#agatha is it exhausting just being the way you are?

[cissa-calls]

Countdown to Agatha: Day 754

Agatha: “Who ever said: “an apple a day keeps the doctor away!” is a huge frickin liar.”

Wanda: “Why? They’re a good source of vitamin C and fiber - among other things.”

Agatha: “Well, I just threw one at Y/N, and now they need to go to the doctor! Thus, proving the phrase is counterproductive. Boom.”

Wanda: “…”

Wanda: “Should I get the car warmed up for the drive to the doctors office?”

Agatha: “Yeah, you do that and I’ll get Y/N an ice pack”

[dinaanana]

What If Verlaine Trained Teenager!Reader?

the Character is from Stormbringer Novel

synopsis: Fluff/Crack

Paul Verlaine x Teenager!Reader (Platonic!)

(He's so pretty)

(Pretend you're Also a stormbringer Character aswell)

So first of all This Man is strict asf. so Brace Yourselves

(Didn't he also Train Kyouka and Gin? Yeah)

There's no problem with training you either

If you already know Any type of Martial Arts or MMA he's Glad to hear that.

When he Looks at you working out and f you do Something he doesn't like? You get the exercises wrong? He's making you Do 50 Push ups 50 Sit Ups and yeah☠️

And if you're still lazy Then you'll be doing 100 instead of 50 (He is really nice isn't he)

(Obv he trains You in his musty ass Basement)

Sometimes Chuuya Watches As His big Brother Trains you He's just Standing there like 🧍 while you're fighting for your own Life

And when you look at him with Tired eyes and drenched In sweat Asking for Help? he just Smirks and Shakes his Head

Verlaine doesn't care about Your age if you're young or not if you think that you're young and he's gonna go easy on you Nah you're wrong .

You're Training to be an Assassin for the Port mafia. After all

Not only he teaches you martial arts but he also teaches you how to use A gun a Knife Anything for self defence

''Oh my god I'm tired'' You whine as you Lay on your back all sweaty and breathing heavily

'Did I hear something?'' He Looks down At your lying form

''I- no-'' You know what's coming Next.

''Im not deaf,You're doing 100 push ups and 100 sit ups Right now.'' He Says in Stern tone with his French accent

We also Know that To become an Assasin you have to get used to Alot of Gore.

I mean You gotta see some Gorey shit everyday You're a Mafioso After all.

Training with him is Bit Intense

But you'll become Stronger and It boosts your confidence Everyday Around other Ppl soo It's worth it 100%

You're literally being trained By king of Assassin's how could you not be strong I mean.. you can knock Down 10 Grown men With Just Using your fists

After Years of training He asks you to have Hand to hand combat With Him

Well you put up A great right but you still lose ''You may not win against me But you put Up a great fight.Thing The Members older than you in Port Mafia can't do..'' He Says

(Bro the things I'll do To be trained by This Man omg I don't mean it cuz I simp for him and not in A creepy way tho☠️)

After Training for like Years You go on your first Mission and guess what

When you come back With the mission accomplished

You go down in the basement to tell him the News but he already knows That,Ge Comes near you looking down at you and He Pats u on Shoulder ''Good Job.'' with His French accent.

He's like a Proud dad when his Kid Gets high score in elementary school omg

He also Tells you to read books (If you don't like reading them) He'll tell you That Assasin Are suppose to be Smart and not dumb Like you (Not to Insult you just to Get you to read Them)

You agree after that and ask him what type Of books you shall read and he Suggest you to read Some detective Books By Some Authors Like Agatha Christie and etc.

And if you already read Alot of books? he praises you and tells you you're doing Great

(Except If you read Wattpad stories ☠️)

Anyways

Training with him is Amazing but Very I mean very exhausting even thought you Barely Can walk after all the Exercises and Training

Id rate him

10/10 tho

[v3nusxsky]

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR3KCxW4/

Think you can do this also can in not be tedros. Also can it be like female reader and lesso were already dating

Have a nice day plz

Don't leave me

*Authors note~ I think this TikTok idea is such a good way of spreading awareness of these topics

Trigger warnings~ sexual assault

Prompt~ see ask^^^

Your girlfriend was known to be busy. It was no surprise really that during school days the most you saw of her was at the end of the day. You didn't mind too much, you filled the time with other things you enjoyed, spending some time with Sophie and Agatha, in the library or studying. You were never short of things to do which helped make the time fly. You always looked forward to coming back to snuggle in bed with your girlfriend. Being the librarian for The Schools For Good And Evil definitely had perks, you knew that above all else Leonora would keep you safe and well.

Recently, Leonora had been extremely busy, her Never students causing more issues than Lesso would've liked. After all since the merge the students had to learn new boundaries it made punishments and rules all need to be changed too. Most of that didn't really affect you in the slightest but the fact it was stressing your Leo out made it something you desired to change for her.

It was late one Friday evening as you were getting ready to leave the library when you noticed a student enter. Noticing the uniform, you knew it was a never and the thought of turning them away and ruining what looked to be like some progress you just pottered around letting the student explore what was most likely somewhere they've never been to. You couldn't way to go and tell your girlfriend one of her students was actually in the library. If only you knew. The teen made their way over to you. Of course you thought they were going to ask for help to find someone, that's the logical reason that anyone would assume.

****************Trigger warning*****************

He came out of nowhere, catching you completely off guard. You were powerless against this hooded figure, since when did they put a hood up? They physically overpowered you and you truly didn't know what you could do to get away from the body. Your body shook with fear but adrenaline began to kick in as his hands wondered over your clothed body. They had no interest in your face, truly just out for your body, so much so that they continued to try and turn your head away from them. That's how you got away.

Just as he was about to removed your top you lifted your knee to his Crown Jewels and took the opportunity to run to your safety. Your lungs constricted painfully as your body struggled to achieve a normal breathing rate. You continued to run away from the library until you ran straight to your girlfriends office.

****************Trigger warnings****************

Immediately as soon as you entered the office you collided with a warm body and the panic settled in. "Sweetheart? What's going on?" Lesso murmured confused. "He tried- tried to- to touch me" you sobbed out in a panic, struggling for air. Without batting an eye lid she muttered, "I'll kill him!" The angsty flaring in her now darkened irises. "No, no! Please don't go! Don't go, don't leave me!" You sobbed collapsing against her body, clinging to her as if your life depended on it. "Shhh sweetheart, I'm here. I won't leave. I'm here and your safe. I won't let anything happen to you. Can you breathe with me love?"

It took time but you eventually calmed down in her arms, exhaustion taking over your body as you snuggled closer to your safe place. Just as you were about to give in to sleep, you heard your girlfriend murmur, "I don't know who he is but I'll find him sweetheart and I'll kill him. No one hurts my precious girl and loves to tell the tale to anyone.  Leonora would make side of that without a doubt.

Word count~695

[anncanta]

***

It's amazing how some things reveal themselves when you look at them from the outside, through someone else's eyes, or after some time, when you forget the details that lie in the foreground and therefore seem obvious.

I couldn't figure out where I got this pattern in which Dracula in my fanfictions is very careful with Agatha the first time he bites her. It was so bright and acutely palpable, and it appeared again and again. Dracula behaves gently, he does not rush her and somehow makes her understand that it will not be painful and scary, and interesting discoveries await her. You see, it seemed to me that this was just my fantasy. Well, you never know what kind of kinks a person can have. Such light BDSM in a vampire way.

And then I understood, thanks to @moremoveslessannouncements-blog and her post, why. It's in the text. Fanfiction never lies. Fanfics always show what is in the canon, it just may be the main feature of the hero or plot or a secondary one. But in this case, everything was right before my eyes.

You see, I always thought that in the scene in the workshop, he was threatening her. ‘I will make you last’, ‘You'll be part of me’, ‘You'll travel to the new world in my veins’ ... This text is truly threatening. If it weren't for the body language that accompanies it.

Context is important, especially the physical, bodily context.

This is not a threat.

This is a threat.

If you forget about the text for a moment and watch what Dracula is doing, he slowly approaches her, looks at her intently, and gently runs his hand along her neck.

Let's turn on the sound and look at everything together. And again we ask the question – what is he doing?

I mean, not what are his actions, but what are they about?

And I'll tell you. He explains to her what will happen.

And when I realized this, I realized how blind I was. Because, well, look. How many of his victims did Dracula explain what he was going to do to them and how it worked?

Jonathan didn't even know what Dracula was doing until he found himself exhausted at his desk with the prospect of being locked in a box in a couple of weeks.

The Grand Duchess was eaten during a passionate waltz, without further ado.

Abramov and Portman were devoured almost without ceremony.

With Dorabella, Dracula made a good attempt to be polite and gallant but did not go into details of what was happening.

I purposely describe this so cynically so that it is clear what I mean.

Agatha is the only one of all Dracula's victims (perhaps except for Lucy, but that's a separate discussion) to whom he explains what would happen.

I only now realized what it was.

Let's return to Agatha's workshop. Dracula lets Mina go, and he and Agatha are left alone. He knows she's scared. He doesn't see, he knows it. He has an animal sense and can smell her fear. Agatha can be calm outwardly as much as she wants – he senses it. This is not yet Dracula we will see in the third episode, so it doesn't even occur to him to let her go. But he is interested in her. He likes her. And he – clumsily, in his own way, as best he can – calms her down. ‘Don't be afraid. You won't disappear. You will become a part of me. Your life will continue in the new world in a new form.’ And then this touch on the shoulder: ‘Hush, it won't hurt.’

I heard it. This appears in literally every text I write about them, one way or another. But I sincerely thought that it was my imagination.

If anyone still doubts it, then there is a scene between Dracula and Zoe in the third episode. Here, Dracula has already come a long way and therefore can express what he feels, not only with a gesture – now frankly intimate – but also with words. He can tell her this, still rather rudely and seasoned with mockery, but directly: ‘It doesn't have to hurt.’ The scene in his mind palace is not only a dialogue with Zoe here and now. This is a memory. He can afford more now. And he does. But it's still not quite ‘that’. We will see how he succeeded in the finale.

Well, to summarize, I would like to note that this entire storyline is missing in the script. It has the text that Dracula speaks on all three occasions (episode 1, in Agatha's workshop, episode 3, in the mind palace, and the finale), but it doesn't have the body language and subtle interactions that create this entire plot. Which is logical – the film and the script are not the same thing, the film is formed in the process of working on it, and some things are simply born on the set. But when the text is ready, they are impossible not to be noticed and impossible to be ignored. Luckily, fan fiction exists.

Thanks again @moremoveslessannouncements-blog.

[sailorblossoms]

I once heard someone say that they want to believe in Simon and Agatha being in love, and that what Simon felt for her is what he now (now being the present day in CO) feels for Baz, because that’s just life etc. Which makes me think 1. when people pick up on how weird/off their vibes are, and maybe they don’t want to think too much about it (wouldn’t blame them) I think they have the impulse to make them more “palatable” (because thinking of people dating because they are into each other in some way is way more palatable than thinking of people dating when they’re not – I mean, I don’t exactly get good feelings when I think about them) and/or to borrow from other media or experiences (especially other media – I’ve seen familiar imagery not because it feels like them, but because I’ve seen it elsewhere, hundreds of times) to make up for what they feel are blank (or maybe hard to understand) spots (I remember the author tweeting “I think it’s obvious Simon was never in love with Agatha, his instincts towards her are never romantic, he had to remind himself to be her bf and forgets anyway etc” but I’ve seen enough people talk about CO in a way that shows it’s apparently not) 2. While having feelings for multiple people throughout someone’s life is indeed “part of life” for a lot of people, thinking this about Simon actually misses a big part of what makes him make sense. 

Simon’s whole deal here is that he has never experienced before what he feels for Baz, and that he liked Agatha because he didn’t like her (in that way). It’s how you parse how he can be in love/attracted to Baz at 15, have no fucking idea how to act like a normal human being (stalking and asking for proof of plot, willingly walking into his traps, being fucking obsessed with him etc) (not that Baz is any more sane about this, he’s just more comfortable inside of his own head) and date a girl he cares about only as a friend at the same time. 

When I think about Simon's struggles with both intimacy and accepting love, – how actual comfort and happiness can unsettle him! – it makes perfect sense that he was drawn to Agatha precisely because he did not have romantic or sexual feelings (famously Not Mild feelings) for her, and that he remained in their relationship despite the discomfort and unhappiness (and unhappiness doesn’t have to look like extreme or a permanent state of misery the whole time, it can manifest in mild, or somehow “easier” to ignore ways, it can be irritability, disinterest, avoidance, etc). Why it took so long to properly identify the feelings he had for Baz, who makes it extremely hard for Simon to get himself and his emotions under control, who is an enemy and a boy. He disrupts! he goes against all expectations! 

With Agatha, you get the optics of dating the dream girl, which is a form of success for teenage boys (belonging, following expectations) without “strong emotional stakes” (that are actually about a person rather than ideals or whatever). Think about it: Simon hates losing a friend and behaving like “enemies,” he doesn’t hate “losing his girlfriend.” He’s not doing shit to “get her back,” nor is he ever even thinking about doing shit to “win her over again.” At no point does he ever actually think about her as a partner, or someone he actually wants at his side. With Baz, a future without him is “intolerable.” Simon goes back to him, and actively works in their relationship both because he wants him at his side and because he wants to make him happy. Because he loves him. Going by memory here (I don’t even want to check, this shit is exhausting) but iirc there’s even a difference between Simon thinking they’re probably going to be given a house and him a job by the Wellbeloves or something, (which wouldn’t contradict how Simon avoids thinking about his future/thought he wasn’t actually going to marry Agatha because he would die in battle, because is just more going through the motions: meet pretty girl, marry her, get a house, get a job, etc) vs wondering what kind of house Baz would like to live in. The former is, again, more of a consequence of going through the motions, while the latter contemplates Baz’s wants.  

There was no processing with Agatha, and she was safe, because she didn't awake anything in him, and they never talked about shit. You can tell with Agatha's "for fuck sakes, don't start talking about feelings now" implying Simon never did. Simon's "it's not my job to tell her what to do" etc. That's part of why they lasted (as a sidenote: it makes no sense to me to have them together as adults. Feels like such a specific kids in comphet thing)

Agatha's "I might as well stand by Simon if that's where he wants me" is the same as Simon saying "I always just did what I thought she wanted..." and that "and I always got it wrong" is the same as Agatha feeling broken upon realizing she doesn't love him romantically (“maybe I'm incapable of that kind of love”). Agatha is more blunt and direct than Simon in the way she communicates, but they were on the same page, shared a braincell, were mirrors etc in their unhappiness. Both went as long as they did without knowing themselves or their wants and needs because, well, besides being very young... they were just pushing themselves to do what they thought the other wanted. But it was always wrong, because neither actually wanted the other like that, and how can you even do what someone else wants when they themselves don't know what they want? the only way this works is by them making assumptions. But again, looking at this all together, of course their assumptions were always wrong. “There must have been some romance/attraction if they dated for what is like an eternity in teen years” Nah. Even without considering comphet (which is definitely big here) they were just very similar and confused and very lost. Which is a hell of a thing when you don’t want to be. 

[p-taryn-dactyl]

hi!!! i wanted to ask if you could write an agatha x reader story, where they both are with the avengers on a mission, then the reader gets hurt really bad and agatha gets all worried and protective? with a happy ending pls 💜 thank you so much!!!!

a/n: hiiiii!! Thank you so much for this request!! I love writing for Agatha, she’s actually my wife [true] I hope i did ok with this and i hope you enjoy it!! 💜

word count: 577

warning(s): i made up some random shit for plot lol - injuries/mention of blood- mentions of guns and being shot - more like hurt/comfort but I’ll say angst as well

You Saved Me

You were getting tired.

The mission was dragging on, the fighting almost becoming repetitive. Your movements became sloppy, exhaustion kicking in. You could hear Sam’s shield being thrown expertly at the HYDRA sleeper agents, Tony’s propulsion blasts sending the enemy flying backward, and your girlfriend’s magic buzzing through the air. What you didn’t hear was the gunshot.

You felt it.

All the air drained out of your chest, your eyes going wide as you fell to the ground. A ringing filled your ears as your head hit the ground, making your eyesight go dark periodically. Blinking you tried to stand up, to fend off the agent who was quickly approaching you. But your muscles didn’t respond, making you fall back quickly to the ground. The HYDRA agent kicked your side, where you had been shot, causing you to cry out in pain as you rolled to the side. The agent raised his foot to kick again when he flew backward, purple mist surrounding him. Soon, warm arms surrounded you, pulling you close to a chest. Hands cupped your face, lifting your head off the ground.

“Y/N? Baby can you hear me?” Agatha’s voice sounded far away, the concern and worry in her tone making you want to hug her, to tell her you were okay. But since speaking apparently aggravated your wound, you merely nodded. Agatha let out a small sigh of relief before kissing your forehead. Her magic surrounded you, creating a pillow for you to lie on as she stood up, her eyes turning from a loving blue to furious purple. Her expression was one of murder, a promise of death being sent with each blast of magic. Soon, the fight was over. Each agent obliterated by Agatha’s power, even fellow Avengers took a step back from her as she was on her rampage. She made her way over to you, gathering you up in her arms, watching as your eyes fluttered open and closed.

Consciousness was something you couldn’t quite grasp, your eyesight going dark every moment or so. You registered Agatha carrying you in her arms, back to the quinjet, but your mind could only focus on the searing pain shooting through your body. You heard the concerned voices of Tony and Natasha, who were pestering your girlfriend with questions. Finally, you were laced across the seats of the quinjet, Agatha’s magic gently removing the bullet and healing your wound. She maneuvered herself to sit behind you as she pulled you onto her lap, arms wrapped around your midsection protectively. She nuzzled her face into the crook of your neck as you leaned your head back on her shoulder. Glaring at your fellow teammates, Agatha tightened her hold on you. Her magic continued to swirl around you, searching for any other injuries.

“Hey Y/N do you need-” Tony started, holding out an ice pack before shuffling away when he was subjected to Agatha’s death glare. You quickly understood why Tony had acted weird.

“Aggie!” You scolded softly, your energy still drained from your injury. The witch sighed, slightly loosening her grip.

“Sorry, darling. I just-I need to hold you alone for a while.”

You smiled, leaning back into her chest, moving to kiss her on the cheek. You could only imagine what she went through when she saw you on the ground, blood staining your movements. You shook your head, trying to erase the memory.

“It’s okay, Agatha. I’m alright, you saved me.”

a/n: i feel like i didn’t do a great job on this so i apologize! I’m also sorry it’s so short! Thank you for reading and hopefully someone enjoyed this!!

[stewardofningishzida]

Stephen Strange Meta-Fic Sequel - Chapter 11: Recovery Daze

OKAY, PARTY PEOPLE! WE ARE BACK! This is Tear’s last chapter for now, but everyone else is still onboard with Trix, Prettywitch, Blackie, and me. It was a long time in the making, but here we go! Enjoy!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Some injuries, bad language, and mentions of death

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

Chapter 11: Recovery Daze

*When we eventually wake up, Trix is being taken care of by healers.  Doctor Strange watches closely to make sure that things are progressing.  Loki is in the bed to her right.  He’s being looked after as well.  Both are rather worse for wear after their ordeal.  The other three women are in beds to Trix’s left.  After everything that happened, the sorcerers and Avengers want to keep them under observation to make sure that they’re okay.  With the extended high-stress situation and running around like a madwoman with my friends all day yesterday, my legs are in agony.  I’m currently in the throes of an inflammatory episode triggered by the strain of what happened.  So, I can’t really walk.  I do manage to force myself to crawl to the bathroom when needed, but that’s about it.  As per usual, I’m being stubborn and don’t want help.  If anything, I’m more concerned about Trix’s recovery and worried about how our encounters with Agatha have affected my friends.  I verbally check up on Tear and Prettywitch to ask if they’re okay periodically.  Despite everyone being alive and here, I seem just as tense as before.*

Me (checking in on the group for the 3rd time this morning):  Is everyone okay?  *I glance at each of them, checking their responses.*

Trix (exhausted): I mean, I’m not trapped so that’s good in my book.

Tear: The room is no longer spinning. That’s a win.

Prettywitch: Yeah, I’m fine. Are you?

Me (trying to give a perky smile, but it looks more like a grimace):  Yeah.  I’m fine.  Just wanted to make sure.  Do any of you need anything?

Trix (leaning forward and looking over): Y’know, if there’s ever a time to not be fine it would be after the past…(*she frowns as she has no idea how long it’s been*) however long it’s been.

*I sigh*

Me (quietly):  I’m sorry…You guys kinda mentioned me as the group leader before and part of a leader’s responsibility is to protect the group they’re in.  I should have done better.  Every place I’ve led us into has been a death trap and now…this…I screwed up.  I shouldn’t be leading anyone at this rate.  Hell, before we even met, I could barely survive myself.  I…I’m just sorry.  I know that won’t fix anything, but it’s all I can say or do now…You guys didn’t deserve any of this.  I should have kept you guys safer.

Prettywitch: But you did everything you could. You can’t predict what’s going to happen all the time.

Tear: She’s right, you know. Not even Stephen or Wong could do anything to prevent it.

Trix (she fully sits up and grimaces): First off, no offense to anyone who is originally from this universe in this room, but this entire place is a death trap.

*Loki shrugs to her right. She ignores him*

Trix: But there’s no way we could have been safer in the hell room than we were unless we were unconscious and locked in a box even more than we were. I’m coming to terms with the fact that it wasn’t my fault that I had a complete breakdown due to what was actually outside interference. But: we’re still learning. You’re learning how to lead, and from what I’ve heard about the rescue plan it was completely badass, but we’re gonna get there. We grow as a team and as individuals and we’ve barely started. I have faith in every one of you and it absolutely wasn’t misplaced because you got me back. You even got Loki back who you didn’t even realize was there!

Me (slightly sour chuckle):  That was just dumb luck.  Tear noticed the two intact crystals, but we couldn’t tell who was in there.  I just figured that one had to have you in it and the other would be some other victim who deserved to be freed from that witch.

Loki (interjecting): And yet not everyone would have done that. I cannot tell you how much of my life has been sheer dumb luck on both my part and Thor’s.

*Trix looks over at him and gives him a deadpan stare and he raises his hands in surrender. She flops backwards into the bed with a groan*

*Stephen is currently focusing on healing a section of her arm that just re-crystallized.  It returns to normal after a few seconds.*

Prettywitch: They have a point, Steward. We’re all still learning and while it’s okay to feel bad, the only thing you can do is learn from your mistakes and try to be better next time.

Me (grim):  I suppose.  In that case, I’ll definitely have to step up my game because this *gestures to our current state* and anything worse than it is unacceptable.  I refuse to let you guys get hurt like this again.  Not on my watch.  *I’m firm in my resolve.*

*Stephen finishes aiding Trix’s healing session and looks up at the rest of us.*

Stephen (firm, but gentle):  Steward, that’s enough.  You and the other girls did your best and far exceeded Wong’s and my expectations.  If anyone is to blame for this, it should be me.  My accident initiated all of this.  I’m sorry that it escalated so severely and that Trix was taken hostage and injured.  If anything, your deeds and reactions to such adversity have shown that you and the others are more than worthy of becoming a most excellent array of new sorcerers for your world.  Yes, you all still have a lot to learn, but you girls have shown that you are more than capable of doing so and handling these abilities responsibly.  *He’s warm and sincere, attempting to comfort us while also being honest.*

Tear: Aww, we love you too, Stephen. *I send him a fond smile, touched beyond words by his genuine praise*

*I sniff and look away to compose myself, still keeping a straight face.  I still hate to show vulnerability like this.*

Trix: *is actively sobbing and is honestly too tired to hide it* Y’know that helps a lot. Also, not your fault either.

Prettywitch: Yeah. It shows you trust us enough to be vulnerable in front of us.

*I’m quiet for a while, wanting to be calm again before I reply.*

Me (hoarse, but having calmed down):  Thanks.

Trix: Don’t forget we care about you, even if you're the leader or not!

*I chuckle a bit.*

Me:  Heh…Thanks.  I care about you guys too.  *I give my friends a small smile.*

Tear: This is where I’d pull you all into a group hug if we weren’t all bedridden right now. So just picture it and feel our mutual affection.

Prettywitch: Oh yeah, where is Wong? I’ve been meaning to ask you that all morning, Stephen.

Stephen:  Oh, Wong is ensuring that Harkness is thoroughly restrained and can no longer utilize her “bypass” from before.  He also confiscated her copy of the Darkhold to carefully analyze and keep locked up until we can find a way to destroy all copies throughout the Multiverse.  Don’t worry.  He’ll take enough precautions to avoid corruption.  

Trix (her eyes are closed): For the love of all that is holy, blow up the mountain.

Stephen:  Ah, Wundagore.  Yes, we’ll take care of that.  Though given the Scarlet Witch’s dominion over the fortress on top, it may be more difficult than we thought.  Seeing as Wanda is free of Harkness’ influence, perhaps part of her community service sentence can be to eliminate her cursed base.

Trix: Blindfold her then have her blow up the mountain. *her eyes are still closed but she’s being completely serious for once. She is sick and tired of corrupted witches*

Prettywitch: That…honestly doesn’t sound too bad. It’s certainly better than what happened in our universe, that’s for damn sure…

Me:  Better safe than sorry.  Maybe tell Wong to lock that book up and put it in the mountain fort so it gets blown up with the rest of it.  Just to be sure.  Don’t bother with the analysis.  That thing will only try to latch onto anyone who tries to read it and if it somehow knows it’s going to be destroyed, then who knows what it’ll do to the poor person who looked through it?

Stephen:  A fair point.  I’ll tell him.  Now, do any of you need anything?  

Me (having calmed down considerably):  I’m good, thanks.

Prettywitch: I think I’m okay, thanks.

Tear: A snack that’s not still wriggling would be nice…

Trix: A hug or any form of human contact, really.

*He looks at Trix a bit awkwardly, but leans in to give her a reassuring hug.  He’s careful, though, to avoid hurting or triggering her.  When he separates, the Cloak reaches out and teasingly musses her hair a bit.*

*She beams up at him and the cloak in response*

Trix: Thanks. You kinda take it for granted until something happens. *she blushes slightly at the reminder of the past adventure but quickly recovers*

Stephen:  I’ll let you ladies rest for a while, but I’ll be back. Lunch time shouldn’t be far off. *He portals away, presumably to check on Wong and update him.*

*We rest and chat amongst ourselves, taking the occasional short nap.  After a couple of hours, we have more visitors.*

Steve:  How are we doing, ladies?  *He walks in with the other Avengers.*

Me:  Hanging in there.  Getting better.

Trix: Could be better, but I’m not trapped so yay! *her hand is having a slight relapse again but she kinda ignores it since it sometimes goes back to normal on its own*

Prettywitch: Not bad, just working on some tarot readings.

Tear: The healers say PrettyWitch and I should be free to leave in two days if our condition stays stable.

Tony: *He leans against one of the wooden cabinets set up against the wall in front of the girls, keeping them all in sight as he smiles brightly at them* That is great news. It’s no wonder Stephen has been waddling around like a proud peacock.

Scott: Sounds like you guys are settling in just fine.

Peter: Do you think the sorcerers will let us bring in some food to celebrate once you’ve all been cleared from the hospital? *He follows in after Tony, but he instead leaps up onto Tear’s bed in one limber move*

Me:  I think so.  The main threat has been dealt with.  Now, it’s just Trix recovering from her ordeal and me dealing with my rogue immune system.  It didn’t like me pushing so hard for that long and decided to take out my legs again.  *Wry smirk*

Loki: *He's cautiously looking at Steve and Tony, ready to flee if necessary but does not want to. He already knows Peter seems fine with him now.*

Tony: *Feeling Loki’s gaze, he lifts an inquisitive eyebrow at him* And what about you, Reindeer Games? Having fun at the slumber party?

Loki (cautious): Still recovering I’m afraid but otherwise I am having an enjoyable time. The ladies are quite hospitable for allowing me to stay here as well. 

Trix (groans): Don’t start that again.

Steve:  No trouble so far, right?  *He glances at the girls and at Loki, still distrustful of the god.*

Me:  Not so far.  He’s been decent company and even helped advise Trix and Prettywitch a bit.  No backfires or anything.

Steve (polite, but firm):  Good.  Let’s keep it that way.  *He looks at Trix and Loki for a moment, trying to figure out what’s going on.*

*Loki and Trix are in a staring match where she is incredibly determined and he is starting to fail at keeping his composure*

Trix: This idiot would like to say something but is too self deprecating to do it properly.

Loki (deadpan): I hate you.

Trix (grins): A lie!

*Loki finally cracks a small smile before turning back to the Avengers, fully serious*

Loki: I do want to apologize for my previous actions in New York. While I would absolutely claim it to be my entire fault, Trix is adamant that I inform you that it wasn’t entirely due to the nature of the scepter and Thanos who I received it from. I still maintain it was my plan and I apologize for any undue strife it caused. Though, getting the tesseract did open my eyes to what I really needed to learn. *He nods towards Tony* So thank you for giving yourself a heart attack. Infinity stones are not worth the hassle.

Tony: *He tenses, Loki’s insider knowledge taking him by surprise* I’m not just… That’s… Is this place magically messing with my brain or did Loki just apologize and thank me in the same breath?

Steve (flatly, still not fully believing it himself):  No.  He really did just apologize and thank you.

*Loki gets visibly grumpier while Trix grins*

Trix: He’s being honest about it. He admitted it while we both couldn’t lie. I knew a bit from what we had seen in our universe but we did talk about things while I was…trying to be distracted in there.

Loki (still grumpy): I still hate you.

Steve (shocked and digesting this new information):  I do trust Trix.  She’s been reliable since the day we met.  However, even a genuine apology can’t fix everything that your actions caused, Loki.  It’s a start and we can try to work something out, but unfortunately you’re still a wanted criminal for numerous crimes against humanity.

Loki: I would like to state that I only lived up to when I left with the tesseract during your time heist and I have no idea what the other timeline version of myself did. Otherwise I do intend to take action for what happened during the tesseract…battle.

Steve (wary):  What kind of action?

Loki: Trix mentioned that sometimes human criminals are rehabilitated by performing acts for the community at large while serving their sentence. Once I can reliably keep my magic under control once more, I intend to do so at the Avengers’ discretion.

Trix (prompting): And also-

Loki (realizing): Oh yes. You didn’t want to be the one to say after this last time. There’s a multiversal dictator that is planning on waging a war between unlimited universes since one of my alternate selves killed the dictator that held complete control over our timeline to suit his own needs but kept the worse versions of him in check. *He says this all with a straight face* I have no idea when it’s going to start however because timelines are annoying though multiversal travel would not have been possible otherwise because there was only one universe.

Tony: *He stares at Loki blankly, hyperaware of the silent stillness that descended upon the room. Finally, he blinks and stands up-straight* That’s it. I’m retiring. Have fun punching more multiversal nazis, Cap. *He waves dismissively and makes a show of heading for the exit*

Loki: I don’t blame you. Do you think I’d wear a tacky suit of my own accord? *he stares over at the pile of TVA clothes sitting on a nearby chair*

Me (recovering from the shock, knowing that this affects all universes):  Ah, right…We almost forgot about that…Great.  *The “Oh, crap.” face has reappeared.*

Trix: I mean, it could happen in like a thousand years from now in this timeline…they did jump through time a lot during the show. And we don’t know what happened with the planned season 2. They were working on it then our universe broke. I think our foresight other than Prettywitch is gone now that the universes are intertwined. Either way, we can’t exactly do anything until someone comes to us.

Me:  Okay.  Then, I guess that means we have to train and be ready.

Loki (regretful): I didn’t mean to cause more strife, but wanted to extend an olive branch by warning you of what I have been dealing with before I got dropped back off in the timeline only to be captured by that witch. *he scowls*

*As we recover over the weeks, we get a few visits from the therapist Christina Raynor, at Sam’s recommendation.  She helps us come to terms with what happened and what is currently ongoing so we’re better-equipped to mentally handle what might be coming.  We also gradually get back to our studies.*

Prettywitch: Hey, Stephen. What’s up?

Stephen (looking up from his pensive state):  Hm?  *He seems preoccupied.*

Prettywitch: You just look like you’re out of it. Is everything okay?

Stephen (absentminded):  Ah…Nothing worth troubling you about, my dear.  I appreciate the concern.

Prettywitch: My dear? Oh, you must be feeling out of it if you’re calling someone dear.

*He pauses and gives her a look, now embarrassed and fully paying attention.*

Stephen (resigned):  Very well…I’ve been having some recurring visions as of late.  A woman clad in purple, the Dark Dimension, and…*He’s still rather triggered by the last bit.*  …Dormammu.

Prettywitch: A woman in purple…? Did she have silver hair and big blue eyes?

Stephen:  Yes.  I take it you know of her?

Prettywitch: Uh…Sort of. (She starts tapping her finger to her chin.) Gee, I’m not sure if I should tell you…

Stephen:  Judging by how things played out last time, I would advise against it.  *He’s being more cautious after the Agatha incident.*

Prettywitch: No, that’s fair.

*The curiosity is eating away at him, but he refrains, not wanting a repeat disaster.*

Prettywitch: I will ask you one thing, though. In the dreams, is the woman helping you or Dormammu?

Stephen:  She appears to be assisting me.  A citizen of the Dark Dimension…helping a Terran…*He’s thinking about this, intrigued.*

Prettywitch: *She grins.* So, you’re intrigued by her?

Stephen:  There is something more to her.  I know that much.

Prettywitch: Okay. *She gets up.* Well, I’m not gonna tell ya. But I will wish you luck, you’re gonna need it. Trust me. *She’s referring to how much Stephen sucks at flirting.* *She walks off to find the others.*

*Stephen gives Prettywitch a weird look, but lets her go.*

*Meanwhile, Trix and Tear are in the library.  I’m currently having a conversation with seemingly nobody out in the courtyard.*

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

Me (to Barry):  You’ve been quiet lately.  Like, not the sulky kind of quiet.  It’s been the pensive type of quiet.  What’s on your mind?

Barry:  Y’know…Feeling alive again when we were fighting that crazy bitch…I dunno how to describe it, but I didn’t wanna let go.  

Me:  I figured.  Wong had to chase you out.  *I’m still peeved with him about it, but am willing to listen and have a civilized conversation.*

Barry:  I’ve been dead for over 30 years, Steward.  I was kinda starting to forget what it was like…Also, I didn’t really do much while I was REALLY alive.  *He huffs regretfully*  I wasted my life, dude.  While here, I figured I could just keep going, but after all of this…

Me (grim):  You realize you’re limited even more now and that life has moved on without you?

Barry:  Yeah…But at the same time, I don’t want it to end.

Me (gently):  Barry, an end isn’t really an end.  It’s a transition point.  It just means that the stories shift focus.  You played a part and now, you move onto your next chapter while the world moves onto its own.  

Barry:  I guess, but I didn’t really do anything.  I was just some burnout who lived in his parents’ garage, got way too drunk one night, and keeled over.  

Me:  It may not have been the best life, but it was still yours.  Look…How could we have greatness without some ordinary people around?  If everyone was super, then in reality, nobody would be.  Everyone plays a part.  Even if it’s just mundane.  There always has to be a counterpart so we can know and understand the different things in our world.  You still had an impact.  It might not have been what you wanted, but ultimately, it’s what you got.  

Barry:  *Sighs*  I know.  

Me:  So, what do you wanna do?

Barry:  Well, it’s better to burn out than fade away.  I…I guess it’s probably time to move on.  

Me:  You sure?

Barry:  Yeah.  I’ve been dragging this out for too long and everyone I knew has moved on.  

Me:  Well, as much as we fought, thanks for helping Trix and me back there.  

Barry (sincere):  Sorry for being a dick.

Me:  Apology accepted.  I’ll help you move on, all right?

Barry:  Thanks.

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

*After a long chat, I walk over to Trix and Tear.*

Me:  Guys, Barry wants to move on.

Trix (surprised): Really? Wow, that’s a tough decision.

Tear: I’m happy for him. Living stuck as a spirit is no way to spend your afterlife.

Me:  Yeah.  I should let Prettywitch know too and then we need to find Stephen and Wong.  I don’t know how to do it exactly.  Do you guys know where any of them are?

Trix: I think I saw PrettyWitch head into the library before…

Me:  Huh.  Ok.  Let’s find her.

*We find Prettywitch.*

Me:  Hey, Prettywitch.  Barry wants to move on and I don’t know how to help him.  Have you seen Stephen and Wong anywhere?  

Prettywitch: I just talked with Stephen, actually. He should be around here, somewhere.

*We go to find the older sorcerers.*

Stephen:  Hmmm…Helping a spirit to move on, eh?  

Wong:  I’ve got this one, Strange.  You have a meeting with the other Sanctum Masters in 15 minutes.

Stephen:  Right.  *He wants to help, but his higher duties as Sorcerer Supreme have gotten his schedule more bogged down.*  Let me know how it goes.

Wong:  I will.  Steward, come with me.  

Trix: Are we allowed to go with? It would be like going home for Thanksgiving when you’re in college. *She casts a hopeful look at Wong*

Tear: It has been a while since we’ve seen our families…

Prettywitch: Yeah, and I wanna go make sure my friends are okay.

Wong:  Very well.  As long as you all stay close.  You all deserve to know what is happening in your home universe anyway.

Trix: *She smiles softly* It’s honestly been a long time.

Me:  Yeah.  We should check on our folks.

Tear: I can’t even imagine how the bakery must be like right now…

Prettywitch: I just hope my mom isn’t in the fetal position watching CNN.

Wong:  If you are all ready, then I will open the portal.

Trix: *She nods*

Me:  Yep.

Prettywitch: Anytime, Wong.

*Wong opens the portal to our universe and we step through, back into our old neighborhood.  It looks almost the same as when we left.  The burn scar from the phoenix fire is still there.  The ash is gone now, but it seems like the civilians are just as skittish, if not even more so now.  It appears as though people are talking more in-person since the internet and cell towers went out.  Though a lot of people prefer to stay indoors thanks to all of the new cryptids and monsters.  However, we do notice something considerably different from before:  The presence of a latent magical field.  We can sense it and it feels “right” somehow.  As though it’s more in-tune with our bodies and even our spirits.  Marvel’s magical field, when we learned to sense it, felt different.  Not hostile, but definitely not exactly “befitting”, which made our transition feel more jarring.  Returning here, the shift in fields feels almost similar to coming from a rather static-filled area where every move is slightly uncomfortable to a nice warm bath.  It’s hard to describe exactly, but we feel a bit better about our chances after sensing this.*

Me:  Okay.  So, what do I do?  *I look at Wong seriously.*

Wong:  You need to feel the connection binding Barry to you.  When you do, both of you need to mutually agree to sever it.  Then, you perform this gesture.  *He demonstrates.*  Once the connection is severed, Barry must release his own ties to the mortal plane.  Basically, he needs to think of what kept him here all of this time and let it go.  When he does, Steward, you may psychically reach out and channel Barry’s inner peace.  While doing so, open a portal with a clear mind.  It will allow him to pass through into the next life.  Ah, and the remaining energy he held in this realm as he passes through to the next plane will pass onto you once he moves on.  It will help enhance your abilities so that you may help more spirits.

Me (listening intently):  Got it.  Are you ready, Barry?

Barry (taking one last look and nodding):  Yeah.  

*I follow the steps that Wong told me and Barry moves onto the afterlife.  After the portal closes, I let out an involuntary shudder, getting goosebumps.*

Me:  Well, Barry was difficult at times, but at least he finally found peace.  Brrr…That energy feels weird.

Wong (smirking):  You’ll get used to it.

Trix: *She can’t help but stare at their neighborhood around them. The group has changed a lot in the months it’s been since they first left and it’s odd to be home*

Prettywitch: *She notices Trix is staring at the neighborhood. She’s not sure why at first but upon seeing the awkwardness in her eyes, she gets it. It’s no different than when she used to go on vacation as a kid than come back feeling off.* It feels kinda weird coming back here, doesn’t it?

Trix (distractedly): Yeah, after everything we’ve been through it’s like waking up from a dream.

Me (pensive):  Agreed.  *I’m not sure what to think anymore.  It’s home, but it’s definitely not how it used to be.  Not only has our universe changed, but we have too.  For now, all I can do is quietly take things in.*

*For the first time in 2 months, my old phone from our home universe rings and it startles me.  I answer it, surprised.  It’s Tony.  He finally got this world’s cell network and internet working again.*

Tony (on the phone): Hey, kiddo! Stephen told me Wong was bringing you all back to your home universe on a low-risk wizard quest. I swear those two gossip even worse than Happy. Anyway, I’m glad he did because now I can tell you this myself. Surprise! Took me longer than I would have wanted, but your world finally decided to let Iron Man get his hands all over their satellites. There shouldn’t be a spot in the world with no cell signal, so hopefully that will keep hikers happy.

Me (on the phone):  W-Whoa.  Thank you so much, Tony!  Seriously!  *I’m incredibly grateful.*

Tony (on the phone): No need to thank me, Steward. The Magnanimous Tony Stark, that’s me. One last thing. It took Cap’s biggest disappointed stare ever, but your world’s countries finally agreed to another little SI device of mine. Say hello to free, global, high-speed wi-fi!

Me:  Thank you again!  We’re so grateful!  Okay, we’ll see you soon.  Bye for now!

*I turn to the group*

Me:  Guys, Tony fixed our internet and cell service!  We can talk to our families again!

Trix: Oh god- they have to be worried sick at this point. *She’s starting to freak out again but pulls out her phone and starts to text her family to see if they can talk*

Tear: Our phones work now? *I eagerly bring out my cellphone and speed dial my mom*

Prettywitch: *Pulls out her phone and calls her dad’s number.* Hey, dad. It’s me. *She listens.* Yeah, we’re okay. How’s mom?

Me:  Okay, just a sec.  I need to call my folks and check on them.  Wong, is it okay if I stand over there just so I’m not being obnoxious?

*He grunts affirmatively.  I walk over to my driveway and video call my parents to check on them.  We check up on each other and talk for a long time; at least 2 hours.  They’re worried sick and definitely have been through a lot, but are otherwise alive and in one piece.  I’m relieved to see them and we’re all almost in tears because we missed each other and were scared for each others’ safety.  They want to come home to see me in-person, but the world is still essentially on lockdown due to all of the mystical interference.  Travel is still incredibly dangerous and difficult.  I try my best to fill them in on everything.  They’re very worried for all of us, but can’t do anything about it at the moment.  So, all they can ask is that I stay close to the group, listen to Stephen, Wong, and the Avengers, and do my best to be safe.  I promise that to them and let them know that I’ll teach them everything I know whenever we can meet in-person again so they can protect themselves.  They agree to this.  We tell each other that we love each other before hanging up.*

*We all take some time to call and catch up with our families.  Though it turns out that Tear’s family really needs her help.  Since the internet was down for months, they couldn't get a lot of their orders in on time and the business is suffering.  There is also some ongoing family drama and she needs to sort all of this out.  It’s quite a mess.*

Tear (to the group): I’m not dumping my responsibilities as a member of the Order, but I might have to stay for a short period of time until things have stabilized at home again.

Me:  Okay.  We understand.  Do what you need to do.  Thank you for being with us as long as you could, Tear.  *I give her a genuinely grateful look.*

Trix: Thank you so much for absolutely everything. You helped save my life and we’ll be here when you get everything settled.

Prettywitch: Yeah, thanks Tear. It was nice getting to meet you in person.

Tear: *I blush, flustered* You don’t have to thank me for anything. I promise I won’t be long.

Wong: Indeed. It is still not a good idea for any of you to be left unsupervised for some time. You have until I finish building a new training program to reduce the amount of pain your healing spells absorb.

Tear: Thank you, Wong.

*We get a group text.  Tony is inviting all of us for a tour of Stark Industries.*

Me:  Oh.  Erm..What should I say, then?

Trix: I say we go for it. Any opportunity to learn from Tony is a great one, especially if he has any ideas for our universe.

Tear: I’m not passing on a direct lesson from Tony! Wong, please! *I bring my hands together in a pleading motion and implore dramatically*

Wong: *He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation. With a deep sigh, his shoulders slump in defeat.* This is all Stephen’s fault…

Tear: Yay! *I grin happily and give his arm an enthusiastic hug*

Prettywitch: I just hope it doesn’t involve building a doomsday bot.

*As we discuss this issue, we hear a strange series of noises approaching.  They sound semi-human, but not completely and we notice a figure stumbling towards us.*

Wong (to us):  Get behind me.  *His attitude changes immediately and he prepares to defend us as the thing approaches.*

*As the figure comes closer, we see a familiar face, but it keeps on shifting into a litany of various animal features.  They appear to be terrified and disoriented as they struggle towards us, tears streaming from their eyes.*

Me (confused):  Wait…is that…?

Blacky (letting out animalistic groans):  I'm sorry…I didn't mean to scare you. And I need help…

Me (urgent):  Wong!  Stand down!  That’s our other friend Blacky!  

*He lowers his shield.*

Wong (watching her closely):  She’s in bad shape and has no control over this shapeshifting.  I will portal her to Kamar-Taj right away.  *He acts quickly to help her, portalling Blacky safely away and updating Stephen as to what just happened.*

Me:  Shouldn’t we-?

Wong:  It is best that Strange stabilize her first before she has visitors.  Given her uncontrollable shapeshifting and response, she needs some time to recover.  We will check on Blacky after your tour of Stark Industries.  That should give Strange enough time to help her and for her shock to wear off.

Me (worried):  Okay…

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

*Stephen receives Blacky and immediately begins to work on stabilizing her.*

Stephen (concentrating):  Almost…got it.  *He reverts Blacky to her human form and helps her stay that way for the time being.*

Blacky (I sigh, relieved but also exhausted): Thank you…I thought it would never stop.

Stephen:  You’re welcome.  How long have you been experiencing this involuntary shapeshifting, if you don’t mind my asking?  *He’s checking her and making sure that she’s fully stabilized.*

Blacky: A couple of days…but it quickly got out of control as you could see…

*He makes a noise of acknowledgment and then steps back, satisfied that she’ll be okay.*

Stephen:  It looks like you’ll be fine for now.  I’ll make sure that you receive training to get better control of your new abilities.  *He’s being professional.  Though he looks quite tired.  It seems like he’s been incredibly busy for a while.*  

Blacky: Wait…could you tell what's going on, please? Because last time I checked, magic isn’t real and you're a comic character and there you are…in front of me. Sorry if I sound rude but I'm scared to turn crazy.

Stephen:  *He gestures mildly to indicate for her to relax.  It’s fine.*  It’s a long story.  Admittedly, to you and other civilians from your world, it sounds more than a little crazy…Your friends who alerted Wong to bring you here know, but they most likely didn’t tell you because they were afraid that nobody would believe them at first.

Blacky: Okay…I need to sit down. *I let out a sigh and sit on the floor trying to gather my thoughts together*

Stephen:  Here.  A chair will be better so you’re more comfortable.  Then, I’ll explain when you’re ready.  *He conjures a comfortable chair for her to sit in.*

Blacky:  Thank you. 

*Stephen sits across from her and begins the long explanation from the beginning.  He starts with his accident and catches Blacky up until the point where the group found her.  It takes a while.*

Stephen:  Do you have any other questions?  I know it’s a lot to handle.  *He’s being gentle.*

Blacky: Okay…that's a lot to handle…so the magic sinking into our world gave me those "abilities" ? It won't go away?

Stephen:  Yes.  Unfortunately, it won’t go away on its own.  There are ways to strip someone of their magic, but it’s very painful and can have lasting consequences for them.  The better option is to train you so you can control your abilities safely.  

Blacky: I see…well…maybe it's for the best…I always had animal tendencies anyway. *I chuckle softly*

Stephen (mildly amused):  Is there anything else you have questions about?  Otherwise, I have some visions to decipher.  The others should be back in a few hours.

Blacky: It'll be fine…thank you, Stephen. *I look at him with some admiration* It was nice to meet you.

Stephen:  You’re taking all of this well.  I can see why the group likes you.  *He gives her a small, comforting smile.*

Blacky: Freaking out never helps…and it's happening so it's useless to go against it. *I smile*

Stephen:  I’ll be on my way for a while, but I’ll check on you periodically.  Welcome to Kamar-Taj, Blacky.

Blacky: *I nod respectfully* Thank you. And be safe.

Stephen:  I’ll do my best.  *He gives a nod in return as he leaves the room.*

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

*Wong opens a portal and escorts us to the driveway of Stark Industries’ HQ.  The building is massive and formidable.  I text Tony to let him know that we’re here.  Within a few minutes, he jogs out of the largest elevator to meet us inside the lobby, Peter hot on his heels wearing a Stark Industries Intern ID badge. At the sight of Tony, Wong nods at all of us before heading through another portal to check on Stephen and Blacky.*

Tony: *He throws his arms out in a grandiose welcoming gesture, which is amped up by his tailored suit and his hot rod red arm* Baby wizards! Glad to see your Uncle Wong agreed to let you all come along on such short notice. Petey here panicked when I told him you had all gone back to check on your families and wouldn’t calm down until I sent the invitation.

Peter: I didn’t panic! *His eyes widen, and he slaps Tony’s metal arm for embarrassing him* I just thought you would all be leaving for real, and I remembered how much you all wanted to see Stark Industries since we first met.

Tear: Aww, thank you, Peter! This really is a dream come true! *I’m grinning widely, split between gawking at Tony in his natural element and looking around at the grand lobby*

Me (taking in the sights):  I never thought I’d see this in real life either.  First, an actual sorcerer landing in our universe, then monsters, then Kamar-Taj, and now this.  At times, I still catch myself questioning our reality.

Prettywitch: Right back at ya! 

Trix: Honestly, while all the magic stuff was always my favorite, this *she gestures around at Stark Industries* is always somewhere I dreamt of being as well.

Tony: Wow, now that’s something I’ll be rubbing in your Supreme Mom’s face for months to come. Would you mind saying that again so that I can record it and stuff it into a teddy bear I’ll then gift Stephen?

Trix (grins): Absolutely!

Tony: Excellent! FRIDAY, be a dear?

*He and Peter herd everyone back into the private elevator.*

*For now, I quietly observe everything and take it in, absorbing our surroundings so I can ruminate on some thoughts later.  Even the elevator panel looks more advanced than the ones we normally have.  I look at it silently with a mild curiosity.  When the doors open again, we see one of the many labs in front of us.  My eyes widen as I ogle all of the amazing equipment.  I’m totally geeking out, but attempting to conceal it.*

Me (trying to play it cool and stoic):  Fascinating…

Trix (excitedly): We get to learn about the technology version of magic!!!! *She is incredibly excited and is trying not to wander off*

Tear: Uuuf, you probably shouldn’t let Stephen hear you saying that.

Tony: Probably not if you don’t want to see him lose at another debate against me.

Peter: *Leans over to whisper at Trix* Last time, they were at it for six hours. 

Trix: Listen, for most of my life I thought the closest I was ever going to get to magic was technology so I love it a lot, okay? *She blushes, embarrassed* 

Prettywitch: Oh please! You have nothing to be embarrassed about; when I was a kid, I wanted to be Sailor Moon. *She chuckles sheepishly.* Hell, I used to try transforming with the toy transformation brooch I had as a kid. I still have it, actually.

*I’m visually examining a particular piece of equipment and it’s easy to see the wheels already turning in my head as the beginning of a smirk forms on my face.*

Tony: That’s because tech is superior to magic, everyone knows that. Anyway, gather around, ducklings! *He claps like a teacher would to gather everyone’s attention, although it is widely unnecessary* And Steward, whatever it is you are thinking…do it when Wong’s not meant to come pick you up, please? Do me a solid here, kid.

*I look at him and quickly slink back to the group.*

Me (innocent):  Yes, sir.  

Tony: Good. Now, the lower block of R&D has been assigned to our biological and medical engineering teams. If Peter here didn’t have such a…stellar…first interview, he’d be probably interning here.

*My ears perk up at the mention of biological and medical engineering.  I listen intently.*

Peter: Wh– I would? That’s so cool!

Tony: *He sighs and gives Peter an aggravated look. Really? Cooler than being an Avenger and his personal intern?* I must admit Stephen did help steer our focus into the right directions. Christine Palmer is now a direct liaison for SI, and we strive to release new equipment and consumer products as soon as we can. Pepper made sure we had strong financial aid and charities to help every patient get the best care at our disposal. Peter, anything you wanna add?

Peter: *He startles slightly, not exactly having expected to be given the floor, but he soon grins widely at the chance* Well, yeah! Lots of things! This department has taken over the creation of advanced prosthetics, advancement in the research against autoimmune diseases and cancer, and even improving the equipment surgeons use in the operating room! And this is all thanks to Mr. Stark–!

Tony: Okay, take a breath, Pete. I think they got it. *He gives him a warm pat on the shoulder*

*I look starstruck at this point. I won’t say it out loud, but if I had been born in the Marvel universe, I probably would have desperately wanted to work in this laboratory division.  Though life certainly didn’t work out that way.  The medical researcher in me would love nothing more than to try everything out in here and do the best research possible.  I’m content with the path that has laid itself before me, but in another life, I could definitely see this happening and I would be happy with that too.*

Trix (responding automatically): Fuck cancer. *She realizes what she said and blushes* So when Stephen brought back the Covid test, this is where it ended up to be studied?

Tony: *He makes a so-so motion with his hand* Highly contagious viruses are a little harder to work with due to all the precautions we must take. But yes, this is where most of the information was processed and evaluated. New vaccine production and testing was done by a renowned medical company. We develop tech, we don’t get our hands messy with the creation of new drugs.

Me (not-so-subtly fangirling over the medical research division):  Which one?  Are any of them similar to ours?  Man…I remember the first time I got to do some BSL-2 hazmat work…*I’m getting excited.*

Peter: I really don’t want to be rude, but your universe’s medical companies suck.

Me:  Nah, I know.  It’s kinda why I find this lab so exciting.  That and I was sorta trying to get my bearings while looking at the equipment.  *I’m sheepish.*

Tony: Don’t worry, we’re working on ways to help give your world an urgent update. It’s been one of the biggest causes of our devilish lawyer’s migraines. But let’s move on with the little Cradles tour. I still have two more areas to show you and I agreed to meet Pepper for lunch. *He herds the group back to the elevators just like he would a classroom full of preschoolers*

Trix (looks over at the rest of our group): *mouths the word ‘Cradles?!’ Before turning back to Tony* Oh I’m excited! 

*I shrug at her about the “Cradles” remark.  I figure it’s probably their version of “MTV Cribs”.  The elevator takes us up a few more floors, and the doors open to reveal a more spacious lab. Most of the equipment has been placed against the walls to allow large pipes and tubes to stretch over almost the entire floor. The large, cylindrical glass containers at the far back of the room all glow with an odd light blue energy. And on the ceiling, looming above it all, is a massive Arc Reactor.*

Tony: Don’t wander too far, now. This place is on a higher security level for a reason. As you might have already guessed, this next block of floors are all dedicated to the improvement and development of alternative sources of energy. Greener, cheaper, and much more powerful than nuclear energy.

*I listen curiously.*

Prettywitch: I certainly hope so.

Trix: Wow! *She stares up at the giant arc reactor*

Tear: Amazing! And this is all done with Starkium?

Tony: *Shrugs casually* Most of it, but the Reactor technology is still too expensive for us to commercialize properly. Electric cars have been our main point for sales so far…

Trix: Well it does make the Tower distinctly more…you! *She tries not to giggle*

*Tony pauses for a moment before he gives her a knowing look, not quite succeeding at hiding his satisfied smirk.*

Tony: Sounds like we’re doing things right then. Now, back into the elevator before any magic makes this place blow up. 

Peter: *He trails along with the girls* He’ll never admit to this, but he totally saved the best for last. 

*I follow along.*

*Trix grins at Peter, still extremely excited*

Trix: I can’t wait!

PrettyWitch: Yeah, me too!

Tony: Well, we obviously had to put everything we learned down there to good use. And so, we’ve claimed the last set of floors for our highest security level. *Ever the showman, he waits until the elevator doors open before continuing for full impact* Ladies, welcome to the Avengers Lab.

Me (awestruck):  Whoa…

Trix (also awestruck): Oh my god

Tear: Shut up! *I hold my hands up to my cheeks in disbelief. My eyes are already tearing up with how excited I am by the sight*

PrettyWitch: *Her eyes light up with wonder.* Wahhhh!!!!!!

*The Avengers Lab is a massive combination of all the previous floors we visited. The stark white walls and floors reflect all sorts of colorful lights from huge computer screens, holograms, and energy cells. There are glass doors leading to whole different areas for construction and experimentation, and even some of the entrances are marked by the logo of an individual Avenger. There are weapon prototypes and what seem to be half-completed superhero costumes for nearly every hero on the roster. There is even a mannequin that is sized eerily similar to Wong.*

*The windows at the farthest side of the elevators reveal a glimpse of the circular helipad that was added after the Battle of New York nearly toppled the top part of the Tower. And overseeing it all from a place on an otherwise empty wall, is a gigantic A styled just like the Avengers’ logo.*

Trix (looking over at Tony hopefully): Can we look around at least a little bit more if we promise not to touch anything? *She has her pleading eyes on because this is absolutely one of the top places she has ever wanted to visit in the MCU*

Tony: *He flicks a hand out toward the entirety of the Lab* Knock yourselves out. Maybe just not…literally. I’m still supposed to hand you all back to Wong in one piece.

Me (happily):  Thank you!  Don’t worry, we’ll be careful.  *I go to check out some of the prototypes, tools, and costumes.  As promised, I’m not touching anything.  Though I’m definitely asking a lot of technical questions, clearly analyzing what I’m seeing.*

Trix (extremely excited): Thank you thank you thank you!!! *She can’t help but finally let herself nerd out and squeal before going over to look at everything she can*

Peter: *Smiles at Tear and PrettyWitch* Wanna come look at my work station? I keep most of my projects here since it’s closer to home than the Compound.

Tear: Sure, Peter!

PrettyWitch: Yeah! Let’s go!

*I watch carefully whenever anyone’s working at the bench, keeping a respectful distance, but also trying to memorize technical details and figure things out.*

*We end up spending almost another hour in the Avengers Lab. Tony settles to do some idle work at the workbench closest to Peter’s and takes a few calls, trusting us and his mentee to not blow up his building. We manage to find another costume that simply screams Sorcerer Supreme, but we fail to get anyone to admit that Tony Stark is now designing clothes for Stephen and Wong no matter how hard we try. We even find a boardroom that seems to keep an eternal video call with the Wakandan research division led by Princess Shuri herself, and Peter briefly explains the ongoing conversations to allow SI to venture into Vibranium usage.*

*Our fun is eventually cut short when we get a text from Wong.*

Wong (via text):  Blacky has been stabilized.  Tear, I will drop you off at your bakery so you can conduct your business.  Trix, Steward, Prettywitch, I will take the three of you back to Kamar-Taj.  Meet me in the driveway.

We all reluctantly make our way back to Peter’s workspace, where Tony is still fiddling with his phone. He lifts an eyebrow at our entrance and takes one more moment before finally putting his phone away and looking up at us, his arms crossed proudly over his chest.*

Tony: So, how did it go?

Me (sincere):  Honestly, that was amazing and I’m grateful that you trust us enough to let us see so much of your labs.  In another life, had I been born in your universe, there would be a good chance that I’d quite eagerly apply to work here, provided the sorcerers didn’t find me first.  *I give a slight, teasing grin before getting serious again.*  None of us have ever seen such advanced technology except for in the movies.  It’s bittersweet in a way.  I can only imagine how our society would have been by now if we actually advanced this far.  Though, at least now we have a start in it.  I hope that we can live up to everyone’s standards.  Especially after the work you’ve all put in to help us.

Trix: Yeah, honestly I completely stand by my initial statement. I love Kamar-Taj and it’s becoming a second home to me, but I had always dreamed of getting to be here! *She then grins* Also if you haven’t already gone through the movie stash we sent with Stephen, you and Peter absolutely need to watch an animated movie called “The Incredibles”. I feel like you’ll love it and find a new favorite character. *She winks*

Peter (Failing epically at concealing his grin): Oh, we already did!

Tony: *Points at finger with his metallic arm* Hey hey! Zip it!

Trix (brightens up): Tony Stark I know your secret now!!! *she glances back at the costumes and cackles*

Tear: Oh gods, so it was true! Those designs really were…! *I can’t even finish the thought. I’m smiling so widely my cheeks hurt*

Me (grinning):  So, the Cloak’s an exception since it’s sentient and can move on its own, huh?  *Imitates Edna*  NO CAPES!

Trix (joining in): NO CAPES! ONLY CLOAKS!

Prettywitch: YES!!! CLOAKS ONLY!!!

Tony: *He practically melts where he sits and hides his face behind one hand as the giggles continue on around him* Didn’t you have to go or something? I think it’s time I dumped the babysitting duties back on Wong’s lap…And you can tell Stephen he can keep full legal custody of you lot while you’re at it.

*I roll my eyes at him, jokingly, before giving him a sincere look.*

Me (grateful):  Honestly, Tony, we can’t thank you, Stephen, Wong, and the other Avengers enough for all that you’ve done for us.

*Tony catches on to the change in tone and peeks at the girls over the hand he still keeps up against his face. The look in his eyes is undeniably fond.*

Trix (finally serious again): Seriously, we’d probably be dead ten times over without all of your help. You helped save our universe even at your own expense as well as us. Thank you so much! *She smiles at him again* And you can at least have the Uncle role if you don’t want to keep us permanently to annoy Stephen.

Prettywitch: Yes, thank you! You have no idea how happy my mother was to hear from me today.

Tony: *He chuckles and finally sits back up-straight, giving them his full attention* You don’t have to thank us for anything. We’re the Avengers. It’s literally in our job description. 

Tear: Well, I know it might not mean much, but you’ve always been my favorite Avenger. You’ve taught me to never give up and always get back on your feet no matter how often I make mistakes or feel like the universe itself is against me. I promise to keep that in mind as I train harder with Wong to improve my healing spells.

Tony: Tch, alright. Stop now before you all actually make me blush. *He flicks a hand dismissively, but the soft pink on his cheeks is undeniable.*

Peter: I told you you were cool, old man. *He leans against the workbench and nudges Tony with his elbow, a fond smile on his face. He’s incredibly proud that his new friends all appreciate his mentor like he does.*

*We say our goodbyes and the two heroes get back to work in the lab.  I text Wong to let him know that we’re ready in the driveway and he comes back to bring us to Tear’s bakery to let her go and reunite with her family.*

Me (sincere, though my voice does crack):  Good luck, Tear.  I hope everything works out.  You know how to find and contact us if you ever need to, okay?  Please be safe and take care of yourself.  We all know how you are.  So, do your best, but try not to run yourself ragged, all right?  *I give her a small, brave smile.*

Trix: Honestly, we just need a hug so you guys can’t see while I sob uncontrollably. *She’s grimacing as she is trying to hold back a wave of tears*

Prettywitch: *She’s trying to hold back tears too…and failing miserably.* Goodbye, Tear. If you need anything just call, okay?

Tear: I’m gonna miss you all, too! *I’m already tearing up too, although I’m smiling brightly at your sweet words. I rush forward and meet you all in a big hug* I’ll try my best not to over do it, but you all promise me not to get into any more trouble too, okay? I’ll practice really hard so that I can always be ready to heal you when you need it.

Wong: *He places a hand on Tear’s head, the only place he can still reach with her surrounded in the group hug.* I’ve asked Master Hamir to come watch over you while you help your family get the bakery back in working order. He will bring you back to Kamar-Taj and begin training you in more resistance and defensive magic until I am ready to help you with your healing spells. Stephen wants you to report straight back to him once you are ready to return with Master Hamir.

Tear: Understood. Thank you so much, Wong. I promise not to let any of you down!

*We group-hug for a while.  After all that we went through together, saying goodbye really stings even if it’s not forever, but it’s for the best.  Life goes on and we know it.  So, after the hug, we wave goodbye one last time as Tear goes into her bakery.*

Me (trying to keep my chin up):  This is gonna feel weird…

Trix (trying to pull herself together): This feels like graduation all over again…

Prettywitch: I know…

Me:  Looks like it’s time to meet up with Blacky, then.  I hope she isn’t too scared.  That uncontrolled shapeshifting looked rough.  *I’m concerned.*

Trix (trying to be reassuring): If anyone has it handled, it’s Wong and Stephen.

*I nod.*  

Me:  Wong, we’re ready to go.

Wong:  Very well.  Your friend should be with Strange in the hospital wing…and don’t think that I’ve forgotten your graffiti in the basement.  You and Prettywitch are on cleaning duty.  *He smirks wryly.*

*I smile sheepishly.*

Prettywitch: *Pouts* Ah man!

*He portals us back to Kamar-Taj where we head to the hospital wing to find Stephen looking after Blacky, who has been properly stabilized into her normal human form.*

Me (to Blacky, concerned):  How are you feeling?

Blacky: As fine as I can be. *I chuckle* 

Trix: I’m so glad you managed to find us so you could get help!

Prettywitch: Do you need anything?

Blacky: Nah…for now it's under control.

Me:  Erm…We should also probably be fully honest with you now about what’s going on.  It’s a rather long story.  Heh…Lemme explain…

Blacky: Stephen actually told me what happened.

Me (slightly ashamed that we had to hide everything for so long):  Oh…Yeah…It’s a lot, we know.  We didn’t say anything before because nobody would believe us and if they did, we didn’t want to start some sort of mass panic.  Though now that all of this is happening, you have the right to know how and why.  I’m sorry we couldn’t fill you in sooner.

Trix: But yeah, surprise you get to join magical boot camp! Don’t piss off any witches and you’re fine. *she then whispers* The food sucks though. *she makes a face before glancing back at Wong and Stephen*

*Wong raises an eyebrow at the food remark.*

Prettywitch: Oh yeah… *She shudders at the memory.*

Stephen:  Rest assured, we will train you to the best of our ability.  Do you have questions for me or Wong about the training?

Blacky: Yeah…what are the class prices ? But seriously, should I get in physical shape or something like that?

Stephen (amused):  There’s no charge.  *He gets serious*  As for physical shape, we do encourage sorcerers to be as fit as they can be within reason.  Even then, we can work with physical limitations.  Disabilities can be accounted for.

Wong:  Indeed.  Sorcery is more about strength of mind, but it is good practice to have a healthy body to withstand stronger spells.

Blacky: Well it's good to know. *I smile softly*

Stephen:  After I make sure that you’ve recovered properly, I’ll show you to your room.

Blacky: *I nod* Thank you.

Wong:  Prettywitch, Steward, come with me.  *He conjures a bucket, some cleaner, and sponges.  It seems we’re not getting away with it after all, true to his word.*

Me (meek):  Yes, sir.

Prettywitch: *Sighs* Alright, let’s do this. But I’m not gonna enjoy it.

Trix:  *She grins from ear to ear* I never did find out what you guys did to deserve this but good luck! *She waves them off*

*I stick my tongue at her as Prettywitch and I leave with Wong.*

Stephen (sarcastic):  How very mature of you.

*Trix keeps Blacky company while Prettywitch and I do our cleaning.  Kamar-Taj in question feels rather peeved at us, but eventually, its aura seems to calm down after we’ve scrubbed its walls clean of our markings from earlier.*

*After Blacky settles in and joins our training, things slowly begin to return to whatever passes for normal at this point.  However, as time goes by, it seems that Stephen has been getting less and less sleep.  After he nearly falls asleep during meditation training for the 4th time that week, we decide to ask him about it.*

Me:  Stephen, what’s going on?  You’re looking really out-of-sorts lately.

Trix: Yeah, you’re not sick, are you?

Prettywitch: *She’s concerned too, but a thought strikes her and her eyes widen. Is it because of his dreams, she wonders?*

Blacky: *I observe Stephen's face, seeing he's clearly exhausted*

Stephen (mildly defensive):  It’s nothing that any of you should worry about.  

Prettywitch: Hey, don’t be like that! We’re just worried about you.

Stephen:  I know.  However, I have to get this under control myself.  You four have enough on your plates.  

Me (matching his old, snarky tone):  Really?

*He glares tiredly at me and sighs.*

Stephen (reluctantly):  That woman I mentioned before is still haunting my dreams.  There are also brief flashes of Dormammu.  It seems like he wants to attempt to absorb Earth again, but that shouldn’t be.  He is bound to his word not to return here.  *That’s about as much as he can figure out at the moment.*

Me:  Wait…Shit…*I put two and two together.*  

*The weary sorcerer looks at me, still calculating.  His severe lack of sleep is slowing his thoughts.*

Prettywitch: Wait…Steward, you don’t think Dormammu…that he might…you know?

Trix: Oh shit

Blacky: An entity as powerful as him can't ignore a vulnerable world like ours.

*I look at the group with an all-too familiar face of resigned dismay, which all but confirms what I’m thinking.*

Prettywitch: Oh great! We’re fucked!

Trix: So that’s an absolute jump from Agatha to fucking Dormammu *she groans and holds her head in in her hands*

Blacky: Wait it's a bit soon to panic. Stephen could send him away once. Together we can do it again.

Stephen (massaging his temples):  No, no.  I confronted him before and headed him off.  Despite not having the Time Stone, I’ll figure something out.  You girls don’t need to get caught in the crossfire.

Prettywitch: Dude! You got squashed, stabbed, maimed, and every other painful way to die till next Sunday! Are you sure you’re even powerful enough to face off against him, again?

Stephen:  His power is beyond any of you, even working together.  I know his strengths and weaknesses and learned more about him than anyone else on this plane of existence from the millions of loops I spent confronting him.  If anyone has a chance of stopping him, it will be me.

Me:  Can we evacuate our people to here or something?

Prettywitch: I feel like that would require hours and a lot of manpower that neither of our worlds have.

Trix: Not to mention the amount of people who wouldn’t want to leave anyway. People don’t leave for category 5 hurricanes!

Stephen (reassuring):  I will stop him.  

Me:  At least let us transfer some of our energy to you so you’re not about to pass out in battle.  We’ve gotten stronger.  So, it shouldn’t hurt us as much anymore.

Prettywitch: Exactly!

Trix: It’s absolutely been a while, so we shouldn’t end up sleep drunk!

Stephen:  Okay.  I’ll allow it for old times’ sake.  *He attempts to cheer us up slightly with this small joke.*

*The three of us perform the energy transfer ritual and donate portions of our energy to Stephen.  He absorbs it, becoming more awake and alert.*

Stephen:  Thank you, ladies.  

Me:  Do your best to come out of this alive, all right?

Prettywitch: Yes. Please do.

Trix: And no getting yourself killed at all even if you’re able to possibly come back!

Blacky: Or we'll find a way to find you in death's realm and kick your arse!

Stephen:  First, I’m keeping your universe safe.  Then, we’ll talk other stuff.  *He’s determined and serious.*  Though I WILL do my best to come back to you however I can.  Take care of each other, okay?

Me (worried):  Okay.  *I’m wringing my hands.*

Trix: We will! Don’t worry about us. All your focus should be on Dormammu.

Blacky: We'll take care of stuff here, don't worry.

Prettywitch: *She runs over and hugs him.* I’m sorry I doubted you, Stephen. I just get nervous really easily..

*He grunts at the sudden hug, but accepts it.*

Stephen:  I know.  

*The Cloak pats Prettywitch’s shoulder reassuringly, as though silently promising to keep Stephen safe.*

Prettywitch: *She smiles.* Thanks, Cloakie. Oh yeah, and remember what I said about your mystery woman. *She gives him a peck on the cheek and lets go of him.* Good luck. 

Me (trying to stay composed while still worried sick for him):  Good luck…

Trix: Seriously, good luck. *She gives him a small smile while wringing her hands*

Blacky: Just don't be stubborn if things turn bad and not go all alone in the fight.

Stephen:  I’ll remember not to.

*With our well wishes said and energy transferred, he opens a portal and disappears through it to the Dark Dimension, on his way to confront the Dread Dormammu.*

***To be continued***

[solena2]

Saw a post about which books the batfam would read that was Wrong so I’m throwing my hat into the ring

So first, Bruce. Bruce has No Life aside from the whole “pretending to be an entirely different person in public” thing, and as such he reads precisely three things. 1: shitty romance novels. He says it’s because they’re the kind of thing his persona would read so he needs to be able to talk about them if asked but he secretly likes them. 2: anything nonfiction. Put literally any nonfiction book in front of him and he will have finished it within an hour, regardless of length. 3: Agatha Christie. He’s read all of her books multiple times and got all of his kids into her work as well.

Next is Dick. Dick doesn’t read much, because this man has absolutely no free time ever. Like, day job as a cop, night job as a vigilante, and a social life? He doesn’t sleep and he definitely doesn’t have hobbies. He does really like comics though. He owns pretty much every Calvin and Hobbes collection ever published, along with a respectable amount of Foxtrot and some Dilbert stuff he regretted buying after doing some research into the author. He also has a semi-secret pulp fiction addiction, especially the weird horror thinkpiece ones that you always regret reading when you try to sleep.

Jason, unlike Dick, reads constantly. He loves books, he is a massive literature nerd. Since he lives on his own, he gets a lot more alone time than the others, and he spends most of it reading. Jane Austen is his favorite, but he also likes other romance novels of that era more than he’ll readily admit. He also loves Frankenstein, partially because he projects on the monster and partially because he finds the fact that Mary Shelley started writing it in order to avoid having to talk to Oscar Wilde hilarious. He mostly reads classics, but he’s got a soft spot for more recent coming of age stories. He read The Girl Who Could Fly when he was like 12 and it’s stuck with him since.

Barbara really likes sci-fi/fantasy novels with heavy worldbuilding and intricate plotlines. Any time she hears about a series that’s five books in and still hasn’t fully revealed the main plot, her eyes go wide because she knows what she’s doing until 3 AM that night. Because of this, she’s also recently gotten into plot heavy isekai series, though she slightly regrets it due to how exhausting all the harem bullshit can get in a lot of them. She can’t read any book with hacking in it because the inaccuracies kill her inside. She also loved The Martian, but like, who in the batfam wouldn’t, honestly.

Tim, being a heathen, Doesn’t Read. He’ll pick up a book on something if it’s the only way to get the information, but he mostly engages with media by watching video essays and/or reading the sparknotes. He just doesn’t focus well on books. If Jason every successfully bullies him into giving audiobooks a chance, though, he’ll probably get into them a lot more, since it’s just the format he has trouble with.

Steph is one of those people who specifically seeks out terribly written stories because she thinks they’re hilarious. The worse a book is, the more she loves it. She mostly goes for bad YA dystopia novels, since they’re easy to find, but anything that manages to be so bad it’s good is up her alley. She also reads vigilante rpf, mostly because of the faces people make when she forces them to read fanfiction of themselves. Wattpad is her favorite site in the whole world.

Cass has trouble with reading, on account of her whole Thing, so when she wants to read something she’ll bully someone else into reading it to her. She likes fantasy novels, with a noticeable trend toward anything remotely similar in vibe to The Last Unicorn. Jason introduced her to The Chronicles of Narnia and she loved it.

Damian reads horse girl books. He pretends it’s because he’s mocking the “infantile characters” and “plebeian obsession with friendship” but everyone knows the real reason is that he’s pissed he didn’t grow up in a time when riding a horse everywhere was practical. He’s also read just about everything by Tamora Pierce or Anne Mccaffrey, though he won’t admit to it because he’s ashamed of genuinely enjoying stories with predominate messages of love, hope, and caring for each other. Recently he’s gotten into Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series and he’s completely addicted.

Alfred, if asked, will profess that he’s read every butler’s handbook every created. This is probably true, but his real interest lies in bodice rippers. No one knows this except for Bruce, who found one of his stashes on accident when he was 9 and almost ending up reading some extremely steamy porn before Alfred caught him and moved his secret cache off the property.

[velcoriaexploration]

It’s Halloween, what are some of the muses doing?

Pip, being grumpy and testosterone-spiked, just like his dad, Bruno, was until today. Unlike his dad, his rut is lasting longer than normal this year. Perk/Curse of being a young bull versus a bull who’s starting to slow down. But that gives Bruno time to be a grandpa, not a hormonal guy. And he and Agatha love being grandparents to the many calves in the herd.

Pip’s younger sisters are helping their mom switch out holiday decorations. And yes, they are the type to put out Winter Holiday decor WAY TOO EARLY.

Rex is taking a well-deserved nap. (Insert partner) is busy with taking Revan trick or treating tonight. He won’t have any energy until they get home.

Mokona is going out to a party with some of her female coworkers. Unlike her brother, she isn’t exhausted from the overtime.

Sill is having a cult meeting. And it’s going well. The Changing Be Praised!!

The satyrs are doing what satyrs do best: Be debaucherous and enjoy the wrapping-up of the Harvest Festival and Rut Season to the fullest. Kala is not joining in. She and the few satyrs that don’t really enjoy the normal satyr ways, are helping out Agatha and her daughters.

Gren is getting increasingly aggressive as the leaves in “his” bows turn brightly colored and begin falling. Gren is prepping to move back into the forest beyond the Ranch’s protective barrier. Velcorian Treants become hyper-carnivorous in winter. Not exactly something you want to have around the ranch with customers and the staff. Though “he” does have a few folks like Rex, who are on the no-eating list, for health risk reasons or because the treant likes them enough.

Sköll got the non-herd kids trick-or-treat/babysitting duty this year. He is not amused. But he can’t be mad at the kids. And he did manage to convince Elmeria to give him double pay to watch the future workers of the ranch.

Speaking of the Ranch’s current boss, Elmeria is doing unmentionable things to some folks who thought they could weasel out of their protection payments to her organization. Once a black dragon who is also a mafia queen, always a black dragon who is also a mafia queen.

The oozes are trying to trick folks into giving them candy. Even Rainbow, who is usually very well behaved. Don’t feed them candy!! There are signs everywhere warning people not to.

Altrinus is winterizing his apiary. Doesn’t want his prize buzzers to not be in their prime come spring. And testing the spoils of their partnership. May or may not go partying later. With or without a partner for the evening. He hasn’t decided.

[our-blood-is-our-ink]

bunny!agatha mindlessly humping your tights whenever you let her sit on your lap, and because she's always wearing skirts (without underwear most of the time) you can just feel how wet and throbbing she is

Anon anon anon how the fuck did you say exactly what I headcanon for bunny!Agatha?

She never wears underwear or pants because it's too constricting. Poor bunny!Agatha is so sensitive that even the brush of clothing against her makes her sooooo needy.

She for sure favors skirts -- the shorter the better -- and she looooooves the feeling of 1) being on display and 2) being possessed by you whenever someone makes a comment or stares too long, and you'll casually rub her bare pussy to mark your claim.

God, she's so cute as she mindlessly bounces and humps, her eyes rolling around her head as her ears flop about as she rides your thigh.

The best way this ends with, is with bunny!Agatha creaming from it, slumping forward as exhaustion hits her, but she keeps helplessly bouncing bouncing bouncing because it feels too good to stop.

[xmcu-fietro]

Just got tagged in this by @fouralignments —perfect timing, because I just finished finals and have been writing a ton!

Game: Post the titles of your current works in progress. If someone sends one of those titles to you, explain the concept or post a snippet!

I went ahead and explained the concept for each, but if you send in an ask I can share snippets! I’m sorry in advance for how long these summaries are..... brevity has never been a strong suit of mine and I got a little excited.

1. Nobody - Dadneto fic - genre: angst, hurt/comfort

This fic deals with what happens after Peter is kidnapped and tortured just after X-Men: Apocalypse. With no memory of how he was harmed or even taken to begin with, he’s left to pick up the pieces using only the aftermath to draw on. His relationship with his father is quickly put under stress, as Erik found out about their relationship during the time Peter was away, and now Peter has to be okay with being taken care of as he struggles with many frustrating and exhausting effects of the torture. With no memory of what happened, it’s easy for him to think that he should be unaffected—but Erik is there to remind him that even hidden pain is still pain, and that family is a kind of bond that will never be broken.

2. Amnesiac - Agatha Harkness and Peter Maximoff fic - genre: light fluff/angst/comedy

After the Hex disintegrates, Peter remains trapped in his Hex persona thanks to Agatha’s magic. Problem is, Agatha can’t undo his mind control immediately because she’s stuck in her Hex persona, thanks to Wanda. They basically live as roommates for a while as Agatha tries to break free and Peter, who doesn’t even totally realize he’s trapped, tries to figure out why some things about himself post-Hex aren’t quite adding up. Eventually he is able to break free of the Ralph-mind-control, but, surprise—he’s got amnesia, and the only way to get his memories back and return to his universe is to help Agatha become un-hexed so she can (literally) work her magic.

3. Directed by Agatha Harkness - Agatha Harkness and Peter Maximoff fic - genre: angst/semi-horror(?) - inspired by the tv show Kevin Can F*** Himself in which a fed-up housewife snaps and decides she’s going to kill her oblivious, idiotic husband.

Agatha and Peter are both stuck in their Hex personas, although only Agatha is aware that she’s trapped. As time passes living with Peter Ralph, Agatha becomes bitter and exasperated; if he hadn’t failed in his mission to find out how Wanda’s magic worked, if he had just listened to her, maybe she wouldn’t have lost and become stuck as Agnes. It’s all his fault, and if divorce isn’t possible for the roles they have to play, the only way to get rid of him is a more permanent solution.

Agatha has had enough: she’s going to kill her husband.

4. For Nothing At All - Charles Xavier - genre: dark/angst (with Dark!Charles)

After the events of Days of Future Past go awry with Erik killing Raven and the government ultimately succeeding in using her DNA, Charles is left alone and distraught. So, he goes to Cerebro. He begins reading the minds of government officials, influencing them to subtly help the mutant cause without drawing suspicion. He gets their passwords too, using them to always keep him five steps ahead of the CIA. He starts to get unhinged as he spends all day hooked up to Cerebro, and eventually he’s at the top, in control of everything and everyone—alone. 

He can’t get back what he’s lost, but at least now he has no one to lose.  

5. Pietro Maximoff Goes by Peter - Clint Barton and Peter Maximoff - genre: angst, found-family

In the middle of a mission gone wrong, Clint prepares himself to say goodbye; there’s nowhere left to run, and he can’t fight back any more.

When he sees Peter Maximoff in the aftermath of moving bullets—a fast Maximoff saving his life, once again—his only thought is “Pietro?!”

Or: in which Clint recognizes that Peter is really Pietro, albeit from a different universe, and, overcome with a mix of shock, grief, and thankfulness, drags him back home to meet his wife and kids. Angsty conversations about family and loss ensue.

6. Untitled WIP focusing on Peter Maximoff, David Haller, Kurt Wagner, and their respective parent issues. I thought it was crazy that somehow Erik, Raven, and Charles all had secret kids they didn’t know about (or who didn’t know about them), and I thought that might be interesting to explore.

7. various WIPS that are partially posted---the next chapter of The City Rain, the second part to the Nina fic (not the actual title, but the real title is so long...oops), and a potential epilogue to Vilomah (still debating on whether I want to continue the story or leave it as-is, because the original plan was for it to end with Peter dying, but I’ve gotten requests for the aftermath). There’s also a “Peter Maximoff and Peter Parker become best friends after the Hex and the events of NWH” fic that @jadoue1999 and I are slowly working on :)

tags: 

@jadoue1999 @spidey-sense-projections @you-see-something-strange-here @can-of-pringles @toodles-me-doodles

[aphroditestummyrolls]

Engagement series! 💍🥰

My beloved friend ❤️ this is such a nice distraction for this dogshit weekend. Thank you so much for playing!

“You know how I feel about waking up alone.”

When he came back, he was drenched in rain. Saints, the weather had turned. The umbrella was all but useless halfway through his walk, and he’d left it in the stand to dry in the front hall. His sodden overcoat slapped onto the end of the breakfast table. He should have let Agatha hang it by the hearth in the den, but he’d been too eager to reach the morning room.

Jesper raised an eyebrow at him, a sparkle of amusement in his gaze over the rim of his coffee cup.

“If you catch your death wandering Ketterdam in the rain, it’ll serve you right.”

“Good morning to you, too.” Wylan rolled his eyes even as he smiled, still a touch breathless from the walk and the plan he’d set in motion that morning. His socked feet, at least, were thankfully dry, padding quietly over the rug to his boyfriend’s— betrothed’s— side.

Sprawled in the seat at the head of the table, an empty plate in front of him and a fresh cup of coffee to his side, he looked every inch the decadent merch spouse that Wylan wanted him to be able to be. Still in soft, loose pajamas with a garishly printed dressing gown draped over his shoulders. Wylan only wished he could be this comfortable all the time. He grinned, leaning over Jesper’s throne to greet him properly.

Tragically scarfless, Jes had to settle for reeling Wylan in by his wrist. He couldn’t help the happy curl of his lips against Jesper’s perfect ones— he tasted like the unadulterated sugary sweetness of apple syrup, with the bitter edge of coffee on his tongue. The little noise of protest made him chuckle, relishing the shiver against him as he used his cold hand to cup Jesper’s warm, dry jaw.

“Saints alive, Wylan—“ he gasped, immediately taking his hand in both of his, trying to rub some warmth back into the fingers. It made their rings click together. “Tell me you had a good reason for abandoning me. We have a carriage y’know, if you must—“

Usually, Wylan was the one being the mother hen to Jesper’s chaos. Then again, things hadn’t been particularly normal lately. Jes had been more subdued. The reversal would feel silly if it wasn’t so concerning. But Wylan was too caught up in the warmth of his touch and the happy flush of Jes pushing his soaked curls out of his eyes to think too far beyond by tonight we’ll both be well on our way to feeling better.

“I have a surprise for you.”

Jes stopped in his tracks midword, a beaming, conspiratorial smile taking over his face.

“And suddenly, I’m distracted— did you do that on purpose?”

“Never, darling.” He took the seat at Jesper’s side, his hand still scooped up between both of his dark, callused palms. “I just had to run down to see Kaz. I didn’t really think about the weather.”

“See Kaz, all the way across the city? I’m sure he loved the early morning call.” Jes chuckled. “What did you need him for?”

“Wanted it to stay a surprise. That man is a vault.”

“And what is my surprise? You’ve got me on the edge of my seat, merchling, and you’re dragging it out.”

He was dragging it out. What if it was an overstep? What if that longing look in his eye when he’d last written to his da had been all in Wylan’s head? Maybe, just because he missed him, didn’t mean he wanted to see him.

Wylan wouldn’t know what it was like to miss his father. Sometimes he was acutely out of his depth. Maybe he’d been wrong.

But, even with that enthused little twinkle in Jesper’s eye, Wylan could see the grey-tinged exhaustion in his handsome face. There was a heaviness the past few weeks had heaped on his shoulders.

They needed a break.

“How about a change of scenery?” He smiled hopefully. “I’ve booked us passage to Weddle tonight.”

For a moment, Jes just blinked at him. Wind howled outside, the downpour outside pounding against the windows. Wylan chewed his lip.

“You’ve just been talking so much about your da lately, and I can take the time to strengthen our trade with the Novyi Zem ambassador— we could use some sunshine, maybe. Get away and actually enjoy planning the engagement party, and—“

Jes cut off his rambling with a kiss that took the breath right out of his lungs. It was as if he was trying to wipe every last thought out of his brain.

It worked.

[v3nusxsky]

Focus on me

——————————————————————————

*Authors note~ Reader will be based off the same information as my oc daughter or Queen regina. Teacher at the school not fitting into either Category. *

Prompt~ reader gets hurt protecting the students from some kind of danger. Lesso is there and feels completely helpless knowing what she has to do is going to cause more pain. Established but private relationship between reader and lesso.

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

Ever since you escaped from your mother's torturous reign, you realised you were a magnet for trouble. No matter where you go or what you do, trouble seems to find its way to you. Being the first ever professor with a class full of both Evers and Nevers, you knew you were in for some challenges. Never in your wildest dreams did you expect this.

A pain filled gasp left your body as you felt the cool metal of the knife entering your abdomen. Instantly the pain radiates through your exhausted body in tidal waves with enough force to wipe out cities in one wave. Yet you still continue to fight, knife still in your abdomen, you are the last hope.

Now you maybe wondering how you're alone in this battle. Well it's quite simple. Every other members of the faculty were supervising the annual ball. A hall in which you were also meant to be supervising. Growing up as a princess, you'd had your fair share of balls and knew just how tedious they could be. So it was only natural that you managed to slip away for a breather. Not a luxury you had when you were attending the balls with your mother. It was then when you stood leaning on the railing of the balcony that overlooked the blue forest, that you heard the screams of terror. A sound you recognised well, after all Queen Regina was well know for instilling terror into everyone in her path. The screams seemed to get louder as you could now hear the fear of those screaming. Your heart started to race immediately. What the hell was going on?

You slipped your heels off and quietly wondered to the door where you peaked your head round the corner to assess the situation. What met you was disturbing at least. All the other adults in the school had been frozen by magic. Similar magics to which your mother has running rampant through her veins. You knew it well enough to know it's an ancient form of magic. One that can't be wielded easily, it came with a terrible price. After all that is what all magic did. This magic wasn't something you could be born with, which is why I made sense when you caught a glance at the wielder. Rafal. You could've swore he was dead. But with his power? It's highly possible he could come back? Right? It's the only way that made sense. He continued his attack on the students that desperately were trying to hold him off, protecting the immobilised adults. Your heart swelled slightly seeing both never and ever students work together. After all unity was what you were striving for here. Clearly something that Rafal was against.

Panic bubbled in your chest as Rafal had Tedos up in the air, an expression of pain adorned his face as Rafal started to restrict his breathing. You knew how it felt first hand to have your breath taken away. It's that moment you were spurred into action.

"RAFAL!" You boomed over the frantic screams.

"Oh look! It's the spawn of Queen Regina, you must thank her for bringing me back." He goaded you dropping the prince harshly to the floor. He made his approach to you as you signalled for Agatha, Tedos and Sophie to get everyone to safety. It was going to be hard enough watching your own back let alone that of the students too.

"Tell her yourself Rafal, why are you here? What do you want?" You managed to fake a confidence that you most certainly didn't have right now.

"Oh sweet Y/n I'm here for you. These are merely a warm up" he gestured to your colleagues. The mischievous glint in his eye scarring you. No now wasn't the time for fear. You had to stop this.

"Me ? What could you possibly want with me?" You questioned even though you were pretty sure what he wanted.

Advancing towards you he stated, "To bring you back to your mother of course. You see she fixed my unfortunate issue. Gave me a heart that beats. And in return I pledged my allegiance to her. Together we will reign our evil over all kingdoms. But not until I bring you home."

"She's no mother to me!" You all but screamed "and I will not return Rafal you won't succeed and I won't allow you too hurt anyone else here." With that you just dodged an attempt he made to grab you.

"Why must you be difficult Y/n! She said you would be. And if you wouldn't come willing then I should end you once and for all. Weakness isn't something she wants and you my dear Y/n are her weakness." He all but snarled at you. Only then did you catch sight of your mothers infamous dagger. Knowing her it was probably dipped in a poison of sorts. Adrenaline running rampant through your veins you continued to counter any attacks he made. Never attacking only defending. An Ever tack tick you tried to live by. Harming people made you feel physically I'll, despite them deserving it or not. There was no way out of this. You'd have to attack. Although unwilling it was the only way. This was quickly becoming a life or death situation. For the good of the school and all those in it you would have to act unlike yourself.

More rapid attempts to grab you and distract you from enough to use the dagger were made. Only furthering your idea this poison was only meant for you. Otherwise Rafal would use the dagger more freely. He's being way too carful with it. The next moments are all blur as you feel the knife entering your abdomen. Your own magic working internally to counteract the poison. You were the only one who knew of your healing magic, but this wound was too deep to heal as well as Counteracting the poison, pain radiating from your wound was exhausting your body. With one last attempt to end this, you pushed through the pain, grabbing a fallen sword you made your way to where the professors were. You were met with the back of a gloating Rafal. So sure of your demise he didn't even check before gloating. Oh the irony. A scream ripped through his body as the sword pierced straight through the stolen heart. Two people died at that exact moment. The real Owner of the heart and Rafal.

Smoke surrounds his lifeless form, slowly moving it and causing the magic he has used to dissipate. Only then did you allow your body to fall backwards. Bleeding out all over the floor, exhaustion claiming every fibre of your being you finally allowed your eyes to close in a response to the overwhelming pain.

You must have passed out. The only logical explanation really. Blood slowly spilling out onto the cold ballroom floor. Dragged still wedged into your abdomen. Pain seemingly getting worse if that was even possible. It was the voice of your secret lover that brought you round. Dazed, you tried to move to her, blinking rapidly trying to work out which one of the three was real.

"Oh god! That's a lot of blood. Y/n stay with us" the voice of an angel spoke. Your angel. It all sounds wrong. You could practically hear the tears in her voice. Instinctively, you tried to pull yourself upright to find her. She was hurting.

"Little dove, please stay still. Don't move for me." She choked out knowing she'd have to stop your bleeding. Frantically calling out to Dovey, she took a hand to your hair stroking it gently hoping to provide a small bit of comfort as Dovey made her way to help. The other professors running to grab supplies to help. Vaguely you were aware of Dovey taking the position near your head and gasping in shock at how deep the wound looks.

"L-Leo I-it h-hu-rts" you whimpered out you knew you'd die if the dagger remained there but the thought of removing it just seemed impractical. The bleeding would increase as will the pain.

"I know my love, I know." Her tone soft and gentle for a second before addressing Dovey "I need you to try keep her as still as you can. It's important she can't move or she'll do more damage."

Dovey placed her hands to stabilise your head and shoulders. Fingers gently rubbing the skin there. "Hold still baby, hold still for me my little one." Her tone desperately pleading you to obey. She was begging you. And you wanted so desperately to obey.

"I - I c-can't! I c-can't" you whimpered out through your panicked breaths. It was then you felt the foreign object leaving your body causing you to dig your heels into the ground, back arched, head attempting to fall back as a cry of pure agony left your quivering lips. Wordlessly Dovey and Lesso swapped places allowing Lesso to come to comfort you. Dovey held down on the wound, applying enough pressure hoping to contain the bleeding. Your cries of pure agony shattering your girlfriend's heart, you could feel her salty tears hitting your cheeks as she attempted to keep you still enough for Dovey.

"Breathe y/n"

"You did so good little dove"

"Almost there darling."

"I have you sweetheart. Stay with me"

"Let me see those beautiful eyes, that's it good girl. Keep looking at me" lesso whispered out on a loop.

Yet again the pain got worse. How's that possible? Jesus you would take death over this. Teeth clenched you hissed out in pain as Dovey started to stitch your wound. Whimpering quietly you hoped she couldn't hear you. You knew it had to be done. She was helping you but right now all you knew was she was hurting you. Another stitch followed with a hissed "fuck" directed to the dean of good.

"Little one? Breathe okay? Breathe it will be all done soon"

"Good girl just like that you're doing amazingly." Lesso reassured while watching what Dovey was doing to you. You could feel the intensity of her staring at your abdomen. A particularly sensitive spot had you screaming out in agony. "L l lesso it hurts fuck it hurts"

"I know love I know I'm right here darling, such a good girl. You saved us all y/n. I love you so much just keep still for me almost there" she reassured you as you lost consciousness once more. The pain just being too much for your exhausted and battered body to handle.

When you felt yourself being brought back to the land of the living you could feel you had moved locations. Instead of the cold hard floor you were placed into a soft warm material. It smelled of the one scent that could only be described as Leonora. Pain still radiating from your abdomen made you glance down and see the slightly bloody bandages. Next to you lay Leonora eyes screwed shut in what looked to be a anything but peaceful slumber.

"You're up?" Was the unmistakable voice of your friend Dovey. Nodding was all you could manage.

You looked at Lesso questioning Dovey with your eyes.

"Only the past hour. She wouldn't sleep not wanting you to be alone in case you woke. So I told her I'll sit and watch over you both. Oh and check on your bandages." She glanced down and frowned. "Y/n those are quite bloody I only changed them an hour ago, you need to take these." She states handing you some pain reliving flower petals.  Fully aware of how disgusting yet powerful these are you complied. A hiss of pain escaping as you tried to sit yourself up. That hiss woken your girlfriend who shot up in a panic.

"Y/n! Are you okay? Dovey?"

"I'm here lesso, y/n was just sitting to take some pain relief. Your both safe. Now settle down both of you. I'll be back to check in on you soon. After all someone has to sort out the Evers." Dovey commanded and informed you both. Yet you realised she didn't say Nevers. Although they were stereotypically evil you knew they'd be worried out of their minds.

"And nevers hmm scared" you mumbled out. You forgot how fast acting this was. Words were slurring as you fought to stay awake enough to hear the reply.

"And the Nevers now rest both of you." She reassured you and with that you feel back into a medicated slumber.

Words~ 2178

*Authors note ~ this was so sad to write but I absolutely loved the prompt. Comforting lesso is adorable*

[anncanta]

‘Dracula’ BBC: the hermeneutics of the transformative text

The 21st century in literature and cinema – an art that combines the features of literature and theatre – has brought us many new ideas, genres and interactions between the reader/viewer and the work. It can already be said with a high degree of certainty that postmodernists' assumptions about the exhaustion of literary and narrative culture have not come true. The more texts appear and are read, watched and interpreted, the more obvious it becomes that what was only outlined in the second half of the twentieth century, but today turns out to be the mainstream.

I'm talking, of course, about the change and, if you like, the narrative shift that occurred at the turn of the century and that brought into popular culture (in the ‘classical’ one it existed for a very long time already) the transformative text.

In order to understand what this is and how it relates to the subject of the article, we will have to start by looking at the text of Dracula in the context of the traditional European hero narrative.

How is Dracula different from other similar stories? Because it is different, and no one has any doubts about it. The question is in what area these differences lie and what they mean.

It seems to me that the peculiarity of this film is mainly in the story and essence of the protagonist.

The authors, followed by the audience and critics, call Dracula an anti-hero and never tire of reminding us that the story is told from his side and shown through his eyes. But I think it's a little more complicated.

The fact is that Dracula is not an anti-hero, but a hero and a villain at the same time. This is the first unusual detail. Second, this text has no antagonist, at least not an antagonist in the usual sense. We cannot, in fact, consider Dracula's enemies and opponents – Jonathan Harker and Agatha Van Helsing – to be antagonists. At the same time, despite the absence of the traditional ‘hero-villain’ opposition (which, as it is believed, gives tension to the story and characters and does not allow them to become flat posters outlining the author’s point of view), the beauty and strength of this story are precisely in the volume, first of all, in the volume image of the main character.

The thing is, Dracula here is not just turned, as Moffat and Gatiss say, into the hero of his own story. That is, Dracula is formally placed in the centre. (Although in storytelling there is no ‘formal’ – any change in structure and form made immediately affects the content. As soon as you put the character in the centre of the story, the story begins to develop in a certain way, and this affects both the character itself and what happens to him or her). So, being turned into the main character of the film, Dracula, with all his questions and answers, with problems of self-identification, with needs from which he cannot escape, becomes at the same time the one who constantly tests him for strength, who confronts him and who fights him.

It is not Agatha or Jonathan that makes Dracula change, although each of them contributes greatly in their own way. Dracula is forced to change first of all by himself.

And this is a completely unique and amazing situation, which is difficult to find analogues in popular culture. The traditional narrative of Western European stories described a thousand times in many manuals for authors and scientific works, presupposes the presence of a protagonist and an antagonist, and the construction of a plot based on their conflict.

But the BBC's Dracula story isn't about how to defeat the villain. It's about how to defeat yourself.

That is why this text is so unique. Being based on the novel, which at the time gave rise to a whole genre, in the twenty-first century, within the framework of another art form, it sets the coordinates in which the transformative text, well known to the generation of Bram Stoker, comes to the viewer at a new level.

But what is a transformative text, why did it become important at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and why is it again important now?

We are little aware of how the literary situation and the general cultural atmosphere in Europe at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries – when Bram Stoker's novel was first published – was saturated with mystical, esoteric and religious-philosophical searches and ideas. In big cities, secret societies were created and gathered, Masonic lodges and esoteric circles gained popularity, and a feeling of the mysterious and unknown was in the air.

The same Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes cycle – the first story comes out in 1887, ten years before Dracula – was a deeply religious person, as well as a philosopher and mystic. Among other things, he was a member of one of the most famous in the European esoteric tradition of secret societies the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The stories about Sherlock Holmes are as much alchemical as they are positivist-rational, or perhaps even more.

And in this situation, around this time, a genre form began to emerge in European literature, which (of course, with a large degree of conventionality) can be called a transformative text.

It is not always a transformative text, as we now see it – a story full of symbolic and philosophical meanings and images, involving the reader in a deep dialogue with the characters, events and – oneself. Often, as in the case of late Romantic works or symbolist-decadent ones – such texts were literary manifestos that proclaimed the onset of a new ‘artistic era’, straightforward and declarative, in general, more or less reducible to the images and metaphors used in them.

The transformative text familiar to us matures and gains strength around the middle of the 20th century, with the emergence and development of mass literature. This is not at all accidental – like any art form that grows from an archetypal root, it retains a direct connection with the basic genre layer – in this case, a fairy tale.

It is important to emphasize here that when I say that the transformative text was most vividly developed in the middle of the 20th century, this does not mean that all of its former types (including those presented in classical literature like O. Wilde`s and E. T. A. Hoffman`s works) were ‘undeveloped’ and ‘primitive’. But at that time it was difficult to talk about the transformative text as a genre. Rather, it was just a matter of single works, to which the authors of the stories of the 20th and 21st century are obviously referred.

Also in the case of a literary work, the social, receptive, reader context is of great importance. With the advent of a mass reader, capable of perceiving and experiencing a text with a strong archetypal background, stories of this kind have an interlocutor. Moreover, the interlocutor is collective and complex, versatile and ambiguous. Along with the situation of the development of literature, which throughout the first half of the 20th century continued to move from the external to the internal, this creates ideal conditions for the development of the genre.

The most striking and widely known representative of this genre in the 20th century is, of course, The Lord of the Rings. This text has become not only beloved and significant for many people, but in a certain way ‘attracted’ readers, thinkers, philosophers, teachers, and yes, mystics of several generations. It unfolded before the astonished viewer a huge panorama of mythological meanings, contexts and multi-level complex stories. And eventually, it becomes one of the most famous texts, whose inner reality ‘splashed’ into the external reader's world – by role-playing games, fan communities etc., influencing all those involved in the metaphysical reality, the centre of which is Tolkien`s work.

Knowing this, you at all can`t be surprised by the success of Harry Potter, a book of the new turn of the century, which has absorbed both the features of the transformative text of the early 20th century (symbolic images, the central character is the saviour of the world, a disappointed dark character forced to atone for many years of enduring guilt, the struggle between good and evil, the saturation of the story with mythological, symbolic, and alchemical details, etc.) and elements specific to the new time. The latter is especially interesting since it is in Harry Potter for the first time began to emerge what will be fully manifested in the audiovisual texts of the first two decades of the 21st century – Sherlock, Doctor Who, and Dracula – the inseparability of the basic logic of the archetypal, fabulous, and casual.

In particular, it was Harry Potter that actually removed the principle of ‘dual world’ – the former basic plot and content law of stories of this type. Before, no matter how unusual, complex, magical and special the world was, into which – with the help of a certain spell or object – the main characters fell, it was always separated from the world of everyday life by an impenetrable high wall. To the extent that the characters living on our, human, side of this wall turned out to be unsure of the reality of the magical world, being forced to prove to themselves and others the authenticity of their unusual experience.

And only in Harry Potter did the boundaries of the worlds become permeable, and the world of wizards and Muggles appeared to the reader as two parallel realities, neither of which has priority over the other and is more or less authentic. These are just two ways of being in the world. Obviously – with a considerable amount of irony says Joanne Rowling – that each of the inhabitants of these worlds considers his own way to be universal and the only correct one, which does not mean, however, that this is the case.

Such a structure shows exactly what happens not only within such stories at the level of the plot but also with the genre itself. Starting with Harry Potter, in this genre, became possible to organically coexist and work the archetypal, the fabulous, and the mystical elements and forms. At the same time, in a particular text, the archetypal can be ‘divided’ into the archetypal-fairy tale (symbols, elements, and tropes of a fairy tale) and the archetypal-religious-mystical (Christian symbols and symbols of alchemy).

A typical example is the appearance of Euros Holmes in the fourth season of Sherlock. As a woman, she symbolizes the feminine, mysterious, mystical, lunar beginning in the structure of the story and the relationship between the brothers. At the same time, both in terms of the plot and from the point of view of the fabula, having arisen unexpectedly, she seems to be ‘wedged’ into the story and is placed literally between the Holmes brothers, disrupting and changing their usual dynamics.

In this sense, Euros is felt not like a younger, but rather like a middle sister, which, together with her feminine nature, refers to the image of the middle path, no man's land, terra incognita, and – a connective tissue, whose function is to support and maintain form. Not the creation of the world – the masculine forces are in charge of creation – but the preservation of the world`s unity and ensuring development. At the same time, development and preservation do not promise an idyllic ‘feminine’ – as it was seen in a reduced form in the Victorian era, to which the secret sister motif refers – the name Eurus recalls the deity of the east wind, capricious, restless, furious, and anxious. And with the image of Eurus, the strange, incomprehensible and psychotic enters Sherlock, disturbing the peace and triggering the creative potential.

Such details and structural elements can be traced in great numbers in all the texts I have listed. Already in Sherlock and Doctor Who appeared what in Dracula will flourish.

The transformative text stops pretending to be something else.

You see, after all, every time we read or listen to, or watch such a story, we somehow relate to its character or characters. And even if the main goal of the story is not this, at one of the levels it always invites us to focus on it, to compare ourselves with the hero, to identify with him or her, as well as with his or her values and decisions. This is its absolute norm – to create a screen, projected onto which, our own experiences and states can be realized and – thanks to correlation with a ‘positive’ example, rethought and changed.

Already in Harry Potter, it happens differently. Not to mention the fact that Rowling's novel does not contain an unambiguously positive example and some indicated right path (in one of the episodes Dumbledore directly says, ‘The world is not divided into good people and Death Eaters, Harry’), at the very beginning, in the first book, the text literally parodies this practice. Yes, I'm talking about the Mirror of Erised episode. Remember – the mirror of Erised shows the people`s most secret desires but does not give either knowledge or truth? This moment directly models the situation of the reader's collision with the transformative text. And it says: here you will not find what you need. Search elsewhere. As we learn already at the end of the first book, search within yourself.

But if in Harry Potter traces of the traditional connection between the reader and the text, albeit in a modified form, are preserved, then Sherlock seriously tests this connection for strength, and Dracula completely discards it.

First of all, as I have already said, this is due to the absence of an antagonist and the placement of Dracula at the centre of the story.

Dracula is by definition a ‘dark’ character. In Stoker's novel, he acts as a metaphor for the incomprehensible, mysterious, cruel, strange – and yes, close to the unconscious and psychotic. Such Euros Holmes, hidden in the closet. Oh, sorry, was it literally the closet where she was? The BBC's Dracula brings a shadowy figure out of a closet and sees what happens.

At the same time, what is important, it is not a hero ‘with his own truth’, a misunderstood sufferer or a rejected youngest son, emerging from the darkness of the scenes (this archetypal image instantly levels out the properties of a dark character and does not add anything new to the story, simply changing the poles). The thing is, he is exactly a dark character.

And this is what happens.

It is impossible to associate oneself with a dark character, to identify oneself with him or her, and even more so to ‘equalize’ with him or her. The ‘hotbeds’ of falling in love with James Moriarty, Gregory House and Draco Malfoy that flare up in different fandoms are nothing more than forms of teenage protest. The Mirror of Erised shows deep desires but does not give knowledge and truth. (Yes, Gregory House is not the main character. He is an antagonist, considered up close. And the whole story about a brilliant and psychopathic diagnostician is an experiment, the purpose of which is to see what will happen if the wishes of the antagonist and his fans come true, and he sits in the crown and royal regalia for more than five minutes. Not that it inspires much).

At the same time, being the hero of his own story, the dark character, like the classic solar hero, goes a long way toward development, but, unlike the first one, he does not have such luxury as a good enemy and a magical sword.

And this is the key point. There is no external antagonist and no ‘great mission’ – no coming-of-age story that underlies all goodie stories. Instead, there is a story about how to understand yourself.

And there is no better genre for such a story than a transformative text.

Before, we have already considered how the imagery component works in Dracula. Now I propose to look at how three key narratives – Christian, Jungian and fairy tale – manifest themselves in it and how they form the narrative framework of a transformative text in the new century, using old and modern artistic means.

Christian narrative. Man in a nightgown

I don't think it will come as a surprise to most readers if I say that Christian optics in Dracula is one of the key parts. There is nothing surprising in this, given how densely and deeply the Christian context is embedded in European culture. But in this case, it is important for us to see not only how Christian references and metaphors work in the film, but how the entire narrative landscape here turns out to be, in a certain sense, conditioned by Christian logic.

You will have to start from the very beginning.

Let's take a look at what we are shown in the very first scene of the film, where this whole story begins.

The prologue of the first episode shows us a person of indeterminate gender and age sitting in a closed cramped room resembling a prison. This man is dressed in a strange long robe of off-white colour, similar to a dress or a nightgown. The person is clearly confused and is in a state of either delirium or half asleep. After that, the camera abruptly moves ‘inside’ the character, and we see through his eyes what seems to be a giant fly, completely blocking the view.

Already in the next scene, we learn that this man is Jonathan Harker, who miraculously escaped from the castle of Count Dracula and found shelter in a monastery in Budapest.

From Jonathan we learn about what is happening in Dracula's castle, Jonathan will become the one for whom Dracula will leave this castle, thanks to him Dracula will first penetrate the monastery, and then inside the space separated by sacred bread, in which Agatha and Mina will hide, and, finally, we will meet him in the 21st century – already as a name for a centre that accumulates the efforts of healers and warriors (and has an ambiguous reputation) and a person who looks at visitors and employees from a portrait in which he is depicted young, healthy and strong, as it was before entering Dracula's house.

I think you have already guessed what image he represents here.

I have already spoken in detail about how the interaction between Jonathan and Dracula takes place and what it means, including in a Christian context as the first real collision of the Count with the manifestation of the divine, in my other article.

Here I will only note that the climactic scene on the roof, in which Dracula falls to the floor, feeling the sunlight reflected from the cross around Harker's neck flood his face, is completely repeated in the 21st century – when in the centre of Jonathan Harker, before leaving, Dracula approaches Jonathan`s portrait, the Count's face, in the same way, is illuminated by light, and in the same way, this light is reflected. Only now Dracula is not afraid, and he does not notice it. The next time (I think it is no coincidence the third) he will face direct sunlight, and then he will finally be able to look at it. Already this set of visual metaphors shows that it was the relationship with Jonathan and his image that made it possible for the Count to walk this path.

However, not all so simple. Let's return to Harker himself, to the way he is shown in the monastery, and to the visual metaphors used in this part of the story.

The image of a person dressed in something that looks like a nightgown (either a shroud or tattered diapers, or literally ‘garments of skin’*), of indeterminate gender and age, extremely emaciated, in a viscous state of consciousness, absorbed by nightmarish visions, when everything seems to him mired in the material to the limit – this is the Christian image of man as such, a man after falling into the material world, who completely ‘disconnected’ himself from communion with the divine. And he is also the image of Christ, Who took upon Himself the lot and oppression of the human.

The incarnation of Christ in the Christian narrative is not only birth in a human body, not only ‘The Word became flesh’, that is, the good news and the promise that if God was incarnated in a human, then a human can open up to the state of divinity – this is a restriction of infinite to the limits of the narrow consciousness of a single ordinary person. That`s why we see the fly on full screen at the beginning, as a symbol of the ultimate ‘density’ and the impossibility of seeing anything other than the physical world. This symbolic context is confirmed by Dracula, saying, ‘Where there is flesh, there are flies.’

Thus, at the beginning of the story, we literally see a man who is ‘at the bottom of himself’, frightened, wandering in the dark. According to Christian tradition and logic, this is the person that the Savior, first of all, enters into a relationship with, the person whose level He descends to. ‘For it is not the healthy ones who need a doctor, but the sick ones.’

Jonathan's conversation with the nuns is a clear allusion to the meeting of Jesus with the myrrh-bearing women, who, by the way, did not recognize Christ. An interesting inversion of this situation is the story of Mina, whose face Harker does not remember, but who remembers him perfectly and is ready to accept him in any guise and remain faithful. Unlike Agatha, who knows Harker and studies him closely, while bluntly stating that she considers Jonathan's talk about God and Mina`s about faith naive, and instead of relying on faith, inviting them to make a plan.

And finally, the Jonathan Harker Foundation, which I have already mentioned, created by Mina, is undoubtedly a reference to the church as an institution, with all its sometimes not the most simple aspects. In this sense, Dracula`s phrase about it sounds incredibly ironic, ‘Johnny was a good person. How is this place related to him?’

In closing, let's revisit Harker's first appearance in the story and his significance to Dracula.

Dracula ordered a brilliant lawyer from London (a lawyer is the one who justifies, who defends you in court and who is always on your side, even if you are guilty), who was to become his guide to the world of people, a guide to the light. Dracula, in fact, was counting on his help to heal his infirmity. And his saviour turned out to be a tormented man in rags, who in the face of death and pain, refused darkness.

And since, despite everything, Dracula's intentions were sincere, feeding on the flesh and blood of this man, he returned humanity to himself. And therefore he was able to go further along the path chosen by him – albeit unconsciously.

Part 2.

Part 3.

*'The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.' — Genesis 3:21 — The New International Version (NIV)

[aparticularbandit]

Vacation with the Valentines!

Summary: Every year, the Valentines put on a Valentine’s Day Event, and every year, they need to get away to relax.  This year, Eve has somewhere different in mind.

Part of The Valentines Collection.

Eve Fletcher/Claire Debella Agatha Harkness/The Ancient One Rating: T

word count: 2183

The longest day – the longest night – of their year is done.  Finished. Over until next year, when they’ll do it again.  Louder. More extravagant.  With a new theme that they won’t announce until the first of the year, so that their specially selected guests will have a little more than a month to get everything they need to prepared for the Valentines’ Valentine’s Day Extravaganza.  It isn’t the Met Gala by any means, but it’s probably the closest a political event can get. Of course, it isn’t always political, but more and more these years, it has become that way.

Taking their anniversary and turning it into what it’s become was Jen’s idea.  Eve still holds that against her – mostly in the days of the week leading up the event itself, when she sees the toll that it’s taking on her wife, when she sees how much Claire doesn’t sleep (even more than normal, which is saying something in and of itself), how much she personally oversees so many aspects of the party just to make sure that she doesn’t need to worry about anyone having a bad time.  It’s exhausting, and that’s not even including the party itself.

But there’s something special about seeing the way Claire lights up at the event, and Eve wouldn’t trade that for the world.

…she also wouldn’t trade the week-long vacation afterward, either.

The vacation is Eve’s domain, and she always picks somewhere different every year.  One year, Claire convinced her to make it a staycation, but then Claire had just gone immediately back to work, saying stuff like just a little bit and well, I need to get this, too, dear and then it wasn’t really a vacation at all. Claire had promptly come down with a cold because it was still winter and she’d overworked herself, and then it really had been a staycation, just not a fun one.

So every year, Eve makes sure.  Somewhere else.  Somewhere new.  Somewhere they can relax and not feel like they have to get out and see the sights (or where Claire won’t feel like she has to visit dignitaries or other political figures).  Unfortunately, as much as Eve would love for them to get out somewhere without any technology, Claire’s job demands that she be accessible.  It comes with the territory.  Eve understands that; she just regrets that aspect of it.

This year, Eve picked somewhere extra special, somewhere not nearly as far away as they could have gone.

And she’d picked just the right people to host them, too.

~

“Hey.”  Eve leaves her blue suitcase by the door, its handle still stuck straight up, and immediately wraps her arms tight around her sister-in-law, just setting her head on Agatha’s shoulder.  “Thank you for hiding us away for a few days.”

Agatha holds her tighter – most of her strength is in her legs, but Cian’s been having her practice hoisting people, just in case Wong wants her to play prince instead of princess, so her grip around Eve feels not a bit unlike being crushed.  She can still feel Agatha’s ribs through her baggy sleep shirt, even though she’s not nearly as thin as she once was.  “It’s not a problem, hon,” she says, rubbing her back with one hand.  “We’ll take you whenever.”

That’s easier for Agatha to say now that she’s nearly retired.  Soon, she’ll have free time galore, not that Eve will remind her of that.  Eve steps back, searches Agatha’s eyes, and then tucks strands of her wild dark hair back behind one ear.  “The kids will love to see their favorite aunt again.”

“Their only aunt,” Agatha corrects as their front door closes.

Claire slips out of her shoes at the doorway, taking them off with her free hand, and looks up at her sister with a weariness she can’t wear as blatantly in public.  She sighs, but before she can even stand up straight, Agatha has her arms around her, squeezing her tight and holding her a few inches above the ground.  Claire lets out a deep chuckle.  “I’m supposed to do that to you—”

“Fuck your gender bullshit.”

Claire just laughs again as Agatha lets her slowly down and then buries her head in her chest.  She strokes her hand through her sister’s hair.  “You missed me.”

“Didn’t,” Agatha mumbles into her chest, the word coming out muffled.

“Did,” Claire insists, kissing the crown of her head.  “You’re still my best girl, Ata.”

Eve shoots Claire a look, and Claire gives her a sheepish one back but doesn’t correct herself.  So Eve sighs and makes her way over to where Cian is standing, hands shoved into their pockets, keeping an eye on everything with dark bags under their eyes.  Their brows raise ever so slightly as Eve approaches, and she smiles at them.  “No hugs, right?”

“I can spare a hug for my favorite sister, love,” Cian says in that soft, easy tone of theirs and holds one arm open that Eve snuggles into.  Their grip is nowhere near as strong as it once was, their fingers and body spindly.

Eve wraps her arms around them as gentle as she possibly can, then asks as she steps back, “How have you been doing?”

Cian shrugs, shoving their hands back into their pockets and leaning against the wall with an exhaustion they wear differently than Eve and Claire wear theirs.  “It’s the same as last time.”  They sigh, grey-green eyes twinkling.  “I’ll either get better, or I won’t.”

“That’s not what I asked—” Eve starts to say, only to be interrupted by a thunder of little footsteps from overhead.

Barely minutes pass before a small scrap of a girl rushes down the entryway and tackles into Eve.  In one swift movement, Eve hefts her up, and the girl grins at her, a smile that is all bright teeth.  “Auntie Eve!” she exclaims before nuzzling into her neck.  “Mama said you were coming and I should go to bed, but I couldn’t sleep!”

Eve cradles the daughter that is not hers close to her chest.  “Aislin!  My favorite niece!  I have missed you!”

“I’m your only niece!” Aislin giggles, squirming a bit in Eve’s arms.

“Is that Aislin?” Claire asks, finally moving away from Agatha and coming over to place her hand just on top of Aislin’s dark curls.  “You’ve gotten so big.”

Aislin grins up at her.  “Uncle Christopher, did you bring me any presents?”

Claire’s reaction is slight, small, a little flickering flinch of a thing that Aislin misses, her blue eyes bright and curious.  It’s a secret, her truth, because it needs to be right now, and she shakes it off as she leans down and just touches her nose to Aislin’s. “You’ll have to get some sleep first, Ais.  If I gave you your present now, you would never get to sleep.”

“I’m not gonna sleep now.” Aislin pouts.

“Now, now.”  Agatha gently takes her daughter from Eve’s arms and gives her a strong look.  “Your aunt and uncle just got in, hon, and they’re very tired.”  She meets Aislin’s eyes.  “Let them sleep, and then you’ll have more presents in the morning.”

Aislin’s eyes light up.  “More presents?  Like what?”

Agatha’s gaze flicks over to Cian and then back again.  “Special secret birthday pancakes.”

“Special secret birthday pancakes?!” Aislin echoes.  “But it’s not my birthday!”

“No, but it’s a special occasion,” Agatha says as she heads back down the entryway with her daughter.  She continues to explain, but her words are lost as she walks away.

Claire finally looks up at Cian and meets their eyes.  “Sorry for the intrusion.”  She rubs the back of her neck sheepishly.  “A few things came up, and our flight got pushed back—”

“Don’t worry about it, Claire.”  Cian pats her shoulder.  “With the weather the way it is, we were certain we wouldn’t get you in for a few more hours.  You were incredibly lucky.”

“It’s not luck.”  Eve elbows Claire gently in her ribs.  “It is forcing her to keep to a schedule.”

Claire just blushes and hangs her head.  “I can’t just drop everything and go, Eve—”

“That doesn’t matter now, love.”  Cian claps her shoulders gently.  “Let me lead you to your room.”  As Claire and Eve get their bags again, they continue, “I hope you don’t mind that you’re on the first floor; Agatha thought that after last time you’d want a room further away from ours.”

“Yes, thank you.”  Claire’s teeth grit together.  “And I thought we decided we weren’t ever going to speak of that again.”

One corner of Cian’s lips lifts with amusement.  “Of course not.  I wouldn’t dream of saying a thing.”

~

The next morning, Eve wakes curled up, safe and warm, in Claire’s arms.  She snuggles closer against her chest.  “You’re supposed to be asleep,” she murmurs, voice laden with contented sleepiness.  “They’re not so loud you can hear them down—”

“We weren’t going to talk about that—”

Eve giggles, a bright sound, and she leans up just enough to kiss the edge of her wife’s jaw.  “Right. Right.”  She leans up a little higher and brushes her nose against Claire’s.  “I love you, Mrs. Valentine.”

“I love you, too, Mrs. Valentine.”  Claire leans up against the backboard and runs a hand through Eve’s frumpled hair as she nuzzles her back.  “Thank you for bringing us here.  We haven’t seen them in—”

“It hasn’t been two months, Claire.”  Eve trails a finger along Claire’s arm, gaze dropping to her chest. “Princess?”

Claire’s brows raise immediately, and she purrs a gentle, “Hm?”

“What do you say we make them regret putting us next to the kitchen?” Eve glances up, meeting Claire’s eyes, making hers as wide and as innocent as she possibly can, even batting her lashes a few times for good measure.

Claire laughs, breath hot against Eve’s skin, deep voice rumbling through her. Then she grins.  “I think,” she murmurs, “that is an excellent idea.”  She leans up to kiss her, and as Eve melts into her, her strong arms wrap around her, holding her in place as she rolls atop her.  Eve threads one hand through Claire’s long hair while the other begins to loosen the drawstrings of Claire’s striped pajama pants—

“Auntie Eve!  Uncle Christopher!”

The pounding comes at their bedroom door loud and swift and insistent, causing Eve to tense up at her niece’s voice.  “Papa made special secret birthday pancakes!  You’ve gotta get up, or they’re gonna get cold!!”

Behind Aislin comes Agatha’s voice, calling out, “I told you not to wake them up, precious!  They’re here to relax!”

Aislin’s voice again, muffled this time, in response, “But it’s special secret birthday pancakes!”  But her voice grows softer, footsteps thundering away into the kitchen.

Claire lets out a breath they didn’t even know she’d been holding and laughs, pressing her forehead against Eve’s.  Underneath her, Eve also laughs, until Claire runs a finger slow along her jaw.  “I guess I’ll be taking a raincheck, although I—”  She pauses, gives Eve a quick, hungry kiss.  “—don’t want to.”

“We can be quick,” Eve says, leaning up to kiss her again.  “We can be quiet.”

“You?  Quiet?” Claire’s brows raise until they just hit her hairline.  She traces another finger along the curve of Eve’s waist, and Eve squirms, whimpers beneath her.  “But I like when you—”

Eve jumps as Claire’s fingertip hits a particularly sensitive spot with a startled eep of a sound.  She bites her lower lip.  “Princess,” she whines, “I’m not sure I like this game.”

But Claire’s grin grows wolfish.  “You know just what to say to make a girl blush.”  She traces her fingers down another spot, gets rewarded with another high-pitched eep of a sound.  “Do you really want me to stop?” her voice grows softer, nearly a whisper.

“You know what I’ll say if I want you to stop,” Eve murmurs, hand returning to loosening Claire’s pants, “but you might have to make me stay quiet, princess.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself.”

“Like this?” Claire asks, covering Eve’s lips with one hand and gently pressing down.

Eve’s eyes grow wide, but she nods.  Then she kisses the palm of Claire’s hand ever so gently before Claire lifts it away.  “You always take such good care of me.”

“Not as good as you with me.”  Claire’s fingers, cold to the touch, move beneath Eve’s shirt and skim along her skin. She kisses her neck.  “Let me reward you.”  Then her wife’s fingers slip beneath her pants, and she lets out a soft moan against her neck.  She lowers herself into her grasp, nibbling along her skin.  “Did I tell you I love you?”

Eve purrs a gentle ascent.  “Maybe I’m not the one who needs to be quiet.”

Claire just chuckles.  Then her voice grows deeper as she commands, “I’m going need you to turn.  Can you do that for me, dear?”

“As you wish, princess.”

[apinchofm]

The Ball

The final part of this randomness - I'll probs post in full on Ao3 if wanted! Hope people have enjoyed it!

Part One: Regent's Park Gazebo

Part Two: Unity

Edwina wakes up exhausted. She had slept for most of the day after crying and then thinking.

After a bath and dressing, she made her way downstairs and was surprised to see Agatha waiting for her at the foot of the stairs.

"Lady Danbury." She greeted, ready for a scolding. But rather than her signature glare, Agatha looked at her kindly.

"I fear I have underestimated this season's toll on you." Lady Danbury said.

"It appears that everyone has seen what I did not." Edwina said, "I merely feel foolish, "

"You have the courage to do what even I could not do. Call off the wedding." Lady Danbury said with a hint of a smile, "That takes immense courage. In fact, the Queen would like to have you over for tea this afternoon, before the Featherington Ball."

She was surprised at that. She thought she would have yelled and that the Queen despised her.

"I just feel angry." Edwina said, "All the time. I do not know why. I called off the wedding. I made that decision. And yet..." She shook her head in frustration.

"Angry? At who?"

"The Viscount. Myself. Kate. Mama. You." She listed.

"Let us dissect this, yes?" Agatha said and lead her to the drawing room. An easy trap as Kate and Mary were already in there. Edwina took a seat across from her sister and mother.

"Edwina feels angry with us all and her herself." Agatha announced, "I believe it is time we dissect this. As a family," She and Mary shared a kind look. Agatha was as good as their godmother if the girls had been raised Christian.

"So why are you angry with yourself?" Mary questioned.

"Because I was a fool. Everyone else could see what I did not. It is why all of the Bridgertons were being so nice. They pitied the idiotic girl who fell in love with the Viscount who was just pretending to like me. Love me."

"That is the Viscount's fault. And we are so proud of you for standing up for what you wanted." Mary reassured her.

"You have every right to be angry with me, Ed," Kate said, shaking her head repentantly.

"I do not. Not completely." Edwina said, "But I must ask - have you regretted teaching me? Shaping me?"

"Edwina!" Kate gasped.

"You are my big sister, the best big sister. I thought that you resented me. Why else would you let me look like a fool?" Edwina challenged.

"I could not resent you!" Kate argued, "I thought it was merely a passing folly, nothing more. And you loved him. I did not do it to make you a fool. I just... I wanted you to have the chances I did not. I remembered the prettiness of the season when I was younger, here with Appa and Mama. You deserved that. You always have!"

"So do you!" Edwina protested, "My grandfather being an earl does not change the fact that I was not born in a foreign country. I am not a Sheffield but a Sharma. We are supposed to be sisters!"

Kate shook her head, "Edwina, I did not wish to break your heart. You said you were falling in love with him."

"But you did." Edwina said quietly, "In trying not to, you were willing to let me go to that altar, ready to marry a man who had been pursuing you. It breaks my heart to think that you believed that is what either of us deserved such a fate."

"Anthony-"

"I am not speaking of Lord Brigderton, but you. You thought you deserved to sit back and watch a man who had been taken with you marry me." Edwina said and Kate sniffed, tears in her eyes.

"But he was still hurting the two of you." Mary pointed out sharply, "He should not have continued his pursuit of you Edwina."

"Do you love him?" Edwina asked her sister.

"I-" Kate stuttered out, her face warming thinking about when she last saw the man, "We have feelings for one another."

"Then if he is as honourable as he claims to be, he will court you in the way you deserve. and the two of you will marry." Edwina said decidedly. 

"In the meantime, I recommend civility with the Viscount-" Lady Danbury began.

"No." Edwina protested, "I do not want to be civil with him. He hurt me."

"Edwina-" Mary began.

Edwina shook her head, "All of you - Lord Bridgerton, Mama, even you, Lady Danbury! I am young, yes. But I have my own thoughts, I am not some porcelain doll for all of you to shape and have me bend to your will. I will not be civil with that man because you demand it. I will not

"I will sponsor the two of you for another season." Lady Danbury announced and the girls looked at her surprised, "That is the least I can do. Simon has offered a dowry. I belive you striking his eldest friend rather charmed the Duke."

"Anthony asked to court me," Kate said quietly, "I will not do so without your blessing."

"Okay," Edwina whispered with a small smile. She wanted Kate happy, more than anything.

"I'm sorry, akka." Edwina said tearfully, fresh tears falling down her cheeks. Both girls were crying, but more out of relief and they hugged for the first time in days. Mary wrapped her arms around her girls.

"Aggie, get in here." Mary pulled her into the hug.

"That is more than enough," Agatha said gruffly, pulling away after about five seconds, "We have one last ball to prepare for. The Featheringtons." They all shared a grimace.

"We have come thus far." Mary agreed, "We will not let them define us. We define ourselves."

...

They all actually had enjoyed the Faetherington Ball, despite the whispering and stares from members of the Ton. A swift endorsement from the Queen of the Sharmas quickly shut everyone up, as she made sure to announce a few of the King's eligible and handsome male relatives would be visiting England. Kate and Edwina chose to dance with one another, neither girl allowing any man to sign their dance cards.

And the fireworks at the end

"Miss Edwina, Miss Kate." The Duke and Duchess of Hastings greeted them, "It is lovely to see you."

"The two of you are so very beautiful." Daphne gushed.

"Thank you," Kate began to fervently thank him for supporting them.

"Well, we are practically family." Simon waved away, "It is the least the two of you deserve."

"Kate, I was wondering if you would like to take a turn in the gardens?" Daphne asked and was already looping her arm through her arm.

"To the floor?" Simon asked and Edwina smiled and nodded. The envying looks from Cressida Cowper and her circle were worth it.

"Your wife is not very subtle, is she?" Edwina asked the Duke with a knowing look.

"The Bridgertons have yet to master the art of subtlety." Simon laughed as he lifted Edwina up in a spin as the jaunty music began.

As the evening wound down, Mary and Lady Danbury were about to leave and look for Kate. But Kate found them.

"Mama!" Kate bounced over to the three, grinning. Anthony was following her, equally happy, "We are engaged."

"Oh, beta." She hugged her, trying not to sob happily. Anthony walked toward the two women, his face serious.

"Lady Mary. I will do everything I can to regain your trust. I love Kate and I want to take care of her and all of you." Anthony vowed. Mary nodded with a small smile.

Simon escorted Edwina to the women and Anthony, smiling at his friend.

"Edwina. We are engaged." Kate said cautiously, but her happiness was infectious and both sisters were smiling.

"I am happy for you, akka." Edwina gave her a big hug.

"Miss Edwina-" Anthony began but she simply turned around gracefully and walked away from him. Kate bit her lip, holding in a laugh but was proud her sister was not seeking his or anyone else's validation.

He was rather lucky not to get slapped again.

"I belive you must follow Augustus' direction when it comes to Edwina. Baby steps, my Lord." Lady Danbury recommended, "I believe it is time we all retire and we will do tea tomorrow?"

"Of course." Anthony looked reluctant to part with Kate, which warmed Mary's heart before he kissed her hand and released her.

"I will attempt civility. I do not like him, but I will do so for you, Kate." Edwina promised in the carriage.

"Thank you." Kate smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Perhaps I shall find my own reformed rake." Edwina winked.

"Please, no!" Mary and Lady Danbury chorused, making the girls laugh.