in shock towards Mulder’s voice, he was now rounding his desk to perch on the edge. “I didn’t even realise. I’m so sorry.” you hung up your jacket and gave him a smile “Good Morning Mulder.”

“How was your evening?”

You perched on the edge of your own desk near Mulder “It was good. Dana sent me home and I just had something to eat and went to bed honestly. I was pretty tired. What about yours? How was yesterday?”

He kicked your foot gently with his own and spoke with a smile “I’m glad you had a nice evening. Mine was good and I pretty much did the same. Yesterday was ok, we do have something big on our hands though.”

“Oh yeah?” you questioned “Is it really big or are you just saying that? You have a tendency to over-exaggerate sometimes.” you teased

He grabbed a balled-up piece of paper from his desk and lightly chucked it at you “I’ve never exaggerated in my life.

You crossed your arms over your chest and gave him a smug look.

“Ok maybe I have but I promise you this one is big.” He emphasised the word with his hands.

Dana heard laughter coming from the office and wasn’t surprised at all to see the two of you together in there. “Morning.” she greeted.

Mulder pushed himself off his desk “We should get a move on.” he gestured to the clock and grabbed his keys “I’ll meet you both by the car?”

“Sure.” you agreed. Standing up you went to grab your jacket again. Regretting even taking it off in the first place, if you’d known you’d been going out you wouldn’t have bothered.

“I managed to get you a new tape,” Dana said pulling it out of her bag and offering it to you.

You looked at her in shock briefly, you’d totally forgotten that you’d asked her to get you a new one, you must have been really tired when you’d called her. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.” you could feel the embarrassment rise in you as you took the tape from her and slipped it into the top drawer of your desk. 

“I noticed you borrow heartbeat sounds a lot from the library. Practically every tape has been taken out by you at least once.” she said lightly with cheer in her voice.

“Yeah. It’s nothing really.”

“I’m just interested.”

“I think we should really get going.” You were getting nervous and your words were falling out. Adjusting your coat you left the office and headed towards the car. Dana knew exactly when to drop a topic and knew she’d probably pushed a little bit too far but she was soon following you.

The drive to the location didn’t take long. Picturesque scenery had stretched out around you as Mulder drove. The three of you practically fell out of the vehicle to be greeted by a farmhouse.

You began to walk towards the property when you felt Mulder gently grasp your wrist “There’s one thing you should both know.” he let go and the three of you formed a mini circle. “it apparently likes to project your biggest weaknesses when confronted, it uses them to get away and distract you. Just be careful.”

His eyes locked with yours and you nodded. Mulder was the one to lead the group into the house and made some hand gestures to suggest splitting up.

You slowly walked through the house, your footsteps echoing on the floorboards. The house was run down and abandoned but the light streaming through the windows gave it some life. It was abandoned but certainly not empty.

A creak in the next room caught your attention, slowly creeping into the room you laid your eyes immediately on the culprit. They were incredibly tall and had a rugged appearance but were backing themselves into a corner.

“Hi. I’ve heard that you’ve been causing some problems,” you spoke as you approached carefully. “That’s ok though, we can help you. You might be confused but if you just come with me and my colleagues.”

Your foot landed on a particularly loud floorboard and the person took an abrupt step towards you before slamming themselves back into the wall. “It’s ok. It’s ok it was just the floorboard.”

They started to shake their head violently before stopping and looking you dead in the eye. “Please” you pleaded.

You started to hear a heartbeat and brushed it off as your own, thinking you were getting nervous. “If you’d just come with me.” you took another step closer and the heartbeat got louder and very present in your ears. 

You took another step forward and it was soon rushing away from you and knocking over some of the last pieces of furniture in the house.

You kept your distance but turned with them. “Please just don’t be scared.”

The heartbeat was getting louder and you could hear your name being called and footsteps running up the stairs. Soon the heartbeat was so loud you couldn’t hear much else.

“Y/N?” Mulder came into the room and saw the ‘Monster’ but his eyes quickly found you and he could quickly see how uncomfortable you were. “What is it?” 

The man’s heart spiked in concern and the heartbeat that you could hear mirrored this. As he came closer it became unbearable. You knew what was happening and put out your arm to keep him away from you “Keep your distance.”’

The noise was pounding through your head. Usually, you found it comforting and you suppose there was comfort in the sounds but the amplification of them made them difficult. It was truly turning your biggest weakness into something unpleasant.

“What is it?” Mulder tried to take a step towards you.

Looking at the man you could see the concern in his eyes and the heartbeat became irregular, all you could do was shake your head and step away. “My weakness it’s-”

He wanted to help and his feet were instinctively moving towards you.

“Stop.” you shouted.

The man stopped in his tracks as you walked away “I can’t” you could feel yourself getting emotional, heat rising in your face and eyes getting wet. “Just deal with it.” you called.

“You need to tell me what you’re weakness is.” Mulder spoke.

“It’s… It’s you. Your heartbeat.” You reversed yourself into a corner.

Mulder looked between you and the creature. “And it gets worse the closer I get?”

You nodded and tried to ignore the heartbeat but it was extremely difficult.

Mulder started to approach the monster, there was a screech in your head and the heartbeat amplified more as if the monster was taking it out on you. You backed into a wall and slid down it, hands over your ears trying to gain some relief.

Mulder turned when he heard you sliding down the wall and realised how much you were being affected. Backing up he stood in the corner of the room. The heartbeats amplification lessened and you removed your hands but your eyes were reddened and threatening tears.

“Look. Just stop what you’re doing and come with us. We won’t hurt you, we’ll help you understand what’s happening.”

They took a step into the room. “That’s it. Just come with me to the car and we’ll get you somewhere where they can look after you.” Mulder coaxed

You began to push yourself up off of the floor when you heard a scuffle. Dana had come in through another door and crept up on them and injected them swiftly with a sedative which had them falling to the floor.

Mulder was at your side, putting an arm on the small of your back “It’s gone right?” 

You nodded “I’m sorry-”

“Don’t apologise I can’t even imagine.”

“Thank you Dana.” you smiled 

“He won’t be out for long, we should get someone to come collect him.”

Mulder nodded “Do you have any contacts?”

Scully nodded and was soon leaving to arrange a pick up

You moved to be beside Mulder “I think I have to explain what happened.”

“You don’t.” 

“I do.” the man moved to perch himself on the old dusty desk and you sat next to him “I use heartbeats to overcome anxiety and … well I’m pretty much in love with the sound. I think it chose your heartbeat to amplify because I think I like you Mulder. What happened there basically confirms it.” you let out a small laugh.

“If we’re putting all our cards on the table here.�� he looked at you and you turned to him “I have many weaknesses including losing the ones I love and it used that and also used you. When I was walking through the house I saw bodies on the floor and most of them were yours. I kept going because I knew this he hadn’t physically killed anyone yet but when I saw you in pain and couldn’t have me near you? That really hurt.”

You nodded and looked at your hands “So what we’re both saying here is that we have feelings for each other.”

“I guess so.” he let out a breath “Will you let me take you for dinner tonight?”

You nodded “That’d be nice. I think we deserve it.”

“We do.” he smiled and stood up “I think we should probably get out of here before he wakes up.”

“Yeah, we should.” The two of you walked side by side as you left the property to meet Dana by the car, Mulder couldn’t wipe the smirk off of his face.

“They’re on their way to come get him.” She turned to face Mulder properly “What’s got into you?” Scully questioned

Mulder just shrugged and walked over to the driver's side of the car and slid inside. Scully rolled her eyes “Looks like we’re leaving.” She opened the passenger’s side door as you got into the back.

As Scully’s contacts pulled up Mulder began to pull away. He briefly made eye contact with you in the rear-view mirror and smiled and you flashed him a smile of your own.

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