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#It gave everyone a chance to make friends / bonds with people they might not have interacted with as much otherwise

watercurtaincave · 4 months

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OMG YOUR WRITING MAKES ME SO HAPPY!!!11!!

I was thinking about something like pampering Macaque up?? with cuddles, kissing, gifts. I feel like he deserves it a lot even if he might not accept it so well at first:]

𖤓 !! — Pampering Macaque ♡ Macaque / reader (also thank you for the compliment! :3 I try to write to make people happy)

𖤓 !! — Macaque is the type of guy who doesn't let people close to him, at least not as close as he would want people to be. Funny enough, just like Wukong does, he tends to keep people at arms length; close enough to feel your warmth and enjoy you being here, but now close enough to where you could hurt him. Ever. He was not planning to go through the pain he has felt before, not ever in his life time.

𖤓 !! — So being able to pamper him like this, where his head was on your lap and you were slowly running your hair treatment into his hair took years of effort to achieve. Dare say, it was one of your greatest achievements; being able to slowly help Macaque heal over his past scars and learn to trust your bond, to trust you and your touch and your thoughts that he couldn't read.

𖤓 !! — It took a while for him to trust you, and it hurt at first.

𖤓 !! — You first met Macaque when MK had, in that day he decided to attack the city with his giant ghost self. Of course, no one knew it was just him until MK would tell everyone it is (after having to fight it). And you would assume, much like the rest, that Macaque was some sort of evil villain that like taunted MK at any chance he got! With big scary shadow hims, and shadow plays where he would capture the souls of MK's friends (including you at the time) and then used them to attack MK, to even hunting down MK and Wukong while you all were trying to get the three rings to forge the Samadhi fire.

𖤓 !! — And it was on that mission, after being stuck in a duplicate van that Macaque made to trick half the team, that you realized something about Macaque. It was an odd thing, though he had his own weird way of helping whenever he could. His own weird backwater way of helping MK get stronger, of helping MK see things that Wukong won't teach him, of training MK to be ready for whatever will be thrown his way.

𖤓 !! — And then something in your heart gave a tug; you had to get to know Macaque.

𖤓 !! — This wouldn't happen until later, sadly, while everyone was preparing to fight the Azure Lion and end his rule as Jade Emperor. While you should have been training with MK, Mei, Wukong, and the others, you found yourself trying to hang around Macaque all you could. When partners were needed, you were the first to call dibs on Macaque (despite the odd looks he gave you). When lunch and dinner times rolled around, you tried sitting near Macaque to strike up a conversation (usually it was only you talking). When discussing the plan, you sat on the floor near Macaque (but not too near as to make it weird).

𖤓 !! — It was safe to say your efforts were noticed by everyone.

𖤓 !! — Though Macaque didn't appreciate the steadfast approach you took to trying to 'get to know him'. He found it off-putting at your sudden interest, and he couldn't help but scowl every time you spoke his name or came near. Why would anyone take such notice of a shadow, one, and two why wouldn't you get the hint that he wasn't interested in striking up any sort of conversation? He wasn't interested in having a conversation or any sort of relationship with you. Why couldn't you just leave him alone?

𖤓 !! — But you didn't, you were as stuck in his hair like a flea and it left some sort of bittersweet taste in his mouth. Why would anyone care so much about him? Why, out of everyone, did you run over to make sure he was okay when the fight was over? You could have gone to anyone else, MK, Wukong, Mei, anyone! But why him? And why did his heart give a beat when he saw you rush over to him and frantically check for any wounds. And why when he pushed you away did you let out a sigh of relief and thanked the Jade Emperor that he was okay?

𖤓 !! — He kind of questioned if you were okay or not.

𖤓 !! — Even more so when after all the battling, when the world returned to normal, you kept up your antics: Such as, at the beach party, when Macaque had came in "uninvited" (you had invited him against Sun Wukong's wishes) and was just laying on the beach chair next to Wukong, you had came over. Macaque hoped if he didn't acknowledge you or anyone else at this party than we would have been left alone, but he guessed that was asking for too much. Especially from you. "Hey, Macaque, you want some shish kabobs? They're fresh off the grill!" Yet you're chirping voice still hit his ears, and your proud smile made his glance away. He would let out a grumble before he sat up and took one of you, reluctantly, and decided just to nibble on it here and there. He was about to turn you away, expected you wanted some sort of praise for searing the meat right, but you didn't even asked. You simply smiled, told him to enjoy the food, and walked off despite Wukong having been obviously eyeing the meat skewers in your hands and loudly complaining as you passed by him without a second thought.

𖤓 !! — And Macaque hated to admit it, but your continuous efforts were king of paying off.

𖤓 !! — Slowly, you two grew close enough where he began to seek our your company and you would happily accept it; whenever, where ever, despite what you were doing and who you were talking to. You almost instantly dropped it to make sure he was okay, first, and then just to hang out with him. And it felt nice being wanted. It felt nice being with you. You felt nice and you made him feel nice.

𖤓 !! — Dammit, you snuck your way into his heart.

𖤓 !! — And he wasn't sure when he had agreed to let you pamper him, or how he found himself standing in between your thighs in the dim bathroom light. It was nearly midnight and you had been doing your skin care routine; he came in seeking cuddles and instead found himself softly purring as you massaged his face with your face creams and gels. This might have to be a regular thing.

𖤓 !! — Later in the night, after you had taken your shower and washed your hair, you somehow coaxed Macaque to come and lay his head on your lap. He had noticed that your hair was done up tight, how it had an odd texture and light refraction to it, and he had questioned it. He had never thought you would had started putting those creams and masks onto his hair as well, talking him through it every step of the way to make sure he was comfortable.

𖤓 !! — "And this one smells like coconut," Macaque heard your oh-so-lovely voice from above him as you scooped out some of your hair mask. He had heard you speak about them before to Mei and MK, explaining to them how they could use it during a sleep over and Mei being excited because she had heard so much of the brand you were using! And then Macaque may or may not have researched the product, and it's brand, and realized how much you were actually spending on these hair care and skin care stuff. "You know you don't have to.." He couldn't help but mumble as his eyes glanced up to yours before faltering and looking away. You had already began rugging the mask in your hands so you could properly apply it. Though you paused as soon as his words left his mouth, confused and slightly concerned. "Do you not want to?" You would ask and he heard the twinge in your voice. And he wasn't sure how to tell you that you didn't need to waste your expensive things on him, because he really didn't feel like he deserved it.

𖤓 !! — He expected you to be upset, to be sad that he didn't want you to do this special bonding moment you've done with everyone else. He silently thought you were going to blame him for not being 'open enough' with you, for hating you. But, you did none of that. In fact, what you did surprised Macaque a little as you leaned down and got rather close... yet in a way where he suspected you knew you looked rather silly in his eyes. "Hey, what's going on in your brain there, huh?" And you smiled at him, speaking in such a gentle voice. "Nothing." Was Macaque's first response; His defensive response. And you responded with kissing the tip of his nose. "Hey if you don't want to do this, then I can go wash my hands and we can watch a show or something, no big deal!" And you gave him a way out, despite him knowing how much you enjoyed these sparse moments between the two of you. You gave him a way out despite his sour tone. Why? Macaque frowned at this, noticing as you would raise your head and look over at the sink. You were about to nudge him softly, signaling for him to get up so you could move, and yet he would grab your wrist. This caused you to jump and stare at Macaque as he would press your hands into his soft hair, keeping them there until he was sure you wouldn't move them. He couldn't look you in the eyes after that and he was glad you got his hint that he did want you to rub that coconut stuff in his hair; Mostly because it felt nice as you ran your fingers through his hair, playing with it.

𖤓 !! — It was a slow and long change for Macaque to accept your pampering, slowly realized that's just how you showed your love. And slowly, as he started to accept it, he started to look forward to all of it. He started looking forward to the cuddles and the presents and the nights where you both would stand in the bathroom doing skin care and the noons where you both would bake and cook and start flour wars and the mornings where you would sleep in... just enjoying each other's company.

𖤓 !! — He started accepting it all and accepting you and the possibility that finally, someone would choose him first and finally someone wouldn't leave.

𖤓 !! — all writing on this page belongs to @watercurtaincaves, please do not repost on other sites, plagiarize, or steal. Likes and reblogs are appreciated!

#lmk macaque x reader #lmk x reader #lmk macaque #lmk x y/n #monkie kid #lmk #macaque lmk #macaque lego monkie kid #macaque x reader #reader x character #reader x canon #lmk fanfiction #lmk fandom #lmk swk #lmk wukong #lmk sun wukong #lmk mk #lmk monkey king

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stonedcoldfoxtarot · 10 months

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How will you meet your next best friend? ft. Cheng Xiao

Pile 1 -> Pile 2

Pile 3 -> Pile 4

Pile 1

6oS, 7oW, 5oW, 2oP, AoC, Sun (4oC)

When you meet your new best friend, it's probably going to happen during a time of change or after you've moved to a new job, city, or friend group. After this move and upon meeting, you might have a little disagreement or argument with this person. But once you get to know each other better, you'll quickly realize how much you have in common and how well you complement each other.

Once that happens, you'll become almost inseparable, so don't be too quick to dismiss them! Some people might even think you're secretly dating, but that will only bring you closer together. You'll bask in the warm feeling of knowing that you've found one of your platonic soulmates in this lifetime, which not everyone gets to experience. With this special connection, you and your future bestie will share many unforgettable moments together. In the end, you'll both be happy that you gave this friendship a chance.

Pile 2

AoC, Death, World, Sun, 4oW, 4oS, 7oW, 2oC (7oP)

Pile 2, I see that as soon after you decide to end a relationship or connection that has run its course, you will be ready to meet your next BFF. And they will be like a breath of fresh air entering your life as you close a chapter you've invested a lot of time, effort, and energy into. Most likely, this magical encounter will happen at an event or celebration where you're trying to distract yourself from your emotions and meet new people for purely platonic reasons.

You're on a mission to rediscover the happiness, freedom, and the carefree side of life that you may have forgotten existed, and your new BFF will be your partner in crime along the way. Together, you will have countless fun and joyous experiences as you both shape your lives on your own terms. This connection will be highly valued and cherished by both of you, and you'll defend and protect it at all costs. It's a friendship that will stand the test of time.

Pile 3

2oS, 10oW, Tower, Moon, 2oC, Empress, 8oS, AoC (Justice)

You might be someone who's not too keen on making new connections or perhaps you're often accused of being stuck in your ways. But this new friend you're about to make will completely change your perspective on vulnerability and closeness, and it'll be for the better.

For many of you, this person will enter your life unexpectedly, and you might have doubts about their authenticity or question if they're truly who they claim to be. Due to past experiences of being hurt, deceived, or taken advantage of, some of you may be cautious when someone appears too good to be true. It may take some time for you to warm up to them. However, once you do, they will become one of your most cherished treasures in this lifetime. For some, they may already have children of their own, or they could play a role similar to that of a nurturing mother figure, making you feel loved, cared for, and secure enough to be your authentic self around others. They will always have your best interests at heart.

I can see that this person will help you overcome any internal barriers that prevent you from expressing your deepest thoughts and emotions with others. In return, you will shower them with unconditional love and reveal a side of yourself that very few people ever get to witness. You will enjoy each other's company for many years to come.

Pile 4

8oP. AoW, 5oW rev, 9oS rev, Empress, 9oP, Sun, 10oP (8oW)

Chances are, you'll meet your next BFF at work or when you dive into a new project that ignites your passion. And despite the cutthroat and competitive nature of your job or career, you'll connect with someone who shares your kind and nurturing spirit. Deep down, you and your bestie are both softies who appreciate having someone you can be yourself around. This special bond will make the work week more bearable and give you something to look forward to.

Pile 4, you and your future BFF are an amazing match. Not only are you both creative, hardworking and genuine, but you’re also not afraid to be independent. self-sufficient and bold! And as you progress in your careers, you will motivate and cheer each other on because seeing the other person succeed will bring you both joy. Get ready—this person is on their way to you soon!

Thanks for reading 🔮✨

#pac reading #pick a card #pick a picture #pick a pile #intuitive readings #tarot reading #tarot #pac #pick an image #pick a photo #cheng xaio #stonedcoldfoxtarot

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yuri-is-online · 24 days

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A while ago you said in a post that Ace’s isolation seems to come from how he values Yuu and Deuce’s friendship more and I think you perfectly worded how I feel. I would like to hear more about it if you have more to say!

Like yeah he’s a very friendly and outgoing guy. He can easily make friends/acquaintances but there’s also a clear line between those friends and where Deuce Yuu and Grim stands.

He gets along really well with his seniors as seen by his relationships with the basketball club, Playful Land and hell I bet this new event will prove that too. But it gives me more of a vibe of a younger kid endearingly annoying his older classmates than friendship.

Among the first years, he doesn’t seem to be as close to them as Deuce is. Like Deuce and Epel have this whole bond going on because of Chapter 5, Deuce and Jack are in the same club etc. Ace is kind to his fellow first years and helps them out like in Fairy Gala If with Ortho but again there’s this divide. Everyone knows it’s Ace, Deuce, Yuu and Grim as the group.

Multiple people have mentioned how those 4 are constantly together and how it’s rare to see one without the other and I think that’s really important when you take into consideration on how Ace literally ditched his last girlfriend because they were too different in terms of taste (well there’s more to unpack with that but that’s not what I’m here to talk about). Quality time is hugely important with Ace in my opinion, he wouldn’t hang out with people he hates and seeing the amount of time he spends time with those three and how the game makes an active effort to make us pay attention to it tells us that yeah Ace definitely values his friendship with Deuce, Yuu and Grim more than the others and why Ace feels so separated from the other first years at times.

He also tends to keep people at arms length because of his inability to really express affection towards his friends so it just comes across as him being snarky and mean when that’s really not the case. This also does show with Deuce Yuu and Grim yet goes to help them whenever he gets the chance, buys gifts for them, spends time with them etc. Like bro his actions tell otherwise it’s so funny he’s like a tsundere.

I think his exterior kind of makes it hard to people to really get close to him and I think he purposely does that, so to see him have obvious bias towards a group of people is really important.

Gotta admire his loyalty, once you’ve proven yourself he’s sticking with you for the rest of his life. Sorry for rambling but uh yeah your response gave me thoughts.

I would like to thank the aceyuu community for their continued dedication to putting deeply insightful character analysis in my inbox. I love you all so very much. I also love your icon very much, Gen 5 best pokemon (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

it gives me more of a vibe of a younger kid endearingly annoying his older classmates than friendship.

Yes very much this. Ace is the baby of his family, and there seems to be a decent age gap between him and his brother. He repeatedly talks about wanting to be like his seniors, and Jamil mentions at least once he is generally respectful towards them. His level up lines imply he wants to try challenging Riddle again, but it seems less because he disrespects him and wants to be dorm leader and more because he wants to prove he's gotten stronger.

Friend groups

So I have been thinking since the first and second time we talked about this trying to pick out who exactly Ace's friend group even is outside of Yuu and Deuce and ??? Deuce knew who Epel was before you properly met and he and Jack do seem to get along pretty well but Ace? I feel like maybe the intention might be to have him be closer to Ortho and Sebek, which sort of makes sense. They're all the youngest in their families and look up to their seniors to varying degrees but still. Ace specifically, like you said, is literally always around either Yuu or Deuce. In Idia's lab wear vignette Ace literally stays over alone with Yuu to watch horror movies and sends Grim to get the drinks alone 💀 like sir? Hello? And he implies he's done this more than once??? I like the idea of quality time being important to Ace, he says the most important thing for him in a partner is someone you have fun with and like being around so yeah. That makes sense for him.

I think back on how Ace initially interacted with Yuu and Deuce and, while at first I was a bit hesitant to say Ace keeps people at arms length, but you can literally see him doing that in the prologue. He's a brat towards people his own age, and while I imagine he has always been super popular to a degree I don't know if I can see him ever having had as deep of a friendship with anyone as he has Yuu and Deuce. I'm not sure if I would say he does it on purpose 100% of the time, but his Suitor Suit vignette does seem to imply he does it when he feels particularly embarrassed by something. He isn't just like a tsundere, he is one and honestly I was not expecting to like him as much as I do because tsundere isn't really one of my favorite tropes.

Gotta admire his loyalty, once you’ve proven yourself he’s sticking with you for the rest of his life. Sorry for rambling but uh yeah your response gave me thoughts.

Never apologize for rambling, it is the last thing I will ever take issue with and that goes for anyone in my inbox.

I hard agree. Ace's loyalty to Deuce, Yuu, and Grim should scare anyone trying to mess with them. I am waiting with baited breath for Grim overblot he is just going to pop off I JUST KNOW IT PLEASE YANA PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE

#<3 asks #twisted wonderland #aceyuu #ace trappola #i was deeply surprised to see you in my askbox after watching you go sicko modes in my notes #it made me very happy i am so glad i was able to give you some thoughts #i shall have to think of some happy aceyuu content to reward us all

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cirilla-fiona-riannon · 8 months

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Francis Drake Main Story

This is a rough translation. I’ll edit this if I find the time. Expect mistakes.

Drake stopped me, and I followed his lead and got into the boat.

Drake: "On your right is a very nice tower."

Mitsuki: "Hehe, that's the Eiffel Tower."

Drake: "That's right, the Eiffel Tower."

Just as he said himself, he hadn't yet memorized all the sights in Paris, so his tour was a bit clumsy. However, I found it enjoyable how carefree he was.

Mitsuki: "What you see over there is the building of the Paris Expo. I went there before with everyone from the mansion."

Drake: "Yeah, they're having a huge festival-like event."

Mitsuki: "It was fun. Let's go together next time. Vincent's studio is also around there."

Mitsuki: "Okay, next. The theater over there often performs Shakespeare's plays. Wait, why does it seem like I'm the one giving the tour?"

Drake: "Haha! You're amazing. I'm learning a lot from you."

He stopped rowing the oar and narrowed his eyes.

Drake: "This city holds a lot of memories for you and the folks at the mansion, huh?"

Mitsuki: "Yup. I was able to get used to and enjoy the lifestyle of the 19th century, thanks to everyone."

Drake: "Do you like this world?"

Mitsuki: "Yes, I do."

When I first time-traveled here, I was bewildered by the differences in time and culture. But now, the people I've met have become dear to me, and this world has become a place I belong to. So much so that I was willing to live here.

(But…)

Drake: "Then why the gloomy face?"

Mitsuki: "Huh?"

I lifted my slightly lowered face and saw him staring intently at me.

Drake: "Don't you realize? You seem to enjoy talking about this city and the people in the mansion, but sometimes you look a little sad."

(I promise not to feel down, and yet...)

He saw through my expression that I didn't even notice myself. He leaned his elbow on his knee and looked up at me, resting his chin on his hand.

Drake: "If you're carrying something, you can let it out here. You've been around here for a while, so it might be hard to talk to everyone at the mansion about it."

Mitsuki: "........"

Prompted by his gaze, I opened my lips.

Mitsuki: "It's true that I love this world."

Mitsuki: "But the more I think that way, the more I feel guilty about it."

Drake: "Guilty?"

Mitsuki: "Because my loved ones are in my world."

Family and friends. I had left everything from my past behind as I stepped through that door.

I really gave it my all to stay positive, but those lingering attachments and regrets kept dragging me down, making it difficult for me to start over.

Mitsuki: "I felt like I was betraying my world by accepting that I couldn't go home."

(Despite being treated well by everyone, I keep looking back repeatedly.)

(I'm so half-hearted.)

I clumsily let all the worries that had accumulated in my chest out into words, and he listened without saying anything.

Mitsuki: "Sorry you have to hear me talk like this."

Drake: "It's fine."

Drake: "You're ridiculously kind."

Mitsuki: "What?"

Drake: "You're worried that you're betraying someone."

Drake: "I've seen plenty of people get angry and sad because they've been betrayed, but you're different."

He said it as if he were in front of something mysterious.

Mitsuki: "I don't want to betray anyone because it would destroy the precious bond we've built."

Drake: "Bonds, huh?"

Drake: "No matter how strong your bonds are, there's always a chance the other person might betray you."

He looked at me and spoke again.

Drake: "I understand that your world is important, but it sounds like it's become a burden for you."

Mitsuki: "It's not a burden at all."

Drake: "You sure? The only things that come out of your mouth are thoughts of betrayal, guilt, and a sense of wrongdoing."

Drake: "You haven't forgotten or discarded that world. You're continuing to carry it while making excuses about being unable to do anything to comfort yourself."

(.......)

The words he said hit me like a knife.

He straightened himself up, and the wind rustled his hair and the feathers on his hat.

Drake: "If it's really important, even if you're apart and even if you can't meet, those feelings won't change and will remain just as strong."

Drake: "You should be proud that you have many important and irreplaceable things."

Drake: "It's your life. No matter how you choose to live, it won't be a betrayal."

(It won't be a betrayal?)

His straightforward words flowed like water into my chest, making all the worries and hesitations disappear.

Drake took off his hat and gently placed it on my head.

Drake: "Well, unlike you, I've always had this burning desire to get back at my enemies."

He playfully patted my head through the hat and smiled.

Drake: "If you're always thinking about those people and sacrificing your desires, you'll miss out on life."

Drake: "Or are there people among those 'important ones' who would call your way of living a betrayal?"

Mitsuki: "No! I'm sure no one would say something like that."

Drake: "Haha! You said it confidently."

Drake: "In that case, you should choose the path you believe in."

Drake: "In my opinion, living in a way that goes against your own wishes is the real betrayal."

Mitsuki: "Drake..."

(Even if I choose my way of life, my feelings toward those important to me won't change. I won't betray them.)

I traced those words in my heart once more, and my heart felt lighter.

(As he says, rather than being trapped in regret and guilt...)

I should cherish what's important and stay true to my feelings.

I reflected on my feelings and placed my hand firmly on my chest.

Drake: "I just had an idea. Why don't we throw some bottled messages in the ocean next time?"

Mitsuki: "A message in a bottle? The one where you put a letter in a bottle and throw it into the ocean?"

The letter was then carried away by the waves, never knowing when or to whom it would be delivered.

Drake: "Yeah, that. If we use it, the letter won't get destroyed."

Drake: "The ocean goes on forever, after all."

Mitsuki: "That's true. Thank you, Drake."

The smile he gave me was kind of glowing.

I squinted my eyes without knowing if it was because of the reflection of the light on the river's surface or because of my own feelings.

(A message in a bottle, huh? That feels like a dream.)

I hoped that one day I could make it come true with him by my side.

(Talking to Drake made me feel lighter, as if something I had been holding in my chest was flowing away.)

"You're continuing to carry it while making excuses about being unable to do anything to comfort yourself."

What he said earlier really stung. But his typical words and aloof smile freed me from the cycle of emotions.

(It's all thanks to him.)

I tried to thank him again but found him staring at the river.

Drake: "But I think it's amazing that you can think about someone or the world you've lived in."

Drake: "I'll probably never understand that in my lifetime."

He spoke in a hushed, mumbling tone, and his eyes had a cold light in them, giving off a chilling sense of vulnerability.

(Drake?)

Drake: "Well, I’m sure you’ll be fine, so you don’t need to worry about it."

Drake: "Real betrayal is much more merciless."

He suddenly wore a dazzling smile, quite different from before, and casually uttered those words.

(Does that mean he has experienced that before?)

Drake: "Even so, you're quite mysterious."

Mitsuki: "Huh? Is there something strange about me? I think I'm pretty normal."

Drake: "That's what's strange about it. You time-traveled, lived with vampires, and got caught up in ridiculous destinies, but you're just an ordinary girl."

Drake: "You worry, you laugh—you're just a normal pretty lady."

Mitsuki: "........."

My heart skipped a beat at his gentle smile.

Drake: "Maybe that's the sort of person who's destined to make a difference."

Mitsuki: "Drake?"

He suddenly leaned forward, his smile vanishing.

Previous Part ╎ Masterlist ╎ Next Part

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp drake #ikevamp jp #ikevamp francis #francis drake #ikevamp #cybird #ikevamp translation

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munv · 11 months

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BONDS BEYOND RECOGNITION

For @cupids-chamber my sworn homie thru thick and thin ⭐️⭐️

I’ll be leavin a lil letter at the end of this <33

IT’S been 3 years since the distinguished Cupid has entered NRC. So many memories made along the way, so many people met and lastly so many bonds. The year is finally over and out last chapter ends with graduation. The 3rd years and old dorm leaders are all gone, and new heads are to be appointed for the dormitories.

So much has happened for the past few years that’s sometimes it just feels as if it was yesterday that she woke up in a coffin and met grim. Feels just like yesterday that she had gotten in trouble with her 2 best friends Ace and Deuce and it’s not like it’s only them either, everyone has grown and learnt from their mistakes and from one another as well.

“Hey prefect you gettin’ all moppy ‘n emotional on us now?” Ace nudged her teasingly. Cupid sent him a light glare but it wasn’t a spiteful one, just one that would shut him up a bit. Just then speaking of the whole group, here comes the rest of them

“I’d hope your not bothering her again Ace!” Yelled deuce from beside sebek who was supposedly glaring at ace. “Wha? You guys are such bullies y’know!”

“It’s gonna to be our last time here for a long while..so we might as well make it worth it” Epel said following closely behind along with Jack. “Exactly, we gotta make it worth it!”

Grim who came out of nowhere jumped on Cupid’s shoulder with a can of tuna “hey henchman! Guess what the headmaster gave me!” He exclaimed boastfully, and before even giving her the chance to answer he shoved multiple cans of tuna into her face, how he balanced all of that? No clue. Grim may be questionable, but he just shouldn’t be questioned in general.

The group before her started bickering, and whenever Cupid tends to close her eyes, the group before her goes back to their first year. Everything is nostalgic in a way actually, wherever she looks she sees memories. The once dimmed and dark hallways are decorated with lights and much more. Cupid slips away from the group with Grim hot on her trail. “Hey! Where ya goin?” He asked jumping on her head. “Nowhere in particular, just walking around.”

“Really takes you back doesn’t it?” She couldn’t tell if grim was really paying attention considering how he tends to get whenever he has tuna. He grumbles out a response with the food still in his mouth. “I guess..” Grim was never really this quite considering his personality so she could only assume he was thinking with what had become of his brain—at least what was left of it if there even was one.

Feeling tears on her shoulder she looks up to see grim hiding his face in her hair “stupid henchmen making me tear up..” he muttered. She then flashbacks to what the headmaster had talked to her about before sending her off to talk with everyone else.

#EARLIER

“I see you’ve finally come!” Crowley said happily from his chair. “Don’t be shy now and stand at the door, come in!”

“It’s been a few years since you’ve been here, yes? And I’d like to say something to you, not as a headmaster but as someone you could trust.”

He continues with a stern voice yet a soft expression. “You’ve come a long way and we have watched you grow for a long while now and I’d like to say that..I truly see you as my family. Yet as a headmaster I’ve come to recognize your accomplishments and everything you have been through. So, as of today I have a last request for you.”

Cupid raised her brow and looked at Crowley intently staying silent for a while, “which is?”

“Please, don’t forget us.” She didn’t expect this, a letter maybe or even a errand to make the last day of college better for everyone but..this was not something Crowley would say just lightly. He got up from behind his desk and got up to hug her. “I see you as family..everyone does as well, so carry these memories with you throughout your life here whether you find a way to get back or not”.

“That to you, is my request.” Before she could even get a word in she was abruptly pushed out of the office. “Now off you go! Make the most of your time, for I am gracious!” He then shit the door and Cupid let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Make the most of my time left huh? What a day.”

Unbeknownst to her, Crowley took off his mask and was almost on the verge of tears behind the door. He looked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh, “what a wonderful few years this was..”

BACK to the present, she opens her eyes and finds herself with grim in her lap and everyone else in the garden having a picnic. “Thank you..” cupid said under her breath. “What was that prefect?” Asked Epel leaning in to hear her more clearly. “Nothing Epel, here, how about you carve me something?” She tossed him an apple and he swiftly caught it.

“It wouldn’t hurt to carve me something as well!..right?” Sebek said. Epel softly chuckled “don’t even gotta ask! I’m on it!”

#LETTER:

I’m here to say throughout all the time of being your friend cupid you are the most reliable and amazing people I’ve met. It was truly a honor to know you and it still is. Through all the time I’m proud to say you are more than a friend but you are family to me. I’d like to thank you personally for coming into my life and everyone else’s. You have influenced so many people is so many good ways and even on hiatus I wish to continue to support you through your life if you would allow me.

You are such an amazing person and so much more. It’s a honor to know you as a person, and I continue to thank you yet again for gracing us all with your presence. As a homie and someone who continuously harasses you with fun anons..I just can’t thank you enough

I bid you a farewell for now, friend ⭐️⭐️

#FROM: The One and Only MAKI

#{-muxis writes #x reader #headcanons #headcanon #oneshots #twst headcanons #twisted wonderland x reader #good luck cupid!#love you homie #twst first years #twst grim #disney twisted wonderland #twst oneshot

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lostmyhufflepuffstatus · 1 year

Text

Tear Drops on My Guitar

Word Count: 957

Summary: You've been friends with Sam Winchester for a long time, but lately you have been gaining more than platonic feelings for him.

Warnings: terrible writing as per usual

Genre: Angst????

A/N: I guess I'm breaking out of my Criminal Minds fandom shell... not going to lie the Supernatural fandom scares me... even though I have been a part of it for over 8 years.

Requests: OPEN

It had been two years of being at Stanford University with Sam Winchester, a year and a half since you got the courage to talk to him in a shared class, and just over a year of friendship. It was a shock to nobody when you told a mutual friend about your more than platonic feelings for Sam. For a while, you held up hope that he might share those feelings, I mean, it's hard not to form a bond with someone who was up all-night studying with you and was one of the first people to congratulate you when you got that near perfect score on the LSATs, even though they were a music composition major.

There were many drunken nights where he would tell you a bit about his family, how his father was constantly moving him and his brother around as kids, and how Sam never got the chance to put down secure roots in one place until he got into school. He admitted that he hadn’t told anyone about that until you. He could finally have friends and a life of his own. You thought about those nights a lot

You dragged your eyes away from his form, looking down at your notebook to look like you were studying, but the paper was blank. You knew deep down that if you kept looking at him with her, you would start crying in the middle of the courtyard. But you couldn’t help yourself as your eyes returned to him and Jessica. You wished with everything you had that you could hate her, that you could just pretend she didn’t exist, that she was some horrible monster that would just go away once you opened your eyes and stopped being scared. But you couldn’t. She made your best friend so happy; she was so kind to everyone and had never said a hateful thing about anyone that didn’t deserve it. That was what hurt the most.

You couldn’t picture anyone more perfect for Sam, nobody else deserved the kind of love that he showed her. You had never seen the smile on his face that he had. Sure, he smiled at you, and those were genuine, but the smiles he reserved for Jessica made him look alive like he was invisible.

You forced yourself to look away and gather up your things. You had tortured yourself for too long. While rushing to shove things into your bag, you couldn’t fight the urge to just look up one last time. As you were standing up Sam turned his head away from his conversation with Jess and met your gaze. You saw his face break out into the brightest smile, and that hurt. You forced the muscles in your face to return his grin with a small smile of your own. He looked like he was going to get up to try and talk to you, but you knew that you couldn’t take to him right now without spilling your heart out for him, and the rest of the students wandering around to see. You gave him a small wave before turning on your heel and making your way out of the courtyard as calmly as possible.

You could feel your eyes starting to burn with tears. The second you knew you were sure Sam wasn’t following you and you were out of his line of sight; you started running to your room. You needed the safety of the four blank walls. It was a blessing that your roommate had gone home for the weekend and wouldn’t be back until Monday.

You almost broke your key in the lock as you rushed to push the door open. You closed it hard behind you and locked it. The moment the lock clicked into place you felt the tears come. Sliding down the door, you covered your face in your hands and just let the tears go and today you couldn't seem to get them to stop. You didn’t know how much time you spent sitting on the floor in front of your door, how long you felt like the sobs being forced from your body would tear you in half. It was long enough for the sun to start its descent in the sky and the first stars began to show. After the last tear was expelled from your body, you forced yourself to take a deep breath, and then another.

Standing up you turned to the mirror that was covered in pictures, pictures of your family, your friends from home, your cats Moose and Squirrel, and of course a picture of you and Sam. That one had been taken on your 21st birthday. He had his arm around your shoulders, and you were making stupid faces at the camera completely in a world of happiness and bliss. You carefully removed the photo from the mirror and held it in your hands; you had an impulsive thought to just tear the photograph into little pieces and throw them away. But you knew that you would regret that if you did, so you shoved it into a drawer in your desk. You shoved your shoes off, not bothering to put them back where they needed to go before climbing into your bed, still in your day clothes. Pulling the blankets over your head, you hugged a pillow close to your chest and forced your eyes to close.

Maybe going to bed early, incredibly early apparently since the sun hadn’t fully set, and getting some sleep would make you feel better. Forcing your eyes to close, you hugged the pillow tighter as the first silent tears began to fall you thought about that smile, it was like you were back in the courtyard again but this time instead of Jess, that smile was for you.

#sam winchester imagines #sam winchester oneshot #sam winchester fanfiction #sam winchester reader insert #sam winchester fluff #sam winchester angst #supernatural imagines #supernatural #supernatural x reader #supernatural fanfiction

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altheasmeadow · 1 year

Text

Last Piece of The Puzzle

Summary: In which, Han and Lee know, I always felt a bit of a hole in their bond, and now they know why

Pairing: Lee Know X Reader X Han Jisung

Warnings: insecurities

Everyone was supposed to have one soulmate, those were the cards fate played. Having more than one wasn’t unheard of but it never had a happy ending. Between not accepting one of the two soulmates, to never meeting your third part there were few things on their side.

She had more factors, her family was very traditionally close minded, she did well at hiding her marks claiming she just hadn’t received a mark in general, making her the punching bag of all of her family’s pent up aggression. She chose not to pick a mark to show, deeming it as disrespectful towards her soulmates to absentmindedly pick one over the other. One day however her cousin burst into the bathroom while she was getting out of the shower and caught a glimpse of the two marks, not even giving her a chance to explain, her cousin outed her for being a “whore” in front of anyone she could find.

She honestly gave up hope after that incident. She got kicked out, though that did not stop her family from tracking her down at random times and belittling her whenever they saw fit.

That’s what led her here, outside of her bestfriends work place, nervously pacing as she waited for him to join her, just as she psyched herself out and turned on her heel the door opened and she was almost immediately engulfed in a hug from behind by Hyunjin.

“Are you okay? What did they do this time?” Hyunjin wondered, spinning her to face him as he scanned her for any marks that weren’t meant to be on her of course.

“They caught me in the freaking supermarket Hyunjin.” her voice broke, conveying her frustrations.

“Are you okay?”

“No, I’m so tired.” She whined, shoving her head into his chest as he simply rubbed his hand on her back for comfort.

“Do you want to come back to my dorm tonight? So you’re not alone.” He offered, earning a sniffle and a nod. “Okay let me go tell everyone I’m calling it a day.” He said starting to turn ignoring the protests the woman offered wishing he wouldn’t drop everything for her like that.

–

20 minutes later she was swaddled in blankets and Hyunjin’s arms as they watched some awful american movie and ate any snacks they could get their hands on.

“How come you’ve never shown me your marks?” Hyunjin wondered, all he knew was she had two, she never said any descriptors.

“It’s not something I exactly like sharing, Jin.” She sighed, not feeling up for the conversation but once Hyunjin gets started it's impossible to stop him.

“Oh come on! Han and Minho have a third and I’ve seen their mark. I never walked away from them.” He defended, knowing her fear was him becoming like her family.

“I didn’t expect Han and Minho to have a third if I’m honest.” She murmured, remembering seeing interviews where the two were looking at each other as if they were the only two in the world.

“They are really excited to meet them, but a bit nervous that their third might reject one of them and not the other.”

“Well people are stupid.”

“Can I please see your marks?”

“Why?”

“Okay I might be a bit curious because their third mark may have some symbolism to you and I just want to make sure.” Hyunjin declared, watching as his friend huffed and shrugged the blankets off of her and lifted her shirt to reveal tso very familiar markings to Hyunjin, A small handprint present on her ribs that was also on Han and a little bite mark that was also present on Lee Know. That one was placed on her neck and the one she covered with turtlenecks and hoodies a lot.

“Now can you leave it alone.” She grumbled, grabbing her snack and going back to eating.

“Oh my god!” He yelped, grabbing her food and throwing it to the other end of the bed in his excitement earning a very scary glare from the woman but he simply continued on. “You're their third! This is amazing, they'll be so happy!”

“Hyunjin, One: throw my food away from me ever again and stray kids will be down a member. And Two: those two don’t need a third, they look at each other like they’re the only ones in the world and I am most definitely not going to try to get between that.” She dismissed the idea, suddenly not wanting to be in the boy’s shared area with the new found information.

She grabbed her things, ignoring her friends' protests and frantic typing on his phone supposedly to her other counterparts.

Throwing their bodies through the front door of the dorm the two were immediately met with a very disappointed Hyunjin who was pacing the floor of the foyer leaving yet another voicemail to his friend.

“Look at least come back here, even if it’s not to meet them, You shouldn’t be alone after the incident.”

Even the name sent shivers down their spines, they watched their friend eagerly hoping to hear the voice on the other end but hyunjin simply ended the call and told the two it was a voicemail.

“She ran?” Han asked sadly, making Minho wrap his arm around him to comfort him, though he too felt the hurt of the rejection pulsing through him.

“She was intimidated.” Hyunjin defended, not wanting the two to think she was openly rejecting them, since he knew that was the last thing on her mind.

“By what? Han is literally the equivalent to a squirrel and I’m only scary to you.” Minho blurted out, feeling very put off by the comment.

“She’s seen clips of you two, how happy you guys are, she doesn’t want to face rejection or for you guys to feel the need to adjust your system for her.” Hyunjin said, sighing in frustration as he ran a hand through his hair.

“That’s stupid.”Minho bluntly stated with a tinge of annoyance on his tongue.

“Yea well if you lived her life you’d understand.”

The conversation got cut off by a weak voice on the other side of the door, “Jin I know they’re in there but I really don’t have anywhere else to go at the moment, can you please let me in.”

Hyunjin didn’t even get a chance to process the presence before Han lunged for the door, tearing it open and pulling his other counterpart into a tight embrace.

The electrifying feeling where his hand rested where her shirt had slightly risen was intoxicating, her previously tense body seemingly to relax completely against the man.

“I’ll uh leave you guys to it.” Hyunjin muttered, rushing away to hide in his bedroom, and totally not easedrop.

“We’ve been waiting a while for you.” Minho simply stated, never the one for romantics, but she honestly couldn’t care. She just didn’t want to think about the family she had spotted outside of her apartment lurking and waiting for her. She pulled away and gently caressed Han’s face as her eyes filled with adoration that she will one hundred percent blame on the soulmate bond and not because she always found him beautiful in every video Hyunjin sat her down to watch.

“Okay me now.” Minho grumbled, pushing Han out of the way and pulling her into his arms next.

“We are never letting you go now.” He muttered after some moments of just hugging and swaying, Han eventually joining and making a group hug.

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lya-dustin · 5 months

Text

Shock and Delight

Chapter 7

Aemond knows exactly at what Helaena is hinting.

Subtlety has never been a skill she knows.

“She beat a man for burning down her school last I went to Dragonstone.” His sister said as she combed his hair like he was one of her children.

“I know why Rhaenyra wants me to wed her daughter, but why are you shoving her my way, sister.” He sat still for her but did make his displeasure known with a huff.

Had to be obvious with Helaena or she wouldn’t capture the meaning of it.

Oftentimes insults would be lost on her until someone explained it plainly and it was always Aemond who had the misfortune of explaining it to her.

“You are lonely, and you see her as Aemma and not the future queen of the realm.” His sister answered as if it had been obvious.

“I am not lonely, I like being alone, which is utterly different.” He says in his defense and ignoring the second part all together.

Helaena and Aemma had always been friends. Inseparable when they all lived in the Red Keep and always butting heads with mother and the septas in charge of their lessons.

Aemma and Aemond had bonded over their lack of dragons until the Pink Dread happened and she was taken to her grandmother for asking why Criston was still a Kingsguard after killing Ser Joffrey Lonmouth. She had been Aemee to him, Aemee who liked books just as much as he did, Aemee who claimed Silverwing the same day she turned eleven.

“Just give it a chance, for me.” Helaena looked at him with her dreamy and slightly misty eyes knowing he’d agree to anything because no one could ever say no to her.

Despite her naivety, Helaena could manipulate you to do her bidding. Often people forgot she was an adult and not a child stuck in her own world.

“Fine, but if it goes to hell, I need your word you won’t try again.” Aemond agrees and throws in his condition knowing his sister will keep her word.

Shouldn’t be that difficult, Aemond is the king of being rude and off-putting.

Sweet Aemma will end the night as disappointed as all the ladies before her.

It's almost mocking.

No, its actual mocking and Rhaena hates that she’s getting the best seat in the house for this wheelhouse wreck and having to water it down to prevent getting caught.

“When in Dorne do as the Dornish do.” Aemma said with an impish grin and twirled in her green satin dress.

Baela had chosen a teal too close to green and Rhaena had been bribed into wearing the matching one.

“I think Ser Criston might take offense at that.” Rhaena comments as she found the emerald earrings that matched her brooch.

“Oh, it’s just harmless fun, Rhae. Besides Rhaenyra said as part of these celebrations we may be forced to wear their colors and they ours. If we start now, we get the advantage.” Baela approached this as a battle strategy, a hobby of hers now that Jace is grandfather’s first mate aboard the Sea Snake. “As the Yi-Tish general Sun Tzu said, to know your enemy you must become them.”

The Stepstones were also Baela and Rhaena’s dowry, so it was in their best interest that they be completely under Velaryon control. A paltry excuse Jace gave as he joined grandfather’s latest campaign that did not work as intended.

For now, everyone believes he is doing it to gain an advantage over the Queen’s sons by being a warrior in the true sense of the word and not because he intends to wed Baela on their next name day.

“Aemma called the queen tacky for it.” She points out as if she hadn’t transcribed Aemma word for word that night.

“Yes, I did say that because it’s the truth. I merely want to fuck up her evening for sending Lyonel my way.” Aemma clarified as they left her rooms. “Who knows we might gain some ground by showing green is merely a color.”

“You’re playing with fire, Aem.” Rhaena cautioned.

“Oh, sweet sister, fire doesn’t burn a dragon.” The heiress dismissed her worries with a wave of a hand.

Green had become her armor since that night.

A safe and meaningful color that said she wasn’t the weak little girl wearing a crown too big for her. A color that said she wasn’t just Alicent, she was Queen Alicent.

A color that told you she would fight tooth and nail for her son’s rightful crown.

“That color suits you so well, niece.” She hears Helaena say sweetly with no malice whatsoever.

Queen Alicent chokes on her water when she sees her enemies’ children wearing her color.

“Lady Grandmother, are you well?” The doe eyed little snake has the audacity to ask as comes in as green as a honeydew.

A rotten honeydew.

“I am, thank you for asking, your highness.” Alicent hides her irritation well enough. This evening can’t end soon enough. “I don’t think I recall you ever wearing green.”

“Well, it’s such a nice color, I don’t see any reason for me to pass up the opportunity to wear it.” The princess had already ended the fashion of ostrich feathers for girls coming out into society, now she came to end the fashion of wearing your factions’ colors to show your loyalty with a polite smile and gossip sheets.

Rhaenyra and Rhaenys did well. Had she been a boy or become a warrior like Princess Alyssa, she would have been unstoppable.

But the crown was Aegon’s right because of his birth, even if Aemma was Alysanne reborn as her mother’s faction has claimed, she couldn’t steal her son’s rightful inheritance.

Or your place in the order, a voice whispers in her ear.

Alicent resolves to put that out of her mind until she sees Helaena’s placements at the table.

On the outside they looked perfect together, the rider of the largest dragon, the prodigy who mastered all he could be taught by maesters and masters-at-arms alike, the worthier son sat beside the heiress, the girl who rides Queen Alysanne's dragon, the young woman who is more than capable enough to rule and knows it.

But they cannot. Not when they lose everything because what mother can choose which son dies?

No, Helaena must’ve not thought this through. Yes, it must have been a coincidence, there was no way her sweet daughter would encourage anything between Aemond and Aemma.

Aemma was meant to become their hostage by marrying Lyonel, Aemma couldn’t marry anyone else, least of all, her second eldest son.

Despite the tension and their attempts to lighten things up dinner is rather boring.

Aemma is made to sit next to Aemond, and he is not in the mood to humor her in the least. Speaks when spoken to and save for, could you pass me the bread rolls, he has not supplied conversation.

A very dull evening.

“Is the evening not to your liking, Aemee?” he asks mocking her with the childhood nickname she’d almost forgotten. If the question hadn’t been intended to aggravate her, she would’ve been touched by him remembering it.

And because Aemma has lived with Daemon for nearly eight years, she knows the best way to make him shut up is by ignoring him.

They thrive on provoking people and if she denies him his sport, he will look elsewhere for it.

“My sister has thrown this dinner for the sole purpose of sitting me beside you, I would think you’d be pleased about it.” He begins again, assuming she’d been part of this scheme.

“Well, you thought wrong.” Aemma said simply and helping herself to the simple but fine fare Helaena had put out.

He was the perfect suitor, a dragon rider, high enough in rank and in his mother’s faction to give them a good advantage, but unfortunately, he is Aemond.

Aemond who lost his eye to her younger brother, Aemond who calls her mother a whore and Aemond who loves his mother beyond anyone else save Helaena.

He was as unsuitable as Lyonel Hightower.

What the fuck was Helaena thinking?

“I’m surprised to know you aren’t part of my sister’s scheme.” He admits wanting to keep the conversation going despite her not wanting to. The tables have turned and Aemma is not liking this one bit.

When she wanted to talk to him, he barely gave her two worded answers. She should repay him with the same coin, but she is annoyed. It’s not like there is anything else to speak about other than the gossip sheet Daeron is so interested in or Daemon’s new campaign on the Stepstones.

“Are you so full of yourself you think every lady in court desires you?” Aemma asks, looking to hurt him and feeling some triumph when his eye shows she hit her mark. “Believe it or not, I still think you are the second to last man I’d ever consider for a husband.”

“Glad to know Cousin Lyonel is still dead last.” He remarks dryly.

#aemma velaryon #aemond targaryen x velaryon!oc #ocappreciationtag #aemond targaryen #shock and delight fic #bridgerton!au #ewan mitchell #aemond targaryen x ofc #aemond targaryen x oc

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mark-of-chrysus · 1 year

Note

With Danny being on loop for thousand of times already wouldn't he also have genderbend of him-self? I wonder what changes in everyone perspective. Especially gun since that guy is a pervert as Goo says.

Maybe she could make this work?

Being a woman was hard. Being an attractive woman was a nightmare, plain and simple. Simply put, being looped into a female body was a lesson in many things, including but not limited to patience, tolerance, humility, and the sheer ability to put up with so much bullshit on a daily basis that it made Danny want to pull her hair out of her skull strand by strand.

To begin with, everyone seemed to suddenly view him as an unowned object, ready for the taking. That was usually resolved with a couple broken bones and broken egos, though some people took more convincing to finally get the message.

Patience. Cross.

Then came the pain. And blood. Oh, god, so much blood! And the pain could be utterly unbearable, leaving him curled on the floor just prying for it to go away. He knew what periods were, of course, but no one had ever told him they could get this bad!

Tolerance. Cross.

Society as a whole apparently expected him to act as if she was less of everything they had applauded him for being. They saw her achievements as boasting or cheating, yet jeered whenever she would get lower than they expected. Nothing she did was ever good enough, but she wasn't allowed to do better. Danny was no stranger to the bigotry of men, but its hist had never resonated in him quite how they did then.

Humility. Cross.

When the assumptions and expectations came she just decided to call it quits. Fuck the world!

Ability to deal with bullshit on a daily basis. Cross.

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

In an attempt to regain some semblance of control over her life, Danny decided to stock as closely as possible to the original timeline of events. It didn't work.

For one, Jay seemed to be actively avoiding her. She could understand that, but it didn't mean it hurt any less. At least he still remained friendly with her, if a bit shyer than before.

Zack was another problem. He had annoyed her enough to make her fight him during the second day, but the outcome had been much more different. The boxer was defeated by a girl in front of the whole school, wounding his pride, but since then he had taken to trying to embarrass her in a twisted attempt at payback. It wasn't pretty, but she knew that with enough time he would grow more mature, as he always did, and perhaps there would be hope for e reconciliation.

Similarly to her two classmates, many of her usual friends acted rather oddly in her presence or didn't interact with her at all. The exception to this was, surprisingly, the two troublemakers from the Vocal Department.

Danny had no idea how she did it, but she has somehow gotten adopted into their little clique and they stuck to her like glue ever since, even going as far as leaving Duke alone when she asked them. Their silly antics were a balm to the ache in her soul that had come with losing the chance to bond with the people that she held dear in the same way she always did. That wasn't a problem, the fighting prodigy told herself, she would just have to find new ways to bond with them. For now, she was content with the two friends she had, however odd their friendship might've been. She might be able to make this work.

"HUH? That's stupid!" Vin Jin said a bit louder than he had to, secretly trying to wake his black-haired friend from whatever trance she was in.

"You just can't figure out how great it is because you're a moron!" Mary retorted, gripping the girl's elbow. "Isn't that right Danny?"

That got her to snap out of her thoughts and look up at the bickering pair. She gave them a clueless smile and nod, unaware of them sighing in relief as she once again joined in on the conversation. She had the habit of getting lost in thought every once in a while and they worried about how vulnerable it left her. That's why they could never leave her side. Even now, they could feel the hungry gazes coming from all over the cafeteria, aimed at the beautiful transfer girl. She may be strong enough to fight them off, but that didn't stop those freaky perverts from thinking all sorts of creepy shit about her.

Mary and Vin held a silent conversation between them as the girl ate, cluelessly. These trance-like episodes had become more frequent in the past week and they needed to find a way to put a stop to them. The School Festival was coming up, which is when the two convened to put their plan into action.

When Zack was chosen for the Slave Auction Danny could only cringe and give him her best wishes. Usually, when he was chosen for the Auction in previous loops either he would have to spend a hellish date with Lala or Crystal would come save him, then give him the same speech about not judging people based on their looks. This usually ended in one of two ways, he would lose his temper and yell back, leading to Gun pummeling him into the floor, or he would take it quietly before informing Crystal that he couldn't go out with her because he didn't like her, and would, again, end up kissing the pavement, courtesy of her bodyguard overreacting and hitting him (what a shocker!).

The event went as expected, with Crystal buying the boxer and them leaving for the parking lot. Only, this time Danny followed behind them, as did her two best friends. They didn't even bother sneaking around, just followed closely behind, curious to see what would happen.

"Oh, so it's that way, huh" The black-haired beauty muttered under her breath, seeing Zack's expression grow stormier with each passing moment before he erupted into a screaming match with the Choi heiress.

"Who would've thought that cheeky bugger would still have it in him!" Vin mused out loud next to her, entertained.

Mary agreed, unbothered by the growing tension. Before any of them could blink Danny had bolted from her place, skidding to a halt right in front of the screaming boy. A few centimeters from her face she held Gun's ankle in a vise-like grip, her eyes narrowed sharp and unmoving from the bodyguard's face.

Zack stumbled back half a step, swallowing the knot in his throat. I didn't even see that coming, how did she get here so fast?! He recalled how she had easily sent him flying with just one punch. Back then he had dismissed it as a fluke, but what if...

Crystal stared at the pretty girl who had stopped Gun's Brazilian kick in silent horror and a trace of awe. She had noticed the three watching them, but hadn't thought anything of it. They looked like your typical high-school students, possibly even bullies. Now that she looked closer, however, there was a certain air of danger around each and every one of them, though most notably from the tall black-haired girl. A cold droplet of sweat slid down her cheek, she needed to stop this before it got out of hand!

One look at Gun's face told her that it was too late. He was smiling, no, grinning that abnormally large grin of his that only came when he saw someone as a challenge. His glasses had been discarded onto the ground, revealing the demonic-looking black eyes behind them. This wasn't a fight that could be prevented. Frantically, Crystal pulled out her phone and dialed her father, prying that the maniac wouldn't kill the girl until then.

"Yes, Crystal?" Charles' voice held a note of annoyance to it that, were she not panicking, she would've hesitated before.

"It's Gun" she relayed into the phone panicky "he's gotten into a fight with some girl! He's got that crazy grin of his and he's taken off his glasses-"

A loud thud sounded from behind her and she turned to look, expecting the worst. Crystal froze with her mouth wide open, blinking dumbly at the scene before her. It wasn't the bold girl's body laying bloody and motionless on the concrete. It was Gun's. His shirt was ripped and his hair a mess. His body was a mess of red and able and purple, though by the labored rising and falling of his chest he wasn't dead yet. One of his hands was twisted at an unnatural angle and the other looked very much broken, the bone visibly poking out beneath the skin, near his elbow.

Zack was looking on in a mix of horror and awe, frozen in place by the display of such skill and ruthlessness. She's fast...and deadly, he thought to himself, paling a bit. Meanwhile, Vin and Mary seemed unbothered by the sight and cheered their friend on, the latter holding a phone in her hand and probably filming the ordeal.

"Crystal! CRYSTAL!" Her father's voice snapped her out of it and she was once again able to speak.

"He's down. Out cold. Not dead though." She told him, unable to hide the tremor in her voice. "I didn't even have time to see-"

A shadow loomed over her trembling body and she slowly rose her head. The girl's gaze was detached and cold like she was staring down at a tiny mouse not worth her time. When she spoke her voice sounded like a mix between satisfied and indifferent.

"Take him back."

Crystal could only nod with her eyes tightly shut, feeling this predator's hot breath on her face. She scurried towards the fallen man and dragged him into the car before getting into the driver's seat and spreading out of the parking lot.

"Woohoo! Holy shit!" A pair of arms draped themselves over her shoulders and she found herself sandwiched between two warm bodies.

"That was fucking epic!" Vin praised the shorter girl, while his blonde friend nodded in agreement from the other side.

Danny allowed herself a small smile at the warm feeling that bloomed in her chest. The coldness in her body was washed away by laughter and other such explicit exclamations and praises. Yeah, she could make this work.

#time loop #lookism manhwa #webtoon lookism #lookism #zack lee #daniel park #female daniel #vin jin #gun park #crystal choi #mary kim

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zvtara-was-never-canon · 1 year

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I know the ZKs were mad when Mike confirmed on the podcast that there was nothing romantic between Katara and Zuko in the crossroads of destiny. That it was just empathy 😂

And it's not like we needed anyone to confirm something that obvious.

The one time they were not hostile with each other before Crossroads was when the Gaang + Zuko and Iroh teamed up against Azula. And even though Katara did something really nice when she showed compassion and offered to heal Iroh after Azula blasted fire at him, Zuko was NOT moved by her compassion, and in fact lashed out at her and her friends just for being near him and Iroh - aka the one person there he actually gave a shit about and had not been fighting side by side with just because it was convenient.

Crossroads happen, it's a nice moment - that also included Katara saying that up until that point she had pictured "the enemy's face" as Zuko's face, which makes perfect sense considering he has been trying to kidnap her best friend, and put her, her brother, their tribe, and a bunch of innocent people in danger. For fucks sake, before they both let their guards down a bit, Katara calls him a horrible person and she 100% means it. Why wouldn't she? We saw Zuko do kind things and show remorse/doubt, she did not.

And after such a meaninfull moment what does Zuko do? Immediately teams up with Azula, his sister/rival/enemy, and helps her capture Ba Sing Se for their father - who disfigured and banished him, and whom we later find out in The Day Of Black Sun that Zuko legit thought might have killed his mom. Even that guy meant more to Zuko than Katara did.

And who does Zuko repeatedly mention, visit, and eventually begs to forgive him after his betrayal? Iroh. Again.

And whose kind words of "we could have been friends" does Zuko explicitly bring up when he tries to join the Gaang? Aang. The guy his story is constantly a parallel to. The actual first person to trust him and give him a chance.

And, of course, after his "romantic moment" (according to Zutarians) with Katara, the next episode shows Zuko in a relationship with Mai. And once he is forced to leave her, yeah, he was kind of a douche by breaking up with her through a letter BUT he did feel the need to explain himself to her, to give her a proper goodbye, he even says "I'm sorry, Mai", and looks like a dumbass in love when he brings her up during a conversation with Sokka.

What was the one time he seemed to even remember Katara's existence before joining the Gaang? Oh yeah, when he remembered the water from the oasis and realizes she could have used it to save Aang - meaning Ozai would be mad at him. Even the ONE time that interaction with Katara crosses his mind without someone else mentioning it to him, it is still all about his feelings for a completely different person.

As for Katara, she also didn't bring Zuko up once. She was busy talking things out with her dad, travelling and getting into trouble with her friends, and worrying about the war - ya know, the one Zuko pretty much helped his father win, and yet she didn't mention him at all.

And when he joins the group? She naturally doesn't trust him in the slightest, and says that she will make him pay if he hurts AANG again. Pretty much stating that her anger at him is not because they had any kind of deep, meaningful bond (be it romantic or platonic) but because he was responsible for her nearly losing someone she loved - much like his nation took her mother from her, something she explicitly told him about, which must have only twisted the knife further.

Because of all of this, I wouldn't give a damn if Mike and literally everyone else involved in creating the show had said that the scene in Crossroads was meant to be romantic - the actual story and characters clearly show that was NOT the case.

Zutarians can cry about it all they want, but Zuko and Katara's bond starts in the second half of book 3, and it's clearly platonic. Any romance, or even friendship, that claim existed before that was only in their heads, not in the actual story.

#anti zutara

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talesofourworlds · 1 month

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Rinwell

🌟 Drop one of my characters’ names in my inbox and I’ll tell you 10 facts about them 🌟

Rinwell chose to settle in Elde Menancia after the events of the main game because of the massive library there. It provided boundless opportunities to research, for one. For another, Menancia had come to feel very homey to her out of all the places she and the others had traveled to. It also gave her a chance to remain close to Kisara and, for a time, Dohalim. Even after the events of BtD, it's easy to find Rinwell holed up in the Menancian library researching away.

Though Rinwell knows it will take a long time to have people change their view on mages, she still is fully intent on working toward that goal. She hopes her parents are proud of her for trying so hard to make it so mages can be seen in a good light. There are days when it's difficult for Rinwell to try and further this goal, but she has hope in its progress.

Due to her nature as a mage, Rinwell needs to keep her strength up a fair bit so she can do what she needs to do in combat. Using so much astral energy does take a lot of energy, after all. So does dodging, as her style of fighting does make her need to stay on her toes so she can cast and also avoid getting hit. The quickest way for her to regain energy is by eating sweets, at least as far as she can tell. The struggle comes in maintaining a more balanced diet, which Kisara tries her hardest to make sure Rinwell and everyone else actually do. Rinwell just tends to prefer the boost she seems to get from sweets in particular. She also has a nostalgic reason for the preference, as she has fond memories of sharing sweets with her parents when they were still alive.

I've said this before on this blog, but it took a while for Rinwell and Dohalim to trust each other enough to be able to use Radiant Genesis together. It also took them a while to actually start viewing each other as friends. Specifically it was Rinwell that took a while on this front. Sometime after everything with Almeidrea, though, she opened herself up enough to not only apologize to Dohalim for how she'd been treating him, but also open herself up to the idea of really being his friend.

Rinwell originally didn't consider the idea of Hootle maybe wanting to stay in the Owl Forest with the other owls. It wasn't until the party had started finding more of the owls around Dahna and helping them get back home that the possibility hit her. And Rinwell resigned herself to the idea of having to say goodbye to her closest friend. Naturally, it was a shock when Hootle made it clear that he didn't want to leave her. She still cherishes her bond with Hootle quite a bit, so the relief of knowing he still wanted to stay with her was better than she could have asked for. She knows that one day he still could decide he wants to go join the other owls, though, but hopes that it won't be for a long, long time.

After meeting Edna, Eizen, and Chronos, the idea of exploring other worlds became pretty intriguing to Rinwell. She isn't sure if she'll ever get the chance to world hop, for lack of a better term, but she always keeps an eye out for books on the subject to see what she can learn. Being separated from her friends would be difficult, Rinwell knows, but she still is curious about what other worlds might exist beyond the one she knows.

Part of her wants to try and harness the power of Indignation like Ganabelt could. And Rinwell has actually made attempts to do so. Always without the rest of the party knowing, of course. She doesn't want them to worry about her potentially getting hurt from trying to harness such massive amounts of light astral energy. Still, she knows she's a capable mage. If she gets enough practice, then perhaps one day she'll be able to do it. For the time being, though, it's a subject she's limited to research and the very occasional attempt at practicing. She feels like utilizing Thunder Blade a lot might be a key, but isn't too sure how to actually put that knowledge into practice beyond just using the arte a lot.

Shooting Star is one of Rinwell's personal favorite artes that she learned while traveling with Alphen and the others. It takes a long time to cast, and can leave her in a vulnerable position while she's casting, but she feels like it's worth the effort when it can do a lot of damage. She also is partial to Celestial Hammer in terms of her aerial artes.

She has a tally of the amount of times Law has used Tenebrous Claw in combat. It started as a thing she did out of annoyance, but eventually just became something she kept track of in general. Especially after hearing a conversation between him and Kisara where he commented on how repeated usage of Mystic Artes would make them not so mystic. She herself struggles to actively use her own Mystic Artes since she tries to keep herself out of harm's way and isn't the best at perfectly dodging attacks, so it is still a little annoying seeing Law making such liberal use of his own. But still. It makes him happy. Who could blame him for that?

Rinwell definitely has stopped by Calaglia on more than one occasion following the events of the main game to get doughnuts. Sometimes she also uses the opportunity to visit with Law, but most of the time? She's mainly there for the sweets. She won't deny it, either. But it is good to catch up with Law when she can get the chance.

#ooc #Magical Birdie Bestie (Rinwell)#From the Earthen Historia (headcanon)

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marshmallowprotection · 1 year

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You know one platonic relationship i dont consider much often is saeran and Vanderwood. But i think it could work and be beneficial for saeran, id imagine if vanderwood decided to stick around he'd look out for saeran in the same way he does for saeyoung. And none of the saerans really have to worry about feeling like a bad person in comparison bc vanderwood has done just as much if not more. They could really get into some conversations about feeling complicated about what they've done without the tension the rest of the rfa and saeyoung might bring. Its nice to have someone other than saeyoung to talk to, someone just a bit older with more experience.

Of course! There's always something beneficial in having a friend in your life who can guide you when you've got no experience otherwise for something. In the context of Saeran's Good Ending, Vanderwood could make a tight bond with the RFA if he wanted to do so. I'm sure he'd be closer with the twins. Vanderwood is like an older sibling who is tired of your crap when it comes to Saeyoung. With Saeran, we can assume it's more of a dynamic like "wow, you're nothing like your twin at all, what a relief."

Once everyone is able to get past what Vanderwood had to do to be able to defeat the agency, things will smooth over with time. It wasn't the best idea, but you can't play fair with an agency that's got a gun to your head every step of the way. Saeran wouldn't mind speaking to Vanderwood now and again. He knows that he looked after Saeyoung for years... and Saeran feels grateful that his brother had someone in his life that helped him stay alive despite the odds, even if everything in the agency was cutthroat and Vanderwood can argue that he only took care of Saeyoung to save his own skin.

Vanderwood is a solid friend once you get under his skin. He may not admit it, but it's far too easy for him to go soft on people. It's a trait he isn't proud of since those natures get killed readily... but hey, being a softie for a brat dismantled the agency and gave him a real chance to go back home to his family who he clearly cared about after all that time away from them. What hasn't Vanderwood seen in his years in the agency? Nothing passes this guy.

So, yeah, for Saeran, we could say that Vanderwood could be a good place to turn to if he ever needs someone to talk to about... well, the things he did in Mint Eye. He might be working to make peace with his actions but those feelings of guilt don't just go away overnight, it lingers no matter how much work you do on yourself. It's the name of the game. Vanderwood doesn't judge. He's done and said worse for the name of their job. Why would he say something to judge Saeran for anything?

Saeran wouldn't feel comfortable talking to the RFA about the things he did in Mint Eye. Jumin said it was forgiven and forgotten on Night 10 since Saeran was willing to work with them to save Saeyoung, but we know how Saeran is. He wants to own up to what he's done, make things right, apologize, and do better in the future. That means he wants to be honest about his misdeeds. Even if they've forgiven him, it doesn't mean he's forgiven himself. So, who better to talk to about that than Vanderwood?

Vanderwood doesn't mince words. He won't lie to you. He'll tell you like it is and somehow, it's helpful. Maybe what Saeran needs for this is someone to tell him the honest truth without sugarcoating things.

#8 bit space #ask #mod kait #vanderwood #ge saeran #saeran choi #choi saeran #character analysis

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angelofrainfrogs · 4 months

Text

Going Back: Ch. 8

~Coauthored by @zeitghest~

Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: Things are looking up for Gregory. After putting the soul of a formerly-immortal killer to rest, he and his new family can finally begin their lives anew. Sure, Gregory might have been cursed with mysterious Remnant in exchange for being involved in this mess—not to mention his caretakers consist of sentient robots and ghosts… But there’s no doubt that the bond they share is unbreakable. They love him, and he in turn.

All in all, life is finally starting to go right for once.

…Unfortunately, true peace is a hard-won battle. There are other things to contend with besides William’s decrepit soul, and Gregory will learn that his role in the lives of the Aftons and Emilys is far greater than anyone could’ve imagined.

Rating: T

Read on Ao3

The clown was sitting in a pile on the floor. It was hard to tell where the carpet covering their body began and the decorative plushies and pillows lining Sun and Moon's room ceased. Ennard had collected anything soft and with a colorful pattern for their new friend. Everything clashed and gave off colors in such high saturation it may terribly strain the eyes of a person to look at—still, Sun told Ennard it was wonderful and soon it became Ennard's safety spot, too...

Then again, they didn't have a problem resting inside the vents from time to time. Being cramped inside tight spaces felt like home.

Alone and calming down from the recent fright, one of the clown-faced animatronic's eyes shot to the boy peering in from the balcony. All Ennard knew of the child was that he was a relative of Circus Baby—Elizabeth, and Mike.

“HEL—LO?” asked the robot, wondering if the boy was lost or had become separated from his older brother somehow.

“Hi!” Evan replied, still in a low voice but now with a tiny smile added on. Ennard didn’t jump at him, didn’t move to attack, no sharp nightmare teeth anywhere to be seen… That didn’t necessarily mean Ennard didn’t have nightmare teeth, but as long as they weren’t bared in aggression towards him, Evan wouldn’t mind. He’d seen far worse over the years than a robotic jaw full of jagged metal.

“Um… I’m Evan! I just wanted to say hi and thank you for helping the other night.” His eyes shone with the light of decades-old understanding. “Mike can be really mean sometimes, but I know he’s thinking the same thing. So’s Lizzie. But since they’re not gonna say it, I… I thought maybe I should.”

He paused, but only for a second, peering at the animatronic with a curious tilt of his head. He didn’t even give Ennard a chance to respond to the thank you before starting off on a tangent of childish wonder. “So… is it true that you’re like three robots mixed together? ‘Cause that’s kinda cool!”

Mike could be really mean. Deep down, Ennard knew they deserved it sometimes. Every once in a while, a more coherent thought made it through their scattered minds and they’d briefly come to the conclusion that everyone was frightened of them. Even Mike was, sometimes... That fear translated to anger, and Ennard would take it.

One day they’d make amends, but the road to forgiveness would be hard fought. Perhaps they could start by making friends with one of the little Michaels.

“THAT IS TRUE! WE WERE FOUR, ONCE... CIRCUS BABY WAS OUR LEADER...” Ennard explained, happy for the company but constantly looking behind the boy for fear of his big sister rearing her new, fresh face. “MICHAEL WILL NOT BE MAD FOR LONG. WE ARE MAKING AMENDS.”

Evan gave a bright nod, any tension that still lingered in his ghostly body relaxing as Ennard conversed with him. The robot was definitely weird and Evan could see why people thought they were creepy… But he could say the same thing about Sun, and he was nice, if a bit overzealous about hoisting kids into the air.

“Mikey will get over it,” Evan confirmed, then let out a small laugh. “Besides, even if he’s being a jerk, you’ve still got Puppet and Sun to hang out with! Puppet really likes you; so does Sun, from what I heard. Oh! And Gregory and Charlie do, too!”

While Evan was listing all the new companions Ennard had, Michael was desperately trying to avoid being captured by the Puppet in question. As she diligently crawled across the lattice of the safety netting, her shadow would overlook the bright neon tube. Atop the structure was where her long fingers scraped the sides, clinging to the hiding spot Michael hid beneath. If the Marionette was capable of speaking her mind, she would’ve asked the eldest Afton if he found this scenario nostalgic. Knowing exactly where he was, she created a tense scene before trailing off and away, her shadow climbing just out of sight again. After a moment, just when the warm illusion of protection fell back over, Mike would feel the Puppet's pointy fingers grasping for his sides.

As the familiar sound of Michael screaming reached the balcony, Ennard glanced behind Evan while they conversed.

“PUPPET FOUND MIKEY...” It was obvious from the shout.

Evan giggled, looking over his shoulder to see his brother scramble out of the tube, seeming rather frightened until he registered his attacker had been the very being he was hiding from. Only when Michael laughed did Evan turn back to Ennard, floating further into the room to perch on a neatly stacked pile of wooden crates and avoid the prying eyes of his brother.

“Yeah, he acts tough but Mike’s always been a scaredy-cat deep down,” Evan admitted, leaving out the fact that in the last few years of his life Michael had been the one doing all the scaring. Cupping a hand over his grinning mouth, Evan leaned towards the animatronic conspiratorially. “One time, Liz and I hid this huge fake spider under his sheets, and he—” The ghost paused to snicker at the memory. “—hee hee… Mike screamed so loud he woke up the neighbors. Our parents were so annoyed.”

Ennard, while laughing as quietly as physically possible for them, had begun to invest themselves into their conversation with Evan. While it was renowned to the whole of their strange little alliance that Michael was a bit on the sensitive side, Ennard never considered him a scaredy-cat by any means. For the sake of this very interaction, Ennard would agree.

“HE IS... A SOFTIE...,” they replied with a loving certainty.

Out in the playground, Puppet swung carefree along the structure. With no one else hiding inside of its confines, she joined Michael on the ground floor with anticipation of finding the rest.

In the ball pit below the balcony, Elizabeth laid paralyzed at the bottom. She felt as though she’d been laying there so long she may as well have become one with the floor. Though this was just a dramatic way of saying she'd become bored of sitting and waiting. Luckily, her wait was soon to be over as the Puppet and Michael trailed over to the plastic-lined pool of colors. Liz saw the shadows pass over her, but true to the game remained as stiff as a plank of wood, not even daring to flinch when the Puppet suddenly smacked the surface of the rainbow river. The plastic balls flew and clicked loudly upon collision with one another, and Puppet banked on that scaring one or more children into revealing their hiding spots.

“Hmm… I don’t trust it,” Michael said, gazing into the pit with narrowed eyes. Upon seeing nothing, he decided to take a more physical approach. Wading into the plastic pool, he began slowly walking towards the other side, making sure to take long strides and canvassing the bottom with his legs. It didn’t take long for his foot to collide with something hard, which he quickly determined to be Lizzie’s torso. With a satisfied grin Mike reached under the rainbow layer to hoist his sister up by the shoulders, holding her high into the air as he proclaimed his victory.

“Gotcha!” he laughed at Lizzie’s pout, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. A humiliating defeat.

“That's not faaaair...,” she protested. “You had to have been watching me hide! Admit it!”

Even if she had genuinely accused him, Lizzie was aware he'd ignore it like he always did. Puppet reached up and pinched her cheeks, eager to check out the next hiding spot. She’d been certain that the larger can structure wasn't anything Sun would make. His towers always stood in the same uniformed line, where as this one formed a pyramid. Gregory sure didn't know how to be conspicuous when he hid...

As they passed it by, she startled Gregory from his spot by removing one of the bottom cans on the stack. They fell over in a mighty pile over top of the boy, causing both her and Liz to laugh at his high-pitched scream.

“No way! How?! That was such a choice hiding spot!” Gregory complained. This caused Elizabeth to roll her eyes as she lay defeated and limp over Mike's shoulder.

“Mine was, too. Mike and Puppet are cheaters.” Which happened to be her excuse for every game she had ever lost to her older brother or their friends.

“YOU laid down in a pool of plastic balls! I created a structure!” Gregory countered, gesturing wildly to his broken fortress. The Puppet didn't have the heart or the voice box to tell him that she'd noticed his hiding spot the moment she saw it. Instead, she crawled past Gregory in search of her new best friend, the Sun.

Silently she shifted through the playground like a snake in search of field mice. It wasn't long before Puppet slipped quietly into the foam pit and come into contact with the harder exterior of the Daycare attendant. Light hardly escaped the pit after descending past the first layer of foam blocks, but it was the unmistakable and pointed shape of Sun's head that she could feel that gave them away.

“Oh! You found me!” Sun exclaimed, popping up like a jack in the box and scattering foam blocks every which way. He pulled Puppet into a brief hug, getting his overly-programmed affection out wherever he could.

“Now that was a good spot,” Michael conceded, now focused on finding their last player. “Okay, where is that little sneak?”

Evan was thoroughly distracted by the amalgamation of Funtime animatronics, though eventually the noise trickling in from the Daycare proper gave him pause. With a surprised gasp, he realized he could hear everyone talking… meaning he was the last one left.

“Uh-oh,” he murmured, looking to the doorway as he floated off the stack of boxes. “I should probably go down there…” He glanced back at Ennard with an apologetic smile, giving him a little wave. “Thanks for keeping me company! I’ll tell Mike and Liz not to be such jerks, but no promises.”

Ennard had been sitting in front of the crate, their knees pulled up to their chest as they regaled Evan with fanciful stories of their short times as children entertainers. Though at the commotion outside, it was clear visiting time was over. Still, there was a clear sense of gratitude in Ennard's body language. They had made a new friend, which meant being stuck in Sun and Moon's room was worth it in the end.

“WE WILL SEE YOU LATER...” Ennard easily let go of the conversation, their fear of missing out slowly going away the more their friend group grew. Surely Puppet and Sun will fill them in later on the excitement down below. “TELL... MIKE... WE SAID 'HEY'.”

With a blink, Evan had gone completely invisible. He floated down towards the ball pit, settling himself just inside the tube slide that connected to the drop off area. When his body returned to its usual opaqueness, the bottom of his shoes could just be seen sticking out while he gripped the slick plastic in order not to fall all the way down into the ball pit.

“Wha—aw, no way!” Michael exclaimed as he caught sight of the shoes appearing out of the corner of his eye. He stomped over to the ball pit, swiftly yanking Evan out and holding him up by his ankle. “You cannot tell me you were in there the whole time!”

“I was just hiding!” Evan said innocently, then laughed louder when Michael shook him gently.

“A likely story, but I don’t buy it.” Michael walked Evan to where the others had gathered, still holding him upside-down. Looking around the group, he asked with a raised eyebrow: “Innocent or no? Don’t let the face fool you—Gregory has the same one, and he’s a terror.”

With faux offense taken, Gregory would gasp and furrow his brows. “This is profiling, you know!”

Were the both of them mischievous? Maybe. Though Gregory wouldn't argue that was because they just so happened to look very close to one another... and has similar inclinations for trouble, even if Evan rarely showed his. Neither one could help it; the boys had even wondered out loud if they happened to be twins displaced by time at some point—though they’d both come to the agreement that such a notion was impossible at the end of the day.

“I believe him,” Gregory said firmly, even if he didn't really buy Evan's story.

This caused Liz to put her hands over her head, proclaiming. “You're right, Mikey! They're in cahoots!”

It was so clear now. At the accusation, Gregory took the chance at her distraction to push her off balance. With a surprised cry, Liz toppled over into the foam pit and into its depths while Gregory laughed at Elizabeth's very dramatic fall.

“Avenge me!” was all she could yell before pantomiming a drowning motion in past the lip of the pit. How was she going to survive with three brothers?

It was very quickly becoming clear that today, it was Gregory and Evan against Michael and Lizzie. After watching his sister unceremoniously thrown into the foamy sea, Mike let out an anguished cry. “Noooo! Arr, you’ll pay fer that!”

“WAH!” Evan shrieked as with a heave, he was sent flying into the middle of the pit.

The way Mike flung him had Gregory in stiches. The throw would’ve shaken a living kid to their core; if this foam pit was made of water, Gregory felt as though Evan would’ve skipped across the surface. As Michael turned, Gregory could feel the impending doom close in around him.

Suddenly it wasn't so funny—well, it was really funny. But if Gregory didn't want to be thrown into the pit too, he would have to run. It was hard not to let out of squeal of adrenaline, especially with Sun and Puppet cheering him on from the sidelines. Even Liz was laughing, trying to wade through the foam blocks to retrieve her younger brother.

“Hahaha—Evan, oh my god, you really ate it!” she laughed quietly, throwing the blocks around to try and get to him.

“Shut up, Liz!” Evan explained jovially, popping up and lobbing a block at her.

For now, Ennard would just be a quiet observer in their merrymaking. As long as they could see what was going on for the most part, they would rationalize that all of them were hanging out this way. Even if Liz and Michael didn't totally want to see them all the time. So hanging their retractable eye off the end of the balcony, they observed the fun and games and pretended that they too were chasing the group without fear or anxiety.

Gregory was faster than any normal kid his age, that was for certain. The stamina he possessed was out of place, though not unwelcomed in times like these. He huffed, jumping over the obstacles of his once proud fortress now laid scattered on the ground. Gregory would laugh, totally evading him Mike—

Until he landed directly on a can upon touchdown. The cylinder rolled and tossed Gregory forward, making the kid roll head over heels. Inertia had betrayed him and sent Gregory tumbling across the soft mat without much injury or worry. His hubris grew too big, and now Michael was upon him.

“Evan help! Do something!” Gregory shouted to his twin, the smile never wavering even when he tripped and nearly busted his neck in the tumble.

“Oh gosh, this is why we clean up!” Sun exclaimed worriedly, rushing over to help. He was able to perform a quick health scan as he approached Gregory, though when the boy appeared free of injury Sun opted to focus on stacking the cans to avoid another slip, which also allowed the others to continue their game.

Evan acted fast, practically warping to Gregory’s location just as Michael reached down to snatch the boy up. Michael’s fingers brushed the edge of Gregory’s shirt, his lips curled in a triumphant grin… when suddenly he felt two cold hands on his shoulders. He was yanked backwards, stumbling from the sudden attack and landing with a cushy thud on the mats.

“HA!” Evan cheered, throwing his fists in the air as he stood light as a feather on Michael’s chest. “Victory!”

Michael could only glare up at his traitor of a brother, the wind temporarily knocked out of him.

Gregory's deft hands brushed the dust from his new clothes. Laughing at Michael’s fall, Gregory came to his side and raised his hands in solidarity with Evan. After the short celebration, he nudged Mike with the toe of his sneaker.

It was never a good idea to let your guard down around Michael Afton—especially if you were his sibling. Before Evan could reply he was yanked down by a sharp tug of his shirt, landing flat against his big brother. Michael cinched an arm around Evan’s waist while simultaneously taking Gregory down using the same method, and soon he was rolling around with his brothers clutched in a death grip and cackling all the while.

Liz was content in watching the brothers wrestle each other at a distance. She'd learned long ago that wrestling Michael was an exercise in futility given how much bigger and more experienced with fighting he was than her. Watching how easily he took down Evan and Gregory reminded her of that fact. Instead she sat inside the pit with Puppet, juggling the foam blocks and throwing them at each other playfully instead of engaging.

“You’re such a sore loser, dude!” Gregory laughed.

“Pot, kettle,” Mike snapped, tightening his squeeze like a boa constrictor until it was almost painful. Then he released his brothers and sat up, letting them roll to the floor and right themselves.

“Well, with that out of the way—” Michael continued with a grin, acting like this whole venture had been planned. “—we should do some more exploring; there’s a lot more Evan and Liz need to see!”

“Thanks so much for visiting!” Sun chimed in, moving to help Michael to his feet. This was simply a ruse however, for as soon as the man was upright Sun bent to squeeze him in a tight bear hug. “You’re welcome to come back and play games anytime!”

“Oof—thanks, Sun!” Michael chuckled after the initial surprise of the grab. He did his best to pat the Daycare attendant’s side until he was released, upon which Sun turned his attention to Gregory. The boy got a slightly different treatment, being picked up and held against Sun’s chest as he rocked him back and forth a few times.

Sun’s hug was calming in the way an old friend would be. Gregory rested his cheek against the robot's metal chest plate and shut his eyes. “We'll come back soon.”

Meanwhile, Puppet was having some problems separating from Liz in the foam pit.

“I'll tell Charlie you said hi! We’ve really got to go now, Puppet...,” Liz said, prying the doll off her person with many reservations. It wasn't as if they'd be strangers again; for the foreseeable future they’d all live here in the same complex.

The Puppet dithered at her words, sinking further into the pit but mutely waving to the group. She missed them already; things felt wrong without Charlie being around ever since their separation.

Once Sun put Gregory down he offered Evan a wave, which the boy returned enthusiastically. He already felt much more comfortable with the Daycare attendant—not to mention the shy amalgamation watching from afar. Evan glanced up to the stage jutting from the wall, giggling when he saw Ennard’s eye staring down at him. He waved at this, a gesture which Michael caught out of the corner of his eye.

“Who are you—oh no.” Without warning Evan was hoisted into his arms. “Nope, you’re not interacting with them anytime soon. Let’s go.”

“But Mike, maybe they’re not as bad as you think!” Evan insisted, allowing himself to be handled with a pout. They both knew he could simply phase away if he got too annoyed, but for now he opted to being carried.

“Ha! Yeah, right.” Michael rolled his eyes, making his way towards the exit. As he passed by the ball pit he flashed the Marionette a smile, calling to her: “Bye, Puppet! I’m sure Charlie will come visit you later tonight!”

“Yeah—” Gregory agreed as Elizabeth caught up to the group. It seemed she overheard the conversation and came to put a stop to Ennard’s spying. She sent a jagged glare to the balcony and watched as the tethered robotic eye reeled itself in once it caught the sight of Elizabeth’s venomous stare. “—I think you’re forgetting how they totally saved our butts from Roxy, Mike.”

How could he forget that? Besides Monty actually getting his claws into Gregory’s back Roxy had been the closest to legitimately harming them. Were Ennard not waiting in the shadows, the wolf would have torn Gregory and Mike limb from limb. Ennard saved them without so much as a thank you needed.

Elizabeth on the other hand waved this off dismissively. She knew them—they were like her in many ways.

“That’s sweet, Gregory. Really,” she said, trying not to hurt his feelings as she actively disagreed with the boy. “But you don’t know them like we do. They’re a mess…” She wasn’t sure if she could even elaborate what that meant right then. “Look—I can’t hang around them. I was a bad person when I was with Ennard. I… Did things I don’t like thinking about. So it’s best if we just move on.”

Liz spared a look behind her. Ennard was standing in the archway of the balcony now, their stare fixated on the group as they headed for the exit. For a moment, Lizzie felt a twitch of empathy, though forced her sentimental limbs to keep herself moving. “Besides… They have friends here! They’re not alone.”

Gregory didn’t seem satisfied with this answer, judging by the way he twisted his mouth into a frown. Liz was a fairly closed-off person, and Gregory knew extracting more information about Ennard from either her or Mike would be like pulling teeth.

From over Mike’s shoulder, Evan performed a series of wild hand gestures that involved waving to get Gregory’s attention, pointing to himself, the little stage, and giving a thumbs-up. He was trying to let Gregory know that he knew some more things about Ennard that he could share, although whether this pantomime translated accurately he was unsure.

“Relax, will you?” Michael griped at all Evan’s shifting. Even so he released his brother when they reached the Daycare exit, allowing him to float over and take his place by Gregory’s side. “So… where to next? Gregory, you pick—you know what’s cool around here.”

Gregory may have seemed confused at first as Evan rejoined, though deciphered his little game of charades pretty quickly. He had known for a while now that Ennard was benign. Whatever weird things they’d been up to in the past were left in the dust.

“We could bowl! Or, we could visit Monty in the golf course!” Gregory suggested, but figured the guests they had should make the final decision. Looking to Liz, he flashed her a smile. “The bowling alley’s the place with the pizza slushee I was telling you about.”

Liz's pupils dilated as if she could imagine its taste, the anticipation giving her an adrenaline rush.

“What are we waiting for? Show us the slushees, Gregory!” she commanded, hooking her hand around his and pulling him to walk faster at her side. “Did you have one yet? Are they as amazing as they sound?”

Squished into her shoulder, Gregory laughed at how aggressive she became at the thought of food. It seemed that they had that in common, but he answered her truthfully. “The texture is so weird! But I think you'll like it, Lizzie...”

“Bonnie Bowl it is,” Michael laughed, ruffling Evan’s hair as he floated into step next to him.

It was a quick walk to Bonnie Bowl at Gregory and Lizzie’s pace, and soon the quartet were entering the brightly-lit attraction. The others were still there, though they’d moved to sit in some relatively more comfortable chairs around one of the party tables.

“Oh! Hello, everyone!” Freddy greeted, the first to catch sight of the Afton crew. He smiled brightly, gesturing for them to come over. “How has your exploring been? I thought you were going to call me when you were finished!”

“We’re not yet—this is just a pit stop to get some more of those gnarly slushees,” Michael informed him, using “gnarly” with the utmost affection.

Popping up from the seat in front of Freddy, Bonnie deeply inhaled a gasp at the sight of the kids. Oh dear; he’d been so wrapped up in conversation, the bunny forgot his primary objective: greet the guests who come into Bonnie Bowl!

“Howdy, kids! Welcome to Bonnie Bowl!” the chipper lagomorph greeted with a cheerful wave. He loved seeing new faces; Bonnie's favorite pastime was companion-creating when he wasn't showing off his skills at the bowling lanes. “Y'all said you wanted slushees? No problem-o!”

With Charlie busy teaching Sammy how not to completely suck at bowling, Bonnie was happy to go fetch the drinks from behind the concession counters.

“Where are you guys hanging out next?” he asked, keeping it light and friendly as he juggled a few cups out of their stands before activating the swirling slushee machine behind him.

“We're thinking Gator Golf. With Monty feeling better—” Gregory begun to say, only being interrupted by the reasonably excitable rabbit.

“HOLY SMOKES! Montgomery Gator's back in town? Shucks, I need to drop on in and see if he'll jam out with us!” Bonnie whipped around, slushees overflowing and spilling over onto his hands. “Freddy! You feel like gettin' a little band practice in?”

Evan couldn’t help but giggle at Bonnie’s excitable nature. This model was certainly a far cry from the rotting golden suit oozing with corruption from William’s evil deeds. By contrast, the Glamrock’s personality seemed more like the original—the one before William completely went mad. While Bonnie turned his attention to Freddy, Evan and Mike worked in tandem to slip the drinks out of the rabbit’s hands and wipe off the excess slush before it created a sticky film that wouldn’t do any favors for the articulated finger joints.

“Ah, well…,” Freddy began, trying not to let his face betray his hesitation. It wasn’t his best friend he was worried about, since Bonnie clearly had no memory of anything going down that fateful night in the golf course. Monty was the focus of Freddy’s concern, for even if the gator didn’t remember the event either, he at least knew what he’d done.

During one of their conversations, Freddy had been able to give Monty a high-level run-down of what happened with William and Vanny… including the fact that he’d been forced to decommission Bonnie. Monty was understandably distraught—he’d heard the whispered rumors between staff ever since he took his place as the band’s official bassist, although he couldn’t believe they were true. Monty was loud, sure, but he wasn’t violent—especially not to a fellow animatronic! He and Bonnie were friends, and when Freddy confirmed that he was in fact physically responsible for the bunny’s downfall, Monty needed some time to process. He’d returned to his usual self by now, though none of them expected Bonnie would be back from the animatronic graveyard for a visit so soon, if ever.

It was times like these Freddy really wished he still had his connection to the internal Pizzaplex network… Then he could at least give Monty a heads-up. For now, all he could do was smile at Bonnie and Evan’s expectant faces and give them a nod.

“Yes, we can certainly visit Monty,” Freddy said, placing a hand on Bonnie’s arm. “Although, he may not be up for band practice tonight. However, I am sure he would appreciate the company for a round of golf.”

Clenching his hands, Bonnie seemed to shake a little at the excitement of chilling with two of his best friends. Everyone else was stuck in the Parts & Services department. That was no fun, but Bonnie couldn't hang out with any of them until their maintenance was over.

Liz felt nostalgic when hearing the name Montgomery Gator—a guest character on the old Sunday morning cartoon her father and Henry used to act and write for. For some odd reason, William’s idea of an American accent was speaking in the richest southern twang he could muster. These voices accompanied by practiced banjo playing could be heard from the workshop whenever he and Henry were recording themselves and the instruments for the band. Monty wasn't a main character before, but Liz was happy that Sammy gave the old gator his time to shine.

“Evan—are you excited to play golf?” she asked, wanting to see if her brother was on the same level of hype as Bonnie and herself. With pizza slushee in hand, she was all pepped up and raring to go.

“Heck yeah!” Evan exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement like the rabbit.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Michael said, ushering the group forward with a light push to Gregory and Liz’s shoulders.

Freddy fell into step with Bonnie at the back of the line, waving to Charlie and Sammy as they left with the promise to meet up later. He and Bonnie walked and talked, still catching up on life and things the rabbit had missed out on—only the good things for now. The closer they got to Monty’s attraction the more nervous Freddy became, though he did his best not to show it.

Everything would be fine; he had to learn to stop fretting so much.

The kids entered Monty Golf, some in search of the character, the others ecstatic to play golf for the first time in ages. Bonnie grasped onto Freddy's upper arm, grinning like mad. Monty's attraction only seemed to grow in popularity since he’d been away. The renovations were obvious even from the outside of the. Bonnie wondered if that was why it took them so long to fix him—were there other plans Sam had in mind first?

This would be a question for the old CEO later; Bonnie had something more pressing for Freddy now.

“Buddy... Amigo... What's with the jitters?” he asked gently. Bonnie hoped that he wasn't putting his friend on the spot, but he could see through Freddy's calm and collected exterior with ease. It was the tense way he carried his shoulders. Bonnie’s coding made him blessed as a people-person and could see hesitancy from a mile away. “You nervous about all of us hanging out again? I can understand that... But I swear it's gonna be just like old times!”

“Ah, yes, I… I am just thinking that it is still a bit strange to spend time with you all in this form,” Freddy replied with an easy smile, skirting around the truth and trying to put the focus on himself more so than Monty. Goodness knows the gator was about to get the shock of his life…

Speaking of which—

“Hey, squirt!” The bellow was sudden and loud, quickly followed by an equally raucous laugh as Monty hopped out from around a corner. He’d spotted Gregory first, instantly honing in on the boy from his voice. Hands on his hips, the gator flashed the little gaggle of kids a wide grin.

“I wasn’t expectin’ a visit so soon!” he continued cheerfully, his tail swaying as he took stock of Lizzie and Evan. “But any friends of Fred and his lil’ guy are always welcome! And hey—y’all didn’t tell me Gregory had a twin!”

“Uh… um…” Evan suddenly wasn’t able to speak, staring up into the star-shaped glasses perched atop Monty’s snout. He seemed nice, but damn was this guy big.

“He’s a little shy,” Michael explained, picking Evan up to set the boy on his shoulders. The added height certainly helped, for Evan apparently also forgot he could float. Now that they were a bit more level, Evan offered Monty the smallest of smiles.

“H-Hey…,” he said in a tiny voice, coupled with a hesitant wave.

“Hey!” Monty laughed, throwing his head back and accidentally making the poor ghost jump and grip onto Michael’s hair like a lifeline. While Mike tried to dislodge his brother, Monty turned his attention to Liz. Crouching down, he hummed as he fixed his gaze on Elizabeth. “Hmm… Lemme guess: secret lil’ sister? Naw, wait—definitely older than those two guppies, right?”

He was a lot different than the old Monty in the cartoons, but he’d kept his easygoing personality, just with an upgraded look. Liz glanced up to the gator, stars in her eyes. Where Evan was predictably frightened, Liz was curious.

“Older, yes,” she confirmed, a shy smile tugging the corners of Elizabeth's mouth. “But I am their sister! I'm Elizabeth, and that's Evan!”

Outside the attraction it took a little confidence boosting from Bonnie to get Freddy to even consider going inside. Little did he know it was much more than that, it was stalling to prepare for what could be an inevitable breakdown between the three longtime friends... Once inside, Bonnie saw that Monty was turned around and speaking to the little girl.

Ooooh, this was going to be the perfect opportunity to get the drop on his pal.

The bunny was quietly sneaking. To anyone who saw him, Bonnie placed a finger over his snout, asking for their silence in exchange for the scare he was about to give to one of his favorite bandmates. Bonnie's arm wrapped over the front of Monty's chest, the other fist gently nuzzling the side of the Gator's head as Bonnie's “headlock” felt more like a backwards hug.

“Old top! It's sure wild to see you again! How's my rockin' Gator friend?” Bonnie questioned enthusiastically.

Monty’s reaction was the complete opposite of what one would expect. Instead of bursting into surprised laughter and immediately tackling Bonnie to the ground in a good ol’ fashioned wrestling match, the gator simply… froze.

“Ah, Bonnie wait—!” Freddy was far too late, his human legs no match for the rabbit’s long strides. He made it to the pair just as Monty was embraced, and he could see the gator‘s entire body instantly tense.

“Hey guys, how about we go start a game?” Michael suggested, figuring the trio of old friends needed to be alone for a moment. With Evan still on his shoulders and hands on his other siblings’ backs, he quickly ushered Gregory and Liz towards the check-in area where they could grab neon golf balls and clubs. “We’ll catch up with the others later!”

Freddy couldn’t even flash him a thankful smile, his focus completely on Monty. The gator wasn’t even simulating breathing now, truly looking like he’d shut down on the spot with every joint locked in place.

Except for his eyes, that is. Even behind the dark shades it was clear to see those red irises slowly shift to where Bonnie’s face rested on his shoulder. In a soft, almost whispered voice, Monty managed to squeak out: “Bonnie, you…. You’re back?”

“A'course I came back! Always do, chum,” Bonnie answered, laughing nervously. There was a light squeeze before Bonnie gave up on the ambush embrace he planned for his pal. Where Freddy and Bonnie reconnected so instantaneously, this felt stilted. Awkward.

Bonnie waited, watching as the kids reluctantly waved goodbye to start their game with their eldest chaperone. When they were out of sight beyond the ticket booth, Bonnie let go to fidget nervously with his hands. After clearing his throat, Bonnie had asked in a subdued voice: “What's wrong, sour-carrot? You look like you've seen a ghost.”

Maybe that was the wrong euphemism. Evan and Liz were wonderful kids despite their recently deceased status.

Monty didn’t answer for a moment, simply staring at Bonnie with an indecipherable, wide-eyed expression. Inside, his thoughts were a jumbled mess. The last time he’d encountered his old friend had ended with Bonnie in a broken heap on the golf course green, soon to be carted off by Vanny and used for William’s evil purposes.

Of course, Monty remembered none of this. All his information was provided secondhand by his former ursine band leader. Even so, he swore he could feel the remnants of purple outer suit casings in his sharp claws.

“Monty?” Freddy prompted when the gator failed to respond. Reaching up, he clasped one of Monty’s hands in-between his own, squeezing tightly. “Bonnie was recommissioned by Michael and Sammy yesterday. Unfortunately, he has lost a bit of time due to when the last copy of his AI was saved. I have been filling him in with all the good things he missed.”

Red eyes rolled to meet Freddy’s, trying to comprehend what he was saying. Bonnie… didn’t remember either? Not only that, but judging by the greeting Monty just received, the rabbit didn’t even know what happened.

“Heh… ‘s that so, Bon?” Monty asked. The guilt inside was intense, but he did his best to push past it. He certainly didn’t want to be the one to tell Bonnie what happened the last time he set his paws in Gator Golf. Monty slipped his claw out of Freddy’s grasp to clap it on Bonnie’s shoulder with a chuckle. “You sure picked a heckuva time to take a nap! Glad you’re back, though—once the others are up and runnin’, we can all golf together again. Then I can have a real challenge!”

There was a pause. Bonnie tried to shake the feeling of Monty being condescending—because that wasn't really what was going on. No, Monty was happy to see the old bassist back from the workshop, looking brand new and fresh-faced. Batting his eyes in confusion, Bonnie looked to the firm hand on him shoulder and let out a singular, dry chuckle. His hand came up, affectionately resting over Monty's gloved palm. Everything seemed fine until Bonnie asked them:

“Y’all must take me for such a silly rabbit, don't you?” Hurt and confusion laced his tone more than anything. His voice shuddered, as if he was afraid to rock the boat of their social hierarchy. “You're keeping secrets. I can tell you're hiding something...”

The grip tightened over Monty's hand, nearly uncomfortably so. Bonnie's large and expressive pink eyes blinked at him before looking away. After all this time, did they seriously not trust him with the truth? What did he have to do to prove that he was just as capable as the other bandmates?

“I see what's really going on here...,” Bonnie said with a hurt scoff. For a moment, he didn't quite sound himself. Then, the look of hurt banished itself and Bonnie glanced up to Monty with a wryness in his grin. “You're both planning a party without me, aren't you?”

For one heart-dropping second, Freddy thought they’d failed. Somehow William was still in there, lurking in secret for the best time to strike—

But upon Bonnie’s pure suggestion of a secret party, Freddy’s artificial heart instantly began to relax. This was Bonnie, his old friend. His best friend. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone a child.

“Oh, darn… you were always a good guesser, Bonnie,” Freddy replied with a laugh, a bright grin spreading across his face. Brush past the bad feelings and move onto the next good thing—that’s all they could do to go forward. He looked to Monty with a sigh. “It seems we still cannot keep anything from this silly old rabbit.”

“Sure can’t!” Monty agreed, just as eager as Freddy to move on. It’d take some time to get totally comfortable interacting with the former bassist again, but at least Monty now knew Bonnie didn’t hold anything against him. With a wide, sharp-toothed grin, he placed his hands on his hips and added: “But even if we were plannin’ somethin’, we can’t very well tell ya if it’s a surprise, can we?”

Bonnie’s hands flew up, touching his cheeks as he stared on with unbridled delight.

“A surprise party?!” he gasped, then quickly folded his hands over his mouth at the connotations. He’d have to be quiet if they didn’t want the kids to overhear. How exciting! Bonnie couldn’t remember the last time he’d thrown a surprise party! Why, it must have been ages… Turning to Monty, Bonnie raised and lowered his eyebrows in an attempt to be charismatic.

“So who’s getting the party? I think Freddy mentioned his little boy’s turning thirteen this month, right?” he replied in a whisper, nudging the gator softly with his elbow.

“Hmm… suppose we might as well let Bonnie in on the fun,” Freddy murmured with a sly grin, hooking an arm through his friend’s elbow. He repeated the amiable gesture with Monty, using the leverage of their arms to pull his friends into a conspiratorial huddle. “Yes, we are hosting a party for Gregory! It is in the very early planning stages, but we are going to throw him the best one he has ever had!”

It may be the only party Gregory’s ever gotten, for all Freddy knew. There would be many logistics to work out, and they’d definitely want to make sure his foster parents were off their backs before the event, but once all the animatronics were on board—not to mention any androids and ghosts they could rope in—it was sure to be a party like no other.

Monty seemed to echo most of these thoughts, his tail sweeping excitedly across the floor as he added in a low timbre: “Yeah, me an’ Fredbear are on the plannin’ committee! I can make an awesome party on my own, but with y’all helpin’ it’ll be the coolest one the Pizzaplex has ever seen!”

At the proclamation Monty slung an arm around Bonnie’s shoulders. The gesture was still hesitant, and clearly the gator wasn’t using his typical strength—he simply rested his arm around his friend, not daring to pull him close or even squeeze for fear of accidentally causing damage. Still, he was making progress already… slow and steady, but progress nonetheless.

Bonnie on the other hand squeezed himself in close; he really missed the guy. Ever since Samuel made Monty, Bonnie thought of himself like a mentor to the younger animatronic. He'd nod to them as he listened to the incredibly loose plan. Though Bonnie clearly had gears turning in his head.

“Gotta wait for the others to be back in the saddle,” he remarked, referring to their friends currently still in the shop. “Chica's the best with party planning. Besides we couldn't do this without Roxy or music from the DJ...”

When the children weren't here, he'd have to start conscripting the help of all their companions. After all, Gregory was a special guest. Surely Sam wouldn't mind if they go all out for their newest friend.

“We should see how the game is going,” Freddy suggested. “Perhaps we can join in—or at the very least, root for a winner.”

Bonnie perked up at that. It might ease things better for himself and Monty. The gator could just be stressed from his own recent repairs; being out of commission was no joke.

Not to mention the inexplicable nightmares Bonnie remembered getting while he was out.

He wondered why exactly Sam had programmed them to dream. It was an odd choice, but maybe it was to keep them stimulated mentally for the next time they woke up? Or perhaps it was likely just a result of being offline for so long. Bonnie would ask about this later, after he's done hanging out with his pals. For now he followed the former Glamrock leader, finding the group of kids bickering at someone cheating.

“Evan used his ghost powers to move it up the incline!” Liz huffed, a scrunched look on her face as Gregory shook his head.

“Maaaaybe you'd know real skill if you had any, Lizzie,” Gregory brushed off, making Elizabeth gasp at the accusation with her hand over her chest in a look of over exaggerated offense.

“There is no way that ball went all the way up that incline when hit from that angle,” Michael pressed, one hand on his hip while the other held a golf club loosely dangling from his fingertips. When he caught sight of the animatronics he perked up, waving the huge gator over. “Perfect timing! Monty, we need a judgment call!”

“My spec-i-a-lity!” Monty replied with a grin, dragging the word out in his languid drawl. He moved around to stand at the beginning of the putting green, analyzing the situation. “Alright, what’s up? I heard somethin’ about cheatin’?”

“Lizzie and Mike think I can’t hit the ball from here up over the hill!” Evan said, an annoyed pout on his face as he pointed out areas of interest.

“Not without using your powers,” Michael clarified, sounding a bit haughty. He just knew he and Liz were right about this. “That’s the important bit.”

“Powers, huh?” Monty hummed, scratching his chin. “Well, I don’t know nothin’ about that, but it’d be pretty hard for a squirt like you to smack the ball outta the park from that angle…”

Evan let out a shocked gasp not unlike Lizzie had, while Michael cheered and gave his sister a high-five. The little ghost huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. Okay, so maybe he had nudged the ball just a tiiiny bit to make it crest the hill—but the others weren’t supposed to know that.

Gregory gave up a similar pout when Liz stuck her tongue out at the duo. Elizabeth was wise to Evan's tricks. Cassidy's own moral greyness rubbed off on him throughout the years, and Liz could see him being obvious when messing with their environment.

“There's no need for cheatin',” Bonnie reminded the group, laidback and casually leaning his elbow on Freddy's shoulder as he told the kids “As long as you have fun, the score doesn't matter!”

Which was easy for Bonnie to say. When he and the others got into bowling matches then it was a different story. It's about principal and having a reputation to uphold then...

“Fine. Call the score then!” Gregory said, replacing the flag back at the 8th hole. He casually held out the special glowing golf ball to Evan and keeping his own back in his palm.

Grumbling slightly, Evan took the ball from Gregory and placed it in the tee-off zone. Picking up his club from where it’d been discarded on the ground, he lined up his shot and smacked the ball as hard as he could. This time, it sailed right over the hill!

…And well past it, too. There was a collective groan from the twins as the ball plopped into the ball pit “river” with a light smack. Monty laughed heartily at this, going so far as to pat Evan on the back with enough force that he pitched forward slightly in mid-air.

“See?! Ya don’t need to cheat to hit the ball hard enough!” the gator pointed out with a grin. “You’ve just gotta get riled up! A kid after my own heart…”

He pressed a claw to his chest, and Evan chuckled at the gesture. Monty was definitely growing on him, that was clear to see. The gator’s tail swept the floor and playfully smacked Gregory’s ankles as he gestured for the boys to follow him over to the faux rainbow water. “C’mon—I’ll help ya look for your ball so you can beat those sore losers fair and square!”

With a short spin of her putter, Liz wacked her ball in hopes of sending it as true as Evan had previously. Her pure skill managed to send it just short of the hole.

“My money’s on the little pink spit-fire,” Bonnie whispered as not to discourage the other children as they played.

Freddy hummed, tracking the ball’s movement with an approving nod.

“I would default to Gregory as my top choice, although Liz certainly provides some fierce competition,” he added, leaning into Bonnie conspiratorially. “They have Michael beat for sure.”

“Hey! I can hear you, Freddy!” Mike snapped, although based on Freddy’s grin he was well aware of that fact.

“Michael—” spoke the rabbit with a thumbs up. “—I believe in ya, sport!”

He may not know the kid well, though there was a strange urge to give him encouragement more so than usual. It didn't exactly seem out of the ordinary at the time, which led Bonnie to lean into the idea.

“Alright!” Monty exclaimed, walking back to the group with a huge grin and a twin clutched in each claw. They hung by their ankles, looking quite content and laughing as they swung to and fro. “I caught the missin’ ball and two lil’ squirts! Had to get ‘em outta my river ‘fore they get feisty and start goin’ after guests, y’know?”

“Montgomery, please put Gregory down…,” Freddy chided with fond exasperation, though his glare sharpened as Monty only lifted them higher in response.

“Heck naw! Look at ‘em—they’re havin’ the time off their lives! Right?!”

Evan could only manage a thumbs-up between gasping breaths and laughter, enjoying this predicament wholeheartedly. Now that the animatronics couldn’t hurt him, they were actually super fun—even the biggest, scariest ones.

Freddy sighed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Monty loved to roughhouse, and coupled with Gregory’s new immortality the boy should be fine, but Freddy couldn’t help but worry.

“See, Bon? I can’t do nothin’ fun without Fredbear on my back!” Monty griped, then let out a dramatic sigh as he looked between the boys, obviously plotting his next move.

“Shucks Monty, it's a good thing I got back when I did. Ol' Fredbear needs to wind down a bit,” Bonnie remarked, indicating that his friend was worrying far too much around the safest robots ever designed.

“Sure does—here, catch!” With an absolutely wicked grin, Monty chucked Gregory up and forward, sending the boy cartwheeling through the air to land right in Freddy’s waiting arms that reached up to frantically snag his son. Monty had no doubt Freddy would make the catch, his AI having calculated the perfect trajectory and his simple trust in the bear making up the rest.

“Montgomery Gator!” Freddy snapped in a tone that said, you’re lucky I’m not going to decommission you for that. Monty threw back his head in a raucous laugh, though before he could try the same with Evan the boy popped out of existence to plant himself atop Monty’s shoulders.

“Wha—yer fast, little guy!” the gator exclaimed, feeling the sudden lightweight of a child sitting on him, small hands gripping his mohawk to steady himself.

Gregory was still laughing. Gone were the days of apprehension with Monty; the giant alligator had made a friend for life now.

“Sorry, Dad! I’m fine, though; seriously!” he reassured. It wasn't long before Gregory settled comfortably in Freddy's arms, the giggles from his sugar rush coming to a slow end as he admired the speed and mastery Evan was gaining over his ghostly powers.

He felt proud when watching him have fun. From what Evan told him, neither he nor Liz have had any fun for a really long time. Gregory was glad in that moment; all of the terrible things that'd happened to them led to this single, unpredictable and strange time to be in. For the first time he could remember, Gregory felt like he was in a big family without being completely forgotten about.

Despite how the gator could vex him, Freddy couldn’t stay mad at Monty for long. Within seconds his glare had softened to an affectionate smile, letting Gregory rest on his chest as he practically felt the boy’s energy leave his body.

“Perhaps we can postpone the rest of the game for today,” Freddy suggested gently, brushing Gregory’s bangs out of his face.

“Aww, leavin’ already?!” Monty lamented, looking upside-down at Evan who shrugged in response.

“Mm, yeah we should check in with Sam and Charlie,” Michael said, glancing at the time on his phone. They still had a few hours before dayshift, but there were some things they wanted to get done and discuss before leaving for the day.

“Alriiiight… well like I said, y’all are welcome anytime!” Monty reached up to pluck the little ghost off his shoulders with careful claws, setting him on the ground next to Liz. He crouched down, tail swiping lazily across the ground as he told Evan: “And next time, I’m definitely havin’ you and Gregory on my team!”

Sleepy and calm, Gregory held a single fist up in solidarity as he yawned out, “Dreeeam teeeam...,” before his sudden narcoleptic attack brought him to gently lower the fist back onto his chest.

Liz seemed sad that they couldn't finish their game—especially when she and Michael were clearly going to kick the butts of the twins.

“Right—” Liz said, pointing over at their newest animatronic friend. “—if you're ready to lose at your own game, so be it.”

This wasn't over, and she was hoping Monty would bring the same energy back to their new game when next they met. Though for now she was content to wiggle her hand into both of her brother’s palms and grasp onto them for safe keeping.

“Those are fightin’ words, little lady…,” Monty warned, his tail moving faster with the prospect of a challenge. As he stood to full height he offered her his most playful, sharp-toothed grin. “You’re on.”

“Don’t be so full of yourself, gator,” Michael said in Lizzie’s defense, gripping her palm tightly as he made an “I’m watching you” gesture with his free hand.

“Come on, let us go; if you keep making Monty pontificate, we will be here for hours,” Freddy said with a chuckle, holding a fist up for his animatronic friend to bump. “I will speak with you again soon.”

“I’m waitin’ with baited breath,” Monty replied, rolling his eyes but returning the first bump all the same. He then looked to Bonnie, his expression faltering back to one of poorly-hidden guilt. “I’ll see ya around, Bon. I missed ya—I really did.”

Bonnie seemed to beam at that. It helped eased the weird anxiousness he felt earlier when hanging around Monty. After opening his arms and dramatically pulling the gator in close, he'd tell him, “Dang, we'll have to hang out for a little bowling later! Just you an' me, ol' friend.”

Maybe he could find out what's got his friend so down in the dumps while they were at it. It seemed Monty was content to hang by himself now for the time being, and Bonnie felt it fine to give him the space. He let go as soon as he attacked Monty with the nearly crushing hug, and waved his friend goodbye. Away they went, leading out of the ambient themed lighting of Monty's world to that of the main atrium. Its neon haze did not disguise the fact that morning light was beginning to break through the scattered skylights throughout the Pizzaplex ceilings.

***

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Looking for more? Check out the Chapter Masterlist on Tumblr!

Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!

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minjaebe · 4 months

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hello everyone! ✨I'm lynn (she/them, 25+, gmt+1) and this is my rp blog for jung minjae (22y/o idol wannabe). behind the cut you can find information about her, her background, and wanted plots/interactions I might come up with and update from time to time. please feel free to shoot us a message or slide into our ask box to plot, talk ooc & interact.

ᴊᴜɴɢ ᴍɪɴᴊᴀᴇ (ᴩʜᴏᴇɴɪx) • ɴᴏᴠ 17ᴛʜ, 2001 (22yᴏ) • ꜱᴄᴏʀᴩɪᴏ • ɪᴅᴏʟ ᴡᴀɴɴᴀʙᴇ

ʙᴀᴄᴋɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ

» jung minjae (stage name phoenix) was born on a crisp autumn day in seoul, south korea, 22 years ago. from a young age, she showed sheer passion and talent for ice-skating, which set her on the inevitable trajectory towards becoming a professional athlete. » only child, grown into a poor family, since the first moment they got a glimpse of their daughter's talent her parents saw in it a mean for a better life. this led them to inevitably put a lot of pressure on minjae's shoulders and to do everything they could to push her towards the right path. whether it was because of her own passion or because of their influence, minjae soon started cherishing the dream of reaching the top, of getting to the olympics. » since the age of ten, when she started winning more and more competitions and gain enough prizes, her parents decided to home-school her so she could fully focus on her career. this led her to miss out on a lot of childhood and teenage experiences and to grow up way too quickly. eventually, this ricocheted the moment she had to drop out her sport. » at the age of sixteen, indeed, her dream came to an end when a bad fall on the ice caused her a career-ending injury. of that event, minjae holds very few memories — only a brief, sharp pain, blood, and black. she woke up in an hospital bed and, no matter how surgeons and professionals her parents reached out to, she soon realised that her career was over. » this unforeseen setback plunged minjae into a dark hole. without friends nor a future, unable to tell who she was without her shattered dreams, she wandered into a world of rebellion and despair. filled with rage, she started exploring the world to try and get back what she'd lost during the years she'd spent focusing only on her sport. she tried dr*ugs, bonded with the wrong people, found herself entangled with the law on multiple occasions... the pain manifested in reckless behavior, fueled by a desperate need to escape a reality she could not accept. » although she remembers this as the darkest moment of her life, it also helped her, in a way, to finally cut the toxic relationship with her parents and to focus more on herself, discovering things she'd never had the chance to discover before. she became more independent, more stubborn, more herself. she moved out of the house, and it was around that time that music finally fell into her life, almost a lifeline from above it came to gave her a new purpose. » through her chaotic life spent between underground parties and pubs, she discovered that dancing was something she enjoyed just as much as skating. when she was finally contacted by a man that saw in her potential to become an idol one day, in his advises she found a path that could give her life a meaning. » a couple of years later, she's 22 and she's trying to chase that dream. she knows she's so far behind many other people that have started to train a lot sooner than her, but the years spent in figure skating make learning dancing and choreographs a bit easier — and, even better, taught her what determination and sacrifice really are. » what she still struggles with the most is building her public persona, her past making it so that it's not that easy anymore to bottle up the fire that she repressed all her childhood life and has only recently started to enjoy. luckily, she knows well enough how to fake and pretend to be someone she's not, all while having fun when no-one's watching. when she's not training and putting up a facade for those who could one day hire her, she can be found working as a dancer (and, sometimes, as a stripper) in nightclubs around seoul, a black wig to cover her blond hair, doing her best to enjoy the freedom she knows she will one day lose with fame.

ᴩʟᴏᴛ/ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ɪᴅᴇᴀꜱ

» friends in general. although she grew up quite isolated (apart from connections she made back when she did ice-skating or maybe family friends?), she's become a lot better at making friends in the recent years. so, anything goes, really! » people that have been wanting to get in the industry for a lot longer than her and that could help her train and understand this new world she wants to get into. » she's quite good with dancing and making choreographs, but she could use some help with singing and, even more, with songwriting. she has a lot to say, but she has no idea how to put that into songs so, help a girl out lol » rivals and "enemies" are always fun to have? idk just people that she doesn't get along with until something changes and they become friends (or not) » someone that might find out she works at nightclubs and, in general, that her life has a "dark side"? idk just someone that might see that she's not as pristine as she likes to pretend like she is in front of superiors and talent scouts (she doesn't necessarily try to hide it with other people, but knows that to become an idol and being hired she needs to keep up appearances with ppl that matter) » roomates, people that live with her or next to her place, coworkers (if there's someone that does similar jobs or works at nightclubs) or people she used to work with (after getting injured, she did a variety of jobs, so there's probably something we can find) » people she might've met during the dark days of her life? maybe people she used to (or still does) get drunk with, stay up through the night, etc. » more specific plot & thread ideas can be found here!

#✨ . pinned post #✨ . ooc

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saphflare · 2 years

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Actually no nevermind I'm not going to shut up about c!Owen and c!Magic because I AM NOT READY.

I'm not ready for Magic to face Owen, to stare across at someone she called protector, leader, caretaker, brother, friend... family, in the ways that matter. I am not ready for her to come to realize that the Owen that she has been living with for the last weeks, months perhaps, is not the one she loves and cherishes so dearly. I am not ready for how she will stare at him, perhaps with anger at him, perhaps with sorrow for those killed. I am not ready for her to realize all the ways in which he had deceived her and tricked her and hurt her and USED her.

How he used her name to coax information from the others to kill.

How he used her to get to Rasbi.

How he mocked her behind her back, taking her for a naive fool.

How he discarded all his bonds so easily

How he used the things, the people, he most prized and sought to preserve, used them to hurt and bloody and maim and kill.

How her beloved friend and confidante, the one she believed who would ultimately do all the right things, did not make that decision which mattered in the end.

How Owen had ultimately turned his back on all of them.

Believing none of them were worth saving.

I'm not ready for the heartbreak that will come with those realizations, her world turned upside. Seeing one of those pillars she leaned on, watching as it collapses on her. He condemned them all to burn, condemned her to a fiery death.

(I'm not ready if she still offers her hand, if she pleads with him to stop and despite everything and likely everyone else, if she still tries to reach out to him. I am not ready for when he will not take her hand with his own.)

And most of all, I dread how Owen will react. Will he turn the blade against her so easily, no tenderness nor care left in his aged eyes, his resolve towards the extermination of demons hardening him. No hesitation to add her to the list of those that he simply will dispose of. As if the time between them, the promise he made to them, to her, all those things that they built together, not mattering at all in the end. That he will hurt her, leaving a mark, a cut, a wound more visible than all the things he already have done.

---

His friendship with Apokuna certainly didn't matter all that much in the end. His grief, the years worth of tears as he cried over a friend, all cast to the side with his purpose rediscovered again. Easily throwing away his promises to protect and guide to chase once again as a hunter. To ready that spear in a familiar motion that stuck into the side of, perhaps, the one he cared the most out of all of them. Apokuna who he dragged and let be washed away to the bottom of a well source, doing his best to make sure no one will give him a proper funeral.

---

Or will he still care to a degree, this bond forged still worth something to dictate his actions. Will he show a softness, but still sheath of blade in her direction. A conflict, however brief, as he weighs this mutual friendship forged by trials against the insidious beliefs he has chained himself to. Will it matter at all, after all he has already killed three of them, not by some indirect consequence of a lever, not by the haze of panic in cutting a rope justifying it as survival. No he killed those three by his own hands, plunging a sharp blade through each of them by choice. Every moment he could have backed out, he didn't, no he planned, he watched, he let them be punctured by a blade.

Would he do any differently with Magic before him, so human and one of the best of them all? Magic whose faith in him was infallible, who would still cherish who he was, who gave second chances to people that might have never deserved her grace. Who might still care, still love him, even for all the things he has done.

---

Even if it didn't matter then, he hesitated before Apokuna, he gave him a chance, even if it didn't matter in the end. Even if it didn't stop him from holding the sharp blade in their direction. He still counted, he still watched the one he called friend once run from him. Owen standing longer than he should have as he finished the grace period, looking upon the hall where he last saw Apo with any joy in his heart. He still stood there for just a moment before finally giving chase.

(So perhaps then it mattered in some way, even if he denies it so strongly)

---

Would it mattered at the end of it all, with this actions that cannot be taken back and people that they cannot bring back? Would it matter when he gave up already on all of them, on himself most of all? Would it matter when that trust between them, all of them, has become so irreparably broken?

Would it matter at the end of all things?

#outsiders smp #outsiders owen #outsiders magic #outsiders apokuna #saph rambles #AHHHHHJDJDJFKKFKFKGGHHHHJJKKDJDJJ WHY WHY WHY I FUCKING ITS A TRAGEDY WHY IS IS ALWAYS A FUCKING TRAGEDY #HELLO I'M FUCKING IRRECONCILABLE AGAIN #would this count as doomposting because I fucking dread and I cannot get over this #I am not fine that Owen's greatly positive relationship is about to go down the fucking drain #i am so unwell and its fuckjng thr morning I CAN'T DO THIS #actual fucking bullshit of thoughts because I can't with this man that is CONDEMNING HIMSELF AND WON'T JUST LET GO #This post makes no sense and I did not post this with the intent of having it make sense because fuck tha #my brain is still stuck on that moment where I realize he doesn't think anyone deserves to be saved and I CANNOT AND EVERYTHJNG I-#WAHDJDKKDJHSHHHHHHHHHHH *curls up in the corner and just sobs*#i am irreconcilable #i fucking can't

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