#She made his childhood drawing into reality and now- it came back to save him from this painful fate.

[fusionsprunt]

So wait. Gideon k.o himself to be Hunter? Or his organic body still intact? He's pulling a Springtrap??

.

[hiccanna-tidbits]

@jackunzel-time

Jackunzel Month Week 1 - Movies

***

Manic Pixie Dream Team

When the lines between fiction and reality began to blur, existence became a strange thing indeed. Rapunzel Corona was just glad the newly-hazy boundary allowed her an escape from Thaddeus Watts.

She’d lived most of her life--or what she thought was her life--in blissful ignorance. All throughout her childhood she had skipped through meadows and blown the seeds off dandelions and painted flowers and chameleons all over her guitar--all things that she supposed she never really “outgrew.” That was her reality--something she never dreamed was only the setup for a budget romantic comedy.

No, literally. Rapunzel was the unwitting star of a budget romantic comedy, trapped in a universe that never let her quirks be fully her own. Or at least that had been the case until recently.

Her first clue that something was amiss is that she simply couldn’t get away from Thaddeus.

The young man was a regular at the coffee shop she worked at, never without a button-up shirt and dress pants. Sometimes he even had on a tie, although never one of the fun ones with pictures of tacos or pelicans or what have you.

When they started dating, Rapunzel would sometimes wrap his ties around her head like a bandana and ask him if he was up for a game of cops and robbers. He always declined.

Thaddeus was a severe young man, always somber and serious and never far from his miniature typewriter and his sketchbook full of depressing pictures. He had a whole entourage of inner demons that he was eager to mention at every possible occasion, never with any shortage of the ways they tormented him. Rapunzel remembered how inexplicably strong the feeling of being drawn to him was, feeling as though she was the only one who could save him from himself

This grew to be a frustrating pursuit several weeks into their relationship.

Thaddeus Watts loved to monologue. He would come home from work with a little raincloud over his head, and when Rapunzel inquired what was wrong, well...there went the next few hours of her life. When she hugged him tightly from behind and told him everything would be all right, he always scoffed and claimed that he was tormented by anguish that she and her joyous whimsy “would never understand.” And yet all of her desperate pleas for Thads to go to therapy went ignored--or worse, were laughed at.

Eventually, the man’s angsting got to be so much that even Rapunzel, the ray of sunshine named after a fairy tale princess, began to grow weary. But ending their relationship proved not to be easy.

Breaking up with Thaddeus did not bring her the relief she'd craved. Instead, she felt almost sick, the strange pull that had initially brought her close to Thaddeus intensifying tenfold. Still, she ran from it, quitting her job at the coffee shop and taking pills for the frequent nausea.

Yet somehow, serendipity kept drawing Thaddeus into Rapunzel's path. At first she thought he was following her, but she came to doubt this.

His appearances felt a little too plot-contrived to be stalking.

When she noticed the shimmering expanse on the back wall of the newest restaurant she'd been hired at, floating like a portal, everything fell into place. It was a screen--and the world of free will was not her own. The world of free will lay on the other side, while Rapunzel was a mere prop in the kind of story used to help grumpy, miserable boys like Thaddeus feel better about themselves.

She waited until the audience's focus had to be on something more interesting than her--Thaddeus fighting with the waitress about his wine not being bitter enough--and she made her escape out of the corner of the screen.

And now here she is, hiding in a movie theater alcove by the trash cans. Surrounded by the smell of butter flavoring and nacho cheese and completely unsure of what to do.

Hopefully she just passes for another viewer, waiting by the theater exit for a friend perhaps. They’ve played a couple movies since hers, and in those 3 or so hours she’s explored the bathroom, bought some junior mints, and tried (unsuccessfully) to come up with a plan of action with only a walletful of cash to her name and a very cranky multi-millionaire director who’s sure to be displeased the hot, charming manic pixie dream girl in his movie is no longer selling box office tickets.

“Oh, thank god. You too?”

She looks up and nearly chokes on her mint.

Something about the cute young man with dyed white hair rounding the corner tells her he’s not just another moviegoer. His lanky form has the slightest reflective sheen to it--a slight shimmer that none of the people from this world have.

Luckily, none of the people from “the real world” have noticed Rapunzel’s own shimmer. It might help that she’s been keeping to the dark.

“Oh, my god.” Rapunzel speaks through a mouthful of chocolate. “I thought I was the only one! How bad was yours?”

The skinny man makes a face. “Hallmark Christmas movie. I got saddled with Angela. Had to teach her the ‘true meaning of Christmas’ because she hates the holidays with a passion. I...guess that’s when her company’s profits drop the most? Because everyone’s out of office or something? Pretty sure the only thing she actually cares about is getting the biggest penthouse in NYC.”

Rapunzel hums sympathetically. “I’m sorry. She sounds like a pain.”

“It's weird, like...I remember we went to grade school together, but she was pretty mean to me. And now I guess I’m supposed to change my mind because she got super hot, but...” He shakes his head. “I don’t know. Every time I realize I don’t actually want to spend time with her, I get this really strong drive to help her lighten up. Kind of out of nowhere?”

“Me too!” Rapunzel laughs in relief. So somebody understands. “It was like...I was tied to Thad with this invisible string I couldn’t ever just cut. But not in a romantic way. More like...an annoying way. A ‘the universe just keeps shoving you together and telling you you should like it’ kind of way.”

The white-haired man looks at her like she’s offered him free lattes for the rest of his life. “I am so glad I found you, uh...”

“Rapunzel,” she finished, smiling. “You might pick up that they leaned into the whole ‘quirky weirdness’ thing in the writer’s room.”

“I’m Jack.” He shakes her hand, luckily not seeming to care it’s a little sticky with chocolate. “Just a simple, classic name for a hometown hunk, I guess. Added the dyed hair to spice me up a little.”

She raises her eyebrows at the word “hunk,” and he waves a hand dismissively. “Oh, you know what I mean.”

“Do you...” Rapunzel frowned. “Do you think they’re going to try and catch us? Make us go back to our movies?”

“Probably.” Jack shrugged. “But we don’t have to worry about that right now. It’ll take them a while to realize we’ve left, so might as well enjoy the freedom.”

“Might as well.” Rapunzel holds out the small cardboard box. “Mint?”

He accepts. They wander in and out of theaters, sitting in on sci-fi thrillers and fantasy epics and screwball comedies and period dramas alike. Jack buys them a blue raspberry icee to share. He apparently shares her sweet tooth--one she hasn’t indulged in quite a while due to Thad avoiding sugar like the plague. Always reminded him too much of the arguments his parents used to have about his mom’s diets, he said, and the divorce that eventually led to.

“So.” Rapunzel turns to Jack with a conspiratorial smirk after an especially inane romantic comedy. “This...Angela. Do you think she likes the broody, tortured type?”

“Oh, sure,” he says. “I’ll bet she’d love a househusband she could sulk with. You said Thaddeus could never hold down a job, right?”

“Nope. He always got let go for monologuing about his tragic backstory when he was supposed to be filling spreadsheets.”

“A tragic backstory!” Jack barks with laughter. “Man, she’d eat that up. She always insisted underpaying the secretaries was fine because ‘humans are inherently depraved.’”

“That checks out,” Rapunzel says with a sigh. “I hope they find better jobs.”

“You and me both.”

“I...do have to warn you, though.” She grimaces. “Is Angela all right with weird diet indie vegan food? Pretty sure that’s all Thad knows how to cook.”

“Honestly she’d love that. She’s always obsessing over her calorie intake anyways. I tried to gift her a box of Christmas cookies and she nearly fainted.”

“Well, I’m thinking.” Rapunzel’s smirk suddenly returns, wider than ever. “How do you think our directors would feel about...a crossover? Our movies combine, and this could be the contemporary angsty romance drama of the decade. The emo guys and the girls with sticks up their butts and all the tormented souls would come flocking. Might do better at the box office than either of our movies would otherwise.”

Jack’s grin could light up the whole post-movie theater. “And then they won’t make us go back! We can stay here, and I can get a new place and put up a truly disgusting amount of Christmas lights--”

“And I can stuff daisies in my socks without anyone scolding me about it!” Rapunzel finishes gleefully. He laughs and offers her a crisp high five. She gratefully accepts.

And so began the work of the Manic Pixie Dream Team, off on a quest to liven up their own lives for once. Focusing on themselves despite the plot's every protest. But there’s only so far you can escape the tropes written into your very DNA--Jack and Rapunzel might just accidentally liven up each other's lives along the way.

***

AKSDPSBUFYBV ONLY TOOK ME OVER A WEEK BUT I FINALLY GOT IN MY FIRST JACKUNZEL MONTH SUBMISSION

Basically came from a conversation on the RotBTD discord about how Jackunzel is basically just Manic Pixie Dream Girl x Manic Pixie Dream Boy XD But then I was like “no wait...what if they actually were Manic Pixie Dream Love Interests, but then they escaped their movies to get away from their boring surly broody protagonist love interests and then they fell in love with each other instead???” And well...the rest is history XD

(Rest assured the movie authorities and two very cranky multi-millionaire directors are definitely going to try and track our favorite Manic Pixie Escape Artists down. Not like it’ll be hard, since they’ll just go after whoever is teaching squirrels to dance in the park XD Hopefully the Thaddgela scheme will play out all right!!!

...it definitely will. Thaddeus x Angela is too funny a ship for me not to make it canon in this timeline. Thaddeus stays home all day and writes broody articles for an indie magazine while Angela makes bank for both of them at her Businessy Business Job. They own the biggest penthouse in New York and are loaded enough to buy all their groceries exclusively from Whole Foods and Sprouts. Meanwhile Jack and Punz eventually get a house where the front yard is so loaded with holiday decorations and overgrown flower gardens that you can barely get to the front door! Bless!)

Figured this was perfect for movie week!!! Sorry to get started so late, I’ve been a busy gorl ^^; Got quite a few submissions I’m prepping for song week, though!

Moodboard pic credits are available upon request!

[ddarker-dreams]

Eternal Binding. Yan Zhongli x Reader

Warnings: Unhealthy yandere themes and non major character death, spoilers for Zhongli’s identity I think ??  Word count: 1.2k.

Liyue, as it is now, feels different than how you remember it growing up. 

It started with little things. Popular trends rose and fell at breakneck speed, the second you finally felt caught up, the people of Liyue had moved onto the next eye-catching phenomenon. 

Imperceivable grievances upon first glance, that once pointed out, you would fixate on like a man possessed. He had warned of this fate that awaited you, yet you chose to carry out your days in ignorance. That maybe you’d somehow be immune to the pain brought by time moving on with or without you. 

A dear friend from childhood, Nian Zhen, had made an offhanded comment about how her body had seen better days. The rest of your companions murmured in solemn agreement and added on their complaints. They bemoaned the wrinkles that formed underneath their eyes and how their bodies had begun to ache after a day’s full of work. All the while, you sat there and silently drank your tea. You had belonged to the same age group as them, yet experienced none of the plights they did. 

At that time, Nian Zhen had turned to you and posed a question that pierced your being with frigid dread.

“[First], you look as young as ever. What’s your secret?” She had teased, to which you skillfully dodged the question. The conversation went from there, but you no longer followed it. They’re right, you thought. No grey hairs, aching bones, or wrinkles. It’s impossible to hide any longer.

What your Archon warned you about decades ago had finally reared its ugly head. 

You still remember her funeral in great detail, the proceedings lasted days and were fulfilled to Liyue’s custom. She had died of old age in bed, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. Her eldest son, who had commemorated the ceremony, opened with a line you often think back to.

“My mother lived a long, fulfilling life.”

That she did. When the two of you were children, you used to sneak out at night to play near the harbor. As teenagers, she’d lend at your parent’s farm if they felt ill, the burden shared between you both. Then came being a young adult and the news of Nian Zhen’s betrothal to a local fisherman, which you enthused over. After that, it was nothing but a blur. Her first child, second, third, fourth. They grew up and created families of their own.

All this, while you hadn’t aged a day. 

Rex Lapis stands by your side near the overarching mountains, watching the completion of the proceedings in silence. The skies are unusually overcast, muted colors of grey and occasional dark blues mixing above. Now begins the mourning period, in accordance with Liyue tradition. Nian Zhen’s offspring, that now look to be the same age as you in terms of physical appearance, are nowhere to be seen. 

He snaps you from your thoughts by placing a hand on your shoulder.

“How are you feeling?” Rex Lapis -- or Zhongli, as he prefers you call him in private -- inquires. His touch is unwelcome as he is, yet you don’t have the energy to protest. 

“About as well as you could expect,” comes your response, bitter and scathing. “Why are you still here, anyway?” 

Zhongli straightens his posture, fiddling with the cuffs of his outfit. “I feel it is my duty as your husband to comfort you.”

This earns a sardonic laugh, the smile on your face ingenuine to match. Once, you would’ve considered yelling curses at him until he left you alone, but now you’re faced with a crueler reality. A reality that Zhongli is the only person who can fully understand what it’s like to share this curse disguised misleadingly as a blessing. 

Immortality.

“I’ll be honest. I’m not feeling too comforted right now, or whatever it is you claim to be doing.” You refute, chest feeling paradoxically heavy and light with nothingness. The first one is always the most difficult, is what he told you back then, in reference to watching your mortal friends wither away due to age. Now comes the question of who’s next. Will it be your former neighbor, the blacksmith? Perhaps your old tutor who recently celebrated a century of life? There’s no way to know for certain. What you do know is that if it’s going to cut this deep, maybe you should’ve rejected his offer all those years ago.

Grass rustles to the left of you, dry leaves crunching and twigs snapping, as Zhongli sits by your side. 

“Tell me how to do it properly, then. I’ll learn if it’s for your sake.” Zhongli implores, bewitching amber eyes drawing you into their thrall. The way he looks at you, waiting patiently on your every word as if you held the secrets of the universe, no longer comes as a surprise. Though you might be used to this display, it still manages to unnerve you. The awe-inspiring fact that you’re conversing with a god, the god that you grew up worshipping in deep reverence, still causes your tongue to momentarily forget its function. 

You clear your throat and play with a strand of your hair. “Well, I suppose… there is one question I’ve long wanted to ask of you.” 

He blinks, the confession unexpected, but manages to revert his visage to its typical look of composure. Zhongli nods his head as if it wordlessly urge you to continue. Sucking in a deep breath, you do just that.

“Why… why did you choose me? With your contract, I mean. Surely, there are more special members of Liyue that you could’ve saved, people that would fit the role of an adepti.” 

Zhongli ponders over your question. The silence is torture, not to mention unusual, since you’ve gotten used to him speaking at great length over any subject. Pottery, the history of paper, traditions native to northern Liyue regions; anything and everything he could speak about for hours if you allowed. Now, he’s unable to offer even a single word. You shift uncomfortably in your seat and frown.

After some time passes, his lips part.

“It doesn’t come from any logical place,” Zhongli admits, much to your bewilderment, your head snapping to look at his perplexed face. “I believe it’s referred to as intuition. Yes, that sounds correct. I felt that you would understand me.” 

He holds your gaze, unblinking. “So, I decided to have you by my side for all of eternity.” 

That’s right. The contract you formed on that fateful day said as much. How it so seamlessly flows from his lips is a mystery to you, the declaration sending a fresh wave of shivers and dread down your spine. This is your fate -- you remind yourself -- and the Geo Archon will never allow a person to violate the terms of a contract.

Not even if it’s you.

While Liyue and its surrounding regions are fluid and ever-changing as a rushing stream, Zhongli remains the same as you’ve always known him to be. God of Contracts, Commerce, War, and finally,

Your eternal damnation. 

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being Jane Foster’s child

Jane Foster x child!reader

Thor Odinson x Foster!child!reader

warnings:

a/n: no not a foster child, jane foster’s child 😌 also im so super glad you liked those!!! hope these are just as good!!! and im genuinely so sorry these took so long

prompt: anonymous: “Hey! I just read the Tony Stark x Potts!child!reader HC and I loved it! Would you do the same but with Thor and Jane? ❤️”

no babysitter = go to work with mom

dr. selvig gave you a rubik’s cube to keep you entertained

“fuck that! here, y/n, you can play my DS” -darcy

“can you not swear in front of my child?” -jane

you thought tonight would be boring, but then your mom and darcy collectively hit a homeless guy with a car!

“holy crap, we’re all going to jail!” -you

“don’t say ‘crap,’ y/n! we need to get him to a hospital!” -jane

ngl this dude was kinda funky

darcy used her taser and your mom covered your eyes, but you still peaked ;)

ride to the hospital

“don’t touch him, y/n”

“sorry, doc”

and the very next day you guys stole him 💕

“mr. thor, where are you from?”

“i am from asgard! it is much different from this realm, but your’s is adequate, i suppose”

“thanks?”

you could see the way your mom looked at him, though

he ate all the pop tarts >:(

she gave thor her ex boyfriends clothes

“yeah, donald was a real ass—” -you

“don’t say ‘ass.’ darcy curses too much” -jane

“sorry, mom...anyways, donald forgot to pick me up from soccer practice like, a dozen times. he sucked” -you

“this ‘donald’ doesn’t seem like a very good man...also, what is ‘soccer?’” -thor

you grabbed a soccer ball and tried to show him how to play but there was some other stuff the *scientists* had to take care of

you were a regular at izzy’s diner (well, mom was) and they always made you cute pancakes in different shapes!!

“ah, it’s a smiley face! that’s adorable!” -thor

“yeah! they like to surprise me whenever i come in. they’re pretty awesome” -you

*your mom literally beaming at how good thor is with you already*

you and thor were drawing on paper placemats

and then he broke a glass and you started giggling hdhshshs

but he had to leave

“no, thor, please don’t go!”

“i hope to meet you again one day, little one. hopefully fate sees it through”

:((((

no time to be sad bc ur mom’s lab got hijacked by the government

“hey, no fair! that’s my diary!” -you

“sorry, kid. there are constellation drawings we have to observe” -coulson

“aw, you draw constellations? wait, not now. you can’t just take all our stuff. especially that! that belongs to a child!” -jane

“sic ‘em, y/n!” -darcy

“don’t listen to darcy, y/n” -selvig

chilling in the trailer and missing thor bc he was the most interesting thing to happen to you and your mom in a while

and you wanted her to be happy even tho he was kind of crazy

“hey, mom? do you want to watch the stars tonight like we used to do? we could make s’mores?”

“that sounds like a great idea, baby! i’ve gotta go take care of some science stuff, so i’ll pick up some s’mores stuff while i’m out. love you!”

yeah she went to go see thor and he kinda got arrested but your mom came back home so you could watch the stars!

“so, do you like thor?” -you

“what? what makes you say that?” -jane

“it’s cool if you do, i think he’s awesome. a little weird, but at least he’s nice”

then thor and selvig came home and selvig was drunk as a skunk

*poking him while he giggles and tells you about thor*

“i wish your grandfather could have met that guy! he would have loved him...i wish you met your grandfather, too” -selvig

thor inviting you back outside

“i’d like you to teach me more about this ‘soccer’”

by the time you guys were done, it was 3am and you were too pumped to go to sleep

so thor told you stories of his home and battle and family

you didn’t want him to stop, you were fascinated by it all

and uhhhh yeah then earth kinda had some vikings show up

they told you that you’d “make a fine warrior one day”

and then yall got attacked by a ????? a what??? a destroyer???????

“get y/n out of here now! they shouldn’t have to see this!” -thor

you were still nearby and saw thor become thor again

after he was done fighting the destroyer, you ran to give him a hug

“that was awesome! can i hold your hammer?”

“maybe someday, little one”

then you didn’t see him for 2 years

which upset your mom a good bit, you had to help her through that episode. lots of sitting on the couch and eating ice cream together talking about how he wasn’t worth her time even tho you missed him too

but he came back! and then your mom sent everything flying bc she had an “infinity stone” inside her and thor took you two to asgard

“y/n! you’ve grown so much, i almost didn’t recognize you!” -thor

tbh you really digged the outfit they gave you, but also you were on another planet? thor insisted on giving you a tour (by flying you around)

“i do hope you’re having fun, little one!”

worrying about your mom simultaneously bc you overheard she was sick

but asgard got attacked and you and jane were confined to a room in the palace, which sucked because you wanted to see it all

but thor sent guards to bring you anything to keep you entertained

“maybe we’ll skip the mace for now, thank you” -jane

after several events that count as child endangerment, this chapter came to an end and your mom and thor finally made it official

loki called you a rodent and then saved your life so you were kinda iffy about him

about a year or two later, your mom had to travel a great deal in order to get some work done, so you were left in the care of thor, who took you to avengers tower

“oh, my girlfriend’s child is an angel! and they’re so intelligent, just like their mother!” -thor gushing to other partygoers

“yeah, thor, your ‘angel’ is sneaking drinks from the elderly” -tony

*sipping his beer* “they’re a growing teenager”

you did have an amazing time interacting with the avengers

and once they tried grabbing the hammer, you knew you had to get in on it (but you failed like the rest)

“don’t worry, my y/n, you have to be eighteen years of age to be able to lift mjölnir!” -thor

“oh, that makes sense!” -you, while thor aggressively shakes his head at the other avengers. he just wanted to make sure you didn’t feel bad you weren’t worthy yet :(

more child endangerment but really what did you expect?

thor went off world and your mom split it off w him but you did have his email so you were still in contact with him

swearing you saw odin on the street once or twice (fast forward)

and then your mom dusted and thor found you as soon as he possibly could, it was so good to see him

he took you in since you were alone now, you moved to new asgard and became prince(ss) of the new land by relation?? makes sense right

basically you and valkyrie made all the calls while thor grieved for years

but he still took care of you

“y/n, would you like to play video games with me? i think it may be a good bonding experience, what do you say?” -thor

“duh!”

uncle korg made you help him with fortnite while thor was asleep

you wished to wield stormbreaker one day

showing thor earth media! his favorite star wars character is r2-d2 dont ask why

he taught you asgardian recipes and you taught him...earth recipes?

when he was drunk he’d ramble on about his childhood and battle and enemies and jane and loki and hela and frigga and literally anything that came to mind

“y/n, could you please get me a beer? and get one for yourself, too” -thor

valkyrie most definitely gave you some battle training so you you blow off some steam, you were glad she taught you how to fight like a true warrior

thor wanted to teach you battle tactics so you could fight alongside him, but he never got around to it

a raccoon and bruce banner visited later on, proposing a way to get your family back, thor was an emotional wreck

his debriefing on the reality stone was tense when he started crying about your mom and everyone stared at you

“hey, don’t look at me. i don’t control the god, i just keep him company”

ending up waiting 1 second for the avengers to come back from their mission, resulting in you being stuck in the middle of a very heavy battle

“y/n, get out of here!” -thor

“don’t worry, thor! valkyrie taught me a few moves!”

“you make me incredibly proud, little one!”

“i’m not so little anymore, am i?”

“you will always be my little one, y/n. blood or not, that will not change!”

victory, but at what cost? it was a rough ride, you needed to get patched up, but your mom was finally home and thor...he decided it was time to leave earth again

“don’t worry, my y/n. i will see you again.” *tearing up* “i’m so glad i got the pleasure of raising you these past few years. i love you dearly, now go be with your mother”

you straight up wanted to bawl your eyes out right there

“well, y/n, you’re next in line for the throne of new asgard. what is your first command?” -valkyrie

“actually, i think you’d make a much better ruler than me. i’ve got to spend some time with my mother now that she’s home”

“you’re so much like him, you know that?”

staying with your mother, who was diagnosed with cancer not long after returning from the soul stone (a/n: jane getting cancer is canon in the comics and confirmed for thor 4)

“i missed five years of your life and now i’m sick, that’s just our luck, isn’t it?” -jane

she was understandably upset, but she also felt guilty

“mom, don’t beat yourself up. everything is okay, we’re still together right now. i won’t be going anywhere, i promise”

taglist: @alwaysananglophile // @rorybutnotgilmore // @locke-writes // @sweetheartliz07 // @queen-destenie // @natasha-danvers // @lokihiddles // @frostedgiantfavs // @emygirl // @lotsoffandomrecs // @johnmurphyisbisexual // @teenwaywardasgardian // @pappydaddy // @captainshazamerica // @freya-xo // @ravenmoore14 // @purpleskiesstorm // @ofthedewthesunlight // @canarypoint // @zoeyserpentluck //

[molluskwritesfic]

Where the Roses Grow - Chapter Six

The compound on Arvala-7 didn’t house one bounty, but two. Elsi Nokk is an enslaved nanny with more than a few tricks up her sleeve. She’ll do anything to protect her charge, even if it means standing against - and then with - a certain Mandalorian. Rated M.

@kyjoraven @killtherandomness @nova646​

This story can also be found on Ao3 and Fanfiction.net

Masterlist - First Chapter - Previous Chapter - This Chapter

Chapter Six

Elsi wasn’t entirely sure if she was conscious or not. 

It certainly didn’t feel like she was asleep, but she definitely wasn’t awake either. She could still feel her injuries; her spine, her head, and everything else - they hurt - but from far away, like remembering the pain of a childhood injury. 

Then, all at once, she was absolutely awake.

Reality grabbed her in a burst of steam and light. Her legs weren’t prepared for the rest of her weight, so she crumpled straight to the ground - or at least she figured that it ought to be the ground, because she had absolutely no sense of up or down. 

A soft noise, a panicked half-gasp half-cry burst from her unbidden as she fought to regain her bearings. It was hard though, because she really couldn’t see much of anything. Her vision was fogged over like window panes on a cold morning. She tried squinting through it, but it didn’t help. 

Her heart was pounding wildly, but she swallowed down her panic, recalling what she knew about Carbonite and the accompanying sickness. Her sight would clear soon. She just had to be patient.

But patience wasn't exactly something she could afford. The heavy binders that were being snapped around her wrists were evidence enough of that. 

Elsi stopped struggling when a pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders and shifted her bodily out of the carbonite harness. She slumped against the wall, resting her head against the cool metal of the Razor Crest’s hull and closing her eyes. Through the metal, she could still feel the hum of the engines - still in flight, then. But not for long, according to the subtle jolts and rumbles that made her stomach twist. Flying through a planet’s atmosphere was never as smooth as the emptiness of space. 

Tiny hands clutched at the hem of her dress. Elsi opened her eyes to see the muddled green and brown shape of the child standing by her legs. He cooed. Concerned.

No matter the situation, Elsi always had a smile for him. With shaky hands, she picked him up and brought him to her chest - albeit awkwardly, on account of the cuffs. His fuzzy little head bumped against her chin. He hid his face against her neck, purring to let her know that he was alright. 

Elsi sighed and held him close, savoring these precious few minutes she had left with him. 

The baby chirped happily, oblivious to - or perhaps uncomprehending - her despair.

By the time the Mandalorian came for them in the hold, Elsi’s vision had returned. She was peeved to see that the bounty hunter seemed none the worse for wear. Where she was bruised and trembling, he stood steady. But then again, only he knew just how much damage the armor hid.

“It’s time to go.”

The baby laughed when the Mandalorian plucked him out of her arms and placed him back in his bassinet. The hunter then took Elsi by the elbow and pulled her to her feet. Although she had no choice in the matter, he was careful not to hurt her, holding her steady while she reacquainted herself with her balance and not urging her forward until he was sure she wasn’t going to pitch back over. 

The hatch opened to reveal a planet of volcanic rock and black sand. The shipyard where the Crest had landed was just beyond the gates of a rough looking town of stone. The other ships in the shipyard were much like the Mandalorian’s - tough, but broken and cobbled back together so many times that they looked as if a well-aimed kick would knock them down. 

The Mandalorian nudged her onto the ramp, keeping a firm hold on her upper arm.

“You don’t want to do this,” Elsi urged. It was the closest she would ever come to pleading. “They’ve wanted him for a long time. His life means nothing to them. They’ll kill him if it suits them.”

The black visor stayed fixed on the town ahead. She didn’t think it was because he didn’t sympathize with her - if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have insisted on the removal of her collar - but she also knew that sympathy wasn’t enough. The Outer Rim was hard and unforgiving, and so were the people who lived there. Elsi was a survivor, and it had driven her to try and take the Mandalorian’s life. The Mandalorian was another survivor, and it was driving him to turn them in. 

She tripped on the rough ground, her weakened body overbalanced and she nearly collapsed. The Mandalorian paused, arm snaking around her waist to prevent her from hitting the ground. 

Elsi went for the knife in his boot. The vibroblade slashed upwards, biting viciously into the Mandalorian’s side. In a perfect world, it would’ve been a clean stab, and the bounty hunter would’ve bled out fairly quickly, but the awkwardness of the binders caused the angle to be bad, so it only left behind a shallow gash. 

With a grunt of pain, the Mandalorian shoved her away before she could inflict more damage. Elsi hit the ground hard. The Mandalorian was quick to wrest the knife from her hands. 

Elsi gasped when he grabbed her by her bound wrists and dragged her back to her feet. By now, there was no doubt that whatever sympathy he’d harbored for her was gone; and Elsi was done pretending to ask for it. 

When he tried to urge her forward once more, she fought. She threw her weight backwards, trying to catch him off balance; she tried to bite the arm that held her, with moderate success. By the time they made it to the gate, Elsi had dragged what should’ve taken maybe two minutes into almost ten, and she really and truly was on what she thought might be her last legs.

She was exhausted. The side of her face that had been smashed by the Mandalorian’s helmet was swelling, and thus throbbing and hot. The back of her head felt even worse. Not to mention the mild carbonite sickness that swirled in her stomach, unhelped by the fact that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had anything to eat or drink. Still, she fought on.

The Mandalorian managed to keep his composure, sticking with the tactic of impassively tugging her forward while she struggled, but Elsi could feel his patience wearing thin. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he just went ahead and shot her to save himself the trouble. Hell, she wouldn’t have blamed him. But he didn’t. He didn’t draw his blaster. He didn’t try to hurt her - quite the opposite, in fact. 

When she stumbled, he caught her every time. 

The baby watched all this with wide eyed bemusement, ears flapping in the wind, not knowing what to make of it all.

In town, she continued to struggle, making the Mandalorian battle for every step. It was pointless, she knew. Even if she managed to slip him, she wouldn’t be able to get the baby, too. And if somehow she did, he’d catch up with them before they made it off world, but she’d be damned if she was going to make it easy.

Finally, Elsi found the end of the hunter’s patience.

“Stop it!“ the Mandalorian snarled. The hand that was curled around her upper arm tightened like a steel band and jerked her roughly to the side. 

A soft grunt escaped her as her back collided with one of the stone walls. The Mandalorian’s free hand pressed firmly against her sternum, holding her in place. He towered over her, menacing, crowding, cornering. A wall of beskar hiding her from the rest of the town - from the baby.

She could hear the child twittering nervously from somewhere over the Mandalorian’s shoulder. 

Elsi tried to break his grip by ducking sideways. The hand on her sternum relocated to the base of her throat.

“Will you just - ”

The other people passing through the narrow street gave the pair a wide berth. The slave didn’t bother calling out to them for help. She knew how it worked. If anyone cared about a battered woman getting manhandled, they weren’t about to challenge a Mandalorian on her behalf. 

Instead she scrabbled angrily at the hand that was putting just a bit too much pressure on her neck and fought to twist out of his hold on her arm. 

“Hey!” The Mandalorian gave her a rough shake to remind her that he could make her stop struggling if he wanted. When her gaze finally snapped up to meet his visor, he continued.

“You keep this up in there, they’ll kill you,” he warned, modulated voice lowering so that only she could hear. “They’ll off you as soon as you're more trouble than you’re worth. You cooperate, you’ve got a shot at walking away.”

Elsi curled her lip in disdain, eyes flashing.

“Your concern is touching,” she sneered. “They’re going to kill me either way. I’m a slave. My life is nothing. What are they going to do with the baby?”

He might’ve opened his mouth to respond, but whatever explanation or retort he might’ve had was cut off with a pained groan. Something gripped at his back, rippling unnaturally up his spine from hip to neck, and dragged him backwards.

The Mandalorian staggered back a few steps, struggling to whirl around to face his attacker. When he managed it, he found the space behind him empty, save for a floating pram. The pram’s inhabitant was reaching towards them with a chubby, three-fingered hand, large eyes narrowed in concentration.

The Mandalorian gasped as the invisible hand tightened its grip, testing the hold. As his spine creaked, both adults were suddenly hyper-aware that the child could snap his back like a twig, vertebrae by vertebrae.“Hey! Don’t - ”

The baby had taken to the Mandalorian quickly, but now the tiny green creature didn’t seem so sure. He released his hold upon hearing the fear in the Mandalorian’s tone, but then turned his expectant gaze towards his surrogate mother. The child’s ears were flattened against his shoulders when he reached in her direction with a frightened squeak. 

Elsi, now free from their captor’s grasp, made a beeline for the baby. She smoothed the fuzz on his head and pressed a kiss to his wrinkled brow. The baby patted her cheek in reciprocation and responded to her reassuring murmurs with soft chirps. 

Guilt washed over her like a wave. It wasn’t the first time the child had used his abilities to protect her, and every instance signified a failure on her part. She was supposed to protect him, not the other way around. Even when she couldn’t, it was up to her to make him feel safe and secure. What had she been thinking, flailing around like that? Doing so had done nothing to change their situation, and now the baby knew that they were in trouble. 

She didn’t want him to be afraid. Didn’t want him to worry. That was her job.

The nanny nuzzled the top of his little head and breathed deeply, relishing in his familiar earthy smell combined with the stiff soap from his last bath. She let it wash over her senses. Drawing strength from it and committing it to memory. They would be saying goodbye soon, if they weren’t already saying it now. Probably for good. No matter which of them died or which survived, she didn’t want him to remember her by her fear.

Her dignity - especially in the eyes of the child - was all she had left.

So when the Mandalorian, seemingly unshaken by the baby’s actions, prodded her in the back to get her moving, she did so with her head held high.

She didn’t beg or plead when they arrived at the thick steel door sequestered away in an alley - the Mandalorian had made it clear that this delivery was non-negotiable, and she wasn’t in the habit of repeating an action if it wasn’t sensible. She didn’t flinch when the sensor shot out from the wall. Didn’t cower when the shabby stormtroopers crowded around the trio and herded them into the dark corridor beyond. 

The corridor was hot. Oppressive. The air stale. Heavy boots clunked on the dirty floor, stirring up dust that tickled Elsi’s nose and threatened to make her sneeze.

The baby squeaked for her, dark eyes wide and nervous. She leaned forward slightly to catch his attention and offered him a soft smile - which he returned.

The trooper behind her jabbed his blaster none-too-gently into her back, causing her to stumble a step. 

“Take it easy,” the Mandalorian warned, voice low and imposing in the stifling air.

“You take it easy,” the Stormtrooper snapped in reply.

They were led to a brighter, but equally dingy room that looked to be a repurposed warehouse. An old man hunched at a desk, ignorant to the smell of mildew and rust. The man’s face sagged with age, sullying what probably had once been proud, angular features. The only hair he had left was stiff and white, plastered to the sides of his head, leaving the top wrinkled and bald. He first surveyed the entourage with the disdain born of false superiority until his sharp, beady eyes picked out the green baby floating at the Stormtrooper’s hip. Despite his advanced years, the old man immediately stood and hurried over to the pram, waving a blinking tracking fob around in front of the bewildered child.

“Yes. Yes. Yes,” the man muttered to himself with an excitement that - based on the curious tilt of a nearby stormtrooper’s helmet - Elsi assumed was uncharacteristic of him. 

Elsi came to stand beside the cradle, flanked by the Mandalorian - something she was momentarily grateful for. She resisted the urge to fiddle with her cuffs as another man - younger than the first, with tinted glasses and dark, decently groomed facial fair - crossed the room to hover by the old man’s shoulder.

The baby whined when the younger man scanned him, squinting when the bright red light shined directly in his eyes. Neither man took notice of his discomfort.

“Very healthy,” the younger man commented, voice soft with fascination. 

Elsi’s insides shivered when the old man fixed her with his cold, watery gaze.

“Its caretaker is to be commended, then.” Although the words themselves were not unkind, they made her skin crawl. The old man’s presence alone invoked a visceral emotion, the same she might feel seeing a snake in the grass. “I imagine it has not been easy… caring for a child in these trying times. And even more trying circumstances.”

She fixed the Imp with her best pleasantly-blank gaze, and said nothing.

Thankfully, the man’s attention turned to the Mandalorian. “Your reputation was not unwarranted.”

“How many fobs did you give out?” The Mandalorian’s voice was as soft as ever, but the irritation in it was anything but.

The tension in the room thickened. The baby whined.

A sneer twisted the old man’s thin lips. “This asset was of extreme importance to me. I had to ensure its delivery. But to the winner…” 

The old man paced back to his desk. He reached around the back and extracted a large white, cylindrical case. It was set on the desk with an impressive clunk, showcasing the weight of its contents. 

“... go the spoils.”

The Mandalorian’s head ticked minutely to the side, betraying his anticipation. The press of a few buttons and a twist of the handle caused the case to beep and hiss, and the sides fell away to reveal bars of metal, neatly arranged in dual stacks that gleamed brightly in the murky light. 

The bounty hunter left her side with slow, measured steps, leaving Elsi with the baby, a Stormtrooper, and the scientist that was still hovering over the bassinet. He picked up two of the bars carefully and examined them with a sort of reverence that didn’t seem entirely justified for any currency.

Elsi made the connection. Beskar. No wonder the Mandalorian had been so bent on the exchange. She didn’t know much about Mandalorians, but she wasn’t oblivious to the importance of Beskar. Even without taking the cultural value of the steel into consideration, it was a massive amount of credits. A small fortune, at the least.

I was right, Elsi mused. The payment in its entirety was clearly for the baby. Her value had been bartered and exchanged before her eyes a number of times, and she doubted it was equitable to a single bar.

“Such a large bounty for such a small package,” the old man confirmed. 

The scientist wrapped his hand around the edge of the baby’s bassinet and urged it into motion. Elsi tensed, ready to follow, but was halted by a threatening prod from the Stormtrooper to her left. The Mandalorian turned his head and watched the baby as he was carted through a side door leading deeper into the facility. The child was looking anxiously over the edge of its crib, to Elsi. 

She hated that she had no way to reassure him. 

When the scientist and baby were safely out of sight, the old man flicked his fingers toward the Stormtrooper. The trooper nodded and took Elsi’s arm in an iron grip. He shoved her forward and she had no choice but to comply as she was steered towards another door, one different to the one the baby had disappeared through.

The Mandalorian’s visor glinted in the artificial light. Fixed on her, now. She didn’t try to find the meaning behind the set of his shoulders and tilt of his head, though she passively registered that it might be regret. As far as she was concerned, he was no longer a part of the equation. So whatever amount of guilt he was or wasn’t feeling was of no consequence to her. Guilt might be a bit much to expect. Maybe he was just thinking about how good it felt to fuck her and disappointed that he wouldn’t get to do it again.

The thought didn’t amuse her.

Not that her opinions mattered, anyway. She was ushered out of the room and into a slightly better lit hall. The door slid closed behind her, heralding the end of her brief, almost-freedom.

Not that she had expected anything else.

~0~0~0~ .

[jessicajonesrp]

He’s backkkk

 It took some careful planning, but eventually, Rikarah had what she needed to be able to bring Kilgrave back to life.

 She already had a safe and secure location where she would be uninterrupted during times of needed concentration- her open rented home, just outside of Manhattan. She had never bothered to inform Phillip that she had a rental house; it seemed a better bet to keep the information of her multiple living quarters, unused for most of the year, to herself, just in case. Phillip had been far from discreet, and there was a reason Rikarah had chosen a secondary lodging outside of the business of cities such as NYC, Hell’s Kitchen, Harlem, or Manhattan itself. She was a loner at heart, but her interest and her focus tended to be on others, and it was necessary to spend most of her time among them in order to know them and their lives. This distant secondary home was to be used only when necessary, to recharge, or for specific situations such as this.

 It hadn’t been difficult to obtain a picture of Kilgrave. After the incident on the dock, he and Jessica and Patricia Walker had been all over the covers of newspapers everywhere, so it was a simple matter of a few clicks on a smart phone to find and save a picture of the  man in question. It had taken more time to obtain something with Kilgrave’s DNA. Rikarah had attempted to trace the location of his body- somehow she suspected he had been neither traditionally buried nor cremated, and it was her guess that he was likely being used for scientific experimentation or study, legally or otherwise,  within the government or whoever else had been the highest bidder of access.

 With some creative thought, she had been able to trace back several of Kilgrave’s last known addresses, including the childhood home of Jessica Jones, which was unfortunately no longer standing after its bombing. Nevertheless, Rikarah had discovered that the “Kilgrave survivors” group Jessica had formed over a year ago, with the intention of drawing out Kilgrave and gaining information on him, was still active and meeting regularly.

 It hadn’t been difficult to insinuate herself into the group for a few weeks as a new member, pretending to be one of the traumatized survivors of the incident of Kilgrave-directed violence on the dock the evening he himself had died. Rikarah had enough research information to be able to nod along and briefly and tearfully provide her own version of events. Meanwhile she took note of the people who had spent prolonged time with Kilgrave- being his driver for a week, forced to let him live in their home for longer, or forced to wait on him as a cook, bartender, or masseuse.  

 Those were the ones that may possess something that would carry Kilgrave’s DNA, even now. Those were the ones that she made the effort to befriend, to offer a shoulder and a listening ear. And a few episodes of feigned attraction and friendship had been enough for one clearly still traumatized older man to allow her into his home and his bed, and with minimal encouragement from Rikarah, to lead her in a tour of the house Kilgrave had made his lodging for a time- the house the man still lived in.

 “It was terrible,” the man told her, actually tearful as he shook his head, eyes cloudy as though reliving what he spoke of. “I couldn’t leave the house, I couldn’t speak or even move without him giving me the okay to. He used my house as though it were his, and then one day he just left and didn’t come back. I was terrified that he might return, any moment, and I couldn’t predict when or do anything to stop him. He didn’t even take all of his things with him, and I was afraid to do anything to get rid of them, or even move them, in case it made him angry if he did come back. I know he’s dead now, but even now I’m afraid to touch his things. That’s pathetic, I know, but it’s the truth.”

 It was pathetic, in Rikarah’s view, but it was also fortunate for her. Because among Kilgrave’s “left behind things” were a comb, toothbrush, and some clothing including socks and underwear. All certain to contain Kilgrave’s DNA.

 She had charmed the man with sympathetic words and touches, assuring him of his bravery, lying without a flicker of remorse about her own supposed fear. It hadn’t taken more than twenty minutes for him to be convinced that he was now strong and brave enough to let some of those items go, “just a few to start with, the ones most associated with him personally”- and that she, Rikarah, in spite of her own fear, cared enough about his healing to be the one to take them away to make sure they were disposed of.

 She still couldn’t believe the man was gullible enough to fall for such nonsense. But he had actually leaked tears and hugged her, thanking her for her empathy and giving him the chance to start a new life.

 Ironic, and amusing, really, that in all actuality, she was bringing back what he feared the very most, all in the name of helping him put it behind him.

  So armed in her remote rented home with the personal objects of Kilgrave’s and a clear picture of his face, Rikarah sat cross legged on her bed and emptied her mind of all thoughts but those of her intention. She stared at Kilgrave’s picture, her hands stroking over each object containing his DNA, and pictured him awake, alive, and whole before her. She imagined the beating of his heart, the rhythm of his breathing, every synapse and nerve once more sharp with activity and use. She envisioned the blood running through his veins, and as her own small body grew taut and gave off fevered heat with the effort of her actions, she reached out for the knife beside her knee. Grasping it in her left hand, she slashed a shallow x over each of her palms, and then at the surface of each of her feet. Hands shaking slightly, she smeared the blood over the comb, the toothbrush, and the clothing, combining their DNA.

 With a final shudder of effortful focus, Rikarah spoke aloud Kilgrave’s name. She could feel the air grow thick and strained, as though holding something moving and living and shifting in shape, and she slumped back, exhausted, against the bed, watching with satisfaction as a human form began to slowly knit itself into view in front of her.

 It wasn’t a pretty sight. The revived bodies started first with skeletons, then filled up with internal organs and muscles and sinew, before finally being knit over with skin and hair and the other details normally seen on the outside. It was no different with Kilgrave, and eventually, there he stood, naked, panting, and wide-eyed at her bedside.

 Rikarah smiled, more in self-satisfaction at the accomplished task than at the sight of the man’s naked body. She didn’t consider him overly impressive in his physique, but he would do. It was the man and his mind, not his body, that mattered. She more than anyone knew it was a mistake to overlook people for their physicality.

 “Where the bloody hell am I?” Kilgrave sputtered, disoriented, seeming to struggle to draw in breaths. His lungs, being new again, were likely still adjusting to breathing. “What’s the matter with me? And who the fuck are you?”

 When Rikarah didn’t immediately answer, too tired to bother, Kilgrave straightened, pointing a finger at her, and took a menacing step forward, raising his voice. “I asked you a question, are you deaf? Answer me!”

  “I’m sorry, Kevin, but I don’t take orders from anyone if it doesn’t suit me, and certainly not from you,” Rikarah said coolly, lifting an eyebrow from her supine position on the bed. “As you quite literally owe your life to me, I would expect a little more respect and gratitude, but I’m a patient woman. I’ll assume you’re rather in shock at the moment, given you’ve just gone from bones and brain mush to a living body again, and let the rudeness slide.”

 Kilgrave’s eyes bulged, and he recoiled, alarmed as much by the nonchalant response he had just received as the strange situation he had found himself in. To speak an order and have it not obeyed immediately was beyond his comprehension.

 “But I told you to do it!” he almost whined, staring down at the small and clearly unintimidated woman resting on her side in the bed. “I told you to, and you just- the only person who could ignore me was Jessica, and-“

 He stiffened, his face paling, as he pointed an accusing finger at Rikarah again.

 “Jessica did this, Jessica used that sedative thing on me, didn’t she?! You’re with her, you’re one of her people!”

 “Certainly not,” Rikarah corrected him, exhaling with a weary and somewhat impatient sigh. “Jessica knows nothing of this- yet. As far as she believes, you are long dead, and she is glad of it. After all, she was the cause.”

 She sat up, watching wryly as the realization and the memory of his own last few moments of life, just before Jessica snapped his neck, came back into the forefront of his thoughts. Rikarah gave him a few more moments to process this against the obvious reality of his current status of being alive before addressing him again.

 “Yes, Kevin, you were dead, and for over a year now, too. You would have stayed that way, if not for myself and my own unique abilities. Some gratitude and a certain level of loyalty is not unwarranted.”

 “I was dead,” Kilgrave repeated, the words stunned, almost disbelieving. “And you’re saying- what, that you resurrected me? You?” He snorted, looking Rikarah up and down dismissively. “No  offense, love, but you hardly look the type to have that sort of power.”

 “And Jessica does?” Rikarah countered. “I’ll grant you that she has the advantage in height, but she’s of a smaller frame even than myself, and what she may have over me in physical strength, I can outdo in the sheer enormity of my ability. She may be able to kill someone with a punch, but I’m the one who can bring them back from the dead. If you ask me, I have the greater power, and therefore, the greater true strength.”

 Kilgrave looked her over again, more carefully this time, assessing rather than dismissing her. He took a step closer, still seeming not to care for his nakedness as he narrowed his eyes at Rikarah, anger losing out to eagerness in his eyes.

 “You know Jessica,” he asserted. “Where is she?”

 Rikarah wagged a finger at him playfully, a small smile curving her lips.

 “Am I really so uninteresting, that I bring you out of death, and you would forgo all details to chase after another woman? Perhaps I was wrong in my interest in you. Perhaps someone else is more deserving, and you can simply go back to where you were before.”

 “Wait, no, that isn’t it, love,” Kilgrave backpedaled, his smile at Rikarah forced at first as he raked a hand through his hair, then more genuine. “Of course I want to know how you managed this, and of course I’m glad for it. And I certainly want to know how it is you don’t listen to a thing I tell you to do,” he muttered, more to himself than to Rikarah, before addressing her again. “But if you know Jessica, then you must know something of our history, and why I would want to know where she is. She’s the one who killed me, you know. She’s the one-“

   “That,” Rikarah interrupted, to Kilgrave’s barely contained outrage, “is in the past. The present is right here, with me, in this moment. Choose wisely, Kevin Kilgrave, and choose now, while you still have the choice before you. You can realize that I am no ordinary woman you’re dealing with here, that you owe me your life and your loyalty, and I owe you nothing and cannot be ordered into anything you may want from me. Believe me, I hold no liking for Jessica Jones, and as long as I am the woman who comes first and foremost in your world, I care little for how you choose to play with her. And I am certainly not opposed to letting you know every detail of what you have missed knowing of her life over the past year that you’ve been dust and bones.”

 She paused, tilting her head, and gave him a moment to consider, before concluding, “Or you can choose to be foolish, ungrateful, and quite frankly, a bumbling, pathetic corpse, stumbling off on your own in a world that has moved on without you. You would have none of my help or my connections, none of my knowledge, and you would displease me greatly. When and if Jessica Jones kills you again- and she would, you know, if you just pop up on her in her new life without my assistance- then you can be certain I would not lift a finger to bring you back. So, then. What shall it be? I would think the decision obvious, but perhaps you’re not as intelligent as I believed.”

 For a moment Kilgrave stood there, motionless, perhaps still in shock, or perhaps genuinely weighing out his obsession with Jessica and his desire for revenge against the logical reasoning of Rikarah’s words. But then he nodded slowly, reaching forward to take hold of Rikarah’s hand in his.

 “Well, it would indeed be a fool’s errand to let a woman like you slip out of my grasp. Why don’t we start over with introductions, and perhaps something in the way of an explanation.”

 And as Rikarah began to speak, giving Kilgrave some if not all of the answers he craved, she noticed his body relax further, his expression growing more and more fascinated as he came to understand more of the extent of her actions and her power. It wasn’t quite the way, she was sure, that he had looked at Jessica, but for now, it was enough.

 It was enough, in fact, that after he had dressed in some of his old clothing and taken time to familiarize himself with Rikarah and her home, that Rikarah was willing to give him the phone number, if not the address, of Jessica’s new workplace, Heroes for Hire. And she sat back, interested and indulgent, as he placed a call, from a cheap prepaid phone she had bought in anticipation of his need for one.

 It was Trish who answered, her voice bright and cheerful as the company’s head. “Heroes for Hire, we provide help, heroism, and honorable services for those in need in a time where true heroism is more needed than ever. How can we help you today?”

 “Ah, Patsy,” Kilgrave purred, snickering to himself when he heard Trish suck in a sharp breath, immediately recognizing his British accent and self-satisfied tone. “So good to hear a familiar voice, but unfortunately, yours has never been the one I wanted to hear, and you prattle on enough as it is on that bloody talk show of yours. Give the phone to Jessica. Tell her she has a message from an old friend, would you?”

 “This isn’t funny,” Trish said tightly, her voice controlled but barely keeping back anger. “Whoever you are, pretending to be that man is not a joke, it’s cruel, and-“

 “Ah, but this is no joke, Patsy, can’t you recognize your own  would be lover?” Kilgrave asked rhetorically. “Have you had so many men now you can’t remember the voice of all the ones whose throat you stuck your tongue inside of? Let me help you out, then. I’m the one who told you to put a bullet in your head. Fortunately enough for you, that doesn’t appear to have worked out, I never did find out why. Care to explain it to me, Patsy?”

 He and Rikarah both heard Trish suck in her breath on the other side of the line. He doubted that this incident in the bunker was something anyone but she, Kilgrave, Simpson, and Jessica were aware of- and out of the four of them, both men were dead. Or supposed to be.

 “Who are you?” she asked, her voice softer than before. “What do you want?”

 “Unfortunately, Patsy, for me to really make you do what I’d like to make you do, you’d have to be a good bit closer to me than a phone call, something about pheromones,” Kilgrave said casually. “But I do have other ways of making you do as I’d like you to. Put Jessica on the phone, or I will have six people show up at her doorstep and  cut your name into their own foreheads. If she tries to stop them, they will cut her as well. Is that something you want to have on your conscience, Patsy? For a simple conversation?”

 The line went silent for a few moments. When Jessica came onto the line, her voice was hard and cold as steel.

 “Who the fuck are you, and just what the fuck do you think you’re doing, playing this kind of sick joke?”

 “And hello to you too, Jessie,” Kilgrave exclaimed, putting an exaggerated bounce to his voice. “No joke, you never did have much of a sense of humor to waste any on. I won’t say it’s good to hear from you, since I had to get murdered,  raised from the dead, and then still call your sister first and threaten her for you to speak to me, and I must say that hurts a man’s feelings.”

 “You’re not him. You can’t be, you’re just some sick asshole who needs to fucking go put his dick in a-“

 “Oh, Jessie, I can see your language is as filthy as ever, every bit as appalling as your fashion sense. Let’s cut off all the protests of my supposed death and just check your office email, shall we?”

 Five minutes before the phone call, Rikarah had shot a quick video of him smiling and waving into the camera, with the date and time of the video clearly time stamped at its bottom. With a few clicks, he sent the video to the public Heroes for Hire email address, cutting off the call.

 “But don’t worry, sweetheart, you’ll hear from me again soon. If you miss me before we meet again, you have the video for comfort’s sake.”

 As Kilgrave hung up, glowing with renewed feelings of power over the fear, rage, and helplessness he had stirred anew in the two women he had just spoken to, he sent a genuine smile in Rikarah’s direction, who returned it in kind.

 “You know what, I like you, Rikarah Pallaton. I think we’ll get along just fine after all.”

[theemptyskies]

So I was sitting, trying to work on a bit of art, when my mind took a left turn and was like "How would you turn Katara evil?". So over the course of three hours I wrote this. It's intended to set the ground work for what the rest of the story would be should I decide to continue it. Any future chapters would be much more detailed as that's where the bulk of the story truly begins. TWs: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Execution Style Murder, References to Early Childhood Trauma. I think that's all of them.

______________________

Blood's Calling

Absolute Power Corupts Absolutely. It was a foolish thought which had once caused Katara to swear never to bloodbend again. It was a memory she could recalled clearly, as if she was reliving the moment. She remembered sensing Hama's veins and arteries, flowing like rivers throughout her body. She remembers desperately grasping those rivers, ripping the will of thier controller away. Forcing the old master to submit to her. It was her first taste of power. True power.

She was no longer the weak child who watched as her mother resigned herself to death. She was no longer the young teen who froze in shock as a Fire Navy vessel slammed through her villages wall. She could use this. She could prevent other young children from being orphaned. She could...

That night the thought stopped there. It wasn't the power that scared her. No aspect of waterbending has ever scared her. What terrified Katara, was that she enjoyed it. She enjoyed forcing Hama to release her friends, saving thier lives. She loved the control, knowing she would never be helpless again. It felt wrong at the time, relishing in such a thing. Subjugation was what the Fire Nation was fighting for. So she swore never to use it again.

____________________________________________

That promise was not long lived. Storming the Southern Raider vessel was an opportunity she never believed could be a possibility. How could she possibly turn away the opportunity to bring her mother justice. To stop whatever future, monsterous actions these beasts were sure to commit.

Under the light of the full moon, her blue eyes, darker than the ocean's deepest abyss, bore into the ship as she flew closer. Calling out with her bending, nearly the entire crew was swept out to sea. Boarding the vessel, she made quick work of the few men left on the deck before storming inside, water trailing behind her. Katara had almost forgotten the former Fire Prince was with her until he stopped a solder attempting to enter through a door they were passing.

As the captains door was blasted open, she gave him no time to retaliate. His blood called to Katara, and she answered. The fire in his hands flickered out immediately as she turned his body against him. Images of her mother's body, charred unrecognizable. A smell of burnt flesh seared into her mind. As the memories assaulted her, Katara was left feeling one desire permeating her being. She would make him suffer.

She cramped his hand immediately before dragging him around, slamming the appendage into the floor. Katara smiled slightly, savoring in the power she now held over her mother's killer. She forced the captains arms behind his back, contorting the joints to near dislocation. His blood was singing to her, and unlike the first time, she was not afraid to grasp it.

Zuko's questioning of the man broke through her rage. Lifting him to look her in the eye, she knew within a moment that it wasn't him. As if being snapped from a trance, she realized what she had done, nearly torturing an man who'd never wronged her. Quickly releasing him, Katara heard the identity of her target as she walked away.

____________________________________________

She believed that was the last time she'd ever bloodbend. She was wrong. Since that day, the urge to bloodbend was stronger than before. Every full moon, she could sense the steady pulses of her sleeping friends, like faint whispers begging her take control. She chose not to of course. Katara couldn't imagine subjecting them to such a power again.

Time passed, the war finally ended, Zuko ascended to the throne. On the surface, the world was at peace, or so it seemed. Her epiphany came a few months after the wars end. It was a couple hours past sundown on the night of a full moon. Once again the desire to bloodbend filled her senses, withholding sleep from her grasp. Katara's recent appointment as ambassador to the Southern Watertribe brought her to Caldera, assisting in negotiating a trade agreement between thier Nations.

With sleep alluding her, she decided to walk through the the main city, hoping the cool night air would help clear her mind. Passing an alley, she heard an odd noise. Stepping into the darkness and turning a corner around the building revealed a sight that made Katara's blood boil. Backed into a corner by a man wielding a knife was a young woman, a small child was hugging the back of her pant leg, large innocent eyes reflecting fear. Looking at the child, her mind flashed to another little girl, standing in an igloo, not knowing that was the last time she'd hear her mother's voice.

Katara wouldn't let that happen again. Grasping the man's blood, she lifted him into the air, sending him crashing against the wall.

"Take the girl and go." Katara's voice lacked the passion that it typically carried. Instead, a cold voice, sharper than any blade of ice came from her.

She didn't give the man a chance to rise as she seized him again. Katara brought him to his knees, arms bent behind his back, forcing him to look up at her. Drawing water from her pouch with her off hand, a large icicle hovered in the air.

"Please..." His voice quivered with fear. The same fear that was in the child's eyes mere moments ago. She directed a dark glare at the man.

"How many have begged you the same way your begging me..." It was a whisper, however the words cut through the air like a knife. She didn't give the creature a chance to respond. With a swift motion, the icicle flew threw the air. A sickening thunk echoed in the alley, as the ice slammed into the monster's heart.

A crack of thunder preceded a downpour during her walk back to the palace. A sense of detatchment settled over Katara. Of course she considered it to be more of an awakening. Despite thier efforts, ending the war, negotiating treaties, writing laws, people were still suffering at the hands of monsters impersonating people. The legal system is slow and flawed. It let's too many slip through, allowing them to continue thier torment.

'I will never, EVER, turn my back on people who need me!'

The memory echoed through her being. An oath she swore, resonating from the core of her being. The legal system failed repeatedly but she would not. Katara had power. The idea of what true power was is something Katara never understood until now. The ability to take dreams, desires, and force them into reality. She could change things. Bring justice to people who've suffered and protect children from the horrors that still plagued the world.

____________________________________________

A year passed and one thing became evident. Katara needed to get stronger. She'd made strides in eliminating the beasts that stalked and preyed upon the innocent. But it wasn't enough. There were too many for her to only take action once a month. Traditional waterbending was too loud to use against them. If she was caught, her friends wouldn't understand. She needed to do this, to protect the people. She needed bloodbending.

The training started much how Hama had described inventing the bending form. She started with small animals, which she mastered rather quickly unsurprisingly. The larger ones, like the tiger seals, proved to be a much bigger challenge, one she eventually completed. The lack of the moon's light was a difficult obstacle to overcome Yet as she stood before the kneeling moose lion, whining in pain as it failed to break from her will, she knew she was ready.

The next year was far more successful. With the growing population in her own tribe, Katara had to make sure the vermin were weeded out as soon as possible. Patrolling every night she was home allowed her to remove sixteen threats to her people. She found another twelve during her trip to the Northern Tribe, where she helped negotiate an alliance with them. The corruption there ran deep. Extra effort would be made during her next trip.

The Earth Kingdom is by far where Katara made the greatest impact. Twenty three criminals were slew in Omashu, another thirty one during her month long stay in Ba Sing Se and fifteen bandits who tried to ambush her during her travel between the major cities. It was an interesting observation, how quickly the eyes on these creatures shifted from arrogance to fear once they no longer held the power. Not unlike the one in the alley that first night. So many of those beasts have been removed by her, and she knows she protected countless people in the process. Katara knew she was doing the right thing, hearing children playing outside only reaffirmed her resolve.

Katara had only been back home for a few days when Aang landed at her village center. Running out of her igloo to greet him, she hesitated at his serious expression.

"Aang, it's good to see you."

"You too, Katara. I wish it was under better circumstances though." Katara tensed at his words as Sokka exited thier igloo behind her.

"Hey Aang. What's up?"

"Zuko needs our help. There's a group of rebels in the Fire Nation. According to his letter, they call themselves the New Ozai Society. They want to dethrone him and restart the war." Aang said. Katara didn't give any outward reaction to his statement. She hadn't been to the Fire Nation since that first night in the alley.

"We'll help. Come on Sokka." Katara immediately cut in as he finished speaking. Turning, she headed back inside the igloo, lost in thought as she began packing. Her neglect of the Nation was clear. How could she allow those scum to coalesce into such a threat. She would make up for it during this trip. She needed a way to learn who all was involved and where they met. Someone who could get inside thier ranks. Who wouldn't report her own involvement to Zuko or her friends. Her thoughts led her to one person who would be accepted by them with no problem. She wasn't happy about it, but it couldn't be helped. At the very least the visit would be interesting. After all, with all of Katara's travels, she had yet to see the inside of an asylum.

"Appa, Yip, Yip!" Aang called, begining thier journey across the sea.

___________________________________________

So, as you can see, the route I would take to make Katara a bad guy would be to take a core aspect of her character (in this case "I will never, EVER, turn my back in people who need me." Still one of my fav moments for her character btw.) And twist it into something dark. I took the helplessness surrounding her mother's death to foster a craving for control within her which connected to bloodbending. I tried to depict a steady dehumanization of criminals in her eyes through the time skips. I felt really awkward writing dialogue but hopefully you all enjoyed my take on a Darker Katara :)

[beclynn-herondale]

In Another Universe: Chapter 4

(TSC and TMI as well as the characters belong to Cassandra Clare, some of the parts are also kinda similar to the original.)

Joan wasn't sure where she was, it was dark and she heard voices, her head was aching, the last thing she remembered was something attacking their apartment and pain that brought darkness.

Now she woke up in a bedroom she did not recognize, all she could think about at this moment was where her mother and Clar were, were they safe?

She heard the door open, and a tall man with pale blonde hair and black eyes walked in

"Hello, Jonathena," he said. "It's been so very long, my daughter."

She was shocked

"What do you mean?"

——————

Falling, falling and falling was all Clar could describe going through the portal like, yes he may have screamed, and then they hit the ground, Jayce landed on top of him, they both got tangled up in each other and elbowed each other

"Ow," Jayce said. "You elbowed me."

"You're the one who landed on top of me," Clar said.

Jayce pushed herself up and for a moment they looked into each other's eyes, Clar had never noticed how odd yet beautiful they actually were, they were gold but with a darker ring of gold around them and, so odd, they would have been more beautiful if Jayce weren't staring at him with an unreadable expression.

She jumped up and helped him up, Clar looked around to see where it was his mom wanted to go and realized it was Luke's bookshop

"I know this place," he said. "it's Luke's bookshop."

"The same Luke who decided to abandoned you?," Jayce said

"Yeah."

"But why did it take us here?"

"You must have been thinking of it when we went through the portal."

"I wasn't, this must of been where mom would have fled," Clar said.

"You gonna knock on the door?"

"But Luke said to stay away."

"Well if I were you I'd be mad at him and wondering why he just decided to leave you when your mom and sister disappeared."

"But he said not to come."

"Do you have a key?" She asked

"No but, Luke usually leaves the back unlocked, are we really breaking in?" Clar asked

"Yup!" She said

They headed around back, and heard something Jayce told him to stay back, she jumped over the fence like it was nothing, she really was like a cat sometimes, why was he always comparing her to a cat, god Clar what is wrong with you?

"Ow!" Called a familiar voice

Clar opened the gate and went through to see, Jayce on attacked Simone, Simone, his best friend, he'd forgotten about her for a few and felt the guilt

"Jayce, get off her, she's my friend," Clar said.

Jayce got off her and Simone got up

"where have you been!?" She yelled. "I've been worried sick, you ran out of the coffee shop and then when I went by your apartment there were police there, and I called Luke to ask where you were and he said you went to visit family, but you don't have any family, and so I came here to see what Luke was doing and he wasn't here so I decided to wait for him to come back." She let out a breath of air

She talked so fast there but Clar could understand what all she said

"Listen, Simone it's a long story and—," he stopped and looked over at Jayce, who appeared to be filing her nails with her stele thingy with no care in the world.

"I am gonna tell her," Clar told Jayce

"Oh, I know," she said

She didn't seem to care, but Jayce didn't seem to care about much, he wondered how she did it

So Clar explained everything, Simone sat in silence for a couple minutes, understandable Clar thought, and Simone told them about how Luke was packing weapons earlier

"So she is a Shadowhunter," Simone said and pointed at Jayce

She gave a charming smile

"That's cool!" Said Simone

"Cool?" Jayce said confused

"But I can't believe you were hooking up with a wannabe blonde girl, who is like every blonde girl we avoid at school," said Simone

"I wasn't hooking!" Clar blurted out and was blushing

"And for the record I am naturally blonde," said Jayce

Simone have her a look, which Jayce returned with a look of her own

"So are we breaking in or not?" Asked Jayce

"I guess, yeah," Clar answered

Jayce walked up to the door, pulled out her stele and said "Allow me."

Simone whispered to Clar "She's a piece of work."

"She saved my life," Clar said

Simone didn't say anything after that

They went in looked around, Jayce was going through Luke's duffle bag, and pulled out a picture frame

"This your?" She asked

"Yes, Luke must have been by the apartment."

"Hey, guys someones coming," said Simone

They hid behind a rosewood screen and they heard the voices, Jayce used her stele to draw a rune that made things clear for them to see.

The two men were in robes, Clar could recognize they were warlocks, Hodge had explained some to him, he was kinda proud of himself

"Those two are warlocks, Jayce," Clar whispered, but he noticed Jayce had gone stiff and her face was pale

Is she worried I am gonna run off, I'm not, he wish he could let her know that

——————

"these men are Shadowhunters..." She said, Clar gave a look of worry

Jayce didn't know what to think, those men there were the ones who killed her father, they were Shadowhunters who murdered another Shadowhunter, she tried to steel herself, that was what she had to do, feel nothing and it can't hurt you anymore.

They were talking about how Luke knew where Jocelyn's son was, aka Clar, they went on talking and Luke said he didn't know where she was and that he wanted nothing to do with Valentine, they said they are pretty sure Jocelyn has the mortal cup and Valentine wants it, and that Jocelyn is unconscious and he is waiting for her to awake.

Could Valentine really be back? If so things were about to get bad

Once they all left, the three of them got out of their hiding place, Jayce was figuring out what she would do about this

"they think your mom has the mortal cup, have you ever seen them before?" She asked Clar

"No," he said. "Do you know them?"

"You could say that," she said. "They were the ones who murdered my father."

She gestured for them to follow her so that they didn't stand there with their awkward silence all day

Clar was following close giving her looks, this boy, what is with him, and why does he even care so much about someone he barely knows?

Eventually they made it back to the institute, Jayce saw Church and felt a little better the cat may hate everyone but they have had some deep conversations

"Hey, Church," she bent down to pet him. "Take us to Hodge and I'll give you tuna."

Church got up and started walking down the hallway, he led them to the kitchen and the angel save them she could smell Iz's cooking

Jayce opened the kitchen door and alas there was Iz cooking and Church had betrayed Jayce, she should have walked away

"Hey Jayce, I am making soup do you—" she stopped and saw both Clar and Simone. "Omg you brought another one here, Hodge is gonna kill you."

"Hi, I'm Simone," said Simone

"JAYCE WAYLAND!," He said. "Explain why you brought another mundane."

"I said show me where Alec wss! Backstabber," she said as she glared at Church

"Don't be mean to Church, he isn't the reason you're going to be killed," said Iz

"Listen, Iz, I saw the men who killed my father today," she said

"Are you going to speak to Hodge about it?"

"I don't know."

"Is this girl one of them?"

"Do you think I would have brought her if she was?"

"No, you wouldn't have."

"That's why he brought us here, you've been stuffing him with fish," Jayce said. "He looks stuffed."

"He does not look stuffed," Iz said. "Besides it's not like the rest of you eat what I cook, I got this recipe from someone at the market."

"Maybe I would eat your cooking if it wasn't poisonous," Jayce said.

Iz glared, and said. "What was that?"

"Nothing, I am getting a snack."

"Yeah that's what I thought," Iz said, in his sibling way

Simone continued to stare at Iz, Clar followed Jayce to the refrigerator, he looked angry though Jayce had no idea why, she opened it and looked through the contents of the fridge

"You're seriously eating?" Said Clar

"yeah, I don't have anything better to do at the moment," she said

Clar looked inside the fridge and saw Hodge's containers that said 'Hodge's do not eat'

"He is kinda like that roommate who has all these rules and stuff isn't he?" Asked Clar

Jayce told him he just likes things to have order, Jayce understood that

Jayce grabbed some spaghetti, it reminded her of a childhood memory

"spaghetti," Jayce said

"Don't ruin your appetite, the soup will be done soon," Iz said

"I plan to do exactly that," she said

She offered some to Clar, he shook his head and said

"No."

"Your loss," she said

—

Clar watched Jayce as she ate some spaghetti

"Do you want to go to Hodge?" He asked

"You really want to get out of here, don't you?" She said

"Don't you want to talk to him about all that we saw today and found out?"

"I don't know, I am still thinking if I do," Jayce said, she licked some spaghetti sauce off her knuckle. "We can go if you want to so badly."

"Yes," he said

They started to head out

"Where you going?" Asked Simone

"To find Hodge," Jayce said. "And to tell him about all the stuff we saw today."

"You going to let him know about the men yo–" Isidore was saying but Jayce cut in

"Don't know," she said. "So don't tell anyone."

"Ok," Isidore said. "Do you want me to save you some soup?"

"No," said Jayce

"Do you think Hodge wants some?"

"No one wants soup."

Clar thought they were like siblings he had seen before

"I would like some," Simone said

"No, you're just interested in Iz and want to get in bed with him," said Jayce

Simone looked shocked and said "No I don't!"

"Oh, that's very flattering," said Isidore with a smirk and went back to the soup

"Sure it is," Said Jayce. "Ask him or whatever and he'll turn you down and we can get back to reality," she made a gesture of hurry with her hand. "We're waiting, Mundie."

Simone looked embarrassed and was blushing, Clar may have been alright with this a minute ago but now he felt angry and offended that Jayce just said that to Simone.

"Leave her alone, Jayce," he snapped at Jayce. "You don't have to be an ass just cause she isn't one of you."

"You mean one of us," Jayce said. "I am going, and I am going to talk to Hodge, come if you want or stay here with the smell of this soup."

Clar watched as she went out and the door slammed behind her, he looked behind him at Simone and said

"You coming?"

"No, I am gonna stay here," she mumbled

He sighed and went after Jayce

He caught up to her

"Leaving them to it," she said

"Why do you always have to be such an asshat?"

"an asshat?" She looked like she would have burst out laughing

"Those things you said to Simone."

"I was trying to spare her some pain, Isidore is a heartbreaker, he does that to people like her," she said

"Did he do that to you?" He asked

She shook her head, and told church to bring them to Hodge or she'd turn him into a tennis racket, the cat snorted and went down a hall, he found it odd that the cat snorted, Clar was trailing behind Jayce, he noticed the stress and tiredness in her shoulders, he wondered if she was ever not tense

"Hey, Jayce."

"Yeah, what?"

"Sorry for snapping at you."

"which time?" She asked and laughed

"You do it too," he said

"I know," she said, it surprised him that she admitted that. "There's something about you, that's just so–"

"Annoying?"

"Unsettling."

He wondered what she meant but didn't ask

"Does Isidore cook often?" He asked instead

"Thank the angel no," Jayce said. "Usually Maryse Lightwood their mom does, she makes such good food."

She looked like she was in heaven or something

"Why didn't she teach Isidore than? If he is cooking now, why not teach him?" Clar asked

They were walking through the music room now, where he'd seen her play and thought the music was lovely

"He never wanted to learn, he's more into fighting demons and weapons, he comes from a long line of warriors," she said and their was a but of pride in the way she was speaking. "He's one of the best Shadowhunters I have ever known."

"Better than Alec even?" He said

Church stopped in front of a spiral staircase, dimmly lit

"So the greenhouse is where he is," said Jayce

"The greenhous?" Was all he said

Jayce stepped into the first step and started up the stairs. "He grows medical plants and herbs up there," she said

His steps made noises but Jayce's didn't

"Is she better than Isidore," Clar asked her again. "Alec I mean."

She paused and looked down at him from one of the higher steps, leaning down like she would fall, he remembered the dreams he had and about angels falling, the burning, he found the dreams odd and he had never had them before but she reminded him of am angel now

"Better?" She said. "At slaying demons? Not really, she's never killed one."

"Seriously?"

"Don't know why exactly, but it may be because she's always protecting me and Iz."

They were at the top of the stairs now, they went in and the smell of plants his Clar's nose, it smelled fresh and like growth, there were so many plants, so many colors, Clar didn't know if he had ever seen plants that were as beautiful as these, he was overtaken by it all and let out a small gasp.

There was a bench that Hodge was sitting on

"You look like your are waiting for something to happen," said Jayce. She picked a leaf off of a branch and was twirling it with her fingers, she had a lot of nervous habits for someone who seemed to have themself so contained, or maybe she just liked to constantly be doing something

"I was just lost in my thoughts," Hodge replied. He stretched his arm out and hugo landed on it. "What happened to you, you look as if—"

"We were attacked," Jayce said shortly. "By forsaken."

"Forsakens being here?"

"Forsaken," said Jayce. "We only saw one."

"But Dorothea said there was more of them," Clar added.

"Who is Dorothea?" Hodge put a hand up in a gesture of slow down and stop. "It would be easier if you told me it all in order."

"Yes, of course," Jayce said

She told him about what all had happened, about Dorothea, about Luke's place, except left out the part about the men being the ones who killed her father. Told him about Luke and the men whose names were Pangborn and Blackwell

Hodge had a strange look on his face and said something about the circle rising again, even Jayce looked confused as to what he meant

She said. "The Circle?"

Hodge said they should go to the library and discuss this matter.

Tag list: @khaleesiofalicante @chibi-tsukiko @spotsandclawsthings @replayfootsteps @magnus-the-maqnificent @bookfast-at-tiffanys @simply-ellas-stuff @my-archerboy

[nanaminsonyfans]

Between Worlds; Chapter Four

Previous, Next, Masterlist

A/N: This chapter is gonna be split into maybe three parts. Don’t worry, this is just for Y/N’s character development then we get some Zuko ;) Please enjoy!

!!TW!!Swearing

Over the past few days, you were healing from your injuries caused by Zuko. Your chin had a slight scar, but you had a second-degree burn on your right hip. Katara made sure that you always had a wet cloth over the burn to soothe the pain, it worked. Sometimes. Going to the City of Omashu really strained your body. Although you connected with a good friend, Bumi, the challenges he gave you were far from easy with your injury. On the bright side, you saved a village from the Fire Nation’s oppression. That made you feel nice, like you were now actually worthy of the label Avatar.

You were brought back to reality and away from your thoughts by the smell of something charred and burnt. It smelled like charcoal. You leaned over Appa’s saddle to look down. “What is that?” You ask, pointing down to the ground below you. Sokka, who was steering Appa since your injury, looked over too. “It looks like a scar…” He said now guiding Appa to the ground where the scent came from. 

Once the three of you reached the ground, you jumped off, using your staff as a walking stick. “The Fire Nation.” Katara whispered walking around. Your heart hurt to see such destruction, this forest was somethings home. Birds, deer, bears, even insects. Sokka glared as he looked around at the burned wood and grass. “Those monsters.” He grumbled kicking a rock. You sat down on the burned and blacked ground. You let out a deep sigh and hunched your head forward. “This is horrible.” You whisper, silently cursing at yourself for letting this happen. You started to fidget with the staff, running your fingers along the grain of the wood. 

You were snapped out of your trance when something hit your head. You turned around seeing Katara with a handful of acorns. “Katara- What the hell?” You glared at the other girl, “These are acorns, Y/N. That means the forest will grow back with time.” She smiled. Then you remembered, this was the Winter Solstice episode. Your mind was still so foggy about your life before this. You just knew you had to help with whatever disaster was coming.  “I guess you’re right.” You mumbled and stood up, using the staff to stabilize yourself. You heard shuffling footsteps from behind you, you turned around taking a defensive stance. 

You relaxed, seeing as the source of the sound was an old man. “Those….markings! Those are the markings of an Airbender! You are the Avatar!” The old man said in shock. “I saw the flying bison and thought I was going insane, but now I see that I am not! Come with me, my village desperately needs your help!” You raised an eyebrow and looked back at Katara and Sokka. They looked just as confused as you. “Yes. I will  gladly help you and your village.” You say sweetly, now following the man to his village. 

A few buildings in the village were smashed and in ruins. The old man lead you to a building in the center of the village. “This young woman is the Avatar!” He said proudly, gesturing to you as you entered the building. “The rumors are true…” A middle-aged man said, causing murmurs among the people. Inside of the building, it seemed to house all the villagers, there weren’t that many, about 20 or 30 people. You suddenly got flustered by all the attention, light blush dusting your cheeks. Finally, you got enough courage to silence the murmurs. 

“It’s nice to meet you all. So…how may I help you guys?” You smiled at them, but it soon fell because of the depressing atmosphere. “I’m not sure there is much you can do.” The middle-aged man spoke up. “Nonsense! She’s our only hope!” The elder jumped in. “For the last few days at sunset, a monster comes to our village and attacks us. He is the Hei Bai, the black and white spirit.” He explained with a worried look. Sokka raised an eyebrow at them suspiciously. “Why is it attacking you?” “We don’t know. But for the past three nights, it has taken one of our own. We are especially fearful because the Winter Solstice draws near.” The elder continued. “What happens then?” Katara questioned. “The spirit world and our world get a stronger bond. We fear it will become more powerful and kill us all.” 

You were the bridge between those two worlds, so you had to do this. You didn’t really didn’t have a choice. You walked down the village, using the staff as a walking stick since you had a limp. Thanks to Zuko. Sokka was getting antsy, he wanted to get out there and help, you were injured and at to fight a spirit monster?! It was insane to him. “We can’t just cower in here while Y/N facing a fucking spirit monster thing!” He whispered shouted to Katara, who elbowed his side at such language. “If anyone can save us, it is her.” The old man spoke. Sokka crossed his arms glaring out the window. 

You planted your staff down into the soft Earth. You really didn’t know how to do this. “Umm…The sun has set. Where are you, Hei Bai? Spirit?” You called and looked around. “Well, I hereby ask you to leave this village alone!” You yelled in a commanding tone. You were answered by a breeze of wind going through your face. “Okay then. I guess that’s that.” You smiled triumphantly and began to walk back to the building in the center of down.

A black monster came to view with a white underbelly, unknown to you though. The beast followed behind you as you walked back, until it let out an exhale, making your hair flow forward. You yelped in surprise before turning around and facing the creature. You smiled sweetly and looked up at it’s…eyes? You looked at where his eyes would be. “You must be Hei Bai! I’m the Avatar. I’m the bridge between the spirit and human world.” You said, but it just ignored you and turned to the right to smash a building. You flinched at hearing and seeing a small home being smashed. That was someone’s childhood home. You narrowed your eyes at the beast. “Hey! Listen to me! I’m trying to help you as the spirit bridge!” You barked, the beast turned around now, hitting you across to another house. 

There was a crash when your body his the roof of the building. “That’s it. She needs help.” Sokka grumbled walking out. “Sokka no! Get back here!” Katara yelled worriedly, it wasn’t any use though. She started to follow but was held back by the middle-aged man, “It’s not safe.” He said softly, Katara reluctantly stayed put. 

“Hey! Hei Bai! Over here!” Sokka yelled throwing his boomerang at the monster. It hit its head, which caused it to turn towards Sokka. You finally got up after groaning and looked at Sokka in shock. “Sokka go back!” “No Y/N! We can fight him together!” “I don’t want to fight him-” You started but was immediately interrupted by Hei Bai grabbing Sokka. He yelled in shock but the monster started to run away into the forest. 

You got onto your gilder trying to follow him and the spirit. “Sokka?!” You called for him worriedly. “Y/N! Over here!” Sokka called back. You followed his voice until it disappeared. You landed back in the scar of the Earth. You gripped the glider until your knuckles turned white. You fall to your knees while tears started to roll down your cheeks. 

“I failed.”

Taglist;

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Some accounts wouldn’t let me tag them so im very sorry! Turning on the post notifications that will help maybe? I dunno. Stay safe and I hope this brought smiles to your faces! <3

[softboyscully]

Public School Stuff I Wanted to Share

public school is both beautiful and horrifying am i right

so ill just go by the grades i guess

Kindergarten, first year

i did kindergartden at a catholic school in a relativly big city so this one’s got some shit

we went to church every wednesday, me and best friend (lost track of her when we moved, wish we’d stayed in touch, she was awesome) would giggle the whole time, pretty sure we made fun of jesus once, can’t remember why, possibly the hair

i had the nicest teacher, she was (as i remember her) young, blonde, and super sweet, that was the first and last year i ever had naptime

SPEAKING of naptime

i never slept during it

once i found what i remember being a nut of some sort on the ground, probably came off someone’s shoe

i grab it, turn to sarah (my best friend), say something about putting it up my nose

sarah, apparently having common sense, says, “no dont do it!! we’re supposed to be sleeping!!”

i put it up my fucking nose

try to get it out, just push it farther in

im crying a little bit now, that shit hurts

go up to my teacher

“you’re supposed to be asleep!”

“i have a nut up my nose and it wont come out”

teacher tries to get it out, but it wont budge

just. sends me back to my mat

that was it

the art room was tiny

like re-purposed broom closet tiny

there was a copy of the mona lisa in the hallway, someone had drawn ray bans on it with a pencil, never got replaced

there was a creepy-ass basement i went down to after school, we ate cheeseballs and sandwiches with some kind of meat, mayo, and that kinda yellow bread

someone broke his leg down there once, think an older kid threw him at the ceiling or something

we learned how to play Silver Bells with actual bells in music class

Kindergarten, second year

i remember these two teachers as the evil step sister-type look, but it might be my little kid imagination

but seriously they were horrible

we learned stuff in a room that was more middle-school styled, except everything was green or black and it was v dark

me and sarah attained a new friend, john

honestly i think we would’ve stayed friends for a while if i didnt move away

i have two vivid memories

one is of me really wanting to go home, so i walked by the teacher’s desk and did a fake sneeze

they laughed at me and told me to go sit back down

the other is  john leaning his chair back and then falling, so me and sarah went to help him back up

it was funny, so he did it again

and again

me and sarah were laughing, had the time of our lives

after the maybe fifth time the teachers said “john can get back up by himself. sit down and stay there.”

one of the reasons we moved was bc i got sent a letter from my fourth grade buddie

most of the words weren’t spelled correctly, many letters were backwards

my mother was horrified

ofc now we know it was probably a learning disability 

1st grade

this is when i moved

beginning of school i was ASTOUNDED we didnt have uniforms, one of the best things ever to happen to me

nothing wrong with this teacher, she was cool

thing is i was a little shit

told everyone my dogs died (they did but i was maybe three when it happened, i remember it not)

all my personal narratives were bullshit (only one sticks in my memory, wrote it about celebrating christmas AND hanukkah with my dad’s friends who were jewish, i have never even met those friends)

had a crush on this kid, best friend (she was terrible and helped wreck me emotionally) told me to kiss him in music class. me being a stupid ass bitch, i did it, aND HE GOES TO THE TEACHER AND CALLS ME OUT. at the end of class she gets both of us to stay for a bit, AND I DENYIED EVERYTHING. i walked across the fucking classroom, kissed him on the cheek, ran away giggling, told my teacher i didn’t do anything, AND GOT AWAY WITH IT. i’ve embarrassed myself further with this child but thats another story

2nd grade

i loved this teacher but honestly he was absolute shit

like. all he did was play the guitar and sing with us

never actually taught us stuff???

middle of the year, my mom goes in for a parent-teacher conference, he tells her i dont pay attention is math.

“what do you mean?”

“she doesn’t listen, she just takes out a book and starts reading.”

“........have you.... tried taking the book away?”

“sure, i could try that.”

“o....kay”

he also told her i’d be a girl who’d grow up to love spellcheck (which i do lmao)

like ???? why not just??? teach me to spell????

there was this one dude who one day showed up, gave me a pink stuffed cat, and then asked me where i lived

funniest thing was he lived on the same street as me

something that is vivid in my memory is showing up to class one day and realizing that i was wearing my regular clothes over my pajamas

also we had fish

every day someone else was in charge of feeding them

one of the times it was my job, i grab the fish food and walk over to the tank only to find all of the fish floating on the top

i screamed “THE FISH CAN FLY?!?!?!?!?!”

everyone ran over, all of us scarred for life when Mr. G walks over and goes in the most normal voice ever “no theyre dead”

we held a funeral

the cause of death is still undetermined

3rd grade

this year just draws a blank for me

all i know is that whoever the teacher was, they neglected to teach me how to tell time from a clock

also we learned the Cotten Eyed Joe dance in gym around here

4th grade

i had two teachers this year

one was the same one from 1st grade, the other one was a total bitch

made a girl named hannah ball her eyes out once, never apologized

i was (and am) and avid reader, so my reading skills were high above average

instead of being proud of me she told me i was weird, not normal, and too smart for a 4th grader, so i MUST be cheating. 

she was the start of a lot of self confidence issues for me ngl

this was around the time i went and got tested for ADHD (me and my grandmother almost broke down on the highway but thats another story), Mrs. M (the nice one) was super supportive when i told her why i was leaving early but Ms. S (bitch) told me ADHD wasn’t real and i just wanted to be special for once

she sucked, Ms. S

5th grade

this is getting super long so this’ll be the last one i do

but my teacher..... Mr. F was A+++++

he legitimately taught me math

we had i guess like,,, a buddie class we switched with sometimes

the teacher of that class was Mrs. R, who had crazy red hair and many freckles

at one point she referenced a meme and my entire class started screaming

also there was another Mrs. S (to differentiate this one will be called Mrs. Su)

she was kind of crazy

she was the astronomy teacher and she told us many times that the moon landing was faked

once she handed out sunscreen and had everyone put it on their whole body (this was in december, fyi)

Mr. F also hosted an ‘archeological dig’ which sounds cool but in reality he had a bunch of arcade prizes from his childhood buried in little flower pots we dug into with plastic spoons

also heres some stuff i cants pinpoint the time of/happened in multiple grades:

someone held a who-can-scream-the-most-like-a-goat contest

a guy named Makenzie won

remember we planned it while the teacher left the classroom so the teacher walks back in and one by one everyone in the room starts screaming, there was some applause, a few kids got a standing ovation

we cleaned out our desks in the middle of the year, i found 3 socks and a dog treat in mine

like how the fuck did any of those things get there

and where’s the fourth sock

b o t t l e f l i p p i n g

but no seriously there were at least five water bottles stuck in the ceiling in the cafeteria

my sorta friend charlie was obsessed with paper airplanes

one time he might’ve broken the world record for longest time in the air but he was counting in his head and it was at recess so there was no video

four square and gaga ball would be played no matter the setting, time, or conditions and it was super competitive

like if you could get to king in four square you got the everlasting respect of everyone

and everyone was super educated on four square special rules, special plays, that kinda shit

no but guys i grew up with bus stop, candy store, haunted house on mondays, haunted mansion on fridays, zombies was fair game unless it was Zach, Ryan, Chrissy or Vee

me and one other guy named andrew were the only known pjo fans, had the time of our LIVES making refrences

“HEY ANDREW IM NOBODY”

“I HAVE WAITED YEARS FOR YOU, NOBODY, COME HERE AND FACE YOUR DEATH”

“hey annabeth, i thought you looked like a princess when i first saw you. i printed out a picture you sent me casually and kept it with me. i snuck along on a quest so i could save you, endangering myself immensely. i held the sky for you. when you talk about your crush on luke, i get jealous. beckendorf understood, but hes dead.”

“ikr we’re literally the best of friends”

“RIGHT”  

also the first time we finished mark of athena we were in the same classroom and we individually dropped the book, stood up, looked at each other, and screamed “WELL FUCK YOU TOO RICK RIORDAN”

[chimchimsauce]

Maniac: Stalker

Over the course of one week, Min Yoongi transitioned from YN’s sweet, lovable boyfriend into a complete nightmare - a maniac determined to make her life hell.

Rain patters down on the roof as YN taps the edge of her pencil against her five subject notebook, trying to think of what she should write next. This essay she’s working on isn’t due for another month, but if here’s something she hates, it’s the possibility of turning anything in late. She’d much rather stay up all night weeks early and be finished than to stress and cram last minute.

But for now, she’s sufficiently stuck, mind blanking on what she could possibly add to her essay about historical English literature. With a sigh, YN pushes away from her desk to massage her temples. As an art major, YN wishes she could just focus on her paintings instead of having to take general education classes, but sadly that is not the case.

She rolls her head around to loosen her stiff muscles and trots downstairs for a midnight snack. Thankfully, the college YN attends isn’t far from her childhood home, allowing her to save thousands by not living in the dorm. It also means that YN can work on her art projects without having to worry about creeping into her roommate’s personal space. YN downs a glass of water and looks at the clock, realizing that it’s already a little past one in the morning.

“That’s a good enough excuse to pick up that essay again this weekend,” she says to herself, drying her glass and placing it back into the cupboard.

Someone (most likely her Dad) left the TV on, so YN grabs the remote to turn it off, hesitating when she realizes the door to her art studio is slightly open. Frowning, YN leaves the TV on and goes to investigate. She knows that she hasn’t been in the studio today - hasn’t even been in there this week. Her parents know not to go in there because YN is very particular about not letting anyone see her work until it’s finished. So why . . .

The overhead lights buzz when she turns them on, humming lowly in a sound that is usually comforting to her. Her workspace is illuminated, a large drawing table taking up most of the space inside. Shelves full of paint, brushes, and other art supplies line the walls, as well as a gigantic mural her parents let her paint when it became apparent that art was her passion back in middle school. In the furthest corner, right next to the only and slightly opened window (did she do that?) is an easel holding a covered painting, one she hasn’t been able to work on for months.

With her throat suddenly feeling dry, YN places the TV remote on the table and makes her way to the window, being sure to close it tightly and lock it. For a moment, she stalls in front of the covered painting, almost wanting to reach out and reveal what’s hidden underneath. Just as her fingers brush across the cloth, lightning strikes, startling her so thoroughly that she trips over her own feet and grasps the cloth as a lifeline, ultimately landing firmly on her butt and revealing the half-finished painting in all of its glory. YN freezes as she is forced to come face to face with her creation, face to face with the portrait of the only man she’s ever loved - the only man she’s ever hated.

The memories come rushing in even though she tries not to think about it, tries not to let the past affect her. And yet . . .

The day is warm. It’s the middle of May and classes have just ended for the year. YN can barely believe that she’s successfully made it through her first year of college. All she wants to do now is head home and take a three-day-long nap. Before she can head to her car to begin making that dream a reality, something cold touches her forearm, causing her to jump slightly. When she turns, she is greeted by her happily smiling boyfriend.

“Yoongi!” she shouts, hitting his arm playfully, “What are you doing here?”

“I came to congratulate you on surviving her for a whole year,” he says, placing the beverage into her hand, “Oh, and to give you think. I know you probably haven’t had anything to drink all day.”

YN smiles sheepishly, looking bashful.

“You got me there,” she says, taking his gift and cracking it open.

The bubbles feel nice on her throat.

“But I know you’re up to something else,” she says, eyeing him somewhat warily.

The two of them have been dating since her junior year of high school. She knows Yoongi like the back of her hand by now.

“Just . . . stuff with my Dad again. He’s pissing me off.”

“Oh no,” YN says, reaching out with her free hand to touch his shoulder, “Is everything alright?”

Yoongi has always had a bit of a rocky relationship with his father. His mother passed away when he was just twelve years old, and his dad has taken up some toxic ways of handling stress. From gambling to drugs and alcohol, his dad has done and tried it all. It put Yoongi in a really rough place, so by the time he met YN, he was just about to go down that path his won self. But YN and her family reminded him of the good days, the days when his father made him feel safe and loved. She made him oh so desperately want to be a better person than his father had the ability to be, encouraging him to follow his dreams of becoming a producer and landing them both at the prestigious college they attend today.

Yoongi shrugs.

“Alright enough. He wants me to head home for a bit to talk about something important. I’m not sure what it is, but I wanted to let you know that I won’t be home for family dinner tonight.”

Yoongi is practically part of YN’s family at this point. Her parents adore him and her mother has been dropping some not so subtle hints about a wedding some time in the future.

“Okay. I’ll be sure to tell my mom,” she says.

Yoongi pulls her into a tight hug, one which betrays his true anxieties about his upcoming trip. YN isn’t sure what his dad told him, so all she can do is melt into his embrace and rub his back, being there for him.

“Thanks for the drink,” she says once he pulls away, “And I’ll see you soon, okay? I love you.”

“I love you more,” Yoomgi replies, kissing the top of her head and heading off, disappearing into the fray.

If only YN had known how much her life would change, she would have stopped him from going, screamed and kicked until he agreed to stay with her, to not go visit his despicable, scummy excuse for a dad. But hindsight is 20/20.

Yoongi didn’t call her when he returned from visiting his father. In fact, he was blatantly ignoring all of her calls. Paranoia began to build up inside of her, the young woman worrying that something had happened to her beloved boyfriend.

It wasn’t until she tried to visit him at his shared apartment to demand answers that she even began to understand what happened.

“He what?” YN asks, blinking at one of Yoongi’s roommates in confusion.

“Yoongi moved out a few days ago. Didn’t tell us why, just handed us a stack of hundreds, grabbed his stuff and left. He didn’t tell you?”

“I - no . . .” YN says, perplexed beyond belief.

What on Earth is happening?

“Sorry . . .” the other man (YN thinks his name is Jungkook) says, smiling apologetically at her.

“No, thank you for telling me,” she says, readjusting her purse on her shoulder and turning around, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

She tries to call Yoongi again but is once more sent to voicemail. Determined to find him, YN embarks on a trip across town, checking all of Yoongi’s usual hang out spots. He isn’t in the coffee shop or the comic book store. She can’t find him at the independent recording studio or at the park where he likes to write songs.

Thoroughly exhausted and so nervous she’s almost shaking, YN steps into a small restaurant - the most expensive one in the area. She’d never be able to afford to eat there, but her friend Taehyung works as a waiter here and he usually takes his break around this time. She just really needs some comfort right now.

The waitstaff doesn’t look too disgusted by her casual attire and somewhat messy appearance - they’re used to her showing up to see Taehyung.

Thankfully he’s on his break, just like she predicted.

“Oh my gosh, Tae,” YN says as the two of them slide into a booth near the corner of the restaurant, “I think I’m losing my mind.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” her best friend asks, concerned.

YN doesn’t usually get this frazzled

“Yoongi’s basically shut me out and disappeared off the face of the planet,” YN says, clenching her fists together as if that will help anything at all.

“Did you guys have a fight or something?” Taehyung asks, frowning.

Yoongi and YN have always been a power couple. The two rarely got into a fight at all, and when they did they soon blew over completely.

“No. Last weekend he went to visit his dad and then radio silence. He was perfectly fine beforehand. I don’t know what’s wrong. And Tae . . .” YN says, leaning forward and widening her eyes, “He left his apartment! Pulled out of the lease and everything!”

“What?!” Taehyung says, this tone catching the attention of some of the other patrons who send him a dirty look, “Is he okay?! Did his dad do something?!”

“I don’t know!” YN says, glad not to be the only one freaking out, “Should I call the police?”

Before Taehyung can reply, the door opens and a small crowd of men enters. At first, YN doesn’t pay them any attention at all. They’re dressed just like everyone else - wearing outfits that probably cost a whole semester of tuition. They settle into the booth in the corner, one table between them and YN. Their chattering is obnoxious in a way that only rich brats can pull off. It’s as if they don’t even notice the other people in the restaurant.

The college town they’re in has a strange mix of really rich and not so rich people. It’s definitely a higher-end area with a great school that recently began to give out a ton of scholarships, pulling in a lot of different people from different backgrounds. You can definitely still tell who is who, though.

The group of men all take their seats and YN’s breath catches in her throat as she catches sight of her boyfriend. He’s almost unrecognizable. His dark hair has been bleached blonde, the color of white corn. He’s dressed to the nines too, wearing outfits YN knows for a fact he didn’t own last week.

“What the fuck,” she whispers, causing Taehyugn to turn around.

The other man’s eyebrows knit in confusion.

“What about that broad we see you hanging out with, Min Suga?” one of the boys asks loudly, leaning against the booth with a confidence that falls straight into the arrogant category.

“Hm?” Yoongi asks.

It’s clear that he hasn’t caught sight of YN yet. She’s just about to stand up and rush over to him, but Taehyung stops her.

“Maybe we should just watch for a bit,” he whispers, sinking low into the booth and peeping as conspicuously as possible.

“What? But . . .”

“Shh!” Taehyung hisses.

“Yeah, Suga, that arty girl. She your girlfriend? I see you hanging out all the time,” a different guy says.

“Oh please!” The third person says, “No way in hell. Everyone knows that art hoes are crazy.”

YN’s shoulders tense up and she has to fight the words springing up in her throat. Surely her Yoongi will -

“Nah, she’s just some weirdo who likes hanging around me. We went to the same high school and she’s used that as an excuse to cling onto me.

“Ah. So she’s a watcher,” Guy one says.

“A stalker!”

“A psychopath!”

All four of them cackle like a pack of hyenas. It’s then that Yoongi finally looks up and catches YN’s eye.

“She’s a fucking maniac,” he says, looking YN dead in the eye.

Her world comes to a screeching halt as Yoongi dismisses her so cruelly and completely without explanation.

“I’m leaving,” she tells Taehyung, standing up to leave as tears gather in her eyes.

“Isn’t that her now?” One of the others says, “Did she follow you here as well?”

“What a fucking creep!”

“Hey!” One of them shouts loudly, catching the attention of everyone in the venue, “Stop being such a psycho! Don’t you know that people like you aren’t anything to people like us? Stop bothering Suga and fuck off!”

Before YN can even move, something cold covers her skin and glass shatters on the floor, causing a few people to scream.

One of them had snatched a pitcher of water from one of the waiters and thrown it at her.

“The fuck is your problem, man!” Taehyung demands, no longer able to stand idly by.

“Don’t,” YN whispers to him, skin stinging from the glass that sliced her. Tears are falling down her face now, “You have to worry about your job,”

“Fuck this job!” Taehyung says, getting ready to snatch one of those arrogant assholes by the collar and wring his neck.

“Kim Taehyung!” A voice shouts.

It’s his manager.

“Hand over your badge right now! That is no way to treat a guest!”

“But!”

“Now!”

The two of them are then shoved out of the restaurant, Taehyung comforting a sobbing and trembling YN as best he can. It was the first day of her new life - the first day of hell.

YN rises to her feet and recovers the painting, shaking. Lightning flashes once more and she swears she sees a figure outside in her yard.

Hey there! I hope you guys enjoy this little miniseries I have planned for this month! If you want to be tagged, add yourself here.

Tag List:

@bartiertae @helperofthenight​ @knjkitten​ @coffeeismylife28​@childofmoonbeams​ @lizardthewizzard @jalexa83 @crackhead1-800 @kawaiimusiccollection​ @bibbykins​ @btsenchanting 

[dawnhardn]

INTRODUCING... DAWN HARDIN

stitch by stitch, i tear apart if brokenness is a form of art i must be a poster child prodigy

Name: Dawn Hardin

Gender: cis woman

Age: forty-four

Sexuality: bisexual

Height: 5'4

Home District: capitol

Status: stylist

TW FOR FULL BIO: infertility, loss of body autonomy, hospital mention, mention of bugs.

i. of growing up

The mystery that has plagued her entire life is this: Dawn doesn't know her beginning. She knows all about the day she was adopted, oh, that's the part her parents boast about; her entire childhood, all she heard about was how she was saved. Only a toddler when she was plucked from District Nine, with nothing but scraps for clothes and a small pendant on a necklace with Nine's symbol, she doesn't remember much. She doesn't know where her story begins, nothing before that fateful day when she stumbled into her new parents' arms, kicking and crying, a child begging to be loved. Sometimes, when it's really quiet at night, she thinks she can still hear the wheat rustling with the gentle wind.

They were fine folk, her parents, but they had a hard time differentiating between love and possession. She grew up having everything she could ever want when it came to money; the prettiest dresses, the accessories, the hairs, the coolest toys and all the books her arms could carry. And they gave her attention, too. They gave her tenderness, sometimes. They loved her, but in their own way. She always needed to prove herself to them, she was always scrambling for their acceptance. She was their shiny trophy, the poor girl who had to be grateful to be living such a luxurious life, the lucky one, out of so many other less fortunate orphans. They never let her forget that, and despite loving them, too, she was always aching for something more.

When she's young and they push her to work in the Games, she obliges, like she always does. The yearly horror show often makes her avert her eyes from the television, sure, but she can pull her lips back and offer a smile and lie her way through this. Styling was the easiest option to stay far enough away from the carnage, and although it protected her from having to consider some of the more dreadful aspects of the Game, it didn't keep her from mourning every single loss. Every kid that wore her creations was held so dearly to her heart, even when she was just starting. The motherly instinct she felt towards them was something she couldn't hold it in if she tried. The pain of loss never gets easier to face, no matter how much the pile of bodies under her grows.

ii. of loving

She grew up thinking love was a fighting game, one step out of line and you lost it. She thought love meant buying shiny things, and parading around parties, and choking back tears. She had partners in her teenage years, silly flings here and there that never went anywhere, and she thought that was it. Love wasn't unconditional, love wasn't for everyone. 

Like a moth who couldn't find a flame, by her young adult years Dawn had accepted that she was destined to flap her wings around the darkness aimlessly until she tired herself out. And despite all this emptiness, she still carried her heart in her sleeve, a safety hazard as much as it was her biggest strength. Her hands always ready to help someone in need, she was always scrambling to give out the kind of unconditional love she never got from her parents, an empty cup pouring itself to fill others.

Then, she met Aeron. He was kind, and gentle, and he might as well be the Sun itself for the way he warmed up every room he walked into. The connection between them felt immediate, something sharp and undeniable, like the stars had always known their names. Dawn feels as if she can breathe for the first time in years.

She was born to be a mother, she knows this now. She'd grown up mothering every living thing that passed her way, and for a while there, she thought that would be enough; taking care of tributes, taking care of friends, taking care of fleeting lovers. But once she meets Aeron, she realizes the itch runs much deeper. It's a consuming desire, electric all through her body, how badly she wants to have children running around their house. Little ones to climb up the tree in their backyard, and draw on walls, and fill up the house with laughter. Aeron wants to be a father, too. Everything works out perfectly in her life, until it doesn't.

iii. of fighting

She can't dedicate herself to a family while she's still overworked by the Capitol, so when she puts in the request to retire, it's only because it feels fitting. She has an excuse to be let go, and they have an excuse to find a better stylist to put in her place. Someone more passionate, someone with more drive. She's already twenty-eight, she's sure there are handfuls of much younger, much more talented people out there they can choose from.

They don't let her retire. While at first, she thought she was offering them a perfectly balanced way out, now she realizes she was begging. And they hadn't obliged. She'll never forget the way Aeron's face fell when she told him the news, and the way he'd marched out of their house the very next morning, to fight for their future. To fight for her.

The next day, when she comes back home, exhausted and longing for her partner, she notices his coat isn't hanging by the door. There aren't any pots on the stovetop with dinner ready, waiting for her. There aren't extra shoes by the door, no notes on the fridge. She rushes to their bedroom to find none of his clothes in their closet, his toothbrush, his medicine, everything he ever touched, gone. Wiped from existence. She would've thought herself completely insane if it wasn't for the ring still on her finger, his initials written into it.

That's the message they send, to warn her never to stand up again. They send silence. No matter how many times she asks, they never tell her what they did to him. She can be on her knees, she can be pulling her hair out; she has barged into offices screaming until she had to be dragged away by security, and they still never give her anything. Nothing except a few more threats to remind her of the leash they have around her neck. They tug, and she follows.

iv. of giving up

There's no way around it, she knows, and once she understands that, something in her dies. She settles for the reality of never having her loved one back, and it kills her, too. If before she was a searching moth, now she has been caught by the capitol, her delicate wings pinned to an exhibitional board and drying out.

She continues working for them, and with every passing year, she's less and less inspired. The critics drive into her, looking to sink their teeth into easy prey, reminding her she's doing a terrible job any chance that they can. These jabs never work their way under her skin, because there's a state of numbness after she accepts the loss of Aeron in her life. Her dreams, her love, her everything, gone so quickly, ripped from her arms without notice. She has no hopes of him even being alive.

There's numbness, and it's almost uneventful because of it. She feels like she's barely living anymore, simply surviving to get by, pushing one foot after the other to keep moving. There's a spark of wrath somewhere, a flicker of red in the darkness of her chest that leaps around every once in a while, but her own dullness doesn't let it thrive. Another year passes, another Games she works on. That year, when she's sending her kids off to battle, her vision fails her.

She can't remember collapsing, but it must've been what happened. One minute she's within the Game headquarters feeling dizzy, the next minute she's waking up in a doctor's office. Her body shakes with shivers, her hands are as pale as the gown they have her wearing. The staff looks at her with pity, their eyes avoiding hers like they're hiding something. They speak in terms she's never heard of, and they're not direct when she demands to know what happened, but the gist of it is this -- there's more pain for her to carry in her life. She's been poisoned -- they don't tell her how --, and the substance has rotten her insides. She's pushed out of the hospital with the diagnosis of a lifetime of migraines, occasional shaky hands, and the inability to ever have children. That's when she understands the message they're sending.

And she feeds the spark in her chest until it turns into a forest fire.

v. of loving ii

When she loves these kids, now, it's almost out of spite. That's the one thing the Capitol can't take from her, the one thing they've tried beating out of her when they killed her spirits. They almost succeeded, too. They made her feel weak, hopeless, nothing more than an undead carcass dragging herself around without a goal. She won't let them do it, ever again.

So she loves the kids. She doesn't turn away from the screens anymore, she feels every splatter of blood, she cries for every death. She loves them endlessly, and without reservation, and without fear. She offers warm arms they can run into, and a shoulder to cry on, and a caring hand to push their hairs back. If the Capitol wants to kill her for this, then so be it. 

She'll accept death knowing she went down with a goddamn fight.

[inkedstarlight]

Bittersweet: Chapter 11

Summary: The Inner Circle rings in the New Year. Notes: Read it here on AO3! Warnings: brief mention of (implied) self-harm scars, themes of depression Bittersweet Masterlist

“I fucking hate the holidays,” was Emerie’s greeting to Nesta a couple days after Christmas.

Nesta glanced up from the drinkware she was cleaning to watch Emerie hang her jacket on the hanger in a huff. Her raven hair was pulled back in a loose braid, her eyes lined thickly with kohl and mascara. Nesta couldn’t help but smirk with amusement. “I take it seeing the family didn’t go well?”

Emerie snapped her head to glare into Nesta’s eyes. “They spent all of Hannukah lecturing me about doing something else with my life, something more respectable than 'slinging drinks around a dirty bar,’” she recalled with air quotes, her lip curled in disgust.  

Nesta dried the last glass. She threw the towel on the counter and turned to face her coworker. Crossing her arms, Nesta inquired, “And your response was?”

“I threatened to go into sex work.”

Nesta quirked a brow. “I thought you already worked at Euphoria on the weekends. If I recall correctly, you invited me to watch one of your performances.”

“Yes, Nesta, I'm aware that I'm already a stripper. That's the beauty of it. I threaten to join an even more unconventional line of work so they will accept my moderately unconventional job. They would much rather I bartend than strip.”

Nesta snorted. “I can’t argue with that logic.”

Before Emerie could try to convince Nesta to visit her at Euphoria again, Helion swooped in from behind them. He planted a loud kiss on Emerie's cheek. She feigned disgust, wiping the spot where his lips had been. Turning to him, Emerie smacked his chest playfully.

"Hello to you, too. You look ravishing," Helion wiggled his eyebrows with a wolfish grin.

Emerie rolled her eyes. "I'm immune to your charm, Helion. You should know that by now."

Helion gave her a questionable look that said, You sure about that?

He then turned his attention to Nesta with a grin and took a step forward - most likely to try to kiss her cheek as well - but he was quickly met with a death glare. He did this every time he came into work, and Nesta always rejected his affection. She had to admit he had balls for not giving it up.

Then again, he was a certifiable slut.

Helion's hands were raised in surrender when he turned to address both of them.

“I see you ladies are falling behind," he said, nodding his head to the current score of their little competition. Helion had titled the game, "Who's Got the Biggest Tip?" with an obscene drawing next to it.

Nesta looked behind her at the chalkboard. She was in last place.

The tip competition hadn’t even crossed Nesta’s mind. What with college, Tomas, and family, she wasn’t quite prioritizing the opportunity to man the music at Rita’s. Free booze on the other hand... that she could get with.

“Hey, I’m not that far behind you!” Emerie protested. “It’s Nesta who’s lagging behind.”

They both turned to her. Nesta merely stood there as they inspected her, Helion rubbing his chin in contemplation while Emerie tilted her head as if she would see something different horizontally.

“I’m not entirely surprised,” quipped Helion. “I mean, she’s gorgeous, but if looks could kill…”

Emerie hummed in agreement. She gestured to Nesta’s chest. “The uniform does wonders for her tits. It’s just once you get to the face. The hair can be let down, maybe pinch some color on her cheeks.”

Nesta continued to give them a blank stare. She was highly unamused.

“Don’t forget the smile,” Helion chimed in.

“How could I forget? Gods, her resting bitch face is even worse than mine.”

"There's potential, though."

"Undoubtedly."

Before the mischievous duo decided to go all "Miss Congeniality" on her, Nesta interrupted their daydream. “Are you guys done?”

Her question brought them back to reality. Helion sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Time to make some tips."

With that, the three of them got to work. Throughout the night, Nesta found herself trying to smile more. At customers, at Emerie and Helion. But every time she managed to pull her lips up, an invisible weight seemed to drag them back down to a deep frown.

Smiling had never been so hard.

They were celebrating New Year’s Eve at Feyre and Rhysand’s place. Nesta hadn’t been looking forward to it considering they had all just gotten together on Christmas Day. Seeing her sister’s asshole of a boyfriend and her infuriating neighbor biweekly was enough for her, thank you very much.

The night was uneventful. Elain had volunteered to be the designated driver, so Nesta took the opportunity to have more than just a couple drinks. By the time the clock struck 11:30, Nesta was far gone. She rarely ever got drunk in social situations, instead choosing to get fucked up in the comfort of her own home. The last thing she wanted was to lose control and do something she would regret the next morning.

But all those worries were thrown out the window the minute she had her first sip of liquor.

Nesta hated the phenomenon of New Year’s resolutions. She hated the idea of self-reflection, of changing, of setting a personal goal. It was bullshit. She felt this obligation to be better. To change into an entirely different person, someone sensitive and warm and outgoing. In other words, someone - anyone - except for herself. It was suffocating.

So as Nesta downed drink after drink, she watched the people around her – she doesn’t quite consider them friends, save for Amren – waiting for the new year to begin. Particularly Elain and Azriel.

Since Elain confessed her feelings for Azriel to Nesta – though some may say Nesta forced Elain to spill the beans – Nesta had been watching them like a hawk. Elain hadn’t yet been in a relationship, at least to Nesta’s knowledge. Perhaps that was why Nesta felt so protective over her sister. That, or because she was the most gentle person Nesta knew.

Nesta didn’t know much about Azriel. Their conversations had been scarce. All she really knew was what Elain told her. He had grown up across the street from Cassian and Rhysand, and the three of them had been thick as thieves since childhood. While Rhysand attended Pryth U and Cassian joined the Marines, Azriel stayed home after graduating high school to take care of their mother, much like Elain with their father. But their mother died just a few months after the three boys graduated. After working a couple minimum wage jobs, Azriel founded a local animal shelter a couple years ago with his friend and since then, his entire life had been dedicated to it.

From what Nesta could tell, Azriel seemed like a good man. But she could tell he still struggled with things from the past. And it wasn’t just the scars on his hands that gave it away. Feyre had briefly mentioned to Nesta that Azriel had gotten in trouble with the law many times in his younger years. Although Feyre didn't elaborate on his wrongdoings, Nesta couldn't help but imagine the worst.

Nesta would be lying if she said she didn't see similarities between herself and Azriel. The scars, the haunted looks, the guarded demeanor. And because she knew that there was no way she could possibly be in a healthy, functioning relationship, she had a feeling that Azriel couldn't either. It was painfully clear that he hadn’t yet dealt with whatever trauma he’d experienced. If he were to get into a relationship with Elain, it would only end in heartbreak for her.

Nesta watched from the kitchen table as Elain and Azriel played the Wii. Nesta could tell just by Elain’s body language that she was smitten. Her entire body leaned towards his when they sat next to each other to take a break from their “bowling” competition. And while Azriel engaged with her, Nesta noticed the hesitance in his expression, the way he shied away when Elain got too close. Almost like it was a reflex.

Nesta's hand twitched. She wanted to interfere.

It’s Elain’s life, Nesta reminded herself. As much as you worry, she has to be the one to make her own decisions.

With that uneasy thought, Nesta relaxed back into the kitchen chair she was sitting on and took a large gulp from the mixed drink she held. Everyone was mingling in the living room as Nesta watched from the breakfast bar. All their backs were facing her, offering her the slightest bit of solace knowing that no one was paying attention to her.

She hadn't seen much of Cassian tonight. They both seemed to be holding themselves to their agreement to distance themselves from one another. He seemed perfectly content to stay out of Nesta's way, and Nesta felt the same. She just couldn't help but be surprised he hadn't tried to get a rise out of her.

At least, not yet. There was always time.

Nesta loathed the way Cassian was able to get under her skin, hated the way he made her feel. She didn't understand it. He was virtually a stranger and yet he made her blood boil. And all because he found it entertaining to watch her lose control? Gods, he was twisted.

As the thirty-second countdown began, the couples paired off. Mor grabbed Aurra until nothing separated them. Feyre leaned against the wall and Rhysand rested his hands above her head. That only left Azriel, Elain, Nesta, Cassian, and Amren.

Cassian and Amren remained seated on the couch that was directly in front of Nesta. Amren was whispering to him, no doubt making fun of every couple in the room. They laughed together. Then of course, Azriel turned to Elain with a shy smile.

And that left Nesta sitting alone at the bar, her drink half empty. Her glazed over eyes followed Elain and Azriel.

Ten.

They looked at each other.

Nine.

Azriel took a couple steps closer.

Seven.

Azriel dipped his head to Elain’s ear and whispered something.

Five.

Elain blushed. She looked up at him and nodded with a smile.

Three.

Azriel gripped her waist with one hand and pulled her in.

Two.

Elain melted into his touch.

One.

They stared deeply into each other’s eyes.

Zero.

Azriel pressed a soft kiss on Elain’s cheek. She closed her eyes as if she were trying to savor it, to hold onto that moment for as long as she could. Azriel’s lips reluctantly left her cheek, only for him to lean his forehead on her temple. Their chests rose and fell heavily, their breath seemingly in sync. They remained like that for a moment, both unwilling to let go of one another. It wasn’t until Rhysand hooted, “Happy New Year,” that Azriel broke away from her and re-entered the present. Eyes wide, all they could do was blink at each other, the air between them palpable with uncertainty and excitement and pain and hope.

Everyone around them was cheering. It was almost too loud for Nesta. Her ears rang.

As everyone around them laughed and yelled, Cassian looked behind his shoulder from where he sat and his eyes met Nesta’s.

They looked at each other for the briefest of seconds before Nesta flipped him off.

Nesta could've sworn Cassian's eyes brightened before he returned the gesture.

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

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[squishneedsahero]

Unknowns

Lost to Time | Part 3

Word Count: 2106

Summary:

The story of an original character, Allison Bennett. Growing up black in the short period between the world wars wasn't easy but Allison had friends who stuck with her no matter what. She was ambitious and had a million things she wanted to achieve in her lifetime and would try only to be told by the world that due to who she was it wasn't possible and she'd never live up to her dreams.

The last thing Allison remembered was a bright flash of white light. She can feel herself lying on a bed, the sheets were soft and there was a blanket lying on top of her. Her body ached and she couldn't convince herself to open her eyes.

She doesn't know how long she lies there somewhere between waking and sleep. But she stays there as her body aches, she hurt all over, inside and out. Her skin felt as though it was on fire and her bones felt too big for the space they had. It was the oddest feeling she had ever felt but she slowly grew used to it, well either that or the pain slowly subsided.

Eventually she moves enough to open her eyes. She found herself staring at a white ceiling in a well lit room. The room was pristine and Allison could see nothing out of place as she began to move her head about to look around.

As she looked around she came to realize she was in a hospital room. It was different from other hospital rooms which she had been in but it definitely was a hospital. It's as she begins to sit herself up that she realizes she has an IV in her arm and has a few other tubes attached to her body. She looks at them but doesn't remove them, despite not being sure what they were for.

She hears some voices outside her room when she has sat up but she ignores them to look around a bit more. She finds her notebook on the bedside table and reaches over to pick it up. She moves it to her lap and opens up its tattered pages, as she does this a woman enters the room.

"Hello, ma'am it is good to see you awake."

Allison pauses a moment before opening her mouth, "Hello... what hospital am I in?"

"You're in the Brooklyn hospital center," the woman pauses for a beat. "May I ask you a few questions as we have not been able to identify who you are or find any relatives of yours."

Allison's mind is groggy so she takes a moment to respond but eventually she nods, "yes, I'm Allison Bennett, I don't have any relatives they all passed during the war."

"Excuse me, war ma'am? Which war did they pass during?" The nurse asks the two questions, clearly confused and her confusion does nothing but confuse Allison further.

Allison pauses a moment trying to figure out how to explain the war to someone who was so confused, how long had she been asleep for? Had the world so quickly forgotten the war against the Axis powers? "The war, the one that ended a few years back, against the Germans and Japanese?"

The look of confusion on the woman's face slowly turns to realization then shock. "Alright ma'am I will go see if I can find you in our records," and with that she quickly left the room.

Allison didn't protest, allowing the woman to leave, though she slowly began to inspect the various tubes going off of her body. She begins to identify what they are and what it each one's purpose is. During this inspection the pain in her body subsides and she begins to feel back to her normal self.

It's another hour after that when the woman comes back to see Allison once again. The first thing out of her mouth is, "is this you? Allison Everly Bennett, born October 28th 1918?"

Allison doesn't understand why the woman is so confused about this but she nods, "yes that is me," once she has an answer the woman immediately leaves once again. When the woman closes the door behind her Allison can hear voices, more voices than before begin to speak in the hallway outside of her room.

It isn't long before a man in uniform enters Allison's room. He closes the door behind him and is silent for a moment. It's when this happens that it finally clicks for Allison that there is something more going on than what it is they have told her. Sure she's smart but with a groggy mind after her last experiment sent her to the hospital, she's a bit slow to put things together.

"What's going on?" Allison asks before she has time to think about who she is talking too or even if she should be speaking.

The man clears his throat, "ma'am- Ms.Bennett I have news which I need to inform you of," if anything the man in front of her seems nervous, "according to the police a missing persons report was filed for you back in 1949."

Allison nods slowly, yes that was when she had been doing research, why is that such a big deal?

The man takes a breath before continuing, "it is August 2015 ma'am. You've been missing for 66 years."

In the moment what he is saying passes over her head. It wasn't until he said how long that she had been missing that things began making sense. She sits straight up in bed, staring at the man in shock. "It's 2015? How?- How long have I been asleep for?"

"Ms.Bennett, please stay calm we are working on figuring this out. You were found unconscious in the lobby of a building a week ago and they brought you here. Nobody knows where you were before that. You've only been in this hospital for a week."

It's another few moments before Allison responds, "alright, thank you for letting me know... may I speak with a doctor about getting these things off of me so I can get out of bed?"

The man seems surprised by how calm Allison is, in reality Allison is freaking out but she keeps it all in. That was all she had been able to do with her emotions the last four years of her life as she'd been alone. Getting upset in front of strangers wasn't something she could afford to do. The man nods and steps back out of the room, the door shutting for a moment before the nurse enters once again.

"Let me just check your vitals once more before we detach all these from you and get you out of this room."

Allison nods, staying silent as she is unsure what would leave her mouth if she were to open it. It isn't long before she is out of bed and given some shoes to wear. She picks up her notebook and takes a breath before carefully leaving the room behind the nurse.

Outside her room there's a group of both doctors and officers in uniform. The one who seems to be in charge steps forward, "hello Ms.Bennett, my name is Agent Everett Ross and I'm going to help you figure some things out."

Allison once again simply nods in response as she is lead down a few flights of stairs and is put into the back of a car with Mr.Ross. Once they are in the car the man faces her, "may I?" He asks and gestures towards the notebook she clutched in her hands.

She hands it over, "yes, just be careful with it as it is always trying to fall apart."

He nods, "of course." He takes the book carefully and begins to look through it. Wanting more personal information about the woman beside him, other that the little bit of official information they had gained from government records and police reports.

As he looks through her nots Allison finds herself staring out the window in awe of the city. She knew these streets, she had been raised running around on them. They were all so familiar, and yet nothing was the same as she remembered. There were new buildings in place of some of the ones which had been old during her lifetime. There were other buildings she remembered being under construction that were now finished and looked ancient compared to the newer ones.

Eventually Everett draws her attention back from the buildings to himself. He has the book opened up to the pages where she had pasted in the condolence letters, he reads them then looks at her. "How did you come across these two letters of condolence for one Steve Rogers and one James Barnes?"

Allison pauses, once again reminded how she had been removed from the narrative. History didn't want to remember that Steve had had a girl as one of his closest friends, let alone the fact that she was a black woman. "I grew up with them, the stories seemed to forget about me but I was there," she admits quietly.

Agent Ross nods and goes back to looking through her notes and she goes back to looking out the window. He had asked his questions, giving no indication as to whether or not he believed her. The next time she looks over to him he is pulling out a small box like device and begins tapping on one of its faces.

"You say you grew up with Steve Rogers?" He asks again in confirmation.

Allison nods once again, and Everett sets the device down after he finishes up with it. "Yes, I grew up with him. We met when we were 6, and we attended the same school. He saved me from some bullies and we got close after that," she goes on for a bit, feeling for the first time in forever peace as she relived the memories of her childhood.

After a bit the device agent Ross had tucked back in a pocket made a noise and he pulled it out, putting it to his ear like a phone. He then begins talking, "yes. Yes I'm positive. We have a few other things we would like to ask her but yes. You can come meet us and take her once we are finished."

Allison looks it him, knowing he had been speaking of her.

Agent Ross puts the device away and looks back at the woman, "that was just a friend. We want to do a few tests and figure out how you got here but as soon as we are done you'll be able to go and stay with them."

Allison finds this odd but agrees to follow through with his plan. What else would she do? She barely knew where she was and would hardly be able to run off if she tried too. It would be easiest to just let them run their tests and go with whoever they were going to send her with. If she needed to get away she could wait and figure things out first.

They soon arrive to a nice government building and go inside. They seem to trust Allison as there isn't any guards immediately around them, though there are guards scattered throughout the building, in their presumably normal places. She follows agent Ross through the halls and around different corners until they finally come to stop in a room which appeared to be a lab.

There were a few other people around and Allison simply clutched her notebook as they took some blood from her and did a few other tests. They performed a full physical on her, both eye and hearing tests and a few other things to determine the state of her health.

Allison was surprised that by the end of all of this she was hardly tired. Sure she was almost always on her feet, running about to take care of her job at the diner, but that wasn't the same as the many stretches they had her do. In fact despite having spent a week in the hospital lying about and doing nothing she probably felt the best she had in years. Though it could be the fact she hadn't gotten enough sleep in years and now she was finally fully rested even if she was in the year 2015.

When they are fully finished agent Ross and the few doctors request her to stay in the room and they will send in someone to meet her in a moment who would be taking her to where she would be staying. She sits quietly, running a hand over the pages of her notebook, looking through her most recent notes. Allison's mind was already working towards figuring out how this had happened, how she had ended up in 2015.

It's as she is sitting quietly that she hears the door open and someone step inside. She looks up to see a broad shouldered man with blond hair and blue eyes entering the room.

[stupidsexyfandom]

Lost in Sea Blue

@helsa-summer-event

Rated T // Angst

Hans loves the blue of the sky and sea. Too much, perhaps. It haunts him.  

Written for Prompt #2 of Helsa Summer: Blue skies & dandelion fuzz. 

When Hans was a child, he would sneak outside in summer to play in the fields around the castle. The castle faced the sea on one side, but its lands were extensive on all the others. He would run and jump and climb, taking pleasure in the fresh air and solitude. The joy of these activities was such that he could almost forget how he was not missed at home.

The forests seemed to hold countless untold mysteries. He would splash in the creek and pretend that bears and witches and ogres lurked behind every twisted branch. The meadow became a battlefield where he could wage campaigns against invisible opponents, or a pirate ship he captained across a stormy sea. When he grew tired of playing, he would lie back in the grass and make crowns of golden dandelion chains. He would pick the flowers that had gone to seed, blowing their fuzz through the air. As he watched the seeds float away into the pure blue sky, he would wish that he could grow up to be a heroic prince, just like the ones in his favorite fairy stories.

Perhaps his favorite pastime was to climb the old oak in the center of the meadow. The lack of competition from other trees had left it with many low-hanging branches that were perfect for a little boy to climb. He would climb as high as he could, until all that surrounded him were leaves and sky. Gazing up at that azure dome, he would pretend to be flying on a Pegasus, or a dragon, or even under his own power. That summer sky was his first taste of freedom. As time passed, he became increasingly hemmed in by his schoolwork and his brothers, and he no longer went to the meadow. But the memory of it remained his escape mechanism. When their torments became too much for him to bear, he would think of that wide expanse of blue and remember the absolute bliss of being free.

-

As a young man, Hans went to sea. The Southern Isles was a seafaring nation, and many of its princes served time in the navy. Hans found that he enjoyed it more than most. The sea offered him more autonomy than he had had in his whole life previously, even accounting for the chain of command. The work was difficult and often dangerous, but he relished the chance to prove himself and put his body to good use.

Every day was spent out under the sky. When the weather was clear, the sea and sky seemed to stretch on forever. Hans would stand on deck and crane his neck to see the full gradient. The deep blue water gave way to the pale horizon, the sky intensifying in color as it climbed toward its peak. The area directly overhead was so vibrant that it looked nearly periwinkle. No longer was he restricted to the blue dome of the sky. Now he felt as though he were in an orb, suspended weightless and surrounded by blue. The sea, the sky, and the wind were the only things that felt real. Although he had given up his fantasies of dragons long ago, he thought that this was the closest a man could get to flying.

His desire to see the sky did not lead him to shirk his duties. The callouses on his hands proved his contributions to the running of the ship. He climbed rigging as easily as he had the old oak tree, and he was willing to do any task set to him. His favorite chore was manning the helm. It was there that he got his first taste of power.

When the weather was stormy, Hans had learned time and again that the sea was a harsh mistress. Not malicious, but certainly not benign. An unstoppable force of nature with no regard for man. But standing at the wheel made him feel in control. He could harness the power of the sea and direct it to his will. It was intoxicating. Sailing through his blue orb with the wind at his back, he felt like the master of his own fate in a way he never had before.

-

It was the princess’s sea blue eyes that first drew Hans to her. They were wide and open like the sky, brimming with possibility. He could fall in love with eyes like that.

Running into her at the docks had been a stroke of good luck. When he learned she was the princess, he was thrown back to his childhood fantasies. He saw himself on the throne of Arendelle, finally a heroic prince worthy of the office. Freedom and power both lay within his reach.

He came back to reality soon enough. Nothing was ever as easy as it was in storybooks, and love never entered the equation. The princess was merely a pawn in his game. He would do whatever was necessary to take the throne. But those blue eyes reminded him of the only things he had ever loved.

He saw those same eyes in the queen’s face when she stood in the chapel to be crowned. They were the color of the sky, but they held none of the openness of the real thing. She beheld no infinite horizon. There was something hidden there that he could not understand.

By the time they met in the ice palace, he thought he understood. Her eyes had been the color of an iceberg underneath the water, lying in wait to bash the hull of an unwary ship. He locked eyes with her again as her ice spikes threatened to impale the duke’s men. Even though she was cornered, he could tell something had changed. Her eyes had seen the open sky, had tasted what it could bring her. She had known freedom, known power, and she was terrified.

He stood in awe of her magic. She reminded him of a great wave on the open ocean, threatening to sweep away all who stood on deck. An unstoppable force of nature with no regard for man. She acted not out of malice, but out of instinct. He didn’t know if he could save her, but he had to try.

“Queen Elsa! Don’t be the monster they fear you are!” And against all odds, she stopped. Something hung between them in the air. Her eyes were the color of the horizon in summer’s everlasting twilight. Hans had not felt this way since he was last at sea, when he had stood at the wheel and sailed toward infinity. Here was an unspeakable power, and he had mastered it with words alone. Visions of the future flooded his mind. The queen and her magic could be his. Together, they could be unstoppable. So when the guard raised his crossbow, he acted in an instant.

When he had carried the queen back to Arendelle, he made certain to put her in a cell with a window. He could not bear the thought of separating her from the azure sky.

-

In his prison cell, Hans was haunted by a dream. It started in Arendelle, on the ice in the midst of a blizzard. He walked through a mist of white, suspended weightless once again. But whereas the sea and sky had seemed infinite, the snow felt like a trap, closing him off from the outside world. No opportunity could exist in this icy void.

The queen was splotch of blue on an otherwise colorless landscape. He heard his own voice echoing across the fjord. You can’t run from this! Your sister is dead because of you! He knew what he had to do. Metal scraped on metal as he drew his sword.

He could see the blue of her eyes as he approached her. This was when he should have known he was dreaming. In reality, her back was to him the whole time. He never saw her face as she awaited the arc of his sword. But he never figured it out until after he awoke. Instead, her gaze burned into him, silently pleading. Whether for death or for salvation, he knew not.

Gone was any satisfaction he may have felt, any forced mania of coming so close to achieving his goal. He moved nearer, sword raised over his head. Her eyes seemed to draw him in, pulling him deeper until he felt he might drown in them. Like Charybdis, the whirlpool which no man could survive. He had thought himself a hero, a Hercules or an Odysseus, a knight from one of his fairy stories. He alone could slay the monster. But in this dream, he realized he had been wrong. He was the monster, Scylla seeking the head of another fearful traveler. He could not stop.

Time seemed to slow as he swung his sword down, down, down. But it met with a statue of blue marble, the frozen form of the Princess Anna. He felt himself flying backwards until he was looking up at the white sky. Here, again, he should have realized he was dreaming. But instead he continued to look up.

He could not tell how much time had passed. As he watched, the sky seemed to brighten. Snow floated upwards, disappearing into the rich blue. The flakes reminded him of dandelion fuzz drifting away. All his wishes turning into dust. He thought he could still see the queen’s eyes staring at him.

Love will thaw. He knew not whence the voice came. He could feel the ice beneath him melting. In the back of his mind, he felt he should be lying on a ship. But there was nothing beneath him but cold water. He knew how to swim, but he could not make his limbs move. He was sinking. Love had been his undoing. His love of power, his love of freedom, his love of the sea and sky. His twisted obsession with the queen. Love had thawed him into a watery grave. And now she would make him pay.

As he slipped down, down, down beneath the waves, he swore he could see the queen above him. Her icy cape covered her head like a veil. Oh Hans, she seemed to say. But her voice held no hint of anger or mockery, only a quiet kind of sadness. The next second, she was gone. He floated weightless beneath the surface of the water. The last thing he saw was the vast expanse of blue.

-

Hans’ life was now confined to this small and drab cell. The days bled into each other as he awaited execution or extradition or something else entirely. Possibly he would just be left there to rot. When he had first come, he had bemoaned the lack of a window. Gradually, he grew thankful that there was no sky to remind him of what he had lost, stoking the fire of his bitterness. Now that the dreams had started, he had never been so grateful to live in a world of grey and brown. If there had been a window, he was certain that the blue sky would drive him mad. It still might if he were to see it on the gallows.

He could not escape the sea so easily. Day after day, he heard the waves breaking against the stone pediment of the castle. He wondered how long it would take them to erode away the granite. The water would rush into his cell, filling it with the smell of the ocean. Perhaps the tides would take his body with them when they ebbed.

“She’s coming for me,” he told the guard who brought him his meal, “She needs to punish me for what I’ve done.”

“The queen? Don’t be stupid, she’s in Arendelle. Anyway, she wouldn’t bother with the likes of you.”

“Not the queen,” he said fervently, “the sea.” But the meal slot had already slammed shut. As he lay listening to the waves, he felt the distinction was immaterial. The queen and the sea were one and the same. She would have him in the end. And so he waited for her to come for him.

At night, he dreamt of drowning in the blue. Upon waking, he took cold comfort in the gray of the stone. He was certain that the next time he saw blue, in the sky, or the sea, or the queen’s eyes, it would be his dying day.

***

Author’s Note: Guys, I messed up. I wrote this entire one-shot themed around blue, and it’s so thematically different from “Blue” by Marina and the Diamonds that I can’t cop a line for a title. My bad. This story certainly owes something to Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. Many years ago, I had considered writing a Helsa AU of that story. Perhaps someday I shall. Thank you to you all for reading and for the love you’ve shown my previous piece! <3

[cat-in-a-fedora]

Reunion Falls

I think I found something for the reunion falls au of Gravity Falls on the original creator’s blog. The reblog and like functionalities weren’t working for some reason, and I couldn’t find it in the creator’s archive. I really like this, though, so I’m gonna put it here and give credit.

This was originally on @sailorleo, and I couldn’t reblog it for some reason.

`-i dunno, he’s like, really weirdly clingy, but when we’re together all he wants to do is talk about his band…

-dump him.

-dipper that’s the same advice you’ve given me for every boyfriend i’ve ever had

-then why don’t you ask mabel?

-fine, maybe i will. mabel, what do you-

-no actually i think dipper’s right you should dump him

-teen soos playing with baby dipper and getting all excited when he says his name

-it would work better if stan actually knew mabel was coming beforehand, but just couldn’t work up the nerve to tell dipper until the last minute. by some fluke, mabel arrives a day early, and makes contact with dipper while stan is out.

-stan tells dipper that at the time of his birth his parents weren’t expecting twins, and couldn’t afford to take care of two children at once. he only told the kid they were dead because he thought it might be easier to handle than the idea that his parents didn’t want him.

–

-what are you still doing up?

-’m makin’ a sweater for grenda. she’s bigger than me, so it’s taking longer. you had a nightmare?

-no big deal, it was just an anxiety dream.

-a what?

-it’s like a nightmare, but instead of being scary it just makes all your deepest insecurities a reality. grunkle stan says they’re the brain’s way of reminding you that life could always be worse.

-…that sounds dumb.

-yeah, well, life isn’t fair, mabel.

–

-that corduroy girl out sick today or somethin’?

-what? um, no! i was just, uh… i tripped. on a rock. a lot of rocks.

-oh c'mon, kid, you think i never got the snot kicked outta me in elementary school? i know a fist to the face when i see it. c'mere, let’s fix you up.

–

-what can i do, though? they’re all bigger than me, and if i tell the teacher i’ll just look like even more of a wimp.

-ha! if you don’t wanna look like a wimp, you should stop letting other people fight your battles for ya.

-but i can’t-

-now hold on. i know you can’t, you’ve got about as many muscles as a soggy piece of toast. but one thing i know about the world is that guys who were born bigger, stronger, and smarter are always gonna punch down. and guys like you an’ me are stuck right at the bottom like old gum. so if your wits can’t save ya, all there is to do is punch back up.

-….do you mean that metaphorically, or….

-i was wondering when i’d have to dig these old things up again! …see, kid, all I’m trying to say is, when the world fights, you gotta learn to fight back.

–

-oh, shit. we’re not getting anywhere like this.

-*gasp* dipper!!

-what??

-you just said the ’s’ word!

-so? we’re practically teenagers, mabel. we can swear.

-i have friends back home who won’t even say ‘crap’! you must be getting it from somewhere

-i don’t know what you-

-[wendy enters] AYYYYYY DICKWEEDS WHAT’S FUCKIN HAPPENING

–

-ugh, sorry about all that, man. i don’t know why robbie’s always such an asshole to you.

-you don’t think he’s like…..jealous of me, do you?

-HA! ohhhhh my god. oh my god you’re probably right.

-what, does he think I’m gonna like, steal you away? like he’s INTIMIDATED by me? …that feels kinda good, actually.

-oh man, can you imagine? dipper pines, casanova extraordinaire! refined older women such as myself just….COLLAPSING at your feet!

–

-grunkle stan, um…. where are my parents?

-uhh……….. they died.

-oh…. how did they die?

-they………………died.

–

-you know when you’re wearing just the vest without a sweater you kinda look like……. someone. it’ll come to me

–

-mabel, what did you do to the journal????

-what? you told me to pretend it was my diary!

-i said to PRETEND it was your diary, not actually use it as a diary!! you didn’t mess with the stuff inside, did you?

[cut to: a shot of the interior of the journal, filled with stickers and cute little drawings and tiny diary entries about boys and the like]

-…….nnnnnnnope.

–

-if you’re going to be a monster hunter, you’ve got to have a look.

-hey, i’ve already got THAT covered

-no, i mean a look that tells people you mean business. like what i’ve got!

-what’s more businesslike than a leopard wearing sunglasses?

-i can think of a few things. what about like, a jacket? or…. a jacket? something besides a big fluffy sweater.

-listen dip, we’ve only known each other for a few days so i’ll let you off the hook this time. but first rule of mabel? the sweater STAYS.

-ugh, fine, but you’re gonna overheat. hey, what about this? it’s big enough to wear over a sweater. and it’s got pockets!

-but does it have PERSONALITY?

-you can decorate it or whatever i don’t care.

–

-mabel, have you seen my gel?

-nope. why do you gel your hair, anyway?

-i don’t want my bangs to cover my birthmark.

-can’t you just cut them off?

-it’s part of the look.

-ohhh, the 'look’.

–

-soooooo dipper had a crush on you, huh?

-haha, yuuuuuup. he thought he was being super smooth about it too. 100% convinced i had no idea. oh shit, dude, you wanna see this valentines card he made me when he was like, seven?

-you KNOW i do!

-boom! check it. all the blackmail you’ll ever need on one piece of construction paper.

-oh my gosshhhhhhhhh…..wait,  "love, ty"?

-oh yeah, ol’ dipstick used to go by 'tyrone’ before he was dipper. just between you and me, dipper suits him better. tyrone is too cool for him.

-why’d he switch?

-dunno, really. he used to hate his birthmark, people would make fun of him for it, yknow? and then one day he just started being super cool with it. he like, reinvented his entire image around the thing. you should’ve seen him before that though, always brushing his bangs down over his forehead… well, at least he puts some effort into his appearance now.

–

-FUCK!

-KID!

-oh no.

-where’d you learn language like that?

-i… uh….

–…..wasn’t from me, was it?

-n-no! it was from…. nobody! i mean, you hear stuff around, and-

-WAHAHA! this is great! now i don’t have to keep my mouth shut around ya! and it isn’t even my fault!

–

-mabel, take out the trash

-booooooo!

-…aren’t you going to do what he said?

-sure, just as soon as i finish kicking dipper’s butt!

-i will dance on your grave, mabel.

-but…he’s your uncle. you should listen to him before he gets mad, right?

-pff, what’s ol’ stan gonna do, throw his dentures at me? (don’t tempt me, kid) half the fun of being a kid is not doing what adults tell you to do! consequences be darned.

-…paz, really, stan loves us. he’s not gonna like, hit me or anything. yikes.

–

-dipper, seriously, what the heck happened between you and gideon!

-i told you, nothing! he’s just a creep.

-oh, is THAT why he won’t stop talking about you? even on our dates! it’s WEIRD. ….you two aren’t like, exes or-

-ew, no!

-haHA! you dated gideon! gideon and dip-per sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-

-we were FRIENDS, okay?? …sort of. i dunno. it was a long time ago.

-heyoooo my drama senses are tingling! now you HAVE to tell me! deets deets deets!

-uuugggghhhhhh fine

-dipper and gideon have been rivals since childhood, but back then it was on somewhat friendlier terms. they would get each other in trouble, start fights over nothing, ruin each other’s stuff, but they would always walk away with smiles on their faces, like an unspoken pact to annoy the shit out of each other forever. but things started to change after gideon found journal 2. dipper didn’t see him around with the other kids as often. his tactics got nastier. he started “winning” more often. things came to a head after stan started teaching dipper to box. one day when dipper and wendy were hanging out together, they ran into gideon, who took the opportunity to tease them mercilessly. when he started going after wendy, dipper socked him, hard, in the nose. “i dunno. i was really mad, but i think i also just wanted to prove i was strong. wendy was always protecting me, so i wanted to protect her back.” after that point, gideon declared them mortal enemies.

-stan and wendy were definitely elated at the fact that dipper punched gideon. stan probably tried to bake him a cake.

–

DOUBLE DIPPER

“BAM! look out party, this girl’s on a mission! and that mission is to find a summer getaway friend group. woah, huddling crowd of teenagers! that’s perfect!”

-paz is talking with everyone listening when mabel interrupts her. “heyo! guess who’s here, it’s mabel, and that’s me.” “…..that’s great, sweetheart.”

-mabel is really excited to make new friends at the party, but most everyone starts hanging around pacifica. mabel tries to make friends with pacifica but paz rejects her, saying “listen, youre new so i’ll fill you in. it might seem like people like you and are interested in you because youre 'quirky’ or whatever, but you’re just a cheap novelty. around here? i’m the one who matters. nobody ignores pacifica northwest. adoring fans?” paz snaps her fingers and the crowd begins to shove mabel out of the circle until she finally falls on the empty dance floor. defeated, mabel shuffles off to the only people not part of the crowd (candy and grenda) “you too, huh?” “don’t worry. when we burn, we burn together.” paz then steps up to the mic and points at them, shouting “hey everyone, check out this adorable new attraction! it’s the reject corner!”

“aww, we don’t need this. the true merit of a partymaster is knowing how to take the party with you. this calls for an impromptu sleepover!”

-mabel offers to cheer up her new friends by ditching the party and having a sleepover instead, candy remarks that they were planning a post-party sleepover together anyway, grenda says how she stole a raunchy romance novel from her mom- wolfman bare-chest. grenda shows off that the book has a full-color illustration of gerard, candy remarks how she wants one of her own, mabel remembers that they have an old copy machine downstairs.

-“i don’t understand. i’m having fun, but i still feel this burning desire to go back downstairs and make her suffer for her crimes. crimes against friendship and partying.” “hey, i know what’ll curb that thirst for vengeance! theft! look what i stole from my mom’s bedside table!” “grenda, you wild girl! this is perfect!” “and it comes with a full-color illustration! his pecs are holographic!” *all three girls scream* “aah!! he is so rugged and brooding, i want to take him home with me and make him my trophy husband!” “ooh, i think we have an old copy machine downstairs! that way we can all keep the poster! come on girls, let’s go make our dreams a reality!”

-the girls end up bringing gerard to life because fuck the laws of reality, he emerges and says “which of you fair maidens brought me into this realm?” candy points to mabel. “girls, i think the party is back on!”

-“hey, fursuit, i don’t know if anyone told you, but this isn’t a costume party. although that would explain YOUR outfit, mabel”, gerard gets angry and tries to defend her by attacking pacifica. pacifica gets a small scratch on her arm and shrieks “are those REAL claws?!” mabel and candy struggle with gerard and finally subdue him (after he loses an arm to the punch bowl) by stuffing him into a closet. “you can come out after you learn to stop being such a butt!!” candy makes some remark about “at least we didn’t make any more!” cut to grenda either using the copy machine or already surrounded by wolf men.

-after the gerard squad starts running wild at the party, mabel gets an idea. “grenda, they’ve already like, werewolf-bonded to you, right? so if you’re in danger, they’ll come and save you!” “..i know what i have to do. hey northwest, be mean to me!” “ok, ok, just… give me a minute. ….hey circus freak, you’ve got arms like a gorilla and a voice like a wrestler, so it’s no wonder that the only boys interested in you are a bunch of wolves!” “…..pacifica, that was really mean.” “YOU TOLD ME TO!!!”

-maybe have pacifica get on the mic again so all the wolves hear her insult

-“grenda I’m sorry you have the body of an amazonian goddess and a voice like ten angels singing one direction!!” “yeah, maybe if one direction were all chain smokers.”

-the girls use this plan to lure the wolfpack into the kitchen, where there’s a sprinkler system connected to the fire alarm. the plan is that once all of the wolves are present, mabel will signal for candy to pull the alarm. however, once mabel gives the signal, it’s revealed that candy has been captured. “i’m sorry, mabel…. their pecs were just so shiny!” “i’m sorry i dragged you into this, pacifica.” “yeah, i’m sorry you dragged me into this, too.” maybe have them cowering on top of the fridge. but just when it looks like all hope is lost, the sprinklers come on anyway. it’s revealed that the first gerard was the one who pulled it, sacrificing himself to save mabel’s life.

-“you will always be in my heart, mabel pines. and i hope…..that i will be in yours…..”

-“well, pacifica, maybe now that we’ve worked together as a team, we can come away from this knowing that our fighting was petty and pointless, having gained a mutual respect.” “are you SERIOUS? all this proves is that you’re a freak, and your friends are freaks, and even though I’m gonna make sure to stay as far away from your little circle of lost causes as possible, the next time we meet? you’re going DOWN, and I’m gonna make sure EVERYONE is watching.” “……welp! i didn’t gain anything from that! maybe next time.”

-“i’m sorry that all this happened, girls. if you don’t wanna hang out with me after this, i get it.” “are you kidding? that was incredible!” “i feel like my heart is on fire! but in a good way!”

-in the aftermath, the girls (sans pacifica) burn the book. as they watch the illustration of gerard smolder, mabel solemnly says “this ends once and for all.” “….my mom’s gonna want that book back.” “once. and. for all.”

IRRATIONAL TREASURE

-pacifica overhears what the twins are trying to do and tails them, then ends up getting captured along with them

-LET ME OUT OF HERE! I AM A NORTHWEST!

-i thought we just established that doesn’t count for anything anymore.

-pacifica yells at mabel for doing something as stupid as leaving a trail of candy wrappers, dipper interrupts to ask her why she always feels the need to shut people down like that. pacifica tells him that its her duty as a woman of status to let everyone know what their place is. “orrrrrr you just feel so threatened by the idea that you’re not as well-liked as you think you are that you need to make everyone else feel bad about themselves.” “WHAT was that?” “threatened?”

-mabel gets her nerve back and yells at pacifica that why would she ever want to be liked by a stuck-up shallow primadonna like her, and throws a hunk of peanut brittle at her, freeing trembly.

-after returning to town, the twins see pacifica being berated by her parents for disappearing and getting her clothes dirty. mabel feels sorry for her and goes over to explain that oh, it was actually my fault, i was trying to uncover dirt on the northwest family and pacifica stepped up to intervene, and we got into a fight. also we totally didnt find anything to shame the northwests so you can thank pacifica for that too. the northwests then threaten to sue the pines family for hurting their daughter, but paz holds them back, saying something about how it isnt worth it to waste time on poor people like mabel.

-this is the start of mabel and pacifica’s budding friendship, and pacifica’s redemption arc

SUMMERWEEN

-hey, little man!

-oh, hey wendy! ….and robbie.

-so….. chilling in the bushes without a costume on? what’s that about?

-nah, i’d say he’s got a pretty solid 'loser’ costume lined up already.

-i’m just hanging out with mabel and her friends, i guess. this big legendary monster thing says its gonna eat us unless we collect 500 pieces of candy but y'know. no worries.

-sick, dude. and you didn’t even have to go out and find this thing yourself? your sis must be like, a monster magnet.

-yeah, she…really is.

-well, i’d help you with the mission if i could, but i’ve got this whole 'aloof teenager’ thing to keep up, yknow? no trick-or-treating for these old bones. but I’ve got a few extra sweets in my purse if you need some more handouts! we can go find mabel, and-

-NO! i-i mean… no, don’t find her, its ok, i got it, give it to me.

-woah, chill out, you little freak! you’re not HIDING from her, are you? …is everything ok? and don’t say it is, because nobody sweats that much when everything’s ok. not even you.

-……i dunno, it’s like, i don’t mind having her around, but we’re always together and she wants us to do all these “twin” things now and I’m just not sure I’m ready for it yet.

-yeah, i getcha. its gotta be a lot to take in. hey, if you need somewhere to decompress after this whole candy deathmatch thing is over, tambry’s throwing a party at her house in a few. text me when you’re free?

-just try not to dork up the place if you show.

-robbie, if you don’t lay off I’m gonna punch you in the dick.

-i just….. twins are supposed to have this special bond, y'know? like a mind meld or something. and i just feel like i’ve missed so much. things could've….should’ve been different. and i came here because i wanted to make things the way they were supposed to be. i thought like, maybe if we were together we could pretend that its the way things always were and everything was ok. but i cant. its not.

-yeah, i… i’m sorry, mabel. everything just happened so fast, and i couldn’t handle it, and i avoided thinking about it, and….i ended up avoiding you, too. i’ve been kind of a crummy brother so far, huh?

-no, no, i get it…. i’m weird, and this is weird, and you’re one of those weird people who likes to be by yourself. and i understand if you don’t want to be siblings. but… can we at least be friends?

-i don’t see why we can’t be both.

TOURIST TRAPPED

-hey, mabel, i was wondering, uh…… how did our parents die?

-woah, what? they’re not dead! are they?? you’re freaking me out, dipper!

-'sup, hambone?

-oh, hey….. soos, right?

-you got it, lil’ dude! so, what’s eating you? besides the mosquitos anyway. nice, good one soos.

-soos, have you ever tried to do something that you thought would make everyone really happy, but instead it just blows up in your face and everything is awful and it’s all your fault?

-story of my life, dude. probably not on this scale though. just a minor everyday occurrence.

-they probably hate me, don’t they?

-what? no way! i just met you a few hours ago and i can already tell you’re like the least hateable dude I’ve ever met. you’re like if they found a way to combine a smiling puppy with an anime fairy princess.

-but i ruined everything!! that’s what they’ll call me in the history books. mabel, queen of ruining everything. everyone was fine until i got here.

-it’s not your fault, dude. mr. pines had to tell dipper at some point. and dude, if it makes you feel any better, i am PSYCHED to have you here. i was telling customers about it all day!

-thanks, soos, but…. i should probably just go home. maybe if I’m gone dipper and stan can just forget this ever happened and go back to normal.

-you kidding, dog? nothing’s ever normal around here. i know this is like, a huge bombshell, but dipper and stan love each other. they’ll work it out. …hey, my brain just came up with a totally neato idea! why don’t we pitch a tent and have a sleepover out here under the stars? we could swap stories, eat raw marshmallows, and if you still want to go home tomorrow morning you can.

-….only if you’ll try to throw the marshmallows into my mouth with your eyes closed.

-deal.

-hey, mom. yeah i got here ok! it’s great, the woods around here are so cool and mysterious! oh, and i met this really cute guy but he turned out to be a bunch of gnomes under a hoodie. i know!! wild, right!

-h-hey mabel….can i….talk to them?

-…oh, mom, dipper wants to talk to you. is that ok?

-….hi, mo- ..mrs pines. it’s dipper.

-“oh, you must be the friend mabel was talking about! she was so excited to meet you! i hope you two are having fun!”

-yeah, it's…. it’s good to have her here.

-“are you all right, dear? you’re sniffling.”

-yeah, i’ve just got a cold. it’s ok.

THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE MABEL

-mabel sees a commercial for the tent of telepathy on tv and gets excited, pulling dipper over to see the famous “psychic”. dipper is annoyed at best and just groans, expositing that he and gideon have been rivals since they were little. he says he’s been trying to catch gideon in the act of something, ANYTHING, for as long as he can remember, and now with the help of mabel’s journal he’s devised a new theory: that gideon might actually be a vampire! he’s always coated in lotion, has stark white hair, speaks like an old southern man, and it might also explain his psychic powers. but dipper isn’t allowed in the tent of telepathy anymore, and he hasn’t been able to get close to gideon in his personal life. mabel offers to go investigate in dipper’s place, but he warns her that it’s not worth it and gideon is a “creep”, offhandedly mentioning that mabel probably doesn’t have the investigative skills necessary to crack the case on her own. determined to prove herself, mabel goes anyway, in “disguise” as a journalist so she can ask gideon questions when the show is over. during the questioning gideon becomes enamored with her, and when mabel asks if he’s a vampire he flirts around the issue, suggesting that he is simply to win mabel over. it works, and she agrees to go on a date with him.

-mabel takes notes on gideon’s mannerisms in the journal while on dates

-over time, gideon begins to reveal his true colors, and mabel realizes that dating a supposed vampire doesn’t really make up for gideon’s behavior.

-actually i changed my mind about the vampire plot, probably dipper just tries to keep mabel away from gideon because of their checkered past together

BOYZ CRAZY

“….can i confess something?”

“yeah, of course.”

“I’ve never like….. LIKED anyone. I’ve dated plenty of guys, and even a couple girls, but i don’t think i felt what i was supposed to be feeling for any of them. i thought that eventually if i went out with enough people, i would start to like at least one of them, but…. i dunno. I’m starting to think that i’ll never fall in love. maybe i CANT fall in love.”

“well… that’s not the end of the world! love kinda. sucks. especially when someone doesn’t like you back.”

“ugh, that’s what I’ve been doing to all these people! for years! i suck. i keep trying to be like everyone else, but i just end up pushing people away. I’ve lost so many friends…”

“hey, it’s not your fault. robbie’s a turd, you know that.”

“yeah, i guess you’re right… i dunno, you ever feel like there’s something, like, fundamentally wrong with you? like something fucked up in the womb and now you can’t ever be a normal person?”

[dipper pulls up his shirt slightly, looking at his binder]

“yeah. i do”

DREAMSCAPERERS

bill: I WAS WONDERING WHEN I’D RUN INTO YOU! QUESTION MARK, SHOOTING STAR…. AND DIPPER OF COURSE!

mabel: whoa, hey, how come soos and i get special names, but not dipper? that’s not fair!

dipper: uh, mabel, that’s not really-

bill: THAT IS HIS SPECIAL NAME, KID! ALWAYS HAS BEEN. HE JUST ADOPTED IT A LITTLE EARLY IS ALL.

dipper: wait, what?. you…you were the one in my dreams? all this time, it was YOU?

-new scene-

dipper: it’s just… the name was a big part of my like, identity, yknow? i thought it was so cool and special and for the first time in my life i was starting to feel NOT like a freak. i thought i was being cool but i was just doing exactly what bill wanted! [pulls his jacket over his head] aaaargh, what have i been doing all this time?!

mabel: di- …..bro, listen to me. your whole like, supreme tough guy monster hunter thing? it’s PRETTY silly. but that’s what i like about it! it’s all you, and you own it! and nobody chose to make you like that but you! and you didnt choose the name dipper because bill told you to, right? that was still all you. so, i don’t know. even if the guy who made it up turned out to be kiiiiiiind of a major jerk i dont think that means all of that is ruined forever. and if you stop going by dipper i’m going to have to start going by shooting star as revenge. star for short!

dipper: ….i think i like you as mabel better.

mabel: aww no, i was already getting used to it! star sounds like the name of a princess, doesnt it? or a galactic warrior!

-BUT DON’T YOU WORRY YOUR GEL-COVERED LITTLE HEAD, KID! I WON’T BE BOTHERING YOU LIKE THAT AGAIN. YOU’VE PROVEN YOURSELF TO BE EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING AND USELESS. CONGRATS.

SCARY-OKE

-in this case obviously dipper wouldn’t want the agents around, since stan has taught him better than that.

-dipper decides that he’s finally ready to talk to his birth parents over the phone, but when he does they insist that they never had twins and mabel has always been an only child, and he realizes they don’t know who he is. everything he knows is once again called into question.

-mabel tries to get the agents’ help in figuring out the mystery behind dipper’s birth and proving that the two of them are siblings

-maybe dipper raises the dead as a way to threaten stan? like, oh you’re so afraid of the supernatural, what if i do this

-or mabel tries to lure the agents back to the shack by creating a supernatural disaster, like oh, say, zombies

-stan finally admits, with zombies breaking down the door, that he got mixed up with the supernatural and made some very bad decisions, although he isn’t specific about what happened. he relinquishes that he kept the truth from dipper all these years not for his sake, but because he couldn’t bear to admit that he was responsible for separating dipper from the family he should’ve grown up with.

THE GOLF WAR

-mabel and pacifica run into each other at the mini golf course, and after watching mabel sink the winning shot pacifica realizes she has feelings for her. furious with herself for developing a crush on somebody like mabel, pacifica challenges her to a rematch and vows to destroy her.

-dipper and stan are worried about pacifica’s behavior, but mabel assures them that she probably just wants a little one-on-one game and had to disguise it as a fight to the death since her parents were with her.

-pacifica gets to the golf course early to get some extra practice in, discovers the lilliputtians, and decides to use them to win against mabel, convinced that if she proves to herself that she’s better then her crush will go away.

-mabel becomes concerned with pacifica’s attitude and worried that she’s gone back to her old ways, bribing somebody to help her cheat. eventually she’s captured and tied up, and pacifica has to save her.

-in the aftermath, pacifica can’t stomach apologizing, so mabel does it for her. “hold on, dip. i think i know what’s going on here.” “what? no. you definitely don’t. whatever you’re about to say about me is completely and totally wrong.” “so i just want to let you know, pacifica…. it’s ok. i understand.” “understand what there’s nothing to understand” “yes there is! and i’ve felt that way before, too. even about you sometimes.” “wh…..huh? you have?” “yeah! all that pressure to compete really gets to you sometimes. but just because i beat you at something it doesn’t mean that you’re any less cool than you were before., ok? so i don’t want you to feel like you have to prove that!” “oh. yeah. yeah, that. yeah.” [awkward pause] “soooo…. you don’t hate me?” “of course not!” “ok good. that’s like, good to know. i don’t hate you either.”

-theyre playing truth or dare and mabel dares dipper to hold candy’s hand for the rest of the night

-mabifica bullshit: 'let me see those beautiful eyes’, holding hands post-confession in nmm, arguing about whether or not to run off into the woods together at night

THE LOVE GOD

-during a conversation with wendy, dipper casually mentions that he’d like a girlfriend. mabel overhears and decides to try and pair him up with someone. she enlists the help of candy and grenda for this secret mission, but notices that candy seems uncomfortable with it. eventually she admits that she’s had a crush on dipper for a while, and mabel is ecstatic. she conspires to set them up on a date at the woodstick festival. candy makes mabel promise not to tell dipper, but of course she can’t keep her mouth shut and blurts it out while the two are having breakfast at the diner. mabel expects dipper to leap at the chance, but instead he just feels awkward. he tells mabel that although he likes candy and thinks she’s great, he’s never thought of her like that. mabel urges him to give her a chance, but dipper argues that it will end badly. he spots candy nearby, freaks out, and runs for cover. it’s at this point that mabel meets the love god.

NORTHWEST MANSION MYSTERY

-“….and grenda can take a hit pretty well so she’d be the best choice for a distraction while i spray 'em with the anointed water from behind, but we might need pacifica to-”

“actually, dip, i was gonna ask if i could handle this one on my own.”

“what? why? we don’t know how powerful this ghost is!”

“because i, the wonderful mabel pines, am going to confess my love for pacifica tonight!”

“you only realized you liked her two days ago!”

“exactly! no time to waste when romance is afoot!”

“you don’t even know if pacifica LIKES girls!”

“well i don’t know if she likes BOYS either. she always seemed kinda indifferent to-

"even if she does, what if she doesn’t like you back? and you know what her parents are like, they probably wouldn’t want her dating another girl anyway…”

“why do you always have to shoot me down like this”

“…..i’m sorry, mabel… i just don’t want you to get hurt again.”

-“we did it!” “haha, yes!!”

-(internally) “this is the perfect moment, mabel, just go for it!”

-“umm, pacifica? now that we just beat this big scary ghostman together, there’s something i wanted to-”

-“YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS, FOOLISH CHILD”

-“….on second thought, I’m gonna go exorcise screamsville here first.”

-“that’s probably a good idea”

-{“WITCH! SERVANT OF EVIL!”}

-“i’m sorry. i didn’t want you to know this about me.”

-“ok, so, your family’s gotten mixed up in some bad stuff, that doesn’t mean-”

-“no, it does. you’ve always been so nice to me, and i never did anything to deserve it… hanging out with you, and dipper, and everyone, hanging around the shack….i started to realize that this isn’t normal. my parents aren't……normal. and now I’m just so scared that no matter what i do, i’ll end up just like them.”

-“….pacifica. i know you. your outsides may be crusted over with gold coins and expensive body lotion and hairspray, but your insides are made of bubbles and kitten kisses and rainbow dolphins high-fiving each other. your parents are a couple of stinky poo-heads inside and out and you’re not anything like them.”

[pacifica, crying, kisses her]

-“oh no. this was a mistake. I’m leaving.”

-“pacifICA WAIT”

-“what would you say if i said i was in love with you?”

-“i’d say you only wanted me for my money”

-“oh pacifica, your heart is gold enough to last me a lifetime!”

-“shhhhhpsshh stop!!”

-[mabel kisses her on the cheek]

-“no but really stop i don’t want my parents to see”

-“ohhh yeah sorry”

THE LAST MABELCORN

-things start out much like they do in canon, but when mabel meets the unicorn and it tells her that she’s not pure of heart she jumps to the conclusion that bill has “tainted” her in some way by taking over her body. the abuse metaphors here are obvious. she sadly returns home and begs ford to help her in some way, and he takes her down to his study. meanwhile, dipper sets back out with the girls in mabel’s place.

-“…..but it wasn’t me….” “what?” “i…..i have to go.” “mabel, wait!”

have it so like, she’s not necessarily visibly distraught when she talks to ford, or even to her friends, but more determined to “fix” herself, hiding the worry that she’s a bad person beneath her insistence that it must be bill’s fault.

“GRUNKLE FORD! bill gunked up my soul and i need you to fix it so i can be pure of heart again!” “…mabel…” “please please please PLEEEAASE!”

-“no offense, but you break the law daily, you two have kind of a…. mutual violent streak, and you……” “don’t say anything.” “and if being involved with bill really did disqualify mabel, then I’ve been doomed for years.” “you’re also not a 'maiden.’” “good point.”

-“man, this is bullshit.” “i know. how are we gonna find someone more pure than mabel?” “no, i mean. the game’s rigged. nobody’s completely 'pure of heart’ or whatever, and how do you even measure that? that glitter-snorting poser doesn’t ever have to give up the goods because she’s asking for something that doesn’t exist.” “…so how do we get the hair?” “well, i say if princess unattainabelle back there doesn’t wanna play fair, we shouldn’t have to either. alright, kids, who’s ready to add a few more bad deeds to the naughty list?” “YEAH!”

-meanwhile, mabel’s mind begins to be encoded. “i can’t undo what’s already been done, mabel. but i can make it a lot harder for bill to hurt you again.”

-mabel’s thoughts: “do you a favor” “have craz and xyler ever kissed?” “adopt every kitten in the world” “PACIFICA PACIFICA PACIFICA”

-mabel ends up putting the helmet on ford because she starts to have intrusive thoughts worrying that he could be possessed by bill, and she decides that proving herself wrong would put them to rest. “ugh, shut UP, brain! this is why we don’t talk anymore.”

-when mabel reads his thoughts, she freaks out and, unlike dipper, actually succeeds in hitting ford with the memory gun. he’s knocked to the ground and she approaches him cautiously as he rises back to his feet. when he explains that he’s not bill and the gun didn’t work anyway, mabel starts crying and hugs him. “its ok, mabel. you did the right thing. when dealing with an enemy like bill, you can’t fully trust anyone, not even the people closest to you. …maybe if i’d known that when i was younger, we wouldn’t be in this mess now.”

-“….i’m a bad person.” “oh come on, you don’t still believe that unicorn, do you? i thought dipper told you she was full of it.” “no, i… did something really bad today. i thought bill did something to gunk up my heart but it was really just me all along.” “wow, what did you do?” “nn. you’d hate me if i told you.” “mabel, you could kill a dog in front of me and i wouldn’t hate you. and if you don’t tell me i’ll just assume the worst.” “i AM the worst.” “ohhhh my god. …..ok, let’s say that bill did break your soul for all eternity or whatever. so what? you’re still my girlfriend. and in case you haven’t noticed, i’m pretty messed up too.”

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION

-“aww, come on! think about it…. just us girls, alone under the stars…” “eww, fine! i’ll come if you stop being gross”

-“i can’t believe my own sister got a girlfriend before me!”

-“romance ain’t a contest, kid.”

-“…yeah, you’re probably r-”

-“just kidding its definitely a contest. one you’re losing.”

-“he was… flirting with me! i think he actually likes me back!”

-“AAAAAAAAA!!” “get it, girl!” “candy wins!” “i wouldn’t get your hopes up, chiu. he’s probably just being a tool.”

-“pacifica, how could you?” “why must you deny true love?” “hey, dipper’s my friend and i think he’s great, but he sucks. I’m just being realistic.”

-“oh, no. i think i just agreed to take candy out on a date.”

-“….aaaaand do you LIKE her?”

-“well, yeah…………….as a fr-”

-“UGGGGGHHHHHH I KNEW IT. listen, 'dopper’, you got yourself into this mess, and its not up to me to help get you out. you deserve it for toying with a woman’s feelings, anyway.”

“candy…. saved my life. even after i broke her heart. she’s so cool…………………………………oh, SHIT.”

-“it’s ok, dipper. if dating pacifica has taught me anything, its that the way to a woman’s heart is through emotional angst and near-death experiences. and we get those every day!”

-“you deserve this and i have no sympathy for you.”

–

DIPPER AND MABEL VS THE FUTURE

same basic setup, with mabel hitting up all her friends for party plans, but the focus is on having to return home without all the friends she’s made rather than anxiety about growing up (although that’s still a factor). in addition to discovering candy and grenda won’t be around, she also finds that pacifica’s parents are becoming suspicious of her frequent outings so she’s trying to lay low for a little while, so she won’t be able to hang out for the last week of summer.

ford invites dip along for the alien hunt, and doesn’t exactly offer dipper the chance to be his apprentice, but is impressed with his adventuring skills and the fact that dipper has been training in the art of mystery solving for years. au dipper is quite a bit braver than canon dipper after all, and quicker to spring into action right after ford. theres still a bit of hesitation involved, and when ford praises him for his courage, he laughs and remarks that mabel would’ve jumped right away without any thought. ford then confides in dipper that although mabel uses her heart before her head, he can still see how scared she is inside and thinks it would be best for mabel to return home and cease connection with gravity falls, because he’s seen first-hand how much bill has hurt her already and he doesn’t want it to get any worse. he also tells dipper that he can tell mabel’s heart isn’t in any kind of study or quest for knowledge like he is, she’s just a kid having fun, and he can tell that its mostly because she wants to impress dipper and it might be better for her to focus her energy on her own interests, which can’t happen if she stays in gravity falls. dipper reluctantly agrees, saying that he’s always sort of worried about the same thing. of course, this is the part that mabel hears over the walkie-talkie.

for all that mabel and ford’s relationship is better, he still sees her as a child while he sees dipper as more of an equal. he warns dipper that letting mabel become dependent on him, or he on her, is a bad idea, because one day they’re going to have to go their separate ways, and mabel might not be able to handle it (implying that she’ll do something drastic to keep him around, like stan did to him).

theres a scene midway through the episode of pacifica sulking on her bed, hugging a pillow to her face. her mother’s voice calls her for dinner from downstairs, and she groans and gets up. looking in the mirror, she realizes her mascara has run and she scoffs and rubs at her eyes. when she opens them up again, the mirror is full of eyes. “something wrong, blondie?” it cuts off there

after mabel runs away into the woods at the end of the episode, pacifica emerges from the bushes in her full incognito gear, saying she came to warn her about bill. that bill tried to make a deal with her but she refused everything he offered, and that he’s getting desperate and is going to try again with someone else, probably before the summer ends. she tells mabel that if neither of their families want them, they’ll run away, out of gravity falls, together. when mabel realizes she has the rift, she groans, annoyed that she has to go back home and return it. but pacifica insists that this actually makes the plan better, that if they leave gravity falls with the rift it can be kept safer… and that, maybe it would be better if pacifica held onto it, since bill is targeting mabel. mabel agrees and hands it over…. at which point pacifica takes a moment to admire it, and then smashes it to the ground. she laughs, takes off her sunglasses, and is revealed to have been possessed by bill. then the world ends.

WEIRDMAGEDDON 1

-after ford is captured, dipper runs into grenda, as in literally runs into her, while she’s attempting to chase a monster in process of carrying off candy. the two travel together for the next three days, finally deciding to explore the mall in search of mabel and the others. on the way there, though, the two are ambushed by bill’s lackeys. before the fight can begin, grenda tosses dipper out of harm’s way and shouts for him to go on without her while she holds off the monsters. dipper reluctantly escapes, leaving grenda to an ambiguous fate.

-during that time, candy finds pacifica huddled in a pile of rubble, and urges her to come help find the others, but she’s reluctant. “look, mabel’s not here anymore, alright?! she’s gone. bill got her. so you can stop pretending to like me.” “candy does not pretend. not when it comes to friendship.” “….if you just left me here, nobody would have to know.” “on your feet, northwest.”

“augh, my poor hair… it’s got like, twigs and shit in it.” “do you want me to cut it off?” “what? no. why would i do that.” “it’s a symbol! in stories, girls cut off their long hair when they are going on journeys and breaking free, leaving the past behind… it is cool and majestic and– pacifica, YOU should cut off MY hair!” “wait, seriously? …ok, whatever, fine, do your weird impulsive nerd thing. you got any like, scissors?” “let me see….. six, seven, eight pairs! i also have a knife.” “candy, what the fuck.”

-dipper finds wendy, pacifica, and candy all hiding together in the mall. dipper is surprised and relieved to find that candy is safe and she talks about how she bit the monster’s hand to get it to free her, proudly revealing that one of her teeth has turned completely red as a result. dipper admits what happened to grenda, and while pacifica and wendy look worried, candy remains adamant that she’s strong and will be all right. hesitantly, dipper asks if any of them have seen mabel. the room goes quiet, and pacifica confesses what happened, that bill came to her and threatened to possess and torture mabel again if she didn’t let him use her body. she thought that if she agreed, she’d become a ghost like mabel did and be able to use a puppet as a vessel in time to warn somebody. instead she simply blacked out, and when she came to she was just in time to see mabel being sealed in a bubble and taken away.

-at some point pacifica confesses to dipper that bill never threatened to hurt mabel. she made the deal willingly because he promised her that mabel would be able to stay in gravity falls if she let him borrow her body, and she was just so scared of losing her, and everyone.

-candy’s arm is broken in the car chase and ensuing wreck against gideon’s crew. in the aftermath, pacifica uses the remains of her jacket to make a sling.

ESCAPE FROM REALITY

mabeland is nearly the same as in canon, though maybe with some minor alterations to reflect the events of the summer. dippy fresh is replaced by a series of “dream dippers”, versions of dipper that mabel had imagined he might be like before actually meeting him. most are unrealistically cool, but one in particular is just someone who would be the ideal brother, always looking out for her and wanting to be with her. in the end of course, mabel has to look at all of this and decide that real dipper is the one she wants. (theres also a fake pacifica who shares all of mabel’s interests and is hopelessly in love with her, always flirting and offering romantic gestures, but without any of the sass and personality that make her who she is. pacifica ends up snapping her neck.)

mabel introduces the dream dippers one by one like they’re contestants on a game show, but one spot is left empty. dipper asks who it’s for, to which mabel nervously replies that it’s more convenient to have something extra just in case. later on, in the wilderness of mabeland, dipper overhears mabel talking to someone. “i don’t understand. everyone can finally be happy here. wendy can break all the rules she wants and never get in trouble, candy can be herself without people making fun of her, pacifica can get away from her parents, and dipper…. well maybe i can understand why HE wants to leave, since he apparently doesn’t want to deal with me….” suddenly, dipper hears his own voice reassuring her that everything will be alright, and he’ll stay by her side forever, that the summer never has to end. she says “do you really mean that?” to which he replies “of course. you know i’m the best brother ever.” the voice is revealed to be perfect, ideal brother dipper.

crushed by this, dipper retreats to the pond, where instead of being approached by wendy he’s approached by candy. she sits down and asks him what’s wrong, and he tells her how awful he feels that he couldn’t have done better for mabel. she assures him that he’s a wonderful person, and mabel’s being silly for not wanting someone like him as a brother. she then tells him that she was being silly for being mad at him, too, that she’s realized he was right all along, and she should’ve forgiven him earlier. “really? …'cause i was totally with you on the whole 'i was a jerk’ thing.” then candy ups the ante, going on to talk about how oh, he’s so much smarter and braver than her, and she was just upset because she thought she stood a chance with him, but she’s such a loser, she could never- dipper stops her there, worried. he continues to insist that it was his fault, he WAS being an asshole, and he should’ve apologized to her a long time ago, but he was nervous “because…. i DO like you, candy. like, like-like you.” he tells her to stop berating herself, that he likes her because she doesn’t let anybody change how weird she is and that she’s not acting like…. herself. it’s at that moment that he realizes what’s going on. as “candy” begins dissolving into bugs, a fist collides with her head and she explodes. its revealed to be grenda, who managed to find her way in because “the door was unlocked.”

when it comes to the trial, mabel’s memories are similarly flipped through, but instead of having a twin to be there in her time of need, she had nobody. she’s never had anybody like that until she met dipper.

TAKE BACK THE FALLS

-candy and grenda’s symbol is a disco ball. “…and this one could mean a person who can see the fun in any situation! or just a party animal.” “hey, that’s me!” “that’s me too!” “it’s both of us!! SYMBOL SISTERS!!!” [grenda lifts candy up onto her shoulders and they each take a hand, candy on her right side since her left arm is broken and grenda on the left]

-“we’re proud of you, daughter. saving the world will be perfect for salvaging our reputation! i still think those pines kids are a bit of a bad influence on you, though.”

-“oh YEAH? how’s THIS for a bad influence?!” [she pulls mabel into a passionate kiss] “news flash, dad! your perfect daughter’s a big fat gross lesbian! and when i grow up I’m gonna marry this riffraff right here, and change my name to pines too!! so DEAL WITH IT!!!”

stan still loses his memory as he did in canon, but dipper is the most visibly distraught and won’t stop begging him to remember. he tells him how even though they fought a lot over that summer, he loves him so much and he’d never ask for a better grunkle. he desperately tries to jog his memory with baby pictures, but they need to trigger more immediate memories first.

the solution for mabel to stay in gravity falls would be to fabricate a lie that dipper is ford’s grandson, ford being the twin that faked his own death to escape a life on the run, but they’ve just come back to reconnect with the family (since dipper lost his parents apparently), and mabel didn’t want to tell her parents at first because she was afraid they wouldn’t want her staying with an estranged family member/ex-con. but she’s made so many great friends and she loves this town and wants to stay with her “cousin”.

while the northwests go house hunting, mabel invites pacifica to stay at the shack until they can find a new home.

rather than leaving for a new adventure, ford and stan decide to stay at the shack and rest for a while, just settle into their new family dynamic. soos, melody, and abuelita all still move in, and so the house is renovated to make room for the huge family.

with the journals destroyed, the mystery squad now has to start from square one…. but dipper tells mabel that she doesn’t have to do anything to impress him anymore. that he’s ready to try just being a kid again.