#tw: on this entire movie beware

[goryhorroor]

horror around the world: japan (1/10)

tokyo gore police (2008) directed by yoshihiro nishimura

#tw: on this entire movie beware #i like it cause its just goofy gore #horror #horror movies #new series! #j horror #tokyo gore police #horroredit #moviesedit #filmedit #cinema #horror cinema #horror aesthetic #horror screencaps #horror around the world

[hilariousrabbit]

Critic of Stage in Playful Land - The Worst Event in Twisted Wonderland

I'm not gonna lie, I had high hopes for this event. The cards were gorgeous, I loved the new outfits, and we even got new characters! I'm quite a huge fan of the gothic circus aesthetic, so I was even more hyped for what's to come. Of course the stakes would be high for something like this, but unfortunately...the execution of this event has completely brought it down.

This is gonna be a very long and angry critic, so beware! I might be mean too!

The translation screenshots provided are from Ekala on YouTube. TW: Insensitive portrayal of human trafficking

The first part of the event felt SUPER stretched out. I understand, the main cast may have been overwhelmed with homework and losing the basketball match against NRC. But I also feel like they could have summarized this quicker? Plus, Fellow Honest also talks A LOT. I know it was supposed to be extended flattery to the point where it became suspicious, but it was taking so long to get to the main point that I quickly became bored.

The character's reasons for going were also very strange...but let's focus on the Octavinelle twins for a second. Floyd and Jade wanted to visit the amusement park specifically because it seemed suspicious. The twins are seen as a very shady duo, and having conflict with an even shadier duo (Fellow Honest and Gidel) is bound to be something that would be super interesting to watch.

Similarly as to how Idia played a crucial part in the Masquerade event, I thought they would have a larger role in this story, and I was disappointed when they just frolicked around the amusement park. They're not the type to just walk right into a dangerous territory without a plan/strategy, and it felt really weird seeing that happen. With them doing no preparations for this situation whatsoever, it feels like a waste to even state that detail in the first place. Speaking of that...I had heard some other fan theories on the role Ortho would play in this event. Some speculated that he would be representing the puppet in this event, as he isn't human. But then again, none of that ends up happening in the event because there was no thought as to how these characters would be used. My friend made an interesting point about the character choice in this event. They speculated it was just the company gathering up characters that haven't been in many events before book 7 ended, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this was the case.

When the main cast was exploring the park, it was just filler content. Nothing interesting happened, at all. They explored the park that was filled with references from the Pinocchio movie. Now if this was any other Disney film, I would be like "Yeah alright, that's from the movie. That's cool". But if you know what happens in the movie, then it might be a different story. I was deadass filled with dread when they put the references in, and I was so uncomfortable. Especially during this scene:

Also this was uncomfortable to see. Like okay...I didn't need to know that.

Anyone who watched the Pinocchio movie must have known that something bad was bound to happen (most likely some form of human trafficking). So when Fellow Honest's intentions for selling guests as wooden dolls was finally revealed, the entire story went from 0 to 100 real quick. And not in a good way. I know the previous filler was supposed to put us in their shoes, and how we as the viewer could also get distracted from the carnival's attractions. However, there should have been a better way to transition these two contrasting moods of the story. Plus, I can't help but feel like this is an unnecessarily cruel twist compared to the original movie. When it comes to more darker/sensitive topics such as human trafficking, there should be some sort of caution as to how they portray these kinds of things. I felt like this was solely added for shock value to make up for the slow pacing in the first parts of the event, and I can't help but feel really uncomfortable about this. I also REALLY don't like the possible implications of this line:

The insensitivity of the topic of human trafficking is further fueled by how the chase is played out. They needed a reason for characters to be kidnapped one by one, and I know that's usually how these types of events play out. But considering the severity of their situation, I feel very weird about it. Also, the characters are unusually calm about being sold as a literal slave? And the topic is just not dealt with seriously at all.

Important Detail: The Playful Land theme park functions as a ship, which sails away from land as soon enough guests are lured into the park. This is literally a human trafficking ship, there's no sugarcoating this.

Another part I'm upset about is how Kalim dealt with the entire situation. I'm unfortunately used to Twisted Wonderland dumbing down his character for cheap laughs but this has really gone off the rails. Ace gave him a clear reality check. They were at risk of being sold as dolls to whatever rich freak paid money for them. It was clear that Fellow Honest wouldn't converse on the subject over a fancy dinner. Honestly...I need you guys to read this for yourself.

So when Ortho came back, why in the world did Ace apologize to Kalim? Sure, what he said was harsh but it was completely true! There was a real threat to these characters and it wasn't being taken seriously.

For some reason, every time there's a chance for Kalim to develop, all of that is just completely reversed. Even if this was an issue before the event was released, I also feel like the writers forgot one very important thing...

Kalim has literally been kidnapped before! SEVERAL TIMES TOO!

He was targeted several times because he's from a rich family, they were planning to do malicious things to him for the sake of MONEY. Literally, just like Fellow Honest! He should know better than anyone else how horrifying it is to be taken away from the ones you love, and having no idea what will happen to you. But noooo instead he went full on Steven Universe on Fellow Honest! I'm not even taking the excuse that he's desensitized to it because he was putting the lives of his classmates at risk by giving this human trafficker a fucking chance. While he's not the smartest in the group, his character IS compassionate. How did he give more compassion towards this stranger he met a day ago instead of his own classmates?! How did they botch his character this badly?!

Lastly, when Fellow Honest's reasoning is stated in the story...I really have no words. He engaged in human trafficking, because his former teachers told him that he wasn't a good mage? ...I'm sorry? What the fuck kinda reasoning is that?!

He's literally committing a random act of malice because of his own personal issues. I can't even say that he was merely projecting his hatred onto students alone, as there were other guests attending the park too! I don't know how old they are, or if they're even in school anymore, so these are literally just random victims to me! It looks like the writers attempted to add a tragic backstory for this character in order to get the audience to have some sort of sympathy for him, but this just makes him look fucking stupid.

During this event, he talks about school being worthless and about how he and Gidel had a hard time surviving because they didn't get an education. Like...he chose to drop out of school. Of course that would happen! What was he expecting?

This event made an attempt to go into class dynamics and it's just...oh my god. Let's do a character comparison for a second. Ruggie grew up in a poor area, but because of that he was always on that grindset. Instead of bitching about how educated people are entitled and snobby, he takes advantage of every opportunity around him. And this includes the education at Night Raven College! He even takes financial advantage of others if necessary! He doesn't mind working for others as long as he can get something out of it.

Now let's talk about Fellow Honest's unique magic. I'm not gonna lie, I do think that concept is pretty cool! However, let's take a look at how it's implemented in the event. Now this is where I get critical of this. Having an increased amount of optimism doesn't mean being dumbed down. I'm still confused on how none of the characters were at least a little bit skeptical when walking through the park. There were red flags all across the park, free food, surprise gifts, a whole ass outfit for free, and a freaking 10 minute roller coaster! It was clearly too good to be true, so I can't understand how nobody among the main cast doubted it even for a second?

Also the reasoning why a magic-sensitive creature like Lilia didn't sense his magic before is so bullshit. I'm sorry, they just needed a reason for him to not notice this in order to make this event work.

And then when the cast started talking about how great school was for them, and even offering him admission to Night Raven College... Sorry just a moment, I just need to...

He is a literal human trafficker, and they decided to sympathize with him because of his bad school past?! WHAT???

I'm not even taking the excuse that the main cast are based off villains. HOW CAN YOU JUSTIFY THAT AT ALL?!?!?! HOW???

We don't know how many people he has done this to. It's clear that this isn't the first time this amusement park has hosted customers. If this was merely his first attempt by means of survival then it might have been a different story, but he's experienced at this. There's a good chance that he has turned people into dolls before.

And then after a super prolonged chase scene and even more battles, we get to Kalim going full-on Steven Universe on Fellow Honest. Then his employer deducts his pay because of the damages in the park...and he finally had enough. He frees everyone, asks them to destroy the park, and now he's a good guy and he's gonna open a school!

...

Now I'm confused about this for a couple of reasons. So first of all, how did his opinion of schools completely do a complete 180 after talking with them for a few moments??? Change in a character doesn't occur this quickly, and we've seen this be the case with multiple characters in this game. Even if this was meant to be rushed for the sake of this being an event story, not even Rollo had a change in opinions after his event! So what was up with this?

The second reason is that Jack specifically stated in this event that his brother can't use magic but is still attending school. Magicless people DO get educated, and there's many pathways for them to choose from.

They aren't barren from society like Fellow Honest thinks they are. Take a look at the people in Epel's hometown and in Fleur city, they're pretty happy! I don't think the concept of schools for lower magic users/non-magic users is as revolutionary as they're making it out to be, and I feel like this is a super last-minute decision on the writers behalf.

Another thing is that...

Fellow Honest has NO REMORSE AT ALL for what he did.

He wanted to quit because he just didn't wanna work for the higher-ups anymore, not because he actually realized what he was doing was fucked up! Yeah sure, he might be focused on his new goal to open up a school. But is he just gonna ignore the fact that he fucking SOLD PEOPLE AS DOLLS? HUH? How am I supposed to wish him well on his newfound journey when this entire thing is just left unaddressed!

I'm also confused about another thing. Fellow Honest asked the cast to destroy the amusement park after he freed them, promising to turn the park boat around to Sage Island if they did so. This caused the boat to sink, and Ortho had to push the entire park back to shore.

They were able to get back to shore before any serious damage was done, so can anyone tell me why Fellow Honest and Gidel decided to ride off into the sunset WITH the park? It's literally sinking as they speak! So...huh? Where will they even sail to? It's pretty hard to not notice a huge ass amusement park sinking like this in the middle of the Sage Island, especially when it's right beside the port! What is going on?!

Who the hell even wrote this? I can't with this event man...

I know the lesson of this event is to realize the importance of going to school and being a good kid like in the movie. However...let's step back for a bit. The target audience for Twisted Wonderland is young adults and teenagers, and the fanbase DOES consist of these people. I don't think they need reminding of why education is a privilege...? Pinocchio was specifically made to scare little kids, so it just does not translate well to their target audience AT ALL. While I do love Twisted Wonderland, I really do feel like this is their worst event yet. I hate how almost all the characters were dumbed down to make this story work, and I don't care if it was because of Fellow Honest's unique magic. When it comes to sensitive topics, Twisted Wonderland is usually good at portraying them appropriately. So I really have no idea what happened with this event.

I think the company saw the positive reception with Rollo Flamme, and decided that this type of new character was something to be implemented yearly. Surprisingly, Fellow Honest and Gideon seem to have a large fanbase in Japan...so they probably took the popularity of these characters as their next material to work with. This could have worked out wonderfully if they were to treat this like its own story rather than a remake of the movie, but unfortunately that's not the path they decided to go with.

I have never felt this way about any other event, and the urge to write this critic was STRONG. I have no idea whether Yana wrote this, or if another employee just decided to pull some last-minute shit with this entire event. Regardless, I'm praying to god that this is merely a one-time occurrence and that the next event will be better. I think for the sake of my sanity, I need to pretend this event doesn't exist.

Thank you for reading my thoughts on this.

#twisted wonderland #stage in playful land #twst #twst wonderland #twst event #playful land event #I was really in denial at first but... #I was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt for almost the entirety of this event #PLEASE tell me i'm not the only one who's thinking this #when the shock value from this event worn off #I was just like...what did I just watch? #when you step back and look at it...it's really not good #there were more points I would have added in this post but it was already super long and I was really close to the image limit! #thank you for reading #I would love to hear what you guys think of the event

[virgo-mess]

The Birds and the Bees

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Chapter List

1.Alexithymia- The Inability to Express your Feelings Parts 1 and 2

2.The Woes of Adolescence/ What the heck Happened that Summer Parts 1 and 2

3.Caught in a Summer Storm/ What the heck Happened that Christmas.

4.Summer Bluffs? Part 1

5.Disco, Strippers, and Margaritassss Part 2

6.Sleepless in a Hotel Suite Part 3

7.Shades of Pink

8.The Things I’ve Dreamed Part 1

9.Renewal Part 2

🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝

TW: Again, nothing too bad really, mentions of child abuse and DV but nothing graphic, mostly just Cash being a little simp and thirsting after the girl next door, oh and CUTENESS BEWARE

Alexithymia- The Inability to Express Your Feelings Part 2

🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝🐦🐝

"You're my first love, and I never had the courage to tell you. My love for you is pure, ageless. I knew it the first time I saw you bob for apples at your ninth birthday party. I've known it all our lives, and my love for you has grown as we've grown together, apart, and back together again" - Trudy Stiles

Cash’s Pov

Cash stirred early the next day to the comforting sound of waves crashing on the sandy shores of Manomet beach. He couldn’t really hear the waves of the Hudson River from his apartment back in Jersey City and that was one of the things he had missed the most about coming back home over the years. The golden streams of summer sunshine poured in through the open window of his childhood bedroom. The soft morning breeze swirled the pair of sage green curtains hung above the window gently, while Cash peered out it with a content smile on his face. Mornings like this always reminded him of Shay but then again, almost everything reminded him of her somehow.

Shaylee Harris the girl next door, his childhood best friend, and his first crush. Though looking back on it all now even Cashton Ewing could admit it was so much more than that. Shaylee Harris had single handedly been occupying his thoughts and dreams since he was fourteen, but really even before that because what seven-year-old comes up with a nickname like that for someone they don’t love even a little bit. His heart seemed to know he loved her before his brain did, he still remembered that Valentines Day back in eighth grade when he picked her up to go to the movies and the realization dawned on him, hit him like a freight train actually.

All it took was her floating out the front door in white frills of lace adorned with little pink cherry blossoms, the dress Cash had gifted her that Christmas because she stopped to look at it every time they went to the mall. Her hair was longer back then, her cascading curls of warm blonde were tied up halfway with a little pink ribbon and her green eyes looked captivating with the mascara coating her long eyelashes. Cash swore he felt his heart stop beating for a second though, as she got closer his heart was pounding so hard he was surprised Shay couldn’t hear it. It was the first time he felt butterflies in his stomach, the first time he ever felt nervous in the presence of his best friend, Shaylee Harris. He couldn’t take his eyes off her the entire drive to the movies, all he could think about was how pretty she was, how much he wanted to hold her hand, and how foolish he’d been for never appreciating holding her hand prior or looking at someone that beautiful. Cash to this day couldn’t figure out why his brain hadn’t noticed it before, though now it seemed his brain never wanted him to forget it. The onset of adolescence hit him with all its awkward buddings of more intense feelings, first love, sexual awakenings, steamy dreams and Shaylee Harris had single handedly sparked it all. Suddenly Cash didn’t just want to hang out with her, he wanted to kiss her, be with her, and touch her in ways he never had before, and no amount of time or distance ever made that go away. In fact, as the years passed by and Shay kept Cash at arm’s length his yearning for her only intensified, all-consuming in the deepest sense.

Cash sighed, taking a moment to stretch and glance at the clock while he dried his gray hair with a towel and walked over to his suitcase to pull out a pair of dark jeans and a shirt, a navy-blue button up with white stripes and short sleeves. Shay always said she liked it when he wore blue because it brought out his eyes; Cash thought it might help her get over the fact, he was waking her up so early. Shay hadn’t been a morning person her entire life and he was honestly surprised she picked a profession that required her to dedicate countless hours of her time. Especially because there was a point in time where they talked about their dreams enough for Cash to know the world of investment banking was never a world Shay had expressed a desire to be in. Of course, Cash knew Tyler, the scumbag, was most likely to blame for Shay shelving her dream but there was a small part of him the thought maybe he was to blame too.

Cash fumbled around his room, slipping into his clothes for the day and straightening out a few of his damp gray strands of hair. Cash crept out of his bedroom pointedly being as quiet as possible, he was sure his mom wasn’t up yet and really, he preferred to keep it that way if he could. He wasn’t prepared to receive another pep talk about telling Shay how he felt about her. Jo Ewing was too nosy for her own good, she, Shay’s mom, and Daisy’s mom had been Plymouth’s local gossipy hens for as long as he could remember. Cash had been hoping with Daisy and Pete’s childhood sweetheart wedding buzz, his and Shay’s ‘Will They, Won’t They’ romance would be overshadowed enough for it to blossom on its own, but it seemed everyone in Plymouth had other meddlesome plans in store for them….

 Cash whistled softly to himself and swiftly buzzed about the kitchen. He pulled a bag of coffee grounds and a can of coco powder out of one of the cabinets and waltzed over to his mom’s new espresso machine. Still whistling, Cash grabbed a gallon of milk from the fridge and carefully slid Shay’s delicate coffee mug off the cup rack. He’d gifted her a set of two for her birthday one year, two ombre style pink cups with two artfully placed cherry blossoms on the side. Cash wasn’t sure what happened to the other one, but this one had a permanent home right here, much in the same way Shay had a permanent home in his heart. Cash hit the power button on the espresso machine and gently placed Shay’s cup underneath it while he got to work on frothing the milk, mixing the coco powder, and adding strawberry syrup while he waited for the espresso to brew.

Cash had picked up a thing or two from his high school barista days, though he and Shay hardly saw each other during those summers she was working as a line cook at one of Daisy’s parent’s restaurants down in Cape Cod. Cash still made sure to have a latte ready for her each one of his shifts, chocolate covered strawberry was always one of her favorites and over the years Cash had figured out how to make the foam pink just for her. Hopefully, him showing up at her window with her favorite latte and a plate full of pastries would soothe some of her inevitable morning grumpiness because Cash didn’t want her to completely dread spending time with him today or any of the other says they were sure to busy sorting out wedding details. They were supposed to be getting a head start on all of Daisy and Pete’s quite purposeful, last-minute wedding planning. When Shay asked him yesterday if he had anything to do with Daisy and Pete ditching them, he said no and, it hadn’t been a total lie. They didn’t tell him they were planning to ditch them before lunch was over, but Cash did, however, know all about Daisy and Pete’s cupid play because he’d been in on it since Daisy showed up at his apartment three months ago. The same day she asked Shay to be her maid of honor, Daisy Martin made a stop in Jersey City to all but hound Cash into finally doing something about his twelve years long crush on his first best friend. Daisy all but broke down his front door in fact and given all the intense stuff that was going on the last time he’d even seen her, Cash expected as much. They hadn’t really had a chance to talk that time because Cash was in the process of being put on suspension for what he’d done to Tyler in the Plaza lobby…

Cash poured the rest of the ingredients into the freshly brewed espresso and gave it a good stir before pouring his now, pink steamed milk into the mug. Cash took the time to artfully pour the pink liquid in the shape of a heart before grabbing a breakfast tray and carefully setting the fresh latte on top of it. He quickly put everything back in place before grabbing one of his mom’s little porcelain plates and piling it with an assortment of macaroons and spring pastries. Cash carefully picked up the tray and made his way out of the back patio door, stepping out into the warm morning sunshine and the sound of crashing waves, he casually made his way to the back of the Harris house to Shay’s large window.

Cash couldn’t recall a time he ever actually used the Harris’ front door aside from the occasional holiday party. Crawling through Shay’s window and spending the night was such common practice for him, Maggie Harris always had a plate ready for him at the breakfast table. A fact which Cash still found hard to believe because his crush on Shay was so obvious towards the end, he found it strange neither his mom nor her parents seemed to care they cuddled and slept in the same bed unsupervised until they were teenagers. Awkward, shy, hormonal teenagers that were too self-conscious for their own good but still hormonal teenagers none the less. Though as he was recalling bits of his mom’s pep talk yesterday it would seem she and Maggie had been rooting for him and Shay to be together for some time now. She was rather vague, but Cash got the feeling there were bets placed on which kid would be walking down the aisle and with whom…

Cash peered through Shay’s large window still whistling softly to himself and let his knuckles rap against the glass obnoxiously, though he was mindful not to tip the tray in his other hand. Sometimes it took a little persistence to get the sleeping beauty up and moving, she was sure to be grumpy but to Cash spending the day with a tired grumpy Shaylee Rose was better than not spending the day with her at all. Cash pushed up on one of the white sills of the window and then the other only to find them both locked. He wasn’t sure what he expected, seen as how Shay hadn’t been home in two years but part of him hoped she’d at least remember to leave it unlocked for him the way she used to. Sometimes it felt like he thought about her way more than she ever thought about him even though Daisy tried to assure that wasn’t the case nor was it the reason Shay had pushed him away…

“Wakey wakey Cherry Blossom, we’ve got things to do and people to see! I made you your favorite” Cash said knocking on the glass a few more times with a slight blush on his cheeks. He wasn’t lying, Daisy did send over a pointedly, absurdly long list of tasks for them to complete, half of which purposefully involved taking a trip up to Boston. He could hear the loud, annoyed groan Shay gave him in reply even through the glass as she sat up in bed and glared at him through her half-drawn window shades with tired green eyes and adorable hair rollers in her golden hair. Cash bit down on his lip as he watched her shuffle out of bed in a cropped navy-blue pajama set with little white polka dots, looking very much like a little barbie doll. He hadn’t missed how curvy she’d gotten since the last time he’d seen her, having finally regained all the weight she lost being strapped to that dirt bag two years ago. She was practically glowing when he saw her step out of her car yesterday in that little green dress that just barely covered the curve of her now very plump ass and her breasts had gone up at least three cup sizes. Not that Cash cared all that much anyway, her body had always been a sight to see for him but all the extra stuff she had for him to grab now left him feeling particularly…FERAL. To put it simply.

Shay grumpily threw her shades up a bit further before unlatching her window and throwing it up to give him the most adorable attempt at a menacing glare he’d ever seen.

“Good morning beautiful, your pretty feathers shouldn’t be this ruffled first thing in the morning I dropped you off almost twenty hours ago. Any hangover symptoms should be out of your system so why are you so worked up?” Cash asked in a playful tone watching Shay roll those pretty green eyes at him.

“Gee, I don’t know, might have something to do with the Jolly Green Giant beating down my window at the butt crack of dawn” Shay said jutting out one of her childbearing hips in the most teasing way. Cash repressed a chuckle as he skillfully, threw a long leg over the windowsill and still managed not to tip the tray even the slightest bit. Before taking a careful seat on her window bench with a teasing smile on his face.

“It’s hardly my fault you forgot to unlock your window in your cocktail daze yesterday, Cherry Blossom. You know I always come in through the window, besides I brought you something, see” Cash said in the same playful tone, holding up the breakfast tray with an almost coy smile on his face. He took a minute or two to admire her skimpy yet oddly adorable set, up close. Her stomach was still toned in that feminine sexy type of way, but her hips and thighs now looked like plush little pillows Cash wanted nothing more than to bury himself in, in every way possible.

“Do you think my parents just leave unlocked lower-level windows around their house, Cashton. What do you got there, hello, are you listening to me?” Shay said pulling him out of his inner ramblings by snapping her fingers and raising a cute eyebrow at him. Cash smiled at her almost sheepishly as he felt his cheeks grow hot and his cock twitch adamantly against his thigh…

“What, yeah, I mean no, but I expected you’d leave it open for me like you used to Shaylee Rose. How else would I be bestowed the honor of being greeted by your pretty face in the morning? To think I made you this chocolate covered strawberry latte and everything” Cash said, tearing his wandering blue eyes off her perfect body and settling them back on her just as perfect face to throw her a suggestive wink. Cash watched Shay’s sun kissed cheeks tint a cute shade of pink under his gaze and her plump lips curved into a coy smile. Cash felt his heart and cock flutter in tandem the way they only ever did for her.

“You could use the front door like a normal person. Thank you for the latte, Cashy” Shay’s voice came out at him a bit softer this time and her green eyes looked amused rather than annoyed with him for the first time in ages. Aside from the little anonymous flirtation session they had yesterday, Cash hadn’t intended on dragging it out as long as he had but having her laugh and smile at him like she used to, was something he’d missed dearly as sappy as it sounded. Something about her felt so different when she came back to Plymouth after spending that summer with her aunt in LA but even before that really. Cash remembered the way she locked herself in her room the last day of school in eighth grade and how she didn’t come out for a whole week, Shay kept insisting she just didn’t feel well, and his mom and her mom assured him that it was just something teenage girls go through. That she’d eventually come around and things would go back to normal, but they never really did, she was distant and closed off. Cash thought for sure he had done something to upset her, though she insisted he hadn’t. She was right next door, right next to him even, but she felt worlds away…

“We both know I’m not a normal person Cherry Blossom. Silly girl” Cash chuckled, rising to his feet to give her a playful bop on the nose with his finger. Shay let out a soft, breathy giggle and rolled her still very amused misty, green eyes at him in a way only she could. Part of him couldn’t help but feel special, almost loved even, when she acted this way with him because moments like these were so far and few between them these days. Cash smiled down at her adoringly before walking past her to set the tray down on the coffee table she had in front of her couch. The couch and coffee table weren’t there back in those days when he regularly used to crawl through her window. After she’d gotten back from LA Shay, for whatever reason, had decided to redo her whole room over in soft mature shades of blue, white, and gray. Sometimes Cash missed the bright shades of pink and orange that once blanketed the room in all its floral splendor.

“Why aren’t you dressed yet? Have you even picked out an outfit for today?” Cash asked, steering their conversation in the direction he needed it to go. He watched Shay take a seat on the couch and look down at the coffee and the mug it was in with glossy eyes. “Are you okay?” Cash asked with concern swirling in his blue eyes as he looked down at her.

“Yeah, I’m fine Cashy, this coffee just looks too pretty to drink… I didn’t pick out any clothes because I thought we’d be doing our planning at a reasonable hour.” Shay said, Cash could tell the smile she gave him was forced and watched the way she rapidly blinked the tears brimming her pretty green eyes away. Part of Cash wanted to push her to tell him what was bothering her but another part of him told him it wouldn’t be a good idea.

“How on earth did you make it in the world of investment banking if you can’t handle me waking you up at 8:30?” Cash said in a teasing tone, Shay cracked a genuine smile, and he was happy to see her start to nibble on one of the macaroons.

“The stock market doesn’t open until 9:30 and I’m on sabbatical, sleeping in is a right when you’re on one of those, you know. Maybe you should give it a try Officer Ewing” Shay said coyly, Cash chuckled under his breath and made his way towards her walk-in closet.

“I’ll only give it a try if you promise to be by my side when I do it, Cherry Blossom. You never did get around to showing me New York or NYU, you know. As long as you remember to leave the window unlocked for me, I promise I won’t force you out of bed until 9:30.” Cash said once more in a teasing tone before walking into her closet and skimming through the few things she had hung up from her suitcase.

“I’m holding you to that Cashton Micheal, if you’d have told me, you were in Jersey City, I would’ve given you the grand New York experience if you’d only asked.” Shay called after him. Cash heard the faint sound of her phone buzzing somewhere back out in her bedroom as he pulled a pretty, little white floral sundress with a very revealing halter neckline off her closet rack. Cash couldn’t help but bite his lip at the mere thought of her in something so innocent looking but somehow completely tantalizing all the same. It also just so happened to fit the dress code of the restaurant he was going to take her to, before they got a start on their to-do list. Although Daisy and Pete had encouraged him to talk about his feelings for Shay, Cash didn’t see any harm in also showing her how he felt about her. Cash had never really been good with words when it came to him and Shay in the later years of their friendship. She didn’t really seem to respond that well to his overt flirting and lighthearted teasing over the years so he’d resulted to small displays of affection, like making her a latte every one of his shifts or buying more boxes of her favorite candy at the movies than she could eat. Today his romantic display of choice was taking her to one of Boston’s top rated, romantic restaurants. Cash made his way back into her bedroom to find Shay skimming through her phone as she let out a long sigh.

“Everything okay?” Cash asked curiously, peering down at her to see she had finally started taking a few sips of her latte. Shay nodded her head and met his gaze with the faintest blush on her cheeks.

“Um, yeah, just sweet old Daisy adding another thing to our obnoxious to-do list. Looks like we’re heading up to Boston if that’s alright with you. Apparently, Daisy forgot she had an order to pick up at Wacoal when she and Pete were up there yesterday. You know, because they got…busy in the car…” Shay trailed in a slightly, sassy tone. Cash bit down on his lip as he recognized the name of the shop embarrassingly fast, though how could he forget that a great deal of Shay’s teasing little pajama sets had been purchased there. He should’ve figured Daisy would plan something like this to torment him into a confession, it would probably work too, just imagining Shay among enticing rows of lace and frill had his head spinning already.

“Sure, she just happened to forget to pick up her wedding night babydoll…Here put this on for me.” Cash said slightly breathless as he held up the sundress with an obvious blush on his cheeks. Shay raised her eyebrow at him again adorably, taking a longer sip of her latte and another nibble out of the pastel cookie.

“Hmmm, how did you know Wacoal sells wedding night babydolls, Cashton? That dress is a little fancy to just go shopping, are we going somewhere special?” Shay asked, her green eyes looked curious and sheepish as they met his but the hopeful tone that came out in her voice towards the end made Cash’s heart melt. It amazed him how Shay could be so fully self-aware and amazingly quick-witted but still not know Cash would die to make even the smallest thing feel special for her. Cash wasn’t sure why such a thing surprised him because their spat at lunch yesterday confirmed she didn't remember the fact that they had talked and seen each other two years ago…

“Yeah, I’m taking you out for brunch darling, so go get ready alright…” Cash said softly, trying not to let his brain get lost in such a hurtful memory. He focused on the pretty, yet sheepish smile she gave him before bouncing off to her bathroom to change. Cash let out a deep sigh and took a seat on the couch. Shay emerged from the bathroom sometime later, with her blonde hair in voluminous waves, her bangs cascading over her forehead and her makeup effortlessly applied, the floral sundress fit her new figure perfectly. Cash couldn’t explain it, but she looked like summer to him, soft, delicate, and warm in a way that evoked nothing but love and happiness within him. Cash forgot where he was for a second as he watched her walk towards her closet to fetch a pair of shoes.

“Pick the closed toed Gucci wedges, the restaurant apparently has a thing against sandals” Cash said with a small smirk on his face, Shay poked her head outside of the closet door for a moment and cutely arched an eyebrow at him from across the room. Cash chuckled under his breath, already having a general idea of what stopped her so abruptly in her cute tracks.

“Cashton Ewing knows designers now and yet, chooses to dress like a cute little mechanic.” Shay said with an amused note of disbelief in her voice before disappearing into her closet and reemerging with the shoes he had recommended. Cash couldn’t help but blush under her gaze, but it was mostly because the only reason he knew designers like that was because he’d seen her shopping on fifth avenue a few times… or trailed her there, its all the same to him really, no need to get technical…

“I’m a man of many talents Cherry Blossom. You and Daisy made Pete and I go to the mall with you almost the entirety of eighth grade, I was bound to learn a thing or two. Do you really think I look like a cute mechanic?” Cash said in a teasing tone, watching Shay’s cheeks tint a delightful shade of pink as she focused her attention on strapping on the designer shoes.

“Oh boy, I think I just saw your head grow three sizes, remind me to never use the word cute again. I know you went shopping with me and all, but you didn’t seem to like it, so I’m still allowed to be surprised Officer Ewing. I think I’m ready to go.” Shay said as she finished strapping on her shoes, Cash watched her rise to her feet and straighten out her dress before grabbing her purse off her nightstand. She looked absolutely breathtaking, and Cash found his eyes wandering all over her body again with a newfound hunger.

“You’re so beautiful, you know that….and I, um, didn’t like shopping, but I liked being with you, so it was a sacrifice I was willing to make. I’m assuming I’ll be making the same sacrifice later this afternoon. The mall with all the designer stores is like ten minutes from the restaurant, you know Cherry Blossom.” Cash said, forcing himself to focus his wandering gaze back on her face. Shay gave him a very timid smile in reply to his compliment.

“Thanks…It’s really all Daisy’s fault if you think about it, if she hadn’t forgotten her skimpy wedding night attire, we wouldn’t even be in the general vicinity Cashy.” Shay said with the same timid smile on her face. Shay wandered over to her bedroom door and gently pulled it open before shuffling out into the hallway and made her way toward the kitchen.

“Yeah, you’re right, it really is all Daisy’s fault” Cash chuckled, following her out of her bedroom and through the empty kitchen of the still Harris house. They quietly walked out of the front door into the warm summer air and walked down the front porch steps. Cash couldn’t help the sheepish grin that spread across his face when Shay gazed up at him with an amused but knowing glint in her green eyes.

“You can drive my car if you want…” Shay said in a cute, pointed tone as she gazed up at him with a coy smile and another cutely arched eyebrow. Cash looked down at her, feeling a touch bashful under her gaze.

“Are you sure, Pete dropped my truck off last night after I tore into him for ditching us, it’s just in the garage” Cash said softly with a bashful blush spreading across his cheeks. Shay nodded her head as she stared up at him with a large amount of amusement swirling in her pretty green eyes. Cash always loved the way her green orbs sparkled in the sunlight and the way they tinted a unique shade of teal when Plymouth’s deep blue water reflected in them on those long days they used to spend at the beach.

“Yeah, parking will be easier with my car, so here you go Cashy” Shay chuckled, handing him her keys with a coy smile on her face. Cash gladly accepted the keys from her small hand, but he found himself resisting the urge to wrap her up in his arms and twirl her around like a ragdoll.

“Alright, after you princess” Cash crooned, bounding down the driveway. Cash opened the passenger door of the slick green Audi with a giddy grin on his face as he gazed over at Shay adoringly.

“Princess? “Shay chuckled softly, Cash watched her make her way down the driveway and plop down onto the car seat with a giddy looking grin of her own. Cash bit his lip and gazed down at her for a moment before making his way to the other side of the car and slid into the driver’s seat.

“You’ve always been my passenger princess Cherry Blossom, don’t act so surprised” Cash said in a soft playful tone as he slid the key into the ignition and started the car. Shay looked over at him with a soft blush on her cheeks, Cash gave her a teasing wink and began to back the car out of the driveway.

“That was because Pete and Daisy were always trying to swallow each other in the back seat, and you were the first one to get a car out of the four of us.” Shay said gazing up at him from her spot in the car. Cash flashed her a reassuring smile and switched the car into drive to begin their short trip up to Boston for the day.

“Don’t get me wrong Shay, I loved having you next to me, you know. I’ve had no one to tell me when I’m going the wrong way for seven lonely years. I’ve missed you; you know. I’ve missed you a lot Cherry Blossom” Cash admitted sincerely, his blue eyes were soft and a bit vulnerable when they met her green ones briefly, from across the car. Shay gazed back at him in silence for a long moment, her eyes felt like they were trying to see inside of him, but her lack of response made Cash think he might have said the wrong thing too soon…

“I missed you too Cashy” Shay finally replied, just above a whisper after her green eyes seemed to find whatever it was they were searching for. Cash practically beamed at her as he turned the car on to the expressway. Shay smiled back at him, and Cash took note of the way her green orbs seemed to sparkle at him the same way they usually sparkled in golden beams of sunlight. As they began their short drive Cash couldn’t help but wonder if the sun was ever really the reason, they sparkled to begin with...

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The drive up to Boston was relatively quick but Shay made more small talk with Cash on the drive up than she had in years. Cash could tell she was excited by the way she rambled on and on about her favorite places to grab food while she was in Manhattan, her excitement made his heart swell. Though, Cash couldn’t tell if she was excited about going shopping later or if she was excited to spend as much time with him as he was with her. Both were welcome reasons to him though because just talking to her still gave Cash butterflies and made his heart flutter. He had missed the way it was when things used to flow this easily between them. Something that hadn't really happened since that Valentine’s Day back in eighth grade, it marked the beginning of his crush on Shay but also the start of her no longer expressing her feelings to him openly.

Cash still remembered walking out of the theater and into the lobby to find Shay with red puffy eyes. She wouldn't tell him why she was crying but she sure looked happy when Cash asked her if she wanted to go ice skating with him instead. They ditched Pete, Daisy, and annoying Opal May and went to the local ice rink where they giggled and shared hot chocolate like they always did. He still remembered how the wind caught ahold of the dainty pink ribbon in her golden hair, sending it swirling through the evening sky and how the pair of them chased after it until they fell.

They laid out on the ice for some time, laughing so hard they were on the verge of tears and yet, all Cash could think about was how much he wanted to kiss her. Then it started to snow, and the rink lights swirled around her in a way that made her look so much like an angel to him, Cash thought maybe he died. They eventually collected themselves enough to sit back up just as the dainty pink ribbon floated down from the sky and pooled in his lap. By then it felt like Shay was staring into his soul and he got too nervous to kiss her the way he wanted to. Before he knew it, they were eating pizza in her bedroom while they watched some Harrison Ford movie on her TV, the same routine they’d had for years but something about the way they held each other that night felt different. Nothing ever quite beat the feeling of Shay falling asleep on his shoulder after that night. At least until today…

From the moment Cash stepped out of the car it felt like everything between him and Shay seamlessly fell into place, and they found themselves in a familiar, yet comfortable little spot they hadn’t quite been in since they were teenagers. Cash knew Shay must have felt it too, because she let him hold her hand all the way from Contessa’s entrance up to their intimate roof top dining room. Cash wished he had his camera to capture the adorable, awestruck look on Shay’s face when they stepped off that elevator and ventured into Contessa’s elegant upscale waiting room. The look on her face only got better when they were led through the sun-soaked dining room and were sat at an intimate half circle booth overlooking the Boston Public Garden upon his request. They laughed and they talked, then they drank, and they ate in a carefree way that reminded him of the movie nights they shared with pizza in his moms’ basement. Only instead of his mom’s basement, they just so happened to be at one of Boston’s top rated romantic restaurants overlooking the very cherry blossom trees Cash named her after. Sadly, the trees weren’t in bloom but as brunch progressed smoothly, Cash got the feeling that maybe his and Shay’s “Will they, won’t they” romance was…

As brunch went on, they managed to steer away from their small talk topics and actually start catching up with one another. Cash wasn’t sure what it was, but something about this meal and this conversation suddenly made him feel closer to Shay than he had in twelve years. And it wasn’t just because Shay had gotten comfortable enough to throw her small legs on top of his halfway through, though he was very much enjoying having her practically on top of him. Cash had somehow managed to get Shay to talk about what pushed her to take a sabbatical in the first place, much to his delighted surprise. She was rather forthcoming about the teensy tiny mental breakdown she had at work a few weeks ago when one of their clients asked her, in her opinion, the dumbest question she’d ever heard. Cash couldn’t really blame her; he’d encountered his fair share of dimwitted customers in those fleeting days he spent behind a coffee counter in his youth.

“If you think that was a stupid question you should try explaining to a disgruntled soccer mom why the iced coffee she ordered had ice in it. I spent twenty minutes explaining the fact that I couldn’t make our hot coffee cold without adding ice and, she tried to get me fired.” Cash chuckled, Shay giggled and took another bite of her French toast with a small smile on her face.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you become a fancy VP of investment banking anyway? As I recall Cherry Blossom, you always talked about wanting to be a fancy chef, you were pretty darn good at it too, I still have dreams about that Brown Butter and Sage Squash Risotto you used to make with the, umm, little round pieces of fish things...” Cash trailed, looking over at Shay with a faint blush on his cheeks, he always seemed to forget basic English whenever he was around her. It didn’t help that Shay’s pretty green eyes were practically sparkling at him again. Cash couldn’t help but admire the way the golden mid-morning sun streamed in through Contessa’s large windows all around her because it made Shay look more ethereal to him than ever.

“…The scallops…” Shay chuckled with amusement swirling in her eyes as she gazed up at him. “Yeah, the scallops, but that’s not nearly as fun to say. So, I think I’m going to keep referring to them as ‘little round pieces of fish things” Cash said playfully, Shay shook her head at him and giggled softly to herself in a way that reminded him of that night at the ice rink all those years ago.

“Yeah, you asked me to make that dish for you a lot, Cashy. My mom still complains that she can’t get the smell of thawing scallops out of her fridge, but dad won’t let her buy a new one because it still works. And you’re right, I never wanted to be a VP of investment banking, but I didn’t get accepted into that culinary program I wanted and it’s kind of hard to practice in a college dorm room kitchen. Doesn’t matter now anyway, I don’t really cook anymore…” Shay admitted, Cash nodded his head though there was a big part of him that seriously doubted she didn’t get accepted into that program. Especially if she didn’t get any of the letters, he’d sent over the past seven years…

“The place on Wall Street was just the first place to offer me a job after I graduated, so I took it and now here I am, highly doubting I’m even going to go back.” Shay sighed; her green eyes looked heartbreakingly defeated to Cash as they stared back into his blue ones. Cash gave her a reassuring smile, tightening the arm he still had snaked around the small of her waist while his free hand ran down the length of her small shoulder and arm in soothing motions. It had been so long since Cash had been presented the opportunity to comfort her in such a way. She looked much too frail for him to touch that Thanksgiving they talked in his bedroom.

“Well, what’s stopping you from applying to another program Cherry Blossom, if you’re really unhappy with the job you have now?” Cash asked softly, continuing the soothing passes he was making on her arm as he gazed at her with soft blue eyes. He saw a faint blush spread across her cheeks, but Shay made no effort to pull away, in fact, she leaned further into him. Almost like she was contemplating whether to give him a hug or to move onto his lap completely. The mere thought of her doing either of those options had familiar butterflies fluttering in Cash’s stomach. Part of him wanted to do both, to pull her onto his lap and hug her forever but given their little spat yesterday, Cash wasn’t sure if Shay would be open to it.

“I don’t know, I guess I just don’t know if it fits who I am anymore.” Shay replied softly. Cash gazed deeply into her green eyes for a long moment. He halted the soothing passes on her small arm and reached up to stroke her cheek with a tender sort of affection. Shay, once again, leaned into him and his touch the way she used to when they were just two kids seeking comfort. Cash remembered the day he vowed to always let Shay seek comfort in him, that night he crawled through her window wailing at the top of his lungs when he was only nine. It was the aftermath of his father’s worst alcoholic rage to date, the one that finally landed him behind bars though Cash was too battered to remember most of it. All he remembered was crawling through her window and the way both of them clung to each other so tightly. They screamed every time someone tried to separate them, both of them wholeheartedly refusing to let each other go. Shay ended up riding with him in the ambulance and spending the night with him in his hospital bed…

“You still seem like the same Cherry Blossom to me.” Cash crooned, dragging his thumb along the slope of her cheek gingerly because she deserved all the tenderness, he could muster for being the light in such an otherwise horrible memory. Shay’s green eyes softened a bit at him in a way that felt like she could see his soul the same way he saw hers.

“Is that a bad thing…” Shay said, her voice sounded vulnerable this time and her eyes looked unbearably fawn like as they stared back at him. Cash shook his head, still stroking her cheek with his thumb, he let a reassuring smile dance across his lips.

“Not at all, it means you were perfect to begin with Cherry Blossom. I think you should try your hand at cooking again, Shay, take this sabbatical as a sign that maybe New York just wasn’t what fit. They have a culinary school just over in Cambridge you know, you could move back home, follow your dream, and start over.” Cash said, never letting his smile waver or his thumb stop its passes over the soft skin of her rosy cheek. Shay’s plump lips curved into a soft smile and her eyes glittered with the slightest trace of amusement.

“Well, aren’t you just full of compliments and flattery today. Honestly, I wouldn’t know where to start with starting over, I haven’t been in a real kitchen in seven years.” Shay said, her voice was soft enough for her words to come out like a soft hum. It reminded Cash of the nights Shay used to sing under her breath when she thought he had fallen asleep. Cash may have feigned being asleep on more than a few occasions just to listen to her pretty voice. Of course, then he’d actually fall asleep because the lull of her voice was so soothing to him back then, Cash bet it still was.

“I’ll cook with you while you’re here, can’t promise you I’ll be any good, but I’m more than happy to help you out Cherry Blossom.” Cash said a bit over zealously, but it was enough to earn him one of Shay’s adorable giggles and one of her more tantalizing, coy smiles.

“I’m not so sure I trust you in a kitchen Officer Ewing.” Shay said teasingly, Cash chuckled softly under his breath and halted stroking her cheek for the briefest second to give her one of his playful bops on the tip of her little nose.

“That’s rude Cherry Blossom, bad girl” Cash chuckled, Shay rolled her green eyes at his playful antics, but her coy smile had spread into a full-on grin by the time her eyes locked with his once more.

“I’m kidding, mostly…. If my memory serves me correctly, I’m not the only one here that didn’t end up with their dream job, as I recall you wanted to be a photographer. So how did you end up being a cop Cashy?” Shay asked with curious looking green eyes. Cash let out a soft sigh as he started to recall the interview, he missed at The Art Institute of Boston that summer before Shay went off to NYU. Cash had been trying to find the will to ask her to stay and put off her big city dreams for just one semester so she could apply to a school in Boston, but he didn’t want to be the person to hold her back. Truthfully, he only decided to go to the academy because he thought he could move to New York after he finished to be closer to Shay a lot sooner. That he’d be the one to shelve his dream instead because being with her was worth more to him, it didn’t matter though, by the time he saw her again, that Christmas, she was already dating Tyler.

“The same as you really, somewhere along the way I lost the passion for it and I didn’t think I was good enough at it to make a decent living, so I went to the academy…” Cash said softly, it wasn’t a total lie. After Shay left and started dating Tyler, he didn’t have the drive to go back to school and do what he wanted to.

“That’s not true Cash, you were more than good enough to make a decent living if you wanted to. You won the school photography show case three years in a row, you are very gifted.” Shay said with sincere green eyes that made Cash’s stomach do happy little flips. He could tell by the look in her eyes and the lull of her sweet voice, she meant every word and that was worth everything to him.

“Look who’s full of compliments and flattery now.” Cash said teasingly, he wondered if Shay had noticed all the bashful blushes, she had coaxed out of him today. Or if she could hear the way his heart was pounding again.

“I’m serious Cashy, they don’t just hand out first place awards to anyone you know. You should pick up a camera and take some pictures while you’re here. I have no doubts you’re still extraordinary.” Shay’s tone was surprisingly overzealous when she spoke to him this time and Cash couldn’t help but feel incredibly smitten. It was like he was fourteen again, blushing and hanging on to her every word like it was gospel.

“I won with pictures of you every year Cherry Blossom, I don’t think they were awarding the man behind the camera half as much as they were the pretty girl in front of it. Can’t say I blame them; you were my muse after all.” Cash crooned, finding that he was once again overcome with an almost primal urge to kiss her the same way he wanted to at the ice rink when he was fourteen. Cash cupped the side of Shay’s face in the palm of his large hand and gazed at her for what felt like an eternity, grappling with the idea but ultimately deciding it would be too much, too soon…

“Cash, if you agree to take a few pictures while you’re here, I’ll agree to cook something with you…” Shay said softly, her green eyes looked like they were searching his blue ones for something again. They always seemed to be doing that and Cash so wished he could ask her what it was she was looking for…

“Promise?” Cash asked, though the coy smile on Shay’s face was all the answer he really needed. Shay nodded her head in reply slowly, Cash felt his heart skip a beat when one of her small hands moved to mirror his action. He felt the soft skin of her delicate palm brush against the slope of his cheek in the same tender, affectionate caress he had hers.

“Promise” Shay said just above a whisper,

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After brunch, Cash and Shay set out to complete the tasks on Daisy’s Boston list. The two managed to maintain the harmonious dynamic they had fallen into back at the restaurant. They didn’t delve much deeper than that talk they had about their dreams, but Cash certainly thought it was a good start. At least he knew Shay didn’t dread being with him all that much, in fact she had confessed on the car ride up that she had missed him. Probably a fraction of how much Cash missed her but at least, she missed him. Which gave Cash enough hope that maybe there might be something between them after all and that maybe them working together might not all be for nothing. They mostly just laughed and talked about the past, the way you only do with an old friend with whom you share so many memories with. They ventured in and out of shops, ate ice cream, crossed a few of Daisy’s busy bee tasks off the to-do list. and walked up and down scenic Boston sidewalks before heading to that fancy mall with all the designer stores. Cash quite enjoyed watching Shay flit around the stores like a chipper little fairy as she tried on outfits and bought more stuff than she needed. Cash insisted on paying for at least part of it because Shay’s birthday just happened to be a couple days before Pete and Daisy’s over the top wedding.

 Shay timidly declined Cash’s offer to pay for anything with the cute excuse that “Brunch can be my gift Cashy, don’t worry.” Cash knew what she was doing though and promptly replied with

“You’re not going to trick me out of buying you a gift Cherry Blossom, I’m a cop not a peasant. I can afford to buy you something nice, trust me.”

And Cash did just that as soon as she slipped into the next dressing room. They eventually got around to discussing plans and ideas for the bachelor parties again but ultimately didn’t come to a consensus, but hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Luckily Shay seemed to be on the same page, she didn’t try to push Cash into agreeing to her idea, just yet… but both of them knew from years of experience, Cash was bound to cave eventually. At least where Shay was concerned that is. They decided to make the drive back down to Plymouth just before rush hour. When the golden late afternoon sun was high in the cloudless blue sky. The atmosphere on the car ride back was a bit different this time around, Shay was quiet, but Cash didn’t get the feeling she was upset. It was more along the lines of that comfortable silence they had fallen into at lunch the day before when it felt like everything that needed to be said was said. Obviously, Cash knew that wasn’t the case, they still had so much to talk about, so much baggage to unpack, so much that was left to be said. Cash supposed he could sum it all up for her, with three simple words. And he could, because they were true, and they reflected how he felt about Shay his entire life but for some reason those three words just didn’t feel like enough…

“Alright, I’ve got the bags princess” Cash said in a teasing tone that cut through the comforting silence, just as he turned Shay’s car back into the Harris driveway. Shay let out a soft chuckle and shook her head at him with a coy smile on her face.

“I don’t think you realize what a slippery slope you’re on, Officer Ewing. Today you took me to brunch, chauffeured me around, carried my bags all day, and tried to talk me into letting you buy me gifts for my birthday. You won’t be able get rid of me if you keep pampering me this way you know” Shay said coyly, Cash chuckled and turned the key out of the ignition before turning to gaze at her adoringly.

“Oh no, the most beautiful girl in Plymouth is going to attach herself to my hip! What ever will I do. You forgot, made you a latte with a pink heart in it, that you, didn’t even compliment.” Cash said with a mock pout on his face, Shay scoffed at him though her smile never faltered.

“That’s not true, I said it looked very pretty and I really did appreciate it Cashy. I’m still holding you to your promise to not wake me up before 9:30 however.” Shay said, giving him a pointed look before she opened her car door. Cash chuckled again, opening his own door before scooping up all of Shay’s new purchases and stepping onto the driveway.

“I have every intention of keeping that promise Shaylee Rose, as long as you hold up your end of the deal” Cash said following her up the Harris porch steps with an amused smirk on his face. He could hear Shay giggling under her breath at him as she unlocked the front door and held it open with an amused smirk of her own.

“And what was my end of the deal again?” Shay said in adorable mock confusion, Cash rolled his eyes to himself and walked into the still quiet Harris house. Cash made his way towards Shay’s room on a wave of familiarity and instinct, he sat all her shopping bags by her closet door before turning to look at her one more time. Shay looked at him, seeming to fall back in her sheepish proclivities from earlier this morning and a brief awkward silence hung in the air.

“So, I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow at 9:30 then…” Cash trailed, Shay nodded her head in acknowledgement but appeared to be lost in one of her daydreams. “Alright, then see later Cherry Blossom” Cash said having the sudden feeling that he was intruding. He made his way towards her window in long strides though he was well aware he could use the front door, using her window just felt right. So, Cash pushed the familiar white sill up and started his short journey home…

“Cash, wait” Shay’s voice came out sharply and suddenly, with enough tenacity to make Cash jump in surprise before he whirled around to look at her. Shay looked over at him with a bashful blush spreading on her cheeks.

“Yes princess?” Cash chuckled to himself, feeling both bashful and smitten under her gaze the same way he’d felt under her eyes since he was fourteen. Shay appeared to bite back a sheepish smile.

“Do you, uh, want to order a pizza and watch a Harrison Ford movie with me?” Shay asked, still looking incredibly sheepish. Cash nodded his head, over zealously again because he felt those familiar butterflies fluttering in his stomach when he turned to shut her window with a big grin on his face.

“Of course I do darling.”

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#thomas ian griffith #friends to lovers #cash x oc #cash ewing #summer romance

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Prologue Part 1 - The Cottage Intro

The cozy little cottage where nothing will go wrong. Nothing at all!

...Probably.

No TWs apply to this current post.

The Beach (The Beginning) |   The Mart (Part 2) | The Park (Part 3) | The Tower (Part 4) | The Boardwalk (Part 6) | The Beach Episode (Final)  

Prologe Part 2 Beginning

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

The inside of the cottage was much, much bigger than the outside made it out to be and a whole lot fancier too. There was a kitchen with various household goods, bookshelves with books of varying genres that he had to force himself away to focus on their investigation, a TV that was unfortunately stuck on static (dammit) and some cool chandeliers that Mikado claims to clash with the rest of the home’s interior. Personally, he didn’t think it was horrible, it just made it obvious that whoever owned this cottage - or even this entire island - had way too much money to know what to do with it. They were about to go upstairs when someone else came down it. It was another high school girl, with long wavy blonde hair with side bangs that reached her shoulders. She wore a white and blue school uniform, black knee-length boots, and a long gray fur coat that went well with her teal earrings, which also matched her eyes. She had a little bit of makeup on but it wasn’t overdone or anything, just some noticeable purple eyeshadow and maybe a bit of blush and lip gloss.

“Hmm? Oh, hello. You’re the wizard from the Monocruise, right? I never got your name.” The girl put her hand up against her cheek but she quickly realized he wasn’t alone. “And you found someone else?”

“Yeah. Ah, I, uh, don’t have a name right now…I have amnesia.” He explained and the girl’s eyes went wide.

“Huh? Amnesia?” She asked, and he reluctantly nodded his head.

“Yes.” Mikado spoke up. “Our classmate here can’t seem to remember anything from before he woke up on the island. Not even his name or talent. Ah, also, my name is Mikado Sannoji and as guessed, I’m the Ultimate Wizard.”

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you, Mikado.” She smiled at him before putting her hand down. “Like the both of you, I’m also a Hope’s Peak student. I’ve decided to take some time off from acting to focus on my studies. And, well, when I got that acceptance letter, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go not as ‘famous actress Emma Magorobi’, but as your classmate, ‘Ultimate Actress, Emma Magorobi.’”

“Oh, you’re famous?” He blurts it out without thinking. Both blondes stared at him with wide eyes at his bluntness and he felt his cheeks turn red at embarrassment. “I-I mean, uh, well, I’m s-sure you are, it’s just, um…” And then, a nice sound cut him off.

The sound of laughter. Nothing mocking or derisive, but rather light and carefree.

“Ahaha, yes, I am. I’ve actually starred in quite a few movies as a child.” Emma said, smiling like a weight has been lifted off of her shoulder. “It truly is a pleasure to meet you both. And please don’t worry about it. I’d prefer it if you keep speaking to me casually. I’m here to focus on school, not flaunt my status as a celebrity.” She pauses before glancing at Mikado. “Although I did expect you to know who I was.”

“I’m afraid I’ve never watched any movies, Ms. Magorobi.” Mikado explained, which only made him tilt his head at him. He wondered why he didn’t recognize Emma. Or Melody Rhythm for that matter. He didn’t recognize them since he didn’t remember anything at all. But wouldn’t Mikado have identified them since they were good enough to be scouted out as Ultimates?

“You haven’t? Oh, then I have some recommendations!” Emma was eager to talk, although her smile was quick to turn awkward. “Not to, uh, come off as bragging or anything, but I’ve starred in the ‘Harry Peter’ series as Holly Queen. It’s about a fantastical world full of magic and a coming of age story for Harry, the title character himself. Perhaps you’ll like it, being a wizard yourself, Mikado!”

“Perhaps, but fiction does not always coincide with reality. And I’m saying that as the Ultimate Wizard.” Mikado pauses for a moment before his mask shifts into a more genuine smile. “Still, once we’re certain the situation is safe, perhaps it’d be nice to unwind. I’ll keep your recommendation in mind.”

“Speaking of that…Do you know why we’re here, Emma? Apparently today was our entrance ceremony.” He asked but Emma simply crossed her arms and looked to the side.

“Well…I’m not certain. I woke up here as well. I’m thinking it must be some sort of surprise party arranged by the school.” He slumps his shoulders.

“God, I hope so…This whole day has been an emotional rollercoaster.” He gritted his teeth, rubbing his forehead to try and relieve his stress. Mikado reaches over to pat his shoulder. But Emma smiled at him, calm as she reached her hands out before her.

“Mikado and our dear friend…You shouldn’t worry so much. Look at how beautiful and blue the sky is. Something good will happen, I just know it.” She closes her eyes, as if she was reminiscing on a good memory. He tried to force away the pang of jealousy weighing heavily on his heart. “Things that were lost, things that have happened, let us put it all behind us. We should simply be thankful for the world we live in now.”

“Now that’s just cheesy.” Mikado said, crossing his arms. While he wasn’t frowning or staring at her with exasperation, the tension in his shoulders were still palpable.

“H-Hey, uh…I think she has a point anyways. This could be worse, haha…” He really didn’t want to think about how this could get worse.

“Ahahaha, sorry.” Emma said, pressing her hand against her cheek again and smiled at them awkwardly. “That must have sounded strange. It must be the actor in me. Still, Mikado…” She crosses her arms, her smile turning polite but stern. “What did I tell you? I’d rather you speak casually to me.”

“Ah…Well, it’s not just you. I speak formally with everyone, Ms.…E-Emma…” The wizard quickly goes quiet. He can’t help but tilt his head, trying to examine his mask. He wondered if it could blush.

“Ah, well, close enough. I’m going to head out now. It doesn’t seem like there’s much more that can be accomplished by staying here.” Emma puts her arms down, giving them a brief wave. “Permanent amnesia or not, I do hope you come to a name you like and reintroduce yourself to everyone. Let’s talk later over some movies and tea!”

“Yeah, that sounds nice. Bye, Emma!” He waves at her and Mikado does the same. Emma smiled at the both of them as she left. “Huh…a celebrity.”

“Don’t look at me. I’ve never paid any attention to that kind of stuff.” Mikado said, rubbing the back of his head. He just shrugged in response before taking another step on the stairs.

“Well, it’d be cool to get to know her since we’re classmates-“

“Ah- look out!!”

“Huh- oof!” He turned around in time to feel someone fall into his chest. Mikado was by his side in a second, hovering over him to make sure he didn’t fall, which thankfully didn’t happen. And despite the sudden weight, the person was very light and he managed not to lose his balance as he held onto them. “Are you okay??”

“Augh, y-yeah…I can’t believe I tripped on the stairs.” The person, a girl who was very small in comparison to both him and Mikado, answered him with dizzy eyes. He put her down carefully and she quickly got her bearings. She was wearing a plaid beret with a matching smock, a white shirt with puffy long sleeves, a gray vest, a brown skirt and Mary Janes. Her brown hair was long with bangs and her side bangs were tied together with a ribbon and she stared up at him with pale green eyes. She blushed and then smiled, holding her sketchbook close to her chest. “O-Oh…newcomers! Hi!”

“Hello. You’re here from Hope’s Peak too, right?” He asked. The girl puts her sketchbook down, although she puts her hand back up to play with her hair.

“Yes! I’m the Ultimate Painter, Iroha Nijiue! I hope we can get along!” Iroha was all too happy to introduce herself and he smiled at her positive energy.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Nijiue.” Mikado said, his mask changing into his usual smile. Iroha squeaks at the sight, a terrified look on her face. The wizard chuckles at her reaction, raising his hands. “Don’t be alarmed. My mask is simply for expressions, nothing more. For I am the Ultimate Wizard, Mikado Sannoji!” To prove his point, he makes a quick ice cube appear in his hand.

“Wh-Whoa…really? An Ultimate Wizard…” Iroha’s eyes widen, still fearful but otherwise astonished at the fact that magic is real. Suddenly, her eyes shine bright like lights. “Ooo, do you think you can make me a wizard too??”

“Hm…I don’t know. It’ll take a lot of power…” He breaks the ice cube in his hand as his face suddenly darkens. “And a price of your soul.”

“My soul?!” The painter’s jaw dropped and her face paled. The amnesiac’s face must be similar to hers because he couldn’t believe what he just heard. Iroha then turns her back on him and he can feel the gloom radiating off of her. “On second thought, I think I’ll stick to painting…”

“Fuhuhuhu, I’m afraid power like mine doesn’t come free.” He laughed as if he didn’t just admit something so horrifying at the drop of a hat. Seriously, why would he trade such power for his soul? “Even if you only want to ‘try’ it, you’ll have to give something up in exchange. There is no turning back once you start.” Iroha shudders, any interest she had in magic dissipating with the thought of giving something up. She eventually recovers enough to turn around.

“Nope, not gonna think about it. Instead, let’s think positive!” The painter turns her attention to him with a smile. “What about you? What’s your name?”

“Uh, sorry. I don’t know. I have amnesia.” He explained. Hopefully he doesn’t have to keep doing this soon. He should at least come up with a name to go by until he finds his real name or something he liked better.

“Huh?” Iroha stared at him with wide eyes. It looked like it didn’t completely register what that meant until a moment later. “Eeeeh? You lost your memory? That’s awful! And it’s our first semester and everything!” She sweats for a bit…only to bounce back a smile. “But don’t worry! Think positively! Your memories will definitely come back! Even if they don’t, you can just replace them with the happy memories you can make with us!”

“That’s…” He hesitates. And yet, if his amnesia is permanent, the only way he can recover is by making new memories, right? Even if he still had a past he didn’t know about that was attached to himself, he won’t be getting those experiences back if his memory loss is permanent. And there’s nothing wrong with making happy memories with new friends, right…? He smiles. “You’re really cheerful, you know that right?” Iroha gave him a wider grin.

“Ms. Nijiue, do you know anything about our situation?” Mikado moves the conversation along. Iroha holds up her sketchbook.

“Oh, you mean the island and all? Well, naturally I was upset to find out we’re in the middle of nowhere…” Iroha said, before tilting her head and giving them another smile. “But it’s times like these where staying positive is more important than ever. Like, it’s the first day on a beautiful island with brand-new friends! Of course I’m cheerful!”

“...So, in other words, you don’t know why we’re on this island either.” Mikado almost sounded disappointed. He noticed it but Iroha didn’t.

“Yeah, but don’t worry too much. Maybe if we wait long enough, the teachers or somebody else will contact us.” The painter then started walking down the stairs. “I’m gonna go see some other friends! See ya later!” She runs off.

“...Well, she’s quick to claim everyone as friends.” Mikado said, his mask flattening. “It’s honestly concerning how positive she is. It’s a bit…much.”

“Well…I think it’s nice that she’s trying her best to see the silver lining to all this.” He could feel Mikado rolling his eyes, even when his mask didn’t convey it at all. “Well, wanna check what’s upstairs?”

“We might as well.” Mikado walked up the stairs and he followed suit. The upstairs didn’t have anything interesting, unfortunately. Even when he recognized when a room looked like a party room or an office, it was mostly empty with nothing to make note of. There was also a balcony but there was no one there so after a brief moment of respite for the both of them gazing out over the sea, they eventually left the cottage altogether.

#SDRA2 #Super Danganronpa Another 2 #Protag Teruya AU #Teruya Otori #Mikado Sannoji #Emma Magorobi #Iroha Nijiue #Sannotori but Teruya has yet to reciprocate #SDRA2 Spoilers #Terukado but Teruya has yet to reciprocate

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

MASTERLIST:

This was meant to be a godamn sideblog and it’s taken over my life. But ok.

Also beware, I’m fairly certain all of these contain curse words so.... you’ve been warned?

Any Trigger Warnings have been written just before the fic starts (if there’s something anyone wants me to tw: tag, or any I’ve missed out, let me know)

Check out This List of what I’m currently working on! (constantly updated)

I DON'T do reader inserts!

My Other side-blog, entertainment-recs, which is where I post Movie/TV Show/Music/Book recommendations!! Check it out and let me know what y’all think (on that blog of course)!!! :D

BBC Merlin (all canon era)

This is my rec list of fics by other people!! (all on ao3, all canon era, various ships and lengths, last updated 28/12/21)

HEADCANON MASTERLIST (Short character asks/headcanon questions that y’all send in. No narrative, a few paragraphs at most. Quick little write-ups. I DON'T do reader inserts.)

QUESTION MASTERLIST (A list of all the asks people have sent me with These Questions (or their own) about my Fics. Feel free to send more questions at any time!! There’s no time limit on this!!)

❤=contains magic reveal

💙=post magic reveal

🧡=no magic reveal

💛=ongoing series 

In the Next Life, My Love🧡(Around 900 words. PURE angst. A short drabble that I didn’t have the time to write into a full thing but NEEDED to write nonetheless. Everyone dies. Fluff and love, but also... it’s not good yo. Enjoy!)

A Perfect Home Part 1 ❤(Around 7.8k. Merlin has been gone for four years, and those important to The Kingdom... aren’t really coping very well. An attack in the woods leads to them desperately searching for a physician before Elyan dies, days away from home, days away from his sister. A Physician, his wife, and their son, is what they find. FREYLIN!! ARWEN!!) 

A Harrowing Childhood💙(Around 6.9k. The knights needle out of Merlin just how horrifying his childhood was. EXTREME TW for child abuse, animal abuse, child death/murder. Severely abusive Hunith. Arthur and the knights look after Merlin, and Arthur sneaks away to tell Hunith what’s what. Once more, read the warnings and tags first pls.)

3 times Merlin saves a patient...🧡(Around 6.7k. ...+1 time there’s nothing he can do, and Arthur comforts him. Accidental baby acquisition, Arthur being a good friend, Merlin’s friends realising how BAMF Merlin is as a physician.)

A Slight Embarrassing Exposure🧡(Around 2k. Arthur walks in on a previously kept secret, and is rather pleased about it. Lots of teasing occurs, but it’s all very soft and loving. Implied but no explicit sexual content. Merleon :D) 

Old Friends🧡💙(Morgana and Elyan already know)(Around 4.2k. When Arthur, (good) Morgana, Merlin, and Gwen head back to rescue Gwen’s brother, they all discover a little more about Merlin’s past. Arthur is a little horrified, Gwen is annoyed and then uncomfortable and then fond, and Morgana thinks the whole thing is rather funny. Fluffy Merlyan Reunion :D)

The Shadows❤(Around 6.2k. Merlin from a week in the future appears in the Throne Room, bloody, dirty, terrified, with a warning of shadow monsters that will kill everyone. Angst as hell, happy/bittersweet ending in part two. Background Freylin :D)

The Shadows Part 2(final part) (Around 6.2k. The two Merlins argue, more secrets are revealed, and an unexpected but entirely welcome old friend pops up to help out. Bittersweet, but hopeful ending. Background Freylin continued :D)

Merlin Breaks❤(Around 5.4k. The gang follow Merlin out into the woods where they see him having a screaming, crying, magic-explosion breakdown. They had previously been unaware of his magic. They all feel especially guilty and terrified, more-so when Kilgharrah shows up to promise Merlin a better life, puts him to sleep, and rips into them like it was what he was BORN to do. Cliff hanger ending, but I promise part three will fix things. Eventually :D)

Merlin Breaks Part 2 (Around 5.7k. The gang do their best to hide their misery and guilt, whilst simultaneously looking out for a suicidal Merlin. It’s not going too well. Angst (momentary Gwen & Merlin besties fluff))

Merlin Breaks Part 3(final part) (Around 5.6k. Arthur decides that something must be done, and he confronts Merlin in the gentlest way he can. There’s lots of tears, lots of guilt, but also lots of comfort, and the fluffiest love confession I’ve ever written so... enjoy that :D)

Arthur gets sneaky❤(Around 7.3k. REQUESTED. 5 times Arthur sneakily sees Merlin doing something ridiculous to make his life easier, and +1 it’s so ridiculous, he feels the need to confront him about it. Semi crack treated semi seriously. BAMF Merlin, resigned Arthur.)

Uther Ships It Part 1💙🧡(It is implied that Morgana, Leon, and Arthur know, but no one else, bar Gaius, knows)(Around 7k. Uther is at his wit’s end with Arthur not realising his feelings for his manservant, and decides to do something about it. He recruits Morgana, and gathers intelligence from Sir Leon and Gaius, to help it his plans. CRACK but also FLUFF!!)

Uther Ships It Part 2(final part) (Around 8.3k. Arthur and Uther have a very soft heart to heart, Uther and Morgana’s plans take a turn for the dramatic, and their plans are discovered in a manner that is rather mortifying for everyone involved. Bar Morgana. Who is enjoying herself far too much. FLUFF!!!)

The Murderer (Around 7.7k. Arthur comes home from a hunt and has to tell the gang that they (A+M) were attacked, and Merlin didn’t make it. Everyone grieves, it’s super angsty, then Merlin's Ghost shows up and reveals to everyone what ACTUALLY happened (he revealed his magic, Arthur killed him). THIS IS VERY ANGSTY!!! A little comfort, but no Arthur Redemption, and only a little hope in the end. I’m very proud of this one, but I also hope you cry)

M-Cubed (and Leon) fuck shit up💙(Sort of. Leon already knows. Arthur... eh)(Around 4.5k. REQUESTED. Merlin, Morgana, and Mordred use their magic to prank and otherwise mess with visiting Lords that they don’t like. A nasty Lord that abuses servants and undermines Arthur comes along, and the three of them need to step up their game. Established Merleon, in which Leon stays as far away from the chaos as he can, until Merlin gets hurt, that is. Fluff!)

Respectfully, My Lord❤(Around 7.3k. Arthur and Merlin have a huge argument in front of a crowd, that involves The King getting punched in the face and Merlin cussing him out and quitting on the spot. Leon, who was among the crowd that witnessed this, sets Arthur straight, comforts Merlin, and makes sure they sort themselves out. Angst but then a hella fluffy Merthur ending :D)

The Guard Dog🧡(Around 6.5k. Gwaine has the bright idea of taking all the knights, including The King, to an underground (but perfectly legal, he promises) fighting ring. To their utmost surprise, Merlin is competing, and kicks ass. He also has a nickname that the gang are hypothetically horrified to find out the story behind. CRACK and badass Merlin. What more do you need?)

Merlin isn’t ok (until he is)❤(Around 9.7k. 5 times various people notice that something is terribly wrong with Merlin, and subtly start helping him out, and 1 time Merlin finds out they know he’s not in a good place, and decides to go to them for help. Read the TWs, happy/hopeful ending, and a nice flash of Merlin+Gwen ultimate friendship, if you can make it through the sad things first. Vague Merthur but not much)

Merlin is a slut (Affectionate)🧡(Around 1.4k. REQUESTED. Arthur wants to address the rumours that Merlin is a good lay, to save his manservant’s pride and dignity, only to have his most trusted knights tell him the rumours are true. Gwaine almost kills himself laughing, and Merlin wonders if he can somehow convince Arthur that this rather harrowing conversation didn’t actually happen. HELLA CRACK)

More than Bilingual?🧡(Around 6k. A sort of sequel to Merlin is Bilingual, in that the gang find out that Merlin actually speaks a whole BUNCH of languages. slight Merthur, hefty God!Merlin, but it’s not really important)

Merlin is a badass Part 1🧡(Around 5.3k. Merlin is lead to believe that Arthur (and potentially some of The Gang) have been kidnapped. He goes after them, guns blazing, just to find that the heavily guarded fort has no prisoners, and a crude clue leading him back to the castle. Merlin is HELLA badass (without his magic, he stabs and punches many people). A few secrets may be revealed.)

Merlin is a badass Part 2 (Around 10.5k. We go way back to the beginning. The entire thing is from the perspective of Arthur, the six knights, Gwen, Morgana, and Gaius, as they watch Merlin... well... kick ass. It’s unsettling, it’s angsty, it’s hella cool. No one knows quite what to make of it, and the gang’s captor gets what’s coming to him.)

Merlin is a badass Part 3❤(Around 6.3k. Merlin continues to be cool and scary whilst everyone else stares on, dumbfounded. Arthur continues to be gay, and Merlin decides fuck it, and reveals his magic. Happy ending!!)

Thunder Sucks Ass Part 1🧡(Around 7.8k. Thunder is terrible, but only for classically trained knights. Merlin loves storms, but Leon and Arthur hate them. Merlin discovers this and helps them through it without a second thought. Eventual Merthur :D)

Thunder Sucks Ass Part 2 (final part) (Around 6.1k. Merlin realises why Arthur and Leon are acting so strangely, and manages to turn storms into something that the two knights low-key look forward to. HELLA fluffy. Pre-Merthur)

💛Control Part 1🧡(Around 7.6k REQUESTED Merlin’s power grows and grows. It reacts to his emotions, until eventually Merlin’s only way of keeping others safe and keeping his magic hidden is to cut himself off from any and all emotions, eventually, people start to notice. HELLA angst, part 2 coming soon, there WILL be a happy ending eventually lads, read the TWs)

Control Part 2 (Almost exactly 10k. Merlin starts on the road to recovery, Lancelot gets looked after as well, and everyone else is in a perpetual state of self-blame. More TWs lads.)

Control Part 3 (Around 8.7k. Lancelot exchanges letters with the gang back in Camelot. Merlin begins to heal until he does the unimaginable. Ends on a HELLA angsty note (pay attention to the TWs still) :D

Control Part 4 (Just under 10k. Merlin gets better (though still pay attention to the TWs, due to the timeline, it gets pretty graphic before it gets better), Arthur and Leon have a little bonding moment, Hunith arrives in Camelot (and subsequently, Arthur gets mothered) Merlin writes his own letter to Arthur, inviting The King out to meet him. It’s getting happier folks!! It ends on a hopeful cliff hanger!!)

Control Part 5❤(Exactly 10.3k. Arthur, Merlin, and Lancelot catch up, there’s some feelings-y stuff. Arthur goes home far sooner than he would’ve liked, and has a very emotional conversation with Morgana. Lots of truths are revealed, and lots of people cry. Things are finally going well!! The next part will be the last part, with lots of fluff and happiness!!)

Twin!AU part 1💙(Around 5.4k REQUESTED Igraine reveals that Arthur had a twin born with magic, and Uther sent him away; turns out Merlin is said twin. Angst when they confront Gaius and when Merlin is reminded that he, Hunith, and Kilgharrah have been lying to him the entire time. Established Merwaine. Will be a happy ending)

Twin!AU part 2 (Around 5k. Arthur takes control of the council and tells them what’s what, Merlin has a go at Kilgharrah, and Hunith arrives in Camelot none the wiser to what’s happening)

Twin!AU part 3(Final part for now)(Around 6.5k. Merlin lets out a lot of buried trauma, Arthur comes to some horrifying (but hilarious) conclusions, everyone bar Leon and Gwen are VERY stupid, and Uther gets his arse verbally handed to him.)

Merlin figures it out🧡💙(some before, some after) (Around 8.2k. REQUESTED Merlin notices Arthur’s sudden and out of character reactions to Uther’s presence, the dark, tight spaces etc, and figures out that his childhood wasn’t all that cushy in the father-son relationship area. Big TW for child abuse, but happy ending)

Camlann, but better❤(Around 4.8k. Morgana and Mordred never turn evil, meaning when Morgause leads her army onto the fields of Camlann... things go a little differently. Merlin, Morgana, Mordred, (and Aithusa and Kilgharrah) kick ASS. Pre-Merthur ending :D)

Who’s that?🧡(Around 2.9k. REQUESTED Outside POV of a new servant tryna figure out how Merlin gets away with being... Merlin. He threatens and insults The King, plays the pranks on the knights, and goes on hunts and patrols without dying. Merthur ending :D)

The Never Ending Peace💙(Around 2.4k. The Gang gathers to celebrate one year since magic was legalised. This is nothing but softness and fluff, Merlin sings really well. Merleon and Arwen😄)

Who really runs things?🧡(Around 4.8k. REQUESTED Merlin goes home for two weeks and the kingdom falls apart without him. He gets home to find Arthur in a mess, begging him to never leave again. Fluffy crack)

Buff!Merlin🧡💙(some before, some after) (around 5.2k. REQUESTED 5 times Merlin does something that shows off how buff he is, +1 time the knights actually have the time to bring it up. Arthur gay panics all the way through)

Atlas❤(around 5.5k. REQUESTED Merlin dies in a rather horrific way when he saves the others, outing his magic in the process. Arthur throws a tantrum, Mordred almost punches The King, Gwaine does punch The King. Angst with a hopeful ending. Pre-Merwaine)

Fae!Merlin❤(around 8.1k. The villain of the week exposes Merlin's true nature to the knights, and a lot of explanation is required.)

You really want to know?! ❤(around 10.3k. Merlin’s magic is revealed and he explains to each member of the gang individually why he didn’t tell them before. Merlin and Mordred are self-respecting BAMFs, Lancelot and Kilgharrah are extremely protective, and everyone else has to face the consequences of their cruel treatment. Fluffy ending.)

💛Another Warlock? ❤(around 4.7k. Leon freaks out when his natural magic makes itself known for the first time. Merlin is incredibly protective and threatens Arthur rather thoroughly, and Albion’s Golden Destiny appears to be approaching a little quicker than Merlin had expected. Angst but very quickly fluff. Will be a part 2 eventually, but can be read as a standalone.)

Scar Reveal Part 1🧡(around 9.8k. Arthur demands that Merlin train with the knights after he gets hurt during an attack. Merlin’s multitude of scars are revealed, and Mordred and Lancelot play the protectors when Arthur pushes Merlin too far.)

Scar Reveal Part 2(final part)🧡(around 3.3k. Leon gives Arthur a pep talk, Merlin tries to pretend nothing is wrong, and Arthur says a lot of out of character things (like please, and thank you, and I’m sorry). Fluffy ending)

Not what He seems INTRO (around 1.2k. Merlin receives a mysterious summons and the Gang secretly follow him to see what’s up.)

Not what he seems Version 1 (around 6.2k. Good!Merlin loves humanity more than anything, and wants them to be happy, fluffy ending)

Not what he seems Version 2 (around 3.3k. Dark!Merlin hates humanity more than anything, and is determined to see them, especially Arthur, suffer. HELLA angst.)

A God in the Throne Room?❤(around 4.8k. Some sorcerer tried to summon the God of Magic, turns out said God is already there, and NOT very happy about this whole situation)

Who knows Merlin Best? ❤(around 6k. The knights decide to play a game to see who knows Merlin best. A lot of secrets come out when someone knows Merlin a lot more than anyone was aware. Little angst, happy fluffy ending)

💛Long Lost Prince Part 1💙(around 5.5k REQUESTED Merlin, his mother, and Gaius had to flee the Dragonlands when Uther invaded. 20 years later, Merlin is Court Sorcerer and has lost hope of ever being able to reclaim his throne, thinking all his people were slaughtered. He was very much wrong about that)

Long Lost Prince Part 2 (around 5.7k. Merlin finally gets home and it's all very emotional. Arthur grapples with his emotions, and there’s a very fluffy love confession)

Dragon-Lord!Merlin Part 1❤(Morgana only)(around 7.4k. REQUESTED Merlin finds that his sudden ability to control dragons is not the only thing that changed since becoming the Last Dragon-Lord. Arthur and Leon are oblivious but supportive of all his weird new quirks, and Gaius and Morgana think the whole think is hilarious.)

Dragon-Lord!Merlin Part 2(final part)❤(around 6.5k. All the secrets come out at once, Leon is clever, Arthur is stupid, Morgana is protective, and everyone’s happy. Pre-Merthur fluffy ending.)

7 Times Merlin is in Physician Mode🧡💙(some before the reveal, some after, but the actual reveal isn’t written out)(around 8k. REQUESTED 7 times Merlin has to heal the knights, and +1 time the knights have to work together to heal Merlin. Some angst, Lots of blood and pain and sickness, also lots of fluff)

Pagan!Merlin💙(around 6.7k. The Gang find out about Merlin’s previously hidden faith, and try their best to be awkwardly supportive in the cutest way possible. Fluff, pre-Merthur)

Smuggling Ring❤💙(around 7k. Leon tells Merlin that he knows about his magic. Merlin and Lancelot join in on Leon’s almost two decade long smuggling ring, getting non-threatening magic-users out of the city. Lots of fluff and bonding and a little crack here and there, hints of background Merthur and Gwencelot)

Marksman!Merlin🧡(around 5.6k. REQUESTED Merlin begins using a traditional longbow, and is actually very good at it?? Cue happy and confident Merlin, and a pining Arthur. Pre-Merthur ending)

Soul Stealer Part 1❤(around 7.6k. REQUESTED Bodies are showing up without souls. Arthur takes his five best nights into the woods to find out what's going on, and stumble across Merlin's body wandering around, being controlled by his magic (which none of them, bar Lancelot, were previously aware he had))

Soul Stealer Part 2(final part) (around 3.9k. Everyone worries endlessly, and Merlin wakes up to be bombarded with hugs and apologies. Cutesy Merthur ending)

Merlin is Bilingual🧡(around 3.5k. 4,+1, Everyone thinks that Merlin is just a bit of a rural idiot, thanks to him always forgetting words and mixing up common expressions and mumbling nonsense, that is, until he screeches at Arthur in a different language without realising. Funny and fluff with a cutesy ending)

Big Brother Merlin❤(Morgana only) (around 3.6k. Merlin reacts like a normal person when Kilgharrah tells him to kill an actual child. A few days after the mysterious Druid boy's disappearance, Merlin and Morgana introduce Arthur and Gwen to Merlin's baby brother (cute and fluffy, will be more parts)

Big Brother Merlin Part 2❤(around 7.6k. Arthur crosses a line, Morgana calls out his crush, Mordred continues to be cute, and Uther is a grade A arsehole who we all want to die)

Big Brother Merlin Part 3(final part) (around 3.2k. Time has passed, the world is golden, and Merlin and Mordred regularly forget that they aren’t actually related. Everyone gets what they deserve (including Uther) Fluff-town)

Child!Soldier!Merlin❤(around 9.3k. An Essetirian Lord visits Camelot, and the gang are made aware of Merlin's horrific past as a child soldier. He kicks ass but in the angstiest way possible. Angst galore with a hopeful/happy ending)

Merlin takes the hits🧡(around 6.4k. The servants look out for each other. Merlin takes the violent Nobles to protect the others, and Arthur finds out. angst with a happy ending)

Lance won’t let Merlin suffer❤(around 3k. Merlin is mortally wounded, and begs Lancelot to put him out of misery. What better way to test if that immortality thing was real? Mercalot vibes. Heavy angst with a happy ending)

Visiting the Druids💙(around 5k. Arthur sees Merlin in Emrys-Mode for the first time, and immediately falls in love. Happy Merthur Ending :))

It’s a mEnTaL bReAkDoWn💙❤(around 10k. Things have been terrible between Merlin and Arthur for a while, and no one knows why. It all comes out when a rogue Druid tries to win over Emrys, and Gwaine tries to kill the King not once, but twice.)

Merlin is exhausted🧡(around 10k. REQUESTED Merlin struggles with a massive workload. He’s overworked, over-tired, starving, and the gang don’t realise until it’s too late. angst with a happy ending)

Merlin teaches!💙(around 4.2k. Gwaine makes a jokey suggestion that Morgana thinks is hilarious. Merlin teaches the gang some sorcery, and together, they discover what each of the knights (and Gwen) are good at, bad at, and should never be allowed to try again)

Soulmate AU part 1❤(around 8.1k. REQUESTED soulmates are a fact of life, but Arthur and Merlin’s bond is rare, and special. Shenanigans occur. Shenanigans which give Leon grey hairs before he even comes of age)

Soulmate AU part 2 (around 8k. relationships develop, Leon accepts his role as a father to three dumbass teens, and Uther is a tired grumpy old man doing his best (I have to warn y’all, Uther is super ooc but like... oh well)

Soulmate AU part 3 (around 6.5k. everyone bonds as they grow older. Celebrations are had, and the one year anniversary of Merlin and Hunith moving to Camelot brings a large... development. Uther continues to be very ooc but I don’t care.)

Soulmate AU part 4(final part) (around 10.1k. Uther is VERY ooc, the gang take a trip to learn about their destinies :) )

Merlin gets controlled💙(around 8.4k. REQUESTED Merlin gets kidnapped, the knights find him in chains, being controlled. The day is saved with the power of love and friendship)

Merlin gets controlled part 2(final part) (around 5.2k. Angsty aftermath with a soft happy ending)

Lord Emrys Returns❤(around 3.2k. Angst, Arthur banished Merlin for his magic, and he returns almost 3 years later as Lord Emrys, to discuss the change in laws)

Lord Emrys Returns part 2(final part) (5.5k. Things slowly heal, chasms slowly shrink to cracks (though never close fully))

Groundhog Day💙(around 2.3k. Merlin has had a super long day, and realises that he never actually told The Gang how his immortality works)

Spirits and Guilt❤(around 8k. The Gang has to face their guilt, and they see what Merlin is hiding. Angst with a happy ending)

Scary!Merlin💙(around 2k. Merlin shows off the extent of his powers, the gang pisses themselves a little bit)

Pianist!Merlin💙(almost 6k. Arthur discovers that Merlin can play piano. Lots of fluff ensues, ultra happy Merthur ending)

Arthur Knows 💙❤(around 2k. Merlin finds out that Arthur already knows, a smidge of angst, but mostly fluff)

Not!Emrys❤(around 2.5k. Someone is pretending to be Emrys. Merlin is furious, Lancelot thinks it's hilarious, and Arthur is stupid)

Everyone knows, but it's a secret💙❤(almost 3k. All the knights know about Merlin's magic, but all think they're the only ones to know. Fluffy chaos ensues)

Leon’s Choice💙❤(around 4.5k. Magic reveal is very brief at the beginning, the rest is set later. Leon is offered a choice, and really, how could he say no? Leon can’t, in good conscience, leave Merlin to suffer, forever alone)

Angry Magic Reveal❤(around 4.5k. Merlin reveals his magic, and the roles are reversed. Merlin is feeling angry, Arthur is feeling guilty, happy ending) 

Angry Magic Reveal Part 2 (around 4.1k. Arthur and the gang work on lifting the ban, and a little bit of disaster strikes)

Angry Magic Reveal Part 3 (5.7k. The war is being prepared for. Morgana (and The Gang) see something horrible. and Merlin has to prepare himself)

Angry Magic Reveal Part 4 (5.6k. The Gang ride out for the final battle. Merlin shows off. Angsty ending (part 5 will be happier I promise))

Angry Magic Reveal part 5 (final part) (3k. Everything is resolved and explained. A fluffy ending)

Merlin Dies❤(Around 1.6k. Merlin is dead, and the gang is grieving. Lancelot snaps and reveals Merlin's magic to a speechless Arthur, happy ending (I promise))

Star Wars (all Clone Wars, atm)

Ahsoka and Rex have suffered (3.2k. Heavy angst, happyish ending. Ahsoka and Rex have to explain to a clueless Anakin, exactly why they hated the gala so much)

Anakin’s robot hand fucks him up (2.3k. Kinda angsty, but fluff dispersed. Anakin’s hand is damaged, and Rex and Ahsoka help him)

#bbc merlin #merthur #good morgana #good mordred #arthur pendragon #masterlist #merlin masterlist #bbc merlin masterlist #star wars masterlist #star wars #merlin #masterpost #merwaine #merleon #mergwen #morgwen #bbc mordred #sir leon #sir percival #sir lancelot #sir gwaine #sir elyan #merlyan #sir mordred #lady morgana #gaius #gwen #guinevere #arwen #freya

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Lick Your Wounds (part one)

[Breakaway]

So I got inspired by this scene (warning: it’s a little grueling) from my favorite movie ever and HAD to do some angst with it. It then became a multi-chapter idea. And a really long test fic for the Breakaway!verse!

TW: Blood, vomit

———————

Beware The Blue Whale

“Shit!!”

“Language.” Jane chided as she was getting her makeup ready. She then swung her head around to look at the one who had cried out- the young music director, Joan. The girl was shaking her hand frantically in the air, trying to ward off obvious pain. The curling iron Katherine had asked for is now on the floor, which she quickly swipes up. “Are you alright, dear?”

“Ow, ow, ow...!” Joan squeaked out softly. She finally stopped waving her hand around and inspected the damage- almost the entirety of her palm and parts of her fingers were glowing red with an upcoming burn. She couldn’t help but whimper at the pain. “I’m- ow, fuck...”

“Language.” Jane said again.

“S-sorry,” Joan stammered. “But I’m- I’m fine. I think. God that hurts...!”

“You were burned, love. It’s gonna hurt.” Jane said as if Joan didn’t already know that.

“That’s why you pick up a curling iron by the handle!” Cleves chortled. Of all people, of course SHE had to see it. Joan was already preparing for all the teasing she was gonna her now. “Not by the hot part! What were you thinking?”

Joan’s cheeks flushed bright red and she looked down. She cradled her hand close to her chest.

“I-I was distracted...”

“Obviously.” Cleves snickered. “How can you run the show if you don’t even know how to grab a curling iron correctly?”

There it was. Everyone’s favorite thing to tease Joan over- how she wasn’t mature enough to be the music director. She knew it was all harmless fun, but it gets to the point where they’re trying to take over her job because nobody thinks she can direct herself. It was infuriating.

“I—”

Joan didn’t know how to defend herself, so she just hugged and stormed out, which definitely didn’t make her seem any less childish.

She trudged down the hallway, grumbling to herself as she turned into the bathroom. On her way in, Maggie must have spotted her, because she enters seconds after.

“What’s wrong with you?” Maggie asked in her regular, dry voice. She wasn’t very emotional in tone- Joan knew she reacted more with her eyes.

“Nothing.” Joan snapped. She noticed Maggie raise her eyebrows slightly- she was amused by her efforts to be prickly. “I just- I burned myself.”

She ran her injured hand under cold water, hoping that would soothe the stinging that infected her palm. Maggie walks up behind her and peers down at the damage.

“How’d you manage that?” She questioned.

“I—” Joan blushed. “I grabbed a curling iron.”

“You grabbed a curling iron.” Maggie echoed. “By, what, the curling part? While it was hot?”

“I was distracted!!” Joan cried, her voice raising up a few pitches from embarrassment.

“Ah,” Maggie said, as if the answer made the occurrence any less understandable. “I see.”

Joan grumbled something.

She pulled her hand out of the running water and the stinging sensation immediately returned. She winced, finding it difficult to simply curl her fingers.

“Are you alright?” Maggie asked, her slightly concerned voice betraying the mellow look in her eyes.

“I’ll be fine.” Joan grunted. “I have to be. I have a show to do.”

“You can take off, you know.” Maggie pointed out.

“For a little burn?” Joan shook her head. “No way. Cleves will never let me live that down.”

Maggie’s lips twitched slightly as Joan walked out to get ready for the show that day. She sighed, then followed, shaking her head.

—

When the show eventually began, Joan slightly regretted not taking Maggie’s advice to sit out and let her dep take over for the evening.

Every twitch of her fingers, each slam of her hands on the keys sent strings of fire burning up Joan’s left wrist. Usually the thrill of playing with so much energy made her feel exhilarated and at peace in a strange sort of way, but now it was just torturing her with the pain of her burn.

When she wasn’t conducting or playing, she cradled her hand against her chest and rubbed the scarred flesh tentatively, which probably didn’t look very mature on the camera she was on, but, at that point, she didn’t really care. She just wanted the sting to go away. And to maybe lay down with her hand in some ice water.

After the show ended, Joan was planning on doing that, but then she got word that she had to do some music director business, and, of course, she couldn’t turn that away. She wanted to seem more responsible with her job, after all.

So, Joan ended up staying several hours in the auditorium after the show ended, while everyone else was out having fun on the ship. But that’s the sacrifice she had to make as an MD.

The clock soon struck nine and Joan rubbed her eyes tiredly. She looked up from the sheet music she had been touching up on and decided that that was good enough. She could finish it up later. Right now, she just wanted to go sleep.

As she made her way out of her dressing room and through the wings, she noticed a light dangling from its beam. She inwardly cursed the tech team for not fixing or seeing this and went to find something to stand on to save the light before it fell.

What she managed to scrap up was a ladder in the back of a storage closet. It wasn’t one of those step up or folding ladders, but one of the big wooden ones that you have to prop against a surface.

Carrying it was a slight struggle and would have been very embarrassing if she hadn’t have been alone, but she managed to get it to the right location without dropping it on herself or whacking anything backstage.

The minute Joan grabbed one of the rungs with her bad hand, pain shot through her wrist and she hissed softly. The old wood pressed uncomfortably against the dry flesh on her palm, practically threatening to peel it open. She brought her hand to her chest, not wanting to harm it further, and climbed the ladder just using her right one...which was a lot harder than she expected.

Joan wobbled treacherously several times as she worked her way up to the dangling light. A sense of vertigo settles over her the more the ladder creaked and rocked with the movements of the ship. Still, she pushes on. She didn’t want to be the reason why a very expensive piece of tech broke. And, maybe, her fixing this could finally get her some recognition!

A small smirk of pride twitches on Joan’s lips as she began fiddling with the light. She made sure to be mindful of all the jagged chunks of uprooted metal along the beam the piece of equipment was situated on- she also rolled her eyes at the terrible upkeep of the thing. Seriously, there’s rust on this and everything! It could really hurt someone if it were to break.

The ladder groans loudly at the exertion of her body weight, like it was begging her to get off of its old, worn body. She dismisses it’s plea and continues- she’s not that heavy! Probably. Really, she didn’t actually know her weight. Checking it on the scale embarrasses her.

There’s another moan from the creaky wood. She’s only balancing on her feet, since her left hand still hurts too much to hang onto anything, so she was jostling the ladder a little when she reaches to untie the light to bring it down. Well, she was jostling it a lot.

Joan yelped when the ladder staggered slightly. She grasps tightly to the light, nearly ripping it off of the beam it was hanging from. She had no choice but to steady herself by grabbing onto the side of the ladder with her bad hand, wincing when her palm flexes and fingers curl. She gets herself balanced out again, but she doesn’t miss the tiny cracking sound of wood.

Joan swallowed hard. Now she knew why this thing was tucked away so far in storage.

The bottom of the ladder was starting to chip away and break. Cobwebs of cracks spread through the sides rapidly. Joan knew she had to get off now or she was going to bust her ass when the entire thing fell.

Ditching the light, Joan quickly began climbing down when the horrible sound of wood snapping filled her ears. There was a spectacular spray of chips as the ladder gave way and began crumbling in on itself. First, the bottom rungs broke in half, then the middle rungs fell away, and finally, the sides uprooted themselves in chunks. Despite her best efforts, Joan still ended up falling on her ass, anyway.

She lays there, sprawled out on her back amongst the pieces of a useless broken ladder. The light is still dangling above her like a silver sword. She achieved absolutely nothing from that.

“And this is why I’m the music director. Not a tech person.” She said to herself.

She hadn’t expected a reply, since no one was around, but she got one anyway in the form of soft pops and snaps. Confused, Joan looked up right in time to see the light finally break away from its wires and plummet to the ground.

It’s strange, Joan thinks, how some people don’t realize they’re injured at first. She once read a book where the main character got shot, but they didn’t even feel the pain of a bullet passing through their side until they saw the blood. Adrenaline just does that to you- but only with cuts and stabs and bullet wounds, because when the light crashed down onto her left hand, she felt it instantly.

Scream.

Joan instinctively writhed to get away, but she was pinned down by the heavy piece of equipment. When she continued to squirm anyway, she could feel jagged shards of glass scrape against her palm, and that makes her howl louder. She’s wailing so much that her vocal cords start to ache from the exertion of each cry, but who could blame her? She had a twenty pound light sitting on her!

All her limbs are flapping and waving, and she might have been embarrassed by how she was flailing like a drunk duck if it weren’t for the intense pressure digging down into her burn. It made her see spots, or perhaps she just passed out for a moment. She didn’t know- she just had to get this thing off of her.

After a few seconds of more fearful wiggling, she finally managed to roll herself onto her side. Red was spreading out from under the light, so she quickly pushed the it off and freed her hand.

If you could even call it a hand anymore. The thing was so swollen and bloody and mangled that it didn’t even look like what it used to be. A few of her fingers were definitely pressed back in ways that shouldn’t be possible. And that, doubled with the chunk of metal stuck directly through the palm, made Joan cry even harder.

There was metal. In her hand. Or not-hand. She didn’t know anymore. Everything was starting to haze together and she couldn’t contain herself long enough to think rationally about what she should do and the tears wouldn’t stop and she just wanted Maggie right about then.

Joan crumbles to her side, struggling to breathe through the pain. She looks at the sprinkle of glass stuck in her skin, then the piece of metal and whimpered pathetically. She had no other choice but to start plucking it out.

Man, she wished adrenaline would kick in.

She’s pulled out glass from her skin before- she was a VERY clumsy lady in waiting- but with her anxiety rush, it made the already-tedious process absolutely hellish. Her right hand shook so bad she would accidentally slit her flesh with the glass when she pulled it out, which then caused her to grab harder and puncture her fingertips, but it was just glass. Not a chunk of metal driven directly through her hand.

Joan screamed as she finally pulled the spike free. She screamed and bawled and whimpered and cried and sobbed and threw up. She may have even passed out for a few minutes. She didn’t really know. The only thing she was really aware of at that moment was her own shrieks ripping her throat raw and the blood bubbling from the slick maw now opened up in her hand.

She couldn’t see how big it was, but she could see through it, and that made her vomit again. She chokes on the bile for a moment because of her constant cries and that made her panic for an entirely other reason, but she manages to dislodge the liquid in her throat and cough it all up onto the backstage floor.

This was going to be a mess for the janitors.

Joan stopped screaming eventually, but her crying continued, as did her heavy, ragged breathing. The pain was unbearable, and the dizziness now swirling around her didn’t help at all. She was losing too much blood.

Could she bleed out from a hand wound?

Joan pushes herself against the wall with her legs, getting away from the pool of vomit she had been kneeling in. She managed to push herself up into a sitting position, although it made extremely woozy and nauseous. She had to wait for the world to stop spinning before she could continue with the hazy plan she had created in her head.

What she was going to do was tear off a strip of fabric from her shirt and bind her hand, then call for help, but ripping cloth was a lot harder than it looked in movies, so she just ended up taking her top off entirely (thank god for tank tops). She shakily wrapped the yellow shirt around her wound, biting her lip so hard she thought her teeth would go through. The fabric itches uncomfortably against the gash and makes her stomach churn, but it was stemming the bleeding...even if it was turning dark red at an alarming rate.

Step two of her plan failed, too, because Joan couldn’t get up. Her legs worked just fine, but the pain in her hand was crushing her, so she just remained on the floor. All she could do from there was curl up into a ball and cry until she could think straight.

———

Cathy was a little alarmed to say the least when she walked into the auditorium to retrieve the key card she forgot and heard crying. She was even more alarmed when she found Joan curled up on the floor backstage, weeping.

“Joan?” Cathy said.

It was too dark to see what was stressing the girl, but it didn’t take long when she stepped into something wet. She turned on her phone and the glow from the screen illuminated the puddle of blood mixed with vomit her sandal was sitting in. However, Cathy didn’t scream or freak out until she angled the light towards the girl on the ground and saw the completely bloodied shirt wrapped around her hand.

“Holy shit!” Cathy yelped. She doesn’t even have time to panic or be scared or even ask what’s wrong or what the hell happened because Joan whimpered in very obvious pain and Cathy is already darting down to her side, nearly slipping in the puddle of body fluids in the process.

“Sorry,” Joan whispers and her voice is nearly drowned out by Cathy’s own breathing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t—I didn’t mean to break... It—hurts. I’m...” She doesn’t get to finish her sentence, as a ripple of pain sears through her arm and into the rest of her body and she curls up tighter, her right, and equally bloody hand clutching at the mass of stained fabric wrapped around the other own.

“Hey, don’t apologize.” Cathy said. She and the girl before her weren’t all that close, so she had no idea how to calm her. “You’re going to be okay, do you hear me? Can you stand?”

Joan very clearly didn’t want to move, but she hauled herself up anyway. Cathy helped steady her and guide her outside of the auditorium and- good lord, under the deck lights, the shirt was even bloodier than she had expected. And there was blood on the girl’s white undershirt and blood on her blue jean shorts and blood on her face and- there was just so much blood.

“Cathy,” Joan croaked weakly as Cathy practically drags her along. “S-slow down...please, slow down...” Despite the main injury being on her hand, she was having a hard time walking. Whether it be from the pain being that bad or the dizziness from blood loss or the possibility that her tail bone was cracked after she fell from the ladder, she didn’t know.

“We gotta get you to the medical wing.” Cathy said, not slowing down, despite Joan’s weak pleas.

“I-I know, I just-” Joan cut herself off with a whimper.

People were staring and gasping and even screaming when she’s pulled by. She doesn’t blame them- the shirt around her hand was quite an eyesore.

“C-can you call Maggie?”

“Maggie?” Cathy blinked. “Why?”

Joan wished she had the energy to snap at Cathy for being mean. Everyone always treated Maggie like she was emotionless and just a stone cold asshole; Joan absolutely hated it. However, she was much to weak to argue, so she just begs again.

“Please,” Joan whimpered out.

“Ah- yeah. Sure.” Cathy said and fumbles with her phone in her pocket.

Cathy was in the middle of the frantic phone call with Maggie when she finally steered Joan into the medical wing. Inside, the nurses were working on patching up a pretty nasty scrape on a little boy’s knee while his parents and younger sister watched, but their attention was quickly turned away from something so minor when Joan came into full view.

“Oh my god,” The mother of the boy muttered, pressing a hand to her mouth.

Joan was immediately sat on one of the two beds in the main room, right beside the boy, who is staring at the reddened makeshift bindings with wide eyes. A nurse began to unwrap the shirt while two others got necessary supplies, but they quickly realized this was much more than what they were expecting.

Under the bright, fluorescent lights of the medical room, the damage was revealed to be way worse than anyone was expecting. Joan’s hand was swollen and a terrible red-purple color, fingers bent in terrible positions. The hole at the center of her hand was weeping discharge and blood so dark it looked black. Mangles strips of flesh were frayed around the edges of the gaping maw like teeth, only adding to the grotesque appearance. Cathy’s resulting gag didn’t help, either.

The nurses did all they could, setting her dislocated fingers and stopping the bleeding and dressing the wound with proper bandages, but...

“What do you mean you can’t give her proper medical care?”

Maggie’s voice is as sharp as daggers. She had crashed into the medical wing five minutes ago and has been glued to Joan’s side since.

“We don’t have the right equipment here to treat her fully.” One of the nurses said as gently as possible. She still gets a livid glare from Maggie, anyway. “She needs a proper IV drip and antibiotics and stitches and treatment for nerve damage, and we don’t have that on the ship.”

Maggie grits her teeth tightly, but manages to bite back any insults or profanities. Instead, she just hissed out, “How long until she can get proper care?”

“When we dock at our next stop, then she can be taken to the hospital there.” A second nurse answered.

“And how long will that take?”

The nurses exchange anxious looks.

“A week.”

#six the musical fanfic #six the musical #six breakaway #six fanfic #six fanfiction #breakaway joan on the keys #breakaway jane seymour #breakaway maggie on the guitar #breakaway catherine parr #breakaway anna of cleves #joan on the keys #jane seymour #catherine parr #anna of cleves #tw: blood #tw: vomit #lick your wounds

[sberhagens]

ELIAS MICHAEL DONOVAN ● THIRTY-NINE ● SCREENWRITER ● SPIELBERG

tw: drug addiction mention, death from overdose former child star turned big teen heartthrob in the late 90s, early 00s known as eli michaels. drug addiction turned his entire world upside down and after the death of his best friend lover, elias got his shit together. he moved solidly behind the scenes and doesn’t really live the ‘hollywood’ lifestyle anymore. wrote some unknown indie films before moving on to romantic comedies. starting writing his first big blockbuster about five years ago and hasn’t looked back since! he lives fairly clean nowadays. drug free, abstinent from the sex, alcohol free, lmfao i’m lying and definitely free from the spotlight. wears a beard and super long hair 24/7 as a just in case because the last thing he wants is to be recognized by soccer moms looking to relieve memories from shitty teen tv shows and movies he was involved with. the last time they saw him, he was a clean-shaven, short haired dream boat so perhaps all the hair scares them off.

character tropes / adorkable  ● anti-hero  ● beware the nice one  ● book dumb  ● combat pragmatist  ● cool loser  ● deadpan snarker  ● former mr. fanservice  ● hidden depths  ● tragic hero 

#throwshaderp #intro #tsrp #hi here's my baby he's a big dumb b*tch #i love him

[jilliancares]

A Game for Those Who Seek to Find a Way to Leave Their World Behind

Summary: In which Dan finds a strange board game and ends up playing it (and releasing its horrors) with his best friend Carrie and arch enemy, Phil.

Word Count: 6.9k

TW: uhh there’s just some kind of horrifying things in there so idk good luck

Genre: angst? i guess? but it’s a happy end it’s like good angst

this is a thing now because i rewatched jumanji today and felt inspired (if you haven’t watched the movie it’s literally amazing you can find it online..... completely..... not illegal... ahem)(you can still read this even if you haven’t watched the movie but it’ll be better if you have probably)

--

Dan huffed angrily and slammed the door behind him, sadistically entertained when it resounded with a thud and his father’s angry voice followed behind him: “And don’t slam the doors!” He was glad to be out of his house, which felt stuffy and overcrowded despite the fact that it was only him and his parents living in it. He was convinced that they were taking up too much room, what with their egos so inflated.

Heart pounding with anger, Dan stomped into the woods to sulk, kicking stray branches and rocks as if they were the ones that’d offended him. He was getting into fights with his parents all the time, though he was sure that it was their fault rather than his. They didn’t understand him and didn’t bother to try to either, instead writing all his problems off as him being a dumb teenager whose problems weren’t serious enough to actually consider. It was because of this that he didn’t ever plan on telling them he was gay—he could imagine it now, how they would tell him it was just a phase or some bullshit like that. He was sixteen and hadn’t had a speck of interest in girls in his entire life, he was pretty sure he could tell his sexuality for himself, thanks.

Seated on a rock, Dan threw pebbles into the creek before him. It didn’t do much to alleviate his anger—he’d much rather chop down a tree or something drastic like that—but it was good enough to pass the time. He didn’t want to have to go back into his house any time soon.

It was just as he’d scooped up a fresh pile of pebbles that he heard it and paused in confusion. Straining his ears, Dan sat quite still and listened.

It was quiet, and kind of far off but… it was unmistakable. He was hearing drums.

Dan’s curiosity got the best of him and, without anything better to do, he climbed to his feet and set off down the river, looking around curiously as the drums grew louder the further he walked. They got louder and louder, so loud they were almost deafening, and still Dan didn’t see the source of the noise. Unease gripped him, so strong that he almost wondered if leaving his backyard had been a mistake, when he suddenly tripped on a rock and went flying forward, only to land roughly on the ground.

Groaning, Dan began to sit up, before realizing that he was face to face with a strange box, hidden half in the water and overlapped by rocks. The second he laid eyes on it, the drumming stopped.

Filled with apprehension, though curiosity as well, he reached out and grabbed the box, pulling it free of the surrounding rocks. It was worn and brown, and when he turned it over he saw a title written across the front: Jumanji.

Dan flipped open the sides of the lid, realizing at once that the thing he was looking at was a board game. And written on the side: Jumanji: A game for those who seek to find a way to leave their world behind. You roll the dice to move your token—doubles gets another turn; the first player to reach the end wins.

This sounded like exactly the game for Dan. He’d love to leave his world—and parents—behind for a little while, and feeling excited, he jumped to his feet and closed the game, crossing over the river and heading in the direction of Carrie’s house. Carrie was his best friend, and she’d do anything for Dan if he begged her enough.

Dan knocked on her front door mere minutes later, unsurprised to see that there weren’t any cars in the driveway. Her parents were rarely home—something Dan was immensely jealous of. The door swung open to reveal Carrie.

“Carrie!” Dan said excitedly, already inviting himself inside. “I’m glad you’re home.”

“What’s going on?”

“Well, I was upset because of a fight with my parents—”

“Again?”

“But I found this cool game in the river. Look.”

Carrie frowned, peering down at the box in his hands. “Listen, Dan,” she said. “I don’t know if now’s the best time…”

Ignoring her, Dan strutted into the living room, stopping immediately when he spotted Phil Lester.

“What’s he doing here?” Dan sneered. He knew that Carrie was friends with Phil, which was her only bad quality, honestly. He loved everything about her, other than the fact that she’d somehow come to be acquaintances with Phil Lester. He was a right arse, and he raised an eyebrow at Dan now, completely ignoring the venomous looks Dan was sending his way.

“Come on guys,” Carrie pleaded. “You know this stupid rivalry between you two is getting old.”

“Oh, well in that case, it’s about time we became friends!” Dan said sarcastically. Phil rolled his eyes.

“I apologize, Carrie,” Phil said, and Dan imitated him behind Carrie’s back. I apologize, Carrie. “I just don’t think I can get along with your… simpler… friends.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Dan scoffed, and Carrie groaned. This was why she never let the two of them near each other, if she could help it.

“Why don’t we all play the board game together?” Carrie suggested, gesturing to the game still held at Dan’s side. Dan wrinkled his nose.

“I don’t play board games with Phil Lester,” he said immediately.

“Scared I’ll win?” Phil rebutted.

With an angry huff, Dan slammed the game onto the table in front of Phil, letting the lids flap open. Phil didn’t deserve to play a board game as cool as this one looked, but he wasn’t going to take any shit from the other boy. Not to mention the fact that he didn’t really have anywhere else to go, and this might be better—or at least more entertaining—than going back to his house. And hopefully this way he could wipe the board with Phil’s smarmy arse and rub it in his face for the next weeks to come.

“Adventurers beware?” Phil read, reading the side flap. Dan looked up in confusion, before realizing that there was writing on both of the inside covers of the lid, and he’d only read the one. “Do not begin unless you intend to finish,” Phil continued. “The exciting consequences of the game will vanish only when a player has reached Jumanji and called out its name.”

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?” Carrie muttered.

“It’s probably just the instructions,” Dan shrugged. “Supposed to sound creepy and intense. So? Are you playing or not?”

“I guess,” Phil sighed, sounding put-upon, but he dragged himself off the couch and sat on his knees in front of the coffee table regardless. Dan opened a compartment in the lid, pulling out three game pieces: an elephant, a rhinoceros, and a monkey. Dan set them down on the board, and flinched as they suddenly flew to its edges, stuck to their starting squares.

“What the fuck?” Phil breathed, and Carrie reached towards one of the pieces, trying to pull it off the board.

“It’s stuck,” she relayed, and Dan swallowed sort of uncomfortably. What were they getting themselves into? One look at Phil, however, had Dan sure that he wouldn’t back down, and so he cleared his throat.

“There’s probably some sort of magnet in them, or something,” he said unconvincingly. “Who wants to go first?”

“I will,” Phil said, holding out his hand for the dice. Dan rolled his eyes, finding this typical. Of course Phil would want to go first, thinking he’d probably get a good roll and get a good head start. He shook his hand before releasing the dice on the board. Immediately, his rhino piece began sliding the appropriate number of spaces forward, making them all flinch backwards in surprise, and the black sphere in the center started to shimmer before green letters appeared.

Before you can reach the end of this

A lover’s lips you’ll have to kiss

Phil raised an eyebrow at the board, before directing his stare at Dan. “Where’d you get his game again?”

“Found it in the creek,” Dan said, before reaching for the dice himself. Phil sighed in annoyance.

“It doesn’t even seem very fun. What did those words mean, anyway?” They’d faded by now, but all three of them had leaned forward to read them, surprised at their appearance in the first place. Dan’s guess was that it worked sort of like a magic eight ball, different responses coming up at random.

“I don’t know,” Dan admitted. “Maybe it’s kind of like a truth or dare game tied in. If you reach the end before Carrie or me, you’ll have to go kiss someone to truly win.”

Phil scoffed. “This game is stupid,” he muttered, and Dan just shook his head in annoyance. Phil was probably only good for complaining anyway. He rolled the dice.

If you find the dice reads eight

Your legs won’t work, to no abate

If you find the dice reads five

From your mouth words won’t arrive

“That’s strange,” Dan muttered, blinking as the words began to fade away. “What, if one of you rolls an eight, my piece can’t move anymore? That’s not fair.”

“I hope I roll a five,” Phil laughed. “Then I won’t have to listen to you talk.” Carrie gave him a reprimanding look for this, before reaching for the dice herself and tossing them onto the board.

Beware the pictures on the walls

They’re not as still as you recall

Dan read the words with a confused tilt of his head, wondering what sort of challenge that was supposed to be. Suddenly, however, Phil let out a gasp and shot to his feet. “Behind you!”

Dan whipped his head around, only to watch in horror as fingers gripped the edges of a painting on the wall, pulling behind it the rest of a person’s body. It was like watching the girl from the ring emerging from the tv, only this was real, and Dan was experiencing it. The girl looked up at them, looking exactly like the one in the painting that’d adorned Carrie’s living room wall for as long as Dan could remember, except her eyes were all black.

Her lips pulled up into an eery grin, more reptilian than human, and her teeth were razor sharp. With that, she let out a hiss, and bounded forward towards Dan.

“Run!” Dan shrieked, and he jumped to his feet, stumbling out of the way just as the girl charged past him. Phil snatched the game from the table and sprinted out of the room, Dan and Carrie hot on his tail.

“What the fuck is happening?” Carrie gasped, as they charged into the kitchen and slammed the door behind them. Phil flung the game onto the counter, as if it’d burned him.

“I am not playing that,” he spat, and Dan looked between him and the board game desperately.

“You have to!” Dan burst suddenly, realizing, horrified, what the instructions actually meant.

“Are you out of your mind?” Phil demanded. “You’d have to be mad to expect me to play after that… that thing crawled out of the painting!”

“But if you don’t play, it won’t go away,” Dan pointed out. “Do not begin unless you intend to finish—we have to beat the game if we want it to return to its painting.”

“Or we could just kill it,” Phil suggested, although now he was sounding uncertain. Just then, a rhythmic banging began on the kitchen door.

“It followed us,” Carrie moaned. And then, banging—but now from the wall on the opposite side of the room.

“Carrie…” Dan whispered. “Just how many paintings do you have in your house?” As he spoke—more banging. Now from the ceiling above them; and more, from another wall, and another! Phil paled, realizing that they had no clue what the painting-monsters were capable of, and finally suspecting that they wouldn’t be able to kill them all.

“A million!” Carrie despaired. “My parents—they love art!” The banging resounded all around them, and scratching as well, as if they were all dragging their nails over the surfaces between them again and again, hoping to dig through the walls.

“We have to get out of here,” Dan said suddenly, taking charge. “Let’s get somewhere safe and beat the game.”

Looking like they wanted to protest, though without any better ideas, Phil and Carrie followed Dan to the kitchen window, which he threw open before climbing out of. They followed after him and hurried away from the house, hoping none of the painting creatures could follow. They found themselves running instead into the woods, where they set the game onto a large rock and settled around it.

“Ready?” Dan asked, words that were clearly dreaded by both Carrie and Phil. Neither of them wanted to continue the game, but it wasn’t like they could just leave those probably deadly creatures in Carrie’s house, and so Phil ended up reaching out a hand for the dice.

“Ready,” he said solemnly. They all watched anxiously, their differences forgotten, as Phil rolled the dice and got a six, each die presenting a three. Dan felt like his stomach was in knots as his piece eerily moved by itself, before they all crowded over the top of the board, watching as the letters shimmered into place.

They come in packs

And bring bad omens

Beware of Death

When seen roaming

They all whipped their heads around frantically, looking for whatever nightmarish creature was going to appear next. Nothing appeared, however, not even when they waited for five minutes, even choosing to get to their feet in preparation to run.

“Maybe it’s not going to come right away,” Carrie suggested, sounding hopeful. “It said to beware of death when we see them roaming, but it didn’t say when that’d be.”

“Hopefully we can beat the game before we see them then,” Phil muttered, and silently held out the dice toward Dan.

“No,” Dan said firmly. “You rolled doubles—you go again.”

Phil looked shocked for a moment, and a bit frightened, but he visibly steadied himself. “Oh yeah. Forgot.”

With bated breath, they all watched as Phil rolled the dice. His rhino game piece slid forward on its own, and feeling like he might throw up, Dan leaned over Carrie to watch as the words appeared.

In the dark, you must stay

Until the game has finished play

“In the dark—” Carrie began to read aloud, but was immediately cut off by Phil crying out. His eyes were wide and frantic, and they darted about every which way.

“What’s wrong?” Dan demanded, and Phil flinched at the sound of his voice.

“I—I can’t see!” he gasped, and Carrie let out a horrified squeal. Dan stared down at the letters once more, sickened, but they’d already begun to fade away.

“It’s okay,” Dan comforted, though really he felt like he might be sick. Phil was blind right now—Dan couldn’t imagine being in that situation. And from the sound of it, he would be blind until the game was over, however long that took them. What if something happened to the board and they couldn’t complete it? Would Phil be blind forever? “We’re right here with you, we won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Oh yeah right, like I can trust you,” Phil spat. He flinched as Carrie reached over and touched his arm, but accepted it when she ended up gripping his hand instead. He continued to clutch it, looking feverish, as though it was his only tether to the world.

“We just have to keep playing,” Dan pointed out. “Once we finish, you’ll be able to see again—it says so in the instructions.”

“Fine!” Phil yelled, but Dan noticed that he looked distinctly more fearful than he did angry. “Roll, then.”

Dan had momentarily forgotten that it was his turn, and he reached out shakily for the dice. He was reminded anew of what horrors might be waiting for them, though he reasoned, silently, that he wasn’t likely to go blind as well, seeing as Phil already had. He rolled a two, each die landing on one. Dan cursed his luck at getting doubles as well.

Through your eyes, it can thrive

So close them if you wish to hide

“What…” Dan whispered. What could possibly…

“What?” Phil demanded. What does it say?

“It says to close our eyes,” Carrie relayed. “That it can see through them.”

“Good thing I’m already blind, then,” Phil pointed out bitterly, and Dan looked up at him, only to keep staring in shock. Behind Phil stood a figure, looking more ghost than man. It was like seeing a shadow, but instead of being flat on the ground, it stood tall—and where its eyes should be were only white. As Dan noticed this detail, an unmistakable grin unleashed itself across the creature’s face.

“Fuck!” Dan yelled, and he hurriedly squeezed his eyes shut. “Phil run! It’s behind you!”

Blinded by his own eyelids, Dan listened to the frantic scramble as Phil charged forwards, the unmistakable sound of leaves and branches cracking under his feet as he plowed towards—

“Oof!” Dan cried, suddenly knocked onto the ground, and instinctively, he opened his eyes. Immediately the figure—which had been standing where Phil had previously occupied—turned to face them, its sickening smile back on its face.

With a curse, Dan shoved Phil off him and jumped to his feet. “Get the game, Carrie!” he commanded, gasping as something clutched his leg. It was only Phil, however, who was actually blind, and Dan grabbed his hand instinctively as he started charging through the woods, one hand held out in front of them in hopes of not running head-first into a tree.

Their footsteps were loud as they crashed through the leaves and underbrush of the forest, though, from what Dan could tell, the creature didn’t seem to be gaining on them. Perhaps it couldn’t hear—the game had said that it saw through their eyes, not that it heard through their ears.

“Where are we going?” Carrie panted sometime later. Phil’s hand was sweaty in Dan’s grip, though he wasn’t sure if it was his sweat or Phil’s. Either way, Phil wasn’t complaining about it, and so Dan was grateful.

“No idea,” Dan readily admitted. After all, he could see no more than Carrie could. “Should we look around? See if it’s still following us?”

Instead of answering his question, Carrie said: “I don’t see anything.” Tentatively, Dan peeked through squinted eyes, scanning the surrounding forest carefully, prepared to shut them the moment he saw a creepy figure. Instead, he saw nothing but forest all around them, and he let out a sigh of relief.

“I think we lost it.” Phil leaned heavily against him for a moment, at that, and Dan tolerated it for a few seconds before shoving him off.

Carrie propped open the dreaded game at this news, and Dan glared at it, not excited to see its return. He dreaded what horrors would escape from it next, and he reluctantly sat down before it, realizing belatedly that it was, once again, his turn.

The dice felt malevolent in his palm, and Dan threw them, hoping for the highest number. He just wanted to reach the center of the board already, wanted to reach Jumanji. The dice landed—three. He groaned inwardly, though it quickly became clear that his low roll was the least of his problems.

Soon you shall see

Through your teeth’s clench

That though you’re hungry

Food cannot quench

“The hell?” Dan muttered, after reading the words allowed for Phil’s benefit. “What, I’m gonna be hungry forever or something?” Moments after he said this, however, he buckled over, clutching his stomach. It hurt.

“Dan?” Carrie called desperately, and he felt her hand on his shoulder. “Dan? What’s wrong?”

Dan groaned in response. Hungry, he thought. He opened his mouth to convey this, but his mouth was hurting too, aching horribly. He raised a hand to his mouth and had just barely opened it, prepared to allow his own finger inside, when a sharp sting exploded on his lip. With a hiss, Dan wiped the blood from his mouth. He’d cut his lip? With his teeth?

Dan tried not to move his mouth again, instead breathing deeply through his nose, except that he could smell something delicious nearby. It was mouthwatering, and Dan wanted nothing more than to find it, whatever it was.

Suddenly ravenous, Dan stood up straight, looking around wildly for the source of the smell.

“Dan?” Carrie said tentatively, and Dan spun to face her. He felt drunk the next moment, when he inhaled and smelt something so strong, so wonderful. Unable to help himself, he pounced, knocking her firmly to the ground and shoving her face into the dirt, bearing her neck to him.

Blood—yes, he needed blood! God—good, hot, delicious blood—he needed it thick and warm in his mouth, needed it in his stomach, all of it. Needed to not be hungry, to be full of delicious, wonderful, blood.

Carrie was screaming, which was God damn, annoying—his ears seemed more sensitive than normal. Dan planned to shut her up immediately. He bent over her, teeth pressed against her neck, when suddenly he was hauled backwards, his hands pinned to his sides.

“Let me go!” he roared.

“No!” Phil shouted back, and Dan struggled twice as hard. God, he hated that stupid, smarmy git! He would suck all the blood from his body! He would rip his throat from his neck! He’d eat his face, God! He didn’t even know how Phil had gotten to him, being blind and all, although maybe he’d heard Dan desperately panting over Carrie’s neck.

“I’m going to fucking eat you, Lester!” Dan cried, kicking his feet into the air.

“Dan, no!” Carrie cried, and suddenly she was pinning him down too, and Phil was sliding out from underneath him, until they were both holding him tightly in place and Dan was whipping his head from side to side, breathing in so harshly as if he could suck them closer to him, just for one bite, one sip!

“You can’t!” Carrie insisted, and suddenly she smacked him, hard, right across the face. “Fucking concentrate Dan. You don’t want to eat Phil. You want to beat the game and be human again.”

Dan struggled to concentrate on her words, but they rang true in his ears, and slowly, he nodded.

“Can we let you go?” she asked. Dan thought about it. He was hungry, yes, but a quiet part in the back of his head was steadily insisting that it didn’t want to consume his best friend. Or his… friend’s friend. Bad choice of friend. Phil probably tasted disgusting anyway.

Finally, Dan nodded. When both her and Phil let go of him, they backed away just in case, and Dan did the same before sitting down and hugging his knees to his chest. He tried to push his hunger out of his mind, tried to concentrate on what they needed to get done.

“Your go, Carrie,” he said through gritted (sharp) teeth. After rolling her dice (ten) she read aloud:

It destroys much in its path

And leaves a wretched aftermath

It’s cold and quick and fast and strong

It’d be wrong to stay—it won’t be long

“Jesus, we’re gonna have to run again?” Carrie demanded.

“I’m starting to wish I’d joined the track team,” Dan conveyed, and was surprised when Phil actually laughed. His laughter ceased quickly though, as the temperature around them rapidly dropped, and the wind picked up with a sudden ferocity.

“It couldn’t be…” he said tentatively, his unseeing eyes staring slightly to the left of Dan. “It couldn’t be a tornado, could it?”

The game, as if having a laugh, decided to prove that it could. The wind began howling in their ears, tearing at their clothes and ripping at their hair. Dan darted forward and grabbed Phil’s hand once more, his hunger momentarily forgotten as he began to lead them away from the wind. A glance behind them showed that there was a tornado not far off, and as Dan watched, a tree was ripped right out of the ground and sucked into it.

It quickly became apparent that they weren’t going to be able to outrun this thing (despite the fact that Dan felt strangely not tired), and so they exercised their next best option. They took shelter underneath a large boulder with a low overhang which the three of them shoved themselves under. It was crowded and definitely not as safe as Dan would’ve liked, but he accepted it for what it was. Carrie still had the game in her arms, which she was clinging to tightly as if the tornado might drag it away. Dan was pressed up completely against her side, and Phil was clinging to him from the other side, both of his hand buried in Dan’s shirt. Despite the terror from the tornado, he was starting to feel hungry again. He could feel them both pressed against him, warm with blood pounding freshly through their veins. Dan shook his head.

The roaring of the tornado grew steadily louder, and Dan wondered just what the hell would happen if they all died in it. Would the game reset automatically? Or would it and all its horrors stick around and continue to haunt their neighborhood?

“You should roll!” Dan shouted, over the sound of the tornado. A loud groan filled the air, quickly followed by crashes and harsh, sharp snaps. If Dan had to guess, he’d say that another tree had just been sucked into the tornado. He clenched his eyes shut as his stomach rolled, Carrie having turned her head to look at him and sent her scent wafting over him.

“What, and have a tornado and something else? What if fucking sharks start raining from the sky?”

“Sharks?” Dan said incredulously.

“I don’t know! Bears! Something!”

“Maybe the tornado will stop though,” Phil suggested hopefully. He gasped against Dan’s ear as another earsplitting crack echoed through the air. Dan didn’t say anything as he pressed even closer, his fingers digging knots into Dan’s shirt. Dan was going to eat him. He was going to have to eat him, he smelled so—fuck!

“Fine!” Carrie spat, and she unfolded the game in what little space they had and retrieved the dice. The second they hit the board the colossal roar around them quieted, and all that could be heard was their harsh breathing for a few moments. “Eight,” she said aloud. The board read:

Now you’ll find it can get quite cold

despite it breaking the season’s mold

“God dammit,” Carrie whispered.

“We’ll have to go inside,” Phil said, and they both began climbing out from under the rock.

“Wait!” Dan cried, trying to struggle forward to no avail.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t—I can’t feel my legs,” Dan said, using his hands to drag himself out from under the boulder.

“Fuck!” Phil suddenly cried. And then he repeated Dan’s first roll: “If you find the dice reads eight, your legs won’t work, to no abate.”

“I forgot about that,” Dan whispered, and then Carrie and Phil were grabbing his arms and hauling him out from under the rock. He was soon situated on Phil’s back, his arms around Phil’s shoulders, his legs dangling uselessly around Phil’s waist. The smell of Phil’s blood was overwhelming when he was this close, his neck offered to Dan practically on a silver platter.

“We have to go,” Carrie was saying, and her hand was intertwined with Phil’s, leading him forward, but Dan couldn’t concentrate. He pressed him nose against Phil’s neck, inhaling deeply.

“Uh… Dan…” Phil began, but Dan ignored them. He didn’t care. He didn’t care about them or this stupid game or anything. Dan clenched Phil’s shoulders powerfully with a sudden, renewed vigor, and he sunk his teeth into Phil’s neck, moaning as the first drops of blood graced his tongue. He sucked, drawing gulping mouthfuls of warm blood into his mouth and swallowing greedily, moaning at the wonderful, marvelous taste.

Vaguely, he could hear a girl screaming and yelling, but that was irrelevant when he was experiencing the pleasure of this. Suddenly, a blow landed to his head, and Dan was flung from Phil’s body before slamming into the ground, unable to move again. Phil was glaring in his general direction, once hand clutching his neck, fingers red, and Carrie looked absolutely furious.

Suddenly, Dan remembered just what the fuck was going on, and he stopped being angry and indignant and starting being apologetic. “Oh shit!” he cried. “I’m so sorry! Phil I’m so sorry!”

“You’re a piece of shit,” Phil stated, and Dan nodded. He wasn’t wrong, after all.

“I couldn’t help it…”

Giant clumps of snow started raining from the sky then, and they all stared up at in in horror (Phil sightlessly). After all, it was the middle of the summer. Still, they should stop being so surprised by out-of-the-ordinary things—it wasn’t like the game wasn’t warning them first.

“We have to go,” Carrie said briskly. “I don’t doubt that this will turn into a blizzard in no time—we have to get indoors.”

“Look!” Dan gasped.

“Look,” Phil imitated in falsetto, obviously still peeved. But Carrie gave the appropriate response, gasping when she laid eyes on the figures in the distance. They were huge, prowling dogs, much larger than any dog Dan had ever seen.

“Giant dogs…” Dan muttered.

“No,” Carrie said. “Hellhounds. Omens of death.”

“Now?” Phil moaned. “So we’re gonna die?”

“Maybe they’re gonna chase us,” Carrie suggested.

“They’d better not. I can’t run,” Dan pointed out.

“We have to get out of here,” Phil said. The snow was building up quickly on the ground, which he could no doubt feel, even if he couldn’t see it. Dan readily agreed.

“I won’t suck your blood this time, I promise,” Dan said, and Phil kicked snow in his general direction.

“If you do, I won’t pick you up again,” Phil muttered, and then Dan was being, once more, lifted onto Phil’s back. He was good this time, just clinging on and not drinking Phil’s blood. He felt much less ravenous now that he’d had some, and he didn’t feel so out of control that he’d end up drinking anyone else’s blood any time soon.

He kept a sharp eye on the hellhounds, expecting them to come charging at any minute, but they didn’t. They just sat and stared creepily from the distance, their eyes dark, dark, dark.

“We can go to my house,” Dan suggested. “It’s closest.”

When they arrived, the wind was howling and the snow was falling fast and fierce. Already it was more than a foot high, and Phil and Carrie had had to work hard to get through it. Once inside Dan’s house, they breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they weren’t going to die of the cold.

“Maybe we shouldn’t play for a while,” Carrie suggested. “I mean, we’re safe for now—we could just take a break.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Dan said, and Phil helped him sit on the counter. Phil then felt his way over to one of the kitchen chairs, which he immediately sunk into. “The snow might not stop until we roll again.”

“And Dan might lose control and kill one of us,” Phil pointed out. Dan huffed.

“I won’t,” he protested, but his friends ignored him.

“We have to be smart, though,” Carrie pointed out. “If something like those paintings coming to life happens again, we’ll have nowhere to run—we’re snowed in.” She was right. Even during the few minutes they’d been inside, the snow seemed to have doubled.

“We should prepare ourselves then,” Dan said. “You know, get weapons and things.”

“You start getting knives; I’ll go upstairs and grab blankets and things, just in case the heating breaks.”

With that, Carrie was leaving the kitchen and Dan was riffling through the drawers, sliding along the counter to get to them and searching for anything and everything they could use. Phil was silent where he was sitting.

“What do you think happens if one of us dies?” Phil asked, staring blindly at the counter top. Dan swallowed thickly. He’d thought the very same question many times himself.

“Well, I don’t know if I’m right but I’d imagine we’d be able to continue the game without the missing person,” Dan said slowly. “And then when we won, they’d be brought back to life.”

Phil shuffled uncomfortably. “It’s okay to be afraid,” Dan said softly.

“I’m not,” Phil snapped, and he crossed his arms over the countertop and put his head on them.

Dan turned away from the other boy, shaking his head with something like exasperation, and pulled open yet another drawer. He was just reaching for a wooden spatula, wondering if they could perhaps use it as a projectile, when a piercing sheik came from upstairs. Phil sat up immediately, and Dan spun around on the counter, his blood thrumming (eerily, Dan realized that his heart wasn’t pounding. And when had that stopped, exactly?)

“Carrie?” Dan yelled. “Phil, carry me!” he insisted, and then they were running to the stairs, Dan directing Phil hurriedly. “Carrie what’s wrong?”

Carrie appeared at the top of the stairs, pale and panting. “Don’t come up here,” she said quickly.

“What? What’s going on?” Dan demanded. Carrie bit her lip and looked behind herself cautiously, before turning back to Dan.

“Dan,” she said. “Your parents… your parents are dead.”

—

Seated around the table, Dan stared at the board game numbly. It was dark—mainly because the snow was half way up the windows and the cloudy cover had taken most of the sun’s rays with it. It’s just a game, he reminded himself. This’ll all be over when we beat the game.

“Are you okay?” Carrie asked softly. It took Dan a few moments to realize she was talking to him.

“What? Yeah. Of course,” he said stiffly. “Whose turn is it again?”

“Mine,” Phil said quietly. Dan pressed the dice into his hands, shivering when their fingers brushed each other.

“If you get a twelve, you win,” Dan said quietly. Phil nodded curtly. Getting a six on both dice was a minuscule possibility, and they all knew it.

Holding their breath, they watched as Phil rolled the dice. Dan ground his teeth together angrily as they both landed on three.

“Doubles,” Carrie said quickly, for Phil’s benefit. Dan read aloud:

They’ll come in dozens

Quick and sprite

The Raven’s cousin

Fast as light

Bang. Carrie shrieked, and they all spun to look out the window, where the sound had originated from (Phil instinctually, seeing as he couldn’t actually see what it was).

“What is it?” Phil demanded.

“Um…”

Bang. Thud. Bang. Thudbangthudthudbangthud.

Like rain, birds were flying into the window at top speed, red splotches of blood appearing where they hit. Uncaring for their survival one bit, they poured into the glass and sides of the house (from the sound of it), cracks spiderwebbing along the windows from the sheer force of their impact.

“Birds,” Dan quickly relayed. Phil looked shocked and horrified.

“I—I think they’re Stymphalian birds,” Carrie whispered. “From Greek mythology.”

“Who the fuck knows Greek mythology?” Phil demanded.

“What do they do?” Dan also demanded, his question more important.

“Well they’re—they’re flesh eating birds,” Carrie answered.

“Fucking perfect!” Dan yelled. With that, there was a crash somewhere upstairs, and Dan groaned. “Roll again Phil! Get a six and you win!”

The dice were shoved back into Phil’s hands, which he shook sporadically before throwing in the board’s general direction. One landed in the game, and the other hit the edge and when flying.

“One!” Dan called, looking at the die that had landed in the game. Carrie cursed and jumped to her feet, sprinted after the other one, still rolling, rolling, rolling. Dan could hear thudding from upstairs, birds colliding with walls and ceilings, their shrieks loud and maddening. The die rolled to a stop, and Carrie collapsed to his knees beside it.

“Six!” she called out, and flung herself back to the table to watch Phil’s piece. It slid all the way to the space before the black sphere, and then it stopped. Words appeared.

Before you can reach the end of this

A lover’s lips you’ll have to kiss

“Fuck!” Dan exclaimed. “You never kissed anyone.”

“I—what?”

“Before you can reach the end of this, a lover’s lips you’ll have to kiss,” Dan shouted. Somewhere close by, glass shattered. “Kiss him Carrie,” Dan commanded, throwing his arm out at her. She sent a worried look to Phil, who obviously didn’t see it.

“I don’t know if that’ll work…” Carrie said hesitantly.

“We’re about to get eaten alive by birds, fucking kiss him!” Dan yelled, and Carrie, possibly frightened by his shouting, leaned forward and pecked Phil on the lips. Dan watched the board eagerly, waiting for Phil’s piece to move into the center, but it stayed put. Dan let out a cry of despair.

“Why isn’t it working?”

“Because she’s not my lover,” Phil piped up. Dan growled.

“Well sooo-rry, but we don’t exactly have time to go traipsing around town to find whichever bint—”

Suddenly, Phil was stumbling in Dan’s direction—he can’t punch me blind, Dan randomly thought, half prepared to dodge—before he found himself with a lap full of Phil Lester, and then a mouth full of him. Phil kissed him fiercely, his teeth nipping at Dan’s lip, and Dan found himself clinging to Phil’s shoulders, half wondering why? and half not having a care in the world.

He felt supremely dizzy, almost as if the entire world were spinning around him, but that might’ve just been because of Phil’s tongue, which had swiped its way into Dan’s mouth. Dan enjoyed this for approximately two seconds before he panicked, thinking he was going to rip Phil’s tongue off with his fangs—which… weren’t there. Dan was suddenly completely aware of the fact that his mouth was back to normal, and he wrenched himself away from Phil when he heard someone clear their throat.

“So, the whole hating each other thing was just pent up sexual frustration?” Carrie pondered aloud.

“I—what?” Dan spluttered, stumbling away from Phil. Then he realized that they were in Carrie’s living room, not his, and he spun around wildly, looking wide-eyed at the painting behind him. It was very much occupied, the occupant quite still, and Dan breathed a sigh of relief. “I think you’re gonna have to get rid of that painting. And all of them.”

“I can see!” Phil suddenly shouted, realizing with a sudden clarity what all of this meant. Dan realized that he was standing as well, his legs in working order again.

“I can’t believe we’re alive,” Carrie whispered, and Dan sent a fearful look at the game. Jumanji.

“We have to get rid of that,” Dan said venomously, and together they stuffed the game into a bag, and then another bag, and another bag. Finally they sprawled ‘do not open’ across the outside and carried the bag with them. They went to the furthest reaches of town (via Phil’s car) and dumped it into the river, having shoved an abundance of rocks inside it as an incentive for it to sink. Faintly, Dan could hear drums, and he felt sick.

“Do you hear that?” Phil whispered.

“Ignore it,” Dan replied, goosebumps having risen all along his body.

After that, they dropped Carrie back at her house, where she claimed she was going to sleep for seven years after all the trauma (and exercise) she’d been through, before going to Dan’s. He was quite relieved to see his parents alive and breathing, though he wasn’t relieved when he remembered the argument they’d been having before he’d left.

Dan ended up taking Phil to his room, where they collapsed on his bed and cuddled, trying to keep their minds off the horrors they’d experienced that day. And once Dan got his strength back he planned to tell his parents that he was gay—after all, he didn’t really know what they’d say until he told them.

And while it was easy to say whole-heartedly that Jumanji sucked—Dan thought as Phil ran his hand through his hair—he couldn’t argue the fact that without it, he and Phil wouldn’t have… well, this.

“Hey Dan,” Phil said some time later, and Dan hummed inquisitively into his chest. “I knew I was going to win,” he laughed, and Dan pinched him. Phil might’ve won Jumanji, but Dan had won the real prize.

#phan #phanfic #phanfiction #jumanji #enemies to lovers #blind!phil #kind of #for a little bit #anway #i hope someone enjoys this! #i had a lot of fun writing it #i want to watch more great movies now