#Connor has stolen my soul

[ms-writerandreader]

My Riordanverse Fanfics

First up: PANTHEONS

PLOT: The Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, and Shinto Pantheons unite to stop the coming force of the devil and his army of different pantheons.

TAKE’S PLACE: Two years after The Tower of Nero

COUPLES: Percabeth, Frazel, Fierrochase, and Solangelovis.

Second: Sleep Among The Shadows

PLOT: When nightmares continue to plague Nico di Angelo’s mind and he loses sleep, he is appointed to the Hypnos cabin. To which Clovis, the Son of Hypnos, helps him sleep, however through Nico’s dreams Clovis sees his brother Morpheus calling for help from the Nightscape. And with a new prophecy and quest it's up to Nico and Clovis to free the God of Dreams.

TAKE’S PLACE: A year after The Blood of Olympus

COUPLES: Clovico, and Percabeth

Third: STOLEN WISEDOM

PLOT: Connor Stoll has been struggling to pull pranks on Annabeth due to Percy being with her 24/7, he needs to pull just a last jaw dropping prank because soon pranking her will be off the table thanks to Percy. So what better way to prank her than date her brother.

TAKE’S PLACE: 8 Months after The Tower of Nero

COUPLES: Malconnor, Percabeth, Solangelo, Traite

Fourth: OF REBORN BLOOD AND SHADOWS

PLOT: Nico di Angelo while he ventured Tartarus for the first time came across someone who he thought was a lost soul. And honestly in that moment he could have cared less, but when Hades calls Nico to the Underworld, on the boat with him across the river is Zagreus, God of Rebirth and Blood. His brother.

TAKE’S PLACE: 4 Months after The Sun and The Star

COUPLES: Solangelo and Thanzag

Fifth: THE BROKEN THRONES

PLOT: After the death of Jason Grace, the Son of Jupiter, the Goddess Hera sends a quest down upon Camp Half-blood and Camp Jupiter without the knowledge of Zeus and the other Olympians. If she has to die in order for this wish to be done, so be it. She knew they would succeed, they would raze Olympus and take what was left of the broken thrones.

TAKE’S PLACE: 10 Months after The Tower of Nero

COUPLES: Percabeth, Solangelovis, Frazel, Traite, Malconnor

Tell me which one are you most excited for?

[cielrouge]

2022 YA Reads by Authors of Color

After life (Blue Bloods) by Melissa De La Cruz:  After defeating Lucifer and sacrificing the love of her life, Schuyler wakes up back in New York, only to discover that an alternate reality where Lucifer is alive and well and she is the only person who can defeat him.

Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds: A smash-up of art and text for teens that viscerally captures what it is to be Black in America right now. 

Akata Woman (The Nsibidi Scripts #3) by Nnedi Okorafor: 15-year-old Sunny embarks on a mission to find a precious object and return it to the spider deity Udide, but defeating the guardians of Udide's ghazal will put all of Sunny's hard lessons and abilities to the test.

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir: A story crossing generations and continents and addressing themes of cultural identity, family, forgiveness, love, and loss; told through the eyes of two best friends, Salahudin and Noor, growing up as outcasts and trying to find a way out of a world set on destroying them.

All the Right Reasons by Bethany Mangle: Cara Hawn and her mother go to Key West to join a reality show to pair single parents. There, Cara meets Connor and now she must juggle her growing feelings while helping her mom pick a bachelor they both love.

Almost There: Twisted Tales by Farrah Rochon: A year after Tiana makes a deal with Dr. Facilier, she has her restaurant, but soon shadows begin to gather and Tiana must work with Naveen and Charlotte to set things right or risk losing her soul.

Alone Out Here by Riley Redgate: A thriller set in a future in which First Daughter Leigh Chen and 53 other teens end up on the only ship escaping a dying Earth and must contend with being the last hope for humanity's survival.

An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan: Star-crossed lovers Hunter Yee and Luna Chang must navigate their families’ enmity and secrets as everything around them begins to fall apart. 

And We Rise: The Civil Rights Movement in Poems by Erica Martin: A powerful, impactful, eye-opening journey that explores through the Civil rights movement in 1950s-1960s America in spare and evocative verse, with historical photos.

Anne of Greenville by Mariko Tamaki:  In this contemporary retelling, Anne Shirley, a queer, half-Japanese disco superfan, moves to a town that seems too small for her big personality and where she becomes embroiled in a series of dramatic and unfortunate events.

As Long as the Lemon Tree Grows by Zoulfa Katouh: Set during the Syrian Revolution, former pharmacy student Salama Kassab volunteers at a hospital in Homs. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf .But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. 

Ashes of Gold (Wings of Ebony #2) by J. Elle: In the heart-pounding conclusion to the Wings of Ebony duology, Rue makes her final stand to reclaim her people’s stolen magic.

Azar on Fire by Olivia Abtahi: 14-year-old Azar Rossi sets out to find her voice and win her local Battle of the Bands contest. 

Bad at Love by Gabriela Martins: Ever since Daniel moved to L.A. from Brazil to join the band Mischief & Mayhem, he’s become the tabloids’ bad boy. When a chance encounter brings Daniel and Sasha together, Sasha sees an opportunity to get close to Daniel and write a story that will make a name for herself at the celebrity gossip magazine where she interns. But Daniel is surprisingly sweet and extremely cute—could she be falling for him?

Ballad & Dagger by Daniel Jose Older: When 16-year-old Mateo and Chela discover each other and their powers during a political battle between neighborhood factions, they set aside their differences to unravel the mystery behind their sunken homeland. 

Beasts by Ruin (Beasts of Prey #2) by Ayana Gray: Now separated,16-year-old indentured beastkeeper Koffi and 17-year-old warrior candidate Ekon will have to find their way back to each other as they face off against the god of death. 

Beauty and the Besharam by Lillie Vale: Exhausted by Kavya Joshi and Ian Jun’s years-long feud, their friends hatch a plan to end their rivalry by convincing them to participate in a series of challenges throughout the summer. 

Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid: Two teens, James and Michelle, meet and fall in love during a layover-gone-wrong at the Atlanta airport. 

Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min: 17-year-old Santi Arboleda finally feels settled in his new life in Los Angeles with a growing found family and a relationship with musical prodigy Suwa - until Suwa is offered the chance to step into the spotlight that he has always denied himsel fand they must finally face their dreams, their pasts, and their futures, whether together or apart. 

Beneath the Wide Silk Sky by Emily Inouye Huey:  With the recent death of her mother and the possibility of her family losing their farm, Samantha Sakamoto does not have space in her life for dreams, but when faced with prejudice and violence in her Washington State community after Pearl Harbor, she becomes determined to use her photography to document the bigotry around her.

Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi: Pulled between old friendships, her creative passion, and a new romance, Bitter isn't sure where she belongs - in the art studio or in the streets. And if she does find a way to help the revolution while being true to who she is, she must also ask: at what cost?

The Black Girls Left Standing by Juliana Goodman: 16-year-old Beau Willet’s world is upended when her older sister is killed by a white cop who claims she was breaking into his house; desperate to find out what really happened, she sets out to find the only other witness who was there that night—her sister's boyfriend.

Blood Like Fate (Blood Like Magic #2) by Liselle Sambury: While struggling with her new role as Matriarch, Voya has a vision of a terrifying, deadly future, and with a newfound sense of purpose, she vows to do whatever it takes to bring her shattered community together and prevent the destruction of them all.

Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye: 15-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within.

Bloodmarked (Legendborn #2) by Tracy Deonn: When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide an ancient war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick. If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.

Boys I Know by Anna Gracia: High school senior June Chu navigates messy boys and messier relationships.

Boys of the Beast by Monica Zepeda: Cousins Matt, Ethan and Oscar embark on a road trip through California and the Southwest come to terms with truths about their families and themselves. 

Break This House by Candice Iloh: Yaminah Okar left Obsidian and the wreckage of her family years ago. She and her father have made lives for themselves in Brooklyn. But when a Facebook message about her estranged mother pierces Yaminah’s new bubble, she must finally reckon with the truth about her mother and the growing collapse of a place she once called home. 

Briarcliff Prep by Brianna Peppins: In this coming-of-age story, Avi LeBeau juggles navigating her first year at a historically Black boarding school after she learns a devastating secret about her big sister’s boyfriend. 

Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado: When an urban legend rumored to trap people inside subway tunnels seems to be behind mysterious disappearances in the Bronx, 16-year-old Raquel and her friends team up to save their city--and confront a dark episode in its history in the process.

Cafe Con Lychee by Emery Lee: A dual pov enemies-to-lovers contemporary romcom following Theo Mori and Gabe Moreno, rival sons of competing family businesses--a Puerto Rican bakery and an Asian American cafe--who form an unlikely alliance running an underground coffee and boba shop at school after a new fusion cafe threatens their parents' stores.

The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian: At Chandler, the elite boarding school, five teens are brought together in the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born—and secrets are revealed. 

The Charmed List by Julie Abe: 16-year-old Ellie Kobata’s summer plans to shed her wallflower persona are upended when she is forced to go on a road trip to the Magical Retailers' Convention with her former best friend Jack Yasuda, but what starts out as a punishment turns into an opportunity to find forgiveness and possibly love.

Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow: 17-year-old Farrah Turner manipulates her way into lives of her Black best friend Cherish Whitman’s white adopted family, but she soon begins to suspect that she may not be the only one invested in engineering a place in the affluent household, and someone else's motives may be more disturbing than her own.

The Chosen One by Echo Brown: Anchored in magical realism, a personal account of a first-generation African-American student's first year at Dartmouth College.

Cinder & Glass by Melissa de la Cruz: In this lush, retold fairy tale classic, Cendrillon “Cinder” de Louvois catches the eye of the handsome Prince Louis and his younger brother Auguste at a royal ball. As Cinder grows closer to Auguste and dislikes Louis more and more, she will have to decide if she can bear losing the boy she loves in order to leave a life she hates.

Cold by Mariko Tamaki: Told in alternating perspectives, Todd replays the events that lead to his death in the local park, watching as detectives investigate his murder and talk to the students responsible for it, and meanwhile Georgia, who does not know Todd, cannot stop thinking about him.

The Color of the Sky Is The Shape of the Heart by Chesil: Inspired by a mysterious message, 17-year-old Ginny Park sets off to find herself as she reflects on her experiences of growing up Zainichi, an ethnic Korean born in Japan, and the incident that forced her to leave years prior.

Confessions of An Alleged Good Girl by Joya Coffney: In small-town Texas, preacher’s daughter Monique embarks on journey toward loving herself and her body, as well as discovering the value of a true friend.

The Darkening by Sunya Mara: Vesper Vale is the daughter of revolutionaries. Failed revolutionaries. When her mother was caught by the queen's soldiers, they gave her a choice: death by the hangman's axe, or death by the Storm that surrounds the city and curses anyone it touches. She chose the Storm. And when the queen's soldiers--led by a paranoid prince--catch up to Vesper's father after twelve years on the run, Vesper will do whatever it takes to save him from sharing that fate.

Daughters of the Dawn by Sarena & Sasha Nanua: Twin princesses Ria and Rani journey deep into dangerous new lands to save their home in this propulsive, immersive sequel to Sisters of the Snake.

Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin: Seri, Borderland teen and new assistant to Eshai Unbroken, local commander of the Valiants, may be the only person who can bridge the divide between the People who build their dwellings in the spreading trees and the "beasts" who roam the forest floors.

The Dawn of Yangchen by F.C. Yee: Plagued by the voices of Avatars before her for as long as she can remember, Yangchen has not yet earned the respect felt for her predecessor. When she travels to Bin-Er on political business, a chance encounter with an informant named Kavik leads to a wary partnership. As Yangchen and Kavik seek to thwart the corrupt shangs’ plan, their unlikely friendship deepens. But for Yangchen to chart her course as a singularly powerful Avatar, she must learn to rely on her own wisdom.

Dead Flip by Sara Farizan: 18-year-old former friends Cori and Maz reunite to solve the mystery of what happened to their other friend Sam--who disappeared 5 years ago and has now returned, not having aged at all.

Debating Darcy by Sayantani DasGupta: A life-long speech competitor, Leela Bose loves nothing more than crushing the competition. But when Leela meets the incorrigible Firoze Darcy, a fellow competitor in the state league, she can’t stand him. But Leela’s participation in the tournament reveals that she might have misjudged the debaters - including Darcy.

Deep in Providence by Riss A. Neilson: After Jasmine is killed, her remaining best friends Miliani, Inez, and Natalie plan to resurrect her using magic learned from Miliani's Filipino aunt, but their actions have dangerous consequences that threaten themselves and those they care about.

Diamond Park by Phillipe Diederich: When four Mexican-American teenagers from Houston travel to Diamond Park to buy a 1959 Chevy Impala from Magaña's godfather, something goes very wrong, and one of them, Susi, ends up arrested for murder. Convinced that the real killer is a drug trafficker called Anaconda, Flaco and Magaña head to Mexico hunting for him to clear Susi's name--but in the process of kidnapping Anaconda Flaco discovers how little he understands about what really happened in Diamond Park.

Direwood by Catherine Yu: After Aja’s perfect older sister Fiona disappears when a strange weather event isolates their town, she must put her trust in a vicious but alluring vampire if she wants to see her sister again.

Does My Body Offend You? by Mayra Cuevas & Marie Marquardt: A coming-of-age story told in two points of view, about Puerto Rican teen Malena Rosario who seeks justice after running afoul of her school's sexist dress code, and Ruby McAllister, the white girl who wants to help her lead "the bra-bellion" but must first learn how to become an effective ally; exploring themes of implicit bias, social activism, and female friendship

The Dragon’s Promise (Six Crimson Cranes #2) by Elizabeth Lim: Princess Shiori made a deathbed promise to return the dragon's pearl to its rightful owner, but keeping that promise is more dangerous than she ever imagined.

The Dream Runners by Shveta Thakar: Spirited away to the subterranean realm of Nagalok as children, 17-year-olds Tanvi and Venkat are charged with harvesting human dreams for the entertainment of the naga court--until one of them begins to remember the mortal life she left behind.

Drizzle, Dreams and Lovestruck Things by Maya Prasad: Sisters Nidhi, Avani, Sirisha, and Rani experience romance and coming-of-age while working at their family's inn on Orcas Island.

Echoes of Grace by Guadalupe Garcia McCall: On the Texas-Mexico border, 18-year-old Grace's relationship with her older sister Mercy is fractured when Mercy's two-year-old son dies in an accident, bringing to the surface old family traumas and literal ghosts as the family struggles to heal.

The Empress of Time by Kylie Lee Baker: Half Reaper, half Shinigami soul collector Ren Scarborough must defend her title as Japan's Death Goddess from those who would see her--and all of Japan--destroyed.

Empress Crowned in Red by Ciannon Smart: Witches Iraya and Jazmyne must once again work together as a new enemy threatens Aiyca, even as betrayal lurks around every corner.

Even When Your Voice Shakes by Ruby Yayra Goka: After Amberley is raped by her employer's son she realizes she two choices--stay quiet and keep her job or live her truth and speak up for herself and for justice.

Every Variable of Us by Charles A. Bush: After she is injured in a gang shooting, 17-year-old Alexis Duncan's dreams of a college scholarship and pro basketball career vanish, but, encouraged by new student Aamani Chakrabarti, Alexis shifts her focus to the school's STEM quiz bowl team.

Everyone Hates Kelsie Miller by Meredith Ireland:  Kelsie Miller and Eric Mulvaney Ortiz, rivals for valedictorian, team up on an overnight road trip to the University of Pennsylvania to win back their exes.

Feather and Flame: The Queen’s Council #2 by Livia Blackburne: Mulan goes from a celebrated war hero to a reluctant Empress and must once again rise above expectations and prove she doesn't have to be anyone but herself to save China.

No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado: 17-year-old Kat Sanchez uses photos of a friend to create a fake Instagram account, but when one of her posts goes viral and exposes Kat's duplicity, her entire world--both real and pretend--comes crashing down around her.

The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi: Sylah dreams of days growing up in the resistance, being told she would spark a revolution that would free the Empire from the red-blooded ruling classes' tyranny. Anoor has been told she’s nothing, no one, a disappointment, by the only person who matters: her mother, the most powerful ruler in the empire. But when Sylah and Anoor meet, a fire burns between them that could consume the kingdom—and their hearts. Hassa’s invisibility has its uses: it can hide the most dangerous of secrets, secrets that can reignite a revolution. As the Empire begins a set of trials of combat and skill designed to find its new leaders, the stage is set for blood to flow, power to shift, and cities to burn.

Finding Jupiter by Kellis Rowe: Teens Orion and Ray meet at the local Memphis skating rink and fall fast and hard into summer love, until a mystery from their past threatens to rip them—and their families—apart, even if their love is written in the stars.

Fireworks by Alice Lin: 17-year-old Lulu Li’s summer plans go awry when she learns that Kite Xu, her old next-door neighbor and childhood friend, returns. But how could a K-pop star ever fall for a nobody from home?

The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera: Strangers Orion Pagan and Valentino Prince spend a life-changing day together after Death-Cast first makes their fateful calls.

Flip the Script by Lyla Lee: Korean American actress Hana Jin she can totally handle her fake co-star boyfriend and K-pop star, Bryan Yoon, who might be falling in love with her. But when showrunners bring on a new girl, Minjee Park, to challenge Hana’s role as main love interest—can  Hana fight for her position on the show while falling for her on-screen rival in real life?

Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong: In 1931 Shanghai, two Nationalist spies, Rosalind Lang and Orion Hong, pose as a married couple to investigate a series of brutal murders causing unrest in the city.

The Genesis Wars (Infinity Courts #2) by Akemi Dawn Bowman: Nami has escaped Ophelia and the Courts of Infinity, and found refuge in the Borderlands; she has spent her days training her body and mind so that when the time comes she will be able to navigate Infinity and rescue her captured friends, and now she has made a breakthrough, gaining the ability to enter minds without permission--the answers she needs are in Prince Caelan's mind, but his betrayal has left her unsure.

The Getaway by Lamar Giles: After a global catastrophe, Jay discovers the world-famous vacation resort where he lives and works doubles as a luxury doomsday refuge for the cruel billionaires he's now trapped with.

The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R. M. Romero: Sent to stay with her aunt in Prague and witness the humble life of an artist, Ilana Lopez—a biracial Jewish girl—finds herself torn between her dream of becoming a violinist and her immigrant parents’ desire for her to pursue a more stable career.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh: In this retelling of Shim Cheong, 16-year-old Mina is swept away to the Spirit Realm, where, assisted by a motley crew of demons, gods, and lesser spirits, she sets out to awaken the sleeping Sea God and save her homeland and family from deadly storms.

A Girl’s Guide to Love & Magic by Debbie Rigaud: 15-year-old Haitian American Cicely is excited to celebrate the West Indian Day Parade with her aunt, and voodoo dabbler, Mimose, but when Mimose's dabbling goes awry and she becomes possessed by a spirit, Cicely, Renee, and Kwame, her crush, must find a way to set things right.

Godslayers (Gearbreakers #2) by Zoe Hana Mikuta: Eris and Sona are pitted against each other in the ongoing war between Godolia and the Badlands.

Great or Nothing by Caroline Tung Richmond & Joy McCullough & Tess Sharpe & Jessica Spotwood: A reimagining of Little Women set in the spring of 1942, when the United States is suddenly embroiled in the second World War, this story, told from each March sister's point of view, is one of grief, love, and self-discovery.

Heartbreak Symphony by Laekan Zea Kemp: When Aarón Medrano and Mia Villanueva cross paths, Aarón sees a chance to get close to the girl he’s had a crush on for years and to finally feel connected to someone since losing his mother. Mia sees a chance to hold herself accountable by making them both face their fears. But soon they’ll realize there’s something much scarier than getting up on stage—falling in love with a broken heart.

Her Rebel Highness by Diana Ma (Daughters of the Dynasty #2): High school senior Lei unexpectedly finds love amid the student protests in Beijing in 1989, forcing her to choose between her family and its legacy or her future with a revolutionary leader.

High Spirits by Camille Gomera Tavarez: a collection of eleven interconnected short stories from the Dominican diaspora, centered on one extended family, the Beléns, across multiple generations.

Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed: After discovering the body of 14-year-old Jawad Ali in Jackson Park, 17-year-old journalism student Safiya Mirza begins investigating his murder and ends up confronting white supremacy in her own high school.

How Maya Got Fierce by Sonia Charaipotra: When her dream of working at Fierce, a popular magazine, comes true, 17-year-old Maya Gera gets the scoop on a huge story, but wonders how long she can keep up the charade of being older than she really is

How to Date a Superhero by Cristina Fernandez: When Astrid discovers that her boyfriend is a superhero, she must learn how to survive their relationship, college life, and figuring out who she is.

How to Live Without You by Sarah Everett: 17-year-old Emmy returns home for the summer to uncover the truth behind her sister Rose’s disappearance—only to learn that Rose had many secrets, ones that have Emmy questioning herself and the sister Emmy thought she knew

How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy: Half-Black witch Shay Johnson is cast as the lead in her school musical and must decide between exposing her predatory drama teacher and getting the scholarship she desperately needs.

How You Grow Wings by Rimma Onoseta: Sisters Cheta and Zam's paths to break free of their oppressive home diverge wildly--one moves into an aunt's luxurious home and the other struggles to survive on her wits alone--and when they finally reunite, Zam realizes how far Cheta has fallen, leaving Cheta's fate in Zam's hands.

I Guess I Live Here Now by Claire Ahn: Korean-American teen Melody Lee is uprooted from her life in Manhattan and relocated to her father's villa in Seoul, plunges into a whirlwind of culture shock and family secrets as she struggles to reconcile her identity in a place she's supposed to call home.

I Rise by Marie Arnold: 14-year-old Ayo has to decide whether to take on her mother's activist role when her mom is shot by police. As she tries to find answers, Ayo looks to the wisdom of her ancestors and her Harlem community for guidance.

If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang: Alice Sun, upon discovering she can no longer afford tuition at her elite Beijing boarding school, teams up with her academic rival Henry Li and monetizes her strange new invisibility powers by discovering and selling her wealthy classmates' most scandalous secrets.

If You Still Recognize Me by Cynthia So: Elsie has a crush on Ada, the only person in the world who truly understands her. Unfortunately, they've never met in real life. But Elsie has decided it's now or never to tell Ada how she feels. That is, until her long-lost best friend Joan walks back into her life.In a summer of repairing broken connections and building surprising new ones, Elsie realizes that she isn't nearly as alone as she thought.

In Every Generation by Kendare Blake: Follow the next generation of Scoobies and Slayers who must defeat a powerful new evil.

Inheritance: A Visual Poem by Elizabeth Acevedo: In her most famous spoken-word poem, author of the Pura Belpr-winning novel-in-verse The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo embraces all the complexities of Black hair and Afro-Latinidad--the history, pain, pride, and powerful love of that inheritance.

The Iron Sword by Julie Kagawa: Prince Ash achieved the impossible and journeyed to the End of the World to earn a soul and keep his vow to always stand beside Queen Meghan of the Iron Fey. Now he faces even more incomprehensible odds. Their son, King Keirran of the Forgotten, is missing.

It Sounds Like This by Anna Meriano: A sweet and nerdy contemporary YA novel set in the world of marching band.

The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman: Four estranged royal siblings, each harboring secrets and conflicting agendas, must learn to work together as they search for the Ivory Key, which will lead to a new source of magic.

Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster by Andrea Mosqueda: Following a self-described romantic disaster living in the Rio Grande Valley, bisexual Chicana Maggie Gonzalez tries to figure out whom she wants to ask to be her escort at her little sister's upcoming quinceanera: her charming ex-boyfriend twice over, her first crush and gorgeous best friend, or the mysterious new girl with the romantic baggage?

The Kindred by Alechia Dow: A royal, Duke Felix Hamdi and a commoner, Joy Abara, mistakenly mind-paired at birth, land on Earth after fleeing royal assassins, only to find the "developing" planet might hold the solutions to their divided and unjust lives back home.

Kings of B’more by R. Eric Thomas: Set in Baltimore, a celebration of queer Black friendship as two boys, Harrison and Linus, plan a day of fun and facing their fears.

Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram: On Kiss & Tell's first major tour, lead singer Hunter Drake grapples with a painful breakup with his first boyfriend, his first rebound, and the stress of what it means to be queer in the public eye.

K-Pop Revolution (K-Pop Confidential #2) by Stephan Lee: She thought that debuting in a K-pop band was the finish line, but it was only the beginning. Because now it's not only Candace Park’s company judging her--it's the entire world. How will she find the courage to stand by her beliefs, even when powerful forces are trying to shame and silence her?

Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore: Two non-binary teens, Bastián Silvano and Lore Garcia, are pulled into a magical world under a lake - but can they keep their worlds above water intact?

Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution by Kacen Callender: 17-year-old nurodivergent and nonbinary Lark pretends that they are the creator of a viral thread that their ex-best friend, Kasim, accidentally posted onto their Twitter account, declaring his unrequited love, but living a lie takes its toll on Lark, forcing them to deal with their own messy emotions.

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes: 16-year-old Mexican American Yami Flores starts Catholic school, determined to keep her brother out of trouble and keep herself closeted, but her priorities shift when Yami discovers that her openly gay classmate Bo is also annoyingly cute.

The Lies We Tell by Katie Zhao: During her freshman year at college, Anna Xu investigates the unsolved on-campus murder of her former babysitter, as she and an old rival have to team up to look into the hate crimes happening around campus.

The Loophole by Naz Kutub: Sy, a 17-year-old queer Indian-Muslim boy, travels the world for a second chance at love after a possibly magical heiress grants him three wishes.

The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta: In this fantasy inspired by ancient Mesoamerica, a lineage of seers defiantly resists the shifting patriarchal state that would see them destroyed.

Love, Decoded by Jennifer Yen: In this contemporary NYC-set retelling of Emma, high school junior Gigi Wong is determined to be picked for a contest that could lead to an exclusive tech internship, but when her matchmaking app goes viral Gigi must deal with the unexpected consequences of helping her friends find love.

Love From Mecca to Medina by S.K. Ali: Adam and Zayneb embark on the Umrah, a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, in Saudi Arabia, but as one wedge after another drives them apart while they make their way through rites in the holy city, Adam and Zayneb start to wonder if their meeting was just an oddity after all.

Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle: Clever teen DJ Prince Jones,  always full of love advice for his friends and classmates meets his match in Dani Ford, who is an anti-romance and would rather be preparing to be the next great novelist.

Love Times Infinity by Lane Clarke: 16-year-old Michie is busy with big dreams for college and the biggest crush on the school's new basketball superstar, Derek de la Rosa—but when her estranged mother suddenly reappears in her life, she faces important questions about the chances she's willing to take on herself and her future,

Loveboat Reunion (Loveboat #2) by Abigail Hing Wen: Sophie Ha and Xavier Yeh find themselves on a wild, nonstop Loveboat reunion, hatching a joint plan to take control of their futures. Can they succeed together or are they destined to combust?

Lulu and Milagro’s Search for Clarity by Angela Velez: Two sisters become begrudging partners on their school's cross-country field trip to college campuses as they uncover family secrets, confront weighty expectations for their futures, and discover the true meaning of sisterhood.

The Man or the Monster by Aamna Qureshi: Durkhanai Miangul sealed her lover’s fate when she sent him through a door where either a lady or a lion awaited him. But Durkhanai’s decision was only the beginning of her troubles. Her presumed-dead father comes back with a vengeance, but her family’s denial of his revenge forces Durkhanai to take matters into her own hands.

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy Lin: Ning enters a cutthroat magical competition to find the kingdom's greatest master of the art of brewing tea, but political schemes and secrets make her goal of gaining access to royal physicians to cure her dying sister far more dangerous than she imagined.

A Venom Dark and Sweet (The Book of Tea #2) by Judy Lin: A great evil has come to the kingdom of Dàxi. The Banished Prince has returned to seize power and Ning has escorted Princess Zhen into exile. Joining them is the princess' loyal bodyguard, Ruyi, and Ning's newly healed sister, Shu. Together the four young women travel throughout the kingdom in search of allies to help oust the invaders and take back Zhen's rightful throne.

Meet Me in Mumbai by Sabina Khan: A novel in two acts, told 18 years apart; in the first, teenage mother Ayesha grapples with the decision whether to place her daughter Mira for adoption; in the second, her daughter wonders what she will find after discovering an old letter from her birth mother asking to meet in Mumbai on her 18th birthday.

Master of Souls (Kingdom of Souls #3) by Rena Barron: Arrah must decipher the legacy of her past and weave an uneasy alliance between her beloved Rudjek, the Demon King, and the remaining orishas, hoping to restore peace.

The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna: It's been 6 months since Deka freed the goddesses in the ancient kingdom of Otera and discovered who she really is. Yet hidden secrets threaten to destroy everything Deka has known. And with her own gifts changing, Deka must discover if she holds the key to saving Otera or if she might be its greatest threat.

A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar: An acrobat, an actress, an artist, and a thief, four girls who seemingly have nothing in common, work together and plot a heist to steal the Rubaiyat off the Titanic. 

Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwan: 16-year-old Korwal, from a family of sea-monster trainers, sacrifices everything to be the first of her caste to compete in a monstrous chariot race in an effort to save her sister's life.

Murder of Crows by K. Ancrum: Tig Torres investigates Hollow Falls' horrific history in this original novel based on the hit podcast Lethal Lit.

My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth: High school senior Bel Maier has an aptitude for engineering and teams up with robotics team captain, Mateo Luna, but after a rough start together the nights of after-school work lead to romance.

My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding by Sajni Patel: 17-year-old aspiring violinist Zurika Damani must secretly juggle the obligations of her sister's extravagant wedding week with auditions for a prominent music competition—all while trying to dodge her boisterous family's matchmaking scheme with the groom’s South African cousin Naveen—who just happens to be a cocky vocalist set on stealing Zuri’s spotlight at the scouting competition.

The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto: A transfer student and scholarship recipient, sophomore Lia Setiawan is angered when she discovers a cheating ring, but by the time she finds a dead body and shuts down the campus drug dealer, she fears she might be the biggest snake in the Draycott Academy nest of vipers.

Night of the Raven, Queen of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra: After a bloody palace uprising, Katyani, a young guardswoman to the royal family, discovers she is not who she thought she was and becomes a major pawn in the political games of a monster-filled land on the brink of war.

The Noh Family by Grace K. Shim: Chloe Chang travels to Seoul to meet her deceased father's ultra-rich family, but she soon begins to wonder if her new family's intentions are pure.

Nothing Burns As Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk: A novel-in-verse that tells the story of a tumultuous romance between two queer girls in nonlinear chapters, anchored by a single day where they set a fire and their relationship spirals out of control.

Nubia: The Awakening by Omar Epps & Clarence A. Haynes: In a climate-ravaged New York deeply divided by class, Zuberi, Uzochi, and Lencho, three teens of refugees from a fallen African utopia, begin to develop supernatural powers.

Okoye to the People by Ibi Zoboi: Okoye is a new recruit for T'Chaka's royal guard: the Dora Milaje. But when Okoye is sent on her very first mission—to America—she'll learn that her status as a Dora means nothing to New Yorkers and her expectations for the world outside of her own quickly fall apart.Caught between duty to her country and listening to her own heart, Okoye must find her own way and determine the type of Dora Milaje—and woman—she wants to be. 

Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho: Instead of going to prom, 17-year-old Elena Soo wants to spend her time saving the local community center, and she is determined to keep her priorities straight even when her childhood best friend Robbie Choi--who is now a K-pop superstar--returns to make good on their old pact to go to prom together.

One True Loves (Happily Ever Afters #2) by Elise Bryant: While on a post-graduation Mediterranean cruise with her family, Lenore Bennett meets a hopeless romantic with a ten-year plan who helps her find something she's been looking for--love.

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len: Set in contemporary London, in which a 16-yer-old half-monster Joan must embrace her own monstrousness to stop the boy she loves, who turns out to be a legendary monster slayer, from killing everyone she cares about.

Only On The Weekends by Dean Atta: A romantic coming-of-age novel in verse about the beautiful--and sometimes painful--fallout of pursuing the love we deserve.

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie: 17-year-old Ophelia Rojas, well known for her rose garden and her dramatic crushes on every boy in sight, begins to question her sexuality and sense of self when she starts to fall for cute, quiet Talia Sanchez in the weeks leading up to their prom and graduation.

The Other Side of the Tracks by Charity Alyse: In the racially divided towns of Bayside and Hamilton, Zach Whitman moves in and befriends Black siblings Capri and Justin Collins, until one of their friends is murdered by police, and the longstanding feud between the towns erupts into an all-out war, with the three caught in the middle.

Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories edited by Yamile Mendez & Amparo Ortiz: 15 original short stories from YA superstars featuring the monsters of Latine myths and legends.

Pixels of You by Ananth Hirsh & Yuko Ota: In a near future New York City of cyber augmentation and artificial intelligence, Indira and Fawn, two competitive interns in an art gallery, work together on a photography project, turning a rivalry into a friendship and perhaps something more.

Private Label by Kelly Yang: Chinese American Serene who gets help from the new boy in town, Lian Chen, to search for her dad after her successful fashion designer mother is diagnosed with cancer.

Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf: 15-year-old Najwa Bakri is forced to investigate the mysterious death of her best friend and Scrabble Queen, Trina, a year after the fact when her Instagram comes back to life with cryptic posts and messages.

Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin: Kurara has never known any other life than being a servant on board the Midori, but when her party trick of making paper come to life turns out to be a power treasured across the empire, she joins a skyship and its motley crew to become a Crafter. Taught by the gruff but wise Himura, Kurara learns to hunt shikigami - wild paper spirits who are sought after by the Princess. But are these creatures just powerful slaves for the Crafters and the empire, or are they beings with their own souls - and yet another thing to be subjugated by the powerful Emperor and his Princess?

Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space edited by Zoraida Cordova: In this collection of stories by acclaimed young adult authors the Latin American diaspora travels to places of fantasy and out into space.

The Red Palace by June Hur: Set in 1700s Joseon Korea, while investigating a series of grisly murders, 18-year-old palace nurse Hyeon navigates royal and political intrigue and becomes entangled with a young police inspector.

Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman by Kristen R. Lee: Upon arriving at the prestigious Wooddale University, 17-year-old Savannah Howard comes face-to-face with microaggressions and outright racism--but if she stands up for justice, will she endanger her future?

Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters: The summer before he leaves for college, 18-year-old Isaac Martin makes big plans with his best friend Diego that only the reappearance of an old crush can derail.

Road of the Lost by Nafiza Azad: Croi is compelled by a summoning spell leave her home in the Wilde Forest and travel into the Otherworld, where the enchantment that made her into a brownie begins to break, revealing her true identity, her hidden magick, and her forgotten heritage.

The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton & Sona Charaipotra: At Foxham Prep, a posh private school for Washington, D.C.'s elite, a rumor gains momentum as it collects followers on social media, pulling three girls into its path--Bryn, who wants to erase all memories of the mistake she made last summer; cheer captain Cora, who desperately wants to believe in her boyfriend's faithfulness; and shy Georgie, newly hot after a summer at fat camp and ready to reinvent herself--but who can stop a dangerous rumor once it takes on a life of its own?

Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland: It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided—between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. In New York City, she embarks on a mission with Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past, into the heart of the country’s oldest and most mysterious Blight. There, they discover the work of mages not encountered since the darkest period in America’s past, when Black mages were killed for their power—work that could threaten Laura’s and the Skylark’s lives.

Salaam, With Love by Sara Sharaf Beg: Dua struggles to find her place in her conservative family's household, but as she spends the month of Ramadan with her cousin in Queens, Dua finds herself learning more about her faith, relationships, and place in the world.

Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Carvalho: A telenovela-esque rom-com debut that follows the grandchildren of two rival Brazilian bakeries, Lari Ramires and Pedro Molina, who fall in love despite their families' feud while working to win a contest that would save both of their bakeries from being driven out by a predatory supermarket chain.

Scout’s Honor by Lily Anderson: Following a biracial Puerto Rican teen, Prudence Perry, born into a family of highly ranked Ladybird Scouts, elite monster hunters masquerading as a prim and proper ladies' social club who gave up her tea set and daggers after her best friend was killed, but now must return to the scouts to face the biggest monster of all: her past.

A Secret Princess by Margaret Stohl & Melissa De La Cruz: A romantic YA retelling-mashup of A Little Princess and The Secret Garden by bestselling authors Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz.

Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore: Three teens, Nicolás Caraveo, Daisy Fabrega, and Jay Gatsby, chase their own version of the American Dream during the Roaring 20s in this YA remix of The Great Gatsby.

Seoulmates by Susan Lee: Recently dumped high school nobody Hannah Cho must face her unresolved feelings for her childhood best friend, Jacob Kim, when he returns to their San Diego hometown as the newest K-drama heartthrob—and blackmails her into completing his summer bucket list with him.

Seton Girls by Charlene Thomas: The quarterback of Seton Academy prep school wants a state championship before his successor, Seton's first Black QB, has a chance to overshadow him, leading him to take bigger risks, and soon the team's awful secret leaks to a group of girls who suddenly have the power to change their world.

Shattered Midnight by Dhonielle Clayton:  In 1920s New Orleans, 18-year-old Zora Broussard banished after an incident in Harlem, struggles with her overbearing family, magical powers, love of jazz, and forbidden romance with white pianist Philip.

She Gets the Girl by Rachel Lippincott & Alyson Derrick: Alex Blackwood is a little bit headstrong, with a dash of chaos and a whole lot of flirt. She knows how to get the girl. Keeping her on the other hand…not so much. Molly Parker has everything in her life totally in control, except for her complete awkwardness with just about anyone besides her mom. She knows she’s in love with the impossibly cool Cora Myers. She just…hasn’t actually talked to her yet.

A Show For Two by Tashie Bhuiyan: Mina’s ticket to winning a film competition falls into her lap when indie film star—and known heartbreaker—Emmitt Ramos enrolls in her high school under a secret identity to research his next role. They strike a deal to work together, and as Mina ventures across the five boroughs with Emmitt by her side, the city she grew up in starts to look different and more. With the competition deadline looming, Mina's dreams—which once seemed impenetrable—begin to crumble, and she’s forced to ask herself: Is winning worth losing everything?

The Signs and Wonders of Tuna Rashad by Natasha Deen: Following Tuna Rashad, always on the lookout for messages from her Caribbean ancestors who have passed on, as she tries to win over her crush before she leaves for college.

The Silence That Binds Us by Joanna Ho: In the year following their son's death, May Chen's parents face racist accusations of putting too much pressure on their son and causing his death by suicide, and May attempts to challenge the racism and ugly stereotypes through her writing, only to realize that she still has a lot to learn and that her actions have consequences for her family as well as herself.

Slip by Marika McCoola & Aatmaja Pandya: An emotional coming-of-age graphic novel for fans of Bloom and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me.

Somebody That I Used to Know by Dana L. Davis: Aspiring musician Dylan Woods is forced to reunite with her ex–best friend Langston—who just happens to be the world’s biggest teen star.

Soul of the Deep (Skin of the Sea #2) by Natasha Bowen: To save those closest to her, Simi traded away everything: her freedom, her family, and the boy she loves. Now she is sworn to serve a new god, watching over the Land of the Dead at the bottom of the ocean.But when signs of demons begin to appear, it's clear there are deeper consequences of Simi's trade. With the fate of the world at stake, Simi must break her promise and team up with a scheming trickster of a god.

Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes: Luis Gonzalez just wants to go to prom with his boyfriend, but when a hit on the head knocks him back to 1985, he meets his parents' closeted classmate.

Squire by Sara Alfageeh & Nadia Shammas: Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. After she enlists in the competitive Squire program, it’s not how she imagined and she’ll have to soon choose between loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.

Strike the Zither by Joan He: As three warring fractures try to gain control of the kingdom, orphaned Zephyr, a strategist serving Xin Ren, infiltrates an enemy camp where she encounters the enigmatic Crow, an opposing strategist who might just be her match.

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson: Demisexual Metis teen Lou is settling in to spend the summer before college working at her close-knit family's small-town ice cream shack with her best friend, ex-boyfriend, and newly back-in-town crush, when a letter from her white biological father, recently out of prison, threatens to destroy everything she cares about.

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas: Transgender demigod Teo is unexpectedly selected for the Sunbearer Trials, a fierce competition among demigod heroes where the winner sacrifices the loser to Sol, their blood fueling the Sun Stones that protect Reino del Sol.

Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dillon: Sunny G's brother left him one thing when he died: His notebook, which Sunny is determined to fill up with a series of rash decisions. Decision number one was a big one: He stopped wearing his turban, cut off his hair, and shaved his beard. Sunny debuts his new look at prom, which he's stuck going to alone. Enter Mindii Vang, a girl with a penchant for making rash decisions of her own, starting with stealing Sunny's notebook. When Sunny chases after her, prom turns into an all-night adventure—a night full of rash, wonderful, romantic, stupid, life-changing decisions.

Survive the Dome by Kosko Jackson: High school junior Jamal Lawson teams up with hacker Marco during a police brutality protest to shut down a device that creates an impenetrable dome around Baltimore that is keeping the residents in and information from going out.

This is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves: 17-year-old Enrique "Quique" Luna decides to get over his crush on Saleem Kanazi before the end of summer by pursuing other romantic prospects, but he ends up discovering heartfelt truths about friendship, family, and himself.

This Place is Still Beautiful by Xixi Tian: A story about first love, complicated family dynamics, and the pernicious legacy of racism, following two estranged teen sisters Annalie and Margaret who have no choice but to reunite in their small Midwestern town when their family becomes the victim of a hate crime.

This Wicked Fate (This Poison Heart #2) by Kalynn Bayron: Briseis races to save her family even as she discovers more about their ties to ancient goddesses and deadly curses.

A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass: Princess Annika has lived a life of comfort—but no amount of luxuries can change the fact that her life isn’t her own to control. Miles away, small comforts are few and far between for Lennox. For Lennox, the idea of love is merely a distraction—nothing will stand in the way of fighting for his people. But when love, against all odds, finds them both, they are bound by its call. They can’t possibly be together—but the irresistible thrum of a thousand heartbeats won’t let them stay apart.

A Thousand Steps Into Night by Traci Chee: In the realm of Awara, where gods, monsters, and humans exist side by side, ordinary Miuko is cursed and begins to transform into a demon with a deadly touch. Embarking on a quest to turn human again, she must outfox tricksters, escape demon hunters, and negotiate with feral gods if she wants to make it home again.

Three Kisses, One Midnight by Roshani Chokshi & Evelyn Skye & Sandhya Menon: A magical Halloween story pitched as told in the tradition of LET IT SNOW, set in a town reminiscent of Stars Hollow, featuring interconnected stories about three witchy best friends and their romantic quest involving love potions (that may or may not work) and true love's kiss before the clock strikes midnight, 

TJ Powar Has Something to Prove by Jasmeen Kaur Deo: A charming rom-com about high school debater TJ Powar who—after becoming the subject of an ugly meme—makes a resolution to stop shaving, plucking, and waxing, and prove that she can be her hairy self and still be beautiful…but soon finds this may be her most difficult debate yet.

Together We Burn by Isabel Ibanez: 18-year-old flamenco dancer Zarela Zalvidar must work with a disgraced dragon hunter to learn the ways of a Dragador and save her ancestral home.

Tokyo Dreaming (Tokyo Ever After #2) by Emiko Jean: Princess Izumi of Japan will do anything to help her parents achieve their happily ever after, but what if playing the perfect princess means sacrificing her own? Will she find a way to forge her own path and follow her heart?

Travelers Along the Way by Aminah Mae Safi: In this reimagination of the legend of Robin Hood, Rahma al-Hud and her older sister Zeena travel to Jerusalem for a final mission, and on their way they assemble a ragtag band of misfits and get swept up Holy Land politics.

The Turning Pointe by Vanessa L. Torres: Following a dancer in 1980s Minnesota as she navigates complex family expectations, a new romance, and her own ambitions to dance for the Purple One himself, Prince.

Turning by Joy L. Smith: Before the "accident" Genie was an aspiring ballerina, now she is a bitter teenager, permanently confined to a wheelchair, but at physical therapy she meets Kyle, a gymnast whose traumatic brain injury has landed him in therapy--and through their growing friendship Genie realizes that she has to confront the things around her: like the booze her mother is hiding, or the fact that maybe her fall was not entirely accidental.

Twice as Perfect by Louisa Onome: 17-year-old Nigerian Canadian Adanna Nkwachi must deal with an estranged older brother, uncertainty about her future, and helping her cousin plan a big Nigerian wedding.

Valiant Ladies by Melissa Grey: In Potosai, a silver mining city in the new Spanish viceroyalty of Peru, proper ladies by day and teen vigilantes by night, Eustaquia “Kiki” de Sonza and Ana Lezama de Urinza set out to expose corruption and deliver justice after Kiki's brother is murdered and the prostitute he loved disappears.

Vinyl Moon by Mahogany L. Browne: Reeling from the scars of a past relationship, Angel finds healing and hope in the words of strong Black writers and the new community she builds in Brooklyn

We Are All We Have by Marina Budhos: After her mom is taken by ICE, 17-year-old Rania's hopes and dreams for the future are immediatly put on hold as she figures out how take care of her younger brother and survive in a country that seems to be closing around them.

We Are the Scribes by Randi Pink: Ruth Fitz, a black teenager surrounded by activism in a family rocked by tragedy, discovers that she has begun to receive parchment letters from Harriet Jacobs, the author of the autobiography and 1861 American classic.

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds: When 17-year-old Avery moves to rural Georgia to live with her ailing grandmother, she encounters decade-old family secrets and a mystery surrounding the town's racist past.

We Weren’t Looking To Be Found by Stephanie Kuehn: Dani and Camilla find friendship on their path to mental health in a story of acceptance, recovery, and resilience.

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson: When a viral bullying incident reveals outcast Madison Washington’s secret of being biracial, student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school's first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date. But some of her classmates aren't done with her just yet. And what they don't know is that Maddy still has another secret, one that will cost them all their lives.

Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto: After Sharlot Citra is whisked from L.A. to her mother's native Indonesia in order to "get back to her roots," who—through a comedy of errors and overzealous parents—she finds herself fake dating the son of one of the wealthiest families in Indonesia, and is surprised when she actually starts to fall in love with the boy, with the country, and with the big family she never knew before now,

What Souls Are Made Of by Tasha Suri: As the abandoned son of a Lascar—a sailor from India—Heathcliff has spent most of his young life maligned as an "outsider." Now he's been flung into an alien life in the Yorkshire moors. Catherine, the younger child of the estate's owner, a daughter with light skin and brown curls and a mother that nobody talks about, soon finds solace with Heathcliff. But when Catherine's father dies and the household's treatment of Heathcliff only grows more cruel, their relationship becomes strained and threatens to unravel.

What’s Coming to Me by Francesca Padilla: After the ice cream stand where she works is robbed, 17-year-old Minerva Gutiaerrez plans to get revenge on her predatory boss while navigating grief, anger, and dreams of escape from her dead-end hometown.

Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton & Tiffany D. Jackson & Nic Stone & Angie Thomas & Ashley Woodfolk & Nicola Yoon: Atlanta is blanketed with snow just before Christmas, but the warmth of young love just might melt the ice in this novel of interwoven narratives, Black joy, and cozy, sparkling romance.

The Wicked Remain (Grimrose Girls #2) by Laura Pohl: At Grimrose Académie, Nani, Yuki, Ella, and Rory have discovered the truth about the curse that's left a trail of dead bodies at Grimrose. But the four still know nothing of its origins, or how to stop the cycle of doomed fates. Can the girls change their own stories and break the curse?

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi: To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.

Wrong Side of Court by H.N. Khan: 15-year-old Fawad Chaudhry has big dreams about being the world's first Pakistani to be drafted into the NBA.

The Witchery by S. Isabelle: Logan came to Mesmortes Coven Academy in Haelsford, Florida, to learn to control her powers, but she soon learns she has a role to play in the ancient curse of the hellmouth--whatever the cost to herself and her new friends.

You Truly Assumed by Laila Sabreen: Three Black Muslim teens, Sabriya, Zakat, and Farah, living different parts of the country start a blog to fight Islamophobia and find friendship and hope as they let their voices be heard.

Zyla & Kai by Kristina Forest: The story of how cynic Zyla Matthews and hopeless romantic Kai Johnson become friends, fall in love, and break up unfolds from their different perspectives.

[nothinggathers]

DBH Fic Masterlist

One shots

Impatient - PWP - Human AU - Connor works at a tacky wings bar and hooks up with Hank in the alley

Dirty Laundry - PWP - Human AU - Hank has inappropriate feelings for the college student renting his spare room which he’s content to keep to himself, until he finds out the pictures of a guy that looks just like him don’t just look like him.

Warning: Drunk sex, post break-up revenge porn

The Mermaid of Fox Creek - Teen - Mermaid AU - Hank finds a broken down merdroid on the beach and takes him home, inadvertently teaching him to like soft things and How It’s Made before falling a little bit in love.

Night of the Soul - NC-17 - Canonverse - In the aftermath of the raid on Jericho Hank is spiraling, until Connor comes to ask for his help...

Warning: Rape by deception

Scandal - NC-17 - Modern Royalty AU - His Royal Highness, Henry Prince of Wales and his valet, Connor, share a few stolen minutes in the depths of a forbidden tryst that would ruin them both if it came to light.

Close To Me Always - G - Hank reflects on his relationship with Connor in the aftermath of his loss.

Warning: Major Character Death

Beautiful - Teen - Connor finds the imperfection and impermanence of Hank’s body beautiful, and Hank shows Connor that his body bears the marks of living too.

Ensoulment - G - Connor reads fairytales and ruminates on his own personhood

Ghosts in the Machines - Explicit - Reverse AU (Featuring art from @winterbaroness and @vladlen4i) - Detective Stern and his prototype android partner investigate murders and the disappearances of androids, and realise there is so much more to this than there seems....

Only Fools Rush In - Explicit - Post revolution Hank and Connor have been just friends, until Connor bids on Hank at a charity date auction.

Cross my heart and hope to live - Mature - Human Mafia AU - Connor is a hitman working under Hank when a job goes wrong and he gets badly hurt. But help arrives in time.

Warning: Suicidal thoughts mentioned

Series

Two Smiles - Explicit - Modern Human AU set in real world London

Getting Home - Connor is gravely injured on a stakeout and Hank puts him up in his home while he recovers, but feelings they’ve both done their best not to acknowledge blossom under the unique circumstances.

Warnings: Graphic depiction of injury

Pendulum - Hank and Connor’s relationship develops over the following months, and Connor is faced with some difficult decisions about what direction he wants to go in the future.

Warnings: References to criminal cases involving rape, spousal abuse, child abuse, child death, alcoholism.

Also includes references to Hank’s recovering alcoholism

This Isn’t Meant To Last - Explicit - Human Prostitute AU set in a world where indentured servitude was never illegalised

One Night - Hank’s idiot friends drag him to a brothel on a drunken night out, and he finds himself alone with a doe eyed beauty that thinks Hank is the one that needs to be rescued.

Warnings: Prostitution

Yours - Hank returns even though he knows he shouldn’t, and he’s determined to help get Connor out of there, but he doesn’t know just how terrible Connor’s situation really is.

Warnings: Sibling incest, aftermath of violence, heaping amounts of angst, dubious consent, drug use, prostitution.

Icarus - Connor signs a deal that offers freedom for himself and Nines, but how much should he trust Elijah Kamski, and who will catch him when the wax melts? Ongoing.

Warnings: Prostitution, angst, dubious consent

Reverse Physiology - RP logs undertaken with @sevdrag set in a Reverse AU and then cleaned up for publishing

History - Detective Connor Stern thinks the HK800 Cyberlife assigned to the DPD for these deviancy cases might be more than just a machine, but the HK800 in question, Hank, disagrees. Until he doesn’t.

Reciprocity - Explicit - A year on, Hank the HK800 and Detective Stern are still working together, dancing around a mutual attraction as clumsily as they can. When Connor is injured at a crime scene Hank takes him home to take care of him, and things spill over.

Mutuality - Explicit - Connor plans to start the New Year as he means to go on: by finally telling Hank how he feels, and where they stand.

Public Service Opportunity - Explicit - Hank and Connor get very carried away in the DPD bathroom. And again at home.

Our Solemn Hour - Collaboration undertaken with @sevdrag and @glass-noodle. A medieval AU in which Connor is the heir apparent of the Kingdom of Detroit, until his mother and father are killed in a rebellion. His brother Nines flees, but Connor is captured and held prisoner by men that have no love for him. Except Hank, who falls for him, and then works to try and help get Connor out so he can safely reunite with his brother.

Momentary Rest - Hank helps to clean up Connor’s wounds following an evening where he was forced to entertain his captors.

Warnings: Reference to sexual assault, injury

Cruel Intentions - Explicit - Hank and Connor have grown close. Close enough that when the rebels want information out of Connor, they know it’s not him they need to hurt.

Warnings: Graphic scenes of torture

Defeat - Explicit - Connor is regularly pulled away from the safety of his and Hank’s cell to occupy the men for the evening. Except this evening, they decide to have their fun with Connor and Hank in their cell, and force Hank to participate in Connor’s brutalisation.

Warnings: Graphic rape, injury

Pawn - Explicit - Connor is a chess piece in a game his father began, but his opponents mistake him for a pawn when he is in fact royal. Connor strategises, planning how to get himself and Hank out of there, while doing whatever he must to survive. And at the end he finds a new piece on his side.

Warnings: Graphic rape, injury

[pluckysidekick]

Hello, Drewds! I’ve been on vacation but just had to come back to post about what we know about the next few episodes.

Before I go there, a word on Episode 8. For me it was one of the best of the entire series. The actors were able to capture each others’ speech, mannerisms, and essence so well. And of course the Nancy and Ace scenes were just incredible. They aren’t together romantically yet, but they have reached a new level of honesty with each other, and are learning how to be a couple. The sunset scene, and Ace’s voice cracking as he says later that he’s a better person with Nancy in his life, were everything.

On to episode 9! We got the one line description “The Drew Crew prepare to battle a Sin Eater.” I think we can do better than that. To start with, the title. “The Mystery of the Stolen Soul.”

Who could be the stolen soul? My theory - it’s Tristan Glass. We know he’s adopted, and the Glasses are fully capable of stealing a child. Is he the child of India Burnett, the most recent victim of the Sin Eater (who died on a boat under mysterious circumstances)? Or does he have some other connection?

Henry Zaga was filming in Vancouver and posted this at the time of ep. 9 filming:

I remember at the time wondering how he got so muddy. This certainly makes me think of this scene from the trailer:

We all surmised that this is Tristan who Nancy says she won’t let die (yes I studied Alex and Henry’s profiles for comparison cause I’m obsessed).

Some fans have theorized that Tristan IS a Sin Eater. Did Nancy shoot him accidentally when she’s aiming for a Sin Eater? Or does he transform? Or is he actually the next victim - and if so, whose sin is he paying for? Nancy’s (for the tsunami/killing Tempy/shooting Tristan)? The Glasses (for kidnapping Tristan/many attempted murders)? We will get the return of Jonas Glass in this episode, interested in how he plays into it. Kennedy said we won’t fully understand Tristan’s role until the finale, but I imagine a big piece of the puzzle will be revealed in this episode. Still wondering about his grandfather that he went fishing with, esp after Ep. 8’s Ace&Thom fishing adventure…

We have this intriguing promo still from Ep. 9 which matches with a shot from the trailer:

So is this Temperance’s red sleeping powder she used on Lev? Perhaps Nancy finds it in Icarus Hall. Does she try to use it on the Sin Eater? Tristan? Ace? (Also, where’s Ace?)

There’s this mysterious shot that matches Nancy’s fit from the cabin shot below:

She’s waking up here - did she douse herself with the sleeping powder accidentally? Maybe she’s testing it out before she tries it on the Sin Eater.

We also had this trailer shot in a stone cabin that matches Maddison’s coat from ep.9 filming:

You may remember she attempted to sing Elton John in the green room in this gorgeous purple plaid coat. What icky thing are they encountering? And what is going on here?

Back in town, we’ve got Bess on trial for witchcraft, which is eerily evocative of both the history of early America and today’s terrifying climate:

You may remember the cast did a meet and greet with fans during filming at the old courthouses that are inside the Vancouver Art Gallery:

Since Nancy has a few different outfits in this episode, I’m thinking the trial runs for at least few days.

So I know we’re all anxious about what is happening with Ace, who isn’t in any of these shots. We know from past episodes they often leave him out of promos, surely to increase our anticipation. I can’t imagine him not being there for his Platanchor - although he does have a job that he can’t slack off now. From IMDB, Connor is in this ep, so we should get some work scenes for Ace, and perhaps the suggestion that he go to school to further his career?

I believe we’ll see his potential love interest in the next episode (will do another post), but we should expect some Nancy-Tristan action in this ep. Gotta ride the wave!

As always my post is all speculation based on what we know from BTS, trailers, and promos. I might have the wrong episode for some of these shots, and there may be some I missed. But it’s fun to speculate while we wait for Larry’s emojis and tonight’s broadcast!

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

Summer Reading/Writing Tag ☀️

Describe one creative WIP project you’re planning to work on over the summer.

I'm currently a bit less than halfway (hahaha, as if it that ever turns out as expected) into my one and only writing WIP Till Death. Experience shows I can pull off around 20-25k per month "easily", so I hope to be done with it August/Septemper.

It's my attempt at write as if no one is reading, a shamelessly whump- and angst-heavy queer love story. It's the first time in ages I actually do a whole draft again before posting (last was HmW last July and I wrote that in 3 weeks on no sleep.) I put the blurb here, but won't make a WIP intro before I am done.

Whenever I need a break from that, I still gotta do the last edits on my novel Thorns, which has a WIP Intro.

Recommend a book.

I have a tag for that.

Recommending books is hard, because the majority of the books in my life haven't been in English -- and because I am a coward. I'm gonna list some I remember fondly, and might put one day in the tag when I get past anxiety and the lack of time.

Carol Berg - Transformation

D.N. Bryn - Once Stolen

Recommend a fic.

I don't read fanfic, but I don't see a "fan" in that question, so:

I have a page for that.

Currently not on the list, because I am a lazy fuck, is @squishablesunbeam 's Consequence of Action. I am in love with Quinn and Connor, but be warned, it's very nsfw/noncon-heavy.

Recommend music.

I also have a tag for that.

Outward - The Adventure's Tale - Clamavi De Profundis

Wish I could buy this somewhere. I have such a soft spot for songs about games. Songs that tell you, we loved this world, we loved this game, this was our journey.

You know what. Let's stick with that theme.

Wasteland Soul - Fallout 3 song by Miracle Of Sound

Aviators - Song of the Abyss (Dark Souls Song | Symphonic Rock)

Those 3 games I bought (or want to buy, Dark Souls wasn't on sale in ages) because of songs about them.

Share one piece of advice!

Get a glass water bottle. I recently got another plastic one and I hate how smells stick to it when I decided to keep some tea in it. Oh you mean writing advice?

Constructive criticism is great and all, but get at least one person who will call you a bitch* with a row of crying emojis when you show them your new chapter.

*or other insult of your choice

I was tagged by @words-after-midnight and I am gonna tag (no pressure) @squishablesunbeam @starlit-hopes-and-dreams @clairelsonao3 @verkja @serotoninshift @sam-glade and whoever else wants to do this

[carnistcervine]

My Interpretation of Connor's Personality

Aka local carnivorous deer over-analyses video game character.

I've noticed that the most popular interpretations of Connor are the basically him being either a super cinnamon roll, a tissue paper twink, or the suave and sexy sass master. And well, I've just personally felt that the most popular views and even the popular "unpopular" opinions on him are just so, black and white? Like he's either a sweet cinnamon roll, OR he's badass. So I thought that I'd throw in my unwanted opinion of him. :D So I'm just gonna go ahead and make a basic character analysis of Connor that should cover the way that I interpret his character.

Quick disclaimer: I'm not trying to say that there is any right or wrong way to view or interpret a character, I just wanted to jot down my thoughts on him, since I think about this boy a LOT.

I know that most people tend to view/think of Connor as being suave and sassy, but personally, I just don't see it? I mean, I do definitely get confidence coming off of him. He's very confident, not arrogant though, just confident. But he doesn't really come off as sassy to me. Sassy kind of implies that he has some kind of an attitude, and he doesn't. He has a very calm, dry and stoic tone. Rather than sassy, I'd say he's a bit more snide or shady. Because the few times that he does deliver a zinger, it tends to be a dry sarcastic line, or mean-spirited shade. He uses a very dry tone when calling his and Gavin's relationship a "bromance". When Connor asks Hank if he ran out of alcohol and came to him looking for trouble, he doesn't say it in a cool or sassing tone, he says it more like he's annoyed that Hank came to bother him. Also, Connor's comments about Hank's son, it's a very low blow for him to make. And about Connor being suave, again, I just don't feel he fits the bill. Suave would be cool, and unaffected like James Bond, but Connor has too many angry, aggressive, or just awkward moments to be suave. He's just not smooth enough. Not to mention, he more stoic and emotionless android than cool and slick super-spy. Probably the only time that Connor says or does anything sassy is when he teases Hank about investigating the Eden Club, but again, this is an exception and even then it comes across as more playful than properly sassy.

As for Connor being a ray of sunshine and helpless baby, well... I definitely don't think of Connor as being a helpless baby. He can take out entire armed squads. He's far from helpless. He does have a slight naivete to him, but I feel like this stems purely from a lack of life experience. He's like three months old though, what do you honestly expect? I do feel like Connor has a good/kind soul, though. Connor has the capacity to show a lot of empathy. Even during his first mission, after stepping out of the elevator, one of the first things you can do a save a dying fish. Saving this creature doesn't affect the mission in any way, nor will it endear any humans to him, so he must be doing it of his own volition. The fact that he even stood there and continued to watch as the fish swam away would suggest that he does care on some level about it's well being. There is also the fact that he can endanger his mission, supposedly the most important thing to him, for the sake of others' well being. Like if he saves Hank, spares the Tracis, or even spares Chloe. Often times, sincere dialogue options will result in Connor saying something nice, or friendly. A good example of this is when Connor says that he genuinely appreciated working with Hank in "Last Chance, Connor." Also, in the first mission when you go outside to confront Daniel, Connor will see an injured officer. Even if you don't notice the man, Connor will, and will reach out an arm and look in his direction. Connor wants to help him. Which, again is a demonstration of Connor showing concern for the well being of others. It should also be noted that even at his most machine-like, Connor will show remorse over driving Hank to suicide. Not only through the fact that he came to check on him, and made a (poor) attempt at talking him out of it, but also because afterwards, he'll look down. Like he feels guilty over it. On some level, no matter how bad your relationship with Hank is, Connor cares about him. Although it should be noted that good and nice =/= weak. Connor will still do what is necessary to accomplish whatever he needs to do, and I doubt that he would hesitate to kill someone if it meant protecting someone he cares about or saving innocent lives. There's a reason why people say to "beware the nice ones." And considering that the majority of ruthless!Connor overlaps with machine!Connor, his ruthless behavior is most likely a result of his programming and not his personality. It should be noted that since machine!Connor tends to be rather lifeless in his mannerisms and behavior, I tend to believe that most of his words and actions are simply programming. So he's not the best representative of Connor's personality.

On the topic of machine!Connor though, it has been confirmed by Word of God that Connor can fake his emotions, and does so during interrogations. It's how he's able to switch so easily between bad cop and good cop. He's designed to be manipulative, and an excellent actor. So machine!Connor is not the best place to look when trying to gauge Connor's true intentions or personality. However, one aspect of Connor we can pick up from his machine self is his obedience and sense of loyalty. No matter how you play him, Connor shows signs of deviancy and self-awareness. Connor is a highly intelligent android, considering that he is conscious and self-aware, he should be able to pick up that CyberLife is just using him. So why doesn't he? Simple, they've conditioned him to obey them. Notice how he doesn't listen or act obedient to any other character. Hell, he'll only do what Hank says if he decides that it's what he wants as well. An example of this can be found when you have to decide between killing Chloe or not. Killing Chloe means advancing the investigation and obeying CyberLife, and even though Hank directly tells Connor not to shoot Chloe, it ultimately boils down to him being unable to harm an innocent "girl." Connor fears no man, he will actively defy Hank, Captain Allen, and pretty much any human that tries to tell him what to do. He is very defiant, but seems to fear retribution from CyberLife and actively seeks to please Amanda. He only seems to break from this when deviating, possibly because that's him realizing that Amanda is just using him, and he shouldn't be seeking her constant approval. Whether or not he realizes that Amanda is abusing him, I'm not entirely sure. Despite his defiant nature though, Connor does show a high level of loyalty. Machine!Connor is blindly loyal to Amanda and CyberLife, and deviant!Connor is loyal to his people and to Hank. Even to the point where he could sacrifice himself to save Hank on multiple occasions, and is fully willing to give his own life to help the deviant's cause.

Speaking of abuse, Connor is shown to be quick to take the blame when things go wrong. Amanda expresses slight disappointment and Connor immediately dives into "it's all my fault" mode. Amanda will say that it's a pity that Connor didn't manage to capture Rupert, and Connor will immediately go into how he should have been faster. Despite the fact that it's not his fault that he had to choose between saving Hank and chasing Rupert. There is a case where Connor will defend himself with a "deviants are unpredictable" only to backpedal by saying that he should have been more effective. Connor seems conditioned to just accept blame for when things go wrong. Another example of this is how he seems so ashamed of his part in the downfall of Jericho. Which again points to his quickness to accept blame. "I should have known they were using me..." After the raid on Jericho, you can find Connor brooding in a darkened corner by himself. If you decide not to trust Connor, he won't complain or beg for his life when Markus straight up shoots him in the head. Instead he just looks sad and resigned. He even says beforehand that he'll understand if you decide not to trust him. When he deviates, he immediately lowers his head in shame, possibly feeling awful about trying to kill Markus a minute ago, despite only trying to do so because CyberLife was controlling him and literally threatening to kill him. At multiple points in the story, the player can find out that Connor is afraid to die. Being deviant only cements and possibly intensifies this fear. If you choose to spare Connor, he quickly offers to go on a suicide mission to help Jericho's cause. This also speaks to his lack of regard for his own safety. Again, he seems to be conditioned to see himself as expendable. It doesn't matter if Connor is killed or injured, all that matters is the mission(be it for CyberLife or anyone else). I think the most damning evidence of this is in the aftermath of if you choose not to shoot Chloe. Hank will question Connor about his decision. It's easy to tell from Hank's tone that he isn't reprimanding Connor, it's simply that Connor makes all this big talk about accomplishing his mission and he just blatantly threw away a good opportunity to further his investigation. Connor's reaction however is decidedly more hostile. Connor is so used to Amanda's abuse, that, he just see's Hank's prodding as Hank reprimanding him for not being obedient. Because his software instability is pushing him over the edge, he snaps back at Hank. For that entire time, Connor's LED is red, indicating a high stress level and emotional distress. However when Hank reveals that he's actually pleased with Connor, and wasn't reprimanding him for disobeying, Connor's LED goes back to blue, showing that Hank's comment about him doing the right thing made him feel better.

I'm gonna be blunt here, Connor doesn't care about himself. Sure, you can try to excuse this as him being a machine that doesn't care about or fully understand death. But it's shown multiple times that Connor genuinely fears death. Even in the machine run, there does seem to be a hint of fear on his face if Hank drops or pushes him off the roof. It's possible that machine!Connor is just pretending that he doesn't care if he lives or dies. To be fully fair though, there isn't enough evidence though to say for sure whether machine!Connor is afraid of death. However deviant!Connor immediately offers to do a reckless suicide mission to help Markus' cause. Despite knowing and acknowledging that he will likely die, and being very afraid to die, he puts his new mission above his own safety. If you manage to convert the androids in the warehouse and get Connor killed, he doesn't show concern about about dying. He just calmly tells -60 that he failed. Maybe it's just me, but I do find it rather disturbing that even when recognizing that he's alive and won't come back, and showing on multiple occasions that he is indeed afraid to die, he can be so blase about getting killed as long as his mission is accomplished. Also, another interesting detail, if you get Connor killed without converting the androids, a mission failed sign will pop up. Again, maybe it's just me, but I do find it a little creepy that even waking up and breaking free from his programming is not enough to break him out of that mindset.

Connor is a little socially awkward. Probably one his cutest traits is how he doesn't completely understand how to engage in normal interaction. Sure, you put him in a negotiation or interrogation and he's right in his element, but in any normal interaction he is so awkward. It's adorable. He does get better though. Because he's an anthropomorphic computer with a hyper-intelligent AI, learning is in his blood. And sorry, not sorry, but Connor sucks at hand-to-hand combat. When unarmed, he can get taken down by a fifty year old alcoholic. I mean sure, give him a gun and he can take down entire squads, but it should be remembered that he is an anthropomorphic computer and basically just uses his advanced technologies to pre-construct his way to victory.

All in all, Connor is pretty complex, and I wish more people could see him for all the facets of his character. Not just the ones they prefer. :p

Also-

I WROTE A FUCKING ESSAY ON THIS GODDAMN ROBOT. WHY MUST I LOVE THIS SHITTY PLASTIC MAN SO MUCH??

[dameronology]

a matter of time (tasm! peter parker) - 5/5

five: when we collide (a.k.a the epilogue)

summary: summary: peter parker has barely gotten over losing you and getting dragged into another universe where you’re still alive and kicking isn’t about to help the case. thanks to an ultimatum from stephen strange, peter has just a matter of days to make you realise who he is and what you had, or he faces losing you all over again. he better get to work. (playlist + masterlist) - this uses she/her pronouns

warnings; mentions of loss/death, swearing, no way home spoilers

AHHH i can't believe this series has come to an end. it has been an absolute pleasure to write and i am so thankful for everyone who has read it. i hope this ending is the one you hoped for!!

- jazz xx

In Peter Parker’s mind, you were forever young.

That stupid denim jacket of yours; the faint smell of stolen cigarettes and your mum’s Chanel, splayed all over your baggy band shirts and clinging onto every last morsel of his bedsheets and existence. He’d spent the better part of the last three years trying to curate it in his head, all so that he wouldn’t forget. And even when years passed and the sound of your laugh and scent of your shampoo began to fade, he never forgot your face. He never forgot your bright eyes or wild hair or the glint in your irises every time you made a verbal attack on some unsuspecting soul. Peter had spent years trying to convince himself not to think about what you would look like now – it would hurt too much. The things that could have been.

Little did he know, that slightly older image of you was even more beautiful than he could have imagined. You didn’t look that different, a little wiser and more tired maybe, but completely familiar as you sat across from him in the coffee shop. Your hands were resting on a latte, eyes watching the window as strangers passed through Lexington Avenue. You always met here, everyday on your lunch break - the same way you had almost every day since Stephen Strange had sent you back to your original universe two years ago.

“Pete, are you staring at me again?” your eyes flickered back to him with a smile.

“I’m people watching,” he shot back.

“No, I’m people watching. You’re…me watching,” you corrected him. “What are you thinking about?”

“It’s two years tomorrow that you came back,” Peter replied. “But it kinda feels like you were never gone.”

You smiled. “Yeah, I know. It feels like a pipedream, huh?”

For him, it had been a nightmare. Five years of sitting and mourning, going over that godforsaken night in his head and wondering on a cycle about all the things he could have done to save you. It had eaten him alive; digested his heart and spat it out, half working. He’d slept-walked through all those days, half a man with half a heart.

Peter had never believed in soul-mates- he was a stickler for the idea that love was nothing more than a chemical reaction. Maybe in the same way that nuclear weapons were just a chemical reaction.

“Do you ever miss that world?” he asked. “Strange’s world?”

You shook your head. “Barely. My life there wasn’t really mine and the versions of the people I loved there weren’t really them. I s’pose I miss annoying Strange sometimes but pissing off a wizard isn’t worth giving up a single thing I have here.”

You’d made more of a life for yourself here now – the first few weeks had been hard, though. Strange could do a lot of things but he couldn’t undo the fact that everyone that you had died. With a little help from Peter and some of his shadier contacts, you’d managed to craft an elaborate story about faking your own death because of a weird discovery you’d made at work. And with Kurt Connors and Maxwell Dillon returning too all of a sudden, it was believable. Just about.

You were a high-level scientist at Oscorp now; there had been a few close calls with your colleagues almost stumbling about the multiverse, but you’d managed to divert their attention. You were sitting on secrets that nobody else - aside from Peter, of course - knew about.

“C’mon,” you stood up, sticking your hand out towards your boyfriend. “I gotta get back to the office. Walk with me?”

“Of course,” Peter smiled.

He wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you into his side, leading you out of the coffee shop and into the busy street. New York was exactly the same as it had been in Strange’s universe, just minus the Avengers - that had its perks and its downfalls. Perks, because it meant you didn’t have to worry about your car being destroyed in an incident every time you parked it in the city (insurance was a bitch). Downfalls, because it meant there was so much you didn’t know. The Avengers had discovered every threat and protected the world from it, but you didn’t know if this world was prone to the same ones. Aliens, monsters, robots…all pretty normal things for that world but not so much for your one.

So good so far though.

–

Your apartment was dark when you got in later that night.

It was a nice little place; a converted brownstone on the Queens/Brooklyn border, but still close enough to the tunnel and bridge to get to work in Manhattan. Naturally, it cost a small fortune, but your job paid well and Peter’s connections to a certain webbed hero definitely helped his photography career as well. It was crammed full of photos; ones of you and Pete on holiday; ones of your family; ones of you in high-school, wide-eyed and grinning at prom. You’d practically traveled the entire world since you’d gotten back, all trying to make up for lost time.

You crept inside quietly, shutting the door behind you. The living room light was off, save for the television; an old episode of Seinfeld was playing in the background. You couldn’t help but smile at that - it had always been Peter’s favorite show. Speaking of the devil, he was passed out on the couch, a book splayed open on his chest and a half-eaten pizza beside him.

“Evening, handsome,” he sleepily mumbled. “I missed you.”

“It’s literally been five hours,” you chuckled; you ran a hand through his hair and kicked off your heels, letting him pull you into his chest and wrap his arms around your waist.

“Better than five years,” Peter shot back.

You buried your head in his chest, letting out a small mmm of agreement. “I can’t argue with that.”

“You smell like hydrochloric acid.”

“Yeah, sorry,” you groaned. “I’ll go wash up. Don’t move.”

“I ain’t going anywhere.”

Standing back up, you grabbed your shoes and headed through to the bedroom. After a long day, the only thing better than your own hoodies and sweats was Peter’s hoodies and sweats - and because he was a man in the twenty-first century, he seemed to own about a thousand of them.

You tossed your own clothes into the wash and pulled open the wardrobe, rifling around the top shelf for his Midtown graduation hoodie. Blindly feeling around, you grabbed the material of the blue jumper and pulled it; it came crashing down, hitting the floor with a hard thud.

“What the…” you frowned, grabbing it from the floor. A small box came tumbling out. A ring box.

It had fallen open on impact, revealing a red and blue ring. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was beautiful; there were tiny little spiders engraved into the band. No guesses on what it’s purpose was.

“Hey, have you seen my charger-” Peter entered the room, brown eyes widening when he saw what you were holding. His hair was sticking up everywhere and he had pizza down his front. Sexy.

“I didn’t mean to find it!” you quickly said. “I was just looking for your jumper and…fucking hell, Parker. You are really bad at hiding things.”

He swallowed, nodding slowly. “I really am.”

“I can put it back and pretend I never saw it-”

“- no, I’m glad you did,” Peter took a step towards you, placing his hands on your hip. “I’m not very good at finding the right moment to propose.”

“When did you buy it?” you asked.

“About a week before you died,” he confessed. “I held onto it for a really long time and then you came back and…I guess I forgot about it.”

“It’s beautiful,” you murmured. “I love it.”

“Would you have said yes?” Peter asked. “I know we were young but-”

“- of course I would have!” you cut him off. “I’d say it then and I’d say it now.”

“You would?”

“Yes!”

“So,” he gently tugged the ring from your hands. “My back kills right now, so I can’t get on one knee but…will you wear my ring?”

“I would love to,” you gave him a watery smile, trying not to burst into tears and absolutely destroy the moment. You almost came close when it slid onto your finger, a perfect fit.

“Cool,” Peter gave you a smile. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Peter pressed a kiss to your lips and pulled you into a tight hug; he refused to let go for a few minutes, just holding onto you and savouring the moment. He’d done that a lot over the last two years. Who could blame him? He had already lost you once; already taken for granted what you had.

Now you were back, and he was whole again.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Spider Studded Reunion ♥️ | T.M No Way Home miniseries P.4 (Finale)

Contains major spoilers for Spider-Man NWH

Read part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Marvel Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Tobey!Peter Parker x Black Cat!reader (past romance), Andrew!Peter Parker (platonic/flirtatious), Tom!Peter Parker (platonic), Otto Octavius, Norman Osborn, Max Dillion, Curt Connors, Flint Marko, May Parker MJ Watson, Ned Leeds, Doctor Strange.

Content warnings: major angst, slight fluff. Sadness (sorry if I made you cry), mentions of death & graphic depictions of major character death. violence, blood & profanity. Spoilers for SMNWH | female reader (she/her) | this is very long (5k-7k words I’m talking)

Black Cat PS4 theme | Tobey!Spider-Man theme | Black Cat PS4 suit

Premise: ‘He was a glimpse from her stolen future, and she was a memory of his past.’ In a bittersweet conclusion to a day full of destruction and tragedy, the three Peters are reunited with old friends turned foes in a climatic battle to end chaos to the multiverse. For one reunion, the moment itself is just as emotional as when he first discovered she was one of the many lost souls to reappear. The question remained, will her fate be set in stone? Or did the course of the future change with the birth of a new reality?

Note: This is NOT in association w/ my Tobey!Spider-Man x Black Cat!reader saga. This is an alternate work where instead of the path they had in those series, Y/n ended up becoming a villain & the final member of the NWH Sinister Six. This was so fun to write and I’m actually crying a bit at the fact I finished another Tobey!Spider-Man work. Plus this fucking part just pulled at my heart stings I was a mess while finishing it. I have a soft spot for Black Cat/Felicia Hardy so all of these stories have been fun to write. Hope you guys enjoy this final installment! (Also, I didn’t know the exact date of the events of Spider-Man 3, so I just winged the date.)

My favorite quotes I wrote in this chapter: “Your eyes always spoke a thousand words when you were unable to find your voice”

——————————

“Eddie, stop. This needs to end now.”

“Well now look who has a sudden change of heart,” the deranged man spat, eyes full of rage when he saw the black suited woman standing several feet away. “I shouldn’t be surprised—your little soft spot for Parker would eventually blind you. Just wish your timing could’ve been better.”

Y/n narrowed her eyes, aware of Peters attention on her. She didn’t know how he was looking at her, deciding to ignore him and focus her attention on Eddie holding a very sharp piece of metal. “I made a mistake—and you will too. This needs to end—now, Eddie! Let him go!” The plead in her voice made his heart skip a little, nerves starting to tingle.

Eddie scoffed, letting his head tilt. “After the hurt he caused you, you really want me to let him go? I thought you wanted this, L/n?”

“I did—I did,” her eyes were apologetic when she glanced at her former lover. “But I was wrong—a-and I can’t let you do this. I still love him, Eddie—.”

“Love!?” He shouted in fury, “Love is the reason?! He took Gwen from me—and he threw you to the trash for MJ.” Eddie knew he was getting under her, the tense look in her face told him so. The laugh he let out made her more angry, “This won’t change how he feels for you. If anything I’m doing you a favor.” Y/n just shook her head in denial.

“That thing is controlling you and we’re better—you’re better than this. You’ll regret it once it’s over. Please don’t do this.”

“No can do, kitty-cat,” Eddie tsked, tone full of mock, “Unlike you, I’m sticking to the plan.”

Y/n let her claws extract from her gloves, eyes narrowed in determination at the challenging glint from Eddie Brock, “Then I guess I’ll have to show what happens when you mess with the Cat.”

Webbed up and unable to assist Y/n, Peter watched helplessly as the woman he loved and cared for—despite the pain they had caused each other, fight Eddie in the form of the symbiote. He was aware of the strength Eddie would have and it scared him seeing how Y/n was barely able to keep up.

Cuts covered her face, bruises from each blow. Y/n was using her claws to scratch at his flesh, but the symbiote formed back with ease with each tear. She used a pole to smack Eddie away, giving enough time to jump on his shoulders like a cat and flip them to the ground.

“Y/n!!” Peter screamed when she was thrown into the drywall. Struggling against the restraints, Peter wanted nothing more to help her. His fear grew by the seconds watching Eddie overpower her. Blood painted her face, staining her stark white hair and although she was able to dodge several of his attacks, anytime she landed a blow to the creature it didn’t seem to faze it.

At one point Peter could tell she was using her ability to alter the probability field—because Eddie/the symbiote had rubble from the level above fall on him. Y/n took the chance to run at Peter, out of breath and holding her side from the broken ribs she was sure she had.

“Y-ou need—you need to get out of here, spider,” she started to pull at one of the webs, trying to break it free despite the weakness she was feeling. “I-I’m sorry—I really am, but you need to go. Take MJ and get far away from this place.”

Peter pulled to help her free him, shaking his head at her words with pain lacing his tone, “No! No, Y/n, I’m not leaving you!” He couldn’t believe she was telling him to leave her there with that thing.

“There’s no time!” She shouted in distress, “He won’t stop a-and you need to get you both out of here—AHH!!” Neither had noticed Eddie escape the rubble and approach from behind. His hand wrapped around Y/ns hair, pulling her away from Peter who shouted for him to let her go.

“Y/N!” He screamed with wide eyes when Eddie dragged her to the edge of the construction site. “Eddie stop!! Let her go—t-this is between me and you!! Okay? Just let her go and kill me like you want!!” Y/n was fighting against the hash grip, but Peter could tell she was growing weak from the blood loss and broken bones after pushing all her strength earlier.

“Argh—Eddie, please!!” She pleaded, feeling his hand move from her hair to her neck—her feet trying to keep up with his fast pace. “L-let me go!” She tried bitting his wrist, but it didn’t work—he only cursed and tightened his grip on her. Panic filled her when they reached the edge, Eddie switching the position so his arm was holding her against him and one hand was gripping her head roughly.

Peters tingling was so overwhelming it was causing him to struggle against the restraints with all his might. He could see Y/n had a grappling hook so if she was thrown over then she’d be able to catch herself. But something in his gut scared him she wouldn’t get the chance to.

Not with the way Eddie was holding her.

Y/ns eyes met his and the entire world seemed to stop around them. It was like they were the only two to exist. A feeling they had countless times in the past couple years. “Y/n,” he weakly said, “It’s going to be okay.”

They both tried to deny what was about to happen, praying it would all be a dream and when they woke the next morning they’d both be safe and sound.

But fate had other plans.

“You see, Parker,” The mask peeled away to reveal Eddies smug face. “We make decisions—unaware of what the consequences are. Y/n here knows that now,” he felt her struggle, but it was to no avail. He brought his hand up to her grip her neck, the other holding her head.

Peter felt his eye water, feeling helpless. The grip of the restraints was too strong, “D-don’t” his voice cracked, “don’t hurt her, Eddie. I beg you.” Y/ns own eyes had brimmed of tears, and she wanted her last image to be of the man she loved with all her heart and soul. She could see how devastated he was becoming, wishing with everything in him he was saving her.

All he wanted to tell her was in his face—no time for Peter to say the words. Everything he wanted to tell her he tried to convey in that one look. The regret, the sorrow, the love he felt for her. Y/n knew—she knew what he wanted to say. And she portrayed the same emotion for him.

Funny how their story would come to a tragic end.

“You’ll thank me one day, Parker.”

“DON’T!”

Y/n gave one last smile, “Peter, I love you—.”

*Crack* The noise echoed through the air, Peter becoming frozen when Eddie let his hands do the work. Y/ns neck was turned in a awkward angle following a sickening *crack* and her movements seized in Eddies arms. With a lazy push—keeping his eyes on Peter, Eddie had her body fall behind him.

“NOOOO!!!!” Peters scream could be heard all around—even stories below. It was broken and pained, matching the feeling of his heart break in two when Y/n fell through the air and out from his sight. The tears flowed from him like a waterfall—his shoulders moving from the countless sobs filling him.

He knew she was gone. There was no way she’s survive a fall that high with her state. Y/n was gone the minute Eddie moved his hands.

And this all became his sad reality when the chaos was over and Peter was holding her broken body in his arms. “I-I’m sorry, Y-y/n. I’m so so s-sorry,” he cried, kissing her forehead repeatedly through the torn portion of his mask around his lips. His fingers caressed her cheek, brushing away her stained hair. “C’mon, Cat. W-wake up,” he knew it was no use to plead to her, but his heart was begging him to.

He didn’t care about the crowds of people around the barrier—staring at him with solemn expressions. Nor did he care about the flashes from cameras. All he cared about was the woman he was holding. Wishing nothing more than for her to open her beautiful eyes and prove it was all a nightmare.

“I love you, Y/n,” he sobbed into her ear. “I-I love you, please wake up. Please come back to me, baby.” There was no movement, no sound. Nothing. Y/ns skin had paled, the blood drying around her head and the bruising on her neck becoming dark.

New York’s Black Cat didn’t have nine lives as many thought. Only one, which she gave up for her love of it’s friendly neighborhood vigilante.

Peter placed one last kiss to her forehead, his tears coating her skin. “I’m so sorry, Yn.”

Spider-Man had failed. For the first time in a long time, Peter Parker had failed someone he loved. The Black Cat was dead—his Y/n was dead. And it was all his fault.

“Hey man, you okay?” The memory disappeared from Peter when he felt a gentle shake of his shoulder. The tall version of him was looking at him with concern. “You’ve been dazed for awhile. Everything good?”

“Y-yeah, yeah,” he shrugged, fiddling with his mask in his hand. “—I-I’m fine, just thinking you know.” The tall Peter gave an expression like he understood.

“Yeah-yeah I get it,” he nodded with a tight mouth, “You’re thinking about her, huh?” The older man didn’t have to answer him, knowing all too well the feeling.

Ever since the younger version of himself had revealed Peter (2)s former lover was in his universe, the older Peter had been feeling all types of emotions. Pain, sadness, regret. There was also anxiety at how he will react if he sees her.

When they first met the young Spider-Man on top of the school roof, they spoke of losing loved ones. Something they all had in common. “My uncle Ben was killed. It was my fault,” he spoke with tears eyes. “A-and it was also my fault, w-when someone I really loved died.” There was a change in the younger Peters face, but unbeknownst to the older man, it was because of a certain someone he’s become aquatinted with.

Could it be?

“I lost—I lost Gwen,” The taller Peter went on to say, “my um—she was my MJ. I couldn’t save her.” The younger Peter saw how the older one flinched at the tall ones words. His suspicions were slowly coming true. “I’m never gonna be able to forgive myself for that. But I carried on—tried to um—tried to keep going. Tried to keep being the—t-that friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, because I know that’s what she would’ve wanted. At some point I just,” he paused to sniff, “I stopped pulling my punches. I got rage full. I got bitter.” The man was trying to keep himself together, but the emotion was becoming overwhelming as he finally said, “I-I just don’t want you to end up like me.”

“The night Ben died,” the attention was now on the older version of Peter. “—I hunted down the man who I thought did it. I wanted him dead. I got what I wanted, it didn’t make it better.” His eyes fell as the next memory played in his head, “It took me a long time to get though that darkness. And when years passed a-and then she—.” He stopped himself, bringing a shaky hand up to catch a fallen tear. “When I lost Y/n, that darkness came back—more so than ever. Even after I killed the man responsible, it didn’t change the fact she was gone.”

“Y/n…” the younger Peter whispered making the older man freeze, especially when he added, “The Black Cat.” The teens behind him were also in shock, all three realizing this was in fact the Peter who lost Y/n. The one she protected.

“W-what,” his voice shook, “How—how do you know that?” The taller Peter was confused at first by the older mans tone, but when he saw the look on the younger Peters face it all made sense.

The trio all appeared sympathetic, the young Peter being the most, “She’s here—in this world. She—she got pulled the day she was supposed to die.” His eyes fell to the ground when he thought back to the nights events, “I don’t know what happened to her, I-I’m sorry.” There was sadness in him seeing the look he was receiving from the older Peter.

“What do you mean?” He asked in fear, his heart racing as he stared at the boy for answers. The younger Peter had looked like he wanted to cry—which only sparked more dread.

“Norman.” The name had made all the air leave Peter (2). He as sure the others could hear how fast his heart was pounding, the tears soaking his eyes. Peter (1) went on to explain, “She fought like hell against him—nearly overpowered him trying to save me.” This is what the teen didn’t want. That feeling of guilt if he ended up facing her Peter if she hadn’t made it out. He still didn’t know though what happened to her. “Y/n almost had him, but he threw her out the window—,” he stopped when he saw the man flinched, turning his head away like he didn’t want to hear anymore.

Peter (1) then remembered what he was saying was exactly to how Y/n had died in his timeline. The exact same way. She fought someone stronger than her to save him. Then she was overpowered, killed and thrown out the building right in front of him. The teen couldn’t even imagine what the older man must’ve been feeling.

“Please, don’t tell me if she—.”

“I don’t think she did!” The teen shouted with a hand raised, “She wasn’t on the ground, Peter.” The man returned his gaze to him, confused yet full of hope. “I think she’s okay—pretty banged up because Norman did a number on her—.”

“But she’s alive?” His tone was full of plead. A breath of relief left him when the teen nodded.

“I think so. I didn’t see her body at the bottom—I’m sorry,” he apologized when both the Peters reacted to the words. It was then he realized the taller Peter most likely had a similar experience with Gwen. “I-I’m sorry. But if she was gone then she would’ve been laying there—a-and I didn’t see her, Peter.”

The older man wiped at his face, his shoulders falling from how tense they were as his body swarmed with all types of emotions. There was relief and hope Y/n was alive, but in her condition Peter was scared. Especially with what the younger version of himself was telling him.

After everything was settled on the rooftop and they got to work on the cures in the lab, Peter (2) couldn’t help but let his mind wonder. The memories he had pushed back all those years ago started to reply like a movie. It had been hard in the months following Y/ns death, even in the years after. He had pushed Mj away despite her advances because not only was he dealing with the loss of his former love, but also his best friend Harry.

Like the taller Peter had said earlier, he also felt rage full and bitter. Being New Yorks Spider-Man took a toll on him because he was no longer had his most trusted ally and partner. Of course he knew Y/n would want him to continue, but he couldn’t for some time. No matter how much time had passed—or that he managed to make things work with MJ, he would never forgive himself for Y/ns death.

He would always have a piece of his heart dedicated to her.

In the lab, he helped the younger Peter finish the probability necklace for the version of Y/n, the two high-fiving when they successfully complete the cure. Peter (2) had to remind himself throughout that this was not his Y/n anymore. Of course she was from his world, but in the past.

Aware of the concept of time and reality, Peter was for sure a new reality would form where this version of Y/n would get to live the life she deserved. The new reality would make a past version of him get to have her. All she had to do was not intervene against Eddie when she got back. Better yet, if Y/n was returning days after then it would be as if she were never there. Peter hoped for the second option more. It was a better chance for her to have her second chance.

They may not have happily ever after in this reality, but at least the Spider would have his Cat.

Now he was standing on Liberty Island fully suited in the late hours of the night with the two Peters. The taller of the two knew more than anything what he was feeling. Yes, all three had lost loved ones—family members, but the two oldest unfortunately shared the same loss of a lover.

“You can talk about it you know,” Peter (3) said aloud, catching the older mans attention once more. “You’re not going to upset me by doing so.”

Despite the reassurance, Peter (2) still felt it wasn’t his place too. He wasn’t as lucky as him—getting to see the woman he once loved again. “I-I don’t—I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Might as well get it off your chest man. We don’t know if she’ll even show up so why not?”

“It’s just—,” Peter (2) sighs, glancing at the probability necklace he webbed up just moments prior, “—I-I don’t know what I’m going to say. There’s so much I want too—that I didn’t get to the day she—,” he stopped, not wanting to say the word which the man understood. “It’s hard to know she’s here in the world—that I-I might possibly get the chance to see her, but then that will be it. We’ll be sent home to the times we were pulled, and I lose her all over again. It’s almost like I don’t want to see her,” Peter frowns, turning to look at his alternate self. “I know that sounds horrible to say.”

“No-no, I get what you’re saying,” a hand comes in a slow wave. “You don’t want to subject yourself to seeing her when you know it will be the last time you do. Especially with how things ended between you two—and with what happened to her.”

“Exactly,” There was a sigh of relief from Peter (2). Peter (3) just pats him on the shoulder, tilting his head in thought.

“But-but don’t you think it’s a second chance for you?” At the confused expression from his counterpart, he continues, “Think of it this way, you never got closure with Y/n. She was taken from you before you two could—even though you were at odds and things were hostile up until that last moment, you two still cared for each other. A-and you’ve spent the past decade wondering what you would’ve told her if you got the chance.

“Now you get that, Peter. You get to see her—alive and in the flesh, so why let that opportunity slide. To spare you the pain?” Peter (3) gives him a sympathetic smile, “Unfortunately we don’t get that in our life. We have to live with it.”

The words lingered in the air, settling into Peter (2) as he let his mind drift at the thought. The man was right, so right in fact he’d be a fool to not want to see her one last time. Get the closure he was deprived of. And let her have it as well.

“I’d give anything to see Gwen again,” there was a slight crack to the vigilantes voice, “You’re lucky— you get to see Y/n, even if it’s a past version of her and it will only be for a small moment. Maybe this will finally bring you both peace.”

There was a comforting pat to the older mans shoulder, the two Peters sharing a knowing look. “Thank you, Peter.”

“Anytime man,” There was a small sniff from Peter (3). “Plus, don’t you want to give her whatever it was you were writing? I-I didn’t mean to pry—b-but I saw you writing in the lab for a long time and assumed it was a letter to her. Sorry if I was wrong.”

A slight blush came to Peter (2)s cheeks, shaking is head, “No-no. You’re fine—I wasn’t writing to her—well I am going to give it to Y/n, but it’s for her to pass on.” That only made his counterpart confused.

“Wh-whhaatt—?”

“Alright guys focus up,” he was interrupted by the younger Peter, but all three felt a sudden tingling sensation. “You feel that?”

Peter (2) was the first to respond, “Yeah.” The taller Peter took a defensive stand, listening for anything out of the ordinary. Yellow lightening then filled the sky—thunder rumbling in its shadow.

“Sup, kid,” Max’s voice echoed from the pulsing energy radiating off him. He phased so he appeared out of thin air, arc reactor glowing bright on his chest. “How you like the new-new? Look, you give it to me—I’m gonna destroy it, and I’ll let you live.” Max stared down at him, menace in his gaze despite his ‘promise’ “Don’t make me a murderer, Peter.”

It was game time.

A long, tiring battle between the three Spider-Mans and three villains ensued with chaos erupting on Liberty Island. Max was at his prime power with the arc reactor, Flint had arrived manipulating a large swarm of sand, and Connors was as barbaric as usual in his lizard form.

The reunion between Max and Peter (2) was anything but heartfelt, with the electric man saying “you ain’t even the shit no more!” Yeah, Peter had his heart break at that.

The three realized they were not doing good trying to go against the villains individually. Their best interest was to chose one target at a time and work to cure them together. Max would be a hard one to start with, so Flint was their best option. After all, the man just wanted to go home. Curing him of his power was something he didn’t care about at first, nor did he care about helping the other villains.

Still they had to deal with Connors and Max while trying to isolate Flint away. Peter (2) took on that job to lead him into the stature, hoping to talk some sense in the man he had made amends with all those years prior. His stomach dropped when he first saw the sandman—remembering the last time they saw each other was the day Y/n and Harry died.

Peter had to shake off the feeling quickly, focusing on the task at hand. “Flint! We’re trying to help you!” He shot a web up to the top, pulling himself to a bar just as the sand started to conceal his feet. “Guys I’m at the top,” he shouted into the coms. “I need the cure! Argh—ah!” A hand full of sand pulled him back until he was fully emerged.

“I’m coming—I’m coming!!” Peter (1) raced up the side of the scaffold. At the same moment, Peter (3) kicked Connors off him and webbed him up to keep him still. “Just wait your turn, doc! I’ll be right back.” Picking the cure up from the ground, he jumped off the side to shoot two webs and catapult him to the top of the stature.

Max was following him, yellow bolts bouncing around and the Spider-Man threw the cure in the direction of his counterpart. Peter (1) jumped forward, catching the device and arming it before sending it to Peter 2s awaiting hand. Golden light filled Lady Libertys crown, and the large wave of sand dispersed allowing Peter 2 to finally breath.

The mask was removed from his face, the man taking deep intakes of are. Seeing movement in the corner, his eyes land on a large pile of sand which cave way and the human form of Flint Marko is revealed to Peter. He could see the scared look in the mans eyes as the sand left his body, skin taking over and spoke calmly, “It’s okay, Flint. We’re gonna get you home.”

That made two down, four to go.

“Just stay right here,” Peter orders before putting his mask back on and meeting the other two at the front of the crown. Max was projecting an enormous wave of energy with his electricity. It would be hard for them to get close. “How do we stop him?”

“I’ve never seen him this powerful,” Peter 3 calls from the side.

“It’s the arc reactor,” the teen explains, pointing at the glowing orb in the center of Max’s suit. “We’ve gotta get it off of him.”

The words only made Max angrier. “You’re not gonna take this away from me.” Peter 1 tried shooting a web to remove it, but Max simply cut the string away with a scoff. “That’s not gonna work.” The three only had seconds to react when Max shot a large bolt in their direction—completely destroying the crown of the statue.

“Okay we gotta do this up close,” Peter 1 ordered when they each landed separately, “Peter two go right—Peter three go left. On me!” They each jumped with the two older Peters shooting webs at Maxs arms to hold them away so Peter 1 could attempt to hit him head on. What he didn’t anticipate was for Max to shoot at him hands free, the voltage erupting from his chest and sending the boy flying back.

Peter 2 tried next, but was also sent flying. And when Peter 3 took his chance, well Max decided to not be kind. Instead of sending him back into the stature, Max held onto him with electric bolts. Pain reputed the vigilante and he was screaming as the fire burned through his veins.

To help his counterpart, Peter 1 tries to attack Max from behind, but when the man phases the teen hurdles to the bottom of the scaffold. A groan leaves him, and he pushes himself up to get back to the others—but becomes alarmed seeing Connors broke free from his bings and was heading straight toward his friends.

“Oh no. No-no-no.”

The other Peters were left on their own while he dealt with the lizard problem. The cure dropped from Peter 3s hands, the pain becoming too overwhelming for him to hand onto. Using a web to fling it toward him, Peter 2 caught it in his hand. As he went to jump towards Max however, the cure falls once again to the scaffold when a mechanical arm is wrapping around his torso mid-air.

Another one has Peter 3 in its grasp—making Peter 2 feel a chill up his spine. There was only one person he knew with those arms. One he thought had already been cured.

Otto Octavius emerged from behind Max, his eyes glaring at the two Peters in his hold. “Leave them,” he announced, “They’re mine.” Max however was not willing to give them up.

“I don’t need your help. I got it just fine.”

“Doctor Octavius, no,” Peters 2 voice came out in a plead. It always pained him to see Otto not in control of the A.I system he built—and part of him was saddened if they managed to gain control after Peter 1 had worked so hard to cure him.

Suddenly, the two Spider-Mans were stunned when a mechanical arm wrapped around Maxs torso. “What are you doing? Get off of me!” Then his voltage started to spark out, causing his eyes to widen. The sparks were flickering, like he was losing power over the arc reactor. “W-what?! What’s happening—what the hell is this?!”

Otto let go of the Spider-Mans, the two landing safely to the ground, but before either could grab the cure there was a flash of white hair sliding against the ground followed by a feminine giggle.

Peter 2 felt all the air leave him for the millionth time that night. He knew that giggle—it had been so long since he heard it.

As the cure made it’s way into her hand, Y/n pulled the trigger of her grappling hook in the direction of Ottos mechanical arm hovering above the one holding Max. She lifted off the ground, flipping in the air while holding tightly to the rope until she landed on the arm. All eyes watched as she crawled toward Max—obviously using her ability to distort his voltage. It put a smile on Peters 2 face—though no one could see because of his mask.

With another giggle—shifting her legs so she was handing upside down from the arm next to Max, Y/n removed the arc reactor in a victorious, “Lights out, Sparky.” The cure was on his chest, immediately going full power indicated by all lights turning green. Another giggle left the Cat, tossing the arc reactor to Otto who caught with it ease.

“There you go,” the man smiled, seeing the electricity drain from Max. He and Y/n shared a knowing look, the woman maneuvering herself so she was perched like a cat on the arm.

“Nice work, Doc.”

“As to you, dear girl.”

Smirking, Y/n crawled back along the limb—lifting herself up before doing an ariel flip and landing in a cat-like stance on the scaffold. There was a cheeky glint in her eye as she looked up at the scientist. “We make a pretty good team, Doc. Shame how things have to be the way they are.”

Otto chuckled, bringing his glasses down a bit to wink at her, “Maybe in another life, Y/n.” The woman bit her lip, fighting the smile until both of them ended up breaking with a laugh.

Oh if only.

Y/n stood, brushing off the dust from her new suit—one she had stolen after breaking into a pharmacy to get first aid supplies. Feeling a pain in her side now that the adrenaline had wore off, Y/n moved away from Otto to lean against a railing. While she did have some extent of accelerated healing, it wasn’t much when half your body is bruised and beaten from a showdown with the Green Goblin.

Y/n had nasty abrasions to her neck from being choked by her own rope, her lip was busted and she had a bandaged to her temple. She didn’t even want to think about the broken ribs she had. Honestly doing what she did just now may have worsened it, but when she saw Max and the cure right there she didn’t stop to think—Y/n just let her instincts take over.

Hell she didn’t even know her Peter was right there watching her the entire time.

A few minutes had passed with Y/n catching her breath to the side when she heard Otto start to speak. “The power of a sun.” Then there was a sound like someone landing on metal. Moments later her heart raced at a familiar voice finishing Ottos words.

“In the palm of your hand.”

“Peter?” Y/n eyes watered hearing the scientist say his name. Turning around, away from his eye since she was to the side in the darkly lit edge of the scaffold, Y/n kept herself together watching him remove his mask.

Instead of the young, boyish face of Peter Parker she had come to love, here stood an older, mature looking man. There were wrinkles by his eyes, slight bags beneath his lids indicating the time that had passed for Peter. He appeared in his early forties compared to the twenty three year old she left behind. Even his voice sounded older. Y/n had to bring a hand to her mouth to stop the sob when he replied, “Otto.”

The scientist was in disbelief, much like she was. “Oh it’s good to see you, dear boy.”

“It’s good to see you.”

Nerves filled Y/n, knowing she was about to have her chance to come face to face with this Peter. The future version she never got to see. The one who lost her.

Y/n didn’t even know if he’d even be happy to see her. Flint never went into too much detail about what took place after Eddie killed her, but she hoped he’d be as joyful like he was looking at Otto.

“You’re all grown up,” Otto comments, noticing the aging of the boy he once knew. He couldn’t help the small smile he had, “How are you?”

Y/n could see the thought in Peters head, making her smile when he eventually replies, “Tying to do better.” The two share a smile, and Y/n takes a deep breath. It was now or never for her.

With a hand to her side—trying to ignore the slight pain from her broken ribs, Y/n starts to walk in their direction. Her boots echoed with each step, causing them to turn in her direction. It was when she finally broke through the shadow that Peter finally saw her, Y/n smirking at him, “I see even with age, you still look as handsome as ever, spider-stud.”

The man was speechless at the sight of her. There she was in all her flesh and glory. Typical smirk and mischievous eyes behind a tiny black mask. The suit was different, obviously because she hadn’t arrived in her original one from her world. But she still looked like his Y/n. His Cat.

It was as if she hadn’t even died.

“Cat got your tongue, spider,” she giggled when he didn’t say anything, though there was a nervous edge to her voice. “I know you’ve seen a lot of ghosts today, is one more too much for you?” Of course she’d tease him—it was in her blood. Y/n shifted on her feet when he didn’t answer and it was then Peter finally snapped out of his inner battle.

In three long strides his arms were around her, pulling Y/n into his chest. Y/n immediately wrapped her arms around him, not even caring for her injuries as she held onto Peter like her life depended on it. She heard him sob, which only caused her to lose control of her emotions.

This was seventeen years in the making for Peter, all while just days for Y/n. How could they keep their composure together knowing what fate had in store for them. Peter didn’t even try to keep the tears at bay, several had flowed as he nuzzled into her messy white hair.

In the distance, Otto and Peter 3 were beaming at the scene. Peter 3 even had tears in his eyes.

It was a bittersweet moment for the two. Peter (2) getting the chance to hold Y/n again, and for her she was able to feel some relief that Peter still cared for her. Despite her betrayal to him to Eddie and Flint.

They just stood there for several moments, hugging each other closely until at one point Y/n had groaned by the sharp feeling in her side. “Shit,” she hissed, feeling a little sad when Peter pulled away.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized with a sniff, expression becoming concerned, “Y-you’re hurt.” He frowned at all the bruises and cuts coating the skin he could see. Y/n saw him flinch when his eyes landed on her exposed neck—the dark bruises trailing along the sides and red rope burn. “You’re really hurt, Y/n.” The crack in his voice made her heart sink.

“I’ve been through worse, spider,” she tried to tease, pressing her hand against the area she felt the pain. Peter loosened his grip on her, awkwardly holding onto his mask. Y/n however, took one of his hands in her free on, smiling up at him through tear filled eyes. “You look good, Peter. Still as handsome as I remember.” She chuckled, but winced slightly, “Quite the spider studded reunion, am I right?”

The man let out a watery chuckle, sniffing again, “I-I,” he tried to speak, but was having trouble. “There’s so—so much I-I want to say, Y/n. You have no idea,” he felt her squeeze his hand, Peter repeating the action, “B-but we don’t have much time.” His voice was pained, “Jus-just like—just like last time—we never have enough time—.”

Y/n shushed him softly, “Oh, Peter. You don’t have to say anything. I already know.”

Peter was confused, tilting his head as he tried to speak, “Wh-what? H-how would you—.” She cut him off gently by bringing her hand up to caress his cheek.

“Your eyes,” she whispers, smiling when he instinctively leans into her touch. “Your eyes always spoke a thousand words when you were unable to find your voice. I see it now, my spider. You hold all this pain, regret, and sorrow for what happened to me. You blame yourself, but honey it was not your fault.” Peter made a sound, his eyes closing at her words as she continued to stroke his cheek. “Peter, the person to blame is the one who did it. Not you. My spider would never blame himself for something out of his control.”

“Y/n,” his voice cracked, eyes full of tears when he opened them, “I could’ve saved you—I could’ve done more.”

She just shook her head, taking her other hand to cup his cheeks. “No, Peter. You did all that you could. I’m sorry I put you in that position,” her lip quivered, feeling the guilt eat at her because it was her betrayal that made him feel like he failed her. “God, Peter, I-I’m so sorry. If anyone is to really blame it’s me. I-I was so hurt and angry—I should’ve never did what I did and I’m sorry you had to be the one to suffer for my mistake. You should hate me—yell at me, blame me for putting you though this—.”

“I could never hate you, Y/n.” Now it was his turn to console her, voice full of seriousness. “I loved you Y/n—I still do. I will always have a piece of me that loves you, and it’s that love for you which keeps me going everyday despite you being gone.”

“I still love you too,” She cried softly, feeling him wipe away the tear from her face. “I wish it didn’t have to be like this, spider.” There was no way they could be together. This version of Peter and Y/n. He’d return to a world without his Black Cat. It was a like the ending of a tragic love story.

He was a glimpse from her stolen future, while she was a memory of his past.

“Me too, Cat,” he brought her back into a hug, careful not to cause more harm to her. Peter felt the final tear fall from his eye, “I wish we had more time, darling.”

Daylight had started to brake at the now semi-destroyed Liberty island. The copper shield was no longer in Lady Libertys hold after Norman Osborn made his grand appearance. This resulted in the ritual box containing the botch spell destroyed, Mj nearly falling to her death if Peter 3 hadn’t caught her, and Peter 2 holding onto Y/n when they lost their footing on the scaffold.

Her grappling hook came in handy, making them lower the momentum of the fall when the rope fully extracted. “God, I really hate that guy,” she cursed when they landed on the ground safely. The rope retracted, hook in tow and Y/n hooked to her side. “You better hurry up and cure him before I kill him.”

She was being serious. The Black Cat had enough of the Green Goblin—she had the markings to prove it. At this point she didn’t give a fuck if Norman was cured. The Goblin did enough damage in her eyes. They’d be doing the multiverse a favor by erasing him.

Peter (2) gave her a warning look, “Just stay here okay—find Otto.” He was out of her sight before she could argue, Y/n letting a defeated groan out as her hands fell to her sides.

“Typical.”

Jogging to the other edge of the destruction where everyone was, minus the wizard guy, Y/n spotted Otto next to Max. The scientist looked pleased to see her well, as was she to him. “What a day. Huh, doc?”

“Definitely not one I imagined when I woke up this morning—or should I say two days ago.” Sheesh she didn’t even realize it had been almost two days. Everything happened so fast they barely had time to remember how much time went by.

Thankfully Y/n didn’t see what took place on the shield, otherwise Norman wouldn’t have lived to see the next day. Ten minutes had passed and she still didn’t see Peter (2) so she started moving to the area he at. Otto watching her with sad eyes. It was only a matter of time.

There she saw Peter in an embrace with the other versions of himself—though she could make out the taller version of him holding up by his side. As the younger pulled away, Y/n hearing him say, “I guess I’ll see ya,” she knew what was about to happen.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Not to mention there were cracks and strange symbols in the sky.

The young boy had landed in front of her, making her jump back at the sudden movement which he apologized for. “Sorry, I-I just wanted to thank you, Y/n. For everything.” He was talking about the apartment. How she had tried to get May out and protect him by taking on Norman herself.

“Anytime, little spider,” she said one last time, a slight waiver in her tone. She carefully brought him into a hug, whispering in his ear, “You’re a good kid, Parker. Thank you for this.” Peter nodded against her shoulder, squeezing her gently until they pulled away. With one last smile, he was out of her sight and rushing to his friends.

Tears brimmed her version, and Y/n carefully made her way across the debris as the sadness swarmed in her. When she made contact with the shield, aware the two Peters were watching her, the taller one patted his counterpart on the shoulder. “I’ll give you two some privacy.” Peter (2) looked to him in gratitude, limping toward Y/n with grief in his expression.

It was then she noticed Norman in a dazed wonder sitting to the side. Y/n wanted nothing more than to spit on him, but refrained seeing the cure had worked. “Bastard,” she mumbled when she met his eye—seeing him shudder by her malice. There was some pride in her seeing the cuts to his face though.

“Nice, kitty,” Peter teased, wincing when her arms went to his side, helping him when she saw the wound, “You’re hurt, spider.” He let out a pained laugh despite the crack in his voice.

“I’ve had worse, Cat.” Part of her wanted to glare for him using her earlier words, but now was not the time for that.

Y/n tightened her hold on him, letting her head fall to his chest as she sniffed. “I-I guess this is it then for us,” she tried to laugh it off, but it just came out as a sob. Y/n felt his hand come up to stoke her head, the woman leaning more into his touch. “I—. I’m so sorry, Peter,” she had to say it again. To let him know how deeply remorseful and sorry she was for her mistakes. For causing him pain when she was blinded by anger.

“I know, Y/n,” he replied though sniffs, trying to keep himself calm, “I forgave you a long time ago.”

“It isn’t fair,” she cried, hearing him shush her like she were a delicate child. “How am I—how am I supposed to go back home, knowing what I do? And you have to go back—.” Y/n sobbed as the last fight they had played in her mind, “I never meant the things I said to you that day, Peter. I was blinded—I-I was so privileged to have your love and I treated it like trash. Like the fucking bad person I am. I shouldn’t have said what I said—it wasn’t true. I love you for you Peter, not because you’re Spider-Man. I was a fool to think otherwise.”

Peter continued to pet her head, placing kisses to her crown. “Darling, you’re not a bad person—I don’t want you to ever think that way. I know you loved me for me, Y/n. Just as I loved you for you.” He tightened his grip when she sobbed again, “You have to forgive yourself, Y/n.”

“W-what if it still happens, Peter? This-this would have all happened for nothing.”

“Don’t think like that,” he tells her, leaning his cheek against her hair. Peter closed his eyes to keep the water at bay, “You don’t know what will happen, Y/n. Go on with you life—the second chance at one you weren’t supposed to have. Don’t think about the ‘what ifs’ and ‘hows.’ Just do what your heart tells you to. You’re going to be okay in the end. I promise you, Y/n.”

The cracks in the sky sounded causing Y/n to look up and see they were replaced with the symbols conjured by the wizard. It would only be a few moments before they were back to their respected universes—and realities.

“Promise me you won’t forget me, spider,” Y/n smiled at him, despite the anguish painting every inch. “You won’t forget this Cat will you?”

Peter brought her hand to his lips, pressing a firm kiss to her gloved knuckles before repeating the action on her wet cheek—careful to avoid the bruises. “I’ll remember you till the day I die, Y/n. Until my last breath.” There was a fuzzy feeling erupting the two, and Peter remembered something— his hands going into the pocket he had in his suit. “I-I almost forgot—I-I needed to give you this.”

Y/n watched him remove folded pieces of paper and a small necklace. She gasped when she recognized it. “You did it! W-wait, did both of you do this?” Her hand took the probability necklace from his palm, holding it out to see it was in fact completed with a glimmering shine to it.

“Peter—the young one—was the one to get it to work,” he smiled at her excited expression, “I just helped with the finishing touches.” There was emotion filling Y/ns eyes, feeling bittersweet at the fact he helped with her cure. Doing one last thing to help her even though she wouldn’t be his Y/n anymore.

“Thank you, Peter.”

The older man nodded gesturing for her to hand it back. “Here, let me.” Peter clasped the necklace around her neck, being mindful of the marks she had and let the little pendant sit comfortably on her suit covered chest. “There. Now you get to control how much ‘bad luck’ comes to someone.”

A light giggle escaped her, her fingers holding onto the charm before letting go. “What’s that?” She gestured to the folded pieces of paper, curiosity in her gaze. Peter had a slight redness to his cheeks, fiddling with the paper.

“It’s a letter,” he explained, holding it out for her to take. “But not for you,” he added when her hand touched it, making her look up at him perplexed.

“Then why are you—.”

“It’s for him.”

Y/ns mouth fell in the form of an ‘o’, immediately catching onto his drift. “Oh. O-okay,” she said, taking the bundle of paper and placing it in one of the many pockets of her suit. “I’ll give it to him—th-the moment I see him.” Nerves filled the Cat, she didn’t know how she was going to cross that bridge when she ultimately got there.

The fuzzy feeling soon grew, the symbols in the sky growing brighter. A shaky breath left them both. Y/n wiped away the tears still running, but it didn’t help because more just continued to flow. “I love you, Peter Parker. Always remember that,” she took his hand and squeezed with all her energy.

“And I love you, Y/n L/n,” he squeezed her hand back, seeing the bright light consume her. She saw it too from him, her heart pounding through her chest as she continued to cry.

“Forever,” was the last word she heard him say.

The bright light became too much, Y/n having to squint her eyes as the image of Peter slowly disappeared, her hand feeling empty. When the light went away, Y/n felt the air leave her.

Peter wasn’t standing in front of her, nor was the taller of version of him to the side. When she spun around, the wizard wasn’t casting spells in the sky. Younger Peter was no where to bee seen nor were the other villains she had become acquainted with.

He was gone and she was alone.

Her heart couldn’t take it and Y/n fell to her knees on the curb of the Island. Cries of anguish poured out of her, hugging herself as she ignored the pain all over. The only witnesses to her misery were the birds chirping as the sun rose over the horizon and Lady Liberty standing tall above.

Funny how Y/n got to see the sun rise. The start of a new day—one she wasn’t supposed to see.

It was over—she was back in her universe. Not knowing if she was sent back to the exact moment she was pulled from, or if it had been days later.

And Peter. Her kind, loving Peter who went thought hell would return home knowing she would still be gone in his world. Y/n silently prayed he had overcome his guilt after they finally got closure. He needed to remove the burden he held on his shoulders. Maybe the future would look bright for him.

Maybe it would for her.

Y/n was scared at what was in store for her. Wiping her face while catching her breath, she pushed herself off the ground. It was early morning, just like it was seconds ago on the alternate world. There was no one but her on the island, and the docks across the river were setting up for the day.

Y/n needed to find out what day it was. She had to know.

There was hope in her mind that she returned two days after the moment she was pulled. If that was the case then the plan with Eddie and Flint had already happened. Peter would be alive—he had to have been. It was then dread filled her.

What if it was her death that meant Peters survival?

No, she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t think of the ‘what ifs’ like the future Peter had said. He wouldn’t have given her the letter if he felt the past version of him would die if Y/n had lived.

She had to find her Peter. And she had to find him fast.

There ferries to Liberty Island wouldn’t be running for hours, so Y/ns only chance at making it to the city was to swim—which ironically she wasn’t the best swimmer much like her alter ego namesake—or use her grappling hook and the passing ships to get across. It was an easy decision, the latter option it was.

It took longer than what Y/n had wanted to get back to the city. She had to work with timing of the very slow ships to catch her hook onto until she managed to get a good aim at the Brooklyn Bridge. Once she did that, Y/n was able to run and swing through the pillars of the bridge until she finally made it to the streets of New York.

The first thing she had to do was find a newspaper. That was easy. Dropping into a alley by a corner store, Y/n checked her surroundings before breaking off the seal of the paper stack in front of the door. She didn’t bother reading the headline first and instead took the paper in her hands—shooting her hook to pull her on the roof.

There, Y/n could catch her breath. She limped to other side away from the public eye—which would be filling the streets at any moment and finally unfolded the newspaper. It was Friday when she left, so the first thing her eyes searched for was the date. A relieved laugh fell from her mouth, “Well I’ll be damn.”

‘THE DAILY BUGLE—SUNDAY MARCH 12, 2006: SPIDER-MAN FACES OFF SANDMAN AND SYMBIOTE HOLDING BROADWAY STAR HOSTAGE. SANDMAN FLEES, WATSON RESCUED, SPIDER-MAN SAVES THE DAY ONCE MORE (SEE PAGE 5 FOR DETAILS)’

Tears of relief now replaced the ones of anguish. Y/n felt it pool every inch—feeling the overwhelming happiness. Peter was right, everything was going to be okay for her.

It had been two days. It wasn’t Friday morning, it was Sunday. “O-Oh my God,” a hand went to her mouth to stop the laughs mixed with her tears. At this point Y/n didn’t care about the pain from her broken ribs or concussed head. All she cared about was she was back home and her Peter was okay.

Gathering herself, Y/n threw the paper to the side—leaving it behind as she swung through the air in the direction of Peters apartment. In the back of her head Y/n kept reminding herself he would not be the Peter she met in the alternate world. This was her true version of him—the one of this new reality—where anything could happen now.

Still in her dirty, bloodied state with her new suit, Y/n climbed up the stairs of the apartment complex in a rush. She tried to keep her movements quiet so his nosy neighbors wouldn’t come busting out their doors, but she was filled with excitement, anxiety, and adrenaline.

Reaching the top, not caring about who would hear her, Y/n banged on his door. “Peter!! Peter it’s me!! It’s Y/n—please I need to talk to you! Ahh!” She groaned when pain erupted on her side. Y/n really needed to see a doctor. It’d be a true tragedy if she fucking died right there because she held off going to a hospital. “Peter!!”

Her body fell to the side out of breath when the click of a lock sounded and the door flew open. Peter didn’t have time to react at the sudden appearance of Y/n—who he hadn’t heard of for days and was quite frankly pissed off with— because he was pushed inside his apartment when her arms went around him.

It made him stumble, the two nearly falling to the ground if he hadn’t grabbed her waist to steady them. “Y/n?!” His tone was a mix of anger and bewilderment. “Where the hell have you—?” The words cut off when he felt her shoulders shake in his hold, hearing the soft cries.

“Oh-oh my gosh, it’s really you,” she pushed her face into his chest, hiding it away from his vision. “You’re okay—you’re okay. It—it actually—I can’t believe it.” Peter felt her grip tighten, like she was holding onto him for dear life.

The anger he was feeling changed to confusion at her state. ‘What the hell is she talking about?’ He thought.

When he managed to pull away to get her hair out of his face, that’s when the alarm struck him seeing the white strands painted dark red. “Y/n,” he gently put his hands on her shoulders to ease her away. “Y/n, what happened?” The panic in him only increased when he finally got her to show her face to him, “Oh my God.”

Cuts with dried blood were painting her skin, purple and yellow bruises on her neck and jaw with irritation like there had been some kind of material constricting her. Her white hair had dried blood staining the area by her temple. And that was only the visible injuries he could see. That’s when he noticed the suit she was wearing—it wasn’t the one she normally wore.

Peter didn’t want to think about what injuries laid underneath.

“Y/n,” his tone was serious, “Who did this to you? Uhh—my god, you—we need to get you to the hospital!” Everything that had happened the past couple days disappeared from his brain—all he could focus on was her beaten form. “When did this happen?! Y/n—what—where have you been the last two days?”

There were so many questions the man was becoming filled with anxiety. He held her by her side to get her onto the couch, careful when she moaned at the contact to her ribs. “Shit,” he cursed, “Stay there—okay? I’m gonna call an ambulance.”

Y/n threw off her mask, letting it fall to the opposite side of the sofa. “No! Wait—don’t do that yet!” He just looked at her like she was crazy.

“Y/n, who knows what kind of internal bleeding you have. Do you not see yourself? You show up after two days of being missing beaten to a pulp and you want me to wait? No! You’re hurt and if you wait any longer you’ll could die—.”

“I should already be dead!!”

The phone fell to the floor, sound in it’s wake. Y/n wanted to curse at herself—feeling stupid by the outburst, but it was in the heat of the moment. Tears brimmed in her vision when she heard Peters weak voice, “W-what? What’re you talking about, Y/n?” Y/n stared up at the ceiling, letting her one hand caress the smooth pendant around her neck.

“I should already be dead, Peter,” her voice broke, the heartbreak echoing off the walls. “—I wasn’t—this wasn’t supposed to happen. And you won’t understand, because you weren’t there,” Y/n bit her lip, trying finish what she was trying to tell him. “Friday—Friday something happened. Something unimaginable,” she let her head fall so she could look at him, getting lost in his gorgeous blue eyes she had come to love. “You probably wouldn’t have thought it was real either—but it was. I swear to you.”

Her eyes stayed with his as he slowly walked toward her, kneeling down beside her legs. “What happened?” He asked once more, worry in his gaze. He didn’t like seeing her like this—even if he was upset with her. Here she was looking like hell and saying she was supposed to be dead. How was the man supposed to react?

In all honestly she didn’t know how to explain to him the once in a lifetime experience she had. But it was worth a shot.

“You know how you’ve always had that theory about a ‘multiverse,’” she waited for his nod before continuing, “What if I told you, it were true. That beyond our universe lays an infinite number of worlds and realities where—,” she reached for his hand, smiling softly when he let her take in. “—where other versions of ourselves exist. Versions of us who experience things one could only imagine. Worlds with multiple heroes and villains—worlds with magic.”

Peter furrowed his brow, trying to follow along. “I’d probably ask what drug you’ve been taking, Y/n.” She let out a defeated sound, letting her head fall back as more tears flowed from her.

“Peter, I know it’s hard to trust me right now. But please I need you to believe me when I tell you what I’m saying is the truth.”

He only sighed, shaking his head, “I’m having trouble doing that, Y/n. Do you hear what you’re saying? Look, y-you could be concussed and your mind is playing tricks on you.” Peter had never seen her like this and it honestly scared him.

“N-no,” she cried, squeezing his hand, “You have to believe me, please. I wouldn’t lie about this. Look I— Friday night I was supposed to be at the fight—and you can be angry at me and I’m really sorry—it was a mistake and I was blinded by my anger, but you need to hear this. I was pulled into an alternate universe where an alternate version of you exists and it was the day I was supposed to die! There was a kid version of you who was the Spider-Man of that world—Otto, Norman, and a future Flint got pulled in too!” She saw his concerned look at the names she mentioned, but continued to ramble, “So did Dr. Connors from another world as a giant lizard—with this guy who controlled electricity. Their Peter turned up—he was taller and in his twenties. And—and there was you—it was you from the future. I-I—.

“Anyway, there were six of us—Spider-Man villains—that were pulled from a moment in time in the past, except Flint. When the kid Peter Paker found out most of us died fighting you he wanted to change that. He-he wanted to help us—because that’s what Spider-Man does—,” Y/n felt another tear fall as she sniffed, “—you help people—even if they’re not deserving of it. And he tried, God the kid had tried to do it on his own, but the Goblin took control and all hell broke lose—.” Her head shot up remembering the necklace she was wearing.

“This!” She held it to him to see, “This is what the kid a-and the future you helped make. It’s my ‘cure’—a probability necklace that controls how much ‘bad luck’ I produce. They made it in hopes I would not die when I returned home.” Her bottom lip quivered, thinking back to the other Peter.

When he didn’t respond, she felt her heart drop, “It’s not a lie, Peter.”

The man was in stunned silence. Who could blame him? It’s not everyday your ex turns up on your doorstep with a story he could only think would be seen in a movie. He wanted to believe her, because Y/n had never been so distressed and persistent. But he was still having trouble trusting her after everything.

“Then tell me who did this to you? If you went to this ‘alternate universe’ then who hurt you this bad, Y/n. Tell me the truth.”

Y/n flinched before sniffing, looking dead in his eye as she weakly replied, “Norman Osborn.”

If Peter could feel his stomach drop then that’s what was happening. His eyes were like saucers staring at her. “N-no. No-no-no,” he shook his head, not liking her confession at all. Y/n tried to lean forward but the sharp pain had her leaning back. “No that’s it, I’m calling the ambulance right now—you need to get checked by a doctor. And when you’ve fully recovered, then maybe you’ll remember who really did this.”

Y/n just let the tears silently fall from her as Peter stood from the ground and dial 9-1-1. She could hear him speak to the operator, telling them to hurry as it was an urgent matter. All she felt was misery knowing it was going to take an arm and a leg to convince Peter what she said was true. It didn’t help his trust in her was practically nonexistent.

“They’ll be here in five minutes,” he put the phone back on the charger before walking toward her. “We need to get you out of this suit—which where the hell did you get anyway?”

She ignored his slight glare when she blankly said, “the other world.” Y/n just let Peter guide her to his closet where he helped unzip the suit. She saw his eyes travel the many bruises on her side—the man flinching as anger seemed to darken in him. Not anger at her, but at whoever did it.

Peter gently helped her into one of his hoodies and sweatpants. He didn’t notice her fumbling with one of the suit pockets before he had the chance to hide it in the closet. Y/n tucked the folded pieces of paper in the pocket of the sweatpants, making sure it was safe before Peter lifted her in his arms and led them down the stairs of the complex.

The ambulance had just pulled up, two EMTs exiting the front and moving to the back to get the stretcher. “Place her right here for us, sir.” Peter moved to the gurney, gently placing Y/n on the cushion. “Unfortunately sir you can’t ride with us. You’ll have to get to the hospital on your own.”

Y/n didn’t like the sound of that, “W-wait—no! I need help him. Please can’t he come with us?” She was tightly holding onto his hand, looking panicked at being alone. Peter squeezed her hand, telling her it was okay.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, it’s protocol.” Y/n whimpered, feeling crushed and she reached into her pocket where the wad of papers were. As the EMTs started to strap her in, Y/n pushed the paper into his hand she was holding.

“R-read it,” she stuttered out, feeling the exhaustion overtake her as the adrenaline finally wore off for the hundredth time in two days. “He—he wanted me to give—give it to you. Please, r-read it.” Y/n weakly squeezed Peters hand, letting her head fall back onto the stretcher as they wheeled her away. “I love you. I love you—remember that.”

Her hand felt cold when she lost the feeling of his and with an IV hooked to her arm, Y/n let the tired feeling overtake her. She needed the sleep and prayed she’d wake up.

Peter was left standing on the street as the sirens sounded from the speeding ambulance. He was frozen still by the last words she said to him. The complete opposite of the ‘I fucking hate you!’ she’d screamed at him the week before. Peter snapped out of the memory of their fight—not wanting to relieve it.

With the papers in his hand, Peter went back into his apartment still trying to process all that had happened. Taking a seat on the sofa, he looked down at the material in his hands. They were crumbled, like they had been folded several times and were passed on. It made him confused what Y/n meant when she said, “He wanted me to give it to you.”

Who was ‘he?’ the vigilante questioned.

Unfolding the paper, careful not to rip them by accident, he cursed when one of them fell from the wad. It was face down, looking similar to a Daily Bugle news article. But it was brownish in color, like it was an old one that’d been kept for years. With a raised brow, he reached down to pick up the article—turning it around only to feel the air leave him once more.

It was a Daily Bugle front page issue. And not the issue he expected.

Because the date of publishing was Saturday March 11, 2006. And the headline read; “BREAKING NEWS: NEW YORKS FAMED CAT-BUGLUR ‘BLACK CAT’ IS DEAD FOLLOWING BATTLE BETWEEN SPIDER-MAN, SANDMAN, AND SYMBIOTE FRIDAY NIGHT (SEE PAGE 5 FOR DETAILS).

“W-what,” Peter said aloud, horror in his eyes. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. There on the center of the article was a picture of him in his torn suit, but in his arms was Y/n. And she looked lifeless. Her earlier words echoed in his mind, “I should already be dead!”

“Th-this isn’t—this can’t be real.” Peters hands fumbled with the other papers, noticing how a few small ones were stapled together—then there was another article with the matching headline. He placed the stapled stack to the side, letting his attention read over the article with the same date as the front page.

“Saturday March 11th, 2006–Published by J. Jonah Jameson: ‘Friday nights horror came to a climatic conclusion when Spider-Man—with the help of an unknown man on a glider, rescued actress Mary Jane Watson from her captivity by the black Spider-Man symbiote and sandman. New Yorks famed cat-bulgur—who happened to be an occasional ally of the crime fighting vigilante—was among the casualties resulting from the devastation. It’s no saying whether or not whose side the Black Cat was on, but there is one thing clear, Spider-Man was seen to be in deep agony by her death as he was last seen holding her body below the scaffold. Witnesses can account they saw the Black Cat prevent Spider-Man from getting close to Ms. Watson, but then in a change of events was seen fighting the symbiote. The last eye witness testimony is stated that shortly before the chaos came to an end, she was tossed from the building—unable to catch herself before hitting the ground. Spider-Man was then seen in a state of distress—holding her in his arms away from the crowd. The latest autopsy reveals the Black Cat suffered a broken neck, multiple fractures to the spinal cord, and abrasions to the skull. It is believed she was killed at the hands of the symbiote before being thrown from the building. The sandman has since fled the area with no current leads, as is the case for the symbiote. There has been no statement from Spider-Man and the police are treating this as an active investigation.”

By the time Peter finished reading the article—his eyes were red. Not only that, but his hands were shaking and he felt like he could fall into a panic attack at any moment.

How the hell was this real? The article was dated the day before, but what it said didn’t happen. Not to him—yes Flint was gone, Harry and Eddie were dead, but Y/n wasn’t. No she was on her way to the hospital and will hopefully be out in a few days.

But why was Peter having a hard time thinking—and why he kept thinking about her frantic words. “Friday something happened, something unimaginable.”

Peter thought back to Friday night. It was horrible for him to think about, but he needed to for the sake of what he had read. He remembered how Eddie seemed pissed more so—and how he asked Peter, “Where’s your little cat friend? She was supposed to be here.” Honestly the anger he felt knowing Y/n had betrayed him like that blinded him for the rest the fight.

Eddie was really angry, telling Peter, “Once I’m done with you, I’m gonna find your little bitch. And I’m gonna show her what happens when you double cross me.” It was enough to make him assume Y/n had bailed. Going back on whatever word she had promised Eddie. It wouldn’t be the first time she’s pulled a stunt like that, but this article was making his brain foggy.

He then remembered the stack of papers he had put to the side. With shaky hands, Peter unfolded the remaining layer to have his eyes landed on familiar handwriting. It made his heart quicken, knowing damn well he didn’t write whatever it was in his hands. Then he saw the date and his head dropped with anguish.

It was dated November 26th, 2023. Seventeen years in the future in his own handwriting.

“He wanted me to give this to you,” Y/ns voice echoed in mind. She was talking about him—the future Peter. And if the article was true, which Peter now believed it had to have been, it meant the version of him who wrote the letter in his hands had witnessed Y/n die. He was the one in the picture on the front page.

Taking a moment to gather himself as the truth settled in, Peter took a deep breath before reading.

‘Peter,

I know this is going to seem crazy, but anything Y/n has managed to tell you before giving this letter to you is true. I didn’t know what to say—as you probably know it’s hard to come up with words on the spot, especially when you’ve thought about them for so long. I’m going to keep this as simple as I can because I don’t have much time. The other versions of ourself—you from other worlds, which yes the multiverse is real and I’m experiencing it first hand—anyway they are almost done with the cures for Osborn, Connors, and Flint. Once that’s done we’ll be heading to the location we’ve planned to ambush them in hopes of changing the trajectory of their future—so they have a second chance at life. This is going to cause new realities to form where their death didn’t happen.

Which brings me to someone you will get the pleasure of having in your new reality—someone I will never see again. Y/N.

You see, Peter, Y/n was killed in front of me on the night of March 10th, 2006.’ Peter had to wipe away a tear from his cheek, pausing for a moment before continuing, ‘Everything that happened to you involving the symbiote and Flint, happened to me too. The difference now is Y/n was there at the site as planned. You may be angry with her, and trust me I was too, but Y/n realized her mistake and did what she did to stop Eddie. When MJ fell from the taxi, Y/n was the one to catch her and bring her to safety. She also caused a water pipe to burst so Flint would be unable to get bigger in his sand form.

Then, she protected me. And I had to watch helplessly when Eddie stole Y/ns life from her. The last words she told me were she loved me.’ A sob left his mouth, and Peter cursed when a water droplet landed on the paper he had flipped over. There wasn’t much left and he was approaching the end.

‘I can never go back and stop that moment from happening, Peter. Not even with the magic this world has will I get to. And I’ve had to live everyday for the past seventeen years with fleeting regret and sadness knowing I failed Y/n. She wouldn’t want me to think that way—as you probably would know, but it didn’t stop those thoughts from clouding me since she left my life.

The words I said to her that last fight, I never got to tell her how much I regretted it. How I had the moment I kicked her out. God how I wish I never did that, and then seeing the scared look in her eye when Eddie was holding her will haunt me forever. Even if she tells me tonight if I see her to not blame myself, I still will. I didn’t even get to tell Y/n how much I loved her before she was taken from me. It’s not a feeling I want you to have. Not when you have this opportunity to fix what happened and keep her in your life.

There is so much love in friendship, people tend to forget that. Even if a relationship is not in the cards for you two, there’s still a chance at being in each other’s life for the better. And if something happens, then cherish it, Peter. Because it’s my biggest regret that I never got to tell Y/n how much she meant to me.

I still don’t know if I’ll even be able to say it if I see her. I’m honestly scared and it pains me knowing it will be the last time I’d ever get to. She’ll go home to your new reality, while I have to live in a world where my Black Cat is gone.’ The mans heart broke reading that line, feeling the grief through the letter of his future—now alternate future self.

‘You get to live in a world where she’s alive. Where she gets to live the life that was stolen from her. She’s going to need you after what she just went thought—the knowledge she has to live with now and the trauma from nearly dying at Osborns hands,’ there was a flare of anger in his veins as he read over the name. ‘Y/n fought like hell from what this worlds Peter told me. It’s going to take time for her to be her normal self after spending two days in another universe, being near past versions of Norman and Otto, fighting Norman as the Goblin, and not to mention the future version of Flint was the one who told her what happened.

Then there’s going to be the fact she will more than likely feel guilty after seeing me. I’m not the Peter she knows, you. Y/n will feel like she is to blame for everything and it’s your job to not make her feel that way. Eddie was the one who fed on her vulnerability and anger for you. She’ll feel sad about me blaming myself, but assure her I’m going to be okay. I’ll still miss her everyday, but seeing her alive tonight and getting closure will finally bring me peace.

Peter flipped to the final page, his entire face wet with moisture. With one last sniff he finished the final paragraph just as he realized the last paper stapled was actually a photo. One of Y/n he had taken a month ago, but had yet to develop, ‘I hope you’re able to do better than me, Peter. It’s what you both deserve. Take care of Y/n for me. Remind her everyday she’s safe and cared for. You’re support is going to get her though this. She loves you—remember that. And I know you love her. —Peter”

When the anesthesia wore off after several hours, Y/n felt her eyes flutter open but closed them at the harsh lights filling her vision. A whimper escaped, and it was then she felt movement to her side—realizing someone was holding her hand.

A figure hovered over her as the person squeezed her hand, Y/n opening her eyes only to be met with the gorgeous bright blue ones she had loved. “P-Peter?” She whispered, concern in her gaze when she saw the redness in eyes and dried tears. “You-you’re here.”

His lips were on her forehead, kissing the skin not covered by the bandage. It was then Y/n could see the papers peaking from his jacket pocket, his handwriting catching her attention. The woman letting out a gasp, seeing the knowing look on his face which indicated he had read them.

And he believed every word. Both from what she said and what his future self wrote him.

“Y-you—.” she tried, but the words couldn’t form when he brought her hand up to also press a kiss to her knuckles.

“Of course I’m here, darling.” He let his free hand caress her cheek, letting the tear fall in relief at seeing her awake. “I love you, Y/n. It’s gonna be okay—we’re going to get through this. Together.” She didn’t even realize she was crying until his finger brushed away the tear, his lips moving to her cheek with affection.

“Together,” Y/n repeated.

Content filled her as night took over and the day came to an close. Love and optimism replacing the fear and dread she had been feeling since the moment she left his arms. The universe truly worked in mysterious ways.

The Black Cat had went through hell and back—jumping across a Universal pond on the day her life was to come to an end. Fate had plans, but with the help of alternate versions of the man she loved, Y/n got a second chance. She wasn’t the only one. Five other lost souls in the cosmos were experiences the same thing.

And the vigilantes who helped them, got closure in their own way after what one would call, a spider studded reunion.

Out there in his universe, under a cold December breeze, Peter Parker stood in front of the headstone labeled ‘Y/n M/n L/n 🤍: 1983-2006–daughter & friend. ‘It seems so long ago how young and innocent we were.’

Kneeling down, he placed the white roses and sunflowers on the area below the engraving—adjusting it so it looked nice against the white marble. Peter had already visited his parents, Ben & May, then Harry, and saved his best girl for last.

The girl he knew was out there in another universe, with her version of him living the life he dreamed she’d have.

Bringing his lips to his mouth before setting them on her headstone, Peter whispered one final goodbye to his love. “Rest now, Y/n. It’s all going to be okay.”

———————

Ya’ll bishes don’t understand, I am literally fucking sobbing in my chair as I write NWH!Peter and Y/n saying goodbye. Like I’m actually a mess. I already was tearing up at them seeing each other again, but I’m a train wreck writing the goodbye. Fuck when I get to the end I don’t know how Imma be. -> I finished and I’m even more of a mess. How fucking dare I end it like that.

…………………….

Tag list: @n1ght5h4d3-24

[itscolourmix]

HEADCANONS/IDEAS ON REVIVALS (how they work + who has the power to). Eveything below! 

Something I mentioned in my foolish hc's was that Foolish was THE God for things such as life, death and rebirth back when. Someone with such power, it was supposed to be extremely lucky for a mortal to come back (if they did not possess a totem and were instead chosen).

When Foolish went to sleep and the totems were scattered, there were people who wanted this power over death for themselves. The Illagers created successful, working replicas of the totems, but were not willing to give them away so easily. Either you had to raid one of their mansions and take it by force, or be lucky enough to get into a trade with them for something (though what you offer must be of higher value to them) 

So the mortal people tried everything over the centuries from what they knew about The Totem God and knowledge surrounding the nature of life and death. Some have claimed for their rituals to work, but there’s not enough record to tell if whether the person brought back was extremely ill or stuck in a kind of coma (in which others assumed they were dead). Some may have ACTUALLY worked, but were lucky in doing so 

Perhaps Foolish resurrecting those select mortal people for a second chance gave them abilities or luck out of the ordinary.

We have multiple characters from the Dream SMP claiming they know how the revival process works. I’m going to pitch what differences they share in knowledge and who are more likely to be successful in resurrections:

CONNOR:

Connor says he works in necromancy, but unlike Tubbo, actually has a chance of succeeding. He claims he can bring Schlatt back. He could be the descendant of someone who was ‘blessed’ with this kind of revival luck. With Connor being an immortal time traveller, this could work in hand. Where does his immortality come from?

FOOLISH:

Foolish, as I’d explained before, was the original God for this kind of topic. Millennia ago, he was the man you needed. Foolish does not have full control of the afterlife, but a greater understanding of it .

This allows him to manipulate the process of life and death safely, without disrupting the balance. Rituals conducted by mortal people are considered dangerous and come with great risk. 

PHILZA: 

Philza’s knowledge of the resurrection process, in my hc, came from Foolish (through “ancient texts”). His knowledge of the process is also one of the more “correct” ways of resurrection. Though it's unknown if CAN work.

ERET: 

Eret’s knowledge of resurrection is the most flawed, and less likely to succeed as we’ve seen with the attempt with Wilbur. Eret’s information could’ve been written by people from the past, believing in their claims that it can work. 

I would not fault Eret entirely though, he wouldn’t have known better. Knowledge about revivals are very rare now-a-days. The only way to avoid a permanent death would be through totems of undying. But totems work with recent deaths, newer souls. Wilbur has been dead for months (YEARS in the afterlife) and would require a lot more power to pull an already-death adjusted soul back to the land of the living 

DREAM: 

I don’t need to say much on this one, since its pretty well known that Dream was the first person to successfully bring back someone from the dead. Someone asked if the revival book, in my hc, once owned to Foolish too. And I think thats interesting! BUT I’d like to keep it open. Schlatt could’ve found or stolen the book from somewhere, or written it himself! 

SMALL EXTRA DREAM SMP HC: 

I’ve seen people talk about how the dsmp doesn’t make sense with all characters having their own unique story and abilities and other than the idea that this is a strange greek-esque kind of story, I like to think everyone was drawn to The Greater DSMP.

Think of it like the town of Gravity falls, The Greater Dream SMP attracts the weird and wonderful people of the world to it like a magnet. Whether it’s the land that has that kind of supernatural power or if it’s Dream himself is up to you. But I believe it to be the most sense, as you can see in TFTSMP: The Haunted Mansion, a lot of Connors outside friends appear a lot more ‘normal’ than the characters in the dsmp. They don’t possess any supernatural powers or incredible knowledge, they’re just average joes vibing

aaandd THATS IT FOR MY IDEAS! It just kinda makes sense to me. i hope you enjoyed reading :]

[easily-infatuated23]

Stolen Letters

Request: “Can you do a Fred Weasley imagine where him and Angelina are kind of “talking” but the reader and Angelina are really good friends and she doesn’t know that there “talking” so when Angelina tells her, she seems okay with it, “it’s not like I’ve liked him since first year.” And since she’s on the quidditch team, she kind of drops out. And starts to hung out more with Cedric and that’s when Fred gets jealous and realizes it was never Angelina but the reader. the whole reason he liked Angelina was because of some letters she gave him but she never wrote them, the reader did. And Fred and Angelina get into a big fight. Happy ending with Fred and reader.” -anon

a/n: i loved this request!! i changed it a little bit but this was so much fun to write! i also made Angelina meaner than i had anticipated.

pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader

word count: 2.3k

warnings: none i don’t think

summary: Reader has always had feelings for Fred and when he starts dating Angelina, it doesn’t make sense to any one

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

From the moment she stepped into Hogwarts, she was smitten with Fred Weasley. Everything he did was perfect to her. The way he laughed, the way he walked…everything. It was hard to feel this strongly for someone and be their best friend at the same time. She decided the best course of action would be to find an outlet for these feelings. She knew if she tried to burry them she might explode. Her solution was simple. She kept a small diary that she would fill with all of her thoughts and feelings about the redhead. It was better to get those things out of her head before she saw him, otherwise, every day she would risk that explosion of feelings. Being a private person, this was her worst fear. As she continued at Hogwarts her feelings persisted. Hell, she even joined the Quidditch team just to spend more time with him. She did enjoy being a chaser, but messing around during practice was more fun. When she wasn’t spending time with Fred and George, she was with her best girlfriend Angelina. She could be mean at times but she was a good friend none the lessThey told each other everything, well, almost everything. Y/N loved to hear Angelina talk about the newest boy in her life and how cute she thought he was etc. However, she would always inevitably find something wrong with them and move on to someone else. Angelina would ask Y/N about who she liked but Y/N would rather die before she admitted her love for Fred to another soul. “Oh this boy from back home. We’re like childhood sweet hearts.” Angelina would just roll her eyes. “Fine! Don’t tell me! I’ll find out one day”.

When Y/N got home from practice one day, she found Angelina sitting on her bed. “Ohh my gosh Y/N I have something to tell you!” she said excitedly. “Who is it this time?” Y/N asked. Angelina scoffed and threw a pillow at her. “Shut up this is serious! You’ll never guess who asked me out!” Y/N threw her bag down on the ground. “You are correct I will never guess, now who is it?” “Fred Weasley!” Y/N stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. “Come again?” “Fred Weasley! He asked me to be his date to Hogsmeade this weekend!”. She wasn’t sure what to say. “I didn’t even know you liked him like that” she said finally. “Yeah well who can resist a Quidditch player!” “So you only like him because he plays Quidditch?” Angelina crossed her arms. “I thought you would be happier for me what is up with you?”. “I’m sorry I just didn’t think he was your type!” she replied. “Why do I even bother telling you things” Angelina said, storming out of the dorm. Y/N sat down on her bed, doing everything in her power to hold back tears. “It’s just a fling, she’ll just move on to the next one like she always does” she tried to rationalize. No matter what she told herself, it still hurt.

As the next week dragged on, the pain didn’t subside. Seeing what she had thought was her best friend and Fred being close, killed her. To make matters worse, Angelina had become very cold to Y/N and would always steal Fred away whenever she tried to see him. George tried to help her but he was almost as alienated from his brother as she was. By week number three, she gave up trying to pretend everything was fine. She stopped going to meals with her friends and would spend as much of her free time in her dorm as possible. The only person who seemed to be able to pull her out of her fog of sadness was Cedric. They had always been acquaintances, but being forced away from Fred had brought the two closer. They would study together, walk to class together, and go to Hogsmeade together. From the outside looking in, anyone would have thought the two were dating. Of course, Y/N didn’t have feelings for Cedric, nor did he have feelings for her. When they would walk, Cedric would hold her hand. It was a gesture of friendship for them, but it fueled the rumors none the less. Cedric was a great distraction, but when time came to see Fred on the Quidditch pitch, she was thrust back into sadness.

Eventually, she stopped attending Quidditch practice, much to her captain’s dismay. “Well, looks like Y/N has decided not to show up again so, Connors, you’re in” he yelled before practice. While on a break, Fred, George, Ron, and Harry went to go sit with Hermione who was watching practice. Fred decided to ask Hermione about Y/N. “Why do you think Y/N’s been skipping practice? I feel like I never see her any more”. Hermione just shook his head. “You can be so daft sometimes.” “What do you mean by that?” “She clearly has feelings for you and you started dating her best friend. Who, might I add, has been isolating you from your friends.” “Yeah and we all know you don’t really like Angelina so just break it off already.” George added. Fred was taken a back by his brothers words. “Hey don’t say that I like Angelina”. George shot Fred his best ‘are you kidding me’ look. Hermione decided to step in. “Tell me this then, what’s your favorite color red or green?” “What does that have to do with anything?” “Just answer my questions as quickly as you can without thinking.” “Fine. Red.” “What do you like more chicken or beef?” “Chicken” “Summer or winter?” Summer.” “Who do you like more Y/N or Angelina?” “Y/N.” The group looked at each other and laughed a little. “Oh. Oh I see what you did there. That was sneaky…but, that can’t be. I like Angelina, if I didn’t I wouldn’t have asked her out”. “Keep telling yourself that mate” Ron said, patting his brother on the back.

After practice, Fred couldn’t stop thinking about what Hermione had said. Did Y/N really have feelings for him? Did he have feelings for her? It was all so confusing. But, he didn’t have time to ponder such matters of the heart because he had to meet Angelina in the library in ten minutes. “You’re late. Why are you late?” she demanded once he arrived. “Just by a minute! I had to shower.” She rolled her eyes. As she began talking about her day and about the gossip around the school Fred couldn’t help but realize he didn’t care about a word she was saying. He thought back to why he had even asked her out in the first place. It had really been about some letters she sent to him after they had started talking a bit more. They were beautiful love letters that made him feel like the most important person in the world. The eloquence with which the letters had been written didn’t seem to match with her personality and history now that he thought about it. “Fred are you even listening to me right now?”. He lifted his gaze to meet hers. She was glaring at him. “Right, sorry. What did you say?” She huffed at him. “I was saying that I can’t believe Cedric and Y/N are dating.” “What?” Fred said, feeling very confused. “Yeah I mean haven’t you noticed? They are always together and they’re so touchy!” Fred felt himself get a bit hot with anger. But, why was he mad? Once Angelina decided it was time for them to leave the library, Fred saw Y/N and Cedric together for the first time. He hadn’t realized that he had started to subconsciously look away whenever he saw Y/N. He felt guilty. He forced himself to look and saw that they were standing in the court yard talking about something when Cedric suddenly took Y/N’s hand and started dancing with her. She was laughing and smiling as he spun her around. She didn’t even notice Fred had walked by. “Good riddance. I was so tired of watching her sulk around the castle. She’s such a drama queen. Come on”. Angelina pulled Fred away back to the Gryffindor common room.

Once they arrived, Fred was in a foul mood. Everyone could tell something was off. Once Angelina left the common room, Fred was cornered by his twin. “Oy Freddie, what’s your problem?” George asked him. “I don’t know George. I was doing fine until Hermione asked me that question earlier and now I just feel off. Did you know Cedric and Y/N are dating?” George made his best surprised face. He knew for a fact that they weren’t dating but this might be the push Fred needed to get off his ass and ask out Y/N. “I didn’t. Who told you that?”. “I didn’t really have to be told did I? I saw them dancing in the courtyard, practically kissing! It was disgusting.” Just then, Y/N entered the common room. “Oh hey boys” she said, moving more quickly now to avoid Fred. “Hey Y/N Fred has something he wants to ask you” George said. This for some reason got under her skin more than anyone had anticipated. After nearly a month of having to talk to Fred through other people, she had enough. “Well, if Fred has something to say to me he should say it, or wait I forgot, he has to ask his girlfriend first” she huffed. “Hey that’s not fair! You never speak to me any more either! Or maybe you have to go ask your boyfriend” he replied, standing up from his chair. “Boyfriend? What the hell are you on about?” she asked. Her genuine tone of surprise confused Fred. “Cedric obviously”. She shook her head and scoffed. “Oh so when I make other friends besides you, suddenly they are my boyfriend? Real mature Fred. You know if seeing me with some one else bothers you so much, imagine how it felt seeing you start dating my best friend instead of me” she exploded. “I-I’m sorry I didn’t think…” he stammered. Well, there was no going back now. The explosion she feared had begun. “Yeah thats pretty obvious. I still don’t even understand how that happened. You are way to good for her” she said.“Look, I’ve always had feelings for you Y/N. I just was worried you didn’t feel the same way so I made myself move on. I only really started to like her after she sent me a couple of really heart felt love letters. She wrote stuff talking about how ‘my smile could cut through even the thickest fog’ and ‘her heart skips a beat whenever I’m around’. No one had ever said stuff like that to me and I think I got confused.”

Y/N’s jaw dropped. She closed her eyes and sighed. “Did her letters also say things like ‘the fire in your soul burns as brightly as the sun’?” Fred raised his eyebrow. “Yeah how did you know? She said no one else saw them or even knew she wrote them.” “Ugh the audacity of this girl. Fred, I wrote that. I’ve liked you for so long but I didn’t want to ruin our friendship so I would write down all of my feelings in a journal just to get it out of my system. She must have found it because what you just said is word for word something I wrote a month or so ago.” “Wait slow down. You’re saying you like me so much you have to write it down so you wouldn’t blurt it out?” She blushed and nodded. Fred smiled and wrapped her in a tight hug. “If I had known that I would have told you how I felt a long time ago”. She smiled and looked up at him. Fred’s smiled shifted a bit. “So this means Angelina used your words to make me like her? That’s awful!” “Yeah, you can bet she’s gonna get an earful from me.” “No, I’m gonna talk to her.”

As if on cue, Angelina walked into the common room. “I heard Fred yelling what’s going on?” George smiled. “This is going to be good” he said. Fred released Y/N from the hug and walked over to Angelina. “Is it true? Did you steal passages from Y/N’s diary and use them to make me like you?” Angelina crossed her arms. George wished he had popcorn. “I wanted to date someone on the Quidditch team and Y/N was sitting on the perfect way to get you to like me. How could I not use it?” “You are supposed to be my friend what the hell is wrong with you?” Y/N said angrily. “You do what you have to do to get what you want” she said smugly, walking over to Fred and taking his hand. He shook her off and stepped closer to Y/N. “Fred what are you doing you are my boyfriend, take my side!” “You’ll have to find another guy to toy with because we’re done” Fred said. Angelina was furious. She stormed back to the girls dormitory. “Well that was fun to watch. I’m gonna head to bed and let you two sort out what you have to. Goodnight” George said.

Fred turned to face Y/N. “I’m going to do something I should have done a long time ago” he said. He cupped her face in his hands and pulled her close. She smiled and leaned in further.Their lips touched and they kissed passionately. The explosion of feelings she had feared turned out to be the best thing that could’ve happened. Fred pulled away and booped her nose. “So, you have a whole journal filled with things you like about me” “Oh shut up!” she laughed and pulled him in for another kiss.

[tara-the-quiet-bookworm-2016]

Gratitude (Yandere! Daniel x Female Reader.) (Chapter Two)

Authors Note- And here we are with Chapter Two of Gratitude. And in this chapter our kind-hearted reader and her friends efforts finally pay off, with some help from some more friends. Aside from a really upset Connor there isn’t anything too triggering this chapter... You should know I don’t like to rush into anything when it comes to my stories. You get to savor it more. Now that we got that out of the way here is chapter two of Gratitude. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter Two: Revival

“Question.” Sofie asked one morning, several weeks ago as you, Katie, and Sofie all stood in the garage, standing in front of the table where Daniel lay. In the weeks that had past you and your friends had worked diligently on him. And now he lay before you completely repaired. “Are we sure this is going to work?” she asked, smoothing her hand through his hair. “Are we even sure he’s going to...” she trailed off, trying to find the right word. “Activate when Tony does his thing?”

That was the question wasn’t it? You thought as you looked to Daniel. Would he activate? Or would all those weeks upon weeks of work you and your friends put on him be for nothing? Worrying at your bottom lip you secretly crossed your fingers and hoped it worked. But for now... You needed to head to work.

 Placing a reassuring smile on your face you placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry.” You said, as the two of you headed back towards the house. “I have faith in Tony’s abilities, I’m sure it will work. If not... Well, then I’m sorry for wasting every bodies time.” You said, entering house. “Speaking of Tony did he say when he would be able to come over?” you asked her. 

“Not for a few weeks.” Sofia said, “Work has been keeping him insanely busy.”

You nodded, heaving a sigh. You just had to be patient.

Tony was Sofia’s boyfriend and Cyberlife employee. Who had been more than happy to help you when Sofia had asked, it seemed despite working for the company who manufactured androids he, like you sided with the android cause. And when Sofia had mentioned Daniel to him he was more than a little enthusiastic to help you. And hey, as much as you loved Katie and her awesome computer skills, they had reached their limit. 

And since no one was willing to give up, so enter Tony Miller. Your heart skipped a beat  at the thought of finally having Daniel up and running. So much so you couldn’t keep the smile from your face as you drove to the precinct. What would you say when he finally woke up? You wondered as you drove, ‘Hi I’m Y/N I helped fix you?’ 

No, that sounded too... impersonal. Worrying at your bottom lip you pulled into the DPD parking lot and got out. However you were soon jerked from your thoughts at the sound of a raised voice. Looking up you could see Connor pacing around the bullpen, his LED a bright red,  his brow furrowed. And behind him was Hank. 

“How could it have happened?” Connor asked, and upon hearing those words you could image what had Connor so upset. Forcing yourself to relax you walked into the room, eyes settling on Connor as he continued to pace. 

“What’s going on?” You asked Hank when you were close enough. 

“Somehow one of the deviants Connor took out a whole ago disappeared from the evidence room, Connor has been in a mood since he found out.” Hank told you, and for the briefest of moments you felt guilt over what you had done. But quickly squashed it as you made your way to the records room, knowing your boss would be waiting for you.

And as you moved down the hallways you muttered a silent apology to Connor, as much as you disagreed with his purpose you did like him. Hell, you thought as you spotted another Detective walking down the hall towards you. A scowl forming on his face as he looked to you. You liked Connor a hell of a lot more than Gavin. At least Connor had the decency to be pleasant to the people around him. 

Hell, you would much rather deal with Connor most days, since it seemed that most people would rather just ignore you on most days. The joys of working in the records office 24/7. While Gavin treated you and well everyone but a choice few like dirt. You would much rather call your mother and deal with her than deal with Gavin’s bullshit. Shaking your head you opened the door to the records office. Time to get to work. Your thoughts returning to Daniel, excitement gripping your heart as you got to work.

*A Few Hours Later*

You were exhausted as you pulled into your driveway and climbed out of your car, but despite that you still found yourself making your way to the garage as you did so many times before. Turning on the light you moved to where Daniel usually lay, only to find the table where he normally lay empty. Blinking a few times you looked around the garage seeing no sign of the android in question.

Heart thundering in your chest you headed towards the house, what happened had the police found out about him? Had someone stolen him? All these thoughts ran through your mind as you fumbled for your keys and unlocked the door, and were greeted by the smiling faces of Sofie and Katie. Stopping in your tracks when you saw them.

“What’s going on?” You asked, standing in front of the front door. “Daniel is missing from the garage and...” you trailed off when Katie moved towards you, draping an arm around your shoulders as she guided you towards the kitchen. 

It was then you heard voices in the kitchen, and as you stepped into view, your eyes settling on Tony who was sitting at the kitchen table, laptop in front of him, various wires connecting the laptop to...

Soft blue eyes looked up as you walked into the room, the all too familiar, albeit somewhat scarred up face of Daniel looked up at you as Tony typed into his laptop. Line upon line of code flowing on his screen as he ignored you. Not that you really cared, you couldn’t seem to take your eyes off of the android before you.

He was alive, really, truly alive. You couldn’t help the smile that formed on your face as you took a step towards him. But stopped when he seemed to shrink away. Your smile soon turning into a frown, of course he would be wary of humans. Hell, he must be wary of everything, wouldn’t you?

Saying nothing you eased yourself into the seat across from him. Everything you had planned to say to him when he woke disappearing. So instead you turned your attention to Katie, since you knew you wouldn’t get a peep from Tony when he was in work mode like he was now. 

“I...I thought Tony wouldn’t be able to come help but for a few weeks.” You said, keeping your voice low so to not spook the android seated across from you. Then you mentally kicked yourself. Daniel was an android, a living being not an animal for god sake.

“He called Sofia while you were at work, said he was able to come by after work.” Katie said, casting a glance at the man in question. 

“So when he did so he came straight here and got right to work. Man is a miracle worker, he got Daniel up and running in no time. Though...” Katie chewed on her bottom lip as she looked to Daniel. “He hasn’t said a thing since he first activated.” 

“I can speak.” A low voice spoke, making you and Katie jump and looked to the android before you, noting the dark look etched on his scarred face as he glared at you two. “What do you want with me?” he asked.

Plastering a reassuring smile to your face you slowly and carefully moved towards him.  Only to be stopped by Katie, placing a hand on your shoulder she moved towards Daniel.

“Hello, my name is Katie, I’m a friend, we’re all friends.” She said gesturing to you and the others as Sofia had joined you in the kitchen. “In fact my friend Y/N is the one that rescued you, and helped to fix you.” She said, gesturing to you, as you placed a smile on your face as you looked at him. 

Noting that in all the time Katie spoke his eyes never left you. They seemed to bore into your soul, it almost seemed too much as you looked away as the android in question ran a hand through his hair. 

“Why?” Daniel asked you when Katie was done explaining everything to you, while Tony busied himself with unhooking the wires from Daniel, telling you and the others that aside from the scarring he seemed to be in working order. 

You all breathed a sigh of relief at his words as Daniel looked around the kitchen. “Why would you of all people go through the trouble of saving me?”

Gnawing at your bottom lip you looked to him. “I did it to give you a second chance.” You said after a while. “Unlike some people I am one of very many people who see androids as people, and want to help them. When... when I saw you I just... I just thought you could use a second chance.”

“You don’t even know what I did.” Daniel spat, making you flinch. “How do you know I’m not some unstable monster that enjoys butchering people like you? You don’t know that.” 

“We know what you did.” You reassured him, “we know what your...owners did you to, to use and abuse you and toss you out like yesterdays trash. I understand.”

Daniel’s mouth hung open at your words. You knew about his past and still you helped him? Blinking a few times he closed his mouth. Eyes narrowing he sneered at you. “So what now? What’s going to happen now?” he asked.

“Well that is up to you, Daniel.” You said, as you got up from your seat. “You’re welcome to stay here if you want, or if you want we can take you to Jericho where you will at least have some freedom, where you can be with your own people, be comfortable with your own people.”

Up to him? Daniel couldn’t believe his ears as he heard this, could he be so lucky? Could you really be giving him a second chance? A human helping an android, an android that killed one of his owners no less? Blinking a few more times he looked at you, as you stood before him. 

"But you don’t need to make that decision right now.” You told him, jerking him from his thoughts as you glanced at the clock at hung above his head. 

“It’s late and I think everybody here should head to bed.” She said, stifling a yawn as she said that, before looking at him once more. “If you would like you can sleep on the couch, if... do androids sleep?” she asked, but waved him off when he was about to answer. “Doesn’t matter I’ll get you some blankets and a pillow and we can talk more about this tomorrow if that is okay with you?”

Opening his mouth a few more times Daniel nodded, and watched as you disappeared up the stairs. As you left Daniel wondered if things could really be this easy, could he really have a life of his own, and more importantly could he have a life with you if he asked. Shaking his head Daniel pushed that last thought from his head as you returned, all questions he had floating around his head could wait until morning. Muttering his thanks to you he moved towards the couch. After what seemed like forever he finally drifted off to sleep, thoughts of you floating through his head.

[nothinggathers]

Fic tag game!

Tagged by @sweeteatercat

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

110

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

783,677

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I do one fandom at a time and it's D:BH right now

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

My Heart Knows You (Miraculous Ladybug)

The Rest Of Our Lives Will Do (FFXV)

Supernatural (FFXV)

Candyfloss (FFXV)

Beginnings (FFXV)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to. Sometimes things are going on, but so long as I'm in a good place and I have time and the ADHD doesn't get me, I will respond.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Angstiest is kinda hard to quantify. I write a lot of angst. Would you consider the break up to try and keep each other safe (Sacrifice, FFXV) angstier than major character death (Five Times Gladio Carried Ignies, FFXV) (Close To Me Always, D:BH), or is rape by deception (A Night To Remember, FFXV) (Night of the Soul, D:BH) worse?

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I have multiple examples of this too but I'm gonna say Pendulum (D:BH) because it's the hardest won for the characters.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Aahahahahaha, I have one particularly persistent troll that targets anyone that doesn't do Hankcon 'right' (Connor has to be a virgin) and dares to mention Reed900. I included a Reed1700 chapter in one fic just for them.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Hoooo boy. Yes. Usually M/M, although I have more recently written some M/F. It's usually very graphic, occasionally kinky.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

My dude. Bro. I am the Multifandom Crossover AU queen. Both Getting Home and Pendulum feature characters from D:BH, Bleach, Kingdom Hearts, and some OCs and is set in the same universe as Booty Call, and the universe in which One Night and Yours is set is the same universe as I Promise You One Day and also features characters from Kingdom Hearts and Bleach.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've had someone request to translate Getting Home into Russian, which I agreed to on the proviso that I would be the one posting the translation with credit to the translator, because I'm not comfortable having my work posted by others even if it's in another language. I have yet to receive any translation to post, however. I don't like the idea that for whatever reason I may have for wanting or needing to take my fics down (something I am generally against), I would not have the ability to actually do that.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Yes, but we never completed it and my writing partner got cold feet and we agreed to pull it.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Currently Hankcon, previously Gladnis.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I have one unfinished Miraculous Ladybug fic that I'm definitely never going back to.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Apparently scene transitions? A lot of people struggle with them and I don't. My biggest strength used to be dialogue, but I think other areas have caught up these days. I'm also told I write kisses really well.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Passive voice and punctuation. My hand kinda inserts commas anywhere my brain pauses for breath, which results in weird comma splices, and I go through my work and rip all the passive voice I can out before I post.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

More than a few words is getting fucking checked by a native speaker.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The very first? I don't remember the fandom but I remember the fic name. It was on FFN and called As The World Falls Down, and it got yanked in the songfic purge waaaay back when. The first fandom I was active in is The Fandom That Shall Not Be Named (except to say it is not Harry Potter, it is, in fact, much more embarrassing than that).

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I'm gonna say Ghosts in the Machines (D:BH) right now, because I had a blast reworking the canon and trying to make it less dumb. And clowning on Elijah Kamski. That bit's important too.

I'm not gonna tag people because I don't know who has and hasn't been tagged at this point, but if you are following me, I would love to know your answers to this.

[hlootooart]

Hey there! So here's my take on how the ink machine works, as well as some headcannons. It's more symbolic than others, but....meh, it was fun.

The way I see it, what if the whole "lack of a soul thing" was more on how they were created? Like, the reason why the creations come out so corrupted, is because Joey is trying to create life through a lifeless medium. Hear me out. You know how people tend to dislike factory made items, as opposed to homemade? There's a world of a difference between a cake made on a conveyor belt and one on a kitchen counter. The latter has care, time, and quality put into it by human hands— it was created. While the former was cobbled together with whatever ingredients would suffice to be supplied on demand, maybe touched by some hands— it was manufactured.

This can also be an allegory for artists. When you want to make something of good quality, it takes more than snazzy materials. It takes effort. Effort Joey failed to supply. I don't know what he provided for Bendy's creation, most likely a simple sketch, but I'm guessing a cutout (could explain his size). He just chucked it in a machine and crossed his fingers for a miracle. If I were one of those gods he was ranting about...I'd be offended. That's probably why Bendy came out all wonky and disfigured. Joey was basically trying to squeeze blood from a stone, in the most hands-off way possible.

I think this explanation fits in with Joey Drew's character. He's a man that doesn't care about quality so much as results. He has big aspirations but never takes the time to temper and hone them into something worth while. For crying out loud, the dude's first response to losing money, was to spend more of it! And after Bendy's botched birth, he just said 'f*** it' and started chucking even more garbage into the machine in a vain attempt at achieving perfection, pissing off the gods even more.

(Seriously, what the heck was he thinking when making the Butcher Gang?)

(Where the heck did that plunger come from?! Why is it there?!)

(The fishing rod for Barley/Fisher makes sense...)

(...but what is that thing on Edgar/Striker's arm, a giant corkscrew?! WTF Joey?!)

But most offensive of all, was the fact that he commits one of, if not the, biggest art sin one can commit:

PLAGIARISM.

Taking that which belonged to others, and staging it as his own.

Every character he tried to bring to life was someone else's, namely Henry's. The only exception being the Butcher Gang as they're not listed as his, but I highly doubt Drew made them either. (I have my own headcannon for that though.) He screwed Henry even further by naming the company after himself. In fact, all his achievements were stolen from others. Even the supplying of actual souls represents plagiarism. He is literally stealing the life force and personalities of others to power his own selfish desires— that he also stole! Heck, even before that he sacrificed the time and well-being of his employees so bad they had to have an infirmary installed, complete with round the clock doctors.

He stole (or at least tried to steal) the acclaim of Bendy Land from Bertram Piedmont:

"For forty years, I've built attractions that stagger the imagination! Colossal wonders such as the world has never seen! I have earned my legacy with sweat. But right in front of everyone... high level investors, Wall Street tycoons, the ever-tactless Joey Drew introduces me, the great Bertrum Piedmont, as Bertie! Like I was his child. You may be paying me, Mister Drew! But you don't own me! I'll build you a park bigger than anything YOU could ever possibly conceive! But before you go taking any bows, Mister Drew, know that this grand achievement will belong to me... and to me alone."

— Bertrum's 1st audio log

and the credit of the ink machine from Thomas Connor. And if SuperHorrorBro from YouTube's theories on the ritual items is to be believed, then he had to group in other people's talents and jobs to appease the gods, because his alone wasn't enough.

And yet, I don't think a human soul was still enough; as Buddy, Tom, Allison, and Susie prove. Physically, Tom and Buddy were perfect (particularly Buddy), but personality wise Tom was very different. It's hard to tell with Buddy however, but in the book at least he was still mostly there. Maybe Joey lucked up and found just the right "formula" that happened to work just for Borris, or maybe the gods were just feeling impishly cruel, and gave him false hope.

Meanwhile, Susie failed at first, and had to repair herself by consuming the hearts of others (there's that plagiarist metaphor again!); and while Allison was more "perfect", she clearly looked nothing like the real Alice Angel. She was more of a caricature than an actual cartoon. Other than them, most of the poor souls who were sacrificed devolved into inky abominations. I like to think at around this point the gods were truly fed up and abandoned Joey more so than they had already.

I also like to think that they're gods of Life and Creativity. Joey had the first part down-pat, but flunked the other hard...and it cost everyone dearly. Because if you half-ass the gods they will half-ass you.

The saddest part is, Bendy was calm in the beginning. Unsightly, maybe, but not hostile. But because Joey was such a controlling despot, he locked him away and imposed his own vision on him. He chained him to a chair and played the cartoons on repeat until he would act like the way Joey wanted him to (going off of SuperHorrorBro again). In Dreams Come to Life Buddy heard him crying...

....CRYING.

Who knows how different things would've been if Joey just put some decent involvement into Bendy. Perhaps he could've become something even better than what he planned. But it doesn't matter I suppose, because the bottom line is that Bendy is Henry's creation, not his.

Nothing was his.

He was not only a liar, but an incredible thief too.

TL;DR Joey Drew took the whole "souls" thing waaaaay too literally.

(Who told him that anyway?)

Shoutout to SuperHorrorBro on YouTube for inspiration. [SuperHorrorBro BATIM Live|https://youtu.be/b2ZZBkfbUDE]

[What did Bendy want?|https://youtu.be/VenV5yp5HmM]

Photos from the Bendy fandom wiki

[monchikyun]

III. coffee and cigarettes

Nothing good lasts forever and so even Connor’s short vacation comes to an early end, making him wish he had an excuse to take some more. He has plenty left too, never really having the need to spend more than what’s mandatory. The prospect of keeping himself a sole company for very long doesn’t much appeal to him. Too afraid of the brain rot that would make a space for his internalised guilt to fully manifest. 

There is never anything to do but to waste his free day away talking to his four-legged friend who doesn’t seem to even enjoy their one-sided conversations. He could busy himself with countless tasks but what’s the point when no one’s here to witness it. 

Sometimes he gets to hang out with his friends, rarely he’s ever lucky enough to pass the time with the one person who can make him smile, who can make him realise that there is more to him than the hurt corroding his insides. It happened only once, actually. 

Somehow he persuaded Gavin to join him for their walk to a dog park, though it wasn’t all that impressive of a feat. He likes to replay that day sometimes, a great way to fill the void in his mind that comes to visit whenever he has problems initiate sleep-mode. It was back in October, the sky was an ethereal shade of blue and the trees turned into a display of a non-lethal fire-show. All the reds and oranges towering over them and shedding pieces of their transcendent beauty on the ground for them to to do with as they please. He stole one. An oddly-shaped maple leaf hidden between pages of the book he won’t ever read. Of course, he gave one, too. And that was when he first fell something shift inside of his heart. The first time he ever wanted to kiss someone.

---

“Hey, tin can.”

“Good morning to you too, detective.”

The titles they call each other have lost their initial meaning and morphed into something that provides familiar comfort. Nicknames, perhaps.

Connor smiles with his eyes, not daring to show something more lest it gets misinterpreted by the wrong people. Because he has no right to be happy, least here of all places.

He scans the empty desk that used to be Hank’s work-space. Still empty. Several personal items belonging to a stranger, hair that isn’t Sumo’s but came out of some other dog. There is nothing left of his old friend anymore. Devoid of anything that matters to him.

Gavin watches his line of sight, he’s painfully aware of that. Their desks are stuck to each other now since they share all of their cases and therefore it’s convenient to be this close. It’s convenient to psyche. He’s glad he doesn’t have to face his failures on daily basis like that, now that detective Reed keeps him almost constant company. Maybe he should tell him how grateful he is,… someday.

❄️ ❄️ ❄️

There is a fresh coffee on his desk, one that Gavin hasn’t made for himself. A ritual that keeps repeating every work-day. He only asked the one time, back when he still couldn’t stand Connor and all the other plastics, yet he got nothing but some preprogrammed phrase then. Thinking about it now, maybe he shouldn’t have punched the android. His fist ached like a bitch and knowing Connor, he probably received zero damage from that feeble attack. God, he hated him at that time. Hated that there was no life hiding behind that pretty face and that he was powerless to do anything about it. He didn’t believe that androids had the potential to become something more than glorified computers, let alone human. It was Connor who showed him that being alive isn’t defined by the components or material one is made out of. It’s what one does that counts. The behaviours reserved only for those possessing free will. 

It took him a month to be fully convinced that Connor just might be more of a full-fledged person than Gavin could ever be. Three more and he fell flat in the dark pit of no return. 

It isn’t that loving Connor is an inconvenience or something he could live without, but he’d rather had his teeth pulled out one by one than to go another day knowing that his feelings will never be returned. That it will always be his fault for being such an unlovable bastard.

Drinking the pleasantly scalding coffee helps a little. It reminds him that Connor cares, to some extent. The fact that he takes the time of his day just so Gavin can have his daily dose of caffeine without having to lift a finger warms him through and through. It plants a tiny seed of hope to his heart.

He never asks but he always thanks him. Words of gratitude whispered underneath his breath, comprehensible only to the person who deserves to hear them.

Usually, he’d take the cup outside to compliment his morning smoke, but Connor is sitting in his chair a little too stiffly, his eyes wandering off somewhere distant. Not even his gratitude got acknowledged today. He gets like that more often that Gavin would like. Reversing back to his old self, to a time when human-like expressions were still foreign to him. It breaks his heart a little every time he gets reminded that nothing will be able to undo the damage done, that Connor will bear his trauma forever, …possibly. Gavin would always stay quiet, not finding the right things to say or do. Not today.

“I’m gonna go outside… to take a… breath.”

He isn’t sure Connor even registers his words.

“You… wanna go with?”

Still nothing.

“Connor.”

He stands up and gets as close as possible without trespassing the unspoken borders between them.

“Come with me, please.”

Their eyes meet for a split second and before he can catch up to the present moment they are already halfway out of the door.

Maybe he should use the magic word more often.

---

A blissful smoke fills his lungs, clouding over the pain and uncertainty that put him here in the first place. He relies on this wonderfully horrible sensation too much, but it’s better than the alternative.

“Liar.”

Yeah, he isn’t going to win any honesty awards in the near future, that’s for sure. But at least Connor is back to his old irreplaceable self, or he acts like he is.

There is a day old snow piled on the grassy patch beside the wall, reminding him of the photo Connor sent him yesterday. Of the tears and the desperation. How he wanted nothing but to be held by his friend. And now, when they’re so just inches apart, he’s too afraid to even look at him. He couldn’t just casually hug him without it meaning anything, because to Gavin, it would be worth everything. And if he lost that again,… no amount of nicotine would ever be enough to put him back together.  

“Must suck not having an unhealthy coping habit to solve all your problems.”

He can’t even begin to imagine what Connor must be going through.

“I wish you wouldn’t...” His cigarette gets forcibly removed from his mouth, the implications of which don’t translate to his ape brain right away, so his jaw is stuck to the ground while he watches Connor study the stolen smoke like it’s something he’s never seen before. “… have one.”

“Give it back.” He tries to get it back with his grabby fingers but Connor stops him by doing something even more unexpected.

He puts the whole cigarette in his mouth and makes some weird movements with his jaw. And just like that, the tube disappears.

The freaky bitch must have swallowed it whole.

He blinks rapidly to clear the brain fog suddenly threatening to limit his intelligence.

“What.”

Connor is towering in front of him without Gavin having any say about this scary development. His soft hands are holding Gavin by the shoulders like he wants to shake the soul of him, and maybe he does, because he looks him dead in the eye and quietly says:

“I don’t ever want to lose my unhealthy coping mechanism.”  

Connor’s fingers are boring into his jacket, probably damaging the leather, but all he cares about is the hurtful expression splitting him in half with an intent intensity.

Gavin has a million words lodged inside his throat, his own hands itching to return the contact. But there is never enough time to get his act together and put aside his inner coward.

“Sorry.” 

The touch is but a memory now as Connor is leaving him in alone in the cold place. The android even felt the need to apologise, like he did something wrong. That won’t do.

“Wait.” Gavin grabs him by the wrist, stops him in his tracks. His hands slide down on its own, a behaviour he doesn’t approve of but is unable to oppress. He can feel his own fingers trembling as they wrap around Connor’s ever so tentatively.

“You won’t get rid of me that easily.”

 He wishes he didn’t face the android’s back so he knew whether to take that promise back.

He wishes his voice didn’t crack so he could spare himself an ounce of embarrassment.

But most of all, he wishes Connor didn’t clutch his hand this hard so he could let go and pretend nothing that out of the ordinary has happened between them. 

@a-convin-new-year sorry it’s late ;D

[brashierc]

Game Plan | Part 1

Connor was exiting the bathroom attached to their bedroom when she awoke. He smiled, holding on to the towel wrapped loosely around his waist as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. 

“Morning Beautiful.” He smiled, gazing into those hazel green eyes he can get lost in. 

“Morning.” She sighed sleepily. 

He loved the sight of her when she first wakes. Her cheeks are always pink, and her eyes are a little puffy from her sleep. Her attitude is always different. Some mornings she was happy and smiling. Others she was grumpy and pouting. And his absolute favorites was when she was feeling a certain type of way and had her way with him until he was late for his 8 am financial accounting class. 

Mia Burke was walking whiplash. She’d purposely sit in the back of class so she didn’t bring attention to herself and not have to interact with others, but in the same class she’d raise her voice at someone who spoke rudely to another or herself. She would sit nice during his family events, speak quietly and respectfully to his aunties that gave him a hard time about his dreams of going pro in football but in the same breath would rip her own uncle apart in front of her whole family if he spoke ill of his football dreams. She’s a firecracker, sassy and sweet. She’d smile and flip you off at the same time, and he was utterly in love. Had been since Junior year of high school. Now as sophomores in college the thought of forever with her looked greater and greater.

“How are you feeling today?” He asks softly as he brushes her reddish brown hair out of her face and back onto his pillow she’d stolen in the night. 

“Still a little nauseous this morning.” She frowns at him, eyes fluttering shut as he caresses the side of her face.

“What can I get you before I leave?” He asks, sitting on the edge of the bed. 

He’s feeling her forehead and huffs a little when he doesn’t feel a fever. It’s horrible to wish your girlfriend to show symptoms of being sick, but she’s been feeling nauseous and extremely tired lately and he can’t figure out why. Nothing had changed in their lives other than the new term starting, but she’d never been this way before. 

“Nothing, I’m okay.” She gives him a tight lipped smile. 

“But you don’t feel well, and I want to help. Just tell me how.” 

“There’s not a whole lot to do though,” She brings a hand up to rub his arm. “But thank you, I appreciate you wanting to take care of me.” 

He grins, cheeks going pink, “I always wanna take care of you.” He murmurs.

“Okay Mr. Cheese, get ready. You have class in 20 minutes.”

“I could skip? We could stay in and watch movies all day?” He offers, head tilting to the right.

“As much fun as that sounds you can’t. If coach finds out that you skipped he might not let you start.” 

Connor sighs, eyes flickering up to the new jersey hanging up in their shared closet. This was his year. He was the starting Quarterback for the UCLA football team. That blue and gold jersey was a ticket to the future, a ticket to his dreams. 

“And what good would the ‘Three Amigos’ be if you didn’t start? Shawn and Brian would be nothing without their quarterback sending passes their way.” 

He grins, eyes fleeting back to his Love that’s sitting up and ruffling her hair. 

“You’re gorgeous.” He blurts, words spewing from his mouth before he could stop them. 

Mia blushes, cutting a look at him and shaking her head. “You’re in a mood this morning.” 

“I’m just in love with you.” 

“Oh my god stop.” She laughs, hiding her face behind her hands. 

“I’m just spitting the truth.” 

“Go get ready! You’re gonna be late.” 

He leans forward to plant a steamy kiss to her lips, tugging on her bottom lip with his teeth before standing to dress for his day full of classes.

_______________________________________

Sitting in her composition class, listening to the professor drone on and on over the syllabus she can’t help but write down the little ideas she’s been having. 

She hasn’t told a soul. The connotation of writing fanfiction usually meant judgmental attitudes and downgraded writing skills, unless you were apart of the community. Whether you read or write it, you understood the talent and work that goes into each piece created. 

Mia is a Tom Holland stan, and she loves to write little pieces so others can insert themselves into her stories and live in that moment.

She hasn’t even told Connor about her tumblr blog that has a few hundred followers. Whenever she’s writing she chalks it up to a ‘creative writing prompt I ran across and thought I’d try out’. Her tumblr notifications on her phone pinged under ‘wildflowerth’ in an attempt to stay hidden. 

He thought it was a fashion blog. 

Right now though, her brain is spinning with ideas about Mob!Tom, and how he could fall in love with his enemies sister. A whole series about how he and the sister could join forces and take her brother down and run the mob world side by side. Maybe bring Z in for some angst bits to make the sister jealous. 

She jumped out of her thoughts when her phone buzzed in her lap.

iMessage from Lover: Coach called for a film watch before practice, I won’t be able to see you before I leave. But I got you some more saltines and water. I’ll see you after practice, I love you! Hope you’re having a great day! 

Mia smiles at the thought of Connor going out and buying her crackers because it’s been the only thing she can stomach lately. She wonders how he knew she had just run out last night. 

iMessage to Lover: Have a good practice Babes, thank you for getting me crackers, you’re the best boyfriend ever.

**

After her women writers class she heads back to their shared apartment. Unlocking the door she smiles at the sight in front of her. Connor has left her a bouquet of pink roses on the counter alongside a box of saltines, a case of Flow cucumber mint water, and a package of pads. 

She picks up the card from her flowers and giggles at his sloppy handwriting.

‘Mi, I hope you’re feeling better this afternoon. If my app is correct you should be on that lovely time so I got you some extras just in case you needed any. Let me know if you need anything else. Just wanna take care of my baby. I love you’

Her heart stops. A cold sweat runs through her body.

She clicks her phone to show the date, and then goes to her own app that tells her ‘don’t forget to log your period!’ 

She gulps down the bile rising up her throat. 

She’s six days late.

[alexis-writes-sometimes]

Ginormous, Super Long Tag Game Catch Up

During the time that I've been MIA due to school and theatre and life, I got tagged in a lot of things, and I've been scrolling through the activity feed and piecing them together to make a franken-post of all the games I've been tagged in. Some of them I know I didn't do and some of them I'm not 100% sure, so I may accidentally re-do a tag, but whatever, let's get on to the tag games!

And in tagging people, I will do that at the very very end, and make a (somewhat) organized list as far as that goes.

 Eight People I'd like to know better tag game!

I was tagged by @joyful-soul-collector, thank you!

ONE / Name, alias. Alexis/Alex/Momma Evening Star (long story)

TWO / Birthday. I don’t really like giving out my (actual) bday, but i'm cool with saying its in january

THREE / Zodiac sign. capricorn

FOUR / Height. likeeeee 5'7" 1/2 or something like that.

FIVE / Hobbies. Reading, writing, theatre, listening to music

SIX / Favourite colors literally any shade of blue

SEVEN / Favourite books. Oh boy. Well I really really really like Grace and Fury by Tracy Bangheart. I also love anything that is written by Rick Riordan.I also like Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh, and Black Wings Beating by Alex London.

EIGHT / Last song listened to. Castle of Glass by Linkin Park

NINE / Last film watched. The new Aladdin

TEN / Inspiration for muse. I dunno man

ELEVEN / Dream job. I don't really know. Something with either theatre, or kids, or horses, or books or writing.

TWELVE / Meaning behind your url.

i asked my friend what they thought of "alexis-writes" as a possible url and my friend was like. "you should do alexis-writes-sometimes, because you darn well know its true" and thus alexis-writes-sometimes was born!

 ~~~~~~~~

11/11/11 tag,

tagged by @joyful-soul-collector, thanks!

1. Are any of your characters non-human? What are they?

No, sadly.  Not as of right now anyway.

2. Pick one of your characters and describe what they were like as a child (can be a toddler, a teen, or something in between, whatever you like)

I'll do Salem, because I really done anything for her, like, at all.

As a pre-teen, Salem was always the kid that was always far from any and all social gatherings. She could be very cold and stand offish if she wanted to. But once she met her squad, she started to warm up, if only a little. 

3. What would your favorite OC do if they met their favorite mythical creature?

Rowan would just kind of freak out, in a good way, ofc.

4. Have any of your OCs ever stolen anything? What did they steal?

Kez has stolen a lot because they and their sibling kinda need to steal to survive

5. What’s your favorite snack to have while writing?

Flour tortillas. Don't ask me why, bc I'm not entirely sure. Also they're not messy, and I'm only allowed to have non-messy snacks in my room.

6. Did you drink water today? If not then go drink water, hydration is important you fool

I have, but thanks for the reminder!

7. Favorite situation you like to write? (fluffy things like cuddling or caretaking? Angsty things like a characters breaking point or writing any sort of pain? What do you like to do to your characters?)

I like writing ocs either fighting, or being treated by a medic because medicine, especially historic medicine, is something that really interests me.

8. What’s your favorite character in your favorite anything? (can be from a favorite movie, book, tv show, web series, anything)

I think that my favorite character is a three way tie -- Luke Castellan from the Riordanverse (fight me), Connor Murphy from DEH, and Hodel from Fiddler on the Roof.

9. Do you have any real life experiences that you have incorporated into your story somehow?

Not that I'm aware of, but I haven't looked over it in a while.

10. You ever written fanfiction?

Yes, actually! I like writing fanfic as a warm ups and things, because the written material is already there, and you can play with things and try stuff out that maybe you wouldn't want to try on your own writing or with your own characters.

11. Are you a Plotter, Planster or Pantster? (yes I stole it from the questions I was asked, don’t jUDGE ME)

I'm a plantser, but with more pantser than plotter.

I'm going to post my 11 questions, down at the bottom with the taglist!

 10 Words Tag!

tagged by @joyful-soul-collector, thank you!

Rules: List 10 words/phrases that have something to do with your work(s) in progress and then tag 10 people to do the same.

Again, tagging people at the bottom.

Rebellion

Independency

Shadow

Family

Love

Danger

Heartache

Pain

Healing

It gets better

If you could write a guide, what would it be about? - A Tag Game

I was tagged by @joyful-soul-collector, tysm

If I  could write a guide.... hm.

Probably something about either acting. It'd have tons of advice for auditions, suggestions on making strong choices, a self care checklist for during tech week, and ways to combat post-show blues

　

Last Line Tag!

I was tagged by @joyful-soul-collector, thanks again ❤"

Standing on the porch, she smiled to herself in the inky darkness.

She was almost free."

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

TAG LIST

OKAY my hand hurts from all that typing!

Anyways, the way I plan on doing this is listing the tag game, and then tagging the people under it.

 Eight People I'd Like to Get To Know Better

@futurity-writing,

@tracle0

@quilloftheclouds

@edelweissroses

@redaniels-writes

@dove-actually

@wordsofpaintandsmoke

@lunawritesalot

11/11/11 - Questions

What’s one of your writing strengths (i.e. OCs, worldbuilding, editing, etc.)

Do you listen to music when writing? If so, what sort?

What is your stance on unhappy endings?

How long have you had the concept for your WIP?

Dialogue or Descriptions?

Have you ever written a hiaku?

Which of your characters is most likely to be tumblr famous?

Which OC have you tortured most?

What are your character’s alignments?

What are your characters most proud of about themselves?

Which OCs are the "can’t fall asleep" or "can’t wake up" kind of sleepers?

tagging: the eight above and

@rose-of-sharon-cass ​, @halrose @joyful-soul-collector & anyone who wants

Ten Words Tag

Tagging

@halrose

@rose-of-sharon-cass

@quilloftheclouds

@edelweissroses

@redaniels-writes

@wordsofpaintandsmoke

@lunawritesalot

@tracle0

& anyone who wants to

Last Line Tag :

@joyful-soul-collector & @edelweissroses & @redaniels-writes & anyone who wants to

Find the Words Tag

Words:

Life, Shield, Truth and/or Quiet

@dove-actually, @joyful-soul-collector @halrose & anyone who wants to

If You Could write a guide tag

literally anyone who wants to