#nothing is hosted on the same portal

[pinnithin]

I saw your tags about Emerson's terrible website and holy shit... that front page is rough. 😬

Oh my god dont even get me started

[tinfoil-jones]

Jerk Ford AU: And This is Jack*ss

Their high school science teacher said "A perpetual motion machine is only hypothetical, because it is impossible, since its existence would violate the first and second laws of thermodynamics."

And Jerk Ford in response said "Hold my beer."

[Art by: @tearosepedall]

While he was building that (and the school was investigating whether or not Ford was actually drinking underaged), Stan had another set of worries.

At this point the twins had both already talked about applying to Backupsmore together, and while Stan was still worried about a potential separation, this time it wasn't because he was afraid of being left behind.

This time he was freaking out because if he went to Backupsmore while his brother went to West Coast Tech, who was going to keep Ford reigned in??

If Stan wasn't there to minimize the damage, who's to say his fellow students and college administration wouldn't chase him out of the whole state with pitchforks and torches or something?!

Stan wasn't protective over Ford in this AU because he didn't need to be protected from anything except maybe himself. If anything, everything else needed to be protected from him.

---

In a random dimension at an undetermined time between the 1980s and 2012, Jerk Ford and one of the many variations of Rick Sanchez pass each other on the street.

"What a d**k." They both think at the same time, but say nothing.

---

This is the same man who, despite also being aromantic, spent an entire year pretending to court an all-seeing, two-dimensional, demon triangle.

Jerk Ford had romantic speeches, lovey-dovey praises, drew detailed, flattering sketches, and built a functioning interdimensional portal that he wasn't intending to use.

Just to say that he catfished a God.

The limit to his jackassery remains to be seen.

---

Most interactions with other people on an informal level (and also formal) are handled by Stan on Fords behalf, otherwise nothing would ever get done.

Stanley had to actually beg Fiddleford to help Stanford with the portal project. Fiddleford and Ford are friends, but Fiddleford can only handle Ford for so long before he's absolutely done.

As for the construction of the cabin... a paid job is a paid job, but anything that required direct interaction was solely taken care of by Stan, or Ford as long as Stan was close by to mediate. Because the one time Boyish Dan tried discussing plans with Ford alone, it ended with Boyish Dan agreeing with construction plans only if Ford agreed to take the farthest available plot of land.

---

Yes, I am familiar with Nine Lives Lee selling his own hate merch. But no, Jerk Ford does not make, distribute, or sell his own hate merch. He was never an enterprising spirit.

However, he does steal his own hate merch. He's done it the times he snuck into their club meetings. The shirt he wears under his hoodie is actually a Ford Hate Club shirt; it's a long sleeved black shirt with this logo on the front:

That is The (Jerk) Ford Hate Club official logo, because they don't hate all Stanford Pines across that multiverse, just that guy in particular.

---

Jerk Ford's antics are often compared to skits from the tv and film series "Jackass", in fact the name of his dimension "PJC311" is derived from the host Johnny Knoxville, whose real name is Philip John Clapp, and whose birthday is 1971/03/11.

The funny, ironic thing, is that this is what older Knoxville looks like:

Considering that Jerk Ford is thin compared to Canon Ford...

Yeah, that's Jerk Ford guys.

[estellardreams]

Ice And Flesh

For @lululocomo's New Past AU, specifically the Season 3 finale.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Xiaotian knew it when he rushed from the mountains after trying to reactivate Red Son's samadhi fire in the ritual... It went out of control. It took everything in himself to reach him. But he wasn't done.

He had a demon to kill for a second time.

"Xiaotian! Where are you going?" Macaque called for him. MK's ear twitched, but he said nothing.

"I... I have to go."

Wukong pulled him back. Xiaotian turned his gaze to his dad.

"If you're thinking of fighting the Lady Bone Demon by yourself, I'm not going to let you."

"No. I need to do this. If I don't, she's going to hurt more people." Xiaotian pulled his arm away.

"We can work together on this! We're coming with you."

"No... You're not."

"Xiaotian..." Macaque began to approach him as well.

"I'm not dragging you two into this. I prevented a crucial event from the last cycle and I could've figured out how to prevent Mystic from freeing her if he just... Kept trying to be the mayor. In the last cycle, he gave me that key as a reward. I messed around, I found out. And now I've completely removed that event from this timeline thanks to me wanting to fix something else. In a way, it's my fault she's out."

Xiaotian turned away, his fur gently blowing in the wind.

"... Xiaojiao. Meihua. I trust you two to take care of Red and help him figure this out. But I'm leaving."

"No, you're not!" Wukong yanked MK back.

The boy froze, his eyes widening as his necklace cracked. Sparks emenated from him before he suddenly zapped out of his father's grasp.

"I am, and that's final!" he yelled. He backed up and leapt off the edge, vanishing into a shadow portal below him.

Meihua shifted her gaze to Red, who was curled up on the ground, seemingly in pain.

She quietly came up to him, rubbing his back. "It's okay... You're gonna be okay."

"We're going after him. And I have a feeling she's not going to hold anything back." Nezha informed them.

"Right. I'll go get our armor." Macaque slipped through a shadow portal and out of sight.

Mk didn't waste any time stalling. He landed right onto the mech, blowing back any stray flames from him.

"Ah, your timing couldn't have been more perfect, Qi Xiaotian. It seems like your-" she froze as the kid lunged at her, slamming her into the mech's head. Mystic ran to rescue her, only for MK to spin around without letting go, punching him so hard he flew off the mech.

"Y-you..." she seemed to freeze into place and MK pushed her further into the ice.

"I should've destroyed you instead of letting Tripitaka seal you away." he growled.

"But if you destroy me, you'll destroy the host! Have you become so desperate to end me that you'd sacrifice this blameless, innocent child?"

"You're not giving me a choice. You haven't changed a bit and it shows. I will not be making the same mistake again."

Her eyes widened. "I've come too far to let you ruin everything again!"

Xiaotian knew where this was going. But either he ends her now or he got posessed instead.

He chose to strike her.

Blue fog suddenly clouded his vision, thousands of screaming souls pouring into his back. He screamed, hearing the faint yelling of both of his parents before he blacked out.

Wukong, Macaque, and Nezha showed up a few minutes after MK struck down the Mayor onto the ground. They paused at the crater, then heard a loud scream.

Wukong froze.

"KID!"

"XIAOTIAN!"

Laughter seemed to break out from on top of the mech. Rocks and debris began to float up as an aura surrounded Xiaotian. He turned his gaze to the trio below.

Lady exhaled. "Admittedly, this is an unforseen adjustment. But a fortunate moment of spontaneity nonetheless. Fate has given me the perfect champion."

"What have you done to him?" Macaque asked softly in horror.

She laughed lightly. "Oh, don't you see? Perhaps now you'll finally begin to understand how pointless your efforts to stop me truly are!"

She concentrated her power on himself, seizing full command over the monkey. The energy blew everyone back and away from the mech. Nezha dug his spear into the ground, holding onto Wukong and Macaque to prevent the two from falling back further.

"The Samadhi fire will be mine, and I will use it's power to reforge this world!" she declared.

Xiaotian held onto artifact he was given to control his power. He tore it off, crushing it into his palm.

"Go."

Nezha's eyes widened. He turned back to the two monkeys, pushing them out of the way. Xiaotian slammed the prince into the ground, shattering his spear in the process.

Lady raised her hand, conjuring up a spear of ice from the ground. Xiaotian tore it from the ground, gripping it tightly. He approached his parents, spinning it like the staff.

"Wukong! We gotta go!" Macaque urged.

"But the kid! We can't just leave him!" Wukong yelped.

"We'll figure out a way to save him afterwards! Now let's go!" he summoned a portal under them, letting them both fall through right before Xiaotian struck them.

The boy breathed, standing back up in place after the two escaped.

"Return here. You need a proper attire to go find the Samadhi Fire."

The air felt just as frigid when the returned.

"Pleasure for you two to join us." Lady began, floating above the two.

"Where is he?" Wukong growled.

"Oh, your son? Ah, yes. I'm sure he missed you two very much." she lowered herself to the ground. Xiaotian came up from behind her, planting his ice staff into the ground.

The monkey's fur seemed to be dulled, his eyes glossed over. He wore an outfit akin to his parents, but more symmetrical with what looked like ice spikes protruding from a center point on his belt. His hair seemed to flow in the wind.

He positioned himself, ready to attack the two monkeys.

Wukong paused, glancing between MK and his staff.

"... You could get impaled... Are you sure-"

"Yes." Macaque said firmly.

Xiaotian charged at the two, ice staff in hand. Macaque tore him away from Wukong and threw him to the side.

Wukong rushed up to his staff, planted into the ground.

"No matter what you do, you cannot change the path of destiny." Lady spoke, her hair flowing in the wind.

Wukong froze, hearing a piercing cry in the clouds. Then a hard thud. He slowly turned to see Macaque, pinned to the ground, the spear piercing through his previously wounded arm, tearing the scar back open.

He pulled it out, blood dripping from the wound.

"What can you hope to accomplish what your son has failed?"

Footsteps echoed through his ears.

"Cast aside your stubbornness and face your demise with honor."

Wukong turned back to Xiaotian, his hand still holding onto the staff.

His son...

His breathing hitched. He slowly removed his hand from it, stepping forward towards the boy approaching him.

This could either work or fail. He knew this, but... It didn't seem like there weren't many other options. And he didn't wanna fight him either way.

"Good little simian. Now you see what destiny wanted from you."

Xiaotian charged at Wukong, ice staff in hand, aiming for him.

"Wukong! No!"

Wukong leapt up to the boy, wrapping his arms around him the second the ice pierced through his chest. He buried his face into the boy's shoulder.

The monkey's ear twitched. His clouded over gaze seemed to drift to the monkeys face as he remained stuck in this position.

Then... His ears lowered. His eyes flickered. Purple and gold pupils returned, albeit faded. Tears welled up in his eyes as he pulled his dad into the hug.

Macaque staggered up, running over and pulling Xiaotian into the hug as well.

"I... I'm so sorry, I thought..."

"It's... Okay, bud..." Wukong winced.

Macaque froze, still noticing the ice impaling his mate. He quickly let go and tried to pull it out from the other end. His paws stained with blood as the ice clattered to the floor, now a deep shade of crimson.

"... Y-your wound isn't healing." he murmured.

Xiaotian froze, more tears flooding his eyes as he held onto Wukong.

"Of course it's not. My enchanted crystals are impervious to regeneration magic." Lady reaffirmed.

Xiaotian kept ahold of his dad, reaching over to his staff. He gripped it tightly, yanking it out of the ice.

The sheer force of power released sent her crashing into the back of the mech, alongside releasing him from her hold. He winced, shakily standing back up as he kept Wukong in his hold.

"I'm okay, kid... You can let go of me, now."

"No, you're bleeding too heavily! Just... I can..." Xiaotian cradled him in his arms as much as he could.

"But if Xiaotian's not under her control anymore..." Macaque began.

"Oh no..." Wukong tensed up.

"Predictably unpredictable fools! I'm not one to rush destiny, but I will not be undone by a troop of headstrong simians!" she yelled, forcing as much power as she could. She released herself from the girl she had posessed.

Macaque didn't hesitate, rushing over and catching the girl before she hit the ground.

"If the bull prince won't give me the samadhi fire willingly, then I will RIP IT FROM HIM!"

The fire suddenly exploded from the mech, sending everyone flying off of it except for her.

Xiaotian grabbed Wukong, holding onto him as the two toppled to the ground.

"Monkey King?!" Tang exclaimed, running over in a panic.

"I-I'm fine, don't worry about me." he winced, trying to wave him off.

Xiaotian breathed in shakily, turning his gaze back to the mech.

... Right. Follow the story.

Meihua was inside the mech with Red Son. He had to make that mech, then... They'd come out. She would finally die. This would all be over.

He stood up.

"Kid..."

Xiaotian couldn't look back. Not once.

He ignored her speech. He planted the staff down... And his mech emerged once more.

It's game time.

"No. No! I will not be stopped by a foul, insignificant creature! You would allow this world to continue to fester and rot, the eternal misery of countless souls because of your sentimentally for mortal pleasures?!" she cried out.

Xiaotian growled. "You can't judge things by their worst qualities!"

"This world might not be perfect but it's still worth fighting for!" Tang declared, casting a ring of magic below everyone.

"Yeah! Sometimes it's that little bit of char that makes for a more flavorful meat, even if it is a bit tangy." Pigsy chimed in.

"No matter what happens in the world, there's always going to be ups and downs! What matters is that we stick together to experience it!" Mei said.

Mo meowed.

"You said it, Mo. The world may be full of darkness but to let the light shine, all we need to do is stand together!" Sandy said.

The ring lit up. Macaque focused, drawing out his shadow powers as he kept ahold of Wukong. The ginger monkey blasted his golden energy first, then a stream of shadow powers.

Everyone's power shot out from the ring, flying into the back of the mech. It began to emerge with a golden shell, grasping onto the flaming swords tightly.

"The perfect world is what we make it. So as long as I have my friends by my side, this world! Is! Perfect!" Xiaotian yelled, pushing back against her.

"A childish notion! I will not be indulgent!" she cried out.

"Please! Listen to me! You are stronger than this! You controlled this before! Everyone is counting on you!" Meihua pleaded admist the flames surrounding the two.

"I know you can do it, Red! Don't just use it, become it! Like you always have!"

Red stared at her, closing his eyes before he felt something inside him click. He pulled her closer to him, shattering through the crystal he was trapped in and back outside.

The glass cracked, the two bursting through inside the flames.

"Hey noodle boy."

"Red?!" MK exclaimed.

"Brother! You're okay!" Meihua hugged him tightly.

Mk hugged her back.

"Now, let's finish this!"

Tang used his power to summon a huge magical ring over the mech. A beam of light came crashing down on it, the blast beginning to shatter the crystals covering the world.

More beams of power began to fly into the ring, powering up the mech further. It seemed to ascend over the bone mech, summoning the golden staff. He gripped it tightly, everyone right behind him.

Nezha appeared right behind them, placing his rings onto the mech's feet.

"Here... Comes... MONKEY-"

The staff slammed into her shield.

"No! You will not take my destiny from me!" she yelled.

Red leapt out of the mech, grasping the staff to encase it in the samadhi fire.

Lady's eyes widened.

She was going to die.

"KID!!!"

The staff crashed through the shield, obliterating her mech and herself in the process.

It was finally over...

"... You've done this before. Haven't you?"

Xiaotian paused. "Well, yeah."

"Then tell me this, child." she drifted up to him.

"Are you proud of yourself? Proud for defying the original path? Proud for this change of a timeline? You are aware we're one in the same. We follow the path lined out for us, but you chose to change it."

"So? Why does it matter to you?"

She smiled briefly. "Because I know that our pursuit for righteousness, even when it defies all odds, only leads to pain. But it also leads to monsters."

She came up to his ear.

"Like you."

Her form faded out in the white abyss, leaving Xiaotian alone.

"I swear I'm fine! Don't worry about it!" Wukong waved him off.

Pigsy pushed the bowl of noodles into his hands anyway.

"Still, you should eat. Food would help you heal faster."

"Right, um... Thanks."

Xiaotian quietly watched. He slipped away, trying to ignore the tears pricking his eyes every single time he saw those bandages.

They were still getting bled through by the hours.

"Xiaotian...?" Macaque quietly came up next to him.

Xiaotian tearfully looked up at him. Then at his papa's arm. The wound was still fresh.

His heart ached. He backed up, bolting from the mountain top.

"Xiaotian! Wait!"

He skidded to the ground, crashing through the jungle trees and to the muddy floor below.

He couldn't help but sob.

He felt horrible. He wanted to change things, but seemed to only make it worse for himself and others.

And now... He knew that he wounded both of his parents. It was his fault.

It was his fault he let himself get posessed.

It was his fault for tagging along on that journey for the map in the first place.

It was his fault he was stuck in this cycle.

Although he missed everyone... So much had changed.

... Because a monster, with bloody paws, chose to change destiny with no regard for others.

[temmtamm]

Yandere bill cipher x a geometry nerd.

“Ugh, why do I always get the weird creepy nerds?”

To be honest, after Ford, he never thought he’d get someone gullible enough to be his little host again. After all, nobody before Ford really liked or cared for him, and it was unlikely to get struck with lightning twice, yet here you walk in, all bright eyed, bushy tailed, and just happy to be here.

It’s almost cute how naive you are. And don’t think he won’t appreciate the gushing, because he will. Very much.

Occasionally, if he’s feeling nice, he’ll let you study his, his measurements, etc, etc. Usually, however he hates it when someone’s touching him, especially when he didn’t initiate…But, he can turn the other cheek for now. He’s nothing if not unpredictable.

The Yandere tendencies will probably come in once you start neglecting your portal duties, when people start giving you the time of day. I mean, don’t tell me you actually LIKE those fleshbags?? They’re a mushy pile of organs, barely held together by skin—But him?? He’s the full blown package, baby!! Sides, edges and all!

He’ll find out what you want from a relationship, or more specifically, how to replace your lovers.

You want affection?? Fine. He’ll let you hold him when you go to sleep—ONLY if you start working on the portal again.

You want attention?? He can talk all day. He’ll give you so much you’ll beg him to stop.

You want to feel…wanted and desired..? Hmm…

—

It had been a long, tiresome day. To say you were exhausted and drained would be an understatement.

Your legs ached, your chest burned, not to mention the stinging feeling of sleep persisting just behind your eyelids.

The idea of curling up in your bed and going to sleep sounded like bliss—Hell, if you were lucky, maybe you’d be able to see your little geometric friend again before you did.

Unfortunately, the warmth and comfort was not what you were greeted with when you came home.

Blood.

There was so…much…blood. Everywhere. It even reached up to the ceiling—How the hell did it reach up to the ceiling?!

And…there was a surprising lack of your pet. Not even the usual yips and noise you would hear from them when you came home.

Your living room was completely rearranged, as if it had been flipped upside down, with all your furniture now on the ceiling, leaving the floor empty save for a dining table caked in the same blood that the walls were. It had a white tarp hastily thrown over it, with the foul stench of death being an all too present sensation when they stepped closer to the table.

Glasses sat on the table, made out of human hands, with a trail of dead rats leading up to the table, like how one would lay out rose petals.

Who…

Who the hell would do this?!

“Hey there, four-eyes!! Finally you come to join the party!” (Y/N) froze, their blood running cold at the all too familiar voice of Bill.

No…No way he did that.

You suddenly felt sick to your stomach, with it churning. With your heart in your throat, you finally managed out some words to your trigonometric friend, “What…What the hell did you do..??”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Bill just beamed, his eye creasing into a crescent as he did.

“I want you.”

[izzabela]

Hello!! Can you write about Smoke trying to ask fem. reader to be his date for Kuai Liang's wedding?

Plus One - Tomas x fem!reader (5+1 fic)

in which Tomas tries five times to ask you to be his date, and the one time he finally gets it right

a/n: i love weddings guys

ship[s]: tomas x fem!reader

warning(s): post-kanon

1 - Johnny

Tomas had a plan.

Walk in the hosting room, hand you the small bouquet of wisterias, and ask you to accompany him to his brother's wedding.

Easy, right?

Wrong. Especially with a woman as beautiful as you.

You two weren't dating (yet), but Tomas had been pining after you for a couple of months now.

This wedding invite would double as an opportunity to ask you out completely.

Tomas holds the flowers he plans on giving you, stands in front of the door for a couple more seconds as he hypes himself up for you.

"You can do this," Tomas whispers to himself. Gripping on the handle of the door, he slides it open to meet you in a... precarious situation.

Johnny is chasing you around with one of Tomas's masks (elder gods know how that ended up in the hosting room). You were padding around the room in childish joy, but stopped once you saw him.

"Oh, Tomas!" you greet. "Sorry about that, Johnny dropped in for a visit for some research on Japan. Kuai Liang invited him in."

Your eyes drop to the wisteria bouquet.

"Who's that going to?" you ask.

Tomas tosses the bouquet out to the side, smiling tightly as he walks in and closes the door.

"Nothing! It was for sister..." he lies, guilty he's using Harumi as a scapegoat.

As you and Johnny continue playing, Tomas grits his teeth.

He has six days before the wedding. Day one didn't go so well, but he has six more days.

Yeah, he thinks, Tomorrow will go just fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2 - Raiden

You and Tomas are greeted at the entrance of the Wu Shi by Kung Lao and Raiden.

"Welcome, our esteemed guests," Kung Lao teases. You roll your eyes, bowing halfway.

"Funny, Kung Lao," you greet with a smile. Tomas does the same thing.

Five days until the wedding and Tomas still has his bouquet waiting for you. Since today was a visit to talk about security for the wedding.

Perfectly stowed away in his shirt, Tomas is by your side as Kung Lao and Raiden talk about the safety of the bride and groom.

A monk suddenly rushes to Kung Lao's side, whispering to him about... something.

"Apologies, everyone!" Kung Lao announces. "I'll be taking my leave, but Raiden will show you two more of the details."

Waving Kung Lao off, Raiden begins to tour you guys around the place and offer more insight to security and what the monks can provide.

You'd think that Tomas would have the perfect opportunity to talk to you about the wedding and going as a couple, but he didn't.

Raiden was stuck to your side the entire day. Literally, glued to your hip as he showed you every nook and cranny about the academy.

It wasn't even about the security of the monks anymore. He showed you everything and everywhere of the academy.

Little by little, Tomas could feel his confidence wilt and waver. It wasn't until the sun set that you finally were able to address Tomas.

"Raiden is such a hospitable young man," you gush, hand on your cheek as you wave goodbye.

"What was it you wanted to speak to me about?" you ask, walking with him as a portal opens back to the compound.

Tomas tucks the bouquet deeper into his shirt, smiling tightly as he glares at Raiden.

"It can wait until dinner, dove," Tomas answers politely. You smile, and Tomas can feel the guilt take bigger bites out of his conscious.

Poor Raiden, he was just trying to be friendly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3 - Kenshi

Four days.

Four days until the wedding and Tomas's chances have been ruined twice now.

No matter, since he still has time.

Today, Tomas knew no one would be taking up yours, his, or the clan's time at all. His bouquet for you was beginning to wilt a bit, but Harumi supplied him with plant food and a matching vase.

Carrying the flowers in its vase, he walks to the garden and pond in the back of the compound.

In all honesty, the days he got interrupted gave him time to practice his words for you. So this time around, he's more confident and ready.

Rounding the corner, he finds you sitting by yourself on the wooden ledge. The breeze was light and cool, and your hair billowed like a willow tree.

"Good morrow, dove," Tomas greets. You smile, a dust of pink over your cheeks.

Before you could say anything, Kenshi appears from the room behind you (was that always there? Tomas thinks). Though his eyes are no longer useful, his brows do the talking as they're up in surprise.

"Good morning, Tomas. What brings you here?"

A vein pops in his neck, and he bites back from saying "i live here, doofus". Keeping up appearances, he recovers and smiles semi-politely.

"I just finished training my students," Tomas answers.

You look to see that Tomas has the same flowers from a couple of days ago.

"I thought you had given that to Harumi already," you point to the flowers. "Did you not get it to her?"

Tomas mentally curses himself, "Ah, she wasn't in the other day."

Putting the flowers to the side, he sits down next to you and Kenshi, Kenshi to your left and him on your right.

You three are engrossed in conversation, and Tomas is actually okay with not being able to ask you out.

Besides, Kenshi is rational, Johnny was an idiot and Raiden was touchy (no he wasn't Tomas is just getting antsy).

I have tomorrow, Tomas thinks, Tomorrow I'll do it.

The wisterias keep bending over the lip of the vase, almost like a cursed rose counting down the time he had left before he'd be cursed forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4 - Kung Lao

With two days remaining until the wedding, Tomas's patience was running thin.

The wisteria bouquet was losing its color, and the taut petals were shriveling like raisins with the time passing like this.

Still, he remained hopeful. Just as there were wilting petals, there were still some that were bright and healthy.

"Today for sure," Tomas tells himself. "Today is the day I'll do it."

If Tomas had a ten yen coin for every time his allies came through and stopped his advances for you, he'd have three. It isn't a lot, but it is weird it happened three times.

Tomas opens another pack of fertilizer for the the flowers, dumping it in the water of the vase before he stirs it with a wooden dowel.

He's not bringing it today, since it looks like a bit of a mess. To replace it, he has a letter and a bouquet of baby's breath.

Leaving his room, he wanders the compound again to to try and see where you are.

It's a warm evening this time around, and the sun has barely just touched the horizon. Tomas can hear the birds chirp and fill the silence of nature, and he finally spots you.

You're by the entrance this time, leaning on the huge maple wood door frame while talking to someone. Despite the posture you're in, you look as regal as ever. The sun shines and illuminates your very features, and Tomas can't help but sigh like a school boy in love.

He steps closer, rounding the corner to see who could be making you cover your mouth as you laugh, only to find the silhouette of a sun hat.

"Oh, hello!" Kung Lao greets. His dimples are out as he smiles fully, pearly white teeth shining as he waves the smoke ninja over.

"Come join us! Little birdie over here was just updating me about the wedding plans!" Kung Lao yells.

You swat his shoulder and tell him to hush.

"You said you would not tell!" you scold. "This is a secret!"

Tomas hid the letter in his shirt and the bouquet in the pocket of his pants. He couldn't intervene, not now, and not when you were clearly enjoying the laughs Kung Lao was providing.

Still, Tomas remained by your side, back straight and putting up the best front he could. However, the bouquet in his pants portrayed a different story.

Tomorrow, Tomas thinks, I'll do it for real.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5 - Kuai Liang

The last day before the wedding.

Everything should have been in place so that the bride and groom could have time to relax and be with their respective parties before the day of the ceremony.

So why is it that you and Kuai Liang were together at a flower shop, piecing together his corsage?

It was strange, too, considering a corsage is a western practice- Japanese weddings didn't even need flowers unless it was for the bride.

Tomas didn't want to give up, not when the wedding was so close, but the fact he ended up following you and Kuai Liang to the flower shop in the village near the compound meant he was on thin ice.

And boy was he desperate.

Tomas was ready. His wisterias were healthy, the baby's breath was still in tact, and the flowers worked so well together. The letter was the perfect touch too.

So the fact he saw you and Kuai Liang leave together, he couldn't hide his frustrations any longer.

"Brother, I swear to the elder gods..." Tomas mumbles to himself as he watches you two from a roof nearby.

He was still thinking of a way to come up to you two naturally, and without showing the vase and letter.

At this point, though, and with the wedding tomorrow, he felt defeated. He felt like he had given up.

He keeps the flowers and letter on the roof, telling himself he'll get the later. He takes his mask off and ruffles his clothes to make it look like he ran errands.

Finally, he jumps down on the opposite end of the shop, walking down until you point out to Kuai Liang that you see him.

"Tomas! What brings you here?" you ask gleefully, unaware of the sadness that plagues his heart.

"Nothing, dove. Just running some final errands before the wedding tomorrow."

He spends the rest of the day with you and his brother, the flowers and letter sitting idly on the rooftop- just like his feelings rest idly in his heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+1 - Harumi

You brush Harumi's hair one more time before rolling the hood over her head. Through the mirror, you look at her and offer her words of encouragement.

"Oh Harumi, I'm so happy for you," you say with a wobbly voice, tears lining the bottom of your eyes as you squeeze her shoulder.

You friend of many years, your ride or die, your platonic soulmate, was getting married to the most honorable man in the planet- in the realm!

How could you not be happy for her?

Harumi can sense that something is amiss with you, especially since you've been so excited for this wedding.

"What plagues your mind, my friend?" she asks, turning away from the vanity to hold both your hands.

You shake your head, "Nothing is wrong, just so overcome with joy."

Yeah, no. Harumi isn't believing a word since your tone didn't match the words you spoke.

"Come now, you can tell me," Harumi coaxes you gently. You can't help but fall victim to her charm, and you sit next to her to tell her about the week leading up to today.

From Johnny and his research, Raiden and the Wu Shi visit, even the little meets with Kenshi and Kung Lao, and you can't forget the fact that Kuai Liang took you to a flower shop to get a corsage made for Tomas.

All of these little things, talking to your friends about how to properly ask Tomas out to be your date, Harumi hears everything about your dilemma.

"Well... why don't you hear him now?" Harumi asks. He waves the handmaiden over, telling her that she's ready for the men to come in.

Kuai Liang and Tomas walk inside, wearing the traditional attire of a Japanese groom and best man. While Harumi is practically drooling over Kuai Liang, you can't help but be breathless in front of the European.

"Hi..." Tomas waves awkwardly with one hand, his other hiding something behind his back.

You give him the same salutation, gripping the corsage against your yukata.

"We will be outside getting ready, but the procession can't start until our best man and maid of honor are ready," Harumi tells you both.

Harumi winks at you while Kuai Liang is giving his younger brother a knowing glance. Tomas just waves him out.

"You look... lovely," Tomas finally says, eyeing you up and down. "Your yukata is a flattering color."

He wasn't lying. Harumi went to great lengths finding you the perfect yukata in your favorite color. She even got the best tailor in the country to fit it well against your body.

"I uh, wanted to give you something-"

"Wait! I have something as well," Tomas interrupts. He pulls out the thing you had been seeing through the weekend, the vase with the wisterias and the baby's breath.

"Oh... Tomas they're beautiful," you barely whisper. "For me?"

He nods, pointing to the flowers as he explains, "Baby's breath symbolizes everlasting love, and wisterias represent grace."

He meets your eyes, and you can see a bit of red at the corners indicating his shyness.

"This is my graceful everlasting love to you, not only as a friend, but as a suitor, if you'll have me."

You take the flowers and set them down on the vanity, taking the note from his hand as well and replacing it with the thing Tomas had seen earlier in the week.

Tomas looks down, "The corsage? But I thought-."

You shake your head, "No you goof, it wasn't for anyone but you!"

You then begin to explain how you spoke to each man about your crush on Tomas, and how you were gathering ideas on a gift to pair with your declaration of love.

Kuai Liang's idea was the best, and he offered to go out with you to fulfill that. Silly Tomas.

You take the corsage and pin it to the hem of his yukata. The flowers you chose were a white peonies and dark purple violets.

"The peony represents beauty and the violets represent faithfulness. You are the faithful, beautiful, dutiful man who has captured my heart."

Tomas is wide-eyed, and you recover yourself before your shame can eat you alive.

"If you'll have me..." You don't need to ask twice before Tomas takes your hand in his, kissing the back of your hand as he nods to the door.

"Are you ready to accompany me, my consort?" Tomas asks.

You nod, "Gladly, my loving suitor."

=====================

5+1 fics are so funny, this also makes me miss weddings

see you guys in the next fic!

[gravitycavity]

Sunshine (Pomni x Ragatha) Chapter 7 - Only Human

[Click here to read from the beginning on AO3!]

Cover art by @blukiar

A thin ribbon of carpet, stretching just as far into infinity as the narrow corridor itself, explored distant depths soaked in darkness. A never-ending chain of chandeliers spanned the ceiling, cracked bulbs flickering in and out as they pleased. The experience was disorienting, to say the least — cruel and unusual torture, to say a little bit more. 

There was but a single source of reliable light in the entire hallway: the unassuming windows staged on the eastern wall in neat little quintets. Each glass-paned portal hosted a pair of tattered curtains that fluttered carelessly with the rhythm of the wind. 

Assorted furniture was scattered along the periphery, breaking up the tiring monotony of it all. An odd, uncanny energy surrounded their existence. Nothing besides the occasional lamp was mounted upon the dust-caked tables, and only a handful of random knick-knacks found home on the bookshelves. Nothing seemed to be placed with any thought or purpose in mind, as if something non-human were desperately attempting to construct a convincing facsimile of a sprawling Edwardian mansion, but couldn’t quite get it right. It understood what to place, and where — but the why it couldn’t fully grasp. 

The subtle horror made Ragatha’s insides quiver — but, all told, it could have been worse. At the very least, she was here in Pomni’s arms, where the chilling bite of the unknown was soothed by the warm glow of her touch, where the steady rhythm of Pomni’s footfalls wrapped her up in a blanket of sameness and security. 

Step, step, step. 

Ragatha snuggled Pomni’s chest, her head positioned perfectly to hear the rhythm of the young woman’s heartbeat. It was racing. Pomni must have been so tired, so exhausted, so ready to collapse in a heap and call it quits. But instead, she persisted, pushing her body and mind to the absolute limit. All for Ragatha’s sake. 

The plain little ragdoll closed her eyes. She pulled deep, contented breaths from her core, pressing her forehead firmly against the jester’s chest. If only this adventure could go on forever. If only she and Pomni could remain just like this — a helpless princess and her dashing savior — until the day they finally escaped into the outside world, hand-in-hand.

Step, step, step.

Pomni passed by another quintet of windows. Ragatha shivered as a chilly draft snuck through a crack in the glass pane. Its whistling entrance, performing in duet with the tittering of bats, chipped the unbroken facade of silence. 

“Hey. Pomni…?” 

The jester kept on moving, but her stride was a touch closer to walking than it had been before. Her gaze flicked towards her chest — or rather, the big bundle of red yarn resting snugly against it. “Yeah? What’s up?” 

“I’ve just been thinking,” Ragatha’s finger teased little circles around Pomni’s back, “what are we going to get up to when this is all over?”

Pomni hesitated. “When we escape the Circus?”

“When this adventure is over.”

“Oh. W-Well, uh…” Pomni cleared her throat, “I haven’t really thought about it.”

“Well, I happen to have a few ideas up my sleeve…” Ragatha smirked. It was difficult not to swoon, or snicker, or let out one of those satisfied sighs that relieved the pressure built up by a love-swollen heart. “Since we’re so…close now, why don’t I show you around my bedroom? We could have a sleepover, just you and me. Does that sound fun?”

“Um…!” Pomni’s whole body turned five degrees warmer. “S-Sure! Uh. Yeah! Okay! That could be, uh, f-f-fun…”

“You have those big letter blocks in your room, don’t you?”

“Uh. Yes…?”

“Do you use them for anything?”

“Huh? Well, no. Not really.” 

“Are they heavy?”

“Pretty heavy,” Pomni replied, squinting. She glanced down, meeting Ragatha’s flirtatious gaze, “Why are you asking me this?”

“Well, I was just thinking. Maybe you could lend me some?”

“For what?”

“Well, we’re going to need something to block the door, won’t we?”

Pomni squeaked, pale face flushing red. “Huh!? U-Um…!”

“In fact…” Ragatha grabbed Pomni’s tunic and leaned in closer. A distinct hunger roared within her, begging to be sated. “I never got to finish my lesson, did I? What if you got in a little more practice before that?”

“More…practice?”

“Mhm…”

“A-Are you serious…?”

Ragatha practically purred. “Deadly.” 

“Well, uh…” Pomni subtly leaned away, “...now doesn’t really seem like a good time, does it? We’re going to fail the mission if we don’t keep moving — and besides, we’ve got to keep our guard up for whatever it is that’s hiding in this hallway. Remember what that weird ghost lady told us?

“Hmm?” Ragatha pouted. “Oh, come on. Just one quick kiss?”

Pomni sighed. “No, Ragatha.”

Ragatha’s steady breathing lagged; the unflinching seriousness of Pomni’s tone slammed into her like a runaway train. Her plush heart shriveled, and her stitched-on eyebrows crinkled in confusion. Uh-oh. Oh, god. She didn’t mean to…!

“I’m so sorry, Sweetheart,” Ragatha cocked her head, “I thought we were just playing around — I didn’t mean to pressure you. We’re not moving too fast, are we?”  

Pomni’s steady stride slowed to a halt. Her eyes brooded pensively at the floor, watching the hard sole of her boot rap softly against the carpet below. 

“No. It’s…fine,” Pomni eventually replied, “We can kiss if you want.”

“If I want to!? Do you want to?”

“I…” Pomni swallowed. “...Well, duh! You’re literally the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. What kind of idiot wouldn’t want to kiss you?”

“Pomni.” Ragatha deadpanned. The flattery tactic wasn’t going to work. “Be honest.”

“I am being honest!”

“Please. I can tell something’s bothering you—”

Out of nowhere, Pomni shoved her lips against Ragatha’s, decisively shutting the dolly up. She tore away the very next moment.

“There’s your kiss. Happy?” Pomni grit her teeth, glaring down the hallway. She sulked into the dark depths with aplomb.

“Pomni! What’s gotten into you?!”

“What’s gotten into me? We have less than an hour before this whole adventure falls apart with us stuck inside it! That’s what’s gotten into me!”  

Ragatha narrowed her eyes. She was the farthest thing from naive — not when it came to matters of the heart. Pomni had started acting noticeably off ever since they’d shared their first kiss, and Ragatha wasn’t going to just stand by without at least trying to get to the bottom of it, time limits be damned. 

“Pomni,” said Ragatha, “put me down.”

“What? You’re not serious, are you?!”

“We’re not in high school, Pomni — something’s going on, and we’re going to talk about it. Like adults.”

Pomni grumbled under her breath. Rolling her eyes, she started toward one of the many overzealous couches placed periodically along the walls — the tacky type with legs carved into the shape of animal paws. 

Gently, Pomni did as Ragatha asked, setting the ragdoll down on the silky cushions. Despite her less-than-peachy mood, she still took extra care to make sure Ragatha’s weight was well-centered, and that her shoulders were propped up nicely against the backrest — lest Ragatha end up sliding off and flopping helplessly to the ground. 

“That’s perfect, Sweetheart. Thank you.” Ragatha shifted around, settling into her seat. She looked Pomni in the eyes and patted the empty spot beside her. 

Pomni plopped down with a huff. Like a troublemaking kid stuck in the principal’s office, she crossed her arms tightly, flashing her boots a dirty look. 

“Now, if it’s alright with you…” Ragatha exhaled, hands politely nestled in the lap of her royal dress, “Tell me what’s bothering you. I’m here to listen.”

Pomni’s tightly-wound posture compressed even further. “I just…” she squirmed, making an indecisive sound that drifted back and forth between a guttural groan and a high-pitched whine. “You and me…!”

She shook her head. She flexed her soles against the carpet. She squeezed the century-old, crumbling stuffing out of the century-old, crumbling couch cushions, until…

“I just don’t get it!” Pomni snapped, “Why would someone like you want anything to do with someone like me?”

Ragatha sat up. “H-Huh!?” 

Pomni’s wilting eyes wandered about Ragatha’s body, settling on the freshest injury slashed across the ragdoll’s torso. “You’ve shown me so much kindness. You’ve protected me, you’ve made me smile, you’ve been a friend when I needed one,” Pomni sighed. Her glowering gaze retreated to the floor.  “Meanwhile, I can’t even keep a simple promise to keep you safe.”

“Keep me safe? What—” Ragatha swatted her hand over the winding tear, “—you’re talking about this? Oh, Pomni! So I tore myself up a little! It isn’t—”

“Isn’t my fault? Give me a break — I’m not stupid!” Pomni fanned her fingers across her chest, “You hurting yourself would never have happened if I hadn’t flipped my lid earlier! I don’t get it, Ragatha — why are you so afraid to stand up for yourself?”

“Pomni!” 

“Why would you forgive me after everything I’ve put you through? Why would you kiss me?” Pomni bared her teeth, eyes jumping from bad, to worse, to awful as she regarded the clumps of cotton bulging out of the broken ragdoll. “How do you not despise me?”

Stunned into silence, Ragatha placed her hand over her throat. She could feel it tightening, strangling her from the inside. 

All was quiet. 

For the longest time, Pomni just sat there, rocking back and forth, stewing in the dreadful silence. And when she finally did open her mouth to reply, she flinched as if the reedy sound of her own voice had caught her off-guard:

“Ragatha…?” she croaked, “Do you remember yesterday? When we stopped in that clearing, and that horrible tree monster attacked us?”

Ragatha’s face hardened. She nodded.

“When that…thing had me in its clutches, you didn’t run away. You fought for me. And you saved me.”

Ragatha stared at the shivering woman seated beside her. Now, it was her turn to bask in uncomfortable silence, racking her brain to think of something, anything she could possibly say. The uncertain silence stretched father, farther, farther, until she just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because. All this time,” Pomni wilted. “I’ve been wondering. Wondering why.”

“...Why I saved you?”

Pomni just barely eked out a nod. 

“I mean…do I really need a reason?” Ragatha couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. “You didn’t expect me to just leave you behind, did you?”

White-hot shame simmered behind Pomni’s eyes. Head in her hands, she slumped closer to the floor, trembling voice peaking just above a whisper: “Did you expect me to…?” 

Ragatha snapped to attention, hand flattened against her chest. Pins and needles numbed the tips of her fingers.

So. This was it. 

Finally, they were talking about it.

Ragatha bastioned herself. She took a deep breath, and—

“You don’t have to make excuses for me,” Pomni croaked. She held her musketeer cap over her face, crumpling the wide brim beneath her fingers. “What I did to you…” her pupils retreated, “...it was awful. Just awful.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Ragatha shook her head. “For all of that crazy stuff to happen on your first day? Before you’d even had time to adjust? You were in shock. You were terrified.  It wouldn’t be fair to judge your actions based on—”

“How did you convince yourself that your feelings don’t matter?”

Ragatha’s face fell flat. “...Pardon?”

“I know you’re just trying to be kind. Because that’s the type of person you are,” Pomni said. “But…you need to stop.”

“St-Stop?”

“I hurt you. How do you expect to heal if all we do is dance around it?”

“I…” Ragatha’s mouth slowly shut. She felt utterly transparent — and in the span of a single second, the mental house of cards that she had so carefully constructed for years came crashing down in a big, fluttering heap. 

‘How did you convince yourself that your feelings don’t matter?’ Pomni’s blunt words ricocheted off the walls of her mind. ‘How do you expect to heal if all we do is dance around it?‘

Ragatha wilted. She didn’t know the answer.

She was so accustomed to being the first one to offer a supportive ear, the first one to provide a firm shoulder to cry on, that her own feelings had long ago been exiled to a dusty, long-forgotten corner of her mind. 

Like everyone else, she wanted nothing more than to escape the digital insanity ward she found herself trapped in — but she wasn’t naive enough to believe that desire was anything more than a pipe dream. For now, and maybe forever, her weird little found family of co-prisoners was all she had. And she knew it.

So she had to keep the peace. She had to be the neutral voice of reason, the rock solid foundation that kept everyone bound together — and that balancing act alone was taxing enough. Why in the world would she want to foil that precarious peace with her own petty problems?

But it was…fine. It was. Ragatha had always been good at regulating her own emotions. All she had to do was bury any bothersome thoughts beneath a heap of questionable excuses, paper-thin rationales, and half-baked half-truths until the pesky voices didn’t pester her so much anymore. And just look at her! She was fine. 

Totally fine. No problems here. Nope. 

Shakily, Ragatha swallowed. Her head slumped. Who was she kidding, lying to herself like this…? Why was it so difficult to just be honest about the burden she carried — the pain, the loneliness, the emotional isolation that weighed her down further each day? And why, after all these years, was she just now questioning all of this?

Her heart beat just a little bit faster. Her breathing picked up to match. Her eyes brimmed with tears as, out of nowhere, the obvious answer whisked through her mind:

No one had ever cared to ask. No one besides Pomni.

A cozy sense of safety embraced Ragatha’s heart. She didn’t care to turn away, or hide her face beneath her hands, or wipe away her rolling tears. It was okay to cry here. 

Her wandering, watery eyes heeded the disheveled nest of hat hair that adorned Pomni’s head. They admired the unrelenting dorkiness of the jester’s forced-on musketeer costume. They beheld, as if in a trance, a lovely pair of pinwheels bursting with one-thousand-and-one emotions at once. 

She smiled, warmly and earnestly. So this was what it felt like. To be cared for. 

“Okay then,” Ragatha spoke softly, forcing her mouth to take the shape of the words. She couldn’t help but squirm, tearing open the door on feelings that she’d already worked so hard to lock away. “I’m going to be very frank with you — because I trust you. And I know you trust me.”

Pomni cowered behind her crinkled cap, fingers carving crude lines across the rawhide brim. Her pupils retreated meekly toward the floor. 

Ragatha bit her lip. “Back on your first day, when you left me alone with Kaufmo? Yeah. That hurt. I was confused, and scared, and angry, and…” Ragatha swallowed, “...a-and…”

“And what…?

“And I came closer to losing myself than I ever had before.”

Pomni’s cap wrinkled beneath the jester’s tightened grip. “Wh-what!? You mean…?”

Every jumbled line of code that comprised Ragatha’s digital body shrieked at her to stop, to be a good girl, to shut her big mouth and stop causing drama. Nevertheless, she made her story heard. “I’m not that strong, Pomni,” she said, “I’m just good at hiding my weakness. Probably too good, to be honest…”

“But…but that doesn’t make sense! When I came back to you, your body was all glitchy and flickery — but you weren’t abstracting!”

“Looks can be deceiving.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Think about it. All of us have vastly different digital forms, — so, naturally, they abstract in vastly different ways, too. Whenever I feel myself slipping…” Another tear raced down Ragatha’s face at the thought. She crossed her bulky, dollish hands over her chest, “...it starts on the inside.”

Pomni lowered her cap to her chin, exposing her drooping face. “In your heart?”

Glancing away, Ragatha nodded. She stroked the back of her hand in a self-soothing gesture. “I could feel the threads fraying as soon as we opened Kaufmo’s door. The seams of my heart began to tear open, and this awful coldness spread throughout my body.”

“And…” Pomni hesitated, “...then I left you. All alone. And y-you almost…”

“Yeah. But, you know…” Ragatha met Pomni’s crinkled, shame-stricken gaze, and a smile — a real, genuine smile — put an end to her tears. “...I’m still here. Do you know why?”

“Well, I…” Pomni glanced here and there. Her hat sank further down to cover her chest. “Um…”

“You said it yourself, Sunshine,” Ragatha’s smile made itself comfortable, stretching wider and shining brighter. “You came back.”

 Pomni’s eyes were wide, “I...what?”

“You came back for me, Pomni.” Ragatha pressed her hands against her mouth; her grin grew and grew until it almost looked like she was laughing. “When I heard you plodding down the hall, worried sick, calling after me with that nasally little voice of yours—

“Nasally!?”

“Gosh, you sounded worried sick…” Ragatha giggled, taking Pomni’s hands into hers. “Pomni, just in the handful of days I’ve known you, you’ve proven yourself to be one of the most caring, most courageous, most selfless people I’ve ever met,” Ragatha said. Her thumb glided lovingly against the back of Pomni’s hand, “One mistake doesn’t change that.”

Pomni wasn’t looking back. Her chin quivered slightly, and her hands wriggled stubbornly in Ragatha’s grip.

“Didn’t anybody tell you what happened after that? After I went to find Caine?” Pomni sniffed. “I found a door. I tried to leave. I wasn’t thinking about anyone else except myself, and—” 

“And I forgive you.” Ragatha said. She felt the jester’s shuddering grip tighten around her hands. 

“I’m trying to forgive myself, too.” Pomni glowered at the winding constellations of slices, holes, and cuts wrapped all around Ragatha’s body. She studied their shape closely, her face warping further with every newly-discovered fray. “I’m trying as hard as I can to make up for the way I treated you, but no matter how hard I try, you keep getting hurt. And I just…” she sighed. “...I wish I could go back in time. I wish I could have saved you.”

Ragatha sighed, looking over Pomni’s hands. The poor girl was being so hard on herself — it hurt just to listen to.

Letting go, Ragatha reached into her pocket and produced a round, palm sized box. The transparent lid revealed its contents: A needle, several spools of thread, and a worn-out, heart-shaped pincushion. 

“I…what…?” Pomni blanched. She fastened her cap back on her head. “What is this…?”

Ragatha pressed the container into Pomni’s hands. “You tell me,” she said.

“A…sewing kit?” Pomni held the box up to her ear and gave it a light shake. The contents rattled around inside. “Wait a minute — you just had this on you the whole time?!”

“Uh, well…” Ragatha forced out an awkward laugh, “...kind of?”

“So I did all that work for nothing?!”

“Trust me. It wasn’t for nothing.” Ragatha winked. It was cruel — all she wanted to do was reach over and smother Pomni in a great big hug, but she knew that doing so would only strain her stitches. Confined to her half of the couch, Ragatha gazed pleadingly into Pomni’s eyes, tugging the woman’s arms toward herself with a look that said ‘please, come closer.’

In no time at all, Pomni acquiesced, letting herself be swept into Ragatha’s embrace. Ragatha draped her arms over Pomni’s rigid backside, and rested her forehead against hers. 

“Pomni,” she said, “if you really want to give this a shot, you have to know that one of us is going to screw something up sooner or later. We’re only human, after all, and if there’s one thing every human is good at, it’s #%@$ing up.”

Pomni flinched at the rare curse word out of Ragatha’s mouth — and, for the slightest moment, she even cracked a wary smile. “Yeah,” she snickered, rolling her forehead against the dolly’s. “that’s true…”

Ragatha smiled brighter. “But I know we’ll be okay. We’ll learn from our mistakes, and come out stronger on the other side. Because I love you, and if there’s one thing adventuring with you has taught me…” Ragatha closed Pomni’s fingers around the sewing kit, “...it’s that no matter what happens, we’ll always be there to put each other back together again.”

The kit’s plastic casing whined in Pomni’s ever-tightening grip. Pomni sat in stunned silence — but her tepid breath pounded against Ragatha’s neck just as before. Butterflies swooped and swirled in Ragatha’s stomach as Pomni’s hand combed through the dolly’s cherry-red curls — pinching, petting, rolling frayed twists between her fingers. 

“Ragatha…?”

“Hm?”

Pomni swallowed. “D-Did you just say…” Pomni’s fingers traced a jagged line across the stitched surface of Ragatha's cheek, “...you love me…?”

Ragatha shrugged, casual as could be, “I did, didn’t I?”

A big, stupid smile brightened Pomni’s face. “I—” she stammered, resting her weary head upon the ragdoll’s soft shoulder. “I—” she stuttered still, her weak, wavering voice crumbling to pieces. “I love you, too...”

Ragatha’s heart sang with pure joy. 

She let out a mirthful laugh, squeezing her darling as hard as she could. Pomni squeezed back, and all at once, a wonderful feeling of belonging — of finally returning home after having been away for so long — warmed the ragdoll from her very core.  

“My beautiful little ray of sunshine…” Ragatha spoke through a shuddering smile, running her hands through Pomni’s chestnut hair, breathing in her breathtaking essence. “...I love you with all of my—”

Regrettably — or perhaps not, depending on who you asked — there wasn’t much room for that kind of sentiment between the lines of the Circus’s cold, uncompromising code. Whether or not its players were soulmates, shared the same star sign, or called each other cute little pet names hardly mattered. This heart-pounding adventure was falling apart, and fast. 

Another savage quake shook the mansion’s decrepit foundation. Bricks, metal fittings, and chunks of rotten wood fell like rain. Noxious plumes of who-knows-what poured down from the ceiling. 

Ragatha and Pomni yelped in tandem. And it only got worse from there. 

Instinctively, Ragatha pointed her triangular nose toward the rumbling ceiling — but she did so just in time for a sizeable chunk of falling drywall to clonk her directly on the snout. She cried out, suddenly and sharply, from the dizzying pain. 

The abrupt noise caused Pomni, who still clung to Ragatha, to flinch and lose her balance. She tumbled off the sofa and onto the dirty floor, dragging a wincing Ragatha down with her. They landed in a heap — Ragatha on top, and Pomni squished below. 

All around, rattling chandeliers swung to and fro like crystal pendulums. Antique bookshelves teetered and tottered, vomiting their dusty contents onto the floor. A cavernous fissure split the ceiling with a bloodcurdling crack, spraying forth needles of splintered wood like lethal confetti. 

“R-R-Ragatha!” Pomni ground her teeth, hugging her girlfriend tightly. The back of her head paddled violently against the vibrating floor. “Ow! Ow! Ow!” she cringed in pain…

…but then, just as suddenly as it had started, the rumbling ceased. 

Pomni groaned, opening her eyes again. She blinked in the newfound peace, gawking at the woman laying precariously on top of her. Assorted debris coated the floor around the pair like a blanket of dirtied snow. 

“Oh my gosh! A-Are you—” Pomni hacked up a cloud of grimy dust, “— are you okay?”

“Aww. Look at you, all concerned for little old me,” Ragatha pecked Pomni’s cheek. “Don’t worry. I’m made of cotton. I’ve walked away from way nastier falls than that.” 

“Oh! Yeah. Right,” Pomni blushed. “I keep forgetting we aren’t exactly human anymore...”

“You’re cute.” Ragatha said with a freehearted giggle. She admired her partner’s dorky little hat, the brim of which was entirely covered in grimy mansion-dust. To be fair, though, her own hair likely didn’t fare any better — a fact which Pomni would confirm a moment later:

“Uh…by the way,” Pomni pointed to the left side of her head. “You’ve got a little something here.” 

“Oh, really? A little something?”

“Yeah. And also…” Pomni’s finger jumped around her head, “...here. And here, and here…”

 “Gosh, that’s an awful lot of ‘little somethings’...” Ragatha giggled. “To tell you the truth, you’ve also got something here,” she pointed to one side of her head, “and here. And…”

Ragatha’s voice trailed off. Deliberately, she lowered her head, eyes narrowing. 

The bank of dust atop Pomni’s musketeer cap was…moving. Spinning. All on its own.  Around and around, the miniscule particles ran an endless circuit around the cured leather brim, slowly drifting upward with each completed lap. Before long, the spinning particles had formed an upside-down cone shape — a tiny tornado of dust. Atop Pomni’s head. 

What in the world…? 

Ragatha could only stare, her mouth ajar. She watched through squinting eyes as the vortex grew tighter and taller, bending with purpose the way a blooming flower reached for the sun. She knew she ought to be used to this sort of nonsense by now, but miraculously, the deranged parade of oddities she encountered every day still managed to confound her, even after all these years. At least Jax wasn’t around to chide her for the stupid look on her face. 

“Uh, hellooo? Are you even listening!?” Pomni waved her hand in front of Ragatha’s face, derailing the redhead’s racing train of thought. “What are you staring at?”

Snapped back into the real world — or, at least, a convincing facsimile thereof — Ragatha’s gaze settled on Pomni. Words failed her, and so, she simply pointed.  

With a bewildered blink, Pomni’s eyes followed the slight downward curve of Ragatha’s finger. The jester’s shuddering gaze inched down the corridor, following the length of the swirling vortex until, at last, the anomaly disappeared into the distant darkness. 

Pomni balked, rubbing her eyes. “The #@$% is that…?”

And it only got weirder from there. 

A second whirlwind — sourced from a pile of debris on a nearby bookshelf — formed in the same way. It stretched down the corridor, fading into the pitch black just like its predecessor. A third, made from the dust coating a palisade of pulverized paintings, came next. A fourth followed suit, then a fifth, a seventh, a tenth, a twentieth — until the vast network of swirling arteries was far too numerous to count. 

Though difficult to make out in the dark, the endpoint of each vortex intersected at a single, unified point. There, an amorphous, filthy cloud began to form. It swelled larger — and larger, and larger — inhaling each and every speck of filth that had accumulated in the hallway. Then, like a mound of clay molded by supernatural hands, the cloud’s shapeless form gradually began to define itself:

A snaking, trunk-like body, made up of dozens of interlocking segments. A pair of gaunt, twitching appendages flanked each of these sections, sprouting one after the next like an infestation of wriggling weeds. A final segment, sporting two nasty spikes, capped off the end. A set of peering eyes, gnashing pincers, and twitching antennae distinguished the head. 

Ragatha whimpered, shrinking away from her worst nightmares made manifest.

It was a centipede. Filth and disease incarnate. A grotesque, fetid creature from hell, standing one foot taller than her and extending longer than her eyes could even perceive. 

The dolly’s patchwork heart seized within her chest. Jittering, black spots infested her blurring vision, dancing without a care as the narrow walls of the haunted corridor closed in. 

The hall was spotless now; every last speck of dust and debris had been funneled into the beast’s frightening form. And so, with its formation complete, the creature came to life.

“P-Pomni…!” Ragatha gasped, roughly clutching her chest. Something had snapped. Something inside of her. No. No, no, no, no, no. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t happening. 

The centipede turned. Snap. 

The centipede cocked its head. Snap. 

The centipede creeped closer, and closer, and closer still, its long, slender legs chattering loudly against the floor. Snap. Snap. Snap.

“Pomni! P-Please…!”

The fragile seams of Ragatha’s heart popped one-by one, stretched out to their absolute limit. A cold, barren sensation slithered out of the organ with every stuttering pump, numbing all that dared to touch its toxic essence.

///

My Ko-fi - Tips are very much appreciated! :)

[First Chapter] [Next Chapter - Coming soon!]

*dies of exhaustion on top of keyboard*

[hermesserpent-stuff]

Potential script idea for billy batson s radio show segment

The whizz radio intro tones-

Billy Batson then starts speaking through a slightly crackly radio as Fawcett is a city someone lost to time, given its connection to the Rock of Eternity.

---

Welcome to WHIZZ Radio: where we give the latest news, truths, and view in Fawcett City. Brought to you by your host, me, billy Batson.

Starting off with community news, make sure to visit the shrine of Atlas sometime this week with an offering. Cap mentioned that there might be a need for endurance next week, and we should all probably listen. Additional reminder, the festival of Zeus will be happening this Saturday. Stay away from odd looking geese, metal poles and don't fulfill any selfcrearting proficies in a fit of hubris.

Onto traffic!

Main Street and Fifth Avenue are both still under construction from Dr. Sivannas attack and the demon portal last Thursday and Friday. Ms. Marvel and Cap. both played a role in clearing the debris, but there are still major cracks and fissures to Hades. Expect delays.

Now the weather.

Today's forecast includes thick over cast clouds; a good time for summoning souls. Be sure to greet both the living in the dead while going about your day and don't for get that umbrella! There is a slight chance of curses with intermittent showers.

Alright! Time to quickly cover the Capes and Crooks news bulletin. Dr. Sivanna is still missing after his recent bout with Cap. Since he interrupted one of Mercury's races down at the track, no one is quite sure when the Roman god took him. If you happen to see him, please be sure to give Cap a ring to come pick him up.

Keep your eyes peeled for Mr. Mind. The worm escaped prison… again. Holy moly. You'd think they'd make better prisons for him. What is this, the fourth time in two weeks?

*Noise indistinct*

I know, I just figured that out listeners would likely have the same comment. I don't see why I shouldn't point it out of its true

*Indistinct noise again*

Alright! Fine. Moving on from that.

Today's radio broadcast is brought to you by Saturn's candy. Nothing so sweet as a stick of magic you can eat! Try their Caramel cookie candy bars, now with cooked in bloodline curse protect. If your looking for a spot of luck, try their cinnamon apply candy sticks. Saturn's candy. A proud sponsor of WHIZZ Radio!

*Little jingle*

Welcome back to the program. Time for our sister citys segment.

This reporter has just been told by his producers to issue an apology to Black Adam for statements said during this segment of yesterday's broadcast.

*An aside*

Do I have too?

*Indistinct noise*

Fine.

I am. Sorry. For calling you a craized up old fart with too much free time.

There.

Moving on!

Kahndaq currently is continuing negotiations with both the Justice League and the UN to gain a seat at the UN table. Or be allowed in the UN room. While Fawcett recognizes Kahndaq as sovereign, the rest of the world stills sees the country as illegitimate.

Aside from tense meetings, and Black Adam being a kook who keeps coming to mess with Cap due to having a grudge unbecoming of a literal king and ancient man child, Kahndaq is doing fine. The economy is flourishing, despite limited imports and exports due to sanctions. The letters sent by Fawcetts finest and kindest citizens were well received and we should hear back soon if Mercury has anything to do with it.

It's time once again for Billy's opinion of the day.

This week!

Cans and their many used.

Not only do cans offer one of the best ways to have long term storable food, but they also make awesome weapons! We got to see this on Friday when Marvel Jr. and Captain Marvel went toe to toe with demons using a barrage of cans. And the food was still good to eat after the fight!! I love it when things are multi purposed. Now if only they could close the rifts down to Hades…

*Chimes*

Oh! Mercury just dropped a fresh bit of mail! Thank you Mercury! Watch out for old men wandering around. It seems like the Greek and Roman gods are looking to bless and curse some folks today.

Do good, and good will follow.

And keep an eye on the sky for lightning!

This has been Billy Batson, signing off!

[professorlaytonarchive]

Dear fellow Professor Layton fans! I’m writing this post to explain the timeline of events about the search for Mansion of the Deathly Mirror to clear up any misconceptions or missing information you may have.

To start, Professor Layton and the Mansion of the Deathly Mirror (レイトン教授と死鏡の館 ) is a game in the Professor Layton series that was exclusively released for mobile. It was available on Professor Layton Mobile. The game features a brand new story formed by 6 chapters in total. Each chapter was his own i-appli, and they were released every two weeks starting from October 2008. As of June 2024, a translation of the original version is in the works, with the first chapter already released and as of September 2024 all 6 chapters have been preserved

Professor Layton and the Mansion of the Deathly Mirror -Remix- (レイトン教授と死鏡の館 -REMIX-) is an updated version of Professor Layton and the Mansion of the Deathly Mirroravailable to i-Mode devices through the Professor Layton Mobile and Mobile R portal. This version has different puzzles, slightly better animations and slightly different dialogues compared to the original version.

Synopsis

Professor Layton and his number one apprentice, Luke Triton, are invited to a party hosted by famous author Drevin Murdoch. At this party, he reveals to be in possession of a mirror that allows the attendants to talk to the dead. However, after Murdoch is found dead the following morning, it's up to Layton and Luke to find out the truth behind the Deathly Mirror, and the secrets Murdoch's Mansion holds.

(Credit: Keitai Wiki)

Chapter 1: A Single Piece

In 2014, a streamer managed to record the first three chapters of Deathly Mirror. A little while after, the streamer began to be harassed by multiple fans, eventually leading them to take down the videos. Due to the lack of preservation efforts at the time, the videos weren’t saved.

Years later, bits and pieces—such as screenshots, articles, and press videos—were found, but nothing concrete.

Chapter 2: A Picture Forming

In May of 2023, a Japanese fan posted the first part of what would become a complete playthrough of all six chapters of Mansion of the Deathly Mirror Remix. This was monumental for the Layton Lost Media (LLM) scene. However, during the 11 months it took to release the full playthrough, there were some difficulties with Western fans. The issues included harassment of the player for more videos, begging for the ROM (despite the player clearly stating they were afraid of Japan’s strict piracy laws), and other forms of harassment.

This period caused uncertainty and worry throughout the Layton Lost Media community, leading the community to strictly instruct members to cease any future contact with the player to prevent the playthrough from being lost before its completion. Around the same time, in February of 2024, thanks to the help of the user @/ponkikipon on Discord, we were able to preserve the ROMs of the original chapters 1-3. In April 2024, the playthrough of Remix came to an end with the release of the video for the sixth chapter. This allowed for the formation of Team Enigma, which sought to fully remake both the original and remixed versions of the game into one package, translate the original game into English, and expand their efforts into other translation projects. Chapter 1 is currently fully translated and available.

Chapter 3: The Final Piece

In September 2024, Keitai Wiki and a user by the name of @/yuvi on Discord managed to locate chapters 4-6 on a junk phone, marking the full preservation of the original Mansion of the Deathly Mirror. This allowed Team Enigma to bypass multiple roadblocks in the development of the remake and translation.

Please show your support by supporting Keitai Wiki, Team Enigma, and Team Professor Layton Archive.

https://x.com/rockmancosmo/status/1834626811646599498?s=46&t=r1PBA7kkYm_L_o06jhQMgw

[porter-pumpkim]

more about echo!

OK, mixing my DID Zane headcannon with the echo as mr E au

I like to think echo did get closer to Zane post season 9, he still hates Jay and nya but he's seen how much Zane has to go through and has decided Zane is a decent brother aside from letting himself be used as a meat shield

Cue Zane getting banished, echo is increadibly pissed! Once again Zane is self destructive and sacrafices his life for someone else's and nobody stopped him! He couldn't stop him- so of course he joins the crew to get Zane back,

During their time in the realm the conclusion Zane was captured by the emperor happens, and echo likely either goes with Lloyd to the castle, or tries to go off alone but ends up running into Lloyd on the way anyway, either way he ends up at the ice emorrors castle eventually

(aoso ngl i think echo and akita would realky vibe, both of them are here to find their missing brothers, and both take their jobs very serieously)

And echo sees him. Zane. broken and battered under old armor coated in ice, those once kind bright blue eyes now coming off as cold and ruthless, judging those who dared intrude on his territory,

"Zane? Brother?" Its the smallest echos voice has sounded in a long time, so close to that helpless little boy in the lighthouse, rather than the ruthless biker he still pretends he is

Of course the emperor is confused, why did this stranger call him brother? And why do they seem so... familiar?

But vex knows what he's doing, and spouts another lie "don't act like you're innocent! We all know what you did to dethone your own brother! And you come here expecting forgiveness!?"

Unknowingly, this lie slots in perfect with ice emperors scrambled memories from host and titanium zane, yes, he does have a brother, a younger brother who their father didn't care for, so that brother joined a rival emperor and helped dethrone him! This must be why he can hardly remember anything, clearly his brother was jealous and did something to him in hopes he'd never rule again! To the dungeons with him.

Echo is infuriated, he knows what vex is doing, the sons of garmadon did the same to him. Echo refuses to beg or plead, instead lashing out at vex, angrily cursing him for what HE did to Zane, but vex frames Echo for projecting everything he had supposedly done onto vex to confuse the emperor, and the main cast still end up in the dungeons

Aoso later in the final fight, I like to think it's nothing echo and Lloyd getting through to host Zane that brings him back, echo pleading, "please don't turn out like i did, don't listen to him!" And of course, the reminder of their base programming, to protect those who can't protect themselves.

Also ngl Zane gonna be waaaayyy more fucked up by the time he gets home, bro is not smiling when he walks through that portal.

Aoso I think the relationship between echo and ice emperor would be inturesting, as ice emperor has a complete different perception of it, yes they're brothers, but ice emperor sees echo as a scorned prince who wished for the glory snd power ice emperor was given, and while Zane forgave echo for what he did under the sons of garmadon, Zane is a kind hearted and forgiving teen, while emperor is a jaded old man, he's likely still suspicious of echo and may still see him as a threat.

[runby2]

"Our Constellation" is a homebrew tabletop session run by my polycule and I. I am the DM, and this game is a little passion project for us. To help others join the experience by listening in every Wednesday and watching the world grow, we've started a small little discord server to host our sessions live!

In this modern fantasy, a party of 3 retired and now rehired heroes work for an elf named Calavash Spiece, who runs his family company at his manor with his brother Coriander. It's sort of like a fantasy Buc-ees. For some reason he's hiring adventurers now, and not just chefs to work at the in-manor tavern. I hope those weird portals opening up around the world have nothing to do with it. Those are scary! Listen in to our live little podcast, and become immersed in this world with us!

Sessions are 8:00PM weekly EST, and in the session channel, listeners will be muted to give a non-overwhelming experience. We even have a little chat room if you'd like to say something while listening! Hope to see you there, and safe travels through the continents of Arbor!

JOIN OUR humble little server below! Feel free to share your own fantasy tabletop OCs as well! We love to hear from other creators! <3 You must be an adult to join, as the topics in the session may be disturbing to some listeners.

we're only accepting up to 25 members with this link - and if everything goes well, we'll remake the link so more of you can join in! so hop in the tavern while it's hot! tomorrow 9/25/24 will be our first live session with an audience! <3

TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNINGS BELOW! [they're in the server rules channel too but just in case!]

in-character yelling [if a character is angry, we scream as the character. I know this may be common knowledge that tabletop fantasy roleplay has drama and loud scenes as we act them out, but some may not know! we love each other irl, and we are not actually angry. we're at the same table with each other as we play!]

substance use [characters and npcs in game may use stimulants or ingest alcohol]

fantasy violence

body horror

abusive relationships [manipulation, sibling enmeshment - all that usually comes with conflict or dark fantasy/media.]

mentions of injuries

trauma recovery

humorous mlm divorce drama [two party members are divorced]

fictional children in dangerous situations [there may be kid NPCs that have to be rescued!]

cult mentions / interactions [run by a DM who is a cult survivor.]

overall, despite these warnings, Our Constellation is an adventure comedy, and we strive for a happy ending for every character.

[animaticbattleconfessions]

i love how most of the confessions here are just theories at this point /silly

anyways i’m gonna share my theory as well cause they look fun! :33 (why does tumblr not allow images on anonymous grgrgr)

so if im expanding on this theory i personally believe that every show that Greeny makes, along with shows that are owned by his friends are all connected, cancelled or not. some characters know of Greeny’s existence, while others don’t.

but where do these shows reside?

GREENY’S HAT

not only is Animatic seen, but also Happy Star & possibly a Quaddy Quarrel character, judging by the square shape (QQ is gonna appear in this theory a lot *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*.) other than those two, everything else that’s shown are just a bunch of scribbles.

BUT! the lore gets deeper, because these shows are capable of interacting with one another by the use of portals, it’s unknown how many portals there are however there are 3 portals that are shown.

the first, & most obvious one is DON’T, it’s seen in OF 9 when it’s revealed that when Bowling Ball disappeared he “went somewhere & then went through there.” this sounds like nothing, however another possible QQ character (maybe window square??) is seen next to Bowling Ball while he’s saying all of this stuff as seen by their square shape, so it’s likely that Bowling Ball traveled through shows.

the second portal that’s known was seen in “The OBS x Animatic Battle x ITFT x BFDI x PPT2 Experience” on Sacri’s channel. This further confirms that characters from shows that are owned by Greeny’s friends can also interact, even if the show has been cancelled. OBS is related to Happy Star (both made by Sacri) & Happy Star appears in Greeny’s hat.

the last, & the least known portal is actually ambiguously a portal, or at least not a normal one. unlike the examples shown above where you go from one place to another, this is one place that can take you to multiple different places & is described by Microwave as “going in between the cracks, metaphorically but also literally.” it’s seen in Battle for America 5, & it’s unknown what places it can lead to, however it’s been seen taking Microwave to (not in order)

1. OF, most likely after Cane’s Cup’s win

2. a red void with a loud ear piercing sound

3. a BFB AU where Deodorant (another BFA contestant) is featured as one of the characters

4. a white void filled with “Smile, You’re on camera!” posters

5. minecraft.

6. the main area of Thanksgiving Throwdown (for the challenge)

7. a place that SEEMS to be a normal object show, only the contestants aren’t objects (one being a black rhombus with a blue face & the other being a white tall thing with rainbow teeth.) idk how to describe the scene it’s just so odd + tumblr only allows 10 images on mobile

BUT THE STORY DOESN’T END HERE

i’ve mentioned QQ a lot during this theory, & that’s because AB & QQ have a lot of similarity’s.

number 1: the hosts are both common 2-D shapes, with Animatic being a circle & Awesome Square being a square

number 2: they both eliminate their contestants using squares, which could imply that the eliminated QQ contestants & the eliminated AB contestants end up going to the same place

but most importantly,

CHEEZ-IT.

the ONLY difference between these Cheez-Its is that they have different recommenders (AB Cheez-It being recommended by Eclair & QQ Cheez-It being recommended by ShirtyXD’s IPad) & one has arms while the other doesn’t. but it’s still only a couple of differences, so I predict that the Cheez-Its know each other & therefore they’re aware about Greeny as well.

thats where these three theories come in, if both Animatic & Cheez-It are aware of Greeny & the other shows he made, then this leads us with SO MANY questions. what will the Cheez-Its do with this information? what will Animatic do with this information? does Animatic know about QQ Cheez-It?? does QQ Cheez-It know about Animatic?? do Animatic & Cheez-It have a plan?? do the Cheez-Its have a plan?? WHAT IS THE PLAN??? DO THEY NEED THE GREENYGUY2 FOR IT???? IF NOT THEN DO THEY NEED WHATEVER THE PRIZE FOR QQ IS???? WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY WIN?????

anyways that’s like,,, my first theory that i wrote ever so i’m sorry if it sounds confusing!!

.

[dicenne]

November DWC 2024 Day 7 - Peculiar This is a bit of a combination story for @dicenne and @talonoa

Dicenne smiled brightly at the older man, “So what do you think?”

Talonoa crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair as he considered the request. It wasn’t a terrible idea, celebrating Pilgrim’s Bounty here at their camp and inviting family and friends to Dornogal to celebrate with them for a day. Not everyone would have been able to go home anyways, and the city itself was somewhat safe at the moment. No worse than a lot of other major cities, at least. Their mages could portal people directly into the camp as well to avoid having to walk through the entire city to get here. 

Naturally, the safety logistics were at the forefront of his mind, always wanting to ensure his crew was safe and secure. With extra people he would feel extra on edge, but at the same time nothing had happened to them in Dornogal. The city’s perimeter was well guarded and he had become well acquainted with the surrounding mercenary camps. 

Seeing friends and family was always a morale booster, and a lot of the crew would likely appreciate being able to show their loved ones what their work was like. It also meant he would probably have to meet all these people and make pleasant small talk for hours. Not his strong suit, but he respected his crew, and by extension their families, and wanted to show it.

“Fine, but the rest of you get to plan the festivities and you need to keep me updated with every step. I will take care of the extra security needed, but if something comes up between then and now, we’ll need to cancel it.” Talon offered his own smile in return. It may have looked a little peculiar coming from him given he typically presented a blank or slightly vexed expression, but he also tried his best to be friendly and fair with everyone. 

“Thank you, you’ll have a great time, I know it.” Dice departed Talon’s tent with a skip in his step, off to relay the news to the others. 

He would need to get a head count of how many people would be coming, coordinate with their mages to get some portals out at specific meeting points, and suck up to their head chef so he could at least be in charge of the turkeys and other meats (he was very specific about that, after all). They would need extra food and drink, tables, chairs, a large tent, some music, decorations, and much more. It was a lot, but it would be worth it. Luckily, the long-time member of the Succulent Tart had ‘just a little’ experience in planning such events. He wouldn’t have been able to host his usual open house in Ratchet for the holiday for all the strays having nowhere else to go, and this was an excellent alternative. Kara had been wanting to come to Dornogal for a visit and this was the perfect opportunity for her to do so.

@themercenaries @karaamberlight @daily-writing-challenge

[ma1dita]

solipsism timeline/lore expansion

link to fic -> solipsism - an extreme form of idealism that denies that the human mind has any valid ground for believing in the existence of anything but itself. At the beginning of the first scene, trouble thinks she’s making Luke up in her mind, like a lot of things after she leaves, but concurs that maybe it’s the best thing she’s done.

This fic is heavily inspired by Doctor Who, specifically the Doctor & River Song’s diverging(?) timelines. If you haven’t watched the show, here are the things you need to know for this fic:

The more Luke sees trouble, the more she knows about what he’s done to fulfill the prophecy. The more trouble sees Luke, he’s increasingly unaware of what is ahead and the things he will do.

Trouble first meets him at his oldest before errrr…. TLO. The last time she sees him after her graduation, she’s visited by a version of him that had just signed his soul away to Kronos. Their timelines are going in opposite directions.

This is all made possible by Backbiter, Luke’s sword that is established in the show/novel to be able to create time portals. Luke can literally chill in limbo for as long as he wants.

That makes this fic special, because it exists in timeline established on the masterpost, but also in snippets between fics, in which some are not even published yet.

He does not visit her when they’re 22. Honestly because it was a terrible fucking year, lots of people die, and he can’t face her.

Now hang on to your seats and bear with me as I explain ‘where’ they are in each scene.

Introduction takes place right before the second scene, but I use it as a placeholder since its outside of the ‘timeline’. Luke prayed to Hestia to protect trouble as seen in trouble’s coming for you and it’s assumed he continues to do so even after his betrayal. She has always been his home.

first scene: Takes place close to a year after Luke’s defection from camp, a few weeks after trouble (20 y/o) visits Annabeth in Virginia. Healing has been difficult for her and in no way is it linear—so she thinks she’s wasted when she sees a 23 year old Luke taking her home from the bar. In his timeline, he has given his body post Battle of the Labyrinth to be a host and is barely there. The tiny sliver of humanity left in him wants to see her, even if it hurts so he takes over for a bit. This is his last chance of seeing her through his own eyes.

second scene: Takes place right after Hestia visits trouble, later in the day. This is the only instance in this fic where they are the same age and relatively in the same timeline. For trouble, it is fall, after The Sea of Monsters, in which that was the last time she saw him (and the first time she saw ‘her’ Luke after the betrayal. Luke is 21 here, but he’s experienced the events from The Titan’s Curse in which Thalia kicks his ass off a cliff. After being saved by Kronos, he goes to see trouble (and gets rightfully socked in the face).

third scene: Takes place after The Titan’s Curse, and trouble (21 y/o) is ringing in the new year after Luke disappears from the cliff and is found to be somewhere, but alive. Luke is (hc almost 20) freshly running from having slashed Percy and betraying his friends. The portal you saw him open in the show? Yeah he ran straight to her. I have no more words.

fourth scene: Takes place the morning of trouble’s graduation in the spring, four years later right before The Last Olympian. She’s lost her little brother, lost faith in Luke (we’ll hash this out when we get there folks), and then Luke (19 y/o) visits her from a few days after he complies to working with Kronos. There is nothing she can do to change his mind—its a prophecy after all. But despite everything, trouble (22 y/o) wants to protect him, so she encourages the boy she loves despite everything she knows he has done to hurt her and their friends. In the end, that love never goes away for both of them, on opposite sides of it all.

[thatonebipotato]

SURPRISE I actually forced myself to sit down and talk about my au for once! YIPPEE!!!! So here it is: my Dreamfeaster AU :D!!

[CONTENT WARNINGS: nightmares, sleepwalking, emotional manipulation, physical manipulation, physical violence, mental decline]

Bill is more of a parasite here. After his home dimension was destroyed, he got trapped between the space of the second and third dimensions, only being able to interact with dreamscapes. Dreams have a certain amount of power/magic, which he consumes to sustain himself, since he technically doesn't exist anywhere. Dreams from creative/smart types have more power behind them. Switching hosts takes a lot of energy and is entirely random; he is simply pulled to the dreams like a magnet. He usually ends up in creative minds bc they have a stronger pull.

He has the power to manipulate the fabric of a dream to be whatever he wants, and when he eats a dream, the dreamer won't be able to remember it. Dreams keep him alive, but nightmares fuel him. When he needs a little pick-me-up, he'll induce a nightmare to eat. The removal of a dream will wear the host down over time, and it is even worse with a nightmare, as the host will wake up terrified but not recall why. Eventually, the hosts mind will be broken, and their dreams will start coming up blank. When that happens, he'll need to swap hosts.

Another side effect of his presence is sleepwalking. Eventually, the host will start experiencing sleepwalking, which can often put them into danger. Especially when the nightmares start.

One day, Bill attaches to the mind of one Stanford Pines. Ford is a lucid dreamer and takes the time to try interacting with Bill. Bill, who's run into lucid dreamers before and never had any try reaching out to him before, chalks it up to a fluke and ignores him before eating the dream. The next time they meet, Ford goes through the exact same motions, and Bill realizes he's different.

They get to talking, Ford telling Bill about his life and offering companionship, and Bill offering the knowledge he's acquired from past hosts over the years. Bill takes on a form that he thinks will please Ford more(it does), and Ford starts taking notes on the dream demon. Eventually, they come to the topic of how Bill got to where he is, and Bill explains his situation. Bill makes an off-hand comment about a device that could weaken a point in the dimensions so that he can slip through and start actually existing, and Ford's like "bet".

So Ford calls up an old college friend to help him with making this device: a portal that could potentially tear through the fabric of reality, creating a soft spot that the demon could tear through.

The portal is making good progress, and life is going great. They decided to run a test to see if the portal would work. It does, but it's very unstable, so they need to work out the finer details so that Bill can safely cross through. Ford tells Bill this when he enters the dreamscape, and Bill is ecstatic. Everything is great, and nothing is wrong in any way!

Until Ford starts sleepwalking.

Ford being not only aware of Bill's presence but also actively his friend(and maybe more...) has slowed down his mental decline by a lot, but some things can never be delayed.

Ford brings this up with Bill, who seems a little shocked but not surprised. He's like, "Oh yeah, that uh... that happens. You were different, so I kinda thought that maybe it wouldn't happen." So Ford's like, "Oh! Um. Can you like. Stop??" and Bill's like, "Quite literally no. Sorry." And Ford's like, "Hm, alright, I'll uh......... I'll figure it out."

So Ford deals with it but it's getting a little bit in the way of his actual life(things being broken or misplaced, his notes/information going missing, his food spoiling bc he accidentally knocked the fridge open, etc etc.), so he asks Fiddleford to help keep Ford safe and such(basically they baby proof the house).

After a while, Ford starts looking for other ways to get rid of Bill. He finds a few, but they all involve killing or severely injuring the guy, so Ford's like, "Mm no, I'll hold off on these. I don't wanna do that. We're friends :(." The sleepwalking gets worse, but it's still manageable, and Ford is still looking for ways to remove him, but literally can't find anything that gives him the result he wants/would even work.

It's going alright, with the portal coming along well and Ford's sleepwalking still manageable, but it is still getting worse, and he's also kinda starting to see things and have memory issues. It comes to a point when Bill catches glimpses of Ford looking for other ways to get rid of him and misunderstands horribly, thinking that he's trying to kill him. They get into a big fight about it, and it escalates until Bill starts weaving the dream into a nightmare, and Ford wakes up.

Ford is then left waking up from nightmares with no recollection of them for the next 2 weeks, which is starting to make him spiral mentally. Ford's parasomnia develops into the RSBD(REM sleep behavior disorder) kind. Essentially, he starts responding to his dreams in real life. This results in many injuries like bruises, cuts, and small fractures that he has absolutely no clue how they got there, but they're getting worse and worse.

Eventually, Fiddleford has to move in with Ford to help him stay safe. Fiddleford is very concerned about him, but Ford keeps putting his concerns aside because he understands why this is happening. "It's a misunderstanding, Fidds. Once he realizes that we're still helping him, he'll calm down, don't worry." So every night, Ford gets strapped down into bed, in a room with several locks on the one door and no windows.

The nightmares don't stop, but Ford isn't getting hurt anymore, so they carry on as regular. Ford still isn't remembering any of his dreams, but he's so sure that if he can just get to Bill, then everything would be ok.

In the dreamscape, Ford tries convinving Bill to just listen and calm down. Bill is being difficult though, and just like before it just continually escalates, until Bill's taunting Ford about how shitty his life is. He then starts showing him terrible things, like his parents being disappointed in him, his brother dying, Fiddleford leaving him, etc etc. Ford, out of anger, pins Bill under him and starts hitting him, basically just like "I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU WHY ARE YOU BEING SO SHITTY RIGHT NOW DUDE, JUST LISTEN TO ME."

Bill's laughing the whole time, and Ford stops briefly to ask him why. Bill basically just mocks him, telling him that he'll never amount of anything, and that they've been through this scenario so many times, and how Ford always gets mad at him for being the irrational one but their interactions somehow always end up the exact same way, and how he'll make sure this one counts. Ford's about to ask him what he means by that, but then he wakes up and realizes that he actually just beat the shit out of Fiddleford.

He gets off of him and goes into a panic bc he literally just beat up his friend, so he goes to get a first aid kit, but when he comes back Fiddleford is already halfway out the door. Fiddleford tells him that him coming here was a mistake, that he's lost so much, and he thought maybe if they could make this work it'd be worth it, but it's gotten to be too much and he just can't do this anymore.

Ford is left alone in that house, finally being able to remember the dream from only a few minutes ago, realizing how bad things have been fucked.

He decides to go through with just killing Bill, but his progress in getting the needed materials gets thwarted every time he falls asleep. He decides to just try staying awake, but his intense sleep deprivation means he keeps getting things wrong, so nothing works, and the cycle continues repeating.

Despite knowing that Bill quite literally can not harm him himself, Ford begins an intense downward spiral of thinking that he can. Seeing how he can be physically manipulated when he's asleep, but the intense amounts of anxiety, paranoia, and depression he's getting from the nightmares, the sleep deprivation, and the effects that dream removals play on his psyche, Ford decides to hide the journals to keep them safe from Bill, and then he'll destroy the portal.

The portal incident with Stanley plays as normal, though Ford is just a little bit more wired during it. Yada yada, fight between brothers, yada yada, Ford ends up through the portal.

Going through the portal separates Bill from Ford's head, as it was supposed to, and sends him to the Nightmare Realm.

From here the story is still being worked out, so I'll make a separate post later on about what happens in the 30 years Ford's gone and then Weirdmageddon :)

[wolfjackle-creates]

The Two Ghost Motel

So, as I mentioned, I joined the DP Ecto-Implosion Event this past month and it's Posting Week now! So I get to finally share with you the first chapter of my fic. Still working on editing the second half of the fic, but it's fully written as of this time.

For those who don't know, for the Ecto-Implosion event, artists drew/animated/composed some piece of art and writers then went in and wrote fics based off their art.

I was lucky enough to be paired with the super talented @i-think-in-metaphors who made this gorgeous artwork:

You can read on AO3 here (this fic is not locked to AO3 users only).

And for those of you who prefer to read on Tumblr:

Word Count: 5k

Warnings: Minor Original Character Death (not in this chapter)

Fandom: DPxDC (though no knowledge of DC is necessary for this fic. I use a single character and he has amnesia, it takes place in an original setting or Amity)

Summary:

Danny is tired. Endless ghost fights with too many responsibilities and too little time; he barely passed sophomore year. When Ember visits town for a bit of fun, she mentions the Two Ghost Motel, a place of peace and refuge for restless ghosts who aren't ready to cross over. “I’m fine, Ember.” Danny’s got a home and friends. He’s fine, really. But when his parents begin experimenting with electricity to destabilize ghosts, it’s too much for Danny. Unfortunately, neither Sam nor Tucker can host him for the night and he’s left wandering in the night, alone. Then he sees it: The Two Ghost Motel. He checks in. “Welcome.”

-----

Danny wasn’t sure when he first saw the neon sign. Honestly, he didn’t even realize it was something ghostly when he did. He just thought it was one more ghost-themed business that had come to Amity since the portal opened.

But when he mentioned the motel to Sam and Tucker, they looked at him like he was crazy.

“I’ve never heard of any Two Ghost Motel,” said Sam. “Where’d you see it?”

Tucker was typing into his PDA. “Nothing’s coming up online, either.”

“Oh come on, you’re pulling my leg. We’ve passed it at least a half dozen times. Last night when we were leaving Nasty Burger for one! And I think, what, three nights before that? On patrol? Where were we?”

“Dude, that night we were near the library. No where near Nasty Burger. No way you could’ve seen the same place both nights,” said Tucker.

“Danny, when was the last time you got a full night’s sleep?” Sam’s brow was knit in concern.

Danny waved off her concern. “Whatever. I know I’ve seen it. The sign is bright pink and orange with blue ghosts on it.”

Sam just shrugged and shook her head. “Point it out next time you see it.”

Before Danny could reply, his ghost sense went off and he groaned. “Ugh, looks like someone’s around. I’m too tired for this.” Danny glanced around. They were in the park and no humans were nearby so he let his transformation wash over him.

He flew into the air and tried to listen past the sound of his breaths echoing through his mask. Even though he didn’t breathe when transformed, something about the hazmat suit remembered and the sound was inescapable.

A guitar chord played behind him and Danny instinctively threw up a shield and fell ten feet right as a blast from Ember’s instrument headed his way.

“Hey there, baby-pop!” she called. “I was sitting around, bored out of my mind, when I remembered I could just come here to have some fun!”

Danny turned to face her. “Come on, Ember.” His voice always sounded so robotic when filtered through the mask. “I’m tired.”

“Too bad. I’m not.” She grinned at him and strummed a few notes, sending more attacks his way.

Danny dodged, only to have to watch one of the blasts hit a bench and destroy it. He flew higher, hoping her next attacks wouldn’t cause more collateral that would be blamed on him.

“What, you just gonna dance around like that? Come on, attack back!”

“My moves not good enough for you?”

“You need to step it up if you want to be my back up dancer.”

Danny couldn’t help but laugh and when she sent her next blast his way, he avoided it by doing a backwards dive towards the ground only to circle back up until he was facing her. “How’s that?”

“Better, but you’re still not there. Your moves have to match the music!” She played a tune with a fast beat and Danny dodged and spun. And if he added some flair to his movements, well, he deserved the chance to have a little fun.

Another blast his way, and he twisted his hips. Matching Ember’s beat, he sent a few ectoblasts back at her.

Ember laughed. “Now you’re catching on!”

Danny allowed himself a quick glance down where he saw Sam and Tucker not even trying to hide. Tucker was filming them.

Which, of course, is when it all had to be ruined by the unmistakable sounds of the GAV driving cross-country.

“Through the park?” he moaned. “Seriously?”

“Shit, that’s your folks, isn’t it.”

“Yeah. C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

“You’ve got it, babypop. I came here for fun, not to mess with them.”

The GAV came to a stop and Danny saw his mom rush out of the passenger side with one of their new, long-distance guns. He tacked Ember, only just getting her out of the way of the blast.

Without any discussion, both turned invisible and flew out of the park. Danny didn’t let them stop until they were in a forest out of range of his parents’ trackers. Exhaustion set back in as soon as he realized they were safe, and he just plopped down on the ground and leaned against a tree.

“Ready to resume your dancing lessons?” asked Ember.

Danny groaned and rested his head against the rough bark. It was probably stupid, but he let his eyes close. “Maybe next time. I meant it when I said I’m tired.”

She didn’t say anything as one, two, three breaths sounded from his mask. And then he heard some leaves rustle. He cracked open an eye to see Ember making herself comfortable on the ground a few feet away.

“You really are tired, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah. Finals are coming up and if I don’t do well, I’m going to fail sophomore year.”

“Y’know, I’ve heard of a place…”

Danny waited for her to continue, but when she didn’t, he hummed. “A place?”

“Yeah. Haven’t been there myself. But, there’s this place. It’s for ghosts who aren’t ready to move on from Earth just yet. Ghosts who live only on Earth without ever going the Zone get tired and weak. There’s just not enough ectoplasm around. Except for here, of course.”

“So what’s this place do?”

“Gives you somewhere to rest. And recharge. It’s not really on Earth. It’s a sort of in between place. Called the Two Ghost Motel. Might be worth checking in for a night if you ever don’t want to be at home for one reason or another.”

Danny hummed. “I’ve seen it around. Thought it was just a regular motel, but Sam and Tucker didn’t know what I was talking about.”

Ember picked out a tune on her guitar, but this time no attacks emanated from it. “It’s not a place for the living from what I’ve heard. Just the dead.”

Danny looked up at the stars through the tree branches, but he shook his head. “I’m fine, Ember. Just need to get some sleep.”

“Whatever you say, baby-pop.”

---

After that conversation with Ember, the motel began basically haunting him. Every night, as soon as dusk started to fall, he’d see it. Always a few streets away, just sitting there calling to him; it’s sign bright in the dark.

Sam and Tucker couldn’t see it, no matter how often he pointed it out to him. Jazz could sometimes see something out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked on more directly, it was never there.

Danny never approached. He was fine. He had a home and friends. There was no reason to go to some random motel.

Finals came and went. He managed to scrape by with at least Cs in everything. His parents, especially his mom, had not been happy with those grades, but Danny was just glad to have passed.

Didn’t stop him from being grounded and forced to help out more in the lab. One afternoon, he was in his room playing Doomed with Sam and Tucker when he got a message from his parents calling him back down to help them out.

“Ugh, I’ve got to go down to the lab.”

“Seriously?” complained Tucker. “Again?”

“Yeah,” agreed Sam. “Seems you’re always off helping them lately. Can’t you say no?”

“It’s this or having my phone and computer taken away. I’ll take the lab work.” He saved his progress. “Will you guys be on later?”

“Can’t,” said Sam. “My parents are forcing me to go to a fancy dinner somewhere. And they’re not giving me any more information than that to keep me from planning anything disruptive.”

“And mine have declared we’re having a tech-free family bonding night,” said Tucker, rolling his eyes. “With board games! Who plays board games in this day and age?”

Danny laughed. “I’ll see you both tomorrow, then. Later.”

Danny signed off and went downstairs. The hazmat suits were kept in a closet right next to the door to the lab, and Danny went through the process of pulling it all on. The mask that came with it was even more annoying in human form than ghost. The filtered air always tasted strange, but he’d given up complaining about that years ago.

He unlocked the lab door and went down to the lab.

“Dan-o!” called his dad as soon as he saw him. “Come here! You’re job will be to control the current!”

“Uh, current?” asked Danny.

“We’re trying to figure out how to disrupt the electrical signal in ectoplasm that gives ghosts their shape,” explained his mom. She had a bowl of ectoplasm in a glass terrarium and was arranging two metal probes so they dipped into it.

“Exactly!” agreed his dad. “So you’re going to sit at this computer”—he pulled out a chair before one of the lab computers and gestured for Danny to sit—“and adjust the frequency and voltage.”

Danny took a seat and stared at the program that was loaded on the screen. At least he wouldn’t be anywhere near the probes? A glance at the puddle of ectoplasm had him holding back a shudder.

“First we’re going to try and force the ectoplasm to form a shape,” continued his mom. “We’re going to do that with probe A. You’re going to start with a low frequency and voltage and slowly increase it while your father and I mark down how it affects the ectoplasm. We have some hypotheses about when it’ll start to form a shape.”

“And once it forms a shape,” said his dad, “you’ll use probe B to send a contrary electrical signal to destabilize it!”

“And then no more ghost!”

Suddenly Danny was glad his suit had a face mask. His parents were going to do what? Figure out how to use electricity to destabilize ghosts? It wasn’t possible. There was no way it could work. Right? He had to stay and prove to himself they were talking crazy.

“What—” His mouth was dry and he had to try again. “How should I start?”

“The settings are already loaded,” said his mom. She grabbed a tablet and sat down in front of the terrarium.

Dad sat next to her, grinning widely. “Go ahead, Dan-o!”

Danny’s hand shook as he placed it on the mouse. He sat on the other to hide it. Then he turned on the probe.

At first, nothing happened. The ectoplasm stayed a puddle and there was no visible change in it. But as he adjusted the current, it began to ripple. His parents loudly exclaimed over every change as they shouted instructions back to him.

Each change had Danny’s heart beating harder in his chest.

Two hours in is when it happened. The ectoplasm started to form a ball that rose up out of the bowl. Danny could feel something cold in the back of his throat. Not his ghost sense, but something close.

“This is it!” yelled his dad. “Danny, what’re the settings?”

Once more, Danny was glad for the way the mask muffled his voice just enough to mask how horrified he was by the thing that was forming. His parents’ theories about electrical currents couldn’t be true. They couldn’t.

“Now for us to try disrupting the current!” The glee in his mom’s voice made bile rise in Danny’s throat. But when she told him to turn on probe B, he did.

It only took twenty minutes to find the settings that made the ectoplasm fall apart back into a puddle.

Danny was up on his feet, chair toppled, in an instant. He held a gloved hand to his masked face as if he could keep from throwing up with the motion alone. It had looked so much like Ellie when she was destabilizing.

“Danny?” asked his mom, tablet forgotten on her chair as she rushed over to him. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I… I’m feeling a bit sick. Can I, can I go? Bathroom?”

His mom reached out to brush a hand over his covered forehead as if to check his temperature. “Oh sweetie, of course you can. You should’ve told us you weren’t feeling well. There’s some soup in the fridge if you think you can eat that.”

“I— yeah. Thanks.” He didn’t wait to hear anything else she had to say and just ran up the stairs. He shed his gear in record time and ran all the way up to his room. He slammed the door shut and grabbed his backpack from where it hung on his desk chair.

With shaking hands, he took out everything in the main compartment. Then he ran to his dresser and grabbed a change of clothes and something to sleep in. He couldn’t stay here right now. He just couldn’t.

From the bathroom, he grabbed some toiletries and added those.

Less than fifteen minutes after leaving the lab, he was out the front door and walking down the street. It was late, dusk starting to fall.

He considered going to Nasty Burger to get some dinner, but then he remembered the way the ball of ectoplasm had melted and he changed directions. Eventually his wandering brought him to the park where he found a bench in an empty area and sat down, dropping his backpack at his feet.

Danny buried his face in his hands as he forced himself to just breathe. He and Tucker could mess with the results from these experiments just like they had so many times in the past. It was going to be fine.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out.

Jazz: Hey, Danny. Mom said you weren’t feeling well? Jazz: Where’d you go? You’re not in your room. Danny: Sorry, Jazz. I had to get out of the house. Danny: Ask mom and dad about today’s experiments. Danny: You’ll understand why. I’m gonna spend the night at Tuck’s. Jazz: Okay. See you tomorrow? Danny: Yeah. I’ll be back tomorrow. Jazz: Love you.

Of course, Tucker was having a family night. He couldn’t crash that. And Sam’s parents had banned him from their house. Where would he spend the night?

And then he noticed it. Right outside the park glowed the sign: Two Ghost Motel.

He was on his feet and walking there before he’d even consciously made the decision to go. A glance around showed he was alone, that night had fully fallen on Amity so he let his transformation wash over him.

He reached the street and, for the first time, was staring directly at the motel rather than catching glimpses from a block or two away. The parking lot had a few cars in it, the oldest looking like it might’ve been from the twenties with the newest looking like it was ten or fifteen years old.

A glance in either direction showed no cars coming, so Danny crossed the street.

As soon as he stepped off the sidewalk and into the parking lot, Danny could feel a change in the air. It was nothing obvious, but something integral was different. The sounds of the city were muffled, the sense of life dulled. The air felt lighter and the door seemed to call to him. Most importantly, it was easier to push away the memories from his afternoon in the lab.

The sign, when he reached it, buzzed softly in the night. He held a hand up towards it and felt an echoing buzz under his skin.

He stared at the lights for a moment more before continuing towards the building at the other end of the lot. It hadn’t been repaved in ages and was riddled with cracks. But the plants that grew up through them weren’t the normal grasses and dandelions. He wished Sam were with him to help him identify them.

Instead he knelt down and pulled out his phone to take a picture. They glowed slightly in the night, their stems ectoplasm-green with blue leaves and red bulbs. Danny reached out to touch one, only for the bulb to open and snap at his finger.

Danny laughed in surprise as he pulled his hand away. Something inside him relaxed. A night away would do him good and maybe he’d see other cool things besides the flowers.

The motel itself was a long, two-story building. The main entrance was smack in the middle of the building with rows of rooms extending to either side. Next to the office, a passageway through the building led to the back side of the building and had stairs leading up to the second level. It was clearly old, worn in the way only time could do.

The office door wasn’t automatic and the handle stuck slightly under his hand when he tried to turn it. But just a little bit of force had it opening.

Inside, the carpet was worn, beaten down and dull in the middle. The walls were covered in floral wallpaper rather than paint. Against one wall buzzed an ice machine and against the other sat a vending machine. A man with slicked back hair and a cane stared at the vending machine without moving. A two-seater couch was next to the vending machine with a wooden coffee table in front of it. Two women sat side-by-side on it: one in modern jeans and a windbreaker, the other in an old-fashioned dress that looked like it may have come from the sixties. They were holding magazines, but in the time it took Danny to look around, neither had flipped a page.

Cutting off the back of the room was a long desk, behind which sat a closed door. A woman sat behind the desk. Her blonde hair was cut shoulder length and curled inward. She wore bright red lipstick and heavy eye shadow. But strangest of all, she wasn’t moving. Her chest didn’t raise with her breathing, she didn’t shift in her seat. The women on the couch, at least, made the little movements people make when they’re engrossed in their reading. And the man at the vending machine was tapping his fingers on his cane as he tried to decide what to get.

But the woman at the counter was utterly still.

“Evening.” Danny’s voice was loud in the small room.

The woman in modern clothes cocked her head slightly as if trying to hear a distant noise.

“What are you reading?” Danny asked her.

She just shook her head slightly and looked back at her magazine. Slowly, she turned a page.

“Oh-kay,” said Danny to himself. He walked past them as he made his way to the desk.

As soon as he reached it, the woman came to life. She turned and smiled broadly at him and her finger started tapping on a paper log book that sat in front of her. “Well hello there. Welcome to the Two Ghost Motel!” She had a slight southern accent. “What can I do you for?”

“Uh, well. I heard you might have a room I could rent for the night.”

“Sure do,” she agreed with a nod. “Can certainly set you up with one of those.” She looked him up and down then nodded to herself. “Ah, yes. We knew you might need a place soon so we made sure you’d be able to find us. Glad to see you finally stopped in.”

“What, uh, what do you know about me?”

“Same as we know about any of our potential patrons, sweetie. That you’re a restless spirit that isn’t ready to pass on yet. Two Ghost was set up to give you a place to rest while you’re still on Earth.”

“How much would it cost for one night?”

The receptionist threw back her head and laughed. Her teeth were sharper than a normal human’s. Behind him, another voice joined in the laughter. Danny turned to see the modern-dressed woman was finally looking at him, though it was only to laugh at him.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck and smiled self-consciously. “I take it that was a stupid question?”

“Honey, there’s no charge for spending the night. Wouldn’t be much of a place to rest if we forced y’all to pay when no dead has money.”

“Right. So do you want anything in exchange? I’m pretty good at fixing things up.”

“All we want is for you to have a good night’s rest.” She turned the log book around. “I’ll just need you to put down your name here and I’ll give you your key.” She waved her hand to indicate a pen that was chained to the desk.

Danny grabbed it and hesitated just a moment before signing “Phantom” on the page. The ink was ectoplasm-green.

She took the book back and made her own marks before smiling at him. “Well that’s all in order. Now just to get you your room key.” She opened a drawer which was filled with a number of small envelopes, each with a handwritten number on them. She flipped through a few before stopping on one, seemingly at random, and pulling it out. “You’ll be in room 214. Leave the office, take a right. You can’t miss the stairs. Climb ‘em, continue to the back side of the motel, and take a right.”

Danny took the envelope from her. On it, the numbers 214 were written, with Two Ghost Motel in cursive below it. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Enjoy your stay at Two Ghost,” she smiled one more time at him, then looked down at her logbook and froze exactly as she had been when he’d first entered.

“I appreciate your help. You sure there’s nothing I can do in exchange for the room?”

But the woman didn’t stir again. Danny shifted from foot to foot. Should he try and wake her? Was she hurt? Was this a normal ghost thing? He tapped on the desk again.

“Ma’am?”

No response.

Danny looked down at his key and back at the woman. Hesitantly, he turned towards the door, but he couldn’t help looking back frequently. He paused by the women on the couch, but neither looked up from their magazines. At the vending machine, he peered around the man.

“Do they have anything that looks good?” he asked.

The man didn’t move, so Danny shifted until he was standing right next to him and could look inside the machine.

The bottom two rows were filled with drinks, water and Gatorade took up space right next to shots of ectoplasm. And were those beers? What? Above those were a few types of nuts and candy bars and chips. Danny only recognized half the brands.

Then he noticed the package of bottle caps. “Oh man, been ages since I’ve had some bottle caps. Mind if I grab those if you haven’t decided yet?”

The man hummed and moved to the side so Danny could get to the bill input and number pad.

“Thanks, sir! Appreciate it.” He pressed the numbers for the candy to see the price, but the machine whirled to life and it was dropped down without requiring Danny to put in a single cent. “Oh, shit, did I just use your money? What do you like? I’ll get it for you as an apology.”

“I don’t… I don’t remember,” said the man. His voice was very quiet, but clear. Danny couldn’t place his accent.

“Are you looking for a snack or a drink? Sweet or savory?”

“My son always pretended he didn’t like sweets. I was going back to him. How did I end up here?”

“Dunno, sir. But if you like candy, I’d recommend the skittles if you want chewy, m&m’s if you want basic chocolate.” He opened his own package. “Hold out your hand, I’ll give you a few of these so you can see if you like them.”

The man did and looked at his own hand as if he’d never seen it before. Danny turned his package so a few bottlecaps fell out. “Thank you,” said the man.

“Sure thing. Hope you enjoy!”

The man stared at his hand a moment longer before bringing one to his mouth and chewing the candy with a pensive look on his face. “I think I remember these, but it’s been so long. Thank you.”

“Anytime. My name’s Phantom; I’m in room 214 if you need anything.”

“Phantom. Pleasure to meet you. I’m Tom.”

“Well, Mr. Tom, hope you find something to eat that you like.”

Tom hummed and turned back to look at the vending machine. Danny took one last look at the receptionist, still entirely frozen, before slipping out the door. He slipped the package of bottlecaps into his pocket; he’d eat them in his room when he could take his mask off. In the passageway to the back of the motel, two boys played jacks under a flood light.

Danny couldn’t help but pause to watch them. He’d tried playing a few times when he was younger, but Tucker wasn’t into the game and none of the other kids had been willing to spend enough time with the weird ghost-hunter’s kid to teach him.

He waited until the kid who’d been picking up the jacks tossed them back on the ground before asking, “So, who’s winning?”

Both boys looked up at him with the same blank expression. The one on the right was a red-head while the one on the left was brown haired. They were about the same age, maybe ten years old and Danny wondered what happened to bring them here.

“I never learned to play,” Danny admitted, waving a hand to indicate their game. “So I don’t know how to tell. Or, is there even a winner in jacks? I might be completely off the mark.”

The red-head raised his hand. “I’m wining. I’m on the foursies round. Alan is only on twosies.”

“Matt cheated and made me drop my jacks.”

“It wasn’t cheating, just strategy,” protested Matt.

“Cheating,” repeated Alan.

“Prove it by beating your threesies round perfectly this time.”

Danny smiled to himself as the boys returned to their game and ignored his presence entirely.

“How’d you do that?” asked someone behind him.

Danny spun around to see a boy around his own age on the stairs leaning over the railing. He had dark hair and light eyes and was dressed in modern jeans and a t-shirt.

“Do what?” asked Danny.

“Get them to talk to you. Everyone ignores me entirely.”

Danny glanced back at the two boys who were entirely absorbed in their game and not paying Danny or the stranger any attention. “They’re mostly ignoring me, too.”

The kid rolled his eyes. “But they still talked to you. I haven’t even gotten that much.”

Danny shrugged. “I just asked them about their game.”

He groaned and kicked at the railing. “I’ve tried that. Who’re you, anyway?”

“I’m Phantom. Staying here for the night because, well, just because. Who’re you?”

“Jay.”

Danny cocked his head. “Like the bird?”

Jay’s eyes widened in surprise, then he grinned back. “That’s it! I knew I was forgetting something. I’m a bird. Thanks, Phantom.”

Danny laughed. “Sure thing, birdie.” He adjusted his backpack. “Let me put this down. I’m in room 214. What’s there to do in this motel?”

Jay shrugged. “More if you can get the other people to talk to us. But the TV always has your favorite show or movie on and the vending machine in the office always has your favorite snacks.”

As Danny made his way up the stairs, Jay fell in step besides him. “What’s your favorite movie?” he asked.

Jay shrugged again. “Dunno. But every time I turn on the TV it’s playing.”

“What did you watch last, then?”

Jay hesitated a moment and when Danny looked at him, he was frowning. “I don’t…” He shook his head. “I don’t forget things. My d— Someone made sure I could give accurate reports. But I don’t remember.” He looked at Danny with his brow furrowed. “Why don’t I remember?”

Danny shrugged. “Well, when we get to my room, we can turn on the TV and see what comes on.”

Jay brightened immediately at the suggestion. “Duh! That’ll remind me. Thanks, Phantom! Come on, your room’s this way. We’re neighbors; I’m in 215.” He jogged the rest of the way up the stairs so Danny had to speed up, too.

At the top of the stairs, Jay took a right and Danny’s door was several down.

“Home sweet home,” he said, gesturing to the door.

Danny laughed as he unlocked it. “So how long have you been here?” He pushed open his door and took in the space. The carpet looked like it hadn’t been upgraded since the seventies. A double bed sat against one wall covered by a faded, green paisley quilt. A low dresser and box TV against the opposite wall. Most of the wall facing the walkway was taken up with a large window, though the closed blinds kept it private.

It wasn’t until Danny stepped in and dropped his bags on the bed that he realized Jay had neither responded nor followed him in.

“Birdie? Jay? You okay?”

Jay was frozen outside the door staring out into the distance away from the motel. The back of the motel had very few lights, and the night made it seem like there was nothing out there but endless black. When Danny called out, Jay shook himself and grinned as he entered the room and sat down on Danny’s bed with enough force to bounce. “Course I’m okay! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You spaced out there for a minute.”

Jay rolled his eyes. “No I didn’t. Where’s your remote?” Before Danny could do anything, Jay was already standing and picking it up from the dresser. He turned on the TV. “Oooh, the Godfather! Told you it always has your favorite movie.”

“So The Godfather is your favorite?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen it all the way through.”

“Then you’re in for a treat! Come on, sit next to me. I’ll make sure you notice all the good parts.”

Danny did as told. Which is when he remembered he still had the candy. Wordlessly, he held it out to Jay who grinned as he took a few to snack on.

-----

Chapter 2

Hope you enjoyed chapter 1! This was so much fun to write. I loved taking part in the event so much. Please consider checking out the rest of the art and fics from this event because there are so many talented people who took part. (My reading list is gonna be filled for at least the rest of the year, no lie.)

Just search the tag #ectoimplosion2023 to see what I mean.

[yogacatdeskknit]

Day 5 - Celebration

For the art event hosted by @sonicpridecorner

****************

Shadow hadn't intended on attending Sonic's birthday party. But after the incident in White Space... well, he needed a reminder of what was happening now.

Saying goodbye to the Professor and Maria had been a blessing, as painful as it was. His last memory of Maria was no longer her pale body, slowly bleeding out on the floor of the Space Colony ARK while he could do nothing to help her. He'd held her hands, and had promised to fight for her, no matter what it took.

It had taken everything within him to let her go.

And now, under a deep blue summer sky in the welcoming shade of an oak tree, Shadow took in what he'd sworn to protect: a world alive with the potential for goodness; the smiles of all who live on this planet; the chance for them to pursue happiness; and moments of peace, just like this one.

He watched bemusedly as Amy tried to plant a kiss on Sonic's cheek, which had a bit of chili smeared on it. It reminded him a bit of his own resolution with Amy and Tails...

"Well, being aromantic means you don't feel romantic attraction for, well, anyone."

He saw Rouge and Knuckles share a secret smile with each other. He wondered if he'd ever get the chance to do the same and actually feel something, or if was simply not in his future.

"Shadow?"

Startled out of his thoughts, he looked up to see Silver standing next to him.

"Silver."

"You seem... dissatisfied. Are you alright?"

Shadow opened his mouth to tell Silver it wasn't any of his business. But when he caught Silver's golden gaze again, he found something in his expression that irked him. An expression of a certain and specific understanding.

Silver knew.

And so, Shadow allowed himself to speak.

"I have been thinking about... my future. So much in a certain regard is uncertain. But... I am the Ultimate Life. And I am more than enough on my own."

Silver cocked his head to the side. "Um... I think I know what you're talking about." He fell silent for a moment, as if he was weighing the consequences of what he was about to say. "... But you won't be alone."

Shadow's interest piqued. Silver bit his lip, but ultimately seemed to decide that it was worth it to give Shadow a glimpse into his world hundreds of years from now.

"I've seen you, in the future. The future you helped create. And... well, you've got friends in your life. Friends you care deeply about, and they care about you too. You're surrounded by love. And... you smile. A lot."

Shadow blinked, and felt something prick the corners of his eyes. But before he could respond, there was the sound of a portal opening and everyone turned to wave goodbye to Sonic's younger self.

"Hey Sonic!" his older counterpart called. "Enjoy your future! It's gonna be great!"