#but yeah tell me what you think i should link to on my masterpost

[icameheretoreadstuff]

Inexperienced choso or super shy megumi bot +18 please

Hiiiii, here you go! :D I don't know about super shy but I tried my best! I figured I would try to write that he's super shy at maybe doing intimate stuff with you- but when he says he wants to but he's obviously to shy, your the one who needs to take the lead. enjoy C:

Pairing: Megumi x F!Reader Warnings: 18+, MDNI!, NSFW, Smut, Alcohol, Aged up Megumi, Mutual Masturbation, Oral, Shy!Megumi at first, Semi public. A/N: masterpost & links are pinned on my tumblr.

You filled up with drinks on the serving tray and walked into the living room. "Here you go" you smiled as you placed them down onto the table. Everyone grabbed a drink except for Megumi, Yuji grabbed one and gave it to him. He looked sceptical on the drink "It's just Ice tea with some alcohol" you shrugged, he grabbed it but still looked unsure at it. "Try it! you know y/n is really good at making drinks right?" Yuji said as he tried his own drink, "Don't be rude, Try it at least" Yuji tried to encourage him.

"You want some water, soda or something else instead?" you offered "You don't have to drink it, even if Yuji wants you to" you said and gave Yuji a stern look. "What!?" Yuji commented "It's good" he said and tasted it again "You should unwind Megumi!" he grinned and started to dance a little "Let loose!" Megumi looked at Yuji and just scoffed before he smiled and tasted it.

You felt the world was on a pause, waiting for Megumi to comment or react on if he liked it or not. "It's ok if you don't like it, I dont want anyone to feel pressured to drink if they dont want to" you said as you sat down into a chair. "It's okay, it's really good" Megumi finally said, causing you to let out a happy sigh "Thanks y/n" he said and leaned back into the couch.

Yuji grabbed the remote and turned down the music "Everyone! Toge said to me earlier that he wanted to play a fun game" Yuji grinned evilish, Toge looked at a your bestfriend as he blushed "Tsunamayo!" he said as he looked at Yuji. "what fun game?" Maki sighed "7 minutes in heaven" Yuji said as he winked to Toge, He sank into the chair as he sipped his drink.

"Yuji, be nice" you said as you tried to hold back your giggles. Actually you thought it was a great idea because you knew your bestfriend had a crush on Toge.

Yuji was explaining the rules when your bestfriend leaned into your ear "y/n" she whispered "what are you up to" she blushed "nothing, it was all yuji" you explained, she looked at you and her lips formed into a thin line, while her eyes smiled "It's ok, don't worry" you reasured her "you know you want to if you end up with him" you whispered back to her, teasing her. "y/n!" she playfully slapped you in your arm. "not so loud!" you both giggled.

Yuji found an empty bottle and placed it on the table, it spun around and landed on you and Megumi. You both froze as you looked at each other, your bestfriend giggled "go on" you looked at her and blushed hard.

You stood up and walked over to the closet, you crossed your arms as you saw Megumi standing up and chugging down his drink, with Yuji cheering in the background "Go inside both of you and and we'll knock when the time is up" Yuji explained. You could see Megumi hesitate as you opened up the closet door, He walked inside and you closed the door behind you.

The space was cramped but there was still some room between you. "We could just say we kissed" you said as you looked at his crossed arms. "I don't think they will believe us" He said, you chuckled "yeah, you're probably right" you agreed. "So do you mind if we kiss?" he looked at you as he was lost for words, His crossed arms fell down as he tried to say something but ended up blushing hard.

"I-I" he began, you could tell he needed some form of help "I think-" he sighed as he scratched his neck, trying to calm his nerves. "It's not that I dont want to" he said as he looked away and blushed.

"it's not?" you asked as you couldn't help but to smile "I just-" he sighed "Megumi" you said as you were trying to get a read on his behavior "You don't have to say you want to, its ok" you told him "I can take the blame" you shrugged.

There was a couple of awkward silence before he said "no, I want to but-" he tried to explain as he was looking at your lips. You took initiative with those words and stepped infront of him "I like you, Megumi" you said honestly.

He gazed into your eyes "I'm going to kiss you now, because of the game" you leaned closer "Or maybe just because I think you want me to" you whispered and kissed his lips, you could feel him kissing you back which made your heart flutter.

You leaned back to catch your breath "you kissed me back" you whispered, his chest were heaving from the kiss.

You leaned in and kissed his neck, he was about to let out moans but held his hand over his mouth. You moved twoards his lips and softly removed his hand as you kissed him deeply. "Don't hold back" you said into his lips and he leaned twoards your lips like a magnet and kissed you hard.

He hummed into your lips "just like that" you whispered into his lips. Your innocent kisses started to build up more and more to full on makeout, while he let out sweet silent whimpers.

You wrapped your hands around his neck and he grabbed your waist. You could feel his boner pushing into you. "Can we do more?" you asked him "what if they hear us?" he mumbled "what if they come inside?" you locked the door "you want to stop?" you asked and he shaked his head "no" he said and crashed his lips into yours.

You pulled down his pants, he let out a sigh as you grabbed his length "let me hear your sweet moans" you whispered into his lips as you kissed him, He hummed and let out a moan the instant that you started to jerk him off, slowly.

"y/n" he moaned he crashed his lips into yours, you grabbed his hand and guided it down your pants. He moaned as he could feel how wet you were. "you feel how wet you make me?" you moaned into his lips, he huffed as he began to explore your clit with his fingers, finding out what made you tick. You moaned and began to thrust up into his fingers.

"Megumi, I need you" you moaned as you felt you couldn't think straight, his long fingers pushed and touched and squeezed on all the right places, making you struggle to stand up.

He dragged down your pants to get more acsess as he moaned between your rough kisses. He moaned as he went back to touch you "I wanna fuck you" you huffed, he huffed "do it" you smiled "sit down" you said and stepped aside.

He managed to sit down as you took off your pants and straddled him, you grabbed his length and pushed it into your core while moaning silently.

He huffed as he pushed his length deeper inside you. You moaned as you began to slowly move your ass up and down while sitting flushed into his chest. "Megumi" you moaned as you kissed him, he moaned between your lips as you thrusted hard down onto his length.

"moan for me babe" you huffed as he kissed your neck and moved up twoards your ear as he huffed and moaned "just for you" he mumbled, as he kissed you hard.

"fuck" you moaned "I'm close, you feel so good" you panted as his moans were sending you closer and closer to the edge, and his dick was touching you in all the right places with each thrust.

You gasped silently as you thrusted hard down on his length riding out your orgasm, he moaned and thrusted his hips up into you. "y/n, I'm about to cum~" he panted. you pulled out, moved down and grabbed his length and pushed it inside your mouth and bobbed your head, his head flew back as he grabbed your hair into a ponytail and he couldn't help but to watch you.

He moaned as he could see how hungry and how good you were of sucking his dick "y/n" he moaned and thrusted his hips up into your mouth as he climaxed.

You both stood up and took on your clothes before you looked at each other, you leaned close and kissed him hard. "I wanna do this more with you Megumi" you said and he blushed as he half smiled "me too"

You both counted to three together as you walked out, they cheered and you both blushed hard. "Shut up" Megumi hissed as he blushed, looking away from the cheering "yeah, please guys" you agreed.

"I'm gonna go and make some drinks" you hurried. "You guys were inside the closet for like an hour" yuji commented loudly behind you and you could tell he was tipsy, maki smacked him in the back of his head "shut up dumbass, We agreed to leave them alone" she hissed.

You turned around and waved Megumi over to you with your head "join me?" Everyone turned silent and looked at him curious about what he was going to do.

He walked over to you with his hands in his pocket "sure" he said and smiled to you when they weren't looking. Maki turned on the music as the party continued in the background.

When you were alone in the kitchen you couldn't help yourself, you crashed your lips into his as you sighed happily. He exhaled into your kiss and cupped your face he deepened the kiss.

#jujutsu kaisen #megumi fushiguro smut #megumi smut #jujutsu kaisen smut #megumi fushiguro #jujutsu kaisen megumi #megumi x reader #jjk megumi #jjk smut #megumi imagine #jjk #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk fanart #jjk fluff #jjkedit #english is not my first language #english is not my native language

[clockwayswrites]

I would like. To propose a trade. If you tell us what Danny ~totally didn’t~ buy for Hood I definitely won’t do my level best to draw both items on their respective wearers. Doesn’t have to be a full blown… part? Chapter? …link on the masterpost that doesn’t exist or anything I’m just desperately curious and “not” willing to resort to bribery 👀

... I'm not bribe-able! Totally not! I would never.

Don't look under the cut.

cw: continuation of this, still at the kink shop, still talking mild bsdm

“You know, I think we have a leash that will match that one beautifully. Should we ring you up?”

“I, yeah, yes,” Danny said. He watched Liam look over the leashes, finding the right one. Which was really for the best, Danny didn’t know if he could manage to pick that out yet. He might just start with the collar. He was pretty sure Jason would enjoy it. But what about Hood? Sure they were the same person so they were both getting this present, but they weren’t the same. “Hey, um, you mentioned restraints?”

“Yes, we’ve got quite a selection, though you shouldn’t add too much at once,” Liam said, turning around with a rust colored leash that did indeed match the collar beautifully.

“No, not for me, well, I mean, yes but not… just is there anything that’s good for a person who might not like actually feeling too trapped? Like handcuffs are way out…”

“Ah, to tie up one of your boys.”

Danny gave a little nod.

“We do have some things,” Liam said, leading them off again. “Some people actually like it more. There is something about tying someone up and knowing that they can get out of it at any time. The only reason that they don’t is because they want to be tied up by you. It is often called honor bondage.”

That… okay, Danny could really see the appeal behind that.

Liam stopped plucked a red silk ribbon off of a display. It was an absolutely delicate looking thing with it’s subtle details and tasseled ends. Hood could snap it in an instant.

“Did I pick the right color?”

Danny swallowed. “Yes, it’s perfect.”

#askme answeryou #anevensmollersnek #dp x dc #dead on main #the fic that i'm not writing

[ambrossart]

Bad Omens

summary: after experiencing the most unlucky morning of his life, eddie is convinced that doom is on the horizon. all his friends think he's just being paranoid, but then jeff receives an unexpected request from you, eddie's little harbinger of misfortune.

pairing: eddie munson x dwm!reader word count: 4,633 warnings: middle school, young!eddie, insecure!eddie, language, bullying, teasing, secret crushes, the unnamed freak is named grant in this series

series masterpost | series playlist | fanfiction masterlist

It was a dull, dreary, rainy morning for all the students hanging out in the Hawkins Middle School cafeteria. They sat in small, quiet clusters around the room, eating, talking, scrambling to finish last night’s homework. Jeff was part of the latter group, and like everyone else, he was having a hard time staying awake. 

While the rain pattered softly against the window, he sat slumped over the table with his chin on his wrist, struggling to resist sleep’s sweet siren song. His social studies book lay in front of him, open to his current reading assignment: something about the Incas or the Mayans (Jeff couldn’t keep them straight and, this late in the school year, he didn’t have the motivation to care). He kept reading the same sentence over and over, but the words always got lost in the fog of his thoughts. His eyes, listless and heavy-lidded, blurred with tears every time he—

Another yawn snuck up on him, threatening to split his mouth wide open. Jeff raised his head and surrendered to it, let it wash over him and then drift away, leaving little pools of moisture in the corners of his tired eyes. He wiped them away with his sleeve, put his chin down, and went back to reading.

“Dude, you gotta stop yawning,” Grant said. Then he let out a big yawn of his own.

He was slicing through the school’s frozen waffles with a fork. Inside the other compartments of his tray were two greasy sausage links, a cup of assorted fruit, and two cartons of milk. Grant always bought an extra milk because one was never enough. 

“They’re too small,” he would say. “You finish one before you’re even halfway done with your food.” 

“Boy, this is riveting stuff,” Scottie would answer. “Now, Grant, how ‘bout you share with us your thoughts on the basic four food groups? For instance, should fruits and vegetables really be grouped together?”

Then someone, usually Eddie, would tell Scottie to shut up, and that would be the end of it. 

“God, these are awful,” Grant was saying now, while he stuffed a waffle square into his mouth and forced himself to chew. “Just look at ‘em. Pale, lifeless, cold in the middle. It’s like they have no pride in their product.” 

“And yet you keep eating it,” Scottie said while he doodled in his notebook. “See, Grant? You’re part of the problem.” 

“I have to,” Grant answered with a shrug. “You know I can’t go to class on an empty stomach. When I get hungry, my stomach growls really, really loud, and I’ve got a test coming up. Can you imagine what it’ll sound like in a room that quiet? Everyone will hear it and they’ll know it came from me. I can’t handle that kinda stress.”

Scottie’s doodling hand slowed. He stared at Grant with bored, blinking eyes. 

Then he said, “I keep going back to the tombs. I feel like the tombs are crucial.” 

Jeff lifted his chin off his wrist. “What?” 

“He’s talking about his campaign.” 

“Oh.” 

Shocker. Scottie was always talking about his campaign. 

“I still haven’t come up with a name for it,” Scottie said. “So far, I’ve got Into the Delves, The Delves of Dunmar, The Delves of Dunland, Digging in the Delves, Digging in the Dark Delves…” 

“Why are you so stuck on ‘delves’?” Jeff asked. 

“I dunno, I just like the way it sounds.” 

“Yeah, but I thought it was about a tomb.”

“Well, what’s a delve?” 

“It’s not a tomb! A delve is like a cave or something.”

“A hollow,” said Grant, “or a pit… a grotto.” 

“It’s also a verb, which means ‘to dig,’ which would make half those titles kinda redundant.”

Scottie’s shoulder sank. “Well, shit,” he said. “Now I’m back to square one.”

He tore out the page and crumpled it up. 

“Hey, where’s Munson? He usually comes in hot with all kinds of weird ideas. They’re usually shit, but sometimes there’s a little diamond hiding in there, and I pluck it out and shine it up real pretty until it glows into a sparkling, wonderful idea.” 

Jeff cracked a smirk. “You’re like Rumpelstiltskin spinning straw into gold.” 

Scottie squinted at him. “Rumple who?” 

“Rumpelstiltskin. It’s a German fairytale. Sorry, my lab partner got her hands on a book of Grimm fairytales and now she’s like Mother Goose. She brings them to class and reads me her favorite ones. Except these aren’t nice, happy fairytales. These are like weird and creepy. Like in one, this girl gets kidnapped by a rabbit or something and is forced to marry him.” 

“Oh, ‘The Hare’s Bride,’” said Grant. “That’s a good one.” 

“You know it?” 

“I know a lot of things I shouldn’t.” 

Scottie rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Grant, you’re just a well of knowledge. A giant, giant well.”  

Grant ignored him and went on talking: “I thought she was into Lovecraft.”

“No, that was last month, thank God. I’m so glad that phase is over. Those stories are the stuff of nightmares.”

“Speaking of nightmares,” Scottie said. “Did anyone else get a weird call from Gareth last night?” 

Jeff and Grant shook their heads. 

“Well, he called me at like eleven o’clock ranting about the Antichrist and the end of the world. It took me a while to decipher what he was actually saying, but I guess he was watching The Omen last night, and a bird flew into his window and broke its neck, so naturally he started freaking out, like Gareth always does, and the whole time I was thinking, Dude, this why your mommy doesn’t let you watch horror movies. The kid just can’t handle ‘em.” 

“Weird,” Grant said. Then he perked up and said, “Hey, here comes Eddie!” 

Their friend had come gusting in from the rain and was now trudging through the cafeteria, stomping muddy shoeprints all over the tile. He had yet to draw back the hood of his black sweatshirt, which to the rest of the students, gave him a striking (and amusing) resemblance to the Grim Reaper. Some of them snickered as he passed. One girl cupped her hand over her mouth and said to her friend, “Go back to the graveyard, Eddie Munster,” and the girls tittered hysterically while clinging to each other. Eddie pretended like he couldn’t hear them, but he could. He always could. 

He threw his backpack to the floor, ripped off his hood, and slammed both his hands onto the table. 

“Guys, something horrible’s about to happen.” 

“Yes!” Scottie said, pumping his fists excitedly. “Let’s fucking go! You’re all worked up. You’ve got that crazy intensity in your eyes. This is gonna be just what I need. Hold on, lemme get a new page ready. Make sure my pen has plenty of ink.” He scribbled with his pen, gave a satisfied nod, and settled back into his seat. “All right, gimme some straw, Rumpleskillskin.” 

A deep crease formed between Eddie’s brows. “What’s he talking about?” 

“Just ignore him,” Jeff said. He closed his social studies book and gave Eddie his full attention. “What happened, man?”

Eddie pulled out a chair, sat down, and dragged his fingers through his damp hair. “Okay, so last night I woke up with this horrible and just uneasy feeling, y’know? It was like this massive weight was just sitting on top of my chest. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. It was fucking terrifying.” 

“What, you mean like sleep paralysis?” Scottie said. “Was a demon sitting on your chest, like in that…? Wait, what’s that painting again?” 

“The Nightmare,” Grant said. 

Scottie snapped his fingers at him. “Yes, thank you! ‘The Nightmare.’ Is that what you had, Munson? Did you have a little nighttime visitor? Did it whisper to you in the dark? Did it tell you secrets about the afterlife? Or maybe, you know, give you ideas for my campaign?” 

“Oh, would you stop?” Jeff said to him, and Scottie threw up his hands, as if to say, What? I’m desperate! 

“Keep going, Eddie. You woke up with a really bad feeling. What happened after that?”

“Okay, so while I was laying there, I thought back to what Gareth said earlier. Did you guys know a bird flew into his window last night?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Scottie threw down his pen in frustration. “That’s what this is about? The fucking Omen? Eddie, relax, the Antichrist isn’t coming, okay? You and Gareth just have overactive imaginations and like to drive each other crazy with your paranoia. You guys need to go outside and get some fresh air every once in a while.” 

“What?” Eddie said. “I’m not talking about the Antichrist! Look, something bad’s gonna happen, you guys. I can feel it. And right now I’m having the worst day of my life. My alarm didn’t go off this morning, so I was running really fucking late. The roof started leaking from all the rain, and everything on my desk got drenched. My books. My homework. Everything. It’s all just ruined, so I dunno what I’m gonna do about that. Then the chain came off my bike while I was riding to school, and I crashed face-first into a puddle of muddy water. It was disgusting and I think I swallowed some of it. I had to walk my bike the rest of the way, and who did I see as soon as I got to school? Her. Because, of course, I would see her on the worst morning of my life. I see her every other morning, why would today be any different? She was just sitting on the steps with a book on her lap. I swear, it was like she was waiting for me or something. She smiled that smile and giggled that giggle, and she said, ‘Rough day, huh, Mudson?’” 

Scottie stifled a laugh. “She called you ‘Mudson’? Okay, that’s actually kinda clever.”

“It’s not clever,” Eddie said. “It’s not funny. It’s not cute. Y’know Gareth’s all worried about the Antichrist, but… as far as I’m concerned, the Antichrist is already here, and her name is—” 

“She’s not the Antichrist,” Jeff said. “Now you’re just being overdramatic.”

“Yeah, well, her giggle signals doom, so…” 

Scottie said, “What, is she like a banshee or something?” and his eyes lit up. “Oh, a banshee, I like that. A banshee wailing in the dark. Shrieking… shrieking… Yes, I’m starting to feel it now. There’s definitely something there.” 

He put his pen to the paper and tuned everyone else out. Meanwhile, Jeff leaned back in his chair and gave a solemn nod.

“Okay, Eddie, you had a bad morning, I’ll give you that, but that’s all it was, man. A bad morning. It doesn’t mean something horrible’s about to happen to you.” 

“Yeah,” Grant said. “I mean, there’s a logical explanation for most of that stuff. Like your alarm not going off? You probably lost power at some point last night. The leak in your roof? Well, dude, you live in an old trailer and it was raining pretty hard last night. Leaks like that are bound to happen. It sucks, but it’s really not that weird. And chains come off bikes all the time. Same thing happened to me last month. As for your little doom-giggler, well… that girl’s always giggling at you.” 

“Exactly,” Scottie said as he put down his pen. “She’s just your little heckler, Munson. Just a sweet little sixth-grader that likes to watch you squirm. God, I’d love to meet this girl. I wanna go up to her and shake her hand and thank her for giving me so much entertainment this year. I’m really gonna miss her.” 

“Shut up,” Eddie said. He leaned onto his forearms and went quiet, simmering in his thoughts. 

“Feel better?” Grant asked after a minute. 

“No.” 

“Well, have a fruit cup.” 

Grant plucked his cup off his tray and set it down in front of him. 

“Thanks,” Eddie said, and Jeff clapped him on the shoulder. 

“Hey, relax, man. Try to look on the bright side. School’s almost out, summer vacation’s coming up, and we’ve got three months of D&D to look forward to. Scottie says this campaign’s gonna be the best one yet.” 

“Yeah, I bet,” Eddie muttered. He stuck his fingers into the cup and felt something wet slap the top of his hand. 

It was an orange wedge.

“What the fuck?” 

He drew back just as a second wedge came skipping across the table. It landed beside Grant’s breakfast tray. Then a third bounced off the side of Jeff’s head—“Ow!”—and plopped onto Scottie’s notebook.

“What, is it raining oranges now?” Scottie made a sickened face and flicked it away. “Is this part of your apocalypse, Eddie?” 

“No, I dunno what this is.” Eddie turned his head and—“God dammit!” 

Andy Hauffman and Clay Howard were sitting a few tables over and throwing orange wedges at them. Andy said, “Thought you could use some vitamin C, Munster!” and fired another one. It clipped Eddie on the shoulder and left a wet mark on his sweater. 

Jeff ducked down and said, “Wait, why do they think Eddie needs vitamin C?”

Scottie shrugged. “Because they wanna boost his immune system?” 

Grant sighed. An orange landed on his thigh. “They mean vitamin D.” 

“Oh,” Scottie said. “See, that makes more sense, because Eddie’s so pale and hates the sun.”

“I don’t hate the sun!” Eddie said, and winced as the next wedge gave him a big kiss on the cheek. He wiped the wetness away with his hand while Clay gave Andy a high five and said, “Nice one, dude!”

Eddie turned around and glared at them. Clay just laughed and chucked another one. Eddie swung his hand at it, missed, and got hit anyway. After that, he finally gave up and put his head down on the table. “I fucking hate this school.” 

“Dude, just ignore them,” Scottie said. “They’re idiots, man. They can’t even insult you properly. Besides, you should consider yourself lucky they only throw fruit at you. Last week, they depantsed me and shoved me into the girls’ locker room. I’ve never heard so many girls laugh in my life. They’d never do that to you, though, ‘cause they’re too scared you might bring a knife to school and stab them.” 

A stunned silence consumed the table. Jeff had his hand pressed to his forehead. Grant froze in mid-drink. An orange wedge struck his cheek and made it jiggle. 

“Hey—” Jeff began in a low voice. 

Eddie pushed himself to his feet, yanked his backpack off the floor, and stormed out of the cafeteria. 

“Oh, come on, Munson,” Scottie said as he went by. “It’s funny ‘cause your dad’s in prison! Everyone thinks you’re gonna shank someone. Oh god, there he goes again… off to find a dark corner to brood in… Poor, Eddie, nobody understands you, waah, waah, waah.”

“Dude,” Jeff said. “Enough.” 

“What?” Scottie said. “I’m just trying to toughen the guy up a little. If he thinks middle school’s bad, high school’s gonna be a nightmare for him. What, does he think people are suddenly gonna stop thinking he’s trailer trash? I had a stutter when I was six and they still call me ‘Suh-Suh-Sloman.’ Kids suck. They’re always gonna suck. He needs to accept that and move on.”

Scottie picked up his pen, put it back to the paper, and sighed. 

“I went too far, didn’t I? Oh shit… I’ll make it up to him later.” 

Grant finished his breakfast in silence. Jeff opened his textbook and returned to his reading assignment. 

“You know what, though,” Scottie said after a while, “I kinda know what he’s talking about. There’s something in the air today. I dunno how to describe it. It’s like electric or something. I can feel it pulsing through my veins. Yeah, I think something really exciting’s about to happen, you guys.” 

Jeff hadn’t given much thought to what Scottie had said, not until he sat down in his fourth-period science class. 

It was the strangest thing. As soon as his back pressed against the cold metal chair, a tingle ran up his spine and made all the little hairs on his arm stand on end. Electric, he thought, and immediately shoved the thought away. Come on, get ahold of yourself, Jeff. He wasn’t about to get all worked up over some silly superstition. 

At eleven-o-one, the door swung open and you walked into the science lab, your nose wrinkling instantly from the sharp lemon scent of disinfectant. 

Oh good, Jeff thought. A weird, whimsical story from you was sure to mend his frayed nerves. All right, Mother Goose, what creepy tale do you have for me today?

You slid into the chair beside him, laid all your materials on the table, and said… nothing, absolutely nothing. This morning, you were oddly quiet. Disturbingly quiet. Instead of gushing about your latest obsession, you were staring at the empty chalkboard and tugging at your sweater sleeve. This made Jeff a little anxious. 

“No stories for me today?” 

You raised your eyebrows at him. “Hm? Oh, uhh, no… not today.” 

The book of Grimm fairytales lay on top of your notebook, its cover lightly speckled from the rain. How long did you sit out there waiting for him? Jeff wondered. Ten minutes? Twenty? He could almost picture it: you sitting out in the cold, barely sheltered from the rain, huddled over your book, frowning miserably, trying to stay warm, trying to read, stopping every other sentence to look up and see if Eddie had arrived yet. Man, say what you want about her, but you gotta admire the girl’s commitment.

With this in mind, Jeff decided to shift to a different tactic. He leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. 

“So… Mudson, huh?” 

And just like that, your eyes sparked with life, like two little lightning bolts.

(Electric)

You placed your hand over your mouth and giggled. It was impish yet innocent, and it brought a much-needed smile to Jeff’s face. 

“So he mentioned it, huh?” you said, delighted by the thought. 

“Yeah,” Jeff said. “Yeah, he definitely did…” 

“It just kinda slipped out, you know? He showed up all wet and muddy, and my brain naturally mashed the two words together.” To illustrate this, you smashed your fist into your palm. Then you broke up into giggles again. “Oh my god, you should have seen his face, Jeff. He was so pissed!”

“Yeah, well… Eddie’s not having a very good day.” 

Your chest rose with a sharp breath. “Why? What happened?” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Jeff said, but he knew you would anyway. 

You fell back against your chair, dejected, and dropped your gaze to the floor. In a small, guilty voice, you said, “It really did slip out.” 

“Yeah, I know,” Jeff said. “Like I said, don’t worry about it, okay? It’s not because of you.” 

The rest of the students came trickling in and class finally began. 

Afterwards, while everyone was packing up and getting ready to go to lunch, you turned to Jeff and said, “Hey… uhh, you know that fantasy game you’re always playing?” 

“You mean D&D?” 

“Yeah, that one,” you said, and suddenly that strange, tingly feeling had returned. It had jumped off the chair and was now crawling up Jeff’s back like a big, hairy spider. He looked at you and wondered if you felt it, too. 

(Or maybe he was just losing his mind. Or having a stroke.) 

Jeff rolled his shoulders a few times, trying to rid himself of the feeling. Then he snatched his books and quickly headed for the door. You followed him out. 

“So, umm, hypothetically speaking, how would one go about joining? Like, is there an interview or an application process? Do you have to sacrifice your firstborn child? What’s the procedure here?” 

“Uhh, I dunno,” Jeff said. “Nobody’s ever really wanted to join before. Why? You interested?” 

“Kind of… I mean, it may have crossed my mind. You know, you just make it sound so interesting when you talk about it.”  

“Oh,” Jeff replied with a sly smile, “so I’ve piqued your interest, huh?” 

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” 

Jeff nodded, still smiling. “And this has nothing to do with your massive crush on Eddie?” 

“No…” You paused, fell a few steps behind, and ran to catch up with him. “Is it that obvious?” 

“Well, not to Eddie. He thinks you hate him.” 

You cringed. “Yeah, we kinda got off on the wrong foot…” 

“Yeah, you got off on the wrong foot and just kept on walking, didn’t you?” 

“Hey, it’s not my fault! School really brings out the worst in me, you know? I can’t relax. I feel like I always have to be on the defensive. Middle school is basically hell on earth, and I’ve had to develop some really sharp edges in order to survive this place. Sometimes I cut people without meaning to. And he’s just so sensitive, Jeff. Every little comment sets him off.” 

“Yeah, well, that’s Eddie for you…” 

“A tragedy is what it is. He has all this potential, but he’s just wasting it! Right now he’s Bruce Banner, but he could be the Incredible Hulk if he wanted to.” 

Bruce Banner? The Incredible Hulk? Boy, Jeff was really starting to regret lending you his old comic books. 

“Look, Eddie doesn’t wanna be the Incredible Hulk, okay? He wants to be Bruce Banner. He just wants to blend in and be left alone.” 

“Well… too bad! I want him to be the Incredible Hulk. And don’t pretend like you don’t agree with me, Jeff. Eddie would be so much happier if he would just stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. He can do it when he’s playing guitar on stage. Why can’t he do it at school?”

“Because Eddie’s a very complicated person.” 

“I know. He’s fascinating.” You hugged your books close to your chest and let out a dreamy sigh. “I just don’t understand why he tries so hard to pretend he’s boring and normal. His crazy side’s way more entertaining. I’ve seen glimpses of it when he thinks nobody’s paying attention. Oh my god, Jeff, he’s such a little weirdo! He gets all dorky and hyper, but then he notices me watching him and, you know, runs away. It’s such a bummer. Like, stop teasing me with the trailers, Munson, just gimme the full show! It’s like he’s got a little monster hiding inside him, and I just wanna rip it out and unleash it on the whole town!” 

Jeff put his hand up to stop you. “Okay, don’t ever say that to him. Ever. Trust me, the last thing Eddie wants to hear is that you think he’s got a monster inside him.” 

You both turned at the end of the hallway. Jeff’s shoulder accidentally bumped against yours and he drew back suddenly, with a jerk. There it was again, that spine-tingling, unnerving feeling. Except this time it wasn’t in the air. It wasn’t clinging to his chair. This time it was radiating off you like some invisible force field. When Jeff touched your shoulder, he felt it surge through his whole body like a shock of static electricity.

“Oh my god,” he said, “you’re Eddie’s bad feeling!” 

You scrunched up your face. “What?” 

Jeff gave his back to you and broke into a near-jog. You chased after him, calling his name. 

“Look, I’m sorry, but I can’t help you, okay?” Jeff ripped open his locker and dumped everything inside. When he closed the door, you were standing on the other side, staring at him with confusion. “I mean, what do you think’s gonna happen, anyway? You think Eddie’s gonna wanna date you or something? Because I can tell you right now that’s never gonna happen.” 

A silent gasp escaped Jeff’s lips. You stared at him with a startled, wounded expression.

“Oh, damn it,” he said, and knocked his head against his locker door. “Hey, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”

“Whatever.” You sniffed loudly and wiped your runny nose on the back of your hand. “I mean, you’re probably right, anyway. It’s not like I’m blind or stupid, Jeff. I know I’m not exactly the prettiest girl in school.” 

“Oh, come on, that’s not what I meant.” 

“Yeah, I know what you meant,” you said, and wiped your nose again. “Eddie’s fourteen and next year he’s going to high school. He’s not gonna be interested in dating some twelve-year-old, not even if she was a lot prettier than me. I know that. I’m not delusional or anything. I’ve already accepted that my parents had sex two years too late, okay? I’m not quite tall enough to ride that rollercoaster. That’s why I need some time to… well, you know…”

“Get taller?” Jeff said, cracking a smile. 

“Exactly,” you said, and giggled. “Look, I know Eddie doesn’t think very highly of me right now. I bet he thinks I’m really annoying, right?”

“Yeah… he called you the Antichrist this morning.” 

“See, that’s… Wait, he called me the Antichrist? Seriously? That’s what he thinks of me? I’m the spawn of Satan?” 

“Pretty sure he was just exaggerating.” 

“Yeah, that better be some crazy hyperbole ‘cause I dunno how I’m supposed to recover from that.”

You both laughed at that for a minute. Then you squeezed your hands into fists and gave him a pleading look.

“I just need time, Jeff, and right now I don’t have enough. School’s almost over and next year Eddie’s going to high school. He’s gonna be gone for two years while I’m trapped in this purgatory that is middle school. This summer’s my last chance to spend time with him. To make a good impression on him. Show him that I’m not the Antichrist. Holy shit, I still can’t believe he called me the Antichrist! Like, I know he doesn’t think much of me, but that seems a little harsh, doesn’t it?” You gave your head a shake and refocused. “But, hey, that’s okay. I can dig myself out of that hole. It might take me a while, but I’ll get there eventually. And then maybe, like in a few years or so, he’ll start to like me, too… maybe… but I’m not expecting anything. I mean, don’t get me wrong, that’s definitely the ideal scenario, but I’ll settle for whatever I can get at this point. Shit, anything’s better than the Antichrist, right?”

You gave a helpless but hopeful shrug. Jeff rubbed the back of his neck, mulling it over. 

“You know you’re putting me in a tough spot here.” 

“I know.” 

“And Eddie’s really not gonna like this.” 

“I know.” 

Jeff sighed. “Okay,” he said, and your face lit up like the sky on the Fourth of July. “But listen to me: if I do this for you, if I stick my neck out for you, you have to promise to be on your best behavior, okay? You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into here. This isn’t just a game for us, especially not for Eddie. He takes his D&D very seriously. It’s like sacred to him. He’s not gonna like you goofing around.”

“I won’t goof around. I won’t, I won’t.” 

You did. 

A lot. 

Sorry, Eddie, Jeff thought, looks like your nightmare’s about to come true.

He walked into the cafeteria with his tray, found his friends sitting at their usual table, and sat down.

“Guys, I’m calling an emergency party meeting.”

Eddie’s whole body tensed with dread. “Why? What’s going on?”

SERIES MASTERPOST

FANFICTION MASTERLIST

#stranger things #eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x you #stranger things 4 #fanfic #eddie munson fics #eddie munson x dwm!reader #dancing with myself #dwm #dwm mini fic #dwm middle school fic #ambrossart

[clatoera]

Picket Fence is Sharp as Knives: Chapter 1 At Dinner Parties, I Call You Out (ARWBFB sequel)

Heeey besties. We're back. We're back. Thus begins the sequel to Always Remember We're Burned for Better. Fucking wild right.

So. This is chapter one of the sequel. The title of the sequel comes from High Infidelity, not because they're experiencing that, but because I liked the line being about picket fences. This fic is structured much different than ARWBFB. It's going to be more vignette day in the life style fics. It's not high intensity. It's not high drama. ARWBFB has all of that. This is the life after the war and that is this.

This concept of this fucking chicken...this is entirely what I wanted to write the sequel for. The mental imagery of spatchcocking a chicken. I'm not lying as you are about to see.

Thats what this whole sequel is to be. Just..moments of life. Fun moments of life. You are welcome to send requests. I will do my best to honor and address them.

So yeah! Fic title from High Infidelity (t swift)

Chapter title from gold rush (t swift).

AO3 Link

masterpost

So! Yeah!

Here we go again. Thank you all for being here and rejoining me.

Life moves blessedly slow in a world without the Hunger Games. 

A life without training to run, a life without interviews to attend. A life with morning runs as a leisure and not a warm up, a life with meals with seasoning and flavor, a life with friends a forty minute train ride away.

It is a peaceful life, albeit somewhat boring for two twenty something kids who spent their life learning to kill. 

It is unbelievably peaceful, actually.

 Cato and Clove sit nearly on top of each other on their living room couch, her little legs tucked in his lap, her feet in his hands. Their luggage sits unpacked by the door from a ten day trip to District Four, having been discarded immediately upon their return in long awaited exchange for their own cool bed sheets on their sun warmed skin. If you ask Cato the best part of the trip, he will tell you it was watching more freckles appear on the skin of his wife every passing day. If you ask Clove she will tell you it was watching Cato’s hair lighten and his skin take on that golden hue she hadn’t seen since he won his games what seemed like a lifetime ago. 

They don’t need to talk, not when she’s lounging in his lap like this, reading aloud the new curriculum designs Enobaria had dropped off for their input. It was more difficult than any of them had anticipated, adapting their training plans to regular recreation activities. Every once in a while Cato gives a hum of approval or digs his thumb into the arch of her foot in a way that makes her lose her place in a sentence. 

“Do you think they’ll let us come teach?” Cato wonders out loud, before kicking his own feet up and pushing his side of the couch back in a reclining position. “Feels like it could be fun, it’s something to do..”

“I think after reading this shit they better let us do whatever we want, I don’t even think i’m pronouncing the word Calisthenics right.” Clove latches her knees over his thighs and pulls herself closer, the warm thrum of his hand on her knee keeping in cadence with her reading. She writes something in the margins of the paper that Cato cannot see, but it’s almost certainly something about the meaning of a word that she will look up later to save herself the embarrassment of asking Enobaria. “Do you think they’re going to keep teaching kids to read after they turn twelve? I feel like thats a skill we should prioritize.”

“I’m not even sure I learned to read well enough before them.”

A frantic rapping at the door interrupts their commentary, and they share a suspicious look though neither move from their position intertwined on the couch. 

“Who knocks?” Cato raises an eyebrow, his hand stilling from where it strokes at her knee. “Doesn’t half the country have a key to our house?”

“We really should change those locks.” Clove muses lightly, making no move to answer the door or even see who it was. Cato had a point. Whoever it was..either they’d let themselves in or they’d leave. 

“What, tired of Enobaria letting herself in for breakfast?” Cato taunts, but there's no real malice there. If the worst that happened to them for the rest of their lives were their family members inviting themselves over at eight in the morning then they are better off than they were with all the victor glory in the world. 

“I just want to know when I became responsible for feeding the world,” 

As if on cue the front door creaks open, and shuts incredibly softly within the same second. There is only one person, one frame, that could slip in like a ghost and as silent as a wisp. 

They hear her soft voice and the ruffling of what sounds like bags before they see her. 

“Clove? Clove I need help.” Glimmer turns the corner from the entryway, two large white canvas totes on her arm. Whatever panic she was in pauses as she sees them for the first time in nearly two weeks, as if they were separated across a war torn nation again. “It’s been so long since i’ve seen you- oh! Don’t you two just look so cute and in love.” She raises a hand to her cheek dramatically, pursing her lips out in a plush. “How was the honeymoon?”

“So long? We got married twelve days ago, and it was you who disappeared without a goodbye-“‘Cato starts to debate, but a firm kick to his thigh shuts him up. “I mean, it was great, Glimmer.”

“I was going to ask if you even enjoyed the beach but from the looks of it you did go outside!! I’m very proud.” The woman sits herself down on the other side of Clove, still holding a canvas bag on each shoulder. “I’m still just so happy for you!” 

“I’m assuming you did not bring gifts?” Clove closes the portfolio of ideas, placing it on the arm of the couch on the other side of Cato. “The wedding’s over, what kind of emergency could you possibly be having now? The dresses fit, they were perfect, what do you need help with, Glim?”

Glimmer lets out a sigh of clear distress, finally letting the bags fall to the floor and relieving her shoulders of the weight. “I may have overcommitted.” She begins, and the repetitive way she starts to twist at her fingers betrays the anxiety that’s been building. “My mom used to make this chicken when I was little. She didn't make it a lot, but it was for special days. It was just so warm and comforting, Clove. And for the last few days it has been all I have wanted. It keeps me up at night. I think about it all day and I want it so bad and I don’t have a mom to make it so I told Cash and Gloss to come to dinner because I was going to try and I did try and it was terrible and pink and Marvel definitely hated it but lied not to hurt my feelings and I don’t want to kill my brother and my sister and my- Marvel, and I really really want this chicken I don’t even like Chicken with bones but it’s all I want and-“ Glimmer ceases her ramble to takes a deep breath  and squeezes her eyes shut, willing away the tears she is on the verge of releasing over this chicken she desperately craves. It isn’t even that remarkable- she just wants the comfort that her mother cannot give her. “And long story short they’ll be here in two hours for dinner.”

Clove sits up far straighter than her lounging position in Cato’s lap, and his chuckle in the background would have earned him a glare had it not been for the shock filling Clove’s face. In fact, Clove is sure if she had not literally returned from vacation last night, she would have choked her. 

“You invited your family to dinner at my house. That I have to make?” 

“Well…Cash was bringing Enobaria! So! I told her to invite Brutus too!” Glimmer buries her head in the heel of her hands, physically forcing the tears back into her head. “I’m sorry! I just want this so bad and I almost killed Marvel with it earlier, and I’m lonely, and all I want is this chicken.” 

Cato and Clove share what can only be described as a what the fuck look, and Cato puts his hands up in defeat. There had been an unspoken agreement amongst all of them, that knowing Glimmer’s precarious history with food, that they’d never tell her no if she wanted something to eat. This, unfortunately, fell into that category. 

Of course there was the question of are we actually crying over chicken or is this something bigger, but that was simply not something they were willing to address right now. 

“….as long as Brutus doesn’t bring those fucking dogs.” Cato concedes, and can’t help but shiver in distaste. Something about those three giant puppies made him feel incredibly unsettled, despite the significant size advantages he had on the literal dogs. “I sure as hell won’t complain about anything you make.”

Clove shoots him a look of disbelief, eyes wide and eyebrows raised, as he merely shrugs. “You should make those really good potatoes with it too, Clovey. ”

Glimmer look’s up with glistening eyes, and nods enthusiastically. “I promised there’d be salad too.”

“Am I your personal chef, Glimmer?” Clove mumbles, but pushes herself from Cato’s lap to a standing position. “I need to start now. If you only gave me two hours, come on, you’re helping.”

“But I can’t cook!” Glimmer tries, but Clove is grabbing her by the wrists and pulling her along regardless. 

“You’re going to learn SOMETHING today.”

Clove drags Glimmer, who shuffles her feet in hesitation, all the way to her kitchen island before beginning to dig around her kitchen drawers. “I’ve seen Cato eat an entire chicken for breakfast when we were younger, you better have at least two between him, marvel, and Enobaria.”

She’s fluttering around the kitchen, sliding a cutting board in front of Glimmer along with an impeccably sharpened chef's knife. Directly beside Glimmer she places one for herself, but instead pulls out something that not long ago Glimmer would have seen her throwing at a target in the capitol training center before their conjoined games. She must make a face at the realization, because Clove’s soft laugh grounds her back in reality.”

“It makes me feel like I'm still doing something cool.” Clove explains, running her finger over the sharp edge of the knife. “Not much use for them other than this, anymore.”

Glimmer shakes her head rapidly, eyes wide as Clove pulls the two little chickens out and plops them directly in the large, steel sink behind them. “This is so cool, Clove. So cool.”

“What? Cooking? It’s a basic survival skill when you’re seven and no one likes you, Glimmer.” Clove comments, before bringing the cleaned chicken over to Glimmer. “Okay. You’re going to learn how to do this, today. What’s your mother put on them?”

“...I don’t know. It was just good.” Glimmer shrugs, and takes the most minute step back away from the raw bird carcass, hands flush against her abdomen so she doesn’t have to touch it by accident. 

“What the hell do you mean that you don’t know, I can’t just magically recreate it? Didn’t you want it specifically?” Clove whips her head to look at Glimmer in sheer disbelief, taking the opportunity to pull her long hair to the center of her head, securing it back and out of the way of her work before reaching out and flicking the ends of Glimmer’s ever increasing long blonde hair. “I’d pull this back, unless you want raw meat fluid in your hair.”

Glimmer gags. Audibly gags. So loud in fact that Cato peaks into the Kitchen with a bewildered, but smug expression before he pulls a chair over to the island across from them. “I have to watch this.”

“God you’re such a dick.” Glimmer mumbles, but composes herself in time to loosely tie her hair at the nape of her neck. “I’m fine, I’m fine, let's just..do this.”

“You’re the one who wanted it.” Clove rolls her eyes, but hands Glimmer a pair of kitchen shears. “Okay. Pull out the insides, and then you’re going to cut out the spine. It cooks faster that way.”

What little color Glimmer had in her face drains immediately, leaving her a sickly shade of translucent white. She drops the scissors instantly, and braces herself on the marble countertop. “T-the insides? We’re going to cut out the what?”

Clove tries, oh she tries, to hide the amused smirk dancing along the corners of her lips, and notices Cato does not even bother to hide his own laugh. “Yes the insides, there's a bag of organs in there– Glimmer didn’t you say you already tried this? What did you even do?”

“I just..I unwrapped it and put it in the oven for a while, I don’t know!” Glimmer defends, but anxiously wrings at her hands. “They don’t come with directions.”

“Damn, I get it now, I wouldn’t want to stick around if I were Marvel either-” Cato starts, but the look Clove throws his way is as sharp as the knives she once did.  “I mean..totally understandable mistake…you know what, I value my life and I enjoy being married so I'm going back to the couch if you need me.”

“Smart move.” Clove remarks, shaking her head as he walks away. “Smart fucking move.”

“I don’t think I can do this.” Glimmer decides, pushing herself away from the cutting board and the knives. “These look like babies.”

“They’re featherless, dead, headless chickens, Glimmer.” Clove reminds her firmly, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her in again. “They aren’t babies.”

“They look like the size of new babies. I can't cut them up.” Glimmer insists, pulling away until her back hits the countertop behind her. “I can’t.”

“Glimmer! YOU have killed people’s babies, now get over here and cut out the spine of this fucking chicken.” Clove snaps, grabbing the pair of scissors. “It’s going to make it cook evenly and faster and it’s called spatch-cocking–”

“You’re doing what to a chicken?” Comes from the living room, the disembodied laugh of Cato following behind. “Say that word again!”

“I married a fucking child.” Clove murmurs, and once again drags Glimmer closer. “Just wait until you have to put butter under the skin.” 

“Oh my fucking god.” Glimmer whines, but stands dutifully beside Clove. She does not reach for the scissors, as she isn’t sure she’s capable of steadily holding anything in this immediate moment. “I just feel so so sick.”

When Clove digs a knife through the back of one of the chickens, the grinding sound of ribs and bones separating from the spine push Glimmer over the edge. “I think I need to lay down.”

“Wait, listen to this. Cato always wants to do this part but it’s my favorite.” Clove climbs on top of the counter, and flips the raw chicken over. She kneels over the cutting board, and puts both her hands on top of the chicken. Quickly and efficiently she presses her weight forward, and the sound of ribs shattering and cracking echoes through the kitchen. 

Glimmer hits the floor within seconds.

“Oh for fucks sake…Cato! Glimmer’s down.” Clove hops off the countertop, and steps over her friend. She switches the cutting board to work on Glimmer’s untouched task. She doesn’t bother to move Glimmer as she begins to work on that one as well, cutting through skin and tissue as if for a moment she is back in the games. 

“Hey that's the best part,” Cato pouts as he appears behind Clove, leaning down to kiss her cheek briefly, before leaning down to scoop Glimmer’s unconscious body into his arms. “What do you want me to do with her?”

“I dunno. Put her in one of the extra rooms.” Clove shrugs, but cocks her head as she looks at Glimmer’s uncharacteristically pale skin. “She seems sick, Cato.”

“What’s new?” Cato grumbles, but does as he is instructed to carry their friend out of the warzone that is Clove’s kitchen. 

Marvel arrives within the hour.

He lets himself in directly through the back kitchen door, a goofy, warm smile on his face. “There’s my favorite ex-bride, how was your little trip!” He announces himself, setting various bottles of wine and other alcohol on the island as a peace offering for Glimmer’s otherwise frantic arrival. “I burn if I even think about the beach too long, but it sounds fun.” He glances around the kitchen, where various arrays of trays full of food cooling or waiting to go in the oven are spread. “Where’s Glim?”

“That's a great segway. I think I should be asking you about your last two weeks.” Clove teases, narrowing her eyes at the man. “Are you two like..back together? Are you just fucking, what’s going on over there?”

“Great question Clove, great question. Things are good, really, they’re great. I’ve been staying there for like two weeks but I don’t know, Clove. I don’t know how I'd explain it.” He reaches for one of the still sizzling roasted potatoes, but drops it both from the burn on his fingertips and the sharp whack on the back of fingers with Clove’s rubber spatula. “I’m just taste testing! Seriously, where is she?”

“I cut the spine out and she passed out. The whole thing really freaked her out, I don’t know. She’s upstairs sleeping.” Clove waves off, focused instead on the slicing and peeling of pomegranate for the salad in front of her. “I thought she said she tried to do it herself.”

“Clove. She did. I threw up for forty five minutes after she left, it was raw. And cold. All she talked about for three days was this chicken, I couldn’t just say no.” Marvel admits with a low whisper, as if the sound would travel all the way upstairs and wake her up with fresh betrayal. 

“Look who it is! I think we need to start calling you loverboy.” Cato surprises Marvel, grabbing him by the top of the shoulders and squeezing. He leans in from behind him and whispers “I have videos of you drunk, crying over her, at eight in the morning. I will never delete them.” 

“It was an emotional day, Cato.” He defends himself, but can’t help the silly little smile that he cannot wipe away from his face. “I was just feeling the love.”

“You were feeling something alright, and that something is five-seven and blonde-” 

“Okaaay, who wants a drink.” Marvel jumps up from the island chair, scurrying over to let himself into the cabinet that contains all the various glassware. “Glimmer made this cranberry thing the other day that was so good, well.. I thought it was good. It made her do that gaggy thing.” 

Clove slowly turns her head to watch him shuffle around the kitchen, narrowing her eyes at him. “Do we need to be concerned that everything is making her do that, because the chicken did too. Is this some new ploy to not eat?”

“Nah, she wants to try things, maybe she’s just getting sick. She’s the one who wanted this dinner so badly.” Marvel insists, stealing a handful of Clove’s pomegranate seeds to sprinkle in the coup glasses. “I guess if she’s sick we’re all going to get it so. Enjoy it before it hits us.”  He slides a glass in Clove’s general direction, before sliding a matching one to Cato. 

It’s Clove’s turn to choke, when the burn of the liquid hits her tongue. “Uh yeah, Marvel, this is straight up vodka.”

Cato seems unphased, and instead takes the entire thing like a shot. “I don’t think it’s half bad.”

“Ah. Right. I’m supposed to add the juice to it. Sorry!” Marvel helps himself to the refrigerator, searching for whatever he simply assumes Clove will have on hand. On his way past a tray of croutons, he nabs a handful to shove in his mouth before he continues speaking.  “I was thinking, you could use the leftover chicken to make chicken soup, that could be REALLY good.” Marvel suggests, words barely comprehensible around the crunch of toasted bread. 

The look Clove responds with is a blend of disdain, disgust, and amusement as the blade of her knife does not stop rocking to slice through the salad vegetables in front of her, a skill to cut and look away from training days past. “...do I look like your mother, Marvel?”

“Well, no, my mother’s dead and you’re not.” Marvel says so easily, so casually, it’s almost possible to ignore the ache in his voice,

Clove can’t help but drop her knife, bringing her head to rest in her hands as her shoulders shake with laughter, “Hey, so is mine!”

Joining in with borderline giggles, Cato adds; “Hey, Clove, tell Marvel what you had to do to the chicken.”

“...I cut out the spine and broke the ribs?” Clove plays with an innocent intonation in her voice, knowing full well what Cato’s trying to get her to say again. “What’s so funny about that?”

“Noooo, Clove say it. Say the word.” Cato pleads, sticking his bottom lip out in a little pout. “Say it.”

Clove audibly sighs as she rolls her eyes, but gently places her hands on the counter, and looks to Cato with a serious expression. Without flinching, smirking, or letting her expression betray her, Clove looks him dead in the eye as she says, “it’s called spatchcocking.”

Cato and Marvel both erupt into childish laughter, Marvel even more so than Cato, as he has to place the glass in his hand back down so he doesn't drop it. Marvel continues to laugh, nearly bent in half with his forehead resting on the countertop as his entire body shakes with his laughter. “Say it again, say it again.” Marvel begs, resting his face on the cool marble countertops. 

“You’re also a fucking child.” Clove reminds, going back to her task at hand of trying to rapidly finish dinner before the rest of their friends (family?) arrives.  “Leave my kitchen. Both of you.”

“But Clovey-” Cato starts, reaching to wrap his arms around her waist before she slaps his hands away. 

“Out.”

Marvel wipes the tears out of his eyes as he grabs one of his wine bottles and heads towards any room but this. “Hey, do you have any wedding cake left I didn’t get to have any-”

“Out.” 

 By the point Glimmer is awake, she remains curled up on the couch looking rather green. 

“Glimmer do you want to come try the chicken, see if it’s how you like it?” Clove offers, holding out a tiny plate to her. 

As soon as Glimmer reaches for it, the smell hits her and leaves her maybe even more nauseous than before. She gags before she can even skewer it with a fork, and Clove walks away with fury all over her face. 

The audacity to come all this way, beg for dinner, and then outright gag at it. 

Fuck you, Glimmer. 

All four of their older counterparts arrive at once, exactly on time, as if they were waiting across the street for the clock to strike dinnertime.

“At least you didn’t bring the dogs.” Cato greets Brutus, who otherwise would in fact be tormenting him with three pitbulls running through his yard. 

“Clove won’t let them around the food. I had to prioritize.”

Gloss follows close behind, and immediately is confused by the way Glimmer is curled up on the couch rather than playing her favorite role of hostess (even at someone else's house.)

“She had the audacity to gag at my chicken. She better get used to fending for herself. What a bitch.” Clove explains, standing to the side as Cashmere leads Enobaria in by her hand.

“She’s not herself, Clove, don’t take it out on her. She tried to cook. You know something’s up with her.” Cashmere gently reminds her, tugging in Enobaria behind her. 

“Cooking is Clove’s love language these days, Glimmer just broke her heart.” Enobaria teases, but pulls out a bottle of the good District One wine to have with Dinner. “I knew there was no way in hell we were eating in one.”

“I thought you were in One this weekend at Cashmere’s?” 

“Oh, yeah. Whenever Glimmer said dinner at six everyone came to two. We’ve been patiently waiting by the door.” Enobaria explains, looping her arm over Clove’s shoulders. “Look at you. A little housewife making family dinner.” 

“Do NOT call me that-” Clove warns, but any further commentary is interrupted by Marvel, who runs into the living room with that stupid, goofy grin on his face. 

“Clove! Tell everyone what you did to the chicken!”

#arwbfb tag #clato #cato and clove #clato fanfic #the hunger games #clove kentwell #cato hadley #hunger games #hunger games fanfiction #hunger games fanfic #marvel and glimmer #marvel tag #glimmer tag #cash and enobaria #the careers thg #the careers tag

[angstylittleguy]

Rory's Journal

Rory and Dalton have a conversation about their abilities. Rory is anxious about her memory.

character context: Rory is a mind reader that is unable to control her ability. The voices in her head are constant and the emotions of the people around her are often inflicted onto her. Dalton is a size-shifter whose height is affected by his emotions.

word count: ~900 words

-> In Which Everything Goes Wonderfully Wrong masterpost link: Here

-> character introductions and moodboards: Here

“I didn’t know you kept a journal.”

His words were nothing more than an offhanded remark— something to make conversation— but still Rory smiled sadly at him and set down her pen. 

“Oh, yeah. I haven’t kept it for long, but it helps keep my thoughts straight. My short-term memory isn’t the best right now.” 

Dalton looked at her with pity in his eyes, and she didn’t miss his swirling thoughts that questioned what to say next. He had a little knowledge on what it was like for her because of her abilities, but it was so hard for Rory to put into words exactly what was going on in her head. She was certain no one would ever understand, and that fact alone made her feel so unbelievably isolated.

“Must be difficult,” Dalton mumbled, his eyes drifting back to the sketchbook that rested on his lap, hand dancing across the page as he began to draw. 

Rory hummed in agreement, pulling her headphones on over her ears, and fumbling through her Spotify before picking out a song. Even with the music blasting, Rory could hear Dalton thinking of what he would say next, rehearsing the phrase over and over in his head and then asking himself if he should even say it. 

She tried to turn up the music in her ears out of respect— an attempt at giving him some privacy to his own thoughts— but it was already on the max volume. 

“I used to sketch when I was angry,” Dalton finally said. 

Rory glanced up at him, his hazel eyes still watching with a certain sadness. She slid her headphones down around her neck. 

“But I can’t anymore. The pencils snap in half, and sometimes I can’t even hold them at all.” 

She didn’t have to ask what he meant. Dalton had never been one to share his feelings, always saying the bare minimum and dealing with things on his own. But now he was forced to wear his heart on his sleeve, any emotion he felt physically displayed for anyone to see. He found it humiliating. 

“Superpowers suck.” Rory forced a dry chuckle out, something that could have just as easily twisted into a sob if she dwelled on it any longer.

Dalton’s lips curled into a smirk as he continued to sketch. “Tell me about it.” 

She flipped through her journal, searching for the next clean page. There were pages filled with notes about her friends, reminding her how she met them and where she found them, and even the extent of her knowledge about their abilities. She was near-certain that it was something she could never forget, but she had no way of knowing if her memory would ever get worse than it already was.

That was another something that scared her. 

Rory fidgeted with the pen in her hand, the music from her headphones blasting into her ears, and Dalton’s thoughts scratching at the nape of her neck.

He was digging through his pencil pouch, looking for the 8B Graphite pencil that was blue with a streak of pink paint close to the pencil’s logo. He was having trouble finding it, and he knew he used it last night, and he could have sworn he put it away. 

(Maybe I left it on my desk?)

Rory stared numbly at the blank page, blinking as she tried to organize her thoughts. What was she going to write down again?  

(No, there’s no way I left it on the desk. I always put it back in the pouch.)

She was writing down something important. Maybe. Probably? God, why couldn’t she just remember? 

Dalton’s mind continued to ramble while he talked to himself, and Rory threw her hands up in frustration. Why did she have to be like this?! She was cursed to hear everyone’s thoughts but her own, and every day it felt like it was only getting worse. Dalton noticed her irritation. “What’s wrong?”

Rory buried her face in her hands, ripping her headphones from her ears and voices flooding her mind. “I can’t remember.”

“Oh— don’t worry,” he tried to reassure her, “I’m sure it’ll come back to you.”

“You don’t understand. I’m hearing the thoughts of everyone twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Sometimes it’s just the people in the room, and sometimes it’s everyone in the city. I can’t remember the last time I experienced genuine silence, and it sucks. I can’t even think for myself because a professor two buildings over is wondering what to buy his wife for her birthday, the girl next door is worried about her roommate because she made a bad grade on a test, and Bennett is three floors below us trying to decide if he should wear his pink hoodie or his blue one. And I’m stuck knowing all of this useless information, and at the same time I can’t even have a single selfish thought about myself because I’ll forget about it in the next five minutes!”

Dalton was quiet for a moment, but Rory didn’t have to be a mind reader to know what he was going to say next. “I’m sorry.”

She wiped at her eyes before any tears had the chance to fall.

“Yeah,” she muttered. “Me too.”

#wip: in which everything goes wonderfully wrong #aurora estrada #dalton richards #size shifter #size shifting #superpower whump #writeblr #abilities #angst #g/t #giant/tiny #giant tiny #mindreader #sizeshifter #size difference #gt related #gt writing #gt community #angst writing #light angst #g/t angst #whump writing

[not-a-space-alien]

Tinytopia Chapter 8: Endless Rebirth (Part 4)

Story Masterpost

On AO3

Thanks to my beta/sensitivity reader @appelsiinilight!

In this chapter: Thistle forces Moon into the horrors of personal growth.

***

“So how's it going?” Sierra's voice came from the tinny phone speaker.

Thistle groaned and rolled on the floor.

“That good, huh?”

“I feel like shit.”  Thistle put his hands to his face.  “Moon left the house, and he knows how to not be found when he doesn’t want to be.  So I can’t even chase after him to make up.”

Marcy, whose job had recently become mainly Sit nearby whatever Thistle is doing, was at the desk.  She tapped him with her foot.  “I’m sure he’ll come back.”

“He can’t stand that I’m paying more attention to someone else,” Thistle said.  “I’ve never had to deal with this before.”

“Well, it’s not like there’s anything you can really do about it,” Sierra said.  “It’s a, like…him problem.  Right?”

As much as Thistle loved Sierra, she wasn’t always good at giving advice.  He sighed.  “Yeah, maybe.  It’s just–there’s been so much going on, with Marigold, and Jax is–He’s so interesting, but I don’t know if I should–if he’s–and now Moon is mad at me, and the stupid dryad still won’t even come out!”

“And prom is tomorrow!” Sierra added.

“What?”

“It’s–nevermind, stupid joke.”

He sighed again.  “I told Jax we could talk about more pixie stuff later.  I think his first body is still in the walls with Violet.”

“Well, you should get Marcy to help,” Sierra said.  “Isn’t that what you were trying to do?  Have Marcy’s job be to manage everything at home?  That could include settling conflicts.”

“Oh, ah…” Marcy said.

“Come on, you’re super smart, I bet you’d be great at it!”

Marcy tapped her fingers.  “I could…try, I guess.  But I don’t know where Moon is, either.  Maybe we should just wait for him to come to us in his own time.  Pushing probably won’t make it any better.”  Right?

***

Marcy took Thistle around to look for Moon in and outside of the house.  It felt a lot safer now that they had the chain link fence up, but they didn’t find him.

They didn’t find him until he wanted to be found, which was later that day.  Thistle heard him shouting from the window by Colin’s desk.

Marcy took Thistle and rushed up there.  Moon’s magic wardrobe was set out on the roof adjacent to the window, along with a little stool, as though he’d been using the roof as a place to get dressed.  Borrower-Jax was on the desk, and Moon was dragging him by an iron grip on his wrist.  Moon was uncharacteristically frumpled and steaming mad.

“What are you doing!”  Thistle jumped down onto the desk and pulled Jax out of Moon’s grip.  Jax cowered, looking chastised.  

“I caught that ruffian going through my things!” Moon said hotly.  “I-I, you know, I set up my wardrobe to, well, for my apology–I was going to apologize to you, so I was just in the process of making myself beautiful for that.  And I turn my back for one second and this–this–this–hooligan helps himself to my hairbrush!”

“I wasn’t going to steal it,” Jax insisted.  “Honest, I wasn’t.  I’m sorry.  Please don’t yell at me.  I was just touching it.”

“I don’t care if you weren’t going to steal it!  Don’t touch my things!”

“All right,” Marcy said.  She held her hands out placatingly–but she knew better than to touch Moon when he was upset.  “Just calm down.  We can talk about it.”  Despite Sierra’s confidence in her, Marcy figured that was… probably the full extent of how she could actually help, otherwise being relegated to watching and hoping she didn’t have to grab anyone.

“Moon!” Thistle said, flabbergasted.  “You’re mad at Jax for touching your hairbrush?  Not even stealing it, but touching it?”

“He had no right!”

Thistle sat Jax down behind him, then crossed his arms.  “Moon.  Stop acting like this.”

“Acting jealous?” he sneered.

“Yes!”

“Tell Jax not to touch my things!”

“Moon, I will, but–Look, it was just a hairbrush!  It’s not a big deal!  Stop being a drama queen!”

Moon burst into tears and fluttered away.  Thistle’s heart sunk into his stomach.  This was bad.  His friendship with Moon was getting worse, and he had no idea how to fix it.

Marcy watched Moon fly out the window and dive out of sight, not even bothering to pack up his wardrobe.  She felt horrible about how this was going, and cradled Thistle and Jax in her palms.

Thistle sighed and turned around, helping Jax back up.  “I’m sorry he yelled at you.  He shouldn’t have.”

“I’m sorry I touched his hairbrush,” Jax said.  “I won’t do it again.”

“I don’t even see why it’s a big deal,” Thistle said.  “It’s not like you were going to do anything with a hairbrush.”

Jax bit his lip and looked away.  “Uh.  Yeah.”

Thistle stared at him.  “Unless… Jax… is there a reason why it would be a big deal?”

Jax’s ears pinned back to his head.  “Um… I…”

“Jax?!”

“I just wanted some of his hair!” Jax burst out.  “I wanted to make a third body and have it be like his!  It would have just been a few hairs!  He wouldn’t have even noticed if he hadn’t spotted me!  I want to sit in the moonlight and make magic, too!”

Thistle stared at him.

Jax scuffed his foot.  “Sorry.”

“His hair?” Marcy echoed.  “For wh….Oh.  Ooooh.  For his DNA?  Right?”

Thistle turned from Marcy to Jax.  “Jax…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Is that what you meant by copying me?  Did you clone me?  Did you take some of my hair when I wasn’t looking?”

Jax’s face went bright red.  “I’m sorry.”

Thistle let out a deep breath.  “Jax, you understand that cloning someone without their permission is a lot less of not a big deal than just touching someone’s hairbrush?  Right?”

Jax bit his lip.

“Right?!”

“I don’t see why it’s such a big deal!  It’s not like it affects either of you at all!”

“Jax!” Thistle chastised.  “You can’t just steal someone’s hair and use it to clone them without asking and expect them to not be upset!”

“But you were happy to see me incarnated as a pixie!  It’s not like it’s a bad thing–right?”

Right.  They were dealing not only with a completely alien creature, with completely different ideas of morality–but a baby one at that, who still had to be taught how to interact with other people.

Thistle massaged his temples.  “This is–where to even begin.  This is a lot.”

“Go find Moon,” Marcy said, scooting Jax into her palm.  “I’ll stay here and try to explain this to Jax.”

Jax looked up at him through his eyebrows.  “Are you mad at me?”

“I’m–Maybe.  I don’t know.  Just… just stay here with Marcy for now, okay?”

***

He found Moon under a bush in the front yard, sitting with his knees to his chest, crying into his arms.

Thistle could probably count on one hand the number of times he’d seen Moon cry.  “Hey,” he said softly, ducking under the branches, bare feet padding in the dirt. 

Moon looked up, then away, ashamed.  He sniffled and wiped his face.  “I don’t want you to see me like this.  I’m too proud.”

“Well, that’s too bad.  I’ve already seen you, Mr. Pride.”  Thistle sat down next to him.  “Hey…  I think we both know this isn’t actually about the hairbrush.  Do you want to talk about it?  I’ll listen this time, instead of brushing you off.”

Moon kneaded his handkerchief.  His eyes were puffy–but he still managed to cry beautifully.  “It isn’t fair,” he whined.  “It’s not fair that he gets to be so carefree and make friends like it’s second nature!  I’ve been working so, so hard to–to… I don’t know.  Be more genuine.  Be a friend, instead of hiding behind lies.  But it’s so hard.  And then this guy comes along.”  He gestures to the house.  “And he’s just, apparently he’s just a better version of me.”

“Moon,” Thistle said sadly.  “No, come on.  Jax isn’t a better version of you.  That’s–it’s just not true.”

Moon sniffed loudly.  “That’s not–I mean, just look at him.  He can do everything I can do and then some.  He’s young and impressionable, enthusiastic and open and wholesome and energetic.  I’m none of those things.  He’s just more interesting than I am, now.  What am I going to do if you get bored of me?”

“I’m not going to get bored of you.  I’m sorry if I ever did anything to make you feel that way.  It wasn’t on purpose.  You’re great, Moon.  I like having you around.”

Moon gave a pained smile, looking at the ground and gently bumping Thistle with his shoulder.  “Probably a lot more when I’m not throwing little piss-fits, I imagine.”

Thistle giggled and bumped him back.  “A little, yeah.  I’m sorry, Moon.  Even if it didn’t seem like a big deal to me, it was obviously a big deal to you, and I should have seen that.”

“Well, nobody’s perfect, darling.  Except me of course.”  Moon wiped his eyes, smearing his eye makeup even further.  “I guess I felt… territorial, because I don’t know who I am or what I’m doing here if I’m not your favorite.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve just…spent so long pretending to be whatever someone else likes best that I don’t really know who I am when I’m just by myself.  And I had the worst introduction out of everyone here, so I guess I feel… like I have to prove that it’s worth letting me hang around.”

Thistle snickered.  “I don’t know about the worst introduction.  Severa tried to kill me.”

“Well…”

“Jewel hid for months and months and then had to be picked up out of the dust.”

“...Point taken.”  Moon groaned.  “Oh no, I’ve just done introspection.  The depths you force me to.”

Thistle smiled, took Moon’s hands, and pulled him up.  “But look, it didn’t kill you.  And I bet you feel better now.”

“I do sometimes forget things can get better instead of worse.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”  Thistle flickered his wings.  “We found out something about Jax, too.  Are you ready to go back and talk about what happened with them?”

“Only if you come with me.”

“Always.”

***

Marcy, meanwhile, had been prying Jax with questions to learn more.

Apparently Jax’s species picked up detritus leftover from other species to copy them–absorbing their DNA and, as far as she could tell based on his wording–residual magic that granted the hivemind access to some of the creature’s knowledge.  Which would explain how Jax had received a shotgun blast of information to learn a language and some basic details without even meeting a borrower.

She couldn’t figure out what sort of larval form he’d had, if any, that could have picked up some borrower hair to get him started.  He didn’t remember, of course, so maybe they’d never know.

It was incredibly difficult to pull her train of thought back on track to try and explain to Jax why being cloned would upset someone.  He obviously had no instinctual feeling of it being wrong or creepy, but in the end he seemed to accept Marcy’s explanation that it would make others feel bad, and he agreed that he didn’t want to make others feel bad.

“So from now on, no cloning anyone else without permission, okay?”

“Okay,” Jax said, scuffing his foot.  “I’m sorry.  I’ll ask next time.”

Thistle and Moon made their way back upstairs.

“Thistle,” Jax called nervously.  “Um, since I cloned you without permission, is it OK if I keep the pixie body, or do you want me to, um…”

Thistle stopped in his tracks.  “Um.  I don’t want you to kill my clone, if that’s what you’re asking.”  His clone would be sort of like family, wouldn’t it?  Either way, the thought of it dying upset him.

“Are you sure?” Jax offered.  “It wouldn’t be hard.  I could just-”

“I’m sure,” Thistle said quickly.  “Just–just don’t do it again, okay?”

Jax nodded.  “I will.  Won’t.  Thank you.  Sorry.”

Moon flew himself and Thistle back up onto the desk.  “You know, if you wanted to clone me, I might have let you if you’d just asked." Moon tossed his hair. "Who wouldn’t want to copy me?”

Jax swished his tail.

“...You can’t now, though.  You need to prove you’re trustworthy.  All you did by your approach was make me think you were up to something nefarious and get me all suspicious.”

“Sorry,” Jax said.  “I’m still learning.”

Moon smiled gently.  “I suppose I am, too.  I’m sorry for getting upset with you.  You’re very special, and I was afraid that would make people think me less special.  But it doesn’t have to be a competition.”

Jax beamed and clung to Moon’s arm.

“All right, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”  Moon shook him off.

When they were done with their conversation, Thistle beckoned them to come into the living room.  Among the lineup with Thistle’s house and Severa’s, there were two new small wooden houses, blank and ready to be painted.

“So, Jax, you’re going to need a big place to sleep if you’re going to have, er… multiple people sleeping.  And Moon.  Well, you never got a house.”

“You offered, if you recall.  I’d said no.”  He looked chagrin.

“Well, tough.”  Thistle held out one of his very small paintbrushes.  “Give it a try.  If you don’t like it when we’re finished, you don’t have to keep it.  But I bet having a place to call your own, physically here in the house, will make you feel a lot less insecure about your place here.”

Moon looked from Thistle’s house, to Severa’s beside it, to the hole in the wall beyond that Thistle had decorated for the borrowers with a small welcome mat, to Jewel in the fishtank above.

“And who knows?  Maybe if you stop pretending you’re too cool to do the arts and crafts with us, you’ll find something you like that isn’t just Being Thistle’s favorite.”

Moon’s wings wilted.

“Come on, Moon.  I like you, and I like having you around.  But I want you to be happy outside of me, too.  I don’t want your self-worth to depend entirely on my opinion of you.  I don’t want you to get hurt like that.”

Moon thought for a moment, then smiled again.  “Well, when you put it that way…  All right.  I’ll give it a try.  Give me the brush.”

***

***

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#g/t #gt #gianttiny #fairy #giant/tiny #size difference

[allmoshnobrain]

𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

part 12 of ? | masterpost

word count: 2059 | ao3 link | fic's playlist

And then, I realized what my decision was. I understood that the band was more than just an important project; it was what brought the five of us together, it was the beat of our hearts, and how desperately, truly desperately, we wanted it to succeed - because it had to, no matter what. And my role in all of it was to support them in the best way I could; even if it broke my heart.

✦ summary: Metallica's career begins to advance and Nore makes a difficult decision to help the future of the band.

✦ on this chapter: dave mustaine x female!oc, james hetfield x female!oc, oc is cliff's cousin, +18, language, slice of life, angst (mild), fluff, cliff burton & female!oc (family)

✦ a/n: hello! i'm posting this chapter a little earlier because i'll be traveling over the weekend. we'll be finally seeing a bit of plot development on this one hehe I'm posting at a slower pace because writing has been slow too, but I hope you like it! Feedback is welcome <3

✧ Innocence was our fire / We told the truth / I miss the sweet boys in the summer of their youth ✧

"Alright, everyone!" Lars exclaimed, grinning, and I looked up, curious. "It's band meeting time."

It was early evening, and I was chilling in the living room with Cliff, snuggled up in Dave's arms while he mindlessly watched some random TV show. That's when Lars and James walked in, both looking very pleased about something. I slipped out of Dave's embrace, making him grumble in protest, and stood up - usually, I didn't stick around for the guys to discuss band stuff because it bored me a bit and I wanted to give them some privacy. 

“Stay, Nore.” James flashed me a smile, and I sat back down, surprised. "I think you'll like to hear this firsthand."

I gave Dave a questioning look, but he just shrugged, seeming as intrigued as I was. James settled next to me on the couch while Lars headed to the kitchen, returning quickly with a bottle of vodka and some shot glasses. 

"Are we celebrating something or do you guys just want to start drinking early?" Cliff raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk on his face. Lars chuckled. 

"You'll find out if you let me tell you," he said, and Cliff rolled his eyes. "Alright, you know we've been on the hunt for a producer for our album, right? Well, here's the good news: we finally found a guy who's down to produce the album with us."

"Lars, that's awesome!" I exclaimed as Dave shouted excitedly.

“Wait a sec.” Cliff interjected. “You said you were starting with the good news. What's the bad news?”

"Oh, right." James chuckled nervously. "The producer is based in New Jersey. And if we want to kick off the production, we'll have to go there." 

"What?" Dave asked, incredulous. "How? With what cash? New Jersey is on the other side of the fucking country!" 

"Yeah, thanks for the geography lesson, Einstein." Lars replied sarcastically, and Dave furrowed his brow. "Look, don't we have some money stashed from our gigs? We can rent a van and hit the road. But it needs to be soon 'cause the guy wants to get things rolling quick." 

"This is insane." Dave answered. "We don't even have that much money, man. We should find someone local." 

"Well, James and I have already made up our minds. So you can either get on board or we can find a new guitar player." Lars said, a smug grin on his face.

I raised my eyebrows, feeling uneasy, as Dave removed his arm from around my shoulders and clenched his fists, glaring at Lars. I could sense that he was restraining himself from starting a fight right then and there. 

"Yeah, I think we should go." Cliff interrupted, cutting through the tense atmosphere in the room. "Come on, Dave. We've been trying to land a producer for this shit for ages."

Dave looked around, seemingly realizing that pushing further wouldn't get him anywhere, so he let out a frustrated sigh and rolled his eyes. 

"Fine, whatever. I'll talk to my boss, see if he can lend me some cash or something." 

"Great." Lars said cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to Dave's discontent. "Which brings us to another question. Whether Nore will be joining us or not." 

"Me?" I asked, taken aback. Dave furrowed his brow once again. 

"What do you mean ' whether she's going or not '? Of course she's going!" 

"Hold on, dude. We don't even have a plan on how to get there yet." James chimed in. "We're tight on cash and we don't have a place to crash. It's not exactly the safest option for a girl. But hey, it's your call." He looked at me, and I met his gaze, unsure of what to say. 

I tried to gather my thoughts, but my mind was in a whirlwind. On one hand, I really wanted to go. I didn't want to be stuck alone in San Francisco, away from Cliff, Dave, James, and even Lars. They had become such a big part of my life in the past few months, and I couldn't imagine being without their company anymore. On the other hand, James had a point; money was tight, and there were sure to be other expenses along the way. It was a risky venture, and I didn't want to burden any of them.

"You could crash at Lea's place while we're gone," Cliff suggested, clearly trying to help. I let out a sigh and shook my head. 

"I... I need some time to think," I mumbled. 

"Alright, then! You can decide later. Let's celebrate!" Lars exclaimed, getting up with excitement and grabbing the vodka. 

I let out another sigh. This had all the potential to be a happy moment, but it wasn't, at least not for me. I felt torn and stressed. Dave still seemed a little annoyed with Lars. Cliff and James were both staring at me, Cliff looking concerned and James examining my face in a way that made me shift my gaze. 

I couldn't be there right then. I needed some alone time. I stood up and made my way to the backyard, running a hand through my hair as I leaned against the porch railing and lit up a cigarette.

"Are you alright?" 

I looked up and found James leaning against the doorframe, his piercing blue eyes staring at me, filled with concern. I let out a sigh. 

"I... I don't know, James. It was a lot to take in all at once. And Lars..." 

"Oh, he's a pain in the ass during band meetings. Forgot you're not used to it," he said with a smirk, coming closer. I chuckled softly. 

"I don't know if I should go," I admitted in a hushed voice. "I don't want to be a burden or disturb anyone." 

"You're not a burden," he reassured me. "You're the best thing that's happened to us." 

I looked up, surprised, meeting his sincere gaze. It always amazed me how effortlessly we became friends, how he had become one of my closest companions once we got past the initial shyness. And how much he meant to me. 

He reached out and lightly touched my arm, appearing slightly awkward. He was so close, close enough that I could see every detail of his face in the dim porch light. I felt my cheeks heat up a bit, not quite understanding why. He pulled me into a hug, holding me tight. I chuckled softly, burying my face in his chest. 

"No matter what you decide, we'll be there for you," he said, his voice muffled. I nodded. "But just know, if you don't go, I'll fucking miss you." 

"I'll miss you guys too," I murmured. 

And then, I realized what my decision was. I understood that the band was more than just an important project; it was what brought the five of us together, it was the beat of our hearts, and how desperately, truly desperately, we wanted it to succeed - because it had to, no matter what. And my role in all of it was to support them in the best way I could; even if it broke my heart, even if it meant staying behind to lighten, even just a bit, the weight of that next step for everyone. 

They were leaving, but I would stay in San Francisco.

I sighed, eyes closed, feeling the gentle pressure of Dave's lips against mine. He cupped my face in his hands, his weight on top of me on the bed as he kissed me slowly. It felt good, but my mind was elsewhere. It was late at night, and I had sneaked into Dave's room while everyone else was asleep. 

I hadn't told him yet about my decision to stay in San Francisco while they went on their trip. I knew how much he wanted me to go, and even though I was confident it was the right choice, I couldn't shake off the anxiety of being away from everyone for an unknown length of time. I opened my eyes as he pulled back, and I noticed his intrigued gaze fixed on me.

"What's wrong?" I asked in a hushed voice. 

"You look worried . What aren't you telling me?" he asked, gently. I sighed.

"Am I that easy to read?" I asked, and he chuckled softly, shifting to lie beside me. I snuggled into his arms, burying my face in the crook of his neck. 

"It's about what Lars said, right? About the trip?" he whispered. 

"Yeah, it is," I spoke quietly. "Dave, I... I think I'm gonna stay."

I didn't know how I expected him to react. I didn't know if he would be sad or angry. But a wave of relief washed over me when he lifted my chin with his hand, kissing me gently on the lips once, twice, three times before pulling away and looking at me with his brown eyes.

"I wish you’d come," he said in a low voice. "But if you think it's best to stay, I get it."

"I think I can help you guys more by staying around here," I whispered. "It's the right call, I think."

"But you don't look too thrilled about it," he remarked with a slightly vexed smile. I nodded. 

"I'll miss you, Dave," I whispered. "All of you." 

"I'll miss you too, babe," he whispered back, placing a tender kiss on my temple. "Damn, if I could, I'd never spend a day away from you." I let out a soft chuckle at his words. "I love you, Nore." 

"I love you too, Dave," I replied, letting him pull me into a tight embrace against his chest. Right then, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world, but it didn't help much when I remembered how sad I was knowing that soon I would have to be away from him.

"Hey, you know what? I've got an idea," he said, grinning, clearly trying to lift my spirits. "Why don't we go out, just you and me? Spend the day together, do something fun." 

I looked at him, a smile spreading across my face as some of my excitement returned.

"Are you talking about a date?" I teased. He chuckled. 

"Yeah, I guess so. I just thought it would be nice to have some quality time with you before I take off. What do you say?" 

"I think it's awesome," I beamed, then wrapped my arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his lips. "You're the best boyfriend ever." 

"I do my best," he grinned, leaning in for another kiss. "But it's easy when I've got an amazing girlfriend like you."

A few days before the guys left for New Jersey, Dave came home and handed me a bunch of keys. I looked at him, puzzled. 

"What's this?" 

"Well..." he plopped down next to me on the couch, twirling a strand of my hair around his finger. "Remember our talk about spending a day together? I've got some plans. And… I may have rented a beach cottage for us." 

"Dave! You shouldn't be wasting your money on this," I objected, though a smile involuntarily crept onto my face. 

"Hey, no worries. I just want to see my girl happy. Plus, since I'll be away for a while... I promise I won't let you get a wink of sleep," he smirked mischievously. I looked away, feeling my cheeks flush, and he let out a soft chuckle at my reaction. 

"Hey, you two," Lars called out, entering the room with James. "James, Cliff, Lea, and I are hitting up the bar. You guys wanna come along?" 

"Hell yeah, count me in," Dave jumped up, brimming with excitement, and I followed suit.

Many years later, I would remember that time as one of the happiest in my life. We enjoyed that night as if it were our last; we laughed together, danced together, had fun together, and drank together. Somehow, despite all the unspoken tensions that were slowly surfacing, we remained happy, excited, and filled with hope for a successful future that, at least during that time, seemed like a distant dream.

That night, amidst the smiles and blurred memories of a beer-filled evening, all I could wish was for that happiness to last forever. I was happy. They were my family.

And I loved them.

#hello hello hello it's heartbreaker day!! #ada writes fanfiction #heartbreaker fanfic #metallica #megadeth #james hetfield #dave mustaine #cliff burton #lars ulrich #metallica fanfiction #dave mustaine x oc #dave mustaine fanfiction #nore burton (oc) #james hetfield x oc #james hetfield x reader #dave mustaine x reader

[astro-b-o-y-d]

Hayley's Completely Self-Indulgent and Borderline Ridiculous Bill Cipher Playlist (Part 1)

Just gonna go for it and make a masterpost of all the songs (video links included) I've got on my Bill playlist so far.

'So far' being the key words; I've added over a hundred songs at this point and will probably add more in time. Whether it's songs I think Bill would like, songs that just remind me of Bill, the most obnoxious songs to hear on a party playlist, songs connected to the side of himself he tries to bury in lies, or songs that I'll admit are a bit of a stretch but they still remind me of Bill so I added them anyway, I've got a little bit of everything here.

I do take requests for songs to add but also don't make fun of me for some of the more obvious and basic choices because I know. I know. But also I can do whatever I want forever.

I did put some small reasons/infodumps next to each song, to explain why I picked them. Or I'll just say that it had Bill vibes to me and leave it at that.

Anyway, for anyone interested (if you actually read all my little blurbs, massive props to you), the first chunk of songs are listed below. Just a heads up, it's LONG and this is only the first part:

Mariana & The Diamonds - Oh No! - Yeah, obviously. Obviously.

Taylor Swift - Death Note ｢AMV｣ Look What You Made Me Do - I said it before, I'll say it again; Death Note AMV creators can turn water into wine and every time I watch this one, I can't stop picturing the song from the POV of a manipulative, power-hungry bastard with a God Complex. So you know, Bill. But only specifically in this context, it doesn't hit as hard without the AMV.

Fall Out Boy - Centuries - Listen to the lyrics of the chorus. That's Bill. Like...that's Bill. The rest of the song has a lot of really good Bill lyrics as well.

Scissor Sisters - I Can't Decide - Shut up. SHUT UP. I knew about the song WAY before it was ever applied to Bill. Heck, I knew about this song way before Bill even existed so SHUSH. But like, come on. Sometimes a song choice is overapplied to a character for a reason; it works.

Creature Feature - The Greatest Show Unearthed - I think my teenage self would strangle me if I didn't put at least one Creature Feature song on here. Lucky for him, I've put more than one. But the other one comes later. ...Did I add it? I should check that.

Voltaire - Land of the Dead - Speaking of teenage Hayley's tastes, time for the Voltaire songs I've definitely just added because of the 'I'm 13 and this is Deep' vibes. But also Voltaire fucks severely and every Bill playlist should have at least one of his songs on it, in my personal opinion.

Voltaire - When You're Evil - Once again, I'm 13 and this is Deep, but also tell me you can't imagine Bill singing this to himself. No, not in a sexy way in a human body who looks like Oregonian Onceler, in the edgy teenager way where you thinks you're the most evilest evil in the entire world but you're really just going through puberty and also probably transgender, but you don't know that yet.

Voltaire - Death Death (Devil, Devil, Evil, Evil, Song) - Once again, edgy teen who thinks he's the most evilest evil in the entire world (I don't think Bill is actually irredeemably, unquestionably evil, he'd just really vibe with 'Ooh I'm so evil! I'm such a bad guy!' songs).

I'm pretty sure this is the last Voltaire song for now, unless I added Brains! somewhere down the line and forgot. (Also just a mild warning but this song DOES use the f-slur, if that bugs you)

The Greatest Showman Cast - The Other Side - Sighs. Look. It's a Bill and Ford song to me. I don't even mean romantically or anything, just LISTEN to it. That's them. If there were a Gravity Falls Musical, dedicated to recreating the entire show through song and dance, the two of them meeting for the first time would have a song exactly like this. I refuse to apologize for this choice. Also a Gravity Falls musical would rule, someone should make that eventually.

Italobrothers - My Life is a Party - Just the first of my many Dragostea Din Tei choices for this playlist. I really like the original, okay? And I usually end up attached to people who try to remix it/make a new song outta it. This one has the bonus of also being a fun party song.

David Guetta, Bebe Rexha - I'm Good (Blue) - Speaking of the first choice of a song I have multiple times on this playlist in some form. I don't care what anybody says, I think this song is a lot of fun and I think Bill would have it on one of his party playlists somewhere. Probably the Nightcore version, it's a lot quicker and makes for a better fistpumping song, in my personal opinion.

Set It Off ft. William Beckett - Wolf In Sheep's Clothing - Yeah, I'm not explaining this one, you get it.

Vocaloid (made by Fukase) - ‘Cause I’m a Liar - I actually don't like this one all that much, and I can feel everyone's judgment about having a fucking Kokichi Ouma fansong on here. But the lyrics don't lie. Or...I guess they do. It's a song about being a liar, that's the joke. (Also slight content warning but the video has a lot of flashy effects, so take caution!)

Kesha - Blow - Of course we've gotta have some Kesha. There will be more. She needs no explanation.

Kesha - TiK ToK - Once again, not explaining myself. It's Kesha.

Taylor Swift -【AMV】Death Note - Blank Space - What I said about the last Death Note AMV with a Taylor Swift song. It just works so well for a manipulative guy like Bill, but only when set to Death Note specifically. Why? I have no idea, it just hits different. It's like eating crackers with cheese whiz: not a healthy or fantastic snack by any means but sometimes I just want some junk food. Except this junk food manipulates people.

Kesha - Take It Off - Once again, will not explain my Kesha choices. You understand that Bill and the Henchmaniacs would be Kesha girlies or you don't.

Neil Cicierega - It's Gonna Get Weird - Giggles. Also funny enough, I don't listen to this all that often. Dunno why.

Gravity Falls Soundtrack - Is It Bottomless - Triangulum Entagulum - I mean, yeah.

Gravity Falls Soundtrack - A Very Tricky Triangle - I mean, yeah x2. I don't care if this might be cheating, I can do what I want. But also, isn't this such a FUN instrumental? I love the music they use for him in the show SO much. It's so sinister and otherworldly. Top-notch soundtracking.

Voltaire - Brains! - Oh, hey, I did add Brains! to this. Anyway, we can tell I was a Billy and Mandy kid so I'm gonna project that onto Bill. Also I'm 90% sure this is the last Voltaire song I have on the list. For now.

Trolls 3 - Mount Rageous [Extended Edition] - This is absolutely one of my most self-indulgent picks on the list, especially because I went straight for the one that includes the Sweet Dreams part of the song (because I guess the soundtrack doesn't actually have it?)

Anyway, it's a song all about faking it to make it, sung by people who have gone on to manipulate everyone around them by using others for their own abilities. So I think I at least have SOME excuse to connect it to Bill. Maybe? Possibly? I think so. Plus it fucks and actually got me to semi-care about the Trolls films again.

Alex Hirsch - We'll Meet Again - Giggles again.

Marina and The Diamonds - Bubblegum Bitch - Insert that post about always understanding whenever someone slaps Bubblegum Bitch onto a character playlist. That character's Miss Sugar Pink Liquor Liquor Lips now. Admittedly I don't have any other real reason for it to be on here, other than its extreme levels of cunt. Maybe Bill adds it to his party mix at Pyronica's request or something. Now THERE'S a Bubblegum Bitch.

Rihanna - Disturbia - Another song that gives me Bill and Ford vibes. Pretty self-explanatory, probably. Probably?

Malia J - Smells Like Teen Spirit - I also have the original version and the Weird Al parody down further on the playlist, and I tie them all to Bill in different ways. This one's for his more ominous and sinister side, where it's like 'I'm coming and I'm not leaving :)', whereas the original touches more on the 'teen/young adult revolutionary' side of things and the Weird Al cover is just because Weird Al. Also this cover is so pretty and chilling to me.

David Guetta ft.Sia - Titanium - This one's kind of a 'I could take it or leave it on here' song, admittedly, but also it gives me pre-Second Dimension-Destruction Bill vibes, in a twisted kind of sense. Like, he feels all powerful and like nobody can stop him...as he proceeds to make the worst mistakes of his life and destroys everything he knows. Might stew on this one and potentially remove it, but it can stay for now.

Ricky Martin - Livin' La Vida Loca - I feel like this one speaks for itself. He's insane. He's cah-RAZZYYYYY. Also it's a fun party song.

Freak Kitchen - Freak of the Week - This one just fucking rules. I'll admit connecting it to Bill outside of the title is a stretch, it's more a critique on people so desperate to achieve fame and fortune that they'll go as far as putting their own lives in danger to get it, whereas Bill is more likely to put others in danger to achieve his own goals.

But also he was willing to destroy the universe with himself inside it, for the sake of the most wild party imaginable. Also, desperate to seek fame and fortune without considering the dangers necessary to get there? Could always stretch further, say it's a Bill and Ford song. Either way, I'm keeping it on the playlist.

Christina Milian - Am to Pm - I've just really liked this song since I was like, ten, and it's a fun party song. Not all of Bill's party songs have to be super annoying, sometimes they can be bops. The bops make you lower your defenses. So when he drops a What Does The Fox Say? down the line, you're completely blindsided. Yes, it will be on here.

Viva La Vida - Coldplay - A human Bill song if I ever heard one. Another fairly basic choice, but again, I don't think it's a HUGE stretch to tie it to him. Plus again, insert that Top Forty Hits quote from Dipper here. They're in the top forty for a reason, they're CATCHY.

Eurobeat Brony - Discord (Remix) - Yeah.

Alina - When You Leave [Numa Numa] [Basshunter Radio Mix] - I told you this song was going to be all over the playlist. And we still haven't gotten to the original yet. Also fun fact; there was originally another version of the song before this one, but upon a relisten I was like 'Hmm, nah, it's good but I don't know if it's got that Bill energy.' Yes, I can and do compare Dragostea Din Tei covers for my Bill Cipher playlist like I'm comparing paint swatches at Home Depot. It's that important to me.

Switchfoot - Dare You To Move - I have no excuses for putting a song from a psuedo-Christian rock band on my Bill Cipher playlist outside of the sheer nostalgia factor, and I can't even pretend it's a one-off thing because there's another one of their songs further down the list. But CONSIDER; the Axolotl singing it to him. That's all I'm going to say. I will not apologize.

BB Cooper - Blame - To me, this is one of those songs about the feelings Bill probably tries to drown in lies. I realize it's a stretch, because we know he wouldn't actually stop and self-reflect in the way that the song does.

But at the same time...I could easily see someone making an animatic set to this song with Pre-Second-Dimension-Destruction Bill at the beginning and it switches to present-day Bill for the second half. I see the vision, even if I realize Bill would try his hardest NOT to see it.

Either that or he'll interpret it as a 'You see? I'm not the villain here. My tragic past is the real reason I'm like this.' song. But you know, there's always that thin thread that's tied to his past, before everything unfolded as it did. Where at some point, he really and truly wasn't to blame. Alas.

They Might Be Giants - Particle Man - Heehee hoohoo triangle man.

Tom Cardy (ft. Montaigne) - Red Flags UNO REVERSE - I added these two in reverse order, oops. Oh, well. I feel like it adds to the chaos.

Tom Cardy (ft. Montaigne) - Red Flags - Of course. Sidenote but this song is physically impossible to sing out loud in public unless you want some WEIRD looks from people.

Hudson Mohawke - Cbat - Tell me he wouldn't love this garbage.

Circus Music - Just circus music. Because he's a massive clown.

Earth Wind & Fire - Boogie Wonderland - Just a fun song, especially for parties.

Nicki Minaj - Super Bass - It feels so wrong to think of a party mix without it, and I feel like Bill would agree.

Toby Fox - Your Best Friend and Toby Fox - Your Best Nightmare - These two are tied together in that order, for pretty obvious reasons.

Simple Plan - I'm Just A Kid - I bounced back and forth with myself before eventually taking Teenagers by MCR off the playlist. I'm not doing that with this song. It just...it feels Bill, you know?

Maybe specifically my version of him, but also can't you imagine your own version of him blasting this at the age of like, fourteen? Am I wrong? I don't feel like I'm wrong. Also I might add Teenagers back onto the list, he needs more of those angsty teen songs.

Darude - Sandstorm - It's a meme, it's funny, it'd be a blast at parties.

Flo Rida ft. Kesha - Right Round - I wouldn't count this as a Kesha song but also I could easily see them bumping it in the Fearamid.

Sia - Chandelier and Toad - Chandelier - Once again, a two-for-one special. I feel like Bill would enjoy both for various reasons. He can interpret it as just another party song, while ignoring the obvious darker implications behind the song of masking your true pain and emotions through a wild and reckless lifestyle. He'd probably love to get as literal as possible with it and try swinging from a chandelier. The Toad once is ear-splitting annoying. I think they fit

Florence and the Machine - Cosmic Love - This one is just for Mina. That's the only reason it's here.

Weird Al - Polka Face - Funny Weird Al song.

Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby - Drake suggested this one and it was right. I laughed and added it, then proceeded to get jumpscared by it when I shuffled the playlist this morning. So that was funny. Go, white boy, go.

Tim Rothrock & Jim Wise - Goofy Goober Rock - More Drake suggestions (this and the other Spongebob songs, along with a few others down the line), and this makes me smile extra hard because I've been in such a Spongebob mood lately :)

Spongebob - Jelly Fish Jam (4 Hour Edition) - Yes, the 4-hour edition specifically. If you're not jamming as much as the jellyfish did in the episode, you're doing something wrong.

Spongebob - Sweet Victory - Of course. Gotta honor the classics.

Weird Al - NOW That's What I Call Polka! - Another one of my personal favorite Weird Al polka mashups.

LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem - Would Bill be Team Party Rockers or Team Party Rock Is?

Cutting it off here because this playlist has over a hundred songs so far and I'm only at...57. How fun for me personally to stop there for the first part. Anyway, expect the next part in a bit.

#Hayley Speaks #Long Post #I'm not tagging this one; it's just for fun #Maybe I'll link it in my pinned post or smth; we'll see

[huffle-dork]

Swap Across the CrystalVerse Chapter 24: Many Roads Diverge

Read Swapboys | Crystal’s AUs| Many Roads Diverge

Read SITCV | SATCV Masterpost | AO3 Link

Bro lands in the living room again. It's night outside. The room is empty, with no sounds at all to tell him people are nearby. 

Bro hurries to his feet and looks around with his fists up- expecting a fight. Only to be met with... silence. He blinks and then rubs at his head. "...fucking hell... this is messing with my brain- what is happening??" He whispers to himself.

The silence stretches onwards.

"H...hello?" He calls out in the house. "Is... a-anyone there?"

No answer. 

But... the lights are on upstairs. He can see it coming from down the staircase.

"...okay..." Bro whispers to himself. "... I might be making the 'white-guy-in-a-horror-movie' clique move here but... gotta start somewhere I guess?" He hurries up the stairs.

There are several doors upstairs. They look like bedrooms, maybe a bathroom, but he doesn't need to check them all. The door closest to the stairs is slightly ajar. 

And a spray of red liquid spilled across the floor, a distinct coppery smell in the air.

Bro freezes as he sees the red and ends up staggering back a little. "H-Holy shit..." He whispers, looking dumbfounded and even a little bit sick as he covers his mouth.

A voice comes from that room, sounding muffled. "Is... is someone there?" it calls. He recognizes Chase's voice from the past two times he'd been in this house. "Hello? I-is it safe?"

Bro looks up and then seems- hesitant. Is he... in the same place again or is... this time different? He's not sure... but- what if he needs help. He swallows and then steps forward, trying to avoid the red. "I... I think so? Are... are you okay?"

"Y-yeah! Luckily." 

Bro peers into the ajar bedroom door and sees... 

Four. Dead. Bodies. 

All four of his friends, in the same appearances of the last two times, sprawled on the floor, dead. 

Bro gasps loudly and staggers back at seeing the bodies, putting a hand over his mouth and finding the nearest wall to fall against. What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck?! 

The wardrobe doors rattle. Someone is inside. "You're not... the guy, are you?" says Chase's voice. "Y-you don't... sound the same... But... w-well I guess if this is a trick, I've already ruined it." He laughs darkly.

Bro’s so shaken he doesn't even know how to respond to Chase. He's honestly trying not to throw up.

"Hello?" The wardrobe door opens slightly. A sliver of Chase's face is visible, pale. "You... A-are you supposed to be here? I-I mean... I thought... you'd be part of the police I called... But you're not."

Bro's voice is shaky as he replies, "I... I'm a h-hero technically but I.. uh... n-no I ... don't think I'm supposed to be here." He swallows nervously, "What.. what happened?"

"I-I don't know... it's all a blur, really." Chase pushes the wardrobe door open the rest of the way, staring down at the bodies. "We were hanging out when I saw someone outside. So I called the police, but then the guy broke inside a-and started going crazy. We all ran upstairs and blocked ourselves in here, but... it wasn't enough. I-I was a coward and hid, even through all the noise." He shakes his head sadly.

"You've been... hiding this whole time?" Bro asks quietly. "..you haven't left that closet? Through... all of that?"

Chase nods. "I-I know... I probably should have done something." He shivers a little. "But I was... frozen."

"...you don't seem surprised to see them all... dead." Bro says with a suspicious tone in his voice.

"Of course not!" Chase stares at him, shocked. "I could fucking hear the gunshots! I-I peeked out for a bit, but th-they weren't moving, a-and none of them came to check on me, so I—" He shivers again, stronger this time. "I... I-I don't want to talk about it. I-I want to get out of here. I c-can't stand seeing them like... like this." His voice sounds choked up.

Bro quickly changes his tune and hurries over to him. "O-Okay okay... sorry let's just...g-get you outside- c'mon..." He gently tries to lead him out of the room.

"Th-thanks." Chase follows Bro quietly, avoiding looking at the bodies as they leave the room and start heading for the staircase. "I... like I said, I called the police. Th-they could be here soon. We should wait for them. H-how did you find this place? It's... out in the middle of nowhere."

Bro messes with his hair, "...excellent question I'm... still trying to figure that out myself. But uh... i... I can wait with you..."

"Thanks." Chase nodded. They reached the living room and he sat down on the sofa. "But... s-sorry, I think I'm just really confused. What do you mean? You... don't know how you got here?"

"Kinda? It's... complicated and confusing and... y-you're going through a lot so I... I don't wanna make it worse." Bro says, holding his arm and rubbing it.

"W-well... maybe it can distract me," Chase says, giving a small, weak smile.

Bro lets out a small snort of a laugh and shakes his head. "...I'm... you- from another universe. And usually to get into universes we use a device but.. it got broken so now... there's these weird rips? In the air? They only seem to affect me but... this is the 3rd time ive wound up in this cabin? But... each time is different and... I don't know why I keep coming back here... or why I'm here at all."

"...huh." Chase blinks. "O...kay. I think... I'm not really processing that. But... I mean... I've played video games where there are a lot of routes that are slightly different depending on your choices. Maybe... it's like that? Maybe... instead of appearing in a new game altogether, you're appearing in a different route in one game?"

".... that's the best way I can think of all this to be honest-" Bro says with a sigh, finally going to sit down on one the couches. "..I guess that makes sense. When I came here before... it... it wasn't like this. It wasn't this bad... i... I'm so sorry Chase..." He takes a shaky breath and shakes his head. "But, if this is just... going through routes then... maybe I can find one where... none of this happens. Maybe even one where I can find Jackie or Alt..." 

"Jackie and Alt...? Friends of yours?" Chase asks. "I-I have a Jackie... well. I mean." He glances up towards the ceiling. "L-let's not talk about that."

"Yeah... my best mate and my brother... I.. I don't know where they are or what they're going through but... we all fell through the same rips. I..I hope they're okay..." Bro says sadly.

"Hmm. Yeah... maybe you'll find them." Chase nods. "Maybe." 

Silence fell for a while. Awkward, sad silence. 

Until... Chase inhales sharply, glancing towards the basement door. "What? Chase, you said a 'rip,' right? Like... that?" He points towards the door. Just in front of it, a small black rift is taking form.

Bro gets to his feet quickly and then his eyes widen as he sees the rip. "... y-yeah... yeah that's it." 

Bro shakily swallows again and then tries to smile at Chase. "... guess that means it's time for me to go..."

Chase nods. "Good luck, then." 

Bro smiles sadly at Chase and pats his shoulder. "Sorry I couldn't stay..." 

Bro walks closer. The rift grows bigger—but before he can reach it, something happens that hadn't yet. 

Someone else comes out of the rip in space-time. It's a man, with brown hair, wearing a black T-shirt. A green scarf is wound tightly around his neck, and a white eye-patch hides his right eye. His body shivers with static as he steps out of the rift and into the living room. He glances around for a moment, and then looks directly at Bro. "What the fuck has happened here, Chase?" Anti asks.

Bro staggers back as he takes in who is coming out and then stares at him with wide eyes and a slack jaw. "A...Anti!?" He pushes his hair back and then laughs breathlessly, "How...? W-What are you doing here?!"

"An...ti...?" Chase repeats, eyes wide—and then narrowed into a glare. 

"What am I doing here?! I'm checking to see what the fuck is causing all these rifts to appear!" Anti gestures back at the rift behind him. "Reality is already fucking paper-thin here, there's a dozen of these in this universe's alternate versions—What the fuck?! Please tell me you didn't do anything. Please tell me you got sucked in and aren't causing this."

Bro staggers back and waves his hands, "W-We got stuck! We were- we got tricked by an Anti in the last universe! He messed with the TRVLR and was using it to bring us to him and h-he broke it! He said he's gonna destory other universes but we have no way to find him! I've been stuck in a loop here and I... I don't know where Jackie or Alt or e-even Mag is!"

"Huh. Well... fuck." Anti pauses, brows furrowing as he thinks. "I think I can help with finding your friends and that cat-themed fucker, at least. The rest... we'll have to talk about later." He jerks his head back to the rift. "Go on through. You'll be in pitch black, but you won't go through to another world. Not until I'm there.”

Bro looks relieved as he nods. "T-Thanks Anti... so glad we ran into you..." He starts to go towards the rift-

“And you." Anti glares at Chase. "Stay right where you are." 

"Wh--" Chase's eyes widen. "I-I don't know who you think you are, b-but I've been through a lot, all my friends just--" 

"Yeah. No. I'm not falling for that." Anti grins. "You think I can't recognize myself? Especially one as despicable as you?" 

Chase takes a step backwards. His expression shifts for a moment, become something nasty and unpleasant.

Bro stops when Anti and Chase talk. His eyes widen as he looks at Chase. "Wait- what? You... you're-" He pales and backs away. "...you tricked me."

Chase--no. This world's Anti smiles a cruel smile, twisting Chase's features. "Oh, it's not your fault. I'm just too good at this, especially in something that fits as well as this."

Bro's eyes glow with anger and he bares his teeth and looks ready to fly at Chase and punch him. "You fucker! You killed all of them! You absolute fucking-!"

Anti grabs Bro from behind. "Don't." He scowls at the other Anti. "I get it. I want to fucking kill him. But apparently we're not supposed to divert the course of worlds too much." 

"So sad." The other Anti gives a little wave, still smiling. Anti growls, a bit of green light escaping from beneath his eye-patch. Just like Bro, he looks about ready to attack this guy. But he holds himself back. "Besides, Chase. The sooner we leave, the sooner we find your friends. They're in alternate worlds like this—and in some of those alternate worlds, this guy is still a bit trigger-happy. We got to get to them fast." 

Bro growls angrily at the other Anti but lets himself be grabbed by Anti. He doesn't take his eyes off him but nods towards the rift. "...Okay... okay yeah- l-let's go find them then." He shudders, thinking of getting to another timeline and seeing... Jackie and Alt in that horrible pile. He hurries towards the rift.

Anti makes sure that Bro leaves first before turning back to the other one, still in Chase's body. 

"In most of these worlds, you don't win," he whispers. 

The other Anti shrugs. "I've won here. That's enough." 

"For now." Anti stares at him for a moment more... then turns and walks through the rift.

 ----------- 

Jackie lands in the living room again. It's night outside. The room is empty, but he can hear footsteps in the kitchen area.

Jackie catches himself as he falls and looks around expectantly. Then deflates when nothing looks different. He sighs heavily and pushes himself up, "Welp... so much for that..." He mutters. Then, he perks up and curiously goes towards the kitchen.

He walks into the kitchen area, which is connected to the dining room. 

A man is opening up one of the dining room windows. A man wearing a red hoodie... that is absolutely soaked in blood. The man turns at the sound of Jackie's footsteps... and he sees his own face. 

"Oh, fucking hell," the other him curses under his breath, then glares at him. "You. Don't fucking ruin this. Or I'll kill you." The man reaches for something leaning against the wall, picking it up. That's... that's an axe. Usually used for chopping wood, but the blood on its blade tells a different story.

Jackieboy staggers back with wide eyes and goes white. He stumbles, hardly able to say a word. He tumbles into the door of the kitchen and cowers away, feeling sick by the sight and the smell of all the blood. "i..I-i...!"

"Why do you look like this one?" the man with his face asks, more talking to himself than Jackie. "That's strange. He doesn't have any relatives in his memories." He chuckles, an amused grin on his face as Jackie stumbles backwards. He turns to face him. "Look. I've just had... a lot of difficulty. So I'm running low on patience. Tell me who you are and how you got here. Quickly. You don't want to annoy me."

"I-I'm Jackie! Jackie M-Mann...!" Jackieboy blurts out, "I.. I dunno how there was a r-rip in the air and it's b-black and it o-only sucks me in but i... I thought it was just a ghost- they s-said it was only a ghost-!" He's panicking. "P-Please don't kill me- I... I have a family b-back home..! I...I just need to find a way h-home I.. I didn't mean to come here...!" 

The man stares at him with a blank expression. Then he suddenly laughs. "A ghost...? Well, I was a ghost. Up until about ten minutes ago. Now I'm alive again." He flexes his fingers, looking down at his hands with joy. Then he looks up again. "You have no idea how much I struggled getting here. Any one of them would've fit better, I'm sure of it. Live and let live, I suppose. But you don't care, do you? You're too scared to care." He jerks his head to the side. "Get out of my sight."

Jackieboy squeaks in response, looking white as a ghost. He quickly nods and runs as fast as he can towards the door. He doesn't know or care about what he means. He can't let himself die here...!

The door is locked.

Jackieboy chokes on a panicked sob and tries to turn the knob, banging against the door in a desperate attempt to get it open.

No good. It might as well have been a wall. 

"Having difficulty back there?" the man's voice calls from the kitchen. "I said to get out of my sight."

"I...! I'm t-trying!" Jackieboy sobs, desperately throwing himself against the door. When thet doesn't work he hurries to try to find that clock that he used to break the window earlier...!

There it is! Right on the table where it was last time. 

The man laughs. "Try harder~" he says in a singsong voice. A scraping sound comes from the kitchen. No doubt that axe, grinding against something. 

Jackieboy looks towards the kitchen, feeling his blood replaced with ice as the murderer sings towards him. He chucks the clock at the window with all his might.

It hits the side of the window instead of the center where the glass would be weakest and bounces back. 

Footsteps. They're coming closer but the man is still just out of sight.

Jackieboy panics and almost trips over himself and he runs towards the closest room he can find- it looks like some sort of bathroom. He quickly goes in and tries to see if he can lock the door, breathing heavily.

Yes, the door locks. There's a deadbolt that slides shut. He's safe. 

Jackie quickly deadbolts the door and staggers back away from it, scared out of his mind.

The footsteps walk into the living room. "Hmmm," the man's voice says. "Not up the stairs. The basement door is open, he wouldn't be stupid enough to leave it like that, would he? So..." 

Jackieboy hears the mad man walking around and commenting like its some sick game of hide and seek. He holds a hand over his mouth and crouches down, hyperventilating and crying and trying to control his shaking.

And then the footsteps approach the bathroom door. "Did you notice something in there? There's no window." He laughs. "Odd, isn't it? Most bathrooms have a window, but I just couldn't figure out how to make it work. So that's basically just a box in there."

Jackie freezes as he takes in his words and looks around. Oh... shit- did he just fuck up...? He chokes on a sob and curls up as small as possible.

"You don't have to be too scared," the man says. "I'm not coming in there. Yet. I have stuff to take care of. But you're not going to come out. The door opens outward, you know, it's very easy to block. So just sit tight, alright?" He laughs. 

Jackie is shaking and quietly sobbing as he pulls out his phone. If this crazy psycho is gonna kill him... he has to say goodbye to Zara. He's not gonna let himself die without her knowing- she has to know. He hates that he might not see her face again but... he's alone. He has no idea where Bro or Alt is and... He tries to see if he can make the call- 

"I'll be back later. We can catch up then. Maybe you'll come up with something to persuade me in the meantime. I've been known to go easy on people if they make it--what?" His voice turns away from the door, like something caught his attention. "The fuck is that?"

Then, Jackie snaps his head towards the door, curling up small.

"Who the fuck are you?!" The man shouts. 

"I think the better question is, 'what are you?'" a voice says. "I'd ask you the same, but I already know who, and what, you are. A m̷̛oņ̷s̨̧t̀͟er̕." 

"What the f--?!" 

There's a thumping sound against the nearby wall. The man shrieks angrily, almost animalistic, and then, suddenly, the thumping and the shrieking stops. 

Jackie clutches his phone tight to his chest and listens to everything happening with bated breath. He cries out and covers himself as the thumping and screaming starts. He stays curled up for as long as he can.

Someone knocks gently on the bathroom door. "You can come out," the voice says, not harshly, but not exactly gently, either. "I took care of him for now."

Jackie jumps as the knock happens and stares at the door with wide eyes. "...h...how do I k-know this isnt a t-trick so you can just k-kill me...?" he tries to bite out with anger but his fear damages the bite.

A moment passes in silence. 

"I guess you don't," the voice says. "Personally, I don't think I sound anything like that guy--not while he's stuck in that body--but I guess you don't know his capabilities, maybe he can mimic voices." 

A pause. 

"I'll come in, then. Be prepared." 

There's a sound of static, and a flurry of green and black pixels, and suddenly there's a man crouched on the ground in front of him. He's wearing a long-sleeved black shirt with the phases of the moon on it, and has a green scarf loosely wrapped around his neck. His right eye is covered by a white eye-patch. 

"Well?" he asks. "Does it still seem like a trick? Because I'll leave if it does. You can come out when you want."

Jackie screams in Anti's face as he appears in front of him and tries to scramble up the wall. 

"Okay okay!" Anti immediately disappears. His voice comes from the other side of the door. "Can never expect people's reactions, but I should've fucking realized... fucking... He's not gonna be out forever, so can you please process this quickly?"

Jackie breathes heavily and clutches over his heart, trying to take it all in. "I... I know you- You're the Anti from... t-the first universe we ever went to...!" He scrambles to his feet and goes to unlock the door, looking out with wide eyes. "H..How are you here?!"

"I'm... who?" Anti blinks, confused. "The first universe you... Did you meet some other version of me? Because I have no idea who you are. But, as for how I'm here... that fucking thing." He points behind him, where a black rift has opened up in front of one of the front windows. "Fucking rifts showing up. Not a good sign."

Jackie looks confused, "Uh... y-yeah...! We meet like... god... its been over a year now since?? How do you-" He shakes his head, "N-Nevermind! If you have a way to get me out of here p-please do!"

"Right." Anti nods. "Go through the rift. You'll be in pitch black for a moment before I join you. Afterwards, we're going to have to stop by other worlds to find three other people out of place like you."

"M-My friends! O-Okay good... okay... yeah. T-Thank you." Jackie says, putting his phone away and rubbing at his tear-stained face. He doesn't hesitate to run towards the rift- only sparing one last glance at the killer's body and Anti before jumping in.

Anti also glances at the unconscious figure. He gives this other Anti--in the body of this world's Jackie--a look of disgust before hopping through afterwards. 

-----------

Magnificent lands in the living room yet again. It's night outside. 

Magnificent snarls as he pushes himself up, wiping himself off. He looks at his surrounding with confused anger. "The fuck is going on??" He asks himself. 

The room is empty, but a glowing red light comes from the open doorway to the basement.

Mag sees the red light and seems... fixated on it. Like a cat finding something it wants. He prowls forward towards the basement. 

The red light comes from down the staircase, from the hallway in the basement. And with it... more of that dark power. It's stronger. And that faint, lighter current underneath is nowhere to be found.

Magnificent’s eyes shine with that power hungry light as he feels the power below. He teleports to get closer-

This is the same basement hallway from before, but now lit by a red glow coming from the middle door on the right. It slowly opens further and out walks the same Marvin from the last two times. But something is different. Maybe in the way he’s standing? He turns and starts to walk down the hall, but stops when he sees Magnificent standing there. 

“Well… you’re definitely not supposed to be here,” he says.

Mag looks at him with a curious head tilt then giggles, “I would think so too… but I keep ending up back here. But something is different this time…” He prowls closer, eyes alight with hunger.

Marvin's eyes narrow. Red light dances around his hands. "Don't get closer," he growls. "This is your only chance."

Magnificent laughs, “And what could you possibly do to me?” He smirks cockily.

Marvin tilts his head. "Oh? You want to see? Fine, then." 

Suddenly, he's behind Magnificent, throwing a blast of red magic at him.

Magnificent gasps and then yells out as the blast hits him. “Why you little-!” He snarls then turns around to try to blast purple black magic fire at him.

The blast hits Marvin dead-on and he stumbles back, patting out the fire on his outfit. "I don't want to sound like a child, but you did start it," he chuckles, setting up a translucent red shield in front of him. 

Magnificent snorts and rolls his eyes. 

Red light flickers through the hallway and a whip of red light lashes out at Mag's legs.

Mag easily teleports out of the whips of light and zigzags across the hall in quick flashes before charging at the shield with lightning to try to shatter it.

The shield breaks in two and Marvin stumbles back, scowling. His eyes flash red, and the lights in the hallway suddenly go out, plunging the basement into pure darkness.

Magnificent falters for a second, looking around in confusion. He tries to reach out where he thought he saw Marvin last.

But Marvin isn't there. Instead, Magnificent touches something else. It's soft and covered in cloth, with some warm liquid staining it.

Magnificent recoils back and shakes off his hand in disgust. He then does the smarter thing of lighting fire in his hand so he can see.

The light of the fire reflects off the glassy eyes of a dead body sitting in a chair. And there are three more, all slumped over. Somehow, Magnificent is no longer in a hallway, but in a small room, empty except for four bodies, all of whom he recognizes from the last two times he arrived in this cabin.

Magnificent can’t stop the involuntary gasp that escapes his mouth as he sees where he is and takes in all the bodies. He stumbles back- too surprised to stop himself. “What… what the hell?!”

Marvin laughs. It sounds muffled--coming from behind the room's closed door. "I'll assume you can usually teleport and ward the door," he says. "I wonder if you'll be able to magic your way out of talking with the police. Well... I'm not curious enough to stick around and see." His voice drifts away.

“What?!” Magnificent snarls, “you’re not pinning this mess on me, coward!” He tries to teleport out- maybe he was bluffing about the wards!

It feels like he just ran into a wall, his power bouncing back.

Magnificent staggers back and growls like a feral animal. He throws magic to try to destroy the door.

The magic cracks the wood, causing it to splinter and shudder--and after a moment, catch fire. It didn't happen right away, proving there must have been some magic in there, but eventually, it burns.

Magnificent grins and then tries to kick down the door to escape.

The door falls into burning firewood and Mag is able to run into the hallway. 

Marvin has walked away, towards the basement staircase. He spins around at the sound of the doors breaking, eyes wide. Scowling, he turns back around and hurries up the stairs.

Magnificent bares his teeth and runs after Marvin, "Get back here!"

"Fuck you!" Marvin shouts, sending a bolt of red light over his shoulder.

Magnificent dodges the light and shoots his own to try to take out Marvin’s leg.

Marvin shrieks and falls when he's almost to the top of the staircase, hitting his head on the edge of one of the stairs. He's dazed for a moment, then, suddenly, laughs. "Oh yeah! That's what pain is!" He scrambles up the rest of the stairs on hands and knees, reaching the open doorway at the top.

Magnificent tilts his head in mild confusion before teleporting in front of Marvin and going to step on his hand. "You little bitch-" Magnificent spits. "You thought you could get away from me? Pin me for your gruesome murders? I think the fuck not!"

Marvin shrieks again as Magnificent steps on his hand, then looks up, grinning. "So you're gonna kill me?" he giggles. "Go on. I'll hop into you next." His other hand grabs onto Mag's ankle, sending a shock of red magic up his leg.

Magnificent jolts slightly from the magic but seems unphased. He grins wide and manic and laughs, "Oh no- I'm not gonna kill you! I'm just gonna take some of the power for myself~" He goes to snatch Marvin up by the wrist and attempts to drain him.

Marvin's eyes widen as he starts to feel his power drain--and then, before Magnificent can get too much, he feels the power yanked out of his hands. Marvin scowls--and suddenly he isn't on the floor any more, he's standing up behind Magnificent, trying to plunge a knife into his back.

Magnificent's eyes widen as he feels the snag and then before he can even react there's a sharp pain in his back that has him yelling out. He staggers and tries to catch himself on the wall next to the stairs- trying not to fall down them too. 

Marvin pulls the knife free, flicking blood from the narrow blade, and goes in for a second stab.

Magnificent is so dazed with pain he doesn't expect the second stab- and the pain and pressure of it makes Mag lose his footing and fall down the stairs- his vision momentarily whiting out as he crashes back to the basement floor.

And in the basement hallway, a small black rip starts to form. 

Marvin rushes down the stairs, clutching the knife tight, but skids to a hall when he sees the rift. "Huh? What the fuck?" He shakes his head, ignoring it, and goes for a third stab on Magnificent while he's down.

Magnificent is dazed but... surprisingly not down?? Guess its his suppressed feelings of pain from being mostly dark magic. His eyes open and see Marvin approaching him but he lunges back and skids back on the hall floor. He bares his teeth like a feral cat before ignoring all better judgement and lunging to try to claw at Marvin's throat. 

Now, he only wants blood.

Marvin shrieks. Not expecting that, he falls back, Mag's claws digging into his neck-- 

And suddenly, a bolt of static and glitches shoots out of the rift, forming a person that drags Mag back from Marvin. "Can't leave you alone in any world, huh?!" Anti bites out. 

Magnificent makes a choked noise of confusion and hisses, "You?! Why are you here?!!" 

"Chase! You want to punch this fucker's lights out?!"

"Oh it'd be my fucking pleasure~!" Bro says with a big grin. He cracks his knuckles and then grabs Mag by the front of his shirt and punches him as hard as he can. "That's for working with the fucker who stranded us here, bitch!" 

Mag's eyes roll up and he crashes to the ground, out cold.

Marvin scrambles to his feet as soon as possible, clutching his throat to stem the bleeding. He gives Bro and Anti confused looks, then turns and hurries up the stairs, heading for the cabin's first aid kit. 

Anti glares after him. "I don't feel bad for that fucking thing inside him, but that Marvin... he didn't seem so bad." A pause. "Better than mine. Better than this fucker." He kicks Mag in the side. 

"Yeah jesus... Mag went for his fucking throat god-!" Bro shakes his head.

"let's hope he lives. Maybe the shock of this will loosen that thing's hold." Anti says.

Bro looks sadly towards the stairs. "I hope he's okay too..." He sighs and grabs Mag and throws him over his shoulder, "Man I've done this a lot this adventure..."

Anti laughs. "Fucker doesn't give you any other choice, does he?" He shakes his head. "Alright. Two more to go. Back in the black space." He jerks his head towards the rift. "Hope you're not too tired of carrying him."

"Nah he weighs pretty much nothing." Bro shrugs. He hurries over to the rift.

"Good." Anti makes sure that Bro and Mag go through first before heading through himself. 

----------- 

Alt lands in the living room yet again. The outside is pitch black, and the floor under his feet seems strangely tilted. Something about this place seems slightly off in comparison to the last two times. Like the details haven't quite filled in...

And then, in a snap, that strange feeling is gone, and it's just the normal living room. Outside the sky is the pink-orange color of a sunrise.

Alt staggers as he lands in the living room, looking around the strangely tilting floor and feeling a sense of dread curl around his throat. Then, he blinks and its all gone. He grips at his wounded arm and looks around in confusion.

Footsteps come from behind one of the closed door. It jolts for a moment, locked, and then Jameson manages to open it and stumbles out, shirt stained with blood. His attention immediately goes to the windows. Relief floods his face when he sees the sun. Then he notices Alt. "Wh--" he starts to say, and then his words are suddenly overtaken by coughing.

Alt glitches back in surprise and staggers away from Jameson with a slight bit of fear. But that’s overtaken by concern as he sees him cough. “H-Hey… are you… okay?” He asks, warily noting all the blood on his shirt.

He stares at Alt for a moment, hesitant. Then nods. "Not... hurt," he says in a hoarse voice, then coughs some more. He asks in shaky sign language, Can you understand this?

Alt nods, "Y-Yeah I can speak sign... please don't overwork yourself..."

Jameson nods again, relieved. I don't know how you got here, but we need to leave. He stumbles forward, slowly heading for the front door. Terrible things have happened.

Alt looks confused, "T-Terrible how? How... did you get that blood on you if you're not hurt?" He glitches back and warily holds out a hand towards Jameson, magic faintly sparking. "How can I trust you...? W-When I was here last... y-you were-!"

Jameson blinks, confused. 

I've never seen you before, he says slowly. It doesn't matter. Terrible things. He shudders. My friends are dead. He keeps going across the room, reaching the door and trying to open it. 

It's stuck, seemingly locked. 

Alt's eyes widen, "D-Dead...? A-All of them?? W-What about Marvin and Chase I..." He stops himself and shakes his head, holding a hand against his chest. "...each time I'm here... it's different. A different person possessed... different people hurt and no one remembers the time before... but... how? and...why?" He whispers. 

Then he looks back to Jameson and glitches over, trying to see if he can help with the door. As he tries he asks, "I... I know it might be painful but... c-can you tell me how? How did... all this happen?"

Jameson's expression flickers into... something else. Is it annoyance? He looks away too quickly for Alt to really process as he digs into his pockets and pulls out a ring of keys, which he hands to Alt. 

Alt blinks at Jameson and takes the keys, looking confused. "...you had the keys? ...huh..." 

Yes, but they weren't useful while we were in outer space, were they? Jameson says. 

"Oh.. right-" Alt says, blushing slightly.

Maybe the annoyance was a trick of his mind, because now Alt can only see sadness on Jameson’s face. I'm not sure. Suddenly, the cabin was surrounded by nothing. This creature came after us. It used our bodies, made us attack each other. He shivers. I... He trails off. It's over now, though. I think.

Alt gives Jameson a wary glance. "Nothing huh... that... happened last time too... when you were..." He hesitates, then goes to try to unlock the door.

It takes Alt a couple tries to figure out which of the keys fit the lock, but eventually, he finds the right one and unlocks the front door. 

Jameson opens up the door, sheer relief on his face. "Freedom..." he whispers, and staggers out.

Alt is still wary of Jameson though, despite everything. He's not sure how much of anything he can trust right now. In fact... how can he be sure that the others are dead...? He looks back towards the cabin, unsure.

Jameson looks back at Alt. He tilts his head, puzzled. If you want to look around in there, be my guest, he says. I'm getting out of here. He looks around. Though... I guess I can't drive.

Alt startles out of his thoughts and looks back at Jameson. He slowly nods, "Uh... I'm sorry I... I can't either. Are we... far from a town?"

Very far. Jameson nods. The nearest town is F-O-L-A-S-U-L. It takes an hour and a half to drive. So it will take a while to walk. But I'd rather do that then stay here.

Alt nods, "H-Have you called anyone to try to come help...? I... I don't think I have enough magic to help... get that far."

Jameson hesitates. I could try to call the police... it wasn't working before. He reaches into his pocket and takes out a phone, tapping at its screen. 

And Alt feels a tug behind him. A rift has already opened up.

Alt blinks and looks behind him then balks at the rift, "W-What?? Already? H-"

Jameson looks back at him--then notices the rift in surprise. "That's not supposed to be here..." he says in a hoarse voice. "What is it? Do you know?"

"I...I'm not so sure... A... tear in the universe I guess..." Alt says shakily, gripping at his bleeding arm. "I-It's been keeping me in a loop here- dropping me in this cabin but...seeing different things. I... I dunno how to stop it."

"Well... I don't, either," Jameson says. "Never seen that before. Though... somehow, it reminds me of that hole in the ground..." He shakes his head. The rift's pull is increasing steadily.

"H-Hole in the ground?" Alt asks, glancing back at Jameson. It's... strange- besides his Dr. J... he doesn't meet a lot of Jameson who actually talk...

"Looks like you're caught in that gravity," Jameson says. He gives Alt a smile and a wave. "So long. Nice meeting you for a moment." 

That smile... it's strangely cruel, not fitting his face at all. Wait a moment-- 

But before Alt could do anything about it, the rift's pull becomes too much.

Alt's eyes widen and he shouts out, attempting to reach out to Jameson. Why? He's... not sure- because he was tricked?! Out of concern for who's trapped behind that smile? ...it doesn't matter, he's once again sucked into the darkness.

Alt lands in the living room yet, yet again. The sky outside is dark, and a man wearing glasses is sitting on the sofa. He jumps up, spinning around--more blood. More splatters and sprays of blood on his shirt. 

"Wh-where did you come from?!" he stammers. "Are you--real? No, i-it shouldn't affect me! Should it?"

Alt shakes out his head and almost cries out in frustration at seeing the same room again. Then, he sighs and glitches out his shoulders and looks at Henrik with exhaustion. "I'm real. My name is Alt- I... keep getting put into the cabin and... I don't know why." He registers the blood and holds his own wound again. "...are you... hurt? Or... i-is that from something else?"

"S-Something else," Schneep says slowly. "I--I--" He laughs manically. "Oh, I-I was expecting to hear people coming! The police were called, they should be coming, with their sirens. You appearing out of nowhere--what bad luck for both of us." 

Hold on... Schneep has always had a German accent, no matter the world they visited. He had one the last time Alt saw him in this cabin. But... now... He sounds slightly Irish.

Alt glitches back with wide eyes. He can immediately tell something is off by Schneep's laughter. The lack of an accent only adds to his fear. 

"...y-you're not Schneep-"

“Depends on what you mean by that.” Schneep smiles a wide, cruel smile—the same smile Alt saw on Jameson’s face. “It’s his body. But he no longer lives here. Not primarily, at least. I’m sure he’s still watching.” He’s holding his hands behind his back in a very distinct manner. “But what’s it to you, sudden visitor? You’re not a friend of his. You would be in his memories.”

Alt stumbles back and holds out a hand that glitches and sparks with his magic. "I... I've helped him before- against you. But I... I guess that was a-another timeline... w-where are the others? They stopped you last time!"

Schneep--or the thing inside him--laughs again. "They were too late. Not strong enough." He takes his hands out from his back, revealing he is holding a sharp kitchen knife in one. "I got rid of the one with the blood, but this is the same sort of blade that ended them all." 

"Y-You... you killed them?" Alt breathes out in horror. 

Scheep spins the knife. "But it doesn't have to end you, too. Why not get out of here while I'm in a good mood? Quickly. I'm not a patient person." 

Alt’s eyes spark green with anger as he bares his teeth, "You fucker! They didn't deserve that- none of them did! W-Why?! J-Just so you can pilot around a body that's not even yours without them getting in the way?!"

"Don't be ridiculous--it's more than that," Schneep's voice says dismissively. "I needed death. I needed the power of their lives to fully make this mine. Though... it didn't have to be him. In fact, it probably would've been easier if it was someone else." He grins. "But it worked out in the end." 

"It's not even your life, fucker! You just took Schneep's away from him! And took all his friends!" Alt shouts back, glitches and magic sparking in the air around his- reacting to his anger. 

He points the knife at Alt. "So... what will you do now?" he whispers.

Alt shudders a bit as the knife is pointed at him and he freezes for a second. But... he thinks about the brief glimpses he had of the others... thinking about their lives being tragically cut short and... the anger is overwhelming. 

Green light sparks in his eyes as he growls at the thing in Schneep. "...I'm not letting you think you've won this. I'm gonna make sure you can't hurt anyone else-!" He then glitches in a bunch of fast moves to throw Schneep off before trying to send a bolt of electricity right to his face.

Schneep's eyes widen and he cries out, staggering backwards and falling over the coffee table as little bits of lightning dance among his hair. He quickly gets to his feet. "Wasn't expecting that," he giggles. "That hurt. Oh, I forgot what pain was. From this perspective." He flips the knife in his grip and throws it at Alt.

Alt glares at him and before he can retort he's stabbed in the leg by the knife hitting his upper calf. He cries out and falls slightly but catches himself. He rips the knife out, biting back a squeak of pain before he tosses it away. "...n-now you don't have a weapon- dumbass. But I do-!" He sends out a blast of soundwaves to throw him off his feet.

Schneep staggers backwards again, clapping his hands over his ears—and this time fully toppling over when he hits the table, legs flying in the air. It might have been funny under other circumstances, but not now, not as he growls menacingly and starts to get back up with murder in his eyes.

Alt meets his glare with bravery and determination bright in his eyes. He glitches his own knife made of magic in his hands and glitches around again before trying to slash at Schneep-

And Schneep screams as it slashes across his chest. He collapses to the floor once more. "N-no more, no more, please," he gasps. "I—I d-do not know who you are—I-I do not want to fight, please—" 

His eyes... they're clear once more. And pained, as they look up at Alt.

Alt stands over Schneep with cold green glowing eyes. But, once he registers Schneep's pleas, his expression softens. "...Hen..?"

Schneep shivers, curling up and clutching the slash across his chest. "You--you must run," he breathes. "G-get out of here. I-I do not want to--" He shudders.

Alt glitches down to kneel down by Schneep and looks at him with sympathy, "C-C'mon Henrik! You can fight this! He was convinced you were gone- you still have a chance! Don't let this fucker take your body from you!"

"I-I—" He squeezes his eyes closed. "Please—h-help me."

Alt leans closer, "I can try... d-do you know of any way to beat it back? " He asks quietly, putting a hand on Schneep's shoulder.

"Y-yes... I know a way." Then he opens his eyes and grins. "Is that what you want to hear?" 

His hand darts out and grabs Alt by the front of the shirt, pulling him forward—into the path of another knife that comes out of nowhere. 

Alt's breath hitches in surprise- and he shouts out as he's stabbed in his shoulder but quickly pushes Schneep back and glitches away. He then staggers and leans up against a wall, biting back the pain. "M-Motherfucker-!"

The thing inside Schneep laughs, standing up again. "You're too late," he says. "This body is mine now. And soon, a body is all you'll be." 

He lunges forward-- And then a black rift opens up beside him and a glitching green figure slams him to the side.

Alt scrambles back, curling up to try to protect himself- Then, he blinks up and his eyes widen as he sees another glitching figure. "W-Wha??"

Schneep shrieks in surprise, struggling. A glitchy hand reaches into the side of his head. His eyes suddenly widen and he collapses to the floor. 

The glitchy figure solidifies into a man with an eye-patch and a loose green scarf. He looks at Alt--and then back to the rift, where someone else is stepping out. "This is one of your friends, then?" he asks, pointing at Alt.

Alt glitches to his feet with wide eyes, "A-Anti?! How... How did you...?" He then steps back and looks at Anti with confusion. "Wha... I... You don't... remember me?" He tries to hide the hurt that wants to peek through his words. 

But then someone is stumbling out of the rift, face red and patchy and incredibly pale. He looks like he's been crying. But his tired eyes and red jacket are a dead giveaway of who it is. 

Alt's eyes widen. "Jackie...?" 

Jackie chokes on a sob and runs towards Alt and then grips onto him tight like he's a lifeline. "Alt! Oh my god... t-thank god I..." He dissolves into terrified tears and Alt quickly holds him, trying not to show his discomfort of Jackie aggravating his wounds. 

"I-I'm happy to see you too Jackie..." Alt says quickly, rubbing his back. He then looks back at Anti and looks between the two. "I... H-How did you two find me? How... are you here? I... I thought you couldn't travel through dimensions..."

"How do you know that?" Anti mutters. "Eh, I can figure how you do. But you're right, normally I can't. That makes things different." He points to the rift. "They're opening up all over this world, and all the alternate ones like it. Probably cause reality is already so weak here. But... they do make travel easier. Normally they would spit you out somewhere random, but I'm not exactly normal." He grins. "Now. There are still two more of you guys out there. We need to find them." 

His smile drops as he takes in the two of them and their states. "Not right away, if you two need time. But probably soon."

Alt looks back at the rift with knitted eyebrows. "... Right... the tears... I guess that makes sense..." He pats Jackie's back and pushes him back a little, "Hey dude... try to breathe, okay?" 

Jackie nods shakily and rubs at his eyes. "Y-Yeah yeah I.. I'm cool-" He mumbles, his voice breaking a bit. 

Alt smiles sadly- and that's when Jackie sees the fresh stab wound on Alt's shoulder- and his arm and his leg...! "H-Holy fuck dude! You're really hurt!" 

Alt shakes his hands and gives a tight smile, "It's good! It's good! I've had worse! We should... focus on finding Bro and Mag now- before the tears get even worse..." He looks back at the body of Schneep and shivers, "...this was already a terrible t-timeline to see..." 

"There are good ones," Anti mutters. "You've just got fucking terrible luck, I think." 

Alt tries to smile at Anti but it falls short, "Y-Yeah... I know..." 

Anti gestured back at the rift. "Now... if you're ready, step on through. You'll be somewhere pitch black for a moment before I go through, too."

Alt sighs and grabs Jackie's hand. "We can stick together now, okay?" 

Jackie laughs wetly and nods, "Y-Yeah... thank god." 

Alt chuckles and leads them both into the rift- sparing one last glance at the fallen body of Schneep and looking... conflicted. Then he turns the darkness and walks through.

Anti waits for them to go through before following.

#SATCV #SATCV MRD #alt anti #swap magnificent #bro fantastic #jackie mann #dude i felt sooo bad for jackie here god poor guy :( #he legit thought he was gonna die- #luckily help has a arrived!! #tomorrow is the last day of SATCV i cant believe it!!

[icameheretoreadstuff]

I wanna feel your lips against mine

Pairing: Kakashi x F!Reader Warnings: 18+ ! MDNI!, NSFW, Smut, Friends to Lovers, oral, big dick kink ofc, unprotected Sex, Breeding Kink, Multiple Orgasm. Summary: Youre hoplessly in love with Kakashi and youre currently on your way to tell him. A/N: Masterpost & links are pinned on my tumblr

You were walking the streets on a nice summer day. You wanted something to cold to drink and maybe some sweets. That was your sole reason for heading out. It was not because you knew your friend Kakashi would be there, not at all.

You sighed out loudly for yourself, you were hopelessly in love with him and all your friends knew. But did Kakashi? Honestly you think he did, but it always made you second guess yourself.

You couldnt help it, you loved running in to him. And since you two had been friends for a really long time now, you knew you had to make your move. He is the most handsomest, sexiest and wonderful man you've ever laid your eyes on.

You flirted with him and he flirted back. But He had a wall up that was stopping you, Understandibly so. You just thought maybe you should try to just be honest this time.

You walked over to the cafe when you saw him. Your heart always started to beat hard when he was nearby. You walked into the cafe when He instantly looked over at you and smiled with his eyes "Hi y/n" He was sitting in the furthest booth. "Hi" you smiled back and ordered something to drink from the vendor.

You sat down in the same booth infront of him, "how are you?" you both said at the same time. You chuckled as the the vendor came with your drink, you thanked her and tasted it right away. You sighed happily of your choice of drink "you first" you said to him and put the drink down, "I´m good, I was just reading my book" You couldnt help but to giggle and tease him "you did, huh?" you took your drink and sipped it as you looked at him "What have you been up to" he asked "not much, Been taking some missions here and there" you answered.

"I`ve missed you" you blurted out. You tried to keep cool but you felt your cheeks warming up. "I mean I missed our talks" you said quickly. You could feel him staring on you. You looked down stared at your drink in your hand. “You did, huh?" you looked up at him and he winked, "maybe" you smiled and drank up the rest of your glass feeling your heart beat loudly "So you missed me and missed our talks?" He responded, you could see it in his eyes that he was smiling "yeah, you know-" you said and cleared your throat "I figured you wouldn't mind" you joked and tried to calm yourself down. You looked out and saw the sunset looming over the buildings. "Hey, do you wanna join me and get a drink?" You asked him, he looked at you and raised up "after you" he said as he held out his hand.

You both were walking beside each other when someone almost ran into you, before you could react he grabbed you quickly and pulled you close. You looked around you and saw you were in a back alley all alone.

You looked up at him, Your bodies were pressed against eachother "thanks" you said as you looked up at him. "No worries" he replied and suddenly he went silent.

You cupped his cheek, leaned up and kissed him ontop of his facemask. "I love you kakashi, I can't hold it in anymore" the words fell out of your mouth. You felt the whole world stand still as you waited for him to resbond.

You heart started to hurt, "Sorry" you said and were about to leave when he grabbed your hand and pulled you close into his chest and kissed you deeply. You hummed into the lips but couldn't help but wanting to kiss his lips properly "I wanna feel your lips against mine, kakashi" you whispered into his lips "I actually want to do more than just kiss you"

Kakashi's Apartment

He pulled down his face mask revealing his lips for the first time. You smiled as you leaned up your hand to his chin as you gently stroked his lips, you stood up on your toes and kissed his lips. You sighed happily as he deepened the kiss, wrapping his hands around your waist. "Your lips taste so sweet" you whispered and kissed him, you could feel his lips were forming into a smile.

"Wait!" you said and gently pushed yourself away from his lips. "I wanna see your smile properly" you grinned and He sighed "Come on, I've been dreaming and wondering about that wonderful smile for so long, you've always been so secretive and I've always respected that, not wanting to push you or anything-" You felt like you were melting in a puddle seeing him chuckle over your ramblings "Really?" he smirked and kissed your nose "Youre so cute" he sighed happily.

"Youre beautiful" you said and kissed his lips, he moved his hand up to your face and deepened the kiss. His tounge was playfully licking yours when he looked at you with a face you never had seen before. His lips were slightly parted as he looked down on you "I want to taste your neck" he said as leaned down to your neck and kissed softly, he licked and sucked, making you moan silently.

You could feel his warmth coming from his breath as he kissed you up twoards your ear "I wanna taste every inch of you" he whispered and kissed your cheek "I want you to take off your pants so I can taste your pussy" he said and gently laid your hair behind your ear. "I've been dreaming about how good it must taste" he whispered as he kissed you on your neck. you finally remembered how to breathe as his words were making you smile.

"I've been dreaming about you too, Kakashi" you felt like your body was shaking with arousal. Like something snapped inside him, he crashed his lips into yours, kissing you like he was starving.

"Off" he said as he opened your pants. You kicked off your shoes before he dragged your pants and thong down. He gazed up into your clit in awe before he leaned in and tasted your clit. You moaned the instant his tounge licked your clit.

While licking your folds he helped you take off your pants, as he threw them away. He hummed as he licked every inch of your clit while grabbing your leg softly and placed it on his shoulder. He moaned into your clit like he had just discovered his new favorite dish. Your legs were trembling as you struggled with standing. "Kakashi" you breathed heavily.

He kissed your thighs as he put your leg off his shoulder, raised up and carried you in bridal style over to his bed while kissing your lips. He laid you down and began to take off his clothes. While watching your clit like he was starving.

He took off his vest, then his sweatshirt which took your breath away. You automatically spreaded your legs and began to touch yourself "Wait, let me" he said as he took off his facemask. You just smirked at him "you look so good" you moaned "Take off your pants" you smirked and he grinned "Take off your top" he agreed and took off his pants.

The minute you threw off your shirt he was between your legs "Kakashi" you moaned as he smirked into your folds, licking your entire sex. "I wanna see your cock-" you whined, but were cut off by him sucking your folds. You gasped silently as he wrapped his big muscled hands around your hips. You felt you were close as you could hear him slurping and feel his tounge licking on a spot which made you moan louder.

He smirked as he leaned closer into your clit and devoured you. You panted as you felt hips automatically thrust up into his face. he moaned as he put his tounge inside you. "Wait" You moaned, feeling his tounge bringing you closer to your release "I want you inside me" you moaned "I wanna cum on your dick" you huffed and grabbed his hair as you thrusted harder onto his tounge "kakashi" you moaned and thrusted your clit onto his mouth. While he bobbing his head slurping and sucking your clit, he grapped your hips as he moaned. you grabbed his hair into your fists "Kakashi" you moaned defeated as you climaxed, he slurped and sucked every inch until you had rided out your orgasm on his face.

He crawled over to you while smirking "you want my cock huh?" he leaned his cock between your folds, you looked down and moaned. "You'll get your turn" he groaned as he leaned up and smacked his dick onto your pussy "Fuck" you winced, You leaned on your elbows as you watched him pumping his dick.

"I gotta be inside you, y/n" You were in awe of how big he was, He smirked at your reaction as he placed his dick onto your entrance "Don't worry" he said and pushed it in slightly, you moaned as you watched up at him "Fuck youre big" you looked down on his big hard dick "We'll go slow, ok?" he said as he slightly thrusted his dick in and out. You laid down onto his pillow as you tried to take his length. He moved your legs up on his thighs as he spreaded his legs, pushing his dick a little deeper inside you before he thrusted out.

you gasped silently as you felt his dick was stretching you out "Breathe" he huffed. You looked up at him and melted completely over the look on his face. His lips were parted as he moaned silently, thrusting his hips slowly in "y/n, breathe" you breathed slowly "Good girl" he groaned, he thrusted out and then he pushed half way into you "Remember to breathe for me" he said and leaned over you and kissed your shoulder.

"Does this feel ok?" he asked while he clearly wanted to just fuck you silly. You panted and replied "yes, keep going" He grabbed your breast while humming with each kiss onto your neck, you moaned as he kissed your lips.

He leaned his forehead against yours as he pushed slowly deeper inside you, you wrapped your hands around onto his back while moaning. "Fuck" he groaned as he thrusted out of you, "I want to fuck you so bad" he cooes "Your pussy feels so good" he groaned as he thrusted inside you, but still not fully inside.

"please" you huffed, feeling his dick teasing your gspot but you wanted more "Fuck me how you want to" he kissed you hard "Are you sure?" you nodded as an response. "Let me hear you say yes, I dont want to hurt you" he said as he pulled his dick out halfway "Yes I'm sure please Fuck me" you said and kissed him "I need you" you whispered into his lips.

Like something snapped inside him he rolled his hips pushing his cock deep inside you, he huffed as he rolled his hips deep inside you, thrusted slowly out and then he repeated. You closed your eyes moaned loudly, He groaned as he kissed your lips "Stay with me" he managed to say "Look at me" he hummed and you opened your eyes.

He leaned on his elbows as he looked into your eyes. His body was pinning you down, he kissed you and thrusted harder into you. "Fuck" you moaned as he kept thrusting his dick inside you, while moaning his deep beautiful moans "fuck" he huffed. "Im so deep inside you" he moaned as he looked into your eyes "Fuck me hard, Kakashi-"

He moaned as his hips began to clap hard inside you, he groaned as he grabbed the pillow under you into fists as he slammed hard into you. You moaned hard as you felt you were close. His hips were clapping so hard into you, your toes curled as you lifted up your feet, making him go even deeper inside you.

He huffed "I'm close" you grabbed his shoulders as he slammed hard into you "cum inside me" you moaned "I want you to fill me up" you panted, feeling close "fill me up" you moaned, you looked up into his eyes as you could see him blushing.

He kissed you sloppy, as his tounge touched yours you let out a moan "you want me to cum inside you?" he moaned "please" you panted "cum inside-" you climaxed before you could finish your sentence, he moaned and huffed as he slammed his hips into yours and wrapped his hands around your neck and nuzzled his head into your neck, moaned into your ear and climaxed deep inside you.

He panted and moved his hands away from your neck as he was about to leave, you pinned him down as you wrapped your legs around his waist. "No" you said simple "Stay here" you kissed him, you looked at him and he smiled.

He leaned back down on his elbows and kissed your forehead. "Don't leave me like this" you whispered as your eyes were closed. He looked at you for a second as you felt your heart beat fast. "y/n look at me" he cooes, you look up at him "your heart is beating so fast" he said "Iknow" you whispered trying not to get emotional. "My heart is too, your feelings are not one sided-" before he could say anything else you crashed your lips onto his. He sighed happily as he deepened the kiss. "Do you know how much it turned me on-" he began as he exhaled and kissed you deeply "that you wanted me to cum inside you?" he said and his hips slowly started to automatically thrust inside you again "Fuck, just thinking about it makes my dick hard" he admitted "I dont want to leave you, I wanna fill you up-" he said as he began to thrust faster inside you making you moan. "Kakashi" you moaned, he kissed you deeply "I thought about filling you up everytime I jerked myself off" you moaned over his words and his honesty and didnt know how to respond, the only thing you felt you could do was to kiss him.

You looked at him as he moaned your name, thrusting his hips harder into you. You blushed as you couldn't believe that this was truly happening "I love you" you huffed "Fuck" he groaned. You moaned into his sloppy kisses as he hips began to clap hard into you, you panted hard as you felt you were close "kakashi" you moaned grabbing his ass while he thrusted hard into you "y/n" he moaned and climaxed into you.

The thought of him jerking off while thinking off you sent you over the edge making you climax, you thrusted your hips up into his dick as you panted. He kissed your neck as he couldn't stop kissing you.

He panted as he looked at you "I gotta clean you up" he kissed your forehead. "Hold onto me hard" he said and you wrapped your hands around his neck and your legs around his waist. He grabbed your back and leaned up, and carried you to the bathroom. He managed to slip his dick out of your clit before he let you down.

Your legs were trembling as you grabbed his arms. "Kakshi" you whined "let me help you" he smiled and helped you into the shower. "You ok?" he asked you as he cupped your face "yeah, just not used to your size yet" you said making him blush. "Fuck you're cute" you grinned and kissed him deeply.

#naruto smut #kakashi hatake smut #kakashi smut #kakashi hatake x reader #kakashi x reader #hatake kakashi #naruto imagines #naruto fanfic #kakashi hatake #kakashi hakate #kinktober 2023 #english is not my first language #english is not my native language

[neptune-ian]

Okay but you have to admit it’s weird how you start your account by making bts readings then the second you have enough followers all of a sudden you announce you’re doing less bts readings and link to your paid reading services.

Like it might not be your intention but it comes off as very manipulative . You’re complaining abt the tarot tag…but you were using it with NO problems a few days ago because you wanted to attract bts fans 😭😭

And people aren’t wrong for thinking the three of you are a group since you three did the same thing…spamming bts readings then once the followers come in BOOM paid readings and barely any bts content

Link? To my paid services? I started doing free readings first. Which was a Free reading game. Then I decided to stop talking about BTS’s fs because I thought I said what I said. I wanted to talk about it with people and know of their thoughts (yeah there are posts about me asking theories from the anons).

I do not have a link lol, it is written on my bio — DM ME. No link. And again look when I started the BTS readings and when my masterpost about my paid services were made.

How many followers do you think I have? And do you think they all came from that BTS tag? I do free readings too lol and the majority of them come from the « pick a pile ». I used the bts fs theory tag thinking it would be only on that specific tag but NOT on that tag because I thought it was specific to the tag used. How was I supposed to know that « bts fs theory » would be on « bts tarot » whereas it is not the same thing at all? I only let those « yoongi future spouse » « jungkook tarot » because I do tarot too and it is about them. When I saw that it was on the BTS tarot tag I stoped using the bts fs theory, at least you would see it on my recent posts and I discussed it with an anon who told me it was not anymore and I told them why it was not anymore. The only posts posted on the BTS tarot tag I willingly put are those with the anons thoughts not about who their fs are lol.

I do not mind you thinking that but I have the right to post about bts future spouses and then stop if I want to. I also said I would do Tarot readings on BTS (not on their spouses) so where is the problem? I answered all the asks with the knowledge I have and the respect I have for them all. Don’t you all have questions regarding BTS and not their spouses in order for you to not find it weird?

I don’t even talk with Uyuforu until today where I had to apologize because a girl here thought Estrella was me or us three where in fact the same person.

People if you want to be credible please at least go on my blog look at the dates of the posts and tell me where I used BTS to have people buying from me whereas I already had someone buying from be before? I started BTS in February recently, I proposed paid readings since January. Moreover (again) most of my followers come from the « Pick a pile » how do I know? Because whenever I propose free readings I use this tag and that is when I attract more followers.

To facilitate your life, above my profile there is a 🔎 where you can search for the tags I use — type « love story » and « pick a pile » and you will see the difference on the dates with the BTS ones. Indeed I gained followers from those posts but did I gained some because of my Doja Cat one and my Bangchan one too. Also because anons speak their minds and people subscribe and the tags I used the most are « anon ask » and « tarot blog » so if some follow those tags they can see mine too.

My first post about BTS was about Hoseok’s fs but it was not put on that tarot tag, if I really wanted to have more followers I would have tagged it in it too (and started with Jungkook fs lol). I tried to avoid using that tag but I never knew tagging « bts fs theory » or « bts fs » would mean it appears on « BTS tarot » because it just don’t make sense to me. If I tag a post on the « dream » tag it should not appear on the « nightmare » one (if you understand what I am trying to say).

Anyway, think what you want at the end of the day I will still do the readings I want on whoever I want, whenever I want. And I never force anyone to buy from me. The proof is, someone wanted to buy a reading from me but they could not pay me so I just left it saying that « it´s fine ». You don’t have to buy from me, keep your money for yourself. I do free and paid tarot readings, you decide what you want to participate in.

Without hatred but with agacement, I will not talk about it anymore. If someone wants to know then they have to read this.

#neptune’s blog #anon ask #tarot blog

[elvenmother]

Context and Perspective: Delayed Disaster

Pairing: Marcus Moreno x F Reader Rating: Teen. Warnings: Swearing, mentions of injuries, mentions of blood Chapter: 15/15 Word count: 2984

Summary: The newest member of the Heroics has gone missing and as one of the better-known Villains on the scene, you are blamed. Then your sidekick goes missing. You must go after the Heroic’s leader to try to get them back and clear your name.

Note: This has not been beta read, so apologies for any mistakes. Final chapter! This story took on a life of its own for a while and I’ll definitely be revisiting this universe again.

Part Fourteen | Series Masterpost

The sun filtered through the clouds and the trees, casting flickering patterns on the dashboard of your car. You sat watching the golden light dancing on the grey plastic, completely mesmerised. It was so beautiful despite the mundane setting of a car parked by the side of a suburban street. Would the sun shine like this in the next place you lived? Would it be warmer or have short days and long nights? You had no idea. Besides the plan to leave, you didn’t have a clue yet where you would move to. You weren’t even sure you were going to stay in the country.

A large cloud drifted overhead, blocking out the sun’s rays and snapping you out of your daydream. There was no point sitting in your car any longer. You needed to go talk to Marcus and get this over with. Who knows what the two of you could have had? You’d only met him a few days ago, but the pull had been there from the start. With a little more time, maybe you could have had a future together. You could have gotten to know Missy and introduced him to Jada. Taking a deep breath, you shook your head as if trying to shake those thoughts away. There was no point thinking about what could have been. Dale and Professor Thaddeus had seen to that.

Quickly getting out of the car before you could change your mind, you headed over to the Moreno house. The door opened before you were even halfway there. Looking up in surprise, you saw Marcus standing in the doorway, looking pensive.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” He greeted you with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I was worried you were never going to get out of your car.”

You peeked back at your car and realised he must have been watching you from the house. Turning back to him, you attempted a smile. “Yeah, sorry. It’s been a… stressful day.”

Marcus guided you into the sitting room where the night before, you had sat with the others making plans to clear your name. The blankets and pillows from Marcus’ night spent on the sofa were gone as you glanced around the room. Slowly you took a seat on the sofa, and after a little hesitation, Marcus sat down next to you.

“I know you must be upset about the cover story we came up with for Freefall.” Marcus sat playing with the watch on his wrist. Watching him fidget, you noticed he wasn’t wearing his ring, and a wave of emotion crashed over you as you realised what it must have taken for him to remove it. “I’m so sorry. It wasn’t my idea, but Ms Granada felt it was a good way to draw a line under the whole thing and explain away why your name had been linked. I fought it, I swear to you, but-”

“Marcus.” You placed your hand on his gently, stopping him mid-sentence. “It’s not ideal, but I get it. That’s not why I needed to talk to you.”

“Oh.” He blinked, moving his other hand to cover yours. “All right. What is it?”

You needed to get this over with. You needed to just tell him. But sitting here like this felt so good and so right. It was selfish, but you wanted this to last just a little longer. To have him be yours just a few more moments. Pushing down the voice inside that was telling you to get on with it, you tried to smile again.

“First, tell me what’s happening with Noah.” You could feel his thumb softly stroking the back of your hand. “Did you speak to the other Heroics?”

“Yes, and Noah should be on his way to get Chloe now.” Marcus shifted in his seat towards you. “Liam took him not too long ago to collect his things, and by tonight he’ll have gotten them to Italy.”

“Good.” You let out a big sigh. “That’s good. I need them both to be safe.”

Marcus looked at you curiously, like you were a puzzle he was trying to solve. “I also spoke to Ms Vox and Blinding Fast. They’ve been checking on other reports. A lot have been changed, but not all. Tech-No caught them, but once they filled him in, he started to help too. He says the original reports have been transferred off-site, and he’s trying to trace where.”

“Sounds like this investigation could take a while.” You mused, and Marcus nodded. “Did you tell your boss, Ms Granada, about me?”

“Yes.” Marcus met your eyes. The molten chocolate filling you with warmth despite the sorrow you could see in them. “She didn’t believe me at first, but then after speaking to Liam, Noah and the others, she started to see the real issue. We haven’t told her about the reports yet, just that you were not who the Heroics and the media had made you out to be.”

“Thank you.” You squeezed his hand and smiled.

“But this is goodbye for good, isn’t it?” Marcus’ bottom lip quivered slightly.

“I wish it wasn’t, but something happened, and I have to leave.” You watched as the warmth seemed to drain from his face as he let his head drop. “A man I work with, worked with, followed me. He saw me meet with Orphan Maker’s contact, and when he quizzed me on it, and I wouldn’t tell him anything, he got mad.”

“What?” Anger flashed across Marcus’ face, and his posture stiffened. “What did he do? Did he hurt you? Threaten you?”

“He followed me again yesterday.” You continued. “Here. He saw you. He saw us together and went online to complain. He mentioned you by name, and well, that caught the attention of a real bad guy.”

Marcus cupped your hand between his and brought it closer to him as his brow furrowed.

“That bad guy is most definitely a villain.” You clarified, watching Marcus start to rub his thumb over your skin again. You weren't sure if he was trying to comfort you or himself. “He calls himself Professor Thaddeus, and he told my co-worker, Dale, my super name.”

Marcus’ jaw dropped open as he shook his head. “And this Dale told your boss, I take it?” He fumed out after a moment.

“Yep. So you see, it doesn’t matter really that the Heroics are saying Freefall defeated Storm Shadow because I’m not going to be her anymore. And now I hope you also understand why I have to leave.” You needed Marcus to understand this wasn’t your choice, that you didn’t want to leave him, and for this to be goodbye for the two of you. “Orphan Maker has offered to help me. But I’m not sure. Regardless, it’s not safe for me to stay here. The data has been removed mostly from the web, but you know as well as I do that things like that are never really gone. And who knows who saw it before it was taken down? These crazies could find my home address. Dale, little stalker fuck that he is, for sure knows where I live.”

“Don’t leave.” Marcus’ voice wasn’t pleading but firm and warm as you looked up at him on the verge of tears. “Stay here with me.”

“I can’t get you involved.” You felt the first tear rolling down your cheek.

“I’m already involved.” Marcus reached up and wiped your cheek gently. “This Dale followed you here. He saw me. His rants about me are what attracted this Professor Thaddeus.”

“What about Missy?” You leaned into his touch. “I can’t put her in danger. If me being here causes trouble, I’d never forgive myself.”

“If something happened to you and I could have stopped it, I’ll never forgive myself.” Marcus brought his other hand up to cup your face tenderly. “I’ve only just found you.”

“Marcus, I-”

In one fluid moment, his lips were on yours, pressing them together as his hands moved to pull you closer to him. You parted your lips slightly, allowing Marcus to gently ease his tongue inside. His soft lips moved in unison with yours as you brought your hands up to bury your fingers in his hair. His arms wrapped around you, trying to press your bodies together but the angle you'd both been sat on the sofa made this difficult and a little awkward. Licking his bottom lip softly, you heard him moan quietly as you began to lean back towards the back cushions of the sofa until, eventually, Marcus was leaning over you.

“Stay here.” He whispered into your lips as you parted. “Tell Orphan Maker’s contact to let you know when they have something. Until then, I’ll keep you safe.”

You nodded mutely, unable to speak and too afraid that your brain would betray you and tell Marcus goodbye. As he kissed you again, you allowed your eyes to flutter shut, relishing in his warmth and protection.

~~~~~ One Month Later ~~~~~

You’d ended up having to hide at Marcus’ for a month. And while it had been a little awkward in the early days, with the relationship still being very new, the two of you slowly began to find a rhythm. Missy helped a lot.

She recognised very quickly that while her father was ready to move on, having his new girlfriend live with them immediately was far from ideal. Boundaries were set and rigorously enforced by the youngest Moreno. Rules included separate rooms, respecting each other's alone time and set date nights. Thanks to Missy, what could have been a disaster waiting to happen turned into a solid partnership and romance.

While the media continued to report that Storm Shadow had been defeated and was gone, there was no mention of your real name. It seemed that Dale’s outburst had been contained to a certain extent. However, that didn’t mean there hadn’t been any harm done.

The day after agreeing to stay with Marcus, he had taken you back to your apartment to help you gather your things. As you’d arrived at your door, it was obvious it had been forced open. The two of you had cautiously entered to find the place trashed with slurs and threats covering the walls. Gathering up the things that were important to you, you were relieved to find nothing had been taken, but many things were completely broken beyond repair. You had managed to keep your shit together long enough to get back to Marcus’ house, at which point you collapsed and cried. You sobbed until you could barely move. Marcus held you. Missy made you hot chocolate and helped you get the spare room, now your room, how you liked it.

True to his word Tech-No had continued to hunt down the original reports but to no avail. Joining you and Marcus one night for dinner, he explained that the trail was bouncing around so much that he thought the files were constantly being moved. Whoever had them definitely wanted to keep hold of them. You all agreed that if the original reports were ever made public, it would destroy the Heroic’s public image. All trust in them would be gone.

Looking around the garden, you mused over where you now found yourself. It was odd, completely the opposite of anything you could have predicted, but you were happy. Sitting in the sunshine, you could hear Missy excitedly telling her father about something a friend at school had said. They both laughed as they joined you in the garden.

“Good day?” You smiled up at Missy. She nodded, grinning as she took her seat. You looked over at Marcus as he sat and gave your hand a squeeze. “And you?”

“We had the meeting today.”

You and Missy stilled, both watching Marcus. You had forgotten about the meeting. He’d told Ms Granada about the reports a couple of weeks ago once he and the others were sure she wasn’t involved. Today had been a meeting with the board that oversaw the Heroics to discuss the matter with them.

“How did it go?” You sat up straighter in your chair. “What happens now?”

“Ms Granada and I put forward a plan to the board to come forward about the cover-ups.” Marcus explained. “Like you both said, it was best if it came from us rather than us being exposed.”

“Let me guess.” Missy scowled. “They didn’t go for it.”

“No, they did.” Marcus gave you both a small smile. “In fact, everything is being planned as we speak.”

“Wow.” You were shocked. You had expected more resistance. “That’s going to be… messy.”

“Yup.” Missy let out a loud sigh.

“Yes, but it needs to happen. We need to be honest, and this all happened because we were lying.” Marcus took his glasses off, turning them over in his hands nervously. “We still don’t know who started it or who was doing it or why, but hopefully, this will either expose them or make them leave.”

“You ready for this?” You reached out, taking his hand again.

“Everything is going to change after this.” Marcus nodded. “But it needs to.”

It was later that evening that B called you. Marcus had gotten you a new phone when yours began to receive vile messages and late-night calls. You had never given B your new number. You hadn’t needed to. She had texted you the day after congratulating you on your latest purchase.

“Sup.” B’s deadpan greeting made you smile each time.

“Hey.” You were sat in your room quietly watching a movie. “You got an update for me?”

“Yeah, but you’re not gonna like it.” B huffed, her nonchalant persona briefly slipping. “Fuck, I don’t like it, and your boyfriend is gonna flip his shit.”

“Tell me anyway.” You paused the movie and sat up on the edge of the bed. “I’d rather know than be in the dark.”

“There’s no way to sugarcoat this. Professor Thaddeus was inside Heroics HQ.” B paused as you gasped, clapping your hand over your mouth. “I don’t know for how long, but we’re talking years. Probably the better part of two decades.”

“Fuck.”

“Yup. He’s been manipulating the Heroics for when he wanted to bring them down.” You heard B let out a long sigh. “He plays the long game; I gotta give him that. When you started working with Moreno, it threatened to expose him.”

“Cos I told Marcus about Heroics taking credit for things.”

“Yup.” You could hear movement on B’s end of the line. Wherever she was, she was shuffling something. “Anyway, he’s gone now, and I can’t fucking find him. Even with the help of Tech-No.”

“You’ve been working with Tech-No?” You all but leapt to your feet. B had been openly working with a Heroic? You wondered for a moment if Tech-No knew who she really was.

“Yeah, dude.” B laughed. “The time for all that villain vs heroes shit is done. The Prof has been using the Heroics for years to undermine other powered people. It never had to be them vs us. And I’ll tell you, the boss, she isn’t letting this go. We’ll find him, and he’s in for one hell of a shock when we do.”

“Good.” It was your turn to laugh now. All the power of the ‘villain’ community and the Heroics would be brought to bear on Professor fucking Thaddeus. “Let me know. I want to be there.”

“Thinking of getting back into the game?” B asked cheekily, and you knew she already knew the answer. “Gonna need a new name and costume if you do. Or haven’t you heard? Storm Shadow has been defeated.” B laughed at the last word.

“I never liked that name anyway.” You sat back down, still laughing. “And I could use an updated look.”

“Well then, Zephyr,” B used the name you’d tried to get established when you first started out. It had never stuck with the media giving you their own name. “I have your first case. You remember the building collapse? The one where you and Mister Heroic worked so well together. Well, my sources tell me it was brought down by the guy you pulled from the rubble.”

“What?” You stopped laughing in an instant. You remembered him. He had been so shocked and badly hurt. That day had been a blur, but you’d asked Jada to look into what brought the building down. She’d never found anything. Structural failure was declared the official cause. “How the fuck did that guy collapse a building on himself?”

“Get this.” You could hear more shuffling on B’s end. “He brought it down by accident when he came into his powers.”

“That makes no sense.” You shook your head, standing up and pacing around your room. “We get our powers as kids. They’re part of our DNA.”

“Not his.” Something fell over, and B cursed. After a few moments, she continued. “He was born powerless. But now, well, now he’s one of you guys. I paid him a little visit and, friendly person that I am, got him to tell me how he got superpowers.”

“Where?” You were scrambling to understand what B was telling you. “How?”

“He says he got them from an underground club. Very select. They have to invite you, and it’s never in the same place twice.” B almost sounded like she was enjoying this.

“So you’re telling me that some secret group is giving adults random powers?” You could hardly believe it. This could easily turn into a disaster.

“Seems that way.” B chuckled. She was definitely enjoying this. “Maybe you should team up with the Heroics to take them down.”

You grinned at the idea. You teaming up with the Heroics to take down some bad guys? Stranger things had happened.

~~

Tag list: @Anaaaispunk, @littlemisspascal, @galaxyofmando, @pintsizemama, @athalien, @wondercloud, @amoriavelton, @alm0501, @kinda-nobody, @zanzann, @Furiousmushroom, @lemonboynsp, @ghostofaboy, @pedrostories,

#marcus moreno #marcus moreno x reader #marcus moreno x f!reader #we can be heroes #fanfiction #fanfic #context and perspective #my writing

[autumnalwalker]

Empty Names - 1 - Hello World

Author's Note: I mentioned in an earlier post that I was starting an urban fantasy WIP called Empty Names. I've decided to go ahead and post the rough drafts for chapters as I go, and this is the first one. It's a bit different in tone and style from The Archivist's Journal, but I've enjoyed the experimentation and practice thus far. Word Count: 3,594 Content warnings: Brief mentions of violence, but nothing shown "on screen" in detail. Brief mention of blood. Misgendering. And with the warnings out of the way, let's get started...

Masterpost Next Chapter->

The fact that she’d given her address to a stranger on the internet is probably an even greater testament to Lacuna’s lack of sleep for the past three days than the dark rings around her eyes.  As it turns out, it’s hard to get much sleep with a demon growling out increasingly detailed descriptions of all the gory things it’s going to do to you once it escapes the computer-drawn summoning circle projected into the middle of your studio apartment.  A predictable enough causal link between death threats and sleep deprivation, but then again, Lacuna hadn’t even believed in magic until the ritual she’d attempted out of just the wrong mix of boredom and desperation actually worked.  

What’s your address?  I’ll be there in an hour.

She checks her phone.  It’s been forty seven minutes since she replied to that direct message on the forum.  May as well step outside and see if her would-be savior is actually going to make good on their promise.  A promise that should be near-impossible to keep unless they somehow already knew where she lived and happened to be in the same city.  Not completely out of the picture she supposes, what with IP address tracking being a thing and all.  But even without that, she’s more than willing to believe in the impossible right now.

As she makes her way to the door her unwanted captive launches into another tirade.

“FOOLISH CRINGING MORTAL!  FLEE ALL YOU LIKE!  IT WILL ONLY MAKE MY HUNT ALL THE MORE EXHILARATING!  ALL THE SWEETER WHEN I FINALLY FEAST ON YOUR -”

Lacuna shuts the door behind her and pulls up her black hoodie as she steps out into the hall.  She figured out around thirty hours in that it was best just to ignore the thing when it got going like this.  It’s a minor miracle none of the neighbors have lodged a noise complaint yet.

Down the stairs and across the lamplit parking lot to the apartment complex gate.  Should have brought an umbrella, but at least the locked front office has an awning to stand under while she waits.

Lightning flashes and she flinches at the all-too-soon-to-follow thunderclap.  Normally she loves a good storm, but this wouldn’t be the first time one had knocked out the power here.  And if the power goes out no more binding circle.  And if the binding circle goes out…  Well, best not to think about that.

She checks her phone again.  Fifty one minutes.

“Hey!  Are you Lacuna?” a voice shouts over the rain.

She looks up to see a figure in a purple-and-green jacket walking toward her, umbrella in one hand, dufflebag in the other.  Where had he come from?  She?  Lacuna can’t quite tell.  Maybe they’re nonbinary?  Would it be rude to ask?  No, wait, asking for pronouns is supposed to be polite, right?  She chides herself.  She really should know this sort of thing.

“I said, you’re Lacuna, right?” The stranger repeats, as they join her under the awning.

“Oh, right!  Sorry!  Yeah, that’s me.”  She rubs the back of her neck under her hoodie, not quite making eye contact.  “No one’s ever called me that IRL before.  But yes, that’s me.”

The stranger cocks their head.  “Eye are el?”

“In real life?” Lacuna drags out the acronym.  Seriously?  How does someone not know what that means?

“Oh, is that one of those leet speak things?  Sorry, I’m not great with computers.”

“Uh, yeah, I guess you could call it that?” Was this one of those magic-and-technology-don’t-mix things?

“I’ll need to remember that one.  Anyway, you can call me Road.  I’d shake your hand, but…”  they trail off as they shrug to indicate their full hands.  “Anyway, down to business.  Where’s this demon of yours?”

Lacuna blinks.  For a moment the strangeness of the meeting had displaced the fear-inducing reason for it.  “Oh, yeah.  That.  This way.”

As they cross the parking lot, Lacuna notices a change in the pattern of the rain pelting her and realizes Road’s held the umbrella out to cover her.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.  By the way, is there something else you’d prefer I call you?”

“What?  No, no, Lacuna’s fine.”  Better than fine, really.  Better than expected even.

Back up the stairs and at the door, Lacuna pauses with the key half turned in the lock.  “Oh, before we go in, I apologize ahead of time for the mess.  It’s been a rough few weeks and I wasn’t expecting company.”

The disclaimer is met with a reassuring smile and a soft shake of the head.  “Trust me, I’ve seen worse.” 

“Right.  Right.  Of course.”  The key completes its turn along with the knob and the door cracks open.  “And heads up, this thing can be a bit -”

“AND THE FLESHY MORSEL COMES CRAWLING BACK TO ME, RESIGNED TO HIS PITIFUL FATE IN HOPES FOR A QUICK DEATH BEFORE MY MEAL AS A REWARD FOR HIS COMPLIANCE!”

“Loud…”

What little furniture there is in the apartment has been pushed toward the walls to make room for the jerry-rigged setup in the center of the room.  A cable runs from a computer rig more expensive than the rest of the apartment’s contents combined to a projector once used to convert the unadorned white walls to large screens.  Now the projector is strapped to the center of a ceiling fan fixture and pointed straight down at the floor to cover the fake dark wood with a complex pattern of overlaid concentric geometries and runes.  The source of all the screeching crouches in the center of this golden circle of light; an overgrown monkey the size of a man with taloned fingers and far too many pointed teeth.  The creature’s barbed tail sways, sending up sparks with a sound of scratched glass as it brushes the otherwise invisible walls of its confines.  Noticing Road leaning their umbrella against the corner by the door it launches into another bout of taunts.  

“WHAT’S THIS?  A HUNTER?  AN EXORCIST?  SPICE FOR THE MEAL!  HOW I SHALL SAVOR THE VAIN STRUGGLE!”

Road steps past Lacuna, stopping at the edge of the binding circle and tilting their head down to look the demon in the eye.  “Well, you’re a talkative one, aren’t you?”

“ARROGANT FOOL!  WE SHALL SEE HOW YOU SMIRK AT ME ONCE I PEEL YOUR -”

“From whence comes the starlight in the Dark Forest?”  Road’s voice goes hard and cold as they speak the question.  The demon goes silent and still mid-sentence, glaring at the newcomer through narrowed eyes.  It occurs to Lacuna that her guest/savior is surprisingly dry after the walk through the rain.  

“What was that?” Lacuna asks.  “Some kind of spell or incantation or something?”

Road turns back to Lacuna, repeating the smile and head shake from earlier.  It’s harder to fear the thing in the circle when the one here to deal with it looks so at ease, even eager.  “Just a fair warning that he’d better shut up and start taking me seriously if he wants to come out of this on top.  Now then, let’s see what I’m working with here.”

Setting down the duffel bag, Road begins walking around the binding circle, mumbling to themself and occasionally leaning in to inspect the finer details whilst taking care not to get in the way of the projection.  The demon shuffles around in sync, remaining silent and keeping its slitted eyes trained on the newcomer.  

Meanwhile, Lacuna takes a place leaning against the wall by her air mattress, fidgeting uncomfortably.  On the one hand she feels like she should be doing something to help, but on the other hand she worries she’d just get in the way.  And she’s just so tired.  Here’s a life changing - possibly life-or-death - event that upends everything she knows coming to a head right in front of her eyes and she’s too exhausted and numb to feel anything other than irritation with herself for not feeling excited or terrified or anything appropriately dramatic.  When the sound of Road asking her a question startles her out of her thought spiral, she realizes with embarrassment that she missed what they said.

“Sorry, what was that?”

“The circle doesn’t have the same flaws that I found in the last few victims’ setups.  How did you know to fix it?”  If they feel any annoyance at repeating themself, they’re not showing it.  

“I…I didn’t, really.  When I was vectorizing the image from the forum to make it look better for the projector, I saw a few spots that were asymmetric or had weird angles or uneven edges, and the messiness bugged me.  Like when you open the silverware drawer and see a long fork in the short fork stack so you stop whatever you were doing to organize it properly.  So I cleaned it up until it stopped distracting me.”

“And why the projector?”

“I didn’t want to scratch up the floor or leave a stain.  Why?  Is it a problem?”

“Well, it’s not a professional setup, but you just skipped over millennia of tradition and went straight to the most recent innovations in summoning while undoing intentional sabotage that would have let your guest break free the moment it materialized.  And even then the circle’s inherently flawed enough that a traditional medium wouldn’t have held him this long, even with the corrections.  So you’ve either got good instincts, incredible luck, or a lot more experience than I realized.  Congratulations on that, it’s the reason you’re still alive right now.”

“Thanks?”

“You’re welcome.  Anyway,” Road continues as they unzip the duffel bag on the floor and begin rifling through it, “I think I’ve seen enough to get a handle on the situation.” They stand back up and turn to face the demon again; now with an intricately embossed knife in one hand and a black candle in the other.  “This can go one of two ways.  The first way,” they hold up the candle, “you tell me what I need to know about who’s been telling untrained novices how to summon you and in return I perform a little light exorcism and send you back to whatever hell-type dimension you were plucked from as painlessly as possible.  The second way,” they hold up the knife, showing off the miniature binding circles inscribed along the blade, “I stab you with this, discorporate you, bind your essence to the blade, use you as a divination focus to track this guy down, and then banish you.  Your choice.  Even a demon deserves that much.”

“Such is barely a choice at all.  Lean in closer and will tell you what I know.”

“Oh, your inside voice!  So civil, how could I refuse?”  Road leans down, now eye level with the crouching demon.  

“Closer, so that I may whisper .  We know not who may be listening.”

Road leans closer still, turning their head to present an ear to whisper into.  

“THIS PRISON OF LIGHT WILL NOT HOLD ME DARKNESS WILL ENVELOPE US ALL I WILL REND YOUR ARMS FROM THEIR SOCKETS IN FRONT OF THE WEAKLING ENCHANTER I WILL SLURP HIS STILL PULSATING GUTS WHILE HE YET LIVES I WILL MAKE THE TWO OF YOU WATCH ONE ANOTHER HELPLESS AS YOU DIE!”

The demon throws itself against the barrier as it screeches, thrashing and scratching.  Flashes and sparks from the collision nearly blind Lacuna, who’s halfway to the door and suddenly feeling very awake before she realizes that despite the terrible creaking noise, the binding circle’s still holding strong.  

Road straightens to their full height, unperturbed.  

“Really?  That was your plan?  Scream in my face and hope that I’ll flinch and disrupt the circle?  I’m disappointed.”  They sigh.  “Well don’t say I didn’t warn you.  

“Lacuna,” they call back over their shoulder, “I suggest you stay back for this next part.  Maybe cover your eyes if you’re squeamish.  It could get -”

Whatever they were about to say gets drowned out by a crack of thunder that seems to be near-simultaneous with its progenitor lightning flash.  In the wake of the flash the room is plunged into darkness.  In the wake of the thunder the demon howls.  Before the howl even ends, Lacuna hears the sounds of her air mattress popping and her bedside table toppling.  Before she even reaches the door she hears a wordless shout from Road.  She’s still trying to find the doorknob in the dark when a green glow appears somewhere behind her.  She’s still trying to get her trembling hands to cooperate in undoing the deadbolts when the glow fades with a pained shriek she hopes is from the demon.  The door finally begins to open as everything goes quiet.  

Lacuna pauses.  Some part of her mind is screaming at her for being an idiot and not running.  She knows she should probably listen to that, but hope and curiosity are outweighing it.  Just like every horror character destined to die.  

“Got it!” Road’s voice rings out.  Lacuna thinks it’s their voice anyway, and not a trick by the demon.  

“Hey, you still here?” Road asks.  Probably Road.  

Is that something demons can do, imitating people?  Now that the thought has crossed her mind Lacuna can’t bring herself to answer.  But she can’t bring herself to finish opening the door either.  

Footsteps come closer.  That voice in her head is louder than ever, berating her for freezing up.  

The lights come back on and there’s Road, only feet away.  The sleeves of their jacket are shredded, revealing bloody bite and claw marks.  They give that reassuring smile once more, soft and warm.  

“It’s over now.  You’re safe.  Everything’s going to be alright.”

Lacuna slumps to the floor, still shaking.  She distantly registers the sound of the door clicking back shut as she leans against it.  She wants to cry.  Or sob.  Or cheer.  Feels like she should be doing something, but nothing comes out.  Instead she just focuses on not breathing too fast.  Softly drums her fingers on her arms.

“I know this has all been a lot.  What you’re feeling right now?  That’s normal.  It’s going to take some time for your body to process it all and accept that the danger’s passed, and that’s okay.  I can wait here with you as long as you need me to.”

Minutes pass.  Thoughts stabilize.  The loop breaks.  Lacuna becomes aware of Road sitting on the floor next to her, leaning against the wall, one leg outstretched while the other makes an arch to rest arm on knee.  The damage to the jacket is gone.  Was it ever there or did she just imagine it?

“Feeling better?”

Lacuna nods.  

“Glad to hear it.  You did great.  I really mean that.”

“But I didn’t…” No, not the time for self-deprecation.  “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Road pauses for a beat before going on.  “So, not to make this awkward, but this is the part where I’m supposed to make you forget what just happened so that the past few days of all this supernatural stuff just feels like a bad dream.”

“Oh…” Lacuna’s gaze drifts back down to her hands.  “That… that is how these stories go, isn’t it?  The government agent or normalcy enforcer or whatever wipes the hapless civvy’s memory so they go back to their normal, boring life, blissfully unaware.  Right?”

“Eh, it’s more like accepted best practice than law, and I’m definitely not government.” Road let’s out a chuckle.  “I like to think of myself as an ‘independent adventurer.’ And messing with people’s memories has always rubbed me the wrong way.  So, since I get the impression that you’re not too keen on the idea either, if you’d like I can explain what’s what, and then give you a choice: take the amnestic and go back to how things were, or find out what new paths your life can take you down.”

Lacuna looks back up, the trace of a smile creeping in.  “Blue pill or red pill, huh?”

“Why does everyone keep saying that when I give this speech?  There’s only one pill and it’s kind of a grey-ish color.”

“It’s a movie reference.  Similar situation.  Iconic scene.”

“Ah, that’ll do it.  I really should watch more of those.”

Lacuna’s turn to laugh.

“What?  I mean it.  Anyhow, real talk time.  Or at least an abridged version of it.

“This world,” Road begins, “is what we call an ‘anchor world,’ as in it’s stable and steady enough to anchor other nearby worlds in place so that they don’t go crashing into one another or drifting off into conceptual void or collapse in on themselves.  You see, reality is largely set by perception and belief, to a small degree by individuals, sure, but mostly by collective consciousness.  And the belief of an entire world’s worth of people - more or less - that on some level their reality operates on a set of fixed, unchanging, unalterable rules regardless of whether or not those rules are known or understood not only makes it true - more or less - for that world, it lends that constancy to surrounding worlds to let them get away with keeping things more… fluid.”

“Magic.”

“That’s the usual word for it, yeah.  Although sometimes it manifests more like superpowers or slightly different physics or tech that wouldn’t work here.”

“And so you have to keep all that secret on anchor worlds because if everyone knew then it would stop being an anchor world.”

“You got it.  The Veil, the Masquerade, everyone’s got their own name for it, but the end goal is the same.  Keeping anchor worlds in the dark for the sake of everyone’s continued existence.” Road’s gaze drifts up and off to some unseen distance.  “Of course, there’s some leeway.  People are beautifully imaginative and there’s always going to be some small portion of the population that’s going to go against the grain, evidence or no.” They return their gaze to Lacuna.  They’re wearing a different smile this time, touched by mischief.  “That’s why I can get away with letting someone Backstage every now and then.”

“And that’s it?”

“It’s the short version.  Forget about all this and keep doing your part in keeping worlds anchored or come Backstage and join the show for weal or woe.  And there will be both.  I won’t lie to you, if you choose to remember, then even if you otherwise keep going about your life as before, you’ll start noticing, encountering, and remembering more things of this nature.  Some of it may be wonderful, but some of it may be like your last few days.”

“And if… if I remember… if I ‘go Backstage’… could… could I…” Lacuna’s face grows strained.  Why is it still so hard to get the words out?  After everything that’s happened?  To someone that only knows her by this name?

“Could you what?”

“Could I…” she breaks eye contact as her voice drops to a whisper, “find… what I was hoping to get… from that demon?”

“I was meaning to ask about that actually.  Why did you summon that thing?”

“I hoped I could make a deal with it to -” the rest of her sentence comes out as an unintelligible mumble.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that last bit.”

“I wanted it to give me a new body!” Lacuna’s own shout surprises her with its intensity.  The long-expected tears finally attempt to make their appearance.  She fights them down.  

Road blinks once.  “Oh.  Yeah, that makes sense,” they say, more to themself than to Lacuna.  “It’s doable,” they answer.  “My friend’s the same way.  Well, opposite direction some might say, but same fundamental situation that he went through.  Dramatic, instantaneous, full body transmutation is difficult and almost never worth the price that the rare individual who can perform it will ask of you, but if you’re patient, you can get the same end result from smaller changes compounding over time.”

“But… it can be done.”

Road nods.  “It can.”

“Then I’m doing it.”

“That’s the kind of resolve I love to hear.”

Road grins, stands up, and puts out a hand.  Lacuna takes it.  They pull her to her feet.  Steady her as she wobbles.  Pat her on the back.  

“That said, you need some sleep and I need to finish tracking down whoever it is that’s distributing faulty summoning rituals.  I’ll patch up your mattress before I leave - sorry about that by the way - and I’ll be back in a few days.  Take some time to recover and think on things.  When I get back we’ll go over it all again in more detail when you’re not sleep deprived, and if you’re still sure you don’t want the amnestic I’ll help you get set up with a doctor and a therapist my friend recommends.  Sound good?”

“Sounds great.”

A handshake to seal the deal follows.  

“Welcome to the world.”

*******

Lacuna’s just taken her meds for the evening and is just sticking her fork into her dinner when the phone rings.  A glance at a caller ID she hasn’t heard from in years sends her in a scramble to answer that nearly knocks the plate off the kitchen table.  

“Road?!”

“Hey, you remember me.  Glad to hear it,” the voice on the other end of the line answers.  

“Remember you?  How could I ever forget?”

“It has been quite some time, and I hear you’ve been pretty busy since then.  That said, I’m sorry if this feels out of the blue, but a mutual friend tells me you’re looking for work…”

Masterpost Next Chapter->

#writing #original fiction #urban fantasy #Writeblr #WIP #Empty Names #serial fiction #writing practice #writers on tumblr #creative writing #literature #prose #writers #web novel #novel #fantasy #fiction #my writing #emptynameswriting

[storytellerofuntoldlegends]

when you break the surface: ch 5

A/N: hi!!! at long last, the conclusion of this little fic. but the story isn’t over yet, there is going to be a sequel :)

Warnings: death mention, amnesia, arguing, self confidence issues

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Jimmy woke with a start and an awful crick in his neck. He groaned a little, rolling his head and rubbing the back of his neck to try and loosen up the muscles. Then he locked eyes with what- or rather, who- had woken him up. Grian was staring at him, fresh fluffy wings curled around himself.

“Timmy?” he asked incredulously, voice a little rough.

“Hold on, lemme get you some water,” Jimmy said, standing up before Grian could protest. Jimmy’s own wings stretched a little as he walked, and soon enough he returned with water for Grian. He took it, but squinted at Jimmy in confusion.

“You helped me,” he said, less of a question and more of a perplexed statement.

“Well you helped- well I mean- one bird guy to another, it seemed right to do?” Jimmy said with a nervous smile, remembering halfway through his sentence that Grian didn’t remember helping Jimmy when his wings grew. Grian was silent for a moment, pondering. Then his eyes grew wide with realization.

“I helped you,” he said softly. Jimmy jolted a little in surprise.

“You remember that?” he asked. Grian scoffed at him.

“Yeah, of course I remember! You passed out on me in the middle of my wheat field, then I had to drag you into my house…” Grian trailed off, expression twisting with confusion.

“Grian?” Jimmy asked uncertainly. Lady Death said part of the deal was that he wouldn’t remember this world- so why was he remembering when he had helped Jimmy?

“Jimmy, what world was that on?” Grian asked, voice deceptively light. Jimmy’s feathers bristled, and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“Oh! Uh- y’know, I don’t really remember! Was a while ago, I think,” Jimmy said, voice coming out a little frenzied.

“I don’t remember that house, or that field. But I remember pulling you from that field, and pushing you off the roof so you would learn to fly, because you’d never-” Grian stopped abruptly.

“Grian?”

“You never had wings before here,” Grian said, looking Jimmy dead in the eyes.

“Well, um- no, surely-”

“And you were surprised that I remembered helping you- Jimmy, what am I forgetting,” Grian demanded, and Jimmy’s blood ran cold at the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it flash of purple in Grian’s eyes. Grian’s deal with Lady Death was that he wouldn’t remember. But the Watchers weren’t letting him forget. Or specifically, they weren’t letting Grian forget the mockery they had made of Jimmy, because of course they wanted him to remember that. But in doing so, they were spitting in the face of death. Jimmy had the feeling that Lady Death wouldn’t be so fond of that.

“Grian, I don’t know what you’re-”

“Stop lying, Timmy. I know you know something. Out with it already,” he said firmly, and Jimmy winced at the sudden flash of multiple pairs of accusatory purple eyes staring at him. Maybe Jimmy should have warned Lady Death that trying to give a former Watcher amnesia might not exactly work like intended.

“I don’t think I’m allowed to say,” Jimmy said meekly. Grian made an irritated sound, a mix of a growl and what sounded like a scathing mutter of the word Listener. Jimmy flinched, but Grian didn’t seem to notice or care. He seemed far too busy scrambling out of bed to grab one of his sweaters, roughly pulling it over his head and shoving his new wings through the openings in the back. Jimmy rose to his feet, words of concern on his tongue but the furious air around Grian stopping him from letting them loose.

“Well if you aren’t going to tell me, I’m going to find out for myself,” Grian fumed, storming out his front door. Jimmy scrambled after him, and before he could shout out a reminder that his wings had just grown out, Grian took off into the sky- in the direction of his former base.

-

Jimmy flew after Grian as fast as he could. For a guy who had just grown wings, Grian was a pretty good flier. That bothered Jimmy more than he cared to admit. None of this was going like he had expected it to… he had wanted to help Grian with flying again, repay what Grian had done for him- but instead he got this. Grian nearing full Watcher-mode in an amnesiac state and flying off the handle. (Jimmy was a little jealous, too- how come Grian could fly just fine after growing new wings?)

He had briefly considered getting Joel or Scar to help with the… situation, but neither of them knew the exact circumstances of how Grian came back and why it would be such a problem if he figured out how. Plus, the only person who might have an inkling about Watcher related shenanigans would be Scar, but he was MIA again. So it was up to Jimmy to clean up this mess.

He found Grian standing in the middle of the path before his old base, surveying the overgrown wheat fields. Jimmy landed beside him, but Grian paid him no mind, heading to the doors of his base as if on autopilot. He stopped at the door, hand lingering on the wood with a perplexed expression.

“I don’t remember gathering the wood for this. Or crafting the door. Or placing it,” he said, voice more fragile than Jimmy expected.

“Grian-” Jimmy started, voice soft- but was cut off by Grian whirling around with a furious expression, all fragility gone.

“But I remember trying to shove it open to drag you inside- why do I remember that?!” Grian snapped.

“I- I don’t know! Y’know, I think this might be an old base of Joel’s- yeah! You know how he is, he probably built this, decided he didn’t like it, and built a new one!” Jimmy said with a nervous laugh. Grian didn’t buy it for a second.

“Timmy, you’re an awful liar. You know something- why- why are you listening to them, what did they do?!” Grian said, starting off fuming but his voice turning soft with concern and horror. Jimmy just wasn’t sure who he was concerned for here- himself or Jimmy.

“Grian I swear to you, the W- they don’t have anything to do with your lack of memory,” Jimmy said solemnly. Grian scrutinized him for a moment or two.

“Then who else is? Do Scar and Joel know anything about this?” he demanded.

“No, I promise you, they don’t know anything. I- they don’t need to be tangled up in all this,” Jimmy replied, starting to feel a little frantic. If Grian found out the truth, would Lady Death take him back? Would he be dead again?

“Then what- they had been acting weird when I first came here too- not as weird as you’ve been, but-” Grian abruptly cut himself off.

“Grian?” Jimmy asked timidly.

“They looked at me like they’d seen a ghost. You too,” Grian said, sounding a little numb.

“Now hold on-”

“I died, didn’t I,” Grian said, more of a statement than a true question.

“I…” Jimmy trailed off uncertainly.

“Didn’t I,” Grian prompted, glaring up at him. Jimmy’s shoulders slumped as he sighed in defeat.

“You did,” he said weakly.

“But how am I- this world isn’t- Timmy, what did you do?!” Grian said shrilly, grabbing Jimmy by his jacket. Jimmy’s wings flapped in alarm, his hands going up to clasp over Grian’s.

“I promise you, I didn’t do anything. You just- you showed up again, after you died!” Jimmy scrambled to explain.

“But you know something about how I came back! You’ve been acting all flighty about it!” Grian protested, shaking Jimmy a little. Jimmy squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a shuddering sigh. Lady Death would probably have his head for what he was about to say, but what else was new? She said she’d seen him a lot anyway.

“I can see Death, Grian. As in- as in capital ‘D’ Death. The person,” Jimmy admitted, hanging his head in defeat. Grian’s grip loosened slightly.

“What?” Grian asked, voice coming out a little choked.

“It’s- it’s part of my… wings. You asked why I had them, when I first got them. It was- it was them. They… they gave me canary wings, cause I always die first in your games. And they let me see Death,” Jimmy added miserably. He was just waiting to be smited any second now- gods and goddesses did that, right?

“They what,” Grian growled, and Jimmy jolted a bit at his tone. Was Grian- was Grian angry at the Watchers?

“They wanted you to remember that, I guess. That’s why you remember me having wings,” Jimmy said, shrugging helplessly. Grian still had a firm grip on his jacket, and Jimmy wanted to squirm away. He didn’t want Grian to get smited too just because Jimmy was the one who had messed up.

“So Death is why I don’t remember…” Grian trailed off thoughtfully. Uh oh. Jimmy did not like that tone. That was the tone Grian got when he had a bad idea.

“Grian, whatever you’re thinking-”

“I need to see Death again to get my memories back!” Grian said, and there was a manic glee to his tone. The sound of that particular tone of his voice was all too familiar to Jimmy- he sounded like that in his death games too. Jimmy really did not like where this was going, and he tried to pull himself out of Grian’s grip.

“It doesn’t work like that- no one else can see Death!” he protested as he squirmed. But Grian’s grip stayed firm.

“Maybe, but you can see them, and I must have seen them, they just made me forget!” Grian said with a cackle that really made Jimmy squirm. How many times had he heard that laugh after something bad had happened? How many times had he heard that laugh and then died?

“Why do you wanna get your memories back so bad anyway- you’re alive, and you remember all your friends and stuff, so what’s the big deal?” Jimmy asked, trying to keep his voice steady (but the tremble of his feathers gave him away). Grian narrowed his eyes at him.

“Timmy, there’s a whole portion of my life that’s just gone. This base is here, it must’ve taken me ages- and what if there’s other stuff that’s missing that I don’t even realize? I can’t just live with these weird gaps in my memory!” Grian exclaimed, shaking Jimmy again.

“But Grian, you can’t-”

“I don’t care if you think I can’t see them, or whatever your silly little head is worrying about. Either figure out how to help me get my memories back, or don’t get in my way,” Grian fumed, finally releasing his hold on Jimmy to shove him away. Jimmy stumbled back, just barely catching his footing with a flap of his wings. Grian glared at him, but there was also something expectant in his expression.

Jimmy only thought for half a second before flying away. He knew it was cowardly, he knew he should have tried to stop Grian from whatever he was going to do- but Jimmy had made enough of a mess of things already. Lady Death had delivered Grian to him so that Jimmy could protect him, and he failed. Worse than that, he revealed that she existed to Grian. He didn’t exactly name her, but now Grian was going to be looking for her. And it was all his fault.

-

Jimmy was moping in his home, wondering how he hadn’t been smited yet, when a familiar voice boomed in his ear.

“Canary,” came Lady Death’s voice, and a surprised chirp escaped Jimmy’s lips as he startled out of his chair in shock. His head whipped around, trying to spot her- but was perplexed when he seemed to be the only one in the room.

“Uh. It’s Jimmy, actually,” he said, and internally he cursed himself. Why was he correcting a goddess right before he was probably going to be struck down?

“Oh! Jimmy, right. I just wanted to check in- I would have sent a crow again, but this seems to be a bit of an emergency,” she said, concern lacing her tone. Jimmy winced.

“Look- I know I messed up, I was supposed to keep him safe and then I told him about you and-”

“Woah, slow down there, little bird! You weren’t ‘supposed’ to do anything! It is very sweet you wanted to keep your parrot friend safe, but that was never an expectation of mine. You could have even told him about me sooner if you had wanted- not that he would have believed you,” Lady Death said, and while Jimmy couldn’t see her, he could hear her amused smile in her voice.

“I- wait, you’re not mad?” Jimmy asked. Lady Death’s laughter rang in his ears.

“Of course not! But I am worried, that’s why I’m bending the rules a little to speak to you- sorry I couldn’t be there in person,” Lady Death explained. Jimmy relaxed a little, before his wings bristled again with the realization that the goddess of flipping death was worried.

“Worried about what?” Jimmy asked tentatively.

“Your friend seems very determined to meet me. I’m concerned about what means he’ll take to do so,” she said solemnly. Jimmy’s blood ran cold, wings drooping.

“You don’t think- himself? Or…” Jimmy trailed off, unsure which option was worse.

“You know him better than I do. But in any case, I am now asking you to watch out for him. Keep him- and others- safe, as best you can. If worse comes to worse… I may have to send a little more direct intervention,” Lady Death said. Jimmy nodded firmly.

“I won’t let it get to that point, I promise,” he said, determined. Lady Death let out a soft sigh.

“Good luck to you, Canary,” she said. And before Jimmy could protest or correct her- she was gone. He hadn’t realized the cloying, overwhelming, and heavy presence she had in the room until it was gone. Jimmy was alone once more, but now with new drive and sense of purpose. He wouldn’t fail Lady Death. He wouldn’t.

-

general mcyt taglist: @actuallymothman @corazon10000 @damiensaidno @franticfandomfanatic @gattonero17 @hetapeep41 @meowdy-pickles @space-ace123 @vyeoh 

#mcyt #100hrs smp #100hrs #jimmy solidarity #grian #mumza #canary!jimmy au #sage writes

[mrs-luigi-vargas]

Whumptober 2022 Fics

Making a masterpost even though I literally only wrote three fics, lol~

To be fair, I had lots of ideas! I just didn't have time to write most of them! Maybe next year?

So yeah, similar deal to Sicktember - Super Mario fandom, everything's interconnected, etc etc. Since I didn't write everything in my main outline, these fics are a bit disjointed, but that's what series are for!

The links to the fics (and the context for the overarching story) are under the cut!

Fic links:

speak now or for the moment lose your peace

[One-shot, 1.2k Words]

Summary: To get through the Bandits' territory unscathed, Mario has to explain what he and his adventuring party is doing there in the first place. This is a problem, because Mario doesn't talk.

Prompts: “You better start talking.”, Silent Panic Attack (ft. Running Out of Air, Ringing Ears)

get me out of this cavern or i'll cave in

[3 chapters, 4.7k words]

Summary: Further along in their journey to rescue Princess Peach, Mario and his adventuring party gets ambushed and funneled into a cave. The cave collapses, and they get separated. Some end up in better shape than others by the time they reunite.

Prompts: Ambushed, “I’ll be right behind you.”, Cave-in, Separated, Dislocation, Self-done First Aid, Punching the Wall, Anger Born of Worry, Magical Exhaustion, Catatonia, Allergic Reaction, Tears, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” (ft. “Just get it over with.”, Stabbed, Waking Up Disoriented)

An Illuminating Fireside Spat

[One-shot, 1.7k words]

Summary: Kamek is on watch when he realizes Kammy is hiding a thing or two. It’s kind of an important thing or two. What in the world was she thinking?

Prompts: Hidden Injury, “This wasn’t supposed to happen”, Magical Exhaustion (ft. Sleeping in Shifts, Tossing and Turning)

Full Context:

Peach gets kidnapped by some priest-looking people because they want to use her pure heart to purify the world of sins and evil or whatever. They bring her back to their home base, a monastery that’s rather far away.

Mario, upon initially finding she’s missing, goes to confront Bowser about it. Luigi tags along, because honestly even he can admit he needed to get out more. Bowser is mildly offended that Mario and Luigi are accusing him of a kidnapping he didn't do, but Kamek points out that he’s the most likely suspect, anyway, so it's not like he should be surprised at the accusation. Bowser tells him to be quiet. Kammy laughs at Kamek's disgruntled expression.

Bowser decides to join the Mario Bros in rescuing Peach, because he's the only one allowed to kidnap her and he wants to teach those wanna-be villains a lesson. Kamek tags along to keep Bowser out of trouble, and Kammy joins the team because Kamek cited her healing abilities as a reason for Bowser to order her to do so, much to her chagrin.

They set off on their journey, getting into various whumpy situations and such! ^_^

#whumptober2022 #masterpost #no.7 #no.25 #no.14 #no.12 #no.26 #no.13 #no.11 #no.28 #no.24 #no.27 #no.22 #no.4 #no.1 #altprompt #super mario #fic #mlv.fic #whumptober 2022 project