#Liam is terrified of his shadow

[barbswo]

Liam wants to tell Stiles about the grin he and Theo shared in the police car: one for both, just like their chances of surviving the Hunt. Genuine, boyish, sparkling with amusement, because the whole situation was horrid and hilarious and they giggled like little kids for five minutes straight while driving to the hospital. He wants to tell Stiles about fighting next to Theo, about the connection of it lurking in the shadows of Liam’s mind—very present and heavy even now, when it’s all gone and done.

He wants to say, He is so human it hurts him. He wants to say, He is scared, you haven’t seen his face in the morgue, but I did, and he was scared, and I said that he deserved whatever happened to him, but I’m not sure what it was, and it is eating me alive, because I’ve never seen Theo so fragile and vulnerable, and did he really deserve it or am I being unnecessary cruel? He wants to say, Theo didn’t just save my life like I told you. He was terrified of going back to Hell, believed that he would if he died, yet dragged me into an elevator and helped me escape by sacrificing himself, and I still haven’t thanked him. I don’t know if I ever will. I feel a pull I have never felt in my entire life, and I’m positive that I want him, and it’s wrong and twisted and I am a horrible human being, but Theo is the knife that turns inside me and I have to, but don’t want to stop bleeding.

Liam thinks about Hayden, and how he still believes that she is it for him, and feels like he might burst if he opens his mouth. He is guilty of many things, but he won’t be guilty of this. Theo is his responsibility, nothing else. Liam will make sure of it, and nobody will ever know that for a weak, flash-like second, Liam wanted to put his lips on that cruel mouth just to make sure Theo didn’t taste like death.

Excerpt from 🍎“Hunting Hearts”🍎 on ao3

[danikamariewrites]

Could you do one with Xaden where reader gets hurt during training and he almost loses his shit? I can totally see him and Sygael, along with readers dragon of course, wanting to find the person who hurt them and burn them to a ✨crisp✨ lol.

Gotta have your daily protective and caring shadow boy lol

Injured

Xaden x reader

A/n: not me expanding the No One Left Behind universe (like that’s a thing lol) Cadmus is a beast in this one, he is taking no one’s shit. That sweet puppy dog dragon is gone for now.

Warnings: canon typical violence, mentions of injuries

Sgaeyl had told Xaden what happened seconds before Liam came and got him, panting and out of breath only wheezing out your name. He was now out pacing Liam on the way to the infirmary.

Amon had once again pulled a dangerous stunt during flight training. Flight training. The one time of day no sparring was supposed to happen. Xaden wanted to kill the little prick. He went too far this time and Xaden was at his limit with giving Amon chances.

Pushing the doors open Xaden scans the beds looking for you. His eyes find you on a bed on the far right of the room. You looked pissed as you messed with the bandage around your hand and arm.

You didn’t notice him until he was sitting next to you on the bed, gently taking your hand in his so you’d stop picking at the wraps. You looked up at him and you were fuming.

Xaden scanned your face taking in your injuries. There were cuts all over your face and dried blood coming from your nostrils and smattered on your nose. A nasty bruise went from your temple to your jaw. Xaden picked up the wet cloth on the bedside table, gently wiping the blood from your face.

“You ok sweetheart?” You flopped back on the bed letting out an agitated sound. “I swear I’m going to kill Amon next time I see him.” Xaden wanted to laugh but this wasn’t a joke. “Can I leave yet? I hate the smell in here.”

Xaden nodded, helping you up as you winced from the shooting pain in your ribs. As you walked to Xaden’s room you told him about what happened at flight training. Amon and his poorly behaved dragon attacked you and Cadmus in an impromptu fighting exercise.

Cadmus was thankfully unharmed and went on the offensive quicker than you could tell him to. You had never seen or heard him so pissed off, or using so many swear words. He was so well mannered. Of course Cadmus got Sgaeyl involved, who told Xaden immediately.

“Would it make you feel better to know they’re currently plotting their revenge on Amon?” You let out a laugh, relaxing on Xaden’s soft black covers. “Yes actually. I’d love to see Cadmus lose his mind. Is that why he cut me off?”

You spent that night in Xaden’s arms as he whispered loving words and promises of protecting you, never letting anything like this happen again.

The next afternoon you heard about the beating Xaden gave Amon during morning training. It was so bad Dain had to step in and pull Amon away from Xaden while Garrick, Liam, and Imogen had to restrain him.

Once Amon recovered you were both back at flight training. Xaden was overseeing your squad for the time being, just to make sure Amon understood his death threats were serious.

You had never seen Cadmus look so terrifying, it also didn’t help that he and Sgaeyl were next to each other glowering at anyone who looked at them. Even you were scared to approach him until you heard his voice in your head. “We’re just making sure we get our point across. It’s ok, I’d never hurt you y/n.”

You smile up at him and mount in the saddle, preparing for take off. Xaden mounted after you shooting you a grin once in his saddle.

Looking out at the field you saw Amon. Gods he looked awful. Xaden really did a number on him. “Sgaeyl showed me. It was wonderful, I’d never been so happy to see a fight.” He let out a huff which you took as his laugh.

Once up in the air Cadmus insisted you stay at the back. Just in case anyone tries to attack so he could be ready this time. You weren’t fully convinced by his tone but went with it anyway. Who were you to question the wisdom of a century old dragon?

About an hour in you had a feeling Cadmus was up to something. The squad was flying over a mountain pass you usually avoided because it was a third year course. And Sgaeyl was slowly making her way next to Cadmus.

They gave each other a look that made you and Xaden panic. Then they started to climb at an alarming rate. Their wings beating loudly as wind rushed past you, making you flatten yourself to the saddle. “Cadmus!” You yelled at him. “What are you doing?” “Doing what I should’ve done in the first place.”

Oh shit. That wasn’t good. You thought Xaden was joking when he said they were plotting. Looking down you noticed the other dragons had peeled off, leaving Amon alone to hover over the pass.

Passing each other, Sgaeyl and Cadmus dove for them. Amon’s dragon took the offensive too late and Cadmus got a chunk of his side, biting down hard enough causing the dragon let out an ear piercing shriek.

Letting go he flapped away best he could but Sgaeyl was ahead corralling him. Cadmus let out a roar that you’d never heard from him before. It shook the world around you causing your grip to tighten on him.

Unhinging his jaw as wide as he could, Cadmus let out a gust of flame in Amons direction. His dragon flailed and Sgaeyl went for its eyes. They started dropping fast, his dragon going lifeless. Unfortunately, one of Amon’s friends brought him on his dragon before the loud thud of the dragons body echoed around the mountains.

You couldn’t look away. In awe of what just happened. At least Amon would be a little less dangerous from Now on.

Later that night you were sitting in front of the hearth in the common room staring into the crackling flames as you went over the days events again. You couldn’t stop hearing the echoing thud or the silence from Amon as his dragon died. The way he felt nothing for the thing he was connected too didn’t sit right with you.

Xaden silently approached letting his shadows softly caress you to alert you to his presence. “Hey sweetheart.” You hum acknowledging him. Sitting down, he kisses you on your head. He places a hand on your back to comfort you. “Thinking about today?”

“Yeah.” You said absentmindedly. “I’m not upset they did that. I mean, I am a little. A warning would’ve been nice.” You both let out a chuckle. “Did you know?” “No.” You believe him from the seriousness of his tone.

“What’s still bothering you?” “How Amon didn’t care. At least that’s what it looked like to me. I’d be distraught if that was Cadmus.” Xaden wrapped his arm around your shoulders, resting his head on yours. “I know. He’s a psychopath. But we’ll see what happens.”

You let out another hum, relaxing into his warmth. At least you were safe in the skies now.

tags: @nyotamalfoy @auggiesolovey @bubybubsters @baybay123455 @msiecrane @aroseinvelaris @twsssmlmaa

[buckybarnesss]

The more I think about it, the more I am increasingly charmed by the idea of Derek finding lil baby Eli on the nemeton stump and and being like, "Well, I'm clearly the only person responsible enough to raise this baby" and just adopting Eli and then everyone throws a "So You Found A Baby" party for him.

I also am in love with the idea that Stiles buys little baby clothes and it's, like, a little pair of jeans and a plaid shirt, and Peter is fucking horrified in the corner, drinking a glass of wine, wondering why he's been cursed to witness so much flannel.

the idea of the nemeton gifting derek a baby is incredibly charming and fairy tale like. the nemeton benevolently wanting to apologize to derek like "sorry about all the shit that happened to you that was sort of my fault. here's a cute baby xoxoxox"

i also love the idea of eli imprinting on stiles like a duckling and just becoming his little shadow when he's around which is both terrifying and insanely attractive to derek. the sheriff thinks it's hilarious and is more than happy to babysit. stiles becoming really involved with eli is [chef's kiss].

lydia being a doting fairy godmother because someone has to have taste (not you, peter) and she's done the research to help improve eli's cognitive development.

malia being the fun kind of aunt who helps eli commit baby crimes. she'd encourage independence and play with him because lbr she's not nurturing exactly and derek doesn't trust her to babysit for extended periods but malia would be fun.

liam has no idea what to do with a child. don't even ask. he's just a tall toddler himself. he's the one to be like "mood" when eli cries.

scott is the one who carries all sorts of cool bandaids. the ones that have batman and paw patrol and disney characters. his mother was a nurse damn it and he's a vet. scott is a patient person and has a calm bedside manner. scott mccall would coo at babies and play peek a boo in a grocery store line. because fuck you jeff davis scott is a softie and would still talk to people and make sure derek was okay at minimum.

peter being peter about it. you know he'd watch over that kid like a mother hen and pretend he wasn't. derek would have mixed feelings about this. peter would also try to get rid of the plaid that has entered eli's wardrobe. it's his chosen battle.

[archiveikemen]

Harrison Gray Main Story: Chapter 1

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection. I do not own any of the original content. Please support CYBIRD by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

❥･• Warnings and FAQ

[Harrison’s POV]

— Your memories will always be more peaceful than reality.

Cicadas were buzzing, and the paddy fields resembling a huge golden carpet swayed in the end-summer breeze.

The shadows of a father piggybacking a little boy and the mother chasing after them stretched long on the ground.

Mother With Gentle Smile: Come on, stop running, the two of you. You’ll trip and fall.

Father and Son With Mint-Coloured Eyes: Okay, sorry.

Mother With Gentle Smile: Seriously, you boys have so much energy.

Mother With Gentle Smile: You should help me out more around the house with that energy.

The little boy, laughing while on his father’s back, suddenly thought of something and spoke,

Little Boy With Mint-Coloured Eyes: Hey, Father. It’s bad to tell lies, right?

Father With Mint-Coloured Eyes: Hm? Why the sudden question?

Little Boy With Mint-Coloured Eyes: When you and Mother are at work, I spend my time reading picture books.

Little Boy With Mint-Coloured Eyes: I’ve read lots of them and in every story, the fox is always telling lies.

Father With Mint-Coloured Eyes: Lies…?

Little Boy With Mint-Coloured Eyes: Mm, they lie and hurt people. That’s a bad thing to do, right?

Little Boy With Mint-Coloured Eyes: That’s why I hope a hero like Father will catch all those bad foxes that lie to people!

Mother With Gentle Smile: Oh, are you leaving everything up to your father, Harry?

Little Boy With Mint-Coloured Eyes: Nope! When I grow up, I’ll become a policeman like Father. Then I’ll arrest all the bad guys!

Father With Mint-Coloured Eyes: That sounds very interesting. However, Harry…

Hey, Father. I have a feeling you said something “important” to me after I innocently told you about my dreams.

I can no longer recall what you said. Recently, it also feels as if your face is fading from my memories.

Right now, I’m somewhere pitch-dark where the sun doesn't shine, and the smell of blood lingers in the air around me.

There’s no turning back for me.

In this darkness… I continue to lie.

… Even the things I just said might've been lies.

…

[Kate’s POV]

Kate: … Haa.

I sat up in my bed, woken up from my shallow sleep.

(... It's still night time. I feel like I just had a terrifying nightmare.)

Even though I was awake, my surroundings were unfamiliar to me.

(Right. I…)

– Flashback Start –

William: There is an imperial organisation under direct command of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, all of its members are “cursed ones”.

William: — And that’s us, “Crown”.

William: We take on shady tasks ranging from spying to assassinations. In other words, the dirty work that the police or military can’t do.

– Flashback End –

Kate: … “Fighting evil with evil” for the sake of England’s prosperity— that’s the duty of “Crown”.

(While delivering mail, I accidentally came across a forbidden secret.)

(It was as if I had fallen into a pitch dark hole that appeared out of nowhere.)

If only I could cover my ears and close my eyes, and ignore everything.

However, that wasn't possible. There was no way for me to turn back time to when I knew nothing about all this. Therefore…

(I’ll earn their trust by fulfilling my duties as a “fairytale writer”, and make them believe that I won’t reveal their secret.)

(After that, I can safely return to where I came from… and have my ordinary life back.)

Just as I was mentally preparing myself to stay strong and not let my anxiety overwhelm me, I heard some noise coming from outside my room.

(...?)

…

When I went downstairs to find out the cause of the noise, William noticed my presence and turned around.

William: My, it’s already so late at night and the little robin is still awake.

Liam: Oh, it’s Kate. Did the noise wake you up?

Liam: Sorry for the disturbance, we’re about to leave for a mission under Her Majesty’s orders.

Harrison: …

Kate: A mission… this late at night?

Liam: Yeah, villains prefer to work in the dark. Besides, it’d be nonsensical to commit evil deeds in broad daylight, right?

(Is that so?)

William: It’s good you’re awake.

William: If you want, we can escort you to the criminals’ stronghold. Miss fairytale writer?

I was told that my job as a fairytale writer was to write about the activities of Crown. Those documents would then be used as reference material for research being conducted on “curses”, and as reports to Her Majesty.

At the same time, Crown would keep their eyes on me for a month to make sure I don’t leak their secret.

… That’s the situation I was in.

William: — But considering that you’ve only just arrived, we could save this for another day…

Kate: If it won’t be too much of a bother to all of you, please allow me to accompany you on the mission.

William: Oh, gladly.

Liam: It’s going to be so exciting to have Kate come with us.

Liam: Now that it’s been decided, let’s go. We should get a carriage so that Kate won’t have to walk too much.

With that, Liam dashed out of the castle.

William went after him with graceful steps, like an owner chasing his pet cat.

Harrison and I were the only ones left.

Harrison: …

(Why is he being silent? This is kind of awkward.)

Harrison: … Hey.

Kate: Y-Yes?

Harrison stood in front of me.

Harrison: Did you ask to come along, thinking that would help you earn our trust?

Harrison: Or was it because you feel that you’re obligated to do so as a fairytale writer?

His mint-coloured eyes were as clear as a puddle after rain, they seemed to be staring straight into the depths of my heart. It felt impossible to lie to him.

I nervously met his gaze.

Kate: I think it's both of those reasons, and also self-interest.

Harrison: Self-interest?

Kate: If I don’t earn your trust, I can’t return to where I was before this happened.

Kate: Therefore, I will do my job well and prove that I’m worthy of your trust.

Kate: That is what I have to do right now.

Harrison: Hm.

Harrison: You’re surprisingly honest.

Whenever someone says that I’m honest, it doesn't quite click for me.

Kate: Is that so…?

Harrison: No idea. At least, that’s my impression of you.

Harrison: Anyway, it’s up to you whether you want to have some kind of sense of responsibility or be naive. However…

Kate: …?

He leaned in closer and stared into my face, so close that our breaths nearly touched.

Harrison: Such noble intentions make you easy to kill.

Paying no attention to how shocked I was, Harrison gave me an aloof smile and walked out into the darkness.

(What on earth was that? Was he warning me? Or…)

Still puzzled by his words, I rushed outside as well.

…

The carriage brought us to what appeared to be an abandoned circus tent.

Liam: Kate, shh… quiet. See those guys over there? They’re our targets for tonight.

We peeked at them from the shadows. Two men were counting large sums of cash with sinister smiles on their faces.

Man 1: One bill, two bills, three bills… haha! We made so much money selling those orphaned brats from the East End to other countries.

Man 1: A truly profitable business. There are people who want those starving brats, and even their corpses.

Man 2: As long as people like them continue to exist, our pockets will never be empty. Haha, this is great!

(T-They’re taking children from the slums and selling them…? How… How could they…)

I was fuming as I heard them talking about their heinous acts, so much that my body temperature dropped.

(But this is a cruel reality that “I didn't know about”.)

England often boasted about being the most prosperous country in the world, and yet the dark world of poverty caused by inequality was hidden within.

(But that doesn't justify treating the lives of innocent children like disposable objects.)

William: They look like they’re having a good time. Let’s join them, shall we?

With graceful steps, William approached the man.

Kate: W-William…?

Liam: Kate, I’ll use my curse’s ability to become your invisible human shield and protect you if anything dangerous happens.

Liam: Look, I’m invisible now.

(!?)

Liam’s physical body vanished like he had put on an invisibility cloak, and only his voice could be heard.

Harrison: Don’t get too carried away, Liam. We’re not here to play.

Liam: I know. Come on, Kate. You should get front-row seats for your very first mission.

Kate: Wahh…!

William: Hello, gentlemen.

Man 1: … Who the heck are you?

William: You don’t need to know my name. I'm just someone very interested in the kind of fun you’re having.

Man 2: I have no idea who you are. But now that you've seen something you shouldn't have, you won’t be leaving this place alive. … Get him.

Before the men could charge at him with their knives, William spoke with his shapely lips.

William: “— All of you drop your knives, get on your knees, and behave yourselves.”

Men: !?

*clang* Their knives fell to the ground, and the two men kneeled in a strangely obedient manner.

(“Making people do as he says”... that’s William’s “King of Self-Righteousness” curse.)

It would’ve sounded outrageous if he were an ordinary man, but I knew it was true because I had experienced firsthand this ability of his.

Men: I… I can’t move! W-What the heck is this guy…!?

William: Now that you’re more well-behaved, let us commence with the trial. The judge for tonight is you— Kate.

Kate: What?

William: You’re our special guest tonight. You should state your opinion. Now, Kate.

William: The accused are these two men in front of us. They desecrated the lives of innocent young children, ruining them to fill their own pockets.

William: Should we get rid of them right here and now, or give them an alternative form of punishment to taking their lives?

William: What's your decision, Miss Judge?

Looking into William’s eyes, I could see that he had already decided since the start what the verdict would be.

Kate: … William, you used your curse’s ability in front of them.

Kate: They know your secret now. That means it has already been decided, hasn’t it?

Kate: Although there’s the option to make them fairytale writers like me… that’s highly unlikely.

William’s beautiful smile sent a chill down my spine — it was like he was telling me that I was right.

William: I admire your ability to stay calm and assess the situation, Kate. Now…

(... The atmosphere has changed.)

He was still smiling elegantly, but there was an air of tension rising around me.

William: It’s up to you whether you want to close your eyes or leave them open from this point forward. You have the freedom to decide.

Liam: Hey, Will. I really want to satisfy my curiosity tonight, can you let me handle it?

Liam: You stay right here, Kate. … Fufu, ahaha. I’ll do my best…

Kate: … Liam?

As I was feeling puzzled by the unsettling tone in Liam’s voice, the atmosphere grew even more tense.

William: — Time for the final judgement.

Men: AAAAH…

Patches of red bloomed before my eyes like licorice flowers.

The sound of the men’s ear-piercing screams, their bodies falling to the ground lifelessly, and Liam’s unhinged laughter filled my ears.

Even though Liam was invisible, I could visualise him swinging a knife around as he killed them.

(... I mustn't look away. Why… why did I come here?)

(... For… what…?)

My heart beat louder in my chest.

Staring at the blood spilling out everywhere, my legs felt weak and eventually gave way.

30 seconds later— it was all over.

A low sound of footsteps echoed, and someone sat down in front of me.

Harrison: … Hey, are you alright?

(... Harrison.)

I sighed, almost relieved to hear a familiar voice of concern.

Kate: … I am.

Harrison: I see. Because if anything happened to you, I—

Right at that moment, I heard a metallic clicking sound next to my ear.

(What?)

In the corner of my eye, I saw something unexpected—

Harrison: Bang. You’ve been deceived.

(...)

(A gun…?)

A gun was pointed to my head.

Harrison: I could kill you right this instant if I wanted to.

Kate: Why…

Harrison: “Why”? We’ve only just met a few hours ago. What made you think you could trust me?

Harrison: You could've been used as a decoy, or a human shield. And at this very moment—

Harrison: A bullet might get shot right through your skull. Did any of that ever cross your mind even once?

My life was in Harrison’s hands.

That overwhelming fact had me rendered speechless.

The pair of mint-coloured eyes staring at me caught my racing heart.

I caught a waft of a refreshing minty smell that didn't suit the current situation.

Harrison: Kate.

Harrison: This is the kind of evil world you walked into.

[f4iryfied]

wrote a lil fic abt violet’s pov in xaden’s chapter

//spoilers//

————————————————————————

“Why is braiding hair so fucking hard?” Xaden asks, grumbling. “Oh, it can’t be that hard, you just take the strands and twist them over each other in a pattern” I respond. A smile appears across my face seeing him struggle with something as simple as braiding my hair. But I also feel the need to smile because he’s here, a busy wingleader, taking the time to do something as simple as braiding my hair. Deep down, Xaden is such a softie. My softie. We’re back in Xaden’s room, which has soon become my favourite place. I’m seated cross-legged on his carpet floor in between his knees, while he’s on the bed. “Is this alright Violence?” I take a look at his work, and seconds pass. “Violence?” “It’s pretty good for a beginner…” I replied. “When I said never lie to me, I meant it.” he says playfully. “Okay, it’s pretty shit. But I love it nonetheless.” I tilt my head up, and he leans down. My lips fit on his so perfectly, and I think to myself how grateful I am for him, and these moments. I want to record and treasure them somewhere forever.

I slowly open my eyes, and notice I’m lying on an unfamiliar yet comfortable bed, in a strange room, with only one recognizable thing. Xaden. Sitting in a chair against the wall, I recognize him. He’s already overtaken my thoughts, and now my dreams. This man has me in his clutches, and I pray he never lets go. “You’re awake.” he says to me, with a strained and hoarse voice. As he walks to me, I notice his appearance; sleepless eyes, paler skin, and fresh scars. What happened? He sits by me and asks to look at my side. Stretching my arms, I nod. I don’t have it in me to speak words right now. Xaden gently lifts my nightdress, clearly searching for something I’m unaware about. A mark or scar perhaps? A thin silver line maps the area just above my hip bone. I hear a whisper of the word, ‘miraculous’ from him. ‘What’s miraculous?” I echoed.

“Water” he croaks. Not the response to my question, but I do feel thirsty. He pours me a glass, and I don’t miss his shaky hands. A sense of dread overcomes me, I’m most definitely missing something. I gratefully take the glass and down it all, murmuring my thanks. He finally answers my question. “You are.” I meet his eyes, and we lose ourselves in each other. “You are miraculous, I was fucking terrified, Violet. There aren’t adequate words.”

He seems genuinely shaken for me which is confusing because I feel alright. In an attempt to calm him, I relax my hand above his heart, which is beating more than usual. “I’m fine, Xaden.” “I thought I was going to lose you” he chokes out. I feel a caress of his lips on my forehead and then my temple. He has a distraught look on his face, perhaps even shame. Lose me? I know being a rider means every second of your life is either in danger or about to be in danger, but we haven’t had any upcoming dangerous events lately. And with Liam as my shadow, Xaden’s influence, or my lightning signet, no one has dared to try to attack me again. “You aren’t going to lose me,” I insisted. I kissed him, and my kiss definitely helped because he passionately returned the kiss. Using his tongue in ways that steals away my thought process. Xaden pulls away and takes my hands into his, promising to make it up to me. “I’m not saying we won’t fight or you won’t want to throw those daggers at me when I’m inevitably an ass, but I swear I will always strive to do better.” Another strange confession, this feels like a fever dream. “Make what up to me?” His brow furrows and confusion blooms across his face. “How much do you remember? By the time we got you here, the poison spread to your brain and—” I cut him off. The memories flood back. Us arriving at Athebyne, the fliers, Xaden’s betrayal, the venin. And me falling. I remember my acceptance of death at that moment. I was ready to let go. I tug my hands away, I just kissed the guy who didn’t think twice about lying to me after I’d given him… everything. Everything.

oh wow my first fanfic ever? lmk what u guys think!! and is anyone counting the days down to iron flame, ughh I’m so impatient. part 2 perhaps idk ..🤷🏾‍♀️

[rjmhereunderprotest]

The Polly/Oz Shipping Post for Personal Mental Well-Being

It's been one of those past couple days, and frankly I'm in need of a break from... well a lot of thoughts. I've not been absorbing some stuff well. I'd normally slip into Gwenpool stuff, but at the moment that's kinda being a mental drain. So, I need to focus on something positive and happy and anything that makes me smile and- oh look Polly and Oz of Monster Prom!

For something that is not technically canon in any respect, because Monster Prom's canon is whatever the hell you want it to be relationship wise, Polly and Oz have always spoke to me as the S-Tier Romance of the game. Sure, many people ship Oz with Damien and Polly is... well I'm not sure who is preferred. I've noticed at least one person goes REALLY hard for Polly and Vicky. Regardless both and all Monster Prom ships, regardless of popularity are equally valid. This isn't a definitive statement about canon because right now canon isn't always the answer for me. Even though a lot of Monster Prom's promotional material likes to show Polly teasing Oz in an overtly flirty manner, that isn't a definitive statement about the creator's preferences. They've had Oz decide to date Zoe in a Monster Road Trip trailer, it means nothing. (Although Zoe is fricking awesome and is my second romance choice behind Polly) What matters most in Monster Prom, at least to me, is emotional connection and compatibility. I think it's the same for, well, frankly a lot of ships.

So this is a bit of Fandom Mentality self-care where I talk about why I've written in my mind that Polly and Oz make the most sense for romantic partners. Because I love them a lot and I find them cute and I think it just makes sense. So... let's start.

So, Oz... why do I main Oz so much is probably the real question I should be asking myself? Maybe because they fit the most with me and my high school experience. Oz is an extreme introverted, nervous social outcast. Everything about his dialogue and actions we can see him doing in the game suggests he is a mega nerd, a good student and, quite frankly, at the bottom of the Spooky High totem pole. Like I was.

I'm not a Vicky who was bold and outgoing, I'm not a Brian who was aloof and tried to coast, I'm certainly not Amira, the fiery bad girl. No, I was Oz, perpetually afraid of high school even as I took the work seriously but constantly wanted to get out of there because it was a fucking pressure cooker!

The difference between me and Oz is obvious, THEY are some kind of amorphous shadow creature who, apparently, is the embodiment of fear. He's probably older than even Liam. He's quite possibly super powerful. And his little imaginary friends who he uses to try to cope are real, they're those little phobias who pop up around him and do cute things. And yet, they choose to be THIS, they choose to be this scared high schooler who is insular, lonely looking and desperate for love/affection. At the very least he seems to WANT acceptance. Like most of the super thirsty monsters among the main characters of the game. I identified with that a lot. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, he's clearly lonely and probably not always in the best place mentally as he tries to navigate a high school that he probably doesn't need to be in. Honestly, none of the monsters need to be there though, I mean... they don't exactly LEARN anything there as far as I can tell. I'm not even sure if they have a full staff of teachers or if most of them are just jokes.

So I've always just seen Oz as my closest facsimile to my High School experience, at least in terms of how it felt, terrified of everything and wondering if I even belonged there. So while I like the other characters, Vicky and Brian especially, I always felt more connected to Oz as a result. I know this sounds like "He/They are Literally Me FR", but it's more... I just can more easily place myself into Oz's headspace and emotionally connect with him to a degree. I don't think I'd make all the choices he does, but I can certainly understand him the most out of all the characters in the cast.

When the eventual Monster Prom Reverse is released, I fully expect Oz's character will be better fleshed out. If he hasn't been already in those Monster Road Trip sequences where he can be a hitchhike passenger. This is mostly just my interpretation based on what I've seen. This is the unique thing about Monster Prom shipping when it involves anything with the MCs. A lot of it is speculation and, a little if not a lot, of self-insertion. So it's best to always keep that in mind. This is a dating sim after all, fantasy wish fulfillment is inevitable, it's something even the game criticizes about itself a lot. That a lot of this is very silly and stupid and unrealistic in terms of actually setting up a real relationship with someone, especially a romantic one. It's why it usually doesn't take itself too seriously. Which is epitomized by, who else...

Polly Geist, the ghost party girl who I'd call the face of Monster Prom if I didn't think Damian could arguably be just as much at this point, at least Tumblr wise. Polly is still super popular though and its easy to see why. She funny, fun, cool, extremely sex positive, her outlook is very progressive, lighthearted and she is herself... sexy as hell. She's just a really fun character and it's hard not to enjoy any of her scenes on their own.

Whether she's pulling pranks with Scott, (Well, mostly leading Scott into pulling pranks because the dude is too stupid and nice to know how to do them) starting food fights by flashing people, causing general mayhem in the pursuit of advancing the science of partying or scamming you into performing a nonsensical sex act, Polly is highlight of Monster Prom. Even when she's too drunk to know what's going on, or high, or drunk and high, Polly is the afterlife of the party... which goes on forever from her perspective because she's dead. And yet despite that she is the love interest in Monster Prom who loves life the most and refuses to not spend it to its fullest. You have to admire that level of extroverted joy.

But Polly is not a superficial party girl, she might be dead and therefore removed from all consequences of her lifestyle, but she isn't a shallow sex obsessed ghost. She has actual depth, probably the most out of the other main love interests, barring maybe Vera, but that's mostly because of her sisterhood with Valerie gives her some much needed motivation beyond just being an evil criminal mastermind/capitalist. (Although I imagine a few people would say there's little difference between the two professions) Polly's depth is ALL hers. Because this is the thing... Polly's Forever 22, Stupid and Partying attitude? It's a front.

Oh she doesn't actually HATE partying, sex or drugs. She loves and is ALL about that. That's as much who she is as anything, but she plays up the idea that she's an idiot... when she's far from anything. Polly is actually an accomplished MASTER Chess player, a highly advanced gaming skill level that requires a lot of forward thinking and strategizing. She really good at Chemistry, mostly because it enables to make her own drugs, but Chemistry is a highly analytical field involving math, problem solving and attention to detail. Her favorite field of study though is literature, Classic Russian Literature in the vein of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. This is reflected in one of the Pre-Game Skill Boost choices, where the FUN option (Which is Polly personified) involves making a movie that has several of the most famous Russian Novelists going off on a Hangover-style adventure.

The point is, Polly isn't an idiot. She's actually highly intelligent... so why does she act like a fool? Because... she wants to. She wants to spend her afterlife how she most desires. That doesn't preclude her other interests of course, she still loves chess, chemistry and "War & Peace", but she's capable of more than just those nerdy pursuits. She pushes herself to remain highly socially, outgoing, never allowing her love of life to dim even in death. And she just doesn't want to advertise, I think, her more intellectual pursuits. Likely because she doesn't want to appear above all of that, as better than the people she cares about, because she does care about people.

Scott is probably her best friend, as a Fellow Prank Masterz (With a Z). And Scott IS an idiot, like a complete idiot. Look up the word Himbo in the dictionary and you find his face. He might be a lovable genuinely nice werewolf jock... but he is very clearly a dumbass. But Polly will spend time with him, why? Because she's enjoys his company, she enjoys being with him and pulling pranks. She never considers being more intelligent than him as something to lord over Scott. She might easily lead him into some situations, but she never wants to make him feel inferior to her.

And that attitude extends to other people, like Kale. You might know him as the plant guy, as well as the Asexual/Aromantic character of the game. He has no interest in sex or romance... but Polly hangs out with him and smokes weed with him anyway. When your character tries to seduce Kale (albeit you do not know he is an ace at the time) Polly is irate with you for making shit weird. It's very clear Polly understands and respects personal boundaries. She'll tease people, try to make them come out of their shells, open up, live a little... but if she knows that someone is not interested she won't push things. Kale is a friend and despite being a flirty party girl, she does not do anything to jeopardize that with him.

There's a lot I could on with about Polly honestly, her friends with benefits relationship with Faith of the Coven, her sunny friendship with the cold Vera, her seemingly really good organizational skills for setting up an Orgy... but at some point I'd just be arguing that Polly is best girl and that's not why we're here. I'd just wanted to lay this all out so we better understood who Polly is.

So why with Oz? I'd be lying if there wasn't some sort of wish fulfillment element to it. Like I said, a lot of dating sims fall into this category and Monster Prom doesn't pretend its any better, it's just trying to acknowledge it and offer a different take on it. So the idea of a popular party girl falling for a neurotic nerd who's afraid of everything is no doubt appealing to me on a personal level, but I like to think there's more to it. If only so my enjoyment of this pairing isn't completely concieted sounding.

Here's the deal, Polly's obvious flirting with Oz, pushing his buttons, taking an interest in him, is clearly an effort to get him to come out of his bubble and enjoy things. To not be so scared to live life. I don't think any of it is pushy though, it's mostly knowing looks, brushing her hands along sensitive spots, she's gentle about it. She never seems to be forcibly pushing Oz to leave his safe space, but urging him to try.

The idea that Oz would be willing to try, because this crazy hot ghost girl takes an interest in him is... well frankly cute in both respects. Him because he's willing to take a risk for personal self-growth. Her because she seems to be doing this without any concept of a reward. She's not overtly trying to get in his pants and I don't think she's maliciously messing with him, playfully yes, but she clearly doesn't have sinister designs to make a fool of him. She's just decided Oz could use the chance to escape his box and she'd like to be the lockpick... and knowing her she'd probably make that into innuendo, but that's just Basic Polly at that point.

But why would Polly be interested in Oz romantically? We can already discern why Oz would be. Polly is a sexy fun party girl, she seems to take an interest in him despite having the pick of the litter. Finding out her hidden depths would like only make Oz like her more, although I suspect he'd be concerned that he thought less of her for a bit. Ultimately Polly is designed, like all the love interests, to illicit this response with ANY of the main characters you can play as. The thing that makes it different, special with Oz is that his personality as the shy nerd boy makes their match with the outgoing party girl appealing aesthetically. But why would Polly be into Oz?

Well those hidden depths I mentioned are part of it to a degree. Polly's intellectual pursuits never held her back. She probably doesn't want the same for Oz. Although I feel their more calm, collected and less extroverted nature would give Polly an anchor that she probably sometimes needs. While she is good at knowing when to stop, what her limits are and should be, let's not kid ourselves, like everyone at Spooky High, Polly has a tendency to go overboard to an extreme degree. Like, one of her endings involves the literal apocalypse so... yeah. Polly could use a tether and she probably wants that to some extent. Both for reasons I'll explain soon and reasons I've already stated. Polly likes to know when she is crossing a line because she isn't outwardly malicious, she doesn't want to hurt people in her pursuit of fun. Polly only ever gets mad if you're ruining her fun by being boring or just by being a jerk to people she thinks don't deserve it. And Oz likely knows better at times what lines she doesn't want to cross herself.

Another part of it is who Oz is himself, besides seeing some things in him that are like her, Oz doesn't come across as the kind of person who would consider Polly as just another sexy girl they can bag. Oz very clearly respects Polly, that's what a lot of the point of the events that can lead to dating of the love interests in the game are about, respect. Respect for yourself and respect for the person you want to be with, understanding who they are and appealing to those aspects, showing you're willing to meet them at their level. In my mind, if anyone would respect Polly as a person rather than just a shallow sex kitten a lot of people sometimes see her as, it would be Oz.

And this is because... well Oz himself, or themself, isn't all they appear to be. They are, after all, the embodiment of fear. As I alluded to, Oz does not seem to fit in Spooky High in any sense. He's probably more of an Eldritch than even Zoe. At least Zoe has a recognizable form as basically an adorable version of some sort of Lovecraft Mythos Tentacle Beast. Oz is some sort of shadow creature. Some people have assumed he's like Slender Man or something to that effect. An SCP that's gone rogue and decided to attend high school. He should not be intimidated by anything here. Although I imagine, if anything could make a shadowy creature that is the living concept of fear itself quake in terror, it would be high school. Oz doesn't strike me as someone who sees people as what they are on the outside. Oh imagine he would be shocked to see how different Polly is on the inside, but he's not going to let that completely deter him. If nothing else I think Oz is a very determined shadow creature. Why would he keep up this appearance of a pathetic frightened geek? Maybe because he is genuinely frightened, maybe he has other motives, maybe he's just doesn't want to be defined by what the world says he has to be. But I am certain that, at the very least, he chooses to be what he is now as much Polly chooses to be what she is now. In a strange way, they're both seemingly living an afterlife... or different life.

As a sort of aside, there is something to be said on a mythic level too of a ghost, a spirit typically meant to evoke fear in people of the inevitability and permanence of death, and a creature that is the literal personification of fear itself, falling in love. A spirit that was once mortal and a being that has just always been since time immemorial. It's kinda like something out of Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman" when you look at it in that respect. And I do like me some Sandman.

But if that's not enough to convince you of at least some substantive reason for why I like Polly and Oz together... well here we go. The one time Polly ever got serious feels most appropriate when it is connected to Oz rather than any other character, to me. Let's talk about the Locket.

The Locket is an Event Item you can unlock in Valerie's Store, like most of the added Event Items that were added in around the Holiday Season, it's meant to flesh out the love interests some. While they're not exactly lighthearted, Scott's deals with being abandoned as a pup, they're not exactly bereft of comedy either. But The Locket comes close. It starts out with the mysterious haunted inhabitant of the locket trying to share his sad story of lost love... and then Polly shows up and decides to hijack that whole plot as she do! Because she's gonna smoke it! Yeah, she's gonna literally smoke a locket and she wants you to join her. This leads to a few choices about responsible drug use, probably useful. Honestly if I ever did drugs I'd at least want to be safe about it.

However the good times of you enabling Polly's addictions is somewhat ruined by the untimely arrival of the Coven, Spooky High's pre-eminent supernatural hero squad in the vein of Charmed/Buffy, except not objectively terrible (Charmed) or written by an asshole. (Buffy) They're quick to do the usual "Just Say No" deal at Polly, wishing she wouldn't supplement her partying with constant drug use. Polly, dropping her usual fun façade, gets serious and lectures back. Insisting she is not being irresponsible... she's dead. And therefore nothing she does can hurt her and even regardless she practices safety first with her drug use. She is not any worse than someone who really enjoys a lot of chocolate and she is in control of her drug use unlike such people. "Drug Use, Not Abuse" she explains.

It almost works, the Coven actually respectfully admit that they're probably sticking their noses in a place they don't belong. Polly isn't stupid, she is responsible and more importantly she is already dead so it's not like she can really harm herself anyway. Then Polly lets it slip that the locket she's smoking contains the soul of a dead guy and they take issue with that. Smoking haunted artifacts is fine, but a clear line in their eyes is basically smoking a soul for your own benefit and possibly destroying said soul's afterlife. Polly is fed up playing nice and tells them to fuck off, because it's HER afterlife and she'll spend it how she wants. Making reference that she knows plenty about drugs because drug use was how she died. Joy, the Coven's leader, then makes a mistake. Thinking this is another bit of the ongoing gag of Polly making up how she died, she has a lot of them and this feels no different, but seemingly more insensitive by making drug abuse a joke. She tells Polly that maybe she wouldn't be so flippant about her drug use if SHE had been harmed by someone's use of drugs.

And this is when Polly loses her shit. The insensitivity of the comment sends Polly over the edge declaring the Coven, and by extension us who have mostly been silent during this whole exchange, have no idea what her life was like and what she's been through and declared that if this is how they're going to speak to her about how she lives her afterlife, fine! Fuck everyone! She's going to party... but not fun party.

Polly's in-game sprite art takes on a horrifying visage. Her eyes glow, her smile turns to a painful scowl, her rage seems to basically circle her head like something out of Poltergeist or the Exorcist. And she can only speak in all-caps rage about how she wants to keep partying forever. Her anger affects the school all around her, as the halls apparently fill with ghastly wails and flying objects. You can't even talk to her at the lunch break, she will beam Liam in the head with a chair just for "Um Actuallying" her. Liam kinda deserves it, so it's funny, but the rest of this is not.

The Coven, mostly Joy, realizing their mistake, enlist you to help them fix this. You can do this by either contacting Polly's mom or a creepy yet friendly psychic kid ala the Sixth Sense. Either way, a successful meeting ends the same way, this reaction really is related to how Polly actually died but if you want to know what happened you need to talk to Polly herself.

You find Polly huffing gas in the school basement, completely forgetting her "Drug Use, not Abuse" statement in favor of just outright indulgence. Joy and the Coven apologize best they can and say they want to understand, but Polly is indignant. Revealing that her death was caused by her father. He was the drug abuser in the family and he made life difficult for everyone. He didn't cause Polly's death deliberately, it was a car accident while he was under the influence, killing Polly, her mom, her little sister... but leaving her father alive. She had been using drugs herself at that age, but she tried to be responsible with them. Possibly as an attempt to connect to her dad, it's not outright said, but it's implied. And despite her being careful she still ended up dying anyway.

Polly at that point demands to know what crazy idiotic choice between two options are you going to pick to suddenly make all this shit better. And even the game admits that this isn't really the time to be funny and offers two options that are sincere, supportive and apologetic. If successful, it breaks through Polly's emotional episode and allows her to finally put herself at ease and come to terms with her feelings.

You might be wondering why the player has to do any of this. It wasn't YOU who stepped on Polly's incorporeal toes and shamed her. You didn't awaken any long buried trauma with insensitive speech. Well, no, but you were kinda enabling Polly's worst habits. Not the drug use, but not considering the harm she could cause to others through it, like smoking another person's soul. So, really you're sorta responsible for not checking Polly's worse tendencies, just letting her ride the haunted locket smoke train without trying to dissuade her because it's just Polly being Polly. So being honest and trying to reach her by admitting that you just want to hear her out or even just be there for her right now, no judgment or anything else, that's an important step here.

Polly of course fakes crossing over as a prank to show that she's back to her old self again and promises to be more mindful of her drug use from now on. But it's not all good. After picking Polly to go to Prom, she admits to the player that she still feels hurt and sad. That in her pursuit of living her afterlife to the fullest, she got caught up in the same mistakes her father made and she's not proud of it. Most importantly though, she admits that despite everything she doesn't hate her dad for what he did, she still loves and misses him. That a lot of her drug use was more about just trying to forget rather than confront these feelings, ignoring the pain rather than dealing with it. Being happy is great and all, but not at the expense of acknowledging when you're hurting.

In all honesty, I feel this ending works best with Oz. Because I can more readily see Oz empathizing the most with Polly in this moment. If anyone knows about hurt, it's a creature that embodies fear. And Polly has admitted to hers, feeling hurt. Oz being there for Polly, trying to show that this is okay, that being not okay is ok, makes the most sense for me. Polly doesn't want to hurt anyone because she knows what it's like to hurt the people you love. And Oz I feel knows a lot about hurt being what they are. And maybe through sharing that kind of pain, in confronting things like Polly encouraged Oz to do with his own fears, they can both be stronger people.

This isn't to say these scenes can't work with other characters, they're not built to only work with one of the MCs. But for me, a lot of Polly's stories and events, this one especially, ring the most true when it involves Oz.

I think the relationship between the two can and could be very endearing. Allowing both to actually confront their fears, center themselves and be better people in the end. Monster Prom's tagline is "Be Your Worst Self", a sort of play on words, but a lot of its romances are actually a play on that concept. The phrase is really about being true to who YOU are more than anything, that includes the worst parts of you. If Monster Prom is about anything it's about finding happiness with who you are before you can truly find happiness with another. And I feel something like PollyxOz stands the best chance of achieving that goal.

I don't want to pretend it's the only solution, of course it isn't, none of this as said before is meant to invalidate your love for Oz getting with Damian or Zoe or Miranda or Polly with Vicky or Brian or even Amira. (Although I feel like no one is beating AmiraxVera on that one) This is about what works for me and my rationalization, you are free to think differently of course. I would hope this at least better explained my preferences and perhaps even helped you a little with your own anxieties as it has mine today.

Well I suppose I should try and lead you to some more Polly/Oz content if you're interested. While I do have ideas for fanfics and there's plenty of art you can look up, I'd rather just send you over to Vanilla Chinchilla, who is probably more prolific and better artistically concerning this than I ever could be. Again, this stuff is all just me working through some junk. Plus their artwork, such as the comic panels right above this paragraph, is really cute and fun and I enjoy it a lot.

That's really all from me, if you've honestly stuck it out this long with me rambling about the romance of two monsters from a silly video game... well I applaud you I honestly don't know if this is really all that compelling. This was an exercise for my own sake, but like I said, I hope you got something out of it. At the very least, I've put something positive into this place rather than just ragging on it for crass reasons. Thank you for your time guys.

[charliedawn]

THE TALISMANS (THE STORY OF ST LOUIS' STAFF AND HOW THEY OBTAINED THEIR TALISMANS)

Part 2 :

Liam drove near the lake and smiled at the calm waters gently washing away on the shore. It was a peaceful sight and Liam took a deep breath before parking near the cabin the agency had provided for him.

It was near the forest and at a perfect distance from the city for any primary need he might with to acquire. He found weapons and certain sum of money in a suitcase waiting for him inside. He looked at all the weapons on display on the wall and settled for a gun. He then looked in the direction of the forest and decided to walk inside to find the Voorhees' family house—his gun safely hidden underneath his coat. He knew nobody would be foolish enough to live in the woods when Jason Voorhees lived there, so he just had to find a cabin that some of the other 'missing' agents had described in their messages to the organization.

He walked for about 5 miles before finally finding himself near Crystal lake's old camp site. It was deserted now, but in one of the letters—his predecessor had left an indication as to the whereabouts of the cabin. It was supposed to be at the end of a narrow path where red lines were painted on the trees. It didn't take long for Liam to find the trees and follow said path. Soon enough, the path led him to a small house next to a giant werehouse. He remained quiet and hidden until he was sure no one was home. There was no moving shadows or indications of life inside. He then gave a circular glance around before carefully approaching the house.

It was empty.

There was a bunch of old worn-out furniture and black and white photos here and there. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in ages and cobwebs were stuck to the ceiling. Liam looked at the bed which was covered in dust and visually questionable stains...Jason Voorhees was definitely living alone and it showed. He then walked to the barn and carefully opened it, only to find a rather extensive collection of masks and machetes..

He then noticed the pool of blood on the floor and tried not to let his imagination go too wild as to the provenance of it. He stepped over it carefully and slowly made his way towards one of the corridors. He then heard a faint moan of pain at the end of it and froze. Was it him ? He held his gun higher and felt sweat running down his spine. He had seen picture of his victims. He had made a literal mess and they could hardly identify them at the end...He really didn't want to end up like that.

He kept going until he had to turn right and there, he found a man—barely alive.

He quickly crouched in front of him and recognized his face...He was one of the missing agents !

"...Shit. What happened to you ? Did he do this ?", Liam asked—even though the man was livid and already half-dead.

"I...trapped him.", he managed to utter in a broken whisper and Liam's eyes widened.

"Jason ? Jason Voorhees ?", he asked him to clarify and the man moved his head up and down in confirmation.

He was holding his stomach where Liam could see a deep cut. He was covered in blood and Liam restrained from covering him mouth and nose in respect. It was a miracle he could even still be talking..His eyes then turned to the door at the end of the corridor and asked.

"In there ?"

The man almost burst into tears as he nodded again.

"Yeah. Let's go. Come on. Get me out of here, man. Please.", the agent pleaded and even though Liam knew the mission to always come first, he had to help. He decided to get the man out before taking action. He secured him by wrapping an arm around his waist and throwing the agent's arm over his shoulders. The man seemed clearly on the verge of life and death and Liam didn't know if his white face was a result of his blood loss or the sheer fear he felt. He was terrified of Jason Voorhees and Liam smiled reassuringly at him.

"Hey hey. Stay with me. I'm gonna get you out of here, alright ?", he tried to comfort him, but it didn't seem to work as the agent kept turning his head towards the door frightfully.

"You don't understand...He's not human.", the agent said and a chill ran through Liam as the man seemed truly horrified—even though they had probably been trained the same.

It wasn't until they were out of the house that the agent lost consciousness. Liam put him in his car and promptly called the agency.

"Agent McCain.", agent Schultz answered and Liam immediately explained the situation to him. But, agent Schultz seemed insensitive to his situation and simply reminded him of his mission.

"Your mission is to capture Jason Voorhees and bring him back to St Louis—not to pick up strays." Liam was about to protest, but agent Schultz didn't give him the time as he cut him off.

"Another agent will come to collect the injured agent."

Agent Schulz sought to make him move on, but Liam frowned warily. They had sent a third agent ? Were they nearby ?

The man couldn't wait. He needed urgent care.

"But he...", he tried to protest—but was cut off by agent Schultz once more.

"That's an order." Liam's eyes widened at the categorical tone of his employer, but sighed in defeat before looking back at the man passed out in his car.

"Do not worry, agent McCain. We'll take care of him.", agent Schultz said one last time—as if he could read his concern—and Liam finally conceded.

"Fine. I'll see if I can find Jason Voorhees."

Agent Schultz smiled on the other side of the line before adding for good measure.

"We're counting on you, agent McCain...Do not disappoint us."

And with that last warning, he hung up. Liam's lips turned into a thin line as he looked at the livid man in his car and then at the house he had found him in with a worried frown.

What had he just walked into ?

He took a big breath before pulling out his gun and slowly making his way back inside. Now that he had already been inside once, he noticed all the things he had failed to pick out the first time: the strong smell of blood and iron, the muddy ground and terrible darkness reigning all around...It was silent at first, but the more he advanced towards the door the other agent had mentioned, the more he could hear loud inhumane grunts and the sound of intershocking chains being dragged on the floor.

It would be a lie if Liam said he wasn't a little nervous as to face an actual slasher for the first time..But, he was nonetheless curious as to see the monster in action.

He slowly walked towards the door and laid his hand flat against the it before pushing it open. It made a distinctive creaking noise and suddenly, all the other noises stopped.

Before he could open the door ajar, a machete was thrown his way and he barely had the time to close the door again in order not to be cut in two. He heard more groans and grunts inside and his heart raced against his ribcage as he realized it would be a lot harder than he thought it would be.

Nevertheless, he still tried to open the door once more and felt relieved to find out that the giant had no more machetes to throw a him.

"I mean..Machetes are overrated, man. Come on. Be better.", he tried to joke—but Jason only stared at him with all the loathing of an angry bull. Jason groaned loudly in annoyance before walking towards him, no doubt to snap his neck in two—but couldn't.

That's when Liam noticed the heavy chains surrounding him and from which he was trying desperately to break free from—unsuccessfully. They kept him at bay and Liam figured it was one of the only reasons he was still alive. Jason was trapped and could only struggle forcefully against his iron bounds while grunting and groaning from the effort. But, it seemed brute force wouldn't be the answer this time.

Jason was trapped within his own home. He had probably slipped and got tangled within his own traps...And Liam found it hilarious. He couldn't help but chuckle at the absurd situation before lowering his gun. He didn't feel like shooting a man who was unable to defend himself and smiled.

"Sorry. Just...Give me a minute.", he tried to speak while failing to contain his laughter. It was just too good...Once he had calmed down, his eyes settled back on Jason who had suddenly stopped moving to stare at him once more—considering his next move no doubt. But, Liam only sighed before scratching his head pensively. What to do ? He could just call Shultz and tell him that the man was trapped and ready to be collected...But somehow, he pitied the man. True. He had killed a lot of people and was certainly considering 100 different ways to kill him in his head...

But, he was Jason Voorhees—the most prolific slasher in History. He didn't deserve to go down this way...He was hurt, many scars showed underneath his clothes and his breathing was hectic, as if he was struggling to even stand. He was weak. He had surely been visited by a lot of agents before Liam and was exhausted. But, the mere fact that he was still standing and able to glare at Liam with such ferocity was an achievement in itself. Liam finally crouched in front of him and tilted his head to look at the trapped slasher more closely, and Jason mimicked him.

He tilted his head and they stared at each other in silence for a moment until Liam's face lit up with a smile.

"Hey. Sorry about earlier. I feel that we started off on the wrong foot so...Hey ! My name is Liam. And I'm gonna help you out. Do you understand me ?" Jason's eyes widened a little at the man's words, but nodded shortly in agreement nonetheless. Liam smiled and looked at the many chains surrounding Jason. At least now, he knew the slasher wasn't completely senseless and started thinking of a plan to get him out.

Suddenly, he had an idea and asked Jason to mimic his movements. The giant seemed to agree as he nodded again and Liam started moving as if he was the one trapped. Jason moved in sync with Liam and soon enough, he had disentangled himself. Jason stared at Liam for a while and—after a moment of consideration—only grunted and walked away.

It was the first time Jason Voorhees had ever let anyone leave his territory safe and sound. Liam sighed in relief before walking back into his car—only to find it empty.

It seemed Shultz had kept his promise and he smiled before driving back to his house and wrote down all the information he had gathered on Jason—unaware of the eyes watching him. Jason found out that Liam lived near the forest and just a few miles away from the lake. He would normally not let anyone live so close from his territory, but Liam had shown Jason something no one else had ever shown him before: kindness. It was enough to pick his curiosity and observe him a bit more before making a decision as to whether he should live or die.

So, he stayed away and watched the house. Day and night. For weeks..He watched.

Little by little, he also grew more confident and came closer and closer every night until...on one particular night, he found himself trapped again.

He fell in the water next to the cabin and the noise alerted Liam who came out, only to find the man struggling to get out.

"Wow...Did you really fall into the water ? Man..You really are clumsy."

Jason stopped moving and Liam let out a loud sigh before putting his gun away and looking down at Jason.

"Serious question. If I help you out, will you try to kill me ?", he asked and Jason didn't answer. "I'll take that as a no."

And with that, Liam grabbed Jason's arm and pulled him out. They stayed still for a moment before Liam looked back at his cabin and coughed. He really didn't know what to say to the slasher now..

"Hum...Want apple juice ? I'll even get you a straw ?", Liam asked tentatively and even though the giant didn't attempt to communicate with him, he seemed to consider it. Jason stayed silent for a while before nodding shortly and Liam quickly went to back inside to retrieve a bottle.

Finally, when Liam returned with the items, Jason seemed to hide something behind his back and in his haste to give it to him, almost fell forward.

Liam laughed before sitting down next to him. Jason stayed perfectly silent before sipping on his apple juice and then, he retrieved what he had been trying to hide earlier. A little wooden figurine.

He gave it to Liam who was surprised at the gift, but accepted it nonetheless. He looked at it more closely and smiled as he recognized the shape of a bear. It was well-crafted and Liam wondered how much time it must have taken him ? He looked up at Jason who seemed to be gauging his reaction. Finally, he smiled.

"Thank you, Jason. You're actually a pretty nice guy."

Jason tilted his head quizzically at him before looking away and sipping on his apple juice with enthusiasm. Jason seemed friendly enough for now...but, he knew it may not last if he tried to take him in. As far as he could gather, Jason had a special connection with the forest and asking him to move would be difficult. He had managed to gain his trust, but nothing told him it would last.

Besides, something told him the man was just a little overprotective of his space. He could understand that.

"Okay. I know you like the forest, and frankly ? So do I. So, we'll make a deal. You get to stay in that forest. And, if you don't kill anyone for a month ? I'll get to go back to my base and tell them Jason Voorhees was never found, deal ?", he extended his hand forward with a smile he hoped would convince him. Jason hesitated a few seconds before smiling back and finally shaking his hand.

What Liam thought was only a thank you gift would actually turn out to be a talisman, one that would protect him against various threats—including Jason himself.

Back to the present :

"Wait...THAT'S IT ?!", you asked with a dumbfounded look and Liam chuckled at your bewildered expression.

"Yes. For now...", he finished enigmatically and you were about to protest when Victor voiced his disappointment before you did.

"Booh. Boring."

All of the people present turned their heads towards Victor who was already at his second glass of whiskey. He gulped it down and you tilted your head at him. It was true that he also had a talisman. A pretty one too...You had caught the glimpse of a particularly expensive ring and wondered if it was a family thing ?

"Now, I'm curious...How did you get your talisman ?", you asked Victor who seemed to suddenly regret opening his mouth and Eva's eyes sparkled as she playfully nudged you.

"He refuses to tell us. But, he slept with one of them."

You gasped loudly at the information and Victor glared at Eva who playfully stuck out her tongue at him. He sighed before shrugging.

"I guess since the cat is out of the bag...Yes. I went out with a slasher. We used to sleep together and he gave me this because I won at one of their silly little games."

"...You slept with a patient ?", you asked and Eva seemed to follow your thinking as she grimaced.

"Eww ! Who ?"

Victor offered you a cheeky wink and half a smile before finally shaking his head.

"I mean...I would tell you, but that would ruin the fun.", he claimed with a small playful smile. However, Eva started wondering who it could be ?

"Wait...Don't tell me...", Eva mumbled with her eyes widening at the realization that there was only one man she could think of and Victor chuckled knowingly before taking another sip of his drink.

"YOU SLEPT WITH FREDDY ?!"

Victor seemed to ponder on it before chuckling and shaking his head negatively.

"Nope. I know he'd be up for it, but nah. Ain't my type. ~Guess again."

"Wait...When was that ?", you asked and Victor smiled at you.

"A few years back. Before you came along. But, we quickly forgot all about it. Conflict of interest.", he explained and you nodded understandingly. However, Eva still didn't believe him as she slurred loudly—the alcool going to her head.

"COME ON ! GIVE US A HINT !"

Victor chuckled and shook his head.

"Nope."

Flashback :

Victor was working in the left wing when he received a phone call, telling him one of the doctor needed urgent care. He sighed and started walking toward the red cells of the third corridor and ended up in front of the cell of patient 88. And there, he found a man—surrounded by the guards and with many cuts on his face...Seemed like patient 88 hadn't appreciated this one.

Victor went through the heavily-geared men and stood before the man with a small knowing smile.

"So...You're my patient today, huh Hannibal ?"

Hannibal Jr. smiled as he saw the familiar face of his colleague come into view and nodded.

"Deeply sorry for the inconvenience. The guards said I had to see a professional doctor and your name was the first that came to my mind."

"Lucky me.", Victor replied sarcastically before leaning forward to get a closer look at Hannibal Jr.' injuries. They were shallow cuts. Barely grazes...But, he would still need a couple of stitches.

He sighed and pulled out his medical gear to perform his duty and Hannibal Jr. remained incredibly calm and unmoving as a started sewing his skin back together. Not even a twitch. It wasn't the first time they had done this. Hannibal Jr. tended to take unnecessary risks when in the presence of a patient and Victor had told him many times to be more careful—but his advice seemed to have fallen into the psychologist's deaf ears.

"Thank you."

It was said in such a low whisper that Victor might have missed it if he wasn't so focused on him. Their eyes met and Victor smiled.

"The consult is free. But, if you want to repay me ? Buy me dinner.", he jested and Hannibal Jr.'s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He knew the younger man to be attracted to him, but he didn't expect him to be so forward about it. It was...unexpected.

"Or...I could start ignoring your desperate calls for help ?", Victor added with a small mischievous smirk and Hannibal Jr. smiled.

"Mr. Williams. Are you blackmailing me ? I thought you above this.", he pretended to be offended—but Victor knew better. He knew that if Hannibal Jr. hadn't been a little interested—he would have said no from the start. Instead, he seemed amused, and Victor decided to keep going and see where his perseverance would lead him.

"Nah. I'm just tired of waiting in line. Your fangirls barely leave you alone and I seem to only be seeing you when you need a quick fix. It's getting tiresome. It's almost as if you were using me for my stitching skills rather than because you actually enjoy my company. It hurts my feelings. Deeply.", he tried to keep a straight face—even though he wanted to burst out laughing. He perfectly knew that Hannibal Jr. was using him, but what could he say ? He had a thing for destructive men.

"Ah. A rather rude thing to do, is it not ? I suppose I'll have to atone for my unfairness..", he took a moment before smiling again and taking out his phone. "...I sincerely hope there is no mistake in the number you have given me, or the receiver will have a very special surprise."

Victor bit back a smile before nodding.

"I'll be waiting for that phone call."

*pause in flashback*

"Really ? Just like that ?", Eva asked and Victor chuckled. She had no clue how much courage it had taken him to even ask him out...He had made sure not to mention Hannibal's name though. It wouldn't be good.

"Meh. I asked him out on a date. No biggie.", he said with a nonchalant shrug and Eva sighed—almost dreamily.

"Wow. You make it sound so easy."

"Oh yeah. I was totally cool and collected.", Victor said, but what he made sure to refrain from telling the others was how he had passed 4 days looking at his phone—waiting for his phone call.

*end of pause in flashback*

"Pleasecallmepleasecallmepleasecallmepleasecallmepleasecallmepleasecallme.", Victor repeated and stared at the phone on the table. He rubbed his eyes and sighed before going into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of juice and come back to sit in the living room. It was well past 12pm, but he didn't care. He wanted to be awake for that phone call.

And then—finally—the phone rang. Victor chocked on his drink at the sudden ringing and almost fell off the couch.

"Hey !", he breathed out and Hannibal Jr. arched an eyebrow on the other side of the line. It seemed someone had been looking forward for his phone call. Hannibal smiled.

"Why...That was fast.", he pointed out and could almost hear the young doctor curse himself on the other end of the line.

"Yeah. I was kinda waiting. Okay then. Dinner ?", Victor asked quickly—trying to hide his nervousness, but failing miserably.

"You are quite eager, aren't you ?", Hannibal Jr. smiled knowingly and Victor knew he was being smug about it.

"Maybe ? I mean...Just thought you wouldn't actually say yes.", he answered truthfully and there was a long silence before Hannibal Jr. started talking again.

"I didn't say anything yet.", he reminded him and Victor let out a small awkward chuckle.

"Oh. Sorry. Just thought since you called...?"

...If Victor could have slapped himself—he would have. But, for some reason...he made Jr. laugh and Victor almost lost it at that moment. His laugh was deep and incredibly sexy.

"I am only teasing you. I would be honored to accompany you on an outing of your choice."

Victor let out a deep sigh of relief before finally smiling. Victor was about to ask when and where, but Hannibal beat him to it.

"I'll pick you up at 7pm tomorrow."

And just like that, the call was over.

Victor was left stunned, but couldn't help the small giggle escaping his lips. He knew he shouldn't feel so giddy about going on a date with him...But, damn it ! He was hot and knowing he was going to make many co-workers jealous with that information made it even better.

He looked at the number on his screen and his head felt hazy. He had been so nervous about the whole thing, he had lost many hours of sleep and didn't ponder on why Hannibal Jr would be awake at this hour ?

*at the Hannibal mansion*

"No. No. Please ! I'm sorry. I won't hunt on your land ever again.."

Hannibal Jr. wasn't listening to the desperate screams for mercy of the foolish man who had had the audacity to trespass. He only hummed absent-mindedly while looking at the phone in his hand.

A date.

It had been a while.

He didn't even give another glance to the man before shooting him in the head—the loud bang echoing through the forest before Hannibal smiled to himself.

He wondered what he should wear ?

The next night:

Hannibal Jr. has decided to settle for a white top, distinguished black printed pants and matching black tie. He was humming to himself and had been uncharacteristically cheerful all morning. Kevin, Morgan and Peter had all noticed and looked at each other quizzically at his odd behavior.

Finally, Kevin let his curiosity get the best of him as he asked.

"Hum...You look...nice ? Is there a special occasion or...?"

"Maybe ? I am not quite sure yet..." Hannibal Jr. looked at himself in the full-length mirror in the living room and the boys all frowned at his evasive answer. "...We shall see if the night goes well."

"Are you really going out with someone ?", Morgan asked knowingly and Hannibal nodded.

"It is just a date.", he finally confessed dismissively—but Kevin's jaw dropped at the information.

"A DATE ?! YOU NEVER GO ON DATES !"

Hannibal Jr. shot him a disapproving look and Kevin immediately closed his mouth, as he had now 100 more questions to ask.

"...Well, I am now. I think you boys are old enough to hold the fort.", he said before grabbing his gloves and car keys. "Your dinner is in the kitchen. Don't wait up for me."

He then left and the boys waited until the sound of the car was far away before looking at each other once more.

"We're going ?", Kevin asked knowingly and Morgan confirmed with a small mischievous smile.

"~Oh. We're definitely going."

He then grabbed his own car keys and the both of them walked to the garage. Peter tried to protest, but the other boys were already out the door and he knew there was no point stopping them now. He rolled his eyes before running after them.

"Guys ! Wait up !"

Besides, he was curious too...

[walker-extended-universe]

I've had an interesting revelation on Twitter today

I know how that sounds but hush

It starts with this thread here

(source)

And that just got me thinking about why I liked the concept of Tom/Abby so much. Like, yes, enemies to lovers is fascinating and it doesn't hurt that the writers have made Tom sympathetic with his backstory and we're starting to see that he didn't kill Liam

But it's important to consider that Abby doesn't know any of this. She doesn't know his past or his trauma. She just knows that he's somehow connected to the murder of her husband and is part of a very powerful family that's not afraid to kill to get what they want.

Imagine how terrifying it would be for her to realize that that same man is romanitcally interested in her

I think back to 1x02 and how she interacted with him at the sheriff's house, at the dinner, and when he stepped out of the shadows at the end to offer her a job. She is terrified of him and doing her best not to show it. She knows if she makes just one slip, she's in trouble.

And yet despite that, she chooses to work for him in the next episode. Not only that, she chooses to actively work against him and his family's plans. She's afraid of him, but her moral code and her desire to find justice is stronger than that fear and it just makes her all the more compelling.

1x04 and 1x05 do a good job of making Tom more sympathetic and 1x07 left us all worried for him. Which is fine. But, it took that edge out of their dynamic. Tom is no longer terrifying to us, not really.

I'm not saying this is a bad place to take Tom's character. Not at all. I've been hoping for Tom to get a proper redemption arc and run off with Abby into the sunset. But that's the thing- he still needs a redemption arc. He still needs to address his past actions and become a friendly figure to Abby before they can have any kind of good relationship.

I don't mind that they made Tom sympathetic. Not at all. Far from it. But I wonder if maybe they did it a bit too soon.

This especially has me thinking with the new episode description we got earlier today. 1x10 has them camping out together in a dust storm and tbh that sounds like a fanfic line. How bad is that going to be for Abby?

I just hope they handle this relationship properly going forward and don't hinge Tom's redemption on his attraction to Abby and her accepting him.

[kiruamon]

Teacher-AU Part 1

Okay!

As promised I present you one of my AUs!

First of all the AU contains themes like character death (which is not permanent), grief, emotional pain, etc. However, it also includes reincarnation, Oz as a teacher at Spooky High, and normal school chaos. You could say it starts out very grim and turns into a more positive direction. Sorta.

So now for some important key points about the AU:

Oz and Damien dated during their third year at Spooky High

They remained inseparable after graduation and found an apartment to share together on the surface outside of the eighth circle of hell

Damien had his own small hair salon while Oz worked as a proofreader for a book publisher which he could conveniently do from home

After a few years, they decided to sign a soul contract (which is like a marriage for demons, when both parties sign a soul contract, contractually binding their soul to their partner)

Oz has taken Damien's family name in the process

They wear their wedding rings on a chain around their neck, for Oz's sake they kept them simple, but on the inside there is a delicate engraving: D&O

The following years passed in their usual mixture of chaotic and peaceful moments

And then there was an incident.

It began with Zoe not responding for quite some time.

Oz and his friends decided to look for her, and Oz agreed to search hard-to-reach places where he thought she might be.

Oz would never forget that moment. When he stood on the top level of an ancient ruin surrounded by jungle, which he knew Zoe wanted to visit for reference material, and a wave of terrifying, powerful magic swept over the entire world. A force so powerful that it even caused him severe pain and brought him to his knees for a short time. At that moment, he knew that something terrible had happened. Even if the entire jungle had not fallen silent, he would have known. As soon as he could pick himself up again, he jumped into the nearest shadow to hurry back as fast as possible. Panic-stricken, he looked around his home and tried to reach someone on his cell phone, but none of his friends answered. No answer from Vicky. Not even from Amira or Brian. Liam, Vera, Scott, Calculester, Polly... Miranda... total radio silence, even though the messages went out. No word from Damien… It took all his effort to open the door to the outside. Meanwhile, the bad feeling inside him had increased a thousandfold. It was horrible. There were collapsed, lifeless monsters all over the sidewalks. Like dolls whose invisible strings someone had cut. Cars had run off the road or collided. He could not perceive a single sign of life near him. Everywhere was stifling silence. Feverishly, Oz read through the latest messages from the group chat to find out where his friends had last looked for Zoe. Each new place he came across stabbed him in his nonexistent heart. Everywhere it was the same picture. And yet he didn't want to completely give up hope that maybe one of his friends had survived whatever had happened. But that day, all hope died for Oz.

What happened?

A group of fanatical ritualists caused the end of all life on that day

Humans, monsters and other living beings, as well as they themselves, had fallen victim to their ritual

Only higher, ancient or exceptionally powerful entities had survived this event unharmed

And after that?

Oz felt numb in the first days after the catastrophe

All he could do was to give his friends a place where their bodies could rest peacefully

Zoe remained missing

Many years of aimless wandering followed for Oz, as he could not bear to stay any longer in the place that had once been his and Damien's home.

The memories there were so crowding and took away his breath

So he left, wandering alone through a world that was decaying more and more with each passing year and was being reclaimed by nature

It reminded him in a morbid way of the early years of his existence when he still traveled bodiless across the almost empty world

Every now and then he returned to the anniversary of his loved ones to pay them a little visit

After some millennia or maybe more he was faced with another being

A very, very old entity that Oz could feel how powerful it was

It had been watching him and offered him a deal - a contract

Oz could hardly believe it

They would bring back the lives of all who had died

But there would be conditions, a price Oz had to pay

A little bet or game between them one could say

Terms of the contract:

Oz would be given a limited area to move around within

Oz picked the former Spooky High school grounds where he had last wandered, even though there wasn't much left of the place except for some foundation walls

Oz would have to spend another 2000 years waiting until the souls of his friends and the world were restored

His friends' memories of their past lives would be sealed in their souls

Oz would not be allowed to tell anyone his real name or give any other clue → to ensure compliance, others would not even be able to perceive such clues if Oz told them his name or tried to give them a hint

Fulfillment and end of contractual terms:

The terms of the contract are considered fulfilled as soon as someone calls Oz by his name and is referring to him

In this case, Oz's restricted range of motion would be lifted and his friends' memories of him would completely become a part of them again

Oz didn't hesitate to accept this deal. Even if he ran the risk of being stuck in one place forever, or the risk that his friends would never remember him, this contract would guarantee that they could all come back to life. That Damien would come back to life. He would never have turned down such a deal. And it was just that glimmer of hope he had longed for so endlessly. A goal in sight that he could trade for the despair of loneliness and the emptiness of this world. Everything was better than the state in which the world and he himself were stuck.

After signing the contract, a barrier was placed around the school grounds, which only prevented Oz from leaving the area. Other beings, such as animals - as he discovers over the course of the next few centuries - can enter and leave the area without a problem. He doesn't have much to do during this time, other than twiddling his thumbs and trying not to let his negative feelings consume him too much. Unfortunately, he doesn't do as well as he would prefer. Since he keeps numerous things in his Void - including lots of books, he reads quite a lot to distract himself. At some point he builds a small hut because he doesn't want to be snowed in every winter anymore. Oz hates the cold, even if it doesn't harm him, it always reminds him how much he misses Damien's company and the heat that his partner always radiated.

In the course of time, things start moving. Life returns to the world. Oz notices animals appearing around the barrier and on the school grounds. Interestingly, time seems to move differently outside the barrier, at a faster pace. However, since he can't get outside, Oz can't judge what exactly is going on in the world. About 50 years before the 2000 years are up, Oz realizes that time has aligned both inside and outside the barrier. And then the first monsters arrive on the scene. Build paths, roads, and... Spooky High. For once in so long Oz comes into contact with others. No one he knows, but still.

His first conversation with one of the construction workers is a little awkward, since he hasn't talked to anyone in ages. Fortunately, no one really seems to mind that he lives more or less on the edge of the construction site. As the months go by, he learns that jobs as a teacher are still being sought. An idea begins to take shape in the back of his mind. He decides to take advantage of the opportunity he has here and wants to spend his time more meaningfully than the last millennia by applying for the position of history teacher. Fortunately, the school is still not too strict with formalities and is just happy to find a volunteer candidate at all regardless of the qualifications. Until the opening of the school, Oz practices changing his shape into a more adult form that he can switch back and forth between when needed. At the very least, he doubts anyone would take him even halfway seriously if he looked like a student of the school himself. He also goes back through his old history books and gets permission from the school administration to use the computers in the library as soon as they are set up. During this time, Oz is surprised to find that the new history of monsters and humans resembles the one he knew from before the disaster. Luckily, this means that his knowledge is by no means outdated. And that outside the barrier, during the last 1550 years almost 300,000 years had passed.

Oz spends his next years at the school as one of the first teachers to welcome and teach the new students there. Since his contract prevents him from calling himself by his real name, he introduces himself to everyone simply as Teacher, which the students quickly turn into Teach, which doesn't bother him at all. Over the years, some familiar old faces appear to him. Teachers under which he had once studied himself. Like Coach. It feels extremely strange for him to stand on the side of his old teachers now, although at the same time it is extremely interesting. Nevertheless, this fact gives him so much hope. If his old teachers are gathering in this place again, the same should be true of so many of his friends at some point. Finally, it feels to him as if the hands of his broken clock are beginning to move again.

So that's it for the first part!;P Next time we go to the part of the AU where Oz meets his former friends. Which brings it's very own difficulties with it. By the way, for the sake of simplicity I call the AU the Teacher-AU. Simply because it's shorter than something like: All my friends died in a catastrophe, were reborn and now I'm their teacher-AU.;'D

[fearsmagazine]

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures

SYNOPSIS: Based on a single chapter from Bram Stoker's novel “Dracula,” the film tells the terrifying story of the merchant ship Demeter, which was chartered to carry private cargo—fifty unmarked wooden crates—from Carpathia to London. Strange events befall the doomed crew of the Demeter as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage, stalked each night by a merciless presence onboard the ship. When the Demeter finally arrives off the shores of England, it is a charred, derelict wreck. There is no trace of the crew.

REVIEW: This project was bouncing around Hollywood for a bit till André Øvredal landed in the directors chair and it set sail. Over the years this chapter of the Stoker novel has been immortalized in several great films that have tackled the “Dracula” novel. In THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER we are introduced to the crew and passengers on the two week sail from Carpathia to London and the rise of Dracula.

Bragi Schut Jr. and Zak Olkewicz’s screenplay is a solid evolution of Stoker’s chapter. They jump right into the tale and the mythology as the Demeter quickly sets out of port. We are given a quick introduction to Clemens, a doctor and a man of science trying to get passage back to England. As the story progresses and we are presented more of his background story he clearly becomes a stand-in for VanHelsing, but a novice. There are a total of eight other men on the ship, a bunch of livestock, and a stowaway, Anna, who is a snack for Dracula. You could easily draw references to a classic haunted house tale or 79’s “Alien.” Other than Clemens and Anna we get a flavor for the other characters and a sense of dynamics of the ship. The film has a classic genre film feel and as such there is no depth of character that emotionally engages the viewer. The plot assumes we bring an awareness of Dracula and the rules. While the viewer might know the rules of the game, clearly these characters do not. I was surprised that Anna, who lived in the village under the shadow of Dracula’s castle, didn’t have anything to offer them to fight the demon. It does treat the material with respect and is a mature horror film that presents some of the issues presented in the novel but never fully embraces them. I think they take a couple of liberties with the vampire rules, but they are exploited in a way that I found ambiguous.

The production values are breathtaking. They built the Demeter’s interior in Germany and the exterior in Malta, and it was set in a water tank that looked out on the ocean. The ocean sequences look as good as any seafaring film with a larger budget. The creature design is a combination of prosthetics and visual effects and looks great, especially how they go about showing it the shadows and darkness, and it evolves. There is just the right amount of blood and gore, after all it is a vampire film, and it looks great. Director André Øvredal, whose credits include “Trollhunter,” “The Autopsy of Jane Doe,” and “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” is a fan and well versed in the cinematic language of the genre and crafts a thrilling and terrifying film. The score is by composer Bear McCreary, whose TV shows such as “The Walking Dead,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Caprica,” and films like “Happy Death Day” and “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.” He delivers another amazing composition that enhances the atmosphere and tone of the film.

The film has a solid ensemble cast. Veteran actor Liam Cunningham as Captain Elliot presents a complex character who is thinking beyond the voyage and his future, but still presents the gravitas of a veteran sea captain. Doctor Clemens is played by Corey Hawkins, with credits on the stage and screen. He does a solid job creating the character’s troubled psyche and he is believable as a man of science struggling to deal with this supernatural entity. Actress Aisling Franciosi, who plays Anna, and the young actor Woody Norman, Toby, create these likable characters that offer the viewer the opportunity to feel a little sympathy for them. Both are fighters and I found myself rooting for them right up to their bitter end.

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER is an excellent high seas horror epic that does a terrifying job of expanding this segment of Stoker’s novel “Dracula.” It’s a solid addition to the evolving “Dracula” mythology. I know there are some Stoker and “Dracula” fans and scholars who might be put off by some of the liberties they take in the final act of the film. However, there is enough here and is well written that they should be happy with the majority of the film. Regardless, vampire devotees are sure to love everything about the film and it will be the hot topic of their discussion for the next few weeks.

CAST: Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, Jon Jon Briones, Stefan Kapicic, Nikolai Nikolaeff, & Javier Botet. CREW: Director - André Øvredal; Screenplay - Bragi Schut Jr. & Zak Olkewicz; Based on "The Captain's Log" from “Dracula” by Bram Stoker; Producers - Bradley J. Fischer, Mike Medavoy, & Arnold W. Messner; Cinematographer - Tom Stern; Score - Bear McCreary; Editor - Patrick Larsgaard; Production Designer - Edward Thomas; Costume Designer - Carlo Poggioli; Special Effects Makeup - Quantum Creation Inc. & Twilight Creations; Creature Makeup Designer - Göran Lundström; Concept Artist - Daniel Carrasco; Special Effects Supervisor - Uli Nefzer; Special Effects - Patrick Tatopoulos; Visual Effects - RISE Visual Effects Studios, MPC, Firebrand VFX; Halon Entertainment, Jellyfish Pictures, & Onyx VFX; Visual Effects Supervisor - William E. Garrett. OFFICIAL: www.demetermovie.com FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/DemeterMovie/ TWITTER: www.twitter.com/universalhorror TRAILER: https://youtu.be/4J2S6U87mQk RELEASE DATE: In Theaters AUgust 11th, 2023

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

[danikamariewrites]

So first just finished Fourth Wing and I would just like to say the ending was disgusting wonderful. That’s all imma say about it. And second, could you do one with Xaden and reader where they just go for a night time flight?

I know you did the picnic but a nightly flight of them and their dragons having fun and relaxing sounds wonderful after the headache this book has given me.

Night Flight

Xaden x reader

A/n: I loved the cliffhanger and I can’t wait for book 2 in November! Enjoy this fluffy fic anon I hope it helps ur headache 😭 in this fic Tairn chose reader so reader and Xaden have that mind to mind connection

Warnings: none

After you finished dinner you excused yourself from the table. Liam rose with you but you shook your head, “Take the night off buddy.” He sat back down, hands raised in front of him. You walk past the leadership table and lock eyes with Xaden. He gives you a slight tilt of his head and you wink at him.

About forty minutes later with your cloak clasped around you, you waited in the shadows by the secret entrance to the flight field. You feel shadows twine around your legs and arms. Xaden steps out of the darkness, a smirk dancing on his full lips.

He pulls you by your waist for a kiss. Leaning his forehead on yours he whispers, “I'm happy you wanted to come with me tonight.”

“Me too.” Xaden’s hand slides to yours as he leads you down the passage.

Exiting onto the field you spot Tairn and Sgaeyl nuzzling each other. It always shocked you to see the two dragons in love. You’d find it sweet if they weren’t terrifying.

“I can hear you, girl.” Tairn said in your head. “I know that’s why I thought it.” You shot back.

You laughed at Tairn and he let out an annoyed huff. Xaden chuckles, “Aww you think they’re cute.” Blush covers the apples of your cheeks. You playfully push at his chest. “Shut up,” you laugh.

Xaden gives you a playful look. “Oh, you’ve done it now.” Your eyes widen and you try to run to Tairn but Xaden catches you first. Letting out a playful screech, he throws you over his shoulder and spins.

Xaden brings you to face him, clutching you to his chest, your feet hovering above the ground. “Come on man, let me go.” He shakes his head. “Nope. Not until you say sorry.” You let your head fall back. “Fine. I’m…not sorry.” He feigns shock. “Wow. I can’t believe this. My girlfriend hurt me and she won’t apologize.”

You scoff at the accusation. “Oh please. Like I could break through this muscle.” Prodding at his chest to prove your point. Xaden puts you down. You walk over to your dragons and mount, ready for your late night flying date.

A few months into your relationship Xaden was still a little reserved. You understood and trusted him. But one night you were particularly pushy and demanded to know where he had been.

Xaden had been disappearing a few nights a week, by himself, which freaked you out. You had went to Liam with your concerns and he told you Xaden was fine. After seeing how worried you were Xaden finally told you his secret.

It wasn't a big deal, he just liked to go night flying alone sometimes. After you both talked about it you felt relieved that he wasn't doing something stupid or dangerous.

After that, he started to open up more about things he liked to do or just random facts about him. He wanted to share things with you. You fell more in love with him. It meant he trusted you as you trusted him. And you would never betray that trust.

Flying across the lake you felt Xaden tapping on your mind. “Wanna do something fun?” You look at him across Tairn’s wings and nod.

He shoots you a wicked grin as Sgaeyl shoots upward. Tairn is quick to follow. They climb and climb at breakneck speed, heading straight through the clouds blocking out the stars.

You let out an uncontrolled laugh, gripping onto Tairn for dear life. As you start to cut through the clouds you lose sight of Xaden. You tuck your head in, attempting to lay flat to Tairn.

You feel him in your mind still, “It’s ok, I’m right ahead of you.” “I know.” You send him a smile, “I love you Xaden.” “I love you too y/n.”

Feeling the cool mist of the clouds was refreshing. You took in the moment and felt lucky to be able to touch the sky with the man you love flying next to you.

Breaking through the clouds Tairn evens out as he and Sgaeyl circle each other. Looking up, your breath catches at the beauty of the night sky. The stars glitter and the full moon is bright. Smiling, you look over to Xaden.

He's watching you take in the view. His lips are set in a genuine loving smile. He's grateful to be here with you. To share parts of himself with you.

tags: @nyotamalfoy @auggiesolovey @bubybubsters @baybay123455 @msiecrane

[tesla-runner]

What doesnt kill you.....

 Erik was standing in front of the cliff, staring off into the horizon, scratching his back in a stupid attempt to keep warm. Because sure, he was stupid enough to go out at night on the coast in only his underwear and expect not to feel cold, but already the cold didn't matter to him, he knew the cold would only worsen further to numbness in the next few minutes.

 "Why are you doing this to me?" he asked the air, as if expecting someone behind him to answer. But there was no one, and it was all his fault.

 Everything had always been his fault, even before he even knew it.

 His dark circles under his eyes were big and black, he had decided not to sleep much in the last week. Maybe he wanted to make sense of Fade's actions, maybe he was worried about Cypher stealing his servos, or he was worried about the desperate measures Brimstone had announced to the rest of the team.

 He sat down on the damp grass, and breathed in the salty sea air that prickled in his lungs, feeling his alveoli being cleansed of the smell of the tobacco he and Liam had smoked a while back. But he didn't want to let go of that tobacco, didn't want to let go of that moment.... He didn't want to let go of Liam.

 The shower water felt warm enough, but Brimstone's caresses on his back, drying him off after the bath, felt even warmer. Kisses on his ear sweetened the day and reduced the pain of bullet wounds from last week's mission, and calloused fingers caressed every furrow of his muscles and skin, traveling up to his chest to bruise the tattoo on his chest and join in an almost pious embrace, but they were forced to separate when they heard footsteps approaching the bathroom, watching with a blush on their cheeks as Phoenix returned for his slippers. The pajama fabric felt soft against his flesh, and he was trying his best to be able to maintain his body heat on the way to the sergeant's room.  

 Breach sees the grass with night dew in front of his eyes, being caressed by the gloom and its breeze, he sees Brimstone lying on the bed across from him as Erik looks into his ash gray eyes searching for that sparkle he so adored. He can't help but remember their arguments, even though it's been months since them.

 "It's not you, understand. You know, some of the agents have been violent lately... But, you know, there won't be any trouble if you don't cause trouble, understood?" he reminded him to say it, with his firm and authoritative pose, something that contrasted with her relaxed posture on the bed, while he read some last reports. He looked up at him, his gray eyes shining with tenderness and affection, glowing with the moon as blue as the sea bravely pounding the shore.

 He felt those calloused hands on his chest, caressing those poorly healed scars from his double mastectomy, those sweet kisses on the back of his neck didn't help him feel better, nor did his spoon position, as he whispered "Goodnight sweetheart" in his ear. He couldn't feel the veil of sleep falling over him, as he stared at the shadows around him waiting for something unusual, in a state of wakefulness that he felt lasted for hours. He kept seeing that desperate dark gray as the specks of dust illuminated by the moonlight danced to the music of absolute silence, which irritated Breach and which he sought to dull with his deep breathing like the sea. He felt that someone was spying on him, but he was too afraid to turn around, having tucked himself up to his head in bedclothes like a child terrified of the monster in his closet. But this monster was real, he knew, the monster had a name, he had encountered it before.

 He didn't know at what moment he closed his eyes, it felt like a blink of an eye, yet he felt a whole life, a whole world of sensations in that ephemeral moment. The taste of blood, a lump in his throat, the prick of sewing needles in his flesh, his favorite stuffed animal, the watery taste of his mother's milk.

 The warmth of a kiss...

 But also the coldness of a touch...

 Breach looked back, knowing that no one usually walked at night, much less near high tide. But still he waited, crossing his fingers that someone would come for him, he didn't care about the punishment, he just wanted someone to be in flesh and spirit by his side. He knew Brimstone wouldn't come, but he longed for him with all his heart.

 He always knew it was all his fault, no matter how much his mother told him otherwise. If he hadn't fallen and tried to get his right arm back, they would have escaped together. Although while fighting with the police officer, he doubted whether the life of a fugitive would be a genuine life, still that doubt gave him enough strength.

 "Hey, girl, stop!" he heard a shout in the distance.

 Erik kept running, frightened by that male voice with the Danish accent, screaming for help to his family, screaming for them to come back for him, but as soon as the policeman tackled him, he covered his mouth with his big, silky-smooth-fingered hand. Erik moved under him like a rabid squirrel, but his 15-year-old girl's body was no match against that man with police training.

 Erik returned to wakefulness, breaking out in a cold sweat and throbbing heavily at the same rate as the gnashing of his teeth, cursing Fade in Swedish for having to use his powers at this hour, but when he goes to get up to look, he sees a light on, in the hallway connecting the other agents' rooms, which puts him on alert, even though he knows that some agents get up to the bathroom during the night. Something was moving in the hallway, and the lights were flashing just like a police car. Just like the patrol car that was there the day of the arrest. Breach takes a breath as the door to the room opens.

 Erik takes a breath as well, before grabbing a rock nearby and hitting the guy in the face with it, causing him to collapse next to him. He climbs on top of him, furious, and starts hitting him with all the energy his prostheses allow him, without stopping crying for a single moment. He feels like a wild animal, or even like a pressure cooker about to explode, and seeing the cop's pained face and the cop's crude attempts to cover himself with a pillow prove to be the escape route for the stress he had felt from weeks of running and hiding. His hands creak together with the bones in his face, as do the officer's moans coming out of his mouth in increasingly less powerful gasps, which did not stop him from drawing his service weapon and firing a few shots into the girl's abdomen. Adrenaline pumped through his body in uncommon quantities, driving him to start strangling him with the force exerted by the heat of the bullet in his body.

 Suddenly the bullet stopped hurting. And the cop stopped breathing....

 Breach couldn't feel more alive and scared of himself. "God did I just kill someone?" he thought in fear. He was always aware that he would follow in his family's footsteps in the criminal world, but he was also always scared of the idea of killing people. He grabbed the cop's head to try to help him...The image he saw froze his blood.

 Breach let out a gasp of air as he watched the waves hit the rocks of the shoreline. He bit his lips until he bled a little as he held back tears. It had taken him a long time to realize that this monster was never someone or something. That monster had always been himself, and today fate had given him the ultimate proof of that.

He hadn't killed a Danish policeman...he had killed Liam....

 Breach gave one last apology skyward before leaping off the cliff.

[lovetold]

i can't stop thinking about you. / liam to elena

" that must be the drugs talking, " she muses as she brushes her wrist against his forehead. grateful to see that his fever was leaving - deigh was healing too, so it made sense. even if she only rarely left to check on the red dragon, she mostly stayed by his side. afraid to admit that she was terrified, that she did not want to stray, afraid he would be gone when she came back. it was going the way it should, brennan had promised her. she tried to believe and have faith, but she wasn't the only one struggling. she saw it in xaden's eyes whenever he'd stop by and linger in the shadows - always while liam slept.

" if it makes you feel better - i think quite a bit about you too, liam. " she promises, an honest promise from her heart. a heart that held so much affection - a heart she was afraid would break to never heal again. her fingers move to linger by his cheekbones, she was lost in a train of thought for a while, a whole lot of what ifs. all of them surrounding the rebellion and liam, both things she would bleed for. " will you stay resting if i leave ? they told me how you tried to get out of bed earlier. bad boy. "

[rotturn]

@raekenpain: [JOLT] -  for receiver’s muse to jolt awake after a nightmare, possibly being held/talked to by sender’s muse. +  “You’re safe. It’s okay, I promise you, you’re safe. You need to stop fighting them.”

the nightmare flashes through his head for a while before he actually wakes up, already sat upright with arms wrapping around him in an attempt to calm him down by the time he opens his eyes. he hears panicked noises, though it doesn’t take him long to work out that he’s the one making those noises. for a moment he struggles, thrashes around, but soon enough theo’s voice starts to cut through the sound of his own whimpering. i promise you, you’re safe. he starts to process things then, shaky breaths becoming ever so slightly more calm, though his heart still pounds heavily in his chest. he trembles, gaze darting around the room in search of a threat, terrified of what could be lurking in the shadows. he instinctually grabs on to theo’s arm, keeps him pulled close, tries to keep grounded to reality by the arms around him. he’s always tried to hide how bad his nightmares get, but it seems that it’s not so simple to do. theo’s always been able to read him like a book, and it’s clear in this moment that liam’s not so capable of hiding the horrors in his brain. knees rise to meet his chest, completely curling up in the safety of theo’s arms. just having someone there can make all the difference, can make it a little easier for liam to deal with the fears in his head, the things he sees in the shadows that are never really there. breathing is still shaky, his body still trembles, heart still pounds, but he’s calmed down a little, isn’t squirming around anymore.

[mrsstruggle]

The Lost Child - Chapter 22 // Teen Wolf x Marvel AU

Summary: Y/N Stark was taken from her family when she was three years old. It's fifteen years later and her family believes she is dead. Then how is she living in Beacon Hills?

Warnings: Language, Mentions of Death/Torture/Drugs/Violence/Injury, Brainwashing, Possible Grammar Mistakes (please let me know if there is anything else)

Pairings: Derek Hale x Reader, Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes, Bruce Banner x Natasha Romanoff, Vision x Wanda Maximoff, & More To Come.

Previous Pairings: Tony Stark x Pepper Potts, Scott McCall x Allison Argent

Words: 3.4k

Note: I am posting every 3-4 days! I apologize that this is late but I made it longer than my other chapters and I hope you like it!

Additional Note: While this is a Teen Wolf x Marvel AU, not everything is true to the shows/movies/comics. I had to change things for the story. This also loosely follows Teen Wolf Season 4.

One Last Note: Y/N was adopted by Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. I did this so more people can see themselves in this story.

***I do not own Teen Wolf or Marvel or any related characters. This is a work of fanfiction and is meant for entertainment only.***

Masterlist

The Lost Child Masterlist

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

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

Stiles is frozen. He doesn't know how to comprehend what just happened. Y/N just killed Liam.

Y/N just killed Liam.

She helped Scott teach him how to be a werewolf. She was helping him learn to control his anger. She just killed him.

The girl standing in front of him isn't his sister. Y/N would never do this. Now there's just some girl standing in front of them with a murderous yet gleeful look in her eyes. A girl who looks like she's ready to pounce on them at any moment. A girl who looks like she has no idea who they are.

"Y/N..." Stiles whispers in shock.

They watch as Rumlow walks over to stand behind Y/N as Gerard steps up next to her. Gerard turns to look at her, "You have your mission. Finish it."

Stiles can feel everyone around him slightly prepare themselves for whatever happens next. They all know the plan is to save Y/N. She is exiting this building with them, alive. The question is, how many people are going to die to save her? She just killed Liam and Stiles doubts he's the last.

"New orders," Rumlow speaks up from his place behind her. She slowly turns to look at him. "Kill them all."

Y/N slowly turns back and locks her eyes with Derek’s for a moment. She winks at him before lifting her right hand and quickly moving her pointer and middle in a swiping motion. A dark chain flies from the corner of the building and wraps itself around Derek's left wrist. She lifts her left hand and repeats the same motion as before. Another dark chain flies from the other corner of the room and wraps itself around Derek's right wrist.

The chains tighten around his wrist before they start to slowly pull on his arms. While everyone is too busy looking at Derek, Peter Stark, and Stiles can feel themselves being thrown against the back wall. They try to break free from whatever hold Y/N has on them, but they can't. They look up towards her to see two dark webs fly toward them and pin their bodies against the wall.

Peter looks down in awe at the web and notices that it's like his own webs but black and more solid. "How can she do this?!" Peter asks Stiles.

"It's a part of whatever powers Hydra gave her! I've never seen her do this before!" Stiles answers back. Right now, he is terrified. Not of Y/N, but for Y/N. Who knows what more Hydra has done to her and who knows if she knows what they're making her do.

After being in shock from seeing his missing daughter again and seeing her kill someone, Tony comes back to his senses. He blasts the chains trying to pull Derek apart and watches as they break before fading back into the shadows. He turns back to look at Y/N to find she's no longer there, "Where'd she go?!"

Everyone starts to look around for her as they prepare themselves for what could happen next. No one moves to help Peter or Stiles because they just seem to be trapped and not in pain. Bruce tightens his grip on the needle in his hand. He brought a little something to sedate Y/N with so they could get her out of here if she refuses to go willingly. He also made sure that this was his job, so he'd have something to focus on to keep the Hulk away from this fight.

Scott stops moving as he tries to listen for her. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before trying to hone in on his senses. He can hear the multiple heartbeats in the room, he can hear Stiles and Peter struggling against the binding web holding them against the wall, and he can hear the other's subtle movements as they look around for her, but he can't seem to hear Y/N.

He tries to block out the others and just listen for her, but he can't seem to do it. His ears almost perk up like an actual wolf's as he starts to hear something. It has a similar sound to when Y/N forms things out of the shadows. But where is it coming from? He tilts his head a little hoping it will help him hear better. Is it coming from above them? He slowly looks up to see a large cage forming near the ceiling above them. "Guys..." quietly mumbles to get the other's attention.

Everyone turns to look at him before looking up to see what he's looking at. Everyone can see the cage, but no one seems to move. It's not because they're scared but because they're curious. Curious about what was going to happen next. They watch as the cage finishes forming.

Scott sees it move slightly before yelling out, "Move!"

Everyone quickly scrambles to move out of the way as the cage comes crashing down. Luckily no one got trapped inside but not everyone was able to get out of the way in time. Peter Hale yelps in pain as the cage crashes down on the back of his right ankle causing it to be trapped under the edge of the cage and send his body crashing down onto the floor. Everyone can hear him groaning in pain and mumbling different obscenities, but no one moves to help him. They are too busy looking around for Y/N.

"Shadow Wolf, stop playing around! Finish them! Now!" Rumlow calls out.

Steve tightens the shield around his arm as he prepares to protect himself and Bucky from whatever she may throw at them. He wants to be excited they finally found her but it's hard to do that when she's trying to kill them. As he turns to look at Bucky, he can feel himself being thrown against the wall next to Peter. He's quickly trapped by the same webbing that's holding Stiles and Peter captive. He turns to his left to see Bucky and Bruce in the same position he's in.

Scott, Derek, and Malia are thrown against the wall next but on the opposite side of the distillery. The same webbing is thrown at them, trapping them against the wall. Derek struggles against the webbing but nothing seems to happen.

Kira watches as the same webbing flies her way before slicing through it with her katana. She's only able to slice the top of it so it still flies her back against the wall but only traps her legs. As she attempts to cut her legs free, she doesn't see the new webbing flying at her, trapping her against the wall and knocking the katana out of her hands.

"Y/N! This isn't you! Stop!" Stiles yells out.

Peter Hale struggles against the cage that has his ankle trapped. He knows his ankle has completely shattered and he needs to free it so it can heal. It's just hard to break free from a heavy cage pinning him down while he's on his stomach on the ground. He slowly starts to feel the cage get lighter on his ankle before it completely disappears. As he moves to stand up, a dark web flies from above and pins him to the ground.

"We need to move. We're too vulnerable in one place." Sam states, his falcon wings opening on his back as he prepares to fly up and try to find her.

"If you see a web shooting at you, shoot at it. Don't let it pin you." Tony tells the standing Avengers.

As Natasha turns to look at Bruce to see if he's okay, she's thrown against the wall next to Stiles before she's pinned against it with a web. She groans in annoyance as she struggles against it.

"Don't let that happen," Tony states.

"She can also pin you by your shadow! She can throw you across the room using your shadow!" Stiles yells out at them. He knows they probably think they could beat her if they tried but it's not possible.

"Well then good luck," Tony shrugs his shoulders. He doesn't know what they could exactly do against that.

Tony, Thor, Sam, and Wanda start to move as they look for Y/N and watch for anything flying their way. Sam flies up to see if he can see her, but he doesn't see her at all. He flies around before he sees a web shooting toward him. He quickly moves out of the way and watches as it hits the wall behind him. Two more webs shoot at him and he manages to dodge them both. He looks towards the corner they're coming from, but he doesn't see anyone.

As Sam flies towards the corner, a web flies up from below him and pins him against the ceiling. Two more webs shoot up pining the wings of his suit before two more webs shoot up to make sure he stays pinned. He tries to fly from the webs, but they don't budge. The extra webs must be preventing him from breaking free.

Tony, Thor, and Wanda are now standing in a circle in the middle of the room. If Y/N tries to come for one of them, she'd have to get through all of them. Their eyes dart around the room as they wait for something to happen.

If they were thinking straight, they'd use their time to free the others, but they aren't thinking straight. If they were thinking straight, they would attack Rumlow and Gerard, but they aren't thinking straight.

As they wait for a web to fly at them, Tony is pulled across the room as a chain flies out from a corner and wraps around his waist. He shoots the chain and breaks free from its hold. He turns to look back at the others before another wraps around him and pulls him against the wall next to the spiral carved into it.

He shoots the web that flies at him as he struggles against the chain. More webs continue to fly at him as he shoots them down. What he didn't know is that they are a distraction. As he was too busy shooting the webs flying at him, he didn't notice that more chains continued to wrap themselves around him like tree vines. It’s not until they reach his arm does he notice that he is fully pinned.

Thor and Wanda were now the only ones standing. Everyone else was pinned to the walls or ceiling but they were still free from any binds.

"Remember, don't kill her. If you use any of your lightning on her, you will fry her." Wanda whispers to Thor.

"I'd rather be dead than ever harm her," Thor mutters back to Wanda.

As Thor finishes his sentence, a dark chain wraps around his hammer and pulls it from his arm. He quickly calls his hammer back towards causing it to break free from the chain. A web shoots from the other side of the distillery toward him before he throws his hammer toward it, breaking it.

His hammer lands back into his hands as dark vines shoot up from the ground and wrap around his ankles and slowly make their way up his body. He tries to kick free but can't seem to move. He points his hammer toward the moving vines and tries to summon lightning to burn them off, but it doesn't seem to work. He points his hammer to the ceiling ready to summon something to help him before a chain shoots out and snatches his hammer away from him.

The hammer is thrown across the room and out of Thor's sight. The vines quickly wrap around his arms and force them close to his body. He tries to move his fingers to call his hammer towards him, but nothing seems to happen.

Wanda is now the only one left standing.

She knows if she could get into Y/N's head then she could stop her. She just doesn't know if she could get close enough without something stopping her.

"And then there was one," Y/N's voice echoes throughout the distillery.

"Technically we're all still here!" Stiles yells out. "No one is dead yet!"

"Someone is dead," Peter mumbles from beside Stiles, his head motioning towards Liam whose body is still lying on the ground.

"Not all of us are dead yet!" Stiles corrects himself. He forgets about Liam for a moment because he can't stop thinking about the fact that she's only pinned everyone down. She hasn't killed any one of them yet.

They watch as Y/N steps out of the shadows holding Mjölnir by her side, "Where would be the fun of just slicing your shadows down or shooting at you with arrows? Where would be the fun of wrapping chains around your arms and legs and just pulling your limbs apart? I want to feel your pulse stop as my claws slice through your neck. I want to see the life fade from your eyes. I want to feel your warm blood soak into my skin." She smirks a little at Stiles.

Stiles wants to throw up. Where did his sister go? What did Hydra do to her? This isn't her. This is some stranger pretending to be his sister. He wonders if this is how she felt when he was void. He wonders if she was terrified of the person he became or terrified of the thing forcing him to become someone he's not.

Wanda readies herself as Y/N starts to walk closer to her. She doesn't know why she suddenly decided to change things up but she did. She knows she just has to get close enough to break her free from Hydra's hold. Hopefully.

"I've decided to give you a chance to try and stop me," Y/N smirks at Wanda. "You're supposedly the strongest Avenger. Let's see if you're stronger than me."

Wanda hesitates for a moment before shooting her powers out toward Y/N, holding her in place. She watches as Y/N drops Thor's hammer and struggles against the magical hold Wanda has on her.

Wanda slowly approaches Y/N as she continues to struggle. As Wanda becomes only a step away, Y/N stops struggling and starts to laugh to herself. Wanda stops moving as Y/N's laughs become louder and louder.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Y/N continues to laugh as if someone just told her the funniest joke in the world. "Is this seriously all you got? I thought you were the strongest Avenger? This...this is nothing."

Wanda gives Y/N a confused look before she's thrown across the distillery. She struggles to get up as Y/N holds her down by her shadow. She tries to move her arms but they are being held down as well.

Y/N slowly walks over to Wanda before kneeling next to her. Wanda expects her to say something but she doesn't. All she does is smile at her. Wanda's right arm suddenly becomes free and she lifts it up to Y/N's head and pushes her powers into Y/N's mind. Wanda's face turns from a look of concentration to a look of confusion.

Wanda looks into Y/N's eyes to see her staring right back at her. Y/N quickly snatches Wanda's hand away and webs it to the ground before doing the same to the other hand.

Y/N stands up from the ground and looks around at everyone pinned to the walls. She then looks up to see Sam still struggling against the webs holding him to the ceiling. She looks back over to Rumlow and Gerard to see them walking towards her with proud looks on their faces.

"Finish them. Make them pay." Rumlow orders her.

Y/N smirks back at Rumlow and Gerard, "Okay." She turns to wink at Stiles before turning back to Rumlow and Gerard.

Y/N does a motion with her fingers. Chains fly up from the ground and wrap around Rumlow's and Gerard's ankles. More chains fly from the side of the room and chain their arms and hands to their bodies. They struggle against the chains but they just continue to tighten around them.

"Shadow Wolf! Stop! Finish your mission!" Rumlow yells at her.

"My name's Y/N and I am finishing my mission." She can feel her anger almost radiating off her.

"What the hell?" Gerard growls out, giving Rumlow an angry look.

"Maybe next time you should find a better witch to try and control my mind. You can't seriously think I would ever follow orders from you?" Y/N scoffs in disgust.

"Wait, now I'm confused," Stiles states from where he's still pinned against the wall.

"Liam!" Everyone watches in shock as Liam stands up from the ground and walks over to Y/N. "Text Mason and tell him to order some Pizza to my place. Make sure he gets enough for everyone and tell him I'll pay him back. I'm really fucking hungry so it better be there by the time we arrive."

"Wait, what?!" Stiles exclaims. He's so confused about what the hell is going on.

"Let me explain. They brought in a witch to try and mind control me into doing whatever they say but it didn't work because my mind has been protected for years. Instead of killing them right then and there, I decided to be a bit dramatic and let them think that it worked. I was hoping that their little secret helper or investor or whatever you want to call them would be here when this happened but I guess they were busy. We can always get them later." Y/N starts to pace in front of Rumlow and Gerard as she explains her story. "They wanted to lure you here so they sent you a picture of me pretending to be scared. One of the agents found Liam in the woods and brought him in for me to kill him so I suggested we wait for you so that you'd take me seriously. Me and Liam then came up with a plan to fake his death. I scratched deep enough for it to look fatal but not deep enough to actually be fatal. Most of the blood you saw," Y/N holds up her hand with dried blood on it, "was actually my own."

"Why the hell did you attack us if you were faking it?!" Stiles yells at her in disbelief.

"I knew I had to pin you down because you'd never let me do what I'm about to do," Y/N explains to him. "Well, you probably would but I know Scott never would. I don't know about the others. And again, I like to be dramatic."

Liam starts to laugh, "You should've seen the looks on your faces! It was so funny!"

"We thought you were dead!" Stiles exclaims.

"Someone gets us our Emmys because we fucking deserve that shit," Y/N laughs with Liam as they high-five each other.

"Y/N, I know what you're going to do and it's not worth it! It makes you no better than them! It won't make you feel better!" Scott yells at her as he tries to free himself from the web holding him against the wall.

"Scott, you spared Gerard and then he ordered me to kill Stiles and Derek. I'm not you. I'm done letting people continue to be hurt by us sparing every psychopath we come across." Y/N gives Scott a hard look to let him know that this isn't a discussion.

"I hope that doesn't apply to me," Peter Hale mumbles to himself.

The Avengers look at each other. They don't know if they should say anything. She hasn't done anything to indicate that she has any idea who they are. Nothing they say will change her mind. Bucky won't say it in Steve's presence but he's proud of Y/N. He just wishes it was him killing them instead of her.

"Y/N!" Y/N whips her head over to Derek. "I call Gerard."

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

@vicmc624 @mrspetxrs @freyathehuntress @fheresm @stefans-wife @taketimeandappreciate @youralphawolf72 @ornella0910 @shedsblood @ts1mp0ne @beautifulgrungekid @danielle-leah1997 @itmejado @ivettt @james-bucky-barnes-bitch @learning-howto-be-myselfx3 @darkenwolfie @lokiandbuckywife @xx-narcissa @elite4cekalyma @thecrazytealady @misshale21 @cevans-winchester @ladyjenjay @fayhay14 @wtfcas @spencerreidsbookclub @hinata7346 @randomhoex @mirakeul @n1ght5h4d3-24 @belovacc @speedy-object-dream @pepelachanel @dark-night-sky-99 @xoxoloverb @ilearnedthatfromethepizzaman @kingshitonly @isnt-itstrange @twsssmlmaa @navs-bhat @zealouspostwitch @llamaproblem @emily-roberts @me-unintentionally @inyourmomsworld @depressedsleepysloth @allthingsavenger-y @missnyxsblog

[bixbiboom]

Hi! Which crit role one-shots would you recommend to someone who only started watching with campaign 3 (and doesn't have thousands of hours to spend watching the first two)?

If you’re looking for ones that aren’t tied to campaigns you haven’t watched yet:

»Liam’s Quest« and its follow-up, »Liam’s Quest: Full Circle«. Liam leads the cast through a Lovecraftian post-apocalyptic LA that seems to start like any other day. These two are honestly just a huge love letter from Liam to his friends.

»Thursday by Night, Part 1« and »Part 2«. Taliesin DMs a oneshot of Vampire the Masquerade while Matt and Marisha left for their honeymoon. The second part was a Halloween episode, and Laura dressed as Chell from Portal 2 but with vampire fangs is very good.

»Bar Room Blitz«. Takes place in the same world as the main campaigns but with all-new characters. This was Sam’s very first time DMing and it’s a disaster (but like in a good way), and contains a fan favorite character Jayne.

»Shadow of the Crystal Palace«. Taliesin leads Travis, Liam, Marisha and friends of the cast through a Lovecraftian horror tale using the Call of Cthulhu system. Be aware this one has some heavy horror tropes, but watching Travis being dragged through terrifying situations is always a good time.

If oneshots with ties to existing campaigns are okay:

»Honey Heist«. Marisha leads Sam, Matt, Brian, Taliesin and Liam in a game of Honey Heist in which everyone plays bears trying to steal honey. The only info you need to have from the first campaign is that Trinket is the ranger companion of Vex and lives in Whitestone Castle. They’ve played Honey Heist again twice more as well: »Part 2: Electric Beargaloo« and »Part 3: Tova’s Honeys«.

»The Adventure of the Darrington Brigade«. Connected with the first campaign in that one of the members of Vox Machina has organized an adventuring party of all-new characters. I haven’t watched this one yet myself, but I’m told Travis as Macaroni Samsonite and Liam as Buddy the Ogre aren’t to be missed, plus Taliesin plays a vigilante inspired by Batman called The Owlbear. Sounds like a good time to me!

»Search For Grog«. This one is much more campaign-centric, but the only thing you really need to know is that Grog (Travis’s C1 character) drew a card from the Deck of Many Things and was sucked into the Plane of Pandemonium, very shortly after Vax’ildan (Liam’s C1 character) fulfilled his service to the Raven Queen and left Vox Machina. The remaining members of Vox Machina have to go find Grog and bring him home. This is the origin of Travis’s character Bertrand Bell, and Liam plays a character with a name you may recognize...

»Search For Bob«. This one picks up immediately where Search For Grog left off, and was one of the stretch goals for the Kickstarter. The whole cast was in pajamas.