#In the past two seasons they realized medicine exists

[nerdgirlnarrates]

Season 20 of Grey’s Anatomy just started, and I am obligated to continue watching this trainwreck. Starting off strong: they actually consulted cards and ID for an endocarditis case. These specialists will never appear, but I also think they’ve never been referenced before in the Grey’s universe. I’m so proud of my fictional surgeons for learning other specialties exist 🥹

[spopsalt]

This was a longer post than I expected, spoilers for Bojack Horseman under the cut but for the TLDR: Bojack Horseman is a much better show than spop since it shows trauma realistically, has better humor, better story, know Bojack is a bad person and he gets called out on it.

On the last season of Bojack and it astonishes me on how much better it is when compared to spop, it's great on it's own and when compared to spop, it's a masterpiece! First of all, it actually shows trauma realistically! One example I would like to use is Penny, she was 17 and saw Bojack like a father figure of sorts, she lived with her family for months and trusted Bojack. Everything seemed fine until she propositioned Bojack, Bojack first does the responsible thing and shuts her down. But then he gets rejected by Charlotte, the girl's mother and Bojack's old friend. He doesn't tell her about what Penny tried to do for some reason, long story short they kiss but Charlotte rejects Bojack due to her having a family and Bojack trying to get her to run away with him. He was in a low place and saw Penny on the boat, she asked him again and he said "Go to bed Penny." it seemed like he rejected her again but we came to a horrifying realization. We hear stuff falling and then see Bojack lying down while Penny is undoing his bowtie. This is one of Bojack's lowest moments and it shows Penny's trauma. One example is when Bojack thought she looked fine, and she was, she healed from the trauma, then Bojack showed up again and all the old wounds opened up again. Another example is with Gina, one of Bojack's girlfriends whom he strangled. She is now traumatized whenever someone touches her neck due to that experience. Another one is Hollyhock, Bojack actually wasn't a shitty person here. His mother laced the coffee she drank with drugs and so she overdosed and got sent to the hospital. Later when she visits Bojack and sees medicine in his house she assumes he is trying to drug her, freaks out, and sends them to the trash disposal. I could go on and on but you get my point. We actually get time to see their trauma. Their trauma isn't just ignored or swept to the side for Bojack. And his trauma was shown realistically too! It's amazing how much better Bojack is compared to spop, I understand they are two very different shows, one being an adult cartoon with 6 seasons and another being a kid cartoon with 5 seasons. Now I will give spop some credit. It showed trauma accurately with Adora and Catra but everyone else's trauma gets ignored. That's why I'm so glad we have Bojack. It can be hard to watch at times but it shows it accurately and it is so important. Second of all, it knows Bojack is a bad person and people call him out on it. Many of Bojack's old friends, Diane, Princess Caroline, and Todd have called him out on his behavior. It also shows that abuse is no excuse for being a horrible person when Todd says "It's not your childhood or the shitty things that happen to you in your career it's you." This may seem small but with spop it tries to make everything Catra did okay because she had trauma when that's not the case. Third of all the humor. Now the humor is...ehhh it's ok. It's not the best thing in the world buttt I did laugh more times than I laughed while watching spop so that's good! Last of all. The story, now the story is really good, many of the bad things Bojack did in his past were brought up, and we see him multiple times try to improve himself but it seems like every time he takes one step foward he takes multiple steps back. This is very realistic to how it is. You can try and try but sometimes you end up spiraling by to where you were before. Bojack Horseman is really important and though it can be hard to watch at times, I'm glad it exists.

[aaliawrites]

WANDER DEEPER WITH ME

Rocks of ages split in two.

There is only what is down to earth with you.

A hike.

A northwest landcape I trust you know.

You lead me off the path and I follow.

Later when we find the trail and map and confess that knew were there -

You and your wicked blue eyes,

(" Well. That wouldn't have been fun. The other way was longer" ).

An initiative to spend time together.

I fake acting shocked but am actually pleased.

I know by now. Meeting every 2 years as we do. This high school version of flirtation that gets me.

You fake tackling me and call me cute.

I swerve the advance in pleasure.

I tell you I want to glue plastic toy trolls and gems to all the green rocks and formations.

A village surprise to find in the forest.

Cute it is.

You know all the land of this island after 4 decades - the changing of seasons, the Indian reservation, the hidden Arbutus beaches, the hidden caves of Maxwell.

Deeper down we go into the land itself. Descending ropes and metal ladders, cave upon cave.

I yell off the scared parts of me.

Death meditation as messenger

Laughter as medicine.

In the cool damp feel held and safe.

A quiet I resonate with monks.

We fall into meditation.

Then we fall into shop talk, contact.

Your old days in the States.

Blindfold performances with curtains and audience interactive sexuality. Living for weeks in canyons.

Down there in the dark, you ask me how that blindfold dance was for me.

The one from the festival with the other man.

That I shared vulnerably I thought was you.

"Creative. Fluid. Caring."

I realize I just described my sensuality.

We pause in silence.

I get cold.

You tell me to sit in your lap.

I want to do more than that.

I give you may hands instead.

You tuck them into your armpit.

As you have before walking me to my car.

Oh, Canada - I wouldn't survive another winter here again.

I dance with the rocks in the dark as you speak.

Open eyes in the pitch.

Nothing to see, only to feel.

We crawl back up the ladder towards light.

Metal ascending into another kind of blindness. Disoriented by day light.

Lush landscapes as scaffolding.

I stop to lock eyes with a stag. A moment together, a pause across the green planet.

He bounds on.

(I fed a tame deer blueberries by hand earlier this morning at a meditation center.)

Sweet licks. Doe eyes. Soft heart.

Becoming kind to their kind.

This whole month on the island fyll of visual deja vu. The kind I remember as if it happened in the past, only its occuring now. I've met you before and many of the other characters too.

We've already had this hike.

We've already fallen together.

I've known long ago.

As if a dream, by day.

I look down at my feet and find a large brown feather.

Twice in Bali, my best friend who has visions, told me she saw a feather in my body, the size of my torso, while floating me in water dance.

I had no idea what she meant.

I picked it up - this is the feather.

I tell him about her. I can't hide anything.

I put in down my shirt and keep walking.

I imagine it as a quill for all my untold stories I can now begin to write.

I balance it on my hand and follow you.

Navigator, paraglider.

I think of my parents passed, and all their gifts of flight.

My hanggliding dad. My kite-making mom.

We make our way from the smallest of spaces into the vast expanse of the ocean.

I can't quite absorb the contrast.

We sit and you tell me you thought you saw someone in the field across from us flying a kite, then they disappeared. Signs from them.

You dive naked in the ocean.

(What former lovers do. God I love an outdoorsman who doesn't give a fuck).

I don't join.

I sit with my feet in the water and contemplate the sun.

I sit with my feet in the water and contemplate your existing partnership.

Morality, integrity, loyalty.

The values I value.

Karma as capital

For future incarnations.

I sit and feel like I'm shrinking.

I stare into the sun to burn out my thoughts.

You get out and contemplate the tidepool.

How they used to be filled with creatures as a kid. Now they're empty.

You say you need to get home to feed your kid dinner, the 15 year old.

You pull on your shirt, a safety pin tucked in the back neck "for splinters, for..."

(you rattle off the uses.)

I stare. "God, and he's handy too."

I laugh the laugh I cannot help.

Fake falling on my blanket.

As I hit on you.

My heart unfurling.

"Goodbye S."

5 years ago, when we first met, you were just out of a long relationship.

I was 29. I knew you had a kid.

This year now there's a new woman.

A good woman

As a good man.

I met her at the opening circle of the contact festival this year

And thought vividly 'she looks cool, amazing'.

And seconds later you introduced her as "my amazing partner'.

I don't know what to make of the preminitions.

I sit alone with my nuance and gray and all the timing that constitutes our lives and living and creating and loving and family and responsibility and twinkles in eyes and seeing what's unseen and feeling what's there in the air, and what's unspoken, what's unseen.

What's light as a feather.

That languages we share.

I sit by the ocean alone after you leave and voice note the friend with the feather about you. Pick blackberries by my car for dinner. Drive off to ecstatic dance to burn off the energy.

To continue the dance of life.

I share a present contact dance with someone new.

He mentions your name.

Says you're a good man.

I agree.

Me on my way slowly to becoming a great woman.

One whose body holds the same origins of contact programming, from the same studio, our dance lineage.

One who will follow you down ladders into the unknown recesses of the great silent holding earth.

Who would stop wandering

And become still

In your mountain.

If only to become real

With you.

Thank you for searching for the light and dark together.

Thank you for seeing (and feeling) me.

~ A

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Mistletoe & Christmas Kisses by Tracy Sumner

Tracy Sumner writes wonderful stories and had collected four of hers that have Christmas elements within them to give you a sense of not only the season but introduce you to wonderful characters and stimulating romances that will no doubt have you looking for MORE of her books to read. I have read only one of the four in this collection and look forward to reading the other three as a Christmas treat for myself. Below find the review written after reading The Ice Duchess in October of 2021:

The Ice Duchess by Tracy Sumner Prequel to the Duchess Society Series Swept into the past, I fell in love with Georgiana and Dexter. These two were definitely soul mates, if such exist! They may have had a rough patch for a while but thankfully things came right for them in the end! What I liked: * Georgiana: duchess, widow, educator of women on the marriage market, guarded, loves her freedom, reputation of being icy, potentially wooable if the right man comes along and woos well. * Dexter: Marquess soon to be duke, geologist, traveler, son, friend, responsible, aware of what he may have lost, determined to win the woman he truly wants for his duchess – the perfect book boyfriend! * The way the past was covered. * The setting * The honesty between the couple – and their communication * How well suited the two were for each other * The romance, gifts, steamy bits, and that I knew they truly cared for one another * That I was drawn in and came to care deeply about both characters * The depth of feeling Georgiana and dexter had for one another * The feeling that the two were well matched and equally yoked * All of it really except… What I didn’t like: * Being reminded that marriage in this era was a business transaction and women were treated as a commodity up for sale. * The reason Georgiana was married the first time. Did I like this book? YES! Would I read more in this series? Definitely!!! Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review. 5 Stars

BLURB

“The Ice Duchess book blew me away! Think Tessa Dare! One of the most romantic books I’ve read in a long time." ~Rynnie Reads ReviewsKiss a demanding duke, an aloof war hero, a charming scoundrel, and a cynical shipbuilder under the mistletoe this year! Friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, heroes who fall first, and second chance will keep you warm over the holidays with this award-winning series!**Series starter to the popular Duchess Society included in the set!**Chasing the DukeFCRW National Excellence in Fiction Award Winner GDRWA Booksellers’ Best FinalistIn the enchanting holiday anthology, an unwilling Duke, Tristan Tierney, and his defiant lady, Camille Bellington, navigate a journey of rediscovery and second chances. Camille, having retired from the ton with a marriage proposal, grapples with duty over love, but Tristan's return stirs unresolved emotions, leading to a perilous dance where childhood friendship evolves into a dangerous desire.Tides of DesireNJRW Golden Leaf Finalist Amidst the backdrop of small-town love in the Garrett Brothers trilogy, spirited physician Macy Dallas and boatbuilder Caleb Garrett embark on a friends-to-lovers romance. Fueled by Macy's fervent commitment to medicine and Caleb's dedication to the sea, their explosive passion challenges fears and fortifications. In a tempestuous dance, they discover a deepening love, realizing that opening their hearts is the key to possessing each other.The Ice DuchessBest Historical of the Year -- One Book More Reviews! Georgiana Whitcomb and her childhood obsession, Dexter Munro, the future Duke of Markham, find themselves entangled in a scorching attraction and a wicked past. A Christmas wager alters their destinies, forcing them to confront their desires. Will their passionate connection be enough to melt the Ice Countess' heart and fulfill a promise made in the throes of scintillating passion?To Desire a Scoundrel"A sexy tale filled with great verbal repartee." ~Romantic Times Katherine Peters and Tanner Barkley navigate a love lost and found. Tanner, a notorious scoundrel turned newspaperman, is determined to win back Katherine's heart despite her vow to forget him. Caught between the devil and desire, their undeniable love unfolds against the backdrop of an important career story, creating a tale of irresistible charm and undeniable passion. Don’t miss this steamy historical romance set from USA Today bestselling author Tracy Sumner!

434 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 23, 2023

[kkeidawrites]

AHHH idk rlly know if you still do requests but if u still do could u do Adrian tepes x black reader

Where after the battle in season 2 reader initially went with sypha and trevor to help them with whatever they were gonna do but y/n ends missing adrian (and was tired of those to goofing all the time) so in the dead of night y/n takes some supplies and runs back to the castle. And when she sees the castle in sight she throws open the doors and starts looking for alucard

(Fluff)

Ur account is like my safe place I don't find many black readers/ writers so I absolutely love your posts ❤❤

Thank you so much for saying that I do try when I write and I want people to be inspired to write more black reader stories or actually more black leads in stories’ I’m not sure if you wanted the reader to be male/female or gender neutral, so you can decide as you read along! And yes, I am still open to requests!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$&$$$$$$$$$$

It was like a breath of fresh air when Y/n saw the looming infamous castle of Walachia. Y/N had made the decision to leave with Trevor and Sypha, thinking it was the best decision. But was it? As the covered wagon rolled down the dirt path leading away from the castle, Y/N felt her heart break.

Y/N could tell as the three of them departed the widowed dhampir, that he did not want them to leave. As Y/N thought about it, after being away for two weeks, that when Dracula’s reign had ended, Trevor and Sypha felt that they needed to leave right after. Y/N thought their abrupt departure was selfish both on their part and on Y/N’s as well.

Y/N still didn’t know what the original plan was in the first place when getting on that wagon with Sypha and Trevor. Y/N felt it was the right thing to do. Was it the right thing to do? The question constantly whispered in Y/N’s head.

The wagon stopped one evening and Trevor suggested that they rest here and continue on to Argeis come morn. Sypha noticed Y/N’s quiet nature that evening, usually when she and Trevor were arguing or playful banter, Y/N would chime in but it seemed that entire week, her playful quips wasn’t heard as much as Sypha thought.

It concerned the Speaker and she questioned if there was anything wrong. Y/N gave off a wavered yes of being alright and told the Speaker that only the thoughts rattling in the mind was all that was wrong.

Sypha didn’t question Y/N anymore and rolled over in the wagon to get some much needed and deserved sleep. Y/N opted to sleep outside to ponder the thoughts plaguing them. Twisting and turning in the sleeping bag, didn’t help at all and Y/N sat up with a huff.

Y/N felt anxious. This wasn’t the life planned out, not like this, not alone. Well, other than Trevor and Sypha’s presence, Y/N felt alone in the Wallachian world.

Where Y/N forlorn, the color of your skin was dark and your hair was kinky and coiled. The heat of the country seemed like second nature and the many animals that roamed and only seen in that country was its own majesty.

Someone completely different than what you saw in Walachia. Y/N was born to a single mother, their father had been killed by those accursed night monsters and since then Y/N had made it their mission to become a strong dual swordsman, studying under the elders of the people under the sun and learning the medicines that would keep them alive in this world.

Y/N and Alucard’s meet was an interesting one. Their initial meeting was when the trio were on their way to Dracula’s castle and night creatures had made their appearance in Gresit where Y/N was vacating after evacuating Lupu.

Y/N was fighting off the monsters in Gresit and saved a couple of children when the trio arrived and made light work of the rest. Y/N didn’t want anyone to know that they existed and made haste to leave in the shadows to avoid the people most importantly the church.

In the past, Y/N’s mother was subjected by the church in Lupu for her darker skin. Believing that such dark skin was the skin of a demon raised from Hell to walk along humans. Y/N’s mother, a spitfire set the priest straight and told him if Devil wanted to have her raise death and destruction on Earth then he would have asked for it already.

It also didn’t help the fact that the priest’s goons would come after Y/N and Y/N’s mother, harassing them all the time and trying to run them out of town. Y/N’s mother always stood strong and fought those goons off whenever they tried to get physical; sending them back to their puppet master with their strings twisted.

So, it was no surprise when Y/N had met the trio by accidentally running into the dhampir while attempting to escape through an alley. His solid figure made Y/N’s hood fall off their head and the coils of their hair is what brought the attention of the trio.

Alucard made a comment, curious about the coils, it was almost childlike when he asked. Y/N was thrown off guard by the question and made haste to leave the area quietly but the speaker stopped Y/N asking if they were familiar with the area and where they could get a covered wagon.

Y/N didn’t answer her question and moved to leave once more only to be stopped once more, by the dhampir again. His calm demeanor and honeyed words brought Y/N’s attention to the man. At first, Y/N mind was not on talking to anyone but, once their eyes found Alucard’s gold ones Y/N was intrigued.

As a help them help you situation, Y/N was persuaded by Sypha to help them end Dracula’s murderous reign and Y/N agreed. Y/N didn’t care if Alucard was the son of Dracula, it was the fact that Y/N’s mother lived in Argeis and the thought of her killed by the creatures of the night didn’t sit right.

In the little time the four were together, it seemed that Alucard and Y/N were the first to interact with one another more than Sypha and Trevor. They could relate with one another in a way, both their mothers strong, smart and knowing that helping people no matter the ideas they had or if they didn’t want it, was deserved to anyone.

When his father had died, Y/N was there by his side to shield him from the swirling ashes of hell demons as a way to let him know that it was alright to grieve his father.

Y/N had made her decision. Staying with Trevor and Sypha was fun but, this wasn’t the life Y/N sought for.

Going to the wagon, Y/N swiped a small bag of food, just some cheeses and bread and left behind a quick note to Sypha and a little joke to Trevor’s smell then left to return to the castle.

Presently, Y/N walked up the stone steps to the large double doors of the castle and didn’t care to knock. Pushing open the doors, Y/N marveled the recently cleaned up entrance hall, the furnished red rugs were either burnt or ripped and the statues were all destroyed.

“Alucard?” Y/N calls and makes haste to the twin stairwell.

Now that they were here, Y/N needed to find the dhampir and tell him how sorry they were for leaving him behind. For leaving him alone.

“Alucard!” Y/N made their way up the two flights of stairs, searching for the dhampir.

Where could he have gone? Y/N’s mind scrambled for any explanation or idea as to where he could have gone.

“The Hold!” Y/N exclaimed and rushed down the two flights, hoping that he would not leave in time for Y/N to find him.

However, as soon as Y/N reached the entrance hall, the man of the hour was walking up the right side of the two stairwells and paused on the third step up, his eyes wide from realization of Y/N’s sudden appearance. His right hand gripped the small yellow basket and Y/N’s eyes widened then lowered in relief.

“Alucard…there you are.” Y/N sighed, grateful that he was alright and made their way down the same stairwell to see him closer.

“I was worried something happened to you, you know this castle is big as hell-”

“Y/N.” Alucard’s quiet gasp of their name made Y/N grin as they grew closer to him.

“I think being with Sypha and Trevor for too long has made you forget me, Alucard. That’s not nice. I thought we were friends? You don’t forget your friends-”

Arms wrapped around Y/N’s waist and a warm body hugged their front as Alucard sighed into Y/N’s coily hair, inhaling their scent to make himself sure that they were real and here in his arms.

“I could never forget you, Y/N…never ever.” He told Y/N. Y/N arms wrapped around him just as snug and rubbed their cheek into his bird chest, a smile gracing their lips.

“Will you stay?” His question makes Y/N look up at him and their smile grows wider as they nodded.

“Yes. I will stay.”

[akajulester]

further thoughts on Higurashi Gou/Sotsu (spoilers for Higurashi and Umineko ep3)

warning: long rant incoming haha

I think my two biggest problems with these seasons is how they focused way more on the supernatural/magic elements of the When They Cry franchise and less on the original Higurashi’s emphasis on natural explanations, and how the characters were completely devoid of the life they had in the original.

I’ve only just started getting into Umineko and I understand it also leaves a lot of room for a non-magical explanation, but you can’t deny it focuses way more on magic than Higurashi ever did.

The thing I found most interesting when I first watched Higurashi was how the mystery had a very human and realistic explanation. While a mystical divine curse is cool, the whole plot being the result of a human character taking advantage of a fictional parasite and medicine to essentially create the mystical divine curse is far more compelling - the audience is allowed to piece together the mystery along with the characters and isn’t shut down by “a wizard did it.”

And that isn’t to say Higurashi is completely devoid of magic or the divine. Hanyuu is some kind of mystical deity who gave Rika a supernatural power (looping) and is able to manifest in the real world and directly affect the course of events (such as making Takano miss her shot). Higurashi is just a perfect blend of supernatural and more realistic storytelling.

Gou and Sotsu, on the other hand, went much harder on the supernatural/magic aspect seen in Umineko. Not only is it a worse magic vs human mystery than Umineko, it’s just completely different from what Higurashi is at its core. The complex, interweaving mystery that at first seems unsolvable but later makes sense was replaced with a much simpler “whodunnit” where the answers were obvious, especially after Satoko was revealed to be the second looper. The introduction of straight-up magic and powerful witch entities dumbs down the story, in a sense.

To be fair, Gou and Sotsu do have a human explanation as well, specifically in the vein of the human explanations seen in Umineko. Just as Eva-Beatrice in Episode 3 can be interpreted as a personification of Eva going crazy and murdering her family, Rika and Satoko’s big magical-girl fight could be interpreted as a metaphor for their fight. However, this rings a little hollow when the last episode essentially says “nah, they definitely turned into Bernkastel and Lambdadelta.” It feels like there’s almost no room for a true human explanation.

The other thing I found most compelling about Higurashi is the characters, more specifically how they interacted with each other and felt like very real people. I want to read the sound novels at some point mainly because I’ve heard the anime didn’t fully do the characters justice by cutting out small but important moments. Mion and Shion especially were amazing, their dynamic as twins was probably one of the best I’ve ever seen in storytelling. Also, the main message of Higurashi is literally about the power of friendship, and it portrays it in such an amazing way you forget the sentiment is a bit cheesy.

And yet, Gou/Sotsu ignored every single character who wasn’t Rika or Satoko (except maybe Hanyuu and Eua). While I can understand the decision to focus on them since the only point of the show was apparently to set up Bernkastel and Lambdadelta, it actually makes them feel more hollow and lifeless, to me at least.

Keiichi’s lack of presence was especially baffling in this regard. He was arguably the main reason Rika was able to break out of the loops at all, as he helped inspire her with the idea a miracle could happen if their entire group of friends worked together. And with Satoko, he became her big brother figure! The fact that Gou/Sotsu not only push their relationship off to the wayside but also have Satoko get Keiichi murdered in horrifically brutal ways AND purposely inject him with Hinamizawa Syndrome without any shred of remorse or guilt is disgusting. Are you seriously telling me Satoko had a massive internal struggle over taking advantage of Teppei (y’know, the guy who abused her and her brother and severely traumatized them), but felt absolutely nothing over torturing Keiichi, the boy who she knows has fought to save her from said abusive uncle in multiple worlds and would literally kill for her??? Wtf???

The same thing goes for the almost non-existence of Shion in Gou/Sotsu. Shion also has a very strong relationship with Satoko (except for the worlds where she goes crazy and brutally murders her lmao) and has ALSO threatened to kill that abusive uncle for hurting Satoko, something Satoko would know full well after watching all of Rika’s loops. It’s reasonable Satoko would have more ambiguous feelings about Shion (since, again, Shion has killed her in Watanagashi arcs), but I find it bizarre she would be this willing to brutally murder, torture, and directly cause events leading others to murder/torture her surrogate big sister and surrogate big brother.

The whole story in general is baffling when you consider Satoko’s character. Are we seriously supposed to believe her drifting apart from a close friend is somehow more traumatic to her than the isolation and exclusion she experienced from her entire town and the literal abuse she went through from her aunt and uncle? You can’t even really use the “oh the town didn’t actually want to persecute her family tho” argument because that doesn’t negate Satoko’s experience of living through it. It’s especially dumb when you consider Gou/Sotsu somehow make Satoko’s argument “I don’t wanna study waaahhhhh” as if it makes any sense when you know these characters.

Don’t even get me started on how nobody even reacts to Satoko’s bullshit. The original Higurashi had characters sometimes remember past arcs/worlds, and Gou explicitly stated Satoko’s loops meant characters would remember even more. And yet, all that happens is Takano and Teppei reforming. What??? I expected the ending to involve Keiichi, Rena, Mion, and Shion realizing what Satoko had done to them and getting rightfully angry with Rika over what Satoko did to all of them. The show should’ve ended with the group cutting her off for being so fucking awful to them. Jfc...

In the end, I think Gou was fine and Tatariakashi-hen in Sotsu was cool, but this show just felt so empty compared to the original Higurashi and Umineko. Both stories are focused on the CHARACTERS, and while there are main characters in both who get more focus than the rest of the cast, every single character’s interactions with each other are vital to what makes their stories compelling. Dropping all of that to hone in on 2 specific characters actually robs even those characters of their depth and vividness.

[dumdumsun]

Of Starlight

A/N: Onto the final five chapters ❤️ Dw though bc season two is still being written, so we’re not done here

Warnings: mentions of blood and violence

Word Count: 2571

—————————————

Chapter 16: Accomplices

The pain in Five’s side was still stinging, but he tried to ignore it as they entered the pub. He was fortunate to have someone like (Y/N) fretting over his well-being enough to let him lean some of his weight on her as they walked. Her arm was wrapped around his waist, hand resting above his wound, his own arm wrapped around her waist. Klaus, once seeing Luther, turned to his siblings and pointed towards their colossal brother. “Look.” He smiled as if to say ‘told you so’. The four of them approached the table Luther settled for, the man staring up at them under heavy brows. “Trying a little hair of the dog, are we? Hm?” Klaus lightly teased.

“Leave me alone.” He sulked, bringing his cup to his lips. The four leaned closer to provide their own words of encouragement to get him to work with them, but Diego sat beside his brother.

“Give us a minute.” Was all he said. The three others stared at the vigilante for a second before Klaus shrugged.

“Okay. Come on. Maybe they’ll brood each other to death.” He walked away from the table, motioning for the younger two to follow. (Y/N) turned the both of them around and walked with Klaus. They leaned on a table that was almost out of total earshot of the conversation. The three wordlessly watched the two of them talk, catching but a few words now and again. Beside her, (Y/N) felt Five lean up straight, away from her side. He braced both hands on the table behind him, trying to steady himself. She stared at the boy in concern and shifted a little closer. His head turned to her and watched as she motioned for him to lean against her again, if he wanted. Five’s eyes flicked around her face, seriously conflicted about whether or not he wanted to be comforted and assisted by the only person who truly took it upon themselves to do so. But he figured she’d been caring for him for so long, she seemed happy to do just about anything for him. What more was simply letting her help him stand straight? He wouldn’t hesitate to do it for her. So, with a small grunt, he pressed his uninjured side against her, the girl smiling contently and wrapping her arm around him again. Klaus’s movement beside them caught their attention. He tapped his wrist with his finger as if to symbolize a wristwatch. Five only nodded at him either in acknowledgement or confirmation, (Y/N) didn’t know.

She very gently kissed Five’s hair once Klaus looked away again. “How’re you feeling?” She whispered. The boy hummed and shifted his feet. Reaching up, he held onto the hand of the arm wrapped around his shoulders. The gentle squeeze he gave was enough to answer her question. The three at the table perked their heads up at Luther’s exclamation, “You should’ve led with that!” The man pushed himself out of his chair and hurried towards the exit. Five and (Y/N) glanced at each other before following their brother. Literally ripping the door off its hinges, Luther charged out of the pub, his siblings hurrying after.

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

Daylight had burnt out by the time Allison returned to the cabin from the hospital, where she had abandoned the officer she’d been deceiving into helping her find clues about Vanya and Leonard. As she ascended the small staircase to the porch, the sound of violin music reached her ears and a wind that seemed to only be affecting the area surrounding the cabin blew around just about everything. She stalked towards the entrance of the cabin, perplexed by the random occurrence around her. “Vanya? Is that you?” She called out, but only received violin strings in response. Fortunately, the front door was unlocked, granting her easy access. Stepping inside, Vanya was standing in the middle of the lounge room, absorbed in her music as that same wind shook the lights above them, the curtains, and rocked the chairs beside her. “Vanya, there you are. What is going on?” Allison closed the door behind her as her sister ceased the playing and turned to her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to find you. Are you okay?”

Vanya hesitated. “Yeah?”

“There’s something… weird going on. What’s causing it?”

The chirping of the crickets outside saved them from the silence that would’ve followed Allison’s question. Vanya shifted on her feet before tilting her chin up. “Me.”

Allison, suspicious, slowly walked closer. “What do you mean, ‘me’?”

“I mean… I made those things happen. With my powers,” Her words made Allison stop altogether and stare in shock. “Turns out I’ve had them all this time. It’s weird, huh?”

It took her a few seconds, but Allison eventually let out a choked gasp, blinking and shaking her head. “It’s- It’s incredible.”

Sensing that there was more to why she was there, Vanya furrowed her brows. “But?”

“Can- Can we do this in the car?”

“Why?”

“You’re not gonna want to hear it.” Allison sighed. Vanya tilted her head with a false smile.

“Well, that’s never stopped you before.” She sassed. Allison looked away before taking a deep breath.

“Leonard Peabody? His real name is Harold Jenkins,” This information left Vanya speechless, staring at her sister with an unreadable expression as she walked closer to her. “Remember when I couldn’t find anything in the library on Leonard? It’s because Leonard Peabody doesn’t exist. Harold Jenkins does. He was in prison for twelve years. He murdered his father when he was thirteen-”

“This is… insane. His dad was an engineer at the-”

“I have the police report in the car, Vanya. I can show you.”

Vanya hesitated again, blinking slowly. “I don’t… I don’t understand.”

“Leonard, Harold, I- I know it doesn’t make any sense, and I know it sounds crazy, but we were in his house. He has pictures of all of us with our eyes gouged out.”

“W-What? I-”

“I promise I will tell you everything in the car, but it is not safe-” Allison began pulling her sister to the front door but Vanya stopped her.

“No, stop!” She sighed, exasperated, before taking a seat in one of the chairs. Allison knelt in front of her, not sure what to say.

“Look, um… I can’t imagine how hard it is for you to hear this...how you feel right now, but I… I love you, and I- I just… wanna be here for you, as your sister.”

“There’s just no way,” Vanya murmured, slightly shaking her head. “I mean, I love him. This just doesn’t make any sense. And this power… I- I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what to do.” She began breaking down, placing her head in hands. As she sniffled, Allison stared off, in thought. Coming to a realization, she furrowed her brows.

“I understand now.”

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

The metal squealing of the door alerted the four-year-old (Y/N) to peek over at what was happening. Her father demanded that she stand with her back to them until she was told otherwise, but he wasn’t currently watching her. She watched as Grace walked into the dark room with a tray of food for Vanya, who had sat up in bed. (Y/N) was informed by her robotic mother that her sister was sick, so she had to be transported away from her and her siblings to avoid spreading her infection. She missed her dearly and always asked Grace to wish Vanya a speedy recovery for her. “Who’s hungry?” She heard her mother chirp. She couldn’t see much else, for after Allison walked in, their father stood in the doorway, blocking Vanya from her view. “Now. You have to take your medicine, like a good girl. It’ll help calm your nerves.”

(Y/N) turned her full body towards the room, truly curious as to why she was brought down here if she couldn’t even speak to Vanya. “It’s time, Number Three,” She heard Reginald’s voice. “Do it.” From the very slim space between her parents, she could see Allison walk up to Vanya, but not their faces or actions. After a few seconds of silence, Allison sighed and began to speak,

“I heard a rumor… you think you’re just ordinary.”

There were no other words spoken between her sisters. Allison was ordered to leave the room afterwards. When she joined her sister’s side, (Y/N) quickly grabbed hold of her hand. “What happened, sis?”

“I don’t know… I just… I had to use my power. But I don’t know why.”

“Oh…”

“Number Eight,” Their father’s voice made both girls jump and tilt their heads up. He stood before them, taking off his monocle. He then crouched before them and stared (Y/N) in her eyes. “Number Eight, summon a clone. Tell it to make sure Number Seven does not leave her room. No matter what. Understand?”

“I understand,” She whispered before turning away and singing her tune. From her shadow, a clone of herself appeared and stood motionless, awaiting an order. “Make sure… Make sure Seven doesn’t leave her room. No matter what.” She quietly ordered, the clone only walking past them and standing in front of the door. Reginald watched its every move, pleased when it didn’t do anything to defy its orders. He nodded and stood to his full height.

“Come along, Number Three, Number Eight.” He walked down the long hallway to exit. (Y/N) stared at her clone, not leaving her spot until Grace placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her down the hall.

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

“He made us accomplices.”

Tears in her eyes, Vanya could only stare at her sister in betrayal. Allison tried to meet her eyes, but darted her gaze back down to the floor in shame. “You did this to me…?”

“I… I didn’t realize.”

“You knew this whole time? That I had powers?!” Vanya jumped up from her chair and walked away, but Allison stood as well.

“No, no! I didn’t really understand until I came today, until I saw it.”

Vanya turned to her, her voice shaking as she spoke, “Well, now it all makes sense. This is why you guys never wanted me around.”

“What?! No!”

“You couldn’t risk me threatening your place in the house, your- your dominance. You and (Y/N) constantly whispering to each other, mocking me!”

“That is not true. Don’t blame (Y/N) like this, she didn’t-”

“You two couldn’t handle the fact that Dad might find me special!”

“You are special, Vanya! With or without powers!” Allison raised her voice. Vanya’s face began to flush red with anger.

“Don’t- Don’t say that! You destroyed my life!”

“Oh, please, Vanya. Everything is out in the open. We can move on!”

Vanya’s expression set into determination, as if she had decided on something. “Oh, I’m moving on. But not with you, with Leonard.”

“With Harold, you mean.”

“With Leonard! The only person who has ever loved me for me.”

Rumbling sounded quietly, but neither sister paid much attention. At Vanya’s words, Allison simply scoffed. Vanya lifted her chin. “Look me in the eye and tell me you’re not threatened now.” The wooden wind chimes clanked against each other as the curtains in front of the open windows swayed with the wind powered by Vanya. Allison glanced to the side, clearly nervous.

“I don’t wanna argue with you-”

“Then go!” Vanya boomed. Allison winced and slightly reared back as a crash could be heard from the distance. The wind picked up and their hair now flowed along with it.

“I’m only trying to help you-”

“I don’t want your help!” Vanya screamed.

“Vanya, I love you!” Allison cried.

“Stop saying that!!!”

Allison looked up as the lights flickered, the ceiling lamp swinging above their heads. She watched as Vanya’s power swayed the rocking chair, the items on the table, the dreamcatcher, then to her own sister, who looked as if she was going to explode from her heated anger. Glass smashed from somewhere in the house, but she was only worried about her sister. “Are you okay?”

“I! Said! Go!” Her scream sent the lights above them shattering. Allison gasped and tried to block the glass from falling onto her. She realized then that there was no stopping her sister in any reasonable manner. She choked on a sob as she set her eyes on Vanya.

“Please, don’t make me do this,” She cried, but Vanya only stood before her, silent, fuming. Allison gasped and opened her mouth. “I heard a rumor…” But she didn’t get to finish, for Vanya’s violin bow came into contact with her throat, slashing across it. All movement within the cabin halted as Allison gasped, then choked, blood squirting and streaming down to her chest. Realizing what she’d done, Vanya’s expression dropped, as well as her bow, as she rushed to her sister.

“Allison!” She grabbed ahold of her as Allison pressed her hand to her bleeding throat. They stared each other in the eyes as Allison began to fall to her knees. “No! No! Allison!” Once she fell to the floor, Vanya hovered over her, not knowing what to do. She screamed as her sister opened her mouth wide to talk, to squeak, to gasp, to do anything, but only her chokes were what left her lips.

“Vanya!” Leonard burst through the door. His face dropped at the sight before him.

“I didn’t mean to!” Vanya cried. But Leonard, once he came to terms with their current situation, smiled.

Almost excited.

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

The ride to Leonard’s grandmother’s cabin was silent. Five drove the car, eyes fixed on the road and beside him, Klaus sat in the passenger seat, his knees up to his chest. In the back, (Y/N) sat in between Luther and Diego, the latter staring out the window, the former tapping his foot to the floor of the car in impatience. Suddenly leaning forward, Luther was right behind Five. “Hey. Can you go any faster?”

“Ask me again, and I’ll burn you with a cigarette lighter.” Was all he said, but when Luther sat back again, the boy pressed on the gas harder.

Arriving at the cabin, Luther and (Y/N) were the first out of the car, bolting up the stairs with Klaus right on their heels. Luther burst inside, but he and (Y/N) froze at the sight before them.

“Allison!”

“No!”

Luther got to her before she could, kneeling down and gently lifting her head. Allison’s dark brown eyes were wide, blood still spilling from her open throat. Beside him, (Y/N) was sobbing into her hands, which were covering her mouth. Klaus was on his other side, his hands on Luther’s shoulder, watching as he cried for Allison, begging her to wake up, to look at him. (Y/N) reached one of her trembling hands forward and grasped Allison’s limp one in hers. Behind her, she heard Five’s feet scruff against the carpet.

She stood, stumbling back into the boy, but he caught hold of her before either could fall. He turned her in his hold and held her head against his shoulder, watching as Klaus lifted his head and glanced over at them with teary eyes. Five could’ve winced at the death grip (Y/N) had on his arms, but he didn’t.

—————————————

Taglist: @nate-isnt-great @43sparrows @sapphicsyn @m00n-sh @starcurrent @alexander-hamilhoe @youcandalekmyballs @wonderlandfandomkingdom @yrdadjstcallsmekatya @narikyuwu @sm0kingcrack @a-t-h-r-e-e-n-a @moatsnow @bubblegumflamingos @call-me-starstorm @rev-enviadhell @meowiemari @magicalgothpandamaker @simping-4-fictional-men @hehehehannahthings @harrystylescherrie @rhain3

[salandition]

r-raihan carrying a short!reader bridal style pls 😳😳😳

A/N: (sniffs) I smell raihan simps. I smell people who have a height difference kink. WELCOME you’re home now because ME TOO !!

———

Today has been... busy, to put it mildly.

Your job was a unique one. It wasn’t the flashiest job, and most people didn’t even know you existed, but it was a crucial one that you took seriously. More or less, you were the official nurse of Hammerlocke city- the Gym specifically. Not only did you look over all of the Pokémon that were being trained, but you looked over the trainers as well and patched up any injuries they may have sustained on the sidelines while trying to assist their Pokémon.

People getting hurt in the midst of Pokémon battles happens as much as you’d think it would.

Because of your job, you were rather familiar with all of the gym trainers and the leader, Raihan. They were a funny bunch to be honest, and there was never a dull moment.

The fact that there was never a dull moment is exactly why you’re so exhausted at the end of your day. Every day. These trainers run themselves into the ground- and you in the process.

Not to say you don’t love it! Because you do. Today just seemed to be extra draining for everyone. You were on your feet, consistently handing out medicine for Pokémon and bandaids and gauze for trainers, and then rushing back and forth to keep everybody hydrated at the same time. It was busier because of the fact the Gym Challenge was back in full swing this season, and Raihan seemed determined to give the trainers a run for their money this year.

It was always nice to see Raihan so passionate, though.

By the time he’s decided training is over, it’s past your regular hours. Way, way past, because when you sneak a look at your phone, your eyeballs nearly fall out when you see that it’s past 1am.

And your shift isn’t even over yet! You’ve got to help pack up everything and clean the nurse’s area once everyone leaves. But- you won’t complain. Everyone’s just as tired as you are, you can tell by the loud groans everyone gives when Raihan finally gives the signal that they can go home. You don’t complain- instead you bite the inside of your cheek real hard and get to work.

Tired as you are, you don’t even notice that you’re wobbling in your steps as you walk across the gym and start to put things away. Honestly, you don’t even notice that Raihan stayed- his eyes intently watching you as you worked.

You stumble on your own two feet multiple times, stop to take a breath even more times than that, and quite often you find your eyes shifting out of focus. But you’re fine.

Well, until you find yourself being lifted high into the air, that is.

“Wh-“ you immediately gasp as you’re suddenly in Raihan’s arms- your bosses arms- one of them tucked under your knees and the other wrapped around your back.

“You’re tumbling all over the place,” The Gym Leader looks at you, an amused look in his eye as he smiles down at you. You shrink in his arms as he stares- and then you look down.

Arceus, this man is tall. You’re so high up? How is that possible?

“Uhm-“

He doesn’t even let you ask.

“It’s cute to watch you work so hard, but I’d feel cruel to sit and stare until you fall flat on your face,” Raihan says and begins to walk with you in his arms, abandoning the various items scattered on the turf floor as he heads for the locker rooms. “I’ll help you out a bit.”

You realize rather quickly that simply being in Raihan’s arms is already quite a shock- when he actually starts walking around, carrying you, you feel your face light up as your hands quickly wrap around him to stay stable. And then you feel even more hot because now you’re holding your boss- and this is weird, right? Right?

You start to laugh nervously, looking at anywhere but his bright blue eyes. “Um, well, thank you Raihan but that’s- you really don’t need to carry me! I can definitely walk!”

“But what if I want to carry you?” He hums, and you’re shocked enough that you look up into his eyes, which was a mistake.

They’re absolutely sparkling with charm and mischief. You quickly look away.

“That’s. That’s fine, then. I suppose.” You mutter. He laughs at your response but doesn’t say anything else as he carries you with ease into the locker rooms.

You really don’t want to think about just how easily he’s carrying you because even though he’s skinny looking, Raihan is fit and strong and you can really feel it when you’re against him like this- and this is bad bad bad for your small heart.

“Your locker is this one, yeah?” He walks up to one, and when you nod, he doesn’t even ask before he opens it. He shimmies your weight to one arm, the other one letting go as he cradles you against his side and starts to take out your bag and jacket. You can barely blink in surprise before he has your things around his shoulder and he’s back to carrying you with both arms.

How haven’t you exploded yet?

“Are you going to carry me all the way home?” You sputter nervously as he walks again, toward the lobby. You hope to Arceus that everyone there has left so no one sees you like this.

Raihan laughs again. “Nah, mate, but I’ll wait with you until the taxicab gets here.”

You loosen up a bit in his hold, relaxing knowing he won’t be bombarding into your home like he owns the place. “Oh,” you sigh, “thank you...”

“‘Ts no problem,” thankfully no one is in the Lobby, just as you hoped. When he steps outside, you can feel the cool night air on your cheeks, and usually you’d shiver at the chill, but being so close to Raihan you can barely feel the cold. So you suppose that’s nice. “You’re real small and light, anyway.”

Eugh. You hope the night air helps hide your flustered cheeks.

“...Thanks.”

“Getting comfortable?” Raihan looks down at you again as he stands still in the night air. His tone is teasing, but you explode anyway.

“I- I don’t know! Do you want me to?”

His laughter once again rumbles out into the night air as he throws his head back a bit.

“You’re too easy!” He smiles, big and broad. “I can always let you down.”

“Why’d you pick me up in the first place?”

“Told you. You were wobbling around like a newborn Deerling. Partly my fault with how hard I went on everyone today, so.” You feel him shrug his shoulders. “Wanted to help.”

...That’s kind of him. You spare a quick look up at him again, and when you realize he isn’t looking at you, you keep your gaze there. Raihan has always been kind, so you shouldn’t be surprised, but this is the first time you’re on the blunt receiving end of his kindness. Does he carry around everyone like this? Or is it just because you’re small?

Who knows. Raihan is kind of a wild card with his reasoning.

Blue eyes flick down and meet yours with a smug grin, and you quickly look away again. Just because he’s kind doesn’t mean he’s not smug, too!

You hope the taxi gets here soon.

[longitudinalwaveme]

Longitudinalwaveme Reviews Some More Old Comics (and One New One), Part 2

Batman #321, “Dreadful Birthday, Dear Joker...!” 

The story opens with Commissioner Gordon receiving an invitation to the Joker’s birthday party. “Black tie optional, funny hats mandatory”. A few seconds later, everyone in police headquarters doubles over laughing, the victims of Joker’s, well, Joker gas. 

Batman is on the scene only a few seconds later, and starts punching out Joker’s goons. Unfortunately, by the time he’s finished doing this, both Joker and Commissioner Gordon have disappeared. 

Eminently Quotable Joker: “Ah---the Batman! What an expected surprise! And what a waste of a perfectly good window! Couldn’t you have used the door?” 

As Joker leaves in his Jokermobile, the police officers tell Batman that the Joker also captured Robin earlier that day (by pretending to be a woman with car problems!) 

Meanwhile, Selina Kyle, Lucius Fox, and Alfred are talking when the Joker bursts in and kidnaps them as well. Notably, Selina mentions that she’s been having terrible headaches. 

Selina Kyle wakes up in a room with Batman; the other kidnapees wake up in the Joker’s “Ha-Hacienda” on his “victim-go-round”. 

Eminently Quotable Joker: “Tomorrow is my birthday, and by way of celebration, I intend to eliminate all you who’ve crossed me, while all of Gotham watches! It’s not exactly the catcher’s mitt I really wanted...but it’s a pretty fair second place! HAHAHAHAHAHA!” 

Hawkman stars in a Hostess cupcake ad! 

The Joker murders one of his own henchman with his “BANG!” flag gun for not laughing at his joke. 

Eminently Quotable Joker (in response to Robin saying “You’re out of your mind!”): “Gloriously so! Isn’t it wonderful?” 

In order to get his audience, the Joker put an ad in the newspaper that states that the “Harlequin Baking Company” will be inviting all of Gotham to  sample its wares at the Seaside Coliseum. AND IT WORKS, because everyone in Gotham has the IQ of turnips. A bazillion people come to the Coliseum to get free food. 

Joker dramatically reveals himself to everyone and explains that he’s going to blow up all the people he hates with a giant cake bomb. Then Batman arrives and offers himself in exchange for the other hostages. This goes exactly how you’d expect it to go, but Batman manages Batman his way out of the trap, saving both himself and all of his friends. 

Joker runs away and jumps into a boat. Batman follows him, they fight for a bit, and then the Joker apparently blows himself up. But he’s not dead, because nothing can kill the Joker. Batman even says so. 

This would’ve made a great episode of B:TAS. 

Batman #322, “Chaos--Coming and Going!” 

And now for something completely different! 

Catwoman looks at a bunch of old newspaper clippings of herself, as the comic hints fairly subtly that she might be unwell (just as her headaches last issue did). 

Meanwhile, a van is delivering issues of the tabloid The Gotham Guardian...when a thrown bundle of newspapers is intercepted by a boomerang! Captain Boomerang is in Gotham City! 

The two men in the van react by promptly trying to run Digger over....only for him to slice their van in half with a boomerang!

Digger yells at them to tell their boss that this was only a warning: the mysterious boss owes him a million dollars, and he wants it in 24 hours or else. 

Then Batman shows up out of nowhere and he and Boomerang get into a fight. Digger distracts Batman by using his exploding boomerang to damage a nearby building. This causes some rubble to fall on one of the drivers. Batman goes to rescue him, and Digger vanishes. 

Green Arrow stars in a Hostess fruit pie ad! 

Batman talks to Alfred about Captain Boomerang, telling him to ask Lucius Fox to find out who owns the Guardian, since he’s probably Boomerang’s next target. He also refuses to call the Flash in for help. “The night I can’t handle a punk like Boomerang is the night I hang up my cowl!” 

Catwoman goes to a doctor and it’s confirmed that she is, in fact, dying. She has less than a month to live and the only cure is some Egyptian herbs that have been lost to time. 

Meanwhile, Captain Boomerang lets us know that he hates Gotham. “Lor’, but I hate this cronky town! I never would’ve come her from Central City if it wasn’t for my million quid!” 

Apparently, Captain Boomerang set up a retirment fund for himself and is ticked off that has money was subsequently stolen. 

“It’s really rum--downright ironic! The one time I play the game by their rules--and it’s me who gets taken for a sucker! Well, nobody crosses “Digger” Harkness--and gets away with it intact!” That’s our Digger! 

Also, he has a giant boomerang hidden under a tarp. 

Catwoman goes to the museum to see a display about cats...and conveniently, some ancient Egyptian medicinal herbs are there. Catwoman determines to take them so she can save herself. 

Batman asks the most Irish Irishman to ever walk the pages of the comic book about where he might be able to find Captain Boomerang, but he hasn’t heard anything. Then Alfred calls Batman and tells him that Lucius has discovered that the Gotham Guardian is owned by a corporation which serves as a front for a guy named Gregorian Falstaff. 

The man in question is eating dinner at a hotel when he is rudely interrupted by Captain Boomerang, who knocks out Falstaff’s bodyguard and demands his money. Falstaff plays dumb, claiming that the whole thing was an unfortunate accident and offering to write him a check. Boomerang insists that it’s cash or nothing (since he doesn’t trust Falstaff). Then Batman shows up, and Digger throws a smoke bomb boomerang that distracts Batman long enough for him to knock him out with another boomerang. 

“You gave it a fair dinkum try, cobber-but fair ain’t enough when  you’re dealin’ with the likes of me!’” Didgeridoo! Crikey! Steve Irwin! Can you tell I’m Australian yet? 

Selina Kyle tries to call Bruce but can’t get ahold of him, so she decides to take matters into her own hands and pulls out her Catwoman costume. 

When Batman comes to, he’s been tied to the giant boomerang. 

“Nothin’ permanent, mate--you’re simply tied to my giant rocket-powered boomerang! Only Flash’s super-speed saved him from the original--and without super-powers you’ll never escape this improved version!” So...which one of the giant boomerangs you used to launch the Flash into space are we talking about here, Digger? Because there’ve been at least four at this point. 

Boomerang launches the boomerang into the air and it explodes. Digger is naturally convinced that he’s killed Batman, only for Batman to promptly prove him wrong by showing up alive and well. “Nobody could possibly survive a flight on my Doomerang!” Oh, Digger...

Batman explains that he survived by “maneuvering my bonds toward the Doomerang’s rocket-jets--and the ignition-flames freed me! Then I simply slipped away under the cover of all that smoke before the Doomerang took off!” I love that Batman also calls the thing a Doomerang (with a totally straight face, mind you.) 

Then Digger throws a boomerang at Batman at the same time Batman throws a Batarang at him. But because Batman is Batman, he wins the boomerang duel and knocks Digger out. Way to take away Digger’s only accomplishment there, Batman. It’s like if Superman won any of his races against the Flash. 

Batman decides to investigate Falstaff. 

Meanwhile, at the museum, someone who looks like Catwoman is stealing one of the exhibits....

Flash #286, “The Color Schemes of the Rainbow Raider”

This issue introduces the greatest villain of all time...the dreaded Rainbow Raider! 

After a long day at work, Barry Allen is heading home...only for an alarm to go off at the Centrex Art Museum! Barry has to promptly go into action as the Flash as Barry thinks about how tired he is. Apparently, his new police chief, Darryl Frye, has made him work overtime three times in one week alone. 

Suddenly, a rainbow appears, bewildering Barry, as it hasn’t rained for the past week. Barry runs inside the museum to find the guards crying inexplicably. Barry deduces that the thief has been altering their emotions and realizes that this is probably not one of his established Rogues. 

Sure enough, he soon comes face-to-face with the Rainbow Raider!

“Welcome, Flash! I didn’t think you and I would be meeting so soon...but sooner or later we were bound to clash! Allow me to introduce myself! I am the Rainbow Raider---the most colorful criminal this city’s ever seen!” Oh, Roy. You’re so amazingly silly, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Roy shoots a beam of blue light at Barry, who somehow deduces that this was what enabled him to mess with the emotions of the guards. Barry dodges the blast of blue light, but it hit and knocked out by a blast of black light. 

The police are suitably baffled by the Rainbow Raider, who, incidentally, signed his crime scene with “The Rainbow Raider was here!” That’s amazing. 

Meanwhile, the Flash runs home, for the Rainbow Raider has...uh....sucked all of the color out of his body! Somehow! Wha? 

Meanwhile, in a mobile trailer, Roy is gloating to himself. “Now I know I’m ready for the big leagues--on a par with seasoned criminals like Captain Cold and Mirror Master!” Uh...sure, Roy. 

Batman and Catman star in a Hostess cupcake ad! 

“Roy G. Bivolo is compelled by higher motivations--like art appreciation!” 

Roy reveals that he suffers from achromotopsia, a rare form of colorblindness that means he sees the world entirely in greyscale. This fact apparently scuppered his burgeoning artistic career, because the art critics of Central City have never heard of black-and-white artwork even though it totally exists. 

Also, Roy’s dad was apparently a, quote, “leading world-renowned optometrist”, and he tried to create goggles that would allow Roy to see color. He passed away shortly after Roy turned 21; having finished the googles just days before. 

When Roy tested them a few weeks later, he found that they hadn’t cured his colorblindness...but that they could shoot out “bands of multi-colored solid light particles that I could literally “ride” through the sky”. Roy then uses his father’s notes to unlock even more abilities with his goggles. Eventually, his mother also passed away, and Roy decided to turn to crime. 

“Since I was robbed of a brilliant art career as a painter--I think it’s only fitting that I rob others....rob them of the pleasure they’ve derived all these years from priceless works of art I myself have never been able to enjoy! If I can’t see them in all their glory---then neither will anyone else!” Roy...that’s insane. 

Barry Allen fails in his attempt to flirt with Fiona Webb, then exposits about pseudoscience. “The color black appears black because it absorbs the light waves of all other colors...without reflecting them! Those black beams the Rainbow Raider enveloped me with must’ve had a similar effect--saturating my body with radiation that prevents me from reflecting any and all light-waves...leaving me totally colorless!” SCIENCE! 

Barry uses makeup and hair day to make himself look normal. As a result, he’s 20 minutes late to work and gets chewed out by his boss. 

Also: “The unnatural inner-vibrations from this color drain are steadily sapping more and more energy from my molecules by the minute!” More SCIENCE! 

Barry is about to get to work when he hears about the opening of the Skytop Art Gallery. Assuming that this would be an ideal target for the Rainbow Raider, he goes into action as the Flash. 

Roy has created a distraction by using his emotional manipulation powers to get all of the art patrons to fight each other while he escapes. Barry runs up a building and onto Rainbow Raider’s rainbow...whereupon Raider shoots a blinding light at him, causin him to slip off the rainbow and almost fall to his doom. Luckily, his ability to vibrate through anything saves his life, as he manages to vibrate through a green car he was about to land on. 

Barry then finds that he’s turned totally green. ‘I must’ve been vibrating on the precise wavelength of the color green when I passed through this heap--somehow allowing me to regain my capacity to absorb green light-waves!” SCIENCE! He then starts running through vehicles of other colors to regain his capacity to absorb those light-waves, too. Since Raider is colorblind, he can’t figure out what the Flash is up to. 

When Raider takes one last blast at the Flash, the effects restore him to normal, and Flash is able to make quick work of the Rainbow Raider. 

I love the Rainbow Raider so much.

[mrswalkers-blog]

Falling in love with you

Chapter 14 - The Storm

Book: The Royal Romance AU ( Drake x MC & Liam x Olivia)

What it’s about: This is an AU that happens two years after Riley weds  Drake. Drake has lost his memory of last 2 years due to an accident. He  doesn’t remember meeting Riley who is pregnant with their first child.  Unaware of this fact and not able to cope with the strange new life he  has woken up to , he flees Cordonia.

Liam marries Olivia for  purely political purposes. Olivia on the other hand marries him because  she is madly in love with him. But after two years on marriage and  unable to produce an heir and unable to get Liam to love her, she asks  for a divorce.

A/N: I recent watched two amazing web-series that left me hanging for next season. “People got to start finishing their story” I thought. And I should be the one to start. I have left you waiting and I am sorry for that. Here is the latest Chapter. Story is no where near end.

Summary of last Chapter : One and a Half Years Back : Regina explains Liam that not producing an heir in due time can cause chaos in Monarchy. She also hints that Olivia must consult a doctor. Olivia overhears this conversation and decides to consult a doctor. The doctor informs her that her ovary was damaged - during the fight with Anton. She was also suffering from a condition that was making it nearly impossible for her to conceive.

Now: Liam meets Drake at a ranch in USA. They talk and Liam clears that whatever happened was in past. and Riley was just a friend to him now. Liam also confirms that Riley was pregnant with Drake’s child. Drake decides to return with Liam.

Warnings: 13 + PLEASE NOTE: Past chapters links are available in my bio.Please Re-blog, Comment or at least hit like if you like this series.

One Year Back: Olivia stood in the balcony facing the private royal garden lush with thousands of flowers in all possible colors. Chirping of birds had filled the morning sky. A soft breeze were playing gently with her red locks. 

It was a beautiful and peaceful morning, but her thoughts could not have been further away from it. Her thoughts were like a tornado causing complete havoc inside her. Standing in silence, with a stoic face, alone in the beautiful balcony of the grand palace, was the queen of Cordonia. The women envied by every other woman in Cordonia herself was feeling frustrated, tormented, empty, unworthy. Her entire life was flashing in front of her eyes - her parents who neglected her when she was a child, who were killed, who turned out to be traitors. She was left alone, rejected and frowned upon by everyone except Liam. She was just a child when she was made duchess of Lythikos. But she was a fighter. She had proven herself to be worthy of the title. It was not her fault that her parents were traitor. But everyone treated her differently. A child inherits not only the legacy of their parents but also their reputation - good or bad. She had learned at a very young age that one can gain respect in only two ways - love or fear. If they cannot love her, they need to fear her.

And she didn't care if no one loved her. She only needed love from one man, her husband - the King - Liam Rhys. He cared for her, he trusted her, liked her. But didn't love her.

A sad smile spread on her lips as she thought about the love of her life. It had been a year of their married life. And it seemed that the initial charm of their marriage was already dying down. The sex was becoming less frequent, and Liam seemed constantly busy in his work. She knew Liam had made it very clear that their marriage was a political one. Their first anniversary was a political affair too. They had a grand ball organized on their first marriage anniversary. Royal families of all neighboring countries had attended. The legendary party had been in news for days. But for Liam it was only a reason to meet the dignitaries of neighboring countries. A chance to make allies and strengthen the existing ties. 

Her hands tightened on the railing. Was it too much to expect a small gift from him on the anniversary? Or just a loving kiss or a hug? maybe a few words saying what she meant to him?

She had hoped he would eventually fall in love with her. She was doing everything she could - taking care of his every need like a good lover, guiding and helping him in all state matters like a good queen, pleasing him in bed.... she was draining herself out - but all her efforts were going to a barren land. Not yielding any fruit. same way as her barren womb.

Would producing an heir change his feelings towards her? Or she would again be left aching for him? And would she even be able to produce an heir? Questions violently gyrated inside her like a tornado. It had been six months since the doctors appointment and even after taking the medicines regularly, there was no result. Maybe she was barren, empty, unworthy. She looked down the balcony. Will this agony end if she just take a leap? Her eyes were fixed at the land 20 feet below her.

“Liv” - Liam called out to her. Olivia felt as if she woke up from a trance. She turned and saw Liam standing at the door. She ran to him and wrapped him in a tight hug, burring her head in his neck.

Liam gently wrapped her in a hug,”Are you okay?” he asked. She just nodded without lifting her head. “You seemed lost there” he asked again.

She didn’t reply. But gently pulled away. She started to walk away from him, but Liam grabbed her by her wrist. “Something is bothering you, Liv” he asked, “dont want to share it with me?”  

“There is nothing, really.” Olivia said looking in his eyes. Her gaze as fierce as ever. But Liam could see the pain covered behind the strong exterior. He however decided it is best to let go of topic. 

“Liv, I was thinking that we should visit Lythikos for this weekend.” He was glad that he came up with the idea, because he saw a spark in her eyes as soon as she heard Lythikos. Her entire body relaxed and a smile spread on her face.

“Lythikos?” she asked.

“Yes, you haven't been to Lythikos since our wedding, and we can spend some time together. “ he suggested.

The two thing she loved - Lythikos and Liam - together for a weekend, what more could she ask for. “That’s brilliant idea” the scarlet duchess beamed - for a fraction of a second Liam saw the innocence of the young Olivia on the duchesses’ face.

“ I am going to make the arrangements” she kissed Liam on his cheek and rushed out, Liam chuckled looking at her. He was really glad he could make her forget about whatever was bothering her, even if for just some time.

---

Now

“They will be here any minute” Hana told Riley.

“He should have been here an hour ago.” Riley said firmly. “Press is waiting. We need to make a statement.” she walked out of the parlor of the hotel where the press conference was organized. Hana had already received a call from Liam informing that they have landed in Valtoria about two hours ago. He should have reached the press conference an hour ago, but there was no sign of him. Riley had continued with her schedule as if not caring about his arrival. But Hana knew that every news of Drake had effected her deeply. The last month had not been easy for Riley and Hana was not sure if Drake’s presence would mean for Riley.    

Hana looked at her pleadingly. “Please wait for five minutes?”

“Even if he reaches here in five minutes, do you think he will be able to solve all problems?” Riley asked, “He is not Drake anymore, accept that.” She said and strode towards the press conference room.

She opened the room and took her place on the dais on the stage. She felt her heart beating fast in her chest. You can do it - She reassured herself. It was not new for her to face press for some controversy. But this was the first time Drake was not by her side. A simple lip curl on Drake’s face when she would look at him for support used to increase her confidence ten fold.  

As she had sensed, the press had noted Duke’s absence. A murmur was going around the room that was hard to miss. Cameras started flashing. Riley raised a hand to silence the reporters. “Thank you for coming” She smiled at them confidently.

“I am here to let the land owners know that we have heard their concerns ” She knew she needs to be on point, and not let media control the narrative.” I want them to know that we are with them. We value them. We will not do any injustice with them. We have made sure that all land owners  gets same area of land that they are donating or ...”

“Would you say they are donating? land owners feel like you are snatching the lands from them” a reporter interrupted her.

Riley stammered for a moment, but took a deep breath and continued,”The Dam is being built for the betterment of entire duchy. In fact, it will also benefit neighboring duchy. We need some land to create reservoir. We have planned the location so that it benefits the most...”

“But it was Sir Drake’s plan. Where is he? Shouldn’t he be answering us?” Another reporter interrupted her. This was the first time reporters were interrupting her. She hadn't expected such hostile behavior.

Riley felt her throat choke up. She took a sip from the water from the glass placed in front of her, and said,” He is away for an important work...”

“Is it true that he is away since a month?”  another reporter asked. “Are you pregnant?” a voice asked from another corner. “Are you two separated?” another question was fired at her from somewhere else.

Soon all the reporters started firing questions from all directions to her. She found her voice choked up in her throat. She raised her hand to ask them to stop , but the situation was already out of hand.  Hana ran to front and took a mic to ask the reporters to calm down. Their questions had now been replaced by a strange murmur discussing the rumors they had heard.A wave of panic rushed over Riley. The media hadn't been her friend last month and she had realized it long before today. But today the reality was staring her in her face. And she was proving to be weak.  Suddenly the room fell silent. Riley looked up to see all eyes fixed to the door behind her.

She turned to see Drake entering the room. He had dressed up in a suit. His long hair gelled and combed neatly. He walked confidently to the stage  Her heart started beating hard in her chest. She felt an urge to run to him and wrap him in a hug, to kiss him, feel his warmth. But she sat froze looking at him, gripping the chair to prevent herself from acting on the urge. Their eyes met for a brief moment. As soon as their eyes meet, Drake looked down, hesitant to meet her gaze. Within a fraction of second, he caught himself and fixed his eyes on the swarm of reporters and photographers who all had stood up by now.

Cameras were flashing all around. Capturing each movement of Drake. He was prepared for this. He strode to the desk with confidence. He adjusted his suit before taking a seat next to Riley. He gestured to the reporters to settle down.

“I understand that there are many questions that you need answers for.” He began calmly. He was trying his best to stay stoic and confident, but Riley saw his feet shaking below the table. She knew how hard this could be for him. Instinctively she placed a hand on his knee. Drake turned to look at her. This small gesture was enough for him to boost his confidence. He smiled thankfully at her. She gave a reassuring smile in return before gently moving her hand back.

“However, today we dont want to answer any questions. There are few things that needs to be said.” Drake returned his focus back to the crowd in front of them. He made sure his voice is firm and calm. Liam had made him practice this a hundred times in the flight back. “First, Riley will complete what she has to say” He looked at his beautiful wife sitting next to him. Riley nodded to him and started addressing the crowd before her. She explained the reporters how they are going to address the issues before them. No one interrupted her now. They seemed least interested in the land owners protest. They were here to know about Drake. And now when he was here, they didn't had many questions left.

Riley completed her speech with confidence. Drake looked at her through the entire speech mesmerized by her. They way she spoke with confidence and compassion, addressing all concerns of land owners one by one, made Drake look at her with new found respect. 

“I assure you that we are going to discuss the concerns with each individual landowner to make sure that none of them face any kind of injustice. “ She  said concluding her speech.”We have always stood by our people and will continue to do so. Thank you. I believe that you will continue to put your trust in us.” Riley had decided that as soon as she delivered the speech, she would leave. As she didn't want to answer any further questions. Her eyes met with Drake’s before she stood up to leave. But Drake immediately stood up to stop her, wrapping an arm around her waist.”Just a min,” he smiled looking at the reporters. “We have an important announcement to make”. 

This sudden gesture of Drake again caused a turmoil inside of Riley.

“We are so happy to announce this....” Drake smiled proudly,” we are expecting a baby.” He gently placed his hand on her belly. Riley felt her body tearing apart. Half of her body wanted to run away from him, but half of her wanted him to envelop in his arms. She realized her shocked face is being photographed from all angles. She forced a smile and posed for the cameras. She knew this was going on the covers of all news papers and magazines tomorrow and in an hour on all social media. By now, she had mastered the art of disguising all her emotions in front of media. 

“Thank you everyone” Drake waved to everyone. And gently escorted Riley away. Riley walked beside him wordlessly to the car. As soon as they sat in car, Riley shifted to side , keeping a distance between her and Drake. Drake too couldn't muster the courage to talk to her in front of the driver or the security.

---

After a very silent drive, Drake and Riley reached their estate with Hana. As soon as the car stopped, Riley stepped out of the car and stormed inside. Drake and Hana ran after her.

“Riley, please wait” Hana called out to Riley. But she didn't stop.

“Riley, please listen to me.” Drake called out to her. Riley stopped and turned to look at him. Tears running down her face.

“Don’t you think it is a little too late to talk?” she said clenching her teeth.

“Riley , please calm down” Hana ran to her to place a hand on her shoulder.

“I understand your anger. I am sorry Riley. I really..” Drake took a tentative step towards her.

“Oh! so now you are sorry?” Riley’s could not control her anger any longer,”And what? You expect me to forgive you?.”  She took two steps towards Drake as if challenging him.

“Drake, please. Lets talk later.” Hana pleaded. Drake read the fear in Hana’s eyes.

“Yes, I guess we should talk later.” he said.

“No,” Riley said, her body shaking in anger,”You said you wanted to talk. so talk. I am listening.” Tears kept streaming down her red eyes, but she didn’t bother wiping them away. “Tell me why did you left? Without a word.”

“Riley, I am really sorry, please calm down.” he tentatively took steps towards her. Riley raised her hand to stop him. “Don’t come near me.”  Riley took a step away from him stumbling a little. “How dare you come back as if nothing happened? Announce my pregnancy? Without even consenting with me...”

Riley paused, as if to compose herself.

“Riley....” Drake started to say something, but realized that Riley was loosing her balance. “Riley!” he shouted before rushing to catch her just in time before she fell. 

A panic washed over as he saw her lying unconscious in his arms. “Riley!”,

Hana rushed to kneel down beside Drake. “Hana, bring some water.” Hana nodded and rushed to get some water.

“Riley”, Drake patted her cheek repeatedly to wake her up. “Please wake up!” he pleaded.

---

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Pixelberry.

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[writing-for-me-at-this-point]

Pragma | Alucard

Request: Hi, I love your blog. Would you mind writing about what it would be like to for Alucard to fall in love with the reader post season 3? Thank you! Keep up the good work!

Word Count: 1826 words

Page Count: 5.2 pages

A/n: hope you enjoy this!

Tags: @catherinedm​

        All Alucard could do was deny that you held no ill will towards him. He had found you when you were running from a cultist like group, ready to burn you alive just for learning older sciences, he could only laugh at the bitter irony. Your legs were whipped and tired, your chest was bruised and the rest of your body was worse than you could have imagined, and so he took you in when he knew you were not a threat. Or would be conscious for a good while.

        "I seem to only get more and more desperate for heartache, don't I?" He whispered to himself as he looked to you, your body was freshly cared and cleaned for, and yet he found on the other end of the room near the opened door. His fear that gripped his heart made him feel like a child, wanting to be held and cared for by those around him, yet cannot seem to overcome going up to an adult for help.

        When you woke up days later, cleaned and cared for, your body aching like never before- and the man in the room staring at you like you had just killed his mother in front of him, full of shock and fear. Speaking with him in this stage of your relationship was scarce, only what needed to be said was put into the air, either met with silence or acknowledged with muted nods and small hums.

*****

        Alucard was never known for his temper. He was a sweet and gentle boy according to his parents, something he wished to be after seeing his mother be... her, he was never to freak or lash out on those around him. When he realized this, it had been to late, his hands were running through his hair as tears slipped effortlessly from his eyes- curled in his bed with his knees to his scarred chest. He had been helping you walk more, working on your legs and helping them gain muscle, when you had fallen near him while he fell as well.

        You both had slipped due to the old rugs folds getting caught in his foot, making him slam onto his back while you managed to land on your knees, and when you turned to see if Alucard was alright he looked at you in pure fear. He shook as he saw you on your knees, on his right side, like her. Just like she was when they both locked him onto his bed, tied with the burn of silver, looking at him with such hate and disgust.

        Your eyes held worry though. Worry for his well being. Care. Your heart was opening up. But in that moment, he saw back to that night, her. His face contorted into anger, yelling at you while his lungs burned for air, profanities settled into your mind as he was cursing your existence. 

        "I trusted you! Gave you everything! And here you are again, having me on my back, a knife to my fucking heart!" He was leaning upright at this point, while you crawled backwards away from him, the fear evident in your eyes but he didn't see. It wasn't you at that moment. It was the flickering image of Sumi and Taka.

        Once he had caught his breath, he closed his eyes, hands coming to his hair as he shook violently. You realized what was happening, your father was a soldier and suffered from delusions like this, and your mother would come running to anchor him back into the present once his past came to torment him again. 

        "Breathe. Alucard, breathe. Evenly. Exhale longer than when you inhale, please." You coached him gently, your hands in front of you in case he were to look up, you weren't a threat to him- he knew that. You told him when to inhale and hold, before letting out the breath that wavered less and less. You needed to anchor him back to the present, he wasn't seeing you yet, but you would make him to help with his sanity.

        His breathing evened but tears still came, flowing against the flushed pale skin, and you made your way closer to him. You held out two fingers, mimicking your parents, and waited for him. He saw, and pulled out two gloved fingers to wrap around yours, his shaking would start to still after a few moments.

*****

        You hadn't seen Alucard in two days, his mind was taking its toll on him, and you managed to figure out the basics of his situation. His mind was sending him back to the most stressful moments of his life, the wound on his mind hasn't been stitched and is now bleeding into his daily life.

        You wanted to learn how to help people mend their minds, ranging from trauma to genetic ailments, the human mind was so vast and complicated so of course it drew you in. In doing so, you met an old vampire in Athens, she was kind and sweet- teaching philosophy and medicine to those she knew would use them appropriately.

        Alucard was depressing himself further into his mind, and you needed to help him, though helping him would need to be paced. He needs time and luckily you both have plenty of it. You made your way around the castle and found a few empty notebooks (not wrapped in human skin), a few books on meditation and spiritual awareness, and some recipe books next to fictional ones that held important meanings on self worth.

        Should you be looking through his things?

        You didn't care. He needed help.

        You then split the books into two piles, one for Alucard to journal in and write all his thoughts in and the other for you, to write tips and other important information for Alucard to read so he can understand what is going on and how he can help himself cope with his own mind. The books that helped with meditation would help him order his thoughts and understand how to calm himself in case he couldn't find an anchor, (you hoped the spiritual awareness would be a plus? Dracula had lots of books so it wouldn't hurt.), and books of things you thought he'd enjoy in general when he needed an escape.

        Once all was finished, you placed everything into a small net bag, limping your way to the kitchen, you decided the man needed something to eat. After all, food made everyone happy, right? Right. A simple dish of grilled chicken and veggies, with a side of mash potatoes and some water, you slung the bag on your shoulder and made your way to his room.

        You didn't hesitate to knock, but you made sure it was soft and non demanding, before calling his name in the same manner. You heard shuffling, but the door never opened and you never were welcomed in, but you knew you needed to intervene and help boost Alucard onto a support line.

        "I'm coming in, in a few moments, so if you need to ready yourself please do, Alucard." You heard nothing on the other end, and waiting for about two minutes with your head against the door, you pushed it opened slowly to allow yourself into the dhampires room.

*****

        When you had managed to get Alucard fed and on a routine to help himself more and more each day, he had apologized to you for the outburst, and decided that leaving you on your own when you had trouble walking was not the best idea. He was surprised you accepted his apology and brushed his actions off, deciding to help him instead, it was a reaction different than what he had expected.

        Allowing himself to be near you much more often, he opened up a bit after a week of sitting by your side, setting you into the nine circle of his mind. You peeled back the shallower layers at his pace, setting him for a more favorable way of opening his heart and mind up, and seeing how he thought and felt about everything.

        He was intriguing and intelligent, you found yourself tearing through your own heart just to open up and show him the exposed muscle, opening yourself up to him inevitably as he did to you. He felt warmth bloom in his chest that only rose up when he was in your presence, and while you helped him heal the wounds inside him, he continued to help you heal and gain your strength back physically.

        A mutually beneficial relationship is all.

        Yeah, no.

        It was a puppy love shrouded in pain and betrayal that was settled into an old wound, the bleed has now stopped, and the clotting had begun, a deep scab was there before the skin would over take it in a tough light pink blanket. There was healing when there used to be a knife digging itself deeper into the soft flesh.

*****

        "Do you plan on leaving?" His voice was soft and scared, his breath was shaky while pale arms wrapped tightly around your waist, the sheets covering the both of you blanketed the intimate scene of a boy begging for the girl to love him back- to not leave him, though he thought he deserved it, it started to become less of a thought on his mind.

        He accepted himself for what he is and what he has done.

        He knows what he wants and what he needs.

        You were on the top of both lists.

        He was being selfish, but you told him that was good, he was learning how to realize his worth in what he wants. He was still respectful of any decisions you made, but he begged everything in the universe for you to say no, no you wouldn't leave him. You wouldn't abandon him, you'd stay and love him as you do now, and for the rest of your time together.

        "Depends." You chuckled, rubbing his arms that were secured on your waist, your eyes were closed as you felt him curl around you.

        "Depends?" He mumbled into your hair.

        "Do you wish for me to stay?"

        What? Of course, he wanted you to never leave him, and he was sure he never gave the impression of being disinterested. Hell! The position you were in now speaks for itself! He sighed, realizing you were just teasing him, and settling his mind down.

        "Of course. I never want you to leave."

        "Then I never will."

        His heart had burst at the affirmation of love, a tear slipped from his eye as he smiled wide, the supernova in his soul sparked his love for you to become brighter and stronger.

        "Thank you."

[tundrainafrica]

Title: A Tale of Two Slaves (6/17)

Summary:  “Soulmates don’t exist. Fate doesn’t exist. Everything is a choice.” At that moment, Levi could only watch as she made the choice for him.“

Reincarnation AU. Levi remembers everything from their past life. Hange doesn’t.

Note: As always, feedback is very much appreciated.

Other Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 

Link to cross-postings: AO3

Every morning even before he opens his eyes completely, Levi would reach for his phone on the side table.

His first connection to reality was always the time written out on the lock screen of the phone and the blue light on his screen as he checked all his notifications. He never remembered when exactly he had gotten into the habit of doing just that. Regardless, the clean interface and the clusters of notifications on real life topics and class announcements were effective ways to forget whatever dreams he may have had the night before and focus on real life obligations and responsibilities.

That morning was a little different. As he motioned his right hand that familiar distance from bed to side table, he found a barricade in the form of a metal bar and as he maneuvered his hand beyond it, all he felt was air and a wall. Levi opened his eyes to his left to see the sky just outside, a familiar mix of purple and pink.

That was at least enough for him to conclude that it was probably around six in the morning. With no quick fixes of gratification, Levi found himself taking stock of whatever was at hand. He allowed himself a long look at the sky, long enough for the blue to start peeking through and the light be enough for the room to illuminate enough for Levi to be able to make sense of his surroundings without the help of artificial light.

Levi slowly sat up. It was the white covers and the white ceilings that clued him to it first. The IV attached to his arm came second. Then Levi was suddenly aware of the weight on his left knee, the dull pain and the bindings.

He sighed and threw himself back down on the bed, wincing as the immobilized leg protested that rough movement. His mind was racing. Memories were starting flooding back to him much faster than he could connect the dots to what was in front of him at that moment. The white ceiling kept all the stimuli at a more manageable level at least.

If everything had gone according to Levi’s expectations, that Saturday morning, Levi should have been on the train to meet Hange. His anticipation at meeting Hange had him planning every intricate detail. As he looked up at the clear slate above him, he imagined the quick jog to the station that should have been reality if he hadn't been so careless the night before.

Everything after crashing on to the ground was a blur. It was as if the searing pain then the numbness on his left knee had interfered with his ability to process the world around him.

He remembered Hange talking to him, but not what she was saying. Soon after, there was a stretcher then sirens.

His grasp of the world around him only got worse as he arrived in the hospital and they hooked him up to an IV. The rest of it was blank save for a few loud voices, the moving of the gurney from one room to another. his coach's voice, Erwin's voice and Hange's voice.

As Levi contemplated his situation that morning, he couldn't help but ruefully note as well that at his current state, he probably wouldn't be able to even manage the lighter tests Hange had wanted him to do that day.

I’ll only find out more if I get out of here.

Levi pulled the blanket off. How bad was it? Over his knee was a piece of thick cloth or possibly layers of it, held together with velcro on top. As Levi swung his legs to the side of the bed. He could not help but note how unnaturally heavy his casted leg was.

The prospect of placing his bad leg on the floor and the uncertainty of what kind of injury he had Levi scrambling for support and he found himself, hopping awkwardly on his good leg while leaning on the hospital walls as he made his way to the door of the room.

He never really found out how long it took him to make the few meter journey to the door of his hospital room. The frustration at the unfamiliarity of his situation only had him disregarding time. To him, it felt like ages. He had stopped a few times and leaned on the wall, his head spinning from exhaustion, fear or maybe even the medicine they had been pumping him with since last night. On the way to the entrance, he did not notice the door that had silently opened and only realized someone had entered the room when they were right beside him already.

“You shouldn’t be standing...” It was one of the voices from last night. Fortunately, it was the one he felt most comfortable hearing.  

Hange should know everything. “What happened last night?” Levi spared not time asking that question.  

“Let’s get you back in bed first.” Hange seemed like she was in no hurry to tell him. Her movements were slow as she wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided him to a position where he was barely putting any weight on the floor beneath him.

As soon as Hange had made sure he was settled on the bed, her pace suddenly quickened as she turned on the lights of the room, pulled out his phone from the drawer, placed it on his side table, pulled a chair to his bedside and sat on it. “I can’t stay for long actually. I have to go to campus, do some work in the lab. If you need anything important… You’re covered at least by the insurance plans....”

If you need anything important from your dorm, you better tell me now… That was the last sentence Levi had made sense of. Hange turned on the lights and the gravity of Levi’s injuries became clearer. The bruises and the abrasions on his knees and hands were raw and fresh. Some of the worse ones had been bandaged up. He had gotten those same injuries before but having been an athlete for a long time, those were easily brushed away and he had mistaken the aches for stronger and more painful manifestations of exhaustion. He could not tell from then but his back had that same familiar ache, maybe even a little stronger.

“Levi, listen.” Hange put her hand on his, catching his attention. I know you’re probably angry with me… And you probably don’t want to see my face anymore. Just allow me to help you get settled at least and I’ll get off your back and you’ll never have to see me again.”

“Never see you again?” Somehow those words hit harder and rang more painfully in his ears than the rest of his injuries. That was when Levi noticed the small signs: Hange’s back was a little straighter, she kept herself a little more distant and even the way she placed her hand on his was more hesitant. In fact, it was back on her lap as soon as he had processed that action on her end.

It was as if they were back to where they started.

“I’ve gotten these types of injuries before. I’ll just ice them, forget about them and go back to training,” Levi assured. In the end though, it was more for himself than for her. Levi looked to Hange and although he had hoped for a smile and a nod in agreement, he wasn’t surprised when she looked towards his legs, keeping a sullen face.  

Hange shook her head. “ I saw what happened. You hit your knee on the bar pretty hard then you fell at an awkward angle.” For a moment, Hange looked dumbfounded as if she was replaying it all again in her head. “I don’t know how bad it is yet but they had to temporarily set it last night. You were in a lot of pain…”

“Then they’ll prescribe pain killers.” He was probably on some pain relievers already.

“You don’t get it do you? This competition season is out of the question. Hell, your whole career is probably out of the question.” Hange looked away. “And it’s my fault.”

He should have been angrier at Hange.

The way she had explained it, from when he had fallen on the hurdles, her shitty stitching skills which could have delayed the healing process, all the way to encouraging him to change his form, his injury could have been traced back to her. It was still a long shot though. In the end it had been Levi’s decision and he was completely aware of that.

Would he have tried that hard? Would he have taken all those risks if he hadn’t met her? He was sure that it was at least possible to twist logic and delude himself into thinking it was her fault. The Levi of a month ago would have done just that. At that moment, when he put two and two together though, surprisingly, he felt no anger. In fact he felt nothing.

It could have been from shock or confusion. It was as if for a second Levi had forgotten how to feel. Hange left the room as silently as she had entered with a quick reminder to just send it through chat.

Levi wrote it out as coldly and professionally as it was requested and sent it before locking his phone and placing it back on the side table.

For the first time in how many years, he did not even have the energy to look through his phone.

                                 A Tale of Two Slaves

The emptiness he felt festered to something else with each and every test they put him through that morning.

Every nurse and every intern who wheeled him from room to room and did the tests always had something to ask. They asked about training, records and tournaments.

How he had learned to jump so high. How he had polished his form so well. How he maintained consistency with every attempt.

Suddenly they were theorizing the injury.

You probably hit your leg hard on the bar while it was extended... Landing awkwardly from that height is more than enough to dislocate your knee.

Their tones were kind as if to make light of the situation he was currently in. They had done the complete opposite though and with every test and every conversation, Levi was forced to face his emotions head on, the future that awaited him.

And Hange. What was Hange planning?

He had sprained his ankle before but that was the first time he had experienced such comprehensive testing for one limb. They had explained the tests as they went about it: mobility tests, nerve tests, vascular tests all for his left knee.

As they rambled on and on about him, Levi found himself thinking of the only tests that had mattered to him, the ones Hange would ramble about.

She wanted to test his vertical jump, his horizontal jump, the power in his legs, the strength. He was miserably failing every test the therapists were throwing at him. Putting minimal weight was enough for Levi to realize that his knee was fucked. Just a small movement was enough for his left knee to buckle under him. Levi wondered how less than 24 hours ago, he had managed to use that leg to jump two feet in the air.

By the time Levi had arrived back in the room, his lunch was waiting for him on the table by his bed. He pushed it aside, instead going for his phone.

Multiple Ligament Injuries. That was what one of the nurses had casually mentioned.

Levi found himself digging up all the way until scientific journals. He had wanted to see the words cure, recovery and heal but all he found were outlooks and prognoses.

9-12 months of no physical activity. Pain and stiffness his whole life. There was no direct cure. There were no straightforward answers, only arguments and well thought-out opinions on treatment plans.

The details were in and out of his brain within seconds after he read them. If they differed for every case, there really was no point in memorizing or even trying to set his expectations. He had spent the whole morning in chairs and in bed but somehow, Levi was exhausted. He opened his phone to the different chat groups. Others had asked about him.

He only composed two messages that day as replies to the tens or even hundreds of notifications. One to his parents and one to his coach.

Don’t visit...Was he ashamed? Was he exhausted? Terrified? Confused? Levi could not pinpoint the exact feeling but somehow his body felt heavy and the only thing he wanted to do was roll over and sleep.

He had managed not to cry but for a few minutes he was blinking back tears.

                                     A Tale of Two Slaves                  

ACL, MCL, LCL. A string of letters recognized from the internet.

The doctor had given the meanings of those acronyms as he explained them. Levi was quick to forget them though, there were more important things than that. Like who was explaining it to him and what exactly the injury meant for him. Or for Hange.

The doctor that had taken over his case was Erwin. The last time Levi had seen him, he had been in a civilian wear. The blonde wore a white coat over his polo and dress pants as he stood next to Levi’s bed side, looking more powerful and more authoritative than he did back in the laboratory.

As he talked, Levi felt no need to listen. Erwin after all was only confirming the fears and the doubts that were running through Levi’s brains.

This season is out of the question. Reconsider whatever plans you may have as an athlete.

What about Hange’s research? Levi had wanted to ask. It just did not seem right then, as Erwin continued to explain the prognosis.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Erwin said as if he hadn’t been honest with Levi the past few minutes. “There’s no right way to go about this. Knee injuries are pretty complex and the treatment I’m suggesting now is just my own opinion. It’s probably even a gamble.”

All medical advice is just someone’s professional and educated opinion. Levi was quick to figure that out when he had read the abstracts of articles, discussion evaluations, prognoses and never exact cures for his own injury.

It was at that moment that Erwin mentioned the gamble that Hange had entered the hospital room with Levi’s overnight bag slung over her shoulder. She was looking down and from his angle, her face was unreadable.

Erwin had mentioned surgery and strict physical therapy afterwards. With Levi graduating that year, it meant he was out of the running for collegiate championships anyway.

But if it works out, maybe, just maybe he could go back to jumping. And somehow, Levi realized just the movements he had gotten used to and the sensations they had allowed him to experience, actually made him consider the gamble worth taking even if it was a longshot. Only a small percentage of the population actually regained full control of their knee after a devastating injury like that.

“Shouldn’t he wait a few months before getting the surgery?” Hange suggested. “I’ve read some articles about it before…”

“There’s some damage in his nerves and in his vascular system which needs to be addressed soon if he wants to gain control of his knee. If we divide this into multiple stages, Levi will be back to square one after every surgery. It will only delay the healing process.”

Hange kept quiet. For a moment, everyone in the room was silent.

Erwin spoke up. “Hange’s not wrong. There are more conservative ways to go about treatment. In the end, it’s up to you whether you want to listen to me or request a second opinion. I’ll wait for your answer in the morning.” He turned to Hange. “And Hange, we’re going to have to talk about your plans for your thesis. First thing Monday morning in the lab.”

“What’s your plan?” Levi asked. Since Erwin left the room, Hange had been standing too awkwardly in the middle of the room, looking uncomfortable at the turn of events. How much had she heard?  

“What’s your plan? Erwin always has a good reason for everything but… I’ve seen articles about rushing into this surgery and I’m just unsure about it,” Hange said. “To be honest, no matter what happens, these types of injuries don’t leave people and if you’re going to live with it for the rest of your life, might as well not risk something so unnecessary?”

“Hange, answer me first what’s your plan?” Levi had stopped listening at “but.” He was already dead set on getting the surgery anyway. Somehow he knew, Erwin’s gambles were never baseless.

I’ll get off your back and you’ll never have to see me again. Those words only echoed again in his head as he focused on the panicked look Hange was giving him at that moment.

“My plan on what?”  Hange asked.

You’ll never have to see me again. Levi had realized even before they had met that afternoon that her thesis was the only thing that had kept them talking and contacting each other. With that gone, what next?

Levi found himself scrambling for excuses, for a reason to see her. “Your thesis.” You heard Erwin, I’m gone for the next nine months or probably even the next few years. Are you going back to Elijah? Are you gonna find some other athlete to study?” It was unintentional but Levi heard the venom in his own voice.

Hange gave Levi a wry smile. “I haven’t decided yet. But I’m planning on talking to my parents and ----”

“I’m not asking what your parents plans are. I’m asking about your plans.” Levi interrupted.

“They’re paying for my tuition, for my home. I at least wanna get their approval for something as heavy as what will be my graduation. Besides, It’s not just about my parents, I have to consider Erwin…”

Levi slammed his fists on the bed in frustration. The Hange in front of him was avoiding his gaze, as if looking to find an answer elsewhere, maybe on the white walls or the tiled floors. That was not the Hange he knew. Hange knew how to make decisions on a fly, hell, Hange was a squad leader. She was the commander of an army. Suddenly for the first time, it felt like he was talking to a completely different person. Levi felt duped.

“Your plans Hange,” Levi emphasized. “What kind of crapsack household did you grow up in that you can’t make decisions for yourself. Your research is your decision. Relying on someone else to make decisions? That's not the Hange I know.”

Hange shook her head looking dumbfounded. “Why are you talking about me like you’ve met me before? What do you know about me? Or my home? We’ve only been talking for a month.” Hange paused for a while, avoiding his gaze. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not angry. I’m  just curious. I mean, as far as I remember we only started talking a few weeks ago back in the track. I’m flattered really because I’ve been following you for a long while but, why are you so invested in my plans?”

Why are you so invested in her?  Levi looked away as he felt the blood rushing into his face. “It’s just that… I guess...This is just not the Hange I expected you to be.” He managed to say.

In the end, a voice still lingered inside him, a voice saying that there was some truth to his silent expectations for the type of person Hange should have been.

                                  A Tale of Two Slaves  

A few days later, on a Tuesday morning, Levi did have the surgery.

On the days leading up to it, he was alone. Hange had told him then, that she would be spending Sunday with her family, Monday in the lab.

There was a nagging feeling inside him that Hange was avoiding him. It could have been paranoia. There wasn’t much to think about after all. His unchanging view the next few days leading up to the surgery were the white ceilings and the white walls of his room, decorated with a few visits from a nurse and the hospital meals which at least had some variety in appearance but little variety in taste.

He had finished most of his schoolwork by Monday afternoon and even finished the readings for the three classes he was taking that semester. Soon, there was nothing much to do but look through his phone.

By Monday night, he was told by the nurse that he wouldn’t be served any dinner in preparation for the surgery.

By Tuesday afternoon, Levi was making sense again of the white walls and the white ceilings, the sky through the window that was all too bright, and the smell of flowers.

The smell of flowers.

“You know Levi, I was thinking of something…”

Levi looked towards his bedside to see Hange sitting there and behind her, flowers sitting on a vase, a simple arrangement.  

“We’re taught that humans are at the top of the ecological hierarchy and at the top of the food chain. We’re apparently the greatest creations. But, we’re so easy to maim or injure for life” Hange said, as if she hadn’t been avoiding him the past few days. “Flowers can grow from stem cuttings. They can patch themselves up even after we pull out the flowers or some of the leaves. But you sprain your ankle once and it’s never the same ankle again.”

“Why are you here?” Levi asked, as soon as he finally had control of his voice. He didn’t want to play along.

“For a visit.” Hange said matter of factly.

“You said I wouldn’t have to see you again.” Levi challenged. Hange trying to lighten the mood with random conversation had left a bad taste in his mouth. He regretted his words though soon after he saw the slight wince she made.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve been thinking about my thesis. And I talked to my parents about it…”

“I told you before, I want your decision, not theirs.”

“Yes, if you had let me finish last Sunday instead of being angry, I would have told you. I’m making the final call. I just want to consult,” Hange said, looking exasperated. “ I have funding, tuition, time and logistics to consider and I’m back to square one. I don’t live on an island, Levi. Just because you can live in one, doesn’t mean everyone can.”

She was right. Somehow, the way she had said it, the way she had explained herself was convincing enough for Levi to realize that the Hange he knew was still inside her.  Levi felt his stomach drop in embarrassment at his immature outburst rooted in the frustration he had felt. He wanted to look away from Hange as she narrowed her eyes at him, looking at him expectedly.

What’s your plan? Levi had hidden how he felt behind a veil of a casual conversation, behind a fundamentally neutral question. At that point, he had given up. For three days, just bringing up such a vague question was not giving him the answers he wanted.

"Then what’s going to happen to us?” Levi asked. “I mean, we won’t have much reason to see each other after this.”

“I don’t know yet. I’ve been wanting to do this type of thesis for a while so it’s gonna be hard to change.” Hange admitted.

That confirmation was all he needed. Am I being selfish? Levi had to make the conscious effort to stop himself. In a perfect world, he would have wanted her to adjust, to find a way to work with his current limitations. He had held on to a hope that somehow she would suggest something to keep them talking, keep them seeing each other.

Suddenly, the rest of the things he would have wanted to open up about were all taboo.

If Hange were to change her topic for him, if she were to do anything just because he suggested it, he was sure he wouldn’t be satisfied with it. . At the same time, just imagining that phantom athlete doing the jumps for her, recalling how Hange had been left speechless watching Elijah’s jump, how she had stood up and clapped her hands slowly then quickly had Levi’s heart racing and his head spinning. His human inhibitions, as weak as they were at that moment, were the only thing stopping himself from begging her to stay, hell, from demanding that she considers him when making her decision.

Levi turned his eyes towards the white ceiling above him, a futile effort to clear his mind. As his inhibitions and desires waged a war in his head, he couldn’t even grasp for a reply, an emotion to articulate.

Hange took the initiative. “Levi, I want to ask you something…” She started. “Do you still want to see my face? After everything that happened?”

Levi gave a small nod, the only movement he could manage without letting out a wave of emotion.

“Then I’ll consider that when I make my decision.” At least she noticed it.

                                   A Tale of Two Slaves  

It was Erwin who had informed him of Hange’s decision.

Since Hange had visited that Tuesday, she never did come back. Levi had convinced himself at least to accept that that Tuesday afternoon would be the last time he saw her.

Wednesday afternoon, Erwin visited, informing Levi that he would be released from the hospital that Friday. Levi found himself almost ecstatic at the news. The white room was depressing. He never did get comfortable or familiar with the hard mattress beneath him and the barriers of the hospital bed.

“Also, Hange sends her apologies. She’s been busy working on a new proposal this week,” Erwin added.

“A new proposal?”

“A thesis proposal,” Erwin clarified. “She had to do everything from scratch, so she’s been spending a lot of time in the library.”

“She changed her topic?” It was a question of confirmation for himself.  Levi noted then that most students could only access online journals for free using campus wifi. An oddly comforting fact which at least justified their lack of interaction the past two days and consequently, quelled his doubts..  

Erwin nodded. “She told me a few days ago.”

“Why?” Levi felt guilty for the wave of relief that washed through him.

“Why what?”

“Why did she change it?” For a second he was happy. As quickly as it came, that bout of joy morphed into guilt.

“I'm her thesis mentor, not the one who makes the final decision.”

By Friday, Levi was at least independent enough to do the packing he had been raring to do himself since that weekend.

To be able to maneuver quickly and efficiently on crutches though, Levi had spent a good chunk of Thursday learning how to maneuver his way around with the crutches he was prescribed. By that day at least, as he cleaned out the dresser and packed his stuff, he had enough skill to balance on one crutch while emptying the dresser or dragging one of the chairs to his bedside without putting any weight on his bum knee.

Late Friday afternoon, Hange was the one who picked him up. It was no surprise, she offered to take him back to campus only that morning.

They exchanged pleasantries and after that, Hange did all the talking. Somehow she understood that after having spent a good morning cleaning out the room, Levi was exhausted. He probably could have fallen asleep on the taxi ride on the way back to the dorm if Hange hadn’t been so loud and the taxi hadn’t been so cramped.  

“You sure you don’t need someone to take you up?” Hange had taken his bag from the backseat and slung it over her shoulder as they arrived at the entrance of their dormitory.

“It’s fine.” Levi knew she meant well but her initiative to take the bag before he could even attempt to carry it was insulting.

Despite her insistence, Levi forcefully took the bag with his right hand, keeping his left knee heavily planted on the ground. He swayed a bit as he balanced his weight with his overnight bag slung on one shoulder.

“Just tell me when you give up.”

Levi looked away as he said that. He didn’t know what face she was making as she said that but he opted not to look to save himself whatever exasperation or stress it would have caused him. Instead, he focused on  trying --yet failing -- to gain as much distance as he could as he hobbled into the dormitory building.

He was disappointed to see that Hange did not follow.

I can always thank her later. Another excuse to text her at least. He had other things he wanted to ask her like what had made her decide to change her thesis. More importantly, what did that mean for him?

At that point in time though, he had more important things to think about like the fact that his room was on the second floor.

It was late afternoon on a Friday meaning most students were out, while others were cooped up in their rooms already and the hallways were empty. He probably wouldn’t have asked for help anyway. In fact, he was relieved to see nobody had seen him stare at the stairs for a good few minutes.

Although he had spent most of yesterday learning to move with crutches, nothing had prepared him for stairs.

He hobbled back towards the lobby where there were at least a few places to sit. If he were going to be thinking of a next plan of action which would be less embarrassing than asking for help, he concluded it would be better if he didn’t expend energy balancing on crutches.

As it turned out, Hange hadn’t left. Levi found her leaning by the entrance of the dorm with a knowing smile on her face. An annoying and mocking smile. An “I told you so,” in the form of a subtle gesture.

Levi was annoyed for a split second, a little peeved. The initial feelings were quickly washed away though by the wave of relief that followed.

He was just glad to see her there.  

[thejolexgroupchat]

the one where they met in med school - part sixteen

hospital mergers and new friends

Hi everyone! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season. We are so excited for you to read this next part. Let us know what you think in the comments. Happy reading!!

@iamtrebleclefstories​ @doc-pickles​ and Nat!

———

(July 2008) 

"Today's the day," Jo announced as she walked into Meredith's hospital room, a bowl of soup in hand. She placed the steaming bowl on the bedside tray in front of Meredith. "I saw a whole bunch of people in orange scrubs swarm into the lobby when we walked in. I didn't feel like socializing with them so early, so I changed quickly and I decided to come see you."

"I know. I saw them all walk past my room. I can't believe I'm stuck in this bed while the Mercy-Westers try to steal our jobs," Meredith groaned. "I just had to go and donate part of my liver to my father so that my sister wouldn't lose another parent."

"And Lexie loves you all the more for it," Jo grinned. "Look, if it's any consolation, I made everyone promise we'd come in to update you on how things are going."

“Thank you,” Meredith clutched Jo’s hands gratefully. “Wait, isn’t today your first day as a resident? Why aren’t you in the lounge?”

“Because Webber is assigning each of us a resident from Mercy West that will shadow us today to get familiar with and I really do not want to be shadowed by the enemy today,” Jo huffed in annoyance. “I’m already frustrated because Izzie interrupted Alex and I this morning because she wanted to borrow one of my long sleeves. So, I never got laid.”

Meredith laughed, “I hope that Derek and I are still as crazy about each other as you two are after four and a half years together.”

“You know, before Alex, I never knew it could be that good,” Jo thought back to the early days of their relationship. “I swear I had more sex that first week of our relationship than I’d had in my entire life, up until that point. I’ve had great sex before and it’s not like I didn’t love sex before, but I swear, Meredith, Alex awoke something in me that I didn’t know existed. It was just… different with him. And it still is. Every single time I feel like I might burst at the seams.”

“Wow, Wilson. Alex is that good in bed?” Meredith chuckled as she teased her friend a bit. 

“Even better,” Jo hummed, joining in on Meredith’s joke. “You really have no idea. He is… talented.”

"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there because I definitely do not want to hear what Alex is like in bed," Meredith shuddered. "You need to go to the resident's lounge and find your Mercy-Wester. Don't want to be late."

"Ugh, fine," Jo frowned and stood up from where she had perched herself on Meredith's bed. "I'll be back later with updates." 

***

“Hey,” Jo met up with Alex in the hallway and smiled. “I thought you were in the lounge.”

“No, I dropped off my stuff while Webber was giving them the tour and his speech so that I didn’t have to associate with them,” Alex said as he smoothed down his scrub top. “I left my pager in my cubby though, so I had to come back.”

“Well, you know you’re getting assigned a resident from Mercy West right?” Jo reminded him. 

“Dammit,” Alex frowned. “I forgot about that.”

As they approached the lounge, they heard some commotion coming from inside.

“I said take it out.”

“Great. I got the crazy one next to me.”

“Oh, you want to fight? Cause I will.” 

Alex and Jo walked into the lounge and watched Izzie stand up in front of a woman in orange scrubs. The pair raised their eyebrows and called out to her, “Izzie! Iz.”

“I will fight you. You’re pretty tiny,” Izzie’s tall frame loomed over the pixie-haired woman’s. “I could take you down in just a couple of seconds.”

Alex reached out to grab Izzie’s arms, pulling her back from the other resident, “Come on. Come on.”

“Stop!” Izzie protested.

“Come on,” Alex continued to pull her back away from the group and pushed her out the door, Jo grabbing his pager and following them out the door.

“They took George’s cubby,” Izzie finally explained as she, Cristina, Lexie, Alex, and Jo stood over the balcony, watching as the orange scrubs moved around the hospital. 

Jo put a comforting hand on her shoulder, “Okay, I say we go hang out in Mer’s room.”

“Sounds good to me,” Cristina turned and led the way back to their friend’s hospital room.

“They’re locusts,” Meredith said as they finally arrived and updated her about this morning’s occurrences. “Comfortable locusts, feeding on our surgeries.”

“It’s rude,” Izzie popped a grape into her mouth. “There should at least be a couple days where they act like guests before they put their feet up on the coffee table.”

“And what’s with orange scrubs?” Lexie peeked through the window into the hallway. “What, ours aren’t good enough for ‘em?”

“We ran out. They’re on back order,” Jo informed. “Randall from the supply company says they’ll be here in a week.”

“Why bother ordering new ones when we can just give these to our replacements?” Cristina deadpanned. 

“We’re not gonna be replaced by anybody,” Alex shook his head. 

“They’re here. It’s over,” Cristina sighed and sat down in one of the chairs. 

“Hey. We are not some stupid hosts. They can’t invade us,” Meredith shook her head. “They can’t attach themselves to our faces and then while we’re eating spaghetti, explode out of our chests and skitter across the floor. This is our ship. This is our ship.”

Lexie wrinkled her brow, “Excuse me. Are you—are you quoting a Sigourney Weaver movie?”

“Shut up,” Meredith shrugged.

Izzie chuckled, “That’s what happens when you live here. You watch a lot of TV.”

“We own this hospital,” Meredith looked around the room at her friends. “We were born in this hospital. And we will hold this hospital with our last gasping breath. Go out there and go get surgeries before they take them. Go! And I want a full report by the end of the day.”

“Fine.” The doctors sighed and shuffled out of room, leaving only Cristina behind to sulk with Meredith. 

***

“Okay, where do you want us?” Jo asked as she, Alex, and Lexie walked into the ER. 

“Uh, at this point, anywhere is good,” Hunt looked around the crowded emergency room. 

“At Mercy West we do zones. When it’s super busy, we just give everyone a zone, a space. The nurses put a person in that space, you know it’s your patient. Helps you get to them quicker,” the male in orange scrubs suggested, putting his stethoscope around his neck as the two women behind him nodded in confirmation.

“Yeah, well, this is the ER not a school yard. We’re not playing four square,” Alex rolled his eyes.

“I like it,” Hunt announced. “It’s a good idea. Let’s try it. What’s your name?”

“Jackson Avery.”

Owen shook Jackson’s hand, “Dr. Avery, I’m Dr. Hunt. It’s all yours. Zone away.”

Lexie, Jo, and Alex all exchanged a look. Jo let out a groan, “Ugh. That’s the one. That’s the resident that’s supposed to shadow me.”

“That guy?” Alex pointed and made a face. “I can already tell he’s a jerk.”

“Takes one to know one, I guess,” Lexie mumbled, causing Jo to snicker. “I know we’re supposed to hate them, but is it wrong of me to say that he’s kind of hot? Like really hot?”

“Um, yes,” Jo looked at her friend strangely. “Besides, aren’t you with Sloan?”

“Hey! I can look,” Lexie waved her hands slightly. “I just won’t touch.”

“Let’s go,” Alex motioned for the girls to follow him. 

***

“You were right. I hate him,” Jo slammed her tray down on the table as they reconvened for lunch in the cafeteria. “But not because he’s a jerk. Because he’s really freaking nice!”

“This blows,” Alex placed his tray next to hers and sat down. 

“Getting your ass kicked?” Cristina asked. 

“Shut up,” Alex responded, his mouth full of food. He looked over to Jo. “I heard yours got a standing ovation in the ER.”

“Yours is the one who saved the whole ER from the maniac with the hammer?” Lexie looked up from the little book she was reading. 

“Okay, he didn’t save anyone,” Jo shook her head in annoyance. “He did some stupid ninja leap and then tripped a guy. I used actual medicine to stop a person from dying.”

“At least he’s pretty to look at,” Cristina shrugged. “I’m too depressed to practice medicine today.”

“Well, mine has a notebook, a notebook that she takes notes in. Notes of a very personal nature, and I stole it,” Lexie held up the tiny pink book for them to see.

“You what?” Cristina’s eyes widened. 

“Give it,” Alex stuck his hand out.

“No. No, I—I’m not sinking down to their level,” Lexie put the book in her lab coat pocket. “They are vindictive and they are aggressive and—and they are not team players. And if we are not careful, that spirit is going to infect our hospital. We have to fight it.”

Cristina nodded, “Which is why you stole the notebook?”

“And read it?” Alex added. 

“And now you’re hiding it from us?” Jo looked at her friend, amused.

“Well, she’s not a very nice person.”

“Hey,” Izzie walked up to the table, two coffees in hand. 

“Ooh! Can I have that?” Alex reached out to grab the coffee. 

“No. This isn’t for you,” Izzie slapped his hand away. 

“Who’s it for then?” Jo asked. 

“Charles.”

“Your Mercy-Wester?” Cristina exclaimed. 

“They’re handing us out asses on a plate, and you’re serving him coffee?” Alex made a face. 

“Charles is actually kind of awesome,” Izzie shrugged. “If you all could get past your sad, little egos, you would realize you can’t write off all the Mercy West residents just because you feel threatened.”

“We don’t feel threatened,” Jo called out as Izzie turned and walked away. She looked back at the table. “Okay, maybe a little threatened.”

***

At the end of the day, Jo was exhausted. She’d spent the entirety of her first official day as a resident getting her ass handed to her by pretty-boy Avery. All she wanted was to change out of her scrubs and get back to the house and maybe finally get laid. 

She had pulled her scrub top off when she heard some noise behind her. Glancing back, she saw Avery and a few of the other Mercy-Westers walk in to leave for the night. Ignoring them, Jo continued to change out of her scrubs and into her street clothes.

“Hey, Wilson.”

Jo turned at the sound of her name, her shirt only halfway on and huffed, “What?”

Avery gave her a quick once over and cracked a charming smile, “Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot today. I think it’s safe to say that I overstepped and should’ve backed off a bit. What do you say we start over?”

“Ya think?” Jo finished smoothing down her shirt and crossed her arms. “Okay. I guess we can start over.”

“Great,” he extended his hand out to her. “Hi, Dr. Wilson, my name is Jackson.”

Despite herself, Jo cracked a small smile and shook his hand in return, “Hi, Jackson. Call me Jo.”

[brindlestorm]

Reaper

A different take on Goosefeather’s powers, or rather a better explanation for why he had them in the first place

Seriously, what was the point in giving him that much foresight and not let him do anything with it? It would make more sense to give that to Jayfeather than the Goose man.

So here’s my idea, Goosefeather can see everyone’s destiny and deaths, and his job is to make sure that they happen.

The prey store idea he had? He saw the deaths of three warriors and some kits, possibly an elder or too as well in his initial vision. But when he pushed the leader of the time to make prey stores, more cats died instead of the initial seven.

By meddling, he cut off the destinies of a few cats who would have been great assets to the clan had they lived, now the destiny of Thunderclan would be reshaped.

Sometimes he would see a death and not mention it to their leader or medicine cat, but then the cat would live past their initial life expectancy which would cause more imbalances.

Goosefeather eventually realizes his purpose, as both a reaper and a healer. As subtly as possible, he would have to start prioritizing some cats over others. Two cats are in the medicine den, Featherpaw would try to work on one but Goosefeather would call him over to attend the other patient with him while the one who was meant to die slips away peacefully.

Featherwhisker never understood why Goosefeather did this, but eventually he learned not to question it. Its a process, Goosefeather has to learn through trial and error which ones require his meddling and which will happen on their own

The vole that Snowpaw caught was not a sign. Goosefeather knew that his sister would die at the paws of the Windclan medicine cat, and he knew it would have to be soon. The battle could have been put off for another season, Goosefeather acted too soon, but Starclan would not begrudge him for doing his duty.

Sweetpaw wasn’t meant to die, she was supposed to be a warrior, Bluestar’s first deputy before retiring, allowing Redtail to take her place.

That’s why Goosefeather was so distraught, he knew that there would be a bad piece of prey in the pile, that’s why he was frantically going through it, to make sure that Sweetpaw would live.

He doesn’t always fail, he was there to put in that good word for Sunfall so that he would become deputy. He was quick to get Featherkit’s attention to encourage him to follow the path of a medicine cat as his apprentice.

He even turned a blind eye to Pinestar, knowing that his true path would be as kittypet eventually, knowing that it didn’t make the former leader any less of a warrior.

Sometimes he didn’t get to have a paw in certain things, Tigerclaw for instance. Goosefeather had approached Sunstar days before Tigerkit’s apprentice ceremony, asking who had been chosen to be his mentor. Sunstar was hesitant to tell Goosefeather, given his history with the kit, but for once he seemed to be in a rational state of mind. Goosefeather recommended a youthful warrior to keep up with Tigerkit’s energy and temper. He had meant for Sunstar to take to Bluefur, not Thistleclaw.

When Bluekit and Thistlekit were born, Goosefeather was shown two very likely futures for Thunderclan. One with Thistleclaw looking down from the top of the ravine, blood flowing down the rocks and into the camp, eerily quiet for one as large as Thunderclan’s.

The other vision had Bluefur standing at on the rocks, but she was turned away from the camp, staring down the flames that threatened them. Though the flames circled around the camp, not a single piece of ash made it past her.

Though the analogy doesn’t exist in clan life, Goosefeather’s role was integral in setting the stage for Bluestar’s leadership, and more importantly Firestar’s. There were some cats who weren’t meant to live to see it through with Bluestar, and others who had to stay to fulfill their own roles.

Even as he slowly lost his mind to the horrors he saw and made, Goosefeather was able to set up the pieces in time for Rusty to arrive and fulfill his own prophecy to lead Thunderclan into the golden age.

[bisexualbuckleyy]

eleven’s character development: a stranger things meta

so i love el with my entire heart and i think she’s probably the best developed character on the show so i decided to write an analysis on how she grows as a character because i’m bored and extra

the main thing about el’s development as a character is that her development happens through her connections to other characters. this is shown primarily through two things: her mirroring of other characters and the presence of at least one character each season that provides her with what she needs at that time.

prior to season one, el has no one. she is raised in the lab with very little human contact and is not even treated like a child, but instead like a weapon or an experiment. due to this upbringing, she has very little knowledge of how the world works or how people are even supposed to behave. all she has when she escapes from the lab is trauma and sheer terror.

and then we get to season one. the person this season who is most important to el is (obviously) mike. he provides her with comfort and friendship, something she’s never had before this point and didn’t even have any knowledge of. mike is the first one to treat her like a person and to even see her as a person, so she obviously latches onto him.

el’s mirroring of mike is shown through very physical things: her using the nickname he gave her, her adopting the words or phrases he uses (mouthbreather, friends don’t lie, etc.), him giving her clothes that she wears for the rest of the season, even the eggos that he gives her becoming her favorite food. mike is the first one to give el comfort and any semblance of love, so she takes that and makes it a part of her personality.

el as a character at the end of season one is fundamentally different to how she was at the beginning of season one. she’s not eleven, the hawkins lab experiment. she’s el, mike’s friend. and having the presence of mike ripped away from her as fast as it appeared is what allows her to grow in season two.

in season two, the main person who provides el with what she needs is hopper. what el most desperately needs at this time is protection and safety. hopper gives her a place to live and keeps her safe as best he can.

el’s mirroring of hopper is less obvious than her mirroring of mike, but it’s still definitely there. hopper introduces her to music, teaches her morse code, gives her his clothes to wear, teaches her words, and even tells her what a mother is.

but hopper’s own trauma prevents him from providing el with what she really needs: a family. he never makes it so that the cabin is someplace she’ll be forever—he tells her constantly that it’s just for right now, that she’ll be able to see mike again soon and get to have a normal life. this prevents her from ever being able to feel like she truly has a home or a family. even though hopper views her as a daughter, he never expresses that, and el’s only conception of a father is dr. brenner, so she thinks of hopper as a friend because that’s the only other option for a relationship in her mind.

when hopper lies to her she views that as a violation of their friendship, so she no longer thinks of him as a friend and doesn’t trust him anymore, which leads her to seek out the only other connection she has left: her mother. her mother is physically incapable of providing her with what she needs, and that leads her to the second person who helps her this season: kali.

kali is a completely new discovery for el. she’s not a friend, she’s not a parent, she’s a sister. and she’s also the only one who truly understands how el feels, which leads el to latch pretty hard onto her. kali helps el to grow monumentally as a character, and the transformation is shown physically as well as emotionally.

el mirrors kali pretty heavily: the outfit, the makeup, the hair, the way of speaking (bitchin’), and obviously the way she views her powers. kali helps el to see that her powers can be something good, and that they’re a part of her, not just something that happened to her. kali teaches el how to channel her emotions into her power and use her trauma as a way to regain power and control over her own life. kali helps el to see that there’s another way to live, a way where she can use her powers and still have love and friendship and family.

so the main thing that kali provides el with is perspective. she helps her to see herself and the world in a new light, and shows her another path than the one she’s on. but what prevents el from sticking with kali and choosing this new path is the connections she’s already forged: mike and hopper. it’s seeing them in danger that prompts her to go back, to leave the family she could have and return to her friends.

kali shows el what she could be, and el makes her own choice about who she wants to be, which is an incredible turning point in her character. el has never been able to choose anything for herself, and when she finally has that opportunity, she chooses to protect her friends.

at the end of season two, el knows more about her past and her family, and she understands more about how the world works. she’s grown into more of her own person, but is still fundamentally basing her identity off of her connection to other people, mainly mike and hopper plus the extended party.

and then we get to season three. el at the beginning of season three is still fairly sheltered: she doesn’t really leave the house much, she sees mike every day, and she doesn’t interact with anyone outside of her circle.

and then along comes max, who is the most important person to el this season. max provides el with what she needs most: freedom and independence. mike wanted to control el and still viewed her as the girl he rescued who needs protecting. this is motivated out of love for her, but he still lies to her and tries to force his own beliefs about her identity onto her.

max doesn’t do that because she had no preconceived notion of what el was supposed to be. it’s pretty heavily implied that they didn’t interact much prior to the events of season three, so max probably didn’t know el that well at all. but as soon as they connect, they become best friends.

max helps el find her identity separate from her connections to people, which is something el has never had before. max shows el that she’s her own person and doesn’t need to rely on anyone else to tell her who she is. nobody had ever done this for el before max. el’s entire life, she’s been told who or what she is, what to do, how to live, how to behave, etc., and max never once does that. she encourages el to find who she is and to express that, and to cut people out if they couldn’t accept her.

el mirrors max pretty heavily in the beginning of season 3, primarily with the outfits but also with adopting the words and phrases she uses (dump his ass, give him the medicine, we make our own rules, etc.) but here’s the important thing that happens this season: she only really does that in the beginning. she mimics max for a little while, but then goes back to her normal way of speaking.

this is an indication of how much el has grown as a character, because it shows that she finally has realized that she doesn’t need to mirror other people. she’s grown into herself so much that she has enough to exist without having to make parts of other people part of her personality. what she gets from max is the confidence to realize that, and that’s when she really becomes her own person.

i think it’s going to be really interesting to see el next season removed from everything that she’s used to define herself so far: hopper, mike and the party, and her powers. for the first time in her life she’s going to have the opportunity to really learn and explore who she is as a person, and i honestly can’t wait.

hope y’all enjoyed and let me know if you want me to do any other analyses of stranger things stuff cause i have many thoughts on this show!

[minky-for-short]

An Unexpected Bond

A Perc’ahlia fic feat Fae!Percy <33

Special thanks to my betas @mollymauk-teafleak and @spiky-lesbian <33

-----

Vex pulls her cloak tightly around her as she keeps her pace into the deepest parts of the woods, Trinket following closely, letting out small groans of unease as the trees grow denser. Vex smiles assuringly as she pats his head.

“It’s alright, Trinket” she soothes, looking ahead as her dark vision allows her to catch sight of a clearing surrounded by tall, ominous looking trees, “Remember, we’re doing this for Vax..” Trinket responds with his ears flattening sadly against his head, and Vex can’t blame him..

Between the two of them, Vax had always been the one who was stuck in bed more often with a cold or fever when they were children. She remembers spending warm, sunny days inside, sitting beside her brother’s bed, entertaining him with stories and feeding him soup when their mother was in town buying more medicine, because the thought of playing in the woods without her brother was just unthinkable to her younger self. Even when they were taken to Syngorn to live with their father, she would sneer at the clerics who would try and get her to leave his room so they could treat his fever. By the time they were traveling on their own, Vex always made sure to have enough money set aside to buy medicine, just to be safe. And even when money was tight, a wink and showing off the right amount of cleavage was always enough to make sure her brother had enough medicine to last through whatever sickness had come over him in the colder weather.

One thing she could always count on though was that no matter how ill he became, her brother would bounce back from it with determination and good humor.

Until now..

Even Pike, one of their closest friends and the best cleric within the entirety of Tal’Dorei, was puzzled when he had just collapsed. Burning to the touch when he had no sign of any ailment beforehand, and even as he tried to wave off her concern and that of their friends, he could barely walk with her assistance. In the end, he ended up having to be carried back into bed by Grog. And that’s where he’s been confined for the past two weeks. 

Vex had done her damndest to share her brother’s optimism that this was a seasonal fever that would pass, but days of seeing the same furrowed expression on Pike’s face as her magic does nothing more than provide a brief reprieve from this ailment, the worry on Keyleth’s when none of the herbs she’d mixed into a medicine seem to take...it was becoming increasingly difficult to remain hopeful. 

Two days ago, when Vax fell into a coma, Vex finally became desperate. All that Pike and Keyleth have been able to do is keep him stable, and while she will never be grateful enough for all their efforts, “stable” wasn’t good enough for her. 

She wanted her twin. Awake and alive as he’s always been.

And she was prepared to sell her own soul to do it.

While her friends convinced her that selling her soul would not go over well with her brother, they did share in her determination to find any other means to save their rogue.

And that’s when Scanlan shared a story he had heard while he was traveling with his old performance group.

A forest, far north in the continent, that was said to be home to a rift in a clearing in the middle of the forest, where the plane between the Material Plane and the Feywilds was the weakest. Scanlan had never bore witness to it himself, but he had heard tales from those who lived close to those woods about a figure who would appear there every so often, only exposing themselves to those who caught their interest.

What the being looked like, however, seemed to vary on whoever told the tale. Some would say they took the shape of a shadowy creature, others would say it took the appearance of a man in a bird-shaped mask. Regardless, one thing remained consistent: this figure would make a deal with whoever caught their interest. The price of the deal would vary, depending on what was being asked.

So Vex had no idea what to expect if she came across this figure, she may end up selling her soul after all.

But it didn’t matter. She would do whatever it took to save her brother. 

--

Keyleth accompanied her and Trinket while the others stayed behind to look after Vax, her Tree Stride turned what would be a week long trip into mere seconds, but that was the easy part. Vex made her agree to stay put while she and Trinket travelled into the thick of the woods alone.

And that’s where they were now.

Vex stepped into the clearing with the briefest moment of hesitation, not sure what to expect. But she holds onto her resolve as she moves further in until she’s standing in the center.

“Hello?” she calls hesitantly. Nothing. “Hello?” She calls again, her voice stronger, more determined. She received no response besides the wind blowing through her hair. Had she been paying closer attention, she would’ve realized that there was no sway to the trees surrounding her. 

Instead she felt herself growing annoyed by the thought of being ignored. “Now you listen, whatever you are, I don’t give a damn if you think I’m worthy or not. I came here for a reason, and I am not leaving until I get what I need!”

“Stubborn little thing, aren’t you?” A warm voice chuckles near her ear causes her to quickly jump away and draw her bow and arrow, “I like that.”

Vex’s dark vision allows her to see the figure that wasn’t there a moment ago, wrapped in shadows, a bird-shaped mask obscuring their face, making both versions of the stories true, but she doesn’t lower her weapon. “Who are you? Are you the creature that makes deals?”

“I see you don’t have much experience in dealing with the fae” the figure converses, clearly not phased by an arrow being aimed right at him, “We don’t give our names to anyone; far too much power to give to a stranger.”

“You’re fae?” Vex confirms, her eyebrows furrowing curiously before remembering, “Right...I heard rumors that the veil between the Feywild and this plane was weak in these woods.”

“Not the entire woods, my dear,” The fae corrects politely, “Just this particular clearing. Why that is, I’m not entirely sure. It probably existed for years before I happened upon it, and as a naturally curious being, I decided to see where it led. And now here we are, having a nice conversation under the moonlight.”

Vex tilts her head at the fae, an eyebrow raised curiously as she slowly lowers her bow, “Do you give this spiel to everyone who finds their way to your clearing? Or do you just like the sound of your own voice?” 

She is answered by an amused chuckle. “You might be the first mortal who didn’t bow before me like I was some type of deity.” He takes a step closer to her, the mask hiding a smile, “I think I might like you.”

“Enough to help me with my problem?” she asks intently, and for the first time since the fae approached, she can see flashes of blue from within the eye sockets of the mask.

“For the right price.”

Vex takes a deep breath, steeling her resolve, “Before I ask you of anything, I refuse to deal with a person who hides their face, fae or not.”

The fae tilts his head curiously, impressed by her wording, “Very good, my dear lady,” he nods in approval, “I can’t tell you how many mortals have made the mistake of asking to see my face.”

Vex eyes him suspiciously, “and why is that?”

“Because then I can say ‘No’.” He answers simply, “You must choose your words carefully when dealing with the fae...and since you have…” he trails off as he lifts a pale hand to his face, and Vex watches with fascination as the shadows dissipate as he pulls the mask away, and Vex is struck speechless by what stands before her now.

At first glance, Vex would think he’s an elf, but as she studies him more carefully, she can see his features are more exaggerated. His ears for instance; longer and more pointed than that of a full-blood elf. His skin was pale as moonlight and seemed to have the same serene glow, and his short white hair seemed to flow in a breeze that didn’t exist. But what Vex found herself most drawn to were his eyes, crystal clear and a shade of blue that she’s never seen before. She could sense a warmth hiding behind the steely gaze.

He was without a doubt the most beautiful man she’s ever seen.

“Now then, my dear..” The fae brings her back into focus, conjuring two chairs into existence as he looks at her with intent interest, “what can I help you with?”

Vex hopes that the dark cover of night can hide her blush as she takes a seat in the chair across from him, setting her weapons down beside her, “You seem to be quite powerful, Mr. Fae, tell me...are you powerful enough to cure someone who is ill?”

The fae hums as he folds his arm, his eyes closing as he contemplates, “It depends...this ‘someone’, are they dear to you?”

“Yes.” Vex answers immediately, “He’s...he’s my brother. My twin. He’s had many illnesses before, and he’s always recovered from them, but this…” She clenches her nails into her palms, “..this is different. We’ve tried everything: clerics, medicines, herbs, spells...nothing is working. I’m afraid this might be my only option left.”

“I see..” the fae hums, his blue eyes softening as he looks up at her. “Well, I truly hope your brother knows how fortunate he is to have a sister who will go such great lengths for him…” he pauses, thinking, “Very well. I will heal him.” 

Vex’s eyes light up, “You will?” She lets out a shuddering sigh of relief,, “thank the Gods…”

“Don’t..” the fae interrupts her, “thank me just yet. We still need to discuss your price.”

Vex rolls her eyes slightly as she sits back against her chair, “Of course we do..” she puts on what her friends call her ‘business’ face, when she’s getting ready to haggle with a merchant, “so what is it that you want?”

The fae grins at her as he thinks, “well, let us see...you are asking me to save the life of one of your loved ones...so I believe the only fair price would be to give me one of them. Perhaps, ah yes…” his eyes gleam in the moonlight, “...your firstborn child.”

Vex blinks at him, and she can’t suppress the breath of laughter that leaves her, “Seriously? You’re going the “firstborn child” route?”

The fae shrugs, “The classics are classics for a reason. A life that is nearly ending for a life that has just begun; a fair trade if you ask me?”

“But I’m not even pregnant.” Vex points out, “and what if I never am? The life I lead isn’t exactly ideal for raising a child.”

“An interesting point..” the fae hums, “Well, let us consider it a wager then..” Vex narrows her eyes at him, “..let us say you have...three years to give me your child. Otherwise our deal will become null, and your brother will go back to being on death’s door.”

Vex is ready to snarl at him, to jam one of her arrows in his throat for trying to force her hand by threatening her brother. But something stops her, and she realizes what it was: his wording. He says she has three years to give him her child...yet he doesn’t seem to realize he just gave her the power to choose who the father will be.

And as she glances him over, she decides that while he might present himself as a pretentious asshole...she can’t pretend she isn’t attracted to him.

So she smiles and folds her hands on her lap, “Sounds like an interesting wager. I agree to this deal: you save my brother, and in exchange, I will give you my first child.”

She sees the slight shift in his expression, and she can tell that this isn’t the way these types of deals usually go with him. Perhaps he was expecting her to fall to her knees and beg that she gives him anything but her hypothetical child. But she is also certain that no one has ever tried to twist a fae’s words before.

But his questioning look quickly fades as he smiles at her, holding out his hand, “then we have an accord. By the time you return home, you will be greeted by the sight of your brother: healthier than he’s ever been.”

Vex looks down at his waiting hand for the briefest of moments, and then takes it, and she can feel the magic swirl around their joined hands as their contract manifests into existence. When she pulls back, she looks over her hand; no physical mark, but she knows that the magic is there, and somehow, she knows that her brother is waking up from his illness-induced coma.

“Thank you.” she smiles, sincerely, looking up at the fae, “Well, seeing as I have three years to fulfill my end of the bargain..when would you like to start trying?”

For the first time since he manifested in front of her, the fae looks confused, “I...admit, my dear, I’m not entirely sure what you mean?”

Vex blinks at him, feigning innocent obliviousness, “Well, I promised that I would give you my first child, correct?”

“Y-yes?”

“But you never specified who I had the child with..”

A minute passes. Another one passes, and Vex will forever relish the look of flustered realization that fills the fae’s expression as he realizes exactly how he messed up.

But she will also remember the bright laughter that comes out of him once his shock passes.

“You clever, tricky woman.” the fae breathes between fits of laughter, “Serves me right for underestimating you.”

Once Vex realizes that she wasn’t going to be subjected to archfey-level fury, she begins to relax, and laughs with him. “You’d be surprised how many do.”

“Well,” the fae chuckles, looking at her with what was probably the first sincere smile he’s given her, “a mistake I will not make again, I assure you. And seeing as it is too late to change the terms of our deal, we will need to make certain I am able to help you fulfill your end of the agreement.”

“Oh?” Vex raises her eyebrow, smiling curiously, feeling much more confident that she was at least on equal footing with the fae now, “and how do we do that?”

“Two steps, actually” he answers, “First: I will bestow my mark upon you. Not only will it allow me to find you, it will also serve as a protective sigil for you. I can’t have the mother of my future child in mortal peril after all.”

“Fair enough” Vex nods, “and the second step?”

“We introduce ourselves to each other” he responds, standing to move closer to her, and Vex can’t help but stand with him, “by giving each other our names, we create a bond. It is normally used in the feywild as a way to take ownership of others, that is why giving your real name to a fae is normally advised against.”

“But if you give me your name as well, then I own you, as much as you own me..” Vex finishes.

The fae smiles, taking her hand in his, “that is one way to look at it. And to prove this is no trick..” he leans in close, and Vex can feel her heart pounding against her ribcage at how close he is now, how warm his breath is against her ear as he whispers a name:

Percival

She pulls back to look at him, and she sees in the fae’s eyes, in Percival’s eyes, a fear that hadn’t been there before, and she realizes the amount of power, and trust, he’s just handed to her.

And the thought of taking advantage of it absolutely repels her.

“Vex’ahlia.” is the only thing she responds with. “Or Vex...as my friends like to call me.”

Relief fills his face as Percival lets out a small chuckle, “then this the beginning of quite the friendship, Vex.”

Vex can’t fight the heart that fills her cheeks, something about the way he says her name just causes something in her that she’s never quite experienced. “Well then, Percival. Now what?”

The familiar, devilish smile crosses his face as he covers her hand with his, “Now…” he starts as a warm, tingling sensation fills the back of her hand, “you go tend to your brother. And we’ll talk later.” 

Before Vex can ask what he means, he presses a brief, warm kiss to her lips, and before she can properly respond, his warmth is gone, and she, and Trinket, are back in the entrance of the woods.

“What the-”

“Vex!” Vex turns at the sound of Keyleth’s voice, and she sees the red-haired druid running towards her, out of breath, but smiling brightly. “Wow, you literally just appeared out of nowhere, but that doesn’t matter. I just got a message from Pike. Vax woke up! And it sounds like he’s even healthier than before he was sick!”

Vex can only stare blankly at her before her words catch up and she’s laughing as tears of relief fill her eyes. “Well he certainly works fast..” she murmurs under her breath”

Keyleth tilts her head at him, “what was that?” Vex just shakes her head in response.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just happy it worked.”

The smile fades slightly from Keyleth’s face as she looks at her with concern, “so, there really was a fae...they didn’t ask too much from you, did they?”

Vex brings her hand up to wipe the tears from her eyes before she notices it: a faint, glowing symbol of a six-sided star on the back of her hand, and she just smiles.

“Honestly Kiki, I actually think I got a pretty good deal out of it.”

Keyleth looks confused, but she shrugs as she begins moving towards the tree they arrived out of, “Well, you’ll have to tell me more about it later, I’m sure you’ll want to see Vax now.”

Trinket nudged Vex happily and she smiles as they move towards the tree. “Yes, I really do.”

Keyleth and Trinket step through the portal first, and just as Vex begins stepping back into the familiar grounds of their home, she feels a warm breeze surround her as the portal closes behind her.