#TW implied character death

[kaysdenofchaos]

can you see them where you are now? they're pretty. i hope you're seeing them too

[yutaan]

I'm late to the CQL Hunger Games (and congrats to Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing!) but I just gotta say seeing the ChengQing matchup made my eyes and brain go HUGE

[wolfswitcheryanimations]

Hey, sorry for not posting, here's my first piece for the first annual Sonic Big Bang!

This is for the fic "Orphaned", made by @waystobuild-blog , which i did art for along with @mmm-asbestos and @niko-jpeg ! It's a story about Sage, 2000 years in the future still mourning the loss of all her loved one who died all those years before.. Silver finds her and decides to listen to her grief, helping her in the process. It's a very sad fic, and I would reccomend it to anyone who enjoys hurt/comfort.

Thank you for @sthbigbang for organising this event, and for allowing to see so much amazing talent! I can't wait for next year!

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Double-Mutated Mikey

Chapter 46: Oneirology

Continued from the short story written by @boots-with-the-fur-club

Prev || Next

Mikey goes through a lot of exercises and examinations in the morning. Dr. Chaplin is there for all of it.

Mikey is made uncomfortable by his presence, by his calm smile that is consistent throughout the day. At one point, he places a hand on Mikey's shoulder, as if to make him feel comfortable. Or to create the idea that they are close friends, that Mikey can trust him.

It has the complete opposite effect, and Mikey's entire body is set to pins and needles at the touch. His stomach in knots, his mind static, his hands tremble under the immense weight that hand holds over him.

He sits as still as stone underneath that hand. If he moves, if he breathes, if he cries or smiles or laughs, who knows what punishment he will earn?

And yet... Mikey wishes the touch would last longer. It's warm, it feigns kindness and familiarity. He pretends the hand belongs to someone else, he pretends it belongs to Blue or Red or Purple.

Even though... they don't love Mikey. He doesn't blame them for not loving him, he doesn't even love him. How could he, when he's just a freakish mutant thing?

He tries not to shake, he tries not to cry. He ducks his face away so no one will see.

He wishes he wasn't such a monster. He wishes he was something else. A dust mite, a bottle, a picture hanging on a wall. Maybe a cat, or maybe a bird, or even a worm. Something, anything, that has even an iota of meaning and purpose in the world.

Their necessity in the grand scheme of things outweighs his own, in any case...

And someone must love those things, right?

Mikey can't stop crying. He catches himself on the verge constantly, the tears burning the edges of his eyes.

Dr. Chaplin watches over Mikey the entire first half of the day. He practically hovers over him, like Mikey is his little child at the nurses' office for a checkup, or a precious toy that is getting maintenance.

Dr. Timothy and Dr. Finn do all sorts of examinations and physical tests and check-ups and such and so forth. They take Mikey's temperature, they do a DNA test, the inspect his teeth and claws, they check this and that and that and this and this and that and...

...Why don't the colours love Mikey?

Didn't they love him at one time? Weren't they here with him once? They must have lived with him in the labs, so... were they family? Friends? 

Did they look like him? Smell like him? Did they have spots, too?

The doctors say that Mikey was the first and only success in the TCRI mutation experiments. Does that mean that Red, Blue, and Purple are...

...........dead.....?

...Mikey hopes not.

As awful as it is, as painful as it could be... Mikey hopes they left him. Mikey hopes they escaped, got out, something.

He wonders if they think about him.

...But they probably don't. They probably never looked back. And why would they? Why think about this place in any way??

Mikey.... Mikey hopes that they're happy now. Wherever they are.

The tests go on.

Mikey zones out for the whole of they day until he's put back in his cage.

...Maybe Mikey should stop thinking about them, too.

It hurts too much.

Mikey curls in his cage, turning his back to the other experiments in the room. It really is hopeless for him, isn't it?

They all really do hate him, don't they? He'll never get out of here. He'll never see them again.

It's... it's hopeless. He'll never find home...

This is your home, Instinct whispers. I am all you need.

Mikey is tired of listening to him. He tries to ignore him. It's hard.

So Mikey just lays there, in the uncomfortable silence of the labs.

The animals bark and yowl and mew and chirp and hiss and snap and so on.

The doctors argue and discuss things amongst themselves.

At some point, Mikey must've fallen asleep. He only figures this out when he is woken most abruptly by an alarm ringing through the labs. Feet scamper back and forth as scientists start grabbing what they can and then making a break for the doors.

Mikey turns to peek out just a moment to see what the fuss is about. He's never heard an alarm like this before.

"...how many intruders did they say?"

"Not sure, but we have to get everything out of here..."

"What do we do about the experiments?"

"Leave 'em! They're just stupid dumb animals--"

"And the Mikey experiment?"

Silence. Mikey looks out between bars as the two men contemplate what to do.

"...We don't have time to move him. Just... just cover up his cage and push it in the back. Hide him."

"Is that really wise??"

"You heard the alarm! I'm not risking getting nabbed by some thrill-seeking idiots! And what if they're robbers, or armed? And the likelihood that they'll make it to this floor before security gets them --"

"Alright, alright! Fine, geez... do you see a tarp or blanket or something we can use?"

"Yeah, I think there's a fire-resistant sheet in the closet for emergencies..."

Mikey watches with curiosity as one man grabs the blanket and the other starts pushing Mikey's cage into the back of the room, finding a dimly lit corner that will hide him well enough.

"Don't just stand there, help me already! This thing is heavy!"

"Right. Hey, how do we know this thing won't make any noise or something?"

"He's smart, he knows not to do that. Don't you, freak?"

Mikey swallows and whimpers, cowering even further into the corners of his cage.

The two finally push his pen into the corner, and drape the cloth over it. They press a finger to their mouth, signaling him not to make a sound before pulling the cloth as far over his enclosure as possible before running away and turning the lights down.

Mikey shivers. He's not sure why he's so nervous.

Stupid fearful wretch. Do you think this will keep you alive? Fear is weakness!

Mikey begs Instinct not to berate him right now. It's hard to stay quiet when Instinct is --

How pathetic you are. How revolting. They couldn't even care enough about you to take you with them.

Please, stop... Mikey's begging you, j-just --

And Instinct doesn’t just mean the evil humans. 'They' couldn't care less about you either. You spend every spare woebegone second crying over those worthless colours! And where are they now?! GONE, THAT'S WHERE! They LEFT you, and ABANDONED you, and all you can think of is how much they could have loved you?? HAH! I was wrong to keep you alive. I was wrong to save you, to fight for you. You aren't even worth it.

Mikey cries.

Stop crying, idiot!!

He can't.

It's... it's so hopeless. Why did he ever have hope? What for?? A happy ending? A family? Someone to hold him and love him?

What a hollow dream that was. Mikey should have known... h-he should have never hoped... Mikey isn't even a monster. He's less than that. He's nothing.

Oh, how long it has taken you to realize, Instinct sighs.

Mikey sobs quietly.

He cries and curls tighter and tighter and tighter around himself, hoping that he'll disappear inside of himself... if it's possible.

A door slams open, causing him to jolt out of his self-pity party. Mikey tries to stop sobbing. Keep quiet, keep quiet!!

Mikey can't stop crying, can't stop whining and whimpering and...

A-and...

What's... what's that smell?

Oof, it smells bad. Strange. But... but he.... he KNOWS that smell, doesn't he?

Red.

RED.

The colour engulfs his mind as the scent comes into focus.

I-it's... it's him. It's Red.

No, it can't be! Red is --

Is here in the room. Red is HERE!!

Oh.

Oh no. Oh, no, no no no....

Mikey can't let Red see him.

He hides, pushing himself as far away from the cage door as he can.

Red CANNOT find him! H-he can't, if Red sees Mikey, th-then he'll be so angry! Mikey knows they left him, Mikey knows that he was gone, they must be so angry at him! And Mikey knows... Mikey is a monster. Mikey can't remember what he looked like before, but he does recall that he looks different now... He doesn't want Red to see him.

Mikey prays that Red doesn't find him.

His heart pounds louder and louder as he listens to each step get closer. He BEGS himself to SHUT UP, STOP CRYING!! HE'LL HEAR YOU!

And hear him he does. Mikey hides his face, cowering in the dark as he hears the shuffling of feet coming towards his cage.

There's a loud CLANG noise as Red destroys the lock. Mikey's body freezes in terror.

The door opens.

Mikey finds himself reacting purely out of fear. He doesn't even know why he does what he does, but Mikey lunges out of the cage and hides behind Red. Red gasps in shock at the speed, but doesn't react beyond that.

Mikey clings onto him, breath trembling in his lungs.

It's Red... it's Red...

Oh..... oh the familiar feeling of hope.

He CAME. Red CAME BACK FOR HIM.

Despite his utter terror, Mikey can't bring himself to let go. Red seems to notice this.

"Alright, you can stay up there, but I need to go find my brother," Red replies with a sigh.

Mikey is confused... brother? He means Mikey! Does he not know? Has he truly not realized...

Mikey lets out a churr, unsure whether or not to tell him. He's... he's looking for him. He's searching for him. He WANTS to find him...

Red places a hand over his shell, helping him to stay in place on his shoulder.

"His name is Mikey," Red says, head swivelling from side to side as he searches the room. "He's got spots and the biggest smile you'll ever see. Mikey's also super talented. Kid can bake, draw, and dance better than anyone."

Mikey chirps, a smile gracing his face. He tries to hug him as best he can in his position. His tail wags, slapping the back legs of Red as he continues.

Somewhere in the back of his head, Instinct tells him not to fall for it, stay on his guard...

"I love him," Red continues, voice cracking. "A lot. I'd do anything for him."

Red goes on and on and on about Mikey, talking of special skills or talents he has, their relationship, and so many other things.

He... he loves Mikey?

He loves...

Someone.... someone loves Mikey.

Someone loves him enough to come into this place. To look for him. Despite what he's done.

Red loves Mikey. Despite all he thought, despite the hope that died and the many times Mikey was convinced of the opposite... he loves him. Mikey was wrong. Red loves Mikey...

He starts crying again.

"Ew! Did you just drool on me!? Come on!"

Mikey cries even more. Red loves him. Mikey never knew that... Mikey realizes that they didn't betray him, he betrayed them...

Red sighs and rubs Mikey's back.

"Hey, sorry for saying all that….you've probably been through enough already."

Mikey rubs his cheek against Red's head, gently wrapping his arms under his neck in what could loosely be described as a hug.

Mikey... Mikey is so sorry, Red. Mikey's so sorry...

"Don't worry about it. I'm not sad. Not as long as I find him," Red explains.

But... Mikey is right here?

Red doesn't understand. Mikey still can't show him his face. He's too scared. Maybe Red will stop loving him if he sees Mikey...

But he has to help Red. He starts tugging Red's shoulders, pulling him in a specific direction. Out of the room, into the hall, towards the elevator.

"I can't go without my brother," Red refuses, trying to pull Mikey off of his shoulders. "Here, you get out, you've probably been trapped long enough."

No, Mikey can't let Red see him!

Red gets irritated as Mikey mews in anxiety, clinging onto his shell and acting completely uncooperative. Red groans in frustration.

"Listen, I can't-"

The scales on Mikey's skin stand up on edge. He smells something.

Danger.

Mikey turns back and sees the cages of the mutants be opened remotely. That's not good. He looks up and sees a camera in the hallway watching them.

Oh. Oh no.

This is Mikey's fault. They don't want him to leave. They're going to take Red away from him again --

NO.

Mikey can't let them have his... brother... They cannot take Red.

Mikey leaps off of Red's back.

"I can't let you down! They're still coming!"

Red whirls around and comes face to face with reality.

Mikey stares at him, eyes sad and smile just barely visible.

Mikey's so sorry, Red...

"M-Mikey….?"

Mikey turns around and growls at the oncoming battle.

Shall we kill? Instinct asks.

Yes, Mikey answers.

WONDERFUL.

Mikey charges.

He'll make it up to Red. He'll protect him. He'll save him, he'll fight for him, kill for him, die for him. Anything.

Mikey will do good.

.

.

.

Mikey has to guard his face from the light as he steps through the door. He wonders how many times in one night can he endure this...

As the light dims and fades away, Mikey notices that the flooring beneath his feet seems change. It slowly shifts from soft and smooth wood to hard concrete bricks, cold and wet or slimy with every other step.

The light finally subsides, revealing the scenery around him.

It's the sewers.

Not a minka or pagoda built for a big family.

But a wide open series of tunnels refurbished for a family of five.

Mikey knows this place from his memories...

The walls are spray-painted with artsy symbols and phrases from movies like Hot Soup! or Jupiter Jim Saves the Day! and Heroes in a Half-Shell -- Turtle Power!

Mikey hears something down the hall. He follows the noise as it gets louder and more distinct. There's laughter, shouting, giggling, eggings-on of children...

Mikey enters into the rec room, where all the other halls lead and eventually connect to. There are four turtle tots making such a joyful ruckus as they play games and run after each other.

There's little Raphie, wearing an oversized jersey and a football helmet over his mask as he plays tag, running from the others at a slightly slower pace so they can catch up with him.

Baby blue Leo is next, just about to latch onto his tail in the game of tag. His mask is bunched up like a bandana over his head, the iconic blue tee with the word RAD flows behind him as he chases after the biggest brother.

Donnie runs after the two at a slightly slower pace. His puffy jacket hinders his speed ever so slightly, and he stops every so often to readjust his glasses.

Mikey watches with awe at the sight of his brothers so teeny tiny, so young, so carefree...

"Guys! Wait fow me!"

Mikey's eyes widen at the sight of one singular tot, chubby and small, waddling as fast as he can after the trio.

"I has wittle legs, I can't keep up!"

The corners of Mikey's mouth turn up in a gradual smile as he watches the fond memory of his childhood.

"They're cute, aren't they?"

Mikey's head snaps to the side. There's... another person here.

He barely recognizes him at first. But he's had enough of his memories to return to be able to remember his former self.

"...It's you..."

The former Mikey smiles brightly at him, snickering just a bit.

He looks almost exactly like his memories, apart from a pair of large rose gold glasses adorning his face.

"How... I-I mean, why...."

"Aren't they adorable?" the other Mikey asks, glancing back to look at the toddlers. "Can you believe we were ever that cute?"

Mikey doesn't answer yet, he just watches the kids playing.

Turtle tot Mikey pauses, and turns to look at them. The other tots don't seem to notice the grown kids, but he does somehow. He smiles and waves at them.

"Who ya wavin' to, Mikey?"

"Just some friends!"

The tots all run down the corridor. Mikey reaches out to the child, almost begging him to stay.

"Where are they going?" he asks the other Mikey.

But the other Michelangelo doesn't really respond.

Mikey runs after them, following down the corridor for the kids. They all run into the TV room, where Splinter had left a copy of Crouching Shrimp, Hidden Tiger Prawn playing on the projector screen.

He watches with slight nostalgic jealousy as the kids try to recreate the scene from the movie.

"Hard to believe that's us," says the other Michelangelo as he struts in after Mikey, leaning against the archway.

"Y-yeah," Mikey stammers, thrown off by Michelangelo's reappearance.

"Why don't you have a seat?" Michelangelo asks, gesturing to the side table and wraparound couch in the corner of the room.

Mikey follows his counterpart and sits across from him, eyeing him nervously.

"I thought we could talk for a bit," Michelangelo says with a gentle smile.

"What about?" Mikey asks, tail twitching restlessly along the cushions.

"Some things that I felt were important to address. Before we have to leave."

"We?? Don't you mean me or you?" Mikey corrects.

Michelangelo leans on the table, hands folding into one another as he studies Mikey's face.

"See, that's exactly what I want to focus on. Why do you assume that you'll be leaving? Or me?"

"W-well...." Mikey swallows as he glances about the room, avoiding the double's gaze. "I don't know. I thought maybe... we weren't the same."

"Just because we look different?" Michelangelo asks.

"We act different, too," Mikey sighs. "You can't climb walls. You don't have a voice in your head telling you to hurt people. You don't have my scars."

"And that's what makes us different?"

Mikey stares at him in confusion at the audacity of a statement.

"Doesn't it?"

"Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't," Michelangelo shrugs. "But just because you went through something doesn't mean you aren't the same person you were before. I might not be you, but I'm still a part of you."

"I... I don't understand...?"

Michelangelo points down to where the children play.

"Look at him. Is he the same as us? No. But he is us, regardless. He will always be a part of us, no matter what. We carry him along, and sometimes he comes out and sometimes he shys away. But he's there all the same."

Michelangelo smiles.

"Just like I will always be there, too!"

Mikey finally meets his eyes. He swallows. Michelangelo reaches out and takes his hand.

"I know it's been hard for you to feel accepted after everything, and you've been fighting to find your place. But it was always there! Yes, you changed, and that's fine, that's even healthy. If you didn't change after something like that experience, then we should be a little concerned. But don't think that just because you changed that you aren't still yourself. I would've thought you'd have figured that out by now!"

"So... you're saying that you're still a part of me?"

"I've always been here, dude!" Michelangelo smiles.

"W-why?" Mikey asks, tail flicking nervously under the table. "D-don't you...."

"Don't I what?"

"...Hate me?"

Michelangelo laughs. Fully laughs, head thrown back cackling.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh so much -- but why would I hate you?" he asks, lifting his glasses to wipe a tear away.

"Because... well, just because!" Mikey argues. "Why wouldn't you hate me??"

"Because it was never your fault, dude!" he replies. "And you keep forgetting, we're not two different people. We're the same. I'm just some kind of subconscious representation of your inner feelings or something."

"Huh?"

"Oh, never mind, you'll figure it out eventually."

"But you should hate me!" Mikey protests. "I-I replaced you, I-I ruined you, I--"

"Do you think he hates us because we grew up and changed?" Michelangelo asks, tilting his head to gesture to the tot version of themselves.

Mikey is taken aback, stuttering and stammering at the suggestion.

"I-I... I don't know, I--"

"Do you think that Donnie and Raph and Leo hated us when our powers evolved and changed?"

"That's not the same!" Mikey argues.

"But do you think Casey hated his Sensei when he lost his arm?"

Mikey pauses.

"Or do you think he hates us because we're the younger versions of the people he knew from the future?" Michelangelo continues.

"...I.... I don't... he kept talking about them, he misses them so much..."

"But he doesn't hate us or resent us. Or our brothers," Michelangelo explains. "Love doesn't give up when something changes. As we grow, it grows. As we change and evolve, so does love. And when we love someone, we don't simply forget who they were, or give up loving that part of them after they grow past it. We still love that part and hold it in our memory, and the love doubles. They will love every part of you, even after you've changed. Because people change, dude."

Mikey sighs.

"All this time I thought that they'd hate me because of how different I was..."

"...But I think the only person who really felt that way that might've been you," Michelangelo replies, taking Mikey's hand again. "Don't hate yourself over something you had no control over. You were hurt, and you healed. Might not have happened the way you wanted, and maybe you'll never be the same again, but you're still you and you can let yourself grow from there."

"So... you're really not mad at me?"

"No."

"Not even for... what I'd decided to do?"

"Oh, you mean about the cure?" Michelangelo asks with a smile. He waves his hand at Mikey and leans back nonchalantly. "Nah, I'm not mad."

"Would it have been the right choice?" Mikey asks. "To stay like this, and not undo the mutations? Or would it have been a mistake?"

"Well, firstly, I don't know if there was a wrong answer to that choice," Michelangelo thinks aloud. "If you'd have chosen to go back to how you were before, you'd still have all the memories of what you'd been through, and you'd have to go through learning how to live without the mutations and all the stuff you'd just gotten used to. Probably get war-like flashbacks every once in a while. And not to mention how painful it would have been, too. So it wouldn't have been easy. And the choice you made, to stay the way you are now, that's not wrong either. But it also won't be easy. Secondly, why are you talking in the past tense hypotheticals?"

Mikey blinks.

"Because.... because I'm dead, aren't I?"

For the second time, Michelangelo starts cackling.

"You're not dead!" he laughs.

"I...I'm not?"

"Nah, fool!" Michelangelo says, giggling as he claps Mikey on the back. "What made you think you were?"

"Well then what the heck is all of this?" Mikey yells in confusion. "What the heck was all of that whole paradise I just went through with all those Hamato people??"

"Oh, that," Mikey sighs, calming down. "Okay, maaaaybe you were kinda dead. Technically, your heart did stop and you weren't here on earth anymore, but that was only for maybe a minute or so. Not too long, no lasting damage. I think the ancestors just wanted to make sure you got home okay. They knew it wasn't your time yet."

Mikey swallows, feeling just a tad bit dizzy from the realization. And tired.

"Then... then what is this? A dream?"

"Call it a long overdue conversation with yourself," Michelangelo says with a wink. "A reflection inward, if you will. And I do. Dr. Feelings and Dr. Delicate Touch have been out on sabbatical for a while, and this felt like the perfect opportunity to dust off our truthful therapy skills!"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Mikey yawns. "I've been a little busy..."

"Hey, don't worry, I get it!" Michelangelo says with a wave of his hand.

"But... maybe it's time for them to come back?" Mikey offers. "Start accepting the truth and really healing..."

Michelangelo slowly takes the glasses off, rubbing his thumb over the lenses.

"Yeah. I think so, too," he says as he hands the specs to Mikey.

"So... would this be like, you giving me your blessing or something? Saying I'm the superior Mikey or something?" Mikey asks.

"It's a dream, dude," Michelangelo says flatly. "Not everything is completely meaningful. It's your subconscious."

"Right, right..." Mikey yawns. "So, if I'm not dead, then where am I?"

The Dream Michelangelo leans back, putting his feet up on the table and folding his hands behind his head as he stares off into space.

"Oh, right about now I'd say that your at home in the medbay, sleeping it off. I think you've been there for at least 20 hours now. You should probably wake up soon..."

"Yeah, I guess so..." Mikey sighs, a deep and heavy exhale escaping his lungs. "But... Just to be clear... you're really not mad at me? You're not mad that I decided to stay the monster?"

"You're not a monster, man!" Mikey cackles. "You're a teenage mutant ninja turtle!"

Mikey chuckles.

"Yeah. I'll work on that. But, y'know, the weird thing is," Mikey says, tapping his fingers against the table. "I'm actually kinda... thirsty?"

.

.

.

"What did you just say??"

Mikey has no idea why everything went so pitch black and then blinding white. He was just talking to himself, and as soon as he mentioned feeling thirsty... the whole world went away.

He tries opening his eyes. They're so extremely heavy, and as soon as he attempts it, light instantly cracks in his vision, seeping through his eyelids and causing red to pierce his sight. He fights through the pain, groaning softly as he does.

Once he opens his eyes, Mikey sees that he's in the gurney from the medbay at the lair. He can't really feel his body, which is weird. He lifts his arm. That works. He can't feel it, it's numb and weird, but it's there. He thinks his hand is disconnected from the joint since he can't feel it either, and it looks really floppy. But after he shakes it and manages to get the fingers to curl and uncurl, he finds that everything is okay after all. He flops the hand around again, snickering at the sight and sensation. A large, gruff but gentle hand takes his to make it stop. Aww, booooo...

He notices a tube and needle stuck in the center of his hand, pumping some sort of clear fluid into it very slowly. He follows the tube and sees it connects to a bag of the same clear fluid. Beside that bag is the owner of the hand, staring down at Mikey with wide and red-rimmed eyes hidden beyond a red mask.

"Mikey, what did you just say?" Raphael asks again, voice soft and airy, hanging on every potential word Mikey has to offer.

Mikey smacks his lips, which are awfully dry and chapped, and have just the tiniest remnants of crusted blood in the corners. He tries to find his tongue, which seems to be missing. Well, no, it's not, it's thick and it's right there, but he can't get it to wake up just yet. Funny, he could talk so easily a moment ago, why is it so hard now? He manages to get the lazy good-for-nothing muscle moving...

"...Th'rsty," Mikey croaks.

Raph practically knocks the IV pole and bag over in his desperate attempt to hug Mikey, almost flattening him against the mattress. He sobs almost uncontrollably, confusing an already out-of-sorts Mikey.

"GUYS! MIKEY'S AWAKE!!" He yells rather loudly, causing Mikey to flinch away from him.

He's not sure why Raph would say that, Mikey feels like he's still asleep, or will fall asleep again at any second again.

Leo and Donnie seem to materialize in the doorway just as the words leave Raphael's mouth, eyes wide and mouths open. As soon as they arrive, any thought of falling back asleep leaves Mikey. They fling themselves onto the gurney, sobbing hysterically and laughing profusely.

Casey and Splinter run in just a moment later, joining the fray and asking a hundred questions that Mikey has no idea of answering.

He still can't get his silly tongue to do anything for him.

Raph eventually remembers that Mikey wanted something to drink and gives him a glass of water, helping him to sip it. Or rather, to drool and dribble half of the contents down his chin as the rest barely manage to enter his mouth.

Mikey stares down blankly at the water running from his face.

"...Spilled it," is all he can manage to say.

The room erupts into laughter.

"...Where..." Mikey croaks, breath slow and relaxed from the heavy painkillers, "...Where am I?"

"You're home, Mikey!" Leo says, making it sound more like a congratulations than an explanation. "You're home!"

And for the first time, Mikey truly feels like he finally has come home.

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[scarletlight-has-issues]

Okay so I've held onto this one for quite a while bc I was self-conscious ab my art style and how it doesn't look nearly as good as a ton of other prohibited wish artists on here but I think it's time to share it-

I had this idea in my head and I just needed to get it out sooo um.

Sorry for the pain

Also I was testing out how I draw maskless Scarab (which is partially inspired by the INCREDIBLE @time-woods's design for their Carma sorry for the @ I just wanted to credit you for the inspo- btw) so it's changed a bit since I drew this bc Ive gotten more used to drawing him-

I have a ton more art in my backlog I'm just,,, self-conscious lol. trying to get better-

PLEASE [tumblr] fix the quality when I post this bc it looks like ass in the editor as Im looking at it rn

[h-didanart]

Have any of you guys ever been doodling when suddenly you’re hit by the angstiest idea ever and so you start workshopping that idea into an au as an alternate timeline to see if it would fit with the au only to create an absolutely heartbreaking and depression inducing scenario, only for your brain to decide that’s not enough and end up creating that same scenario in your two other main aus so that you end up with three deeply traumatized versions of the same character?

Anyone?

No?

That’s fair

I call them the heartbroken trio.

We have a post-Everything Goes To Shit arc Scythe, around January ‘24 Bloody, and a post-Second Takeover Harvest. You may notice I called them by their actual names and not by their usual [insert trait here]!BM names, and that’s on purpose.

See, due to various circumstances in each of their respective timelines, their twins died.

They’ve all taken it very harshly, but express it in different ways, Scythe is more reserved yet more ruthless in her anger, Bloody has become extremely disconnected from everything, and Harvest is an anxious wreck. All their reactions are directly correlated to their twins’ death and how they perceived it.

Anyways, yeah.

New au//timeline thing. Yay?

Oh, and for your troubles

The guy who in his canon lost his twin being extremely conflicted about the newcomers. Cuz in one hand they are versions of versions of himself that he knows that he can relate even more to! But on the other hand they are versions of versions of himself that he knows that he can relate even more to.

Yeah :P

Might elaborate on these guys later

[smol-bean-boi13]

* ‼️ Tw character injury/ implied death‼️*

Heya 😁🤠👋

Still trying to get used to drawing Frida and Mars, but for now ✨ a n g s t ✨

Main masterpost - Echoed masterpost

[hero-of-the-wolf]

It was said that time would heal all wounds. That’s what everyone had always said, anyways. That the grief would fade, until one day it would be gone, and she’d be okay again.

That was a lie.

“I won't be gone for long,” he’d told her. “I’ll be careful, don’t worry.”

That had been a lie, too.

Malon didn’t think that she could ever be okay again. And truthfully, she didn’t want to. Feeling okay felt almost like a betrayal to the love that she and Link had shared.

It’d been years and years now since he’d left for battle and never come back home. Working around the ranch kept her busy, but nothing could fill that hole in her heart that her husband had left behind. And at times like this, kneeling by their dresser with one of his old shirts clutched tightly in her hands, it hurt as much as it had the day she’d first lost him.

Why’d he have to leave? Hadn’t he given enough? Why did he have to leave her?

Her anger almost immediately sputtered back out, swallowed up by guilt. She hugged herself, wishing desperately that it was his arms wrapped around her once again. He’d press a kiss to the top of her head and whisper against his hair, he’d say… he’d….

She didn’t remember what his voice sounded like anymore.

She pressed her hand tightly against her lips, choking on a sob. His memory had already become so faded from her mind. How could she?

It still didn’t feel real. Like at any moment, he’d walk through their front door and sweep her up into his arms. Like it was all some horrid nightmare, and she’d wake up to him by her side once again.

She knew that his line of work had been risky, but Hylia if she hadn’t hoped that just maybe they’d get to grow old together. Raise their children hand in hand, enjoy the peace that he’d fought so hard to obtain. Why couldn’t they….

She buried her face into his shirt. The smell had faded long ago, but it was still a small comfort to know that it had been his.

These small comforts were all she had left of him. The tears ran unbidden down her cheeks. She halfheartedly wiped them away.

“Oh, Link. I miss you so… so much.”

She almost expected to hear a response. The resounding silence was painful.

Had he died alone? Had he been scared?

She’d never know.

“I love you, Link,” she whispered. “I always will.”

Then with a heavy sigh she folded the shirt up and tucked it away. She took a deep breath in, held it a moment, and exhaled slowly. The pain still weighed heavily on her chest, but it was a little easier to breathe. She pressed a hand over her heart and took in another deep breath.

“Mommy?”

Malon quickly rubbed at her face. Her daughter needed her right now. She needed to be strong.

She knew that that’s what he would have wanted.

She got up and crossed over the room. With a sigh she took her grief and carefully tucked it away for later, before finally opening the door.

“What is it, sweetie?”

[silvercaptain24]

Yes I have another au

I wish I could say I drew the silhouettes, but I can’t. I traced them from pics I took of the in-game models. (I’m not quite that good at art yet 😅)

Anywho. AU details below the cut!

Focalor was the former Queen, Furina is her baby sister. She and Neuvillette were in love before she died, and she handed the crown over to Neuvi before she died

(Neuvi and Furina are not in love, nor will they be. They see each other as siblings, especially since Neuvi was quietly courting Focalors.)

Neuvi (and Furina, but to a lesser extent) run a band of rebels trying to get the kingdom back.

Navia joined them more openly after Silver and Meluse were falsely accused of working with the renegades and executed. Had they known about Navia’s involvement, they would have helped, but she kept it a secret.

Wrio and Sigewinne adds fairly close to their canon counterparts — Wrio ran the main prison, often helping “traitors” escape, until he was caught. He and Sigewinne were both sentenced for execution, then saved by Navia. They covered their tracks by faking a wolf attack.

Clorinde is here! She works at the palace and sneaks Neuvi information. Same with the Fontaine siblings.

Arlechinno runs a faction of the renegades that have much. Harsher. Methods than Neuvi will let himself use.

[bokettochild]

Febuwhump Day 19 - "Please Don't"

@1caru @sweetlemonad I believe you asked me to make Four suffer?

Rating: Teen(?)

Wordcount: 4,600

Summary: Four has been acting strange as of late, and it's making Warriors worry. Worry becomes anxiety as he watches the smithy, and it's quickly apparent that while the others don't see it, something is Wrong with Four, something very, very bad. Maybe too terrible to be fixed.

(WARNING!!!!!!! This fic does not have a happy ending! There's room for interpretation, but it does technically qualify as lead character death and a bad ending, so read with caution!

-

Four is weird about magic. 

They all have some hang ups of course, Twilight especially, which is odd considering the recent reveal of his own magic usage, but everyone has something they’re wary of. Legend doesn’t like the unknown as a rule, but if he’s allowed to learn about it, he’s less likely to avoid and more likely to just be cautious. Time grew up with magic, but he’s wary about anything that exudes large amounts of power, as the side effects are often weighty for the price of using it. Sky is still becoming accustomed to everyday magic use, whereas it’s part of Hyrule’s life, while still being something that’s a threat for the traveler. Wild thinks it’s cool, but mostly since it’s almost gone entirely by his time without great amounts of effort. Wind, like Legend, is wary of the unknown, but in the end, he’s just as curious as Wild is.  

As for himself, Warriors grew up without much more than old stories to tell him about magic, stories he’d pass to his little sisters later in life, still not aware of how prevalent the forces that he spoke of truly were in his world. The war had plunged him headfirst into a world of magic usage and its users, and like with swimming, he’d been forced to acclimate quickly lest he be pulled under and die. Now, he’d dare to say he’s the person least likely to react to sudden magic usage, provided it wasn’t too very bizarre. Shapeshifting is an outlier, since there’s no way to get accustomed to suddenly different forms, or any way to expect it, but still, blasts of magic or power from weapons? They’d gone off all the time from the fighters gathered across time, during the war. He’s used to strange new magics appearing out of nowhere. 

Four is odd about them though. Four is wary of anything he doesn’t understand, but unlike Legend who will poke at it, shields raised, Four will keep away at all costs. As far as the smithy seems concerned, magic and he can keep their distance, and while, unlike Twilight, he doesn’t object to others using it, he firmly rejects offers extended to him to let him try things as well. The Master Sword is their key example of such behavior, but there are others too; Legend’s items, Twilight’s crystal, and generally most magical weapons that are not their shortest’s own. 

So, seeing Four watching, listening so intently as they sit down and demand answers from their rancher, it’s strange. 

They’d all been a bit affronted at the secret of their wolf companion and the rancher being the same, but now that they have the opportunity to learn what, precisely, was the reason for it, how it happened at all, they’re all eager to have answers. By nature, it seems the hero’s spirit carries with it a sense of curiosity that can’t be dimmed no matter how many generations it has passed through. It’s less proficient at teaching, but that’s become a null point as Legend carefully handles the thing, asking questions rather than letting them all rely on Twilight’s abysmal attempts at explaining how the thing works or how he’d come to have it. 

He’s not sure how Legend hasn’t transformed, since, according to Twilight, it should change whomever handles it. Still, the vet seems to be taking advantage of his apparent invulnerability to examine the magical item and do whatever a magical collector and scholar like himself does with such sorts of new things. 

Four paying rapt attention though, eyes following the vet’s hands as Twilight explains that it is, essentially, shadow magic condensed, formed from a curse placed on him that a powerful magic user had lifted for him. 

“How does shadow magic not screw you over?” The vet is dangling the necklace before his eyes, making them cross as his ears pin back, a harsh scowl fixed on the crystal. 

Twilight shrugs, also watching the vet, but relaxed, mostly, as though he doesn’t fear what happens if the magic activates, but still would rather it not. Warriors wonders what would happen if it did. “It’s pure magic. Dark only in nature, but all ill intent was- wiped away I guess? She didn’t explain fully, what with us still dealin’ with the world nearly endin’ an’ all.” 

The vet flicks at the crystal with one finger, making it spin slowly, glinting oddly in the fading light of the sun, contrasted by the low burning flames of their campfire. “Pure dark magic...” he muses. “Not evil...just...hnnn....” 

“Ever seen something similar?” Wind asks, slumped across the rock the vet and rancher sit on, arms cushioning his head as he looks up at the two, blinking slowly like he’s maybe beginning to tire out after their long day.  

“Nope.” Twilight sighs. 

The vet tips his head on one side, nose shivering in a thought that’s not shared. “Maybe?” 

Four hasn’t blinked since the idea of pure shadow magic was presented, and there’s a glitter in his violet eyes that makes the captain uncomfortable. He’s not sure what it is, Four’s a good kid and rarely is any trouble, but something about that look in his eyes.... it’s worrisome. 

“Have you interacted with dark magic outside of Ganon‘s before?” Hyrule asks, staring at the vet as the other stops the crystal’s spin with one gloved hand. “I mean, at all?” 

“Some,” the vet says, and then hands Twilight his necklace back, although his eyes linger even as the rancher holds it carefully by its chord. A twitch of the ears and then the younger adds, “a lot actually. There are so many dark mages and whatnot that I’ve met personally, and that's just in my world.” 

“Your world?” 

“I’ve been to others, and yeah, one of them actually had dark magic as the norm. Light magic was...” his ears swivel back, “people weren’t keen on meeting light magic users. Still, they weren’t awful, just different.” Violet eyes a shade softer than Four’s lift to catch the rancher’s midnight blue. “Your magic user friend, was she from a place where that was the norm?” 

Twilight nods, tucking his charm back where he apparently keeps it, between his layers and around his neck. “Yeah. Not sure if hers was a ‘nother world or just...dimension?” 

The vet nods. 

“Whatever it was, her magic was what everyone had there, and folks good or bad could use it.” 

“So,” Four finally speaks, and there’s something, Warrior can’t name what, but maybe it’s the intensity of those dark eyes on the magic master and the rancher, “dark magic isn’t inherently evil, just... different? Is that what you’re saying?” 

The two exchange a glance, and by the prick back of the rancher’s ears, head lower but gaze staying locked with softer violet, he supposes the rancher cedes the right to answer to the scholar rather than speak himself. Legend accepts it easily though, titling his head on one side and fiddling with the bracelet on his wrist, not meeting Four’s eyes, perhaps because he’s thinking too hard, or maybe some other reason. “Here in Hyrule, as a rule, dark magic is just power clouded with impure intent and harmful nature. Anyone can wield it, anyone magically skilled that is, but it’s purity is determined by the purity of your actions.” 

“And you know this because...?” 

A flinch. “If one of us- those who wield magic- used our abilities with impure intent, it would take on a darker quality. If your goals start becoming selfish, or your wishes more violent, or even if vengeance or pride colors your actions instead of something else, your magic can alter to become more shadow like.” 

His focus on Four drops at those words, mind flicking back. Pride, Legend said, could color your magic to darkness. “Is that why our shadows end up as they are? They’re a manifestation of impure intentions coloring our magic?” 

A nod. “I think. Granted, they can also be fueled by other magic, if they gain enough sentience to be their own self. Then they can just draw on whatever magic is around them for strength, but they usually form as a result of selfishness and the like,” the vet’s shoulders hunch slightly, stiff with a thought that’s likely guilt if his experiences are at all like the captain’s. “That’s why they say the Master Sword might sometimes reject her masters. If your magic becomes corrupted enough by your thoughts and feelings, there’s no light magic to mark you as her intended wielder, and she’ll register you as a threat instead, making it impossible to wield or so much as lift her.” 

Twilight shifts uncomfortably, eyes darting to the blade. Has he experienced that too? Should- is that something warriors can ask him? Maybe such a shared experience could be something they could talk about, use to connect with each other in the wake of the shit show that their relationship has been of late. Later though, right now, in front of the others, such a thing wouldn’t be best. 

“But shadow magic is just magic with different intent?” Four pushes, “not it’s own type?” 

A nod from the vet, ears still pinned back. “As far as I know. As a rule though, I don’t tend to linger and study dark magic, so I only know a very little bit through observation.” 

“How then,” Time speaks up for the first time in a while, one good eye fixed on where his pup’s necklace lays, although it’s now covered with cloth and armor, “can it be pure?” 

A snort. “That’s what I want to know! So far though, my best guess is that other dimensions and worlds sometimes have the reverse; darkness being the safe and good things, and light being a piercing and dangerous thing to them. So ill intent would be light, and purity would be....” a frown and the screwing up of doll-like features, “like the moon in contrast to the sun? People say the moon represents purity in some cultures, so for those worlds where darkness is good, like night, the dark nature of magic might be seen like we see the moon, but light magic is cruel and harsh like a desert sun.” 

There’s nods all around, some with understanding clear on their faces, others with confusion, and some, like Wild, with cluelessness. Even for his frustrations with the kid, it makes him smile a bit to see Wild trying, but so clearly left out of the loop that anyone would know he’s just following their example and pretending to have a clue of what’s happening. It's a sure reminder that, for all the stress the boy causes, he’s still a kid under all those scars and wildly wielded weapons. 

“When we get to my era, I want a chance to look at that thing again,” the vet turns on their rancher, curiosity still glittering under furrowed brows. “There’s someone we might be able to ask for answers there.” 

He doesn’t say who, and Twilight doesn’t ask, but the rancher agrees easily enough. 

The conversation slips away after that, Wind pestering Legend about his experiences with magic, the vet pushing the kid out of his space with a smirk and refusals, and Time asking his pup a few questions while the rest of them drift into something more understandable for their group as a whole. Through it all though, Four’s gaze remains fixed on where the crystal lies, eyes unchanging even in the flicking light of the fire and the dying glow of the sun. 

Warriors has no clue why he’s watching the smithy, but the hair on the back of his neck standing on end and the shiver that creeps down his spine as he does so keeps him watching. 

Four is weird about magic, discussing it or using it. Unlike the others whose intentions are somewhat clear, he doesn’t let on at all why he’s the way he is, or how he feels, just that he won’t touch it.  

That night, as they settle to bed, Sky and Wind on first watch together and already chatting easily beside the fire, the captain’s mind won’t let the thought go. Resting his head on his arms, his mind flickers back to the thousand fairy stories he used to hear told by the village elders to smaller children when he was young, to the ones he’d picked up in bits and pieces when he was older, in Castletown, and even the few he’d learned during the war. There’s an irrational part of him that wonders if the reasons figures from the fairytales had treated magic as they did would match the smithy’s own, but there’s really no way of knowing. Even if the tales are based, in part, on the ventures of ancient heroes, there’s no way to know for certain what’s founded in fact or not. 

Still, it’s been a long while since he’s drifted off with a fairytale rolling about in his head, and he’d dare say he sleeps better for it. 

- 

After that night, Four continues acting weird. There’s something wrong behind his eyes, something almost familiar, in ways that set off alarm bells in the captain’s head. Something about Four has changed, and while he can’t name what, the dark glint of eyes; eyes that, before, he could have sworn were changing color from time to time, but which are now always just a shade darker than the vet’s, now are glassy in their shine, absent, clouded. It’s not like a fever, he checks for that, and It's not anything that effects the smithy’s fighting, but there is a change. There's something Wrong, and Warriors doesn’t know what it is. 

The others don’t see it though; not most of them. Sky stares at him, worry creasing lovely features as he asks if the captain is feeling okay. Time nods it off but doesn’t seem worried. Twilight- he doesn’t go to Twilight, or Wild. He’s...he’s not sure how well talking over his own concerns with those two will go considering their aptitude for not sharing with the rest of the group about things. He’s convinced it won’t help him at all. Wind listens, but dismisses it after a time, after talking with the smith and apparently assuring himself all is well. When he brings it to Legend, the younger man looks grim, and he sees the vet watching Four with wariness, but that’s not entirely unusual to begin with; Legend’s always been more wary of Four than the rest of them, although he’s never said why. 

It’s nice to have someone take his concerns to heart, but considering Legend is a bit paranoid, that’s not saying much really. He’s sure if he’d said anyone was behaving oddly, in a way that the vet doesn’t have answers for, he’d still see walls rising against that person.  

Four is different though. He was quiet before, but now he’s very quiet. He was reticent before, but now he’s almost avoidant. Where advice came easily, now it’s slow if it comes at all, and where battle strategies could be formed with the thought that their small smithy could and would slip between them to watch their backs, now injuries fall for the absence of the youngster, who’s often fighting alone rather than with the rest of them. 

He gets that the others don’t notice, he does. Twilight and Time and Wild have each other, Sky is so often caught in his head or chatting with the vet, Hyrule isn’t close to most of them, but least of all with the smithy he shares little in common with. With Wind, the smithy seems himself again, in most ways, but the moment their youngest’s back is turned, it’s like a shadow falls over the smith’s face. 

It’s making him feel wary. He can’t name why, and he hates himself a bit for it, but he finds he’s checking randomly for the knife he carries, hand slipping to his sword without him even thinking of it, and there’s a hissing at the back of his mind when they make camp. On one hand, he’ll be wanting to settle far away from those dark eyes, but on the other, there’s part of him that can’t stand the idea of not putting himself between the smith and the kids in their group, between Four and even Time. He doesn’t even know why! He knows Four is a hero, and that the smithy has never done anything to harm anyone in this group, but he’ll find himself debating being close to or far away from the other more than he’d like, and it’s only when he wonders why that he even registers that somehow, he’s started seeing Four as a threat. 

Nothing’s been done, but a voice in his head whispers that something will be, and he needs to be ready. The feeling that wells in his chest is familiar, but he can’t identify it, just knows he’s felt it before, although when is unclear. It makes sleeping even harder than it was before, and he finds himself nervous as a result; lack of sleep mixing with the need to always be on guard to send him into a state of almost constant anxiety. 

The others start asking after his health. Time and Wind are demanding to know if he’s neglected his own injuries while treating theirs. Even Wild, who he’s never been close with, starts giving him slightly bigger portions. The champion never says anything to him directly, but when the kid thinks he’s not looking, heavy cerulean eyes will settle on him, worry pinching brows together and pulling at scarred features. The cook watches, making sure he’s eating, and then looks actually distressed when even food doesn’t seem to have any effect on the captain’s condition. 

How does he explain to them though that the reason for his state is a screaming anxiety that eats away at his mind and heart, it’s source unknown? 

He can’t even be mad at Twilight when the rancher approaches him as the wolf, settling at his side with all the ease he used to before they’d known. He knows now, they all do, but Twilight acts the same as usual and he can’t- he can’t deny that being allowed to stroke through rough fur does help, at least a little. The laughter when Wind pouts at being denied the same also helps, but it doesn’t stop the incessant fear building up within him. No, because the moment his eyes fall on Four, whose own gaze is fixed over small shoulders, the shiver rises again up his spine. 

Something is wrong, and he’s seen something- done something to know that he recognizes this feeling, recognizes something off about Four, but he can’t name it. He wracks his mind for the memory of what this is, but thinking of the war, thinking of everything that happened, the betrayals and Cia and- he can’t do it. He tries, he does, but it quickly becomes apparent that thinking about that, out here, while already running thin with anxiety, will probably send him into an episode. 

Zelda calls it PTSD. He doesn’t care what it is though- he’s not putting the kids through talking him out of it or seeing him like that.  

He gives up searching his memory for answers, but he keeps his eyes open. 

Maybe that’s why, when darkness has fallen over camp one night, and most of the boys are sleeping, Wind curled up against his side and the rest settled around the capfire, he’s seems to be the only one who sees Four slip from under his blanket, nearly silent, and creep towards where the rancher slumbers, back to back with his cub. 

Time is on watch with Sky, the two talking in low voices as they walk around the perimeter of camp, senses turned without, to where threats should come from, but not within, where the smithy’s hand slips between Twilight’s layers, emerging again with the crystal in hand. A small knife slips forwards, cutting the chord neatly and tugging it free, although for half a moment he almost expects it to drag across sun-kissed skin and paint the rancher’s throat scarlet with the man’s own blood. 

Somethings wrong. Something is very wrong. 

Alerting Four that he’s awake though, when the other is so close to the rest, armed and clearly guarded against being noticed, isn’t optimal. As long as no harm is being done to his brothers, he’ll bide his time, wait until Four is in such a place that whatever has gotten into him won’t be able to cause the smith to harm the rest without Warriors stopping him. 

Luckily, for them anyway, the purple-eyed smith doesn’t linger any longer than he needs to tuck his knife away. He’s creeping out of camp without a sound even as Time and Sky patrol on the other side, voices low and straining in what’s probably a very stilted debate that Warriors can’t bother to think of a subject for. His own eyes follow Four though, hands already rising to uncurl Wind’s fingers from his shirt. It's a process, because the kid is usually a light sleeper, but tucking his scarf around the younger seems to assure the unconcious teen that all is still well, and that the absence of the captain’s warmth is not cause for worry. He used to have to do this during the war too, on early mornings or when he needed to slip out for a leak or a drink or just to breath the night air for a moment. 

He escapes without any of his brothers waking. Sky and Time see him, it’s hard to not with his size, but he just tells them he thinks he saw something. He can’t name what, doesn’t want to worry them before he knows why his own heart is pounding uncontrollably, but he tells them to keep their eyes and ears open and stay with the rest as he slips into the trees, sword in hand, shield grapsed tightly in his other hand.  

If Four was going to do something to the others, he would have done it when he was still in camp. Time and Sky likely won’t need to tend to anything. He, on the other hand, is prepared for the worst. 

Even so, he’s not expecting what he sees. He can feel his very heart shatter, something like a sob buiding up as an all too familiar sightreaches his eyes when he finds the smith again. A shadow warrior standing beside someone he’d seen as a brother, embracing each other as those dark purple eyes lock with crimson. Four’s smile is’t quite right, and the crystal- the shadow- 

Dark magic, Legend said, comes from magic users whose intent becomes impure. A pure source of shadow magic though, condensed and palpable, easy to slip off with, to steal, would offer a far greater source of such power. Enough power to give form, as the scholar had stated, to a shadow. A threat. An enemy. 

An enemy Four greets with a sharp smile and a warm embrace, one that’s welcomed with the same as the thing rises from whatever spell or magic had been cast, the remains of Twilight’s crystal now broken on the ground. 

Now he understands. Betrayal is a familiar feeling, one he knows intimately, but of course he’d never wanted to think that- believe that he’d feel it because of the actions of a brother. He knows what it is to watch those he trusts slip off into becoming mere puppets for the enemy, a threat to those he loves.  

He also knows that letting puppets roam free, while waiting for a chance to fix them, leads to precious lives lost, to the death of innocent people, and more pain than just slitting a few throats would give him. He learned that the hard way, he knows it well. By the end of the war, corruption was a disease that’s presence was a death sentence for the victim. Better to kill them quickly, better to end the infection, better to stop the spread and the continued loss, the pain of watching so many innocent lies be claimed by a force that would take their agency. 

Yes, they were innocent. No, it was never their faults. Still, for the sake of all, their deaths had been required, a sacrifice to preserve everyone else. A neccessity to ensure the army of the enemy, the tools available to them, the pawns and skills thereof, would not increase. 

He’s killed a brother before, but it doesn’t make it less painful anytime he has to do it again. 

Hiding isn’t worth it anymore. He’s many things, but a coward that strikes without warning he will never be. Purple and crimson lift to stare at him, and fear flashes in one while aggression paints in teh unfamiliar ones. 

“Captain-” 

He doesn’t answer. Talking back to puppets, treating them like people, it makes it hurt more. Better to not see them as people anymore once they’re nothing more than pawns. Assigning names, memories, loe to the ones he’s had to slaughter for the safety of his people- all it does it kill what’s left of his heart. 

“Wars, what are you-” a swing of his blade has words cut off, the smithy ducking back, fear rising. 

The shadow lunges, and that, he knows, is the greater threat to him. 

“Wars, stop! What are you doing?” The smithy shrieks. It sounds like him, the flicker of red, of warm red like fire, not like blood, sends a foolish hope through him that maybe, beneath whatever magic has taken hold here, there’s a glimmer of his brother. Memories of another he’d had similar thoughts of, only to have a knife lodged in his guts seconds later, have him shaking the thought off. Dark magic is too strong to show any weakness too. The only hope in anything where it’s involved is if the source lies before him and easily destroyable, and the sharp clawed shade of the smith might not even be the cause of the strange nature he’s witnessed as of late. 

When the shadow lunges at him, he strikes back, unleashing every bit of power he’s got into the blow and sending the monster flying back, cracking against a tree trunk as the smith’s voice rises In anguish. “Captian, don’t! Please, don’t! He’s my friend!” 

Befriending evil? How- how long? Does he know Four at all? 

The shade bleeds red, somehow. Maybe it’s magic, meant to twist his mind, manipulate him, make him feel pity. He’s seen that before though. It won’t work, not on him, not on the hero who’s felled similar such monsters for hours on end at times. The color of the enemies’ blood makes no difference; it all spills the same regardless. 

“Warriors, please!” The shriek rises, and the smith flies at him, hand raised.  

His focus is on the shadow, rising again with crimson spilling from between grey lips. He can’t see what’s in the smith’s hand; if there’s a weapon, if there isn’t. He can’t spare a glance to see what color flickers in eyes that used to change with a blink. There’s no time. 

Instinct, born of years of fights, of endless battles and betrayals, has his hand moving without a thought. 

Four’s cry of pain as he crumples to the earth crushes anything that’s left of the captain’s heart. 

[themaidenofwords]

"Put your hands in the air."

Character A glared at Villain and edged themselves slightly in front of Character B in a protective stance. "Just try it. We don't go down easy."

Villain grinned sharply and casually lowered their gun. "You're right. It's much easier to let someone else do this for me."

Character A cast a frantic look about, searching for the hitherto unseen fourth person that was about to attack. There was no one there for A to see. It was only A, B, and Villain.

"What are you talking about--" A's voice was cut off in a strangled gasp as the cold prongs of a taser suddenly jabbed into their side and they were overwhelmed with a paralyzing wave of electricity. A's legs gave out beneath them and they twisted as they fell just enough to see B standing above them with the taser in their hand.

"B," A choked out, twitching helplessly on the ground.

Character B couldn't meet A's betrayed gaze. "I'm sorry, A. I had no choice."

"What a pretty lie that is," Villain laughed, stepping over A's jerking legs to wrap a possessive arm around B's shoulders. "B made their choice a long time ago, it's just that now they have to face the consequences."

"B, please." A gasped out, tears pooling in their eyes. "Please."

Villain, still grinning, offered up their gun and B took it in a shaking hand.

"I'm sorry." B repeated as they took aim. "It had to be like this."

"B, wait. Please!"

"Goodbye, A. I'll miss you."

The sound of a gunshot filled the air.

[kaysdenofchaos]

Warmup doodles w the rise boys :)

[apiculturegal]

“Am I my brother’s keeper?”

(click for better quality)

i’m not super happy with this one but i worked on it too long to not post it so. here it is! might follow it up with a sketchy sibling bonding comic as an epilogue because i’m a sap (no promises)

[whumpshots]

Whump ABC #1 - Angst

Based on the result of this poll

_

Caretaker feels hot tears stream down their cheeks as they keep doing CPR on whumpee's unmoving body. They hear their own breath ring in their ears, loud and irritating, mixed with the rhythmic sound of applying pressure to the other's chest.

"Come on, don't do this to me," they sob before they give whumpee another kiss of life. "Wake up."

Their short breaths are switched out for counting the compressions they make. "One, two, three, four -"

They feel that a rib might have been broken, but they don't care. Caretaker just wants whumpee back, their own heart beating against their chest far to fast and loud. But they can't lose them, not like this. Not after everything they have been through ...

"I wanted our first kiss to be something different, you idiot," they sob and feel their body shake with exhaustion. "Please wake up!"

[huffle-dork]

Swap Across the CrystalVerse Chapter 23: Many Roads Diverge

Read Swapboys | Crystal’s AUs| Many Roads Diverge

Read SITCV | SATCV Masterpost | AO3 Link

Bro's fall is short, and he lands... in the same living room from before. Except... it looks slightly different. Outside the windows it is evening instead of dark night. 

Bro oofs and catches himself on his hands before looking wildly around. "H...Hah??" He breathes, quickly turning around in a circle. "W-Why am I here again?"

And... voices come from the archway leading to the dining room. 

"Really! I saw someone out there!" someone is shouting. "Someone has to be here, regardless of what just happened!" That... sounds like... Bro's voice. A... Chase?

The voices in the kitchen continue, lulling for a moment, allowing only one to be heard. "Yes, we saw an intruder... we're out in the Scanruil Forest..." It sounds like Jackie. On a phone call, maybe.

Bro shakes out his head and then starts to head towards the voices curiously. "Um... h-hello?"

The whole group is gathered in the dining hall--the exact same collection of people he'd just seen. Jackie is just hanging up a call when Bro walks in. Everyone jumps and turns to look at Bro in shock. 

"Holy shit, okay, I guess Chase was right!" Marvin says, suddenly scrambling backwards. 

"No, wait, that's a different guy!" Chase protests. "He, uh--" He looks Bro up and down. "Does he...?" 

"Look like you a little...?" Schneep finishes. 

JJ's eyes widen. You're not supposed to be here, he says to Bro.

Bro looks relieved to see everyone then looks weirded out as everyone acts like they don't know him. He holds up his hands, "W-What? Uh g-guys I was... I was just here! With you guys! W-We just saved Chase? Don't you remember??"

"Saved me?" Chase repeats. "F-from what?" 

"F-From! The freaky thing possessing you!" Bro emphasizes. 

"We just called the police," Jackie says, stepping out in front of everyone else. "So--if you're planning on doing anything suspicious, you better not." 

"Guys, i-it's definitely a different guy," Chase repeats. "His clothes are different. The guy I saw was wearing dark clothes. I don't know what he's doing here, but--I don't think it's... bad?"

Bro throws his hands up, "c’mon! This literally just happened! We were downstairs in the basement and- and Marvin and JJ got a book and Marvin read a spell and this black smoke came out of Chase! Cuz he tried to shoot me!" He then freezes for a second and fumbles into his back pocket- where he stored Chase's gun. "I-I even took Chase's gun away from him!"

The guys all stare at him, more and more confused the more he speaks. And then Bro takes out Chase's gun and they all immediately react. 

"Holy shit, where'd you get that?!" Jackie shouts, shoving Schneep--the closest person to him--behind him. Chase, JJ, and Marvin all scramble backwards. 

"Th-that's not mine!" Chase protests. "I-I wouldn't bring that here! Right, guys?!" He looks around at the others nervously. "A-and I'd never try to shoot anyone!" 

"What are you talking about, possession?" Schneep demands. "No such thing exists!"

Bro balks and then quickly puts it back away and holds up his hands. "R-Right right sorry! I um... i-" He laughs nervously and pushes back his hair, "I.. I feel like I'm g-going crazy I... I swear I was just h-here... How.. How can I prove that?"

"I-I-I think we would have remembered you, dude," Jackie says. "And that shit you just described!" 

"We haven't been at the cabin for that long," Marvin says. "Just a few hours. The sun hasn't even set." 

Though... that's weird. Wasn't it... night time here? Why is it evening outside? 

Maybe you're thinking of something else? JJ asks. Maybe we remind you of another group of people? 

"How did you get here again...?" Chase mutters. "We're all the way out here... you'd need a car..."

Bro shakes his head, gripping at his hair and holding his stomach. "I... I- Maybe? I dunno I just... I got pulled into another rip- l-like the one that brought me here before..." It slowly dawns on him as his eyes widen, "Did I... get sent to the past...?"

Schneep scoffs. "Oh, now we are talking about time travel?" 

"Look, something is clearly going on," Jackie says, looking at Bro sympathetically. "Um... do you want to sit down?" 

"Yeah, and tell me more about me being póssess̢ed?" Chase asks.

Bro nods, "u-uh yeah... s-sure... I..." He staggers over to one of the chairs in the kitchen and sits down. Then, he looks up at Chase and talks rapidly with his hands, "I mean-! It was weird the others were looking for you cuz they said you ran down here. Said somethin' about you seeing someone outside. And you apparently tried to strangle marvin but i didn't see that... so I broke down the door to help them find you but we couldn't find you in the basement cuz all the doors were locked! Then, you came out of one of the locked ones and tried to shoot me but you... you had this glazed look in your eyes and... I recognize that look cuz... my brother goes through something similar a lot. And then you got all creepy and had a different accent like something more irish? You told me I wasn't supposed to be here which... I know but kinda can't help that right now... Then i told you something and you seemed to snap out of it for a second! I think you were looking for someone named Sam...? T-Then you started freaking out about someone being here again and- and then that weird rip showed up and whatever was in you wanted it to take me cuz it said it worked too hard. And you started attacking us! And marvin read the spellbook downstairs and you started convulsing and I think i held you down when i wasn't supposed to so you woke up saying everything hurt but... you were back to normal. T-Then I got pulled into the rip and ended up back here!"

Utter. Silence. 

The group all stares at Bro, confused and alarmed. Then Chase laughs. "I... th-that's ridiculous," he says. "Looking for... for Sam? That's, uh, my daughter. Sh-she's with her mom right now, she lives there during the weekdays, sh-she couldn't come all the way out here. And... a-and this... possession stuff... I-I wouldn't strangle Marvin! I mean, unless he said something really stupid--" 

"Weird joke," Marvin mutters, rubbing his neck self-consciously. 

"B-besides, as I said, possession is not real!" Schneep stammers. 

"Well." Marvin tilts his head, considering. "There are spirits out there that can influence people. If you study witchcraft like me, you'd know that." 

Besides, that's an awfully specific story, JJ says. Either he was thinking about this for a while, or he's telling the truth. 

Chase shakes his head. "I-I wouldn't hurt you guys. You know that! You know that! I-it must--must be because of that intruder out there!" Desperation enters his voice. "He must--must be involved in this somehow!"

“What?!” Bro spits, “Why would I be involved with some intruder?! I just saved your ass! I know what I saw! And I don’t lie! Why would I lie about any of this anyways?? What would have I have to gain??”

“I don’t know! But there’s no way this is real!” Chase shouts. “There’s no way there’s no way there’s no way—” 

“Chase, please, calm down!” Schneep walks over and grips Chase’s shoulders. “I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for all this.” 

I don’t think this man is lying, JJ says. 

Chase shakes his head. His eyes look a bit glazed…

Bro gets up and walks towards Chase, “d-didn’t you say you thought you saw an intruder outside? Did anyone else see it or was it just you, Chase?”

“Just me…” Chase whispers. “Why?”

“…that’s the same as it was before,” Bro says gravely. “You were the only one seeing someone… someone you wanted to leave you alone.”

Chase laughs. “W-well! What does that prove?!” 

“You know, we thought he was fucking with us until just now,” Jackie muses. “Thought it was a prank. But he’s insistent.” 

“That’s right! I know what I saw!” Chase shouts. His eyes lock onto Bro. “It must have been you,” he snarls. And suddenly he pushes past Schneep and lunges at Bro.

Bro's eyes widen and he dodges out of the way and circles back around to look at Chase and hold up his hands, "Y-Yo dude chill out! I'm not the intruder! I-I've never seen outside the cabin, I swear!"

Chase skids against the floor and laughs manically. He spins around. "It has to be you! It has to be you!" he shouts, lunging again. 

"Whoa, hey!" Jackie grabs Chase from behind. "Calm down!" 

"No!" Chase thrashes in his grip. "I won't! I won't!" He laughs again. It sounds so unlike him...

And in the entrance to the dining room, a small black rift starts opening.

Bro backs up with wide eyes, "S-Shit! I think its happening again!" He looks over and then finds Marvin. "Go look downstairs! There's somewhere with a lot of books- there's a book there that has a spell that can help Chase!" He nervously glances at the entrance and pales as he sees the rift. But... it won't hurt these guys... maybe he can help them again. 

"U-um--okay???" Marvin runs out of the dining room, leaving through the kitchen. 

"Nothing's happening! Nothing's happening! Nothing's happening!" Chase screams. He wrests an arm free and punches Jackie in the face, shocking him into letting him go. He lunges for Bro again, growling like an animal.

He pushes him aside--and grabs the gun Bro had brought.

Bro cries out and hits the floor as he's pushed. Then, he whips around and yells out in fear, "W-Watch out!" He then tries to tackle Chase by the legs to throw him off.

Chase goes down, the gun falling from his hand. He shrieks wordlessly and kicks Bro back. 

Schneep quickly grabs the weapon, looking nervous as he holds it. 

The rift's pull grows stronger.

Bro gets hit in the face and lets Chase go. He gasps as he feels the rift pulling him. "H-Hen! Run! Get away!"

Schneep nods. He grabs JJ, standing beside him in shock, and bolts out through the kitchen. 

Jackie follows close behind. Chase scrambles to his feet, sparing a glance at Bro... and a cruel smile that looks so wrong on his face. "Looks like I'll have to improvise," he? whispers, and runs after the three of them. 

And then the pull of the rift becomes too much. 

"What?! No-!" Bro shouts as he tries to go after them, but the rift draws him back and he plunged back into darkness. 

---------- 

Jackie's fall is short, and he lands... in the same living room from before. Except... it looks slightly different. Outside the window is a lighter landscape, evening instead of night, and the furniture is back where it was before it all started to move. 

Jackie looks around in confusion. "What...?" He breathes.

"Whoa!" There are two guys in the living room here. One is wearing a black outfit, and one has glasses. 

The one in black points his phone at Jackie. "Schneep, I think I see it!" 

The one in glasses turns around, and rolls his eyes. "That is Jackie, you idiot. Very funny, Jackie. You scared us a little."

Jackieboy startles and looks towards Schneep and the man in black. But, he knows that face- that's Marvin. But that... that can't be- Chase just said they were...! "W-What the fuck? How.. how are you- t-they said you two were dead-!" Jackieboy shouts in panic. 

"Um... what?" Marvin gives a little, confused laugh. "N...no? We're not?" He gestures at himself. "Clearly? When did you put face paint on? And steal Schneep's shirt?" 

"I don't own a shirt like that," Schneep mutters.

"You have one that's kinda like it, though. Didn't Jackie get it for you?" 

"He did, but not that one, and I did not bring it." 

Jackie blinks almost comically and looks down at his shirt. He laughs nervously and pushes back his hair. "O-Oh yeah... t..the shirt-" 

Schneep squints at Jackieboy. "Wait a moment... Are you..." 

"How'd you get upstairs without us hearing?" Marvin asks. "Not cool to leave Chase and JJ, by the way. Especially since this ghost hunt was your idea." 

"Don't pretend like you weren't super interested," Schneep says absentmindedly. This casual banter... it's so different from the environment before.

Jackieboy feels like he's gonna throw up. Last thing he saw was his own face looking at him with panic and all that freaky ghost shit. Was it a ghost actually? Jackie is shaking quite a lot as he steps back and tries to find a place to rest against. "I... I d-don't know what's happening I... I was just here- I... I think? But... C-Chase and JJ were covered in blood and - and said you were dead and that the other me killed you and-!"

"Um... maybe you should sit down, Jackie," Schneep says gently. "Clearly this stress is all getting to you." 

"I'm sure Chase and JJ are fine," Marvin says. "I can go check on them, if you like. Oh, or I can text them."

"T-They weren't hurt- t-they said it was yours-!" Jackie squeaks and shakily finds the sofa to sit on. He anxiously looks towards the basement door and swallows. "i...I dunno- they s-said other me was... was acting weird and- that the ghost might be using him? I... i-i dunno-" Ohh he's freaking out- why is he freaking out? Nothing bad is happening- but he can't get the image of Chase and JJ covered in blood out of his mind.

"It's okay, Jackie," Schneep says gently. "Nothing is going on right now. This is a safe place, you are safe right now. Take deep breaths." 

Jackieboy tries to follows Schneep's advice as he hugs his arms and tries to breathe.

"I'm gonna call Chase," Marvin says, dialing a number on his phone. 

"Ooo, calling instead of texting, must be important," Schneep mutters. 

"Yeah, yeah," Marvin mutters, making the call. "Hey, Chase. Jackie's up here, he's freaking out a little. Huh? N... no, he's up here." Marvin glances at Jackieboy nervously. "I'm fucking serious, I'm looking right at him. Put him on the line, then." 

A pause. 

Marvin goes a bit pale. "What... the fuck...? Y-yeah, come on up here." Marvin slowly lowers the phone, staring at Jackieboy. "Who... are you?" he whispers. "Y-you're not Jackie..."

Jackieboy flinches at Marvin's whispering and looks up to him with a scared expression. "..I'm a Jackie... just not yours. I'm... I'm from another universe... I-I'm sorry I d-didn't mean to make you think I was him I just... I-I can't process all of this-! I was j-just here! And you two were dead and they said Jackie killed you and they ran out the door and they were covered in so much blood! T-The house fucking attacked us and- and and...!" He grips his arms harder, finding it hard to breathe again as he takes shallow, panicked breaths, shaking like a leaf. 

Schneep blinks. "I... Th-that is..." He shakes his head. "Okay. Ah... please just remember to breathe... Jackie." He seems unsure calling him that, but does it anyway. "We are not dead. A-and even if we were, our Jackie would not kill us.”

"i-i'm sorry I'm sorry i... I just want go home! I want to find my f-friends! I don't know w-where they are...!" 

Marvin stares at him, confused. "There's... no one else in this cabin besides the five of us... and you. And maybe a ghost. I'm sorry. Y-your friends probably aren't here." 

Jackie tries his best to breathe, frightened tears pricking in his eyes. "I-I wanna go home... I wanna go home-!" He whispers, rocking himself slightly. 

The basement door opens, and out walk Chase, JJ, and Jackie. They all stop in shock. 

"Whoa..." Jackie breathes. "H-he really does look like me."

Jackieboy startles as the others come out of the basement and looks wide eyed at them. He quickly wipes at his face and tries to wave, "U-uh... h-hi..."

"H-hi." Chase gives a little wave back. "Uh... are you... okay... other Jackie?" 

He's clearly not, JJ says. I don't think he's supposed to be here. 

"Well, yeah, it was supposed to be a vacation for just the five of us," Marvin says. "And Jack, before he got sick." 

"W-well, if you want to go home, is there anything we can do to help?" Schneep asks. "Sorry, Jackie--ah, our Jackie. The ghost hunt will have to wait." 

Jackie shrugs. "That's fine." The lights flicker. He looks up at them, annoyed.

Jackieboy shakes his head with a laugh, pulling at his hair. "I... I dunno! Our... our device we use to get to other worlds g-got broken and i t-think that's how i ended up here... t-twice I guess? But... b-before all the bad stuff h-happens?" He flinches as the lights flickers and looks around at the furniture like it might lash out to attack them.

"Uh..." Chase glances around at everyone else. "Other worlds?" 

Schneep gives him a glare "This is not the time to talk about it," he hisses. 

"Oh. Oh! O-of course." Chase nods. "Sorry." 

Schneep looks back at Jackieboy. "Well, nothing bad is going to happen, I promise you. The most that happened was a bookcase falling on Marvin." 

Marvin scowls. "Fucking sucked." 

"Everything is going to be fine," Schneep continues reassuringly. "I'm... not sure what we can do to help, but we will do everything we can." 

"Yeah, of course," Jackie agrees. "Uh... should we tell you a little about ourselves? I'm Jackie, this is Chase, JJ, Marvin, and Schneep. This cabin belongs to our friend Jack. We were all gonna come here for a few days for a vacation, but Jack got sick so he isn't here."

Jackieboy slowly starts to breathe easier and relax. He looks to the others and smiles. “Um.., n-nice to meet you… again. I’m also Jackie… Jackie Mann. I’m sorry I uh… i-intruded on your vacation…”

“No no no, it’s fine, really,” Chase insists. “I’m… not really sure what’s going on, but clearly it wasn’t you intention to intrude.” 

“Hey, my last name is Mann, too!” Jackie says cheerfully. “Maybe you really are me from another world.” 

The lights flicker again. Schneep sighs. “We really must tell Jack about the power issues in his cabin.” 

“That’s the ghost, isn’t it?” Marvin says. 

JJ keeps his attention on Jackieboy. Is there anything we can do to help?

Jackieboy flinches at the lights and then laughs nervously, “I… I dunno. Usually I have to try to find my friends but- they show up around our other selves but you’re all here and they’re not and- I.., I dunno what to do… our way home is busted and I’m going back in time I think??” He laughs almost manically as he grips at his hair. “I’m sorry I… I don’t know!”

“Deep breaths, man,” Jackie says, looking concerned. “I know this is probably really fucking stressful to you, but you can’t do anything while you’re panicking. In and out, okay? Like this.” He breathes in deeply and lets it out slowly. 

Whatever has happened, I’m sure it’s not impossible to fix, JJ says. Or to at least recover from. 

“That last bit was a little too grim, Jays,” Chase mutters. 

Jackieboy struggles to follow his other self’s advice and slowly takes more calming breaths. “I-I’m sorry my friends they.. they know how to handle this so much better than me… I-I’m just a dorky dad who pretends he can do cool a-and then when faced with all this shit I’m… I’m lost.” 

“I think you’re doing great,” Schneep says encouragingly. “Anyone would be lost in that situation. It is okay to feel overwhelmed. You are doing great for what your situation is.” 

“And Ah… well… i-if you are going through other worlds… perhaps you are not back in time, just… somewhere else that is… earlier?” Schneep says, offering a tentative explanation. “A-and maybe if you keep going, you will run into your friends. For now, everything is okay, okay? Everything is fine. I-if you are worried about some sort of danger, perhaps we can prevent it.” 

Jackieboy listens to Schneep explanation and nods slowly. “Yeah m-maybe… I…I was here once before in the cabin.. maybe…”

“Yeah… like maybe we can take care of the ghost,” Chase says. “Yknow Marvin, there were a lot of books downstairs that looked like your witchcraft stuff. Maybe there’s something about ghosts in there.” Chase smiles at Jackieboy. “See? We’re handling that part, at least.”

Jackieboy smiles tightly at Chase, “y-Yeah I think that’s a good idea… t-that ghost was acting all crazy when I was h-here earlier.”

“We’ll go check that out, then,” Marvin says, looking excited at the prospect of witchcraft books. 

“Yeah, it’ll work out!” Jackie says. “I feel no urge to hurt anyone, but I’ll tell you guys if I do.” 

The others laugh a bit, not really sure how to react. 

Jackieboy laughs nervously at this and nods, "Y-Yeah Jackie maybe you should stay up here? Just in case..." 

And, over near the kitchen entrance, a small black rip opens up.

Jackieboy startles and jumps as the rip starts to open, "What? A-Again?"

The others all look as Jackieboy yells. 

“What?” Chase whispers. 

“The fuck is that?” Marvin mutters. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t get too close,” Schneep says, standing up and taking a step backwards. 

JJ’s eyes are locked onto the rift as it gets bigger. His expression is hard to read…

"I- I don't think it'll hurt you guys..." Jackieboy says as he pushes himself up and starts walking towards it, "I... think it's for me." He laughs, "Only sucked me in last time..."

"You cannot get close to that!" Schneep protests, reaching out to grab Jackieboy's arm--but he's stopped before he can reach him. "Jamie? What are you doing?" 

I think we should trust him on this, JJ says. I think he knows what he's doing. 

"Wait... you mean he's actually from another world?" Marvin blurts out. 

"That would explain why he looks so much like me," Jackie mutters.

Jackieboy laughs, "You just thought I was insane this whole time, huh?" He shakes his head. "It's okay- it still feels insane but... Yeah. I'm from somewhere completely different..." He approaches the rift and feels the breeze pulling at him. "... I dunno how magic bullshit works but... maybe things will be different if I go in on my terms." He looks at the others and smiles. "...Thanks for helping me you guys... I hope you get that ghost thing figured out."

"Uh... y-yeah," Chase stammers. "We'll... take care of it." 

JJ nods. Good luck, he signs. 

The closer Jackie gets, the stronger the pull becomes. 

Jackieboy tries to smile at them and then reaches for the rip to pull him in, inviting the darkness. 

----------- 

Magnificent's fall is short, and he lands... in the same living room from before. Except... it looks slightly different. There's no sign of the people from before, no bodies on the ground. The windows outside show a dark, nighttime forest.

Magnificent catches himself and groans slightly, trying to breathe. He looks at his veins and grins a bit as he feels new power stirring within. He can work with this... Now- where is he? He blinks around the room and looks confused, "What on earth...?"

Strange... that energy he felt earlier is here, too. It's... stronger, slightly. And that same dark power he felt from the other Marvin is coming from the basement.

Magnificent hums in thought as he feels the energy and follows its pull- teleporting down to the basement.

He finds himself in a long hallway, with two doors on the left and three doors on the right, leading to a big open room. Camped near the middle door are four people--the same people from before. Chase, JJ, Jackie, and Schneep. They have a red bag with them, full of medical supplies, and they're treating their wounds, but... it's not the same wounds that Mag inflicted. 

Chase notices him first. He gasps. "Guys?!" 

The others look up and all scramble, getting into defensive positions.

Magnificent prowls closer curiously and then giggles as they all get up and try to defend themselves. "Well well- what do we have here!?" He grins.

Jackie shoves the others behind him. "I don't know how you got out without us noticing, Marvin, but--" 

"What?" A voice comes from the other side of the middle door. "What are you talking about? What's happening?" 

Schneep goes pale. "Marvin is still in there?" he breathes. "Then... wh-who is this?" 

"Bad news, that much is clear," Chase says. He's holding a book with a cracked leather cover, which he opens up and starts hurriedly flipping through.

Magnificent laughs loudly, "You think some little book can stop me? I mean... I'm not sure what to do with you all yet... Almost exactly as you were before yet... It seems I've skipped a few chapters ahead hm?" He giggles.

“Wh-what the fuck…?” Jackie whispers. 

“Who the hell are you?!” Schneep demands. 

He’s not supposed to be here… JJ says. 

“Guys? Wh-what’s happening?” Marvin says from the other side of the door. “What’s that voice?”

"Why I'm you Marvin~" Magnificent sings with a sick grin. "Except well... better in every possible way~!" He then pauses, tilting his head at the ragtag group in front of his curiously. "Though... I'm perplexed- why are you all down here? I mean- last I remember... I was listening to all your delicious screams for mercy~" He grins sinisterly. 

Marvin makes a choking noise. “G-god… you sound just like th-this thing in my head…” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about you delusional fuck.” Jackie is pushing the others farther down the hallway. “W-we’ve never seen you before! We would remember you!” 

We need to run, Chase signs to the others. 

All the other doors are locked! JJ says.

"Oh? It's still there? Heh... wonderful... I can get some more power from it then..." Magnificent giggles, lightly his hands up with magic fire. "But... seems I have some pests in my way!" He chucks fire at them.

The group scatters. Jackie, out in front, takes the brunt of the fire, screaming and falling back. 

Chase is distracted with reading the book and doesn’t react fast enough. He falls as well, shouting “No!” as the book he’s holding catches fire. 

Schneep and JJ get away unscathed but Schneep doubles back to pay out the flames. 

“Get out of here!” Marvin screams, slamming his fists against the door. “Run! Run!” 

JJ grabs Chase and starts pulling him down the hall. Schneep grabs Jackie and does the same. 

Magnificent laughs madly and prowls closer to the group, grinning ear to ear. “Aw come now gentleman~! Why don’t we have some fun?” He giggles and then he throws out a hand made of magic that has claws at the end- trying to slash at them.

Jackie, lagging at the back of the pack, almost gets slashed but barely manages to dodge it. The group runs into the room at the end of the hallway--a dead end. 

"Kite, kite!" Chase shouts. Schneep and JJ look at him with confusion but Jackie nods. 

Magnificent laughs and keeps following after them, “There’s no where to run~!”

As soon as Magnificent is far enough into the room, Chase and Jackie try to dart around him, dragging JJ and Schneep with them.

Magnificent whips around in surprise and shouts out, "Hey! What??" He tries to turn around and shoot spells at them but- 

"Get kited, bitch!" Chase shouts over his shoulder as the group sprints for the staircase. 

Then, right as they pass by the middle door, it bursts open and out stumbles Marvin--seemingly the same one Magnificent had run into earlier. He turns to look at Magnificent. His eyes are fully black. He scowls and tries to rush after the group of four. "Get back here!" he shouts.

Magnificent growls in anger and hurries after them- only pausing for a second to look at Marvin as he bursts out. Then, he joins him in his chase-

The group rushes up the stairs, and Schneep slams the door at the top shut. 

Marvin immediately blasts it open with a burst of red light. 

"Impressive power!" Magnificent giggles, delighted to finally see the spirit in action.

The four run for the front door--and pass right by a black rip in the middle of the living room.

Marvin skids to a halt. "What?" he--or the thing inside him--hisses. "What the fuck is that?!" 

Mag skids too as he sees the black rip- probably getting closer than he would like. "The rift-! Again??"

"You've seen it before?" The creature glances at him--and then immediately gets distracted as Chase pushes the front door open. "Hey!" He teleports a short distance, continuing to chase the group.

"Yes I-" Mag stops himself as the creature seems to teleport away from it. He frowns and then shakes out his head and slowly looks down at the rift. He wonders if there's anything he can learn from it...

It's strange... he didn't notice it before but... there's a slight hint of power coming from the rift. It's not coming from the rip itself, but from the blackness within. Many different signatures, all weak and distant. 

Ah, now he understands. It's not that the rift has power, but he is sensing power from other worlds, echoing back to the rift like distant voices at the other end of a concrete tunnel, constantly shifting and changing, a new collection of magics every second. 

Magnificent's eyes widen and fill with that mad hunger of his, eyes drawn to the darkness within. Is this something he can harnass to use on his own? A power he can possess?

The rift goes bigger. And he's already standing so close; its pull becomes almost impossible to resist.

Magnificent shouts out in surprise and tries to dig in his heels. No! He will not be bested by this! He will harness it for his own! 

... how though is the question? 

He can't fight it- he eventually gets pulled back in.

-----------

Alt's fall is short, and he lands... in the same living room from before. Except... it looks slightly different. The windows show pitch blackness outside, and the door to the basement is open, pitch black beyond. 

Beep. Beep. Beep. 

WARNING 

Current Location: 48.32846, -2.37265 in universe UA-1001023RD-5-7 is currently undergoing unusual space-time phenomena. Caution is advised. Please jump at the first sign of danger. 

What a weird warning from the TRVLR. ...wait a second. He doesn't have the TRVLR. The TRVLR got smashed. Not even the pieces ended up with him. Why did he think it was in his hand? Why did he think he was looking at its screen?

Alt shakes out his head and rubs at it, holding up his hand to look at the beeping but... wait- why... did he think he still had the TRVLR...? He grips at his head, confused. 

What was happening...?

The room is silent. Except... for the faintest sound of movement from behind the other closed door, the one next to the open basement doorway.

Alt shudders and glitches a bit to get some of that weird feeling off- then freezes as he hears movement. ...was that door there before...? He can't remember. He narrows his eyes and then glitches to get closer.

Nothing happens. On the other side of the door is sound of rustling, like cloth against a smooth surface. 

Alt hesitates then tries to see if he can open the door.

The door opens easily-- 

"Stay back! I swear to god!" 

Inside is a small bathroom, barely big enough for a shower, a toilet, and a counter with a sink. Marvin is pressed up against the glass door of the shower, holding a kitchen knife out protectively. Chase is slumped against him, missing his shirt, torso wrapped in bandages that must've come from a red bag on the ground. 

"I don't want to do this, but i-if you're going to--!" Marvin blinks, lowering the knife slightly. "W-wait. Who the fuck are you?" 

Alt glitches back in fright and then holds up his hands, "I-I'm sorry I-!" His eyes widen as he takes in the scene, "M-Marvin? What.. what happened? How.. how did Chase get t-that hurt? Where's Schneep??"

Marvin laughs, a crazed edge to it. "Where's Schneep?! He's been gone for a while! Th-then Jackie--I-I think Chase might've been gone if I left but I couldn't leave him, I-I had to fix him. H-how do you know me? I don't know you. How do you know me?!"

Alt backs up and holds up his hands, "I... I was just here! I... You just got a book to help Schneep c-cuz he was possessed and I had just healed Jackie and..." His eyes widen again and he glitches a bit closer. "L-Lemme see him! I can heal him!"

Marvin laughs again. "I-it wasn't Schneep who was--Y-you can really help him?" He looks up at Alt hopefully. "P-please... i-if you can try..." 

Alt nods quickly glitches to be closer to Chase and look him over, "...what happened?"

"S-stab wounds,," Marvin says. "I-I was... was right there when it happened, i-in front of me... When Jameson... or whatever that thing is... when he was..." He swallows a lump in his throat. "I wasn't... probably didn't do a good job treating them." 

Alt stiffens a bit and looks up at Marvin in confusion. "J...Jameson did this?" He furrows his eyebrows in confusion and then shakes out his head, focusing. He starts up his healing spell again, closing his eyes and mumbling words in Gaelic as his hands and the air around Chase's wounds start to glow blue. He presses his hands on the bandages and pushes his magic in, trying to see how much he can heal and how bad the damage is.

The wounds are bad, alright. And yet, somehow, it feels like they weren't getting worse. 

The blue magic pushes in, healing him just a bit. The wounds don't disappear entirely, but Chase groans and opens his eyes again. 

Marvin slumps in relief. "Thank you," he whispers. "Thank you thank you thank you." He hugs Chase gently with tears in his eyes. 

Alt sways back and leans back against the wall as he blinks away some dizziness. He smiles at them and nods, "N-No problem... glad I could help..."

Then Marvin looks back up at Alt. "I-it wasn't JJ. He wouldn't do this, it's... s-something else... inside him."

Alt sits back up and narrows his eyes, quickly nodding. "Okay... then... he's being possessed now instead of Schneep... w-where are the others exactly?" He asks. Then, he starts to realize ...they don't know him even if he's been to this universe before... just not this... timeline? "O-Oh and I'm Alt by the way. S-Sorry should have said eariler..."

"Alt. N-nice to meet you." Marvin gives him a small smile. "I-I guess we've met before... somewhere else? 

Alt tries to return his smile "You could say that..."

“I'm not gonna question it right now. But as for the others... Schneep, a-and Jackie..." His expression darkens, and he shakes his head. "They're... gone." 

Grief flickers across Chase's face. He tries to stand up, but then falls back down. 

Alt’s expression soon falls at the news. "Gone...? Gone as in-" He sees Chase's expression and feels dread thick in his chest but he panics to try to help Chase up. "C-Careful! I think you're still hurt....!"

And then there is the slightest creak of wood. Like an old staircase.

Alt freezes as he hears the creak. Marvin and Chase freeze too. Marvin clutches the knife tightly. He slowly stands up, careful not to make too much noise. Chase is still on the ground, watching as Marvin peeks out of the bathroom, looking towards the open basement stairway. 

Marvin glances at Alt. Hide, he says in sign language.

Alt tries to help Chase up and looks around for somewhere to hide- where??

The bathroom seems like the obvious choice--after all, Marvin and Chase were hiding here before. But there's no other way out. The living room is an open floor plan, with wide archways into the kitchen. Any cabinets and cupboards are too small for a grown man to fit. There's the upstairs staircase. What's up there, again?

There were... bedrooms up there! Alt can remember. He quickly reaches out to grab Marvin too and then glitches them all back upstairs where he last remembers being.

They appear in that bedroom from before, looking the same as it had the last time Alt had been there--except for the windows. Outside is just pure blackness. 

Chase stumbles, gasping, and Marvin holds him up in support. "Th-this could work," he says, looking around. "This could work." 

And yet, there are still footsteps. Marvin sets Chase down on the bed and then hurries over and closes the door. "M-maybe he'll pass by if we block the door," he whispers.

"Good idea-" Alt whispers back and looks around- finding Marvin's suitcase and pushing it in front of the door.

"That might not be big enough," Marvin says. He looks around and starts pushing the desk.

Alt quickly helps him. 

As soon as the desk is in front of the door, the footsteps stop. Then start up again... and stop right on the other side. 

"You have... to sleep... eventually," a voice rasps. The words are strangled, forced through a throat that shouldn't be making that noise. "And then... I'll get in."

Alt staggers back, gasping quietly. Then, his eyes narrow in determination and start to glow. "...not if I have anything to say about it." He looks towards Marvin and Chase. "..stay here. I ... I think I can handle this!" He then glitches outside the door and without even waiting a beat, fires a bolt of lightning at the source of the voice.

The man staggers backwards against the wall--Jameson. Alt recognizes the Jameson from before. But now his white shirt is splattered with blood. He looks up at Alt with wide eyes, fear in them--and then the fear disappears, their bright blue color drained of vibrancy, and a cruel smile dances on Jameson's face. "Well... you're not supposed to be here," he says. In one hand he holds a kitchen knife, like the one Marvin took. But he moves that hand behind his back--and when he pulls it out again, the knife is suddenly a gun instead. "Say goodbye." 

And he fires.

Alt quickly glitches away from the bullet by ducking and yells as he goes to try to tackle Jameson to the ground.

Alt knocks him down, but another loud BANG! rings out and he feels pain in his arm as a bullet tears a gouge in his upper arm. A hoarse laugh comes from Jameson's voice as he tries aiming the gun at Alt's head.

Alt screams out as the bullet tears through his arm and he crashes into a wall to try to keep himself up, gritting his teeth against the pain. He sees Jameson pointing the gun at his head and he hurriedly throws up a shield around himself. He tries to find Jameson's eyes. "J-Jameson... I.. I know you don't want to do this-! You don't have to do this! Wake up!"

Jameson's eyes flicker, afraid again. One hand signs something--Strong--and then the fear is gone and his other hand pulls the trigger. 

BANG! The bullet bounces off the shield and into the wall. That laugh comes from his mouth again, and his body jerks upwards, moving in an almost mechanical motion. "You don't... understand..." The voice says, giggling. "It's not... going to end... until I get what I want." He stumbles up to the shield, pressing his face against it. "Did you look out the windows...? We're not in Kansas anymore, stranger."

Alt flinches as the gun goes off and then he stumbles away quickly as the creature presses its face against his shield. He's breathing fast and he tries to glance at the windows. "W-What? It's... it's just... night isn't it? W-What are you talking about? what do you want?!"

Jameson laughs. "Night isn't that dark, stranger. Not even out here." He smiles a cruel smile. "I want... my new life. And for that... I need them dead. But... you can do." He takes out a long, thin knife, almost a dagger, looking almost ritualistic, and stabs the shield.

Alt's eyes widen and he quickly holds out his hands and keeps his shield strong as he curls up. "W-What did you do?! What's outside?? Why do you need people dead?"

"Nothing." The voice whispers. "Nothing is outside." He smiles. But... underneath it, there's a note of fear. "And you won't need to worry about the rest of it." He tries to stab the shield again. And behind him, a small, dark rip appears. 

"What? H-How did you-?!" Alt asks but then he breaks through the shield and the damage makes Alt scream and momentarily his vision flashes to white. He quickly tries to scramble away, shakily trying to fire magic but he's too panicked to make any connect. "N-No! G-Get away from me!!" He shouts, and in his panic he makes a soundwave to try to push them back. He's too panicked to notice the rip.

The soundwave throws Jameson across the hallway, pushing him against the wall. His eyes flicker, and for a moment, it's JJ again, gasping in surprise. He looks at Alt... and then at the rift. He freezes, staring.

Alt staggers to his feet and shakily holds out his hand, crackling green electricity building up in his palm. His other hand clutches at his bloody arm as he looks at JJ with panic. "D-Don't come any closer! I-I I don't want to have to hurt Jameson!"

JJ looks back at him. He raises hands, with difficulty, like he's struggling against something, and asks... Can you... put that magic in me? He's shivering. He doesn't like that magic. Maybe it can keep him down.

Alt's eyes widen, looking at his magic and then back at JJ. He slowly nods and looks sympathetic. "I... I'm sorry this... This might hurt." Then, he throws the lightning at him.

JJ doesn't resist. The lightning hits him full force and he lets out a little yelp. He shivers, but still gives Alt a slight smile. 

At the end of the hallway there's a window. The window only shows blackness... but suddenly, the blackness seems to lighten. There are stars outside and the outline of trees. They were missing before. They are back. 

Alt looks confused as he looks outside and he gives JJ a nervous smile. "Did... did it work...?" He asks breathlessly. 

And Alt feels the pull of the rift increase. 

He gasps as he feels the rift pulling and looks back behind him with wide eyes. "Wait... what?!"

He's not gone forever, but he's much weaker, JJ signs quickly. I'm sure we can figure something else out. He also stares at the rift. Is that... for you?

"I... I think so..." Alt swallows shakily. He then looks back at JJ with confusion. "I... I don't understand though- how.. how did it cause all that nothing outside? Why does it need people dead? W-What is it?!"

JJ shakes his head. I don't know. But I don't think that 'nothing' was entirely his fault. He looks back at the rift. I know THAT isn't. Then at Alt. Thank you. He smiles weakly. 

And then it's too much.

Alt still looks confused and looks at JJ with worry and fear for what happens next- and then he's yelling as he gets pulled back into the rift.

[snaill-dragon]

Wow something akin to an animation?

I have mixed feelings about how this came out because like. It’s not what I wanted but. Objectively I think it’s good? Or. Maybe not, good, but at least pretty okay!

Song is The Nowhere King from centaurworld.

This little animation is about world building really. Introducing that this happens in a city. More of Falcon just existing. Showing that falcon has friends! And that after she dies those friends have a big fight.