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herrscherofmagic · 5 months

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The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that an Eden expy would be perfect for HSR.

Beauty... What is your definition of beauty? Did you have it? Did the old me have it?

TL;DR: Eden's a HI3rd character with themes/motifs around music, beauty, elegance, and so on. I think it would be cool to see an Eden expy in Honkai: Star Rail :)

Slightly longer TL;DR: Eden is a character whose story revolves around the meaning of beauty in an ugly world, a world in which terrible things happen to good people, in which the greatest and bravest heroes of humanity fail to save the day. In spite of this, even as the last cities of Earth crumbled to dust, Eden still held steadfast on her belief, and she had faith that even though her era is now fading away, the new era of humanity would "script their own fate and sing their own songs."

So I've seen a fair bit of discussion about expys on the HSR subreddit from time to time, and I figured I'd have a go at this with my own post discussing a pre-existing Hoyoverse character I'd like to see in HSR someday!

This post is mostly aimed at an HSR audience so I've written it in a way that should be understandable even without any prior knowledge of HI3rd, but fellow HI3rd peeps might enjoy it too :)

The thought of this came to me when I was playing HI3rd earlier, because when I was looking at Eden's signature weapon, I was thinking "wow, I forgot how beautiful that was" and then it hit me- one of Eden's core themes as a character is Beauty, making her a perfect candidate to be a future Pathstrider of the Path of Beauty! Whether part of the Knights of Beauty or part of a different faction or even walking this path on her own.

There's going to be some light spoilers for HI3rd's story, but nothing that spoils major story beats. Eden is a character from the Previous Era, meaning most of her story takes place in the form of archives and records of the past. This post is pretty much all backstory, and I won't discuss any important "secrets of the past" meaning any big plot twists should remain unspoiled.

So if you're ambivalent or unconcerned about HI3rd spoilers, I'd say it should be okay to proceed, but if you want to play it safe then you should probably return to this post later. All of this is lore from the Elysian Realm, so if you're already familiar with that then there won't be any spoilers at all :)

That being said, this post does contain some pretty heavy content. Nothing particularly graphic or violent, but there is discussion of death and trauma so please keep this in mind!

Some quick context, to start with:

HI3rd's story takes place on Earth, and in this setting there have been multiple "past eras". Over the course of a civilization's development, powerful apocalyptic beings called "Herrschers" appear and wreck havoc upon the world. When the final Herrscher, the Herrscher of Finality*, descends upon the Earth it removes all trace of the current existing civilization... or whatever remains of it. Over the course of 50,000 years a new civilization develops in its place until someday Finality returns once more and the samsara repeats.

Eden is a character belonging to the Previous Era (PE), which is the civilization immediately preceding the Current Era (CE), which is the present-day setting of HI3rd.

*disclaimer: this Finality is not related to the Path of Finality. It's a matter of translation, since the original text uses different characters.

Eden was living a pretty great life- she was a superstar and she was filthy rich, with global tours and widespread fame. In fact, several of the other major characters of the Previous Era (such as Kevin and Su) were fans of her music! Singing, playing instruments, she could do it all. Naturally, she was a fervent supporter of the arts.

Despite this, Eden was still living a "normal" life- a life in which she was blissfully unaware of the looming threat of Honkai. She became painfully aware of it when disaster struck during a concert of hers in Sydney (the PE version of it, of course). During this concert but elsewhere in the city, the 7th Herrscher awoke: the Herrscher of Fire. Almost immediately the entire city was engulfed in raging fires. According to some sources, even the entire continent of Australia was destroyed, but this may have been retconned so take it with a grain of salt.

Eden was (un)fortunate enough to survive this disaster, being saved by one of the former Fire MOTH soldiers that was under the leadership of the person that became the Herrscher of Fire. Though Eden survived and still retained her public image and wealth, there was no returning to her past life. She ended up learning about the organization Fire MOTH, humanity's leading force fighting against the threat of Honkai. While she kept her usual public image, she would also use her wealth to help support MOTH.

The past is no more, but I can still remember this moment. This is what I can do right now.

Over time Eden grew to become a more active member of MOTH, until someday even she would end becoming a soldier herself. She witnessed the toll of war as fewer and fewer soldiers returned from battle and as the survivors became increasingly worn and weary. Though many people knew of her music and appreciated it, as the war went on Eden realized even her music had its limits to how much it could help people. Because of this, Eden chose to volunteer for a program that would give her the strength to fight alongside the rest of MOTH.

One of MOTH's many programs to fight Honkai was the MANTIS project: augmenting humans with the DNA of Honkai Beasts, granting them tremendous power. If they survived the Meta-Morph surgery. Eden underwent this program and survived, placing her as part of an elite force with the strength to fight the Herrschers head-on.

Plus she got a sick pair of guns! so that's pretty neat ^.^

Unfortunately, we know how this story ends. We call it the Previous Era precisely because it ended. Even humanity's greatest heroes couldn't stop the crushing power of Finality.

Eden would not live to see the next era of humanity.

With this summarized backstory of Eden in mind, I'd like to share a few archive entries from HI3rd, featuring Eden. I was originally going to try and summarize and discuss these lore entries myself, but I think it'd be best to keep my thoughts to a minimum and provide the full text instead, so anyone reading this can think about it for themselves and come to their own conclusions instead of taking my word as law.

First, we have one of the records discussing the events of the awakening of the 7th Herrscher. Do note that I snipped out a portion of this archive to shorten it and reduce spoilers, so it's not the complete version found in-game.

Another part of Eden's backstory I want to mention is the way Eden interacted with another major member of Fire MOTH, Dr. Mobius.

Mobius is a pretty complicated character, because while she seems to be a straightforward "mad scientist" type of character, there's a lot of nuance to her behavior and attitude. It's difficult to sum it up, but in this case I'll focus on how other people perceive her: very negatively.

Dr. Mobius' work was groundbreaking for genetics and biology, and her projects (including the MANTIS project as well as early versions of Project Stigma) were crucial in fighting Honkai. However, she was incredibly intimidating and her experiments were... questionable, to say the least. Cold and calculating, not someone to inflict needless cruelty but also someone who doesn't let silly little things such as "ethics" get in the way of progress.

Interestingly, Eden is probably one of the few people that was capable of interacting with Dr. Mobius in a positive way. Many people found it difficult to work under the supervision of Dr. Mobius and most would go out of their way to avoid her, but it seems that Eden was not one of them. This scene in particular is a good example of this:

At this point I think Eden's theme of Beauty is quite evident, and I could probably cut the post short here. But there's one final part of Eden's story I'd like to share, and since it's a scene involving Mobius it builds on the previous entry quite neatly. Since I'm going to end the post with this scene, I'll give my final thoughts first!

I don't really think it's worth worrying too much about expys and whatnot, because ultimately the important thing is whether a given character fits the story, not whether they look like a past character. If we get a "HSR Kiana" or an "HSR Kiana", what matters is the way they fit into this setting. The setting of Aeons and Paths, of a diverse set of factions vying for power and influence across the universe, and how the Nameless will cross paths with this character.

But I wanted to make this post anyways because I feel like Eden's story is greatly underappreciated, and since it has such a neat connection with the Path of Beauty.

Eden's theme of "Beauty" is not just about Eden being a beautiful person, nor is about her beautiful music. To me, it's her understanding of humanity and the way that the arts allow us to connect with each other. It's her ability to reach out and connect with a person as cold and calculating as Mobius. It's just as Eden says, "something that makes people happy, guides the way, and sparks hope."

Just something to keep in mind when reading this final archive entry. I've also re-attached the same image from the start of the post, since I think it takes on a much more powerful meaning with this scene in mind.

For those who're curious, the first & last image of the post are a still shot from the credits of the HI3rd animation "Because of You", which is a very beautiful but also spoiler-filled animated short

#honkai star rail #honkai impact 3rd #honkai 3rd #hi3 #hsr #honkai eden #long post #text heavy #so... i originally posted this on reddit but it flopped HARD >.>#i spent two hours writing this up y'all T_T #i did NOT go to bed at 2am for this eden propaganda to go unappreciated #so plz don't let me down honkai tumblr x-x #also I have violent thoughts about Eden & Mobius /j /pos #their dynamic is so criminally underrated #I flippin' love how someone so popular and beloved (Eden) is accepting of someone so feared and avoided (Mobius)

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daze4all · 6 months

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High cloud quintet being a family & Controversy breeds Creativity

High cloud quintet being a family [By @milcoco10]

love love this concept or found families in general~ Just some fluff to breakup my yandere thoughs

Side Note I'm Kind of Sad Jing Yuan is alone so he was probably the kid of the group who idolizes or crushes on one of older members like how Yanqing admires him present day

Have fic with disciple reader crushing on him

also working on a fic where he has a childhood reader who stays with him after abundance war events when teh rets of quintet splits up

Jing Yuan is totally my comfort character

More on Jingliu x Baiheng relationship in Jingliu's Story Quest Spoilers sorta ahead mostly trying to sort out the lore and bit confused

Warning: Honkai Star Rail Lore Rant, Spoilers, & Controversy breeds Creativity

Also I'm honestly kind of confused, about jingliu's quest and the community what the hell happened? When I played stuff was so subtle did they fix it? but the wiki says very different stuff....

Spoilers for Jingliu's quest and how I make it work in my head form what rumors I heard to piece stuff together

To start with I think Baiheng x Jing Liu & Yingxing x Dan Feng still is the cuter couple

Mihoyo was Trying to make Baiheng like Guizhong

I think they were trying to make Baiheng like Guizhong in Genshin Impact is to zhongli .

Like this couple doesn't count cuz she dead

BaiHeng is a bit mary sue with her death as there were not many direct leaks using her name and her reveal was too sudden

In contrast guizhong made it work by slow lore leaks that used her name such as guizhongs tablets, guzhongs ballista and her making the the memory of dust but th emysteyr on her personaility and not knowing exactly how her death played out until later in the game which is till a bit mysterious at the reveal .

Baiheng like Guizhong who was made out to mysterious but was probably the peppy and optimistic glue of the group of high cloud quintets that fell apart when she died like the yaksha in genshin.

2. About the beloved referring to Baiheng:

Jingliu X Baiheng Support

Jingliu quest is mostly abot Baiheng becuase she was the beloved couple that loved her heavily hinted

china doesnt recoginze homosexuality so they change it to Dan Heng

also the heng in both thier name does that mean there related or somthing? kinda left field unless they tried to subtlely remake guizhong x zhongli situation but it failed

3. Still l think Baiheng reborn as Bailu is cool concept

Pretty much so quintet could be together again

Also I personally find family closer than ppl you date cuz often you can cut them off when relationship ends but not a close fried or family

So Dan Feng could’ve revived Baiheng as friend as close as found family and glue that kept them all together and Blade helped thus becoming immortal himself by mistake isnt too far fetched. Though more romantic if it was blade being revived

Biologically speaking though someone had to be the surrogate? or egg donor as there vihadyra egg bailu was born or do they magically appear when somone dies and reincarnate?

Honestly with that lore in jingliu quest I'm not sure what is true or not if some of this is fake news to stoke fans but hey controversy breed creativity:

and hey wrote renfeng kid crack story to cheer ppl up before all this

Though I was writing a more serious one about the kid being raised on the loufu as Jing Yuan's discple coming up or maybe not if it's that controversial idk if ppl will read it now.

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the-damnedest-creature · 9 months

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A confusion so thick you forget forgetting ( by Nexus_NoiR )

Fandom: Honkai: Star Rail Blade (Yingxing) / Dan Feng Rating: Mature Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Words: 2,132

Summary: The traitor Dan Feng's sentence is rebirth. Not a peaceful rest within a shell in the waters of the ancestral sea, but a painful stripping of the self, inflicted upon him against his will. He is to forget all that he has ever known, all that he has ever been. All that has brought him here.

He clings to the memories of his beloved as they dissipate into fragments around him, leaving nothing but dust, before even the dust itself is forgotten.

#honkai: star rail #hsr #renheng #xingyue #dan feng #blade #yingxing #dan heng #fic #my work

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sortanonymous · 3 months

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Meta Knightmare AU Stuff: How Max Found Susie (plus general Haltmann family stuff)

Basically the story of the Haltmann family in my Meta Knightmare series, specifically Max's up to the very beginning of MKMIII.

BIG SPOILERS FOR META KNIGHTMARES I-II BELOW (Mostly II)

Just for some background, as a kid, Susie was happily raised by her loving parents in a giant bunker on Shiver Star, where they led a top tech company (one considerably more ethical than the canon HWC to say the least). Those parents were Beatrice, her bubbly mother, and Max, her somewhat goofy father who loved both his wife and his daughter with all his soul and had long promised that he would put himself through whatever he needed to to protect them. (Btw Beatrice was an important magical Ancient and Max an important technological/scientific Ancient, but that's a different story.) On her seventh birthday, Susie was reluctantly allowed to witness a big test of Star Dream, only for its portal to go haywire, and while Max was trapped in the corner of the room, Susie was left clinging for dear life onto the hand of Beatrice, who herself was left clinging onto the railing with her other hand. As Max could only watch in horror, Beatrice gave a look of combined fear, heartbreak, and love to Susie before letting go, putting Susie in a protective bubble, and letting her fall in (sacrificing any chance she herself had at survival in the process in order to save her daughter) just as the portal exploded with herself and her husband still on the other side. As the dust settled, Max was badly injured, but still tried crying out to his family as he crawled across the room. He then found a far-worse-hurt Beatrice in the rubble, who told him that she could sense that Susie was alive and being taken care of in Another Dimension. As Max tried to tell her that he was going to fly out and save their little girl, Beatrice told him that she loved him with all her heart before slipping away into death. Believing he was dying too, Max held onto his wife's hand, lay on the ground, and passed out as he waited to join his beloved Beatrice in death.

When he woke up, however, he was alive, albeit now turned into a cyborg by his Haltworkers to keep him alive. One of his eyes and half of his body (not most of his face) were mechanized in order to keep him alive. As soon as he realized what was going on, he got up and stumbled to where Beatrice's body was being laid before picking her up and sobbing as he cradled the love of his life. Had Susie died in that incident, or even if he was merely unaware of if she initially survived, he likely would have completely fallen into despair and lost all will to live. But with how his wife had spent some of her final seconds telling him that Susie was alright, he was so determined to make sure that he could find a way to rescue her that despite how shattered and shell-shocked he was emotionally by Beatrice's death, he barely gave himself any time to grieve before quickly searching for ways to reunite with Susie. A year of fruitless research followed, culminating in him getting so frustrated that he reluctantly tried Star Dream one more time, this time by using its control helmet. But as if the computer had it out for him, it quickly tried overrunning his mind in agonizing fashion, and he only barely managed to get it shut off in time before his mind was completely consumed. So at that point, Max decided he'd had enough. After commanding his Haltworkers to scrap Star Dream and leave it in the middle of the frozen tundra, he abandoned his home, wealth, and company by flying off in a small ship to find some way to reunite with Susie and get her to safety. All he took with him was all the pictures he could of the past, including a pocket watch with a picture of him, Beatrice, and Susie from that fateful day; the watch had been broken in the incident.

What followed was over 11 years of slowly traveling across the galaxy to several planets in hopes of at least finding something. He'd end up everywhere from Neo Star to Aqua Star to even Ripple Star right after the 02 crisis (probably should have gotten there just a tad earlier). Any time he'd start to lose hope and question if it was worth it and if it would work, he remembered the promise he had always made to protect his family, no matter what it took. If he couldn't protect his wife, then he at least needed to make sure their daughter was okay. That all came to a head on Rock Star, eleven and a half years into his search, when his ship broke down (he had already used up several ships in his search) and as he kept walking and looking for a way to move on, both his organic and robotic halves were struggling in the desert. After also sustaining a hip injury while searching through a junkyard, he nearly gave up right there. But he again remembered the promise he had made as he held newborn Susie in his arms for the first time over 19 years earlier and just kept limping on. Fortunately, not only did he find another ship at the end of that junkyard, but it was a darn good one with the ability to detect the location of Susie through his DNA. Hardly able to comprehend that his years of searching were about to come to a satisfying conclusion, Max began flying his new ship over to Royal Road, Floralia, where Susie somehow was.

Perhaps now is the time to (very slowly) breeze through Susie's side of the story (conveniently starting at the end of Meta Knightmare I). After landing in Another Dimension, she was immediately greeted by a horde of Doomers trying to kill her and a four-year-old Sirica, who had fallen into this place alongside her mother Garlude via separate escape pods as the Halberd was sunk. Susie was left having to run for her life while dragging Sirica away from the horde until Garlude came to shoo them away and lead them to an old base lying around. Susie had imminently started to block out some details of the traumatic incident, but still broke down and needed to be comforted by Garlude as she relayed that her parents may have gotten hurt and that she wasn't sure if she'd ever get home. Garlude immediately decided to take care of both of them as much as she could in Another Dimension, and a few days later, they somehow managed to call Meta and Mikey (Garlude's best friends and fellow Knights) and found out not only that a giant portal to the dimension opens every 8-ish years, but that the base they were in was, in fact, an abandoned Ancient ship - the "base ship", as they'd all call it - that needed a lot of repairing to fly again. With that, the three waited around in AD for eight years while Meta and Mikey picked up all of their other crewmates who had been scattered across Popstar after the Halberd crashed. Then that time came (start of Meta Knightmare II), and long story short, the base ship was up and running at the perfect time and Susie joined the Meta-Knights as they went on adventures and went onto making their comeback. (Also she more or less became sisters with Sirica, but that's for another day.) Even as she missed her old life, things were mostly calm until the mission to salvage the Halberd two years in, when she was in a scary water pod crash. While she was uninjured and Meta was able to save her, the crash suddenly reminded her of every bit of the portal disaster that had happened eight years earlier to the day, and while Meta was able to comfort her about it, she still believed that both her parents were killed in the incident. A couple years after that, while her father was one drive away from ending his quest, she was in Royal Road for the second time since leaving AD alongside the Knights to help Sectonia with a bit of growing corruption. (That one's definitely a story for another day.)

It was in the middle of the night after that was resolved when Max finally landed in the royal family's garden, with Susie quickly recognizing him and frantically stopping the guards from shooting him out of the sky. As soon as he walked out with a makeshift walking stick in hand, the two of them immediately ran to each other and embraced, just crying for a while as a truly miraculous reunion took place. Among many other things said in the moment, Max briefly explained how he had gotten here and told her that her mother would be so proud of her for getting out. Susie, meanwhile, explained how she got here and how much the Knights meant to her. Seeing how much the Knights meant to her and how much she had grown up in the past twelve years, Max allowed her to stay on that crew. But with the Knights seeing that he clearly had nothing left to return to, they allowed him to join the team and live close to his daughter, although instead of living with them, he chose to live in a chintzy little dome-shack on the shore right across from Halberd Island. After so many grueling years reeling from that tragic incident, Max, now reunited with his daughter and being part of a whole new family in the Knights, would become a key member of the team within the next few years (aka by the start of Meta Knightmare III), and they all lived happily ever after. Well, at least until MKMIII actually began, but for the last time, that's a story for another day.

#kirby #kirby fanfic #kirby au #meta knightmare fanfic #max haltmann #president haltmann #max profitt haltmann #susie haltmann #susie kirby #beatrice haltmann #kirby oc #oc without a design #meta knights #you don't understand #i live for this au and this version of the haltmanns #it does get a lot crazier (and worse) for them in meta knightmare iii #i just feel like this is enough for today

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awriternamedart · 5 months

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Akrasia has met its end, so heres a quick FAQ with a few questions you might have about it !! (Minor spoilers if you havent finished the ficc below the break!)

What does Akrasia mean, and why did you name the fic that?

Akrasia - The state of mind in which someone acts against their better judgment through weakness of will.

I came across the word while doomscrolling pinterest while I was writing Akrasia. Fun fact, the original name for Akrasia was actually Ice Shards, Mask Fragments. But Akrasia as a word stuck with me, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the word really suited Sampo in the fic, and his constant back and forth with himself over his feelings for Gepard. So yeah, I renamed the fic.

Was Akrasia ever going to have a happy ending?

Nope. From the very beginning, Akrasia was meant to have an ambigious/bitter ending. It felt fitting, to me at least, because of Sampos nature, and the whole angle I took with his character.

You can actually find various hints about the ending throughout the fic, mostly in Sampos dialog and thoughts. I tried (key word tried) to write him with a flighty sort of air around him, a kinda sense of doom from the start. Sampo knew what would have to happen the moment it started.

What happened after Akrasia?

Up to intepretation! Personally, I think Gepard didnt end up joining the Astral Express, instead asking them to just keep him up to date if they ran into Sampo, up until the time the epilogue happens. Reverse Serval situation, because he is honorbound and Gepard is a military man at heart. He knows where his duty lies. But like I said, its really up to you guys and what you wanna think happened.

WHERE IS LYNX ?!

So I started writing Akrasia the month of Star Rails release, (MAY 2023 TF?!), before we knew anything about Lynx. Because I didnt want to mischaracterize her, I ended up just not writing her explicitly

Will there be any more Akrasia fics?

Yes, actually! I made an Akrasia series on Ao3 for a reason. Im planning on doing a few DanCae shots to compliment the Starch7th ones already there, as well as a few side stories for the GePo/SamPard moments that were in passing in the main story. Things like missing scenes, more sexier times, and elaboration into characters I didnt really get to explore in the base story. But Akrasia itself is done and dusted. All fics pertaining to its small lil universe will be under different names.

How old is everyone in Akrasia?

I wrote and percieved Gepard and Sampo to be in their early 30s, maybe extremely late 20s. Seele and Bronya are mid 20s, Serval is mid 30s and Natasha is late 30s early 40s. As for the Trailblazers, well we know Dan Heng is probably far older then we think, Caelus and Stelle are.. weird, and March cant fucking remember. So I wrote them all witu the idea of mentally mid 20s.

Why are Stelle and Caelus in Akrasia?

cause I wanted them to be. Like, genuinely I just didnt want to choose and I wanted both Starch and DanCae so yeah. I just said their both here.

If you want the internal lore reason, the Stelleron was unstable enough that it ended up needing another vessel to contain all of its power. So Stelle and Caelus are just really weird twins, basically. They share a level of physical connection outside of looks as well, (ie, the matching scars from cocolia) but only to extreme , permanent damage. They also trade off who uses the lance and the baseball bat at their leisure.

Why are there some plot inconsistencies ?? (they bug me the author alot)

because its fanfiction /j thats not my excuse

Nah theres actually a reason for it. Akrasia originally was written to be aroind 10k words long, and clearly thats not what fucking happened.

So i ended up going back and editting alot of scenes, removing one scene entirely that actually was pretty important and i tried to make sure i caught every error but- well yeah i missed some.

If your curious about said scene, well- Remember the drunk Sampo scene? Yeah originally they had a drunk hook up and that was the main catalyst for the story. I ended up completely scrapping the scene and changing it around as it became more of a slowburn and the scene felt more and more out of place with the story i wanted to tell.

Hell in the original manuscript for the fic they never even got together, so theres that -

Will there be a sequel to Akrasia?

maybe? Im not planning to have one but the possibility is there, though im not sure what it would entale. For now, just indulge yourself in the side stories.

Do you allow fanwork ?

hell yeah mate, and this goes for anything I post on ao3. your more then welcome to draw or write stuff based on what Ive made, to take inspiration from the ideas Ive had. Writing, alt ending, art, hell playlists if you want(strangers by kenya grace is my assigned akrasia song btw). As long as you aint takin it and claimin it as yours.

#gepard x sampo #fanfic #sampard #gepo #gepard #sampo #fanfiction #sampo koski #honkai star rail #hsr #gepard landau #akrasia

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storms-path · 2 years

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Storm’s Journey - FFXIVWrites 2022

Another September done and dusted, another month of writing completed. While my wife could not complete her prompt list due to squid-related incidents (Splatoon 3 is really fun, apparently), I managed to see it through to the end and come out the other side with some tales I’m rather proud of. So behold, the master list for this year’s prompts!

Warning: Contains spoilers all the way up to 6.2, so take care as you go if you’re not caught up!

Day 1 - Cross. A terse dialogue is held in the fallout of narrowly avoided tragedy.

Day 2 - Bolt. Preparations are made for the battles that are sure to come, but a moment of peace brings opportunity for curiosity to rear its head.

Day 3 - Temper. Two sisters confront a terrible truth, but only one can commit the deed that must be done.

Day 4 - Void (Extra Credit). A climactic confrontation goes off the rails.

Day 5 - Cutting Corners. A neat and tidy to-do list is a Warrior of Light's best friend.

Day 6 - Onerous. A fledgling knight finds her wings and a place to roost.

Day 7 - Pawn. With a terrible threat unleashed, the Warrior of Light struggles with the new weight on her shoulders.

Day 8 - Tepid. Awkward breakfast conversation is had.

Day 9 - Yawn. A local historian has had quite enough with his pupil. The feeling is mutual.

Day 10 - Channel. A fledgling red mage struggles with the basics.

Day 11 - Extend (Extra Credit). The Warrior of Light over-extends herself.

Day 12 - Missed the Boat. Separated from all she knew, an exile ponders the past and the future to come.

Day 13 - Confluence. A pair of adventurers trace a dreadful lead back to its source.

Day 14 - Attrition. A break in the fighting leads to the exhausted Warrior of Light returning home.

Day 15 - Row. Long, long after the embers have dimmed, a warrior returns to her conquered homeland.

Day 16 - Deiform. Against all sensibility, the Warrior of Light faces the dread primal Ravana alone.

Day 17 - Novel. A scholar tries to piece together clues of the past, but to do so she must first conquer a worthy foe.

Day 18 - Illustrate. The Warrior of Light faces her toughest challenge yet: Patience.

Day 19 - Turn a Blind Eye. A terse conversation is held between the saviour of the star and a dear friend.

Day 20 - Anon. Just before the coming assault, two sisters come to terms with their brightest hopes made manifest.

Day 21 - Solution. Darkness beckons, but the bargain it offers always comes with a price.

Day 22 - Veracity. At the revelation of an awful truth, another is revisited from long ago.

Day 23 - Pitch. A wild proposition goes somewhat awry.

Day 24 - Vicissitude. The Warrior of Light ponders a shapeshifting sword. Among other things.

Day 25 - Champion. Taking shelter from the storm, three women witness the settling of a long-running bet.

Day 26 - Break a Leg. The Warriors of Light endure a particularly egregious retelling of their latest saga.

Day 27 - Hail. The bitter cold of Ishgard witnesses a visit from an old friend.

Day 28 - Vainglorious. Running into a roadblock, a weary scholar takes a break and socialises.

Day 29 - Fuse. Nobody is around to help.

Day 30 - Sojourn. A weary warrior wakes up.

#ff14 #final fantasy 14 #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2022

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doloniaxdiegesis · 1 month

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"I am the bone of my bat. Stellaron in my body and trailblaze in my blood "

#･｡ * ｡ ☆ * :: edan // stelle kaslana #･｡ * ｡ ☆ * :: (( about ))#･｡ * ｡ ☆ * :: (( crack ))#I NEED THIS ON MY BLOG #NEEED IT #P L S #Star dusted star rail : Spoilers

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dadsbongos · 3 years

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burn me to the ground

(1)gentle lover (2)burn me to the ground Movie/Game/Show: Thor: Ragnarok Dynamic: Loki Laufeyson/Reader Warnings: ragnarok spoilers?, passing description of you as toned/muscular cuz loki with gf who could crush him >>>, i give more time gap to thor's arrival cuz :), fem pronouns Summary: He’s never been one for such sentiment, maybe that’s why her influence is so terrifying to him. ~~~

“You wanted me to meet someone?”

“Right! Right, right, right,” the Grandmaster waves his hand in a gesture for Topaz to guide his chair through the room, “He was all mumble-y and murmur-ey and I heard your name, so I was thinking maybe you could tell me what this guy’s all about!”

Upon seeing the man in reference, your eyes widen and you nearly stumble back.

The man, however, immediately tilts his head and practically hisses out, “You.”

Well, no point in pretending to not know him now when he reacts like that. Sighing and tossing up your hands as if to show relief, you gush out an awfully whiny, “Aw, prince! Thank goodness you’re okay! I was so worried when we got separated!”

“So, how do you two know each other?” the Grandmaster’s smile is broad, if not slightly threatening, as he waggles a finger between the two people in front of him.

“I’m a sort of guard to your royal asshat.”

Loki doesn’t get the chance to speak up as the Grandmaster claps in response to you, “Well, I’m sure he’ll be happy to know your track record here doesn’t show any signs of slacking!”

“Certainly, yes,” Loki nods curtly, not pleased at the prospect of a Midgardian - this Midgardian - having to watch over him again, “Reassuring to have her here.”

“I would be, look at her- " reaching over, the Grandmaster squeezes at your bicep, “So strong, she’s a great contender!”

“Contender…?” Loki murmurs to the woman, a brow quirked.

Smacking the prince’s arm, you shake your head before turning back to the Grandmaster, “Loki wouldn’t be a very good contender, he’s pretty frail and weak. Lame, too.”

“Aw,” wagging a finger as one would to a pestering child, the Grandmaster’s broad grin falls into a tight-lipped smile before he speaks, “Loyal guard trying to protect her prince, how sweet.”

“What can I say?” Loki notices the way you seem more on edge now, breath shakier, but you manage to mask it as light laughter, “Duties never rest.”

Nodding, the elderly man turns to Topaz, whispering in her ear before dismissing you both back to your quarters.

It’s as the door to the room shuts that Loki is greeted with the first hint of aggression he’s ever seen from you - not even in his time on Earth had he seen malice slip from you like he does now. The door slams and you wring your hands in your hair, nearly shouting as you turn to the God,

“You moron, why’d you have to go and say that? As if you know me? You could’ve gotten us killed.”

“But I do know you,” Loki held his hands up, pausing your rampant pacing, “Was I not supposed to try and find solace in the fact that I was on a new, strange planet with the one person I recognize?”

“You’re such an ass,” it’s a deflated insult, sighed out while you stomp over to the one bed in the room and slump down on it, “Just hope that nutjob believed me about you being weak.”

“Which, I believe we should have a talk about, by the way,” Loki’s brows furrow, “Why do that? I don’t need any protection nor defense, especially by the likes of you.”

“Unless you want to go as a gladiator and potentially be ripped in half by people twice your size, I would just take the label of weakling socialite and run with it. Hope you get on the Grandmaster’s good side like I have and eventually he maybe stops looking at you like a starving man to steak.”

“Haven’t quite gotten to that last bit, I imagine.”

“No, unfortunately not. It’s a little terrifying.”

It’s quiet as you rub at your aching temples and think over the situation. Loki turns and begins assessing the room - a room he hopes to not be stuck in.

“Are we to share this?”

“Probably,” yet another exhausted sigh slips from your lips, “I wouldn’t bother bringing it up to the old man, you might get vaporized.”

There’s a beat of silence before Loki chuckles, it’s forced and tight.

“Oh,” nodding, you lean back until you’re fully reclined on the bed, “you think I’m joking.”

The God’s eyes widen at that, turning to face you in alarm, “Are you not?”

Suddenly sitting up to untie your boots, you mutter, “I’m trying a slow coup. I was gonna do it on my own, but now you’re here so that’s minorly reassuring.”

“Coup?”

“Accident comes to the Grandmaster, we move up. I say we, but if you try and overthrow me for the throne, I will have to duel you. Duel at best, but at worst…”

Another pregnant silence flows through the room, Loki tilting his head, “You do realize how alarming that is when you don’t finish that sentence, right?”

“Good.”

It was an unlucky arrangement. Trapped on a trash planet, literally, with a Midgardian worm - whom he either has to share a bed with or rest on a loveseat for the nights. None of which is even mentioning the Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster.

On the surface he’s light. Bubbly. Fun. And then someone drops a glass too close to his favorite new shoes and suddenly they’ve been pardoned from the land of the living and the stench of wretched toast permeates through the room.

It’s that memory that has Loki tuning out of the story of the man across from him. His hands fall to his thighs and begin rubbing away the sweat of nervousness that gathers there. The movements don’t go unseen, and the woman who assigned herself as his personal guard reaches down and takes his hand. Uncaring if the rest of the party sees as they cling to one another.

You aren’t Loki’s first choice of partnership but maybe that’s where he’d be wrong - because your grip is strong and it won’t let go unless it’s commanded. It’s comforting and reassuring and Loki can’t remember the last time someone held him like that as he breaks down. It isn’t just the hand holding at parties, it’s in the late nights when neither of you can sleep and your heads are too full of countless worries of each’s own home. It’s the way you hold him and don’t say a word of it the next day. Barely acknowledging it unless he brings it up first, not wanting to make him uncomfortable or pressured.

It’s kindness and genuinity and he thinks he wants to have you around all the time. After the Grandmaster. After Hela. Whenever and wherever that dust happens to settle, he knows he wants this comfort all the time.

Storytime comes around to Loki. His fingers curl tighter around your hand as he speaks, occasionally taking a break to sip at his neon drink when there’s a hearty whisper-shout of both your names,

“Over here!”

God of Thunder, you notice. Thor of Asgard. You two excuse yourselves from the couch of socialites to cross the room to Thor.

“Thor? You’re alive?” you begin, eyes wide.

“Of course, I’m alive, what’re you two doing? Why aren’t you stuck in a chair? Where’s your chairs?”

“We didn’t get one,” Loki shakes his head.

“Get me out,” Thor urges, still thoroughly confused over the presence of his brother and old friend.

“We can’t,” you whisper.

Nodding, Loki continues, “We’ve gotten in favor with the Grandmaster. In his higher courts.”

“Like friends but scary,” you pitch in, “We’ve been here a few weeks. Maybe a month.”

“A month?" Thor repeats in utter disbelief, "I just got here.”

“What’re you guys whispering about?” the Grandmaster himself juts into the conversation with a giggle, “Time works different around these parts. On any other world I’d be like millions of years old, but on Sakaar…” he stops and looks between the trio with a teasing grin before shaking his head, “In any case, you two know this… what’d you call yourself - Lord of Thunder…?”

“God of Thunder,” Thor corrects with a forced chuckle.

“I’ve never met this man in my life,” Loki immediately denies.

“He’s my brother.”

Rolling your eyes at the brothers, you’re quick to gesture to Loki, “Adopted.”

The Grandmaster nods, “He any kind of a fighter?”

“You take this thing out of my neck and I’ll show you.”

That’s how they find out that - at the very least, Thor’s alive. Not well, but certainly alive.

The night after that party is mostly quiet in the room. Presently, both people are getting ready for bed but inside their minds is such fueled turmoil that neither truly believes they’re getting rest that night. Upon finishing his state of dress, Loki makes his way out to the balcony.

Air on Sakaar isn’t particularly fresh or clean, nor are the stars incredibly visible with all the city lights, but it felt better out there than being trapped in a room. He’s soon joined by another body at the railing, hands barely brushing together on the roughened metal.

It’s Loki that makes the first move, slowly sliding his hand across the rail until his entwined with yours. Your fingers weave together and Loki can’t help but balance his gaze between your conjoined hands and your eyes. He remembers a time where he used to look into those eyes and see an enemy - now, he can’t imagine a time where he would’ve ever wanted to hurt someone such as you. Can't believe there was a time where he wanted to hurt you. Your care is expressed in tender touches and loyalty. In quiet moments of trust and earnest adoration. In honesty. It's that silent care that speaks the loudest.

It’s your voice that breaks him from his own thoughts, “When this whole thing is over and Sakaar is ruined and Thor will have the throne, where will you go?”

Loki falls silent at that question, he brushes a thumb over your knuckles, pursing his lips and tilting his head as he thinks over what response would fit best. Then he comes to the realization that it wouldn’t matter where he lies as long as he has comfort that lies with him. Comfort that sleeps inside the woman beside him is what he wants.

And so, he mumbles out, “Where will you want me?”

There’s a laugh pulled from you as your head shakes, “You wouldn’t want to go to Earth. Unless you’d like the Avengers up your ass.”

There’s a shared laugh as Loki relents, speaking before laying a kiss to your knuckles, “I wouldn’t be fond of that… but for you, my dear, I’d tear the universe apart.”

“That sounds like exactly why they wouldn’t want you. Sorry to say they’re not fond of universe-tearing.”

A sarcastic huff falls from the prince, “I’m charming and romantic and this is how I’m repaid?”

“However, I can’t say that’s not excellent bargaining to keep you on a leash,” you grin.

“Like a dog?”

“Well, now,” looking away, your lip is tucked between your teeth to muffle possible laughter.

Loki doesn’t follow your example, instead he studies the planes of your face. The curve of your cheek and the way your eyes are lit up by the stars and lights that flow in this city. You’re beautiful. That, he knows. And despite being trapped on Sakaar, he also knows he’s grateful to have someone like you. To have you.

Strong, both in emotional resolve and psychical capability. It’s nice to have someone who can stay level-header and offer support. It makes him want to care and provide for you as well, and that’s what scares him.

You make him want to return sentiment when all he’s cared for before was letting things burn.

#loki x reader #loki x y/n #loki x you #loki laufeyson x reader #loki laufeyson x you #loki fanfic

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tigerseye46 · 3 years

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Can I get Lego Monkie Kid Sun Wukong x Pigsy with B5, B26 and B88? Please!

Oooooo, new ship! I'm calling it MonkeNoodles or Peachpig unless someone has a better ship name which there probably is. (I am bad with coming up with names.)

B5. “It’s true. I’ve loved you since I got to know you - and even if you don’t feel the same, I’m willing to accept it.” B26. “You’re special to me.” B88. “I’ve tried to forbid myself from falling in love but now I can’t help it.”

Small S2 spoilers

Pigsy trudged towards the outside area of the Dronecopter, careful to not make any noise. For hours, he had been tossing and turning for hours, not getting a wink of sleep. He thought that maybe some fresh air would help.

During his walk, a myriad of yawns would slip out of his lips, followed by eye rubbing. He took a step outside, beaming as the stars and moon glimmered down on him and the ship. He decided to observe it more by turning his head to the left, he held in a gasp to see Wukong leaning against the railing, still in his regular clothes with his chin tilted towards the sky. The king was illuminated by the moonlight which, in Pigsy’s opinion, made him look even more handsome than he already was.

The pig placed a hand over his heart and noticed how fast it was beating along with how his palms started to sweat, his cheeks began heating up. Why did the king have to look so… so… so cute?

He swallowed roughly, this did not help his feelings, feelings that had developed after their relationship had shifted from arguments to a genuine friendship and understanding. Since then, the king would offer to help him out while cooking, wrapping an arm around him when the chef was about to explode with anger, giving him compliments and smiling at him like he was the most important person in the world. While in turn he had let off Wukong, deciding to place faith in him. They worked well together, their banter filling the air. The king made him feel special.

One day, he made the mistake of confessing all this to Tang who merely cackled, finally putting together why the chef blushed and stuttered around the king, the laughter was followed by teasing on how Pigsy was a big old softie for Wukong.

And he was a softie.

He then told Sandy, revealed to be Sha Wujing, who was fully supportive of the situation and commented how Pigsy would be a good fit for his brother.

While he hadn’t told the kids yet, he suspected they knew based on the way they would giggle any time the two were in the same room together.

Pigsy loved being around Wukong and he made an effort to show his romantic interest in subtle ways. He wasn’t planning on doing anything else, all he wanted to do was show Wukong how much he adored him.

Although recently Wukong had taken to avoiding him, piling excuse after excuse on why he couldn’t be near the pig which resulted in Pigsy’s heart shattering into a million pieces. Maybe the king had caught word of his feelings and wasn’t interested? The king could have at least told him, he would have understood.

A “Pigsy?” snapped him out of his thoughts. His mouth agape as he shyly stared at Wukong. Wukong’s cheeks contained a dust of pink. “What are you doing up? It’s like 3 am,” he said and let out a small chuckle, Pigsy didn’t miss the way Wukong’s hand fidgeted and how his feet shuffled away from him.

Pigsy faked a small smile and waved at the king. “He- hey, Wukong! Could say the same about you. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Couldn’t sleep either,” he confessed while scanning the other, his face becoming a darker pink upon seeing the other’s cute undershirt and shorts, Pigsy felt shy under his gaze. “Ummmm… how come you couldn’t sleep?”

“No reason. Just one of those nights, y’know?” He softly punched Wukong in the arm and laughed softly. “What about you?”

“Thinking a lot.”

“Since when do ya think?”

The monkey rolled his eyes. “I think more than you do,” he teased.

“No, you don’t. I’m the smart one, remember?”

“Uh huh. I’ll let you believe that,” he stated. His tail swished from side to side.

“Well it’s true. Now what are ya thinkin’ about?”

The king rubbed the back of his neck. “Nothing. Nothing you have to worry about.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Wukong… I’m your friend. You can tell me anythin’.”

“I know. Don’t worry about it. It’s my own problem.” He sighed, his fingers tapping against the railing.

“Wukong…” He placed a hand on his arm, pulling it back when the king flinched. “What is it?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he insisted, his voice a warning to not push further.

The pig’s fists clenched. “How can I not worry when you’ve been avoidin’ me? Did… did I do somethin’ wrong?”

The king’s eyes widened. “No! No! You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s...”

“It’s what? I get it if you don’t like me back but…” He growled under his breath. “CAN YA AT LEAST BE HONEST WITH ME?”

There was a short pause before Wukong broke it with a “What?”

The way Wukong looked at him, told him he was mistaken, oh no, oh no, he didn’t know but it was too late, so Pigsy took in a puff of air and confessed, “It’s true. I’ve loved you since I got to know you - and even if you don’t feel the same, I’m willin’ to accept it.” Wukong wasn’t moving, wasn’t blinking. “Are ya goin’ to say anythin’ at all?” Nothing. That was just as good as a rejection. “Alright, I’m leavin’. Night, Wukong…”

He turned to leave when he was captured in a fierce hug. “No. Stay,” Wukong whispered against his shoulder. “What did you mean when you said you loved me?”

He snorted in response. “Oh come on, Wukong. You’re not an idiot.”

“How long have you felt this way?”

“Awhile” was the answer.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you clearly don’t feel the same way. You’ve been avoidin’ me like the plague.”

“That wasn’t why.”

“Why then?”

Wukong cupped his cheek. “Truth is… I have feelings for you too.”

“Yea, right.”

“I’m telling the truth. I love you. You’re special to me. Ever since we began hanging out and I thought more of you, the feelings started popping up. I’ve tried to forbid myself from falling in love but now I can’t help it.”

“Wukong…”

“That’s why I avoided you. I didn’t ruin what we have. Guess I should have communicated better, huh?”

He let out another snort. “Yea, you should have.”

“Wujing was pushing me to talk to you but I wasn’t sure. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. You really need to improve your communication skills though.”

“Heh. I’m trying.”

A small nod. “I know.”

“Soooo… am I allowed to kiss you?”

“Ye-yea!”

Wukong bent down slightly, pressing his lips against the other’s, a slow and passionate kiss filled with so much love poured into it.

When the others woke up later that morning, the two were sleeping on the couch. Pigsy’s head laid on Wukong’s chest, the king’s arms on the pig’s back while Pigsy’s were drooping on the side.

They held in their squeals while Mei took pictures of them. It made for some adorable moments.

#lego monkie kid #monkie kid #monkie kid sun wukong #sun wukong #monkey king #monkenoodles #monkenoodleshipping #peachpig #peachpigshipping #my fic #peachbunshipping

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pix3lplays · 8 months

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A winner has been decided for the 500 followers special! It became the 600 followers special oh my gosh thank you all so much!

The prompt will be: Asking them if they want a baby!

Thank you all so much to everyone who voted, and thank you for all the follows, I greatly appreciate it! Now let’s Do this Thing!!

Tw! Baby talk, reader is pregnant in a few of these so…pregnancy as well, Nanook is sorta toxic, also I’m just guessing what they’re like lol, it is TEEMING with hcs about how things could work in the honkai star rail universe, violence against Sampo

This is just my silly little ramblings, don’t take it to seriously lolol

And SPOILERS for Even Immortality Ends

-Asking the Honkai Star Rail characters if they want to have a baby-

Luka: Luka is training. You’re sitting on his back while he does push-ups, smiling to yourself, wondering if you feel even slightly heavier and he’s just too polite to say anything. You had a reason to wonder that…and while you were nervous to see his reaction, you knew it was going to be positive. It had to be. Luka loved kids, he always played with the Moles in his free time, he was always trying to set a good example for kids, careful not to curse around them or act rude. Yes. Luka loved kids. He was going to love hearing he was going to be a father. “Luka?” You prompt after his 67th push-up. “Hm?” he grunts out. “Do you want to have a baby?” you ask, and his arms slip out from underneath him and he lands on the ground with an unpleasant crash. “Oh my gosh, Luka, are you okay?!” you fret, getting off from on top of him, and doing your best to help him to his feet. “Wh-what makes you ask that?!” he asks when he’s up, awkwardly dusting himself off after his little fall. “Want me to be honest with you?” “Always!” he says it so genuinely. “I’m pregnant,” you confess. “Pregnant with your baby. I found out yesterday.” He grips your shoulders, his mechanical arm squeezing you a little tightly but not unbearably tight. He looks at you seriously. “You’re being real with me right now?” he asks, his blue eyes firm and hard. “Yes, of course,” you say, matching his intense gaze. Suddenly, Luka bursts into tears, lowering his head as he cries. “I can’t believe it…” he says. “I can’t believe it…you’re pregnant…” “I’m pregnant,” you laugh, shrugging his strong hands off of you as his grip tightens, so he doesn’t squeeze you too hard. He looks at his hands. He’s shaking. He’s shaking so hard. “Do you think they’ll like me?” he asks, looking up at you, his face tear stained, with a few stray tears rolling down his cheeks. “Oh, Luka…” you take his face in your hands, and kiss his nose. “Of course…” you say. “The baby is going to LOVE you.” “You think so?” he touches one of your hands that’s pressed up against his cheek. “I KNOW so,” you smile, and he finally smiles back at you, before pulling you into one of his crushing hugs. “I can’t believe this is happening!!” he whispers into your hair. “Too tight, Luka!” you squeak, and he apologizes immediately and lets you go, before he begins gushing about how excited he is to have a baby with you.

Welt Yang: Welt Yang has been a father before. He doesn’t talk about the experience often. You wonder if he’d ever considered having kids again… You wondered that because right now, you were aboard the Astral Express, pregnant with Mr. Welt Yang’s baby. He’s unaware right now, doodling in a sketchbook at a table when you approach him. “Ah, hello, y/n,” he says upon your approach, shutting the sketchbook and setting it aside. “Hi, Welt…there’s something I need to ask you…” He can hear the seriousness in your voice. His eyes narrow a little bit. “Yes? What is it?” he stands up from the table. “What’s the matter? Are you okay?” there was that classic Welt Yang Anxiety again. “Yeah. Yeah I’m fine…I was just wondering how you felt about…having a baby…?” It doesn’t even take him a minute. “Are you pregnant, y/n?” he asks, the serious tone not leaving his voice. You sigh. “You saw right through me…” “Wow…” he says. “We’re having a baby…” “We’re having a baby,” you agree. “Are you…opposed to the idea?” “No, no, just a bit…surprised.” “I’m actually pretty excited,” you say, putting your hands on your stomach. “Yes…me too,” Welt Yang smiles warmly at you. “This is a big responsibility, I trust you’re ready for it?” “Are you?” you ask in reply. “I’ve done this before, y/n…” the thought does put you at ease. Welt was an experienced father. Which meant things were probably going to turn out okay, right? “I’m sure you’ll be a wonderful parent,” he says, leaning down to kiss you. Welt is warm and soft and wonderful. “Thank you…” you whisper against his lips. You were really having Welt Yang’s baby. This was really happening…how exciting…

Blade: You’re TERRIFIED. You’d never talked about this with Blade…and you knew how he was…this was a man who wasn’t fit to be a father. He was violent, cold, emotionless, and most importantly marastruck. Your husband was a dangerous man. Realistically, you shouldn’t even have gotten with him. But here you were, pregnant with his baby, waiting for him to return from a mission. You had already told Kafka, begging her to use her spirit whisper to make sure he was as calm and collected as he could be when they got back, and she had said she would do what she could for you, but no promises. Blade was back, with that familiar, distant look on his face that you grew to love with time. “Kafka told me you wished to speak to me. About something serious,” he says, his expression not changing as the two of you walk to somewhere more private. You silently thank Kafka. His eyes are calm. The mara symptoms are down for now. “Yeah, something…happened.” “What happened?” he asks, barely seeming curious. You happened, you think bitterly for a second, before clearing your mind and giving it to him directly. He would prefer it that way. “I’m pregnant,” you say it simply, watching as his red eyes widen, just a bit. “I see…” he says, after a moment. He doesn’t say anything else. You wrap your arms around him, giving him a gentle hug. He doesn’t hug you back. “Do you want to have a baby, Blade?” you ask quietly. The answer is cold and concentrated. He speaks plainly, but with a hint of something that sounds like anger in his tone. “No.”

Luocha: Luocha had noticed the signs. The sudden cravings, the morning sickness…he was a doctor after all, he knew what the symptoms of pregnancy looked like. But he tried to deny it. He didn’t want to have a child. He just wanted it to be you and him…for eternity. So maybe if he ignored the problem, it would just go away. Maybe he was just overthinking and you weren’t pregnant… Luocha goes on trying to convince himself of this until one day he gets back to the hotel room you’re staying in, and you’re sitting at the table with a nervous look on your face. “What’s the matter, dear?” he asks, propping his coffin up against the wall. “I’ve been wondering…Luocha…how you feel about having a baby?” Play it cool, Luocha, play it cool. You knew this was coming… “Why do you ask that?” he inquires, sitting across from you and taking your hands in his. “Because…” your face lights up wonderfully, and it warms his heart…“I’m pregnant!” you announce excitedly. You’re so happy…so thrilled at the thought of having a child…he doesn’t have the heart to tell you he wants nothing to do with his future child. “Love…that’s wonderful…” he kisses your knuckles. “Thank you!” you say happily. “Luocha…I’m so excited…to think…we’re going to be parents!” “Yes,” he says. “We’re going to be wonderful parents, I’m sure of it…” You don’t hear the hesitation in his voice, the reluctance at the thought of becoming a father. You fall asleep happy in your husband’s arms. He can’t get any sleep at all.

Sampo Koski: you’re patching up Sampo after his most recent encounter with the Silvermane guards. He’s bleeding from his nose and his head, and you press the wound on his forehead with a warm washcloth as you attempt to stop the bleeding. “You’re so…Reckless, Sampo,” you sigh, removing the washcloth and seeing that your efforts to stop the bleeding have paid off. “Yeah, but that’s what you like about me, right?” his hands close around your wrists and he pulls you close for a kiss, and for whatever reason, you comply with him. “You can’t keep living dangerously like this…” you say when the two of you pull apart, and he blinks at you in confusion with those pretty green eyes. “What are you getting at-?” he asks it cautiously, curiously. You had never given him a hard time about his dangerous habits before. “I can’t afford to lose you. Especially not now…” He raises an eyebrow at you and smirks. “Baby, what are you trying to say? I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.” “I’m pregnant.” “Oh…” he’s quiet, he purses his lips. “OH. Y/n, I-” “Just don’t,” you say, bringing your fingers to his lips. “If you say anything, you’ll just make it worse. Just…agree to live a little less dangerously…just a bit? Can you nod if you agree?” He thinks for a moment, and then he nods. When you remove your fingers, he wraps you into a hug, surprising you. “I’ll…I’ll be safer…for your sake…” he says into your hair, and you suddenly feel tears welling in your eyes as you hug him back. “Good…” you say. “No more running from the guards, no more shady black market deals…I need you alive for our baby…” “I know…” he says, hugging you a little tighter. “Sampo…” you ask after a moment. “Yes?” “Do you Want to have a baby?” He thinks about it for a moment. “Yeah. You know what? I do…”

Gepard Landau: You’re waiting for your husband to get back from work, your heart pounding in your throat. It was a simple question you had for him really, but one that always made you nervous when you thought about asking him. Gepard had expressed to you before that he didn’t have the Best of childhoods growing up. His father sounded…borderline abusive…so maybe Gepard would feel that- You hear the lock turn, and you nervously rub your sweaty palms on your pants. “Welcome back, honey,” you say when he enters the house. He smiles at you, a distant, tired smile, as you come up to him and kiss his lips and lead him to the living room, helping him undo his armor. He sets his gauntlets down on the coffee table. You take a noticeable, deep breath. “Something the matter?” he asks. “Kinda…” you say. And now you have his undivided attention, the tiredness fading from his face. “What happened?” he asks. “Nothing happened!” you reply. “I’ve just been wondering…how you would feel…if I asked you…” “Go on…” “If you maybe wanted to…have children?” He stops removing his armor, and looks at you with even more serious eyes than before, then suddenly he can’t meet your eyes at all. “Wh-what would make you ask such a crazy question?” he stammers. He’s so flustered. More flustered than you’ve ever seen him before. “I was just thinking-” “You’re not pregnant are you?” he struggles to get the words out. “No, no, I’m not, it’s okay, Geppie, we don’t have to have children if you don’t want to-” “No, I Do want to, it’s just…I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet…” Your husband sits down on the couch, buries his face in his hands. “I’m sorry…” he says. “No, it’s okay, Geppie,” you say, unclipping his cape for him and folding it nicely. “Whatever happens will happen…right?” He looks up at you with a hopeful smile. “Yeah. That’s right.” You finish helping your husband take off his armor, and you don’t mention it again until you get pregnant.

Dan Heng: Dan Heng was busy reading in the archives when you approached him, a serious question on your mind. Well. May as well be blunt with him, right? He was always so blunt with you. “Dan Heng, I’ve been thinking of having your dragon babies,” you say, and he nearly, NEARLY chokes on his drink. (Yes I KNOW Vidyadhara can’t have children, just bear with me lol…) “What?” he asks, turning a slight shade of red. “I want to have your dragon babies,” you rephrase, to see if he gets it this time. “If you want to, of course, but I’ve been thinking about it hard and I think I’m ready for this leap.” Dan Heng is actually…flustered. At first he has no idea what to even say, before finally he pulls himself together. “Vidyadhara, like me, can’t actually have children, y/n…” “Then I want your Adopted dragon babies…I don’t care, I just want to raise children with you…” “You’re being completely serious right now, aren’t you?” You nod and he can’t help the small smile that appears on his face. “Let’s discuss this more tonight. I have work to be done…” he says, regaining his composure. Well. He didn’t say no. “Alright,” you agree, leaning over and kissing him on the nose. “Yeah. Let’s talk about those dragon babies tonight…”

Jing Yuan: Jing Yuan is in the garden, tending to the plants, interacting with the birds…he is truly at peace. And so are you. Your footsteps announce your presence, and you watch him stop moving as you approach, so you can wrap your arms around his waist and bury your face in his hair. He is warm, and smells nice. “Yes, my dear?” he asks, putting his hands over yours, and swaying gently for a moment, a calming gesture of his. “I was thinking…” He pauses his swaying and turns around so you can face each other. He takes your hands and kisses your knuckles. “Well?” he says. “Would you ever consider having children?” His eyes barely widen at the sudden question, and he lets out a hearty laugh. “Is Yanqing no longer enough for you? Want to give him a little sibling? He might be jealous…” Jing Yuan begins teasing you immediately, but you know he’s seriously considering your question. He sighs, a happy sigh. “You’ve beaten me to the question…” he says, grinning at you, letting that implication sink in. “Jing Yuan!” you reply. You don’t know what to say. “You too?” you ask. “Yes,” he says. “I can see it clearly now…you and I…in this garden…” he wraps an arm around your waist and looks out at the garden. “With three-no…four children…running around the garden, playing with the birds…” “Four children?” you repeat, feeling a little shiver run up your spine. Why are you not surprised he said something so crazy? “I’m open to discussion, of course. Would you rather five? Six?” Now he was just making fun of you again. He lifts your chin with his hand. “Let’s start with just one,” you laugh. Though, to be honest, you could see Jing Yuan’s vision pretty clearly too… “One it is!” he agrees, leaning in to kiss you. “We’re going to be wonderful parents…” he says. “Yes,” you agree, letting him kiss you. This was the start of something Wonderful.

Nanook: Nanook is looking at you with those piercing golden eyes. Usually their lover didn’t seek them out, unless there was something important to discuss. “What brings you to me?” the Aeon asks, tilting their head ever so slightly while they gaze at you. “Well…I’ve been thinking…”you say, nervously fiddling with the hem of your shirt. You had been married to the Aeon for a while now, and yet they still managed to make you nervous. “Speak,” the Aeon commands. You flinch a bit at the authority in their voice, but you knew they didn’t speak that way just to scare you. That was just how they talked. In the vast expanse of space, you speak what has been on your mind for the past year. “I’ve been thinking about having a child of our own…” you say it, and it sounds silly to propose such a thing to an Aeon… The Aeon is silent for a moment, their yellow eyes flicking to you, taking in the details of your face. “We have Millions of children, y/n…” the Aeon speaks. “I know, but…” well, in your eyes Voidrangers and lord ravagers didn’t really count as ‘children’. “Oh, you know what I mean…” you say in frustration. The Aeon rests their chin on their knuckles. They do know what you mean. Technically it would not be impossible for you to have a child with Nanook…if you spoke to the Aeon of Abundance… “What do you wish to have a child for?” Nanook asks. So simple a question, so difficult to answer. Truthfully, you just…really wanted a child. And as far as you were concerned that was impossible to make happen while you were wed to an aeon, but you thought you may as well finally bring it up. See if they can do anything. “I just want one,” you say, inwardly wincing at how pathetic it sounds. The Aeon is silent for a long moment, before finally, they flick their wrist, almost…dismissively…? “Very well. As much as it loathes me, you may speak to the aeon of abundance. They might grant your wish. Might,” they emphasize. “Thank you…” you try to keep your composure, but you’re just so excited. Meeting with the Aeon of Abundance was dangerous, considering how such a thing clearly didn’t mix with destruction, but you wanted that child and dang it if it meant confronting the Aeon of Abundance so be it!

Caelus: Caelus is sitting on the cushioned couch of the Astral Express, tapping away at his phone, playing a video game when you approach him, sitting beside him and kissing his cheek. He was so sweet. So pure. You’re thinking about him playing hide-and-seek with those kids on Jarilo-VI and the thought is making you happy. “Do you like children, Caelus?” you ask. He puts his phone down and looks at you with those beautiful eyes of his. “I guess so…” he says. “Why?” “I’ve been thinking…” you say. “About having kids of our own.” He looks surprised. His eyes widen, and he bites his lip. “Really? You think we should have kids?” he asks, trying to wrap his head around the idea. “Well why not?” you ask. “You like kids…I like kids…I think we’d make great parents, don’t you?” “Maybe…” he shrugs. “I guess I’ve never…considered it before…” he thinks for a moment. You remain quiet while he thinks. “But I could see it,” he finally says, and a smile crosses your face. “We’d make a pretty great family.” “We would,” you agree. He slowly begins to smile, the look on his face so cute. Yes, you could see Caelus as a great dad. You knew he was going to love his kid…

#honkai star rail #honkai star rail x reader #Honkai star rail Luka x reader #Honkai star rail Nanook x reader #Honkai star rail Caelus x reader #Honkai star rail Welt Yang x reader #honkai star rail Blade x reader #honkai star rail Luocha x reader #honkai star rail Sampo Koski x reader #Honkai star rail Gepard Landau x reader #Honkai star rail Dan Heng x reader #honkai star rail Jing Yuan x reader #pregnancy

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cheri-translates · 3 years

Text

[CN] Gavin’s S2 R&S - Border (Eng Translation)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers from an R&S (边境) which has not been released in English servers!🍒

This S2 R&S features S1 Gavin, but it follows directly after Ch 37 - Gavin’s Farewell. If you don’t wish to spoil yourself on how S1 ends, please don’t read this!

Follow along with the audio here!

[ Chapter One ]

The dismissal bell has rung for a very long time.

With an almost inaudible sigh, Gavin takes a final glance in the direction of the rooftop, then turns around to leave.

The pale yellow light divides the light and darkness, akin to the black and white keys of a piano which are no longer played by anyone.

The companionship and breaths belonging to the girl have become too warm and natural. Having gotten used to them, the temperature seems to have dropped when walking alone in the school grounds.

Gavin walks over to the school wall. Gently exerting force on his ankles and wrists, he leaps over the wall.

“This time, it counts as a proper goodbye, doesn’t it?”

He smiles a little bitterly.

The enclosing wall, trees and plants are silent, leaving the answer to the evening breeze passing through the leaves.

The city is silent.

The Special Task Force has already issued instructions to every team member to be dismissed. Even the team members who wanted to leave last have returned to their families.

The cluster of comets in the sky brush the atmosphere, burning long trails of unclear rays of light in their wake.

In the distance, some dark smoke can be seen rising faintly, probably the embers of a disaster-stricken building.

Gavin looks at the night sky as many meteors streak past. Getting onto the motorcycle, he drives far away.

Since an unknown point in time, he’s been running in the direction of the girl.

Despite not knowing where such inexplicable confidence came from, Gavin has always felt that whether it’s in the form of protecting her, standing by her side or waiting, the end-goal of the path they walk on will always coincide.

When he told the girl to "walk forward", he was already convinced that the girl would follow her own path, no matter how difficult it is. She would definitely reach the goal she’s searching for. As for himself, he would definitely stand there, welcoming their reunion once again.

Walking forward without turning back, they will eventually meet again in the future.

Gavin secretly vows that when the time comes, no matter what happens, he will definitely not let go of her hand again.

The wind howls. The high-speed motorcycle carries its partner, galloping through the devastated city.

Moving a little closer to that place in Gavin’s heart.

[ Chapter Two ]

Although no new natural disasters have occurred for the time being, the wounds inflicted on the city are still dripping with fresh blood.

The pavement that was originally clean and wide have occasional piles of rubble and rocks. The asphalt is cracked, and the iron railings are in tatters, curled at the side.

The originally lively and bustling Loveland City is now struggling whilst at death’s door, providing its citizens a final refuge.

"Ahh--”

A harsh sound of scraping metal suddenly arises from the roadside, followed by exclamations from the crowd.

A large advertising billboard that was originally on the roof of the building is swinging downwards, and the steel bars fixing it in place are gradually cracking, and it’s clear that it’s about to fall.

Gavin pulls in the direction violently, and the motorcycle sweeps half an arc on the road. Amid the billowing dust, the tyres almost create sparks on the ground.

Changing directions, the motorcycle gallops toward the tall building, leaving behind only the sound of rustling wind.

Citizens who sense the danger in the streets rush for cover. But the falling billboard is too humongous, and the shadow from the top hangs over the heads of all who are fleeing.

Finally, the steel bars are no longer able to hold the billboard. Along with the cracking sound of the final steel bar, the billboard quickly plummets towards the ground--

On the ground, some people have already closed her eyes, waiting for the unexpected calamity to arrive.

What arrives before the pain is a gale rising from the ground, rushing into the air with a mighty force.

"Don't panic. Evacuate to an open area."

Gavin raises his voice, giving instructions to the citizens who are still in a state of panic.

The howling wind turns into a sharp blade, slicing the huge billboard into countless small pieces immediately. Amid the sparks, the sliced metal emits a pungent smell.

Another gust of wind rises, wrapping the debris, and landing on an unoccupied area.

In an instant, the shadow hanging over everyone's head disappears. Even the stinging gas in the air has been dispersed by the wind.

After doing all of this, Gavin breathes a sigh of relief. Just as he’s about to leave, the citizens he saved surround him, thanking their hero.

A little girl, with tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes, tugs at Gavin’s clothes, putting the candy in her pocket into his hand carefully.

"Thank you, Big Brother."

"You're welcome."

"Big Brother... are you the Commander Brother who was on TV the other day?"

The little girl blinks, her hands clenched till her knuckles have turned white, not allowing him to leave.

"…yes."

"Will Big Brother protect us afterwards? From the stars?”

She points to the top of her head, eyes filled with anticipation.

"Don’t worry. I’ll do everything I can."

Gavin squats down and rubs the top of the little girl's head. His eyes become much more tender.

“Aside from me, there are also many other people who are doing everything they can.”

"There’s also a very incredible Sister. Even though she isn’t here now, she’s definitely working hard.”

"Is that Sister an even more incredible person than Big Brother?”

"Mm. She’s very incredible. She’s overcome many obstacles and has done many difficult things."

"Is Sister a fairy? After she finishes what she has to do, will she come back?" Ignoring the gentle tug of her mother, the little girl continues asking Gavin questions.

"She will. I believe her."

The little girl nods faintly, then takes out another candy.

"In that case, when you see Sister, remember to give this to her!"

"Okay. I definitely will."

He watches as the little girl finally smiles, pulling on her mother as she hops away. Then, he shakes his head at the apologetic lady, indicating that he wasn’t bothered.

Gavin scans his surroundings. After hesitating for a while, he begins to clear up other hidden dangers that still linger in the city.

The wind rolls up the rubble and bricks that have fallen to the ground, shifting them to the side of the road. Remnants of buildings hanging in the air are either cut or fixed in another manner.

He’s silent, quietly tidying up and protecting the city, no different from the other things he has been doing during this period of time.

[ Chapter Three ]

When Gavin returns to his senses, many people have already gathered on the street.

Everyone is like him, doing things quietly. Whether it’s helping others or cleaning up the city, they simply hope to make this city a little better than the second before, bit by bit.

"Commander!"

Gavin turns his head, looking at the man who called him. Dressed in military attire, the childish aura of his face hasn’t completely faded away despite his dirty face.

Around him, there are several people of around the same age: the same childishness, the same tiredness, and the same fire burning in their eyes.

"We’re part of the Special Task Force Medical Corps, but we’re still reserves. We responded to the call for support, and didn't expect to see you here."

They line up in front of Gavin, standing at attention and saluting, their voices trembling slightly with emotion.

Whether it’s because of fatigue or because they weren’t properly trained, their posture is not up to standard, and their greeting was overly casual.

But Gavin doesn’t care that much, and simply gives them a nod.

"Commander, what instructions do you have next?"

Gavin pats him on the shoulder, getting him to relax. "Don't be so nervous. You should have received the order to evacuate.”

"Yes. But there are minor damages nearby, and there are citizens in need of medical assistance, so we returned to the frontline on our own accord."

Gavin looks at these young people who have yearning and decisiveness in their eyes. Half-seriously and half-jokingly, he says, "So you’re all blatantly violating instructions?"

Another young man stands upright, replying in a bright voice. “The Commander hasn’t rested yet, so we’ll also continue to provide assistance."

Hearing this, Gavin smiles slightly. “You’re free to act anyway you want. Provide medical and follow-up support to the citizens."

"Yes!"

"Take care of your own safety.”

"Yes!"

"Also...”

Gavin's gaze softens, his lips curving upwards.

"Also, set aside some time to keep your family members company.”

The cluster of comets burning in the night illuminates the group of people who refuse to give up even at the last second.

Despite knowing what’s coming, the people gathered here are still igniting with the hope in their own hands.

Hope that this world wouldn’t end.

Hope that there can be a tomorrow.

Light rips through the night, and the people who look up at the starry sky stand hand in hand.

Gavin leans against the motorcycle, suddenly feeling as though what he has always been holding onto, what the girl has always been protecting, and what everyone who’s unwilling to give up has been safeguarding - wasn’t the city or this world. At the same time, they were also the most ordinary, trivial matters in life.

Just a small place, a warm breakfast in the morning, a light left on when one returns late, and a “welcome home”.

Being able to hold the hand of the most important person on an ordinary day, waste time luxuriously, watch the sunrise and sunset every day.

The time on the display board is constantly approaching the number that has been engraved in everyone's mind recently.

It’s as though Gavin has never noticed the ever-changing numbers at all. He simply looks at the picture of the girl on the screen. In a quiet voice that only he can hear, he says things he wouldn’t typically say to a person he doesn’t know when he’d meet again.

“If only this could last a little longer.”

“A little longer than after the dismissal bell rings.”

“A little longer than tomorrow.”

On the screen, the girl smiles very sweetly. The moment her hair blows upwards slightly, it’s the most affectionate caress of the breeze.

"...stay by my side a little longer."

Gavin lowers his eyelids slightly, the final soft whisper being shattered and taken away by the night breeze, following the wind's trajectory toward the horizon.

The sky gradually lights up, and the cluster of comets get closer to the surface, like thousands of unformed suns, emitting fiery light, scorching the planet.

Soon, fragments of the first star descend from the sky, and the flaming tail of the comet burns before it hits the ground.

Then comes the second, the third... Even more tiny fragments begin to penetrate into the atmosphere. They are reminiscent of an advancing army beginning to sound the horn, announcing that the collision of the comets is about to begin.

Before the comets officially land, a flash of light suddenly lights up in the direction of the northern suburbs, followed by a deafening sound.

Gavin looks towards the sound, brows furrowing.

After a while, another loud noise drifts from the northern suburbs. Without much thought, Gavin gets onto the motorcycle, driving towards the northern suburbs to check out the situation, and to prevent other disasters from occurring.

He understands very clearly that at this juncture, doing such things is perhaps meaningless.

But even if it’s the last second, Gavin still hopes this world can look the way that girl likes it.

[ Chapter Four ]

Gavin reaches the northern suburbs, then walks a few kilometres further north. To his shock, he discovers that the ground has split into a giant ravine. But it doesn’t appear to be a crater.

He looks at the ravine, which is so deep that he can’t see the bottom. Just as he’s about to leave, he realises that a strange light is shining faintly in the darkness.

After a moment of hesitation, Gavin decides to go down and have a look.

He dials the communicator out of habit, following procedure in giving a report to the Special Task Force.

"An unidentified ravine has been found in the northern suburbs, and I’m commencing an investigation immediately. No additional support is required."

While speaking, Gavin descends into the ravine.

The ravine is deeper than expected. The sky above his head has shrunk into a thin slit, but he’s still unable to see the boundary of the pitch-dark emptiness beneath his feet. The ramparts around him gradually morph from sand and soil to something thicker and more solid, even with a foreign material with a touch of metal.

Since entering the ravine, the wind entwining round Gavin protects him all the way deep into the ground. The deeper he goes, the muddier the air becomes. Even Gavin is unable to judge how deep he has gone, only that the bottom of the ravine is still far out of reach.

Descending further, even the sky is no longer visible.

Light seems to be swallowed up by the hole, and doesn’t bring back any visual signals. The concept of direction becomes meaningless, leaving only darkness and silence.

Only the sensation of continuous descent and the occasional light passing by underneath his feet tell Gavin that he’s getting closer to the target.

After an unknown amount of time, light finally appears.

At the end of the darkness, the light seems to have a solid body, surging and flowing in a form between a liquid and solid state. Occasionally, the light breaks free from the shackles of that area, escaping and rising, then dissipating. Come to think of it, this was the strange light that Gavin saw earlier.

Gavin makes a preliminary judgment that this is some kind of unstable, strange space. Hence, he presses the communication button again and tries to give a report on the situation. What returns to his ears is the noise of an electric current, affected by the unique magnetic field of this place. Gavin doesn’t know if the information was transmitted.

Speeding up his pace, he plunges into the wave of light that shouldn't exist in this world.

The light is distorted, and his field of vision becomes skewed and odd. The flowing sceneries and figures slip past Gavin. He sees the construction of ancient buildings, the sailing of inter-galactic spacecrafts, the melting of glaciers after the world was frozen, and the formation of the galaxy and then its fall... It’s as though all the hidden information about the universe are exhibited here.

The spatial nodes are dazzling. No matter which one it is, they’re all worth spending more time to study and mull over meticulously.

But at this moment, Gavin doesn’t have time to care about these things. In the darkness, he can only feel that the thing he’s searching for isn’t here.

This isn’t the direction he wants to go in.

He enters a certain node in the space, then comes out from another node. There is neither direction nor goal.

He shuttles through many places, passing by various sceneries, and finally halts in front of the only node that’s different from the others.

Akin to a painting that has never had its curtain drawn, the undulating light stops here. Gavin looks around, sensing that this might be the origin of all the distortions.

So he strides forward, stepping into it.

After a moment of dizziness, a black door appears in front of his eyes, fixed abruptly in the empty and boundless void.

Complicated symbols are engraved in spirals on the huge door, seeming to rustle and whisper the answer to the origin of all things and the mystery to the riddle.

The most eye-catching one is a horizontal, interlocked “8”. It’s surrounded by thorns and irregular geometric patterns. It has an unknown beginning, and he can’t see its ending.

Gavin reaches out to touch the door, only to find that he’s unable to open it.

No matter which method he employs, the door doesn’t budge.

"You shouldn't be here."

Suddenly, a voice appears out of nowhere. But in the youthfulness of the voice, there’s a calmness that does not match this age.

Gavin looks around his surroundings but sees nothing, and he’s unable to determine where the voice came from.

"Who are you?"

Gavin voices out the doubt in his heart.

"I am everything and nothing."

Gavin frowns, clearly not satisfied with the answer that doesn’t count as an answer. After pondering for a moment, he decides to ask another question.

"What’s this door?”

“It’s a question, and an answer.”

"What's behind the door?"

"It's not time to disclose it. Even if I told you, it would be of no help. Even though I don't know how you got here, you should return now.”

The voice once again gives an answer that doesn’t count as an answer, putting an end to the conversation.

"Wait...”

"You should go. There’s someone waiting for you in the future."

Before he finishes speaking, an irresistible force repels Gavin, throwing him out of that space firmly and easily.

Before Gavin has time to digest the information he had just engaged with, he vaguely senses that a strange change has arrived to this planet.

In an instant, sunlight shines from the west, and withered grass turns green.

The universe moves forward in a reversed manner.

And the wind that was brushing past him before entering the crack is rushing in a retrograde motion.

💙 More S2 content: here

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#mlqc #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc gavin

84 notes · View notes

calwrites · 3 years

Text

The Illusion (pt 3)

Summary: How do you save the world when all you have to go on is an eye? The reader isn’t sure, but Five seems to have an idea. But helping her brother without jeopardizing her career might be harder than it seems. It doesn’t help that Diego manages to get the reader interested in a local case.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Umbrella Academy!Reader

Warnings: Umbrella Academy spoilers

Word Count: 6.5k

Unfortunately, there’s very little Criminal Minds in this chapter, but this should be the last Umbrella Academy heavy one. The BAU returns next chapter...

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

“So you’re telling me that the only thing we have to go on is an eye? We have to stop the apocalypse, and the only clue we have is an eyeball?”

“That’s what I said,” Five snapped as you tried to keep your eyes on the road. You had insisted that you drive, seeing as Five was thirteen and didn’t have a license. He was still sulking. “I have a plan, though. We’re going to go to the manufacturers of the eye and find out who the eye belongs to.”

“My first problem with that plan is that they’re going to wonder how we got the eye and will no doubt contact the police to make sure we didn’t murder anyone. My second problem is that they’re not just going to give out confidential information like that. Their clients’ information is protected. Giving us the name will potentially open them up to some big time lawsuits.”

“You’re an FBI agent. Just flash them your badge and make them give us the name. It’s not that hard.”

You sighed. “Five, I’m on thin ice with the FBI right now. They’re not exactly pleased that I lied to them about my identity.”

“Are they mad that you lied or that they didn’t catch your lie?”

Your lip quirked a bit before you forced yourself to be serious again. You were still proud that you had managed to fool the FBI for so long by yourself. “Both probably. But I have a trial next week and until then, I need to keep my head down and not piss them off anymore. Even after the trial, if they let me keep my job, I’ll be under intense scrutiny for who knows how long.”

“Is your trial before or after the world ends?”

“After,” you admitted.

“Then you can worry about your job after we save the world,” Five pointed out.

“Listen, I want to help you save the world, but I’m not going to lose my job in the process. And I’m definitely not going to risk it for an eye that might not even be useful.”

“It’s useful,” Five hissed through clenched teeth. You got the impression that he was very close to actually wanting to snap your neck.

“How do you know? What makes you think that an eye is related to the end of the world? Especially since you didn’t even see who it belongs to.”

“I just do, okay?” You waited for an explanation, but Five was too busy scowling out the window to provide one.

“What aren’t you telling me?” you prodded. Silence. “You know I could just look.”

Five sighed angrily, but something in his voice when he spoke made you realize just how serious he was. “You don’t want to see what I saw. Just believe me. Whoever has this eye is going to cause the end of the world.”

“Fine,” you accepted. “Tell me about the future, then.”

“Everything’s destroyed. What else is there to know?”

“I need to know everything I can in order to try to predict how the world is destroyed. There’s a couple possibilities, I guess. Environmental disaster. Nuclear explosion. Aliens.”

“Aliens?” Five scoffed.

You hit his arm in response. “We have super powers for some unknown reason, and you think aliens are far fetched?”

“Fine,” Five bit back. “It just looked like a wasteland. Buildings were destroyed. Some were still on fire. The ground was dust. I managed to survive by eating whatever I could find. Canned food. Cockroaches.” You made a face before you could help yourself. Thank goodness you hadn’t looked in his head to see that. “You know that myth that Twinkies have an endless shelf life? It’s total bullshit.” Five laughed mirthlessly. “We did what we had to do to survive. We adapted.”

“We?” you questioned. You were sure that Five had said all humans were dead. Five’s jaw clenched and he stared pointendly out the window, pretending he didn’t head you. You eyed your brother carefully. You wanted to believe him. Well, not really wanted since that meant believing the world was about to end, but you thought he was telling the truth. Still, being alone could really mess up your mind, especially after something as traumatic as accidentally time travelling into the future.

“You think I’m crazy,” he finally said quietly.

“I already told you that I don’t. Look, I’m driving back to the house with you. I don’t know what else could show you that I’m serious about helping you. I’m just trying to get all of the information. So, was there anyone else with you?”

“Dolores,” Five finally admitted grudgingly.

“And Dolores is?” you prompted.

“My wife.” You turned completely to stare at your brother. Your thirteen year old brother, who was actually much older than you now and was apparently married. “The road,” Five yelled, yanking the wheel to the side, so your car narrowly avoided the highway railing.

“Sorry. We’ll need to unpack that later. Preferably after we save the world. Okay, so there were cockroaches. Any other bugs or animals?”

“No.”

“You must have found some water to drink. Anything off about the water level? Did it seem really high or low?”

“No.”

“Did you see any signs of strange technology? Maybe some new weaponry? Something alien?”

“No,” Five repeated, his voice starting to sound annoyed.

“Okay,” you thought desperately for something that could give you some information. “What about the sky? Did you notice anything like strange planets or maybe something to suggest that the earth shifted?”

“I couldn’t see the sky,” Five answered softly. “There was always smoke and clouds and, I don’t know, shit in the sky. Never saw the sun. Never saw any stars or planets.”

“Well I doubt the earth was knocked out of position. If a change in position had killed all humans, you wouldn’t have survived. Unless whatever moved earth moved it back after everyone was dead.”

“Will you stop with the aliens!”

“I’m just thinking out loud,” you snapped back. “Believe it or not, I don’t have a ready made list of every possible thing that could cause the apocalypse.” You sighed, trying to calm yourself down. You were starting to get a headache, but not like a normal one. It didn’t feel like one that was brought on by dehydration or lack of sleep. It felt like the headaches you used to get when you were younger. Like your mind was about to explode out of your head. Like you just needed to engulf everything around you.

‘It’s because your mind knows that it should be monitoring everyone else’s mind.’ That’s what your father used to tell you. That your consciousness was too big for your own head, so you needed to be in everyone else’s at all times.

You shook your head, trying to clear the memories of those talks with your father. They wouldn’t do you any good now.

“Shit in the sky,” you mused. “Probably not a nuclear bomb. You don’t seem like you’ve been exposed to anything strong enough to wipe out the entire world. Worldwide volcanic winter? Maybe a super volcano erupted. By the time you showed up, the world was habitable again.”

“But how would a person in the city make a supervolcano erupt?” Five’s fingers clenched around the eye.

“I don’t know. A super volcano machine?” Five glared at you, but didn’t deign to give you a response. “Fine. Um, some sort of meteor hit earth and wiped everything out. Like the dinosaurs, but more thorough.”

“Using a meteor machine?” Five asked sarcastically.

“Maybe! Luther’s been up in space doing who knows what. There would be someone else up there who’s been prepping a meteor to hit the earth. Or someone could have some sort of super missile to shoot at a meteor as it passes. Make it explode and enough of it might hit earth to wipe out everyone. We should see if there’s supposed to be any big meteors passing earth in eight days. I’ll ask Garci-” You stopped suddenly. You couldn’t ask Garcia about this. This wasn’t a case. None of your teammates could find out about this. If the world was going to end in eight days, you weren’t going to ruin the rest of their time by telling them they have an official expiration date. “Um, we can look it up later.”

You could feel Five studying you carefully. “You really care about your work, don’t you? And your coworkers.”

“They’re like my family,” you admitted.

Five chuckled darkly. “Probably less dysfunctional than our actual family.”

“Definitely,” you agreed. You hesitated for a moment, debating asking Five the question that had been on the tip of your tongue. “So are you going to tell the rest of our siblings what’s going on?”

“I will when they’ll be useful,” Five clipped.

“I don’t think that’s very fair. They could help.”

“Whatever you say,” Five mumbled. “I’m going to get some sleep.” Before you could say anything else, Five closed his eyes. You knew from experience that Five wouldn’t respond to anything else you said, whether he was actually sleeping or just faking, so you resigned yourself to silence for the rest of the drive.

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

“I still think this is a bad idea. Let’s go back to the house and come up with a better plan.” Five continued to squeeze the fake eye in his hand as the elevator climbed up.

“Unless you think you can hack into their system and see who the eye belongs to, this is the only plan.”

You shrugged, thinking about what you already knew about this company. “I’m actually not a bad hacker. If I can use Dad’s good computer it might even be possible for me to find the name.”

“We don’t have time for ‘might.’ We have to find out whose eye this is as quickly as possible. Then we can-”

“Stop the world from ending. Yeah I get it. You can’t get mad at me when they won’t give you the name just because you ask though.”

Five turned to you with a strained smile on his face. He was probably trying to look like a normal kid, but he looked a little bit like he was about to murder you. “You forget that I’m now a child. No one’s going to question a child who’s just trying to do a good deed.”

You rolled your eyes, but didn’t respond. The elevator doors opened and you followed Five out. The floor was very modern. Windows and glass walls everywhere. Five turned around slowly, taking it all in.

“Uh, can I help you?” You took the man in silently. Lab Coat. Badge. He could help if he wanted to, but you doubted he would. Styled hair. Straight tie. Pens neatly arranged in his coat pocket. He was too much of a rule follower to break protocol and give out personal information. Though the friendly inflection of his voice suggested that he would struggle with the decision internally.

“I need to know who this belongs to.” Five held up the eye.

“Where did you get that?” The man’s brows drew together in a mixture of confusion and concern.

“What do you care?” You groaned internally. For a guy who was basing his plan off of people not being able to turn down children, he was not trying very hard to act like a likable child. You could see Five tense up slightly before he forced himself to continue. “At a playground actually,” he said, not sounding at all like someone who would be at a playground. “Must have just popped out. I want to return it to its rightful owner.”

“Oh what a thoughtful young man,” the receptionist said, smiling sweetly at Five. You debated interjecting to help him, but decided instead to watch how this played out. Observe how the employees act before attempting to manipulate them.

“Yeah just look up the name for me, would ya?” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. Five couldn’t be more unlikable even if he tried. Maybe so long without human contact had messed with him more than you realized.

The man started shaking his head. “Patient records are confidential. That means I can’t-”

“Yeah I know what it means,” Five interrupted.

“But I’ll tell you what I can do. I can take the eye off your hands and return it to its rightful owner. I’m sure they will be very grateful. So if I can just-” The man reached for the eye that was still clutched tightly in your brother’s hand.

“Yeah you’re not touching the eye.”

The man looked at you in disbelief. “Is this your son?”

You looked Five over. “Um yeah. That is my son. He really just wants to return the eye to the owner, and I’d really like to not have it around. If you could just give us a name or address or something. I know it’s supposed to be confidential, but-”

“But she’s a federal agent-”

“No I’m not,” you interrupted quickly. “I will, however, make a very generous donation if you could just give me the name.”

The man started shaking his head again. Five suddenly tried to lunge at him, but you managed to grab his arms before he could.

“Listen here, asshole,” Five yelled as you started to drag him towards the elevator.

“Thanks so much for your time,” you called. You didn’t release Five until the elevator doors had shut completely.

“Why didn’t you make him tell us?”

“I told you I wasn’t going to do that. You know, you’re very bad at acting like a child.”

“That’s because I haven’t been a child in years. I’m in my fifties.” Five continued to seethe beside you.

“Then don’t come up with a plan that relies on people giving you what you want because you’re a child.” Thankfully, your phone started ringing, saving you from Five’s response. You frowned at the unfamiliar number, but answered anyway, if only to delay Five’s anger. Your frown deepened as you listened to the voice coming through your speaker.

“Who was that?” Five asked. He was glaring at the eye in his hand.

“That was someone at the police station asking me to go pick up Diego. You’re on your own for now. Let me know when your next attempt is, unless it’s going to be illegal. I don’t want to bail out two brothers on the same day.” With that, the elevator doors opened and you left your brother glaring after you.

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

Thankfully, it was easier to find Diego than it was to find the owner of the eye. He was being led through the bullpen by a uniform officer.

“Excuse me, officer.” You called, hurrying over to the man. “I got a call telling me to pick up this one. If you could just uncuff him, I can sign or pay whatever and we’ll be out of your way.”

“Detective Patch asked to see him before we let him go,” the man replied. You shrugged and gestured for him to lead the way.

“I can’t believe they made you come down here. Normally they just let me go. Rodriguez, what gives?” Rodriguez shrugged. “Oh well. At least you were still in town.”

“Only because of Five. He showed up at my office this morning and made me come back.”

Diego turned to you, a look of shock on his face. “So Five got to see Quantico before me? C’mon, Y/N! That’s so not fair.”

“Not my problem.” It was easy to determine which of the people in the bullpen was Detective Patch. You had heard Diego talk about her before. He was sitting at a desk while another detective stood next to her, saying something you couldn’t quite hear. Diego noticed your focus and seemed to realize that he should be quiet.

“-get this, 1938.” The man bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly, but Patch rolled her eyes.

“Tell them to run it again.” She handed the evidence bag back to the man, who seemed to deflate a little bit, but took it without complaint. Patch noticed Diego then. Her eyes flicked to you curiously. “We’ll pick this up later. Uncuff him.” Rodriguez uncuffed Diego, who thanked him and then took a seat like this was a normal thing for him. It probably was, you realized. She studied you carefully when you stayed standing behind Diego. “Sorry, you are?”

“Y/N.” You held out your hand, which she took after a second of hesitation. Her handshake was unsurprisingly firm, but you noted the small look of surprise when she registered your strength. “I got a call asking me to pick him up.”

“Not that I’ve ever needed a babysitter to pick me up before,” Diego said. He grabbed a paper on Patch’s desk, which she promptly snatched back. “So, did you talk to the tow truck guy?”

“Shut up and listen carefully.” To your surprise, Diego actually did. “The next time you interfere with one of my investigations, I’ll charge you with obstruction of justice. You will do jail time. Then, getting out won’t be as easy as calling your girlfriend to come pick you up.” The only way you realized you were the ‘girlfriend’ in question was because Patch glared at you. You considered correcting her, but shut your mouth.

“Girlfriend? No gross. That’s disgusting. She’s my sister. Right, Y/N?” Diego turned to look at you. “Y/N, why aren’t you saying anything.”

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure if this was some angle you were playing. I’ve already had to pretend to be Five’s mom today, so I was just going to go with it.”

“What?” Diego and Patch asked at the same time. You waved your hand to indicate that it didn’t matter. Patch continued to study you for a second before turning to Diego.

“Look, Eudora-”

“Don’t call me that.”

“You love playing by the rules, but you live for putting the scumbags away. So, for one night, put down the badge and come out on the streets with me. Without all this bullshit.”

“You’re right. That does sound super fun. But I think you missed some things when you got yourself thrown out of the police academy, so let me explain. All this bullshit,” Patch said slowly, like she was talking to a toddler, “is what gets convictions in a court of law.” Diego leaned back and sighed, but you had to nod along with her. “What you do is fantasy. I would love to put on a mask and play superheroes and feel important, but guess what? Recess is over. It’s grownup time. You’re still trying to prove that what you did when you were kids, running around in those stupid uniform, that it wasn’t for nothing.” You couldn’t see Diego’s face, but you could see his jaw clench at her words. He turned to face you.

“Do you agree, Y/N?”

Patch scoffed slightly before looking at you. “No offense, but I don’t really care what she thinks. If she’s your sister, the one that isn’t the actress or the writer, then she’s a mask wearing vigilante too, I assume.”

You smiled tightly at her. Truth be told, her words had stung you a little bit too. Wasn’t that exactly what you had been trying to prove by joining the FBI? That everything you did as a kid, that all of that training, wasn’t for nothing. But you didn’t let that show on your face. Instead, you pulled your badge out of your pocket. “FBI agent, actually. I agree with you that all the bullshit is necessary for a conviction. Unfortunately, Diego normally has good instincts, so, if I were you, I would talk to the tow truck driver.”

“You’re a real FBI agent?” Patch asked, not bothering to hide the disbelief in her voice. You nodded. “What department?”

“Behavioral Analysis Unit,” you responded impatiently. You had a bad feeling that if you left Five alone for too long he would definitely do something illegal.

“Can I see your badge again?” You rolled your eyes, but handed it over to her. “Sorry, it’s just that your idiot brother shows up with fake badges all the time, so I have to be sure.”

“Do you want to call my supervisor? I can give you his card. His name is Aaron Hotchner,” you offered sarcastically. Patch seemed to come to her senses then and handed you back your badge. As she did, the detective she was talking to earlier walked past, catching sight of your badge.

“Woah! FBI? Maybe you can make sense of our rogue fingerprint then.”

“No don’t-” Patch started, but the man continued.

“Diego can tell you about the crime scene, but all the ballistics matched guns found at the scene, so we should assume that all the idiots shot each other, right? Simple robbery gone wrong.”

“But it’s not,” Diego interjected. Patch threw her hands up in frustration that no one seemed to be listening to her.

“Some of the guys were stabbed, though. And the prints on the knife don’t match any of the guys at the scene. They do match a print from a cold case from 1938. Weird right?”

Your brows knitted in confusion. “And the tow truck driver is a witness?”

“He left before any shots were fired. Your brother seems to think that we need to interview him, though.”

“And you don’t?” you challenged. Patch met her eyes with a small glare. She shook her head. “Any other witnesses?”

“An employee. She was in the back when it happened. Said that driver and his son were the only people in the restaurant before she went back. She heard the car drive away, then gunshots started,” Patch said, resignation clear in her voice. You were glad that she had given up the fight. This case actually piqued your interest.

“She say anything about the driver and kid?”

“Driver had an eclair, and the kid had coffee,” Patch answered.

“Where was this?” you asked, ignoring the uneasy feeling in your stomach.

“The donut shop we used to go to when we were little,” Diego said. “You remember it?” You nodded, trying not to give away how fast your mind was racing. It couldn’t be Five, you told yourself. That would be impossible. Diego slammed his hand on the desk excitedly. “You should get your team on this case, Y/N.”

“That’s not really how it works. I can’t just decide that we should work a case. We have to be invited in, then we have to decide to take it. And besides right now I shouldn’t-” you cut yourself off.

“You shouldn’t what?” Diego pushed. At your silence, realization dawned on his face. “Oh they’re pissed at you. They know that you’ve been lying to them, and they’re pissed. Well, you still have the badge, so they haven’t fired you. Are you on probation of something? Is that why you’re back here?”

“I have a trial next week,” you snapped to shut your brother up. You took a deep breath, then turned to Patch, who was watching you with a raised brow. You held out a card to her. “You might not trust Diego’s opinion, but I hope you trust mine. That’s the number for my team. I think this case isn’t as open and shut as it seems. If you’d like the help of the BAU, feel free to call.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised that both Hargreaves as rule breakers,” she said slowly, ignoring the card in your hand. Finally, she took it, then turned to Diego. “Go. Before I change my mind.”

You followed Diego out of the police station. To your surprise, he somehow managed to keep his mouth shut until you had exited the building.

“This is great!” He spun around to face you, causing you to step back a bit in surprise. “With your team on the case, you’ll be able to tell me everything happening and I can still work the case. Could you bring me on as a consultant or something?”

“Diego, stop.” The tone of your voice made your brother snap his mouth shut. “I have a trial next week. Until then, I’m on desk duty. If I go back to work, then all I’ll be doing is paperwork. And I don’t even know if my team could take a new case. They might still be working on Dad’s death.”

“Dad’s death? But there’s nothing to work on.” Some passersby eyed Diego warily as he idly spun a knife around his fingers.

“They’re supposed to rule out all possibilities before any conspiracy theories start to gain traction. The Bureau assigned them the case, so they don’t have a say.”

“And you don’t know whether they’ve finished?”

You shook your head. “If I so much as glance at a file for the case, then I’ll be gone from the Bureau.”

“If you’re in so much trouble, why are you here and not at your desk being a good little FBI agent?”

“My boss told me I could take time off before the trial. There are a lot of people curious about seeing an Umbrella Academy kid, so our floor was getting a bit crowded. And then Five showed up and asked me to come back.”

“Woah, what? Why did Five ask you to come back?” Diego stopped walking and turned to look at you seriously.

You hesitated before answering. Five had said he didn’t want to tell anyone about the apocalypse yet. Even if you didn’t agree with him, shouldn’t you respect his wishes? And even if you were going to tell someone, Diego probably wouldn’t be your first choice. There was no telling when he would do. Probably land himself in jail again.

“You can ask him about it,” you said finally. “He just wants my help getting some information.”

“Ah. Is he trying to reintegrate into society? Geez, I can’t imagine how messed up his head is. Have you profiled him yet? Or just taken a peek inside his brain?”

“No, Diego. I don’t profile family, and I don’t use my powers.”

“You did yesterday,” Diego muttered sarcastically.

“On that note, I’m going to leave you before I’m tempted to use them again. I assume you can find your car. Wherever it is.” Before Diego could respond, you were in your car and driving away. You could see Diego yelling in your rearview mirror, but you didn’t stop to hear what he said.

You tried to focus on finding Five and figuring out what your next plan for stopping the apocalypse would be, but you couldn’t keep your mind from wandering back to Patch’s case. It didn’t really make sense that all of those men would fatally shoot each other in the short amount of time between the tow truck driving away and the employee coming out from the back.

And then there was the fingerprint. The donut shop you went to when you were children. It’s a place Five would go to get coffee. He was familiar with the area. It would be a place of comfort to him. But he couldn’t have been involved in a case from the 1930s. He had to have time travelled back to the present as soon as he figured out how to jump backwards. Still, you couldn’t get rid of the unease in the back of your mind. If your team did take the case, what would they find?

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

“Back again, ma’am?” You grimaced apologetically at the receptionist, who was eyeing you warily.

“I’m sorry, but I’m looking for my son. He won’t let go of this whole eye thing, so I guessed he might be here.”

The receptionist nodded and gestured to one of the glass walled offices. “He and your husband are meeting with the boss in there.”

You turned, a slight grimace on your face, to see who Five had decided was your husband. Klaus. In one of your father’s suits. You were tempted to leave them and find out how they failed when they got back to the house, but instead you took a deep breath and headed towards the office. As you were reaching for the door handle, Klaus punched Five, then leaned calmly over the desk. To be fair, there were a couple times over the past 24 hours when you had wanted to punch Five. Still, you rushed into the room, ready to stop whatever your idiot brothers were doing.

“I want it. Name. Now, please,” Klaus said calmly. The man looked between him, Five, now sporting a bleeding lip, and you. You shut the door quietly.

“Klaus, what are you doing?”

“Oh, how nice of you to join us, Y/N. I’m just trying to get a name for our darling son.”

“You're crazy,” the doctor said, his voice wavering ever so slightly. He was unsure of how to proceed. Unsure of just how far Klaus would go. Knowing Klaus, the answer was a lot farther.

Klaus laughed. “Oh, you got no idea.” He looked down at the snowglobe on the desk. The doctor followed his gaze, panic written plainly on his face.

“Klaus, don’t-” you began, but before you could finish Klaus had picked up the snowglobe and smashed it on his head. To the businesses credit, they must have really good, soundproof walls. No one outside of the room seemed to have any idea what was going on inside. You threw your hands up. “I don’t know why I bother.”

“God that hurt,” Klaus groaned.

The doctor grabbed his phone and began furiously dialling. “I’m calling securi-”

Klaus grabbed the phone from his hand. “There’s been an assault. We need security now.” Ever the dramatic sibling, Klaus sounded incredibly pathetic as he whimpered over the phone. “Now here’s what’s going to happen, Grant.”

“It’s Lance.”

“In about 60 seconds, two security guards are going to burst through that door, and they’re going to wonder ‘what the hell happened’ and we’re going to tell them that you beat the shit out of us. And they’re going to believe us. Because we’re bleeding, and we have an FBI agent who will back up our story.” Klaus turned to look at you, blood dripping from his head and silver stars still stuck to his face. “Right, honey?”

“Stop telling people I’m an FBI agent.” You sighed, hating what you were about to do. “Right now I’m just a mother and a wife, who just had to watch her family be harmed by someone who’s supposed to be helping people. And all because my son wants to return an eye that he found.”

Lance looked between the three of you in horror, before getting up and going over to a filing cabinet. He riffled through it for a few seconds before pulling out a file. The brows pulled together in confusion. “Huh. That’s weird.”

“What?” Five snapped.

“The eye. It hasn’t been purchased by a client yet.” You stood over his shoulder, looking at the file. “The eye with that serial number...this can’t be right. It hasn’t even been manufactured yet. Where did you get that eye?”

Your blood ran cold as your eyes scanned the file. He was right. So your one lead wasn’t even useful. Not yet at least. Without responding to Lance, Five began walking towards the elevator, leaving you and Klaus to follow.

“I’m really sorry about all of this,” you told Lance. “It’s a long story.”

“If I ever see you three here again, I’ll have security escort you out immediately.”

“That’s fair.”

“Well, this isn’t good,” Five stated as the three of you left the building.

“Yeah but I was pretty good right? ‘What about my consent, bitch?’”

“Klaus, it doesn’t matter,” Five snapped.

Klaus spun in a circle, his arms out wide, before facing you and Five. “Why? What’s the big deal about this eye?”

“There’s someone out there who’s going to lose an eye in the next seven days. They’re going to bring about the end of life on this earth as we know it.” Without waiting for Klaus’s reply, Five began walking away. His hands were balled into fists and his shoulders were so tight that he looked like he had a hunchback.

“Right. Can I get my 20 bucks now?” Klaus spun on his heel and began following Five, who turned around furiously to face Klaus.

“The apocalypse is coming and all you can think about is getting high?” Five seethed.

“Well I’m also quite hungry. Tummy’s a-rumbling.”

“You’re useless.” Five sat heavily on the steps of the building. “You’re all useless.”

“Excuse me. I came back here because you asked me to.”

“Yeah, but you won’t do anything to actually help. You could have asked your technical analyst to hack into their records, but you didn’t. You’re all useless.”

“Well, if that’s how you feel, maybe I’ll just go back to DC. Spend my last days on with people who actually care about me.” You turned back towards your car, every intention of getting in it and leaving Five in the dust.

“You just want to get back to your new boyfriend,” he called after you, making you stop in your tracks. Spencer. You had to save the world for Spencer. Didn’t the two of you deserve a chance to be together? And didn’t the rest of your team deserve a chance to live the rest of their lives. Shouldn’t Hotch and JJ be able to watch their children grow up? You took a deep breath before turning back around to face your brothers.

“I know why you must be so uptight.” Klaus sat next to Five, throwing an arm around him. Five looked at Klaus with disgust. “You need to get laid. I mean, all those years by yourself? It’s gotta screw with your head.”

“Well...I wasn’t alone.” Klaus raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Her name was Dolores. We were together for 30 years.” You were beginning to worry that Five might have been living some sort of Castaway situation, and Dolores was actually a rock or something that Five had convinced himself was a real person.

“Not to break up this wonderful bonding, but you guys can’t do something like that again.” You looked between your brothers as you spoke. Five rolled his eyes. “I’m serious. Or if you do, I can’t be a part of it. I can’t even know about it. If the Bureau gets wind that I’m doing something illegal, I could lose my job. Five, I’ve already told you that I’m on thin ice. I’m not going to risk it. Not even for-” Before you could finish, Five popped away. You saw him lean out the window of a taxi driving past. “-the end of the world.”

“Hey!” Klaus hopped up quickly. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, what about my money?” Five continued to wave as he drove past.

“Come on, Klaus.” You put a hand on his shoulder. “We can pick up some food on our way back to the house. I’m not buying you drugs, though.” Klaus shut his mouth quickly and began to pout. “That’s going to work. And If you don’t stop pouting, I won’t buy you any ice cream.”

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

You sat by yourself at the kitchen table, staring at the untouched dinner in front of you. Pogo and Allison were the only other people home. Last you knew, Allison was somewhere upstairs sulking. Apparently, she and Vanya had a fight earlier. Allison was so upset about it that you could feel the emotions wafting off of her as soon as you entered the house.

The texts on your phone were shining up at you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to answer them. A couple from different members of your team telling you that they hoped you were alright since you left in a hurry that morning. But it was Spencer who had been making your phone buzz all day. He was worried, which was understandable. You had left quickly and your confession about your true feelings could be seen as alarming, especially considering what a stressful situation you had found yourself in.

You picked up your phone to respond to him when a call lit up your screen.

“Hey, Hotch. I was just about to respond to everybody. I just needed to come home. It’s been a crazy day.”

“Y/N, we’ve been called into a case that you are apparently already familiar with.”

“Hotch, I wasn’t trying to work that case. I had to pick my brother up from the police station and Detective Patch-”

“Detective Patch has already told me about all of that. What I need to know is if you really think there’s more to this case than a bunch of men shooting each other.” Even over the phone, Hotch sounded tense. You could hear rustling over the line and the faint sound of an engine. Was he on the jet?

“I do, sir.”

“Detective Patch does now too. There’s been a new development. We’re taking off in ten minutes and we’ll meet you at the police station. I need you to get down there immediately and begin setting up.”

“Wait, Hotch, I thought that I was on desk duty until my trail. I shouldn’t be anywhere near this case. And have you guys closed the case for my father’s death?” Hotch didn’t respond. You sighed when realization hit you. “Unless you think this could be related.”

“I’m afraid I can’t discuss your father’s case with you. The Board of Directors said specifically that you had to be on this case. That’s all I can say. I’ll see you at the station.”

You put your phone down slowly. Various reasons as to why the Board of Directors would want you working on the case ran through your head. Considering your impending trail, none of the reasons could be good.

You were shaken from your thoughts by Allison and Luther entering the kitchen.

“Y/N, you have to see this,” Allison said breathlessly.

“I don’t have time.” You stood quickly, leaving your dinner uneaten as you rushed out the door. “My team has a case. I need to get to the police station. I don’t know when I’ll be back.” You heard Allison and Luther calling after you, but you ignored them. Whatever they wanted to show you couldn’t be more important than this case. You had a bad feeling that this case might determine your future at the Bureau. More specifically, whether or not you’d have a future at the Bureau.

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all-souls-matinee · 4 years

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Paranormal Activity

I went through ‘a very strange time in my life’ a few years ago where I watched every single Paranormal Activity movie, some multiple times, thinking that would have no impact on my psyche. So here I am, someone who thinks the the franchise is bad and yet can remember every plot thread and every scare, and I might as well do something with that. These will be graded on a curve (scale of 1-5 stars) and not by their overall worth as movies.

Paranormal Activity (2007)

★★★★☆

Today the first movie in the franchise is lampooned for being boring and amateurish, with unlikable lead characters and a plot that doesn’t really go anywhere, but how are those not points in its favor? Isn’t that what found footage is all about? Critics and scholars contend it’s singlehandedly responsible for the genre craze that swept the United States in the 2010s after a relative lull in the early aughts, and it’s easy to see why. I’m not going to go so far as to say Paranormal Activity is a good movie (it’s not), but it is a very easy and engaging watch.

With a cast of only two people and hardly any outside characters the story plays out as a domestic drama; yes, there are long stretches of nothing happening but it ratchets up suspense in a way that was unusual and refreshing at the time. Using a camera to feel in control of an out-of-control situation was a theme broached by the much better Blair Witch Project, and Paranormal Activity leans into it as a central thesis, making sure it’s a white hetero rich guy that’s doing the recording and only subverting that expectation in later films. The movie was even supposed to end [mild spoilers] with Possessed Katie beating her obnoxious husband Micah over the head with his beloved camera and the film cutting to black, and I think it leaves the story weaker and more scattered for having left that out.

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)

★★☆☆☆

Before I get into why this one sucks, I’ll give it the benefit of being the most solid entry in the franchise by far. As a prequel to the first movie it does its job by introducing additional family members in a bigger house with more cameras. They have to contend with the same demon, so it’s the same thing we’ve seen before but with much higher stakes, and that’s a perfectly good idea for building a franchise. I admire it for that.

Anything beyond structure and pacing is so much worse it’s laughable. Where PA1 had some originality going for it PA2 throws in every horror stereotype it can think of, including an insanely awful running bit about how the family’s Mexican housekeeper is the only one who can sense ghosts. The most novel addition to the franchise is extensive lore about the demon wanting to own a baby because of a pact made with a coven of witches, which made audiences across America lean forward in their seats and say ‘... what?’ Decisions like that cost the movie any kind of levity, scares, or interest in the characters, which were kind of essential things for the movie to have.

I’d honestly give it 1 star if it weren’t for the extensive drama over the automated pool cleaner. We spend so much time watching this thing I think I developed an emotional bond with it.

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

★★★★★

Paranormal Activity 3 is another prequel that takes us back to when the leads of the first two movies- Katie and Christie- were little girls experiencing demonic activity in the 80s (their stepdad is a videographer, which gets us past the question of how anyone in the 80s would have tens of video cameras skillfully set up around their home.) Objectively it sounds like even more of a pathetic cashgrab than PA2, but, and this might be the hottest take I will ever have when it comes to horror movies, it does its job it in a way that’s such a prefect mixture of original/bizarre content and safe bankable boringness that it’s the best movie in the franchise. It certainly cemented it for what it is today.

Movie no. 3 drops the ‘this really happened’ show the first two movies put on in trying to be like other found footage horror (read: The Blair Witch Project.) No more actors and characters sharing names, no more title cards thanking the police for footage, we’re all in on the game at this point and you don’t realize how much of a relief that is until it’s happened. Instead of trying to make the characters realistic and falling flat, they let them be a little more like characters to great success. Everyone plays their role in the story and makes the shaky plot work. It’s not good writing, but it has people react to things in interesting ways and builds up the lore of the franchise more effectively than either of the first two movies (helped along by a batshit insane finale that makes no sense but is so much fun it doesn’t actually matter.)

This is also by far the ‘scariest’ movie in the franchise, and I think it’s a combination of practice and not taking everything so deadly seriously. Comedy helps balance things out (my favorite is a sex scene that folds into an earthquake scene that folds into a shot of earthquake dust landing on a ghost), and they’ve gotten tension-building nothingness down to a science. Using a camera attached to a slowly oscillating fan and a camera trained on a mirror in a dark room? Perfect ideas for freaking your audience out.

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

★☆☆☆☆

Paranormal Activity 4 was the long-awaited actual-sequel to the events of the first movie, using the hours of information and lore given to us by the prequels as a backdrop, and it... really flounders under that responsibility. We’re introduced to an all-new cast of characters, with a teenage girl taking the lead for a change of pace that doesn’t really go anywhere, and spend the first half of the movie wondering why the family we’ve spent so much time with was pushed to the side (it must be important.) The reason we’re given is that this new family has an adopted son who is (twist!) the witch-stolen-demon-proxy baby from movie two.

PA4 has the opposite problem of PA2; it’s not awful, but is so shaky and has so much lost potential it seems to drop all of the pieces at once. It does some cool things with suspense an xbox kinect, and the acting is fine, but while no one is watching a Paranormal Activity sequel for the screenplay this one needed good, grounded writing and didn’t get that. The loose plotting of the third movie was saved by its characters and by being a little more tongue-in-cheek, but 4 doesn’t have that to fall back on and has way more moving pieces than 3 ever did. The ending is especially egregious, bizarre even by nth-sequel-in-a-horror-franchise standards, and is never brought up again. Points for a convoluted weird plot that makes no sense, points redacted for a convoluted weird plot that makes no sense.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)

★★★☆☆

Paranormal Activity 5 is so off-the-rails insane that it gets the coveted 3 stars, deserving or no. After back-to-back prequels and a disappointing long-awaited sequel, no one was sure exactly what this was going to be, and the movie seems to feel the same way.

Gone is the lore-heavy and tension-heavy stuff from the preceding years of footage. For the first half of the movie we follow a first-gen high school graduate named Jesse, who breaks into a mysterious neighbor’s house with his best friend. He gets bitten by a ghost and infected with ghost superpowers, then he and his friend group + love interest have a grand old time doing skateboard and levitation tricks using the ghost superpowers. I’m not exaggerating for comedic effect; it’s so dumb I love it ardently. Why aren’t all sequels like this???

Obviously the ghost superpowers turn out to be A Bad Thing tenuously connected to all the witch/demon stuff, and we have to get back to jump scares (now with added body horror), but the ways in which it does eventually tie back to the franchise are so ridiculous it’s delightful, and the twist ending, for once in this entire nightmare, is fantastic.

Paranormal Activity 6: The Ghost Dimension 3D (2015)

This one came out after my original paranormal activity run, and I considered watching it for the sake of being able to finish the article in good faith but I just can’t you guys. I couldn’t do it. Look at this.

That said, the thing about these movies is that none of them are a complete waste of time; even the worst entries in the lineup are entertaining and fun in a reality-tv-trainwreck sort of way, and that’s all very calculated. No matter what your opinion they earned the right to make this a franchise with too many movies and extensive lore. Happy halloween.

#paranormal activity #halloween #long post #not included is the japanese spinoff paranormal activity 2: tokyo nights #because that's not recognized as part of the american pa 'canon'#god i hate these movies why couldn't i use this space in my brain for like. electron configurations

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