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#Because Unknown would never ever take time off from his revenge plot to make something like that
password-door-lock · 7 months
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Mystictober Day 20-- Headcanon
You really like talking to Ray.
Granted, you only met him this morning, but still— he's very sweet and fun to be around, even if most of your conversations take place over text. Especially if most of your conversations take place over text, actually, with all those cute emojis of his. Just now, he's sent you that adorable clapping emoji, which always makes you smile to yourself. It warms your heart to see Ray so full of joy, even in emoji form.
MC: Your emojis are so cute, Ray MC: I always love seeing them :)
Ray sends his laughing emoji in response, and once again, you can't help but grin. 
Ray: Thank you for telling me, my MC Ray: I'll be sure to use them more often Ray: If that's what makes you happy.
He follows this up with his blue rose emoji— he's so cute. You just want to march down to his office and tell him as much to his face, but you know very well that you can't do that. For security reasons, nobody is allowed to bother Ray while he's working— you imagine that it has something to do with ensuring that the game doesn't leak, though, when you think about it, that doesn't make much sense. You're already playing the game, after all. You can only conclude that there must be another reason, though you know better than to press. Ray and his colleagues are being very generous by allowing you to stay here free of charge while you explore their game, and you have no intention of straining their hospitality.
Ray: To tell you the truth Ray: You have emojis, too. MC: What MC: Where MC: How??
You can't wait to see your own emojis... if they're part of the game, that means that Ray designed them, right? You imagine a whole gallery of player-specific emojis with different hair colors and skin tones, all neutrally designed so that anybody could relate to them. That would be such a nice touch to get people immersed in the game. Ray sends you a laughing emoji before answering your question.
Ray: Go to the emoji menu Ray: You should find them there. Ray: I hope you like them! Ray: I designed them just for you, my MC. 
If his words didn't get you to blush, then that blue rose emoji would certainly do the trick. He made special emojis just for you?
MC: Oh MC: That's so sweet of you, Ray MC: But wouldn't it take a long time?
You don't know much about animation, but you figure it would take at least an hour to make even a simplified drawing laugh or shake its head.
Ray: Please don’t worry about that.  Ray: I work very quickly! Ray: And I wanted to surprise you with something you'd enjoy! MC: Thank you so much!
You decide that you'd like to punctuate this show of gratitude with an emoji. As instructed, you locate the emoji menu, and your jaw drops at the sheer number of them. You expected maybe one or two, a laughing emoji and a crying emoji, perhaps— nothing too complicated. After all, this is just a prototype version of the game, and personalized emojis must be Ray's way of thanking you for your help— they won't actually make it into the final game. It wouldn’t make sense for too much programming effort to go into something like this. 
However, to your surprise, the emoji menu contains a sprawling gallery of portraits of yourself, engaged in a variety of activities and displaying a wide range of emotions. Not only do you have a happy emoji, a sad emoji, a blushing emoji, and an angry emoji (all of which seem to mimic your actual facial expressions fairly accurately), but you also have a laughing emoji, a confused emoji, and a pouting emoji. There is at least one emoji depicting you engaging in each of your hobbies, and two separate sleeping emojis... when would you ever use those? Upon scrolling down, you discover a second set of emojis nearly identical to the first, except that the miniature you is wearing a white shirt with a lacy collar rather than your typical hoodie (which Ray has artfully depicted in the original set of emojis). Even the RFA members and the developer himself don’t seem to have multiple outfit choices in their emoji libraries; Ray must really like you, if he was willing to devote more time to your emojis than to the ones he made for his OCs.
After a little bit of deliberation, you decide to send the hoodie-clad blushing emoji, as it's a fairly accurate representation of your present state. You are, indeed, wearing a hoodie and blushing. Shockingly, the emoji even has sound— where on Earth did Ray manage to find a clip of you sighing? Did he take it from one of your phone calls? If that’s the case, then he really does work quickly, considering you’ve known him for less than a day. 
MC: Where did you find the time to make all of these?
Ray sends his own blushing emoji back to you. 
Ray: It's a nice break from my work. Ray: Do you like them? MC: I love them!
Just because you can, you send him a smiling emoji. It may not be photo-realistic, but it really does look like you. Ray responds with his blue rose emoji yet again... Does he have any idea how cute he is?
Ray: I'm glad! Ray: I hope you use them often! Ray: Just… Ray: Only send them to me.
You send your confused emoji, complete with a perplexed little sighing noise and violet question marks above its oversized head. Ray really did go all out with these emojis. 
Ray: The game will glitch if you send them to the AIs.
His little huffing emoji is so adorable that it completely makes up for the restriction on your emoji use. It does follow that Ray wouldn't want to include the personalized emojis in the code of the actual game part of the game, since that feature probably won’t be available in the final version. 
MC: Oh, okay MC: That makes sense!
Just for good measure, you send your smiling emoji once again. Ray sends his clapping emoji in return— he really is adorable.
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bakugou-tm · 3 years
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Master Knows Best (18+)
Bakugou x Maid Cafe Reader
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plot: You’ve gone almost a full year working at a maid cafe with none of your friends finding out, which is exactly how you liked it; but thanks to a certain friend your beloved hot headed boyfriend found out your secret and planned on teasing you the whole time. In a stubborn attempt to get back at him, you realized exactly what would happen if you disobeyed your master
warnings: suggestive NSFW, swearing, a shit ton of teasing
wc: 5200+
mood song: worst behavior
a/n: I was supposed to post this on valentine’s day but it’s better late than never right? I perhaps may make a part two depending on how this does but I’m also a s s at NSFW so we’ll see. For now just enjoy (especially my fellow brats out there)
You liked things to be simple. You were a simple girl, with a simple life.
Sure you had your secrets, but thanks to your overall simplicity, nobody even bothered to uncover them.
That’s just the way you liked it too. Each different part of your life was separated as they should, for if they intertwined your life would becoming a living nightmare.
You never dreamed that living nightmare would become a reality. Who knew all it would take to crumble the reputation you built up for so long...
was a simple text.
Sweat trickled down the ash blond’s toned arms, his ragged breath becoming more steady as he slumped down against the wall while his friend took a few rounds at the punching bag.
The sound of his phone buzzing beside him didn’t drag him out of his exhausted mindset quite yet, but when his crimson eyes glanced across the words on the screen he felt everything come to a halt.
electric dunce: remember that day time job (l/n) said she had during the weekends? i think i found it bro..
electric dunce: 1 attachment
Bakugou’s red haired training buddy noticed the change in spirit with his blond friend, noticing how his heavy breathing suddenly stopped.
Wiping his gloved hand across his forehead, Kirishima glanced down to his friend only to see Bakugou’s eyebrows knit in a deep focus.
“You uh... You okay bro?” Kirishima questioned with a raised brow, trying to control his own ragged breaths after he attacked the swaying back before him.
Before he could question his friend once more, Bakugou let out a breathy chuckle, one filled with mischief and even excitement if Kirishima listened well enough.
“Training is cut short today shitty hair.”
-
“Come onnnn (L/n), how could you tell us you have a job then not tell us what it is?” The pink haired girl whined as she slid her upper half onto your lap and sighed dramatically.
Giggling slightly your eyes flicked to Kaminari across from you as his lips doubled over into a pout, “The whole point of having a job is so your friends can come crash it!”
“And to make some money dumbo.” You sneered, flicking his forehead gently while glancing down to Mina’s attempt at puppy dog eyes, “Besides, I didn’t want to tell you guys. You forced me to tell you where I went after school or you said you would doxx me.”
Your friends let out a sigh of defeat as Kirishima glanced to your boyfriend beside you, “C’mon Baku-bro not even you know where she works?”
Smirking slightly you placed a gentle palm on your boyfriends cheek and winked to him tauntingly,
“Not even Katsuki~”
Bakugou simply clicked his tongue and smacked your hand away, “I don’t know because I don’t fucking care.”
Oh but he did care. It ate away at him everyday that you refused to reveal where you worked. You claimed it would be “embarrassing” for him to see you working and wearing a uniform but he failed to understand why it would be. He brutally antagonized you all the time and you never bat an eye, why would he care if he saw you wearing a ‘Mini-Mart’ uniform?
You simply hummed at your boyfriend’s denial and leaned against his side.
“Say whatever you need to make you feel better love,” You purred, grinning at his scowl before you looked to your group of friends,
“Because you will never find out where I work, ever.”
-
Bakugou felt like he was in a state of euphoria as he stood before the quaint wooden doors, decorated with all sorts of pastel ribbons and paint.
It was almost as if he was entering the doors of heaven, the ultimate satisfaction of knowing he was about to beat you and your stupid threat.
And better yet, of all the places to find out you worked, it was here?
Oh he was going to enjoy this, even beyond getting revenge.
“Never find out my ass.” Bakugou sneered with a smirk, letting the soft breeze flow through his spiky locks as he tugged open the door into the unknown.
Meanwhile you were attempting to gracefully, yet quickly, get your uniform back on since your break ended in about thirty seconds. You hated how good you had gotten at putting on this stupid uniform, soon enough it would be second nature to you.
Working at a Maid Cafe wasn’t exactly where you planned to end up. When you stumbled onto the small podium in kindergarten to announce your future career, you surely didn’t say “I want to be a server at a Maid Cafe!”
And yet here you were pulling up the thigh high socks to your frilly, bow covered maid dress.
Admittedly when you were searching for jobs, you were surprised to find no luck. Any job that paid well required university years, and any left over job wouldn’t pay enough for your time to walk there.
It wasn’t until your aunt came to you in your troubles and recommended the job of your nightmares.
“My sweetheart why don’t you just work at my niece’s Maid Cafe? You’ll get to work with very sweet young girls about your age, and they pay very well since they have a very diverse clientele!”
Immediately you threw away the idea before you could even process it, the thought of having to serve gross old men and pretend to be excited while doing it didn’t sound appealing, let alone possible.
With that said, that didn’t mean your aunt was going to give up just yet. Without telling you she scheduled an interview for you, telling you if you didn’t show up it would make your family look bad.
Feeling the inevitable guilt throughout the day, you submitted into your aunt’s wishes and at least showed up to the interview.
Who knew? Maybe they would just let you be a janitor or something.
Sure enough they wanted you as a maid, but before you could even deny they offered double what any job had offered you, even the high paying ones.
“We know the job isn’t ideal, which is why we pay so much. A young girl like you would be just perfect here!”
Push came to shove, and somehow you ended up working at the cafe for a year and a half now.
You couldn’t lie, dressing up all cute and getting to hang out with a bunch of sweet girls was pretty fun. It beats mopping an empty grocery store with creepy co-workers.
With that said, the dread of having to deal with pervy customers and the existential fear of one of your friends walking through the door almost outweighed the pros of the job.
Luckily you had been able to escape doom for this long, so what are the odds that would change anytime soon?
-
The sound of the bell charming brought you back to your senses, quickly tying the silk bow behind your back you stumbled out into the break room to see your boss awaiting.
“Phew I thought you almost ditched us (L/n).” Your boss said with a wink.
Rolling your eyes you began walking backwards towards the swinging doors that led to the dining room.
“Have I ever failed you Miss Manager?” You purred with a grin.
Satisfied with her laugh you danced through the double doors, putting on your cute act once again. Only two hours left and you could go home and pig out on what was left in your pantry.
If that’s truly all it took, you didn’t mind turning on your “anime girl” side for a few hours.
Smiling at all the guests you made sure to check on everyone’s table before making your way towards the greeting podium. The doorbell went off so that meant some sort of customer was waiting to be sat.
Giving one last wink to a customer you whipped your head towards the front doors and gave a small bow before looking up.
“Welcome back to Maid Cafe master, would you like me to show you to your se..AHHHH!”
The moment your eyes met the sturdy figure before you, all senses jumped out the window as you screeched and jumped backwards defensively.
How.. How could this happen? This couldn’t be happening. All your intricate planning and anxious working to make sure no one you knew would ever catch you on the job.
And out of all the people in the world... it had to be Katsuki Bakugou.
Your ever so taunting boyfriend.
Sure enough Bakugou had a shit eating grin on his face, his eyes glowing with excitement for probably more reasons than you could count.
“Well well well, don’t you look familiar.”
At this point words weren’t even an option in your mind, you couldn’t tell if the cold spike of fear shooting up your spine was worse or the overwhelming heat that flared along your face.
Your little outburst didn’t go unnoticed by the guests and maids, all eyes moved to the two of you as you stumbled over your own words.
“Y..You- I.. but I.. and you! I can’t...”
“(L/n) is something the matter?”
The sound of your boss’ sweet voice from behind you caused you to shriek again as you now jumped to face her.
Feeling your face grow even warmer you avoided eye-contact with her, trying to use what was left of your slowly deflating brain to come up with an excuse to fix this entire mess.
“Yeah princess, is something the matter?”
Between the chilling tone and the pet name you physically shuddered, your head slowly peaking back to the problem at hand.
Bakugou couldn’t help but notice your reaction, sneering cockily as he looked down on you with pride.
“Zip it Bakugou-” 
“Ah ah..” Bakugou started before you could even finish your threat, “I believe you are supposed to refer to me as master.”
If your brain wasn’t broken before, it sure was now. Your internal mix of equally enjoying this and hating this had officially clashed and broken any sense at this point. All you could feel beyond anger at this point was complete and utter embarrassment.
“(L/n) you’re not having any trouble greeting our guest, are you?” Your boss questioned sternly.
You’ve honestly never heard her get so serious with you, given this was far from her angry side, but you hated disappointing your superiors.
Glancing around you still noticed some eyes on you along with your suspicious boss’. At this point there was no escaping the situation, and like hell were you going to give this bastard the satisfaction of your embarrassment.
“N..No ma’am, no trouble at all!” You said back in your sweet work voice, offering the best smile you could muster before twitching back to your smug boyfriend.
“Let me uh... let me show you to your table...” You stuttered out, grabbing a single menu before looking up at your expectant boyfriend’s expression. You knew exactly what the little shit was waiting for, and if you didn’t say it your boss would surely drag you to the back.
“Master.”
Bakugou sighed in dramatic satisfaction, clasping his hands together sarcastically and bending down to your level, “Fucking splendid.”
Gritting your teeth you glared into his crimson orbs before spinning on your heel, plastering the cute smile on your face so your boss could get off your back.
Once she seemed to notice you returned to your old state, she let out a gentle sigh and walked away to serve her tables.
At the very least you felt a bit less tense knowing she wasn’t following you like a hawk, but she was far from the problem at hand.
Quickly b-lining towards a table in the corner, you slammed the menu down and pulled out the chair, offering the most sarcastically pleasant smile you could.
Bakugou gladly took his seat, making sure to drag his hand along the small of your back on the way down. He throughly enjoyed each time you shivered from his touch, or even words.
First you decided to take his order, making sure all eyes were officially off the two of you. Once you decided the coast was clear, you quickly grabbed the collar of his tank top, as you bent down to be eye level with him.
“How did you find out about my job Katsuki.”
Bakugou grunted in surprise, catching himself quickly before he smirked back to your fuming expression. Oh how adorable you were when you were mad.
Your thick eyebrows would knit together in a deep focus and your plush lips would pinch into a perfect pout that drove him crazy.
As the blond smugly glanced over your features, his eyes flicked up only to notice other eyes were facing the two of you once again, only this time they only seemed to be on you. On your backside.
The way you were bending down seemed to perfectly expose your backside to the world, and your dumbass was too oblivious with him to even realize it.
Clicking his tongue, Bakugou placed a firm palm on the edge of your spine before shoving you down to your knees so the back of your dress would cover your backside once again.
The action caused a small yelp to escape your lips, you assumed he had done it to embarrass you which made you that much more mad.
“Answer. My. Question.”
Once the ash blond was satisfied with your state and he glared at any that dared to still look at you, he glanced back down to your fiery orbs with an unimpressed look.
Rolling his eyes he slapped your hand away causing you to huff before he shoved the photo Kaminari sent to him.
Glancing over the photo you eyes widened to see a photo of you through the window of the Maid Cafe assisting a customer.
Your cheeks began to glow red again as you worriedly looked up to Bakugou, “You guys actually doxxed me?!”
Bakugou raised a brow and snatched his phone back with a sigh.
“I didn’t, I can’t speak for that stupid dunce but I’ll deal with his reasoning later,” He explained before his dreadful smirk returned as he cupped the edge of your chin, “Back to the elephant in the room, how come you hid such a delicious fucking secret from your master.” 
As much as you would’ve loved this behind closed doors, to be openly embarrassed in public made your head feel like it was going to explode.
“S..Stop acting all smug you idiot!” You snapped, smacking his hand from your chin and standing up straight, “I hid this from you so you wouldn’t act like an egotistical dick.”
At this Bakugou barked out a laugh, the booming sound causing you to jump a bit as he slouched back in his chair, folding his arms with that smug grin.
“I think we’ve already come to the conclusion that my fucking ego is backed up, or have you forgotten doll?”
His piercing red eyes narrowed to your own, the sight making you blush as you jerked your head to the side and huffed.
“Can you order already idiot? I’ve got plenty of other orders to take.”
Bakugou simply smirked and picked up the menu, glancing down the options before shoving it in your arms.
“I’ll get two of the shitty rice bears,” He explained, grinning when he saw you look up with a raised brow, “I’ve got a hungry maid coming home soon waiting to please her master.”
Your confused expression turned into a flushed angry one as you snatched the menu from him and turned on your heel. You didn’t even remember what he asked for but at this point you didn’t care. You just wanted to hide from the customers so you could collect what dignity you had left.
The moment you brushed by the double doors you let out a sigh of relief as you rested your head against the back wall. Maybe if you closed your eyes and pinched yourself hard enough you would wake up from this horrible nightmare?
You could only imagine the things Bakugou was thinking. Does he think you’re some ditzy pushover maid girl now? Is he texting your friends telling them that you work here? Honestly Kaminari has probably already done that.
It was so nice having the upper hand on him for once, but now that he took every last bit of dignity and laughed in your face, you were doomed.
“Rough shift huh?”
Raising your brows you peaked an eye open to see one of your coworkers with a concerned expression. Standing up straight you fixed a piece of your hair and nodded.
“Yeah I guess you could say that..”
“How come you were acting so weird with that customer (L/n)-chan?” Your manager called from behind, carrying a bunch of plates as she walked beside your coworker, “Is it because he’s crazy hot?”
Folding your arms you let out a huff as you pouted your lips out,
“Try boyfriend.”
Both girls gasped in shock, your boss nearly dropping the plates in her hand as they looked two you in disbelief.
“Wow sorry for calling him hot, I never knew you had a boyfriend (L/n)! And a hunk at that~”
Letting out a slight chuckle, both your eyes fell on your coworker when she spoke up.
“You know this same thing happened to me with my boyfriend,” She spoke while tapping her finger against her cheek in thought, “I didn’t want him finding out about my job because I knew he would make fun of me, then one day he showed up and sure enough started making fun of me.”
Frowning you let out a sigh as you rubbed the side of your face exasperatedly, “My dumb boyfriend is doing that too! What did you end up doing with yours?”
Your coworker grinned as she shrugged.
“I simply fought fire with fire. Since he was making fun of me, I made him eat his words and watch me serve the other customers. He ended up getting so jealous he left!”
The advice she had given you finally brought warmth back to your numb body, you felt a grin rise to your face as you quickly wrapped your arms around your coworker.
“You are a lifesaver woman! I owe you so much for that advice.”
Your coworker simply laughed and hugged you back, happy to see you back in your normal cheerful state.
“Yeah have some fun but don’t ruin the experience for our other guests!” Your boss called out before walking out the door with the plates.
“I should probably get out there too, let me know if you need any help (L/n)-chan.” Your coworker said with a mischievous grin before dancing out the double doors.
Your mind was rushing with ideas, how could you of not thought of this before? Your explosive boyfriend could get jealous from a rock on the street, this would be the perfect pay back for you!
If he was going to come into your workplace and wreak havoc, you would do the same for his inflated ego.
Fixing up your dress you grabbed the two plates and narrowed your eyes towards the dining room.
“Bring it on Bakugou Katsuki.”
-
Oh did Bakugou feel pleased with himself.
Normally he hated skipping out on a workout, but this was worth it.
He couldn’t let the image of your adorable flushed expression and tense body escape his mind. Let alone that maid costume on you was divine on your plush skin.
The fact that you refused to wear a maid costume in the bedroom made it that much better, no wonder you were trying to hide this job from him.
The way the black silk hugged every curve, just tight enough to where your skin was overflowing from the material. And those thighs squeezing out of those adorable thigh highs drove him wild.
If he hadn’t made the best discovery of his life today, he would almost be mad you were strutting around in such a costume for anyone other than himself.
Deciding to wait another day to deal with that, Bakugou simply enjoyed the scenery and awaited for his girlfriend.
Just like clockwork he saw your form dance out of the backroom a bit too peppy. The thought of you “collecting” yourself in the back only made him sneer with a sadistic grin, he would simply break you all over again when you served him the food.
Just as you sauntered over to his table, the ash blond looked you up and down with a smirk, opening his mouth to say something truly condescending until your body turn away from him and towards another table.
“Here’s your panda shaped muffin and honeydew boba masters!” You spoke to the two customers at the table in front of him, “Is there anything else I can get for you my handsome masters?”
Bakugou felt his heart drop at the sound of you calling another living organism your master. Were you doing this on purpose? Is this usually how you talked to the shitty customers here?
His answer was confirmed when a small squeak escaped your lips and you bent down towards the table, your chest surely giving the two guests a show given their cherry lit cheeks as your thumb grazed across one of the customer’s cheeks.
“Silly master, you have some icing on your cheek.” You said with the most divine giggle he had ever heard. Gritting his teeth his entire world froze when you stuck the finger in your mouth and licked the white cream off clean, “No worries, I got it for you~”
The man before you looked like he was going to bust on the spot, his friend watching with his jaw dropped and eyes filled with jealousy.
Smiling sweetly you gave them one last bow, “Let me know if you need anything else masters!”
Just before you danced away from their table you glanced to Bakugou, giving him a small smirk as you looked him up and down with unimpressed eyes before sauntering away, leaving your explosive boyfriend on the verge of a breakdown.
You truly had a death wish. It was the only explanation for your actions. For almost a full hour you kept that act up, leaving the many guests within the cafe speechless and ogling over you. You knew exactly how jealous Bakugou could get, and you knew he hated admitting it.
Of course Bakugou also knew what a little tease you were. He didn’t miss the delight in your glistening eyes each time you taunted him, waiting for the repercussions of his wrath. But this...
This crossed the line of his sanity.
The ash blond tried to wait til your shift was over, he really did. As furious as he was with you, he wasn’t irresponsible enough to make you lose your job. But the moment your finger tips danced along the shoulder of a guest, any bit of restraint the male had left in his body had snapped like a twig.
The sound of him storming up from his table caused the immediate guests around him to look up, his silverware clanking against the pink trimmed plate as he made a direct line towards you.
Unfortunately for you, the scene your boyfriend caused went over your head as you continued to jot down the order from the customers before you. Focusing on your blossom shaped ordering pad you didn’t notice the horrified expressions on the customers before you as the saw an angry Bakugou storming up behind you.
“I’ll get those orders right up for you masters~” You exclaimed with a cute wink as you began to walk off until a firm hand wrapped around your wrist in a vice grip.
Bakugou could have loosened his bit a grip he realized when you let out a small yelp but he had already committed and like hell was he going to let you flirt with another damn customer right before his very eyes.
Your sweet words, gentle touches, suggestive actions... they weren’t meant for him and him only.
Immiedetly you recognized your boyfriend’s sharp hold and tried to tug your hand away so not to make a scene, but the ash blond simple spun your wrist around and pinned it to your back, giving him full control of wherever you walk.
With a squeak he shoved you forward, causing you to stumble over your own feet as he quickly pushed you towards the backroom.
You briefly met gaze with your boss as he shoved you by, your eyes pleading for help as they were filled with regret. Your boss opened her mouth, not sure what to even do.
“E..Excuse me sir? You can’t touch the-”
Before she could even finish her sentence Bakugou flashed a sharp glare to the woman, his crimson orbs thin from lack of patience and absolute fury.
Your boss was smart enough to know your boyfriend was truly about to go feral, for her life and your own she decided it was best to turn away and pretend she saw nothing.
You let out a small pout when you saw her attempt to serve the shocked guests, leaving you to be shoved into the backroom by a surely pent up Bakugou.
Once you reached the back you saw your coworker, the one that had given you such brilliant advice before, shoving a pastry in her mouth as she was on her break. Her eyes first fell on the dark lidded ones of your boyfriend before falling on your pleading fearful eyes.
Her mouth opened, unsure of what to say before closing.
“I’m uh.. gonna take my break outside.” She muttered softly, politely pushing the chair in and offering the best smile she could before she quickly shuffled out the back doors.
Once the room was clear Bakugou let go of your wrist, giving you a chance to stretch your arm back in it’s proper position before the sound of the back door slamming to a close caused you to shriek in surprise.
Bakugou couldn’t help but smirk as you jumped, as angry as he was he loved seeing you so on edge thanks to him. Returning to a serious expression he watched as you turned around, attempting to put on a serious face of your own.
“Bakugou you know I still have thirty minutes left of my shift-”
Trying to speak was hard enough as is with the thick tension in the room, but when the ash blond slammed his hands on either side of you against the wooden break table you let out a shriek and quickly sat back against the ledge attempting to gain some more space between you two.
The action made him chuckle dryly as he looked you up and down.
“You’re still going to act like a fucking brat huh? After the show you just put on?” Bakugou spoke lowly, his eyes drinking in the sight of your costume only swirling more pent up feelings within him, “Someone’s feeling spunky today?”
You bit at the corner of your lip, swallowing what left of saliva was in your dry mouth as you tried terribly to avoid eye contact.
“Hiding such a naughty job from me, and then when I catch you red handed this is the treatment I get?” Bakugou hisses with clenched fists, “You should’ve been at my fucking heel all day for keeping such a delicious lie from me and yet you taunt me like you’re the one in charge?”
His harsh words made heat rise to your cheeks as you looked down at your frilly dress, trying to find anything to look at besides his face. Surely you knew that wasn’t going to pass with him.
“Look at me when I fucking speak to you brat.” Bakugou growled, his eyes narrowing when he saw your lips pinch together stubbornly.
Letting out an annoyed sigh he grabbed your wrist roughly before shoving you back against the thin wall and grabbing your jaw harshly shoving it against the wall with a hard knock, forcing your eyes to meet.
The sight of your cheeks being squished together by his large palms and your wide glassy eyes forced to look into his own, he couldn’t hide his smug smirk as he felt you lightly tremor beneath him.
“Much better doll.” Bakugou cooed, voice laced with sarcasm as you both knew the next chain of events were about to get quite violent.
“Now, I was planning on patiently waiting for you to get off so we could take this conversation in private...” Bakugou spoke, eyes narrowing down to yours as he let out a sinister laugh, “Hell I even bought you a treat, I’m such a generous fucking boyfriend aren’t I?”
Your breathing was ragged as you stared up into his crimson eyes, your brain was so fogged by the situation that you hadn’t even realized what he asked until his grip on your jaw tightened.
“I asked you a fucking question.”
Blinking back to reality you nodded deserpatly, not daring to look away from his gaze as you let out a slight whimper that shot directly to his pants.
“Good.” Bakugou said with a dark smile before continuing on, “But now I cannot go along with that generous plan because you can’t go two seconds without acting like a fucking slut.”
The filthy words spewing from his lips caused your face to grow warm, the entire situation already had your silk underwear drenched, but his words alone caused you to brush your plump thighs together desperately.
Your actions didn’t go unnoticed by the ash blond as he roughly shoved a knee between your legs causing a whine to escape your lips when he refused to put any friction on your aching core.
“Even now you can’t help but act like a brainless bitch in heat.” Bakugou sneered with a grin, his hand on your jaw lowering to now grip on your neck gently so not to cut off any air.
“Because you’ve disobeyed me multiple times today, I’m going to have to set you straight right here in public so you know who truly has the power here.”
Your mouth opened to rebuttal as your eyes widened at his idea, but his hand only gripped tighter around your throat causing the words shove back down your throat.
“And then,” Bakugou hissed, “If you perform like a good little maid, I may give you what you want when we get home. Maybe.”
You let out a shaky breath as he narrowed his eyes down to you, trying to read what you were feeling right now.
“Now you’re going to be my good little slutty maid and serve me until I’m satisfied, you fucking got that?”
As Bakugou’s grip on your neck loosened, your posture relaxed a bit as you nodded to his question, only for the grip to return as he growled down to you.
“Try again.”
Biting your lip your thighs attempted to squeeze against his knee for any sort of friction at all as any conscious thought was clouded with ashamed lust for the man before you.
“Y..Yes master.”
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pllguy · 3 years
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My Pre-release Thoughts/Mini-Theory of PLL: Original Sin
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Now this theory (the first of many) will cover what I assume will take place or be relevant to what will be happening in the Pretty Little Liars reboot Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.
Based off of what has been released so far as of date of posting (August 19th, 2021) the reboot’s details that have been released are few but already say a lot about what will take place.
The synopsis of the show, in a statement released by HBO Max, follows below.
“Twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in the present day, a group of disparate teen girls—a brand-new set of Little Liars—find themselves tormented by an unknown Assailant and made to pay for the secret sin their parents committed two decades ago…as well as their own. In the dark, coming-of-RAGE, horror-tinged drama Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, we find ourselves miles away from Rosewood, but within the existing Pretty Little Liars universe—in a brand new town, with a new generation of Little Liars.”
So what does this tell us? The reboot will be set in a town near Rosewood which could potentially allow cameo appearances from the original show’s cast, though if that happened, it would need to feel organic. I’d love seeing the old cast reprise their characters for a special appearance but I think it would be best to keep the two separate from each other so as to not mess with the original show’s characters and what those writers and creators intended versus the new creators. Also this tells us that not only will this new group of Liars be getting into trouble and keeping secrets, but that their parents previously did something that someone is out for revenge for the past and present.
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Ok, so what are sins? In view of the Christian faith, there are Seven Deadly Sins and also what some view as the “Original Sin”. The Seven Deadly Sins are pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and laziness (sloth), while the Original Sin refers to the belief humans are born to sin through their genetics they inherited from the first man and woman, Adam and Eve who first sinned against God in the Garden of Eden. *(Other religions/faiths have sins but since this story will be set in modern-day Pennsylvania, I believe that if it has any religious allusions, it would be to the Christian faith - no disrespect to the others!)
It has been revealed that Bailee Madison, Maia Reficco, and Chandler Kinney, have been cast as Imogen Abel, Noa Oliver, and Tabby Hayworth, respectively (pictured below left to right as mentioned).
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Now THIS is what stood out to me… In a show entitled Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, they created a character whose last name is Abel. In the Bible, there is the famous story of Abel and Cain, where one brother kills the other. To sum it up, Cain and Abel are the sons of Adam and Eve - Cain born first and Abel second. So Cain grows jealous of Abel for the favoritism being shown to him by God, so Cain murders his own brother, Abel.
*Note: the original Pretty Little Liars books even alluded to the story of Abel and Cain as that is the basis for the twins storyline of Alison and Courtney… notice the names have the same first letters, except Courtney is Abel and Alison is Cain (since she murdered Courtney).
Now how does this tie into my theory?
Well I believe that the original sin committed by the Liars’ parents was murder of a classmate/friend/enemy for one of the 7 deadly sins (or maybe it was self-defense?). Imogen Abel will either be killed by her (secret/twin?) sibling (like Abel) or she will end up the killer (like Cain). Since the books twisted the Abel/Cain story to make the killer’s name start with “A” (and ultimately be known as “A”), I think it’s fair to guess that Imogen could be the real killer and “A” in the reboot. Also her parents will definitely be involved in the “original sin” since their last name is Abel and Abel’s parents were Adam and Eve who committed the original sin.
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I’m unsure how much material the reboot will pull from the books and the original show in terms of storyline ideas or plot points, so who knows what to really expect! However, a few key staples of the Pretty Little Liars brand are things that some fans may be tired of but they are what have made the show and the books the phenomenon they are. They are:
1. a group of characters being targeted, harassed, stalked, and tormented by an unknown foe who is always a few steps ahead of their prey
2. the unknown stalker being connected to the group or a specific member of the group, and having their reason for their actions being tied to the group/individual in some twisted/straightforward way
3. the one thing some fans will be tired of but I personally *love* … TWINS. Yupp, there HAS to be twins at some point in the show, and it has to be crucial to the plot. It was the premise of the books’ storyline, and then in the last A arc storyline in the original show.
For the PLL reboot to feel like I’m watching a PLL-inspired show (since I know it’s all new content), there HAS to be the 3 plot points I just mentioned and I believe that will be factored into my earlier points about Imogen and her family. Imogen will be the new Alison, and she will be the one to have a twin or even be the new A.
Final thoughts/mini-theories:
- I’m pretty positive that twins will be involved in the mystery, to what extent I am unsure but I have strong feelings Imogen will be featured in that storyline.
- It’s possible that Imogen may be a twin, and if it’s not her, I believe it will be one of her parents, since their last name is Abel, tying back into what I explained earlier.
- The Liars in the reboot will be more proactive in figuring out the identity of their stalker and the underlying mystery, than their predecessors in the original TV series. *No hate to the OG Liars but it always felt like they never tried hard enough to get law enforcement or anyone to help them out until the later seasons instead of from the get-go.*
- I don’t want this reboot to be a faithful adaptation in the sense of using all the material from the books but applying it to new characters. I have mixed opinions on it being set in the same universe as the OG show but I’m glad they will have a new setting, characters, and plot. I do still wish they utilize the twins storyline because I personally LOVE twins and have always found the PLL Alison/Courtney storylines one of the best ever written in terms of the buildup to the reveal, the details dropped along the way, and just the way my mind was blown apart reading it the first time.
So that’s pretty much all I have at this point based off what has been released. Hopefully this show will bring back old fans, bring in new fans, and we can rebuild the PLL community here again! Let me know your thoughts/theories/comments about the reboot, or even about the original show(s) and books! ❤️
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awritingtree · 4 years
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Never Enough (1/7)
Sirius Black x daughter!reader
Summary: You were content with your life, living with your cousin while the whereabouts of your father, Sirius Black, and his wellbeing remained unknown after escaping . But that all changed when you had to move into 12 Grimmauld Place for the summer. The worst part of it all? He was there too. (Wow I suck at summaries)
Words: 1.7k
Warnings: angst, shitty father-daughter relationship, mentions of abandonment, tell me if there are any others 
A/N: Yes, I know I changed the timeline up a bit to fit the fic. Please don’t be the asshole that points it out. I had to adjust it slightly for the plot. My heart broke writing this but it was too good an idea to pass up. I abandoned writing all my other fics for this. And all I can say to you is I’m sorry.
Series Masterlist
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All those years, you’ve felt lonely. The Tonks were a wonderful family, raising you as one of their own. But there was always an empty feeling, a missing spot in your life that only your father could fill. If he’d come to you after he had escaped from Azkaban with an explanation, you would’ve welcomed him into your life with open arms. Therefore, when you found out he’d escaped and had been in contact with Harry all this time, not even bothering to check up on you once and the fact that you had to go live with this said person for the rest of your summer, away from your family, you went livid. You’d trashed your room; lamps broken, chairs and desks overturned, all your books had caught fire from not being able to keep your emotions, hence magic, in check.
But Aunt Dro and Dora had reassured you that it’d be fine, Dora even promised to stop by every day to check up on you without fail.
“It’s for your safety,” Uncle Teddy had said as they dropped you off.
You loved him, of course you did, he was your father. Though you had no fond memories of him, he seemed like the person you would get along greatly with. You’d heard a lot about his days at Hogwarts from your aunt. You were very much like him; just as reckless, having a knack for pranks (though people usually took it as a form of bullying or you being mean only because you were a Slytherin, even if your pranks were not as bad as those executed by the Weasley twins), and just as hot-tempered if not more. That’s why everyone should’ve this coming. It had started off as a normal day, waking up and having breakfast before getting to cleaning the grim place you were currently living in. All the house’s occupants were in one of the unkept rooms, getting rid of objects, which you thought had to be filled with dark magic.
You didn’t know when it happened; when the argument broke out. Ginny and Hermione were only asking you about your life all these years with the Tonks. Everyone should’ve seen it coming but no one had any inkling that it would escalate to this.
“You left me! You left to get revenge, without thinking for a second what would happen to me. And you came back for revenge, to protect your godson. That was enough motivation for you to leave that prison after 13 years, the rat’s picture and his safety. I wasn’t a good enough excuse to have escaped years ago, the thought of me, alone, wasn’t enough for you. I was never enough, was I!?”
Your words echoed through the silence of the house, everyone still, dumbfounded. Not even the portrait of your grandmother made a sound. The impact of your words far too great.
You knew he had escaped, but you never met. Not until this summer when you were forced to move into your ancestors’ house. He hadn’t come looking for you back in your 3rd year - he had come looking for him. The boy with the lightning scar marking his forehead from the night you lost your chance at having a life with your father. The boy who wasn’t here, for his own protection. The boy everyone seemed to drop everything for and for some that included their own daughter.
You don’t know when the argument had broken out and escalated this far, no one saw it coming. The previous playful atmosphere that hung in the air disappeared, replaced by an ambience that reeked of agony and anguish.
You, a Slytherin, a disappointment in his eyes. But truly, he was the disappointment. He left you all alone in this horrid world with no one.
“You had Remus.”
“Right,” you scoffed folding your arms across your chest, “I had a godfather who decided he couldn’t take care of me and abandoned me, not even bothering to keep in contact.”
Remus visibly flinched at the pure venom directed towards him through your words.
“That’s not my fault. I wasn’t here, what could I have done?” Sirius spoke back frustrated, throwing his hand up in the air.
“That’s the thing, you weren’t there. But it’s always James and Harry isn’t it? Harry and James,” you said defeatedly. Your shoulders slumped down as you looked down to the ground, trying to hide your tears from the rest who were staring at you, astonished but with pity. You quickly spun around on your heel and walked away, heading towards your room in this dark, repulsive house, a house that in another life you would’ve called your home.
And no one came after you.
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That was two weeks ago, and things hadn’t gotten any better. You would stay in your room when you weren’t helping Mrs. Weasley out with the cleaning. You’d sit with everyone for meals, but a tense air would surround you every time you were in the same room as your father. He hadn’t made any move towards reconciling with you, towards having a relationship with his only child. After all that you’d said that day, you really thought he would. But you were left disappointed once again.
Just when you’d thought things couldn’t get worse, Harry had arrived a few days ago. You didn’t have anything against the boy, but watching your father dote over him every second of every day hurt you more than you cared to admit.
It was currently dinner time. You were sitting next to Dora who was changing her face to sport a pig’s snout upon Ginny’s request. You found it funny, you did, but you had no energy to laugh or even muster up a smile. You felt drained. The past few days made you feel like you were suffocating in this dreadful place. Your throat felt like it was constantly constricted, refusing to let air fill up your lungs, refusing to let you breathe and let go of the heavy weight that seemed to have made its home on your chest.
“You know, I thought the first thing you’d when you got here was ask about Voldemort.”
Your father’s conversation with Harry suddenly piqued your interest. The name caused a chill to run down through everyone’s spine.
“I did!” exclaimed Harry, “but everyone said we’re not allowed in the Order. That we’re too young.”
“You are too young,” reprimanded Mrs. Weasley.
“He’s been trapped in that Muggle house for over a month! He has the right to receive answers about his questions.”
That brought about an uproar from the rest of the kids.
“Harry’s not even of age!”
“Why does he get his questions answered!?”
~“That is up to your parents.”~
“But we’re of age!”
“Harry will tell me and Hermione everything anyway!”
You stayed silent through it all knowing anything you said wouldn’t change the minds of the adults in the room. There was nothing that you could contribute that would work in your favour.
After a row between Sirius and Mrs. Weasley (in which some out-of-line things were mentioned), it was finally decided that Ron, Hermione, Fred and George would stay as Harry got to know what had been happening. Ginny, on the other hand, was to go upstairs. Though she did not go without a fight - blazing and fuming, she reluctantly made her way to her room.
“Y/N, you too. Go upstairs,” said Remus.
“I’m not going anywhere. If they can stay so can I,” you said, looking up from your uneaten dessert.
Sirius looked away from Harry towards you, appearing to just realize you were in the room as well.
“Moony’s right. Go upstairs, Y/N,” he told you.
You stayed in your seat, going back to picking at your unappetizing dessert. Your silence and staying put began to tick Sirius off.
“Y/N, I told you something,” said Sirius, trying to keep his temper in check.
“I know, I heard you.”
The silence carried on. You stayed planted on your seat, refusing to move an inch.
“Y/N Black, you are still underage, and I am your father. So upstairs, now.”
You huffed, slamming your fork down on the table as you stood up abruptly. The chair scraped back and fell onto the floor from your sudden action.
“Fine,” you said through your gritted teeth, looking directly into your father’s eyes; eyes so alike yours. Sirius felt like he had actually been scorched by the fire burning in your eyes, contradicting the sickly-sweet smile you shot at him before storming out of the room, slamming the door shut behind you.
You made your way towards the room that was temporarily yours; one that could’ve been your room if only… You shook your head trying not to dwell on such thoughts.
You were done.
Your trunk slammed against the stairs as you dragged it down, waking up Walburga Black’s portrait, screaming at everyone:
“Half-breeds, mudbloods, and blood-traitors in my house! If I was alive-,” you tuned her shouts out.
“Y/N, dear. What are you doing?”
“What I should have done a while ago,” you replied, looking up to see Mrs. Weasley, who had just escorted Ginny up to her room, peering over the banister.
You walked towards the front door through the unlit hallway, a migraine forming from the shrieks of your biological grandmother and the screeching of your trunk dragging across the floor.
You opened the door, stepping out into the summer night. The quiet took over as soon as you shut the door behind you. Your throat finally let up and expanded as you breathed in the cool summer night air, allowing your lungs to fill with large volumes of air; air that you had been gasping for the past few weeks. The heavy weight on your chest dissipated, making you feel lighter than you had ever felt; as if you could walk on clouds.
A loud ‘pop’ sounded through the empty street a few seconds after you’d raised your wand out in front of you.
You climbed onto the bus, not once looking back at the house that no one around could see, except you.
Not even when you heard a voice call out into the empty street as you disappeared along with the Knight Bus with a ‘pop’.
“Y/N!”
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Taglist: @heloisedaphnebrightmore @pregnant-piggy @approved-by-dentists @kashishwrites @remmyswritings @angelinathebook @idont-knowrn @coffee--writes
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love-peterparker · 3 years
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In Extremis || Peter Parker x Reader
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Summary: After the reveal of Spider-Man’s secret identity and the release of Quentin Beck’s murder video, there isn’t a lot going right for Peter Parker. But he has you. 
Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader
Warnings: Cursing, protests and rallies, mentions of murder, a gun that is never shot, and some hair description for Y/N for plot purposes (but it should still be generic enough).  
Word Count: 2.3k
A/N: I’m first a Captain America and Agent Carter fan, and I wanted to recreate what makes their relationship so special, but with Peter and Y/N… ‘cuz I also love Peter Parker. I really loved writing this, and I hope you enjoy it.
Also, thanks to @marvelouspeterparker, @sinisterspidey (she actually has a blurb called I’ll Follow You and it builds off of Spider-Man’s identity reveal) and @stuckonspidey for answering my anon asks for general writing tips and Peter’s character. And @spideyspeaches with her kind words after reading one of the final drafts of this fic. Lastly, a special thanks to @peterbenjiparker encouraging me with this fic and for making me so emotional with her series Invisible String (Read this!... but only if your heart can take it) that I needed to write something. This story has nothing to do with it, but it does make some small generic references to her fic, and I would like to think that Y/N and Peter are soulmates in this story.
***
This takes place in a universe where a FFH-esque identity reveal happens when Y/N and Peter are young adults.
***
This fucking city didn’t deserve him.
Peter rarely admits it, but you say it all the time. When you hit a dead end in the Avenger’s database. When checking for your gun before leaving another safehouse. When reaching for him in the dark of night.
This fucking city didn’t deserve him.
It had been over a year since Peter’s identity as Spider-Man was revealed and the dubious video of Quentin Beck’s murder was released. But it felt like a lifetime.
These two Peter problems were like ivy. They rooted, twisted, and spread. Winding into chokeholds around their victims.
But heroes knew how to play with fire.
Peter’s identity was dealt with in a straightforward fashion. Plenty villains who would do anything to exact revenge on Spider-Man, but they would have to find Peter Parker and identify his loved ones first. And for someone like Peter? Well, it was going to take some time.
To you, Peter was lifegiving. A shining ray of golden hope. You fell to sleep and rose to press kisses into his face. To cherish and hold. To share tears. But to the world, or even New York City? He was a nobody, one who couldn’t even hold a steady job.
You all worked fast while the wicked played catch-up. The Avengers searched and wiped all, but ultimately little personal information Peter had on the internet, as well anything that might connect him to your shared inner circle. Everyone was given an Avenger’s signal watch. And both you and May opted to move as a precaution. May to Brooklyn. You to Avenger’s Tower.
The case of Quentin Beck’s murder was a much more grinding process. Through polished superhero reputations, the lawyers secured an Avenger’s Tower house arrest during court proceedings. An overwhelming amount of evidence in Peter’s favor was gathered. Press conferences were held. Speeches were given. And when it all seemed like it was too much for too long, you and Peter would lie in bed, arms and legs entangled, whispering that everything would turn out all right. Good will win. You just had to keep going.
It was taxing, but not impossible. And just when you all thought you were pulling at the end of the thread with the jury in your favor, the ground beneath you crumbles into nothingness. You spiral and crash into a labyrinth, lush and high-walled. Maybe this was the way out- oh wait, you’ve been here- or have you? You all turn and turn only to face a new dead end. A new set of incriminating videos were released. Spider-Man’s videos took the spotlight, but videos of Wanda and Bucky were also revealed. The streets of New York bustled in whispers.
Can we really trust these heroes? What if these videos are the truth?
And what happens when these powerful people think they are right when they are wrong?
When public protests against Earth’s heroes sprouted and jury members started to disappear, it was clear that the whoever or whatever was behind this had greater motives and powerful allies. It was time to buy time.
Everyone had tried to convince Peter to go into hiding somewhere else. Anywhere else. He had enough super-friends where anywhere was possible. Lay low while everyone else above ground scrambled to unweave this massive web of lies. But Peter was infuriatingly adamant that New York, regardless of her wavering loyalties, was his to protect.
So two months ago, he started bouncing around New York City, investigating when he could, and making polarizing headlines with every swing he took.
You tried to continue as if Peter was still by your side. After being terminated from your junior journalist job for “suspect ties to Spider-Man,” Spider-Man became your mission. You originally attended press conferences and rallies as moral support, but after Peter’s first awkward mumbles of a speech, it was painfully clear that he needed a new voice. The public herself needed a normal person who interacted with superheroes. Who better than Spider-Man’s girlfriend? But after the last kidnapping attempt and the Avengers’ numbers shrinking, it was clear that this wouldn’t last. The world now knew who you were too.
The thick ivy had caught up, and you were on fire.
But to hell with it because there was no universe where you would be leaving this nightmare without him. So the next time you looked in the mirror, you donned short red hair and heavy eyeliner.  
Days were spent questioning possible witnesses. Nights were spent in the light of a computer. And when you could barely drag yourself to continue, moments were spent staring at your beautiful boy’s picture. He needed you.  
You had only heard from him twice since he went into hiding, though there were a few times answered unknown number calls would lead to abstract rustling and distinct web shooter noises. To those, you always whispered “I love you,” before hanging up.
That was until last night, when you noticed small slip of paper in the crack of the window of the safehouse you had been staying at. Only a time and an address were written, in messy, but undeniably Parker script.
You spent the next day visiting arbitrary places in the Bronx, trying to determine if anyone was following you and collecting items in an unsuspecting backpack.
It was a balancing act between comfort and practicalities. An extra stealth suit. A waterproof jacket you both shared. Protein bars. Extra web fluid and a first-aid kit. A hefty wad of cash, just in case. And in the smallest pocket, things to help him in the darkest days to come. Letters from you, May, Ned, and your other friends. A few packs of gummy bears. And a picture of you and him, laughing in Central Park on one of your many dates. Sunlight casting halos on your heads. Bright. Carefree. Brimming with love.
Your heart cried and cried and cried, begging for those days.
But they were gone. And as much as you didn’t want to admit it, so were the people in that picture.
You travelled to the building location and made your way to the rooftop. Rows and rows of white sheets were hung, all whipping in the wind to dry.
A small smile graced your lips. You had to hand it to him. He was smart.
You folded yourself into one of the corners of the rooftop, gun in hand and waited. Eerie silence slowly lulling you to…
You woke up to the soft footsteps, sleepy eyes registering a shadowy figure behind one of the bedsheets.
“Hans?” you whispered, pointing your gun with a finger on the trigger.
“Leia,” the figured replied, equally hushed. The shadow lifted the curtain. It took a second to register, but it was really him. You raced towards each other, quick hold each other, beaming. Today, you existed in the same place at the same time.
“That was so stupid. I can’t believe you got me to do that,” you laughed, pressing your face into him, holding him tightly as if he could disappear at any moment.
“Oh, come on, you loved it!” he quipped. You hummed in appreciation.
“True, but I love you more.” His eyes brightened at your confession, pink dusting his cheeks.
“I know.” You shook your head, smiling at his response before turning your head and taking in who he had become. Gone were the luxurious curls, replaced with a buzzcut. A pair of fake glasses perched on his nose in further attempts to conceal his identity. Hallowed eyes. His skin tinted gray from the stress. You ran your fingers through the fuzz on his head, massaging his scalp. A sigh escaped his lips, eyes fluttering shut, with hands reaching to caress yours.
“You cut your hair.”
“You did too.” His fingers danced in the ends of your own tresses. A sad smile furnished your face.
“It had to be done,” you replied, before pressing your lips to his cheek and gently removing yourself from his embrace to get your laptop. “We need to get started. We’ve found a lot since you left.”
With his head on your shoulder, fingers laced with yours, and your laptop on your lap, you recounted the on-going investigation to him. The deep web that just kept going and going. Your theories and suspects. And when that was done, you kept talking. How Aunt May and his friends were fine but missing him. How the remaining Avengers were fairing. Peter was oddly quiet, sharing only a few thoughts here and there, but you attributed it to his weariness.
As the sun continued to dip, the silences between sentences stretched, but you mustered more words. As if your sentences were the delicate string that grounded him to you.
“Y/N,” he interrupted. You looked at him and hummed in reply. He began playing with your fingers, eyes never meeting your own. “I love you more than I ever I thought I could, and I’m really thankful for everything you’ve done. And you’ve done so much. Like, I don’t know if I would have even made it this far without you, but here you are, and well, you can’t keep doing this.” You cocked your head, before shaking your head, hair rustling.
“What? Peter, we are getting somewhere! I just need to visit the-“ He lets go of your hand, fingers clenching into trembling fists.
“No, no more visits. No more investigating. This can’t be your life. When this started, we thought there was a way out. But it’s been over a year. Clearly whoever or whatever is doing this won’t stop until we’re all gone. This may never stop. I can’t have you throwing away your life for me. Hell, I don’t even know when I’ll see you aga-“
“Peter,” you cut him off, your voice pitched lower in concern, “Where is this coming from? We’re gonna make it. It is just a matter of-”
“I can’t give you what you deserve! I’m Spider-Man, so we don’t get to have a house and two kids! We get this-, this fucking disaster! I live like this because I have to. I don’t get a choice. And you shouldn’t be stupid enough where you are doing the same thing!”  
Your mouth fell open, ready to spit back poison when he looked at you. It was in his eyes. Behind the falling tears and redness was the glint of insecurity that Peter had always carried. This was the child whose parents died. The teenager who didn’t stop his Uncle Ben from getting killed. Who held Tony Stark in his last moments. The man who was on the run.  
The hero who would never stop giving to a world who would never stop taking.
Your thoughts frenzied. If you held on to him too tightly, he would resist. The more he would thrash, determined to save you while slowly sacrificing himself until there was nothing left. Your brain was frozen, so your heart gave you the words-
“Marry me.”  
Peter’s eyes widen before retracting into a tight furrow, scrunching his nose.
“What?! No! Did you not hear anything I just said-“
“I’m not leaving you. I will never leave you. The one thing you never get to doubt in the world is us. So, I’m gonna ask you again; will you,” you took his hand, went to one knee, and let your voice soften as you held his gaze, “Peter Parker, marry me?”  
You both bathed in silence. His chocolate doe eyes boring straight into yours, searching for truth. The thought that maybe you had gone about this the wrong way started to crawl into your mind, but then a smile slowly creeped onto his face, bright red with blush. More salt-water pooled in his eyes. He pulled you into a near lung-constricting embrace, smothering wet kisses into every inch of your face. Mine. Mine. Mine. You could practically hear his thoughts as you basked in each kiss. I missed you. I love you. And oh my god, you’re here to stay.
“What did I ever-, I have no idea know what I ever did to ever deserve you.” A smirked formed on your lips.
“Is that a yes?” The gold stars in his eyes shined at your playfulness. There was the man you always loved.
“Yes, yes, oh god yes. I do, Mrs. Parker,” he said pulling you in for a passionate kiss. And you both stayed there, melting into the ground beneath you. Breathing each other in as moments passed. Tender “I love you’s” flowing generously from both of your lips. As if the world had vanished and all that existed was you and him, and him and you, and this understanding that this, this was a love until death do you part.
Peter was the one to break the string of kisses, leaving you to chase his lips before touching his forehead with your own. His breath hot on your face. “I- , if you go to my lab there is a secret compartment. In my desk. The code is your birthday. I was going to ask you myself, but then, well… this.” You chuckled as he stumbled on his words.
“I’ll get it as soon as I can.” You both leaned in to close the gap again when a cacophony of sirens and lights echoed in the streets below.
Frustration filled Peter’s eyes as he sat up. “Shit. I-, I gotta go. Are you gonna be okay?” You let out a shallow breath, but quickly forced a smile.
“Go get’em.” And with the whip of his webs, he was gone.
You sat there for a moment, taking in the new quiet. Your fingers graced your lips, still warm with the memory of his. A lightness had settled in your chest, and with every breathe you could feel it pulse stronger.
Because no matter what it took, no matter how long the wait, there was two things for certain.
He was going to protect the city. And you were going to save your husband.
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My likely plans for The Mask Rebirth Part 3
This is something I told Kaijuguy earlier that I’m gonna write this. But I’m not gonna make it yet. Because I’m still wondering about it. And also on Thursday, me and my family are gonna go to Universal Studios. And we’ll be back on Saturday. I will likely have my phone. But I may not post a lot or...it depends.
Part 3 is something I’ve really wondered about. Including having some inspiration from, “The Hunt For Green October”. But instead of shoving Ray Tuttle and his daughter’s story into this. I’ve decided that...may be part 4. So those jokes I said to Kaijuguy are likely gonna be a thing.
Anyway, I strangely want to make this seem like a leaked plot details thing before a movie comes out. You know that kind of shit right? I think I just want a reaction of how people may feel towards it. Before I officially make the thing.
Including I just wanna mention what I did with part 2. It strangely felt like an adult extended The Mask Animated Series episode in a sense...that was something I had thought long ago...but let’s get to the point. Of what the direction for this story was.
I have said characters like Owen Big Head, Stanley Big Head Killer, Davida Steelmine, Walter, and Pretorius are involved with this. And I may just reveal the secret behind Pretorius that I have kept secret. If I want to go through with it.
The story may take 6 months after part 2. With Edge City in a much better position after crime has seriously lowered down. And I’ve been thinking part 1 takes place in January. Part 2 takes place in June. And finally, part 3 takes place in December. So in a year, Owen has had the Mask Of Loki for nearly a year.
With Edge City actually being in a more peaceful state. But this doesn’t take place during Christmas. It’s before it. Owen’s mother, Anna, decides to take her son and their roommate Tina on possibly a two week vacation. With Leonor joining them. With the vacation taking place in either Finland or Sweden. Very likely Finland. Despite knowing he needs a much needed vacation. He brings the Mask Of Loki in case. Practically bring Loki along as well.
But during those 6 months. Stanley was thought to be dead after his body wasn’t found. But in fact, he had survived and tried to start a new life with a new name in Edge City. Mainly due to the possibility the police and Big Head may try to look for him. Stanley is more anti social and angry at life. Keeping to himself, like a hermit. Until an unknown man gives him a mysterious gift. A green mask of sorts. 
Having kept his memory of wearing the Mask Of Jormungandr. But weary of Davida’s deception of him. He accepts the strange gift.
During this as well, after 6 months of being in prison and everyone against her. Vicky Pratt, mostly known as Davida Steelmine has escaped prison. With a new goal of exacting vengeance upon Owen Heffernan. But first going to the young man’s house, sneaking in, and taking the Mask Of Hel. And finding out he’s in Finland. She wants to start a new life. But she’s angered by having been exposed for who she is. She wants payback first.
Back to Stanley, when he wears the mask. He turns into what appears to be Big Head. But looking different. But to Stanley, this is the greatest thing ever. And possibly better than being Serpent Man. He embraces the terrible nature of the mask starts using his newfound powers by killing the Butcher gang first. Which had beat him up much earlier. And while I question if I wanna make Stanley’s rampage one night or two. 
Compared to Owen’s first outing as Big Head. Which was mainly fun mischief. Stanley goes on a killing spree against people that have wrong him in anyway. Even such as the car mechanics, a man who owned him 60 bucks. Which also results in him killing many police officers trying to stop him.
But there’s a goal in mind that Stanley has. To find Vicky/Davida, Tina, and finally Big Head himself. The goal to finally kill all three. The ones that hurt him the most. 
Yet during a situation where it’s only Kellaway and Stanley. Kellaway is confused and horrified by what seems to be Owen going on a random savage rampage. He tries to talk to him and calm him down. Asking him if something is wrong, instead of getting angry at him. But to Kellaway’s shock, Big Head tells him, “Who the Hell is Owen!?” And asking why is Kellaway calling him that and maybe Stanley revealing who he is, likely not. Which results in both realizing two different things.
Kellaway realizing, horrified, but strangely relieved that this Big Head isn’t Owen. And to Stanley, he’s shocked and remembers Owen Heffernan, he puts it together. Realizing Owen is very likely Big Head. 
After escaping the police, and going to a place where he could hide. Stanley is met Walter, and the two fight. But the same man who gave Stanley the mask tells Walter to stop fighting him. Revealing Walter is with this unknown man. He reveals himself to be Septimius Pretorius. A very secretive man that the crime lords of Edge City would send traitors or anyone they hated to be tortured. But due to his secretive nature, and no one exactly knowing who he is. Most people didn’t like talking about him. As some gangsters would tell others stories about Pretorius to scare them. Along with Dorian when he was alive having met Pretorius in person before, and praising his work.
I’d like to admit, I got this idea form @kaijuguy19 I tried to remember. So thank him. On the part where I talk about Pretorius and Walter being strangely friends in a way.
And the biggest thing that made people strangely afraid of Pretorius. Despite he never made an attempt to be a crime lord. He was the one who made Walter who he is. While Walter was strong and huge already. He met Pretorius earlier in life, and Septimius has told others he merely improved Walter. 
He reveals he created that duplicate mask for Stanley personally. To help him achieve his revenge and give him want he wanted. Despite Stanley’s hesitation to trust someone again. He gains Stanley’s trust by telling him that Vicky/Davida and Tina/Kathy are in Finland. But also telling Stanley what he has been wondering. Confirming that Owen Heffernan was his hero, Big Head. Who is in Finland as well with Tina too.
While not considering Pretorius or Walter as new friends. Stanley joins them, with Pretorius giving them a private plane ride to Finland.
Back to Kellaway, who tells Lionel that this Big Head isn’t Owen. And he believes him because of how radically different this Big Head dresses and sounds. The two go to Owen’s house. But realizing Davida has snuck in and stole her old mask. What horrifies the two more is the catch that she’s gonna be possibly going to Finland as well. 
Wanting to confront the Owen himself instead of calling him. They take a plane ride to Finland. With possibly trying to come up with a reason why the Big Head Killer is going there. But also maybe Davida. I’m not sure about this. And I may change this. Such as trying to call them. But they don’t have their phone numbers.
So in this case.
In Finland. Owen as Big Head and others are gonna have to face off Davida Steelmine who wants revenge. Walter, who wants payback as well. But also Stanley as a new Big Head, who desires the same thing. But against Davida and Owen. With Pretorius in the background.
In what is said to be the happiest country in the world....holy shit.
Now Pretorius. This was this the idea I felt was crazy. So I’ll just reveal it. The idea that Pretorius was one of the survivors of Ragnarok. And was responsible for killing Sigyn. The wife of Loki, and the one keeping Ragnarok at bay. With Sigyn’s killer never found, her death was the final kick in Loki’s becoming ultimately evil. Presuming the gods had killed her. Thinking the gods want Ragnarok to happen. And becoming more nihilistic, resulting his fate within the mask.
Along with the other idea combined with that Pretorius was one of the survivors who had imprisoned Hel into her own mask. But also being the one who had come up with the idea to imprison Loki and his family that they felt caused Ragnarok. But due to this, his existence was ultimately covered up by the survivors of Ragnarok. And he didn’t mind that. Not a god, but merely someone able to use magic in a similar fashion like science.
Having lived throughout history with humanity for so long. He came to Edge City because of it’s horrible nature with crime. And one of the only people who seems to have developed a sort of friendship with Walter. Mainly both respecting each other for their talents. But also Walter respecting Pretorius for making him stronger than before.
Having believed the masks have been lost to time. Until Big Head showed up. He was curious, yet confused. But when Dorian had become a giant werewolf in a way. He started to wonder if humans have finally found the masks. His suspicions were confirmed when it was revealed Davida Steelmine and Stanley Ipkiss had been using the mask of Hel and Jormugandr. But also even learning the Mask Of Loki before all this, was found in Africa before. Yet it was stolen and never found again. With smaller stories of an similar Big Head like figure causing mischief. But he suddenly disappeared.
Having kept in the shadows, trying to figure out who was really Big Head. And why wasn’t the wearer gone insane. He eventually found out, but didn’t act on anything. But what he had learn is that Stanley Ipkiss to him, should’ve been the one that found the mask and not Owen. Believing the young man had tainted the mask, and possibly changed Loki.
After 6 months, trying to create what he felt was a better mask. Using whatever magic he had left. With the inclusion of voodoo involved. The Death Mask, a duplicate of Loki’s mask and soul.
I think I’ve said enough...hope you folks like this. Mainly you Kaijuguy lol.
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Blueberries and Cowboys: Chapter 2
A choose-your-own-adventure style fic. First, 2 platonic chapters for set-up/build-up. And then, the story will split into 2 paths depending on your romantic pairing preference: You and Thrawn, or You and Eli.
Chapter Masterlist
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Chapter 2: The Plan
Pairing: None...yet...
Chapter Warnings: Mentions of bullying
Length: 2k
AO3 Link (In case you like it better over there, it’s okay, no judgement)
The rest of the week saw the three of you using every bit of free time outside your classes and studies to gather information for Thrawn to build a solid plan.
Eli tailed his pesky classmate Arden everywhere, even skipping a class one day to break into his dorm, trying to learn anything about the guy that could be useful to get him involved in the plot. Thrawn analyzed the simulation software and protocols that would be used to administer the tests, mapping out every possible way Commander Burdick could hijack it. And you were the one spying on the Burdick himself. Since the commander didn't seem too interested in your grades, you were able to shadow him without suspicion, and had been able to slip a bug into his offices to eavesdrop on any potential conversations about his plans for sabotage.
Your classmates and the staff were none the wiser. That was the advantage of being social outcasts. Half of them avoided you all like the plague, and the other half already thought you were weird people doing weird things. So it wasn't long before you'd all gotten enough intel to work with.
It was late in the evening at the end of the week. You found yourself in Thrawn and Eli's shared dorm, which looked identical to your own in the opposite wing, because the Empire couldn't bother with things like individuality or comfort. Eli sat on the edge of his top bunk, his legs swinging casually, and his coat unbuttoned to reveal a wrinkled undershirt you knew he hadn't bothered to wash all week. Thrawn paced about in the middle of the room, his long strides only allowing him about four good steps before he had to turn around. He still had his uniform on, boots and badges and all.
You leaned against the railing of the bed, watching Thrawn as he went back and forth. Sometimes he sat still when he was scheming, with his fingers steepled and his gaze seemingly reaching into some unknown dimension beyond your comprehension. That usually happened when he was running through variables that didn't concern you, at least from his perspective. You and Eli had accepted long ago there would always be parts of his plans he would never share with you. He was kind of a control freak like that.
But tonight, he seemed to be more welcoming of collaboration, hence his steady rhythm of pacing in front of you.
"Only one variable remains, as I see it," he was saying. "We understand how the commander will manipulate the system to cause a redundancy in the simulation, thus rendering the test impossible to finish successfully."
You and Eli shared a glance; the only person who truly understood how that was going to happen was Thrawn. He'd tried explaining numerous times but when it came to codes and tech, the two of you weren't able to fully keep up.
"We also know through your investigating," Thrawn motioned to you with what you thought was an impressed look, causing you to feel a little pride, "that the commander plans to only sabotage my test, believing it will be too suspicious if Eli also fails. He will also manipulate his false code to originate from the computer of his former lover Eva Carroway, who currently works in HR. So if an investigation does ensue, it will be traced to her and not him."
You and Eli chuckled under your breaths. It had been a little amusing when you'd discovered Commander Burdick was using this plan to not only undermine Thrawn, but also get revenge on his ex-girlfriend. But even more hilarious was how awkward Thrawn treated the subject. He had been quite perplexed to learn people could be so vindictive after a break-up. And any time he explained that detail of the plan, like he was doing now, he hesitated over his word choice. You couldn't tell if he only pretended to be confused about romantic relations, or if that was truly an area he found himself lost in.
If Thrawn noticed your snickering, he didn't respond to it, only continued to recap the plan. "We have also determined how we will expose the altered code naturally, so it does not cast suspicion on us... What was the word you used?"
"Backfire," said Eli.
"Yes. It would not due to have anyone suspect that we altered the test ourselves, or to have our concerns disregarded altogether. Thus, arranging for the maintenance crew to get a mild case of food poisoning so their performance checks are postponed to occur right before the tests will take care of that variable. At the least, they will fix the altered code and I will take the test as normal. At the most, they will report it and the commander faces expulsion."
"So..." said Eli through a yawn as he stretched. "What's left to work out, then?"
Now it was time for you and Thrawn to share a look.
"Were you not interested in involving your classmate, Arden Fey?" asked Thrawn in his soft, contemplative voice.
Eli shrugged. "Yeah. But Burdick's already got his scapegoat, his ex. So it'll be easier to keep him out of it. Whatever."
You could tell he was trying to be nonchalant. But just this morning, he had spent the entire walk between classes ranting about some new insults Arden had come up with, and how badly he wanted to show the guy up once and for all. You knew your friend wasn't feeling "whatever" about it.
"It's not a matter of ease or difficulty," Thrawn stated plainly. He had stopped pacing and was standing with hands behind his back, highlighting the broadness of his shoulders and the height of his stance. His presence seemed to fill up the whole room, and not for the first time, you were glad to be his friend and not his enemy.
"Yeah," you added in encouragement. "We just have to get creative. Find a way to make Arden a more appealing scapegoat than Burdick's ex. In fact...."
You trailed off as an idea occurred to you. You darted out of the room, surely leaving your two friends perplexed, but you would only be a second. You sprinted down the corridor toward the lifts, where a bulletin hung against the wall with fliers and pamphlets. One notice was a bit larger than the others, a promotion of an upcoming gala event to celebrate the Academy's anniversary. You ripped it off and went racing back to the boys' dorm room.
Eli had come down from the bunk and held a concerned look, probably prepared to follow you if you hadn't returned so quickly. Thrawn was still standing composed, but there was a curiosity in his eyes that made you smile.
You held up the poster in front of your chest. "What do you think the likelihood is of us playing successful matchmakers this week?"
Thrawn understood your idea almost immediately, looking down on you with a pleased smirk. It made you flush a little, to know the Chiss was impressed. You rarely had a chance to contribute good ideas when his mind worked so much faster than yours.
Eli caught on next, and he started to grin, the happiest you'd seen him in a while. His smile was infectious and you grinned back. Happy looked good on him.
"We know Eva's not shy with younger guys," you explained. "Before Burdick, she was fooling around with some intern in the med bay."
"And Arden's vain enough," added Eli. "If he thinks anyone's interested, he'll go for 'em."
"So we get him to ask her to the gala as his date...." you said.
"Burdick sees the two of them together...." said Eli.
"And realizes he can get back at his lover in another way, by pinning the sabotage on another student...." joined Thrawn.
The three of you stood together, proud and satisfied that yet another plan had finally worked out. It was almost worth the stressful studying and petty bullying and all the other unpleasant things you had to endure at this god-forsaken school, just to have fun moments like this with trusted friends.
"We should attend this gala as well," Thrawn said eventually, holding out a hand for the poster. He inspected it thoughtfully. "It is only a few days before the tests, so I hadn't planned to pay it any mind. But now...."
"Yeah, we should make sure Burdick's as jealous as we want 'im," nodded Eli.
You were secretly pleased. The plan was already a win-win, but now you would be able to go to the event yourself, too. You hadn't mentioned your desire to go to either of them before, figuring they weren't interested and not wanting to sound silly if you suggested it. But you did love dancing, and it was so very rare you got a chance to wear something other than your Imperial uniform.
"It's a dance," you noted, in case they couldn't tell by the details on the poster. "We'll need to go in pairs."
"I suppose it would make the most sense for you and Eli to go together," said Thrawn quietly.
You looked between the two, realizing both of them were flushed slightly. Eli's cheeks were dotted with pink, standing out amongst his dark brown features, while Thrawn had more of a purple tint to his face now, a color you'd never seen there before. You could feel yourself growing warm and uncomfortable as well. It was only a dance... only a way for you to enact a much more important plan... but it was the first time your trio had had to engage in anything other than platonic friendship. The balance of your group seemed to be shifting ever so slightly in this moment, and you had no way of knowing if it was for good or ill.
You cleared your throat, pushing away any feelings that might have been brewing in your chest, and instead calling focus back to the mission at hand.
"Actually, I think I'd better go with Thrawn. Whoever doesn't go with me would have to find their own date, and no offense Thrawn, but I think Eli has the better chance of asking someone else."
You hoped they hadn't noticed how hollow your voice sounded, how hard you were trying to keep yourself emotionless.
Eli was pinker than ever. "Uh, I highly doubt that..."
"You're not completely hated around here, you know," you said quickly. "Definitely not with the girls. You're not bad looking, you can be charming if you try, and you're... you know, human." You glanced at Thrawn and added again quietly, "No offense."
Thrawn shook his head. His color and demeanor had already slipped back into his usual neutral self. "No, I agree. Those are the dynamics of our peers and we must work with it. I will take you to the gala, Eli will find his own date, and all three of us will push Arden and Eva together as well. It's a good plan."
You all nodded in agreement. But there was a knot in your stomach, a nervousness you didn't quite understand. You cared very much for both Thrawn and Eli. They were your best friends, your only friends. As a group, you were bonded by your ostracism, protecting and supporting each other on your journey out of this hell-hole.
And separately, you had something special with each, too. You and Eli came from similar backgrounds, and had the same need to disconnect from your surroundings and just have a bit of fun every once in a while. The two of you had spent many late nights together, either hopping between bars, exploring the city, making each other laugh uncontrollably, or quietly sharing the honest thoughts you both buried far too deeply inside. Some nights you'd done all of the above, and returned to your dorm feeling both exhausted and renewed.
But Eli didn't always appreciate the finer things in life, and that's where you connected with Thrawn. He wasn't necessarily an optimist, but he had this way of noticing the beauty that existed everywhere around you, even in the most simple or mundane of moments. Everything had the potential to be interesting. His calm but strong presence had kept you grounded and sane throughout your studies here so far. Sometimes you would talk, other times you would simply be in the same space. And either way, you felt better about life.
You didn't exactly want your relationship with them to change. But you couldn't help but feel this gala would do just that....
Next Chapter: The Preparation >
Blueberry Path | Thrawn x reader
Cowboy Path | Eli x reader
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oohnoniall · 3 years
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The Lantsov Emerald [Kaz Brekker x OC] - Chapter Four (Kaz)
Warnings: cursing, fantasy violence, family drama
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
        He hated to lose. Hated to be in anyone's pocket. When a plan failed it made him feel as though he was once more that scared child who had held onto his brother's hand. He felt weak. Weaker than anyone in the Barrel should feel. If anyone had found out about this detour in his plans, he would have already been marked. Kaz Brekker would have been a name that was not remembered despite the fact that he was quickly becoming the man to look out for. 
        Needless to say, he was in a foul mood.
        His hands were steady as he picked up the drink that had been Jesper's. He didn't bother to look at the other man; a boy really; as he drank it. The alcohol burned his throat, he could feel its trail burning all the way to his stomach. He needed that burn. Needed to feel something other than the rage in his heart. He knew that he would never get another chance to break into the Grand Palace and steal the Sun Summoner.
        Not that she would even be there. 
        He had not once thought that the girl would be stupid enough to run. He had never thought she'd leave the safety of the Grand Palace and General Kirigin. Anyone would have known that Fjerda and the Shu would be after her. How she thought she'd be safer on the run was beyond him.
        After the showing last night she was in more danger than ever. Kaz knew it would be harder to find her, harder to capture her. There was no telling where she would go or where she would be hiding. Not to mention they'd already ruined the one place they could go and get information. The Little Palace would have been the most opportune place to be for information. All of it would have gone to Kirigin. 
        They'd blown that cover though. The other guards had caught sight of them, the princess had spoken to him. A stableboy was very aware of Jesper and what he looked like. None of them would be able to go back.
        "What's our plan?" Inej stood at his shoulder, his constant wraith. He wondered briefly what life would be like if she wasn't at his side. He was certain that most of his plans would have gone up in smoke by that point.
        Just like the one they were running from.
        "I don't know," he said, his jaw clenching as he stared down at the empty glass in his gloved hand. He hated not knowing, hated to be on the outside. He never knew what to say or do. Never knew how to feel about the whole thing. It was like he was a child all over again, trapped with those bodies and staring into his brother's glazed-over eyes. Just the thought was enough to make him shudder.
        He suppressed the shudder. He didn't need any of the others to know that he was reflecting on things. Didn't need them knowing that he was afraid for once. Kaz Brekker was a man who was driven by fear. Fear of failure, fear of being unknown, fear of never getting his revenge on Pekka Rollins. Fear and revenge ran deep within him. He had a strong sense of what he needed, what he wanted.
        Kaz could care less about the money, about the power. All that mattered was making Pekka Rollins pay. He couldn't do that when he was failing at jobs hundreds of miles away from the Barrel.
        Inej seemed to understand that he was not in the mood to be messed with. She just stared at him. Her eyes were depthless and filled with everything she wanted to say. He couldn't look at her. Couldn't stand to look and see what she thought of him. He knew it would be the same thing he thought of himself. Worthless, pathetic. Couldn't steal a saint if he tried.
        Jesper, on the other hand, chose not to read the warning signs. "We could always stay here," he sounded almost cheerful at the prospect. "This place is nice. We could start a farm, live a quiet life." 
        Inej and Kaz both looked at him. 
        "Or perhaps not," he gripped the drink the bartender slid over to him as if guarding it against his two companions. "You'll think of something boss, you always do." Even in the worst of situations, Jesper was a beacon of light in a cold, dark world. Maybe that was the real reason Kaz kept him around. The man reminded him that things were not always as dire as they seemed. As long as they could breathe, they could stay alive. Kaz could think of a plan even when their backs were against the wall.
        His brow furrowed slightly, fingers tapping gently against the glass in his hand. Their backs were against the wall. The would-be-saint had run off. But there had been talk of another running with her. The gossips in the bar had mentioned a tracker. One that Kirigin had been using for a secret mission. That was something they could use. 
        This tracker had to be someone important to her. It had to be someone that they could use. Someone who could lead them just where they needed to be. But how did one track a tracker? How did they find the two?
        The docks. They would be escaping Ravka as soon as they possibly could. All they would have to do was wait at the docks. There would be a way across the Fold, one that the Sun Summoner and her tracker would use. The trio could wait for them there, they could become part of the background. It was what they had done for years in the Barrel.
        "Plotting face?" Jesper spoke softly from somewhere above him.
        "Plotting face," Inej agreed. Kaz could almost hear the smile in her voice. She thought too highly of him. She thought that he was kind, that he was better than he was One day he would prove that he was the monster that the Barrel had made him. But until then he would take this kindness and cultivate it. 
        He needed loyalty in his crew. Loyalty would at least keep them from deserting him in whatever weak moments he may have.
        "Shut up," he hissed at the two as he moved to stand. He gripped the crow's head of his cane, heading outside with purpose in his stride. Inej and Jesper scrambled to follow after him. He could tell they were amused by his actions. After all, it was not every day that he proved them both right within seconds. Normally, he went out of his way to keep people questioning him. He hated to prove people right or wrong. He lived to be an enigma of sorts. If too many people assumed that they understood him, he would never have any sort of mystery in his name.
        Upon his exit from the bar, he noticed something that brought an overwhelming sense of both dread and morbid excitement to him. A carriage sat in front of the bar.
        A carriage with General Kirigin's crest on the side. The sun in eclipse had never been more deadly nor more beautiful to him.
        He glanced once at Jesper before looking away again. Jesper seemed to understand. He slid one of the beautiful Zemeni revolvers from its holster before heading to the carriage. Jesper was the one who could go around it without arousing suspicion. The Darkling hadn't seen him except for the briefest of seconds in the dark of the night.
        Inej slipped away from him as well, heading up to the rooftops. The Wraith watched over him as though she were a guardian angel. Kaz Brekker knew that he did not deserve to be guarded by angels or Saints. He deserved demons, monsters. After all, he could rule over them with a smile and a smirk.
        While Jesper gathered intel from whoever may have been in the carriage, Kaz slipped away from the scene. Despite his leg, he found that he could travel at a quick pace when the need arose. He wanted to find the General. Wanted to know just what he knew about the whole thing. Even if he knew that could be a death sentence.
        Kaz was not afraid of death. He knew that his time would come sooner or later. He just had priorities before the Saints took him from the mortal plane. He needed to dethrone Rollins, needed to be better than every other boss in the Barrel. But most of all, he needed to prove himself to Jordie.
        Finding Kirigin did not take long. In fact, it did not take any effort whatsoever. It felt as though he had turned a corner and there he was. Kaz was almost frightened at how quickly he had shown up. Almost, but not quite.
        "You," his voice was a hiss. Kirigin was glaring at him, those eyes deep and dark enough that it reminded Kaz of the Fold. "You slimy little rat. Where is she? What've you done with her?" It took him a moment to realize that Kirigin meant Alina Starkov. The would-be-saint. 
        "She doesn't like being anyone's prisoner it would seem," Kaz stated as he leaned lazily against his cane. While he looked like the picture of contentment, his heart was pounding. He had learned long ago to not allow his anxieties to play on his face. It was easier when he looked as though he could care less about anything that was going on. That and it helped to piss people off. A pissed-off person was more likely to reveal their plans. Pride and anger got more people into trouble than anyone had ever cared to realize.
        Kirigin began to walk towards him. Long legs causing long strides. The darkness of his shadows seemed to build around him as though they were living. Kaz wanted to throw up at the sight. "Give her back to me or your friends will meet a very sticky end."
        Kaz's stare was bored although his palms were sweaty in his gloves. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and run as far as possible from this place. "I don't have the girl. I don't have friends. Threaten someone with something to lose next time." His gravelly voice came out rougher, the telltale sign of his lies. He hated that he still had a tell. He had worked for years to get rid of all of them.
        He did have something to lose. All he had built could come crumbling down if he wasn't careful. He'd already put up the club in order to bring Inej along. 
        Kirigin snarled at him, a curse rising on his lips. Kaz did not need to be warned twice. He knew danger when he saw it. While most would assume that he did not have a sense of self-preservation, mainly because of how intense most of his plans seemed to be, he had quite an intense one. He would not let anyone kill him. Not anytime soon. Kaz was supposed to be the one who brought destruction to those who were not expecting it. He was not supposed to be the one who managed to get caught in the crossfires.
        He flung his arm out, tossing down a flash bomb that his demolition man in Kerch had made him. He only had a few left, only to be used in case of emergency. The Darkling baring down at him? Yes, that counted as an emergency.
        Kaz fled the scene as quickly as he could while Kirigin was blinded. He found himself back in the square, Jesper stood grinning far too widely with a book in his hand. Inej looked worse for wear, a haunted look in her eye and anxious energy surrounding her. They had been caught unaware. Kaz could not help but to blame himself for it. He should have expected some sort of attack after last night. After all, they had been seen running from the palace around the time the Sun Summoner had gone missing. They had targets on their backs.
        "We need to leave, now," Inej twirled one of her knives as she spoke. Kaz nodded once before he motioned for the two to follow after him.
        "Why not steal a carriage?" Jesper spoke as they ran past stables, his breath coming in soft pants that Kaz found somewhat annoying. The whole question was annoying. The situation itself was enough to darken his normally foul mood.
        "It's what they expect of us after last night," Kaz stated as they slipped out of the town's gates. His chest burned, his leg ached, but none of it would make him slow. Not until they got somewhere they could hide long enough to figure out just what to do. 
        The three rushed into the forest, taking a moment to catch their breath once they were deep within the confines of the forest. Kaz knew that this was a stupid plan. He knew that they needed to be careful. With the Darkling at their back, they were in more trouble than he had originally believed. Yet, there was nothing they could do but try to find Alina. They had to figure out how to get her back and return to Kerch. They had to figure out if they even wanted to.
        Inej was beginning to break. He could tell by the look in her eye and the set of her square jaw. He wondered why she still believed in her Saints. They had clearly forsaken her. So why did she find it within herself to be so pious? Why did she want anything to do with them? With any of it?
        Questions he would never ask seemed to crowd his mind. He had trouble with that. He thought too much about too many things. It was normally a useful tool. He was able to see past things that most people didn't. He was able to find the smallest details and then exploit them. It had helped when he was rising in rank. It had helped him to capture the Barrel.
        "Where do we go now?" Jesper questioned, his chest heaving as he panted. His eyes were wild, glancing at everything at once and seeing nothing. Kaz knew that Jesper often had trouble sitting still. He knew the sharpshooter needed to feel something moving at all times, whatever it was matching the beat of his heart.
        "We continue to the docks. But we do so silently. We'll board whatever we can find to get us across the Fold. The Saint and her Tracker should make an appearance at some point," Kaz brushed the head of his cane off. Dust from his flash bomb still coated the surface. "We stick to the plan. We can outrun Kirigin and his Grisha as long as we keep our heads and avoid detection."
        He stared at the sharpshooter as he spoke. Out of the three of them, Jesper was the most likely to be caught. He had a way of drawing attention to himself. That was the one thing they did not need. Having all of Ravka's Second Army coming after them would only lead to losing the club. And possibly their lives. That strangely did not affect Kaz as much as it should have. He was at risk of losing his life every day he stayed at the top of the Dregs.
        "Okay," Inej breathed out through her nose, a sure sign that she wasn't happy. "So our entire plan is to wait it out?" 
        "Sometimes inaction can be the greatest action," Kaz stated as he began to walk away. They had to get moving before the sun went down. He didn't fancy being caught outdoors during winter in Ravka. Kerch got cold enough. Ravka, on the other hand, had nights that were below freezing in the depths of winter. Being turned into a frozen crow did not sound appealing to him.
        "I don't think now is one of those times," Jesper spoke as he and Inej followed after Kaz. "We'll freeze our assess off before we get there."
        "That would keep you from talking at least," Kaz grumbled as they trekked through the forest. He could feel Jesper's glare. Normally, he would have intimidated him or done something cruel in response. He did not have the energy. If his sharpshooter wanted to waste energy hating him, so be it. They would get out of this alive. They would keep the Crow Club. He wouldn't let them fail. Even if it meant alienating the only friends he'd ever had.
        Kaz didn't believe in friendship. It was a waste of time. He had people who were loyal to him. People he could hold at arm's length. They could betray him but they could never tell anyone his secrets. They'd only ever be able to reveal an idea of who Dirtyhands was. No one would ever know the truth behind the Bastard of the Barrel. It was safer that way. Lonely, but safer. Jordie should've been the same way. Maybe then Kaz wouldn't be so alone in this damned world.
        Thoughts of Jordie plagued him as they journeyed for three days. 
        It was three days of hell. Of breaking into random barns and sleeping on floors that smelled of shit and hay. It had been trekking through mud and snow, being near blinded by a blizzard, and foraging for food when they couldn't risk showing their faces in a town. Kaz had counted down the days till they had reached civilization. He had not been made for foraging and hiding in the dirt. The farm had never been what he had wanted. It never would be.
        Inej was the one who got them lodging. A vacant house nearer to the Fold than anywhere else. Its occupants had been devoured by the Volcra. Kaz didn't care about the ghosts. The house didn't smell of hay or animal excrement. It would do.
        There had been no talk of the Saint coming to town. No one had heard anything about a tracker either. The gossip in the tavern stayed focused on who was sleeping with who, who was with child, and who owed money to the crown. None of it mattered to him. None of these people were important enough to him. They weren't pigeons to swindle or those who would have any knowledge of the would-be-saint. All they were was normal, everyday people going about their shitty lives. Kaz couldn't hate them for not knowing anything and yet, he found them completely and utterly horrid. 
        The tavern the trio of crows found themselves in was as dank and depressing as every other tavern they'd seen. The lights flickered, the chairs creaked, and the glasses were more grime than glass. It was enough to make anyone's stomach turn. Yet, it was also the one place that reminded any of them of home. The Barrel was home if they liked it or not. Most of the time, it was something that everyone hated.
        Everyone wanted out of the Barrel. Yet very few ever made it out. Kaz knew he would never get out. His heart belonged there. All the torn, shredded, dirty pieces of it. There had never been anywhere else for him. There never would be.
        "Are you sure she'll show up here?" Inej questioned from her seat across from Kaz. She had a drink in her hands, although she stared into it as though it held every answer she'd ever searched for. He doubted she would actually drink it any time soon. Although, she had been known to surprise him.
        "If she doesn't come of her own accord," Kaz began, staring at the patrons of the bar as he spoke, "then Kirigin will bring her. She's his great victory. He's a narcissist, he'll be determined to show her off. To end the Fold and claim Ravka as his own."
        "Shouldn't we help her then?" 
        "No," he hadn't told her of the club. Hadn't told her what was at risk should they fail. No, he'd kept that to himself. It was his burden to bear. "She's the mark. She's not a damsel in distress."
        The tavern door opened, spilling fresh sunlight into the darkness. He nearly winced at the golden light. A woman slipped in, a cloak covering her head. He could see golden hair underneath it, strands falling down her shoulders despite whatever attempts had been made to pull it back. 
        The woman walked with an easy elegance, her feet barely touching the floor as she strode to the bar. He didn't hear what she ordered, didn't know what she said to the barkeep. He just saw the way the man sneered, the way her fingers twitched. Instead of reaching for a knife, as he had assumed she would, she tossed a coin onto the bar.
        Kaz knew he should look away from her but there was something there. Something that tugged at his brain. He recognized something about the woman. That alone could be dangerous. She may have been a Grisha in disguise. Someone who was looking for them as a favor to Kirigin.
        The woman turned once she got her drink, her eyes scanning the bar and landing on their table. The hood of her cloak concealed her face and yet, he could feel her gaze upon him. His spine stiffened as she made her way towards them. Her graceful walk almost looked like a dance. 
        A sinking feeling began in the pit of his stomach.
        "Mr. Vanzin," Anastasia Lantsov lowered her hood, a smile playing on her lips, "I've been looking for you."
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mxgilray · 3 years
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I... have some thoughts on the Loki finale. It was not what I was expecting, but I'm still hopeful for season 2.
This felt like a meh finale, like how a lot of season finales felt in Spring 2020 when they unexpectedly quit filming and had to cut things short by a couple episodes thanks to the pandemic. Only this was the planned out finale, they should've given a bit more oomph. I'm quite a fan of exposition and character development usually, but all the dialog was centered on He Who Remains, so it felt like our main characters were just side pieces.
Plus, the final "cliffhanger" of Mobius not knowing Loki and the statue of HWR replacing the Time Keeper statues felt quite lackluster. Not sure how they could've made it hit harder, but it didn't deliver the "oh shit" vibes they intended, but maybe that's cuz Mobius not remembering Loki has been an expected plot line on tumblr for half the season so it wasn't a blindside.
I get the point of the Sylki kiss. From what I've seen on tumblr so far I feel like the nuance of Sylvies actions was lost to most people (both Sylki fans and antis just Didn't Get It). It wasn't a big declaration of love like the fans are grasping onto it as, and it wasn't shoving selfcest into the canon to keep the heternormativity like antis are accusing it of being; it was Sylvie using Loki's attachment to her to trick him. She needed Loki out of her way, and she knew the only way to get past him and get He Who Remains' tempad was through emotional distraction. She used his love against him and betrayed him, a kiss was simply the most efficient way to do it. I did a whole post last week about Sylvie's feelings towards Loki, but to sum up I firmly believe that while Loki harbors some romantic feelings for Sylvie, she feels strictly platonic towards him, but is very aware of his attraction. She took advantage of his care for her to get the upper hand during their fight. Heck she even foreshadowed it herself in ep 5. "There are more important things than friends" "like taking down the TVA" she told Loki that taking down whoever is behind the TVA comes before everything; it's priority #1 in her book, above friendship or love or trust. Loki proved that his priority now is the greater good of the universe not her revenge, so Sylvie has no use for him anymore (partners only when it's convenient, because she is a Loki and that's how emotionally stunted Lokis behave).
I would like to point out the irony of her being worried about Loki betraying her, only to turn around and betray him. It's in the realm of "people who cheat assuming their partner is cheating" / "not using a turn signal when changing planes to avoid being cut off because when you see someone else use their signal you tend to cut them off", it's assuming other people will behave like you do. Sylvie feared in ep 5 that Loki would betray her in the end because she knew if it came down to it she'd betray him. But the thing is, he's actually grown past that. Loki is finally thinking about how his actions can damage others, not just his own wants and needs. Sylvie saw this moral change in Loki, realized there was no chance of getting him back on the blind revenge boat, and decided to exploit his newfound selflessness and emotional attachment to get him out of her path.
This whole season Loki has been maturing emotionally and growing into the best, most heroic version of himself. Sylvie, on the other hand, still has that deceptive, selfish, can't trust anyone persona that every Loki develops to combat insecurity. She hasn't had the emotional growth needed to see the bigger picture, she's still trapped in her own self centered mindset. As such, she disregards the impact her betrayal will have on Loki, the impact killing HWR will have on the universe. She doesn't even take a beat to consider whether revenge is still the right path cuz she doesn't practice self reflection yet; revenge has always been the goal and she refuses to give herself a chance of changing her mind. I hope in season 2 she'll get some character growth, now that her 1 goal has been accomplished.
Now on to Mobius. I enjoyed his scenes, I wish we'd been shown more of what he did to reveal the truth to the rest of the TVA. Again, I feel like too much time was given to HWR's monologing and not enough was spent on the other characters so Mobius and B-15 got very little screen time to display their plan. I am happy Mobius got the opportunity to throw Ranslayers betrayal back in her face, and his attemp at attacking her...my boy you work a desk job you ain't no fighter, she used to work in the field collecting variants, you had no chance. Also, where the F did she go??? I kept expecting her to show up at the end of time but she didn't. Where did Miss Minutes send her??
I'm sad Mobius doesn't know Loki anymore, but I can't say I'm surprised. I've got a few different thoughts on what the heck is going on with him and the TVA:
Sylvie accidentally sent Loki way back to a time early on in the TVA before HWR created the Time Keepers for anonymity. As such, this is a past Mobius who has yet to meet Loki or even learn of Loki's existence. If this is the case, then I think Loki and Past!Mobius's interaction at the end of ep 6 will be the catalyst for him becoming a Loki expert. The 63 branching timelines Mobius and B-15 are discussing before Loki interrupts are from some currently unknown disaster that'll be a plot line in s2. (This is my least favorite theory, but nevertheless a possibility)
HWR was correct when he said that if Sylvie kills him and destroys the TVA then another variant of him will just start it all up again. This variant didn't care to remain anonymous, hence the big statue of him, but kept all the memory wiped variants working there. Because time is a chaotic bitch, the changeover from one HWR variant to another may have been near seamless at the TVA and just involved a quick memory wipe of anything relating to the Time Keepers, Loki and Sylvie, or knowledge that the TVA are all variants. The 63 branches may be thanks to something Renslayer is doing like killing all the HWR variants in existence in order to negate the need for the TVA. The branching could also be from Sylvie's revenge still, we have no idea how much time has passed between her killing HWR and a new HWR taking over so the branching she caused could still be an issue.
There have actually been multiple TVAs running simultaneously, each in their own multiverse. Each one employs memory wiped variants, each one is in charge of a certain subset of timelines, and all work under the one HWR. Sylvie used HWR's tempad to eject Loki back to the TVA, but she accidentally sent him to the TVA of a different multiverse not realizing that's a Thing. The 63 branching timelines Mobius and B-15 are discussing are indeed from Sylvie killing HWR, but there's only 63 as opposed to the countless we saw diverging from Sylvie's perspective because this TVA only sees branches on timelines within their own multiverse. Mobius doesn't know Loki because he isn't our Mobius and in the multiverse he works in maybe Loki's aren't as much of an issue because none of them ever escaped the TVA like Sylvie did (or none of them have Tom's face so he doesn't recognize him as a Loki). If this is the case, then Loki is gonna have to find his way back to his own multiverse in order to be reunited with his Mobius, and that could end up happening thanks to Renslayer. Miss Minutes gave her a file that I suspect only HWR should have access to. Maybe it was tempad coordinates for other multiverses? It took til the 31st century for the multiverses to be connected despite Tony figuring out time travel in the 21st century because travel between universes is much harder, maybe HWR is still the only one who knows how to do that. (If this theory is correct then all the time travel done during Endgame was through timelines within one multiverse) Also just thought of this but what if the reason there are so many extreme variations of loki that grew to adulthood is because the criteria of "sacred timeline" is different in each multiverse. Classic Loki and maybe President Loki and Kid Loki are from the same universe as MCU Loki, but red haired Loki, Croki, Boastful Loki, etc are all from other universes. Think about it, Classic Loki, 2012 Loki, and MCU Loki all have an exact identical path up until their nexus event (or death in MCU Loki's case). I think other than identifying as female, Sylvie's childhood was identical as well and that her nexus event was coming to terms with her adoption as a child, which erased the catalyst of 2011 Thor's plot and would've changed everything for her future path. Had her adoption remained a secret and she grew up on asgard, I believe her story would mirror MCU Loki's. It mildly hit me weird that there would be such wild variation amongst Lokis, even with him being a shapeshifter, because there's a rigid sacred timeline (that supposedly the MCU movies have all adhered to) and they all felt like too big of a divergence to have been left unchecked so long. If boastful Loki was telling the truth about getting all 6 infinity stones then he should've triggered a nexus event as soon as he got more than the 3 he is "supposed to" interact with, unless in his multiverse the sacred timeline criteria is different. Another theory: the agents employed in each TVA are from multiverses other than the one they're working in. It would make sense, keep them from running into their own past by fully detaching each agent from their home timeline/universe. So the Principal!Renslayer that B-15 found will never in any future become the TVA judge we know. The one we know maybe came from the universe Loki got sent to, and that's how the two of them will end up crossing paths again.
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auroracalisto · 4 years
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masterlist
started: 24 june 2020 last updated: 29 october 2020 see what I will write for here want to submit a request?  do it here (:
THIS MASTERLIST WILL NOT BE UPDATED AS OF 18 NOVEMBER 2020.  FIND MY NEW MASTERLIST HERE!
☼ BIRDS OF PREY ☼
roman sionis
Roman’s Girl┆first chapter of multiple┆Roman Sionis gets what he wants. And when he sets his eyes on you, a girl ten or more years his junior, he’ll get you. Lucky for him, despite your shy and flustered nature, you want him just as much as he wants you.
married life┆short┆the two were always at it—now, the reader was in the middle of it. harley doesn’t care for roman, but she wouldn’t dare hurt you. hell, she would kidnap you—and that’s how you ended up here.
hormones and clubs┆one-shot┆the reader is pregnant and begs roman for a chance to go to his club before she goes into labor.  it doesn’t exactly go how she’d like it to go.  
☼ CRIMINAL MINDS ☼
emily prentiss
i love you┆short┆based on the quote “do you still love me?”
my everything┆requested┆by @millipop18​: Hi! I love what you write! Could I request a emily prentiss x reader where she comforts the reader who’s struggling with depression? Have a nice day, much love xxx
spencer reid
not alone, never alone┆requested┆ by @amy-de-l-abc​.  The request was quite long, but the jist of it was having a suicidal reader, but one who isn’t quite able to do anything.  She and Reid start out as friends but the ending will have them getting together.  Fluff on Reid’s part, as he comforts her when she is feeling down.  Reader also feels like she can’t depend on her therapist or her family, and unfortunately, not even a suicide hotline will help (in a very negative way, which is purely for this story’s purpose).  
empty hearts┆short┆in which the reader tries to get spencer to talk to them, but he’s just not listening. 
useless goodbye┆short┆the reader dies right in front of spencer. 
moon and back┆requested┆by @petrichor-ds.  “i loved you to the moon and back, you know.” for spencer when he’s comforting his SO who has been ~going through it~ w depression ??
jack-o’-lantern┆short┆where you carve pumpkins with spencer and he tells you how carving pumpkins became a thing.
derek morgan
something extra┆one-shot┆where you’ve been married to morgan and now you’re expecting your second child (with a little extra surprise).  the team decides to throw you a baby shower.
baby kicks┆requested┆by anon.  hiii, don’t know if ur taking requests rn. but if you are, i would love if you could do an imagine with derek morgan, where the reader is in her 7 or 8th month of pregnancy. and the team is out on the field and the baby kicks and everyone gets so excited, but especially morgan because that’s literally his baby? 
☼ GOTHAM ☼
victor zsasz
forever until the end┆first chapter of multiple┆the reader is falcone’s long lost daughter whose mother fled to washington after an argument got out of hand. she was raised in an abused home where if she even mentioned her unknown father, she would be hurt. a couple of months after turning twenty-one, she’s beaten to the point she packs her things in the middle of the night and leaves. she does everything she can to get to gotham, even going as far as stealing a car. in gotham, she, fortunately, meets her father, along with a man named victor zsasz who was given the assignment of keeping the reader safe while she gets used to the city. zsasz has never dreaded a job more, but he ends up surprising even himself when he begins to like the reader.
imagines:
you being done with victor’s shit.
☼ HAIKYUU!! ☼
sugawara koshi
grey┆one-shot┆you had always wondered why the stripe of color on your wrist was grey. moving to a new school in the miyagi prefecture, you find out exactly why.
rest of my life┆short┆what sugawara would say if you ever asked him if you could spend the rest of your life with him.
tsukishima kei
it’s you┆one-shot┆after watching Avengers: Endgame, you meet your soulmate for the first time.
ukai keishin
Unanticipated┆one-shot┆the reader is an English teacher at Karasuno, who lived in the United States for much of her life. Never did she think she would meet her soulmate; at the age of twenty-four, she had yet to find them. Yet, one day, after a day of teaching, her friend Takeda asked her if she would come to the boy’s volleyball club meeting. She did. To her surprise, she remembered how much she loved volleyball and actually found her soulmate in that very gym.
aone takanobu
jackets┆short┆where aone points out that you have something on your shirt and he gives you his jacket.  
preferences 
how you meet includes hinata, kuroo, oikawa, tsukishima, sugawara, and ukai
☼ HARRY POTTER ☼
draco malfoy
sick┆one-shot┆where draco comes to join you in the common room, coughing his head off. 
☼ HETALIA ☼
russia
birthday surprise┆one-shot┆no one seemed to like Ivan.  except for you and the children where you worked.  with his birthday going unnoticed by your coworkers, you decided to call Natalia up and make it possible for them to celebrate, only asking for friendship in return. 
2p! nyo! america
pissy proposal┆one-shot┆Emily’s worried that you’re going to leave her.  You make sure she knows that she’s the only one for you.  
2p! russia
scared┆short┆our dear reader is pregnant.  and she’s really nervous about telling viktor.
america
cute neighbor┆short┆alfred ran out in just his underwear after the fire alarm went off.  you luckily had a blanket to spare.  
☼ LUCIFER ☼
lucifer morningstar
willpower┆one-shot┆lucifer really doesn’t understand your motives.  he tries to figure it out.  platonic lucifer x reader. 
necessary goodbye┆one-shot┆where the reader loves lucifer, but he’s in love with detective decker.
necessary realization┆requested┆pt. two of necessary goodbye, where the reader is engaged and she brings lucifer her wedding invitation.  after she leaves to return to her hotel room for that weekend, he comes after her. 
imagines:
lucifer preparing to show you his true face.
marcus pierce/cain
poisoned words┆one-shot┆where the reader is in love with pierce and they go undercover together.  reader is poisoned and she goes to the hospital.  after coming back, she tries to talk to pierce about how she feels.  he shoots her down.  i promise, there is a somewhat fluffy end to this.
uncanny resemblance┆requested┆you like the lieutenant.  you cannot figure him out.  it leads to a home invasion and your uncanny resemblance to a string of victims for anything to happen between the two of you.
amenadiel
lost and found┆one-shot┆the reader’s child, leo, gets lost and goes to the police department.  amenadiel and lucifer are there and leo goes straight to amenadiel.  
ella lopez
nerd basket┆requested┆being ella’s significant other is always filled with geeky questions and gifts.  for your anniversary, she has more questions than you anticipated for your early anniversary gift.  
☼ SUPERNATURAL ☼
crowley
fading┆one-shot┆The reader doesn’t know what to do with their self after Crowley dies, right in front of them.  There’s nothing that they can do except grieve.  
sam winchester
imagines
you hate when Sam says, “All Hallow’s Eve.”
☼ THE AVENGERS ☼
steve rogers
101┆first chapter of three┆steve finally meets his soulmate at the ripe age of 101.  his soulmate is 24 and good friends with peter parker. 
tony stark
shut up, stark.┆short┆tony stark is arguably the reader’s best friend, despite the constant jokes.  he would give anything to help the reader with their constant anxiety. 
stephen strange
birthday plans┆short┆It’s Stephen’s birthday.  Tony called and said he was having a cookout.  But you need to make sure Stephen and your little girl, Rosa, are ready for the event itself.
peter parker
liability┆one-shot┆somehow, the reader is in a predicament that only Spider-man can save them from.  But just a couple seconds of Peter not paying attention literally cost them their life.  
stalker┆short┆where the reader is being followed and peter comes to the rescue.  
imagines
peter loves halloween and among us, a little too much.
natasha romanov
cute┆short┆about natasha calling you cute.
loki laufeyson
a little crush┆short┆in where loki is suuuper vulnerable.  fluffy. 
imagines
loki doesn’t like midgard holidays. 
bucky barnes
cynophobia┆short┆where you’re afraid of dogs and it takes bucky to save you from one trapped in your apartment.  
☼ THE LORD OF THE RINGS ☼
samwise gamgee
conceal, don’t feel┆short┆in which samwise doesn’t return your feelings.
☼ THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY ☼
diego hargreeves
replaceable┆one-shot┆in which diego loves lila, you love diego, and you witness the death of your best friend, elliot.  
klaus hargreeves
back to the future┆short┆in which you are in love with klaus.  he returns the feelings, but unfortunately for you, he does not want you coming to 2019 with him and his siblings.  
allison hargreeves
imagines
cuddling with allison.
☼ THE VAMPIRE DIARIES ☼
series:
for the love of you┆the reader is summoned by bonnie, on accident, to the world of the mikaelsons.  as confused as she is, she comes to realize that not only has she found her soulmate, she’s found four soulmates.  PART ONE PART TWO┆more coming soon
elijah mikaelson
The Soulmate Principle┆one-shot┆Dear Prince Elijah should have just left you alone. But with the Soulmate Principle, he just couldn’t help himself. And it just so happened to cost you your life.
hugs and kisses┆requested┆Hello! Can I request an Elijah x reader one shot; just fluff with lots of kisses and cuddles? Btw, love your blog ^^ — Anon
could you be?┆one-shot┆It’s been on Elijah’s mind for some time.  Would you feel the same way?  Would you want him for the rest of your life?  
ocean’s beauty┆one-shot┆Klaus, of course, the traveller he is, decides to take everyone along with him.  You’re a human and you’re married to Elijah.  Oh, and your ship’s hit an iceberg in the middle of the Atlantic—and it’s sinking quickly. 
kiss of life┆one-shot┆polyamorous reader in a relationship with elijah, klaus, and kol has died.  however, she comes back in a revenge plot by a witch who lost her wife due to klaus.  
injury┆short┆where you are injured and elijah takes care of you.  
glitter┆short┆based off of the song glitter, by patrick droney.  the reader is dead, but not entirely gone.  elijah doesn’t know this.
choose me┆one-shot┆elijah has been a bad boyfriend, in the sense that he’s always gone and never takes into consideration how that makes you feel.   
surprise parties┆requested┆Hii! If the bingo requests are still open can you do a one shot of elijah x reader with the birthday prompt it can be like rebekah throwing a birthday party for the reader or just like elijah fluff, up to you <33 — anon
she will be loved┆requested┆Hi! Can I please request an (platonic) Elijah x 3-4 year old fem!child oneshot where when Elijah went to Mystic Falls (when he needed Elena) and when he’s walking, he hears crying and finds her alone on the streets. I’m sure his heart would absolutely break at the sight and he would do anything he can to help calm her down. He obviously wouldn’t leave her on the streets, deciding right then and there that he wants to adopt her, so he brings her home with him. Omggg he would be such a soft (and veryyy protective) dad and all of the Mikaelsons (once they were undaggered) would love her so much 🤧  (Also Elijah would absolutely lose it if the Mystic Falls gang ever brought Y/n into any of the drama) — @kpopgirlbtssvt
a welcome arrangement┆requested┆Hi! If requests are open, could I request an Elijah x Reader where the reader is a vampire and long time friend to the Mikaelson's, and Rebekah and the others try to set her up with Elijah because they know they both like each other? I love your writing!! 💕 — anon
imagines
you adopt a child with Elijah.
klaus mikaelson 
you’re safe now┆one-shot┆the reader leaves the mystic grill with the intent of going home. instead, something distracts her and she’s attacked. her soulmate is the one who saves her life. crazily enough, it’s the same guy who she was staring at just moments earlier.
pretend boyfriend┆short┆ reader is being watched by some creepy guy at the mystic grill. she asks dear klaus to pretend to be her boyfriend.
which disney princess are you?┆short┆Klaus walks in on you taking a Which Disney Princess Are You? quiz on Buzzfeed.  Color him intrigued.  
heather┆short┆in where the reader is in love with klaus, but he loves heather.
endearment┆short┆klaus is in love with you.  but he doesn’t know if you return the feelings. 
kiss of life┆one-shot┆polyamorous reader in a relationship with klaus, elijah, and kol has died.  however, she comes back in a revenge plot by a witch who lost her wife due to klaus.  
forgotten lifetimes┆one-shot┆reader has dementia and has forgotten her children on multiple occasions.  now, she’s forgetting klaus.  
writer’s block┆short┆where the reader is suffering from writer’s block and klaus comforts the reader so they don’t get upset because of it.
silent treatment┆requested┆hi, can you please write an imagine with klaus mikaelson? his gf calls him by one of her close friend’s name (that he don’t like bc he’s possessive like that) and he gives her the silent treatment — anon
one night stands, and then some┆requested┆hi! i just wanted to say that i love your blog! i have a request, for a klaus mikaelson drabble/imagine. where the reade had a one night stand with him (instead of hayley) and now she’s pregnant. whatever else you want to do with that! thank you! ❤️  — @mikaelson-emma
a bolt from the blue┆one-shot┆the reader has recently moved from colorado and finds one of her first cases on the job to be a dead doctor, invited to a ball held by the mikaelsons.  she goes, expecting to find the killer, but instead, she finds that two of the mikaelsons have fallen for her—klaus and rebekah.  
kol mikaelson
take a hint┆requested┆can you do a kol mikaelson one where Caroline is distracting Klaus and she brought the reader with her so she could distract kol? maybe it can be based on the song take a hint from victorious? i’ve listened to it and thought it would be funny and cute! thank you! — @mikaelson-emma
family game night┆one-shot┆where you play Monopoly with the Mikaelson’s and the youngest finds out he’s developed a little crush.
kiss of life┆one-shot┆polyamorous reader in a relationship with kol, klaus, and elijah has died.  however, she comes back in a revenge plot by a witch who lost her wife due to klaus.  
tell me a lie┆short┆loosely based off the quote, “my favorite lie was, ‘i love you.’”  definitely not happy.  reader was cheated on. 
forsaken hearts┆short┆kol doesn’t love you.  what’s his reason?
talks of mortality┆one-shot┆about you trying to talk kol into taking the cure, but he doesn’t want to listen to what you have to say.  
truth or dare┆one-shot┆after a game of truth or dare, you reveal to your friends and siblings that you’re dating kol mikaelson.  
times of change┆short┆an argument between kol and the reader.
imagines
kol pisses you off
rebekah mikaelson
pesky┆short┆using the sentence prompt, “can someone kill him again?”
a bolt from the blue┆one-shot┆the reader has recently moved from colorado and finds one of her first cases on the job to be a dead doctor, invited to a ball held by the mikaelsons.  she goes, expecting to find the killer, but instead, she finds that two of the mikaelsons have fallen for her—rebekah and klaus.  
imagines
rebekah reveals how she truly feels.
damon salvatore
Closure┆one-shot┆a year has passed since Damon and the reader broke up. Damon was with Angie, the reader was a depressed shell of herself. A drunken three AM phone call is exactly what it takes for the reader to get some closure.
by your side┆requested┆Can I get a fluff fic of either Elijah Mikaelson or Damon Salvatore where the reader is going through a rough time (depressive episode) and they comfort reader through it? 😔  — anon
stefan salvatore
only time will tell┆requested┆a stefan soulmate au — @123cvcz 
lovelorn hearts┆requested┆heyyy, can i request a angst fic where reader is damon’s best friend and stefan has a huge crush on her, she overhears damon teasing him about it which leads to his confession, but she’s unsure if she feels the same way and he gets his heart broken all over again? (after elena) thanks, your writing is lovely. — @xoxosinister
miscellaneous 
imagines:
hope hearing stories about you.
☼ X-MEN ☼
charles xavier
happiest year┆one-shot┆although the reader loves charles—although she makes sure he knows that she would do anything for him, he throws it all away. the reader leaves and moves on with her life.
erik lehnsherr
embarrassing moments┆requested┆BROOOOOOO i didn’t know you wrote for the x men … could i please request smth w erik?? smth with mutual pining ~~~ maybe reader is an awkward mutant who’s insecure and can’t talk to erik ……. bro the erik thirst has been REAL recently — @petrichor-ds
sparks fly┆requested┆reader is a cheerful mutant w some sort of electricity ability, and she’s bright until erik comes around.  then she’s removed, quiet, and reserved.  charles has had enough and pairs them up to do training demos tgt (electricity overlaps w magnetism a bit) and then ~romantic tension~ and then reader finally confesses to him after he’s like “why r u so nervous????” — @petrichor-ds
☼ THE 100 ☼
bellamy blake
imagines:
you’re left behind at mount weather, instead of gina.  
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thebookwormfairy · 4 years
Text
Daminette/Maribat Fairy Tail Au Part 2
Part 1
As the months turned into years Marinette's bond grew stronger with her spirits and her guild mates
Durning this time she gained 2 more golden gate keys, Pollen spirit of subjection, and Kaalki spirit of teleportation
Kaalki was one of Damian's favorite spirit because most of the time she eliminated the need for long travel on vehicles that make him sick
Marinette was able to use star dress with Tixx and Pollen now, but Kaalki refused to do it so far, which Marinette respected
Damian, Marinette, and Jon's team became one of the top teams in the guild
Though they didn't have an official name a lot of the other guild members called them team Hatchling much to their chagrin
Marinette also noticed that Damian was very protective of her
He still let her fight and go on missions with other people, but he was also quick to shield her or step in front of her when facing off against dark wizards
Marinette acted like she was annoyed with it sometimes, but really she was flattered and couldn't help but feel a little flustere at his actions
Jon sometimes joked that he felt like a third wheel, but never made him feel left out or unwanted
They were a tight knit team so much so that when Marinette, the youngest of the group, turned 18 they decided to pool their money and buy a house together
They ended up buying a nice 2 story house close to the guild
It had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms
It was decided early on after Damian almost burned down the kitchen that cooking would be left to Marinette and Jon and Damian would do any repair work that was needed around the house
About a month after moving in together Marinette started to wake up with Damian in her bed
Not like that you weirdos
Marinette would go to sleep alone in her bed and wake up snuggling with Damian
Not that she minded, but she did wish that he would at least ask before he snuck in
Damian claimed no knowledge in how he got in her bed
He says that he would fall asleep in his own bed and wake up in hers
When he told his brothers they all got the same smug look
Dick: oh you're growing up so fast hatchling
Jason: I guess we should be expecting wedding bells in the future now, huh?
Tim: Should have known, you wouldn't bring just anybody back to the guild with you
Damian: What are you morons babbling about? And I brought Marinette back because she's a powerful wizard
Dick: We're talking about how you are showing all the signs of a dragon slayer whi has found his mate
Damian: WHAT?!?!
Jason: That's right Demon Spawn, it looks like you found your mate
Tim: Dick acted the exact same way when he first met Kori
Damian continued to deny it until one day he found Marinette trying on her new white sundress that flowed around her like water
Something just clicked in his brain
Marinette was his mate no doubt about it
Now he only had to tell Marinette that
And he had every intention to tell Marinette there was just never a good time
As time past the Grand Magic Games approached
This is the first year that Damian, Jon, and Marinette were competing along with Dick, Jason, and Tim
This was also the first year that Marinette's old guild was competing
Their team consisted of Adrien, Alya, Nino, Lila, Natalie, and Ms. Bustier
Unknown to the Justice League guild Grabriel had a nefarious plot cooking up
Gabriel had ordered Lila and Natalie to try and get Marinette's keys no matter what
Marinette was the only person who stood in his way of attaining the final 6 golden keys
Once he gets those keys his wish can be granted and nobody will be able to stand in his way ever again
This wasn't the first time he tried to get the keys from the blasted girl
He sent wizard after wizard to get those keys and all were defeated and either sent back or sent off to jail
He even tried to send a dark guild after the girl and that led to her joining freaking Justice League!
He hoped that with all of the choas from the Grand Magic Games that getting the keys would be easy
Oh boy was he wrong
Marinette was nervous
This would be the first time Marinette would see her old guild in about 3 years
She hoped for the best, but new she wouldn't get it
And she was proven right as her, Damian, and Jon were making her away back to their hotel after exploring the city when they were stop by her old team
Alya: Oh if it isn't the weak little wizard that abandoned us
Marinette sighing: Hey guys how is it going
Lila: Great our team's status has gone way up since you left. We should have kicked you off the team way before
Marinette: You didn't kick me out I left on my own after you abandoned me with no way to protect myself from a dangerous wizard
Nino: Dont be so dramatic dudette. It's not like you got seriously hurt or anything.
Lila: In all honesty the only downside was losing that quick clean up your spirit did. You should have really left her and the rest of your keys with us.
Lila held out her hand like she actually expected Marinette to hand over her keys to her
Marinette stepped back covering her keys with her hands
Damian stepped in front of Marinette and Jon stepped closer to her side
Damian: You know compulsive rings are illegal. Luckily for us we were trained on how to spot those and other illegal rings right away, because their weakness is awareness
Lila growled under her breath
Why couldn't Marinette make this easy for her. It's not like she even deserve those keys
Adrien glaring: And who are you?
Jon: I'm Jon her guildmate
Damian: I'm Damian her...Guildmate!
Damian wanted to say mate, but he still hadn't had that talk with her yet about it and this was definitely not how he wanted her to find out
Alya snorting: Anothe rguild actually took you in? Who did you trick to pull that off
Marinette: I didn't trick anybody! I earned my spot in Justice League!
Marinette showed off her guild mark to her ex-friends
All their jaws dropped
Damian: That's right so unless you want to make some very powerful enemies you'll leave us alone
Damian wrapped his arm around Marinette's shoulder and lead her away from her ex-guild mates with Jon on her other side running her arm in comfort
The games started the next day full of different competitions and different match ups
Marinette hadn't had to go one on one against her ex guild yet until she was put up against Lila in a match up
The two girls stood across from eachother glaring
Lila in the taunting voice how about we make this more interesting Dupen-Cheng. If I win I get your celestial keys if you win I will admit every lie I've ever told
Marinette glaring even harder: NO WAY LILA! No decent celestial wizard would trade their keys away on a bet. My spirits are my friends. No, they're more than that they're my family, I would rather die then let you touch even 1 of them!
Lila with and evil glint in her eye: So be it. If you win it's not like it would actually count. You'll just hide behind you spirits the whole time
Marinette glared at the girl wanting to prove her wrong
The battle that followed was brutal
Marinette didn't call her celestial spirits right away she used her star dress to fight Lila
She would switch between her star dresses impressing the crowd
She switch from ladybug, to black cat, to turtle, which was a soldier looking outfit, to Bee, which was black overall shorts with a yellow off the shoulder crop top striped tights and yellow converses with her hair in a bun.
Marinette finished Lila using her fox star dress creating a illusion of herself to lure Lila out and knocked her out with a blow to the back of her head
Marinette won
She felt a weight ahe didn't realize was there lift off her shoulders
She just proved that everything Lila had ever said about her and other celestial wizards wrong
She felt her teammates engulf her in a hug yelling congratulations before lifting her up and carrying her out of the stadium cheering
The rest of the games were just as exhilarating the final match up that will decide if Justice League or Miraculous Moth would win the whole tournament was between Damian and Adrien
Damian remember all the times Marinette cried over how her old team treated her and he wanted revengs
Nobody treated his mate like that and got away from it
The battle was brutal if one boy gained the upper hand the other would take it back quickly
But Damian won the match up and the tournament with a well time shadow dragon roar
Justice League piled into the stadium surrounding Damian as they cheered over their victory as Adrien was being carried out by medics
Marinette squeezed her way through the crowd reaching Damian
Marinette: Congregations Damian you did great
Damian: Thanks Ang-
Marinette cut him off with a kiss on the lips
Damian froze for a moment before wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her back enjoying every second of it
The two vaguely registered that the cheering seemed to get louder but ignored it
The guild continued the celebrate throughout the night
Most of the guild was so hungover the next day that they had to put off leaving till another day
A decision they would soon regret as they were attacked the next day by Miraculous Moth
Apparently Grabriel was tired if waiting and decided to attack Justice League whe. He thought they would be at their weakness
Miraculous Moth wasn't as powerful as as Justice League, but they had more members
It was 4 to 1
But Justice League refused to give down without a fight
The battle that followed destroyed half of the town they were in
Luckily Barry, Wally, and Kaalki were able to work together using speed and teleportation magic to get the civilians out of the town
During the climax of the battle Marinette finally learned what type of magic her former guild master possessed
He was a celestial wizard just like her
He also had 6 golden gate keys
During the fight Marinette called put Tikki and Plagg while having Wayzz star dress while Gabriel called his own spirits
Gabriel: Give up you stupid girl! You're no match for me!
Marinette hiding behind her shield: Why are you doing this?
Grabiel: To bring back my wife and to gain power over the celestial king
Marinette: You're planning on using the 12 golden gate keys to form a key for the celestial king!?! That will destroy the other spirits! IT WILL KILL THEM!!! I CAN'T LET YOU DO THIS!
Gabriel: And what are you going to do about it?
Marinette darted her eyes around trying to think of a solution when her eyes landed on Damian and she remember a spell her grandfather taught her. One that only the most powerful celestial wizards could cast, and one that must only be used in emergencies.
Marinette closed Tikki's and Plagg's gates before yelling to Damian
Marinette: DAMIAN CATCH!
Marinette threw her keys to Damian who gave her a confused looked but trusted Marinette and her apparent plan
Marinette charged towards Gabriel not dropping her star dress until the very last minutes
Marinette grabbed his keys not letting go as Gabriel tried to claw them out of his hands: Scattered these keys to the four winds. Use the stars as their guide to lead them to partners. Let them shoot across the sky like falling stars and hope that they land within good hands!
As Marinette finished her spell Gabriel's key ring exploded sending his keys across the continent.
The shock wave from the explosion pushed Marinette and Gabriel back
The shock was just what Justice League needed to end the battle and win
Gabriel: NNNOOOOO!!! What have you've done?
Marinette: I've scattered your keys and I won't let you hurt any of them ever again.
With the battle over and Miraculous Moth in custody life was able to settle down
Damian was finally able to talk to Marinette about them being mates
They started dating and 2 years in after a sorcerers' weekly article (a/n: going to do a seperate ova post telling that story) Damian marked her as his mate showing everybody they were together forever
Team Hatchlings adventures continued on for many years
Through marriage, kids, and old age the team of three remained the best of friends, Damian and Marinette welcoming Jon's wife into their team with open arms
No matter what the friends stuck together and fought for what was not only for themselves and their friends but for the future.
@loysydark
@mikantsume
@doli09
@krissykat0207
@czgamz
@myazael
@renscorpio
@mochinek0
@daminett4life
@kuroko26
@vixen-uchiha
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dcomicsficrecs · 4 years
Note
Got any good longish casefic recs? Got a loooong trip and I need something to keep me occupied. Thank you so much!!
First of all, thank you for sending this ask! I love case-heavy stories and long fics, so that was an opportunity to re-discover some of my favorite stories. I am going to re-read half of the list now, as well!
Here we go - top ten recommendations for long(ish) case fics!
1) detective stories series by prismatical starting with bad signal (38K)
The rescue mission went well. Nightwing is safe. Everything should be alright.
Right?
It’s a really gripping story that will keep you on the edge of your seat till the end. Features all of Batfam with Dick as a focus but other boy Robins play significant part too.
2) For Those Who Can't  by  GoAwayOlivia (8K)
They don’t understand him at all. There is no setting him off, that’s not the way it works. And he doesn’t go on violent sprees. Jason kills when the situation demands. That’s it. Plain and simple. He doesn’t lose his temper and murder any asshole that pisses him off. Every kill is a decision that he makes, and every decision is carefully weighed and measured with a cool head. He only ever kills because the person deserves to die.
Red Hood!Jason conducts investigation into a sting of murders that happened on his territory. I have a lot of feelings about this story and I’m sure you will, too.
3)  Raisin Delight  by  LemonadeGarden (8K)
A year after Jason Todd dies, Tim Drake and Bruce Wayne take on the case when they notice strange occurrences in Gotham city. This has disastrous consequences, but so do most things that Tim gets caught up in, so what's new, really.
It’s not only a case fic but also a time travel fic which is, imo, a double treat! The ending is very powerful even if I expect you’re going to have mixed feelings about it.
4)  Little Wing and Big Bird by Airawyn (16K)
When Bruce attempts to murder Jason in his sleep, the young Robin goes to his predecessor for help. Nightwing and Robin must work together to find out what happened to the real Bruce Wayne.
Fic featuring Robin!Jason teaming up with Nightwing!Dick. The boys save Bruce and Alfred and have a heart-to-heart in the process. Superb.
5) Some fics from More to Being a Father than Having a Kid by Romiress:
We Don't Raise Heroes (70K), Don't Call It Revenge (58K), Legacy's Sway (107K)
While technically not a case fic but include a big mysteries that Batfam investigates so I think it counts. I highly recommend the whole series. First fics are gen!
6) The Bat's Crest by livierambles (200K+)
Tragedy strikes the hero community when Bruce Wayne commits a crime so heinous even the best start asking for blood. However, as the heroes try to recover from the hit and carry out justice for their friends, a random assortment of people start acting oddly, including the current Speedy Tim Drake, a child hostage in Gotham, and a young man from an unremarkable circus amongst others. All of them seem intent on saving Bruce Wayne from the grasp of the Justice League for no apparent reason, going as far as betraying their previous allegiances.
Unknown to the Justice League, these people are equally confused. Clearly they're stuck in another dimension, but how do they get back? How did they even get here? Who else is stuck in this world? And how long will Tim's patience last? Back home, the Bat was a planetary symbol that struck fear in the hearts of criminals. In this new world, it has no meaning, save for the handful of stranded souls.
All Batfam is featured. While this is also technically not a case fic but adventure/dimension travel fic, its plot has a mystery element to it and characters have to investigate a lot as far as I remember. It’s probably the only WIP here on this list but god, is it worth to read and bookmark it. You know what? I’m even going to go ahead and subscribe to the author, too.
7) The Volatile Verse (117K) by BlackFriar, starting with Volatile (47K)
After a transdimensional mishap, Batman and Robin are faced with a murderous Joker rampaging through Gotham and an anti-hero who is determined to remove Robin from the crime-fighting business. Can they strike a balance before it all ends in tragedy and the Joker has the last laugh?
It’s a dimension travel case fic (series of fics, actually!) set in Young Justice with Robin!Dick and main universe!Red Hood!Jason. It’s a great story that doesn’t shy away from darker themes, can and probably will make you cry, but it also has hopeful ending. This Jason is going to be okay with these Bruce and Dick, and at the end of the day, after the case is solved, what else do you need?
8) I saved one of the best till the end, and it’s basically anything by Mikimoo
Fair warning, most of their fics are jaydick. My favorites are:
8.1 Between The Bars (48K)
A number of suspicious deaths at South Haven Penitentiary are being ignored by the authorities, but have attracted the attention of various other parties.
OR:
That one time Dick and Jason accidentally ended up undercover on the same mission and started a riot.
8.2 And If I Recover (33K)
Officer Dick Grayson is captured by a criminal group that makes it's living from torture and extortion. Half the family are forced to watch as events unfold, while the rest franticly try to track down the culprits.
8.3 That Awful Bitter Taste (30K)
Roped in to find out what has happened to Dick on an undercover mission, Jason finds himself faced with situations that challenge his personal identity. Meanwhile, Dick is having to face demons from his past, and Jason is not sure if he is helping or hurting.
But of course, the best time to have this particular existential crisis is while trying not to die in the desert, and being chased by angry men with guns.
8. 4 This Night (33K)
The Red Hood and Officer Grayson are on the same case.  A small misstep has far reaching consequences for them both.
All those fics are tagged as jaydick, and most of them have high rating but it’s for graphic description of violence so read the warnings before reading.
Even if you aren’t a jaydick shipper, those fics are plot-heavy and case-focused. The relationship dynamic and its progress would be natural and heartfelt as well.
Also, if asked to choose only one fic from the author, or only one jaydick, or only one case fic, I probably would have chosen Between The Bars, just so you know.
9. Two Birds on a Wire by  empires, pentapus (20K)
Dick asks Jason for help on a case. Jason should have never agreed.
It’s so popular you probably read it already. Still, just in case, I will include it too because it’s such a great undercover mission fic.
10)  Crimes at Night by empires (16k)
It's summer in Gotham, and the city is experiencing a record breaking heatwave and a rash of violence centered around a strange new drug circulating through the city's youth. Robin is determined to locate the drug's source and put an end to the distribution before things get worse.
Young Justice verse, Robin!Dick and never adopted!Jason, jaydick. It’s a great AU and well-executed case fic and if you’re into Jason/Dick, their relationships are very cute also.
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ecoamerica · 2 months
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youtube
Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared
The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!
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365days365movies · 3 years
Text
May 7, 2021: TRON (1982)
Starting to leave lo-fi sci-fi with this one.
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Can I just say, I am VERY excited for this one. Mostly because it’s hard to get more ‘80s than this movie, specifically in terms of computers. I’ll explain. Y’know Jurassic Park? Yeah, the same movie I’ve brought up far, FAR too many times this month. Is...is that my favorite sci-fi movie? Shit, it might be? I’ve read the books, I’ve seen the movie COUNTLESS times...I’m pretty sure it is! Huh. Go figure. Anyway, where was I?
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Oh, right! Remember the most irritating character in the movie? This is, in my opinion, older sister Lex Murphy. In the book, for the record, she’s a VERY different character. She’s the youngest sibling amongst the two, and she’s a sports nerd who hates dinosaurs. And she’s also the most annoying character in the book, so at least they kept that consistent. However, you may be saying to yourself: “Jesus, this dude really loves Jurassic Park. Even in the intro for Tron, he’s talking about it. Why the hell does he keep bringing it up?”
Well, allow me to explain. When I was 9 years old, I was super into two things: dinosaurs and reading. You may think that I wasn’t very popular in school as a result. And the truth won’t surprise you. Anyway, on January 3rd, 2001, it was a cold morning in the supermarket when
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...OK, lemme get to the point. IT’S A UNIX SYSTEM!
See, this moment when Lex hacks into the computer to reactivate the locks (a task given to Tim in the book, but whatever) does two things. One, it makes Lex relevant in a film and story where she’s almost entirely unneeded. And two, it established something in the minds of movie-watchers everywhere: a completely misguided idea of what computer programming is.
And this is just one of MANY examples of Hollywood weirdly representing computers to the public. This was kind of a trend throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, as computers were beginning to become available to the public. Examples are:
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WarGames (1983), dir. John Badham
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Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), dir. James Cameron
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Revenge of the Nerds (1984), dir. Jeff Kanew
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Weird Science (1985), dir, John Hughes
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Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), dir. Russo Bros
That last one isn’t a great example, and it’s not even within the right time period. I just love Arnim Zola, and he NEEDS TO RETURN to the MCU. Goddamn it, I want this guy back, complete with his full robot body! COME ON FIEGE, LOOK AT THIS GUY! That last one may or may not be my fanart for the character with my own design NEVERTHEGODDAMNLESS!
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Look, all you gotta do is connect the various machinations of Arnim Zola to the foundations of AIM, which is easy given their link in the comics. Zola and his fellow Paperclip scientists helped fund Aldrich Killian’s AIM, and the project to give Zola his sick-ass robot body eventually wound up being a part of the project that would create the hovering robotic chair used by this guy.
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THIS IS ALL I’VE EVER WANTED PLEASE
...Ahem.
Anyway, the weird-ass ways that Hollywood’s represented computers, hacking, and all other associated things can be traced back to 1982, when the first film to use mostly computer generated imagery for its setting was created. This was, of course, Disney’s TRON. And while I haven’t seen it before...I’ve see its sequel in theaters?
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On a related note, Tron Legacy might be a mediocre film with a mediocre soundtrack, but GODDAMN DO IT LOVE THE FUCKING VISUALS. It’s genuinely my favorite aesthetic. That whole “outlined in light” thing? Goooooooh, BABY, how I love it.
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Style over substance, but OH THE FUCKING STYLE
Anyway, despite that, I’m looking forward to seeing where the whole thing came from. I dig that style, too. Is there a name for those aesthetics? Let me know, so I can devote my life to it forever. Anyway, shall we get started?
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Recap
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So, we start this movie off with a BANG, jumping into an arcade where two kids are playing none other than Lightcycle, and jumping into said Lightcycles to meet one of the drivers, Sark (David Warner). A sadistic program, he takes great pleasure in executing programs in Lightcycle races.
One of these programs, in fact, is being brought into imprisonment now, to be set against Sark in a race. The program, Crom (Peter Jurasik), speaks with fellow prisoner Ram (Dan Shor), where we get some idea of the lore of this place. Many programs believe in “the Users”, god-like figures who they believe created them and tell them what to do. However, the mysterious Master Control Program is rounding up the programs that believe in Users, taking over their functions or executing them. Diggin’ the lore so far.
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In the real world, we meet Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a computer programmer commanding his own program, Clu (also Bridges), and...look, I’m not sure what they’re doing, but OHHH. IT’S A UNIX SYSTEM, BABY. The beautiful bullshit that this movie uses to denote computer activity and programming, it’s...MMMMMMMMMCHEF’SKISS, it’s so FUCKING GOOD!
Anyway, Clu’s apparently being sent to find some information, but he’s caught by Master Control. Jeff Bridges shows off some pretty over-the-top acting, but it’s charming as hell. Clu’s interrogated by Master Control Program (also Warner), and killed, or “derezzed”. This frustrates Flynn, but why?
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Well, we get a clue from MCPs concentration with Ed Dillinger (David Warner), who arrives at his office in the COOLEST FUCKING HELICOPTER I HAVE EVER SEEN. I will never make enough money to have this helicopter, but maybe one day I can do it to a car, holy shit. Anyway, Dillinger lands and enters the ENCOM building, where he speaks with his computer table, which contains MCP.
Is this a thing with computer programmers? Do they, like, physically talk to their programs, and the programs talk back? Is this a thing that happens? Are the conversations interesting? Are IT people literally computer-whisperers? I gotta talk to my friends in computer sciences and IT about this.
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Apparently, Flynn’s been snooping around their servers for a specific file, and they’re trying to stop him from getting that file. Meanwhile, in an office in the building, a man named Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) is blocked out of the system in an attempt to flush out Flynn’s location. Bradley’s summoned to the office for what seems like a routine interview, but is actually more of an investigation. Doesn’t go anywhere.
On a side note, by the way, it would appear that MCP is somewhat in control of Dillinger. Although, how and why is unknown. In any case, he’s attempting to amass power. Additionally, the fact that he’s directly speaking to one of the Users is...interesting. And on a second side note, Bradley is preparing something, a security program called “Tron”. That might come up later.
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MEANWHILE, elsewhere in the building, a group of scientists are conducting an experiment to digitize solid matter and transport it into computers. It succeeds with an orange, much to their delight and celebration. One of these scientists is Lora Baines (Cindy Morgan), Flynn’s ex-girlfriend and Alan’s current girlfriend. They go to the arcade to reconvene with Flynn, much to Alan’s irritation.
Flynn not only owns the place, he’s also a game whiz, brilliant computer programmer, and recently fired ex-employee of ENCOM. He’s also been sneaking into the ENCOM system, and he details exactly why he’s moving against them. While working for ENCOM, he had started writing programs for some very complex video games, which could’ve have made him quite a bit of money. But Dillinger stole his files, and uses it to climb up the ranks to Senior Executive of ENCOM, while Flynn lounges in relative poverty. He’s planning on getting into the system to get evidence of Dillinger’s wrongdoing.
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The trio plots to take down Dillinger and get the evidence together, breaking into ENCOM that night. Meanwhile, Dillinger’s meeting with Walter Gibbs (Barnard Hughes), a co-founder of the company, and one of the other scientists who made the digitizing machine. Dillinger says YOUR TIME IS OVER OLD MAN, and brushes off his concerns about he’s handing the company.
He’s not the only one with issues, as MCP decides to take over FOR Dillinger. Apparently, Dillinger’s talents are stealing data and creating Cybernet/HAL 9000. Good job, buddy. But that may end, when Alan goes to finish and install his program, Tron, which will hopefully take MCP down. Meanwhile, Lora and Flynn go to the basement with the digitizing machine. At the computer terminal, MCP decides to stop Flynn by...well, you know where this is headed.
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Yup! Flynn’s brought into the computer by Lora’s machine, and is digitized and put into the game grid. And since we’ll be spending a lot of time there, I think I need to acknowledge something: I really love how this movie looks. The CGI is rudimentary, but it’s used surprisingly well. Consider that this is also made in an era where this is the kind of imagery that computers could literally generate at the time, and you’ve got a pretty great movie in-context.
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Flynn, now in those spiffy program duds, is sent by the MCP to compete in the Game Grid, under Sark’s supervision and tutelage. He’s thrown into the brig with the other imprisoned programs, where he learns more about this world. Once brought into the throes of the Game Grid, he’s told that those who believe in the Users are to be trained poorly, ensuring their inevitable death. Meanwhile, those who renounce their belief will be spared. And of all the programs who still believe in the Users, there is none quite as powerful...as Tron (Bruce Boxleitner again).
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We see Tron’s badass skills in Ultimate Frisbee. And OK, it’s not Ultimate Frisbee, but you throw discs that contain all of your essence and all of the things you’ve learned in your time there. You basically pour your entire essence and being into the disc as you throw it. So, really, it is Ultimate Frisbee, according to that one dude who’s REALLY into Ultimate Frisbee.
Flynn is commanded to play one of these games, and he winds fairly easily. However, when he defeats his opponent, he’s almost about to die. However, Flynn refuses to finish him off, leading Sark to do so instead. And Sark is tempted to kill Flynn as well, but he holds off at the last moment.
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Flynn finally gets to meet Tron, where he feigns being a program that knows of his User, Alan. Of course, Tron looks exactly like Alan, which is why Flynn blurts out his name. But as they’re discussing this, Flynn, Tron, and fellow prisoner Ram are sent to compete in the Lightcycles. And, yes, I’m now looking for a game like this on my phone, because GODDAMN to I love Lightcycles. Can’t WAIT for the Disney World ride, oh my GOOOOD. 
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So, our guys get in the Lightcycles, and they outmaneuver Sark’s guys. They’re actually able to escape the arena and the Game Grid, making it outside the citadel. They encounter a, uh, bitstream, and soak up some energy before moving on. On the way, though, they’re nearly killed by Sark’s guys in tanks, and Tron is separated from Flynn an the unconscious Ram.
Flynn and Ram finds a place to rest and hide, and Flynn discovers that, as a User, he actually has the ability to somewhat manipulate the reality within the computer, and he makes a version of MCPs ships, the Recognizers, which resemble the villains in Flynn’s game that Dillinger stole. Now realizing that Flynn is a user, Ram asks him to help Tron, before dying and disappearing into pure code. Whoof.
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Tron, meanwhile, ends up finding an input/output program named Yori (Cindy Morgan), who helps him in his escape. She takes him through the city, where we see some interesting designs for control programs, almost like a Hunger Games Panem sort of deal.
Flynn has trouble driving his ship, as he meets a “bit”, a small bit of data that only answers in yes or no. He, too, ends up in the city, and you start to notice that this film has a really heavy influence in our cyberpunk concepts and fashions today. Honestly, I really dig this whole thing. Kevin uses his programming powers to disguise himself as one of Sark’s guards, while Yori and Tron find their way through the main citadel of the guards.
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They make their way through to the access tower, where they ask the program Dumont (Barnard Hughes again) to let them access the interface that will allow them to speak with the Users, specifically Alan. Reluctantly, Dumont agrees to let Tron through, where he goes to the access port. Which, for the record, looks awesome. He goes to speak with Alan, and he does that one pose. Y’know, the famous Tron pose that’s on the poster?
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Yeah, that’s the good stuff. Anyway, he gets information written onto his disc that’ll allow him to kill MCP. Neat. And unfortunately, that’s exactly when Sark and his guys show up, taking Dumont away as Tron and Yori escape. Yori gets them onto a Solar Sailer, a device that will transport them to the central computer. Tron fends off some of Sark’s guys with video game noise kicks, and the Solar Sailer arrives to take them away.
Sark chases after them, but the pair manage to outrun his very cool-looking ship. MCP threatens to destroy Sark for his failure, but he promises that he’ll be able to get them. On the ship, Tron looks down at the side to see Flynn hanging on. Turns out that he was one of the guards that attacked the two. Tron pulls him up onto the ship, and Flynn reveals that he is, in fact, a user. He also reveals that Users aren’t exactly the gods that programs believe them to be.
Anyway, how’s Dumont doing?
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Ah.
Well, the Recognizers find Tron, Yori, and Flynn, and chase after them on the light beam the Solar Sailer is on. However, with his User powers, Flynn manages to get the Sailer onto a different beam, while pulses on the original beam destroy the Recognizers.
Doesn’t end up mattering much, though, as Sark finally catches up and intercepts the group. The Solar Sailer is destroyed, and Yori and Flynn are thrown in the brig with Dumont, who’s still alive! Can’t say quite as much for Tron, apparently. But, again, I can only assume that Ton is still alive. We’ll see, though. Sark denies Flynn’s identity as a User for some reason (I mean, MCP told you who he was, but OK), and he sentences them all to death. Outside the ship, of course, is Tron, who’s hiding and waiting for the right time to strike. And that is when we finally see him.
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Glorious. Absolutely goddamn glorious. MCP is taking the remaining programs that believe in Users, Dumont included, and incorporating them into his mass. Meanwhile, Sark has found Tron, and the two are fighting with a classic game of Ultimate Frisbee. Tron nearly defeats Sark entirely, but MCP revives him, and gives him the power to take out Tron. He grows gigantic, and it looks genuinely really convincing.
Flynn prepares to take out MCP once and for all, and kisses Yori just beforehand, which is weird as shit. He jumps into the program, and controls it just long enough for Tron to throw his disc at it and land the finishing blow. And with that, MCP is ended, and the threat of take over is gone! The I/O towers light up, and the Video Warriors have won! Don’t ask me what that means, I study birds.
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And with ALL OF THAT DONE, Flynn gets the proof he needs from a print-out that, to be honest, I feel like he could’ve just typed up himself. It doesn’t look like that much. But, still, MCP is gone, Dillinger’s screwed, and Flynn now gets a cool-looking helicopter of his own, as the new CEO of ENCOM. And from there, he will become a deadbeat dad that abandons his kid to live in computers forever. Or something like that, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Tron Legacy.
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And that’s Tron, a goofy movie of its time, but one that’s a lot of fun all the same. And with some effects that, to be honest...I actually really liked! But more on that...IN THE REVIEW! See you there!
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jaskiersvalley · 4 years
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Ok, loved the goat adoption prompt. It was precious. But did I read right? You were thinking of a serial killer au? With Eskel? Is he the killer? or a would be victim? Please explain!!!
Nonnie, I am so glad you asked! While you’re not the only one who has perked up at the idea of a serial killer au, you have specified Eskel. My original idea did revolve around him, Lambert and Cahir but there’s also a side piece that is Jaskier/Geralt which will end up as a reply to another ask. But that’s beside the point. You asked for serial killer au Eskel, you are getting him. Enjoy!
Under the cut for the obvious reason. CW for blood, murder, serial killers and general darkness.
Love was never something Eskel thought he would once find in his life. Let alone twice. Something had always been amiss in him, a dark, empty hole in the very fabric of his being which set him aside from his peers. It was the reason he ended up in a foster home like no other. Vesemir had shown him the best ways to make that hole work for him, how to be tidy and careful. The change wasn’t an overnight one but Vesemir had a reputation in the foster system as the one to take the difficult cases too. After all, he had been one such case himself.
It was in the home that Eskel had first found budding love. Lambert arrived a few years after he had settled with Vesemir, befriended Geralt and was actually getting on quite well with life. They all had their work cut out with Lambert who had so clearly been broken both physically and emotionally by his own family. But, with care and time, they built him up into someone Vesemir was proud to call his son.
In fact, Vesemir was proud of all his boys. Taught them how to fit into society and how to channel their rage or snarling frustrations. Eskel still remembered his first kill. Vesemir had coached him through it, from the selecting of a target to tracking them for habits and executing the plan. It was a thrill, knowing that even though they were doing something wrong, they were still helping society because their targets were always the kind that wouldn’t be missed by their victims.
Really, Eskel liked to plot, liked to hunt. The killing did bring a certain pleasure but he found something he liked so much more. And that was to watch Lambert take down those who Eskel so carefully brought to him. In a way it was like a wolf, bringing his prey for a mate, proudly showing off his prowess but letting the mate make the final blow. Lambert was beautiful as he took someone’s life. All the vengeance and anger, the revenge he had only been able to exact on his birth family once, it all poured out of him. Oddly, Eskel adored to clean up after him too. Usually, Lambert was fired up after a kill and ended up pinning Eskel to the nearest surface. Which was fine, Eskel didn’t mind it but he wouldn’t ever take the initiative himself. Bodies outside of his own didn’t hold much interest to him but he was fine if Lambert wanted to take what he needed. It was given with love anyway and Lambert was always a generous and attentive lover.
That was his first love. Eskel did’t expect to find more love to complete their lives. Actually, he had thought his life was already complete as it was. Thankfully, he was proven wrong. He had been tracking someone for Lambert, gathering information, making notes of habits, places frequently visited. They were almost ready when their hunt was interrupted. Eskel had seen many things in his life but this was true beauty. Their mark was brutally taken out by someone with two knives. There was so much blood, almost as if this unknown killer relished the spray as it caught him across the face and soaked into his clothes. Messy and uninhibited, it was glorious to watch. To top it off, rising from the puddle of blood, the killer looked Eskel in the eyes and his teeth flashed a bright white in all the red. It wasn’t a smile, it was a challenge.
Somehow, it became a game, this stranger stole some of their targets so Eskel tried to bag Lambert some of the other man’s in return. It all culminated in Lambert advancing on a target when the other man rose from the shadows. If Eskel had thought Lambert was beautiful and this other man was perfection, together, they ascended every hope and dream Eskel had ever harboured. It only got better when Lambert slammed the guy against a wall after their kill and kissed him, biting at his lips harshly. They fucked then and there, a tussle for power which Lambert refused to give easily. In the end, he had the guy pinned to the wall and thrusting harshly into him while his hair was being pulled. Eskel leaned against the opposite wall of the alley and stroked himself as they watched.
It went on like that for a few more kills. They worked together and then wrestled for power. The dynamic changed when Lambert submitted, allowed the other man to push his chest against the wall and work him open. Or rather, would have but Lambert had already come prepared and the plug the stranger pulled from him splashed into the blood on the floor.
“Good pup,” the stranger murmured just loud enough for Eskel to hear too. “Finally learning your place.”
Lambert bucked at that, ready to fight again but a nipping kiss to his neck stilled him. Watching them, Eskel sighed happily, he got what he needed and it seemed so did the other two.
“Cahir,” the stranger said with a final kiss before disappearing into the night. At least they had a name now.
It got even better when Cahir appeared at the booth they’d commandeered at a bar. He slipped in as if it was something he’d done a thousand times before. There were even three drinks balanced in his hands. After that, he never really left. Sometimes he’d disappear for a day or two but he returned, usually with some trinkets for them and always looking serene. True trust came between them when Cahir invited them along, giving them a new outlet in the form of cage fighting. Eskel loved to watch him move in the cage with such fluid, deadly grace. By contrast, Lambert was fast and brutal. Someone once told Eskel that watching him in the cage was like watching a whirlpool from afar. It looked slow but if someone got too close, they were quickly overpowered and pulled under.
Life wasn’t perfect but Eskel was hard pressed to say he held any grudges against his past. It got him where he was happy, tangled in a bed too small for three grown men but he wouldn’t have had it any other way. Not that they needed an excuse to pile in together for a cuddle, but there was something intimate about being so close, wanting to suffer the cramped conditions just to be near each other. If that wasn’t romance, Eskel didn’t know what was.
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swgoji2001 · 3 years
Text
My Thoughts on Jedi Fallen Order
So after upgrading to a new, stronger laptop (pretty sure my stupidity in attempting to run this game on my old laptop hastened its tragic, untimely demise), I finally finished Jedi Fallen Order last night. I had mixed feelings going into this game, as I have some friends who said it was amazing while others said it was a mediocre story with decent gameplay.
Now after playing, was it the greatest Star Wars game I’ve ever experienced? No, but it was very good. Some minor gripes here and there, but overall I had a blast playing the game.
Warning: Some spoilers will be included, I’ll try to keep them as minor as possible though.
Story:
So I’m not gonna go overly deep into the story as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who still hasn’t played the game, but to be honest I found the plot of Fallen Order to be a bit generic at first. It’s a classic light side vs dark side narrative with a redemption arc or two sprinkled in. In fact, I found the plot of Fallen Order to be quite similar in structure to the Disney Trilogy. Both have MacGuffin hunts (holocron and wayfinder), both include journeys to different planets following the trail of someone else (Eno Cordova and that one assassin dude mentioned in IX), both have mentors who have distanced themselves from the Force (Cere and Luke), and both have antagonists who were failed by their masters (Trilla and Kylo). 
Fallen Order splits off from this more generic route after returning to Dathomir and does it’s own thing, but I found myself asking why I enjoyed the first 75% or so of Fallen Order when I absolutely hated the DT. I found the answer to lie mainly in two things: the characters and the world they found themselves in.
Characters:
Cal Kestis: I absolutely loved Cal’s character arc. He has his own deep personal struggles with his past, feeling responsible for the death of his master. He faces those fears and comes to terms with his past, determined to make a better future. Cal not only comes out of his journey a Jedi Knight, but as a stronger person. Compare this to Rey, who had no meaningful flaws or personal struggles. Plus Cal’s the first ginger Jedi! Score one for diversity!
BD-1: My fourth favorite Star Wars droid, only behind HK-47, KOTOR 2′s T3-M4, and K-2SO. He’s cute, adorable, and loyal to a fault. What more could you ask for in a droid? (Other than a tibanna-powered blaster rifle and a bloodthirsty, anti-meatbag personality of course!) Plus there’s a revelation about his history towards the end that only makes him better and better.
Cere Junda: Star Wars has always had its mentor characters, but in all honesty I found Cere to be pretty generic. A Jedi Master who failed her Padawan and touched the dark side, only to be horrified by it and renounce the Force. Throughout learning her story, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had already seen something like this before. Her arc isn’t bad, it’s well done and feels natural to her character, it was just rather generic.
Greez Dritus: Gotta say Greez grew on me as the game went on. He has his flaw in his gambling problem which bites Cal in the ass a couple times, but towards the end I really felt the connection between him and the others grow. He’s also the source of a good deal of humor.
Nightsister Merrin: Sadly, Merrin being an eventual ally was spoiled for me, but I love the subversion because it was built up that she would be an eventual boss fight. Merrin might be my favorite character besides Cal, I wish there were more interactions with her in game! She’s hot, has a great accent, a wicked sense of humor, and is powerful with Nightsister magick. But beyond all that, she’s a parallel to Cal. Both are survivors, the last of their kind, and I’m hoping that if a sequel is made, it goes deeper into their relationship because Merrin and Cal have great chemistry. I also love how Merrin challenges Cal and Cere’s plan to train the next gen of Jedi using the holocron, putting that idea in a more realistic, less idealistic light.
Prauf: I really feel bad for him. I liked him and you could feel the camaraderie between him and Cal, how he wanted Cal to succeed and do great things. He didn’t deserve what happened to him.
Oggdo Bogdo: Fuck this frog! He killed me so many times!
Trilla Suduri (Second Sister): The Jedi Padawan that felt betrayed by her master and became an inquisitor. I always love it when antagonists have a personal connection to the protagonists in some way, shape, or form. Trilla shakes Cal’s faith in Cere, and plants seeds of doubt in him. She wants revenge and the Emperor’s favor, and therefore we know why she chases Cal across the galaxy. She has motivations for all her actions, which is something that Kylo lacked in the DT.
Taron Malicos: I knew something was off about this guy the second I met him. I quite enjoyed the clash of beliefs between him, Merrin, and Cal. Malicos proposes a way forward, a new Jedi Order, but one founded on darker teachings. He offers Cal that power, but Cal proves his stature as a Jedi in refusing it.
Ninth Sister (Masana Tide): Probably the weakest of the villain characters for me. Ninth barely has any presence in the game at all other than the start and to serve as a boss battle on Kashyyyk. I honestly just don’t think she fits into the story as is. Perhaps if they tweaked it so that Ninth and Cal knew each other back before Order 66 she would have fit better. Ninth just doesn’t have any personal connection to Cal and the Mantis crew (like Trilla does) and doesn’t really serve as a trial like Malicos does. Remove her from the story and not much changes.
(If you somehow haven’t had this next one spoiled yet, I’m impressed. Please skip to ‘World’ if so)
Darth Vader: I absolutely loved how he was portrayed. A terrifying, unstoppable force. You won’t last in a fight with him, your can only hope you can outrun him.
World:
Fallen Order’s worldbuilding was on point. Cal’s ability to sense Force Echoes lets you get a more detailed understanding of the environment around you. It’s a small-scale Star Wars story, but the planets all feel lived in if you take the time to explore them. It’s the small details like the probe droid witnessing your initial use of the Force on Bracca or the side-stories you can discover like the tragic tale of the family running from the Empire on Zeffo or Malicos’ corruption and manipulation of Merrin that really flesh out the world. Compare this to the galactic-scale story the DT told, which somehow made the galaxy feel extremely small and uninteresting.
My only complaint with the world-building is the Zeffo. They’re just... there. Very little is explained about them. Who were they? Why were they important? What happened to them? Why did they disappear? Perhaps this was to leave room for a sequel but to me the Zeffo just felt like discount Rakata. I wish the devs had gone with the Rakata instead, but maybe that’s just me.
Also the wildlife on every world is more than capable of killing you if you aren’t careful so you almost always have to be on your toes for them, which rolls us into the next part...
Gameplay:
The gameplay was great fun in Fallen Order. Leveling up and unlocking new abilities was exciting and once I got the hang of them all, it was so much fun just cutting through your enemies. I played on Jedi Master difficulty (died approximately 75 times, give or take a few I may have missed) and it felt really well balanced. It forced me to study my opponent’s moves and adapt to them instead of being a hack-and-slash type of game. Combos are fluid and fun to pull off, parrying opponents leaves an opening to attack, and you can experiment with different fighting styles.
Customizing your lightsaber and appearance was also great fun. So many different options and combinations for everything! Plus you got rewarded for exploration with these extra customization options, so it adds incentive to do that if you care about appearances and whatnot. You can become the General Grievous of ponchos!
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Overall Fallen Order was a great game that could have been even better. Of course I have to admit I’m looking at this through the nostalgia of games like KOTOR 2, which flipped Star Wars completely on its head. I would have preferred if Cere’s story had been a bit more nuanced, the Ninth Sister had more reason for being in the story, or if the game had Cal seriously question the use and role of Jedi in the galaxy (he does a couple times to BD-1, but it’s never really built on).
And then there’s my overall gripe about this type of story set after Order 66. It sets up questions like... where was Cal during the OT? Was he dead? Somewhere in the Unknown Regions doing something else? I know the ending of the game sets up the opening for Cal’s story to continue, but still, these types of stories usually end in death for the Jedi protagonist, so I am a bit nervous for his future.
Despite that though, I am super happy I finally decided to play this and am eagerly awaiting a sequel to continue this story.
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mwolf0epsilon · 4 years
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B lea se, pblea se give us a full continuation of the Cameraman comic I beg 😔🙏
Summary: After accidentally growing to the size of a giant, Cameraman makes some poor decisions that lead him into colossal trouble.
A written continuation of my one page Cameraman comic!
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[[MORE]]
     It wasn't uncommon for the Society for the Shellacking of Souper Boris's HQ to suffer considerable damage on occasion, especially since there were three villains living there. Plotting their next big hit with varying degrees of ingenuity and force, which often left things quite the mess in general.
But nothing that the big burly wolf with the volatile temper, or even the twisted demoness with sharp tongue and coiled arms ever did, could come so close as to compare with the absolute madness of Cameraman's more, shall we say, cinematic plots…
It was true that he was the least aggressive and troublesome of the trio when working with them in causing mischief. More often than not he even opted for the easier things in their plans, like petty thievery and slight vandalism, while the Brute and Miss Twisted handled the flashier things that really got the cops angry with them. 
When he did things solo however… Well he'd wanted to make it big as a movie director once, and it showed.
His one-man plans were convoluted and honestly quite ambitious.
They also ended with him wrecking the base with whatever invention he came up with that week.
Never on purpose really! He was just a little clumsy.
Although, at this very moment, he was anything but little...
     By his reasoning, the plan would have been flawless. Finish calibrating his shrink ray that took him weeks to construct, use one of the Society's inconspicuous vehicles to cart it all the way to the city, and then use it to shrink Steven Spigberg's annoyance of a studio all the way down to miniature size. Knock it down to its actual level, since it did nothing but hash out the same stale unnecessary sequel plots over and over again.
A spectacular lesson in humility, or at least Cameraman had envisioned it as such.
He hadn't accounted for accidentally bumping and reversing the controls, causing his machine to zap him instead of the test subject he'd been placing upon a little pedestal (just to see if he didn't accidentally disintegrate his target), and ending up in a completely avoidable colossal sized mishap instead.
But then he supposed he could still make part of the plan work. After all, the idea was that he'd be able to fit the studio in his hand… 
  "Oof… My head…" he could really do without the aches, but then again he'd just grown a whole lot in mere seconds. The fact he hadn't simply exploded should be more than reason to overlook the growing pains. Patting his own head carefully to check if he hadn't cracked his casing, he felt his pinky brush against something odd and that should be there. "Hm?"
Feeling over it with his index finger, Cameraman carefully searched for some manner of grip before carefully pinching the unknown object between two fingers and bringing it over to his lens to inspect it.
To his great surprise it was the Society's base. Mostly intact, although missing a large part of the bottom from him outgrowing it. The upper floor looked intact enough, albeit the horn fixture he was holding onto was now bent from him gripping it.
  "My goodness it's so small… or rather, I'm the one who's quite big…" he squinted, shutter zooming in on the damaged windows. He could sort of see his two roommates staring out at him with expressions he couldn't quite make out. "Oh! Hello there, sorry for the state of the base. Things took quite the unexpected turn as you can see..."
Rather than get a reply, both of his partners in crime seemed to huddle up in a corner and cower.
That was odd… Missy and Brute weren't the type to be intimidated. Especially not by him. Maybe it was the heights.
  "Right… I'll set you down now. I've much to do still, even if not everything has gone according to plan." He carefully set the damaged base back onto the swamp grounds, being mindful of the shallows so his two friends didn't end up sinking and drowning. "It's as they say. The show must go on!"
Once the base was safely on the ground, Cameraman began standing up. He was surprised by the sensation of vertigo as he did, groaning as nausea hit him.
He felt… Heavy. Stumbled a bit as he righted himself, and nearly toppled all over again. Had gravity increased on him? Probably… his feet were sinking into the marshy ground as well, so his new height and weight were not any easier to handle on such unstable terrain.
  "Walk it off, it'll be fine you worrywart… Just a matter of getting used to this." he shook his head and took a few tentative steps forward. His shutters clicked in annoyance as he kicked up the murky water as he moved. "My poor socks are going to be soaked through… I hope to dry up once I've reached the city. It wouldn't do to enact revenge while drenched… I might catch a cold."
He kept on walking, finding it steadily easier to move as long as he kept himself going. Just a matter of getting used to it as he'd thought.
Luckily his growth hadn't just brought unpleasant side effects. It had greatly improved his perspective as well!
He could just about see the big city in the distance and he was quite excited to look it over up close.
The once-little camera toon had seen the rooftops plenty of times (mostly from being either thrown by his partners in crime or from being carried by that no-show lupine interloper, and then a chowder enthusiast of an angel), but never at this scale. He assumed it would likely be like looking down at an impressive maquette, a much more detailed one than the miniatures he'd whittled out for the base's planning room (which had been reduced to rubble he was sure). More detailed. More deserving of more than a slight glance.
Wouldn't hurt to take a few photos before he took what he wanted.
-
     Bouillonburg wasn't the largest of the cities in the country, but it was still considered a major location in of itself. It was home to several hundreds of toons, had multiple quaint businesses, and at least two very nice parks to fill in the picturesque idea of an urban zone. 
The perfect place for a myriad of Pluto's youngest legions to prove their worth through acts of both evil and mischief.
Today however, trouble presented itself not in a grinning imp with a head shaped like a half-moon, but in something tremendously massive lumbering towards the unsuspecting city at a slow but long-reaching pace.
The first warning was a slight tremor spaced out like rhythmic thumping. The kind that caused liquids to ripple in their containers. 
Then the intensity of the shaking gradually climbed, and people began to grow nervous when objects began to fall off shelves, or when the glass windows began to creak and shake against their frames.
When the shadow of what could only be considered a colossal sized monster fell upon the city, that's when folks really started to panic.
Crowd dispersal went as you'd usually see on a disaster flick, with lots of screaming and running as several hundreds of toons attempted to flee the giant's humongous steps. Not that Cameraman noticed this. 
He was much too distracted staring at all the buildings he was so used to look up at, rather than examining from up and above.
  "This is all so very adorable!" He marveled as he peered into an office building, squinting at the many workers in their little cubicles. "I wish I could make miniatures as detailed as the real deal…"
He reached over to poke one of the windows, and winced when his finger went through.
  "Oops…" he withdrew his finger and stared down at the many shards of glass embedded in it. It didn't hurt, the fabric had kept it from piercing skin, but it had still startled him. He was so focused on it he didn't see the toons inside running for the stairs and elevators in pure terror. "That's a lot more fragile than I thought… I should refrain from touching glass."
     Shaking off the shock, Cameraman's gaze went downwards and his attention was caught by a phone booth. 
Crouching down he peered at it with his curious lens.
At his regular size he needed his portable step ladder to reach the phone (yes he was quite short, so what?), but at this height he was more than capable of reaching over the rooftops of the tallest buildings.
  "Well it's not like I need to make a call right now either way… But it sure looks charming." He focused on it and took a picture. His flash went off with a loud crackle, all around him more toons fled from the noise and bright light that hurt their eyes.
With more effort than should be necessary, Cameraman got back onto his feet and carried on his merry way. He stopped on occasion to take more photos of the many buildings and tiny structures.
Completely oblivious to the damage he was causing as he trekked forward.
His footsteps caused the ground to quake violently, the sound of his reverberating voice made glass crack and ears ring, and his weight was splitting concrete apart as if it were made of styrofoam.
To him this was all in good fun. Good harmless fun, because he wasn't antagonizing anyone. 
Just seeing the sights and appreciating his new perspective on life.
This quickly changed when he reached his destination.
  "Right… There it is." The object-headed toon rubbed his hands together eagerly as he caught sight of his target. Steven Spigberg's studio. That fat swine's precious little cash grab factory was about to get literally uprooted by the very toon that horrid film director scoffed at and turned away. "Let's see who's insignificant when I'm the one owning your precious little studio…"
Sights set Cameraman walked on, not once looking where he was treading and his thick shoes making quick work of benches and parked cars (and really anything else) that were unfortunately in his path. It didn't occur to him that he should be watching his step.
     The studio was nestled between another office building and a coffee shop that also serviced object and object-head toons (a rarity since most others disliked non-food based smells near their pastries and beverages of choice). It had the best hydroquinone and nicest rolls of film he'd ever had, so it was a shame such a blight ruined it for him.
He wondered briefly what they'd build on the soon to be vacant spot. Hopefully a book store to compliment the aesthetic of the coffee shop.
  "Let's see… there's going to be pipework in there, so best to go down and up, like carefully picking a flower, roots and all." He rested the back of his hand on the ground and pressed his fingers against the very bottom of the studio and then, in one swift motion, he dug his fingers under and pulled up. He expected the building to just pop out of the ground with ease, not for his hand to pass through like it was made of sand. "O-oh!"
Startled by the destruction of the building he'd planned to steal, Cameraman pulled his arm back abruptly. Swinging it to the right and crashing right through a section of the office building.
Yelping in fright he moved back, his left foot coming down on top of the coffee shop and crushing it as if he'd stepped on a cardboard box. Bringing his hands up in horror Cameraman stepped back once more in a panic. He stared down at the rubble in dismay.
  "Oh goodness… I… I didn't mean to do that!" He knelt down hoping to find a way to correct his mistake, but as soon as he grabbed hold of any solid looking debris they crumbled in his grasp into fine dust. "F-fiddlesticks…"
He was too big to fix what he broke.
Looking back at the slightly damaged office building, Cameraman stood back onto his feet and peered inside. The stairs and elevators were blocked by rubble and there were several people trying to unblock the way out.
  "Oh… wait I can help you down!" He reached in, hoping that helping these people would compensate for ruining their workspace but, as soon as the toons saw his hand they began scrambling away, their high pitched shrieks barely registering in his audio receptors. The fear in their movements however… "You don't need to be afraid. That was an accident I swear!"
He tried to reach the group, leaning forward just a little bit more. Then gravity caught up with him and the camera toon's shutter widened as he realized too late that his balance was way off. He tumbled forward, taking out the rest of the building with him.
  "AUGH!!!" He hit his head hard on the ground, a sharp pain in his shoulder causing him to instinctively prime his laser and blast the nearest "threat".
Except there wasn't a threatening foe causing him any harm. Just the helpless cityscape.
Taking a second to sit up and shake his aching head Cameraman looked down at his shoulder, wincing when he saw a long metal bean stabbing through it.
His gaze then locked on with the damage he'd caused up ahead.
There was fire, a lot of it, and just now he could make out the terrified city folk scrambling all around like scared ants.
Glancing around at the path he'd taken, the object-headed toon noticed all the destruction he'd caused while having his silly little fun.
  "Oh no…" he was a villain, that much he accepted. But he'd never really done something so terrible that it hurt several hundred people on such a scale.
He'd never killed anyone before, or dreamt of doing such a thing.
Looking down at the three buildings he'd crushed, and the ones currently ablaze, he doubted that was true anymore. "This wasn't what I wanted…"
He needed to get out of the city, before he destroyed something or hurt anyone else.
Looking around once more however… well easier said than done.
     The path ahead was on fire, the way back was already in quite the state, and the only other exit he could see looked a little narrow. Still it was worth risking considering all the people heading towards where he'd come from in the hopes of escaping. Escaping, as if he were doing this on purpose…
Narrow streets it is. He'd just have to suck in his belly and keep his arms up for however long it took to get past this new hurdle. Hopefully his arms wouldn't tire before he was clear.
Taking a deep breath, Cameraman stepped forward, now very aware of just how cramped the tiny sidewalks and roads were.
  "Oof…" he winced as his heel just about crushed the front of a parked car "I hope that was insured…" 
His knee caught the side of a tree, snapping it like a twig, and he pulled his hand away from the way of a power line as he tried to maneuver through the streets.
Sideways should do the trick…He sucked in his gut and began side-stepping through the cramped pathway he'd picked.
What was it with apartment complexes and tiny balconies that faced alleyways?
The escape ladders he could understand, but why the balconies?
The camera toon groaned as his chest and back got poked and scratched by hard edges and sharp rails.
His aching shoulder was already bothering him enough.
  "Just stay calm and you'll be through in no time…" he told himself as he kept on moving. And then he gulped nervously as he felt the alley narrow further. "... Oh this is a problem."
Against his better judgement he continued… And immediately stopped as he felt his hips jammed against two buildings.
Trying to push or pull away made both buildings shake dangerously.
  "... Come on…" his arms were starting to tire. He needed to figure out how to get away without breaking anything else. Glancing down to see if there was a safer way to unwedge himself, his shutters fell upon one of the balconies of the building ahead of him. He focused on a tiny lady surrounded by several flowers that was staring up at him with wide eyes. "... Uh… hello?"
The lady shrieked and immediately started throwing her potted plants at him.
He winced and kept his lens well away from her range. Impressive that she thought a few hits with a few vases would save her from something more than twice her own size, but also quite annoying.
  "Please stop." If he tried anything he might just hurt her, and honestly that wasn't really his style. Taking punishment like this was also not his style. "If I could I'd be out of your hair already."
He leaned back from another hit and yelped as he felt his back bump against the other building. The pressure suddenly giving away and sending him tumbling back like a house of cards falling in on itself. Kicking up dust and debris up into the air around him.
Once the cloud settled he sighed. 
Great, at this rate he'd be known as Klutzzilla, destroyer of private property...
Blinking his shutters he looked back up at the lady with a glare. She seemed to get the hint and fled back inside of her apartment.
  "Right…" he went back to the laborious chore of getting back on his feet. He was really starting to get tired of this repetitive charade.
If it weren't the guilt keeping him from bashing through the city to get back home he would have already done it. "No, no that's not the correct way to do this, don't let this get to your head… the Society only needs one big brute…"
He wondered what his two friends might be doing. Likely fixing up the base and waiting to chew him out for making a mess of things.
They might want to wait for him to tell them how to rebuild his shrink ray so that he'll be easier to scold, rather than both yelling up at him.
     Back up and at it again, Cameraman left what remained of the alleyway and began to tiptoe over the various urban obstacles. Phone booths, more parked cars, benches, the occasional straggler running by and performing an impressive Wilhelm impression, and even a kiosk or two (the first one he couldn't help snap a picture of, despite the circumstances everything still looked gosh darned cute to him!). It was a little like being a child all over again, playing hopscotch. 
Only someone had strewn legos and other toys all over the rectangles.
He was also not particularly good at hopscotch, and jumping around with an injured shoulder was really not a good experience.
The people and infrastructures were also not liking the impact of each jump.
Cameraman winced when several clothes lines and other miscellaneous objects began to fall from the sides of buildings.
  "And they say misfortune only doubles on Friday the 13th, the moment I gained a few feet I've been nothing if not plagued by bad luck!" He poked the metal bean protruding from his shoulder and fought back the urge to scream. "I hope this doesn't get infected. I'd be very upset with myself if that happened… or worse, what if I get tetanus?! My shots aren't due until Thursday!"
Well if the clinic he frequented hadn't yet given out and collapsed from all his mucking around that is…
  "Ok Cameraman, don't freak yourself out like this... Think of home." Yes, home, away from this poor city. Back with his friends who'd no doubt take pity on him as soon as they saw him hurt.
Villains or not, they weren't heartless spawns of evil… err, well at least two of them. But even Missy had a heart. They weren't monsters. "Yes home. Home…. The swamp is that way, just avoid stepping on anyone."
Renewed vigor carried him forward, only stopping to make sure fleeing citizens weren't accidentally crushed underfoot. 
He really did not want murder to be added to his criminal records.
Although he was pretty sure involuntary manslaughter would end up there somewhere after this ordeal was dealt with.
  "There we go, nice and easy. No more tomfoolery." He was pleased with how the streets were opening up. The smoke back there was getting pretty thick in the air though... Was the wind blowing his way or was he imagining it?
It was irritating his ventilation system for sure. Irritating it quite a bit actually.
  "Gosh darn soothy smoke!" He scrubbed at the discrete vents irritably, almost like someone scratching their nose.
He shook his head vigorously, finding it difficult to see now that his shutter and lens were welling up with lubricant, trying to dislodge the sooth filtering in through the seams. "Oh it itches!"
Helplessly scrubbing at both the leaking lens and his ventilation system, Cameraman was suddenly overcome by the enormous need to sneeze.
Uh-oh.
  "Do not sneeze, you know what happens when you sneeze!" His desperate scrubbing and scratching increased in intensity as he tried to prevent the inevitable. The moment the mechanism to prime his laser sight clicked on, he immediately looked up as a way to prevent further devastation. "A-ah… Aah...AACHOO!!!!"
The laser shot out of his lens as he stumbled back, zooming upwards at high speed and hitting a previously unnoticed news blimp that had been flying overhead. The object-headed toon said nothing as he watched the darn thing fall out of the sky like a swatted fly, and collide with another building further away before bursting into flames.
He covered his face and groaned in frustration. Was there anything in this city he hadn't broken yet?!
  "Dang it…" If not take pity on his physical injuries, then surely Missy and Brute would take pity on his bruised ego instead.
-
It took far too long to get out of the (ruined) city. No matter how careful he'd tried to be, Cameraman had simply brought tremendous devastation with each tentative step towards being home free.
If he stopped to think about it, it made perfectly logical sense.
He was used to his actual stature and weight, so suddenly becoming some sort of titan had completely tipped the scales for him.
His regular clumsiness cranked up tenfold as he tried to navigate a world that was suddenly more fragile than he was accustomed to.
Of course in his current state he didn't really have the time to sit around for a moment of introspection, nor to contemplate on the fact he'd been an idiot and gone through with an idea that was doomed from the start.
From the moment he'd bumped the controls to this very moment in time, where he was tiredly stumbling back to the Society's HQ.
The metal beam stuck in his shoulder yet to be pulled out, since every instinct told him that doing that right now wouldn't be good for him. He needed to be sure he had help to deal with that.
And, as that thought entered his mind, something slowly clicked.
Stopping in his tracks Cameraman looked around in confusion.
Where… where was the base?
He was sure as all heck that he'd placed it in the shallows, and that was right there, next to that rotten log wedged by that one rock that looked like a hippo.
"Where…?" He scratched his flash's connection point in confusion as he glanced around. "I could have sworn I placed it here…"
He squinted, focusing on the murky water before crouching down to try to look for the distinct devil shaped building.
He even went so far as turning on his light, but it didn't pierce deep into the filthy water's depths.
Racking his memory to be sure he wasn't mistaken, he recalled placing the base right there and leaving.
He'd stumbled a bit, but he hadn't moved anywhere near the base, just splashed up a little water over his boots and… and…
His building sized boots…
Horror struck him as it suddenly dawned on him that what he'd perceived as little splashes were likely waves several feet in height, with the crashing force of a freightliner colliding with a steam boat…
"Oh no…" he carefully placed his hands in the water and began to feel around for the base, dragging himself forward and searching desperately not just for home, but for his friends as well. "Please be ok!! Please be ok!!!"
All that came up was random junk people had carelessly thrown in the swamp. The SSSB's base was nowhere to be found, and neither were Cameraman's only two friends for the matter… likely washed out into the deepest part of the swamp.
Likely… likely dead, from being trapped in a sinking base, because their friend was an incompetent fool.
"Oh goodness… no, I… I didn't…" the combination of the pain on his shoulder and exhaustion made him stop his fruitless search. As realization sunk in deeper, grief took hold. "I didn't mean to…"
Sniffling loudly, the camera toon hid his leaking lens in his hands and began to cry.
He'd ruined everything because of some stupid vendetta against a film studio! And now he'd be stuck as a klutz of a giant, alone and cold forever!
Sobbing loudly into his hands, Cameraman didn't notice the sounds of even splashes as someone rowed towards him, and was too caught up in his own sadness to register something beginning to tap against his knee.
He thought it was probably just flotsam that he'd loosened during his desperate rummaging.
When the tapping was replaced with a sharp jab, however, he did pull his hands away and rub at his lens to clear up the tears.
Staring up at him looking a complete tired mess, were Miss Twisted and Brute, both standing atop their base which they'd strapped to some sort of bizarre makeshift raft they'd fashioned up of logs, branches and whatever they could find that could make it as buoyant as possible.
The rows they'd improvised were also just several sticks tied together, and Missy had used the gripping end of hers to poke him to get his attention.
He was so dumbstruck he didn't say anything, which seemed to annoy the demoness.
"CAM YOU BETTER BE READY FOR A WALLOPING BECAUSE ONCE WE FIX UP THIS MESS I'M GONNA BEAT YOU SO HARD OVER THE HEAD YOU'LL BECOME AN INSTANT CAMERA INSTEAD!" He could just barely make out her high pitched screeching, but lord if it wasn't the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard! Shutters welling up all over again, the object-headed toon carefully scooped up the base from beneath the water and carefully brought it closer.
"HEY PUT US DOWN! WE'RE NOT A TOY YOU BIG… Big… Cammy are you crying?" The embers of Miss Twisted's ire were quickly extinguished by concern as she caught sight of the big fat tears dripping out of his lens.
"I THOUGHT YOU WERE BOTH DEAD!" He cried out, choking back another sob as he watched them both flinch and grab at their ears in pain. "P-pardon my outburst… I'm just so relieved I… I thought I'd drowned you both accidentally!"
"No, but that almost happened! Cam what were you thinking, making yourself into some big behemoth? How's that gonna help you at all?!" She tapped her foot impatiently. "Take it from a demon pal, the bigger they are, the harder they fall! I've seen archdemons topple like dominoes because they thought bigger was better… it's a stupid macho sentiment that ends in tears and humiliation."
"This wasn't what I was going for, believe me… I err… I merely miscalculated the calibration of my machine and this sort of… Ended up being the result." He looked as sheepish as one could without an actual face.
"You messed up and tried to save face uh?" She deadpanned as she dropped her arms again at her sides. Brute merely watching the exchange.
"Yes…" he admitted hesitantly as he glanced back towards the city. He could still see the smoke. "In hindsight, I should have realized that was foolish of me… Where's the fun in being a villain if there's no city left to practice villainy upon?"
"Cameraman destroy whole city?!" Brute gawked up at him in dismay.
"Not ALL of it… just err… 75%?" An explosion in the distance made him flinch. "Make that 95%..."
"I'll say… there's also something frigging stuck to your arm!" Missy pointed out, grimacing at the sight of the embedded metal beam currently still on his person.
"I know… I didn't want to touch it until I knew for sure I could have it looked at… which I can't right now." He also didn't want to touch it again. It really did hurt quite a bit when he poked it!
"Uh… how do fix Cameraman?" Brute asked. "Me no think lab ok…"
"No, no it's not. Cammy crushed it with his big fat butt." Missy groaned. "Please tell me you know how to rebuild your machine so we can revert this…"
"I do recall how to recreate it, yes. However, at this size I can't do so myself…" he carefully set down the base onto his knees so that he could rest his arm a bit. Making sure to stabilize it, he brought his knees closer to himself and leaned his head down so that now his lens was overing close to his two friends.
His shutter clicked shut as both reached up to pat the rim lightly in an attempt to comfort him. "I know you've likely gone through an ordeal already due to my carelessness… but could you perhaps build it for me? I really don't think it'd be wise for me to ruin any of the building materials."
"So needy, you big dumbo…" the demoness chuckled "Fine, we'll clean up your mess. But you're so doing our chores for the next month."
"And help with Brute's and Miss's plans!" The beefy wolf added.
"Deal." He held out his pinky so they could shake on it. Once both the smaller toons grabbed it with their little (cute) mitts, he carefully raised it up and down.
"Right! Off to work we go!"
-
It ended up being more of a one girl job to build a replica of the ray gun that Cameraman had created, so while Miss Twisted busied herself with that particular task, Brute had gone ahead and repaired the base. He was used to doing it by now, with just how often it got wrecked.
It was only natural he was picking up a few tricks on how to fix it up nice and quickly, without sacrificing stability and comfort.
He thought it was nice to have a home for a change, rather than some dingy alleyway or a prison cell, so he made sure to maintain it when needed. He was sure his two friends appreciated that tender act on his part. His way of showing a softer less thuggish side while still getting to show off his impressive musculature.
Call him a meathead all you wanted, he liked showing off what got him somewhere in life (through his own effort).
Once done, Brute nodded to himself in satisfaction before going to check in on the others. He came out just in time to see the metal beam once piercing through his friend's shoulder crashing down into the water, and then the femme fatale of the group firing a well aimed energy beam at the wounded object-head looming over her.
Brute covered his one eye to avoid looking at the bright light, and then uncovered it once the world dimmed back to its normal lighting. Not that there was that much sunlight left anymore, the sun was setting pretty quick as it was late in the afternoon.
Still he could just about make out a familiar tiny figure just hovering up in the air for a few brief seconds, before gravity caught up and brought him back down and crashing into the freezing water.
"10 points for that spectacular belly flop! What's your score, big guy?" Missy grinned impishly as she watched their friend resurface and splutter a bit from the shock of getting drenched by the swamp's murky embrace.
"Meh… Brute gives it an 8. Brute has seen better." The lumbering wolf shrugged as he moved over to pick up the trembling toon that was barely able to lift his arm. The wound looked very nasty and needed to be disinfected asap now that it had come into contact with a direct source of filth and bacteria "Cameraman need nurse Brute now. Fix up arm real good!"
"T-thank you big fella… I do f-feel a little woozy…"
"You boys go on ahead, I'm getting rid of this hunk of metal… More trouble than it's worth." She pointed at the ray gun "From now on, no mucking around with sizes!"
"Yes ma'am" both replied at the same time before Brute carried the injured Cameraman inside.
Missy watched them go before simply reaching over to the main panel and ripping out the wiring, disabling the miserable piece of mechanical junk for good. Once that was done, she simply kicked the ray gun into the water and dusted herself.
Satisfied with the deed, she briefly glanced towards the thick smoke in the distance and shook her head.
"What a shame... But hey, at least Cammy brought some scrap metal back…" she glanced at the half submerged beam. It was stained by whatever chemicals the little guy had to pass for blood, but it was an easy enough thing to clean off "Should get to stripping that before it gets too rusty…"
She went inside looking for that one big saw she'd gotten as a reward from Papa Pluto, for ruining some rich snob's party by dumping laxatives into the punch.
That had been a fun night, and that saw could cut through almost everything including solid metal.
On her way back out, she peered into the Society's shared bedroom and nodded at Brute who had just walked out holding the first aid kit.
"How's that shoulder of his?" She asked.
"Cameraman will live. Him asleep now, like little baby." He stepped aside to show her this and, sure enough, there was the shorter of the three curled up in his drawer bed. Tucked in and capped lens tucked under his uninjured arm. It was kind of cute watching him sleep so peacefully after such a rough day.
"Aww… poor little guy tuckered himself out. Must have had a pretty long day playing in the city."
"Ah-yuh." Brute nodded in agreement as he set the kit aside. He looked back at her almost curiously "What do Brute and Missy do now?"
"Well I was gonna strip that beam for scrap, but that'll be noisy… Cammy needs his rest, so why don't we go to the city and loot some goodies while everyone is too busy to stop us?"
"Me like plan!"
"Knew you would, big guy! Come along then!" She made sure to carefully close the bedroom door, but not before looking at the sleeping camera toon one more time. Yeah, he'd earned his rest. "Sweet dreams, you little weirdo…"
And with that done, off they went to cause some more trouble.
All the while their friend dreamt of the simpler things in life, like causing minor mischief with his two (and only) greatest pals in the whole world.
No more dreaming too big, he'd stick with the small-fry stuff thank you very much!
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