#its mostly in timeline order

[screechingfromthevoid]

I made an Orym edit instead of writing or sleeping

[arvoze]

comic practices

[aria0fgold]

I wanted to figure out when Aoko's birthday is Exactly cuz why not yaknow? It's been said her birth month is September, and I noticed that in episode 7, Hakuba says the date too. Ep. 5 is where Aoko had her birthday party, and in Ep. 7 the heist for the Purple-eyed Bronze Statue was in the 3rd of September. Hakuba transferred to Ekoda High in Sept. 4.

So Aoko's birthday Should be around the 1st or 2nd. But at the same time... The moon phase during then was a Waxing Crescent, while the moon phase during the heist was a Full Moon. There's also the fact that Ep. 6 is a Christmas episode (considering the Christmas tree in that ski lodge). Soo... yea uh, Magic Kaito's timeline is as wrecked as Detective Conan actually. I'll proceed to not think bout it too much otherwise my brain would short circuit.

[transwalterdecourcey]

i could fix her (sydney chess script)

[arolesbianism]

I've been digging up some one of my most neglected stories recently and I'm finally actually developing the rest of the cast after like what? 7 or 8 years or smth? I genuinely don't know when I first thought up Lace but she's been floating at the edge of my mind since then as my token true timeloop guy as opposed to Butters who doesn't rly count because the quote unquote timeloop was entirely within their control and only was a continuous loop because they kept consciously trying again and again. Lace on the other hand. Legitimately 100% powerless in her timeloop situation, as in there was quite literally Nothing she could do to end the loops herself. Some gods just threw her in a 50 year timeloop without even doing the bare minimum of telling her first and she just sorta had to live with that until it from her perspective abruptly stopped leaving her to deal with the fallout of everything she went through now that she's suddenly being forced to live a real life again. And as fun as all of that is it has been very stagnated for years because there is in fact a story and world that exists outside of and around this one plot that matter quite a bit and that I have been refusing to properly work on until now lol.

[achorusofnonsense]

The Pre-Timeline of Dimension 20

Just because I've seen a lot of confusion about this following the release of The Roll of a Lifetime: How Dimension 20 Sold Out Madison Square Garden, in which the story of how Dimension 20 got started is edited in such a way that viewers come away with an odd impression about the timeline, I thought I'd put together as clear and annotated a timeline as I can of how and when the Intrepid Heroes met, got into D&D, and got cast in Dimension 20, plus some of the greater context they were operating in. All of this is publicly available information, gleaned mostly from years of interviews, Adventuring Parties, NADDPod Short Rests, and social media posts.

1998: Noted science-fiction author Elaine Lee signs her ten-year-old son Brennan up for a Dungeons & Dragons game at October Country, a local comics and gaming shop, in order to provide him with a social and creative outlet after having to start homeschooling him due to pervasive bullying at school. Within weeks, he begins running his own games for fellow children.

December 1999: CollegeHumor.com launches, posting user-submitted funny and/or titillating content from around the web. Within a few years, banner ad revenue and merch sales have made its founders young tech millionaires. By 2004 they are hiring writers to produce original content.

August 2006: CollegeHumor is acquired by InterActive Corp. Shortly thereafter, Sam Reich is hired to produce video content on the strength of videos he'd posted online of his improv team Dutch West.

April 2007: CollegeHumor staff writers Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld begin posting videos of themselves performing absurdist sketches in their downtime at work; this inspires the long-running Hardly Working series, in which CollegeHumor staff appear as heightened versions of themselves in the office.

2008: Brian Murphy is hired to answer phones at the CollegeHumor offices. He soon begins writing for the website and appearing in videos, striking up a nerdy friendship with staff artist Caldwell Tanner.

2011: Emily Axford is hired by CollegeHumor as part of a wave of new talent as the original CollegeHumor cast moves on to bigger opportunities. She and Murph are memorably cast as romantic interests in Jake & Amir videos; some time later, they begin dating.

Early 2014: CollegeHumor's video team relocates to Los Angeles in order to establish themselves as a traditional TV production house, including shows like Adam Ruins Everything and the Jake and Amir series Lonely and Horny. Murph and Emily are among the cast who make the move. They marry in September and begin developing the TV sketch show Hot Date.

Early 2015: Siobhan Thompson, Zac Oyama, and Grant O'Brien are hired to write and act in sketches for CollegeHumor as cast turnover continues. Emily and Siobhan become close friends, and Zac bonds with Murph and Emily over anime.

August 2015: Jake and Amir, having quit CollegeHumor earlier that year, start the podcast network Headgum, whose initial slate of podcasts is shows by other CollegeHumor alums.

November 2015: Brennan Lee Mulligan wins $50,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, pays back a loan for medical expenses, and begins the process of relocating to Los Angeles to pursue more opportunities in production and development.

July 2016: Siobhan throws herself a birthday party, inviting people she knows from doing comedy in New York and Los Angeles. At the party, Emily overhears Brennan talking about D&D and corners him to ask him to run a game for her and her friends. During the conversation, Zac turns around, asking what they're talking about, and gets invited too. Siobhan, Zac, Emily, Murph, and Adam Ruins Everything producers Jon Wolf and Travis Helwig start playing in a home game with Brennan DMing. Murph plays a paladin, Emily a druid, Siobhan a ranger, and Zac a monk.

Around the same time: Lou Wilson meets Brennan through Upright Citizens Brigade (where Brennan coaches improv) and begins playing in a different home game as a barbarian. Both of these games are played in 3.5, Brennan's preferred edition of Dungeons & Dragons at the time.

September 2016: Murph, Emily and Caldwell start 8 Bit Book Club, a podcast about video game adaptations, on the Headgum network.

April 2017: Ally Beardsley is hired (along with Raphael Chestang and Rekha Shankar) to join the CollegeHumor sketch-video cast, as Siobhan has left to pursue other opportunities and Murph and Emily are busy with Adam Ruins Everything and Hot Date. During this round of hiring, Brennan is considered but doesn't make the cut, although a few months later he is hired part-time to write questions for Um, Actually. Ally and Zac become close friends and perform improv together.

Summer 2017: Zac leaves CollegeHumor to write on a new season of Adam Ruins Everything. Rather than go through another round of auditions and hires, Sam bumps Brennan up to main cast.

Fall 2017: Wanting more of a return out of their investment, IAC insists on CollegeHumor starting its own streaming service. Existing staff are required to pitch original shows. Brennan is halfway through writing a pitch document for a TTRPG actual play, citing the success of The Adventure Zone and Critical Role, when he is called into a meeting and asked how he would feel about DMing an actual play.

October 2017: Brian Murphy guests on If I Were You, Jake and Amir's flagship podcast, and explains Dungeons & Dragons. Jake is intrigued, Amir not so much.

November 2017: Dimension 20 begins the planning stages. For the next three months, Brennan works with producer David Kerns, coordinator Ebony Hardin, director Michael Schaubach and designer Rick Perry to develop a unique set, feel, and pace for the show. After some chemistry test games, the initial cast is set as Brian Murphy, Emily Axford, Siobhan Thompson, Zac Oyama, Lou Wilson, and Rekha Shankar, who has never played before.

December 2017: At a Headgum Christmas party, Jake Hurwitz corners Murph and suggests that they start a D&D podcast so that Jake can play.

January 18, 2018: Murph, Emily, Caldwell and Jake announce Not Another D&D Podcast on an episode of 8 Bit Book Club.

February 7, 2018: The first shooting day of Fantasy High, which will be the first season of Dimension 20. Only a few weeks before shooting, Rekha has a scheduling conflict and can't fit Dimension 20 in between her duties as head writer of CollegeHumor's sketches and developing other shows for Dropout; Ally Beardsley becomes her replacement at the Dimension 20 table. It is Ally's first time playing D&D at all; it is Brennan, Zac, Siobhan, and Lou's first time playing 5th edition. Earlier that day, Brennan shoots the first CEO video, which will net him viral notoriety and a vocal fanbase within the CollegeHumor audience, with an undercurrent of "finally, a straight white man" to the praise.

February 8, 2018: The first campaign episode of Not Another D&D Podcast is released. It releases weekly thereafter, and they are 32 episodes in and have done their first live show before Dimension 20 premieres.

September 26, 2018: The first two episodes of Fantasy High are available when Dropout goes live. It is the immediate breakout hit of the platform, so much so that the second season, The Unsleeping City, goes into production while Fantasy High is airing; but because it will take so long to edit before it's ready to air, a short "sidequest" is filmed in a weekend with Matt Mercer, Erika Ishii, Amy Vorpahl and Ify Nwadiwe from the online gaming world and Mike Trapp and Rekha from CollegeHumor to tide the audience over, establishing D20's production rhythms for the next several years.

[gffa]

I have been drifting back to STAR WARS fandom lately and I have been greatly rewarded for it, especially in the gen fic veins, because there have been some banger fics authors have been putting out! And the thing that really gets me in the fannish heart is that there's more and more fics about the Jedi, both for exploring the characters and the culture. I have been able to find multiple fics that have been kind to Mace Windu! I have been able to find multiple fics that explain what attachment actually is to the Jedi and to Star Wars! I have been able to find multiple fics that lift my spirit up or punch me in the feelings in exactly the right way, both for the usual disaster lineage faves, but also for the Jedi as a whole. I'm serious, that means the world to me in this fandom, and I desperately want to share that with you all. LET ME SHOVE FIC AT YOU THAT LOVES THESE CHARACTERS AND THIS WORLD AS MUCH AS I DO!!

FICS THAT PUNCHED ME IN THE FACE WITH HOW GOOD THEY WERE: ✦ wayfinding by night by wrennette, obi-wan & luke & cast, time travel, 10.2k     Before him stood a fellow Jedi, worn and weary with loss. Obi-Wan finds himself on Ahch-To and helps Luke find a path through his grief. ✦ may you inherit his light by notbecauseofvictories, leia & bail & anakin & cast, 2.5k     When your father dies, say the Coruscanti, you are left clutching a star map for a different galaxy. In this, as in many things, Leia is her fathers' daughter. ✦ No Freedom From the Storm (But Peace In Its Midst) by Be_Right_Back, mace & cast, ~1k     Mace is freefalling. On his way down, he meets Hatred, and reaches for Serenity. ✦ "...if you remain his student" by Peppermint_Shamrock, anakin & ahsoka & cast, 3.9k     Ahsoka doesn't leave the Jedi Order. This does not save Anakin. This was never going to save Anakin. Nor stop him. ✦ a distant fire is burning by e_va, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & cal, time travel, 47.4k wip     Cal Kestis can move backwards in time (kinda-sorta-not really), and his confrontation with Darth Vader in the Fortress Inquisitorius plays out a lot differently. Fixing the timeline while stuck in his 10-year-old body will be quite the task, but Cal is up to it. He has to be. (Obi-Wan, Anakin, and the clone troopers have no idea what to make of Kenobi's weird new padawan. At least the kid fits in, though.) ✦ No Death, Only the Force by ExtraPenguin, anakin & mace & depa & shmi, 2.8k     Anakin Skywalker is just about to to free his mother from the Tuskens when the Force rudely yanks him to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant – and into Mace Windu's body. Mace, on the other hand, gets tossed into Anakin's body on Tatooine. ✦ Well Met by avocadomoon, obi-wan/padme (unconsumated) & corde & anakin, 19k     "Here and then gone again," Padmé said. "It must be lonely." "Sometimes," Obi-Wan said. "But a Jedi is never truly alone."

THIS FANDOM HAS A HAMMER AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF NAILS AND A REALLY GOOD STAPLE GUN, WE'RE FIXING WHAT CANON BROKE AND NOBODY CAN STOP US NOT EVEN GOD: ✦ Begin again by mauvera, obi-wan & qui-gon & anakin & padme & mace & dooku & cast, time travel, 78.9k     Five years into his self imposed exile on Tattooine, Obi-Wan Kenobi is gifted the chance to go back and bring hope back to the galaxy. With hindsight on his side, he fully intends to save his master, save his padawan, make some new and old friends again, prepare the Jedi for a war they’ll hopefully never see and begin to pull apart all the many tangled threads of the Sith Lord’s plans. ✦ Repetition by Peppermint_Shamrock, cody & obi-wan, time loop, 3k     Cody wakes up from a nightmare on the way to Utapau, again and again.

CANON-COMPLIANT (MOSTLY, UP TO A CERTAIN POINT, WHATEVER) DISASTER LINEAGE: ✦ it's like i can feel time moving by gigglesandfreckles, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 5.4k     “Hi,” Anakin says. It's after midnight. “Is everything alright?” “Can’t a man stop by his old master’s room?” Obi-Wan stares at him blankly. “Are you out of food?” ✦ yes, I will take you / I will love you, again by foreverstudent, obi-wan & anakin & cast, time travel, 2.5k     "So you have tried, Padawan." Qui-Gon takes a moment, and his expression is steely but not unkind--the one Obi-Wan remembers from particularly grueling training sessions. "Would you try again, if you had the chance?" OWK!Obi-Wan gets another chance, with a child he once left behind. ✦ No Good Deed Goes Unpunished by kittona, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 1.1k     Anakin gets a bit overprotective when his loved ones are sick. Luckily, he has the best home remedy for a cold. ✦ nothing a cup of tea can't fix by gigglesandfreckles, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 1.5k     when Anakin shows up to Obi-Wan's quarters in the middle of the night, the Jedi Master knows something has gone awry. answering Anakin's desperate cry for help, Obi-Wan is reminded of how very, very prone to dramatics his former padawan and grand padawan are. or Ahsoka gets sick and Anakin flips his shit. ✦ Stick Figures by KCKenobi, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 2k     war is hard. war is draining. to make it more bearable, little mementos* are routinely given. *mementos: encouraging notes, funny little drawings, little gifts, fun snacks, and poems which might get Anakin in trouble. ✦ When the Ground Breaks by stolen_pen_name23, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 4.7k     An earthquake causes devastation on the planet of Berchest. Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka work together to help save civilians until disaster pulls them apart. ✦ never fear, young one by marverse, obi-wan & ahsoka & cast, 6.2k     Ever since her first day of being a padawan, Ahsoka Tano remembers the words that Master Skywalker had once told her. And every time, she wonders, wonders, and wonders. ✦ the street's a little kinder when you're home by gigglesandfreckles, obi-wan & anakin, 5.2k     "So catch me up," Anakin says. "What did I miss?” Nothing. Nothing happens when you’re gone. “Oh, the usual.” [or: anakin goes missing. obi-wan doesn't handle it well.] ✦ holding anchor by foreverstudent, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 3.2k     At the landing of Point Rain, an injured Obi-Wan allows himself to be sentimental over his former padawan, and Anakin patches up his old master. ✦ Nothing to Say by KCKenobi, obi-wan & anakin & satine, 3.2k     (or: Anakin and Satine don’t know how to talk to each other. Until they remember the very important thing they have in common.) ✦ Aggressive Negotiations by SkyBlue1309, obi-wan & anakin & cast, 2.2k     People forget that Anakin was raised by the Negotiator. He was bound to pick up on a thing or two. ✦ At The Window by Peppermint_Shamrock, obi-wan & anakin, ~1k     In the early days of Anakin's apprenticeship, Obi-Wan searches for him in the Temple. ✦ The Words by Ibelin, obi-wan & anakin, 3.9k     Obi-Wan Kenobi has never said I love you in his life. He can say a lot of other things, though.

JEDI CULTURE AND WORLDBUILDING AND CELEBRATION: ✦ Refractions of Light by Independence1776, ezra & kanan, 1.3k     Kanan celebrates a Jedi holiday with Ezra. ✦ The grand outing by Ingata, dooku & sifo-dyas & obi-wan & bant & garen & reeft & yoda & cast, 4.5k     Eight younglings and two Jedi masters on a field trip. What could possibly go wrong? ✦ into the statue that breathes by spoonks, obi-wan & feemor & cast, 8.5k     The night watch in the garden was supposed to be the calmest of them all. No mischievous Padawans “sneaking” in or out, or ne’er-do-well civilians conducting “business” around the lower-level entrances that they didn’t know existed. No the gardens was still, and it was like time was frozen in ice that slowly melted away with the rising of the sun. A slow drip, drip— Drip. Immediately Feemor turned towards the central waterfall. Someone was standing there. Whoever they were, they were small and moved through katas with their hands open like a greeting. ✦ The Temple vs. Order 66 by LauraBWrites, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & cody & jedi & jedi temple, 3.9k     The Temple cannot defy the Will of the Force. But it can, it will prepare for the possible outcomes. It can damn well fight back. ✦ We Three Runaways. by Aethir, obi-wan & depa & komari, 2.7k     In which Depa and Obi-Wan bond, and a new sister is found. ✦ A Short Break by Peppermint_Shamrock, luke & yoda, ~1k     Luke complains about his training, and asks about Jedi training of old. ✦ we are made of our longest days by bereft_of_frogs, obi-wan & anakin & cast, 4.4k     Two years after the events of The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan and his new apprentice are called to a remote moon to fetch a baby who’s showing signs of a rare, unique power. On their journey home, Obi-Wan reflects on the last child he brought to the Temple and catches a faint glimpse of three possibly entwining futures.

I AM A PREQUELS ERA BITCH AND I'M MAKING THAT EVERYONE ELSE'S PROBLEM: ✦ the salle at dawn by maragny, anakin & mace, 1.5k wip     Master Windu is the best duellist in the Jedi Order. When Anakin Skywalker is seventeen, he duels Mace for the first time, and it ruins both of them for anyone else. ✦ Saving People Counts as Revenge, Right? by ImperialKatwala, obi-wan & anakin & dooku, time travel, 4.3k wip     Count Dooku of Serenno is an intelligent man. His methods may be a bit severe, and he may not be allowed true freedom to plan campaigns in the war he helped create, but he has always had an eye for strategy. Moving the pieces around the board and plotting out where they will need to be next. So, when he opens his eyes after Anakin Skywalker cut his head off, he knows to take a moment to assess what’s going on. ✦ if I could find solid ground again by maragny, anakin & depa, 1.5k     “You never told me what we’re doing today,” Anakin says, a little hesitant. “I…I don’t know much about Jedi things yet.” "Good thing we’re not doing Jedi things, then,” Depa replies. “We’re cooking!” Or, Anakin and Depa, finding their places in their family. ✦ Birds Fly in Different Directions by Triscribe, jedi & clones, time travel, 14.6k     In the corridor beyond her quarters, other Jedi were emerging from their own doors, most of them wide-eyed with shock. A few merely looked blearily concerned, and Aayla heard snatches of questions as she darted past, queries as to whether everyone experienced the same distressing vision. But those who clutched at their chests or throats, their weak points- those Jedi bore a muted horror in their eyes, and Aayla didn’t doubt they’d just suffered their own betrayals from trusted men.

✦ The Master, The Padawan, and The Force by Pandora151, padme & ahsoka, 1.9k     Padmé Naberrie was never one to procrastinate. More than that, she maintained a steady, consistent schedule — something that she’d managed to keep ever since she was a Padawan. She was always on top of everything, from her responsibilities with the war to training her own Padawan, Ahsoka. She was well-known throughout the Order for being steady, reliable. And most notably, no matter what, she didn’t just forget things. Which made her current situation all the more…ridiculous. ✦ Off-by-one Error by Jessepinwheel, obi-wan & cast, 12.2k     A stranger appears in the Jedi Temple. Nobody knows who he is or where he came from. Nobody knows what has happened to him except that it must have been something truly terrible. The stranger's name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. ✦ splinters of light by wrennette, dooku & jocasta & sifo-dyas & yoda & jaster & jango & cast, time travel, 22.5k     When Dooku's dying consciousness was sent back into his younger body, at first he remembered only that something important would happen on Korda VI, and soon. His investigations brought both clarity and confusion, and a conviction that he must atone for evils not yet enacted. ✦ The Road that Reaches by ExtraPenguin, anakin & mace & yoda & depa & shmi, 11.5k     As the Council sits down on Naboo to consider the newly-knighted Obi-Wan Kenobi's request to take young Anakin Skywalker as his padawan, they're informed of what transpired on Tatooine – and that Anakin used to be a slave. Mace Windu goes to interview the young child to confirm this, and gets rather more than he signed up for. ✦ the salle at dawn by maragny, anakin &/ mace, 5.1k     Master Windu is the best duellist in the Jedi Order. When Anakin Skywalker is seventeen, he duels Mace for the first time, and it ruins both of them for anyone else. ✦ through the dark (like two flames) by treescape, kanan/cal & quinlan, 5.3k     A Jedi found him on Bracca. Or, in the weeks after Order 66, Cal Kestis and Caleb Dume are reunited on Jabiim. Five years late, on the run from Inquisitors, they have a decision to make. ✦ Resilience by TemporaryUniverse, obi-wan & mace, 3.3k     Twelve years after his defeat at the Battle of Naboo, Obi-Wan's greatest enemy has returned from the dead. Obi-Wan has faced Maul and lost. Now it is time to face himself. ✦ The Buried Truth is Your Favorite Lie by Peppermint_Shamrock, dooku & yoda, ~1k     Dooku tries and fails to leave the past behind. ✦ Hanging On by the Last Threads of Our Hope by IllyanaA, ahsoka & rex, 5.2k     Ahsoka and Rex have endured too much. After the Fall, they stay together until they can't, but the Force has a way of bringing them back together. It's a fact for which both of them are immeasurably grateful.

MULTIGENERATIONAL STAR WARS IS THE BEST STAR WARS: ✦ Future Tense by CeruleanTactician, obi-wan & anakin & luke, time travel, 1.4k     Obi-Wan and Anakin find themselves twenty years in the future, where they meet a young man by the name of Luke Skywalker. ✦ Keepsakes by Coalmine301, obi-wan & leia, 2k     “You were the one who gave me my bantha, weren’t you?” “Yes,” Obi-wan nodded with a small smile. “Your father told me they were your favorite animal. At least then it was.” ✦ Why the Sith Don't Have Class Reunions by Peppermint_Shamrock, anakin & palpatine & maul & dooku & ventress, time travel, 1.9k     Sith apprentices rarely agree with one another (there’s a reason for the Rule of Two, after all), but Darth Sidious is starting to think that it’s worse when they do. ✦ My Dear Padawan by Tulak_Hord, luke & yoda & palpatine, time travel, 3.2k     In which a time-travelling Luke Skywalker successfully saves the Galaxy in perhaps the most horrifying manner imaginable. ✦ The Return by Pandora151, obi-wan & leia & haja, 1.4k     Haja wonders about the others. He wonders about the people he’s sent to the Path from Daiyu — not just Kenobi and the Princess, but that Force-sensitive boy and his mother, the Nautolan teenager from a few weeks ago, the young Kel Dor child and his even younger siblings. Did they all make it home? Are they safe? Was all of this worth it? ✦ Message From Guiding Light by Batsutousai, obi-wan & leia & mace, time travel, 2.2k     Ben and Leia never make it to Mapuzo on the borrowed supply shuttle, instead finding themselves in the middle of the Clone Wars.

FRIENDSHIP WITH CANON ENDED, THIS COOL AU IS MY NEW BEST FRIEND NOW: ✦ Not A Moment Too Soon by Triscribe, depa & kanan & cast, 2k     The first time she stumbled, her padawan said nothing, simply offering his shoulder for her to lean on. ✦ Parallel Lines by Pandora151, obi-wan & anakin, time travel, time loop, 10.7k     Darth Vader leans back in his chair, allowing a small smile to form on his lips, hidden by his helmet. “There is no escape from this, Obi-Wan,” he utters. He looks down at the neat line of text, and the Force echoes his words. “No escape from the past.” ✦ through the dark (like two flames) by treescape, ca/kanan & quinlan, 5.3k     A Jedi found him on Bracca. Or, in the weeks after Order 66, Cal Kestis and Caleb Dume are reunited on Jabiim. Five years late, on the run from Inquisitors, they have a decision to make. ✦ Loth-Cats and Loth-Rats by TessaDoesThings, mace & depa & kanan & ezra, 19k     All Mace Windu wanted out of the Post-Clone Wars world was a simple trip with his lineage to the long-forgotten Jedi Temples of the Outer Rim. However, on Lothal, the three might have bitten off more than they expected. The Republic may have triumphed, but the roots of what could have become the empire are gripped in the corners of the galaxy, and it might be time for some aggressive space weeding. Or a coup d'etat. That would work too. ✦ a princess, a farmer, a teacher by jesuisdeux, obi-wan & luke & leia & bail, 1.4k     Early in the morning, a girl and few men knock on a door. They don't wear anything resembling a soldier, but Obi-Wan has been a soldier long enough to notice the tense shoulders and wary looks beneath civilian clothing. She doesn't wear anything resembling a princess, but Obi-Wan knows these fierce eyes and grace coming from a righteous cause. or A New Hope AU where Vader doesn't attack Leia's ship and Leia herself delivers the news to Obi-Wan and consequently Obi-Wan doesn't die. ✦ What I Wouldn't Give To See Your Ghost by Triscribe , depa & kanan & cast, time travel, 1.2k     “Who are you?” Depa demanded, externally calm but internally frantic. “What is this place? And where is my padawan?” ✦ when that day comes by katierosefun, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & maul, modern au/reincarnation au, 44.8k     [or: the alternate universe where anakin skywalker has the chance at some new life…but only if he saves the life of a reincarnated obi-wan kenobi. the catch: neither of them know who the other was in the galaxy far, far away…but that might very well change.]

[diamondpastry]

trainwreckshipping submas dia au masterpost (in order <3)

in order of the sequence, not the date posted ... so you can have the definitive slop eating experience of the timeline im building... those in BOLD are important key moments, but the others still provide some needed context in a way ...

quick summary is that this is the usual ingo disappears to hisui while volos immortal and lived long enough to eventually come across emmet ... then they do the usual plate collecting stuff. this is just my interpretation of it

also note this isnt all my works of the series!! there are some that i dont know where to put ... you may consult the '#dia au' tag to see wips and rambles and such

PRE-DISAPPEARANCE (before ingo disappeared. mostly junk to establish the twin's fun little dynamic)

who is this? - fun aftermath to an interactive post ...

sweaty emmet - nimbasa trio <3

disagreement in the multi line ...

breakfast - SHORT COMIC.

breakfast revenge - SHORT COMIC.

GRIEVING ERA (lasted 1 year, emmet on his own coping with ingo's disappearance)

sad emmet - poor thing

emmet forgets elesas birthday - 2 months no ingo

stupid alcoholic - 3 months no ingo

emmet with a bong - 4 months no ingo

day drinking - 5 months no ingo

i'm normal - 1 year no ingo

PLATE COLLECTING ERA (volo finds emmet and convinces him to collect plates with him)

this is why i fuck with you - SHITPOST

pads - SHORT COMIC.

immortality - emmet finds out about volo's 'curse'. they talk about it.

gaah my cheeks gaaah - ART

non canon rp thing but its silly - SHITPOST/DOODLES

wash your clothes - SHORT COMIC. just a silly thing.

happy valentines guys - ART

volo's so damn tall - DOODLES

emmet straight up kills volo - volo using his immortality and emmet's fear of straying too far from ingo's image to manipulate/break him down into someone more vulnerable. this also comes in fanfic form, which provides more context to volo's point of view

ROSE-TINTED ERA (emmet falling in love with volo while volo continuously rejects his advances)

volo gets mauled by a bear - FANFIC. emmet is a lot less aggressive with his interactions, now growing a sort of concern/affection for volo. volo thinks it's disgusting. short doodle comic version here.

emmet cockblocks volo - FANFIC. has suggestive elements but no intercourse is actually observed (still mind the tags, however!). volo rejects emmet's affections, feeling that he is unworthy/is losing control. showcases his tendencies to self-sabotage.

not even worth it - SHORT COMIC. alternative summary to the previous one in case you aren't a fan of suggestive fanfics.

enough casual sex - SHITPOST/DOODLE

ugly - SHITPOST/DOODLE. emmet craving validation from volo.

frown upside-down - SHITPOST/DOODLE. emmet trying to cheer volo up.

need you - ART.

he dgaf - ART. emmet seeking comfort from volo.

hairdryer - SHITPOST/DOODLE. emmet pranks volo.

CONFESSION CHAPTER 1 - also comes in fanfic form, which provides more context than the comic. emmet confesses his love to volo, volo confesses a different thing entirely.

CONFESSION CHAPTER 2 - FANFIC. after emmet left, volo is struck with a realization. he looks for solutions to get ingo back, but unfortunately it led him back to plate hunting. while he still plans on rewriting the world, he swore to reunite the twins. comes with little doodles!

FALLING OUT

phone call - 2 years no ingo. emmet takes all the plates from volo and returns them to their rightful place. he then finally accepts that theres no more hope for ingo and that hes never getting him back.

stalled train - emmet setting a healthier routine for himself. though, it seems a part of him is still missing.

EPISTLE - 1 year after the phone call. volo has succeeded in collecting all the plates by himself. emmet hears about it and set off to try and stop him from fulfilling his plans.

REVELATION ERA

REVELATION 1

REVELATION 2

mild concern - quick mellingo as a treat

melli attempt no 1 out of 3

melli attempt no 2 out of 3

sorry

melli attempt no 3 out of 3

AFTERMATH

emmet breaks ingos back - he misses him

ingo brought home a sneasel ...

but your thighs - SHITPOST/DOODLES. emmet and volo are still seeing each other despite what happened. ingo is not a fan.

miss me, emmie? - ART. just a small visit while emmets working

awkwar - SHITPOST/DOODLE. ingo catches the two during work

and you still see him? - SHITPOST/DOODLE.

little crush - ART + DOODLES

can they calm down - more of ingo being a hater. understandable

big ass emoji - DOODLES/SHITPOST. ingo utilizing his new phone <3 and emmet is drunk

friendmaxxing - SHITPOST/DOODLES.

ingo in the modern world - ingo constantly being overstimulated during his transition from hisui to unova. emmet clinging on to their past routine, in hopes of returning back to 'normal'.

nightmare - comes directly after the previous comic.

ingo volo interaction - they do not get along

trainwreckshipping divorce - reveals that emmet and volo often end up in physical fights, yet still continue seeing each other. emmet gets fed up.

moving on - after the fight with volo, emmet learns to accept that things are never going back to normal.

these are still updating !! there are plenty of puzzle pieces ive yet to reveal ... i do accept asks discussing theories though i eat that up...

also i'd love to showcase my awesome trainwreckshipping playlist if you're interested in listening to that stuff.

[justbelievinginmagic]

when worlds collide - part 2: aniteez on duty!

pairing(s): ATEEZ OT8 x Fem!Reader

series summary: What if Aniteez appeared on Ateez's ship, Twilight, after being sent through a Cromer wormhole? How would the two crews work and live in harmony when worlds collide?

warnings/tags: slice of life pirate au! silly times. this is the closest to a crack fic ive ever written but its also done in earnest lol. this is pure fluff for the most part. technically theyre in ateez lore timeline but make it more fantasy au!. chaotic aniteez, polyateez x reader, m x m, m x f, play fighting, slapstick humor, mentions of food/eating/possible food insecurity, cursing, sandeoki is a cutie but a girlboss who gaslights and gatekeeps lol, sandeoki is canonically a girl idc shes a princess, let me know if there is anything else that needs tagging.

word count: ~5.2k

first chapter <- -> next chapter

series masterlist

During the first week aboard, Ateez learned a lot about the creatures now a part of their crew.

Firstly, they were loud.

They bickered. Constantly.

Jjongbear and Hetmongi yelled up to each other no matter where they were, babbling instructions or teasings. Meanwhile, the little kitties loved to chit-chat to one another, babbling and giggling and leaning on another playfully during any instruction. (Occasionally, it led to cat-fights – little spats of playfulness turned sour before turning sweet again when one of them remembered how much they loved one another. It’d either by Wooyonyang who would snuggle up to Sandeoki with a pout, their tails intertwining sweetly, or Sandeoki who would plop beside the black cat with a poutful expression. How could someone stay angry at someone so cute, Sandeoki thought?)

It was frequent that Ddeongbyeoli, who seemed to be the second-in-command of the little creature crew, separated them, standing in between the two. But, that just led to them yapping and tickling and teasing the bunny! He too often fell to their mischievous ways and would begin to talk, too! More than once, YN had seen Jjoongrami huff out at them in frustration (as if he was any better with not talk, talk, talking.)

In fact, Jjoongrami was the worst culprit for being a talkative crew member. They learned that the first night.

On the first night with their new crew members, Hongjoong remained awake for as long as he could while YN grew sleepier and sleepier. Their day-and-night shift routine had effectively been ruined the moment YN awoke to the chaos on deck. The helmswoman typically took the wheel in the evenings – when the sun set and the stars were hung in the sky – and slept most of the morning away ‘til she was kissed awake by her loves for lunch. But today, she remained awake the rest of the day, sleepily blinking her eyes as the entire crew acquainted their fuzzy companions with the ship’s systems and decks.

The tour was long; they explained each deck and its purpose. Main deck was where they mostly stayed but the middle deck housed the sleeping quarters and common areas. The creatures claimed their makeshift bunks – stringing up hammocks in the common area and squeaking out that this one was theirs! YN passed by her own cabin longingly.  

The galley was a quick visit; Wooyoung spoke briefly about their set up, the chef ever thoughtful about his space. Mingi piped up and pointed to his corner, a healer’s apothecary cabinet carefully organized.

As they went further into the Twilight, YN helped one of the creatures – Jjongbear – waddle down the stairs. The belly of the ship held storage, crates and barrels, and extra cannons. It was quick overview; Seonghwa mentioned that he maintained order down here before they began to trek back upstairs. Hongjoong eyed her carefully, watching as she helped Bbyongming up some stairs. The chick creature warbled out a thankful chirp.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Sleepy,” she replied.

“Take a rest in my quarters.” He insisted.

It was often she’d nap in his Captain’s Quarters. She’d be nearby, in case he needed her to take over – only a shout away, he always said. YN shook her head defiantly.

But even as they prepared for dinner, setting out their table and utensils under the purpling sunset skies, she couldn’t help nearly falling asleep. First, as she held a door open for Wooyoung to carry out the steaming hot pot of stew-soup. And later, during dinner, her face dipped close to her soup bowl as she fell asleep upright (thankfully, Jongho who was ever aware, grabbed her before she could fall completely.)

“Jagi,” he hummed out, concernedly. Calculating eyes meeting hers, a gentle hand brushing a strand of hair aside.

“Sorry.”

Her apology was almost inaudible by the way the creatures were devouring their meals – a bit animalistic. There was a splatter of stew across the wooden table; half-eaten Star-Apples rolled to other furry companions. Loud chewing could be heard from too many of them to figure out who was the loudest. Yeosang laughed at the sight.

“At least, you like our food,” Wooyoung crowed out.

The chef of the group was always pleased his recipes were appreciated. And the creatures ate every last morsel; most even raised the bowls to their mouths or beaks to slurp up any extra.

“Aniteez…” Yunho teased, giving the creatures a nickname. “Animal-Ateez.”

The crews burst into giggles until there was a clattering of utensils. YN had fallen asleep again; her head slouched onto Jongho’s shoulder.

“I’ll take her to the Captain’s Quarters – she’ll hate knowing she wasn’t nearby if the Captain needs her,” Yeosang commented, arms opening for Jongho to help shift their only lady (well, only human lady) into his arms. His lithe muscles flexed as he lifted her into his arms with little trouble. Soft snores tumbled from her mouth.

“Thanks, Sangie,” Hongjoong thanked from nearby – his bowl of soup sitting on the nearby banister (someone had to man the helm even at dinner time.)

Dinner time was followed by the lovingly nicknamed Aniteez helping clean up the deck. The table was returned to its corner; the pots and pans and whatnot were carried downstairs (Seonghwa wiped up any mess the Aniteez spilled along the way begrudgingly.) The bowls and cutlery were washed and returned to their cabinets decks below – with only minimal tomfoolery by Hetmongi and Jjongbear. Bubbles were in Yunho’s hair when he passed by the Captain at the helm, but he didn’t look too angry so Hongjoong assumed it was just the chaos that the creatures brought with them.

As night crept in, their brave bold sky pirate captain began yawning too, shaking his head to try to keep himself awake. Balancing on the nearby banister, the littlest squirrel captain warbled, saying something that none of the humans could quite decipher. Over and over. He poked at his own chest, pointing to the wheel.

“Huh?”

He repeated the action, becoming more and more intense. As if that would help the language barrier.

“Captain,” San said, glancing from his spot perched on a crate. “I think he wants to take watch.”

“YAH!” It was a boisterous agreement sound that tumbled from the squirrel. His paws went out excitedly, tail wiggling.

San smiled fondly; he was easily won over by cute things.

Memories of the squirrel’s steering earlier only made Hongjoong worry about the state of his beloved ship. Dipping and weaving through the clouds so haphazardly – Hongjoong would never put the ship through that like Jjoongrami. He’d just have to stay awake and man the wheel.

“Uh—” Hongjoong paused, glancing at Jjoongrami doubtfully. “I’m not sure, Sannie.”

Immediately, there was a gasp from the squirrel. Of betrayal. Of disgust. Of offense. He crossed his little arms. Hongjoong offered the creature a crooked smile, a smidge bashful and a lot tired.

Hongjoong didn’t want to even think of the next few hours, awaiting YN’s waking. His eyes already felt heavy as stone and dry as the desert. Swaggering up the steps, Seonghwa took in the dark circles forming under Hongjoong’s magnetic eyes. There was a pause before he spoke up.

“I’ll watch him, Hongjoongie,” Seonghwa commented.

The first-mate had finished his own chores – making sure all the sails were rigged securely for the night sailing. Sleep was tempting, but Seonghwa cared for his crew carefully. He wasn’t all that tired, and, besides, he loved star-gazing. He could survive a night awake.  

“Hwa—” Hongjoong began, sighfully. There were rules and roles for a reason. He was the Captain; he should take this burden on.

Seonghwa tutted, shaking his head. “Nope, I won’t hear it. You’re tired; I’m not – I’ll manage. If not, I’ll wake Sangie.”

“I don’t want anyone being woken up unless it’s me,” Hongjoong scolded, leveling Seonghwa with a serious look. His brow cocked challengingly at his elder.

But, the taller preened, because that wasn’t a ‘no’. In fact, it was very opposite to a ‘no.’ Seonghwa threw him a smirk, a curl of his lip. Fond as it was slightly begrudging.

“Aye, Captain. Go sleep and, if I’m exhausted by early morn, I’ll wake you.”

The careful seriousness melted in Hongjoong’s eyes and instead was replaced with a gleaming appreciation, fondness, and, most of all, love. As he passed, Seonghwa swooped in to press a kiss to his cheek, quick and fond.

“Good night. Sleep well.”

It was a rare moment when YN and Hongjoong could share a bunk; after all, the helmswoman and the captain often shifted off with one another to man the wheel – but, with the littlest furry captain available and Seonghwa’s watchful gaze, the pair stole the moment gleefully. Other members often snuck into each other’s cabins and snuggled close. So, when he crept into the Captain’s Quarters and saw the helmswoman asleep in his bunk, clinging to his pillow, he was quick to replace the fluffy thing with himself.

The Captain shed articles of clothing – his long coat, his jeweled rings, his shirt – to the floor

“Joongie?” she mumbled dazed, head raising from the pillow to look around.

“Hi baby-babe,” he cooed, adjusting his hair back and sliding his pirate hat back on after slipping his bandana off. He climbed into bed, sweeping her into his embrace easily. “Let’s sleep.”

Sleepy-minded, YN accepted his cuddles and fell back into the blissful in-between of awake and asleep. In their warm embrace, they thought sleep would find them quick.  But there was little solace (despite their heads sharing the same fluffy Aurora-imported pillow) because the Aniteez were loud.

HA-HA-HA-HA!

Tonight, they woke to the giggling of Jjoongrami during his night shift; his babbling to Seonghwa was nonstop. YN groaned into Hongjoong’s chest.

“You wanted them to stay,” Hongjoong mumbled, the pirate-esque hat shading his eyes from the low glow of the caught fallen starlight that Seonghwa had captured from a recent star-shower. 

His warm arm didn’t shift from form as YN tossed and turned in his embrace, nuzzling her ear into the crook of his neck. She’d much rather hear his thrumming heart than the babbling of a squirrel. 

“I know,” she replied drowsily as she sighed. “I just thought they’d be quieter.”

Hongjoong rumbled a low laugh as his hand rose to draw figures of clouds and waves over her arm.

“Mhm, they seemed like such docile creatures, no chaos at all.” He joked.

Without opening her sleepy eyes, she slapped his bare chest playfully, and he let out a crow of a laugh. Peering down, his free hand rose to tilt his hat up to look at his helmswoman, defiant as she was sleepy. He smiled fondly.

A tentative knock came to the intricate stain-glassed Captain’s Quarters doors (the handy work of Wooyoung – he was good with fire after all.) YN groaned into Hongjoong’s skin at another interruption. Would sleep ever grace them?

“What is it?” Hongjoong called out, not moving from his bunk. He flung an arm behind his head, tugging YN closer to his chest ‘til she was half on top of him.

“Captain?” The voice was a familiar one, deep and masculine and tentative.

“Mingi,” he greeted.

“I-uh,” Mingi doesn’t open the door, but Hongjoong could see his tall form pressed against the windows’ glass closer. “Is there-“

There were the loud babbles of JJoongrami and the deeper tone of Tyudeongi’s laughs. Neither YN or Hongjoong could hear Mingi.

“Just come in,” he instructed, sighing. He doubted they were gonna get much rest.

Opening the door, Jjoongrami’s giggles tumbled through the open door. Mingi slid inside quick before relatching the door, lightning fast. YN opened a singular eye to peer over at her other lover. In soft linens, one of the tallest of the crew looked gentle, especially with his freshly washed hair dripping and curling faintly at the ends. His cheeks were still warm-rosy from his bath.

“What’s up?” Hongjoong said, his hand going to remove the hat from his head lazily. Tossing it aside, it landed on the nearby desk full of maps, treasures, and leather-bound notebooks.

“Can I join you?” Mingi managed to get out. His lips pouted, cutely. Trying to appeal to his hyung.

Hongjoong’s smile grew, curled and playful. Even if their bunks were small, he’d do anything for his crew – including sleeping on the edge of the bed. Still, if only to tease the princess of the Ateez crew, Hongjoong queried. “I don’t know it’s cramped, baby.”

Mingi’s brows upturned innocently and sweet.

“Please, hyung,” he pleaded. “The Aniteez keep waking me up; they’re shouting from their hammocks to each other. You know their set up is right next to my cabin.”

“You won’t find peace here, babe.” YN laughed. “We can hear the squirrel babbling on, too.”

As if on cue, there was a screeching from the squirrel that made the fine muscles in Hongjoong freeze up, as if waiting to hear an alarm be raised, before there were once again giggles pouring from Jjoongrami. Mingi flinched a bit at the sound before his shoulders sagged, realizing there truly was no escape. He dragged his feet forward towards the bunk regardless.  

“Hyung,” he whined.

Hongjoong let out a chuckle again before shifting YN to rest upon his chest fully. “C’mon,” he encouraged Mingi to join. “You all wanted them to stay, now look.” It was a jest, soft and soothing rather than harsh and biting.

Mingi was quick to sling his long limbs over the duo and wiggle closer to the wall. YN settled in between the pair, unaware of Hongjoong’s hip dipping close to the edge of the mattress. Mingi hummed, pleased, slinging an arm to rest around both of them. He squeezed Hongjoong’s hip.

“Thank you, babes,” he murmured into YN’s shoulder, nuzzling into her.

“It’s still loud,” she giggled lowly. “We aren’t promising he’ll stop.”

“But I’m with you two now,” Mingi argued softly. “We’ll suffer together.”

Hongjoong muffled his guffaw. “Great.” Sarcasm dripped from his lips.

Jjoongrami made a ‘woah!’ sound loudly and, when the trio peered over at the door, they could see the silhouette of the squirrel spinning on the wheel until Seonghwa stopped it with a strong hand.

“They are cute,” Mingi mumbled.

“Debatable,” Hongjoong commented, pushing closer into YN, pressing the throuple closer into an embrace. He adjusted their sheets and duvets. “Let’s try to sleep.”

They didn’t get much as Jjoongrami was soon joined by Wooyonyang.

-

The next thing they had noticed of their guests was that they were eager to help. Only a handful of the creatures were lazy. And in most cases, it wasn’t quite laziness but a greed for food!  If food was there, their attention was on it.

They all were quite food-motivated. Every breakfast they gobbled up everything quickly and if there were any scraps left, they’d look up with their biggest puppy dog eyes for them. At first, Yeosang even questioned if they were food-insecure in their world. But no… they were just passionate for food. They thought it was delicious.

The moment food was involved Tyudeongi and Bbyongming became one track minded. On kitchen duty, they often snuck rations from Wooyonyang instead of cooking the rations. Wooyoung had to quickly shift things to higher shelves to make sure that they wouldn’t get into it without supervision!

But, the Aniteez were clever. More than once, Wooyoung had found a crate empty of Star Apples or Mini-Melons in the kitchen.

“We aren’t making stops any time soon!” he argued to them, insistently. “There is a schedule to follow for food. You have to follow it.”

He slapped a hand on the paper list pinned on the galley’s wood wall (probably a bit too high for the Aniteez now that he thought of it); each row on the grid listed the rations by type by days by months by years – probably the handiwork of Mingi or maybe Seonghwa.

Wooyonyang and Wooyoung had decidedly not gotten along since the beginning of the voyage. After fighting, they always butted heads. The black cat’s tail whipped side to side, bratty, as Wooyoung continued to scold and yap at him. Wooyonyang even rolled his grey eyes at him.

“Yah! Did you just roll your eyes?”

Wooyoung’s hands went to his hips defiantly, a very serious look on his unserious face. With the language barrier, they often communicated through body language and YN had spotted these two stuck in a sass-off often.

Meanwhile, the others had become more acquainted with the creatures as the Aniteez followed them about, wanting to be helpful.

Hongjoong and JJoongrami were seen together often, overlooking their individual crews while YN manned the helm. Every now and then the orange squirrel would wobble and walk along the nearby banister, his tail flicking this way and that to maintain his balance. His strangely powerful gaze would flicker over to the helm, longingly. But, after the first night watch where he babbled on and on, it was a fact that he was too short to properly control the helm if a strong wind hit them. He was just too itty bitty. YN offered him a soft smile in apology.

Instead of steering the ship, he became glued to Hongjoong’s side, babbling about this and that. He was actually quite knowledgeable about ships; Jjoongrami was quick to climb up the sails’ ropework to tighten a loose knot. It was something that Hongjoong occasionally did and it made a zing of foreign pride climb up his back. Which was quickly dampened later on when Jjoongrami stole his maps from a nearby table, scattering gold coins and dark masks onto the ground. (He was after all a pirate.)

Jjoongrami ran to a nearby table, giggling manically and calling out to Tyudeongi who was sitting with Yunho. Yunho spoke softly to the other; efficiently taking him under his wing and sharing knowledge of their past adventures.

“Tyu!! Tyu!” the squirrel cried.

Tyudeongi was quick to jump into action, tugging at his own rolled maps. Together, the creatures spread out the maps side by side. Hongjoong and Yunho swaggered up to the opposite side of the table. Watching carefully. (After all, Hongjoong had just been pickpocketed essentially.) He raised a brow at the two Aniteez.

The dog creature was cute, cuter than the squirrel Hongjoong thought. He looked between the two maps with care. His little brow furrowed, but his little tail wagged as he pointed between the maps.

“Are they similar?” Yunho asked, hand going to his hip as he leaned onto the nearby table. The large map that Jjoongrami had ‘stolen’ curled at the edges. The squirrel fiddled with it, over and over, trying to press it flat before Yunho’s large palm pressed into it for them.

Tyudeongi nodded, pointing this isle and that island.  There was a squee before the puppy called out.

“Hetmongi!”

A small noise came from high above. The long-eared puppy looked over the crow’s nest, his ears dangled over the wooden structure. Yeosang was quick to turn and call down as well. The man shaded his eyes from the sunshine, peering down at the crew below.

Yeosang and Hetmongi became friends quickly, but that was probably due to their close quarters. Hetmongi loved maintaining watch (but maybe he just liked being tall) and he took to the highest crow’s nest like a fish in water. The first time Yeosang stumbled upon him there it was frightening because how did a little puppy-dog manage to climb all the way here he thought? But together, they maintained watch, searching for land, searching for enemies, and enjoying the ever-tantalizing horizon.

Tyudeongi babbled loudly up to the other. It seemed intense, quick paced.

Hongjoong watched the interaction carefully. Was there some island they should be aware of?

There was a laugh that tumbled out of Hetmongi high above them, happily. His ears flopped in the wind as he turned away to continue maintaining watch.

“What’s so funny?” Yeosang asked.

All Hetmongi did was babble in reply… Yeosang wished he was fluent in this Aniteez language; itd be much easier. Yunho did too and crouched down to Tyudeongi’s itty bitty height (after all the puppy dog was the smallest of the Aniteez) and whispered. “Can you show me what you’re saying?”

Tyudeongi nodded and began to scribble doodles down, trying his best to translate with symbols and drawings.

-

Jjongbear scared Jongho on many occasions. And while he was the youngest of the crew, Jongho was certainly no scaredy-cat. He was their gunner, their strength (next to San who had only recently focused on his muscles; there had been a whole crew-wide conversation about the amount of protein they needed to buy at port to sustain not one but two muscular men a few months ago). He was used to moving heavy crates, shifting large loads, and breaking his fair share of Star-Apples by hand for the crew to munch upon. He was used to having his partners rush up to him for aid – he liked it. He liked helping, being seen, and protecting.

“Hey, can you shift that cannon?” Seonghwa asked in passing to Jongho and Jjongbear who sat on said cannon casually.

Jongho was already nodding, turning to begin the task when he spotted Jjongbear, itty bitty fuzzy wuzzy soft baby bear Jjongbear with a fairy-tale leaf sprout on his head stand beside the cannon. The sweet bear HEAVED the cannon over his head. Jongho’s mouth fell open and he (alongside Seonghwa) rushed towards the Aniteez creature. Both humans choking out an exclamation in worry.

“Hm?” Jjongbear hummed as he held the cannon high above him, his little arms flexing with barely visible struggle. He tilted his head, cutely, confused, as if to say ‘what’s wrong?’

“Are—you got that?” Jongho questioned. His hand rose to grasp the knotted rope atop the cannon – just in case.

The squeal of agreement that tumbled from the bear was light hearted. A smile came to his little face as he nodded and began to shuffle along, toting this gigantic cannon in the air. A soft melody was whistle out casually.

Seonghwa and Jongho glanced at one another, surprise written over their face.

“Strong bear,” Seonghwa said before walking off with a raised brow.

“I’m stronger though, right?”

-

San was quick to take care of Sandeoki. He’d give her extra rations which she wasn’t silly enough to deny and if she needed help he was there. His eye was always on her, making sure she was alright. Once upon a time, he did the same for all of his members, carefully caring for them ata distance and sweeping in to help when he could.

The kitty whined out from her spot atop a barrel, her head thrown back in woe.

“Oh, Sandeoki, Sandeoki! Do you need help?” San called out, rushing towards her.

The muscular man scooped up the princess kitty in one swoop – Sandeoki squealing happily as she was saved from Wooyonyang’s stink eye. (After all, she was avoiding doing some cleaning as directed by Ddeongbyoli. Sandeoki even was the one to climb up to the barrel she supposedly was stuck on.)

“You can’t fight her battles for her!” Wooyoung argued nearby, siding with Ddeongbyeoli who scolded the lavender cat from the floor.

Cowering, she pointed to the mop nearby, recently modified to be Aniteez-sized thanks to Seonghwa’s fabrication skills (who knew making building-block figures would pay off!). San cooed sweetly, holding her closer to him soothingly.

“Or do her chores!” YN laughed from across the deck, watching as she manned the wheel; she leaned to peer down at the collection of Aniteez scolding Sandeoki – Ddeongbyeoli, Wooyonyang, and even Tyudeongi were crossing their arms at their favorite purple kitty.

“She’s – why can’t I?” San exclaimed, brows jumping up his forehead in a purse.

“She needs to figure out things on her own, you big baby.” Wooyoung teased.

“I’m—I’m a gentleman,” San spluttered, cradling the cat against his chest. She rested her head there daintily, little ears tickling his bare skin. “It’s only right to help a lady.”

“You never do my chores,” YN teased.

“You’re different,” Wooyoung called back, winking. “You’re not his baby.”

“YN, you are my baby,” San exclaimed, glancing over his shoulder at her. Sandeoki purred for attention and attention she got as San immediately focused on her. “Just she’s an itty bitty baby.”

It made everyone chuckle.

Wooyonyang jumped with an audible huff, trying to tug on Sandeoki’s tail. If only these humans knew! He thought. Sandeoki may look cute but she was just as capable as any of the Aniteez. She got San wrapped around her finger---paw?

At the tug of her tail, she let out a yowl before glaring at her kitty friend. She hissed. Ohhh, a kitty does have some claws.

But all San saw was a baby in need of saving.

-

When the dark-blue velvet of night fell over the skies, Seonghwa and Ddeongbyeoli had discovered something they both loved – catching stars! The little pink bunny and Seonghwa looked like utter opposites. Their first-mate was a brooding character; his long dark hair framed his angular face sharply. His typical sneer was one of protective charm. Serious as he was caring, he was no-nonsense. His dramatic flair revealed itself in his clothing – from corsets to flowy top to heeled boots that could stomp a face in easily; he was intimidating.

Ddeongbyeoli was anything but that. Floppy sweet ears and a pretty pink fur, one could compare him to a marshmallow.

Yet perhaps Ddeongbyeoli and Seonghwa shared the same soul, YN couldn’t help but ponder as she watched Seonghwa, dressed for bedtime in his softest pajamas and his hair tugged back into a half pony tail, and Ddeongbyeol sit on the banister of the ship with their fishing nets. Clouds tickled their feet as they enjoyed the quiet together.

A random falling star would eventually catch – whoever snatched it fast enough would giggle and cheer softly. A container full of fallen-stars glowed intermittently nearby, like a jar of lightning bugs would. Baby blues and soft yellows gleamed in the darkness as the two bonded in gentle nightfall.

-

“Be careful with the bubbles!” Hongjoong warned as he walked past the very soap-scented bathroom.

Bath day was an ordeal. While the big clawfoot bathtub that San had found and refurbished was lovely for the humans, it was a bit too big and deep for the Aniteez. Jongho had gotten bath duty, watching over the little furry creatures swim about and blow bubbles at one another in the large tub. Water sloshed onto the floor; bubbles overflowed.

“We will, hyung!” Jongho called back, smirking mischievously at the Aniteez who added more and more soap.

He was okay with the trouble he’d get into later; right now, it was funny to see the creatures shape stars and shapes and giggle as they got all clean.

-

Bbyongming looked like a wet rat. His little flip-flops of his feet were soggy as he walked along the main deck. A trail of bubbles followed after him as he shook and trembled. Tugging the oversized towel around himself, he continued to waddle about. Shivering.

“Oh, honey,” YN spotted the chick shuffling past. “Do you need help?”

A warble of what sounded like ‘help’ escaped him. His arms rose up for her. Chuckling softly, YN scooped the chickling up into her arms. Wiping away the water, she squeezed him tightly with the towel, fluffing his fur dry. When she moved the towel aside, his fur was fuzzy, standing up on his arms and head in spikes.

A warble of a cluck escaped him; his big baby eyes met her in despair. He glanced over himself with a squawk.

YN laughed before flattening the hair to lie smoother and fluffing the little hairstyle he liked to have his hair in. “There,” she chimed. “All better and all clean!”

Bbyongming smiled wide at her before hugging the human. “Aw, no biggie, bud.”

“WAH?” It was a familiar loud-mouthed tone; YN turned her head to see Jjoongrami was there now. A white towel over his head and a dripping wet soggy tail behindhim. His eyes widened dramatically sweet towards her as if to ask ‘me too?’ as he crept forward with pleas.

YN huffed a bit before reaching out a hand to the squirrel who ‘Yippee’ed!’ It was always a pain to style his tail into the perfect curl after getting it wet, but YN had perfected Bbyongming’s curls so his tail would be easy peasy.

It took 30 minutes to tame the squirrel’s fluffy tail post-bath and three hairbrushes.

-

Mingi and Bbyongming bonded over mixing up healing antidotes. Bbyongming was obedient, wobbling to and fro. He’d grab all the ingredients needed for sleeping potions or healing ointments. The chick was often vocal – shaking his head when it came to adding certain ingredients. With such a language barrier, Mingi was left confused.

“He’s refusing to add this, hyung,” Mingi complained to Yunho, frowning as this furry creature placed his hands on his hips. Shaking his head and warbling out.

Yunho eyed the pair, glancing to his own mini-shadow, Tyudeongi, who stood beside him. Yunho in a short amount of time had gotten good at deciphering the doggy’s words. Perhaps because Tyudeongi was quick to scribble symbols on the corners of their shared maps – and Yunho has always been good at picture games.

The doggy nodded and babbled to Bbyongming who warbled back his concerns. A sort of pout came over his plump beak. Tyudeongi nodded ferociously and scribbled at his notebook before shoving it towards Mingi and Yunho.

“It makes Jjoongrami sick?” Mingi deciphered. A poorly drawn Jjoongrami with his tongue sticking out was what he had to go off of.

Bbyongming nodded.

“Is it poisonous to Aniteez?” the plump-lipped healer pondered, glancing at Yunho doubtfully.

“Maybe?” Yunho shrugged. “He was trying to help after all.”

Bbyongming chirped in pleased tones at the praise, blushing a cute pink before he went back to dumping this and that into the healer’s cauldron – purposely avoiding the Hala-berries that Mingi had wanted to add.

-

The Aniteez had fallen into their ship roles quite nicely, Hongjoong had to admit. The extra hands were helpful. The extra mouths and their unlimited appetite was a bit of a strain. But, when he gazed out over the clouds, his signature grin curled at his lips.

“Land-ho! Land spotted, Captain!” Yeosang cried from the crow’s nest, a tiny bark of a call following suit from Hetmongi.

Rolling mountain peaks of lush green pushed through the cotton-candy clouds; Hongjoong easily navigated through the obstacles with a careful sway of the ship. The hint of purple sparkling sand glimmered in the sunlight far below. The waters lapped at the shoreline and revealed a bustling make-shift town on the edge of the ocean, gleaming in a porcelain soft light like it was a half-moon glowing. While the Twilight wasn’t unsuspicious (after all their reputation followed them anywhere they went), the small port of Crescent Cove was always a reliable stop for them – and they needed to restock.

[corkinavoid]

DPxDC Fae!Danny But Make It Fantasy

I've already made a whole Changeling AU with fae!Danny, but guess what, I have decided not to achieve any level of chill with fae ideas.

We all know Danny is Ghost Kind. Now, what if he is a Fae Prince? A Prince of Winter, to be exact. Imagine all the ice castles (Elsa, I'm looking at you), the snowy lands, northern lights in his crown, a cape made of tiny ornate snowflakes. Crystalline ice swords, skin so white he doesn't even look alive, eyes clear and blue like a frozen lake. Formal gowns, ballrooms, duels and carriages pulled by horses made of snowstorms.

He used to be a changeling, put in place of Dan. Grew up in a village with his parents being witch hunters, or maybe just hunters in general. Meanwhile Dan, a human child whose place he took, grew up in a fae realm, surrounded by magic creatures and miracles.

But Danny couldn't hide he was a fae his whole life. He used to look human when he was a baby, but as the time went by, he started to look more and more fae-like. Jazz was the first to notice it, of course, but this was Danny, a child she practically raised, so she dealt with it. Their parents, though, did not.

Sam and Tucker are in the know, for sure. Sam used this opportunity to learn witchcraft - who is better to learn from than an actual fae? Tucker is a blacksmith, as is his family. The first thing he asked Danny when he discovered he is a fae, was "how in the seven kingdoms are you a fae, and you decided a blacksmith is your best friend?" because, honestly, not even Fentons have so much iron around them as Tucker does.

Now, you may be thinking of where the DC part comes in here.

Well, the Waynes are actually the royal family. Bruce is the King of Gotham, and his children are princes, princesses, and heirs. They are also protecting the country not only by the word of the law, but also from the other, more shady side. I think they should go by Shadows, not Bats, though, since I doubt a name like 'Batman' would fly in the fantasy world.

Constantine is a mage, the strongest one alive, and yet he couldn't care less for his uniqueness if he tried for a week. Diana is the Queen of Themyskira, of course. I think Krypton should be its own country or a continent, ruled by the family of El. Although Jon is the first heir to a throne, due to Kon being, well, a bastard in terms of medieval customs.

After Danny's race is found out by his parents, he leaves for the fae realm, and he offers his friends and his sister to join him. Tucker refuses, Sam and Jazz take him up on that, but Sam leaves shortly after - she mostly used it to get away from her overbearing parents. She is now a witch who lives in the woods all alone, and no one can find her. She keeps contact with Danny, though. Jazz is traveling both the fae and the human realms, just having fun with it.

Jason is part-fae. After he died, a cult has abducted his body - the cult leader being Ra's, of course - and used it for an experiment. They used some fae magic to bring him back, or, maybe, they have tried to merge a fae and a human, creating a chimera. This was the first option of Ra's trying to get closer to Bruce in order to take power. It was not a very successful option since both Jason and whatever was left of the fae inside him decided not to obey the madman.

Damian was... slightly more successful. He was not merged with anything, but his development was magically enhanced.

And now, while Danny is back in the fae realm and he is a crowned Prince of Winter, Clockwork has a problem. He knows humans are afraid of fae, but this is not a very productive way to go. And there is a timeline somewhere there that can fix it.

Of course, Danny is right in the middle of that timeline. Now, Clockwork just needs to find a way to help Danny make an alliance with humans.

[galedekarios]

i need to get this off my chest. this is a personal vent post so please don't jump down my throat, but a thing that makes me feel some kind of ways is just how much bg3 is being viewed now through rose-tinted glasses in order to dunk on veilguard. i've seen this happening on most platforms tbh.

and sometimes i remember for a brief moment what larian did before the release (much of this in the last few weeks before release no less) and after the release of the game:

-lied abt the your race having consequences throughout the story (saying that drow being feared in act 1 and persecuted in act 3 and it then... just not happening at all. drow walking around on the surface is just fine now ig. again it still boggles my mind how drow are allowed to roam around in baldur's gate without consequences considering that they are known to be responsible for kidnapping duke ravengard but i won't get on that soapbox again.)

-lied abt the upper city being available in act 3

-lied abt romance progression & how romances would play out in general prior to release (pfh + release trailers and promo)

-game-breaking bugs

-romance-breaking bugs for months (gale and wyll)

-one companion who has a third to half more content than any of the other companions and who was heavily favoured and focused on during development to the detriment of others (with the narrative design lead even admitting to this)

-was missing an actual ending that they only added months after release

-was missing the evil path that they actually promised prior to release

-offers quite little in the way consequences even now (not giving karlach upgrades for example has zero bearing on her and she still survives to make her sacrifice on the pier, ethel coming back no matter what you did, downgrading gale's need for actual artefacts of power bc ppl can't part with their loot even for narrative reasons, etc.)

-lore-breaks + poor research on established lore (the whole timeline with mystra, minthara using an eilistraeen endearment, etc)

-massacring returning characters like viconia and sarevok

-constantly changing dialogue around / scrapping old ones / adding new ones depending on fan demand

i could go on, but it's... a lot already.

i obviously love the game despite its many flaws and it's done some other things wonderfully - just like veilguard. the unique body language of the companions, the animation and creativity, the voice acting, the music, act 1 overall and parts of act 2, etc. it's one of my most played games and one of my most beloveds (mostly bc of gale, my ocs and friends' oc).

all these game have flaws. the one difference i see is that bg3 has been given the benefit of the doubt and overall an abundance of good will (generally speaking) and veilguard hasn't been.

[kissedbyaphrodite]

Kyle Broflovski's got powers, and I don't see people talk about it

Okay so, I don't know if nobody's talked about this or if I'm just disconnected from the fandom. But just how many powers does Kyle Broflovski have!?!?!?!? Like, we see him having powers for the first time in The Tooth Fairy's Tats 2000 (season 4 episode 1) He develops not only Personal Existence Manipulation but also Reality Warping and some sort of Omnipresence and Higher Consciousness. He develops these abilities after he discovers that the tooth fairy is not real, and he starts to question the truth of all things, including his own existence. He begins to study various philosophies about the nature of reality. (Wikipedia plot summary). In the end of the episode, Kyle disappears into thin air while questioning his own existence, but soon reappears wielding control over all reality, even becoming a half-chicken half-squirrel beast.

Then in Cartman's Incredible Gift (Season 8 episode 13) he shows/develops psychic abilities, after jumping of a roof in order to fake having an accident to develop psychic abilities (Since in the episode Cartman starts telling people he's a psychic after he jumped of a rooftop) In order to be taken seriously (Wikipedia page so you can read the summary). After everything's said and done, at the hospital, a fight breaks out between Cartman and the fake psychics, at which point Kyle gets annoyed and yells at them to stop, at which point the light bulbs in the room explode and a shelf becomes partially detached from its wall, spilling its contents on the floor.

In the episode It's a Jersey Thing (Season 14, episode 7) he has these "Transformations" that are obviously making fun of/Referencing werewolf transformations, but you know, I'm still adding them mostly since he does seem to be stronger in his "Jersey form" and more aggressive (Again, clearly both making fun of people from Jersey and Werewolves)

In Turd Burglars (Season 23 episode 8) he seems to be able to see/feel the microbiome of his entire body and everything else, having almost psychic dreams showing the bookcase in Tom Brady's house, which is actually a secret entrance to a basement where he has been hiding his faeces. In the end of the episode, the boys take those faeces and they're used to save the whole town (Again, you can read the episode's plot in Wikipedia to get a better summary of it). And when asked how he knew about, Kyle just says that his microbiome knew.

Like, just the implications of it have so much potential, I know the show doesn't follow a canon timeline, with many characters dying and appearing again later on, or the cannon in the games, show and movies being different, etc. But like, it's almost becoming a running gag with Kyle having powers (If we follow the logic of "One time is a X, two times is a Y, three times is a pattern"). Just imagine both Kyle and Kenny would become the only characters (To my knowledge) Who canonically have superpowers (Kenny's immortality).

I don't know, I just thought I'd talk about it.

[jakesduskwood]

even statues crumble if they're made to wait

Pairing: Jake x Fem!MC

Genre: Post-Episode 10 Duskwood, Post-Episode 1 Moonvale

Words: 8,916

Summary: It's been three months since the explosion in the mine. Three months since Hannah was found. And MC's accepted that Jake is never coming back. When she gets roped into another missing person's case, it makes for the perfect distraction. Jake is dead. It's fine. That is, until she finds herself on the phone with Alan Bloomgate who says he has something to show her. But it's fine. Jake is dead.

Until he's not.

EPISODE-1 MOONVALE SPOILERS AHEAD (MAYBE)!

[ A/N: Hello! :)

I know it's been a while since I've done this, but I finished Moonvale Episode 1 and if you've seen the ending (and used its Duskwood code), you know what happened and how excited I was to receive that bit of Duskwood. So, I took it and ran with it, and out came this extremely long fic. I did not proofread this as it took me literally almost 12 hours to write so it is completely and 100% me and my love for Jake and I hope you love it.

Side note: I suck with anything related to timelines, so I made one up on my own. I know Episode 1 of Moonvale takes place over the course of a day or two, but for the purpose of this fic, it made sense to make it longer, so it's not a typo, or me losing my mind, it's just the way my brain processed this.

Enjoy! :) ]

It’s been three months since the explosion in the mine.

Three months since Richy had been killed. Three months since Hannah was rescued. Three months since I had last spoken to Thomas or Cleo or Lilly or…or Jessy. I didn’t blame her then and I don’t blame her now. Any of them, really. I didn’t share the bond they had with each other. I wasn’t from Duskwood. It didn’t matter that we’d experienced a tragedy together—and yes, perhaps them more than me, but I loved Richy too. I had lost Richy too. And Jake—

But mostly, I think they just wanted to forget. To move on. They didn’t want to remember that their friend had been capable of…of that. And I was a constant reminder of that to them. So I understood why we didn’t necessarily talk anymore.

The one person I did keep in contact with from Duskwood, oddly enough, other than the occasional update from Alan Bloomgate, was Dan. We weren’t best friends or anything, but he allowed me to check in on our friends in a way that I didn’t know how to do with anyone else. Maybe because I thought he was the least affected among them. I knew he cared about Hannah, but he wasn’t to her what Thomas or Cleo or Lilly were. And he wasn’t to Richy what Jessy had been.

I’d learned from him that Thomas and Hannah had broken up. There was no bad blood, but Thomas hadn’t quite figured out how to accept the things he’d learned about his girlfriend when she’d been gone, and Hannah hadn’t quite figured out how to re-trust someone after Richy. Even if that person was Thomas. But I’d hoped they would find their way back to each other in the end.

I thought about reaching out to Jessy every once in a while—even just as an apology for everything that had happened. I’m sorry that Hannah was found at the expense of Richy. I’m sorry that he did this to you. I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner. We should have. We should have. We should have. I miss you. But I never send it. I’m not all that sure she’d respond anyway.

Cleo and I were never all that close. She has her best friend back, so I think she’s probably as okay as she can be. Helping Hannah find a new kind of normal in a time where her childhood friend had kidnapped her in order to prove a point. I don’t know how you come back from that—I don’t know how you come back from knowing that you killed somebody at all.

I hadn’t found the courage to ask if somebody had told Hannah about Jake.

Not that I think it would matter anyway. I hadn’t heard from him since before the explosion in the mine, which was, like I said—three months ago. I waited the appropriate amount of time—twenty-five days—before I broke down and concluded that maybe he hadn’t survived. Which just piled a shit-ton of guilt onto my shoulders because it was supposed to be me in that mine. He had gone in place of me and now he was dead.

It was the only explanation that made sense. I was used to Jake disappearing for days at a time, but never as long as he had been now. And he didn’t seem like the type to tell me he loved me and then leave without a single explanation. Not unless he had to. But it had been three months and as much as I missed him, as much as my chest ached with the thought that we would never eat Chinese food out of shitty motels and have that on-the-run ending we talked about, I had accepted that he wasn’t coming back.

I wonder if he had known about Richy or if he had died still thinking Michael Hanson was the one who had kidnapped Hannah. I wonder if his last thoughts were of me. Maybe it’s selfish, but I kind of hope they were, because I’m pretty sure I’ll think about him for the rest of my life.

I wonder what it would have felt like to run my hands through his hair. To kiss him. To spend every waking moment with him and know it was because I loved him. Because I would have. Talking to Jake became about more than just finding Hannah. It became a part of my day I looked forward to more than anything else. He confided in me in a way that told me he never had with anyone, maybe not even Hannah, and I needed that from somebody. I needed somebody to trust in me the way that Jake did. I needed somebody to love me the way that Jake did.

It was strange—and maybe a little ironic—the thought that something so beautiful could come out of something so tragic.

Anyway, my point is: it’s been a long couple of months. Of thinking about my friends. Of thinking about Jake. Of wondering if I should have done things differently. I should have gone to Duskwood to help. Not even with the mine, but sooner. I could have. I could’ve gone when Jessy was attacked on the way home. I could’ve gone when the group made plans to cut out of town and hide away in the house Richy had found. Selfishly, I should have. In that moment, when they were settled around the fire and Lilly called me, I had never remembered wanting anything more. I should have grabbed Jake—metaphorically, maybe even literally—and rode it out with them to the end.

I don’t stop missing them after three months. Of wishing things could have been different. Wishing I could have done more. But exactly ninety-five days after the explosion in the mine, seventy days since I had accepted that Jake was never coming back, twenty-two days since I had last heard from anybody from Duskwood (Dan included), my phone dings with a new message.

And the cycle starts all over again.

It’s somebody named Eric, who claims he needs my help to find his friend Adam, who disappeared while he was waiting for a ride in someplace called Redlog Pines. And much like with Duskwood, I have never heard of Redlog, and the case reminds me way too much of Thomas’ first message to me, so much that it makes my chest ache, but I can’t say no because there’s somebody missing, and if I’d say no the first time, God knows where Hannah would be.

So, I say yes, and I help out where I can, and Eric decides he needs to bring about four more friends in on his little plan and I try my best to stay emotionally unattached because I remember everything that happened the last time and I can’t go through that again. I offer up information when I can and keep my words short and careful because I’m not ready to get attached to somebody else I know I might never meet.

I know how this ends.

Two days in, Ash, one of Eric’s friends, brings up my Duskwood past and the unhealed wound I’ve been trying to mend breaks open again. She asks about Richy, and about the mine, and then because I’m me and I can’t help myself, I tell her about Jake. She tells me the news never mentioned another body and I shove that thought to the back of my head because hoping for something that will never come true will kill me.

Four days into Adam’s disappearance, and the police not giving a shit—as Charlie, somebody who reminds me far too much of Richy for comfort, points out—my phone beeps with an incoming call from somebody I haven’t spoken to in a while.

“Go for [MC].” I answer my phone.

Ever since Hannah had been found in the mine and Jake had…you know, my phone had been more silent than I’d gotten used to. Until this new case. But even that—it was only a few days old and I didn’t want to go down the same path with them that I did with my friends in Duskwood. We didn’t really know each other that long, sure—even though sometimes it’d felt like it—but it felt like I’d finally been a part of something. Like, I had found these people who had chosen me for me.

And originally, maybe they had. Maybe they’d had every intention of keeping me around, but then Richy was the Man Without A Face and Alan Bloomgate had rescued Hannah and nothing was the same as it had been when we’d met each other. We knew too many secrets about each other by the time the town settled. Secrets we would have to take to the grave.

Or maybe I’m losing my mind a bit and I had really only been a means to an end.

Either way.

“Alan?” I raise my voice when there’s nothing but breathing on the other end of the line. “Did you mean to call me?”

His tone is clipped. “I found something.”

“You found something.” I repeat.

My heart clenches. For all I know, it might fall into my stomach. As far I know, from watching the news, from what Ash told me, Jake’s body was never found. Richy’s was. Or what was left of him to find, anyway. I had assumed that there just hadn’t been enough of Jake left. The thought left me nauseous, but it was better than hoping for something I knew I could never have.

“I’m sending it to your phone now.” He responds. “Let me know what you think of this.”

And then he hangs up.

That was a riveting conversation, I think as my phone dings with a message. I do my best to ignore my other messages—contacts from Duskwood I’m still not ready to acknowledge—and click Alan Bloomgate. He sent me a video that looks like—oh God.

Immediately, I’m overcome with emotion as an all-too-familiar forest pops up on my phone. It’s a video of Alan’s bodycam footage. He’s searching the Duskwood forest. A forest I’ve seen too many times in the background of other video calls.

I watch as he stumbles upon an object that’s too dark to make out at first. When he gets closer, it’s clear that it’s a backpack. It’s simple. Black. Nothing about it that screams this is mine and I left it here about anybody in particular. You stupid, stupid idiot, I tell my heart when it rattles against my chest in hope. He’s dead.

Alan stands and treks away from the backpack—I want to scream at him to go back, to open it and look through it and tell me if it’s what my heart aches to believe, but I can’t, because this is a video and I’m simply watching with wide eyes, waiting for…for something. But then. But then, he moves further into the forest and I watch as he stumbles upon an object that makes my knees tremble and tears rush to my eyes and my hands shake. A black hoodie. It looks like it’s been through hell, with holes scattered up the sleeves and dirt cakes into the hood, but it’s unmistakably his.

And then—Alan lifts the hood and picks up something that makes me sink to my knees with a sob that wracks my entire frame. Because I’m staring at Jake’s mask. The mask he doesn’t go anywhere without. The mask that protects him. And so my relief is short-lived, because I realize that even if he’s alive—which seems like a very big possibility at this point—he’s alive without the things that he needs to survive.

And then the anger kicks in. Because if he’s been alive, on his own, for three months—why has he not contacted me? Unless he survived the mine but he didn’t survive the after. But that didn’t make any sense. So, okay, he wasn’t dead. But that didn’t make any sense either. He told me he wouldn’t let them catch him. Because catching that meant he would be apart from me. Did something happen that prevented him from being able to reach out and tell me he was at least okay? A quick text that said didn’t die in the explosion in the mine, you don’t need to mourn me, by the way, going off radar for another year. Did he think I would have given up on him?

I wipe my eyes and shoot a message to Alan.

ME: Recently?? Did nobody search the forests before?      

ALAN: Searched the forests for what, [MC]? The logical assumption seemed to be that if anybody was inside the mine when Richy set the fire, they would have perished alongside him. Officers were stationed outside every known entrance and exit. Besides, after the story you and your friends spun around this town, do you think anybody would have gone back into its forests?

ME: But it’s possible?

ALAN: I would say these items had been there for some time. But I would say it is likely he ditched them when he fled the mine, yes.

Another sob tears through my throat. Jake is alive. I don’t know quite what that means for us as of now, but I know it’s the best news I’ve heard since Hannah was found. Jake is alive. He’s out there somewhere. And even if it’s been three months, and even if I’m a little bit mad at him right now, I know that if he was here, I would throw my arms around his neck and hold on to him until someone dragged me off, and even then—I would fight kicking and screaming.

I close out of my messages with Alan and pull up a conversation I haven’t had the heart to look at in quite some time.

ME: Jake’s alive.

LILLY: …

LILLY: Have you spoken to him?

ME: Alan called. He found some of Jake’s things in Duskwood. I don’t know a lot of details. But I know he made it out of the mine.

Lilly types for a long while, but she doesn’t respond. I don’t take it personally. I think it’s probably hard for her to be happy that her brother’s okay while also trying to accept that her sister may never be okay again. Her sister, who had once-upon-a-time been kind-of-sort-of in love with their brother she didn’t know she had. I think that would probably mess with any family’s heads. And on top of all that, you throw in manslaughter and a kidnapping. I wouldn’t wish anybody, not even my worst enemy, to have had to go through what the Donforts had.

When it becomes adamant that Lilly isn’t going to respond, I start scrolling through messages with the rest of the group in Duskwood. I click on Jessy. I’m here if you need me. That had been the last thing I sent to her, a couple of days after Richy’s death. She hadn’t responded. I click out of Jessy’s contact and click on Thomas’ instead. Thank you for everything. That had been his last message to me after we found Hannah. I’d liked it. I hadn’t expected at the time it would be the last thing we’d ever say to each other. I click out of Thomas’ and click on Richy. So, you want to turn yourself in? I’d asked. That was before he called me. Before he lit a match and burned himself and the mine to the ground. Some people would call that heroic. I mostly call him a coward.

I click on Jake’s name. It’s been a while since I read messages between the two of us. Maybe before I had accepted—thought—he was dead. In that twenty-five-day period when I’d hoped with all I’d had that he would come back. I love you. That was the last message he sent me. I’d responded with I love you too, Jake. Then, four days later: Are you okay? A week later: Jake, please, you’re starting to scare me. I know you said you would contact when you could, but it’s been a week. After twenty-five days, when I had finally accepted our fate, I’d sent one final message: I hope you know that I love you, and I will always care about you, but I think it’s time for me to move on. I’m so sorry that I sent you into the mine. It should have been me. And I will probably feel the guilt from that for the rest of my life. Thank you for everything. Take care of yourself, wherever you are.

After that, I had closed out of our messages and hadn’t looked back. Partly because I couldn’t bear the pain of it. It felt like I had given up on him. I hadn’t—if I had thought for a second that he was alive, if I knew then what I know now, I would have never sent that message. But holding out hope for somebody who I thought was a ghost at the time? That was slowly killing me.

It’s only then that I notice the screen flickering. Much like the way it used to whenever Jake would hack into my phone. I don’t think he’s much in the mood to be hacking right now, but somehow, I know it’s him. When had he done this? Recently? If I had opened our messages, would I have seen this ten—twenty—even fifty days ago? It hadn’t looked like this the last time I texted him. Did he see my last message about needing to move on? Was that why he hadn’t reached out to tell me that he was okay? Because he thought I was moving on happily without him?

No, my brain supplies. He wouldn’t. He would reach out anyway, because he knows how much the thought of him not being okay would have destroyed you.

The screen flickers once more and then a message pops up, bright and blue-tinted and clear as day on my phone.

[MC]

I WILL FIND YOU

And the world around me shifts.

--------------------------------------------------

Maybe it sounds crazy, considering I’ve never seen his face before, but I always thought that if I’d ran into Jake one day, maybe on the street or at one of those motels he stayed at or maybe even in Duskwood, surrounded by all our friends, I would know it was him. I would, because it’s him, and it’s me, and we’re the only two people who understand each other quite the way we do.

I still believe that.

I believe it when I book my flight to Duskwood (or rather, twenty miles outside of town, which is the closest airport). I believe it when I board the airplane and find a seat next to a mother with her screaming child and when I shoot off a quick text to Eric to let him know I’ll be MIA for the next few hours, but to message me if he needs anything—and I think about how much easier this case would probably be to solve if we had Jake.

Maybe it would have been harder to find Hannah without me, but I know damn well they would’ve never found her without Jake.

Dan picks me up from the airport. I haven’t told the others yet. Something about it felt off—like I shouldn’t message them and say hey, I know we haven’t spoken in a while, but I’m booking a flight to look into why my maybe-slash-not-really boyfriend left his belongings in a forest we really wish we could forget about, and by the way, can I crash at your place?

It’s quiet on the car ride back into town. I’m looking through my messages from Eric and the group from Redlog Pines and thinking about how I’m Duskwood with this group and I want so badly to laugh because it’s ironic, but Dan wouldn’t understand. He might just call me crazy. Better yet, he would ask how I manage to get myself into these situations, and really, I don’t have an answer for him.

“How have you been?” I ask, just to break the tension, as Charlie, in my messages, tries to persuade his friends to head back into that creepy cave in the middle of the forest. He’s going to get someone killed, I think.

Dan looks over at me. “Are you still with Hackerman?”

My chest squeezes. “His name is Jake, Dan. And we were never really together.”

“Hm.” He nods like he doesn’t quite believe me. “You already know mostly everything that’s been happening here. Thomas and Hannah called it quits. They say it was some mutual decision, but it’s hard to find them in the same room together. Jessy hasn’t been out with us since. I think we remind her too much of Richy. The group’s all changed.”

“And you?” I ask.

He gives me a cheshire-like grin that doesn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’m always the same.”

We make it to Duskwood just as the sun’s going down. Much too late for me to try and trek through the forest and retrace the steps Jake might have taken that night. Not that I think it would help give me any clues as to where he might have gone, but mostly because I wonder if it will make me feel closer to him. We’ve never been in the same place before, and even if he’s not there now—he once was.

“Can you drop me at the police station?”

Dan blinks. “The police station.”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“We answered their questions for weeks, [MC]. I don’t think anything you have to tell them at this point is going to help. The investigation’s closed. Everybody knows Richy did it. He died with the fire in the mine. Everybody’s trying to move on from that.” He works his jaw. “Did you come here to open old wounds after all this time?”

I try not to show the hurt look on my face. “This isn’t about Richy. Look, Alan called me. He asked if I could look at some things. I figured it was better for me to do it in person. That’s it. Nothing to do with Richy. Nothing to do with Jessy. Nothing to do with you.”

He sighs, and I’m not entirely sure he’s going to abide by my wishes until we pull in front of a tiny building—tinier than most—that says Duskwood Police on the sign. Duskwood must not have that much crime. Well, not until this, I suppose.

“Thank you.” I tell him as I reach over to undo my seatbelt and climb out of the car. “This is a nice ride, by the way.”

He raises a hand in some mock-salute. “Need me to pick you up?”

“Nah.” I shake my head. “Think I’ll explore the town for a little bit.”

“Suit yourself.” He shrugs and then he’s off.

I square my shoulders and take a deep breath before opening the door to the police station. It wasn’t like Alan asked me to come down here. He hadn’t. Even during the investigation into Richy’s death and Hannah’s kidnapping, when he questioned us, he never asked me to come to Duskwood. We’d done way too many video calls and phone calls and at one point, I had asked if he thought it would be easier for me to come to Duskwood, to which he responded back, are you ready for that?

No, I hadn’t been. I’m not even so sure I was now. But knowing that Jake was alive, that here was the last place was, I had to try.

“Can I help you?” The woman at the front desk asks.

I clear my throat. “I was wondering if I could speak to Alan Bloomgate. I’m one of—I was involved in the Hannah Donfort case. My name is [MC].”

Her eyes widen. “Give me a moment.” She stands and heads to some back office—which looks to me more like a closet—and then returns with a clipped smile. “He’ll be right out.”

Apparently, she isn’t lying, because not two minutes later, Alan is stepping out from the same door and staring me down. I hold his gaze and hope it says that I’m not here to argue. I will tell him my truth, but only my truth, not Hannah’s, not Jake’s, not anybody else’s.

“I was wondering when I would see you.” He says.

I shrug one shoulder. “Isn’t a few months later better than never?”

“Let’s go into my office.” He says, and leads me around the desk and back into the closet space he had come out of. He sits behind the desk and motions for me to take a seat opposite him. “I’m just going to guess you’re not here to talk about Miss Donfort.”

“I want to see them.” I tell him. “His things. I want to see them for myself. And whatever you want from me in return, I’ll give to you.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game here, [MC].”

“He isn’t a game to me.” I snap back and then sit back and try to relax. “I appreciate that you called me. It’s—I helped you find Hannah. I would do it again. Even with knowing the things that we do now, I would do it all again. That’s how much that group means to me. That’s how much he means to me. I’m not asking you to break any rules or to lie for him or to—to let him hide in your basement for the next five years. I’m just asking you to show me what you found.”

He stares me down for a moment. Then, he sighs, says “wait here for a minute” and disappears to another room. When he comes back, it’s with an evidence bag in his hand filled with the objects I saw on his bodycam footage. My breath hitches in my throat.

“I can’t let you touch them.” He says as he lays them in front of me.

I stare into the eyes of the mask. “Did you tell anybody that he’s alive?”

“I don’t know that he’s alive,” is all the answer he gives, which is an answer to my question. I slide my gaze down to the black hoodie, to the dirtied sleeves and muddy hood, and think about the fact that Jake wore this. I’m so close to him.

And yet I’ve never been further away from him.

“Thank you.” I tell him. “For—for this. And for listening to me about Hannah. If you hadn’t, I—I don’t know what would have happened. How much longer he would have gone on for. If he would have ever stopped.”

Alan’s silent for a minute. Then, he clears his throat. “You know, it was strange to me. Both Hannah and yourself swore to me that neither of you knew the other.”

“I don’t.” I swear.

It was one of the (albeit many) things that didn’t make sense to me. How Hannah got a hold of my number. How she sent it to Thomas. She’d told Alan she hadn’t really remembered texting him my number at all.

“I believe you.” He reassures. “I just think it’s strange. One mistake, if you can call it that, and you throw yourself into a missing persons case to help a stranger.”

“They’re not strangers.” Even though Hannah is kind of still a stranger.

“But they were.” Alan reasons. “You had no reason to say yes to helping Thomas. I doubt anybody would have held it against you if you turned the other way. But you decided to follow this until the end. To make sure they found Hannah. And you care about them. Maybe that’s why I find that I’m more lenient with you than maybe I should be. Why you’re sitting across from me right now calling the shots. Why I’m not asking you about the hacker.”

“I wouldn’t tell you if you did.” I look him in the eye so he knows I’m telling the truth.

He returns my gaze. “Maybe that’s the other reason.”

“Hm.” I acknowledge before I turn my gaze away—from him, from the objects that I know belong to Jake and it takes everything in me not to snatch them up and run. “Well. Thank you for allowing me to steal some of your time. For letting me—” I cut myself off before I say something that makes me break down in a fit of tears in front of him. “—just thank you.”

Leaving the station is easier than coming in. I’m still not any closer to knowing where Jake is than I was when I arrived here, but there’s a comfort in knowing he walked these streets. I wonder what he would think if he knew I was here. He hadn’t wanted me to come to Duskwood when everything was happening…but now that it was over, would he be happy that I was here? That I had come to Duskwood to piece together where he might have gone? Would he track my location and come to find me and…or was I grasping at straws?

It felt like I had just gotten him back. Not really, not entirely…but knowing that he was alive, that he was out there somewhere, maybe thinking of me and looking for ways to come back, to live the life we talked about when he asked me if I was sure…that was worth it. The thought that we could maybe someday have that—even if it was a twenty percent chance.

I check my phone again to see a new message from Ash. She’s asking me if I’ve heard from Charlie in the last few hours. Apparently, he’s AWOL, and I want to help, really, but…it doesn’t really feel like that’s where I am at the moment. Not just physically—obviously—but mentally. We got lucky with Hannah. And that was really only because we had Jake. Adam didn’t have a Jake. Or…maybe he did and I just hadn’t met him yet. But I already had a Jake and I didn’t want another one.

Maybe—if I found him, I could convince him to help. That was a big maybe. Not because I thought Jake would say no. He would say yes to anything I asked of him. The maybe was whether or not I could find him. More likely, the maybe was whether or not he would find me.

Three months ago, I would have been able to come to Duskwood and have no shortage of things I wanted to do and people I wanted to see. Now, as I stand outside Duskwood’s police station, I feel nothing but loneliness. Nobody knows I’m here. I could pass Thomas on the street and he wouldn’t even know it. I could run into Jessy at the library and she would walk by me without even a second thought. Why would they? I hadn’t told them I was here.

So, with nothing left to do, I walked. Toward the town center. Toward the library that Jessy showed me on our walk through Duskwood. Toward the Rainbow Café where I knew that Cleo and Hannah had spent a lot of their time. Toward the Black Swan. Toward—

Ah, what the hell.

I had nothing better to do and The Aurora seemed like a great place to drown my sorrows. To think about my next steps. To figure out—now that I was in Duskwood—what I planned to do. The thing about Jake being so secretive (and on the run) was that I couldn’t retrace his steps. I wasn’t able to ask if anyone had seen him. One, because he would make sure nobody had. And two, because three months was a long time to forget somebody’s face if you didn’t know who you were looking for.

I pull open the door to the bar and step inside. Immediately, I’m hit with the stench of whiskey and a handful of chatter. Duskwood’s a small town. And The Aurora definitely proves it. The bartenders move melodically around each other, serving patrons on the other side of the bar. If you walk down further, there’s a handful of tables.

And dead in the center is a table with my friends. Or, some of them. Dan and Cleo and Lilly. Could I still call them my friends? Ex-friends, maybe? Acquaintances? I didn’t know what they were. Or how to address them. It wasn’t like we had gotten into a fight. We didn’t stop talking for any reason other than that we did. We stopped talking.

I make a beeline for the bar to avoid a confrontation and plant myself on one of the stools. One of the bartenders—a girl cute with bleach blonde hair and brown Bambi eyes—asks what I want and I channel my inner Dan to order a whiskey—neat.

Looking over my shoulder, I focus on the table of them. On Lilly, who’s smiling at something Cleo said. On Dan, who’s the only one of them who actually knows I’m here. But even he’s focused on the conversation they’re having. It’s strange—to see Dan a part of something I’m not sure he would have been before. It’s nice.

“[MC]?”

I turn my head away from the table of my friends and focus my attention across the bar on someone I should’ve expected to see. “Phil.”

“I thought I recognized your voice from when we talked.” He smiles. “I wasn’t sure, but I saw you staring longingly at them—” He nods towards Dan and Cleo and Lilly. “—and I knew. What brings you around here? I expected you to show up maybe a few months ago, but by now, I thought you’d moved on without us.”

I was tired of the words move on. Like I’d had a choice. Like the people from this town might open their arms and welcome me back into their lives. So I’d been part of the group who’d saved Hannah Donfort. So had a lot of people. It didn’t make me special and everyone here knew it.

I offer him a smile in return. “I’m looking for somebody.”

“Anybody I know?” He asks.

I shake my head. “Nah. At least nobody you would recognize.” I pause. “How’s Jessy?”

“She’s—Jessy.” He answers, like that is an answer. “I don’t know if she’ll ever really be okay with the way things happened with Richy. I wouldn’t expect her to. Obviously. But I don’t know. I think I just thought she would have gone back to her normal life by now. And then I remember that most of her life revolved around him. He was her best friend. She worked for him. And I’m trying to be patient about that. But—” He shakes his head. “Maybe you should talk to her.”

“She doesn’t know I’m in town.”

“Okay.” He hums. “So, you’re not in town for my sister. And you’re not in town for your group of friends because they’re over there and you look like you’d rather be anywhere else. There’s always Hannah, but I don’t think you knew her that well. Or at all. Would I be right to assume this is about a certain hacker who helped to find Hannah?”

“He didn’t help find Hannah.” I defend. “He was the entire reason we found Hannah. I would have never been able to do it on my own. Even with the others’ help. He’s the only reason we found out about—” I pause before I say something I maybe shouldn’t. “It doesn’t matter. He’s the only reason we found her. Everything I did was just dumb luck.”

“That wasn’t what the news said.” A voice cuts in and I turn my attention from Phil to focus on the stranger that slides into the seat beside me. Not too close—a couple inches away. I don’t recognize him. I don’t know him. But I don’t know every person in Duskwood. Maybe a total of like nine or ten. “I’m sorry to interrupt. But I heard you had a lot to do with finding Hannah Donfort. The news said you were some kind of hero.”

I offer him a tight smile. “That’s nice of them. But…if they knew my—friend—knew what he did to find her, I don’t think I would be as much of a hero as everybody says.”

“That’s noble.” He says, eyes meeting mine, and it strikes me at once how handsome he is. He has dark hair. Bright green eyes. Focus, [MC]. I scold. You have a…a someone.

My phone buzzes.

ERIC SENT A PHOTO.

ERIC: What do you make of this?

I sigh and click on the photo. It’s of—some object. Much like the one that was addressed to me on the envelope in Adam’s glove compartment. The image is a bit different—but I don’t know enough about what it means to have an answer as to why.

ME: Was this one addressed to me?

ERIC: Nope. Ash.

“Are you okay?” Phil asks.

I clear my throat. “I’m a popular person—apparently.” A thought strikes. “Have you ever heard of a place called Redlog Pines?”

Phil frowns. “No.”

I turn to look at the stranger. “You?”

“Redlog Pines is a small town about two hundred miles north of Duskwood.” He answers. “Known for their wooded forests, much like Duskwood.”

“Why are you looking into a place with forests as creepy as ours?” Phil asks, incredulously. “Didn’t you get enough of that with Hannah’s case?”

“Yeah.” I sigh. “You would think.”

“Hey, [MC]!”

I wince at the sound of Dan’s voice. Shooting Phil a look that screams please help me to which he shakes his head amusedly, I turn and plaster on a fake smile as I take in the shocked looks on Cleo and Lilly’s faces. I should have known better than to come to The Aurora and talk to Phil when the three of them were having a conversation across the room. I should have known they would sooner or later see me. I just hoped it was later.

“Hey.” I hop off my stool and make my way across the bar to them. “It’s, uh, fancy seeing the three of you here.”

“What are you doing here?” Cleo asks.

“I haven’t really figured that out.” My eyes meet Lilly’s. “It sounds crazy to say it out loud. But I was hoping that—I’m not sure if Lilly told you—”

“That Jake’s alive.” Cleo nods. “None of us ever really thought he wasn’t.”

I don’t think she means it as a dig—but it still feels like one. Like she’s saying you gave up on him you gave up on him you gave up on him even though she’s not and she didn’t really know him and the only person I can talk to at this table who even might understand is Lilly and even—Jake didn’t confide in her the way he did me.

“Right.” I acknowledge. “So I thought that maybe if I came here, I could trace his steps from when he was here and—I haven’t really thought that far ahead. It’s not like I thought he left me any clues in the forest or anything like that. I don’t think he expected me to be here. He hadn’t wanted me to be the last time we talked. But that was before everything happened.”

Lilly’s eyes track behind me. “Does Jake still have Nymos on your phone?”

“Uh.” I furrow my brows. “I think so. I hadn’t heard from him in a while, but I went back and read through our messages after I talked to Alan and…my phone glitched, like it used to when Jake had hacked it. And then this message appeared on my screen.”

“And by chance, can Nymos track your location?”

“What—” I shake my head. “Maybe. I don’t think I ever really asked him. It didn’t seem necessary at the time.”

“Uh huh.” She focuses on me once more. “Let’s say, for one minute, that Jake has access to Nymos who has access to your location.”

Cleo must catch onto something I’m not sure of. “Jake didn’t want you here.”

“Uh, thank you?”

“You know that’s not what I mean.” She waves me off. “He didn’t want you in Duskwood. He had been adamant about that when we were talking about the mine. That’s why he went. If you showed up in Duskwood—”

“Nymos would have alerted him.” Dan finishes.

“Okay…” I’m not entirely sure I’m on the same page as them. “So—you think that Jake found out when I came to Duskwood.”

“Correct.” Lilly beams like she just solved life’s greatest mystery.

“And you think he would—come find me?”

She smiles sympathetically at me—like I’m the world’s biggest idiot for not realizing what she has been trying to say sooner. “I think he already has.”

“You think Jake’s in Duskwood.” I deadpan.

“[MC].” Cleo grabs my shoulders and turns me around. “We think he’s in this bar.”

Stranger, as I had nicknamed him—AKA the guy sitting beside me at the bar, with Phil and Redlog Pines (which he probably only knew about because of me) and the whole Hannah being kidnapped and not taking any of the credit thing—was looking back at me. So was Phil. Like they thought I was the crazy one. Like it would’ve been so hard for him to look and me and say it’s me or anything that might have clued me into the fact that—

“Jake?” I whisper, because I’ve lost quite a bit of sleep over the past couple of months and I’m not one hundred percent sure what—or who—I’m seeing is real. “Are you here?”

He tilts his head and smiles at me. Actually smiles. A bit shyly, like it’s something he’s not used to doing, but maybe like it’s something he could get used to. And I think about how terrible I probably look right now because I’m not wearing makeup and my hair is tousled from constantly pulling at it and my clothes are wrinkled from the plane and the police station and I look like a mess. But our relationship has never been about looks. Clearly. I didn’t even know the person I’d been talking to until Lilly and Cleo and even Dan pointed out the obvious.

“If I—” I close my eyes and open them again. Nope. Still there. “I need you to still be there by the time I reach you because it’s been a—” I sniffle. “—it’s been a rough few months and I don’t think I could handle you disappearing again.”

He stands from the stool he was sitting on and shuffles his feet. Like he’s not quite sure where he’s supposed to stand. If he thinks about moving, I’ll tackle him onto the floor of The Aurora and then apologize to Phil later. It feels like everything I wanted is right here in front of me. And I’m scared to death that it’s not real.

“What’s one thing you would take with you if you were stranded on an island?”

His smile stretches. “My computer.”

And that—that’s what breaks me. I think I might start blubbering like an idiot but I don’t remember the time it takes for me to cross the measly twenty feet between us. All I remember is grabbing his black hoodie—because of course—and dragging him to me. I don’t kiss him, despite how much I want to, because I don’t want our first kiss to be tainted with my snot and tears. Instead, I bury my face in his collarbone and wrap my arms around his neck and hold on for dear life.

Because I can. Because he isn’t dead.

“Y—You’re here.” I pull back and cup his face with my hands. “How are you here?”

“You came to Duskwood.” He responds, and then—hesitantly—he presses his lips to my forehead in a kiss. “Alan called you.”

“He found your things in the forest.” I whisper back. “He said they’d been there a while. The police hadn’t searched the forest because they assume you died in the mine.”

“They aren’t looking for me here.” He confirms. “I didn’t expect it to take so long for them to find my belongings, but I anticipated that you would find out. At the time, it wasn’t safe for me to reach out and contact you. They kept on my trail for a while before they assumed I died in the mine with Richy.”

“Why didn’t you contact me then?” I ask. “Is it because of what I last messaged you? I didn’t mean it—I swear, I thought you were dead. If I had known you were alive, I would have waited, however long it took. I wasn’t trying to give up on you.”

“Hey.” He places both hands on either side of my face. “I know. I know that, [MC]. That was never why I didn’t reach out to you. I know you said you wanted this life with me. But I didn’t want that for you. But I was selfish. I couldn’t let you go. So I was trying to find a way to make both of those things true. But I was always coming back to you.”

“And did you?”

“Come back to you?” He asks.

I sniffle. “Find a way to make both of those things true.”

“Not entirely.” He admits. “Nymos alerted me you had boarded a plane headed in the direction of Duskwood and I—” He shook his head. “I knew I would find you here.”

“You could have found me sooner.”

He lets go of my face and he feels like he takes my skin with him. “It wasn’t that easy.”

“It could have been.” I demand.

I’m angry again. Now that I know he’s alive and okay and that he could have found me, I’m angry that he didn’t. I told him I would choose that life with him. Over and over and over. He didn’t need to make the decision for me. He didn’t need to try and protect me. And yes, maybe the fact that he did makes my heart flutter a tiny little bit, but that’s besides the point.

“I told you before you left me.” I tell him and I’m aware it sounds like we’ve been in a relationship for five years and I’m aware that everybody in here is watching and listening in on our conversation and they probably all know we’re who we are, two people involved in helping to find the kidnapped Hannah Donfort, and maybe that’s all we’ll ever be in this town. But I would rather be the girl who found Hannah Donfort in Duskwood with him than be me anywhere else. “You told me you would let me go with you.”

“That was before I told you I loved you.”

My heart skips a beat. It screams I love you I love you I love you back, but I say— “What does that have to do with anything?”

He looks somewhat amused. Like he knows I would never hold it against him. It’s clear to both of us that I wouldn’t because even though I’m glaring up at him with my furrowed eyebrows and my lips pouted, I’m still pressed tightly against him. His hands—even though they’ve moved from my face—are now resting on my hips. Pulling my tighter to him. There’s no space in between us. If it was up to me, I’m pretty sure there never would be again.

“[MC].” He says, and oh god I wish he would say my name every day for the rest of his life. “Have I—in the short time we have known each other—ever struck you as the type of person who says I love you? But with you…” His words are a whisper against my lips. “It’s easy to fall back into old emotions with you.”

“I want to be angry with you.” I tell him.

He shakes his head. “No, you don’t.”

“No, I don’t.” I agree. “But I might be if you don’t kiss me.”

He brought one finger underneath my chin and tilted it up until our lips were separated by a fraction of an inch. My eyelids fluttered. I didn’t care that everyone in here was about to see just how much Jake meant to be. I didn’t care because I had waited too long for this. And then—just as I’m leaning toward him to press our lips together, he whispers— “[MC]?”

“Hm.” I acknowledge.

“Who’s Eric?”

My eyelids crack open and I shove at his chest. “That’s what you’re worried about right now? Here I am, in front of you, covered in snot and tears and who-knows-what-else because you’re here right now, and you’re worried about some guy I don’t even know?”

“Who’s Eric?” He repeats.

“Ugh.” I run my hands through my hair and take a step back. “I don’t know. He’s the other side of Thomas or whatever you want to call him. If we lived in a different town.” I glare back at him and try not to admit that I think his jealous side is a little cute. “He messaged me. Thought I picked up his friend from some parking lot and I didn’t, but his friend sent him my number, and it was Hannah all over again. I’m trying to help them.”

“This Adam has been sending you a lot of videos.”

“You know I hate when you hack my phone.” I complain, even though I really don’t. Even though I had prayed for him to help me with this case. “I really don’t know Adam. Like—even less than I know Eric.

“But you know Eric.”

“For like a week.” I reassure. “He added me to this group chat with him and like three other friends of his. They’re desperate to find Adam who has apparently dropped off the face of the earth and I don’t know what to do. I had you with Hannah’s case. And you knew her. And they—” I look over my shoulder at Cleo and Dan and Lilly, who are pretending like they’re not listening in even though I know and Jake knows they are. “—they knew her. And obviously Adam’s friends must know him but I don’t and you don’t and there is no Jake in Redlog Pines.”

“I don’t trust him.” He shakes his head. “Any of them.”

I laugh. “Jake, you didn’t trust half the people in this bar when we first started talking.” I look over at Phil and then Dan. “It doesn’t mean they committed a crime. If I had backed off when you asked me to help you find Hannah, we may never have.”

“I thought that was all thanks to me.” He sounds smug, like that little smiley face he loved to annoy me with (AKA make me fall in love with him). “Did he flirt with you?”

“No.” I deadpan. “I think he was focused on his missing friend.”

“I was focused on my missing sister.” He shoots back.

I close my mouth. Alright. He has a point. But I wasn’t flirting with Eric. He was focused on finding Adam and I was focused on mourning—and then finding—Jake. Maybe it felt like Eric and I were two sides of the same coin. Maybe that’s why I agreed to help him. Because I didn’t want to happen to him what I thought had happened to Jake—to me.

“You’re being ridiculous.” I say instead. “How do you think I could ever entertain the idea of being with somebody else when for the past three months—more than that if you count the time we have actually had together—I’ve been focused on you? On discussing Hannah with you and then talking to you about anything and everything and then worrying about you and then hating you a little for convincing me you should me the one to go into the mine and then mourning you when it was hard to even think about you and then finding you?”

His eyes are wide. I think I’ve rendered him speechless. Which—serves him right. I know he’s not somebody who serves their feelings up on a silver platter. I know that. Obviously, I knew that from the first time I spoke to him. Back when he was nothing more than ??? and I was almost convinced that Dan was right and he was the Man Without A Face—a thought that I now hate with everything in me. But I need him to trust me. Jealousy streak and FBI and the missing persons cases aside, he needs to trust me.

“Trust me.” I cup the sides of his face again. “He’s nothing like you.”

He swallows. “Some people might consider that to be a perk.”

“I don’t.” I say.

And then I’m kissing him and it feels like coming home.

[yall-batman-fanfic]

Batman/Bruce WaynexMagician!OC| Chapter List

Here is a list of the chapters of the Batman/Bruce Wayne x Magician!Reader story in this blog.

Please note that chapters that are marked with the blue highlight are part of the main story and those without the highlights are the chapters that are mostly scenarios and fluffs with the other characters.

I will update this whenever there is a new chapter.

Season 1

Our First Meeting Involved a Murder and a Cult Part 1

Our First Meeting Involved a Murder and a Cult Part 2

The Three-Way Relationship

The British are Coming!

The Unexpected Guest: The Guardian of Wayne Manor

Children of the Bat

The Time We Got Caught Skinny Dipping

“I’ll Always Be Here for You, Kiddo. Always.”

Fear Toxin: The Memories That Haunts Us

"I Need a Raise."

Along Came Jason

Meeting the Justice League

Day Off & Double Dates

Angels & Demons: Justice League Dark (Part 1/3)

Angels & Demons: Justice League Dark (Part 2/3)

Angels & Demons: Justice League Dark (Part 3/3)

Special Merchandise

A Quiet Night

The Billionaire's Wife

A Promise Across Time (Part1 / 3)

A Promise Across Time (Part 2/3)

A Promise Across Time (Part 3/3)

Moving In

Mother & Daughter

The Consultant: Morgan le Fey Case

Cats

In the Events of My Death: The Bruce Wayne Tapes

Dreams and Reality (Part 1/3)

Dreams and Reality (Part 2/3)

Dreams and Reality (Part 3/3)

Damian's Pets

Opening Up

Gotham Year One

PTA Rivals

Two-Face

Wedding: Without Masks (Part 1/2)

Wedding: The One that Gotham Remembers (Part 2/2)

Another Chance

Little One

Love of my Life

Blurred Photos

Babysitting

Valerie's First Birthday

Penny Too!

Family Sports Day

Trouble

The Crossroads

Wayne Family Holiday Traditions

Beyond

From Our First Case to Our Last

Season 2

Hiya Mom!

Its a Bat-Thing

In Another Life

[Maxie] Zeus

The Riddler's Mistake: The Wrong Kid for Ransom

Exes

Wrath of Wayne [Part 1/3]

Wrath of Wayne [Part 2/3]

Wrath of Wayne [Part 3/3]

Indiana Quinn! Harley Goes to the Temple of Doom

A Family Trip to Liverpool

The Madman's Dream

Superman Saves the Day

Teen Titans!

Happy Valentines Day, Batman

“I’m Sorry, Ma. I’m really, really sorry…”

Dracula [Part 1]

Dracula [Part 2]

Happy Birthday, Batman

Dracula [Part 3]

The Dark Side of Academia

Gotham at Night

Return of Hush

Superhero Playdate

College

Social Services

City of Owls [Part 1]

City of Owls [Part 2]

Sometimes it’s Best to Keep the Closet Closed… and Locked with a Kryptonite Padlock

Moments with the Justice League [Part 1]

The One Thing I Can’t Sacrifice

That Look

There is a Floating Baby in the Living Room

She’s Not My Girlfriend

That One Coworker

Moments with the Justice League: Powerless Atom [Part 2]

Vivian Pryor's Barber Shop

How Robins Babysit

Into the Dreaming [Part 1/2]

Into the Dreaming [Part 2/2]

Date Night

Goodbye, My Love

Season 3

Boyfriend

Friday the 13th

Shut Up!

They're Doing it Again!

Prom

Bad Mood

Season 3: Bruce x Vivian Elseworld Chapters

I moved the Dark Knights of Steel and other Elseworld chapters to this post: Bruce Wayne/Batman x OC!Magician Elseworld Chapters

Please note that some chapters do not follow the chronological order due to time jumps that relate to the story, but are placed in this order as major parts of the story are in that certain timeline.

Gotham Year One

Our First Meeting Involved a Murder and a Cult Part 1

Our First Meeting Involved a Murder and a Cult Part 2

A Promise Across Time (Part 1/3)

Cats

The Time We Got Caught Skinny Dipping

The Three-Way Relationship

A Madman's Dream

The British are Coming!

The Unexpected Guest: The Guardian of Wayne Manor

Moving In

A Quiet Night

Meeting the Justice League

Exes

“I’ll Always Be Here for You, Kiddo. Always.”

[Maxie] Zeus

Happy Valentines Day, Batman

Fear Toxin: The Memories That Haunts Us

Wedding: Without Masks (Part 1/2)

Wedding: The One that Gotham Remembers (Part 2/2)

Along Came Jason

The Billionaire's Wife

In the Event of My Death: The Bruce Wayne Tapes

“I’m Sorry, Ma. I’m really, really sorry…”

Children of the Bat

Teen Titans!

"I Need a Raise."

The Dark Side of Academia

In Another Life

Angels & Demons: Justice League Dark (Part 1/3)

Angels & Demons: Justice League Dark (Part 2/3)

Angels & Demons: Justice League Dark (Part 3/3)

The Consultant: Morgan le Fey Case

Indiana Quinn! Harley Goes to the Temple of Doom

Mother & Daughter

Superman Saves the Day

Opening Up

Day off & Double Dates

Special Merchandise

A Promise Across Time (Part 2/3)

A Promise Across Time (Part 3/3)

Hiya Mom!

Dreams and Reality (Part 1/3)

Dreams and Reality (Part 2/3)

Dreams and Reality (Part 3/3)

Damian's Pets

PTA Rivals

Two-Face

Another Chance

Little One

Love of My Life

Blurred Photos

Babysitting

Wrath of Wayne [Part 1/3]

Wrath of Wayne [Part 2/3]

Wrath of Wayne [Part 3/3]

Valerie's First Birthday

The Crossroads

Penny Too!

Family Sports Day

Trouble

Wayne Family Holiday Traditions

A Family Trip to Liverpool

Happy Birthday, Batman

Dracula [Part 1]

Dracula [Part 2]

Dracula [Part 3]

Return of Hush

The Riddler's Mistake: The Wrong Kid for Ransom

Beyond

Gotham at Night

Its a Bat-Thing

From Our First Case to Our Last

[eddiediaaz]

Hi! Can I ask how you did the double exposure gifs for your merlin set? They're beautiful btw!

heyy, thank you!! of course!

it's actually not very hard, the trick is to find the right shots for this. here's how i did it (reference gifset), under the cut.

for this tutorial i will be: — using photoshop cs5 on windows — assuming you know how to make gifs using the timeline — have basic coloring, sharpening, groups, and layer masks knowledge

I. CHOOSING THE RIGHT SHOTS

the ultimate trick to pull this off is to choose the right image. in order to do the double exposure, you need a silhouette shot that has these:

a defined and dark silhouette with a background that is not too busy

enough contrast between the silhouette and the background

the silhouette should take at least 50% of the space

not too much movement

here are a few examples of why they work and why they won't:

gwen: perfect example since this shot is already quite contrasted with a defined silhouette. there won't be a lot of work needed to make this one work.

merlin: not a great example because even tho there's a somewhat good contrast between him and the background, the silhouette is just too bright, not dark enough.

arthur: another good example, even if there are some bright spots on his face and armor. since he's not moving too much, you can definitely brush some black over him to make his silhouette darker (i'll explain/show later)

morgana: this one could work because the contrast is great, but of course her skintone is very bright against the black clothing. that being said, since the movement is not too bad, it could be possible to brush some black over her and move these layers with keyframes (as mentioned for arthur's example). i haven't tried it tho, but i think it would work well enough.

once you have your silhouette shot, you need another gif for the double exposure. what works best, in my opinion, are:

wide, large shots

shots with no to little camera movement (no pan, zoom, etc), but the subjects in the shot can have little movement of course

pretty cinematography/scenery shots

i find these are easier to find and make it work, it's not as "precise" as with silhouette shots. it's mostly just trial and error to see what works best with the silhouettes.

II. PREPPING THE SILHOUETTE

for the effect to work, we want a silhouette that's dark as possible. i'm gonna use the gwen and arthur shots as examples.

for the gwen gif, i started by sharpening, and then upped the contrast by quite a lot so her silhouette is mostly black, while retaining some nice details. i've used only 3 layers here:

selective color layer: in the blacks tab, playing with the black slider (value: +10)

brightness/contrast layer: added a lot of contrast (+61) and a bit of brightness (+10)

black and white layer: on top, its blending mode set to soft light and at 20% opacity. gives a bit more depth and contrast

then for the arthur example, i've also sharpened it first, and added contrast layers in this order (the skintone looks horrible, but it won't matter soon lol):

levels layer: black slider at 0, grey slider at 0.76, white slider at 104

selective color layer: in the blacks tab, black slider at +10

brightness/contrast layer: brightness at +1-, contrast at +47

black and white layer: on top, its blending mode set to soft light and at 20% opacity. gives a bit more depth and contrast

as you can see, half of his face is still quite bright. to correct that, create a new empty layer and put it between the gif and the coloring layers.

using a really soft brush and the black color, brush some black over his face and body on that new empty layer. you can edit the layer's opacity if you want, i've set mine to 71%. since arthur doesn't move much here, there's no need to keyframe this layer's position. for the morgana example, this is where you'd need to play with keyframes to make it work. here's where i'm at now after this:

you can always edit this layer later if you need, after doing the double exposure blending.

once the silhouette is all ready, you can put all layers in a group and rename it (i've renamed mine silhouette).

III. BLENDING

now the fun part! import the wide/scenery shot in photoshop, then resize it to the same height of your silhouette gif. make sure the gif is a smart object layer, and sharpen it. finally, bring this gif onto the silhouette canvas (by right clicking the smart object > duplicate layer). once you have both gifs onto your canvas, put the wide shot gif layer in a group, and set this group's blending option to screen.

you can then position the wide/scenery gif the way you like it in the canvas. this is how it looks for both examples after i've done that:

if the blending mode screen doesn't give you the best result, so you can play around with other blending modes (such as lighten and linear dodge in these particular cases), but generally speaking, screen is the real mvp here haha.

IV. COLORING

now that the double exposure effect is done, we need to color the gifs to bring them together. i went with simple coloring here, simply enhancing the colors that were already there. just make sure that the coloring layers for each gif are in their respective groups. here's how i've colored both examples:

gwen silhouette group: i added a gradient map layer on top of the contrast layers in black to green and set the blending mode to color

scenery shot group: multiple coloring layers, with a green color fill layer (blending mode set to color), with a layer mask so it only affects the top half of the gif

for the arthur gif, i did something very similar but with warmer colors. i didn't use a gradient map for arthur though:

arthur silhouette group: i made the yellow warmer, closer to orange/red, with a hue/saturation layer, and added more vibrance. didn't feel like it needed a gradient map layer here though.

wide shot group: basic coloring layers to enhance colors from the merlin & daegal shot, and an orange color fill layer set to the color blending mode.

at this point you're pretty much done. just need to add some final touches and typography (if you want).

V. FINAL TOUCHES

a small and completely optional detail, but i wanted to soften the edges of the wide gifs. to do so i've duplicated the smart object gif layer and removed the sharpening filters (right click on smart filter > clear smart filters). put this layer on top of the other smart object layers (but still below the coloring).

then with this same layer still selected, go to filter > blur > gaussian blur... > 10px. this will give you a very blurry gif, but we only want the edges of the canvas to be softer. so add a layer mask to this layer. with a very large and soft brush (mine was at 0% hardness and about 800px size), brush some black onto the layer mask to remove the blur in the middle of the gif.

you can play with this layer's opacity or gaussian blur amount if you want (by double clicking on the gaussian blur smart layer filter). here how both examples look with this gaussian blur layer:

you can also mask some of wide/scenery gifs if you'd prefer, so it shows less outside of the silhouette. just put a layer mask on that whole wide shot group and brush some black or grey on the layer mask. it's what i did for the gwen gif, with a very soft brush and i set the mask density to 72% (i kept the arthur one as is tho):

and that's how i did it! hopefully that was clear enough :)

[deadchannelradio]

as that post said i HATE "gotham is cursed" as a copout but mostly i just wish they would do more interesting stuff with it and not just blame Everything on it. gotham is cursed does not explain petty crime or homelessness or inequality or poverty.

what i like to think, which lets me weaponize the metanarrative, is that gotham is a city that is trying to tell a story. its been trying to tell the same story for a very long time, since whenever was the day that it was given the power to tell a story. and there have been batman-adjacent figures throughout history. It's changed over time, as society changes, as people change, but at it's core it's the same figure, the same story, the same pattern, becoming more and more extreme as it went, because once you raise the stakes in a story you have to keep raising them. Perhaps Bruce was the first one to name that figure/archetype, but he was in the same rut as the rest of them. He was burning himself out, he was going to die- he's said as such himself! and so the city needed to make a new character to take up the mantle of that archetype in order to keep telling the story.

and so, just as it ate the waynes, it ate the graysons. but for the first time since time immemorial the boy who fell into the rut climbed back out of it and he climbed out as something different.

dick does not succumb to the same thing that ate bruce, that ate the previous batmen! Dick becomes something so totally different. the puppetry here REALLY sells it. it's like. robin genuinely feels like a faerie. he's this bright shining laughing gleeful thing in an otherwise miserable story. jason's "robin gives me magic". robin doesn't really always feel like a child. he feels like a leprechaun or a poltergeist people keep calling him the light to batman's darkness and it's true! He changes the story fundamentally. patterns shift light starts eating back at the darkness that's been slowly consuming the story. And he gets older, he changes, he's not static in the way that everyone else is. the city now NEEDS robin in a way it has always wanted but never needed a batman, because dick grayson knocks the story completely offkilter. he cleaves the story to him. but then he starts leaving. that's terrifying for the city, that's terrifying for bruce. what if he doesn't come back. it does things to reel him back in but he keeps moving and changing and shifting in ways that the story isn't prepared for- people love him too much. the story isn't supposed to be about him. robin gets cast out of gotham as a punishment for leaving. for changing. for growing.

this doesn't work out, and now nothing is the same. the city builds a new Robin. it isn't ever the same as it was. it tries new things with jason, new plots, new stakes, raising them to the point where Jason dies. things just arent the same. they need dick grayson to come back. and so it puts another child in batmans care, because robin ensures that Dick Grayson will come back.

but the thing is is that Robin is not Gotham's. Robin came from far away but it needs him and then it lost him. And it keeps trying to replace him and nothing satisfies because robin is the name a mother gave her son very far away from there. and so it can't control robin and it can't control the story. robin chews these mfs up and spits them back out. robin eats at the story it's been trying to tell since the beginning. anyways there isn't fully a point to this i just find it as a useful tool to explain the soft and hard resets and how the timeline is so strange in gotham. the city is trying to write a story and frustrating itself when the characters don't play along or when it decides, like most writers, that it hates a plotline halfway through and scraps it. it can never make the characters fully play along with the narrative because it's a city. it doesn't understand people. it's never been a person. it can't understand or fully predict how people will react. it's trying anyway. and the stakes keep getting higher.