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mypoisonedvine · 5 months

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NEED to read zemo/bucky/reader and I feel like you would nail it!!!! maybe with 98?? LOVE YOU J.D!!!!!!!!

oh my god I haven't written a threesome in SO LONG and of course this turned into a whole oneshot UGH. oops

98: "what happens next in your fantasy?"

warnings: smut (18+ ONLY!!!), threesome, oral m and f receiving, spitroast, overstimulation, hair pulling, slapping, degradation and praise, brief mention of smoking?, basically just nastiness with almost no plot at all!!

word count: 4.4k

100 random prompts - send me a number and a character!

"I shouldn't have said anything, okay?" you whined, hoping he'd drop the subject-- and Zemo walked in right then, which seemed like the perfect opportunity to change the topic.

"What shouldn't you have said?" Zemo pressed, and you sighed.

"It's-- it's nothing," you shook your head, "I just had a really weird dream last night."

"About?"

You wanted to end it there, but Bucky had to chime in, of course. "Let's just say, this dusty old apartment was getting to see some action for the first time in a few decades," he informed Zemo proudly, who smiled knowingly and continued his walk to the kitchen.

"Ah," Zemo nodded, "I see."

"I swear, I've never had a dream about you like that before," you explained to Bucky.

"I wouldn't take it too personally, James," Zemo suggested as he poured himself some tea. "The subconscious is a completely unpredictable place. We can dream about almost anything, whether or not we desire it in waking life."

"Well, see, that's the weird part," you admitted, shifting nervously in the chair as Bucky stared at you. "You were there, too."

That took his attention away from the tea, certainly; he set down the kettle and came back into the sitting area, leaving his cup behind. "Still, many people believe dreams have meaning... I happen to be one of those people," he added.

"You didn't mention that before," Bucky frowned at you.

"Well, I was going to..."

"I was there, doing what?" Zemo pressed.

"Sitting in the corner reading Machiavelli," you joked. "No, you were, you know... part of it..."

"How was it?" Zemo asked instantly, getting yours and Bucky's eyes on him then.

"Huh?"

"In the dream, having both of us," he clarified, "did you enjoy the experience?"

"U-um, I mean, I don't really remember..." you coughed.

"I don't think that's true," Zemo grinned. "You're wearing it on your face now— is that why you couldn't look at me this morning in the hallway?"

Your face got warmer. "Do I normally look at you?" you deflected.

"More than you realize," he answered cryptically.

"So, it was good," Bucky assumed. "It's obvious, you can just admit it."

You did hesitate, biting on one of your nails, but you nodded, and they both smiled. "Yeah, it was... it was really good..."

"Which one of us was better?" Bucky wondered. "It was me, right?"

"You were... I don't know, you were just different," you shrugged.

"Ugh, that's such a cop-out," Bucky rolled his eyes. "Don't be afraid to hurt his feelings."

"No, really— it's hard to compare," you insisted. "You were sort of, you know, sensitive and... patient, and you—" you looked at Zemo— "were kind of... intense."

Zemo smirked. "I've been told that before, actually. I mean, by people who got the real experience."

Bucky looked with a concerned expression over his shoulder at Zemo. You found yourself biting your lip for a moment.

"I know you won't answer this question, but I have to ask," Zemo began, "did you climax?"

"Oh god," you whined, hiding your face behind your hands.

"See? She did," Zemo smiled, maybe wider than you'd ever seen. "Perhaps even more than once."

"Please shut up," you groaned.

"Holy shit," Bucky smirked, "you really liked it, huh?

"What do you say, James?" Zemo prompted, looking at Bucky, and making you get a little wide-eyed. "Shouldn't we give the girl what she wants?

"Isn't that, uh— I mean, wouldn't that be... weird?" Bucky stammered, cheeks flushing.

"You're so sheltered," Zemo mocked with a small laugh. "Sharing a partner is very thrilling when the correct amount of trust is involved."

"Wait, wait— it was just a dream, I wasn't, you know, suggesting it," you explained nervously.

"I know," Zemo replied, "I am."

There was a tense pause, where all you could hear was your own beating heart.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Zemo offered, “I know it’s a strange thing to say. Just come here, darling.”

Though your legs were shaking, you got up off the chair and approached him slowly. He met you in the middle, reaching up to quickly caress your jaw when you were close enough. Bucky seemed to watch the whole thing in disbelief. “I-I’ve never—” you began.

“It’s alright,” Zemo assured you softly, “I won’t judge you, or mock you— there’s nothing wrong with what you want.”

You nodded slightly, another form of silent permission, and he leaned in to kiss you— gentle at first, but strong enough to make your knees feel a little weak. He deepened it quickly, putting a hand at your waist as his tongue began to tease your lips… but just when you pressed into him, ready for more, he pulled away. He smirked at the way you leaned forward for a moment, but then he looked over at Bucky— you couldn’t quite read his expression, perhaps a bit of disbelief and… more than a decent share of arousal.

He stood up, and stepped up to you two, and you could tell he was in over his head— but you pulled him closer by his shirt, sighing as your hand felt his chest through the black fabric. “I— I’m not sure how to—” he mumbled.

“Me either,” you smiled, “just kiss me, Bucky…”

He did, though he seemed slightly less confident about it. What started as a shy and soft kiss turned into something more almost instantly— something hungry. He pulled you closer by your waist, he slipped his tongue into your mouth; it was clear, somehow, that he had been waiting for this chance for longer than you realized.

You gasped into Bucky’s kiss when you felt Zemo’s lips on your neck. There were four hands on you, running over your body, and you were struggling to keep track of which belonged to who…

Zemo pulled you off of Bucky and spun you around, kissing you roughly again. He was less careful this time, and he was reaching up under your shirt as well; you whimpered a bit, arching your back instinctively and pushing your ass into Bucky’s— oh fuck, he was hard. You couldn’t believe how worked up you were already.

Zemo groped at your chest, purring as he tweaked a nipple between his fingers. You whined and pressed your legs together, feeling him smile before he broke away to look at you with a sparkle in his eye.

“So sensitive,” he praised as he pushed your shirt up to get a good look at you; he sighed at the sight, both hands cupping your breasts and massaging them carefully. “You’re so beautiful…”

When his hands moved down, Bucky’s took their place; you shivered a little at the metal hand’s cool touch, but it was actually more of a relief than anything considering how hot you’d become. He was a little more aggressive with the way he touched your tits— if not quite rough. He was panting in your ear as he held and rubbed them; and Zemo was already pulling your pajama shorts down, exposing you even further… god, why did it turn you on so much.

“Look at you,” Zemo praised with a sigh, running his hands up and down your body. “I know you must be so wet already, darling, look how desperate you are… you’ve been wet since you woke up from that naughty dream, haven’t you?”

You didn’t have to answer— he was already putting his hand between your legs, exploring your folds, both of you groaning at how slick and sticky you were. “Fuck, I can hear it,” Bucky noticed, and you clenched inside as he said it.

Zemo gently pushed a finger into you— but you were so wet it didn’t even feel like a push, it felt like your hole just sucked him in. He was looking right into your eyes as he did it, but that was a little too much to handle for you, mentally, so you let your eyes fall shut just before he slipped the finger back out again.

"Feel inside her, James," Zemo encouraged, "she's so warm."

Bucky sighed, rubbing his fingers around your entrance. "I-I'm going to," he mumbled in your ear, "but... not 'cause he told me to or anything."

You whined when two vibranium fingers pushed inside you, making you lean back against Bucky while Zemo’s hands pushed your shirt up even higher, giving him better access to put his mouth on your tits. “F-fuck,” you sighed, putting a hand on the back of Zemo’s head as he swirled his tongue around your nipple— he was incredibly, annoyingly good at that, but then again, so was Bucky with the way he gently opened you up with his fingers. “Oh my god, just like that,” you panted.

“Who are you talking to?” Bucky wondered.

“Both of you,” you whined, “fuck, don’t stop.”

Zemo moved his mouth to your other nipple, suckling harder at it, making your hips rock on Bucky’s fingers; and Bucky growled approvingly, starting to thrust them a little more confidently inside you. “I can’t believe you didn’t soak through those shorts, doll,” Bucky whispered in your ear, “you’re drenched. You wanted this that bad?”

You could only nod dreamily, too lost in the feeling.

Though you weren’t sure how they coordinated it, they both stopped touching you at the same time; you whined quietly, clenching inside as you longed for either of their fingers to fill you again.

“Take the rest of it off,” Zemo instructed you— but it wasn’t too firm, more just a… friendly suggestion. “Let us see all of you.”

Stepping out of your shorts that had fallen to the floor and pulling your shirt up over your head, you tried to fight the urge to cover yourself— after all, here you were naked in Zemo’s living room, with two fully clothed men eyeing you up and down. It was hard not to feel… scrutinized.

"What happens next in your fantasy?" Zemo purred.

"I-it's not my fantasy, it was just a dream," you insisted.

"Then let me ask you another way: what happens now?"

Instead of answering with words, you simply sank down to your knees in front of them, keeping eye contact with Zemo as you started to open his belt.

The smug look on his face should’ve driven you crazy, but it only pushed you further; Bucky, thankfully, seemed to get the idea of what was going on and began to open his belt and jeans for you. You loved his eagerness, even if the way Zemo seemed content to just let you do all the work was a turn-on, too.

Soon enough, there were two hard cocks in front of you. Just the idea of that was already intimidating— but both of them, at eye-level, was actually nearly overwhelming. You took hold of them both, stroking slowly to try to wrap your head around this as easily as you could wrap your hands around them.

Not sure where to start, you did a mental coin toss and found yourself leaning towards Zemo first, wrapping your mouth around his tip and letting your eyes fall shut. Zemo hummed, pushing your hair back as you bobbed your head. You only sucked him for a few seconds before switching over to Bucky, though you tried to keep a hand stroking each one while you moved back and forth.

It felt filthy and strange and surreal, but your biggest concern was that you were going to get so wet you’d start dripping onto the floor or something.

Yes, you’d watched porn like this before, but you never really thought you’d end up doing it— especially with these two. You felt pretty comfortable assuming they never thought this would happen, either… but they got into it shockingly quickly: soon, you weren’t even the one deciding where you went, they simply got more and more impatient and began to guide you back and forth. You blinked your eyes open a few times to look up at them, but in the end you found yourself totally lost in it, just leaving your mouth open them and letting them take turns fucking it until you weren’t sure who was who anymore.

Not much was said (least of all by you, with your mouth full) aside from a few mumbled curses here and there— except for one moment, where Zemo seemed to mutter to Bucky: “I don’t think she expected to like this so much.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong. You were drooling, with tears striping your face— a side effect from repeatedly choking on both of them— and you were nearly desperate enough to rub yourself

Though you weren’t sure how or when Zemo had gotten in your head like this, you had to admit it was convenient right now; “You want more, don’t you?” he noticed, and all you had to do was nod before they pulled you up to your feet. Zemo bent you over quickly, before you’d even really found your balance, and stood behind you.

You gasped as Zemo’s cock slid inside you suddenly, holding on tight to Bucky’s arms for balance— immediately you were rocked forward with hard, needy thrusts.

“God, she’s so fucking wet,” Zemo hissed. You hadn’t really heard him talk quite like that before…

You groaned at the feeling, amazed at how easily he fit inside, but clearly all the anticipation had prepared you well. Bucky only let you have a second to adjust before he shoved your head back down and pushed his cock into your waiting mouth. You were happy to oblige, though, and sucked him even more eagerly than before with fast bobs of your head and more pressure from your tongue.

Bucky’s fingers tangled into your hair, and his hips pushed forward to fuck deeper into your throat; you heard him groan, but it was muffled as he bit his lip. You gagged, and they both moaned lowly. “I can feel when you choke on him,” Zemo informed you with a grunt, “your little cunt squeezes me tighter.”

It must have been Zemo’s hand that slid up your spine and held onto your shoulder— it must have been Bucky that reached down to feel your tits— but if was your hand that ended up between your legs, rubbing your clit quickly simply because you couldn’t hold yourself back anymore.

“So desperate,” Zemo mocked— or praised, maybe? The difference was hard to define. “You want to come?”

You hummed in agreement around Bucky’s cock, before he forced you to choke on it again. You never expected him to be so aggressive, nor how much it would make you crave even more.

“If you want a turn with her, James, you’d better take it now,” Zemo offered, voice thin as he tried to catch his breath. “Any more of that and I won’t be able to stop myself again.”

Bucky roughly pulled you off of Zemo and sat back on the couch, turning you around to face away from him and pulling you into his own lap; that doll nickname felt a bit more literal when he tossed you around so easily.

You gasped as Bucky slid inside, and moaned as you realized you could so easily feel the difference between them. “Fuck!” you cried out loudly, louder than you really meant to, as Bucky instantly began bouncing you on top of him; you were trying to move with him, but he was so much stronger and basically just using you however he wanted… it made you moan even more and roll your eyes back in your head as you realized that. “Fuck, Bucky, oh my god—”

“See how much louder she screams for me?” Bucky grinned.

“That’s because her mouth isn’t full this time,” Zemo countered with a laugh. “That can be corrected.”

Bucky was certainly much more… impatient in the way he fucked you; Zemo, meanwhile, was as controlled as ever as he guided you to lean forward, gently opened your mouth, and slid just his leaking head inside. He purred as you suckled at the tip, looking up at him with watering eyes.

“Can you taste yourself?” Zemo asked you with a smile, humming when you nodded around him. “You really soaked me, darling— I expect you to be a good girl and clean all that off.”

You moaned at the praise and took him deeper into your mouth, using your tongue to lick up every drop of your own wetness off of him. You surprised even yourself with how shameless you were, pulling your mouth off to run your tongue over him instead, moaning as you licked him clean.

Bucky fucked up faster into you until you could barely focus on the task before you, but you still found a way: you kept Zemo’s cock in your mouth and let him hold your head, keeping you steady while Bucky moaned louder and thrusted harder.

You moaned more and more around Zemo until he pulled you away and you gasped instantly. “Tell me how it feels,” he demanded harshly, holding your head up by your hair.

“So good,” you yelped, “it’s so fucking good!”

He surprised you with a slap across the face, but you moaned right away. “Fucking whore,” he spat. “Look how badly you need to be treated. You want to come, don’t you?”

“Yes,” you sobbed, “yes, fuck, please—”

“Well, James,” Zemo hissed, “aren’t you going to help her?”

Bucky sighed and moved one of the hands on your hips down between your legs, rubbing you quickly and harshly. Your thighs were shaking instantly; actually, pretty much all of you was shaking.

“She’s coming, James, don’t stop,” Zemo barked out another order, holding you tight by the jaw and looking right into your eyes. “I want you to come until you can’t possibly take it anymore,” he explained with a growl, “don’t tell me to make him stop until then, is that clear? Show us how much you can take, nothing less.”

You nodded as best you could with him holding onto your face, and tried to lean in to put your mouth on his cock again, but he held you there.

“No,” he corrected, “I’d rather get a good look at this.”

Bucky’s hand on your clit was relentless, the pressure almost too intense for you to take— but you had to take it, you had no other choice. It started off almost slowly, a gradual descent into the numbing pleasure of your orgasm, but it didn’t stop; Zemo already made it clear he wasn’t going to let it stop until you were at your limit. Your moans were shaky and broken from how hard Bucky was fucking you, and your eyes were rolling back already but you could’ve sworn you heard Zemo chuckle at the sight of you. Did you really look that fucked up?

“Good girl,” he purred, “keep going. You can take more.”

You whined louder, higher, sharper; you weren’t sure how much more you really could take of this, but you wanted to do as you’d been told and not tap out until the absolute last second.

You knew you were crying, only because you felt the hot tears running down your cheeks. You heard Zemo encouraging you distantly, but you couldn’t quite make out any words, just the dark and sweet tone of his voice. You heard Bucky, too, groaning deeply while you felt his fingers digging tighter into your hips. Could he feel everything he was putting your body through?

“Fuck, stop!” you heard yourself blurt out, and instantly Bucky’s hand moved away— but his thrusts didn’t slow down. It was just the right amount of relief, and you blinked the blurriness out of your vision. It was almost like part of it didn’t even really hit you until then, until the aftershocks reverberated through your body.

“That’s it,” Zemo praised, “you’re alright, we’ve got you.”

“Oh god, o-oh god,” you sobbed, shaking uncontrollably— they were both holding you up, you would’ve toppled to the floor if it weren’t for them

“Fuck, m’gonna come,” Bucky groaned.

“Inside,” you gasped, even with how little mental clarity you had in that moment. “I want it inside.”

“Fuck,” he said again. “That’s so— god, baby, look what you fuckin’ do to me… I’m gonna come inside you.”

“Yes,” you begged with a sob, Zemo grinning as he watched you.

Still numb and clenching uncontrollably inside, you felt the way he pumped harder and harder and harder— until it slowed down and he let out the most delicious, long groan. You whined, but smiled, as he loosened his grip on your hips and relaxed under you, his moans and heavy breaths seeming to drip with satisfaction. “Fuck,” he said, one more time, deeper than ever, before falling back on the couch limply.

Zemo lifted you off of Bucky— apparently a little sooner than he was ready for, because you heard him hiss as he slipped out of you— and guided you with him onto the couch, pulling your back into his chest. He knelt behind you, kissing the back of your shoulder as watched you try to come back to reality.

“I should let you rest for a moment,” he noticed, “but you don’t want me to, do you?”

Weakly, you shook your head.

He moved in closer to you and you felt his cock, still wet with your spit, rub against the inside of your thigh— and even after all that, you arched your back deeper in invitation.

It made you blush when Zemo slid into you again, thinking about him filling you alongside Bucky’s load, especially with the way he groaned lowly into your ear. “You want me to fuck his come even deeper into you?” he taunted, and you whined but nodded. “I thought so.”

Everything felt so… sticky, in a disgusting but sexy sort of way; you were overly-sensitive inside, each thrust feeling so good with the fading sensitivity of your orgasm still present. You leaned back against Zemo with a sigh, letting him hold you close and fuck you however he wanted, more than happy to just be his toy now.

“Look how cute you are when you give in to me. You want me to use you, don’t you?” he noticed with a groan, and you whimpered but nodded ‘yes.’ “Of course,” he growled, kissing along your neck with more and more of his teeth each time. “You want me to fuck you however I want?”

“Yes,” you sobbed.

“But this isn’t about what I want,” he explained. “This is what you wanted.”

“Oh god…”

“You wanted us both to fuck you, at the same time. One cock isn’t enough to satisfy you?”

“Not anymore,” you admitted with a sigh, and he started to thrust faster and harder into you.

It turned very quickly from slow and sensual to rough and ruthless; he wrapped a hand around your neck to keep you close as you moaned and cried, anxious already to come again. “Touch yourself,” he ordered with a hiss in your ear, “make yourself come around my cock.”

“F-fuck,” you choked out, but slid a hand over your body and between your legs to obey him quickly. You were already so fucking close, and you knew you shouldn’t go so hard on yourself when you were so sensitive, but your desperation made you really rub hard and fast in search of that growing tension. “Yes, fuck, m’gonna— oh god—”

“I know, darling,” he cooed, “just let go. It’s alright, I’ll hold you— come for me.”

You didn’t literally black out, but you did sort of… lose time, in that moment. It was like you were just floating in pleasure for a while and then all of a sudden you were laying back on the couch and you weren’t even sure where Bucky had gone and Zemo was proudly holding your legs open.

“You look so beautiful like this,” he informed you, and you blinked back at him shyly.

You expected the warm, sticky feeling as their come leaked out of you… what you didn’t expect to feel was Zemo’s mouth on your pussy, eagerly lapping it up and sucking on your clit as your eyes shot open and you gasped and moaned with surprise.

“Dude,” Bucky grimaced, “that’s fucked up…”

Zemo just hummed and took his mouth off of you, giving Bucky a confused look. “She tastes amazing,” Zemo defended, “maybe even better after our… contribution.”

You laughed a little at the description, until he leaned down and latched onto you again, making you gasp and run your fingers through his hair. “Fuck,” you whined, bucking your hips against his face. Your clit was already overstimulated, and the way that he flicked it with his tongue made you shiver all over.

Your hold on his hair made it a little easier to push him away when he sucked too hard on your sore clit; he was more than strong enough to keep going, but he stopped anyways and let you push him back with a smug, slickened smile. “You really should try it, James,” he encouraged, “you’ll only want more once you do.”

Sighing in relent, Bucky knelt down in front of the couch— yes, at some point he’d gotten off of it, and you were too high on orgasm dopamine to notice it— and Zemo helped you adjust your hips towards him so he could just dive right in.

He gave one long lick over you first, making you shudder, and seemed to get more excited and aggressive quickly as he held onto your thighs and started to push his tongue inside you. “Oh god,” you whimpered, and Zemo watched proudly for a moment before turning his head to kiss up your leg.

“Poor thing,” he cooed between gentle presses of his lips to your skin, “you probably thought we were done with you, didn’t you?”

You were on the couch nursing a cup of tea, your feet resting in Bucky’s lap on top of the pants he’d changed into after his shower; Zemo was on the balcony having a cigarette. That was the scene Sam came back to, and he seemed to notice something was off just by the way he raised an eyebrow as he entered the living room. “Hey guys,” he greeted. “What did I miss?”

“Not much,” Bucky shrugged, “just a pretty quiet morning…”

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes smut #baron zemo x reader #helmut zemo x reader #baron zemo smut #bucky x zemo x reader #bucky x reader x zemo

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kiaxet · 1 year

Text

Sooooo y’all see the latest @somerandomdudelmao comic update? Because once again it is living in my head, which means once again my brain has generated fic. This one’s ~1200 words and slightly less tragic, depending on whether or not you take dramatic irony into account.

~~~~~~~

It starts fairly innocuously.

One of the surviving technicians monitors a computer as it finally, finally boots up successfully, whooping when the Genius Tech loading screen pops up. He grins and pats the power cable. "Thanks, Raph!"

It catches on.

A water purifier, disconnected to save a struggling power supply, gets plugged back in. It chugs back to life, and the kids responsible for its upkeep cheer and high five. One of them waves at the ceiling, where a power conduit runs overhead. "Thanks, Mister Raph!"

And it spreads like wildfire.

Every time something works the way it's supposed to - every time a much-needed device pops back to life, or the emergency doors close correctly, or a dying lightbulb flickers on one more time - they thank Raph. In gleeful shouts and careful whispers, they show gratitude for the person who gave up his life - and his second chance at life, at that - to keep them safe. It makes the emergency base, ramshackle and barely held together as it is, feel a little more like a home. A little more alive.

It doesn't take long for a few unspoken rules to develop.

They never say it in front of the metal shell. It's one thing to say it to the walls, the cables, the electricity; it's something else to say it to a figure with a face, seated against the wall like a sentinel that will awaken and protect them when danger arises.

(Nevermind that they've been in danger, constant and unending, for decades, and that this sentinel is already protecting them in smaller, everyday ways.)

They learn very quickly never to say it in front of Raph's surviving family, either. Master Leonardo gets angry when he hears it. It's an anger born of grief and loss, painful but not dangerous to allies, but given how terrifying Master Leonardo can be on the battlefield or a bad day, nobody really wants that anger directed at them. Master Michaelangelo just stops when he hears it, lips curling up in an expression too devoid of life to truly be called a smile. It's almost worse to witness than Master Leonardo's anger. No, they learn to watch themselves in front of the family, carefully taking their gratitude towards a dead man elsewhere.

Until the day someone forgets and says it in front of Casey Junior.

The kid looks up at Roger with wide, almost hopeful eyes. "Why did you- is he here? Can you feel him?"

Roger stares back at him with equally wide eyes. He'd just been grateful the computer had booted correctly for his monitor shift, and he hadn't been looking, and now he has to try to explain this to a kid who's never known a life outside the apocalypse. Oh boy. "No, uh- I mean- I don't have magic like your dads do, Casey, I couldn't-" He sighs. "It's just...a thing people do, when things work. Before the Krang, we had all sorts of machines that made life easier, and...we'd talk to 'em. Thank 'em when they worked, yell or beg when they didn't...I remember threatening a fax machine once, not that that made any difference. I think that just...kinda carried over here." Wait. "Not that your uncle was a machine or anything-"

"His body was a machine," Casey says simply, with a pragmatism that Roger hadn't been expecting. Apocalypse-raised kid. Right. "That wasn't what made him Uncle Raph. He was- it's-" Casey falters, expression starting to crumble. Pragmatism be damned, the kid is still grieving-

Rem, just coming off her shift, steps in smoothly. It's not the first time she's saved Roger's ass, both on and off the battlefield, and it won't be the last. "We know," she says gently, putting an arm around Casey's shoulders. "What Roger means is that we're grateful he's keeping us going, and that people like to bond with machines even when they're too simple to bond back. We all used to name our cars - can you believe it?"

"I named mine Red Rider," Roger says wistfully. He still misses that car.

"And I used to sneak out of the Hidden City with my cloaking brooch and go joyriding outside of human cities," Rem says, a grin splitting her feline muzzle. "I named every car I stole Phantom, like I thought I was cool."

Casey smiles - small and watery, but there nonetheless - and Roger breathes a sigh of relief. "What else did you name?"

"I mean, it was mostly cars, but some people named their computers."

"I had a friend who named her phone and just kept adding numbers when she had to replace it. It was Duchess O'Brien the eighth last I'd heard."

"I know some Yokai named their weapons, but I never really kept track of those. It was more of a Battle Nexus fandom thing."

Another Yokai leans in - a four eyed lizard whose name Roger could never remember no matter how hard he tried - and Roger shuts up. She's in charge of security now, and honestly she intimidates him. She looks around - at him, at Rem, at Casey - and then intones seriously, "I once named a kitchen appliance Toasty McToastFace."

There's a beat of silence. Casey has a lopsided grin growing on his face, like he doesn't get the joke but he knows it is one, and that's enough to lift his mood.

And then Rem doubles over, cracking up, and Bob smiles carefully. "Really loved that toaster, huh?"

"It was my closest friend," the lizard Yokai replies, deadpan as hell, before leaving the conversation.

Casey turns that confused grin on Roger. "Was she serious?"

"Kid, I have no idea. Some people are just really into this kinda thing."

Rem finally straightens up, wiping a tear from her eye with a paw. "Ohhhh boy. Oh, I needed that." She turns her smile back on Casey. "Point being, naming something makes it a little more real, and makes you a little more likely to take care of it. The system here...already has a name. We're just saying thank you, you know?"

The grin on Casey's face settles down into consideration. "Yeah, I think I do. I- Thanks. I'm gonna-" He waves at the door to finish his sentence.

"Go for it, kid." Roger waves him off as he departs, then sighs once he's gone. "God, that kid is just hemmhorraging family, isn't he."

"We all are, Roger, it's the fucking apocalypse." Rem flicks an ear.

"Yeah, but still. It's rough." There's a second or two of silence. "Also, if he says it in front of Master Leonardo, I'm denying all knowledge of this conversation."

"Spirits, same."

Roger learns a few days later - from Rem, of course - that Casey has named his chainsaw hockey stick Killer, because it's what his mom used to call him. Well damn, if kids like him are gonna be the future, then maybe they have some hope after all. He raps on a wall lightly, just below where the power conduit is mounted. "I know you didn't have a lot of time with the kid, but you did a good job." He can't help but smile. "Thanks, Raph."

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt casey jr #rottmnt raphael #if you squint #cass apocalyptic series #somerandomdudelmao #writing #fic #no gods no betas we die like RAPH APPARENTLY GOOD GODDAMN #I've been in IT for a decade #and there's something to be said for the human propensity to name machines #and other objects of personal value and use #and talk to them like they're capable of listening and responding #no way that died in the apocalypse #I have never named my phone #all of my computers have been named after musical terms #and my cars have been Chupathingy and Puma respectively #because some fandoms never fucking die #there's another story here I didn't write #about how some places seem to develop a personality and a presence all on their own #and how this makeshift base is literally powered by someone else's life #and in a world of magic and monsters #how does that affect things if it does at all?#is it a haunting or a mystic residue or simply something that has power in the minds and hearts of its occupants?#I love this shit #by the way #Duchess O'Brien is not a reference #Red Rider definitely is though it's not referencing what you think #Toasty McToastFace is the obvious one

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dyns33 · 9 months

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A Silly Dream

Another idiots in love with Morpheus and female reader.

"… What did you just say ?"

Sometimes Y/N forgot that Dream of the Endless wasn't human, and therefore didn't think like a human. He had great difficulty communicating and understanding that there were things he shouldn't say or do if he didn't want to hurt people.

The problem was that even when she remembered that, she also remembered that he was an old being, so normally experienced and wise, the prince of stories and words, who yet kept behaving like a selfish, spoiled child who never learned from his mistakes.

"I just said I couldn't stay long for our meeting."

"No, after that. And, what 'meeting' ? We didn't have an meeting, it was you who came to my place."

"As with Hob Gabling every hundred years, I meet with you once a year, for you to give me your impression of the new dreams and nightmares, and in exchange I let you read an unfinished book from my library. But I am very busy and it will be difficult for me to stay more than an hour today."

He was really telling her that for all this time, more than a hundred years, their relationship was not at all friendly, but hardly professional, a simple obligation, which annoyed him but that he had the kindness to fill in each time ? Oh, Y/N felt really honored at that moment.

"… You're a jerk."

"I beg your pardon ?" wondered Morpheus, visibly very offended.

"I said you're a jerk. It's because of the kiss, right ? It's your way of telling me that I shouldn't have, and that I'm very lucky that you keep coming to see me instead of punishing me ?"

"You know I have to come see you."

"You're a real jerk. Go away, since you're so busy."

His face still impassive, Morpheus stared at her for a long time, as if he still didn't know what he should do, before standing up without saying anything and leaving.

The kiss had been stupid, Y/N agreed to admit it.

It had happened two years ago now, when she had just finished her review of the last nightmare he had created, and Dream was trying to explain to her why she was wrong in her reasoning.

It could have happened much sooner, because her heart had been beating for him and only for him for decades already, but before that day, she had always known how to keep her feelings buried deep inside her.

But this time, without her being able to explain why, while she admired his eyes deep as the ocean, his skin pale as the moon, listening to his lulling voice, Y/N had not thought, and she had kissed him.

Dream of the endless went silent. He had looked at her as if she had just stabbed him, and of course he had left without listening to her excuses, not finishing his sentence, but leaving her a book, because he had only one word.

She had strange dreams after that, where she was in a labyrinth, then in a castle, then in corridors, and always she had the feeling that she was looking for something without really knowing what.

Sometimes she saw Dream, sometimes a cat, and she began to follow him, never being able to catch up with him.

The following year he came back, they didn't talk about what happened, and everything seemed to be back to normal.

It hurt to think that all of this was actually just an obligation for him. Y/N had met Hob several times. She knew that Morpheus was really bad with people, since it had taken him more than half a millennium to admit he had a friend, but she had also heard of his lovers, and so she knew that he was not incapable of feelings.

There had been the secret hope then that he liked her, at least a little. It was over now.

The next year, when he showed up on her doorstep with a book, Y/N wondered if he was more mean than stupid, or the other way around.

"I thought I told you to leave. I know you're terribly busy."

"The competition is indeed quite exhausting, but everyone else has given up for the day."

"Oh, you have a moment for me in your schedule ? Too kind. No, wait, we have a meeting, I forgot. Well, I'm busy. Goodbye."

"You do not want…"

"Bye." she repeated, closing the door in his face without taking the book.

It was the first time she hadn't taken the book. If he wanted to, Dream could have appeared in her apartment, or in her dreams, to scold her and throw the book at her, but he didn't.

Y/N didn't know if she was happy or disappointed.

Meanwhile, the bizarre dreams continued.

This time, she was in the gardens of his castle, in the Dreaming. She knew it, because she had already been there. It was because of this stuff that she felt she was more than an obligation.

There were a lot of people in the gardens, some looking human, some not, and they were all looking for something.

Tired, Y/N decided that this time she didn't feel like running, and she sat down on a bench. A wing sound told her that a little spy had decided to join her.

"They all look ridiculous, don't you think ?"

"I don't know who they are or what they do, but I guess."

"They participate in the competition, of course." Matthew said with a desperate tone. "It's been so long now, what's it been, four years ? Five ? I don't know. Some like you have a point, others are starting to despair a bit. I wish they all despair and stop. The boss is tired."

"… What do you mean by 'I have a point' ?"

"The rules are simple, one kiss, one point. Two kisses, two points. Three kisses, the hand of the Master of dreams. None of them asked for his consent, wicked ones. Neither do you, I'm a bit disappointed, young lady. You're the least bad, but still. He was hurt, that was not good manners."

"Matthew… Matthew, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

The raven looked at her like she was stupid. Then he realized she must be really stupid.

"No… That can't be true ! You two are really the same. Two idiots, you deserve each other ! Idiots ! He was hurt, but happy ! He was waiting for the other kisses during your little dates in the Waking !"

"You're talking about our more or less professional and obligatory meetings that he doesn't have time to go to ?"

"What ? What do you mean by… He said something stupid, right ? Of course he said something stupid. You do stupid things, he says stupid things, when you could just kiss. God damn it ! He was grumpy last year, and sad this year, because he thinks you don't want to compete anymore. But you don't know there's a competition ! And you don't want to see him anymore, not because you don't like him, but because you think he doesn't like you ! Boss ! Boss, you really kill me sometimes !"

Y/N woke up not sure if she had dreamed or not. Of course, she had dreamed, and all dreams were real, but she didn't know if she had talked to Matthew, or if she had dreamed that she was talking to Matthew, which was not the same thing.

In one case, she could continue to hope stupidly. In the other, she was just plain stupid.

She got her answer when she came home from work one evening and found Morpheus on her couch. He looked smaller and more fragile than usual. Tired, as his raven said.

"I thought we already had our meeting this year." she said taking out her jacket, not knowing what she should do, or what he was going to do.

"We didn't. You were busy."

"Ah, yes. That's right. Tea ?"

"No, thank you."

Usually things were very simple. They greeted each other, talked quickly about the past year, then Y/N talked about her dreams and nightmares, saying why she liked them or not.

This time, they said nothing, sitting next to each other. Of course, he had brought a book, placed between them. She didn't know if she should talk about those weird dreams.

It was a new surprise when he spoke first.

"You're near my sister's realm lately."

"Which one ?"

"Despair."

"Oh. How is she ?"

"What do you think ?"

"I don't know, you are not really dreamy yourself. I mean, you are, just when you are not talking. The talking you is a real nightmare. But I meant, how is she, as in is she alright ?"

"I must say that I don't know."

"You should call her to ask, she's your sister. Except if she's a bad sister. I guess it's not my business. How are you ?"

"You never kissed me again. Why ?"

He was back, the child with his big deep eyes, his innocent look and his dangerous words. How could he say such important things without the slightest hesitation ?

Y/N found the courage to meet his gaze after taking a deep breath.

"I don't know. Maybe because you have to come see me, and you clearly didn't like the first time I kissed you."

"I appreciated that. I would have fully appreciated it under other circumstances, but at that moment I thought you were acting like the others, in order to win the competition."

Matthew wasn't wrong, they were both a bit stupid, and mostly unlucky. All of this was mainly a problem of bad timing, and communication. If Y/N had acted sooner, and if Morpheus had known how to talk, there would never have been any problems.

"Following your entry into the competition, I am obliged to join you, in order to give you a chance to steal two more kisses from me, under the same conditions as the first. All the others who succeeded having it done in the Dreaming, I do not have to meet them elsewhere."

"… So you've been obliged for two years. But before too, since you impose one meeting per year."

"I told you, I'm very busy. I wanted to make sure I can see you at least once, as much as possible, so it seemed safer to set a specific date."

Damn, he was a jerk. A lovely jerk, a sweet idiot, a pleasant fool.

"And so… You want to kiss me ?"

"I'm not allowed to give kisses, you have to take them. It's the rule."

"I don't like that rule. I didn't kiss you for that, I should have asked your permission, and I'm not going to do it again, that's wrong."

"So you don't want to kiss me." he whispered, looking disappointed.

"I don't wish to force you. I won't steal another kiss."

"You could ask me."

"And would that change anything ?"

"I can't give kisses, but I can give you permission."

During their little conversation, Matthew had been very clear, clear as he always was and much more than his boss who gave him a headache. Silently, for three years, Morpheus had been patiently waiting for Y/N to kiss him again, silently giving her his consent.

He had been too proud or too stupid to understand that he had to verbalize such things.

"Morpheus, I love you very much and I don't care about this competition, can I kiss you ?"

"You can." he sighed with relief and what looked like a smile.

This kiss was much nicer than the first. Probably because it had been desired for more than two years now. Y/N would have liked it to last forever.

"And… For the third one ? Do I have to wait until next year ?" she asked nervously, keeping her hands on his shoulders, thinking he would leave as soon as she let go.

"You can take as many kisses as you want, my love. You can take everything you want."

"Dream… My Dream…"

It was difficult to know what happened in the Dreaming at this moment. No doubt that Lucienne and Matthew announced to the other participants that they could leave because they had lost. Then the wedding planning began.

Y/N hadn't thought about marriage. She had only thought about Morpheus, silly Morpheus, and all the love she had for him. They would need to discuss all of this. But right now, she was too busy kissing him again and again, and him not devouring her with his endless passion.

"I'm glad it's you." he whispered against her lips. "I have to go now. We'll see each other tonight, I'll wait for you."

Being a man of his word, he left a book on the sofa before disappearing. A love story with a happy ending, maybe because he knew they would be fine, or just because he hoped they would.

Y/N read it before going to sleep to join her future kingdom, and her stupid prince of dreams.

#the sandman #dream of the endless #dream of the endless x reader #dream of the endless imagine #dream of the endless fanfiction #morpheus #morpheus x reader #morpheus imagine #morpheus fanfiction

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loraliewritesthings · 1 year

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Danny Phantom but make him a circus/freakshow attraction headcanons

Maybe he was sold maybe he was captured. Danny couldn't quite remember threw the pain. The lab accident felt like decades ago but time goes slow when your hurting

The blood blossoms were always underfoot. The cage was small his muzzle tight and he was hungry.

So so hungry

Still he didn't look forward to his preformances to the gawking masked people or the salt circle his cage would be placed in or turning from boy to ghost for entertainments sake.

The first time he tried to escape when his box was opened.

That of course only made his capturer mad and earned him more blood blooms.

Dick hated places like this. Cruel hurtful places sullying the name of the circus. Maybe that's why he jumped at the chance to help spy on the freakshow that had recently come to town despite Bruce's worried expression. It wasn't hard to convince Bruce to let him go though. He knew circus lingo better than anyone else in the family after all. Sure his slang MAY be a little outdated but it didn't matter too much for just a few nights.

Dick has seen some horrible things and stayed pretty lighthearted, but because the circus is so sacred to him I think he takes this mission very seriously.

In the end it's him Bruce on the mission.

It wasn't hard to locate where the metas and "freaks" were being kept.

He entered the tent and between a man labeled "the cannibal" and Killer Croc who somehow got dragged into this, there was a young man in a muzzle kneeling on what looked like flowers.

Something about his eyes made him look almost haunted.

He moved on to the next row taking note of every poor soul there.

He was going to get them free.

Sure Bruce didn't like metas, but he wasn't heartless. It didn't take long for him to divide the staff into the willing and unwilling participants. It took him even less time to tie up the willing workers and to call in the Gotham police department.

When batman went to talk to the victims one stood out to him. The boy was muzzled his eyes rapidly switching from blue to green.

He couldn't have been older than Jason.

No one else there was muzzled.

He wondered briefly what made him so dangerous.

The question nagged at him as he asked person after person how they got here.

As expected no one was there voluntarily.

Speaking to an albino set of twins, the last to be questioned, he asked about the boy in the muzzle.

One twin merely shrugged and said he had been there the longest.

It was enough to strike empathy in him.

He approached carefully removing first the lock then the muzzle.

The young man almost pushed past him to get out.

Starting his questioning he asked where he was from and what his name is.

The young man, Danny apparently, didn't seam to remember much outside of the circus though. Where some of the more recently "aquired" captives remembered the older ones didnt

He could only imagine it was trauma holding them back.

Because this place was all he could remember, Danny didn't know what he wanted to do after he was free besides get far far away.

Bruce asked him no more questions.

General headcanons:

Danny is still sassy in this au but he's also bitter.

He doesn't talk much at first cause he's not used to it cause of the muzzle.

It takes quite a while for him to become more like his own self.

Sits on top of Wayne manor staring at the stars he doesn't remember why though.

He has "sad eyes" as babs and steph phrased it.

Bruce didn't mean to keep danny. He's basically a foster fail.

He will never here the end of such from Alfred.

Talking about Alfred he handles the new addition just fine

After all Danny broody and sassy.

He even has the light eyes dark hair combo.

Danny is kinda a foil to Dick. Where Dick is cheerful, Danny is jaded

Where Dick sees the circus as sacred Danny sees it as a trigger

They get along ok weirdly enough.

Jason swore when he first saw Danny.

"Bruce you got another damn kid"

Offers to take him away from Bruce if ever needed. Offer always stands.

Tim doesn't notice the ghost boy for about a week. He was just too sleep deprived.

When he did he assumed danny was a sleep deprivation hallucination

Now he doesn't know how to approach him so he treats him like he's always been there.

Cass understands Danny.

The silence between them is comfortable and amicable

Damian is Damian.

He isn't sure what to think so at first he comes of as aggressive.

That stands until he sees Danny in a fight for the first time.

Now he only wonders now this meta who can turn invisible and fly got caught.

He thinks better then to ask.

Slowly Danny learns to trust again. To live again.

#danny phantom #danny fenton #dp x dc #batman #dc #bruce wayne #dc x dp #circus freak danny au #dick grayson #cassandra cain #jason todd #timothy drake #damian wayne #headcanons #danny phantom headcanon #angst

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keksalot404 · 7 months

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OMORI: GUARDIAN ANGEL AU - ASK THEM ANYTHING (THE VERY MUCH PLANNED HALLOWEEN SPECIAL)

How's it going folks? Welcome back to Know Your Monsters! Halloween's is just around the corner, so we got a special treat for you tricksters! For Monstertown's 3rd Hollow's Eve, we've asked you to say some burning questions to some human-turned-spooky specters (and their mortal companions) who popped up in the MTT Hotel to give you this totally planned special! We got your questions, so now we ask... why are you crying?

Witch Mari: *sniff* I'm sorry - It's just - It's our first Halloween with me back - and - I never though we would ever enjoy today like this - aND WE CAN DO SIBLING COSTUMES AGAIN *sobs*

Black Cat Sunny: …I think me not celebrating any holiday for years affected her.

Akita Neru Aubrey: I forgot how into Halloween she was...or, is.

Lucas Frisk: *I recall how hard it was to coordinate costumes with Chara every year! I reckon we will run out of costumes pairs by year 5.

Masked Man Chara: YOU may call me picky, I would call it having actual taste. Hollow's Eve is a personal favorite holiday of mine and I will not muddle it dressing as a technicolor astronaut!

Frisk: *Hey! I point out that it is from a Horror Drama show specifically.

Chara: Why are you so adamant about us having pairing outfits in the first place?!

Frisk: *Because you're my best friend~ (*I make a heart with my hands)

Miku Madotsuki: Sorry my ghost friend couldn't make it tonight, she got so excited for Halloween she kind of got tuckered out and went back into... anyway! I can ask any question in her place! (Um, this interview isn't public outside town, is it?)

Purple Guy-er: You couldn't even bother to get a somewhat matching outfit. Just wearing the mask isn't enough!

Myers Mask Kris: It's more a costume then whatever you're suppose to be.

Player: I. Can't. Change. OUTFITS. This is the best I can do with my colors!

Kris: Then make your body transparent. At least then you'd actually pass as a ghost.

Player: Just give us the first question please, smiley helmet guy.

Okay! This first question towards you two I also want to ask the rest!

Player: Alright, let see, my name is... Player! I'm 19 years old and have been a gamer since... childhood.

Kris: Good job so far.

Player: Well SORRY I don't believe regular people would understand the concept of higher dimensional beings or that they value privacy!

Kris: The entire point of this ask thing is to get a better understanding of us.

Player: Okay well why don't you answer the next one. What do you think our relationship is, honestly?

Kris: Crippled teen and very annoying and social life line.

Player: …I mean I guess...

Mado: Me and my friend we're together for as long as I could remember. I thought she had gone, even when I kept seeing her everyday, but turns out she wasn't really gone in the first place. So... yay!

Frisk: *Chara and I go way back, before the rise of the Underground! Even when I didn't know them, they caught and saved me when I fell pass the barrier and onto the cave floor. That's when I met Chara, and we've been trusted partners ever since!

Chara: I wouldn't call being buried for decades only to be awakened by my soul being attached to a kid akin to a simple trust fall.

Frisk: *Aw, but I recall you even put down flowers for my arrival. <3

Chara: Uuuuugggghhhhh-

Mari: We're siblings of course! I'd like to believe that my will to be by Sunny's side is what kept me around and conscious all these years!

Sunny: …What were you doing all that time I couldn't see you. I know you go to my dreams when I sleep, but what we're you doing when I was awake?

Mari: Well, you know I was invisible when not in Headspace, but I think in some of the... illusions you had were me sometimes.

Sunny: ?! Were you there when I thought you were locked outside?

Mari: No?

Sunny: How about when I drowned and I saw you trying to save me like last time?

Mari: You saw that?

Aubrey: …Were you there when Sunny visited me at the church?

Mari: I would've haunted their every waking moment for you. :)

Aubrey: Th- thanks?

Ah, actually Aubrey, there are two similar asks interested in you and Sunny.

Aubrey: Huh? But I thought this was for-

Aubrey: How do they-! I- I mean...

Sunny: …

Aubrey: He's my friend. He made a mistake, a really dumb, life-changing mistake. Sure I was mad when I found out, furious actually, and then I got more angry at myself when I realized... I almost did the same thing.

Sunny: !

Mari: Oh Aubrey...

Aubrey: You- you gave me somewhere to go when I had nowhere else... even after everything I did to you... so... yeah

Sunny: …You're my friend too Aubrey. I might not feel the same way like back then, but I like what we are now.

Mado: …Got to love the childhood friends trope, huh?

Oh? Do I sense something between you and Sunny?

Mado: I did not agree to ask questions directly from you.

Oh, it didn't come from me~ :3

Mado: Nanda-!

Sunny: She's comfortable to be around. She doesn't judge when I do something off-putting, and gives me good art advice when I started drawing again. She's so different from me, yet... we understand each other. She's... sweet.

Mari: (Internal squeeing)

Mado: …

So how about-

Mado: SUNNY IS. A GOOD PAL. HIS SISTER IS NICE ALSO. GOTTA LOVE JAPANESE SOLIDARITY.

Mado: …and. He also. Doesn't mind. When I...

Get stabby?

Mado: Eh?! Where did that come from?

Well...

Mado: Na- I only stab things in dreams! Which I guess whoever the hell you get your questions from knows about apparently!!! And I stopped doing much of it after a while! I'm curious but I'm not some intrusive thought following maniac! Who would something like that in real life?

Sunny: I thought dream worlds only held consequences when you wanted them to. I've only learned recently that was not the case.

Mari: To be fair little bro, you could say "you" had a good control of what you dreamt about.

Sunny: Also Kris likes stabbing stuff? I don't remember them being that into it.

Kris: …I have several knives. I keep them in a case to display.

Player: I've seen Sunny walk past it several times. I believe he thinks it's for the kitchen.

Kris: F@#k kinda kitchen needs that many knives.

Frisk: *I wonder why the ask never mentioned Chara.

Chara: I only have the one dagger, Frisk.

Frisk: *And you take care of it like your own kin.

Chara: I use it for gardening! It needs to be cleaned 3 times after use!

Moving on, this next one is for you, Chara.

Chara: Well, I'm not one to brag, but in my living days I was referred to be a "demon who comes when you call their name." I now hold view this title as endearing, as I take pride in seeing how I can personally unsettle humans (and sometimes monsters) with nothing but my words and face. Mari is the nice, gentle, caring older sister of our little ghostly group, so really, I don't see a need for it to be a contest.

Frisk: *I mention the time with the cookies-

Chara: *through gritted teeth* That was admittedly a moment of weakness spurred by my love of chocolate. I acknowledged my defeat that day only to claim what I wanted. A deal was made, so it doesn't count.

Sunny: Never mess with older sisters. They hold a monumental power behind their smile.

Mari: Tee-hee~

That brings me to you, Mari.

Mari: I can say that Mari's Magical Might is only growing with everything I learn! VIOLET HANDS, healing magic, teleportation, and Alphys said that I might even have an affinity for Water Magic as well! Undyne was so excited when she heard that!

Sunny: I think it's cool, I hope being linked to her gives me magic too.

Aubrey: At least you have a chance! I'd pray to the heavens a hundred times if it meant I had powers half as sweet as yours, Mari!

Mari: Aw thank you! As for what my mother thinks, at first she was shocked that I wanted to learn magic, but she quickly changed her tune when she saw that I could help around the house better with my HANDS.

Mari: As for the latter question... unfortunately full controlling shape-shifting is something I'm still getting the hang of. I'll let you know the moment I'd be able to do... that!

Chara: I'd say she's lucky to have as many experienced teachers, such as myself, to help her discovering her power.

Frisk: *I express my relief that Chara has not yet burned a part of the forest during their training with Mari.

Chara: It was ONE time, we agreed with that white furry forest guardian to not train too close to the dense forest. I am not some brainless pyromaniac.

Frisk: *The first thing you did when you could do magic was seeing if you could make a fire sword.

Chara: Well, some fire is obvious, I am a Dreemurr after all.

This next ask is for you, Frisk. This one comes from all the way in Japan!

Frisk: *…These asks are getting way too personal.

Chara: You have just noticed?

Frisk: *How do I say this... If you are referring when I could load the entire timeline to a previous state, then I'm afraid I am not able to do that anymore. I cannot even load my most recent save, the one just after breaking the barrier.

Chara: There is little in this universe, let alone this world, that can affect time with the degree of control that we, er, Frisk had when they first entered the underground.

Frisk: *Even when I did have it, I didn't have much control of it. I only remember it forcing a load when I... lose enough HP. That was enough however, as I didn't use it for anything else.

Frisk: *As to theories on how to get that power back, I can think of a few methods...

Player: You still owe me an explanation on the white sparkle save point thing back in the "DW."

Kris: I don't owe you anything.

Player: You JUST called me your lifeline!

Kris: I don't see other people giving their UV drip a trophy.

Teto Monoko: *sleeps soundly*

----_--__--- - - --- - -

Oh woops, I think that ask was a little corrupted.

Mado: ?

Sunny: Oh, a water stone. Thanks.

Sunny: Um, I didn't have AC in my old house. It feels nice on hot days.

Aubrey: Hey, I know that were getting a lot of our personal life out there, but isn't it strange we can see the names of most who's asking us?

Well, we do in fact have 1 more anonymous question, it's for you Mari.

Mari: Oh! Well, ask away! There's no shame in a little anonyma-

*Mari is crushed by the large ask!

Sunny: !!!

Aubrey: OH MY GOD OH MY GOD, MARI!

*SLASH!*

Chara: Mari, are you alright?

Mari: Ugh, yeah, I'm fine. You know, ghost biology and all that.

Aubrey: What was up with that guy!? Thinking they know you like that! That was infuriating!

Sunny: Mari's not an idiot...

Mari: I'm inclined to agree, but...

Aubrey: Wh- don't tell me you agree with them Mari! It was just an accident, nobody could've how it would end!

Mari: They we're right about one thing though... I was selfish.

Aubrey: W-What...? No, it was-

Mari: You could say it was many things. The pressure from our parents. The pressure from the town. The looks of excitement on our friends faces. It was a lot, but in the end... it was me. I was the one who told Sunny to keep going. After all my fingers swelled. After his fingers started to bleed. After getting one note wrong, after getting the timing a bit off, after thinking it was just F*%KING not good enough apparently!

*Mari's spirit shakes.

Sunny: Mari...?

Mari: I... I said earlier I thought it was my will to be by your side that kept me linked to you. To be honest, I thought that it had to be the case, because the only thing I wanted to do after... everything that happened...

Mari: Was to be a better sister for you. To do- ANYTHING, to redeem my awful, stupid, selfish mistake. I... honestly don't know what else-

Chara: It was your determination.

Mari: …what?

Chara: In your final moments, you decided that whatever you had left, your love of your brother, your fear of failure, the need to repent and be a better person, whatever in your soul that was not fading, was worth still living for.

Chara: The moment you decided that, all of those feelings exploded into life, into determination. And so you kept going, not just for your brother, but also for the small part of you that still wanted to live. That so called selfishness you speak of.

Mari: …H-how... do you...?

Chara: …

Chara: Because I asked that question too.

Mari: Huh...

*Mari notices Sunny's expression.

Mari: Sunny, look at me.

Mari: I... I know I hurt you. I know even if you say that your okay I can still feel what I've done to you even today. And it even might be more selfish of me to say this. But I just want- I NEED you to know,

Mari: However long I have left, if it's just a few months, if it's how long I would've lived before. I promise that I will do everything in my power to be with you. To help up you when you feel down. To stop you from hurting yourself or others. To listen when no one else will. Even if you don't think you deserve it. Even if I think I don't deserve you. I will do anything to be the best sister I wasn't before. Because I love you, Sunny.

Sunny: …

Sunny: …then...

Sunny: I want you to forgive yourself too.

Mari: …

Mari: O-Okay... I'll try...!

Kris: …I wish I had an older sibling.

Player: In another life, buddy.

Kris: …cool.

…We have one more question for all of you, If you want to keep going.

Mari: Hehe *sniff* of course. Go ahead.

Alright. Final question from:

Sunny: I think... the time I tripped on Mewo's litterbox and spilled it over the floor.

Mari: I'm pretty sure me calling you over to surprise you with a fake spider that day tops that, hehe.

Aubrey: I... patted Basil on the back, accidently opening one of his wounds after That Night. I felt terrible, but he was just glad for me to be worrying about him again.

Frisk: *I recall the hours "we" spent making Dog Residue to buy the elusive Temmie Armor. I equipped it just before Asgore. Not the best time spent.

Chara: The Buttercup Pie. I guess it counts since Dad was just sick from it. Although the ripples that event would cause could count as "life-ruining"

Mado: (Too many to say.)

Mado: I... called one of my teachers by their first name back in my birth town! It was suuuper embarrassing.

Monoko: -- Gomen... -- Monoe-nee... -- cookie... -- oishii...

Player: I did that thing where you held shift to quickly craft things and I accidently made 9 Diamond Hoes in a Hardcore world.

Kris: And the most stupidest thing I will do is just around the corner, so stay tuned for that.

And that will be all! Got anything to say to everyone watching and reading?

Player: Oh- uh... thanks for all your strangely invasive questions.

Kris: We honestly didn't expect to get as many as we did.

Mado: We hope you enjoyed this little treat on Halloween!

Frisk: *I express my gratitude for all of you who are still with us for this special.

Chara: It... took a while. Whether or not it was planned, efficient, or worth it in the end is yet to be decided.

Aubrey: Thanks for all the things you say,

Sunny: The stuff you make,

Mari: And the love you share!

Until next time!

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fabiansociety · 6 months

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i started playing yakuza 0 in August last year, and I've been playing my way through the entire series ever since. it's been a wild ride — a lot of nonsense plot has flowed through and out of my brain, a lot of janky combat, a massive amount of characters i've come to love, and hundreds of warmly empathetic substories that have pressed themselves into my brain. it feels like i've crammed an entire found family into my life, speedrunning through decades of character growth, major triumphs and minor failures. what it all means, in retrospect, i couldn't quite say. the series hasn't had a consistent point of view, except for an increasing melancholy of how life's narrative opportunities narrow with age and poor decisions, of the ways that childhood trauma lives with us forever, the ways that young men are brutalized into something useful for the powerful men at the top—but that's all a shadow passing over the true landscapes of the games, the long period hanging out in arcades or pool halls or drinking in a favorite bar, or singing karaoke alone or with someone. of watching kamurocho and sotenbori shift with the years, of the new cities we've visited and the food we've eaten. i remember the takoyaki place on the corner that got replaced with a gelateria much more than i remember any of the yakuza heavies that have driven the plots of these games, and that may actually be the point?

it's so weird to not have another yakuza game to immediately start playing. i've gotten so used to opening the next game as soon as i finish the previous one that it feels wrong to just be… done, for now? like, what am i to do with myself now? these games have been such a major part of my leisure time this last year. i've still got Ishin, but that's not really the same thing. the faces will be familiar, but the people will be strangers.

it feels right that the man who erased his name was the only one of these that i've actually 100% completed, from achievements to in-game trackers. they've lowered the bar for completion substantially with this latest game, and frankly it feels like an act of grace for people who have played through the entire series. i'm never going to get good at virtua fighter 2, no matter how many times it shows up, so it's nice to not have to get good at everything in order to round everything out. i've already taught myself mahjong for this series, is that not enough? LADG says, yes, it's okay, you've done enough, and i appreciate that tremendously, here at the end of this loooong road.

i spent *50 solid days* this last year doing nothing except playing yakuza games, that's ridiculous. i read every single nero wolfe book in significantly less time than that! this is the problem with doing this sort of run-the-board project for a video game series, it just takes so long to get even a basically thorough experience. running through the entire MCU, including all the D+, Netflix, Hulu, Freeform, and ABC shows, only takes 424 hours, by comparison. you could watch all of it in less time than in took me to get from Y0 to Y4. i read all the nero wolfe books a couple of years back, and i was ripping through those at a book a night. video games are massively more decompressed as a medium, which makes them much harder to approach. i've loved doing this, and really valued the experience, but how do i even begin to recommend someone approach this, when so much of the specific pleasure i get is from seeing these characters and locations grow and change over time? how do you even begin to read a work of that scope? what is even meaningful out of that time to convey to another person? and yet it is meaningful, having lived through it, in the way living in another city is meaningful. i can tell you what i did there, and the important things that happened to me, but the only way to really get it is to move there yourself, and that's a lot to ask of someone.

stats under the cut, if you're curious about just how much time i've spent on each individual game

yakuza 0: 115:45 started 8/10/22, completed 9/7/22

yakuza kiwami: 66:24 started 9/9/22, completed 10/10/22

yakuza kiwami 2: 73:20 started 10/10/22, completed 10/30/22

the majima saga: 2:49 started 10/18/22, completed 10/26/22

yakuza 3: 103:20 started 10/31/22, completed 2/20/23 (with a break from november to february)

yakuza 4: 124:14 started 2/20/23, completed 3/17/23

yakuza 5: 168:17 started 3/18/23, completed 4/27/23

yakuza 6: 76:05 started 4/30/23, completed 5/20/23

judgment: 114:29 started 5/22/23, completed 7/16/23

yakuza like a dragon: 131:31 started 7/16/23, completed 9/2/23

lost judgment: 131:10 (shocking how close this is to YLAD) started 9/17/23, completed 11/4/23

the kaito files: 12:59 started 11/5/23, completed 11/10/23

the man who erased his name: 75:17 started 11/11/23, completed 11/27/23

total time, across the entire series: 1195:40

i benchmarked these against the completionist starts on HowLongToBeat, and i was actually under par that way until about yakuza 4, when my times suddenly got much longer than estimated. what changed? mahjong. i learned how to play mahjong, and that was great (mahjong rules), but it's added dozens of hours to my games, easily, and even with that LADG is the only one of the games where i managed to complete the in-game mahjong objectives. y4 has four separate tournaments you can climb your way to the top of, one for each main character, and i never even got close, but i spent a lot of time trying!

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thegroovywitch · 1 year

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On groupies and muses...

(A little essay I've written for my Instagram post about the magic of groupie-dom)

During the last 8 months or so, with the rise of the "rockstar gf" aesthetic, I've seen the word groupie being villanized and criticized even more harshly than in the past. As a proud feminist, I absolutely agree with the logic behind the discourse: women shouldn't depend on men and being someone's girlfriend shouldn't be their highest aspiration in life, but the word groupie holds a special magical meaning in the music world that is often forgotten or misunderstood.

First and foremost, the OG groupies weren't just people who slept with rockstars. Some were painters, some were musicians themselves, some were models, some photographers, some were artists who used their partners just as much as they used them, in a creative whirlwind of inspiration and love. The fact that groupies are often only remembered for their partners and not as real humans with goals and thoughts and emotions is nothing but another case of good old misogyny.

Older groupies have made a lot of work during these past decades to de-villanize such a word in the name of feminism and allow women to celebrate groupie-dom for what it really was: a wonderful example of female sexuality happening right when it was starting to be "ok" for a woman to be considered a sexual being and find her own pleasure in sex.

Furthermore, the vast majority of groupies were women, but not all of them were. There are numerous accounts of men following musicians around, befriending them, sleeping with them etc. How come are queer people often erased from such discourses?

We know for a fact that a lot of male rockstars back in the day were gay or bisexual, while others did a lot of "experimentation". And who were their partners in such occasions? Male groupies, most of the time.

All this to say it's ok to "just" be a muse. It's not at all a passive role but one of most laudable, to be the inspiration and the genesis of art itself. To be a muse is to be divine, a piece of heaven on Earth that an artist can grasp with their own hands and be so intellectually enlightened to create masterpieces. Considering this, haven't straight male muses always existed, too, and won't they always exist, as long as heterosexual love and female artists will be a thing?

I couldn't only be a muse, because I play several instruments and would like to be part of a band one day. But what a noble name, Muse, and what a shame if we forgot how crucial and sacred that role really is.

#groupies #muses #60s #70s #classic rock #rock and roll #rock #my writing

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letters-from-dekarios · 9 days

Note

[Roux is a human thief who worked for the Guild. He is cold and impersonal on the outside but very affectionate when he likes someone. He romanced Gale but didn't accept the proposal because he had his own stuff to figure out. The letter is written in a scratchy hand, with ink smears and crossed-out letters indicating that it was written rather hastily]

Dearest Gale,

I hope you're doing well. Professorship suits you, I think. I never got to go to school but in my entirely unbiased opinion you make an amazing teacher. I hope you can actually read this, since I know my writing isn't exactly up to snuff, but if you can't then I'm sure you'll spare my feelings somehow.

Baldur's Gate is as busy as ever, although being a hero certainly has its perks. It's weird- people buy me drinks and stuff, now. People know my name and they respect it. Important people want to talk to me, and want my help making decisions.

I don't know if I like it all the time.

Not to be bitter, but must of these nobles would've spit on me a year ago, and the only reason they'll listen to a street rat is because I saved their sorry arses. Oh well, at least I can help some people while I'm at it. Wyll says hello, by the way, but he already writes to you enough, so I'm sure you know that.

I do wonder about your tower, sometimes. Everything you told me made it seem apart from the world, in some pocket of peace that all the chaos couldn't touch. I'd welcome some peace, I think.

I spent my whole life being a sticky-fingered kid, stealing to get by, but you made me feel like more than that. You treated me like a person- a person that mattered.

I'm not good at letters. I know I've been dancing around it for a while, and it only took me so long to write because I was putting it off. I'm sorry about that. But... I still love you. That never went away. I miss having you tell me about anything and everything and nothing at all. I miss having someone hold my hand.

I won't say that I regret my decision- because that would be a lie and I'm trying not to lie so much these days. I needed a little while to figure out who I am what I want.

And... Well, what I want is you. I need you. I need peace. I need to stay in one place, for a while. I understand if our leaving left a sour taste in your mouth. If you want nothing to do with me I won't push you. But if you do want me... Well, I don't own much in the way of material possessions. It wouldn't be that hard to move to Waterdeep.

-Yours, Roux

Dearest Roux,

I am glad to hear from you! It has been awfully too long since we last spoke. At times, I find myself missing the presence you held when we’d camp together. Though I do prefer not having a tadpole to worry of.

Blackstaff is treating me rather well! Though that is no surprise to even the most knowledgeable man. I have taken a quick liking to my work and as most would say, “fit right in”. I walk the halls with the reminder of my history here, and it brings me comfort to remember that I was once much like the very students I teach today. This is about the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever experienced, second only to saving Faerûn.

Baldur’s Gate hasn’t known an ounce of calm peace in decades. But, regardless, they try and feign normalcy after an event as huge as we had conquered. Being a “hero” of sorts is never easy to get used to. I feel as though one can only continue chasing that feeling of “more” as though you must continue with your acts of service to consider yourself worthy of the praise being received.

Nobles spit on anyone they consider lower than they. They’ll even spit on other nobles if given the chance. The opinions they hold in the grand scheme of things should, in all reality, mean nothing. But I do understand the point you draw. It’s an odd experience to have people who’d kill you now kill for you. One does not simply “adjust” to that.

Your words bring a sadness to my heart. The backgrounds of us all were much to be contested with. Look at the likes of Astarion, or Karlach, for example. You, out of all of us, certainly mattered. Without you, I’m sure the rest of us would have either died or been sent back to the hells we came from. I’m sure I would’ve exploded in the midst of the Weave and my memory would’ve long faded without you. I couldn’t be more grateful for your existence and your kindness.

Roux… I have not the words I need to reply to you. What I can say, however, is this; I never stopped loving you. Through it all, I still find myself aching for your presence beside me. I am not mad at you for leaving, I would be a selfish bastard to be angry with you for that. And, quite frankly, I’ve tried to swear off being a selfish bastard after my last consequences.

I cannot blame you for needing time. For needing space. After saving all of Faerûn, it’s only reasonable to need time to understand where you’re at and who you’ve become. It is not within my rights to hold any kind of a grudge after all you’ve done for me. I would wait decades for you, Roux. I would curse the gods for immortality if it meant I’d have you at the end of it all. I would devote my dying breath to your highest altar just to have a glimpse of what could have been.

Perhaps that is idiotic of me. Perhaps you will be thinking I shouldn’t hold onto such a thing for that long. I cannot deny the inclinations of my heart, I never have been able to do that. I cannot tie my heart to yours and cut it off so easily. I am not capable of such an act.

Whatever you have to give, whatever you want to give, all of it will be more than enough. Your association at my side is more than I could ever need in this lifetime and the next. If I am to be reincarnated after death, I shall find you then too. You are all I have ever wanted and all I will ever desire. With you, my breath catches and my heart swells with joy. I have never met a person so comfortable to be around.

You, Roux, will always have a space within my home, my mind, and most especially my heart. Whatever you need, whatever your desire, I shall fulfill it to the best of my ability. However you are, however you come, I will take you in. You are most here in Waterdeep.

And, if it happens to sweeten the deal, Tara misses you, too. My mother has even offered to bake some sweets for your arrival if you do so choose to return here.

I would be more than happy to have you here, Roux. I am not a man who tends to lie on matters of such grave importance, you know that. Write me when you have started your journey to Waterdeep, if you are still interested in coming here, that way I have some time to prepare for your arrival.

Yours in every lifetime,

𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒌𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒔

text reads: gale dekarios

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salamandergoo · 3 months

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STWG Prompt: Reunion

Five years. It had been five years since Jonathan last stood on California soil. Even after all that time, he still expected an undercover agent to pop up, to brandish a weapon in his face, to try and kill him.

He'd been almost killed a lot in the last decade. Even now he was only pretty sure it wasn't going to happen again, but that wasn't important at the moment. He adjusted his grip on his cane, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder as he hailed a cab. He hadn't seen Argyle in almost five years, but that didn't mean they hadn't kept in touch.

It was mostly letters, long distance calls weren't as expensive as they used to be, but they sure weren't cheap either. His heart thrummed in his chest as he sat in the cab, fingertips tapping against his knees as he watched the bustling city turn to quiet suburbs, familiar but from a lifetime ago.

The years hadn't been the kindest to Jonathan, he'd spent the first fighting for his life day in and out, coming out the other side bruised and battered and exhausted. He'd left Hawkins for good in 88, putting distance between himself and his family, making the hard decision to focus on himself, to see what was outside of Indiana, to find out who he was for maybe the first time.

And yeah, sure he had friends, new ones who didn't know about his past aside from heavily edited stories, people he loved, who loved him. But it wasn't the same as his first best friend, the one who had maybe been something a little more. If they'd only had more time-

But Jonathan couldn't stand there and see him get hurt, watch him die. He wasn't going to lose anyone else to the horror in his hometown.

And he'd pushed Argyle to leave. They'd had a huge fight, one that left them both aching. They'd made up, both crying as they attempted to take the whole of the blame, but it ended in Argyle going back home to California, leaving Hawkins in the rear view mirror. Jonathan had been a little jealous at the time.

Only recently had he started talking to anyone from Hawkins again, had he started to think about leaving the east coast where he'd settled. Not back to the Midwest, never back to the Midwest.

He paid his driver and got out of the car with his bag, staring at the house he'd been to innumerable times that year in California. Not even a year. He'd felt more at home in that house than at the one he lived in with his siblings and mom.

With a steadying breath, he made his way up the drive and up the steps onto the porch. He knocked twice and stood back, anxiously shifting his weight.

The door opened to a small woman who looked up at him curiously. "Yes?"

"Um, hi. I'm here to see Argyle?" He bit the inside of his cheek. He was pretty sure he still lived here, in one of his recent letters, he'd talked about his mom and aunt, about working at the family business.

"Ay, Argyle!" She turned to shout into the house. "There is a boy here!"

Jonathan bit back a grin when he heard running from deeper inside the house. He yelped as he was suddenly tackled by a technicolored blur, long hair, longer than he remembered, brushing against his cheek. "Jonny!"

"Hi Argyle." Jonathan held him tightly, cane clattering to the ground next to him. He clung to Argyle, hands gripping his shirt tightly. "I missed you," he whispered, the warmth bubbling in his chest. He was here. He was here and alive and warm in Jonathan's arms, that's all he'd ever wanted.

"I missed you too, cariño," Argyle murmured, not letting go. And that was okay, Jonathan wouldn't mind being in his arms forever.

#stwgdailyprompt #stranger things #jonathan byers #argyle stranger things #Jargyle

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thehandthatleads02 · 2 months

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why aren't men ok?

This one has been sitting in my inbox for a few days now, ever since I mentioned it in a post. It is indeed a big question, but I suppose I'll try and tackle it. If you don't want a non-horny post you should just skip this one.

I believe in a fundamental way that people in general are lost. By this I mean they are without purpose. Without larger goals that drive them forward. I see this all the time in people I talk to here on tumblr. When you are without purpose, your actions start to lose meaning and that can very easily lead to depression.

You can see the opposite quite clearly as well. If people believe in something, it can motivate them to do extraordinary or crazy things. Religious belief has long been used to motivate followers to a number of ends, most of them less than holy. Importantly, this holds true even if the beliefs are obvious lies. A failed real estate mogul managed to con a significant portion of the country into believing he was their savior, and they nearly overturned the country for him. To this day they engage in staggering cognitive dissonance that prevents them from accepting the truth.

Which brings us to Men. Once upon a time in America they had a clear path to follow in live. Attend college, get a good job, marry a pretty girl, settle down and have some kids. Work until retirement and live out the rest of your life in comfort. Now, this paradigm was never really true. There were always gaps in the narrative, especially if you weren't lucky enough to be born white and middle class. The point is, people believed in this. It was a promise the government sold them that life would get better. That if they worked hard enough everything would be okay.

And for a time, it mostly worked. The fiction held for a couple of decades, all though it was falling apart little by little. Wages began to stagnate, college grew unsustainable expensive, middle class jobs were moved overseas for cheap foreign labor. And then, one September morning people from a country most Americans were largely unaware of committed an atrocity that shook the entire world.

All these changes created a world that looked very little like that traditional American life we were told to chase. Young men that tried to do the things they were told to do for a good life found it not working. Their degree didn't get them a good job, women were not submissive housewives, they couldn't afford a house or kids. So what are they supposed to do with a world that looks nothing like they were promised? How could they be "Men" when everything they were told a man must be is not longer possible?

So instead, they cling to whatever purpose they can. The internet is full of grifters offering an alternative view of manhood to cling to. Even better, most of those online narratives tell men that it isn't their fault. They place the blame elsewhere. It's the minorities, it's feminism, it's weak liberals, it's the jews. God, just typing that last part makes me sick, but it had to be said because people still believe it.

Remember this: people don't like complicated problems. They're hard, they want a simple answer. Especially one that tells them they haven't done anything wrong. A lot of guys have fallen into that trap. To be clear, I am not making excuses for them. Everyone has the responsibility to be better, but it is clear that modern America has failed its population in many ways. Unless we can find something to rally around, something that can unite us, we're in for some trouble.

That was long and it only scratched the surface of the issues, but you asked. That's why Men are not okay.

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charliethomascoxuniverse · 1 year

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Still feeling a bit torn every time I see gifs of Michael and Molly. 😕

When she gets back from her honeymoon and Michael ends up seeing her again (on the street, at the pharmacy, or wherever), girl's really just asking to be blanked.

Not to mention, did she really think it was a good idea to screw with a known criminal who went to prison for killing his wife (however accidently)??? But then it's not like it was a good idea to even go out with him in the first place. lol

Girl just couldn't resist getting her rocks off with a dangerous thrill one last time before she got hitched, I guess. Good thing she only pulled that on our cuddly gangster boy and not a man who'd want to retaliate against her.

Poor Mikey though. The least she could've done was have the decency to tell him to his face rather than have him find out like that. 🥺 And I don't buy the idea that she'd have been too afraid to do so and so just decided to ghost him - Molly's no shrinking violet.

(*sigh* At least we got a few more Charlie kissing scenes out of it - and the one with him in his skimpy black boxers 🔥🔥🔥 - so it's not all bad.😅)

(There's a theory some people have that Molly is actually Mikey's sister Jenny, but I don't think that makes much sense. Birdy had to help Michael's mother and sister and go into hiding from Bren, so why the hell would Julie (their mother) risk letting her daughter live in the same city as Bren, even decades later under an assumed identity? Especially once he gets out of prison?

Not to mention that Jenny would surely remember she had two older brothers named called Mikey and Jimmy? I mean, Mikey didn't mention the existence of a sister when he told Molly his mother had abandoned them so if, theoretically, she was actually Jenny she might not have been able to put the pieces together based on that. BUT Molly did Google Michael before their first date so surely she'd have seen info on his family - likely including at least some of the names of his other male relatives - so might not something have clicked then?

There's just so much we don't know. *sigh* We've no clue how old Jenny was when Julie took her away, but she quite likely wouldn't be able to recognize her brothers as adults if she hasn't seen them in over 25 years. If she and Julie lived under assumed names, and she was young enough, it's possible she might not have remembered her surname is Kinsella, so she couldn't have looked up the rest of the family on the internet to know what they look like as adults.

Of course, Julie would've had to deliberately withhold info from her growing up for her not to have known who her family was. And that's too dangerous a sort of ignorance to let the girl carry her whole life with a father like Bren, surely? And unless something happened to Julie in the interim years - she'd never have let Jenny move back to Dublin, not so long as Bren was still alive.

As a theory, it's not impossible, but I still find it far-fetched. *shrug* Very much looking forward to S3 so we can find out more about Julie and Jenny and, hopefully, see them reunited with Michael and Jimmy after all these years. 🙏)

#*me talking to myself in public about Kin again*#michael kinsella #molly the cute pharmacist #charlie cox #danielle galligan #kin amc #kin amc spoilers #my random ramblings

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justtryingtobecreative · 2 years

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Calliope x oc x Morpheus

(Contains smut)

Leaving Meg had left a bitter feeling in his mouth and an unsettled feeling in his chest.

That didn't mean Morpheus wasn't needed here though, especially because he had been asked to attend by Zeus himself. That certainly meant something of great proportions would be taking place.

The clacks of his black boots echoed through the vast halls of olympus, the marble doing nothing to dampen the sound.

The home for gods had always left him unsettled and on edge, this time was no different. In fact the feeling had only amplified since he had last set foot in the buzzing city.

The last time he had remained there was centuries before with his wife and child, it hadn't been long after their separation that he had decided to leave the hellscape that were the people in Olympus.

His eyes trailed over the familiar structures surrounding the archways and marble steps. Lucious green vines were surrounding most pillars in the palace, their green enhancing the beauty and serenity of the palace even more.

All around the local gods walked and lived, most of their immpecable and perfect figures adorned by golden or pure white fabrics. Even they who had lived such long lives and seen so much let their eyes stray when he with his pitch black hair and out of place dark attire walked past.

They were such nosy bitches. He thought, assuming that would probably be what Meg would say if she were here.

He tuned back into the white structures and statues, just as his eyes fixed on a familiar one. It was unmistakable who was depicted in the centuries old stone.

"My love" he whispered softly, tracing his fingertips across the cold features of the statue brushing away the flowers climbing up it. The depiction of his former wife Calliope looked regal and godlike in this light, the little daffodils at the foot of it adding even more to the ambience.

He had to remind himself that she wasn't his anymore, which was hard on itself. Calliope had always been the most nostalgic lover of his fast array of them over the years.

Their love had been indiscribable all those centuries ago. They had lived together for a few decades, Morpheus at some points in time residing more in Olympus than his own home.

Alas that couldn't last.

When their son Orpheus had perished Calliope had blamed him, she told him he had influenced him for the violence. This was true ofcourse, he could admit that. However all the parents in Olympus trained their offspring to handle the harsh political games in the palace, and she had raised him right alongside him.

He managed to pull his gaze from the statue, instead focussing on the viewing point to his right. A few gods stood around to gaze at the magnificent city placed below them. The city was burstling with gods and magical creatures alike.

The viewingpoint had the best view of the big city below them, he remembered standing right here with his newborn son in his arms and his wife at his side. It had been a much simpler time then. Now the numbers of the gods had been steadily decreasing, which was probably why Zeus had called this meeting.

A slip of something colourful and familiar caught the corner of his eye. He observed the woman next to him in one quick scan. His eyes widened as the familiar smell of strawberry shampoo filled his nose.

He observed the picture in Calliope's hands with interest as he recognised the figure standing next to her on the photo. "Meg" he muttered staring at the familiar brown hair and big smile.

"Oneiros?... You came" Calliope's gaze was fixed on him now. Morpheus did everything in his power to avoid her dark eyes "Yes" he answered curtly. Calliope turned her gaze toward the picture again a sad expression on her face.

She noticed him look she gave him a sad smile "I spend some time with her on earth, it seems she has permitrated my heart more than i thought."

She gave a slight bitter laugh before continuing. "I have all these riches here but all i can think of is getting back to her" Calliope's words hung between them like electricity during a thunder storm.

She released a shaky breath, "I grew to care for her more than i ever cared for anyone in such a short period of time" Morpheus felt her words at the very edges of his soul, he realised she had fallen just as fast and harshly as he had.

"She showed me his grave" He muttered softly. Calliope's gaze was on his in a moment of weakness, the eye contact transporting him right to all those years ago. His heart ached all the same, but a known passion filled his chest at the sight of her familiar dark eyes.

"What did you think?" She whispered softly as she slowly took a step toward him her lips so close he could feel her breath on his jaw.

"It was beautifull" He muttered softly, his eyes softening at the releaved expression on her face.

"I knew that if anyone could help you grieve it was her, i so hoped you would visit her" She murmured softly.

A small smirk echoed on his mouth as a light feeling filled his chest at the memory. "I didn't even go to see her at first, she sort of suddenly appeared" Calliope stared at him in wonderment.

"Afterwards i visited her once, and then once more... and then i kept visiting her" The amount of words and amount of smiling done by him in the last minute was incredibly uncharacteristic, especially with his former wife present

"By the great zeus." She muttered mouth agape. "You have fallen for her too." She said more than asked as her former lover looked stricken by her words. A horrid feeling filled Calliope's chest

"You cannot have her" She muttered giving him a sudden glare. A pang in his chest at her words. He gave her a dangerous look back.

"I do not gather why you have any say in what i can and what i can't have" Morpheus muttered lowly, a thin edge to his voice.

"Meg is pure and Meg is good, i will not have her endangered by an endless who sticks his lovers in endless hell prisons." She gritted her teeth at him.

"And who exactly do you propose as a better match for her? Yourself?" He taunted her. "Meg would be endangered just as much by being with a muse with the fates as parents. They would destroy her with one snap of their fingers"

"I know that! Which is exactly why i want her to find a nice mortal to settle down with and live a normal life... however much it pains me" Calliope looked down, he was about to respond when a voice interupted them.

"I am very sorry to interupt your graces, but Zeus has summoned everyone to the central hall" A young minotour stood next to them, an uneasy expression on it's face.

They nodded at him, waiting for the minotour to walk off before turning to eachother.

Morpheus glared at her "If you think if you draw back i will too you are surely mistaken, i am not that good of a person. Nor will i ever let go of something i want. Unless someone has bested me for it." At that he strolled off leaving Calliope stood by the edge.

It didn't take him long to reach the central hall of the palace of Zeus. The place was large and decorated with all kinds of paintings both on the ceiling and on the walls. Instead of the marble from outside here the theme was gold and bronze, the room darkened by the colours. Around the room were wooden tables and chairs, intricate golden name plaques fixated on the wood.

He knew exactly where his seat would be, as the endless had their own chairs on one side of the throne room. The large muscled form of Zeus stood at the centre of the hall, his wife Hera stood at his side.

It seemed only Death and him had showed at Zeus's call. His siblings had never cared much for the gods at all.

It wasn't long before he noticed Calliope take her seat next to her mothers the fates and Zeus started talking.

"Greetings fellow gods and deities!" His booming voice filled the hall, the attention of the gods fixating on him rather quickly.

"I have brought you here today to discuss how we will proceed to stop the decrease of gods and how to keep our numbers up" A murmer arose around the room as the amount of empty seats registered in their minds, almost half had perished over the last years due to the fact that people stopped believing in most lesser gods.

"How would you propose we do anything against that Zeus?" An very uninterested Ares god of war sat imposingly on one of the chairs. Morpheus knew the god didn't care much for the disappearance of the other gods, he knew war would keep brewing as long as human's roamed the earth.

"I propose... an aliance. Between mortal and god" Zeus's words echoed through the room, the crowd taking a second to let the words sink in. A huge roar came from the crowd as the gods voiced their protests.

"We cannot possibly expose ourselves to the mortals!" Yelled Apollo loudly, the lights flickering in his anger at the proposal.

"We all know you like to bed every animal, human and beast in sight Zeus but that does not mean we will lower ourselves to associate with mortals allongside you" Artemis goddess of the hunt and sister of Appollo leant over her brother to yell her curses at Zeus.

Morpheus clenched his hand around the armrest of his chair as Meg's features filled his mind, she was one of the mortals these puny gods dared insult. He slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket to calm himself, his hand tightly clutching the drawing she had made of him.

"I understand all of your objections, however i did not speak of informing the entire mortal world of our excistence, i speak of informing a small crowd of maybe fifty humans. Just enough to keep alive the lower gods" The booming voice of Zeus quieted the room.

"I believe this could work.." Aphrodite muttered as she combed her fingers through her long locks. "I would rather grieve if my loyal concubines were to fade away" She muttered at one of the lower gods sat at her feet.

"Fine then, How would you propose we inform these humans? You know how superstitous they are these days, a god would be the furthest thing on their mind if they saw a define interfention" Athena muttered as she observed her nails, the blue paint on them as perfect as she herself.

"Knowing them they would probably think it was a ghost" Artemis's voice came from the other side of the chamber, she herself seated in the middle of all her shieldmaidens.

Morpheus supposed Artemis was right in that regard, Meg had showed him multiple 'horror' moving pictures. She always complained about ghosts afterwards and that she would, a quote "Nope out of there so fast" if she were in a similair predicament.

"I have indeed thought about this," Zeus stopped talking when he saw the harsh glare his wife gave him. He coughed "My wife has indeed thought about this, and she came up with reaching their minds through their dreams" Hera sat back in her seat allready back to being content.

The eyes of the gods trailed over to his side of the room, obviously taking in his dark attire and facial expression. He didn't acknowledge the stares they gave him, just staring forward. He would obviously do it, considering Calliope was one of the lower gods. However he would do nothing until they asked.

"Well? Do you think you can do it?" Ares snapped harshly after he apparently took too long to answer. The other gods gave him dissaproving stares, this was no time to be pridefull and he knew it.

"Do what? I believe i still have not received a question" Dreams gaze turned dark quickly as he turned to the god of war with a glare. His entire being screamed danger as he felt his eyes glow and shadows darken.

He could be a total nightmare if he wanted.

"I am sorry dream lord, it seems my son has forgotten the order of things here." Zeus glared harshly at Ares before turning back to Morpheus. "We would like to request you to aid us in our moment of need, and give a group of humans godlike dreams. We are willing to give you something in return."

Morpheus smirked, "You are willing? To give me something?" The gods seemed startled at his smirk, the man had formerly always been quite expressionless. "Well i suppose i shall keep a favour for my helping you, i shall come for my payment later" Morpheous wasn't stupid to ask for something now, it was way more valuable to remain in favour of the gods.

He stood up strolling over to Zeus "I shall take care of the dreams, in return i want one wish i can claim later" he held out his hand toward the ancient god.

Zeus gave him a knowing smirk, he understood exactly who was pulling the short end of the stick here. He just couldn't do anything about it.

Zeus grabbed his outstretched arm, a golden string wrapping itself around their conjoined hands. The deal was made.

They backed up as a loud cheer of the crowd around him rose. Hera smirked widely as she cheered, "Tonight we shall feast in the honor of Oneiros of the endless!" She exclaimed throwing a handfull of corn cernels in the air, the room changing around them as the large hall now filled with tables stocked to the brim with food and wine.

The room now filled with chatter, and comfortable fires felt suffocating to him. He was about to make his escape when he noticed his sister walking over to him. "Brother! I hadn't expected you to help the gods quite so easily!" She gave him a big smile as she threw herself on the unoccupied seat next to him.

"It was in my best interest sister... i am now in favour of the gods" He muttered softly his eyes trailing the figure of his ex wife easily. Calliope danced among her mothers and sisters softy, it seemed only he noticed the picture clutched in her grasp as she swayed side to side.

Calliope looked gloreous in her golden dress, it shone in the light and only accentuated the slight glitter covering her cheeks. Centuries ago she had worn one almost identical to this one to their bethrotal party. His own frock was similiar in that regard too, he had worn this exact black suit to the occasion.

"It seems that was indeed the whole reason brother, as your former lover over there ofcourse had nothing to do with it" Death smirked at him quite obviously having been sarcastic.

Morpheus let out a sigh, "She was indeed the reason, but not the entire one" He admitted. He decided to ignore his sisters startled gaze as he admitted his feelings.

"Me and her met someone back in the waking world, her name is Meg. It seems we are both quite taken by her, we are currently in a rivalry over the matter" His dark eyes fixed on Calliope's bare shoulder as the sleeve of her dress fell down slightly.

"Brother... you have truly fallen for a mortal?" Death seemed very uneasy by his admission. She frowned even more when he nodded in confirmation.

"I have plans to take her to the dreaming when the human world is no longer a safe place for her, be it by sickness, injury or old age i surely won't let her spirit be taken by you to hades." A strange passion filled his eyes as he spoke of his plan.

"Very well, if the girl agrees i will grant her immortality. I want to see you happy brother, and if this is the way you gain it i am rejoiced" She gave him one last smile before standing up. "It seems i have to get back to my duty" She murmured strolling away.

Morpheous was elated (not that he showed it), the fear that he had gained while getting emotionally close to Meg had been ever present in his mind as of late. The chance that he could be with her longer than he thought was precious and brought hope.

Morpheous caught the gaze of Calliope again, her face cast in an orange light by the fires lit around the hall. Her gaze was dark and spoke more of her intentions than she herself ever allowed herself too.

He knew that look, and he was sure he would keep remembering it for as long as he lived. He found himself bewitched, as he slowly strolled around the room. Slowly making his way toward the woman he had made love to religiously years before.

The music being played around the room had slowly turned more sensual as the evening progressed. He knew how parties like this usually ended up, which was why he had formerly wanted to leave.

He soon reached her as they pulled eachother behind a nearby statue, effectively disguising them from view. He put his head into her neck, the scent of strawberry shampoo filling his nose, the exact one Meg always used. She did the same, and he knew she had picked up the scent of him aswell as he had showered there just the day before.

The realisation in their gazes made their movements even more frantic as their lips locked in a feverish kiss. He was biting, licking, tasting her mouth, which somehow after all these years still filled him with nostalgia.. and desire.

"You wish it was her in front of you now, i know that." She gasped the words out between their kisses, releasing a slight moan as he grinded against her. He made sure his clothed cock brushed against her core while doing so.

He nodded "So do you" he murmured as she nodded back as well. They took a second to look eachother in the eyes.

"Lets go to your/my chambers" They murmured as they set of to her family's part of the castle. All the gods had taken to eachother now, the music harsh and taunting as moans filled the air and limbs were tangled into eachother.

It didn't take them long to reach her room, not at all stopping on the way. She walked backwards as he stood in front of her, the situation somehow more intense than it was when they locked lips in the halls.

Calliope unclapsed her dress softly, the fabric pooling at her feet. Morpheus didn't even take a second to look at her before he dropped his own fabrics to the ground, stroling toward his former lover with a burning need.

She softly layed down on the crimson sheets, the expencive fabrics feeling delicious on his skin as he hovered over her. He took a second to imagine the plump form of Meg beneath him before he set to work.

He trailed downwards over her stomach and to her core as his lips brushed against the pink flesh. His tongue darted out to taste her and Calliope gasped out, her eyes closed and obviously not at all imagining him between her thighs.

He focussed on the top of her core, slowly teasing the bundle of nerves with his tongue. He relished in the sounds his lover made, and he could almost imagine Meg's voice calling his name. He trailed his hand up her leg and between them as he pointed his fingers and softly slid them into the warm slick that was his lovers core.

She gasped softly, her chest heaving, her breasts bouncing slightly as he thrust his fingers into her. He steadily increased his pace at her moans, adjusting his position to increase his lovers moans more and more.

"Oh Meg!" She moaned softly, he smirked softly but didn't relent his teasing.

Her leg started softly shaking and he knew she was close to release as he noticed her hands curling into the sheets. He didn't stop even as she let out a breathy moan pressing into his hand for the last bit of friction.

"Morpheus!" She murmured staring at him, really at him. He stared at her in shock.

"I need you inside, please" She gasped staring up at him with half lidded eyes. He gasped softly, his own pale skin sliding over hers as he crawled upwards and aligned himself at her entrance.

He relished in the look of his soft tip entering her first, she didn't wait for him to fully enter before she grasped onto him with her legs and tugged him into her. He let out a breathy moan himself as the wet warmth around his cock grew.

Thrust

"You cannot have her" She murmured softly staring at him.

Thrust

He let out a moan, "I shall have her just as i have you now"

Thrust

"Not if i have her first" She smirked at him, as if it was obvious she would win.

Thrust

"I thought you didn't want her to have that kind of life" He struggled to keep his voice steady.

Thrust thrust thrust

"I would rather she have it with me than with you"

They didn't hold back anymore as they harshly slid over eachother, pushing all their anger to the forefront of their minds as they shared their passionate embrace.

(WELP that was one of my attempts at smut! Please tell me if you want another chapter and liked this one!:)

#morpheus x oc #calliope x reader x morpheus #morpheus x reader #morpheus #morpheus x reader x calliope #morpheus x calliope #calliope x reader #calliope #morpheus x oc x calliope

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a-crash-in-time-collection · 5 months

Text

Chapter 49: One Last Reflection

He knew that time was running out. He could feel it. He didn't want to show it but he knew. Strange visions in his dreams. The faint sound of sand falling, the faint click of a clock in the background... If he wasn't already dead, Macbeth would have just assumed it was a midlife crisis. But knowing the stories. Knowing his role with the second coming of the Moonjumper. It was clear what the dreams were telling him. He should tell the others but, how could he? He didn't want to be anything more than what he already was...

Staying silent was all he could think to do. Distract himself with any little thing he could. Breaking up fights among members of the clan, making sure the youngest among them were alright. He even started slipping files from Sven to work on when the blonde wasn't looking. Yet, none of it truly helped. It would only offer him a few minutes of silence before the thoughts came back. Even Alexsandera couldn't help him. Their presence was only a small bit of light in what seemed to be a storm of darkness. A storm in his mind...

He supposed the only thing he could do was accept his fate. Try and find some peace in how things would play out.

Still, it didn't stop the questions in his mind. Why him? Was it because of the magic he had in life? He didn't even know how to use it, and it was what got him killed in the first place. And he was distended to 'get along' with the second coming? He didn't know if he trusted the statute's words... He just wished he'd known beforehand. Badge could have told him when they first met. He knew Badge was part of the Moonjumper now. Could have given him a heads-up.

He was taken out of his thoughts by a small crash, turning to see Donnie picking himself off the floor.

"Woah, sorry, didn't mean for it to be that hard!" Lavern said as he walked in, Donnie rolling his eyes as he picked himself off the floor. Lavern glanced over. "Weren't you and the other elites supposed to meet up earlier?"

Macbeth blinked, glancing at the clock on the wall. They were supposed to meet at 10 am. It was 1 pm now. "Well, no point in goin' now. I'll let Carol and Sven grill into me later." He sighed as he shook his head. "Why were we even havin' one today?"

He just wanted to make sure the kids were ok. He told himself he'd only be in here for an hour at most. He hadn't even done anything besides just standing there. Maybe breaking up the occasional fights between kids or helping one when they needed it. It might be one of the last times he got to do so. So maybe a part of him was trying to reassure himself that things would be, ok? If the others asked, he could claim Alexsandera refused to stop playing with the kids, though he would feel guilty about it.

"Don't ask us, we're just walking by," Lavern said as he adjusted his hat. "Hey, you know, there's something I always wondered about you."

Macbeth rose a brow. "What?"

"People say you've been in the clan for as long as they can remember, a lot of people." Lavern started. "Even people who have been in the clans for decades say you were always there."

"A lot of us were born into the clan though." Eric started nearby, as he placed his switch down and tilted his head. "I was, Marybeth's family’s been here for generations." The girl nodded from nearby, placing down the bow she tried to tie on Alex's ghostly tail. "Mr. Macbeth's prob just the same case of that... right?" He turned to the ghost.

Macbeth gave a small chuckle. "You could argue I'm close to that, but no. I was adopted into the clan when I was five... though, I suppose 'adopted' isn't the term you would use for what happened.."

"What do you mean?" Donnie asked, tilting his head. Before giving a small gulp. "You weren't... kidnapped, were you?"

Lavern turned to Donnie and blinked. "Why are you acting so surprised, we're a criminal organization!... even if this feels like just a neighborhood sometimes."

"Well, it was techally a kidnapping, but I wouldn't say it's a bad turn of events.." He blinked as he glanced at the ground. It's been forever since he thought this far back. "I don't remember much. I just remember hidin' in a room in some small house, there were a lot of sounds nearby... Then Randy found me. He convinced me to come out of hidin' and brought me to the airship. After they couldn't find my parents, I was taken in by my mom."

"Wait, what?" A robotic voice called, Macbeth glancing up to see Hat Girl and Platinum in the entrance to the hallway, surprise on Platinum's features. "How come we've never heard this before?"

"Platinum, this is Mr. Macbeth we're talking about." Hat Girl said, rolling her eyes a bit.

"But it sounds a lot like what happened with you! I have a right to be curious." Macbeth let out a chuckle at the topbots comment. He never really thought about it that way before.

He still wondered what exactly happened. He just faintly remembered playing with his plushie before any of that happened. He couldn't even remember his biological parents' faces, could only faintly remember their voices. One might assume that the clan was behind it, but he knew them better.

"Wait, you were in the clan during the party's guy reign?" Eric said before Macbeth nodded.

"He became leader a few days after I was taken in. Something had happened to Reynaldo and his right hand, and so the leadership fell onto Randy since he was the third in command, like Sven is now." Macbeth couldn't help but give a smile. "I know you all heard about how he almost bankrupted the clan. And he shouldn't have let it get that far. But he was just... well, perfect isn't the word." He sighed. "But he always was there for everyone and made sure everyone was as happy as he was. He spent who knows how many nights doing heists all by himself just to make up for the near bankruptcy."

"Do you have any stories from that time?" Marybeth asked as she came over. That made Macbeth pause. He did but... god, how could he even begin to tell them all, without giving away too many details? "We always heard that he was a party animal, but that's it."

Macbeth took a glance around and realized he had become the center of attention. "I'm not gettin' out of this, am I?"

"Nope!" Laven said, getting in front of the exit to the room with a small smirk.

Macbeth let out a sigh as he walked over and grabbed one of the chairs in the room for himself. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it'd be nice to get some stories of Randy out before it was too late. Keep the man's memory around for a bit longer.

"Where to start?" He pondered as he glanced to the side. "...You know one thing Reginald and Randy have in common? They're both surprisingly good with machines. Expect Randy didn't mess with topbots, he would make these courses for his parties. Like wipeout, but smaller." He saw some eyes light up. "It was his way of letting the members of the clan have fun while technically training at the same time..."

As he began to describe a story he could remember, he couldn't help but have a memory begin to form in his mind...

-------

It felt like at least a quarter of the clan's budget went to the "Game Sets" as Randy would call them. He loved making them more and more challenging, while still being fun and fitting for his party's. He never got the balance perferect, but they were enjoyable to those who wanted to try. He could have gotten away with just reusing the same few again and again, but he always had more ideas. It gave him something to do. The only bad thing was you had to be at least a teenager to go on the 'proper ones', and not the small ones Randy made for the kids.

Java couldn't wait any longer. It would be months before he turned eighteen and he just wanted to try at least once. He had already mastered the smaller ones, he wanted a real challenge. He snuck into the room Randy used as his workshop, and raced over to the recent set Randy had been working on. It was a decently large tower, with lots of distracting lights and platforms. Java raced to the controls to get it started. He didn't even notice when the door opened up once again.

"Java Carson Macbeth." He froze upon hearing those words, turning around to see Randy standing there. He looked a little surprised, but seemed to piece together what was happening. "I'm still testing that one, Java."

"Is it really a proper test if you're the one testin' it alone?" Java said, turning to Randy with a sheepish smile. "I mean, you already know everything that's going to happen, so you have an unfair advantage. You know the quickest way in all that." Randy seemed to tilt his head at that, a hint of a smile turning on his face. Perfect, he had him distracted as he reached behind him. "I still don't get why you don't have other members test it for you, it can't be that hard can it."

"Everyone is usually busy outside of my parties, I don't like to bug them." Randy chuckled as he rolled his eyes and went to check on one of the control boxes for the lights he had nearby. Java took the chance to press the button, the machinery in the game set humming to life. "Wait-" Randy glanced over as Java raced right up into the set, a smile on his face. "Java, get out! You could get hurt, I'm serious!" He said as he raced into the set to grab him. "Yo' not old enough to do this safely! It's more than it looks!"

"I'm old enough in a few months, there isn't gonna be any change for it to be safer then compared to now!" Java said, rolling his eyes as he raced up the stairs, keeping one hand in front of his eyes to block out the light distractions. They weren't too bad, Randy hadn't turned them high up like they normally were since he was still testing a build. He did eventually come across a gap that looked a little too far for him to jump. "Shoot.." He mumbled, before jumping onto the wall, clinging to the fabric.

"What are you-" Randy spoke as he caught up, before pausing as Java began to climb up the pole. The man had to blink a few times to be sure he was seeing what he was seeing. He knew Java had been good at climbing and finding shortcuts on the smaller, kid-safe versions of his sets, but he wasn't expecting him to do the same so quickly. He couldn't help but laugh a bit. "You're like a cat or monkey." He shook his head. "Still, you need to get down. The mattresses at the bottom can only break your fall so much."

"They can protect adult bodies just fine!" Java called as he got onto a higher platform, sticking his tongue out before racing off. "Yes, but- Ugh! I love you but why can't you listen?" Randy started, before continuing to go after the child. He knew his own little shortcuts, he could cut corners. He was just worried, what if a platform shook while Java was on it? He didn't make it shake much, but it was still a concern if it threw him off balance. He took a glance ahead, and paused when he saw Java close to the top. "Stay still!" He ordered, but the child just raced ahead, jumping up and slamming his hand onto the bottom.

"Yes!" He called as the machinery and lights all slowed. "I told you!" He said as Randy took a few breaths to calm down. Java stood there with a proud expression, but Randy just gave him a small glare. Randy was lucky most of the parts he did plan either didn't work properly, or weren't installed properly yet. He walked up with his arms crossed, and Java shrunk in his spot a bit. "I-I won, and I was fine." He said, offering another sheepish smile.

Randy let out a sigh. "I can't say I'm not impressed, or not a little proud. That's not the point." He said as he bent down, having Java lock his eyes with Randy's purple ones. "But there's an extent to risks that are fun. This was supposed to have walls that slam out and close quickly as part of the course, you know, dodging obstacles." He rolled up his sleeve to show some bandages around his arm, making Java's eyes widen. "Granted, it's my fault for getting too close to the rapid fire, but still."

"They just looked fun. Like acting on a stage." Java claimed, and Randy gave a small nod, gently ruffling the hair of the boy. Java looked down to the ground and started to tap the tips of his fingers. He didn't think he would have gotten stuck in the doors, but he could see Randy's concern. Randy took one of his hands and began to lead him back down the set. "I'm sorry." he said as he glanced to the side. He wasn't completely, but he didn't want to get into more trouble than he likely had.

"Just don't do it again. You can wait til you're older before you try the main courses. There's a reason I wait until training age to allow you guys on." Randy stated, Java giving a nod. God, the kid wasn't intending it but he was just giving sad puppy dog eyes. It was going to hurt Randy's heart, he didn't like having to be this stern or, even this responsible. "At the very least I know this set is beginner friendly.. Or at least it is if everyone climbs up the pole like you did."

Java gave a small smile. "Hey, you won't always have a rope, right?" He said, Randy giving a chuckle as he nodded, adjusting the glasses that reseted on the brim of his hat. As they got to the bottom, they noticed someone else by the door, giving them both a glare. Randy cursed a bit under his breath as Java froze. "Uh, Mom?" He said with a smile as she walked over. "I-It's not what you think. I was just curious so Randy very, very carefully took me to the top! While it was, powered on.. hehe.."

"Radman, if you're goin' to leave the door to this room unlocked and have the controls in the open, you should maybe close of your carnival attractions. What if Java got hurt?" Lynna said as she glared at the man, who just held his hands up in the air. Java got between the two of them, causing both to blink at him for a moment, before Lynna let out a sigh as she looked at Java. "I know you wanna have fun and improve your skills, but there's safer methods for both. You don't have to try and prove yourself to Randy."

"Mom!" Java said, a little blush forming on his cheek as Lynna blinked, before facepalming herself. "I'm going now!" He said as he raced out of the room, only stopping once he was out of sight. He leaned against the wall to hear chuckles from the two in the room, but it wasn't malicious. It was just that chuckle older people did when kids did something they thought was funny. "I better not sound like that when I'm older." He mumbled. "I have shows I need to star in." He peeked into the doorway, seeing Lynna shake her head slightly as Randy pulled down his sleeve.

"I swear, what are we going to do about that boy?" Lynna spoke as she looked at Randy. "He takes so much after you."

"I mean, is that really a bad thing? It means he grows up with a sense of humor." Lynna went to shove his arm but Randy just stepped to the side, catching her when she almost fell. "Didn't you just tell your son to be careful?" He asked with a small smirk.

Lynna pulled his hat in front of his eyes and took his glasses before backing away and hiding them. Java couldn't help but giggle as he watched. He loved those two...

-------

Some of the kids started talking among themselves about the sets. How fun they seemed. How it would be so cool to have them for when they would eventually need to train those skills for a heist.

"Lookin' back now, the sets weren't as crazy as I thought they were when me and some others like Willson thought they were.." Macbeth sighed as the memory faded from his head, glancing at the group. "Then again, he started removin' some features and made them overall more 'safer' as time past by. Could've been because he gave himself less budget to work

on them, could have been a safety concern, who knows."

"I think we still have some old pieces of those sets in storage." Hat Girl said as she glanced at the others.

Lavern's face lit up as he looked at Hat Girl and Platinum. "Oh, you two need to get your Dads to have that set back up! It's training and it's better than us sitting around doing nothing!"

"I'm not sure." Platinum said, glancing to the side. "It sounds awesome, yes. But what would be the point in dragging all that out when we're just gonna need to put it back anyway?"

Lavern rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. "When did you stop being fun, Platinum?"

"I'm STILL fun!" Platinum shouted, huffing while Hat Girl rolled her eyes. "How dare you even suggest that I'm not. That's what I'm programmed for!"

Macbeth let out a small chuckle as he rolled his eyes. These kids were going to kill him one day. Made him think of the good old days...

"It's still interesting how you described Randy." Donnie said, looking at the elite. "I know people tend to just focus on certain traits of people they have only heard of but... He sounds a lot more calm then what I remember hearing about."

"Yea, doesn't even sound too far off from Hattie's dad. Except he sounded like he was more fun." Marybeth said, Hat Girl giving a shrug as laughter and some gasp filled the room, even Macbeth couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"He was like that." Macbeth sighed as he glanced to the side. "The Randy you heard about was the man you would see when the parties were happenin'. The rest of the time, he was more 'chill', you might say." Lavern let out a small grone as Macbeth rolled his eyes. "If you ran into him at the right moment, he was almost like a mini fountain of wisdom."

"Ok, you can't say somethin' like that and NOT give us an example." Platinum said, raising a brow.

Macbeth let out a sigh as Alexsandera floated and rested on his lap, him taking the moment to adjust their mask before he spoke. "I'll give you a small one, from back in my early teens. One rule, you aren't allowed to go blabin' or judin' me."

"You already know we're gonna say yes, just spill the beans Mr. Macbeth." Linda called from the back.

"Alright alright.." They deserved to know a bit of how he truly used to be. "I was a dumb kid back then. Didn't always think clearly about what to do. I also used to be way into music, especially musical theater-"

"Used too?" Platinum held back a chuckle. "You still got the pipes, sir-"

"Do you want me to finish or not?" Macbeth questioned, adjusting his hat while trying to hide the faint blush that had appeared on his face. Platinum held his hands up while nodding, and he sighed. "Good. Well, I wasn't the only one back then, surprisingly. There was this small group that would sneak cameras into shows and get recordings to put on VHS tapes and share. Anyway, I overheard them talkin' once about an idea they had one day, and decided to do somethin' stupid."

-------

Java was tapping his fingers on the tablet with one hand while he was going through the DJ set used for the parties with the other. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for, to be fair. The headphones, maybe? He was reading about theater and had heard about something called a 'click track'. He had been practicing some songs when he was alone, but he always found himself missing the beats even with the VHS or records playing in the background. He thought it might help. Sure he was destined to be the clan's next Train Conductor, but he was allowed to have hobbies.

Randy came into the room, Java caught it from the corner of his eyes. He didn't think messing with the set would be that big of a deal, he was just opening and closing the drawers attached. Why the set had drawers in the first place was beyond him. Pretty sure it was a custom build Randy had made just so they could keep all the equipment in a smaller space than usual, or something. Java never knew how to play music, so he could be completely wrong. He just knew he wanted to- he shouted when he closed the drawer too fast, getting his hands caught.

"There's a reason handles exist Java, food for thought." Randy called, though he did place his drink down and went to check on the teenager just to be safe. Java mumbled a bit as he sat in the chair nearby, rubbing the trips. They were a faint shade of red, but that seemed to be the worst of it. Randy leaned against the wall, before looking at the set in confusion. "Why were you going through this stuff anyway? I mean, if you wanted to try DJ-ing, the set itself is right there."

"I was lookin' for the headphones." Java said with a sigh. "I thought maybe they were connected to a clicktrack. Because I swear Zackery just, doesn't miss a note. It's almost inhuman, I'm almost ready to call him a topbot!" Randy let out a chuckle, and Java did as well. Helped take some of the pain away. "Hey, maybe that should be your next big idea? I mean, a DJ topbot would be pretty cool. Who knows, maybe you can make it alive?" He then shook his head. "Like that'll ever happen."

"You have powers, Java, never say never." Randy said as he ruffled his hand, Java pushing his hand away. "Though, I do gotta ask. Why do you need a clicktrack so bad?"

"I overheard some members talking about doing a shorter version of a 'Les Miserables' play to kill time between the party's and heist since they aren't happening as much anymore, and I was thinkin' of seeing if I could sing a role." Java admitted as he glanced to the side. Randy tilted his head to the side as Java let out a sigh. "It sounds stupid now that I'm saying it out loud, but I thought having a clicktrack to practice would help. I just, really would like to do a proper show.."

"I mean, a musical that's all singing seems a little much for a starter, but I get your ambition." Randy chuckled as he gestured to the floor nearby, only notable as a dance floor thanks to the DJ set. "I mean, I always wanted to make people smile and look at me... Man, I sound like a cartoon character." Java chuckled as he nodded, Randy tapping some buttons on the set. "I mean, if we all just did crime, it would get boring eventually. Then we have a record for literally nothing. You gotta have hobbies."

"Yea... I just.." Java sighed. "What if I don't get the chance to act on it?"

"Yo' a little young for a crisis like that." Randy pointed out, and Java rolled his eyes. "You just gotta do your best, even if you don't get this role, I'm sure this won't be the last time the clan does a musical. You got decades to act on your talents, don't worry about becoming a star this very minute... if any of that makes sense." Randy yawned as he shook his head. "I'm not sure if you can tell but I’ve been staying up with slushies since last night. I had a lot of paperwork to do."

"Do you need any help? Willson is busy with his little lover." Java rolled his eyes as Randy chuckled. "And I haven't found anyone else to do anything with since Mom's at the train. I was going to hang out with you earlier but Wilford got on me the second I got ten feet of your office." Randy let out a groan at the mention of that joykiller. "Besides, I'm gonna need to do paperwork someday so might as well get a start there... and it gives me a cover story if we somehow broke this."

Randy's eyes widened. "Oh, good point, let's go." He whispered.

-------

The kids all let out giggles, if not full on laughs, once Macbeth had ended the short story. It was simple, the ending wasn't even supposed to be a joke. But it's just how Randy was. Also bringing the smallest bit of comedy with his words, even when he or no one else intended there to be one.

"Man, that Randy guy sounded great!" Lavern spoke as he leaned against the wall, wiping a small tear from his eye, or at least did the motion. "And you sounded so... extra cool?" Lavern held in his original statement. "What happened for you to let a lot of that energy go?"

Macbeth sighed as he got up, letting Alex float up to his shoulders. "Time, mostly. Trust me, Randy was always right about one thing. Time does change you, and you can't really stop it... It's just a matter of how much you let yourself be changed..."

"Mr. Macbeth... are you crying?" Marybeth asked in concern. Peck him. He didn't even realize.

"I'm fine, just. Dust in my eyes." he sighed as he went to leave the room. "I'm goin' to go rest now, ok? Doin' nothin' has got me tried."

"Can you tell us some more stories tomorrow?" Eric called out, with Linda nodding nearby.

He looked away. "Maybe.." he spoke before he left. Feeling so... conflicted with himself. On one hand, he was happy to finally get some of those good memories out of his system. On the other, he hated reflecting on that time in his life. Hated knowing the last party Randy ever threw was his seventeen party.

Hated knowing what was offered to him that night.

-------

The airship had settled down from the night's events. Most had gone back to their rooms to rest the night away, or were wandering the halls talking with others. Java wasn't one of them. Sure, it was his party so he would naturally be more energized about the whole thing, but he still felt just as awake as when he had woken up that morning. The only reason he had even left the main party room was because he noticed Randy wasn't there. It had confused him a bit, so he went looking.

He eventually found the man in the cockpit, sitting in the driver's seat and glancing out the window. It was late at night. Technically, it would be the next day soon. It was a bit cloudy, but he could still see some stairs from the top of the glass. They felt more... mystical tonight. Java had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. Maybe Randy had found a way to apply something to the windows? He wouldn't be too surprised if he did, he just didn't know how.

Still, he snuck up behind the leader, and went to scare him. Only for Randy to quickly turn around, making Java fall back in surprise.

"No fair, it's my birthday, Rand!" Java spoke through his laughter, getting up as Randy rolled his eyes before sitting back in his chair with a chuckle. Java went beside him as he glanced at the map Randy had open. Los Angeles was their next stop huh. He glanced at the man. It was amazing how Randy could still seem so energetic, even with a faint bag under his eyes. "I really loved my party. I think the clan did too." Randy glanced at him. "But I think they're worried, I can't be the only one who knows about you sneaking out."

"How long have you known?" Randy asked, raising a brow before shaking his head. "I know, I know. I shouldn't be doing it alone. I... probably shouldn't have been doing a lot of things alone.. I just didn't want to throw the boring work on anyone else, you know?" Java gave a nod as Randy sighed, looking like he was contemplating something before smiling, turning to Java. "You know, I never got around to selecting a Right Hand. It's dumb, I know. I just thought I could handle it all myself."

"It's a little dumb to think that, even I know that." Java chuckled, before pausing. "Why are you bringin' this up to me, Randy? Shouldn't you be speakin' with mom and the other elites?"

"I already know my choice." Randy said, shaking his head. "It may seem irresponsible, but I know who's going to be my Right Hand... You think I haven't noticed some of my work being done for me?" Randy asked as he glanced at Java, who froze. He went to explain, but then paused. There was no way... He felt his heart beat in his chest a bit. Randy turned the chair to face him completely. "We will need to wait another year to make it official, I don't want to break traditions after all.."

"Yo' jokin'." Java spoke, but Randy shook his head. So much was going through his head. Excitement, concern, and a million other emotions he couldn't quite place. Being the Right Hand was an honor enough. But it wasn't just that. The position was a near-garantie to the toppat throne. That, if the impossible should happen and Randy was lost, he would take his place. "Y-You know my mom is goin' to kill you when she finds out right?" He asked, but couldn't help but keep the smile on his face. "Why me, out of everyone here?"

"Oh, if I tried to put my thoughts into words it would take hours." Randy chuckled. "But you have spirit. Even at your lowest, you care for the clan above all. That's something not many people can truly say they have, but you can... Yo' a model toppat in a million and ten ways. Yo'... almost like a son to me." Randy smiled, and Java had to hold back the tears in his eyes. Randy then gave a shrug as he glanced to the side. "Of course, if you don't want the position, that's fine. I can always-"

"YES!" Java said, the sudden shout almost making Randy fall out of his seat, despite how he had been preparing for that. "I-I swear I'll be the best right hand this clan has, and will ever see!" He began to pace back and forth in his spot. "We'll have the best heists. Create the best lives for everyone... I might be able to sneak in a few shows. I been leanrin-" Randy reach over and placed a hand on his shoulder, and Java took a breath. "Let me guess, finish being a kid first?"

"Yup." Randy said as he leaned back. "Yo' never truly an adult, or at least that's how I feel." He chuckled. "But you got one year left before people act like that's all you are. Enjoy it, Java."

"Do I need to get you some pop, yo' only thirty-three yet yo' sounding like someone's grandfather. Respectfully, of course." Java added with a chuckle as Randy faked a faint into his chair at the news, before rolling his eyes as Java glanced out the window again. Then glanced faintly at the chair Randy was in. It might be his some day. He hoped it would only fall to him in a case of retirement...what was he so worried for? Everything would be fine. "We, probably should head back and start clearing up the party."

"The worst part." Randy grone but nodded as he got up. "I swear I should just leave the room as it is sometimes. We end up reusing basically the same decorations a lot... at least we have been lately.." He sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "I'm gonna take a break from my secret heist, at least for a bit. LA should have enough to keep the clan afloat for a while while I, or we." He smiled as he glanced at Java, who nodded. "Figure out a better way to get the cash we need. Hopefully your party will have tied everyone's energy over until then.”

"If people are annoyed, then they shouldn't complain ‘bout your ways of spending money in the first place." Java said, rolling his eyes while Randy sighed, looking to the side. Like Java didn't fully understand yet... He was a kid. He would understand eventually.

There was a cough in the hall, and both turned to the figure that had been standing there. "I don't know what you two were yapping about, but Randy needs to go to bed now if he even wants to try and bring a good idea to tomorrow's meeting," Wilford spoke, giving a slight glare to the man who seemed a bit confused. "Really? Did you forget? You were the one who scheduled it." He glanced to the side and muttered "This clan is a lost cause." before he lit one of his cigars, eyeing Java when the teen glared at him.

"Sorry, this was my first big party in a while. And you know how easily distracted I am by them... Let me clean everything up then I'll head to bed." Randy said, Java giving a nod as the two began to pass. "And please, take that outside. I don't want to be a buzzkill but there are children present." Java gently grabbed Randy’s shoulder and the man rolled his eyes. "What, it's true!" He said as they both chuckled a bit. They didn't see the death glare Wilford was giving the man in pink. Didn't see him form a fist.

"Man. I can't wait to see how things look in a few years." Java smiled. "I know I shouldn't let it be gettin' to my head but, come on, it's a big deal." His father figure nodded as he wrapped an arm around him. Java glanced at the ceiling since he couldn't look at the sky. Things were going to go so well with both him and Randy in charge of the clan. He didn't expect things to go perfectly, but he knew he would do his best. "Our reign is going to be talked about for decades to come, I just know it!"

If you told Java the events that would have happened that night, he wouldn't have believed you. If you told him in just a few days he would walk in on Wilford trying to kill Randy, he would have shrugged it off. That Wilford would shoot him in retaliation for the attempt. Hitting him in the arm and just barely missing his head, ruining his hat. If you told Java Randy would have run to check on him, and that's when Wilford would get the kill, he wouldn't dare believe it was true. He wouldn't have.

But when Wilford would tell Macbeth that it was all his fault, he would. And that if he wanted him and his mother safe, he dropped everything 'Randy like' about him... He would drop himself..

-------

Macbeth was silent as he sat by the window in his room, glancing out at the night sky. Alex had themselves wrapped around one of his arms, poking the buttons of the 3DS he held for them. He found it in storage and just kept it when he couldn't find the owner. Had a copy of Omega Ruby in it. It kept Alex entertained when he needed some time to think. Even if he occasionally needed to help with some inputs if the pressure from their mask wasn't enough.

He glanced down at the bottle he held in his free hand. He always told himself he would at least try to drink less. But he had just been picking up on it more and more, behind the scenes. He never got drunk, and rarely got a little tipsy. He didn't want to become a mess in front of Alex. He just needed to motion the action at the very least. Trick his mind into letting go.

It wasn't working.

"I guess I'm gettin' that very important position whether I want it or not." He whispered to himself as he put the bottle on his desk, before pausing at the sketch-up toy next to Alex's bed. Percy, the only thing he had of his life before Randy...

Did.... such a time ever truly exist?

It didn't matter now, he supposed.

In a hundred, thousands, or a million years while filling the role that was chosen for him, the present would seem like it never existed...

Was it even possible for his brain to handle that long time of information?

He didn't know... He just had to try and enjoy what little time remained of his normal life.

The Moonjumper is coming.

And he can't stop it.

#a hat in time #the henry stickmin collection #hat girl #hat kid #henry stickmin oc #a hat in time fanfic #henry stickmin fanfic #henry stickmin mr. macbeth #mr. macbeth #mr macbeth #randy radman #ahit subcon dwellers #sir wilford iv

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