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cornfieldsrambles · 7 months

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YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO INFODUMP PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT WIGGLY'S SIBLINGS???? THAT HE APPARENTLY HAS????

omg ok SO

Meet the Lords in Black. Charming, aren't they?

Yes, Wiggly does indeed have four brothers who all do different things, so I'll cover them one by one, in order of introduction (since we've already met each of them in Nightmare Time at least once). BTW Nightmare Time has a fuckton of lore in it that I won't go into here, so even though I am about to spoil significant parts of it for you, I do recommend watching it, it's really good and if there's enough interest they might make a third one!

(Also you might notice they're all in doll form in this picture. This is how we knew them up until NPMD introduced us to what I call their Tumblr sexyman forms. Which are rad as hell by the way.)

So you already know Wiggly. That little green fucker, Wiggog Y'Wrath, the Capitalist Cthulu who does uwu-speak and starts a cult by invading people's minds. This will become a bit of a reoccurring theme with these guys. He's also the only one to successfully start an apocalypse, and the only one to have attempted to birth himself into our reality. (Or is he? We'll get to that...) He does seem to have some kind of dominion over the other LiB, as whenever all five of them show up there's always emphasis placed on him, like in NPMD where he does most of the talking while his siblings occasionally butt in.

Now for Bliklotep. Blinky seems to have slightly lower-scale ambitions than Wiggly, but don't let that fool you. Eyeball Boi is still incredibly dangerous. He runs an amusement park, WatcherWorld, deep within the Hatchetfield Witchwood. But it's not for the amusement of the patrons. Oh no. It's for Blinky's own amusement. Once you step inside, every insecurity, every shred of potential conflict will be ripped to the forefront, turning people against each other to the point of trying to kill each other until he's fully infected their minds. It's implied that, if not all, but a significant chunk of the workers at WatcherWorld were once patrons before having their minds taken over by Blinky. He's also implied to be the thing in Trail To Oregon that Jack Bauer sees during his venom-induced hallucination, as Blinky is referred to as "The Watcher With 1,000 Eyes", which is exactly what JB says he sees? Making Blinky the only LiB to induce a Starkid crossover. My headcanon is that the Dikrats founded Hatchetfield. But regardless.

Next up on the roster is Tinky. T'noy Karaxis, the Time Bastard. You may be wondering about that one line in NPMD where he recognised Pete as a Spankoffski, and said he "could have the whole set in his toybox". Has Tinky gone after Pete's relatives?

Well. Um. You know Ted, right? Yeah, his name is Spankoffski. He's Pete's big brother. We actually got the surname reveal before the brother reveal, lol. And that's not the only reveal we got about Ted. Our boy Teddy Bear has this whole entire tragic backstory and it turns out he gets fucked over in literally every timeline! Isn't that fun?

So, to summarise an entire episode: Tinky makes travel fuckery happen, Ted wants to go back in time to fix his life, accidentally goes back to before the time machine was created and gets stuck in the past, literally. Tinky is watching and laughing at the whole thing, then shows up to blow Ted's brain to smithereens with his weird little magic box, the Bastard's Box, where he stores all the people he toys with. Anyway Ted eventually catches up with the present by aging, except now no one knows who he is, he's... actually I won't spoil that. But once he dies he ends up eternally trapped and tortured in the Bastard's Box. Yaaay.

Fast forward to Nightmare Time 2 and we get introduced to Nibbly, in possibly the most unexpected way imaginable. He's revealed to have been behind a whole episode literally right at the end of said episode, and even though it was kind of foreshadowed, it hits you like a freight train in the best way. Remember when I said Wiggly was the only one who tried to birth himself into reality? That was kind of a lie. Nibblenephim can sort of do that anyway. Every year, he can possess a bunch of carcasses and create a living form to walk the earth for one night. He also has a cult of followers who provide him with the carcasses, as well as a sacrifice to feed on. There's a little more to it, specifically with how the sacrifice is chosen, but again, I'm trying to spoil as little as possible. Go watch Nightmare Time. Nibbly also seems to have a "pig" motif, and his theme song, The Nibbly Ditty, is a banger, easily my favourite of the three LiB theme songs we've heard so far.

And finally, we are introduced to Pokotho, in the very last episode of NMT2.

Except no. We were formally introduced to Pokey there, yes, but we've seen his apocalypse already. Long before NPMD, before Nightmare Time, even before Black Friday.

Yeah, remember me saying that Wiggly was the only one to successfully start an apocalypse? That was also a lie! Pokey already did that, and he did it without ever showing his masked face. Remember The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals? The blue spores that came down in a meteor and turned everyone into singing zombies? That was Pokey's doing! That's his blue spores! That's his apocalypse!

This also provides an explanation for why blowing up the meteor didn't work. Emma and Hidgens were right about the hivemind thing, but wrong about the location of the central brain. It wasn't the meteor - the meteor was just the vessel which carried the spores to Earth. The central brain was sitting safely up in the Black and White, laughing as Paul blew himself to smithereens. The central brain was Pokey, the Singular Voice, the most uncompromising of his brothers. The one who hates every voice that is not his own, hence the hivemind and making all of his zombies speak in HIS voice.

Anyway in NMT2 he's happily collecting musical zombies by taking on a human form and infiltrating a fighting ring of superpowered children until he has enough to kickstart another apocalypse. (Don't question it, we're almost done). He also calls himself Otho, not Pokey, making him the only LiB to have two different abbreviations of his name. Hannah is also there (remember her? Lex's little sister?) and she is like incredibly important to this whole thing, she has a super powerful mind, but that's a whole other thing.

But I did mention Hannah for a reason. Because you said "Wiggly's SIBLINGS". And while the Lords in Black are always referred to as brothers, they do have one more sibling. A sister. A Queen in White. And her name is Webby.

Yep, Hannah's imaginary friend isn't imaginary, who could have guessed? She's benevolent, always trying her best to combat her brothers' antics, but given that there's one of her and five of them, this is a bit of an uphill battle. Webby doesn't have a full name that we know of, nor does she have a doll. We don't know much about her. And she may not be all-powerful - but then again, neither are her brothers.

Infodump concluded. Hope this helps, it was very fun to write.

#the lords in black #hatchetfield #starkid #nightmare time #nmt2 #nightmare time 2 #wiggog y'wrath #t'noy karaxis #bliklotep #nibblenephim #pokotho #npmd #nerdy prudes must die #the guy who didn't like musicals #black friday

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luvclerc · 7 months

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how bout a charles leclerc x kpop idol reader? where charles and the reader have been dating even before they became famous. theyve been soft-launching each other for years and years, and the fans are trying to figure it out.

ps: i imagine jennie kim as the face claim (i love her sm)

gf reveal please

summary: when fans are manifesting a relationship they don’t know already exists

pairing: charles leclerc & reader

liked by lewishamilton and 5,928,193 others

youruser happiest girl in the worlddd

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rubylove to the person that sends her blue flowers every year for her birthday, thank you <3

heartyn the way she’s always getting the same flowers every year 😭

petrolh lewis what are u doing here 👀

pink1 pretty sure they did a campaign together recently so nothing juicy from them

rosiesyn i just want to know who’s been gifting her flowers every year

liked by carlossainz16, landonorris, pierregasly and 2,928,019 others

charles_leclerc from the camera roll 📸

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lecler16 ahhh not charles in his soft launch the flowers again???!-

scuder1a going to pretend i didn’t see the last slide 🫶🏻

pierregasly 😁

amorcl ???

lestapa33n what does this mean

pinkari i want to say something but i don’t want to get ratioed on here too

liked by scuderiaferrari, charles_leclerc, carlossainz16, and 4,729,019 others

youruser uk recap (ps. wasn’t exactly the results we wanted but still had a good time!)

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pinkscuderia HELLO YN WAS AT SILVERSTONE AND THERE WAS NO PICTURES OF HER AT THE PADDOCK??!/!/

ynnniviee we were robbed of yn content at the race

char_les PLEASE TELL ME WE HAVE SOME CONTENT OF YN WITH THE DRIVERS scuderiaferrari

scuderiaferrari 🤭

sainzchar DOES THAT MEAN YESS???

scuderiaferrari see you again next race?

pinkari CHARLES IN THE LIKES??? ONE STEP CLOSER TO MY SHIP SAILING

lechairs but charles already has a gf…

liked by landonorris, youruser, and 2,292,019 others

charles_leclerc 9th. not the results we were expecting but thank you for the continuous support. next stop break.

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itsleclerc silverstone + strategist screwed over charles this weekend but the man still has the mood to soft launch..

clmcquen shout to to charles gf for helping him through this tough time

lechairrie one day ferrari will stop fcking up charles

ynmon would have been great if yn got to celebrate a win with ferrari :(

youruser forever proud! comment has been deleted

sainzchair ENOUGH with posting the back of her head gf reveal pls

liked by youruser, carlossainz55, maxverstappen1 and 4,420,324 others

charles_leclerc always nice to spend the holidays with family ❤️

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itslec1erc it’s been 5 holidays gf reveal when 🥹

scuderiaferrari lovely family ❤️

carlossainz55 this a big ass tree

landonorris psa! charles gf makes more money than him

charles_leclerc as she should :)

alex_albon when i borrowed $200 from her and she didn’t ask for it back 💃🏻

ynlnlover is anymore here from yn recent post?!

liked by charles_leclerc, yourbestfriend, lewishamilton and 4,593,013 others

youruser happy holidays everyone!

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ariyn the dress... the tree... the private jet

sharleclerc waittt is this the girl from charles recent post???

landonorris oop the dots are connecting

georgerussell63 did you get me a christmas gift this year??

youruser uM haha

ynhearrt NOO MOTHER FIRST DATING RUMOR 💔

plsyn f1 driver x kpop idol is the weirdest crossover i’m sorry???

liked by carlossainz55, maxverstappen1, pierragasly, youruser and 29,210,425 others

charles_leclerc took her on a trip for our fifth anniversary ❤️

tagged: youruser

view all 98,184 comments

pierregasly damn i wanted to be the one who did the reveal 💔

youruser ilyy 💞

carlossainz55 does this mean i can finally post my pictures 😭

sharlcare STOP THIS IS SO UNEXPECTED

ynmomm THE VISUALS WNSNDNSNW

scuderiaferrari parents 🫶🏻

liked by landonorris, charles_leclerc, lewishamilton and 12,244,091 others

youruser me and my man <3

tagged: charles_leclerc

view all 80,241 comments

pinkari EVERY TONGUE THAT RISES AGAINST ME SHALL FALL

leschairs it was you and me against the world :(

charles_leclerc yn only agreed to hard launch cause she didn’t want pierre to reveal it himself 😞

pierregasly you never want to see me win :/

landonorris adopt me 🫶🏻

ynfan THE PRETTIEST COUPLE

charlyn don’t know who i want more, yn or charles 😭

carlossainz55 don’t forget about me 🥹

#charles leclerc au #charles leclerc #formula 1 imagine #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc smau #formula one smau #f1 instagram au #formula 1 x reader #f1 imagine

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indieyuugure · 5 months

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Indie Comics Master Post

Rise of the Parallel

A crossover fan-fiction graphic novel starring the 8 ninja turtles from TMNT 2012 and Rise of the TMNT.

Follow their multi-dimensional adventure as the turtles once again take on the Krang. The fate of the world rests on the boys’ shoulders while they fight to take down the Krangs’ plots of world domination, can they take the pressure? No one said being a hero was easy, but they’re not alone!

Pre-Order Printed Copy

Get your hands on the first ever printed edition Rise of the Parallel by Indie Y. This two-volume set, with over 360 full color pages, includes all 15 chapters plus never-before-seen bonus content!

The Mutation Situation

A fan fiction graphic novel taking place during the second season of TMNT 2012

During a late-night run in with The Foot Clan, the turtles get injected with a mysterious mutagenic chemical made by the one and only Baxter Stockman, that has the unexpected effect of turning them into humans. At first, everything seems like a dream come true, being able to walk the streets in broad daylight, doing everything they’ve never been able to do before. That is until Donnie begins falling extremely ill from the chemical that changed them into their human forms. The boys must race against the clock to save their brother before it’s too late, but with their new vulnerability, The Shredder won’t make that an easy task.

Get access to latest episode of The Mutation Situation a week early on Locals at indiey.locals.com

More comics to come…

Updates are Every Saturday! Please enjoy! :]

#tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #comics #rise of the parallel #the mutation situation #tmnt 2012 #rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles 2012 #ninja turtles #tmnt fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic

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jo-harrington · 3 months

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Stranger Than (Fan)Fiction - Chapter 1: Alternate Universe

Previous Chapter: Prologue: Crossover

Summary: Your unexpected arrival in Hawkins brings many questions for Eddie...but he knows better than to ask dumb questions.

Word Count: 5.1k

Pairing: Eddie Munson/Fem!Reader

Warnings/Themes: No-Upside-Down AU, Fluff, Love at First Sight?, Tiny Angst if you Squint, Isekai, Mentions of FOI-compliant events and characters, Lovesick Eddie, unbelievable pacing...just roll with it, Everything's Coming Up Munson

Note: Thanks to everyone who read the prologue.

You can find my masterlist here.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

It seemed like everyone was there to say goodbye.

Your parents, Sam, Pat, Bonnie, all of your friends and their families. Everyone you know.

What a surprise.

You thought it was gonna be a quick morning getaway.

You'd already had dinner at Danny's last night with your parents and had seen countless faces—familiar and unfamiliar—who'd wished you well. This morning was just supposed to be about bags placed in the trunk, last minute hugs and tears from your mom, and then off you'd go.

You hadn't expected this.

Some little voice inside of you questioned why you hadn't; you'd known them all for practically your whole life.

5 years.

What...no...18 years.

Why wouldn't they want to be here as you embarked on your big journey away?

Sam gave a tearful speech. Your dad made some corny joke that only a dad could, one that had everyone in uproarious laughter--more laughter than people, it seemed--and then it was time to go.

You didn't have a real schedule, of course, you just wanted to make it to your destination with ample time. Nothing like driving into an unfamiliar town in the middle of the night only to find yourself in a heap of trouble.

Pat, ever observant, was the one to notice the anxiety etched on your face. He was as much your best friend as Sam was, maybe even more than she was; you'd known each other since Kindergarten, sat next to each other in the reading circle, of course he could tell you were itching to leave.

"Alright guys," he announced, clapping his hands twice the way a star quarterback would. "I'm sure she's ready to get away from all of us."

"Yeah," Sam let out a watery laugh. "You need to go so you can come back as soon as possible. Wink wink." She flashed her hand with the little diamond chip engagement ring that you helped Pat pick out, and then she collapsed against you in a hug.

"You go and you have the best time," she whispered in your ear. You nodded and buried your face in her hair. "I can't wait to hear all about it. Write letters home? Call? But don't worry about us, we'll all be safe here. Ok?"

"Yeah," you said breathlessly.

Then the next thing you knew, in the blink of an eye, you were in the driver's seat of your car, rolling towards the end of the block. You adjusted your rearview mirror and saw everyone you loved waving goodbye to you. You rolled down your window, and blew them a kiss and sent a wave; you'd miss them so much. You'd be back soon enough though; now it was time for you to just be free.

“Go back?” you quoted one Mr. Bilbo Baggins to yourself as you turned the corner and left everything you knew behind. “Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!”

This was it.

Eddie was dead.

That had to be the explanation.

Your car was one thing, and he could excuse it. He could convince himself it was anything else.

But you? His favorite character from his favorite television show. Someone who was absolutely, definitely fictional.

It was impossible.

"Hey!" you called out to the Mayfields with your voice, your your voice and not Rosemary Glass's voice. Your real voice. Yours.

Eddie pinched himself pretty unforgivingly—one last ditch effort to prove this was a dream—and winced.

Not dreaming. Definitely dead.

You quickly shut the door and crossed the distance towards Susan and Max.

"I'm sorry, it's late and it's cold; I've been driving all over and the road got icy, I must have lost traction. Need new tires maybe."

"Too bad," Susan snapped at you. "You hit my car, I'm calling the sheriff."

The two of you went back and forth for a second as you tried to get her not to call the cops and she stood her ground.

"I can pay for it!" You exclaimed suddenly and Susan froze in her spot. "And then some, for...I dunno, emotional distress I guess. I know it's late. I'm sure I woke you guys up. I'm just...I'm sorry."

You looked around self consciously all of a sudden, and Eddie could hear the faint murmur as you said something under your breath. He froze as your gaze slid over him, paused, and then kept going.

Play it cool, Munson. Don't pass out. Don't fuck this up.

It was hard when the love of his life was standing right there, in the flesh, and had just looked at him.

As Susan and Max met you in the middle of the yard to talk details, Eddie gave himself the pep talk of the century.

Even if he was dead and this was some sort of afterlife, surely the fates had certainly set this up for him. Some being of greater conscience than he--a mere human--could possibly comprehend was giving him this chance at...love? Happiness? It would be a good reward after an unremarkable end to a shitty life.

Or maybe he was still alive and had actually sold his soul to the devil back inside and this was the payoff.

"I'll fucking take it," he muttered to himself and fished another cigarette from the pack with shaky hands; he was gonna need it if he was gonna survive the night.

He watched the interaction between you and Susan with a keen eye, eager to witness the little gestures and mannerisms that he'd only seen on screen. Once it seemed Susan was happy with whatever deal you'd negotiated, you pulled a scrap of paper from the back pocket of your jeans and gesture vaguely around. Max was the one to snatch it from your hand and then point to a dark trailer that sat kitty corner from Granny's.

Were you gonna be his neighbor? This was just getting better and better.

"Thanks," you smiled and, even from this distance, Eddie's heart stopped.

If he was barely hanging on thanks to your presence, how was he gonna survive your smile? Especially if it was inevitably directed at him.

"Pull it together," he grumbled and took a long drag from his cigarette, the cherry flaring extra bright in the darkness of night.

The Mayfields retreated into their home and you shuffled back over to your car, feet kicking the gravel.

You were about to get back in when Eddie abruptly jumped to his feet.

"Hey!" He called out to you. "Uh...I...know my way around cars, I can take a look at it in the morning. I-if you want. Bang out any dents."

"Can you?" you scrunched your nose in the way that made his knees shake. God he was pathetic. "That'd be nice, thanks."

"Yeah no problem," he smiled the friendliest and most welcoming smile he could.

His thoughts raced at lightspeed now, a mixture of logic and hope. No matter the circumstance, you were here because of him, which meant that this was his shot. So, he would fix your car--or at least try to--figure out if you were some sort of demon or something, and then ask you out.

Easy.

And hopefully you'd say yes. Hopefully. Eddie was gonna be optimistic, but not an idiot. He had to stay humble.

As you maneuvered your car the short distance to the dark trailer, Eddie watched. And in the glow of your taillights, he noticed the abundance of bumper stickers that adorned the trunk. Stickers that weren’t there in the finale, which meant…

"She got to have her adventure," he said to himself in awe, happy that...at least in the few months since you left Port Geneva, you might’ve gotten to experience the world just like you wanted to.

He couldn't wait to ask you all about it. He couldn't wait to find out everything.

The morning took way too long to arrive.

Eddie tried to sleep but he was too wired, too excited.

He already decided that he was gonna skip class the next day. Or maybe roll in late if you had someplace you needed to be and he wouldn't get to show you around town or something else totally not lame.

That’s what he was banking on, though. If you had no plans, he could take you to Benny’s and get you a short stack with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, just like you got at Danny’s Diner back home.

“Alright,” he stared at himself in the mirror as he stepped out of the shower. “See? You can’t do that kind of shit. Can’t scare her away by making her think you know her already. That’s creepy. Gotta act like we don't know her. Easy.”

Not that easy, actually.

He was just...bubbling with thoughts and feelings. Enough that they caused his brain to go into meltdown.

At first, he tried to rationalize it all, tried to come up with some solution. Because somehow, for reasons to be determined at a later time, you left the confines of Port Geneva’s universe and made it to this one, where you were actually definitely real.

Right? You couldn't be a hallucination if the Mayfields had talked to you too. In fact, they talked to you first. So if anything, you were their hallucination.

Eddie tried to recall something that Henderson and Sinclair had babbled on about at lunch the other day: some new issue of the Flash comics. Crisis on Infinite Universes or something where people jumped to different timelines. Whatever that meant. If he had the time, he knew he should ask them a few questions about different universes and how this might all be possible.

Purely hypothetical, spin it as some idea for a campaign.

But why would he wait and let a good thing pass him up just because this was weird and he had questions?

Best case scenario, no one beside him would realize that you were a tv character, they would just think your name was familiar or something.

Worst case scenario they accuse him of witchcraft and bringing you into this dimension or something because there was no way you were real.

It would all work itself out in the end. He just had to be uncharacteristically optimistic and keep his eyes on the prize.

Come morning, Wayne got home from work and he walked in the door just as Eddie had changed clothes for the fifth time, made coffee AND breakfast for him, and washed the dishes.

“Well isn’t this a surprise,” he remarked and stared at the scene in front of him. “Do I wanna know what you did?”

“You remember when I was younger,” Eddie began as he fiddled with his rings. “And I asked you…I dunno…something about the birds and the bees and you said ‘I’ll tell you when you’re older kid?’”

“Hmm,” Wayne crossed his arms over his chest and ran a hand over his mouth. “Go on.”

“It’s nothing bad but, uh, I’ll tell you when you’re older Wayne.”

His uncle cracked a fond smile, gave him a pat on the shoulder, and then shuffled down to the bathroom.

Eddie sighed in relief and took a sip of his coffee while he looked out the window towards your trailer. It was daytime now; he didn’t expect to see lights on or anything, but he knew you got in late and didn’t want to interrupt your sleep. Not a great first impression.

Before long, though, he’d just gotten too antsy to wait anymore. He practically sprinted—damn when was he gonna learn that he shouldn’t skip gym so much—across the park to your door, Wayne's meager toolbox from under the sink swinging from his hand.

He paused the slightest bit to admire your car--

How many hours of screen time had been spent in this exact car as you drove Sam and the gang around for various shenanigans. There was one episode, a favorite of his, where everyone was belting out a tune from the radio and you sat there in the driver's seat...too shy to open your mouth. When they finally coerced you? You had the worst singing voice...but you smiled so brightly...that was the moment he knew he loved you...

--and, more importantly, the stickers that adorned it.

There were some normal ones: funny phrases, a few band stickers he wouldn’t have expected you to listen to, and a single borderline political one. A sticker that specifically caught his eye said “Greetings from Erebor” with a sword that had to be Orcrist and dwarvish runes below it.

You were a girl after his own heart; fortunately, it already belonged to you.

Then there were the ones you’d obviously picked up on your travels. He took an extra moment to look at them and think of some questions he could ask. A favorite place you visited, something crazy you might have eaten, or even some fun facts about...Monument Valley, Ocala National Forest, Mystic Falls Virginia, or…Cicely Alaska?

“Damn,” he let out a low whistle. “Must've put some miles on this thing.”

Having spent enough time just standing there, Eddie finally climbed the stairs and knocked on your door; the walls were thin enough that he could hear you shuffling around inside and he was relieved that he hadn’t woken you.

The door swung open--Eddie swore he heard the applause track from Port Geneva play in his head--and then there you were.

It was a moment he would cherish in his heart for the rest of his days. You, standing there, smiling that sweet, unsure smile at him with slightly tired but nevertheless bright eyes. Your clothes were askew from sleep or aforementioned shuffling and you straightened them out a little when you realized what you might look like.

“Cigarette porch guy,” you pointed a finger at him in recollection after a moment.

Now was the time, though, to muster up every ounce of Munson Magic that he could. He collected it deep in the core of him and then let it mingle with affection in his heart.

"Cigarette porch guy is my father. You can just call me Eddie."

You snorted a laugh and he beamed confidently; that confidence, however, fled his body as he felt the urge to hop around, giggle, and say "I know" when you introduced yourself. He needed to not screw this up by being a hyper mega-fan.

“I was so tired when I got in, I honestly thought you were a figment of my imagination,” you explained. "I woke up at like...4am trying to figure out if you were real or not."

Funny. He was trying to figure out the same thing.

Still, his heart skipped a beat to know you'd thought about him in any capacity after the few words you'd shared.

“Ouch,” he laid a hand on his chest and feigned a stumble. “I know it was late but I would hope I made a bit of a better impression than that.”

You pressed your lips together, scrunched your nose, and looked down at your feet.

“I’m, uh,” Eddie thumbed over his shoulder. “Here to take a look at your car.”

“Oh!” Your head snapped right back up. “Right! Yes, oh my god thank you. Let me just…get my keys and my shoes hang on.”

You retreated back into the trailer and Eddie, nosy as he was, peeked inside after you. Wayne would be ashamed of him, but he couldn't exactly care right now.

Your trailer mirrored other ones in the park, in terms of layout: a living room, a little kitchen, a hall that probably led to a bedroom. There was furniture though, which was not the norm.

A green armchair and a very well-worn blue plaid sofa that was home to a granny-square quilt, a too-soft pillow, and a very fancy canvas bedroll that Eddie assumed must have belonged to you. There was a dusty coffee table stacked with dustier magazines and newspapers and some very questionable looking mugs and plates of what used to be food. Yuck. A green bicycle with one tire was hung vertically on the wall beside the couch. And a little dining set off the kitchen looked like something straight out of the Brady Bunch.

He tried to remember who lived here before you did with such weird taste in furniture. Even more peculiar, where they might have gone for them to leave all of it behind. Especially the plates. No one came to mind though; he'd have to ask Wayne.

You shuffled down the hall--presumably from the bathroom since you'd slept out on the couch--and hopped as you tugged your sneakers on.

You jingled your keys at him excitedly.

"Here we go," you exclaimed. He held his hand out to take them and you were about to drop them in his palm when you hesitated. "I hope I'm not putting you out."

"Of course not," he reassured you and then backed out of the doorway. "It's my pleasure."

You listened aptly as he touted his excellent mechanic skills--

"You, uh...might hear my van rumble a little bit though. Haven't quite figured out why it's making that sound yet."

--and then you sat on the porch steps to watch him as he got to work.

The two of you talked as he inspected your car.

You were surprisingly very good at making conversation. Eddie always believed that you were a little soft spoken or a little shy, watching you on tv. However, as you spoke so excitedly and confidently and he saw you bloom in front of his very eyes, he wondered if it was just a byproduct of being overlooked whenever Sam took the spotlight with her grand speeches, big emotions, and too-bright personality.

He was suddenly excited at the prospect of seeing the real you and learning a lot more that wasn't shown on TV. In return, he could show you the real him too. Hell, he was always trying to be the real him...there were just some things though...

What an odd idea that hadn't really hit him until now. The desire to have you in his life to share things with, and the reality of having you here. He'd never thought of a relationship with a future before, hell hadn't even thought of his future really. Not even with Paige and the whole rockstar pipe dream, as short-lived as that was.

But the more he thought of that with you, the more he liked it. Desired it.

You started the conversation off by asking him about Hawkins and if he'd lived here for long. He gave probably the most unbiased opinion that he could as he hammered out the dents from your collision: it was a sleepy suburb where nothing ever happened and everyone was judgmental and opinionated and hated everyone who disturbed the status quo.

“Aren’t they all like that?” You asked, one eye sliding shut in a mischievous wink as you raised both brows in question.

“Yeah, I’m sure they are.”

Then he asked you about how you ended up in Hawkins, of all the places you could have picked, as he taped up the headlight that you'd cracked.

"It was fate or something. Had to bring me here so I could meet you right?" He sputtered over a response to that and you just laughed. "Actually, I just picked a place on a map. Pick two places. Flip a coin. That's how I pick most places I’ve been, you know?"

You took the opportunity to spin a tale about the so-called "perpetual roadtrip" that you'd embarked for the past year. His heart soared to hear that you’d been “practically everywhere” and he nodded eagerly when you offered to show him your sketchbook sometime with drawings of your favorite places.

"I know I need to go home at some point," you explained with a dismissive wave of your hand. "I guess I just don't know how to...stop driving. I've started this thing recently where I settle down somewhere for a little while. Maybe a few weeks? Maybe more. Get a job, get to know the people. Then I get to like...the final page of that chapter--the end of my little story in that place--and it's time for me to move on again.

"Actually, I guess it's not moving onto the next chapter; it's more like I've been written into a corner. I just...don't know what it is that I'm looking for. What it is that I need."

Eddie snorted to himself.

How many times had he asked himself what deity wrote his story into a pathetic corner where he couldn't leave Hawkins? And here you were feeling the same, only you were stuck in another way.

"Well...I hope you don't move on from Hawkins too quickly," he said, full of naive hope. "Maybe you'll find what you need here."

"Hmm," you rested your chin on your knees and sighed. "You know what? I kinda hope so too."

There was a lot of weight in your gaze as you watched him, and Eddie cleared his throat awkwardly and continued his inspection of the outside of the car so he wouldn’t make a fool out of himself with a mushy smile or a giggle.

He made his way back to the trunk and the bumper stickers; it was then that he asked about Cicely.

"Alaska? Seriously? You drove all the way up there?"

"Ok listen," you said with a conspiratorial grin. "I'm maybe a little bit of a phony. I traded someone for that one. This guy in a diner in Washington."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm. Damn fine cup of coffee." You snorted to yourself, some inside joke that he wished to be a part of.

"Is that, uh...a perpetual roadtrip thing?"

"I…I guess it is."

Finally, to end his self-proclaimed "ten-point inspection," Eddie got into the driver's seat to start the car, chatting all the while.

"Well, if you want a damn fine cup of coffee, there's this diner nearby that I swear makes the best. I know I haven't driven past Chicago or anything but..."

He trailed off as he turned the key in the ignition and noticed the odometer.

Your miles were in the millions.

Several million, at that.

He had half a mind to call you on your shit that you'd never been to Alaska because, surely, you had to have been with that high a number, but then he began to question the sight. He didn't think his odometer even went that high; none of the cars he'd ever seen went into the millions.

Was it just a Volkswagen thing? Or maybe a bi-product of you being here? A wrinkle in the fabric of reality?

Eddie tried to do the mental math but he couldn't figure out how many times you must have circled the states to hit that many miles. Or for how long.

A million miles divided by 365 days divided by 12 hours of driving in a day? He couldn’t do that much math without his head hurting. Still, it just didn't make sense. Maybe it was just broken?

"Everything alright?" you suddenly appeared at the door, teeth worrying your lower lip. You laughed but it didn’t quite meet your eyes. "You were just saying something about coffee and then you got all quiet. I don't need a new transmission or something do I?"

“You…” Eddie swallowed and stared at you, wondering if he should point out the odometer, if he should ask. Bur hadn't that been his problem just a few hours ago? Too many questions, too little time. Why was he going to pick this wonderful thing apart when he finally got what he deserved and yearned for all along.

“You...probably need an oil change,” he announced instead. “It sounds a little clunky. I, uh, can do it for you but I’ll need to stop by Thatcher Tires for some supplies.”

Your shoulders lost their tension and you let out a sigh of relief.

“Eddie, you’re seriously trying to be my hero, huh?” You fawned; hearing his name from your lips, let alone the fact you called him a hero, made his day. His year. Possibly his entire life. “You wanna fix everything else that’s wrong with my life?”

“I could try,” he offered eagerly.

“Don’t, I’ll seriously take you up on the offer.” You pressed your hands to your cheeks then looked back at the trailer. “Ok tell you what, give me like…20 minutes to get the road off of me and change. Then we can go to Thatcher Tires and you can show me this place with the best cup of coffee? And I can get you breakfast or something?”

Eddie was speechless again; were you…asking him out? Ok no you were just showing your gratitude, but it was a first step. Was everything going according to plan for the first time in his life?

He couldn’t count everything that happened in ‘84 for obvious reasons.

You noticed his hesitation and your eyes went wide.

“Unless you had other plans or someplace to be? I’ve already taken up enough of your time—“

“No!” He shouted and then backtracked to be a little softer. “I…no, there’s nothing else I have to do today. I’m…I’m all yours sweetheart.”

The rest of the day went by without a hitch.

And it truly was the rest of the day that you spent together.

It was almost too good to be true.

Eddie acted as chauffeur and self-proclaimed tour guide of Hawkins. He pointed out specific landmarks you'd need to know as he passed them: the town center, the grocery store, the post office.

"In case you want to send letters home or anything." He glanced your way slyly, hoping to maybe get some excited response about your friends back home, but you hummed noncommittally and turned your attention to the radio instead.

The rest of the ride to Benny's was spent swatting at each other's hands and bickering as you discussed music. When he mentioned that he had a band, you were awestruck, and Eddie's chest puffed with pride.

"Ok," you nodded appreciatively. "I see it now. The whole alt. metal wannabe rockstar thing. It suits you."

"You're gonna take back the whole wannabe rockstar thing when I write a song about you and it's a chart-topper," he teased.

"What's it gonna be about? My loser neighbor crashed her car, she held me hostage at the...dine-ar." You winced at the bad rhyme, but Eddie thought it was adorable. "Obviously I'm no Shakespeare. Please don't consider that my interview to be your songwriter."

You'd surprised Eddie by ordering an omelet instead of your usual, so Eddie, quick on his feet, ordered your usual instead and surprised you.

"Are you a mind reader? I always get that," you confessed. "I was just so tired last night, I figured I needed something a little more substantial."

Once the food arrived, though, you stared longingly at Eddie's strawberry and whipped cream covered pancakes. He took mercy on you and slid his plate to the middle of the table so you could take a few bites. You mirrored him with your own plate and he snagged a couple of bites of eggy, hammy, cheesy goodness.

You butt heads good-naturedly when it came time to dress up the plate of hash browns that came with your omelet. You wanted to keep it simple with salt and pepper, while he wanted them doused in ketchup. Back and forth, your forks clinked against each other's chosen condiment, over and over, until it was a veritable sword fight over the side dish.

"Stop it Eddie! They're so nice and crispy, don't ruin them."

"It won't ruin them. What are you saying right now? That you just don't like ketchup? You're breaking my heart."

"Some things are meant to be enjoyed in their pure and undisturbed state. Keep your filthy tomato goop away from my potatoes!"

The two of you laughed all the while, and Eddie swore it was the most fun he had outside of Hellfire in...quite some time.

Benny, who was also amused by your antics but not enough to listen to it for the rest of the morning, decided enough was enough and brought another plate of hash browns, "on the house if it'll prevent a food fight," before he retreated back to the kitchen.

The trip to Thatcher Tires was quick, and then the two of you spent the rest of the afternoon outside of your trailer again, chatting away as Eddie changed your oil. You sat on your stoop and doodled in your sketchbook as he regaled you with stories of his friends and his favorite haunts around Hawkins.

Granny had come out at one point to say hello and promised a welcome-to-the-park casserole, but after she left you noticed how he'd gotten a little sad and asked him what was wrong.

Eddie told you about Ronnie then, how much he missed her. How it was like missing a whole...bite had been taken out of his side when she finally left for college.

It felt like the easiest thing in the world--telling you everything and having you listen--because he'd already done it before, so many times. Only now, you were able to respond; he could look over and see you smile or laugh at one anecdote or another. Or offer some advice about your own friends who you missed. You didn't even judge him when he mentioned he was on his second repeat senior year; you just told him about your own story as an almost-drop-out.

You understood. You saw him. Just like he knew you would.

At some point late in the afternoon, as the sky began to take pink and orange hues and people started coming home from work, Eddie reluctantly called an end to your day together.

"I took up all of your time," he admitted bashfully, hands shoved in his pockets. "I'm sure you have a million things to take care of."

"I mean yeah," you shrugged. "But one day won't hurt. And it was a really good day."

"It was."

"Thanks for everything Eds." You immediately made a face and he laughed. "Eds? No. Ed...Eddie. God, sorry, I hate the whole figuring-out-the-nickname thing. So weird. Thanks for everthing Eddie."

"Yeah don't mention it," he chuckled.

It was a real midwest goodbye as you loitered at the bottom of your steps, prolonging both of your departures. A promise to bring over that tape he said he'd let you borrow, or to come share in Granny's proffered casserole when you finally received it.

Then finally, when you were practically in the door of your trailer, you turned around and stared at him, worrying your lip with your teeth as you often did.

"You know, I wasn't the valedictorian or anything, that's my best friend Sam," you shuffled your feet and paused for a minute. "But if you ever need help with homework or anything..."

"Yeah," he agreed a little too quickly, eager to get more time with you. "No, yeah...that sounds...great."

"I'm pretty good at history," you went on. "I have a crazy memory, you wouldn't even realize."

"No that sounds great, I'm, uh...failing history right now, actually," he admitted.

"Perfect! You know where to find me."

"It's a dat--study session!" He caught himself quickly, but not quick enough. He felt the heat building in his cheeks as you covered your mouth in a giggle. "Ignore me. Ignore that. I'm just gonna go...yeah."

And then, it was like in the movies. The angels were singing, birds chirping, the slowly dying sun beamed brightly on you as you opened your mouth and said:

"It can be a date if you want it to be. I had a lot of fun today, so I, uh, think that would be pretty great actually."

It was everything Eddie ever wanted, everything he ever dreamed.

A real date. With the real, very real, definitely not fictional girl of his dreams.

He smiled the biggest smile he ever had, big enough to rival a shark, that's how happy he was.

"It's a date, then."

Next Chapter: Out of Character

There is no taglist for this series, please follow the STFF Updates tag or check the series out on AO3.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #stranger than (fan)fiction #stff #stff updates #Eddie munson fic #stranger things fic

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imagines--galore · 11 months

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||Masterlist||

Please read rules before sending requests.

REQUESTS ARE CLOSED FOR THE MOMENT.

(Always Uploading new Fics)

Avatar The Last Airbender

Pairing: Zuko x Orora

The Thread of Fate - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen, Part Seventeen, Part Eighteen, Part Nineteen, Part Twenty, Part Twenty-One, Part Twenty-Two,

Pairing: Zuko x Reader

It Was Nothing

Theatrics

I’m Here Beside You

Big Hero 6

Pairing: Tadashi Hamada x Sakura Kamiya

Light 'em Up - Prologue, Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three,

Criminal Minds

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Evelyn Richardson

Mind Over Matter - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen,

(Companion piece to Mind Over Matter)

A Slight Frustration

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Hold Me Closer

First Kiss

Don’t Go!

Crossover - Frozen x Rise of the Guardians

Pairing: Jack Frost x Elsa (Jelsa)

One Step Closer - Part One, Part Two (InProgress)

Digimon

Pairing: Taichi Yagami x Hidemi Senshi

The Next Adventure

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Pairing: Alphonse Elric x Willow Hawkeye(OC)

The Ties That Bind - Prologue, Part One,

Pairing: Edward Elric x Reader

Homecoming

The Language of Flowers

Pairing: Roy Mustang x Reader

I Will Always Choose You

Harry Potter

Pairing: Severus Snape x Reader

Reluctant Friendship

Justice League DC Universe

Pairing: Superman x Lucky Penny aka Clark Kent x Penelope Pennyworth

Lucky Break

Pairing: Superman aka Clark Kent x Reader

Part One - Convince Me, Part Two - I’m Convinced

Wedding Drama

Pairing: (Platonic) Superman aka Clark Kent x 12-year-old reader

A New Life

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Rachel

Kiss It Away

Stolen Kisses, Stolen Moments - Part One, Part Two

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Confessions

Last Night

Empowering

Distraction

Pairing: Dr. Stephen Strange x Clea

Love, A Kind of Magic - Part One, Part Two

Pairing: Dr. Stephen Strange x Reader

Bleeding Love

Perfection

A Surprising Twist

Sleep Deprived

What the Wife Says Goes

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Nothing But a Burden

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

A Pact Renewed

Because You’re Mine

Not a Waste of Space

Just Hold Me

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Never Leave Me

Pirates of the Caribbean

Pairing: Will Turner x Reader

My Heart Calls Your Name

Tavern Brawls

Rise of the Guardians

Pairing: Jack Frost x Evening Star aka The Blue Fairy

Two Spirits Meet - Wishing on a Snowflake I,

Sherlock (BBC)

Pairing: Sherlock x Reader

Serendipity

The Consulting Detective and the Serial Killer

His Love for Her

Your Hand in Mine

Drunken Comfort

Its All Been Arranged

An Unconventional Love Story (Victorian Era AU)

Star Trek(2009)

Pairing: Spock x Kealoha

The Roommate Experiment - Prologue, Part One

Pairing: Spock x Reader

The Little Green Monster

Chasing Away The Darkness

Here For You (InProgress)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Pairing: Leonardo x Amal

Heaven��s Light

A Comforting Embrace

The Amazing Spiderman

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

A Nonverbal Confession

Falling For Him

Heal Together

Drunk on Pheromones

Take All The Time You Need

Falling for the Enemy

The Chronicles of Narnia

Pairing: Peter Pevensie x Reader

An Unexpected Turn

We Face It Together

Pairing: Edmund Pevensie x Reader

The King and the Commoner

The Hobbit

Creepy Crawlies (No Pairing)

Pairing: Kili x Reader

You Are Safe

The Lord of the Rings

Pairing: Legolas x Annúneth

Love Happens(Coming Soon)

Pairing: Legolas x Reader

We Meet Again A Confession Years In The Making

My Prayer, My Light, My Fëa

A Little Introduction to Rock Music

A Promise

Written In The Stars

Treasure Planet

Pairing: Jim Hawkins x Reader

A Little Competition Goes a Long Way

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mcdonaldsnumberone · 1 year

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SUNSHOWER!

kaiser never knew you had a best friend outside of blue lock, and atsumu never knew you had befriended someone once you entered blue lock. the two boys come face-to-face for the first time, and they find themselves in an unexpected competition over your heart.

gender neutral reader

content warning(s): blue lock x haikyuu crossover au, pre-timeskip atsumu

“Darling, who exactly is this?”

Kaiser’s handsome face immediately twisted into an unsightly frown at the sight of you. Which was odd, considering that he was always so quick to break out into his signature smug smile whenever you were around. But today, his face was scrunched up as if he had eaten something nasty, and he showed no signs of letting go of his obvious disgust.

“‘Darling?’” An incredulous voice repeated the not-so-endearing petname Kaiser had tacked onto you forever ago. A heavy and muscled arm slung itself casually over your shoulders, and while Kaiser had dropped his stupid smirk earlier, an equally annoying grin entered your field of vision. “You never told me you got yourself a boyfriend!”

You bit back the urge to push off the arm hoisted onto you. “I don’t have a boyfriend. It’s just a nickname he has for me.”

“Darling, I asked you a question.” Kaiser didn’t even wait to be formally introduced to the stranger that was practically draping himself over you. The German athlete was already sizing up the other man, and his blue eyes narrowed slightly at the arrogant aura that the stranger was exuding. “Who is this man?”

“I was just about to introduce you two,” you piped up. You gestured towards the boy at your side. “This is my best friend from before Blue Lock. He’s a volleyball player, so that means you two are both athletes! You guys should get along easily! Atsumu, this is Kaiser. Kaiser, Atsumu.”

“A real pleasure to meet’cha.” The stranger, now known as Atsumu, detached himself from you and stuck a hand out. “You scared me there for a moment. I thought my cute bestie here ran off and actually bagged a boyfriend.”

A wave of hot annoyance washed over Kaiser. It was one thing dealing with you being so frustrating: constantly shutting down his flirtatious behavior, coldly dismissing him, making it clear to Kaiser that you weren’t going to fall backwards to grovel at his feet. But to bring another man into the mix?

Oh, absolutely unacceptable.

Kaiser held his head high and straightened his back, bringing him up to his full height. He puffed his chest out and squared his shoulders, and when he extended his hand to give Atsumu a curt handshake, it was clear that the German boy was sizing your best friend up. In his delusional fantasy world, Kaiser knew that no one could come close to even threatening his position at the top, but that didn’t mean there weren’t people out there who were dreaming of toppling him. Or even worse, snatching his rightful darling from his loving arms.

And Kaiser could see from first glance that Atsumu would be a pretty sizable threat. Atsumu was your best friend from before Blue Lock, which obviously meant that you two were close and that you thought highly of the other man. To make things worse, Atsumu was an attractive young man, almost as attractive as Kaiser! The Japanese boy had coy brown eyes that could tempt anyone who stared at him for too long, well-styled bleached-blond hair, and a lively smile that dangled on the corner of Atsumu’s dainty lips. Just from a glance, Kaiser could tell that Atsumu was an athlete too: underneath the boy’s clothing, the German could easily make out the contours of muscle built up from years of some kind of training.

On the other hand, Atsumu was less than pleased as well. Everyone and their mother knew that Atsumu had been pining after you for years, but instead of picking up on his crystal clear feelings, you had run off to some odd soccer program with all sorts of players not only from Japan but all over the world as well! And Atsumu was livid when you invited him to visit, only to realize that you had gotten all buddy-buddy with some sexy foreigner. If his intuition and whatever he heard from you was correct, this “sexy foreigner” was none other than an up-and-coming professional soccer player in one of the world’s most prestigious clubs.

“Well, I wouldn’t blame you for being so scared,” Kaiser forced a sweet smile onto his face. “They’re so lovely. I’ve only known them for a little bit, but it feels like I’ve already met a soulmate of sorts.”

Ha! Take that!

Atsumu lowered his eyes slightly. Everything about Kaiser oozed confidence. The German boy was tall and well-built, his soccer uniform hugging his body in all the right places to emphasize his abs and strong thighs. Kaiser’s blue eyes complimented the deep sapphire hue of his long hair, and the glimpses of the tattoo that Atsumu could make out over Kaiser’s shoulder could seduce anyone with ease. Atsumu couldn’t stand to lose you to anyone, but let alone some stranger that you had more or less just met!

Nuh-uh. Atsumu hated losing, and he was never going to lose his crush. “Oh, you’d be surprised. I’ve known them for almost my entire life, yet I still learn new sides of them every day. Don’t you think it’s too early to call someone you’ve known for so little as your soulmate?”

You blinked, unimpressed. “Why the hell are you two talking about my soulmate? I have no intentions of settling down, let alone get married or anything. Kaiser, I’m thinking about showing Atsumu around the facility. Are there any places you’d recommend I take him to?”

Kaiser didn’t pay any attention to what you said. Far too preoccupied with not losing to the psychological battle taking place between him and Atsumu, Kaiser pursed his lips slightly and sighed deeply. “Oh, your best friend is just absolutely adorable, darling. Look at how sweet you are, trying to give him a good time. But I’m not sure… Don’t you think your time would be better spent with me instead?”

“What do you mean?” You scrunched your face up. “I haven’t seen Atsumu in months! What’s wrong with me wanting to spend time with him?”

“There’s nothing wrong,” Kaiser feigned concern. “But if you want to give him a comprehensive tour, aren’t there better people to do that? Ah, what was the name of that pretty manager of Blue Lock? Anri, was it? Yes, I’m sure she’ll be able to show your little buddy around much better…”

Atsumu raised a disapproving eyebrow, and the volleyball player frowned. “Hey, watch it, blondie. (Y/n) might let you run that loose tongue of yours around them, but I’m not gonna take any lip from you.”

“Blondie?” Kaiser scoffed, and as if to reiterate his point, he flipped some of his two-toned hair over his shoulder. “I’ll have you know that my blond hair is all natural. Unlike a certain someone here. You could have at least used some toner or something, because your hair is the exact same color as my piss.”

“Yeah, and you won’t be a blond much longer once I rip out every single hair out of your scalp,” Atsumu hissed aggressively at the soccer player. “We’ll see who’s talking big once I finish beating up your ugly ass.”

Kaiser laughed condescendingly, and your stomach twisted in horror as Kaiser’s expression morphed into that sickeningly sadistic grin that he only ever showed during the heat of a rough soccer match. “You? Lay a hand on me? I’d like to see you try. You’re just a nobody. A volleyball player? Please, you’re nothing more than some highschool hero. I could end your career before it even takes off.”

“You’re just a pretty boy who’s all bark and no talk. Those stupid sponsorships and cameras can’t protect you from a good beating. Maybe that’ll knock you down a fucking peg or two.” Atsumu rolled up his sleeves, cracking his fingers loudly. “Are all foreigners this rude? I’ll teach you firsthand how nasty a volleyball player’s punches are.”

You swiftly lodged yourself in between the two snarling boys, using your body as a physical barrier between the two. You gritted your teeth and furrowed your brows, and you flung your arms out as wide as they would go. No matter how strong you were, you knew you couldn’t fend off two athletic teenage boys in their prime, but maybe if you stuck yourself in the middle, that would slow them down from a full-blown fight.

“Okay, split it up, you two!” You glanced over your shoulder to scold Kaiser first for provoking the fight out of nowhere, and you huffed through your nose. “Behave yourself, Kaiser! Atsumu’s my close friend. Can you quit picking a fight with everyone that you meet? Do you not have any shame? I expected better from a professional like you.”

You quickly whipped your head forward to face Atsumu before your friend could properly gloat. “And you, Atsumu! Even if Kaiser picked a fight with you first, you should know better than to fall for it and jump straight to violence! I hate to admit it, but Kaiser’s right. You could get in serious trouble for putting a hand on him.”

“Then what, let him talk to me like that? I’m not gonna let things slide so easily,” Atsumu grumbled, clearly still disgruntled from Kaiser’s sharp tongue. “A little punch isn’t going to kill him.”

Kaiser stuck his tongue out at Atsumu, and you shot the German a glare so icy that Kaiser immediately shoved his tongue back into his mouth and hung his head.

You exhaled through your mouth defeatedly. You knew that both Kaiser and Atsumu were highly prideful people that hated having their authority questioned in any way, but some foolish part of you deep down had hoped that the two would genuinely get along.

The two boys were very important to you. Atsumu was someone near and dear to your heart, and no matter how much he wore on your patience, there was no one else on this earth that you trusted more than the obnoxious setter. He was the kind of friend to walk you home after school and use the last of his pocket money to shyly buy you a snack at the convenience store if you complained to him about being hungry.

Kaiser, in contrast, was someone who exasperated you constantly, yet you couldn’t help but be drawn to him. Maybe it was the way he lavished attention onto you, treating you like some commoner but also his equal in an odd manner. He’d scoop you up in his arms and stare so longingly into your eyes to make your heart skip a beat, only to cackle like a witch and drop you on your butt.

“C’mon, can’t you two at least try to be polite to each other…?” You desperately pleaded. Your bottom lip quivered slightly, and your wide eyes lost a tiny bit of focus. Atsumu’s breath hitched in his throat, and Kaiser froze.

As much as the two hated each other right from the get-go, the last thing either of them wanted to do was upset you to the point where you’d break down crying. They could be as petty and immature as they wanted to be towards each other, but they couldn’t dare disappoint their beloved!

Atsumu grimaces and bites the inside of his cheek. He hated choking back his pride like this, but another stolen glance at your downtrodden face made his heart wrench up in pain. He sidestepped and walked forward past you, and he stared Kaiser square in the face.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn't have threatened to hurt you.”

Kaiser pressed his lips into a thin line, and he sucked in a tight breath. It was odd for him to feel remorseful for once in his life, but he was going to power through just for you. “...I accept your apology. And I’m sorry as well. It was rude of me to badmouth you like that.”

You let out a comforted exhale, and you clasped your hands to your chest. “Thank god… I wouldn’t know what to do if you guys were to continue fighting! It would have shattered my heart.”

Atsumu laughed mirthfully, and he slung a heavy arm over your shoulders again, bringing you close to his side as if it were second nature to be clinging off of your body. “Well, if anyone breaks your heart, then I’d simply piece it back together for ya. That’s what I’m for, isn’t it? Any bastard that doesn’t treasure you properly deserves to rot in the deepest pits of hell.”

Kaiser scoffed, and he rolled his eyes dramatically as he sidled up to you. He picked up one of your hands, and he brought it to his mouth to press a tender kiss to the back of your knuckles. “If it were up to me, I would never let your heart break in the first place. No need to even worry about having your heart broken if you were to hand it over to Prince Charming…”

Atsumu glared at Kaiser, and Kaiser glared back with equal vitriol. You shook your head, amazed how quickly the two could go snarling at each other like a pair of feral cats duking it out on the street. It was obvious that it was your job to play damage control at this point, lest the two bring down the entire Blue Lock facility spitting poison at one another.

“Atsumu, Kaiser, behave yourselves!”

#blue lock #bllk #haikyuu #blue lock x reader #bllk x reader #haikyuu x reader #michael kaiser #atsumu miya #x reader #my writing #d . dont ask me what happened here #im not proud of it iM NOTTTTTT #this is literally so embarrassing #but i . think . i think atsumu x reader x kaiser is so funny bc its literally a trio from hell #my personal hell

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steterweek · 3 days

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Steter Week 2024 - Text Prompts

Happy 10th Anniversary to Steter Week!!

Please enjoy our selection of new prompts and prompts from years past below!

SUNDAY, JULY 28TH

GLOW-UP/MAKEOVER Did someone come back from college or a long vacation looking hotter than ever? Did one of them decide to change their style in hopes of attracting the other?

MURDER HUSBANDS Anniversary prompt from Steter Week 2018. You know what this classic means!

MONDAY, JULY 29TH

99 PROBLEMS Is the pack dealing with an influx of issues all at once? Is Stiles struggling to juggle all of his responsibilities? Does Peter have a bunch of problems, but they're all actually his feelings for Stiles? You're in charge here!

HUMAN PETER/CREATURE STILES Anniversary prompt from Steter Week 2014/2019. What it says on the tin, folks!

TUESDAY, JULY 30TH

UNEXPECTED CROSSOVER "Teen Wolf" meets PBS's popular Masterpiece show "All Creatures Great and Small"? That bisexual firefighter from 9-1-1 has a threesome with Peter and Stiles? One of them decides to become an elementary teacher and ends up student teaching at Abbott Elementary? The entire world is your oyster!

WEREWOLVES ARE KNOWN Anniversary prompt from Steter Week 2014/2018. How does it change things if werewolves are a known entity in the world?

WEDNESDAY, JULY 31ST

REKINDLING AN OLD FLAME Are Peter and Stiles finally going to see if the hot and sex-filled summer they had years ago, that no one knows about, can transfer to a real relationship? Or is what's being rekindled more of a... spark? ;)

FEUDS Anniversary prompt from Steter Week 2022. The Hales and Stilinskis have a rivalry spanning generations? Stiles and Peter have a petty feud going on for a petty reason? If it fits your definition of a “feud,” then it falls under this day!

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1ST

LOWERED EXPECTATIONS Stiles lowers his expectations of what his dating life looks like? Peter lowers his expectations of the pack's behavior? They both lower their expectations of how their dream wedding day will play out? Surprise us!

PACK OF TWO Anniversary prompt from Steter Week 2020. Another classic that you can't go wrong with!

FRIDAY, AUGUST 2ND

THE CLOTHES YOU LOSE IN THE DRYER END UP WITH YOUR SOULMATE Everyone has lost a sock or two, right? Well, what if they ended up appearing in your soulmate's dryer? What if, instead of just a sock or two, it was your entire load of laundry??

NECKZ N THROATS AU Anniversary prompt from Steter Week 2018/2019. Unfamiliar with this AU? Read in-depth about it here!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 3RD

FREE DAY! Had a prompt you didn't get to? Have a prompt you wish we'd included this week? Want to ignore all prompts and just vibe? Need to pretend the idea that you've wanted to get to for a while but haven't yet is the prompt so that you can actually do it? Today is the day for that!

Curious about other prompts used for the Steter Weeks of previous years? You can see the full list here.

Check out the visual prompts here!

#steter #steter week #steter week 2024 #text prompts

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vanaswrld · 1 year

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UNEXPECTED CROSSOVER, clarkey

george clarke x fem!oc (the beginning of a series)

desc: in which two social media influencers are the last pair people would have expected together, but it makes so much sense.

notes: very short cos this is more like a teaser for a series i wanna write, independent ones will most likely be x reader. fc for maisie is ashley alexander and will be throughout the whole series :)

━━ ₊˚. ꒰ 🎧 ꒱ . ˚₊ ━━

liked by georgeclarkeey and 30,678 others

maimes photo dump of my week in london including a ridiculous amount of vodka and a picture i took whilst i was lost trying to find george x

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georgeclarkeey thanks for including the god awful photo of me

— maimes it’s alright babs x

username the crossover i never knew i needed wtf

max_balegde that amount of vodka is not good for people like us

— maimes lightweight solidarity 💪🏼 stay strong babe

usernameone now that i think abt it its inevitable she’d become apart of this group 😭 just as unhinged as the rest of them

gkbarry_ looking mad fit in that black dress girl

— maimes gizza snog then x

usernametwo her meeting george?? just george??

— usernamethree why am i kind of hoping it was a date 😭

━━ ₊˚. ꒰ 🎧 ꒱ . ˚₊ ━━

liked by maimes and 32,689 others

georgeclarkeey i’d call this a photo dump but the only thing that’s dumpy about it is dat ass

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maimes caption is a hard read as always

— georgeclarkeey justice for dyslexics 🙏🏼

— maimes the water photos aren’t funny 😞 i was soaked

— imallexx first time a girls ever said that george

usernameone whose the girl ? never seen her before

— usernametwo maisie hames!! she’s a youtuber too <3

— usernamethree she also makes music!!

gkbarry_ why are me and maisie on the floor oh god

— georgeclarkeey i genuinely just found you like that

usernamefour maisie is so pretty george u gotta wife her or i will this is a once in a lifetime opportunity

#clarkey content #george clarke #george clarkey #george clarkey x you #george clarkey x reader #george clarkey x oc #george clarkey imagine #george clarkeey #georgeclarkey #georgeclarkeey #george clarkey headcanon

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sparks-olivarpente · 1 year

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Byler reunion fics list

Here is a list of "Will and Mike haven't talked for months/years and now find their way back to each other" fics I've read and loved! If you know of other such fics or have written one, please reblog and add them :) Thanks to the writers <3

are there still beautiful things? by @aceoflanterns will attends an open mic poetry night at a local cafe, invitation courtesy of one max mayfield. this turns out the unexpected effect of seeing one mike wheeler again… and maybe also sparking a conversation long overdue.

see me (i'm waiting for the right time) by agustplz (shout_out_lou) It's been ten months since the last time Mike and Will last spoke. Mike shows up at his dorm in Chicago, determined to fix things for good.

the gaps and the silence by @parkitaco (delusionaltogether) "Oh my God, I had such a crush on you back then," Mike says, laughing a little, and sounds so easy with it that it takes Will a couple of seconds to process. or, will and mike reunite 5 years after their friendship ends

bury me in metamorphoses by @hiscleric It’s been seven years since Will Byers vanished from Hawkins for the second time; seven years since he picked up his life, moved across the globe, and finally settled. OR: Running away and the reunion of a lifetime.

anything, anything by inblue It isn’t before Will is inside Mike’s two-bedroom apartment for the first time that Mike realizes a part of him had expected the world to implode as soon as he stepped past the threshold, as if Will’s presence in Mike’s apartment would trigger some sort of ancient curse or something. Or: Five years after the Byers family leaves Hawkins, Mike and Will rediscover each other within a small apartment in New York.

things lost, buried, and found again by iwannabeyourpoetry It’s December 1993 when, in the wake of Lonnie Byers’ untimely death, Will finds himself returning to Hawkins for the first time in years—a morose husk of the person he once was.

Lost Without You by Julia_Skysong After graduating, both Mike and Will struggled to adjust to life after the Upside Down. It didn't help they had already drifted apart. But now, 8 years later, Mike finally reached out again, and the 2 struggle to rebuild their friendship while also hiding their romantic feelings for each other.

The Crossover by @futureboy-ao3 (nbfutureboy) Will Byers, a comic book author and illustrator at the very beginning of his career, initially turns down the invitation to Hawkins ‘HorrorCon’. But after hearing that a certain musician has gone missing - and despite the fact that Mike and Will haven’t spoken since their high school graduation - he can’t seem to shake the feeling something’s seriously wrong. With embeded sounds and songs! :D

More Than a Metaphor by Nikocat Will Byers returns home from college for the first time for Christmas break and he's a bundle of nerves. He's reckoned with some deep truths while away at school, finally coming to accept that he's gay. While he can be open and honest in his new city of New York, Hawkins is an entirely different story. Or Will Byers comes out to the people he loves and gets more than he bargained for.

Reunion by Nymphadoragreenleaf Will comes back after two years away and Mike can't wait to spend the summer with him! But there's someone with him… bonus: Mike being secretly good at cooking <3

The Cemetery Dance by oceanfruit Will doesn't like his memory. He calls it his inflammable wood-- No matter how long it sits out and dries, a fire can never quite catch. Even with the challenges, he tries to forget, hoping one day he'd become unrecognizable. Yet there are things, people, that exist with him in a ghost-like manner. or, Will works in a restaurant, his memories wont let him alone and he can't stand the flickering light. When someone from his past walks in… AU full of mystery!

Path of the Paladin by olliecoddle "A paladin who has broken a vow typically seeks absolution from a cleric… " or, a few hours after delivering his father’s eulogy, Mike Wheeler punched his former best friend squarely in the face.

Can This Be a Real Thing (Can It?) by Pseudologia They’d graduated and Will had disappeared — not just to Mike, to everyone. It’s not like it was mean-spirited. He needed to leave Hawkins in the rearview, to figure out who he was without the ghosts of monsters at his heels (…) Except, well, now Mike is sitting here, at a gay bar…

Fool Me Once by @queerxqueen It took nearly three years of growing apart, but Will Byers has finally gotten used to life without Mike Wheeler. He has El, he has Max, he has his art, and, as of two days ago, he has a full ride to art school in Chicago, so things are good. Right? So when Mike climbs through his window one night and stumbles back into his life, Will’s not prepared for the resurgence of old feelings…

I Wanna Be Anything You've Lost by @edelweiss-coffee (scout_thewise) Will left his hometown after graduation, determined to get to know himself in New York City. It's 1992, he has a great job as a florist at The Secret Garden, and life is beautiful and fulfilling. He wouldn't change a thing… -or- Someone familiar has been hired at the coffee shop below his loft, and Will's avoidance tactics are taking a rough blow.

meet me at memory lane by @smoosnoom Still, it’s fine. It’s all fine. He’s allowed a bad day or two. It’s fine. “Will?” What’s not fine, however, is when he finds Mike Wheeler on his front porch step. or, It's senior year, and, after three years of silence, Mike and Will find their way back to each other.

Shrike by StepfordSnarker It's the late '80s, and Will is coping with the loneliness of having left the Party behind (…) It's the early '90s, and Mike is coming to understand that there are some people worth losing your false sense of self for. But now that Mike and Will have parted ways, this realization may have come too late.

Stepping On the Last Train by @suzieburself After everything they've been through, it is Mike who rips off the final band-aid of their friendship. Years pass of Will pretending like he never thinks about Mike at all. Years pass of him forging his own life and finally letting go. But when a young boy shows up at Will's apartment, it becomes clear that he'll never fully be done with Mike Wheeler.

I’m a Wreck (Without You Here) by @talkingtothelights Mike has been living 2,200 miles away from his family and hometown for the past fourteen years. He rarely visits, but when he receives heartbreaking news, he’s forced to return home for a funeral. It’s in this unfortunate chapter of life that Mike must come to terms with the consequences of abruptly running away from home and perhaps reconnect with the one person he’s tried his damnedest to forget about.

#this took me forever to write x_x #but i love reunion fics #byler #byler fic recs #byler fic #byler reunion fics #reunion fics

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an-angel-in-the-garden · 6 months

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hello! can I get a sort of crossover headcanons? Can I get the obey me brothers reacting to an akira kurusu! mc. They have the same experience with the metaverse and still have arsenal and can probably use arsene in devildom. Id like to see the brothers reacting to weird sexual tension they have with akechi and why their human is so infatuated with another human (akechi) who tried to literally kill them (it's platonic with the brothers and ig a background akeshu but with the mc as the leader of the phantom thieves ig)

This was such an unexpected request but a fun idea. I'm doing headcanons for all the brothers and how they react to learning all of this so hopefully it fulfills your request? Please enjoy. Spoilers for persona 5 and Obey me, set after lesson 16

Lucifer

Out of everyone, is the most understanding about the whole thing though even he has his questions

When you first arrived in the Devildom he already knew that you were a strange human but even he wasn't ready for Arsene to come to your side when you felt threatened

At first he believes this might cause trouble but it won't take long for him to realize how helpful your personas can be

Still expects his brothers to keep you safe but now he's more willing to believe you can handle yourself

That thought is thrown to the side the moment you tell him all about Akechi and what happened him the metaverse

What do you mean he shot you?! What do you mean you miss him!

Will scold you for being so reckless with your own life but won't deny that he feels a sense of pride knowing you rebelled against the corrupt world

He will ask all he can about your team and adventures, he also wants to know about your relationship with Akechi and how it ended

Not the most helpful but certainly someone you can lean on when the pressure becomes too much

Mammon

Is the most concerned about learning everything and he really doesn't plan to keep his mouth shut about it

From the moment he's told to keep watch of you Mammon is freaked out about everything happening in your life

Arsène nearly fights him day one and from then on he decides that you clearly need help surviving in this world

Don't tell him about Akechi right away or he will threaten to keep you locked up in the devildom to avoid anything bad from happening again

Even hearing about what you did as a phantom thief is a lot, sure at first he's all over it, i mean you make so much money from it but then he thinks about just how often you could have died

The more he thinks the worse it gets

Honestly after a few very very long talks about it he's willing to take you on little trips to the human world so you can go to the metaverse together but he's going to be your guard dog

Will never be willing to let Akechi near you after he learns you like him but is pretty cool with the rest of the thieves

All in all not bad but very worried if he's not around you

Leviathan

Honestly thinks its cool, worrying yes, but very cool in some ways funny in others

Everything you tell him sounds like something right from one of his animes and he NEEDS to know more

How did a lame human like you get to do all that awesome stuff, what do you mean you faked your own death? AND plan to fight the government? He wants in but not really

Gives you really good advice when it comes to planning actually, this man is the Grand Admiral after all

Will not help you at all with romance and is in fact very jealous that someone who wants you dead is more important than him but he's not gonna say that

Freaks out just a little (a lot) when he learns about everything you've already done and had to go through but is weirdly supportive

Finds animes that make him think of you so now you both have to watch them as a treat.

Overall is pretty okay with the whole thing and great to go to for planning

Satan

Pretty annoyed at first but thats too be expected getting to know you though he becomes fascinated in the life you've lived

It feels nearly impossible when he first learns the truth but seeing first hand proof really gets him on board

He's going to try and use your persona's for the anti Lucifer club so be ready for that

Hate the very idea of Akechi and will sold you for falling for someone like that, he's also somewhat (way too) worried about the types of people you make friends with

How are you not dead?? A valid question he regularly asks yet never gets a real answer for

Is brutally honest about everything, he pulls no punches and you will know how he feels when it comes to the life you've lives, truly a blessing and curse

Not very helpful but still reliable it's not like he wants you dead or anything so if his advice can keep you around then you have it

Asmodeus

Is the best person to go to about all of this. He wants to hear all the juicy gossip and can give you some advice on getting peoples trust

Tell him all the little details, come to him for help with your confidants Asmodeus is greatest for all things people

Sure most of it is subterfuge but it works out for everyone

He feels genuine sadness for you when he learns about the hardship you and your friends have been through and he really wants you to make up with Akechi

All of the brothers know what it's like to live in a world where people look down on you but Asmo is the most open about it, he understands

Just a good vibe, he's still gonna flirt and joke around but you have his support and backing whenever you need

Playing dress up with the persona's and you, whenever and wherever some of them are just so pretty

does find it a little funny that you just talk around with a bunch of illegal things to sell at some random pawnshop and will never stop mocking you

Beelzebub

Worries a good amount after learning about your life, humans aren't meant to do things like that, what if you get hurt?

He wishes you didn't have to go through such things but he's still going to root you on

Take you out to eat often, if you're doing all that fighting you need to keep your energy up

Will work out with you all the time, keeping you ready for any fight that's bound to pop up in the devildom

Very reassuring in his own way, he gets that life is stressful and you do so much yet get almost nothing return, he wants to change that

Learning about Akechi is a bad time for Beel

He's just sooo worried about you and what happened, really doesn't think it's a good idea to be involved with someone like that

Beel just wants to see you happy and safe, you're practically part of the family and one of his closest friends, if you ever need help you can lean on him

Belphegor

Gets a really good laugh out it, he's so judgemental about your choices but in a more joking way once you get to know him

He's kind of impressed that you made it this far, after all you fell for his trap yet managed to topple people who have been hiding their crimes for years?

Also wants to use you and your skills against Lucifer and will plan for hours on how to get you to join

Not really interested in your friends but if you start talking about them he listens attentively

Starts to worry when you tell him about the cop and Akechi though he's so down for you just fighting the government more or less

Reminds you to take breaks and no overwork yourself, it's easy to pull yourself too thin between this school and life plus everything with mementos

The moment he learns about what Akechi did he feels a little awful, it's not that different from his own plan and tactics he can't imagine how much it affected you

Honestly these things help him get closer to you, a way for you both to lean on each other and make up for the past

Hello, Hello! It's late I know but thank you to everyone who's waited and been patient with me. It really does mean the world. This fic wasn't fully what I'd been hoping for but I don't mind it. I hope that you like that and thank you so much for requesting it. I have one Bleach request and then my inbox is clear so if you want something feel free to ask. Also! I started physical therapy, I mentioned that I had been in an accident and now I've been getting help for it! I'll be taking care of myself and my family and I hope you all do the same. Stay safe everyone~ Lilly P.S It's my birthday today! I'm now 20 so that's cool

#reader imagine #x reader #reader insert #reader x #persona 5 imagines #persona imagines #persona x reader #persona 5 x reader #obey me imagines #obey me x reader #akechi x reader #goro akechi x reader

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causeitsagame · 8 months

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Fic: The Cat in the Box (1/?)

Summary: After someone truly dies, Hajime takes it as his responsibility to keep everyone else alive. With an unexpected discovery, he realizes he can go even further than that. Warnings: Character death, obviously. (There will actually be a lot of character death, but most of it won't stick.) Ships: Assume basically everything. But like in the warnings section, most of them won't stick. I'm shameless and will focus the most on my favorite characters, though. Notes: This came about from considering another of the Games Of My Heart: Virtue's Last Reward. I spent about thirty seconds going "tee-hee silly crossover," then promptly started picturing a more serious thematic-only blend. And then I started figuring out how it'd actually work. (So, to be clear, this draws on some worldbuilding themes of the Zero Escape series, but no characters. I just want to play with their pseudoscience with the SDR2 cast.)

-----

Two years, five months, and sixteen days after the survivors of the Killing School Trip successfully extracted their friends from digital tombs, death nearly reclaimed one of them.

A bonfire roared, bright orange and gold against night's indigo. Its light cast stark shadows across everyone there, where they sprawled comfortably on fallen logs or across the sandy beach. It was high tide, and the rolling waves were still close and loud enough to hear over everyone's conversations. Most conversations, at least. Ibuki gestured grandly with a skewer laden with grilled vegetables and meat. "And she was like pow-pow-pow!"

Mahiru smiled weakly. "Please stop encouraging Akane to attack things. Especially things with such big and pointy teeth." A few seats down, Hajime smirked faintly and closed his mouth. He'd been ready to launch a lecture of his own, but they might as well spread around the oversight.

Hiyoko grimaced as a bit of grilled pepper flew free of Ibuki's skewer, rebounding off her cheek and leaving flecks of char. She sat up from where she'd been sprawled across Mahiru's lap. "Hey! Watch where you're throwing your food!"

"Yes, please just eat your food," Teruteru sighed.

"Can do!" Ibuki cheerfully agreed, and chomped down with characteristic enthusiasm. As much as he cared for everyone there, it was easier for Hajime to appreciate the night around them when Ibuki was busy eating.

Two and a half years together had left room for the worst awakenings to reveal themselves, for optimism to surge over how smoothly recoveries might go, and for resentment to fester when some paths were far harder and longer than others. It'd left time for fissures to form among the group and mend again, and for new habits to bring some people closer together. Others had angled along slightly divergent paths.

They were, in short, mostly out of crisis mode. As they discovered who they were with lifetimes still ahead of them, Teruteru had suggested these regular bonfires. At them, everyone saw everyone, at least once per week. It had been a welcome suggestion, Hajime thought with a smile as he watched Akane proudly describe the animal she'd defeated, ignorant of the glower Gundham directed in her direction. No one wanted to lose track of anyone.

A moment later, mild concern buzzed at the base of Hajime's skull. He didn't hear anything wrong, nor did he see anything amiss as he scanned the far ends of the group. The bonfire still cast its dancing shadows across his friends, but even correcting for that, he couldn't make out any threat. What, then had—

Panic slammed into Hajime as he saw Ibuki silently clutch at her throat, and he realized why it was so terrible that he wasn't hearing anything. His food fell to the ground, ignored. He hauled her roughly off the fallen palm trunk with concern for speed and little else. Gripping Ibuki from behind, Hajime balled his fists around each other and began to apply pressure in short, sharp jerks just below her ribcage. The body in his arms was tense with animal terror, made worse by the pain he was inflicting on her, but he didn't dare stop.

Finally, blessedly, he heard a wet, gasping cough erupt from Ibuki's throat as an oversized hunk of meat flew from her mouth. It splatted against the sand. She inhaled, which dissolved immediately into pained and frantic coughing. I just nearly died, the girl in his arms clearly realized, and Hajime obligingly drew Ibuki into a reassuring hug as she turned around.

Over her shoulder, he could see the rest of the group standing. Teruteru stared at the lump of meat like he'd been the one to nearly kill Ibuki with his own hands, and Nekomaru and Mahiru both took uncertain steps forward, probably wondering how they could help.

"Mahiru," Hajime mouthed over Ibuki's shoulder, not wanting to shout into the poor girl's ear. Thankfully, Mahiru took his meaning and hurried up close. At a whisper, he finished, "Can you and Mikan stay with her?" It only made sense to have the nurse there, but it also seemed wise to have another girl in the room. (Hajime wasn't sure how much lingered in Ibuki's memories about the last time she'd choked.)

Mahiru nodded shakily and pulled the girl into a new embrace. "Hey, hey, we've got you," she cooed. "Everything's okay. There was a problem, but Hajime fixed it. I bet your throat hurts a lot, but it can get better, now. It's all fixed."

Ibuki nodded, but inside Mahiru's grip, she trembled at how close death—true death—had suddenly come to her.

As Mikan came up on Ibuki's other side and began asking gentle, probing questions to assess the extent of any damage, Hajime felt a hand clap his shoulder. "Nicely done," Nekomaru said with audible relief. "In the dark, I didn't even notice her having a problem!"

"Nor did I," Peko said, her stance tense and expression full of regret. "I should have."

"You were way at the end of everyone." Fuyuhiko gripped Peko's arm with a reassuring squeeze. "No reason you would have seen her, right? But Hajime did, so it's fine."

But Hajime did, so it's fine.

There was a problem, but Hajime fixed it.

Exhaling, Hajime felt the worst spikes of adrenaline leave his body. Their lives could sometimes feel like a compass without its needle. But on some days, Hajime could actually contribute a bit of that Ultimate Hope expectation that forever trailed behind him like a shadow. The world beyond these waves still needed help, and they'd spend the rest of their days offering what they could. But at least here, he could reliably keep things going.

Twelve nights later, Nekomaru died.

There was no easy fix, no chance for a last-minute save. There was only Akane's agonized scream as she tried to wake him up, and instead found him peaceful and cooling where he lay. Sonia tried to pull her back, but even with Fuyuhiko's help, the woman refused to move.

"Why?" Kazuichi asked in a tiny, childlike voice. He sounded desperately confused, like he didn't understand why he had yet to wake up from what had to be some terrible nightmare. This can't be real, echoed many of the stunned faces around them, hollow-eyed and shaking. This can't be real.

The few who'd heard about Nekomaru's heart condition looked different. They were sad and quiet and pained, but in a softer, more regretful way. Not knowing to expect this meant that Nekomaru had been hiding how he felt in the lead-up to the end.

Eventually, Akane was pried away from Nekomaru's side and allowed herself to be comforted. But while most of the group encircled her, the two of them who'd known the most about Nekomaru's health walked silently away.

"Was there…" Mikan swallowed as guilt choked her. "Was there anything we could have done?"

Hajime studied the ocean in silence. Gentle white cumulus clouds spotted the sky, dappling the ocean below with enormous rounded shadows. Between them, sunlight glimmered off rippling waves. Soaring seabirds swept across the ocean in huge, searching arcs, and cried to their companions as they passed briefly over the beach. "No."

Nekomaru needed an intricate cocktail of drugs to stave off his symptoms, which Hajime had mostly managed to obtain. Either through Makoto's help, his own synthesis work, or a few targeted visits to facilities that wouldn't (much) miss those bottles, the chemical side of Nekomaru's treatment had been handled.

But once the right chemical approach had been found, he'd still need a heart transplant. He'd been aware of that ever since school, when doctors were still trying to figure out the precise treatment plan needed for his fit, yet desperately vulnerable physique. And then… and then everything fell apart, and if Nekomaru felt his heart weakening in his chest, he probably welcomed it.

They all pieced themselves back together after the world ended, but that clock kept ticking. There were no transplant centers here, and some of mankind's greatest villains would never have the hope of a donated organ offered to them. Nor were there accessible facilities clean or sterile enough to manufacture an acceptable synthetic substitute. And so the clock ticked, and ticked, and eventually, it ran out.

There had been a cardiothoracic surgeon in some year at Hope's Peak, apparently, because Hajime knew exactly the steps he would have taken to remove a failing heart and implant a working one. But a certain path had led them all to this beach, and that path offered no chance to obtain what Nekomaru had needed to stay alive. Even the greatest surgeon alive couldn't perform a transplant operation without the transplant.

"No," Hajime quietly repeated as he watched more clouds roll in. The weather might turn toward a storm, soon. "There was nothing we could do."

The world's Ultimate Hope, it seemed, had his limits.

* * *

Nearly a month later, Hajime looked up from the computer panel under his fingertips. "Once I bring it down, the security system will reset in twenty minutes."

"Shouldn't be a problem," the Imposter said, reviewing the facility layout. "We can get to the room in under eighty seconds."

"You're sure?" That felt awfully precise for a building they hadn't personally seen.

"We've done a lot of these missions," Peko reminded him, pinning her braid into a tightly coiled bun. "We have the timing down well. With so much leeway, Hajime, you should first take the time to see if there are any other rooms that should be investigated."

"Don't borrow trouble," Fuyuhiko grumbled as Hajime leaned back in to study the facility map.

Fuyuhiko and Sonia ran logistics, well aware that their talents didn't lie in field operations. They were the ones who'd tracked down exactly which plutocrats were taking the most advantage of the wounded world, and where they kept the resources they'd greedily stockpiled. They also came up with cover stories. When one of those would-be profiteers tried to ship a train's worth of grain through a starving countryside, the Remnants of Despair 'tried to hijack the food for their own nefarious ends.' But that hijacking attempt was (deliberately) foiled, and rather than being stolen by them or sold for grossly inflated profits, the food was looted by nearby towns.

As Sonia and Fuyuhiko predicted, the local news cheerfully reported that the Remnants of Despair had been foiled, and everyone else's world grew a bit brighter. Few things cheered people up like beating the bad guys.

Fuyuhiko was the one who'd located this latest stockpile of goods, after carefully backtracing some black market drugs to their source. Unlike Nekomaru's specific—but otherwise obtainable—medicine, these experimental chemicals were far rarer and kept on a much tighter leash. But, as near as Hajime could tell, this stockpile of drugs was the only chance left for Nagito.

As the security scan kept adjusting itself on Hajime's console, Fuyuhiko cast a worried look at it, and then at the other people there. "That looks like a lot more than they usually put in these security systems. You're absolutely sure you need to head in there?"

Hajime felt nerves twist in his gut as he studied the Imposter and Peko, and then reviewed the monitor again. Though both of them clearly accepted the risk they were taking, Fuyuhiko was right: this was far more dangerous than usual.

Noting his expression, Peko calmly asked, "Is there a reason you pushed Fuyuhiko to find these drugs, Hajime?"

"Yes," he admitted.

"What is it?"

Hajime bit his lip. Memories flooded back with horrible, audible precision: an arrhythmic click clack clack as Nagito's metal fingertips stopped cooperating. Nagito's nervous system was now struggling inside a dying body that had beaten every supposed deadline imposed upon it. But if his nerves could no longer properly control that prosthetic, then other parts would also inevitably fail. Electrical signals would no longer travel down his nervous system with sufficient precision to fill his lungs with air, or make his heart beat. Another clock was ticking down its last moments. "These drugs, so far as I can tell, are about the only chance left to keep Nagito alive. He says he's been dying for a while, now, but…"

"But now it's finally happening," the Imposter gravely finished.

Fuyuhiko grimaced, but said nothing.

"So our options are to put ourselves at some serious but brief risk," Peko clarified, "or to certainly watch Nagito die."

Fuyuhiko's grimace deepened.

"Right," Hajime admitted. "It's column A or column B. Those are our only options."

"Then of course, we'll retrieve the drugs." The Imposter smiled faintly. "It's not even a question."

Peko nodded, certain and calm.

Sighing, Fuyuhiko looked around the small control building they'd commandeered. A helicopter they'd similarly claimed sat at a spot distant enough to not catch the facility's attention, but close enough to make their escape after the heist. Right now, they were in an unremarkable concrete chamber that hooked up to some unremarkable concrete halls, but some enormously complicated biometric scanners blocked those hallways from the rest of the facility. Once they shut those scanners down, the clock would start ticking. "Can you give us a second?"

Peko and the Imposter looked at each other, surprised, but nodded and stepped away.

Hajime frowned. "What's up?" Two expressions warred on Fuyuhiko's face, and he recognized both of them.

Even so, Fuyuhiko needed a few quiet moments to acknowledge one of those emotions: sympathy. "It's not your fault, you know. Nekomaru. There was nothing that could be done."

In return, Hajime took a few moments to reply. "I know. It just… it doesn't make it feel any better."

The sympathy in Fuyuhiko's good eye deepened. Hajime was blessed with a bounty of friendship, now that everyone was awake. The Imposter was a rock in stormy seas, always certain while others faltered. Mahiru led the conversations that others would rather avoid, but were necessary for the tiny world they were trying to hold together. Everyone had their own light they brought to the group, and like the colors in a rainbow, he wouldn't willingly give up any of them.

But if Hajime had to pick a single ear to hear him, or a single voice to talk to, it'd be the man in front of him. Fuyuhiko's notoriously private personality only truly opened up for Peko and Hajime; even the other survivors were held at least a slight distance. In good days, and many bad ones, that friendship felt like a blessing. Right now, though, it left Hajime feeling like an insect pinned to a card for study. Fuyuhiko knew him too well.

"It 'doesn't feel better' because you don't actually believe it," Fuyuhiko decided. "You still think that there's something else you could have done."

Hajime considered arguing, and didn't bother. "It's just…"

"Don't say that goddamn 'Ultimate Hope' word, or I swear I'll end this mission."

"Ultimate Hope is two words."

"Fuck off." Fuyuhiko sighed and ran a hand across his face, then adjusted the eyepatch he'd bumped out of place. Now, instead of sympathy, blunt realism filled his voice. That was the other thing Hajime had seen in his expression. "We're all going to die, you know. Eventually."

Grimacing, Hajime wondered, "Is this supposed to be a pep talk?"

"It's supposed to be a 'don't throw away lives' talk." With a heavy, meaningful stare, Fuyuhiko studied Hajime. "Can they actually get these damn wonder drugs? You've seen the security protocols, and you know how the team operates. Because if we're only here because you feel guilty over Nekomaru, and there's not a real chance of success, I'm calling this."

Silence was his answer. Hajime's shoulders rolled, hoping that'd throw off the sharp tension that had developed at the base of his neck. It didn't work.

"Nagito's next on the chopping block," Fuyuhiko murmured, with less bite to his words, but no less sincerity. "These drugs can push that timeline out for him, sure, but… everyone's going to die. Eventually. But if you still feeling guilty over Nekomaru makes you insist on an impossible run for them, and Peko's the next to go, instead…" He trailed off, not needing to finish for Hajime to understand his meaning: it'd feel like a betrayal deep enough to ruin every type of relationship they had.

Hajime stood there in silence for a while, and then looked back to the security panel.

Fuyuhiko was right. If Peko and the Imposter tried to do this run, they'd probably wind up dead. Maybe they could have done it with their typical third, maybe, but Akane had always been a wildcard. A capable one, but a wildcard, and she still wasn't in the right mindset to focus on any serious mission. And so, they'd come with just the two of them.

If Hajime insisted on sending them in there to give Nagito a few more years, he'd likely be trading two lives for one. And he'd be doing it only because of his useless, misdirected guilt over Nekomaru.

Dammit, Fuyuhiko knew him too well.

But there was another way, Hajime realized, and straightened his stance. "It'll work. Zero question."

Unconvinced, Fuyuhiko raised an eyebrow. "What changed? 'Cause you sure as hell didn't look that confident a second ago."

"Simple. I'm going in, too."

Fuyuhiko's eye widened.

Even though Hajime was the most capable of them—the strongest, the fastest, with the most skills at his disposal—Fuyuhiko never planned any mission that put him on the field. Sonia had, at first, but then Fuyuhiko took her off for a long talk. Though Sonia never said anything, she too began putting Hajime in support roles: disrupting communications, overriding systems, electronically commandeering vehicles.

The reason for their concern was obvious: Hajime was the world's most valuable lab rat. If he were seen on the field, it wasn't just that he'd be at risk of the horrible fate of re-capture. Beyond that, his mere presence could make their enemies decide that it was worth rerouting all their resources in his direction. Situations could abruptly change for the extreme worse, far beyond what Fuyuhiko or Sonia had planned for.

Fuyuhiko spat, "If that's your solution, then I'm pulling the mission."

"No, you're not."

"Everyone agreed that when we do a mission, you all listen to me and Sonia. Well, this is my mission, so you listen to me, Hajime. You are not going in there."

Hajime reached over and tilted the security panel in Fuyuhiko's direction. "I am going in there, because I need to crack open room 2-C."

Uncertain, Fuyuhiko glanced at the panel. "The drugs are in 2-F."

"Right. According to the Imposter, we can be in 2-F in under eighty seconds. I'll have plenty of time to check the other room."

Barely contained anger nearly made Fuyuhiko vibrate where he stood. Even after years, he never did well with being challenged, and being simultaneously worried about Peko and Hajime only worsened his mood. "Then what's in 2-C?"

"It's the tech that let this facility manufacture those drugs in the first place. With it, we won't have to make any more runs for Nagito. We could have made our own stockpile for Nekomaru. And we'll be prepared for anything else that happens to anyone," Hajime lied.

Or maybe that wasn't a lie; that massive power supply leading into room 2-C could be for some amazing drug synthesis process. But they were about to break into a facility run by one of the world's leading technocrats-slash-plutocrats, and room 2-C's electrical network must make it the beating heart of that facility. Their target was someone who kept food out of babies' mouths and manipulated governments to his whims. Whatever technology he used to keep himself on top would certainly do better in others' hands, right?

"Shit," Fuyuhiko decided. "Review the security protocols again to see how fast they can notice you. And check to see how quickly they can get any reinforcements here!"

Hajime did, and nodded. "It's doable. Instead of having a deadline of the security system resetting in twenty minutes, we can expect a much bigger threat response. But their absolute top speed mobilization would be twelve minutes."

The others had returned to hear that, and the Imposter nodded calmly. "It does sound doable."

"Shit," Fuyuhiko spat, and stared daggers at the security panel. "Goddamn fucking shit. If you get yourselves killed by being the world's biggest dumbass, I'm pissing on your fucking corpse."

Hajime smirked. "Love you, too."

"Fuck off. You'll all head straight to the helicopter when you come out. I'll have it ready to lift off."

"Affirmative." Peko sounded as calm as the Imposter had. If the two of them really had controlled themselves that much, it was a neat trick; Hajime's heart sped in his chest. "Hajime, we're ready to begin at any time."

"Right." Hajime hesitated. He wasn't used to being in the field, and it felt like he should correct to, "Affirmative." He really didn't have experience on the ground like the two of them, and this would be one hell of a learning curve. He was about to send them all two hundred feet into the air without a net, and then he'd make it worse by chasing down whatever was behind the door to room 2-C.

As he lifted his hands to begin the security override process, Hajime's eyes flicked momentarily to the scars running along his arms. Circular marks for countless IV lines, until they'd realized they should instead install a permanent intravenous port on their subject's chest. Faded but still-ragged scars where they'd asked their subject to measure his enhanced strength, and didn't expect him to actually punch through metal. The scars across his forehead and his discolored eye were the most dramatic showcase of what had been done to Hajime, but his entire body was marked by the Kamukura experiment.

There could be some very, very dangerous things that had been shoved into a secretive room and left to rot behind security.

Even so, Hajime suddenly felt like he had to do this. Whether some sort of higher level calculation, or simply raw, unpolished hope, a voice whispered that he simply could not leave without whatever sat in that room. And so, his hand tapped the console and brought down the facility's security.

Another clock was ticking.

"Come on," the Imposter instantly ordered, and they ran for the facility doors encircled by biometric scanners. As they did, Fuyuhiko bolted in the other direction, toward the helicopter.

Ten seconds later, Hajime studied the biometric scanners as the Imposter reached for them. Before that work could begin, Hajime ripped off one scanner's panel and precisely plucked one nearly-hidden wire out of place, and swapped another wire into its port.

Peko's eyebrow raised as the doors slid open. "Estimated assault timeline down to fifty-five seconds, then," she said before slipping through the narrow gap. Hajime and the Imposter followed shortly after.

Though this facility was one of the most protected places on the planet, run by one of its richest men, it was best described as 'functional' and little more. At least in this sector, it was nothing but a bleak warren of concrete tunnels lit by flickering fluorescents. It didn't feel like it could hold anything astonishing, and yet, Hajime saw a sign for room 2-C and marked it in his memories in flashing neon lights. Soon.

By the time they caught up with her on the path to room 2-F, Peko was already dropping one guard to the ground. Even though this facility's owner had caused countless deaths by withholding food and medicine, she'd used a non-lethal hold on his employee. Applying pressure to the carotid artery was an efficient way to knock someone out, and all three of them rushed forward to repeat that move on every guard in-between them and their goal.

"Target acquired," Peko soon reported as the Imposter carefully retrieved the vials of experimental drugs. Though they couldn't stay out of refrigeration for long, a cooler full of ice waited on the helicopter. Nagito probably had another two years, based on the number of vials, and finding another supply would further extend that timeline.

"Okay," Hajime briefly said as the Imposter tucked away his prize. "Follow me." His feet pounded along the corridor they'd come down, and footsteps echoed loudly through this concrete tomb. This time, six more guards had to be dropped along the way; the alert had gone out, and more of them were coming.

Even with the security system down, the door to 2-C remained locked. "It must be on another circuit," Peko sighed. "Hajime, we might not be able to—"

He gripped the door handle, then ripped free the hardware with one firm jerk.

"You do change the mission calculus," the Imposter admitted as they hurried into the room, only for a bullet to ricochet near his head.

"Get back," Hajime snapped, and instinctively reached for an array of USB drives that sat on a nearby desk. This room was a concrete tomb like the rest of the facility, but instead of medical supplies, it was filled with what looked like standard computer servers. What did this room hold, and why had its staff barricaded themselves in here with guns?

Peko grimaced as she and the Imposter ducked behind another desk. "Hajime, don't—"

Ultimate Ninjutsu, Class 22. (Some part of Hajime's memories lectured that the student had wanted to be known by that, and not as an Ultimate Ninja.) As more shots rang out, his hands instinctively flicked the USB drives like throwing stars. They exploded in a rain of metal and plastic.

"Shit!" one of the employees yelled. "The software!"

It was the distraction he needed, and Hajime was able to rush further into the room and find every employee hidden between rows of server racks. They looked like scientists, rather than the trained guards in the halls, and they were much easier to drop.

As Hajime lowered the last scientist to the ground, he became aware of two sets of footsteps coming up behind him. "Hajime," the Imposter breathed, sounding shocked. "You—"

"They're superficial," Peko decided. "Still, you shouldn't have taken that risk, Hajime. Finish your work quickly, and let's go."

Superficial? Oh. Hajime looked down at himself and noticed bloody spots spreading across his shirt. His brain had calculated the perfect pattern of movement through the facility, but apparently, it had allowed for a half-dozen mild wounds as payment for reaching his goal. As he'd willingly turned himself over to his instincts, he didn't even remember hearing those shots fired, let alone feeling the impacts. "Right. Let's go."

Twenty seconds more, and he found his goal hidden among the server racks. Whatever this unique computer was, it didn't look like anything Hajime was familiar with. Pure gold ran through it in intricate ribbons, rather than typical plastic-shielded wiring. There were plugs of additional elements that he couldn't recognize at a glance, but knew weren't used in any normal electronics.

"What is it?" the Imposter wondered.

"I don't know, yet," Hajime admitted, even as he reached for the power cables.

Whatever it was, it was a hell of a lot heavier than it looked. Hajime grunted as he managed to pry it off its stand; he needed both arms to grip the child-sized computer. "You two are going to need to handle any guards."

Peko nodded, a sharp jerk. "That's fine, we're near the exit. Let's hurry."

On the route between 2-C and the exit, Peko and the Imposter had to bring down another dozen guards. Hajime's estimate of their safe mission timeline had assumed that he'd be able to fight, too, but the weight of this computer had turned him into only a delivery boy. When they made it back into the command room and then headed out into the earliest hours of dawn, some relief washed over Hajime. It didn't totally fill him until they were climbing into the helicopter, though, and watching the city's morning lights fade into the distance below.

At the controls, Fuyuhiko let out a visible sigh of relief. They'd made it.

Right. The first priority was to get those vials into the cooler, and the Imposter did so with great care. Once done, Peko and Hajime carefully secured the cooler against the wall so that it wouldn't jostle with any turbulence.

Adrenaline took a while to fade, and they were five minutes into the air by the time Hajime thought about his extra prize. He studied the computer with open curiosity, joined by Peko and the Imposter. From his seat up front, Fuyuhiko wondered, "What the hell is that thing?"

"I don't know," Hajime admitted. "Hey, need any help flying?"

"I wouldn't turn down someone keeping watch on the radar."

As Hajime moved for the front of the helicopter, Peko cleared her throat. "Let me," she murmured. "We don't want to distract our pilot."

"Distract?" Hajime echoed, only to look down at himself when Peko gestured. Ah, right. This was a large helicopter and so they weren't easily visible in the far back. But if Hajime came up beside Fuyuhiko, then Fuyuhiko would certainly notice the drying patches of blood all over Hajime's clothing. And he'd get pissed. "Gotcha."

"He's going to yell at you for this later, you know," the Imposter wryly murmured as Peko made her way to the co-pilot's seat.

"Fuyuhiko can yell at me all he wants… after we've landed," Hajime replied, just as wryly. "Okay, time to figure out just what this thing is."

"Do we want to wait on that until we've landed, as well? What if turning on the system interferes with electronics?"

"Fair point," Hajime allowed, studying the odd computer he'd carried out of that billionaire's compound. It was nothing he recognized, though with all the knowledge crammed into him, he was certain that he could figure it out. Even so, seeing such an odd device reminded him that knowledge had kept moving since Hope's Peak had studied and measured some talents, and that not every talent in existence had attended the school.

He'd actually need to investigate this thing to make any sense of it. That was unexpected, and a little exciting.

Minutes later, Hajime looked down at where he'd idly shoved his hands into his pockets. "Hmm."

"Hmm?" the Imposter echoed.

"Hmm," Hajime repeated, and pulled his hand free of its pocket. His fingers lightly gripped one USB stick, taken from room 2-C. "Apparently, I didn't throw all of them." With his blind, talent-fueled instincts in the driver's seat, Hajime hadn't remembered shoving this unneeded bit of 'ammunition' into his pocket and out of the way.

The Imposter studied that USB stick with deep thought, then met Hajime's gaze. "When the other drives were destroyed, didn't the employees mention… software?"

Hajime grinned. No, he didn't remember hearing that from them, but it was exactly what he'd hoped for. "Do we have a laptop anywhere on this helicopter?"

Shortly, they looked at the computer they'd found in storage. Its power supply was disconnected from the helicopter, and its network card disabled. Whatever program they might be about to launch, they weren't going to risk it disrupting the helicopter's flight. "All right," Hajime said, and clicked the USB drive into position. "Let's see what they were doing."

The Imposter scanned the filenames that popped up, and frowned in thought. "It's apparently a quantum computer. Is that so unusual?"

Hajime considered the files in front of him. "Not especially. They're pretty rare, but it's just a computer that's able to perform calculations of greater complexity by leveraging manipulations of quantum entanglements and superpositions."

The Imposter looked at him sidelong. "Ah. Of course."

Hajime shrugged. There had been enough talents at Hope's Peak to know that much, at least.

"Well, we could certainly do with a supercomputer," the Imposter continued, turning back to study the device. "I'm sure that Sonia and Fuyuhiko would be able to identify many more opportunities to perform our own unique kind of… assistance."

"Right," Hajime murmured as he continued clicking through files. The same voice that had told him to visit room 2-C now insisted that there was more to discover, and his fingers kept tapping down the list of filenames. On impulse, he opened one and began reading.

It took him three tries to understand what he was seeing, and not for lack of ability. It was simply that hard to believe. "This is… this isn't how a quantum computer normally works," Hajime croaked.

"Hmm?"

Hajime swallowed hard. "Normally, quantum computing takes advantage of matter behaving as both a particle and a wave. That uncertainty leads to enormous potential, if it can be harnessed."

The Imposter studied him. "And what does this device do, then?"

Hajime reread the file a fourth time before answering. This couldn't be possible, and yet… "With this computer, the uncertainty it's harnessing… the simultaneous states of existence that powers it.. it doesn't come from how matter naturally behaves."

"What does it do, then?" the Imposter repeated.

"Timelines." Hajime turned and stared at the computer lined with gold rippling beautifully across its surface. "It's accessing different timelines."

"Different timelines?"

"That's what the software says," Hajime helplessly confirmed. "This computer is apparently so powerful because it's also calculating information across other timelines. Realities. Whatever you want to call them."

"Well, then." The Imposter blinked at the computer, befuddled. "That's quite a prize we retrieved, then. Although I'm not exactly sure what we'll do with it, I'd rather have in our hands than his."

"Right," Hajime murmured. "Definitely."

Other timelines.

But a certain path had led them all to this beach, and that path offered no chance to obtain what Nekomaru had needed to stay alive.

Other timelines.

Staring at the rippling rivers of gold, Hajime heard his pulse speed in his ears. He fixed things, didn't he? That was his job.

Other timelines.

He fixed things.

Other timelines. Other timelines. Other timelines.

He fixed things. Ultimate Hope. Other timelines. He fixed things.

"Hajime?" The Imposter nudged him. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Hajime whispered, and turned his attention back to the software code. "I'm great."

#my fic #this'll obviously end well for everyone

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enigmaticxbee · 1 year

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Casefiles - Fic Recs

Need just the right case to push you from UST to RST with your not so platonic work partner? Casefiles with slow burn MSR are my jam:

Early On:

Universal Invariants by @syntax6 - set over the course of a canon-parallel version of season 1 and early season 2 where Scully’s boyfriend Ethan who was cut from the pilot sticks around. One of my all time favorites.

Classic Era (or I don’t know when it’s set so I picture season 3):

This House Is Burning by Tesla - serial killer undercover case set at a ski resort.

Under Covers by skinfull- Scully goes undercover.

We’re Married Now by skinfull - married undercover with a cult.

Scary Stories by skinfull - investigating urban legends.

Homicidal Tendencies by Swikstr - crossover with Homicide: Life on the Street, but you don’t need to know that show. Scully/Other ending in MSR.

Cancer Arc Era:

The Common Fate of All Things Rare by @aloysiavirgata and Scarlet - post Never Again, filling in the blanks leading up to Momento Mori.

Omens by @lepus-arcticus - a cancer era classic.

On Untying the Endless Knot, and Other Improbable Things by secondsflat - post Demons, dealing with Mulder’s lingering flashbacks and tying back to the post lives from The Field Where I Died.

Gates of Hell by @alienqueequeg - post remission they work a cold case from Scully’s past.

Embers by @syntax6 - post remission as they explore a new relationship.

Laws of Motion by @syntax6 - sequel to Universal Invariants, set over the course of season 5.

More Than a Feeling by @sisterspooky1013 - undercover at a carnival with fake dating goodness.

You He Did Not Fail by extraordinary_ordinary - AU where Scully leaves the X-Files post-remission. Two years later their paths cross again on a case.

Post FTF:

Queen’s Gambit by Suzanne Schramm - early season 6 serial killer case.

Kinesthesia by Amy - early season 6 undercover at a fairground.

Quietus by Allison Johnson - early season 6 follow up to Paper Hearts.

Suspicious Minds by skinfull - undercover as a couple at a drug compound.

Lesser Evils by Hannah Mason - fun dramatic, tropey Scully is kidnapped, will Mulder save her in time?

Cold Cuts by Joann Humby - serial killer case.

No Earthly Means by Circe Invidiosa aka @invidiosa - season 6 follow up to Gender Bender.

March by bluesamutra - post Tithonus

Speechless by Anjou - post Tithonus

Heart’s Desire by @malibusunset-xf-blog - post Two Fathers/One Son. My favorite Scully/Other fic - ends in MSR, but it’s probably the only fic where I’ve thought that Mulder might be the wrong choice.

Overnight Sensation by @syntax6 - post Two Fathers/One Son case in Boston. A favorite.

Arizona Highways by Fialka - post Two Father/One Son, dealing with the discovery of more Emilys. A classic.

Ensky by ViXen - late season 6 serial killer case.

Lacuna by @aloysiavirgata - post Milagro, Scully/Other ending in MSR.

Amish Country by Lolabeegood - serial rapist case within an Amish case. Undercover married, a favorite.

Mind Games by Spider - featuring profiler!Mulder. Warning for very disturbing case details.

Margaritas by agoodwoman - post The Unnatural morning after.

Watching Wall by amerella - post The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati

Petrichor by @aloysiavirgata - post The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati

Damsels by @sisterspooky1013 - Scully goes undercover at a strip club.

Hallowed by @gaycrouton - married undercover in a cult.

Parabiosis by penumbra - set across season 7, an all time favorite.

Wing and Prayer by Revely - post En Ami, investigating a miracle.

Seeds of Synchronicity by mountainphile - follow up to Aubrey 6 years later.

Late Era:

Mobius by L.A. Ward - while Mulder is missing a missing scientist’s case leads Scully to Mulder in an unexpected way.

Gerber Daisies by DiscordantWords - set during the back half of season 8, case involving Charlie Scully.

If anyone has any IWTB or revival era casefile recs please let me know!

#xf fanfic #fic recs #casefiles

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faislittlewhiteraven · 28 days

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Undertale/ISaT crossover thoughts 2

Been thinking more about this despite trying to vent out all my thoughts in this previous post and now I have something of a plot I figured I'd share (in case anyone else would like a stab at it/some ideas for their own Undertale/ISaT crossover fanworks).

Story opens with a time looping Chara in the void hitting their breaking point. The wish for freedom from generations of monsters + their own alternating wishes to free their family and hurt the humans who hurt them equals a loop that begins with their incredibly painful death to buttercup induced internal blistering, and ends whenever Asriel (post absorbing Chara's soul) is killed or they 'fail to punish' Chara's human family and well. Chara doesn't know the rules so the two have them have been looping so long that now when they reach the village of humans by Mt Ebott, instead of the friendliness they were shown in early loops (before getting murdered by the official authorities who 'already have orders on how to treat monsters') the villagers now attack them on sight in terror (sobbing monster thing? Sadness!), and they keep dying over and over and over-

Basically full 'Start Again a prologue' vibes, and so Chara in full please just make it stop mode wishes to the Universe...

For everything that hurt them and monsters to be forgotten like a bad dream! (cue The Island, Sif and Chara's homeland, as well as certain nasty individuals like Chara's human 'family' being erased from memory)

For someone kinder, stronger, and untainted by hate to 'be the angel' to free the monsters in their place.

To feed the golden flower seeds stuck in Azzy's fur with their corpse.

To atone in any way for all the pain they've caused.

(To one day be able to sit and stargaze on top of Mt Ebott together with those they love, just like they promised Asriel they'd be able to do)

Cue time skip to after the end of Undertale and Flowey's 'please don't reset and ruin their happy ending' speech, to show Chara's ghost flopping on top of their flowerbed grave wondering how long they'll be able to last before they give in and ruin Frisk's happy ending once more (with heavy implication that Chara is once more stuck in a time loop with no idea how to get out).

Then a cut to Toriel and Frisk making their way down Mt Ebott and spying a shooting star, Toriel remembering her religion (goodness, how could she have forgotten the Universe?) and praying/wishing to the Universe to 'have one of its stars watch over her fallen children, and give them the happiness she could not'. Cue Chara being shocked out of their non existent skin by a person with the head of a star crashing down right through them onto their grave out of seemingly nowhere.

(Aka, Plot line 1: Chara is trapped in time loop hell and Loop has been sent to help them and possibly Flowey? out of it. ... That's literally all I've got for them right now because I have NO idea how to actually have them interact XD)

---

Next section of story cuts over to the northern coast line of Vauguard: Sif and family (including Nille) are on their way back to Bambooche after their most recent travels when basically the world explodes into colours, Sif suddenly remembers a LOT more than they used to and they can all now see the large landmass to the north.

Much eye boggling, confusion, wonder and tears are had before everyone kind of parties and passes out but next day, things are being taken much more seriously:

Why is Sif's forgotten homeland, the Isle of Chara, suddenly back? Why are colours? How is this going to effect all of Vauguard (the fashion industry alone..)? And... What happened to the people of the island? Are they ok or..? And how will the rest of the world react to them being the epicenter of so much very unexpected change?

Cue brief discussion on whether or not to go (mostly just double checking with Sif if he's actually up for it despite the many potential horrors they could find there that are sure to be extra traumatising to them in particular), the group checking in with the House in Bambooche to have word sent to the rest of Vauguard (and hopefully the world at large) that the Saviors of Vauguard are on the case, and well. They could catch a boat or they could try walking along that MASSIVE steel and concrete bridge with its weird black road stretching out over the ocean (which was apparently there the entire time and ok, now everyone is getting really freaked out because it seems there was a fair bit more forgotten than 'just' the Island and the Stars. What else did everyone have stolen from their heads?).

(Aka, Plot line 2: The Saviors of Vauguard heading for The Island, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, and also the plot line I've done by far the most work on, to the point that it probably needs it's own post)

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And last section, Frisk leads their monster friends down Mt Ebott back to 'the village of the humans' they came from and the monsters are stunned by the sight of... Well, wailing and sobbing adults who barely give the monsters a second glance, curious and 'just as silent as Frisk' children who smile and wave, and an old man Frisk introduces as 'Elder' who despite being very wobbly and also in tears, does his best to greet the monsters, thanks them for returning Frisk and very politely asks if Asgore is their king and here to kill them all as the stars foretold.

Cue a bit of awkward 'Um. Yes and no?' with a request to open talks with the 'leaders of humankind' only for the old man to laugh and cry as he explains that he's the closest thing this settlement's had to a leader for years now by virtue of being one of the few adults here with enough presence of mind to actually function through The Forgetting (he thanks his younger years of being an avid traveller) and that since the monsters breaking the Barrier seems to have made The Forgetting stop and they seem to have some form of government then honestly, they're the ones in charge now since stars know there's probably not much left of the Island's government still remaining all this time, and it's doubtful the people of other countries even remember they exist.

Cue everyone other than Frisk who knew all this being very surprised (Frisk's follow up 'explainations' don't really help a lot since The Forgetting is all they've ever known, and Toriel is so messed up when she realises Frisk and a good number of other kids literally can't talk or read without 'Communication Craft' due to the memory wipe effects they suffered under while growing up) and well. Monster kind move out of Mt Ebott at a breakneck pace while Toriel, Asgore, Alphys and everyone frantically try to get everyone settled, help all the very damaged Islanders into as much stability as they can (some recover better than others but there's a lot of grief over lost family, missing people, etc going around and monsters end up stopping more than a few suicides), and get things organised enough they know everyone will be fine before they can move onto working out WTF happened here. Also in the process of all this they end up working out that some things (like who was in charge before The Forgetting) are still being 'auto deleted' from memory (though the effect is fading as time goes on) and also the Island's capital is a space warped nightmare filled with Sadnesses right now and probably everyone should avoid it.

Lots and lots of world building regarding what Monsters vs Sadnesses are, my headcanons for the Universe religion (going with the Monsters also traditionally being Universe worshippers and much talk is had on the differences between 'the old ways' Toriel and Asgore remember vs the traditions and beliefs of the Islanders), and... yeah.

(That's Plot line 3: Frisk leads the monsters to the one semi stable human adult they know of and the monsters realise that not only are they free to live on the Surface now but the local humans both see them as saviors and desperately need their help after going through something that arguably makes the Underground look wonderful in comparison.)

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Eventually I'm going to have to tie all three of these ideas together and I think I've got some ideas for Plot lines 2 and 3 such as:

Sif's family and/or Undyne bumping into each other catching all the trains to search for survivors across the Island

Mirabelle and to a lesser extent the whole party finding themselves the official Vauguardian ambassadors to the newly formed human/monster Island/Isle of Chara alliance who are very much in need of aid and more info about the rest of the world.

Papyrus and Frisk also being ambassadors, making all the friendships.

Sif realising 'the Elder' is their grandfather on their mother's side and trying to wrap their head around having any family around at all (and also trying not to think to hard about all the family still missing).

Isabeau and Odile uncovering just how much stuff countries outside the Island forgot (airports, train stations, cars, all that juicey science stuff).

The Saviors of Vauguard and various Undertale folks investigating the capital together (learning some of the less pleasant aspects of the Island's politics and culture while there including stuff about Sif's dad's side of the family and why the name Chara matter so much). But well. So far have NO CLUE how to get Chara, Loop and Flowey involved with the rest of the cast since well, they're reluctant to leave and no one else knows they're there. So. Yeah. That's what I have planned out mostly. Will list a bunch of stuff I've thought of regarding Sif's group going through the Island and their hometown (totally gonna bring up the 'Euphrasie Islander and possibly Sif's mom' theory in story but not actually confirm or deny it since well, Euphrasie is out of focus and most likely going through a major 'my memories have returned, how could I have forgotten-' breakdown her beloved Claude is going to have to help her through <3) but that's for another post and er. Yeah. Please feel free to share any feedback, ideas or thoughts you might have on this, and to take a stab writing/scribbling up some of this yourself as well as I think it cold be a lot of fun and I'd LOVE the help XD

#undertale #in stars and time #fais fanfic rambles #isat #isat act 6 spoilers #undertale spoilers #isat spoilers #ut #cw suicide mention #undertale isat fusion fic #post game #fanfiction #Chara and Loop have so much trauma to rant furiously together about but IDK how to even start #Flowey I think remembers SOME stuff looping with Chara during their fusion but they only got those memories back post Undertale #heavy focus on the forgotten island #and all the stuff that may have been forgotten all over the world (in both settings) along with it #...Now wondering if I could play up Dr Gaster vanishing as being partly due to the Forgetting as well #(I feel real guilty making Chara 'responsible' for causing so much damage they'll no doubt will feel horrific guilt over)#(hopefully ensuring the 'win condition' for the story's end requires them getting a happy resolution makes up for that a little)#no clue how to start it but yes frisk and Sif looper friendship is mandatory and I WILL make it happen. Somehow

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