#that suggestion led me to figuring out that i could add shadow & glow to it so. thank you!! looks better now

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Thanks so much to everyone who gave feedback on my new logo! Y’all helped a lot with balancing aesthetic & readability. I believe this is the finalized version, but I’m still happy to take last-minute suggestions :)

[id: blue square with all caps text reading “Blessed Are the Binary Breakers, a multifaith podcast of transgender stories.” The word “blessed” glows white, while “binary breakers” is pink with a slight shadowed outline. There’s a cracked glass graphic to the right side, and a glowing pink and blue hammer graphic under the word “breakers.”]

#someone said to make the hammer more dynamic & while keeping it a straight line #looks better than like making it in motion #that suggestion led me to figuring out that i could add shadow & glow to it so. thank you!! looks better now #btw i used the canva app to make this -- super helpful! if anyone wants an easy way to design stuff for free #avery speaking #blessed are the binary breakers

[embrassemoi]

Surrounded by The Moon and Stars • 08

Pairings: Sirius Black x [F]Reader, Remus Lupin x [F]Reader Content: Language, possible errors Author’s notes: Had a hard time with this one. 

Masterlist: Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter 8: Master Plan

❉───────•~❉•᯽•❉~•───────❉

Surgeons always have a plan, that’s what Y/N picked up from her mother over the years. They knew what scalpel they needed, where to cut or clamp down. But even with their carefully crafted plans, there are unexpected things bound to arise that we don’t originally consider.

“Stop moving.”

Because that was not a part of her plan. So she began to formulate a new one:

a) Surely if she were to scream now, it would alert professor McGonagall. She would come rushing to help and free her.

b) But if she stepped on the person's shoe while screaming, it would distract them just long enough for her to have a head start. The pain would be so sudden that they would drop their arms and she could run. If she focused hard enough too, she could channel magic around her. Besides, if all else fails, McGonagall would still be there.

Option b) sounded like a great plan.

Now that her attacker's hand was drawn back, Y/N opened her mouth until she promptly shut it again. In the dark, she vaguely makes out a tall figure coming into view, a familiar mop of fawn-like hair appearing from behind her.

It was Remus.

With his presence, her body instantly relaxes. Her shoulders slump as tension and fear slowly dissolve. Remus tosses her a glance, shooting a gentle smile before his face darkens as he nods. He brings a finger to his lips, warning them to not interrupt.

To her delight, Y/N feels the person’s grip loosen even more, however, their arms were still caged and secured snuggly. Her heart slowed, becoming calmer as her brain moved from the idea of self-defence to confusion.

McGonagall finally enters the main corridor. From where they stood, her back faced them as she peered around the darkness, gripping the base of her candelabra. It glowed brightly, lighting up the surrounding area.

This was the only time Y/N had seen her professor after official school hours. Her outfit was mismatched; a soft pyjama set, with her school robes and heels on. She swore she had a sleeping mask hanging around her neck. Had pure adrenaline not been coursing through her veins, she would have snorted.

Remus uses this to his advantage as he shuffles his way towards McGonagall. He brushes off the non-existent dust from his suit before he reaches into his pocket, placing a shiny pin on the breast pocket. He then coughs, gaining her attention.

Startled, McGonagall wheeled her head, “Mr. Lupin! What are you doing here?”

He puts his hands in the pocket of his suit cooly. “Good evening professor. I’m doing my rounds. I actually just came from Slughorn's party a while ago.” He says, gesturing to his unusual patrol outfit.

McGonagall remains silent, choosing to take in his appearance. Y/N can almost see the confusion written on her face. She peers sternly over her glasses to look at Remus. If he was nervous, he hid it well because his expression managed to stay unchanged and there was no trace of a lie. Her eyes scan him one last time before speaking, “You’re not supposed to be on rounds tonight.”

“I switched places last minute with another prefect. They weren’t feeling well.” Remus quickly adds on, “— you might know them? Calwald; sixth year Slytherin.”

“Ah, yes… I heard footsteps coming from here. Did you see anyone?”

Remus looks like he’s thinking quickly. “Yeah, just a first year Slytherin. I escorted them to their common room.”

Professor McGonagall’s unnerving gaze even made Y/N shudder. She tuts, her head drops in a small nod. She stands tall, “Very well then, goodnight Remus.”  

“Goodnight, Professor.”

The soft clicks of her heels started up again. McGonagall heads in the opposite direction of the Slytherin common room while Remus pretends to walk away before pressing himself against a wall, camouflaging with the shadows in case their teacher were to look back. The echoing became quieter until only a soft, almost inaudible clicking came from the distance. The glow from her candles was gone and darkness surrounded them again.

Y/N was made acutely aware of the other person’s hold around her waist once it slackens, pulling away from her. The heavy fabric is dragged off her body before she turns over to her attacker.

“Sirius?”

She jerks away as far as she could, angrily. Her fingers twitched momentarily.

“You almost ruined it,” he spits out cold and aggressively. His bluish-grey eyes stormed, ripples of angry waves rolling from them. From the proximity, she swore she could feel the venom dripping from him as she released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. "And you bit me!"

She should have bitten harder.

She hisses back, “Shut it! How was I supposed to know that you were sneaking around?”

“Pads!” James growls, yanking at Sirius’ shoulder, “Fucking leave her alone. You’ve done enough today.”

“You gits!” Remus scolds, making his way back to the secret passage. He remained calm, directing his next sentences to the boys. “It was a mistake, okay? Calm the fuck down or you two will get us caught.”

Sirius huffs out, childishly. “Whatever you say Moomy.”

“Ha. Ha.”

“What’s going on?” Y/N askes.

At this, Sirius calms down a bit before he looks at Y/N again, a strange expression settles on his face. James on the other hand is ecstatic, “Right! We’re setting up the last part of the plan right now. The itching spray!”

Oh!"

“Yeah. Wormy is already inside the Slytherin common room making sure the spiders and Dungbombs we put in there are working.”

“Did you say he’s inside their common room?”

At this, his smile grows, “Got their password by waiting outside their door and Polyjuice potion. Our dear Moony brewed it.” Remus’ face is smug, his chest puffed out.

“Holy shit! I didn’t know you took it this seriously. Couldn't you be expelled for this?!”

"Godric, maybe Remus needs to give you his prefect title."

“I’ll gladly give it to you — fuckin’ hate being one.” Remus jokes, “Nah, we’ll be fine as long as we don’t get caught.”

“We’ve got our goody-two-shoes over here. Everyone loves him, won’t suspect a thing.” James says. Her eyes are back on Remus, sweeping from his face then down to his shiny prefect badge.

“I’m their scapegoat.”

Sirius sighs impatiently before cutting in, “Alright, I’m sure you can go now. McGonagall is long gone.”

Everyone shoots him a look.

“Oi! No! Please join us!” James whines, “You’re already here and trust me it’ll be so fun!”

“He’s right, join us,” Remus says, “Besides, you suggested it and it’ll be safer and easier to cover our tracks.”

It sounded exciting and she did need a pick-me-up considering her wavering emotions lately. Although Sirius’ jaw clenched. He was scowling at her.

“I’d love to join you,” she says, looking Sirius in the eyes.

A silent whooping came from James who balled his fist, throwing them into the air in celebration. They huddled together just as Remus led them out of the passage and through the dark.

James, who shared qualities of a golden retriever, walked by her side, a pep in his step. "You get to see the action first-hand, excited?"

“Of course!”

James rambles on before his eyes gloss over. He’s unusually quiet. Simultaneously, he grabs her hand and stops abruptly, dragging her to the back of the group. He lends in to whisper, his eyes flicking momentarily to Sirius, “Why were you with him?”

“Who?” She whispers back.

“Regulus Black.”

“Oh, we were at the Slug Cl —” She cuts herself off as she realizes, her eyes widened before staring at him, “You were following me!?”

“No! No!” He says, bringing his hands up defensively, waving them around. "You were walking in the same direction as him! To the Slytherin common room! It wasn't on purpose!"

“I — how did you — I didn’t even see you!” She thought back to the crinkling noise, “Wait, we heard you!”

He sighs a bit as he pulls out a large fluid-like, shimmery, silvery cloak. Upclose, silver threads were woven onto it, patterns swirling into regal shapes. He handed her the cloak to feel. It was silky smooth and glittered prettily in the light. It looked similar to the reflection of stars in a lake at night.

“You’re not telling me this is a…” she gaped.

The boy was grinning from ear to ear as if it were sewn on his face permanently. In a way, it looked rather demonic. He looked as if his face were going to split into two. “You betcha! An invisibility cloak.”

Her mind finally caught up to her once again before thinking back to what James asked. “Why’d you want to know about Regulus?”

“Huh! E-erm… no reason.”

She punches him softly in the arm. “You lying bastard! You can’t be nosey and not tell me? He’s not… bad? Is he? I quite like him.”

“No he’s not… just —” James cuts himself off, fearing he might have said too much. He did not expect the conversation to turn in this direction. He quickly averts her attention to another topic. “The Slug Club?” He says loud enough so the entire group can hear, “How was it?”

She would make sure to push him on the topic later.

Meanwhile, Remus and Y/N groaned.

“Awful.”

“Dreadful.”

“Nosey git.”

“Happily annoying.”

“He must be an actual slug. He’s slimy and boring.”

“Merlin! It can’t be that bad!”

“Oh trust us,” Remus addresses, “It’s worse. The entire time he went on and on about stupid shit. Like what was it he said?” He looks at Y/N.

“Ugh, what?”

“When he went on about that kid— what was his name… Seán?”

“Ah! Wait,” she straightened up and mocked their professor. She fake coughs for dramatic effect. “Your aunt created the Capmisted potion! Ah yes, brilliant, brilliant! I wish I taught her when she was at Hogwarts. Say, you’re still close, right? Why don’t we invite her to come to one of these parties one day?”

Her painful attempt at a British accent made them laugh.

“What a fucking sleazy bloke,” Remus chokes out.

They continued to make their way down to the Slytherin common room. All four jumped at the sound of footsteps before Y/N felt the invisibility cloak being tossed over her body, along with the rest of the boys too. They waited until it passed before finally stopping at the dungeons.

The entrance to the common room was by a stretch of stone. The area was dimly lit, the ceiling was low and had an eerie look and feel to it. Plus the cold only made Y/N rub her hands up and down her arms, goosebumps left in their trail. A dripping sound encompassed them like a makeshift metronome.

It made her feel uneasy.

Peter, who was crouched and small, hid in the shadows and would’ve gone unseen had he not popped out and scared all of them.

“For fucks sake Wormtail! We thought you were a Slytherin earlier.”

Peter was gleeful. He donned a large smirk and his face was slightly red. The Polyjuice was almost completely worn off, however, Peter had a full head of black, thick hair. “I checked everything, the traps should be set to release at eight o’clock.”

“An hour long?”

“Needs time to travel around the room.”

“Positive?”

“Positive.”

“Now comes the fun part,” James nudges her.

“Oh, hi Y/N,” Peter says slightly confused.

“Hey, Pete, here to watch if you don’t mind.”

Peter takes a moment to look at the rest of the group, “More the merrier!”

“Alright, you geezas! Let's get this party started!” James announces. He digs through the side bag he was carrying, pulling out four pairs of dragonhide gloves and tosses them to the boys. “Sorry, haven’t got any for ya. Would’ve brought an extra if I knew you were comin’.”

“It's alright.”

“Okay,” Remus says before crouching down, a large bag on his side. “I’ll start attaching everything, you know what to do and be careful. Remember, do not touch your eyes.”

He looks up at her, “Y/N if you could, it would be helpful to be on the watch out.”

“Gladly.”

Remus unscrewed bottle after bottle, attaching nozzles on them while James helped him. Peter slid out a ladder that was concealed by magic in a slim nook. As he scaled it, Sirius held on tightly to it before he cast a charm to prevent it from sliding around.

Up high, concealed by darkness and magic, revealed hundreds of identical bottles before Remus sprang up, switching places with Peter as he attached the rest of the bottles onto a huge system.

It looked similar to a new-maj mechanical system. The components consisted of small wires, a timer, tape and string connected to them all, along with a small lever that was attached to the underside of a brick. With the aid of magic, they were all securely set into place and ready to be activated.

“What is that?” She turned to Peter.

“Moonys got the bottles up there programmed to spray every time certain people leave the common room. See, look,” he points to the almost non-existent glow on the wires.

She marvelled at their creation. It was large and must’ve spent hours trying to conduct it. Sirius and James were helping Remus by passing him the bottles and securing them to the top of the roof.

If only Lily was here to see this. She would have an aneurysm.

At one point, Peter had been passing the bottles up to Remus while Sirius and James fiddled around with extra dungbombs they had, scattering them around.

“Jeez, Moons, my arms feel like they’re on fire.”

Peter did look worn out before he panted out. His forehead was starting to glean from sweat.

“Why don’t I do it for now?” She says to him before looking up to Remus.

“Only if you want to.”

The two switched places and Peter handed her his gloves. She slipped them on before enchanting them to fit snugly around her hands. Bending down, she picked up a few bottles. They were unexpectedly very heavy. She understood why Peter had to take a break. Although Remus seemed to be fine. Compared to his slim look, Remus had an unusual amount of strength that surprised her.

They worked in phases. Every ten or so minutes, Peter and Y/N would switch positions. They all worked in silence. From time to time, Peter and her would crack a joke, causing Remus to overhear and chuckle himself.

Everyone was having a good time. Even Sirius perked up, being less hostile to the entire group and even her. She thought she was dreaming for a split second.

The group worked quickly and managed to attach all of the bottles along with Dungbombs with only a few interruptions from incoming students. Luckily, they had the cloak to cover themselves and their things.

By the time they were finished, it was past one in the morning. They all huddled together underneath the cloak. Unfortunately, it was only medium-sized and unable to fully cover everyone from sight. Sirius and Y/N, who were on the edge on opposite sides, their arms and legs would poke out. More than once, it became very uncomfortable and hard to squish everyone inside as they flattened themselves against a wall anytime they heard even the slightest of movements. They kept impossibly silent, aside from James who’d been elated; constantly making small jokes or making sound effects with his mouth. Remus had to flick him a few times to keep quiet.

As soon as they reached the Gryffindor tower, they removed the cloak.

“Gastropod!” Cheered Peter to the fat lady. She swung open for the five of them. The warmth of the fireplace crackled as they threw themselves on the sofas. They all tried to catch their breaths and still their pounding heartbeats.

Pure adrenaline pumped through her veins as she took a moment to take in what just happened.

James was grinning from ear to ear, Peter seemed cheerful, Sirius became somewhat tolerable, while Remus, as always, seemed tired.

Remus, covering his mouth in a half yawn muttered out, “It was fun having you here but I’m knackered. I’ll see you lot at breakfast. Night.”

“Me too,” Peter said. Sirius got up to followed them as they made their way up to the boy’s dorms.

James stayed with Y/N for a bit afterwards. Both were giddy and they even ate a few snacks she still had in her pockets.

“Wasn’t that fun!” he said, “Godric, you need to join more often.”

“I’ll think about it,” Y/N says playfully.

“I’m going to train you — gonna make you into a mini-me. My apprentice.”

“I think the world has enough of your arrogance.”

He laughed unbothered by the remark, “This is only the beginning. Just you wait.”

#sbtmas #Harry Potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter marauders #James Potter #Sirius Black #sirius black x reader #Remus Lupin #remus lupin x reader #sirius black angst #young marauders #the marauders #hp marauders #marauders era #HP #hp series #hp imagine #reader insert #reader #sirius #remus #sirius black imagine #remus lupin imagine #hp angst #the marauders imagine #marauders pranks #fanfiction #fanfic #enemies to lovers #friends to lovers

[rogerblackwolf]

The Hudson Incident

8 Miles North of Hudson, New York

-1938-

The skies were clear as the full moon shined down on the dense woodlands flanking the road. The sound of two sedans being the only disturbance as they drove towards their destination. Aside from the music on the radio, the four occupants were silent, none saying a word since they left Brooklyn. One, a priest, was reading a passage from his Bible and holding his rosary which was wrapped around his left hand. The man next to him, a skinny built fellow with neatly kept hair and peach fuzz named Michael, was staring out the window as if in thought, he'd sometimes look at an envelope that contained a file and read it likely out of boredom. The man in the front seat, who was of average build with short dark hair named Vin, fiddled with the dial of the radio but settled with what they were listening to before. Finally the driver, a heavier set man with a slight Italian accent named Luca, spoke.

"Alright, it's been a few hours and no one's said a word."

"Maybe there's nothing to say." Vin responded.

"Really Vin? You've had a wisecrack or smartass thing to say about anything and everything and Now is the time you got nothing?" Luca replied

"Like I said." Vin repeated

"Calm down Luca, The Organization got us all on edge." Michael said.

"If you call going into a cultist compound full of trigger happy saps, all to destroy some artifact, on edge. I mean we don't even know what this artifact is anyway." Luca adds

"We don't need to know, just that these people plan to use it for something not good." Vin says

"Oh come on for God's sakes-" Luca starts only to be cut off by the priest.

"Do not take His name in vain." He scolds

"Alright, Alright...sorry Father Bruni, just nervous is all." Vin replied apologizing.

"You are forgiven. But be sure to go to confession as soon as you can." Father Bruni said.

The ride was silent for another few minutes before Luca turned off the main road followed by the second car. Michael looked at the file for the fifth or sixth time during the ride. The cult they were going after was set up in the old Bryant Sanitorium, closed during the peak of the Depression for lack of funds and unethical practices. The cult was called Pathway to Heaven, led by a man who was known only as The Speaker, a self-proclaimed prophet who claimed to know a way to Heaven. The Sanitorium had been under surveillance for a week, during which it was determined that there were thirty members, that they were armed, and strange lights emitted from the building's basement windows. Luca pulled off to the side of the road, the other car following suit. The gate was no more than fifty yards ahead, the main building just beyond it across a sizable front drive and of course the gate is chained, complete with a padlock.

"Ok...let's get the guns. And the bolt cutters." Luca said as everyone gathered at their car trunks. Michael pulled a strap in the floor to reveal multiple M1921 Thompson submachine guns, a pair of Browning Automatic Rifles; or BARs, a separate box had several Colt 1911s, and plenty of ammo for each firearm. The second car had a similar setup only instead of BARs they had a pair of Winchester Model 12 shotguns as well as a crate of dynamite and grenades. As everyone grabbed their weapons and some grenades, Michael took a 1911 and offered it to Father Bruni.

"Father I know you aren't allowed to carry guns but I doubt these cultists will be kind to you." He said

To his surprise, he took it and loaded a single magazine.

"There is no verse in scripture that says I am not allowed to defend myself. I am a man of peace, but I also understand that when peace is not an option then force is required." He explains.

As the rest of the group gathered, Father Bruni asked everyone to bow their heads. He then prayed for their success, their safety, for guidance in their mission, and protection from evil as he felt the sinister forces at work even from this distance. Upon him saying "Amen" Father Bruni asked Michael to take the lead with Luca and Vin while the others, led by a man named Thomas, watched their backs.

Vin cut the padlock and gently opened the creaky gate, the old sign on it read "Jeremy Bryant Sanitorium for the Mentally Ill", the group of eight men briskly made their way across the drive to the front double doors, only to find them locked.

"Now what?" Luca asks

"There's a reason I brought dynamite." Thomas suggests

"They will get a rude awakening." Vin commented as everyone gave Thomas some space. He rigged a three stick bundle on the door handles, set the timer and ran to hunker down with everyone behind a low wall off to the side. The following explosion practically splintered the tall double wooden doors, windows on the first and second floors were shattered sending glass everywhere. With the dust beginning to settle the men rushed in, firing their Thompsons and BARs at the cultists who came to investigate. Between dodging bullets and taking cover Bruni could see these cultists were not human, something was terribly wrong. Aside from the gunfire, Bruni could also hear faint chanting in no language he knew. 

As the group of men proceeded through the halls, they saw many strange symbols written in blood. The further they went into the bowels of the Sanitorium, the more the men felt presences all around them, shadows danced and formed inhuman images. The cultists also seemed off, Bruni noticed strange and gruesome ailments had befallen the individual cultists.

Many were covered with injuries that looked self inflicted, bloodshot eyes, and blackened veins around the face.

"These men...they are under some kind of spell. Their actions are not their own." Bruni warned

"I don't think they'd listen to us anyway, Father." Luca said as he checked a corner.

Down the hall, just beyond a closed set of double doors, the group heard the chanting clearly as well as seeing a red glow on the other side. The group slowly walked towards the doors, feeling a powerful pulse of energy pass over them every few seconds. When they get close to the doors, the pulse is so strong it forces them all back a step. Bruni steps to the door and goes to grab the handle only for all of them to hear the sounds of multiple people screaming. 

"Thomas, blow the door." Bruni ordered.

The group took cover in an alcove taking the time to reload their weapons, once Thomas joined them they braced for the explosion. Once the initial shockwave had passed the group eased their way towards the room, the doors were obliterated by the explosion, blackened burns on the stone floor marking the direction of the fireball into the room.

Inside the room the group saw a more gruesome scene. Gathered in a circle of candles and cryptic symbols were the bodies of five cultists, their throats slit, the blood flowed through channels along the floor to a dais covered in the same runes the group had seen throughout the building. Just past the dais stood a male figure dressed in a white robe, his brown hair was pulled into a ponytail and his face was clean shaven. He looked human but the air around him felt anything but, especially as an unsettling smile curled across his face.

"You are too late. It is done. The Path is open." He said in a distorted voice. 

He then revealed an amulet from around his neck, both it and the symbols began glowing bright crimson he then resumed the chant. The room darkened as inhuman voices joined in, the candles flickered as the blood in the dais started gathering in a floating orb of pulsating liquid. The amulet siphoned the blood from the orb seemingly empowering the Speaker.

"Put him down!" Michael shouted followed by the hail of gunfire, when one of the men ran out of ammo in his BAR he dropped it and pulled two 1911s to continue the fire. The Speaker was hit so many times his robe changed from white to red, the orb splattered onto the dais as the runes ceased glowing along with the amulet. Everyone sighed with relief before investigating the room, Bruni walked towards The Speaker stepping over the blood as best he could. When he closed the distance the presence of evil was easily felt on the medallion, which he now realized was made of carved bones, dark forces were at work darker than any man could conjure. Bruni retrieved his bible and a flask of holy water, beginning to read whilst splashing the holy water on the dais and body. Bruni, as well as the others, were caught off guard when the body began to twitch; a little at first but more violently once touched by the holy water. The twitching was replaced with bones breaking and violent convulsing, The Speaker got to his feet revealing his full transformation. A pair of horns sprouted from his head, a tail whipped out from under his robe, and claws adorned his hands.

"You cannot stop me!" He roared.

Bruni did not stop his incantation while splashing the last of the holy water into the Speaker's face. Unholy screams of agony and pain were heard as the holy water burned the creature like acid. The creature lunged at Bruni only for its fangs to scratch the metal of Bruni's 1911 as the barrel was shoved into the creature's mouth. The first shot sent it to the ground, the next three to the head ensured it wouldn't get back up. The men came to check on the father only for him to finish his incantation.

"In nomine patri, et filii, Spiritus Sancti, Amen." He said while making the symbol of the cross with his free hand. 

Bruni reached down to the amulet, upon touching it he was bombarded with multiple visions. Visions of a dark world filled with mountains of skulls, oceans of fire and blood, cries of agony while dark figures chanted and cackled at their nefarious deeds of slaughter. He watched vast armies rising and clashing, beasts made of iron and steel trampling the land, and cities turned to ash in an instant. He then saw a creature that looked akin to a dragon cloaked in shadow and flame, speaking a tongue he didn't know but it filled him with primal fear especially when it lunged to devour him. Bruni was then thrust back to reality with Luca and Vin restraining him while Michael calmed him down. Bruni calmed after a moment before Michael asked him;

"What should we do now Father?"

"This place is filled with evil. That amulet is an instrument of chaos itself, I fear the influence it would have if it ever left this place. Thomas, use what dynamite you have left to destroy this room and that infernal thing. We need to return to the Organization, tell them that this place must be buried along with its secrets." Father Bruni explained as beads of sweat drizzled from his brow.

Thomas went to work as everyone else began leaving the building Thomas caught up just as they exited the front door. By the time they reached the gate the fireball engulfed the entire right side of the building, the floors fell through into the basement. The group watched the fire for a time before finally getting into their cars, leaving the Sanatorium and it's dark secrets. Even still Father Bruni felt that what he saw, were they simple visions made to strike fear into him? Or were they premonitions of a future that has yet to come? Either way, they had succeeded in putting a fear in him he could not easily shake...nor escape.

#BSRC #Story 5

[moon-czennie]

Haunted house // Yuta au

Word count: 2.5k  Genres: Mix of fluff and angst (kinda?) // horror (fake) Warnings: Some cursing, (fake) scares & horror Pairing: reader x bestfriend!Yuta

When your shared love for Halloween brings you to a haunted house, will Yuta, the self-proclaimed manly man, be as tough as he claims to be or will you need to protect yourself?

There were many reasons why you and Yuta were best friends, your shared love of Halloween being one. The fact that you hadn't visited a haunted house yet in all those years you'd had been friends, was actually astonishing. So when you heard the news about one happening in your town, you were quick to assemble a group of friends to go, including your best friend, of course.

"Alright, so here's what I'm thinking." Yuta spoke up as you all stood waiting in line. "We should split up and go in as duo's."

"What? Why?" One of your other friends, Taeyong, asked, his eyes widening at the suggestion. His lips slightly parted as he stared at his friend in bewilderment. You had talked him into tagging along, but he in no way was a fan of anything related to horror. The thought of going in with one other person instead of the entire group, wasn't going down well.

"It will obviously be scarier," Yuta explained excitedly. "Some of us will miss out on scares or other things if we all go in together. Six is a lot of people, the actors inside won't be able to surprise us as much as when we split up."

"I'm down," Ten said, holding onto his girlfriend's hand. "I'll obviously go with her. Sorry bro," he continued and shrugged at Taeyong.

"I want to go with my girl, Y/N." Yuta said and looked down at you with a twinkle in his eyes. "Cool?"

You briefly looked over at Taeil who was staring at the ground and seemed to casually kick at a small rock. You had a crush on him and the thought of him protecting you from the fake dangers lying ahead was definitely a nice one, but seemed to become less of a possibility with each second as he kept quiet.

Not wanting to let Yuta down either, being your best friend who loved Halloween as much as you did, you told him you'd pair up with him.

"Of course," you answered his question with a smile.

"So that leaves us," Taeil said, finally looking up, and wrapped his arm around Taeyong's shoulder.

"Great," Taeyong sighed, earning a laugh from his friends.

"We've been looking forward to this the longest, so we're going in first." Yuta claimed and grabbed you by your hand. "Let's get it!"

You handed their tickets to the man at the entrance and waved back at your friends.

Stepping into the darkness, you were glad to be with Yuta. Of all of your friends, he was considered to be the most manly and tough, a fact that somewhat calmed the nerves buzzing through you. Walking behind him, you made sure to stick close, not allowing a gap to form between the two of you.

A small corridor, created by a wooden wall that divided the main hall into two parts, led you towards the first room. Ripped fabric hung from the door frame, allowing muted beams of light to shine through from the other side. Not sure what to expect, Yuta maneuvered through the torn sheets as he scanned the room. His eyes darted from left to right and landed on a coffin in the middle of the room.

"I bet someone's in there," he whispered as he carefully took a step forward.

"In where?" You asked, peaking through the sheets.

Looking over his shoulder, Yuta snorted at the sight of you frozen in place.

"Don't tell me you're scared already," he said, reaching out his hand for you to grab.

"No... Maybe," you replied, trying to sound as casual as possible as you held onto him and moved next to his side.

"You're too cute," he said, and petted your head with his free hand.

You cringed at the gesture. You were older than your best friend, but with him being taller and your young looks, it was easy to treat you like you weren't.

"Let's just look in the coffin," you said, and pushed him forward with your shoulder, not letting go of him as he obeyed.

You walked up to the black box that stood slightly ajar. Placing his hand on the beveled lid, Yuta slowly pushed it open while you kept a safe distance, looking past him into the coffin.

A sense of relief washed over you as you saw a vampire doll lying on the red velvet cushion. A sigh escaped your lips as you momentarily closed your eyes, but when you opened them again you were met by two crazed eyes and screamed your lungs out.

Yuta, who hadn't noticed your visitor coming in either, jumped backwards at the sound and widened his eyes at the sight of a bloody zombie hovering over you both.

"Holy shit!" He yelled before bursting out in laughter. "I didn't see that coming. Woah!"

As you got over the initial scare, you let out a breathy laugh and shook your head. You really had to get a grip on yourself if you were going to make it out of there without fainting. You weren't sure what would be worse, that, or the relentless teasing you'd face from Yuta if you continued screaming like a child.

Walking past the actor, Yuta laughed as he scared you once more, making you sprint towards the door. The next room was similar to the first one with its ripped curtains and wallpaper peeling off the rotting walls. As you walked through it, lights flashed above a mirror and a scary looking face appeared in it. It did nothing to Yuta, but you squeezed your eyes shut and jerked your head the other way.

At the sound of loud knocks coming from inside the walls, you pushed Yuta forward.

"You're in a hurry, huh?" He snickered as he wrapped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer to him. "I thought you'd love this."

"I do, but that doesn't mean I don't feel on edge." You admitted, strategically picking your choice of words.

You did enjoy getting spooked. It was the part about Halloween and scary movies you had always loved the most. However, you weren't going to give your best friend the pleasure of hearing you say you were actually scared.

As you continued walking through the house, the rooms gradually became darker, with just a few flickering lights to guide you through. The only breaks in darkness came when someone leaped out of the shadows accompanied by bright flashing lights. The sudden change in brightness did nothing but add to your nerves.

Walking up the stairs to the second floor, you could hear that Taeil and Taeyong had entered the house. A scream was heard, followed by laughter and Taeil yelling at his friend to stop pulling on his arm.

"That's your man?" Yuta said, snorting at the loud screams coming from the other duo.

"Shut up!" You replied, slapping his arm. "We can't all be as cold blooded like you, Yuta."

With a smug smile on his face, he reached the top of the stairs and led you into the next room. As you stepped over the threshold, wind blew up from underneath you, the machine making a loud sound that made both of you jump.

"I saw that," you sniggered as you pushed your hair down and away from your face.

Yuta uttered a 'tsk' sound without saying anything else and moved forward carefully.

Body bags hung from the ceiling and the flashing white lights made it difficult to see where you were going. Though you knew something was coming, a swinging movement from one of the bags scared you half to death. You stumbled backwards gasping, landing on the floor. Grabbing at your chest, you exhaled dramatically.

You could hear Yuta's laughter coming closer and found his arm stretched out in front of you. Grabbing his hand, you got pulled back to your feet and made sure to hold onto him tightly.

"That's what you get for teasing me," Yuta chuckled as he maneuvered past the body bags with you trailing behind him.

"Yeah, yeah." You mumbled. "Whatever."

Before you could reach the next room, a zombie with burn-marks swung forward. You buried your face into Yuta's back and pushed him forward, not looking up at the actor that had scared you.

Entering the burned down room, you knew you were in trouble. Red and yellow flickering lights were coming from behind the wooden panels on the walls, smoke pushed through and loud growls filled up the room.

"There's someone there," Yuta said, pointing in front of him.

You looked towards it and spotted a dark figure standing in the corner of the room.

"I can see you!" You shouted in a poor attempt to make yourself feel less scared.

Focused on the zombie in front of them, you didn't notice the same one from the other room sneaking up behind you. Standing next to you, he leaned forward and twisted his head in your direction.

"Oh my god!" You yelled out as you came face to face with him, and fell into Yuta's arms.

As all other times, Yuta couldn't help but laugh, but protected you from the fake zombies popping up left and right as you exited the room.

Moving on, some rooms were closed off. Or so you thought. Walking through the hallway, some of the previously closed doors flung open and actors in all kinds of Halloween costumes jumped out to scare you.

When a man with a bloodied burlap sack over his head leaped in front of you, even Yuta couldn't contain his screams any longer. He jumped backwards at the sound of a chainsaw revving up and crouched behind you as the machine in the man's hands whirred violently above his head.

When you calmed down from your own scare and realized what was going on, you couldn't stop laughing. Yuta, the toughest guy you knew, had actually finally snapped.

"Manly, huh?" You said in-between laughs and turned around to face your friend.

Yuta's face was drained of all color. There wasn't much left of his usual glowing melanin skin and it somehow made it even funnier for you.

"You look even more pale than I do," you shrieked. You were often teased for having a pale complexion yourself, so it felt good to get him back on that one.

"Fucking hell," Yuta huffed as he stood up straight, pushing his dark brown bangs from his eyes. "You got me good!" He said, talking to the actor.

"I now get why you never want to watch scary movies with chainsaws in them," you said, letting out a final breathy laugh.

"I hate them so much," Yuta admitted as the two of you walked back towards the stairs to enter the final areas of the haunted house.

On your way down, you came across Taeil and Taeyong.

"Did we just hear you... scream?" Taeil asked Yuta, hilarity audible in his voice as he spoke the last word.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Yuta said with a shrug of his shoulders. "We've been hearing you scream non-stop. You're gonna hate it up there."

Taeyong's eyes widened at his friend's revelation and swallowed harshly. He was ready to hop over the railing and run outside, but Taeil grabbed him at his hood and pulled him back.

"You're not leaving me, TY."

"I regret tagging along so much," Taeyong whimpered before waving a small bye to you and Yuta.

"Poor guy," you said, more to yourself than anyone else.

Even though you got spooked in every part of the house so far, you did enjoy it after it happened, unlike Taeyong, who sincerely didn't like any of it. You hoped that maybe once you were outside, he'd change his mind and decide it hadn't been so bad. If not, you knew you'd feel guilty for having convinced him to tag along.

"Ready for these last couple rooms?" Yuta asked, taking your mind off Taeyong.

"Probably not," you confessed and grabbed his arm even tighter, taking cover behind him as you had done many times before.

You walked through plastic curtain strips and found yourselves in a white tiled room. Blood spatters were on the walls, a crimson streak running from the door as if someone had dragged a body across the room. The buzzing noise from the fluorescent lights sent a shiver through your entire body, putting you more on edge than you had been before.

The entire setting reminded you too much of the Silent Hill video games you used to play, and you weren't having any of it. You hoped you could walk past the patient strapped down on the surgery table without interference, but as to be expected it wasn't in the cards for you.

The man jerked upwards and towards you, screaming in your faces, and both you and Yuta screamed back at him. Yuta had played the video games with you and didn't like how scary they were, either. As you turned to run away, you found themselves face to face with a bloody, bandaged up nurse with a knife in her hand. It seemed like you weren't the only ones who knew about Silent Hill.

"No!" Yuta shouted, shaking his head violently. "Nuh-uh! This is NOT cool!"

You wanted to laugh, but at the same time you felt like crying. A high pitched noise escaped your lips before pulling Yuta along, struggling to get past the nurse.

He pointed in the actress' face, cursing under his breath.

"No!" He yelled as she feigned to attack him, brandishing the weapon in her right hand. "NO! Fuck!" He said again, leaning backwards to dodge the fake knife.

You waited for him at the door, watching bemusedly as he flipped off the actors in the room. You bent over laughing, placing your hands on your stomach as it hurt from laughing so hard.

Yuta shook his head and sighed deeply, flipping you off as well as he reached you.

"Are we done here?"

Not sure if he was talking about your laughter or walking through the haunted house, you chuckled either way. You were pleased to see the actors could scare him, too. At least now he couldn't make fun of you in weeks to come without you being able to tease him back.

The last rooms you entered looked like they were outside. It had been painted to look like you walked through a graveyard surrounded by trees, underneath the dark night's sky. The sandy floor had bumps all over where the fake graves were, and fake hands were poking through it. It had made you jump multiple times as you bumped into them.

A dark shadow lurked behind one of the gravestones, but neither Yuta nor you had noticed it until it was too late. A zombie covered in dirt jumped out and made both of you stumble backwards, with Yuta falling over one of the graves.

"Are you okay?" You asked, trying to hold back a chuckle.

Yuta pushed himself up from the floor and nodded, clearly amused himself. The spooky decorations and brilliant actors had made your first haunted house experience a success, and you knew it definitely wouldn't be your last.

If you liked this imagine, you might like my story Fear! This is actually chapter 3 of that story, but with a few changes (such as POV). I thought chapter 3 would work nicely as a solo imagine, but it’s even better as part of a full story ;) Click here to read it!

#yuta imagine #nct imagine #nct fluff imagine #nct angst imagine #nct horror imagine #nct #nct 127 #yuta #nakamoto yuta #nct writers #nct ff #nct imagines #bestfriend!yuta

[blackrose-ffxiv]

Led on a Merry Chase 07/18

While the group had rushed down to the water's edge, the figure gliding across the water had only grown closer and closer. It's face was obscured in the deep shadows of it's long cloak, but it did not seem to be looking at the group gathered. It's attention seemed firmly fixed on something else in the village.

“I suspect we should probably stop it before it gets to the village?” Anselme de Haillenarte suggested, though he didn’t seem entirely enamored with the idea of standing between a possible-ghost and whatever it intended to haunt. Either way he unstrapped his axe from his back and rolled his shoulder.

Luca Black felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle and rise. It was premature, but seeing the thing so single minded in its approach on the village made the cold of battle already turn his veins to ice and bade his focus to tighten.

Synn Heolstor -before anything else- put his helmet on for the added protection. Then like Anselme he reached for and drew his weapon from his back. "It's what we came here for yeah?"

Idristan Agache gives a curt nod and reaches for his own staff. "And I'd prefer not to wait to find out what it wants," he adds grimly. Meanwhile, the thing had finally made land. There is a chill around it as it continues towards the village, still either unnoticing or uncaring about the voidhunters. It seemed that the group would either need to make the first move--or perhaps wait to see what it was actually after...?

Anselme debated that as he watched the man-ghost-thing float ethereally from water to land and continue on. There was a curiosity as to what it was looking for. But at the same time there was the very real concern that it was going to serious harm whatever it was looking for. Rather than waste any more time thinking he rushed down towards the thing with his axe at the ready, sliding the last few fulms down the bank to get its attention.

Synn followed Anselme's lead with the two of them being the only two in heavy armor. Running up to join the Knight he would then slowly flank the thing on the right.

Luca felt reflex kick in as Anselme flew towards the creature. Sword in hand he followed hard on his heels, his eyes trained on the thing moving forward. How could it not have noticed them, though, he wondered. For something that could lay waste to men and animals as it did, it seemed woefully imperceptive.

The creature finally seems to take the notice of the group as they cross it's path. It doesn't pause at this however. Instead it lifts what must be arms instead it's tattered cloak. Gleaming from the end of the billowing sleeves are razer-tipped claws that gleam faintly in the moonlight. It lets out a howl as it charges towards the first of them to get close--Anselme. This close, it would become obvious that it wasn't just shadows obscuring it's face; there was no face there. Just an odd, faint glow at the heart of the cloak, one that started to burn a bit more brightly as it slashed at the knight.

The creature's hissing seems to increase as Anselme's axe digs deeper, black smoke issuing forth as parts of it seem to crumble and fall away as the inner core flickers and struggles to keep the spectre together. Synn's attack did not help, knocking the thing off balance even further, and before it could retaliate and drive those claws in deeper, Luca stabs it. It lets out another cry, the worst yet as cracks appear in the core that start to billow smoke. As it starts to blow across the river despite the lack of wind, what remained of the creature finally seems to give up on them. Perhaps it realized it's time was drawing to a close, for it makes a sudden dart towards one of the closest of the tents in the village, even as parts of it's body continue to flake off as it continued to quite literally dissolve.

Anselme turned the axe and yanked to take a chunk out of the claw as it became clear he wouldn’t manage to get at the core in enough time. “Follow that smoke!” He shouted, gesturing vaguely towards the water. Partially because they likelier had better aether senses. Partially because he had only just recently learned to swim, had never done so in armor, and didn’t know how deep that river was. He chased after the specter headed for the tent, taking a leap to try and remove another chunk from what remained of the other claws as well.

Luca's mind raced with dozens of thoughts. What had its goal been in the village? Why was it so desperate to get there now? It seemed such a futile thing to want one more kill before it was sundered out of existence. His mind drifted back to the young man they left behind that had been so intent on joining them, and the woman, their employer, that seemed so intent on speaking for him. Had they left something out? Ashkin and voidsent, Luca knew from his studies, wanted for very little. He just wished he knew what that was in this case. His legs were already carrying him at full speed after the smoke, his hours of training with the young Baron and his second proving worthwhile as the parched grass and rocks around him became a blur. When he was close enough to know he could throw his sword accurately, he did so, sending it point first towards the creature's 'heart'.

Synn's eye lit up red briefly as he saw the creature retreat, it wasn’t long before he mad a dash for the thing himself. though with his gear he wouldn't catch up enough to do much so he merely followed for now.

What was left of the creature didn't put up much resistance to Anselme's axe. It continued to try to claw towards the tent rather than face the man, even as it loses yet another of it's claws. At this point it is sorely starting to lack them. Meanwhile, the smoke would lead Luca and Synn across the river, back onto the far bank. Luca's sword would pass easily through the smoke being, well, smoke. It doesn't seem to affect it at all however, for the smoke continues on it's way, drifting lower and lower over the ground until it finally sinks down into it near the base of a tree.

Anselme let the axe’s heavy head fall, sinking into the ground as the last of the pointy-bits were less-than-professionally removed. There was nothing left for it to damage with but the Knight didn’t give up the ghost, he continued to follow the specter towards the tent without the heavy weapon. Curious just what it was looking for and what it was planning to do now.

Luca scowled as his sword sailed through the smoke and clattered against the water beneath it. A curse he wouldn't repeat in front of his sisters left his lips in a whisper. "To me," he called quietly, and the sword spun out of the river's current and back to his hand. He turned to look back at Synn and Anselme further behind him, trying to determine what was left of the creature's solid form.

Synn hurried along as fast as he was able not entirely clear what was going on, at Luca's look he merely shrugs he wasn't an expert.

The ghost that Anselme had so carefully disarmed continues it's doomed struggle towards the tent. Finally as it reaches the entrance to it the being simply collapses, unable to go any further despite it's best efforts. And from inside the tent, there is what sounds like rather frantic movement... Meanwhile, the rest of the smoke continues to vanish back into the ground in front of Synn and Luca.

Anselme tilted his head in mild surprise as the specter collapsed. Whatever it was running on had run out. Or Synn and Luca had found the source and done something about it. Either way the thing had been desperate to get here. Anselme dropped to a knee and curled his fingers, trying again to get a little aether going. The tent flap was lifted as astral-aspected aether made a soft glow like candlelight in his other palm to illuminate the inside of the tent and hopefully show what was scrabbling around inside. “Are you alright?” He called out quietly.

Luca kept his sword in hand as he trudged back through the water towards the coast and the others. His attention went to Anselme and his inspection of the tents. He'd clearly stopped the thing's physical body, but...Luca still had a bad feeling. He kept thinking back to the two they had met and the circumstances of their discovery of the spectre. He kept his thoughts to himself.

Anselme would find inside the tent a certain young hyur man from before. Radulf glances up with a start, what looks suspiciously like a resistance uniform in his hands. There is a rucksack on the bed, already half full with what looked like most of the man's meager possessions. He starts as the light fills the tent, nearly dropping the uniform he was holding as he looks up with wide eyes.

Anselme thick brows furrowed in sympathy as that awkward moment stretched out. Honestly there were far worse things one could walk in on a young man doing alone in his tent at night. Packing up to run away in the middle of the night really wasn’t the worst of it. “Come on out.” He suggested as he stepped aside and held the flap open. “I think there’s more you need to tell us... isn’t there?”

@luca-the-hunter @synn-heolstor @roses-and-grimoires

#anselme #idristan #luca #voidhunting 101 #never trust an ala mhigan

[orangedodge]

Instead of flooding my blog with a deluge KH posts, I figured I'd do just one in-depth one about the end reveal.  

At least until the next trailer comes out, and my inner nine year old breaks out once again.

So despite Nomura's limitations as a writer, and his occasional technical naivete, I've always been a bit surprised that he's never really given his due as a director. He has good storytelling instincts, and can be skilled at framing information on screen to highlight what he wants, while making his audience ignore what he doesn't want them to pay attention to. His team can also cut a trailer very well. The 2.8 trailers were masterful at presenting actual spoilers, but framed within an artificial context that hid their meaning, and led to the audience anticipating story beats that did not actually exist. The respective natures of Aced and Gula as people, in particular, was something he was highly successful at concealing.

E3 trailer spoilers below the cut

The first E3 trailer drop, which I think we're calling the "Frozen" trailer, reminds me a lot of what he did last time, with those 2.8 trailers. The reveal at the end, and it's implication that Aqua is now evil, is driven by two lines,

SORA - "I wont let her fall to darkness"

and

AQUA - "You're too late"

The combination is framed to suggest that it's specifically too late for Aqua, but as these lines occur in two entirely different scenes, and this structure is unlikely to be preserved in the actual game, the thematic bridge they create is an artificial one. It's unknown what the full context of each scene actually is, particularly the latter scene with Mickey, Aqua, and Riku. Instead, Aqua's lines are being set up with by potentially false context by Sora.

What actually happens in that scene? I think the position of landmarks, and the continuity in way the scene is lit, is sufficient to establish that it most likely takes place within the same span of time as the previous trailer's Riku and Mickey scene, in which Riku's Way to Dawn Keyblade was broken.

By combining the two Riku scenes, I would posit that the chain of events is as follows: Riku and Mickey arrive at the Dark Margin > Aqua attacks them in her new shadow form > Mickey is disarmed, and Riku's Keyblade broken > Aqua stops fighting and reveals herself > Aqua picks up Mickey's Keyblade.

If the line "This Keyblade..." is native to that scene, and not something that was simply placed out of context in the trailer to create false context (a trick Nomura used with Phantom Aqua's dialogue in the 2.8 trailers), then it could be possible that she didn't recognize her opponents until she saw that Keyblade. Either way, I believe it's likely that she fought them until they were both disarmed, whereupon she stopped, and revealed herself to them.

Two things grabbed my attention,

Is breaking Way to Dawn, the Keyblade with one of Xehanort's creepy time-travel spy eyes (that we've been warned about), actually an inherently aggressive act? She appears to have been completely shrouded/cloaked in darkness, if not actually invisible (if that was a Red Eyes effect Mickey was under), when she arrived. Assuming that the two Riku clips are in fact one continuous scene, than it seems as though she didn't let them see her until that Keyblade was out of the way.

Why pick up Mickey's Keyblade? It was established ages ago that a Keyblade can't be stolen from its wielder, so unless that's being retconned, I don't see why she'd benefit from picking it up unless to demonstrate to them that she's still capable of doing so. And that's being done in a state where she's not just possessed by darkness, but seems to have been totally transformed into it. The only precedents I can think of for that are Anti-Sora and Ansem. Anti-Sora didn't have access to Keyblades, and Ansem could only wield one through Riku's body (and presumably Riku’s heart, since he lost his access to the Keyblade once he cast that away).

So is Aqua currently fallen to darkness? Almost definitely, unless this is just Phantom Aqua messing with Mickey, or a physical manifestation of an impression she left behind when she lived there, or the result of some unique circumstance like Aqua-removed-her-Heart-from-her-body or Aqua's-looking-for-Ven-in-the-realm-of-sleep that that would render her condition a temporary side effect.

Is she 'norted? It seems probable, but I'm not one-hundred per cent sure that it actually follows from what's been shown. Xehanort's never shown the ability to discorporate into dark fog or become invisible, I mean, and it seems like that would be a fairly useful ability to make use of if he had it. It seems not unreasonable to assume that it's therefore an ability newly unique to Aqua, and not something connected to a 'norting. I'm going to leave the changers to her hair aside because it's appeared that shade before (for example, in the daylight Wayfinder sequence at the start of the 0.2 trailer), and I'm not sure how much of the color change is being influenced by the lighting conditions, or even if the lighting is finished. The eyes seem like a big give away that she's 13th 'nort, as we've only ever seen glowing amber eyes in humans with Xehanort's vessels... but we don't actually know why he has those traits in the first place.

It could be nothing of consequence, just a unique aspect of his character design that made an easy shorthand for showing who he was possessing. Or it could be that amber eyes are actually meant to represent something in this setting (connection to Heartless?), and what specifically that is just hasn't come up yet, except as through the brothers and sisters 'nort. So it's possible that her eyes don't really mean what we assume they do, and it's just a fun way to use the trailer to mess with us.

(And because this series is so weird, it may also be worth remembering that incomplete beings have been shown to take physical forms influenced by the expectations of the people viewing them. Think Xion's magic flippy-floppy hood, or Aqua perceiving Ansem as Terra. So depending on what the meaning of Aqua's shadow form actually is, the way she appears to Mickey might not be what she actually looks like, as opposed to just the material consequence of how he expects her to look, reflected back upon his own reality. I... ugh. This series is something else.)

(There's also a possible exception to the only-'norts-have-glowing-eyes rule with Terra, who did have glowing amber eyes before he was 'norted, but portions of those cut scenes may now be apocryphal)

But even if Aqua is 'norted, does it automatically follow that she's now an evil puppet of the arch villain’s? I'm going to just throw this out there, and give a hard no. Could be! She could be evil now, she could even be a boss fight and a resulting fetch quest to fix her Wayfinder to bring her back to normal, or be a recurring super boss introduced to give the heroes someone more threatening to fight than Vexen and Marluxia, or anything else. But it's not absolutely necessary and it's a truly strange assumption to make, given past experiences with 'norts and people consumed by darkness.

Riku was 'norted for... really the entirety of the first three games in one way or another, and after a few initial close calls, he got his second wind, and was fine. Vanitas and Braig both seem to do whatever they want; it just so happens that they want to be evil, but I don't think Xehanort has ever shown any supernatural capacity—resorting instead to threats and possible torture—to modify their behavior if they wander off to undermine him. Terra is... well his body has been possessed for decades now, but also obviously is not being controlled in any meaningful way, unless Xehanort actually planned to choke himself and get whipped in the face by chains. Axel also didn't seem to have any problems with just throwing Xehanort out, when he was a heartless shell that theoretically had compromised means of resisting a takeover.  

So Xehanort is clearly not always in complete control of his vessels, other than Young Xeno (himself), Ansem (his own literal heart), and maybe Xemnas (some proportion of his own heart in Terra’s empty body), who could all be unique exceptions. And even the vessels that have been with him the longest have habit of doing as they please. I should find it strange should Aqua be the absolute only exception in the series. And thinking on it, all that's really said of the final confrontation is that you have 13 seekers and 7 guardians... but there's not really a rule that they have to form two opposed teams and stick to them no matter what.

To just fly off into blind speculation though, what I'm personally leaning towards is the possibility that Aqua has just become a part of the realm of darkness. That Mickey is “too late” to reach her before a point of no return, and now she just cannot leave. She doesn't sound particularly angry, or upset to see him. It sounds like she's just stating a fact, or just speaking with resignation. Mickey and Riku, in the clip where Way to Dawn is shown broken, also do not seem as defeated as one might expect them to if they had experienced complete and total failure. They seem pretty sure of themselves, whatever has happened.

I'm hesitant to add this in, given my own bias, but it actually seems not unlike they're saying goodbye. Perhaps just letting go of something, if they've failed and are moving on, or if Riku is just saying goodbye to the chapter of his life represented within Way to Dawn. Or they could be getting ready to split up.  

I've seen a lot of speculation, that I think rings true, that Disney would prefer for Mickey to not be involved in the final fight, whacking recognizable humans in the face with a sword-like weapon. The rumor's line of reasoning follows that he needs to be swapped out for someone else, and Aqua seems like the most fitting possibility. Maybe literally? One stays, so another can go? Thematically, she took on Terra's punishment for him, trapping her there in the first place. Mickey taking it on for her, so she can leave, would be a fitting continuation. And it seems to be what he wants. Edgy, traumatized, Mickey Mouse is a weird concept to introduce to a story, but it almost pulls it off where his trauma re: Aqua is concerned. This is clearly meant to be the great unhealed wound in his life, and to not just free his friend, but take her place in the underworld for a while is one way to help him patch it.

#video games #kingdom hearts #aqua #why do i do this to myself

[pixelenchanter]

Old Wounds (Part 9)

Looks like we’re getting close to the end, folks. Probably only one more part left after this. Don’t worry, I’m already planning the sequel.

Start  Previous  Next

Marvin wasn’t used to astral projecting. He found it disorienting, trying to identify someone based on their spirit alone. It didn’t help that not everyone’s spirit was human in appearance. Heck, his spirit wasn’t human in appearance. Not fully, anyway.

However, what he was presented with was way beyond having cat ears or a third eye. The bed where Damien lay in the physical world was a mess. It was as if someone had thrown a rock through a church window. Shards of colored glass were strewn about, floating slightly, as if some power was pulling them together into a vaguely-humanoid shape.

“Now Marvin sees what the Host knows. He understands that this astral form is far from the normal, and must be fixed before any re-merging may occur.”

Marvin huffed, frustrated. “Yeah, I see the problem. Now how the hell do we fix it?”

“The Host smiles slightly before taking Marvin’s hand and leading him to the bed. He offers to guide the magician through the shattered pieces of this being’s mind in order to resolve whatever conflict caused it to break.”

The magician nodded hesitantly, feeling the Host take his hand. The Host’s other arm extended towards the stained-glass figure. Marvin winced instinctively as they shot forward towards the shards of broken glass.

He opened his eyes to find himself standing in the entryway of a once-beautiful manor. Deep cracks ran through the walls and ceiling. Shards of red and blue glass were strewn across the ground. A broken mirror hung on the wall across from the door. On the floor was a faded red stain.

“The Host releases Marvin and suggests they move quickly. He is uncertain of how long they have before the manor collapses. They must hurry.”

Marvin’s ears twitched forward as he heard something. It sounded like...voices? Yes, definitely voices. Two of them, a man and a woman. He started forward, climbing the stairs with the Host trailing behind him.

The door swung open of its own accord as Marvin and the Host approached it. The room inside looked like a séance. A small table sat in the center, covered with a long cloth. On it were tarot cards and a crystal ball. Around the table were seated, not two, but three people. The man in the suit looked worried. The woman in the star-covered dress sat with her head bowed, a look of concentration and exhaustion covering her face. The third was angry.

As Marvin watched, the third person began waving their hands, gesturing furiously. It reminded him of the new Septiceye ego.

The man in the suit shook his head. “That’s not the point Y/N! If we don’t-” He stopped when he saw Marvin and the Host in the doorway. A look of relief crosses his face. “Oh, good. Maybe you can talk some sense into them.”

The third person turned, gesturing angrily at Marvin. “Uh, what…?” The magician had no idea what was going on.

“Y/N continues to sign angrily, swearing that they would rather die than return to the hell they had previously been in. They state that nothing Damien, Celine, or anyone else says will change their mind.

Damien slammed his fist down on the table. “So you would kill all three of us, then? It’s not just your life that’s at stake here, Y/N. If you keep this up, Celine and I will die too.”

The woman, Celine, winced. “Brother,” she said in a strained voice, “control yourself. It’s hard enough as it is to hold this place together. I don’t need you breaking it more.”

“Damien looks down, ashamed of his outburst. Celine struggles to hold together the broken shell the three inhabit. Y/N glares from one to the other, signing that there is no reason for Celine to waste her energy like this. It is only delaying the inevitable.”

So many questions were swirling through Marvin’s head. He had no idea who these people were, or why they were here. He shook his head slightly.  He needed to focus, there was a job to do. The one called Y/N was apparently the reason that Dark could not re-merge with them. If Marvin was going to fix this, he had to understand why.

“If I might ask,” he interjected, “why are you refusing to re-merge with Dark? If he’s the one keeping all three of you alive, shouldn’t you want to go back?”

“Y/N shakes their head at Marvin, stating that there are some fates worse than death. They explain that Dark kept them deep within the recesses of their own mind, without even a modicum of control. They were trapped inside a mirror within their own mindspace, unable to move.”

The magician frowned. “If that’s true, then how did you get out?”

“They are unsure of who is to thank for their escape. They heard words echoing through Dark’s mind. Powerful words, tied to powerful memories. It was these that allowed Y/N to shatter the mirror holding them, forcing Dark out of their body.”

Damien’s head shot up. “Wait, that’s how you got out?” Y/N nodded.

“The Host steps forward, wishing to resolve this matter even more upon learning this information. He does not wish Wilford to blame himself when he learns that his words are what led to the deaths of those closest to him.”

Damien turned back to Y/N. “Please, let Dark back in. If not for Celine or for me, then do it for him.”

“Y/N gestures dismissively, wondering why they should care about the feelings of someone they do not know.”

Damien shook his head. “You’re wrong, Y/N. You do know him, just by a different name. He was the last person you ever saw before Dark put you in that mirror. You watched as his mind shattered to pieces and he came to believe that death was a joke.”

“The Host must add that only recently has Wilford begun to reclaim his sanity, and that the loss of the ones he cares for yet again will truly break him beyond repair. Y/N stares at the others for a moment, realization dawning on them that they are speaking of their friend the Colonel.”

Y/N looked away, biting their lip. Slowly, they began signing. “Y/N does not wish to hurt the Colonel, nor do they want Celine or Damien to die. However, they refuse to go back to being trapped in the mirror.”

“What if you weren’t?” All eyes turned to Marvin. “What if you let Dark back in, but didn’t get trapped in the mirror?”

“Y/N considers for a moment before nodding. This would be an acceptable arrangement for them, if Dark were to agree.”

Marvin growled slightly, his hands beginning to glow. “I’ll make him agree.” He focused his magic. Summoning had always been easy for him.

Shadows began gathering in the corner of the room. A figure made of black smoke appeared. A deep voice echoed from within the cloud. “I’m almost impressed, Marvin. I hadn’t realized you were foolish enough to summon me without permission. Do you have a death wish?”

The magician gritted his teeth. “Shut it, Dark. You asked me to fix your problem, and that’s what I’m doing.”

The cloud swirled slightly. “Oh? I don’t seem to be re-merging with this body.”

“That,” Damien interrupted, “is because we have one final matter to attend to. Celine, Y/N, and I have agreed to re-merge with you on the condition that Y/N has just as much freedom as my sister or I do.”

Dark was silent for a long time. Without a face, it was difficult to judge his reaction. Eventually, he spoke. His voice was measured, betraying no hint of his feelings on the matter. “Very well. If that is your only condition, then I will agree.”

Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. Marvin felt the Host’s hand on his shoulder. “Now is the time for Marvin and the Host to leave, so that Dark may begin to re-merge and repair the damages of this body.”

Marvin nodded, ready to return to his own body. The last thing he saw before leaving Dark’s mind was Y/N watching him carefully, gratitude shining through the tears in their eyes.

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#markiplier egos #jacksepticeye egos #fanfic #fic #old wounds #part 9 #almost done #more to come

[enstarsrequests-blog]

Cute blog with even cuter admin!!! ♡ Can I request a scenario with Trickstar members and their s/o watching a horror movie? Maybe with the s/o a bit scared? ( Up to you which Trickstar member is even more scared lol )

aaaa, thank you;;; jsahka I’m really not that cute hhhh;;; But anyway, Trickstar is so cute, they don’t get enough appreciation! Especially as the main unit, I would expect people to like them more…

Sorry for the wait, here’s your request! These took me quite a while, though they’re pretty short,,, I hope you enjoy! (also spoilers: I made two of them scared oops it seemed to fit) 

Subaru

It’s hard to take anything seriously around this boy.

For real, how was he laughing right now?

“Hahahaha! Look, that blood is so fake! It looks like ketchup! I bet they were cutting a sandwich with that knife, and got ketchup all over it!”

The said knife was held in the hands of the killer, who had vanished after the protagonist got only a glimpse. They were breathing heavily; but not as much as Subaru’s poor significant other. They were watching with wide eyes as they followed the screen. A shriek sounded, resulting in them flinching and covering their eyes.

The orangette couldn’t contain himself.

“That scream sounded so fake! And it was so delayed!” he pointed between laughing fits, doubling over.

Having him laugh was pretty reassuring.

They had finally relaxed a bit, smiling at Subaru’s antics. But the moment the killer’s mask appeared in the dark hallway on the television screen, they yelped. A scream followed, along with an eerie laugh and the sound of a blade running through skin.

They had instinctively pushed themself up against the hysterical male, who’s laugh had only grown at the scene. The bubbly and warm sound comforted them; until it came to an abrupt end.

They suddenly felt two arms wrap around their shaking form. Warmth enveloped them as Subaru laughed a bit.

“You’re scared, huh? Don’t be! It’s just a movie, after all! Movies like this are actually pretty funny, if you make them!”

His body shifted a bit, sliding himself closer to his scared partner.

Their face was still buried in his chest. In a swift movement, he had snaked his head down to theirs, peppering their face with kisses. A giggle escaped their lips, forming a grin as they tried to pull themself to freedom. In response, he pulled them closer.

“There’s that smile~ Your smile is dazzling, you know? More sparkly than anything in the world!”

With one final peck, he grabbed their hand and led them outside.

They didn’t have to ask to know what he was doing. This was a normal part of the routine; no matter where they went together, the day always ended with stargazing.

The orangette laid himself on the ground, staring up at the night sky. He squeezed the hand of his significant other, turning to face them. The lights of the starts twinkled in his bright blue eyes. Even in the dark of night, he seemed to be glowing like the sun.

“Hey, guess what?”

Without waiting for an answer, he continued.

“I love you~”

A faint scream sounded from behind them. Subaru laughed once again, seeing his significant other quiver while whipping their head around frantically. He sat up, squeezing their hand to reassure them. Though that didn’t stop his giggle fit.

After all, he left the movie running on purpose.

Hokuto

How did he do it?

Slow, eerie music poured from the speakers, filling the ears of the couple on the couch.

The music stopped for a moment. It was silent; until the creepy doll appeared out of nowhere, jumpscaring one of the two on the couch.

They held tightly to the male’s arm, who didn’t even flinch. His stillness was surprising. After getting a good look at his face, they couldn’t help but stare.

He had no emotions showing. He was deadpanning, watching the movie with absolutely no reactions.

“You’re hurting my arm,” he commented, expression unwavering. They huffed out an apology, releasing their death grip on his arm. Only now did they realize how tight they had been clinging; they had left marks and cuts from their nails.

Their attention was turned to the screen once more. But not for long; they once again averted their eyes as the doll once again creeped up form the shadows in all its glory. Hokuto, however, continued to watch. His expression remained unchanging.

“Why are you staring at me? The movie is over there,” the boy spoke up, sparing a glance toward his significant other.

They finally decided to mention it. They asked how he had such a straight face.

“I’m just not scared, I guess.”

They continued to gaze at him.

“What? I answered your question.”

How was he not scared?

“It’s just not scary. Dolls aren’t alive.”

He’s not scared? At all?

“No.”

Not even a tiny bit?

“I already told you.”

Not even a super small-

They were cut off by a shriek sounsing from the television, resulting in them jumping. They had almost fallen off the couch, breathing heavily as they attempted to slow their heart rate.

“Be more careful. I wouldn’t want you getting hurt while under my care. Your parents might hold it against me.”

They examined his face for any sign of… anything. But they were met with blank blue eyes.

“Why are you so jumpy? Sit still.”

They sighed, leaning back into the couch. He didn’t react as they cuddled up against his side, resting their head on his shoulder.

It was comforting to have him so calm, even with the terrifying background noise. Feeling a new sense of content, they drifted off to sleep.

Hokuto looked down at their sleeping form. He sighed.

“I asked you to sit still, not to fall asleep…”

He placed a tender kiss on their forehead, all while keeping his emotionless expression. He was starting to feel a bit nervous, for some strange reason.

“Huh. Maybe the movie does scare me after all…?”

Looking down at his love’s sleeping face once again, he felt his heart tug.

Yeah, it had to be the movie.

Makoto

The blonde sat motionless, eyes gaping at the screen. Lights flashed through the dark room, coloring the walls and his terrified expression.

It had been Makoto’s idea to watch the new horror film out. He had gotten all excited about it, explaining how everyone’s been talking about it. Being the expert information gatherer that he is, he learned the basic plot, and got plenty of insights on the movie. Yet after all that, here he was, even more afraid than his significant other. And, they didn’t want to be rude, but it was kinda funny. He had been acting all big and brave, claiming he didn’t mind if they got scared. Not even a few minutes after, he was shaking in fear.

Knowing he would be too shy to do it himself, they inched closer to him. He tensed up a bit at the contact, though slowly relaxed. He seemed calm now that the scary part was over. Or so he thought. The blonde fell off the couch at a jumpscare, letting out a short, high-pithed scream. The act was followed with an “Ow…” as he slowly stood back up, rubbing his head. His lover couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of him. They had jumped, too, but his reaction was over the top.

They finally opted to help him up, offering to turn the movie off.

“No, we have to finish it! Subaru told me that the ending was the best pa-” his sentence was cut short as he, once again, jumped. Though this time it was from the piercing screech coming from the speakers.

“Ah! Turn it off!” he begged, covering his eyes. They smiled, pressing the power button on the remote. The screen was overtaken in black, leaving the couple in complete darkness. “Gah, the lights! Where are the lights?” the boy panicked. A crash sounded through the room.

Once the space filled with light, it took a moment to find where Makoto had gone. But there he was, faceplanted into the carpet with the table laying on its side under his feet. Who wouldn’t laugh?

Makoto slowly got up, adjusting his glasses. He must be insanely lucky that they didn’t crack. “Uh, sorry,” he apologized awkwardly. They dismissed it, helping him fix the table.

He stayed silent, just staring at the now upright table. And he would’ve stayed like that, if his lover hadn’t spoken up. They asked if he was okay, to which he nodded.

They took him by the hand, leading him to sit back on the couch. Once he was seated, they pulled a blanket over the both of them.

But when they started spooning him, his face turned bright red.

“Ah, what are you doing?” he stuttered, obviously embarrassed.

Soon after, he mustered up the little courage he had; placing a soft kiss on their cheek.

“Sorry we couldn’t finish the movie.”

They shook their head. They were pretty scared, too. There was no reason for him to feel bad. That managed to cheer him up a bit. Or, at least get hin to smile.

His arms wrapped loosely around their waist. All the terror that had filled him only moments ago seemed to all wash away at once, a sense of comfort overcoming him. A small smile formed on the male’s face; even as shy as he could get, he felt at ease around his significant other. His head fell to rest on their shoulder. After only moments, he drifted out of consciousness.

“I love you…” he muttered out, grinning as he slept in their arms.

Mao

Mao had always been one that enjoys babying others, even if he complains a bit.

Now was no acception. Actually, he wanted more than anything to baby his significant other at this moment.

Feeling their figure tremble nervously as the movie became more intense, music slowling down to add suspense, the redhead wrapped an arm around them. With his free hand, he held theirs, rubbing calming circles on the back of their palm.

“Hey, don’t worry. I’m right here, okay? And it’s just a movie, anyway.”

He gave them a gentle, reassuring smile.

In less than a second, that smile flipped into an expression of pure terror. Mao gaped at the screen, his green eyes staring it down in fear. He was visibly trembling.

“That part scare you?” he had trouble keeping his voice steady as he spoke. His features were set in a grin once again, but his eyes suggested otherwise.

They observed the fear in his eyes, unsure of what to say.

“I’ll be here to protect you if anything happens. And again, this is just a movie. It’s all staging.”

At this point, he sounded more like he was talking to himself. Mao looked more scared than his lover, which made him slightly frustrated. Why can’t he be cool and calm like Hokuto?

He let out a quiet sigh. Nothing he can do but pretend he’s not scared.

Easier said than done.

The second year’s eyes were now shut tightly. The terrifying scene played endlessly in his head, as much as he tried to force it down. He gulped nervously. By then, his arm had slid down his partner’s back, resting near their hip. His other one was still gripping theirs. Or, more accurately, squeezing.

They nudged Mao’s side, successfully getting him to look at them.

“What, are you scared again?” he asked softly. The question made them laugh. Were they scared? Sure, a little. But he, on the other hand, looked ready to pee himself.

“Mao, it’s okay to be scared. You don’t have to act so tough,” they assured. Mao looked surprised; offended, even.

“…You could tell?”

They laughed a bit. He might as well have been holding up a sign that said “I’m absolutely terrified,” because that’s how obvious it was. He frowned.

They offered to shut the movie off, if it’s too scary.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine, if you wanna watch it.”

After a quick examination of the redhead, they turned the television off.

“Too scary?” he questioned.

They giggled. “Yeah, for you.”

His face heated up at their remark. Staring at them in disbelief, he spoke. “I said I was fine!”

They decided to leave it be, knowing that Mao would only get offended. They snuggled up against the male, smiling in content. He wrapped his arms around them in response. With his chin rested atop their head, and hand stroking their hair, he whispered gently.

“I’ll become stronger for you. I’ll train until I can protect you from anything that comes your way.”

#ensemble stars imagines #scenario #trickstar #subaru akehoshi #hokuto hidaka #makoto yuki #mao isara #enstars #ensemble stars