#brothers: what a coincidence we were about to start doing that :) (they weren't)

[leviachansbaka]

One of the things I really like about the demon brothers is how desperate they are for MC's validation. If MC ever told someone they're into malewives, all the brothers would start doing the house chores properly to get compliments from that sheep They'd even wear maid outfits or cat ears if MC said they're into it

[kanmom51]

JK live 23 September 2023 (NYC)

20:11 or 8:11 pm EST

cr./to the creators of the media used in this post.

or

24 September 2023 9:11 am KST.

Coincidence? Starting the live at 8:11? I think not.

And not the first time he goes live at that time either.

So yeah, JK came live at 8:11 and ended the live at 13:23 minutes.

13 again? Coincidence again? Given that he said his goodbyes at around the 12 minute mark and then waited (?) for it to reach 13? Maybe. Fact is it did.

OMG, he opens up the live like this:

He's so damn adorable.

And it's a Bratz lip gloss, lol.

How can you not love him?

Anyway, JK starts the live saying long time no see and with talk about 3D coming out on the 29th. He tells us how it was his idea to add the clip at the end of the GCF performance, but someone ruined the surprise by running it during the rehearsals, which they obviously weren't supposed to. Oopsy. Spoiler king was spoilered. Lol.

He is a little fidgety, feels like he's doing the live cause he needs to, rather than really wants to... just a feeling I had.

JK says that as much as he was busy he actually did have time to come to us live, but, and this is where JK has decided to place the boundaries that he himself kind of tore down just a little while ago - he talks about there having to be a push and pull, but I guess he realised, perhaps with some help from others, that tearing down those walls between himself and us has also created an expectation from some fans for more, too much. Also, there needs to be some mystery (he was probably told) and leave the fans with a want for more...

I don't think this is the end of the JK we came to know and love the past few months, but I do think that he is trying to re-assess and set some boundaries between the artist that he is and us as fans.

And truthfully, let's be real here for a sec. Us, the fans, we were kind of a filler in. When the real thing is there, and the time to enlistment is getting shorter and shorter, and there is a choice between the two, who do you think he will choose? A 3 hour live with us or a sleepover with JM? I really don't think the choice is such a difficult one. Do you?

JK asks how the performance was. Hasn't monitored it yet (oh, and believe me when he does he's going to be hard on himself). And yet, even though he heard from fans they liked it, he feels he did better at rehearsal. Says it's a jynx. On the day of the performance his throat got dried up. It's called anxiety or nerves JK. If only there was someone there with him to calm those nerves...

And before you come at me, yes. I do feel he was anxious. He was a little closed up and distant as well. The enormity of it. The having to speak English. The being there ALONE. There were these little moments of disconnect during the performance. Maybe if he would have started his set with the more lively songs it would have helped, but if only there was someone there to support him and calm him, that dryness in the throat he talks about... yeah, non existent. My opinion. Fight me.

Then Jin shows up in the comment.

I mentioned that it felt like he did the live because he had to (after the performance and the 3D teasers dropping). Jin showing up in the comments, his reaction, felt like relief in a sense. He was really happy.

He saw one of the members commented, went in to see who it was and was really happy to see him.

The whole interaction between them was so older and younger brother, lol.

Jin with the "stop touching your hair", the whole call me convo (JK saying the times aren't lining up him being overseas and Jin answering with him texting Jhope 300 messages a day, as in "you ass, you can always send me a message instead", lol).

Watch the interaction here:

What did I take from the interaction with Jin?

First of all, that JK was really happy to see him. Not JM level happy, of course, but really happy. Do I say what I'm thinking? About members showing up in his comments and his reaction to them? Nah. In this instance I will take the fifth.

Second, we get it straight out of the horses mouth: JK is enlisting soon. Not like we didn't know it already. Like seriously. But there are those, solos mainly, that seem to still think that JK won't be enlisting with the others. Well, JK made it abundantly clear in that conversation that he's definitely enlisting and it's happening soon. It's the "I'll be joining that party soon" (as in the Jin and Jhope army party) and it's in the "you'll be out while we're still in so take care of Army until we're done" whole convo as well.

Anyway, you gotta love Jin.

Moving on.

JK tells us that 3D is different from Seven - and to look forward to it.

Wanted to thank army that came to the concert, thank K army for taking the time and supporting him.

29th September is Choseok. JK says the reason the song is released that day is he thinks we will like it more. Ok, yeah. Not the tight schedule and looming enlistment. Well, he does hint about it. Starting up about the reason it's hurried, and why he's been in a hurry, but leaves it up to our imagination. I guess we know, right? If they want to be back by mid 2025 enlistment needs to happen by at the latest start of 2024. And in the little time left he has the single and an album to release. And my guess is there is more too. Some set for before enlistment, some set to land while they are away. JM and him.

He asks "what's after this? what is it?" laughingly answering "your curious, right?"

"What is it? I am really looking forward to it." he says cheekily.

Then he says he's working hard in preparing something for us.

And then he looks down and finds the exact comment he wants to answer:

The Weverse translation is a little different.

The gist is the same.

We have JK recognizing a JM comment and answering it specifically. And I say specifically because there were PLENTY of Tae comments in his live. Layover, Tae, Slow dance, screaming at him to just say a god damn thing about Tae's album or releases. But our man, he stood fast, lol.

And don't get me wrong, I don't think he doesn't support Tae or want him to succeed. He's his bandmate and friend. But you know what he ain't, is his boyfriend. That is the one and only Mr. Park Jimin. So, it's not that JK doesn't care, it's that Tae just ain't on his mind. Wasn't it Tae that used to say, repeatedly, that JK just ignores him? Lol. But even if Tae isn't on his mind, the comments, they can definitley serve as a fucking annoying reminder. Which JK chooses very loudly to ignore. And making a statement of sorts while doing so, by reacting, out of all of those comments, to the one relating to JM.

That's what I call a big ass JK FUCK YOU to the cult.

Anyway, we were talking about JK's reaction. And when you talk about reactions you look not only at the verbal but also the body language.

The way he leans in to read the comment once he recognizes it's about JM.

The way he does that head tilt when talking about JM's dancing.

The neck crack.

The hand gesture.

Let's talk about the hand gesture for a second here.

Man knows the choreography. That hand gesture was him doing part of the choreo. Muscle memory. And his eyes and facial expression.

Also, have a look at this:

Ok, so it is funny how JK knew JM posted to IG and watched it as well... You know, considering the man told us he not only deleted his own IG account but deleted the app from his phone all together...

Thing is man monitors SM. We know that!! You think he wouldn't have seen it on Twitter? Or TikTok? JM's dance is all over the place. So yeah, my initial thought was: hey, how did he see it without an IG account? But then, you know, when common sense took over, I realised he could have seen it ANYWHERE. We know he monitors. We assume he monitors JM and Jikook accounts. He would have seen it either way.

But in any case, as I mentioned, this wouldn't have been the first and only time he has seen this choreo or dance.

JK continues to tell us he's going out for diner with staff. A good reason indeed to end the live (that like I said, he wasn't in the feels for).

And continues telling us to be curious.

Didn't someone tell him curiosity killed the cat?

At the end of the live JK makes us know he's monitoring SM (like I said before, something we already knew). He knows what fans are saying. He talks about the good. And he is thankful for those kind words.

But he also sees the bad. We know it!!

Ooh, btw, do we talk about that ring JK was wearing?

This is the second time around we have him wearing this kind of ring.

Interesting.

So to sum it up:

In those 13 minutes and a bit of his live, he mostly spoke about the performance, 3D coming out, talked to Jin in the comments and answered the comment that happened to be about JM.

I guess that wraps it up.

[renjunniex]

Thank You, For Being You

Isaac Lahey x Fem! Reader Series

Raving

Omega Part 1 | Omega Part 2 | Shape Shifted | Ice Pick | Abomination | Venomous | Frenemy | Restraint | Party Guessed | Fury

Prompt: Joining forces with Derek was difficult to say the least. Not only because he wanted to do things differently but it also meant you had to spend more time with Isaac.

a/n: heyyyy everybody! another chapter is here! super grateful for all the love you guys have been giving me seriously, thank you guys so much! ALSO YALL I DIDNT REALIZE I WAS SPELLING MR. HARRIS AS MR. HARRISON UNTIL JUST NOW. WHY DIDNT YALL TELL ME!?!? i went back and changed them so we should be good now lol

*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧

"Oh, what the hell is this?"

You and Stiles were sitting at the station with food for Sheriff, who was very unhappy with what he had been given. "Veggie burger," sang Stiles as he rearranged the contents around the table. He handed you yours before setting his salad in front of him.

"Stiles, I asked for a hamburger," complained Sheriff his mouth still full.

"Well, veggie is healthier. We're being healthy," Stiles argued. You nodded along as you rustled your fork through your own salad to mix the contents around equally. Sheriff sighed but went back to unpacking his food, when he uncovered the basket of carrots and celery his face took on the look of disappointment once more, "Oh, hell, why are you trying to ruin my life?"

You gave the older man a pointed look, "That's very dramatic, don't you think? We just do this because we care." You weren't lying, Melissa may have been the one that took you in permanently but the Sheriff had always been like a father to you just as Melissa had been like a mother.

"I'm trying to extend your life, okay? Could you just eat it, please? And tell us what you found."

Sheriff disagreed, "No! I'm not sharing confidential police work with teenagers." That didn't stop you two from looking behind the man and at the wall. You pointed to it as Stiles called attention to the board, "Is that it on the board behind you?" He turned to look at it, "Don't look at that." Stiles continued to not listen, his eyes glued onto the wall.

"Avert your eyes. Hey!"

"I see arrows pointing at pictures," Stiles said move about in his chair.

He finally gave up when he realized that you two were not going to listen. "Okay, okay, stop! Fine. I found something." Both you and Stiles brought your attentions to him, instantly satisfied with his words.

"Mechanic and the couple who were murdered. They all had something in common."

"All three," you and Stiles asked.

"Yeah. You know what I always say. One's an incident. Two's coincidence-."

"Three's a pattern," Stiles finished for his father.

"The mechanic, the husband, and the wife- all the same age. All twenty-four."

Your eyebrows scrunched together, "Then what about Mr. Lahey?" Stiles looked over at you and agreed, "Isaac's dad isn't anywhere near twenty-four."

Sheriff had stuck his finger out, stopping your questions, "Which made me think either 'A,' Lahey's murder wasn't connected or 'B,' the ages were a coincidence, until I found this," he rolled his chair backwards a little and turned. Grabbing the file and handing it you, you opened it so both of you could expect the contents.

"Which would be 'C.' Did you know that Isaac Lahey has an older brother named Camden?" Even though the question was in general, meant for both of you, Sheriff did make the most eye contact with you. You shook your head, going back to reading the words.

"'Died in combat,'" whispered Stiles.

"But if he were alive today, take one guess as to how old he'd be."

"Twenty-four," you said.

Eating was apparently going to have to wait, since both men stood up and began to go over the board. "Man, I really just wanted to eat," you whined begrudgingly getting out of your chair. Your complainants were completely ignored as they started to plot.

"Now what if same age means same class- I mean did you think of that?" Sheriff brushed off his son's question with a slight wave, "Yeah, yeah." There was a brief moment of dead air until Sheriff confessed he hadn't thought of it.

"Well I would've. I mean- look I just got Lahey's file two hours ago." Even though the statement made sense to you, Stiles didn't accept that.

"TWO HOURS? Dad, people could be dying!"

"Yeah, I'm aware of that, thank you."

You placed a hand on Stiles' shoulders to make your presence known, "He can only keep looking at this stuff for so long, Stiles. Sometimes you need to step back to refresh your eyes."

Both guys settled down at your words, before turning towards the photos, "Same class," murmured Stiles. You all shared a look, "Do you have any old yearbooks, Sheriff," you asked.

Like on cue, they scrambled to get any old yearbooks and school files they could get their hands on. To be honest, your glad they didn't need your help on that because truth be told, you really were hungry. You only got a moment to stuff your face with food because they came rushing back soon after slamming all contents on the desk.

Stiles had found the file he was looking for, "Okay this is it, class of 2006. They all went to Beacon Hills."

"Including, Isaac's brother," stated Sheriff.

"Meaning they could've, theoretically, known each other," you said finishing your carrot before standing up once more.

"Two of them were married- so maybe they all just hung out."

Sheriff shook his head lightly, "Well, they could have had the same classes together. They could've-." You saw the man's face fall into a look of recognition. Stiles had caught it too, "What?"

"Same teacher." Mr. Harris' picture was on the page, clear as day.

"All four. Now I don't know how Mr. Lahey fits in, but this- kids, this is definitely a pattern. Alright, get me the 2006 yearbook. These names, we need faces."

"Which ones," you asked as Sheriff went to make a phone call. "Everyone in that chemistry class," he answered, "If the killer's not done killing..."

"One of them is next," Stiles said.

"Yeah."

~

Later that night, you had promised to meet Scott at the clinic to relay everything you just found out. He wanted you there though because Derek was planning to show up and he figured a three versus one when it came to opinions would work better in his favor.

"So, you weren't able to get tickets," you asked currently perched on the half wall in the lobby. The boy confirmed your question, "Nope, but we need to find some because Jackson seemed very hell bent on getting them."

You nodded slowly, "Meaning whoever is controlling him, desperately wants to be there." Scott agreed and then his head perked up, looking at the clinic door. You figured it was because he heard Derek so you felt no need to stand up from your position.

Scott walked over, unlocking the door letting Derek in, "What's he doing here," you heard him asked.

You looked up and felt your breath get caught in your throat, you weren't expecting Isaac to come. Guess it was only fair since Derek wasn't informed of your presence either. "I need him," the Alpha said bluntly.

"I don't trust him," Scott shot back. Mean while all you could do was stare and the Beta made eye contact with you for just a second.

"Yeah, well, he doesn't trust you either," you would be lying if you were to say that his voice didn't make your heart flutter. Once he finished his sentence he walked passed both the other werewolves standing close to where you were sitting on the wall.

"You know what and Derek really doesn't care."

You raised your hands as you blurted out, "Oh my god, one more person talks in third person and (Y/N) might just punch you all in your throats." You heard Isaac snort out a quiet laugh as he turned his head to look at you. His eyes gleamed like stars when they met yours.

Derek had interrupted your little moment, "Now where's the vet? Is he gonna help us or not?" You scoffed at the Alpha, "What great patience you have there, grumpy." You hopped off the wall and crossed the little group to stand next to Scott, just in time for Deaton to come out of the back room.

"That depends, your friend Jackson. Are we planning to kill him or save him?"

"Save him," you and Scott synced.

"Kill him," Derek had said at the same time.

You and Scott both whipped around looking at the dark haired werewolf in disbelief, "Save him," Scott argued once more before looking at you. Your eyes both met and stared at each other for a moment, like a form of silent communication. You nodded at him once more before both of you turned back to Deaton and synced again, "Save him."

Deaton had a small smile on his face and nodded, gesturing for you all to follow him. Derek had silently walked passed definitely grumpy of being out numbered. Scott followed a second later, leaving you and Isaac alone for just a moment.

You turned to him quickly whispering, "Derek made you come?" He nodded in response, "And now I'm glad he did because I get to see my favorite girl." He stood next to you, throwing his arm around your shoulder, keeping you from walking towards the back room door. You chuckled lightly, rolling your eyes, "You're never gonna stop with the nicknames, are you?"

You moved passed him, his arm falling back to his side and you spoke once more, your voice still lowered, "Fine but we still need to talk everything through. After this is all over." He nodded with a smile on his face following behind you and into the room with the others. He took his place in between the other two werewolves and you stood next to Deaton and helped him lay everything out. The sound of Derek's voice made you look up.

"Watch what you touch," he said with Isaac's arm in his hand. Deaton had picked up a jar reading it then showing you the label and pointing to the ingredient in the book laid out in front of you. He had become some what like a teacher to you, every chance you got you were here, learning, reading, practicing and he would guide you. Seems like he thought now was still a good time to show you some things.

Isaac had leaned down resting his arms on the table and now at eye level with you. He smirked when he saw your attention on him before asking his question to Deaton, "So, what are you, some kind of witch?"

"No, I'm a veterinarian."

Deaton's reply made you shake your head in amusement. You saw Isaac process the answer with his lips taking an "oh" shape silently, before he looked at you again. It felt like every chance he got, his eyes were stuck on you.

"Unfortunately, I don't see anything here that's going to be an effective defense against a paralytic toxin. Except for when (Y/N) is able to learn healing abilities, but even then, that could take time we don't have and it would really only be effective after the fact." Your head shot up, your body still leaned over from reading the pages. You glanced at everyone in the room before meeting Deaton's eyes.

"Wait, I can do that?" Deaton chuckled at your astonishment and nodded, "Well that's news to me," you said looking at your best friend.

"We're open to suggestions," Derek continued to conversation. "What about an effective offense," asked Isaac.

"Unlikely," you scoffed as Derek began speaking again, "We already tried, I nearly took its head off. And Argent emptied an entire clip into it. The thing just gets back up."

You mumbled lightly, "I'm really glad I haven't had to fight this thing." The boys looked at you, a certain Alpha showing a very obvious annoyance, "What? I'm sorry, okay. Stiles isn't here to voice my thoughts like he always seems to, I can't help it."

Deaton looked at all of you, "Has it shown any weaknesses?"

Derek answered his question, "Well one- it can't swim."

"Does that go for Jackson as well?"

"No," Scott interjected as you shook your head, your posture now straight and your arms crossed. You continued for the Omega, "He's the captain of the swim team." Deaton nodded along at both inputs, "Essentially, you're trying to catch two people."

He turned grabbing something from a drawer, he show you an amulet, "A puppet... and a puppeteer." He set it on the table and continued, "One killed the husband but the other had to take care of the wife, do we know why?"

Scott piped up gaining everyone's attention, "I don't think Jackson could do it. His mother died pregnant too, and she was maybe murder. I think he couldn't let the same happen to someone else."

"How do you know it's not part of the rules?" Isaac's eyes were slightly glazed over as he stared at the table. When his eyes blinked and his attention was no longer stuck, he continued, "The Kanima kills murderers. If Jackson kills the wife, then the baby dies too."

He looked at Scott and when he did, you felt your body jolt. It was the weirdest sensation and you didn't understand why it happened. It wasn't a normal reaction so your only guess could've been it was something supernatural. You checked to see if anyone noticed and when you confirmed no one did, you made a mental note to ask Deaton about it later.

"Does that mean your father was a murderer," Scott questioned.

"Wouldn't surprise me if he was." His eyes were back in your direction only his focus was on the wall behind you; you were okay with that though, you didn't want him to see the frown you had.

"Hold on. The book says they're bonded, right?" Deaton's hand was held out as he hypothesized, "What if the fear of water isn't coming from Jackson, but from the person controlling him." You nodded along adding to his words, "Like they're not only bonded as in partners but mentally." Deaton pointed to you grabbing a small jar.

"What if something that affects the Kanima also affects its master." He circled the sand like substance around the amulet on the table, "Meaning what," Isaac asked.

"Meaning we can catch them," Scott started.

"Both of them," you finished.

~

The next morning consisted of both you and Scott telling Stiles everything on the way to school. "There's got to be some other way to get tickets, right?" Scott hopped out of Roscoe as he finished his question, helping you out as well. Stiles met you both on the sidewalk, "It's a secret show, there's only one way, and it's a secret." You adjusted your bag onto your shoulders, "Real helpful, Stiles," you joked.

"Hey!"

All three of you turned to find Matt, "You guys know why no one's getting suspended after what happened the other day at school?"

"Just forget about it, nobody got hurt," Stiles tried to convince him. Matt gave him a confused look, "I-I had a concussion." You turned your head and laid it into Scott's shoulder, hiding your small laugh threatening to come out.

"Okay well no one got seriously hurt."

"I was in the E.R. for six hours."

"Okay, do you want to know the truth, Matt? Your little bump on the head is about this high on our list of problems right now." Stiles had proven his point even more by leaning over and placing his hand just inches from the concrete. Your cover of your amusement was taken from you when Scott moved forward to ask if Matt was alright.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, now. So, you didn't get any tickets last night either."

"Are they selling?"

"Uh, no, but I managed to find two online. You should keep trying. Sounds like everyone's going to be there." He gave Scott a friendly fist to the shoulder before walking away.

"I don't like him," You and Stiles both said, once he was far enough.

"Hey, are you sure about this," he asked Scott. "Last time, whoever's controlling Jackson had to kill somebody because he didn't finish the job," Scott said.

You chimed in, "So, what do you think he's going to do this time?"

Stiles sighed, "Be there to make sure it happens," He shook his head before both boys turned, taking their places beside you as you walked in the school.

~

"Can anybody tell me where the hell Jackson is and why he missed morning practice?"

Coach was right, practice was already over and there was no sign of Jackson. Everyone shook their heads and Stiles leaned over so you and Scott could hear him better, "I thought I told you to keep an eye on him."

"STILINSKI!" You three straighten and looked at Coach, "Jackson!" Stiles shrugged, "Sorry, Coach I haven't seen him since the last time I saw him."

"Oh, and when was that?"

"The last time I saw him was definitely the time I saw him last."

"Again, Danny, tell Jackson no missing practice this close to the championships, okay," Coach was leaned over in Danny's eyesight. The boy nodded, "Sure, Coach." Coach started to back up into his office, "That goes for all of you. I should be coaching college." He started to close his door but just before he did, he looked at you, "(Y/N), I'm going to need to see you later for game plans."

You nodded, "You got it." He finally closed his door, which allowed the boys to go back to talking to Danny. "Sorry, but I only got two myself," Danny said.

"What- do you even have a date, yet?" Your head snapped to Stiles, your arm shooting out to smack him in the stomach, "Really?"

Danny's tone changed, "I'm working on it."

"Okay, okay, hear me out. You give us the tickets, and you devote your life to abstinence and just-." Before Stiles could finished both him and Scott were pulled away and you felt someone right behind you, "How do you two losers even survive?" It was Isaac, you looked behind you to see him looking between the two boys, his hands still gripping their shirts.

You scoffed and pointed to yourself, "That would be thanks to me, actually." Isaac looked at you and smirked, acknowledging your answer. Scott huffed, "What are we supposed to do? No one's even selling." He gestured to the whole locker room, where all the boys stood around, probably waiting for you to leave so they could begin changing.

Isaac's eyes were focused somewhere in the distance, you felts hands lightly place themselves on your waist guiding you closer to Scott. The tall werewolf patted Stiles on the chest, moving passed him, "Wait here, boys."

All of you gave each other looks of confusion, Scott asking, "What is he-?" But he never got to finish, thanks to the crash caused by Isaac. You guys flinched at the loudness, "Ow," you commented.

"Yup, that's excessive," Stiles added on, the sounds only getting louder as Isaac continued his actions. "That'll bruise."

"Ow," Scott repeated your first comment.

"Wow, okay." Isaac walked back over, tickets in hand, he handed you each one before turning around his hand in his pocket, "Enjoy the show."

You guys were in shock until you broke it with your words, "That was... so hot." Both boys looked at you, wide-eyed, when you saw them you just shrugged, "What? He's on our side now, I can say that."

Stiles pointed at you, "I thought you were mad at him?" Scott nodded in agreement.

You rocked your head from side to side, "I was and still kind of am, but that doesn't mean I can't find that," you circled your hand motioning to the boy walking away, "Extremely attractive." Scott and Stiles both scoffed, the spastic both pushing you slightly, "Get out of here, you dummy, let us change."

You laughed and walked out the room, only making it a few steps out the door before you heard your name once more. You turned to see the boy you were just talking about leaning against the wall, "I heard you." You smiled as cluelessly as you could and walked closer until you were inches from his figure, "Heard what, exactly?"

His arm came around your waist again, this time turning you so your back was pressed up against the wall and his body was trapping you. "You find me attractive, huh?" His eyes were on you, glancing at your lips before reaching your eyes once more, "Always did," you answered. You leaned a little closer missing his lips and bringing yours close to his ear and whispered, "See, isn't it so much more fun when you're on our side?"

You grabbed the wrist of his hand that was laying itself on your waist, removing it gently and sliding out of his grip, "I'll see you tonight, Isaac."

~

"Ketamine?"

"It's the same stuff we use on the dogs, just a higher dosage."

Deaton set down the syringe and bottle, "If you can get close enough to Jackson, it should slow him enough to buy you some time." He turned picking up a jar with that same sand from the other night, "This is some of what you will use to create the barrier. This part is for you, Stiles. Only you." He placed it down and Stiles picked it up his eyebrow raised, "Uh, that sounds like a lot of pressure. Can we maybe find a less pressure-filled task for me?"

"It's from the mountain ash tree, which is believed by many cultures to protect against the supernatural." He gestured to the walls, "This office is lined with ashwood, making it difficult for someone like Scott or (Y/N) to cause me any trouble."

We turned back to Stiles to see him still confused, "Okay, so then what? I just spread this around the whole building and then neither Jackson or whoever's controlling him can't cross it?"

"They'll be trapped," Deaton confirmed.

"Doesn't sound too hard," Scott reassured.

"Not all there is," Deaton said. You sighed and slumped your posture, "There's always something."

"Think of it like gunpowder. It's just powder until a spark ignites it." He pointed to Stiles, "You have to be that spark, Stiles."

"If you mean light myself on fire, I don't think I'm up for that."

Scott looked at Stiles worried and then you to which you rolled your eyes. Deaton gave a silent chuckle, "Let me try a different analogy. I used to golf. I learned that the best golfers never swing before first imagining where they want the ball to go. They see it in their mind and their mind takes over. It can be pretty extraordinary what the force of your own will can accomplish."

Stiles mumbled, "Force of will." You grabbed his hand, "You got this, no sweat."

"If this is going to work Stiles, you have to believe it."

~

The night had finally arrived, your nerves were definitely getting to you. It also didn't help that the car ride over seemed really awkward. Stiles was oddly quiet and you could tell that Scott noticed as well.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

You and Scott shrugged lightly and you spoke, "You didn't say anything the whole way here." Stiles grabbed the bag out of the Jeep and looked at you both, "No, I'm fine. Let's grab the other bag."

Scott looked at Stiles, "We can't, remember Deaton said you have to do this alone."

"Okay, this plan is really starting to suck."

You smiled, "There's our Stiles."

"No, not here, not now."

You turned to see Scott running off, panicked you looked at Stiles who was just as bewildered as you. "What," Stiles said.

"Scott!" You called as Stiles continued on, "What am I supposed to- plan officially sucks!" He looked at you and you just shrugged. "I'm going to go look for Isaac and Erica, you got this Stiles." He waved his hands at you in frustration, "Yeah, whatever, go make out with your boyfriend." You gasped, "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Yet."

You pointed behind him, "Go play with your sand." He huffed a laugh and you turned to make your way into the building. The music could already be heard from inside but still it was quite a shock on how loud it actually was. The lights were blinding, you squinted to try and find the two Betas but to no avail they were no where to be seen in the sea of people.

Deciding that staying on the outskirts was your best course of action, you began to make your way to the side where a line of pillars were. You leaned on one of them as you scanned the area again, looking for any signs of any werewolves.

"You planning on dancing tonight?"

You jumped at the sound of Isaac's voice right in your ear. You turned and you were sure you looked like a deer in headlights considering the boy only started laughing when he saw your face. You punched his shoulder and he faked a wince, "Don't do that! Where's Erica?"

He nudged his head in the direction of the crowd behind you, "In there, thought I would come look for you while she looked for Jackson."

"Me?"

"You and Scott."

You scoffed, "You said me." He smiled making the motion to press his forehead against yours, "Okay, it was mainly for you." You laughed and moved your head away, leaning back on the pillar, "My, you're quite the flirt these days." He shrugged leaning against the pillar with you, one hand in his pocket. He looked down and crossed your pinky with his.

"You're not as mad at me as you have been, it's a little easier now."

You chuckled and nodded, "True, true."

You saw Scott come around the corner, you let go of Isaac and that caused him to look where you were looking. You dashed towards the Omega and hugged him quickly, "Where did you go?"

"Allison's here."

You looked at him, "That means her dad is here." He nodded and started making his way to Isaac, who was still leaning against the pillar watching you guys. Scott handed him the syringe, "Why me," Isaac asked. They were standing side by side while you stood just slightly off from them.

"Because I got to make sure that Argent doesn't completely ruin the plan. Okay, look, you gotta do it intravenously, which means in the vein. When you find him, you pull back on this plunger right here. The neck is probably gonna be the easiest, so you find a vein, you jam it in there, and pull back on this trigger right here. Be careful."

Scott had given him a whole lecture on the plan, Isaac chuckled, "Oh, I doubt it'll even slightly hurt him." Scott shook his head, "No, I mean you. I don't want you to get hurt." Isaac's head shot to the side in surprise. There was this moment of silence between them and that's when you felt it... another jolt. This time it was stronger.

What was going on? Why has it happened twice now?

Your thoughts were broken when hands grabbed your shoulders. You blinked and refocused on Scott, "And you be careful too, okay? Stay out of the way." You scoffed, "Okay, Mom."

"(Y/N), I'm serious."

You laughed and pushed him away, "Yes, I know, I'll be careful. Now go growl at middle aged men." He smiled at you before running off. You and Isaac were left alone once again. He seemed to still be in shock at the conversation he just had.

"I told you so."

"What?"

"I told you, we care about you guys." He turned to see your smirk wearing face. He snickered, "You always have to be right, don't you." You gave a bright smile and a quick nod, "Yep," you grabbed his hand, "Seriously, be careful."

He used the grip you already had on his hand to bring you closer, his forehead back to resting on yours, "I will but it would be nice to have some incentive." You let your eyes lock with his, "Okay, you get out of this alive and I'll forgive you completely." His face practically lit up and he tried to hide it but you saw the bright expression just before he went back to his usual resting smirk.

"Now that's what I like to hear," his head shifted upwards and you felt his lips on your forehead. He pressed them there ever so gently before letting them leave your skin. "I'll see you soon, beautiful," he made the move of leaving first but was stopped by you grabbing the front of his shirt.

"You do anything too sexual with Erica and I'll kill you, Lahey, understand?"

He smirked, "Yes, ma'am."

~

You went to find Stiles after you had set up the area you guys were planning to keep Jackson. You guys had caught each other at the front entrance and you were now making your way towards the room, listening to Stiles excitement on how he had done his task.

You two had made it to the door and when you opened it you had startled the two Beta wolves. "Uh, no, no, no, just us. It's just us. Don't freak," Stiles rambled. You let out a breath of relief when you saw Isaac was alright and it looked like Isaac had done the same when he saw you.

"Is he okay," your best friend asked.

Isaac walked over to Jackson, raising his claw up, "Well... let's find out." When he went to swipe at Jackson his hand was caught as the lizard boy started to crush his hand. Isaac let out a groan of pain and he pulled back as hard as he could. He backed up to guys and you instantly grabbed his arm, "Are you okay?" Even when he was still grunting in pain, he nodded.

"Okay, no one does anything like that again, okay," Stiles pointed to everyone and he received unanimous nods. Isaac groaned one more time, "I thought the ketamine was supposed to put him out."

"Yeah, well, apparently this is all we're gonna get, so let's just hope that whoever's controlling him just decided to show up tonight."

Almost as if on cue, Jackson's eyes opened. You erratically began tapping Stiles and Isaac, "Guys, guys. Something's happening." Everyone watched Jackson as he started to speak, "I'm here." His voiced echoed and you could hear not just Jackson but someone else. It had to be the person controlling him.

"I'm right here with you."

You and Stiles looked at each other and slowly stepped towards the boy in the chair. "(Y/N), come back here." You ignored Isaac's words and crouched next to Stiles.

"Jackson, is that you," you asked quietly.

"Us. We're all here."

Stiles was taken aback by the answer, glancing over his shoulder at the werewolves behind you. "Are you the one killing people," Stiles questioned.

"We're the ones killing murderers."

His voice was full of venom and it was nearly as paralyzing as his actual toxin. It made you shiver out of fear. "So all the people you've killed so far-."

"Deserved it." He cut off Stiles violently.

"We got a little rule book that says you only go after murderers."

"Anything can break if enough pressure is applied."

You looked at Stiles again and took over the questioning, "Alright, so the people you're killing are all murderers then?"

"All. Each. Every one."

"Well, who'd they murder?"

"Me." His reply to your question truly stunned you, "They murdered me." Jackson's eyes rolled into his slitted ones and his head turned straight, "They murdered me." You and Stiles got up and started to back your way to the other two. Isaac had a small grip on your hip, keeping you close. You started to see Jackson's hands move, breaking free from its previous stillness.

"Alright," Stiles panicked, "Ketamine, the man needs more ketamine."

Isaac picked up the bottle, "We don't have anymore." Your best friend whipped around, "You used the whole bottle?" You saw Erica tap Stiles and you all looked to see Jackson standing, he hissed and his head began to shake violently.

"Okay, out, everybody out," you pushed Erica and Stiles forward. They needed no help from you though, all four of you rushed out of the room, bumping into each other until you closed the door. Everyone pressed their back on it and Stiles gave out instruction, "Okay, (Y/N), make a barrier hurry." It was too late, Jackson had busted through the wall and had made a break for it.

You guys all ran for the front door as everyone began leaving, you and Stiles made it outside and he crossed the line meeting Derek who was jogging over.

"Hey so we kind of lost Jackson inside, but it's-," Stiles' attention was on you and the two Betas who had also just walked out. You three were right on the line, they looked at you for reassurance and you raised your hand coming in contact with an invisible wall, it glowed a blueish color as you put more pressure on it.

"Oh, my god! It's working! Oh this is- yes! I did something!"

You heard a roar, it was so guttural. You felt the heat in your eyes, this time it was intense, if you weren't used to it by now it might have actually bugged you.

Scott

"Scott?" Derek had voiced your thought, he looked at you, he saw your eyes glow and he heard it too. The roar of a dying Scott.

"What," Stiles turned to Derek.

"Break it."

"What? No way!"

"Scott's dying!"

"What? How do you know that?"

"Oh, my god, Stiles! I just know! Break it!" Stiles broke the line and Derek took off. You could feel your feet moving before you could even think as you started to try and run too. You were stopped, however, by Isaac grabbing you, both arms wrapped around you.

"NO! LET GO! ISAAC! LET GO! SCOTT HE- HE'S HURT! YOU HAVE TO LET ME GO!" It was almost manic how much you thrashed to try and get out of the boy's hold. He held on tighter, "(Y/N), no, okay you can't, you can't fight yet. Derek will save him, okay, Derek will save him."

Your eyes were pouring tears at this point, "No, no, Scott he needs help, he needs me," you whimpered as you fell to the ground, Isaac coming with you but his arms never leaving their position around you.

His lips pressed against your hair and he just continued to comfort you, "I know, baby, I know. But he's gonna be okay. Derek's gonna save him. You have to stay here, okay, baby?"

You nodded still crying now holding onto Isaac like your life depended on it, muttering the same thing over and over again, "Scott he's- he's dying. He's dying- he's-."

*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧*⁠.⁠✧

"It's okay, baby, it's gonna be okay."

a/n: I finally gave you guys more isaac and y/n, aren't you guys happy with me? lol anyways hope you guys enjoy! let me know what you think!

taglist: @somiaw @vvicaddiction @mushroomelephant @breadbrobin @traumverloren-anderswelt @fandom-princess-forevermore @vanessa-boo

[fic--writer]

What's between us?

a small plot continuation of this story can be read below ↓

This time you turned the key in the lock yourself, playing with your eyebrows and looking at Rolan ironically.

"Gods, Tav! How many times do you have to be reminded of this?"

"By the way, I'm very curious, what did your brother and sister say to you after that 'incident'?"

Rolan took a deep breath and put his hand to his forehead:

"Oh fuck. You should have seen the whole show..."

You plopped down on his bed and stared at him curiously. Yes, the delay of your group in last light was only to your advantage.

"I want to know everything!" - you tugged at his hand impatiently.

"Well... At first Lia got mad and wouldn't talk to me. Cal just tried not to burst out laughing. He still couldn't drink his tea without choking. Gods... then Lia yelled that I almost gave her a heart attack when I "disappeared". She thought the shadows had taken me away. But when she discovered the truth, she decided rather have the shadows take me away than have a brother who didn't bother to tell his sister about his affair... I had to yell at her to leave me alone."

You rolled around on the bed and kicked your stomach with laughter.

Rolan added: "She doesn't usually get into anyone's pants, but after the Prison of Absolutes she's still nervous..."

You lay there for a while, enjoying the moment.

"You know, I'm still upset about that 'incident'. Have you forgiven me, Tav?"

The memory of the night he'd taken you roughly and left you with cum dripping down your legs washed over you, but you realized you weren't angry. You'd never thought a relationship with a tiefling could be easy. No illusions. And it was pure coincidence that it had turned into more than a one-night stand. And you were determined to make the most of it, and you enjoyed Rolan company.

"Oh, you don't think you apologized enough? I definitely have ideas about that." - You flopped dreamily on the pillows with a lecherous grin.

Your palm fell on the mound of his groin. Well, he no longer had to learn from scratch to anticipate your desires. He still tried to snuggle under the blanket, but the difference in his looseness was obvious. Rolan was getting used to you and to his own body at the same time. And his own body inside you.

After that, the tiefling ran a strand of your hair through his claw and asked in a whisper: "Tav? What do you think is going on between us?" - A legitimate question, since you had spent more nights together than you had originally planned.

"Oh no! Don't tell me you're starting to get attached to me," - You're trying to turn this into a joke.

He tickled your bare ribs: "i'm not kidding."

Rolan pushed his face toward you in anticipation. You pulled him to your chest and stroked his neck.

"Damn it, Rolan, we talked about this. You'll become a brilliant student. And I'll probably be a dead girl. I don't know how we can plan anything."

"I think you'll be able to handle everything. I'll help you as much as I can." - He inhaled the scent of your skin.

"You know, I think you're getting attached to me after all."

He gave you a puppy dog look: "Is that a problem?"

Instead of answering, you pulled him in for a kiss.

"You warned your sister you'd be late tonight, didn't you? I'm afraid the door lock might not stop her."

Rolan pressed you into the mattress with a theatrical sigh and bit playfully at your ear.

Carnal pleasures have once again consumed you to the point of losing your pulse. Sweaty bodies merged in a bizarre symbiosis of tiefling and human.

And when it all died down, you lay there, exhausted and satisfied, knowing that this moment had been damn worth it.

Taking a breath, Rolan said: "If you're in Baldurs Gate, stop by Sorcerous Sundries."

~~~

When you arrived in town, the first thing you did was accept Rolan's invitation. You were eager to see how he was doing with his training. And the way he learned to be gentle with you was captivating.

But when you found him behind the counter, you didn't recognize him. Beaten, distant and silent. He'd obviously noticed you and tried to hide himself with a book or his hand.

"Rolan, you called me yourself but now I'm not welcome? And what the hell is wrong with your face?"

"It's okay Tav, let's talk, later. I'll let you know when I'm free."

He was embarrassed. And it was as if he wanted to get rid of you as soon as possible.

But you knew him well enough to know that he was lying. And the realization made your blood boil. He didn't think he could hide anything, did he, after all that had happened between you? After trying to beat a confession out of you himself? Even if he changed his mind about you, you had to know about it immediately!

You slipped through and grabbed his collar with both hands: "No way! We're going to talk right now!" - You spiked it and shake his - "I see that you're not in okay. If you're fighting with your city whores and don't want to see me any more, it's daring to tell me that in a face! Remember, you promised not to offend me!"

"Which whores? Zurgan, Tav..." - he broke free of your grip and rubbed his cheeks wearily. - "You really didn't think so, did you?"

"The first thing I do when I arrive in this stupid city is run to you and find you scratched and bruised. And you're obviously not happy to see me. Tell me, what should I think, Rolan? If you were secretly hoping I wouldn't make it, then what was the point of that conversation?"

"I'm glad you're here, I really am. I just can't..."

"You can't fuck a dying girl anymore? I understand, I just want to hear it from you..."

Rolan turned and begged you to shut up. He dragged you into the back room where no one could hear and told you the whole truth.

You didn't listen to his pleas, so you got a group together that very hour. You beat the shit out of that bastard, who dared to hurt him. And after Dame Aylin broke his spine, you shattered his breathless body into atoms with your magic. Not a speck of dust left.

~~~

You were there helping him hill his wounds.

"Whores, huh? So it turns out I'm attached to you, but you're jealous?" - Rolan laughed at you sarcastically.

"Hey, I can tighten this bandage even tighter. Gods... how stupid I was, but you're no gift either, you could have told me right away."

"So there's no more omissions?"

You grabbed his cheeks and kiss him hard:

"Agreed. And now I finally know what's between us..."

[followafallingstar]

You meet Michael again - Cordelia

Summary: The oldest archangel had been keeping a good eye on you the last few days, making sure you weren't in any trouble yet you popped up at the one place where he didn't want you. At the bunker. Pairing: Michael/female Reader, Michael/ Witch Disclaimer/ Trigger Warning: soulmate au, Stalking, Mention of stalking, invasion of privacy

Soulmate au: God created a soulmate for each one of his children. For angels finding their soulmate is one of the most honorable tasks they could achieve due to the amount of luck they must have since the soul of a human mate can be sent to earth at any time during the existence of humanity. But when an angel does meet their other half their loyalty to god switches to their mate, protecting them at all costs. Feelings such as love and lust are only acceptable and archivable for angels when they meet their soulmate and that only to the mate too so acts of unloyalty or cheating don’t exist in their world.

Tagged <3: @elf-punk

While he had found out by now that you are no ordinary human he had hoped that you were part of the people that studied magic out of curiosity and not a need to protect themselves. Well, he was wrong. Oddly he and Lucifer ended up being part of the Whinchster's little group since they started searching for his father causing him to permanently stay at the bunker.

While preparing for an upcoming hunt with the Winchesters, he noticed that the soft voice of the person on the other side of the bunker sounded too much like you. It had to be you. He immediately walked towards the direction, opened the door to the library, and interrupted the conversation that had been going on between you and Sam. "Cora?" he called your name. Your eyebrows shot up, remembering the voice of the man who had approached you a few days ago at the beach.

"Hello, Michael" You answer but not understanding why he was here or why exactly he looked so panicked. "How do you know Sam Winchester?" What an odd question considering you and your sisters have been in touch with the hunter brothers since the early stage of their little adventure of finding their father, sometimes helping each other out here and there. You weren't sure if you should tell him the truth considering you barely knew him and the fact that he dared to talk to you as if you owed him an answer. It made you feel like throwing a fireball right in his face, not that you knew that he was pretty much invisible and would a hundred percent correct you on your improper stance.

But considering he was with the boys you knew that he must be somewhat trustworthy you answer "We are friends". He didn't like the answer at all, companionship with the two was always bound to some trouble and anyone who is slightly involved with the brother's lives must have some kind of connection to the great plan of his father, and maybe it wasn't a coincidence that you were already linked into his path. There is just one thing that bugs him when he thinks about it: the danger. His life as a warrior had taught him many things and one of them is that the future he desired so much, the future with you, his true vessel Dean, and his father back in his life was something he would probably not get so easily. But there must be a reason why you suddenly popped up out of nowhere even though you were there the whole time, right under his nose.

After Sam's rough explanation of why you were involved with them, meaning trying to answer all of Michaels's annoying and creepy questions such as: Where have you met each other? What did you say to him? Why did you think it would be a good idea to even talk to them? Is your friendship on a physical contact basis? Why would you choose this kind of life when you could be…Safe? And even after answering all of them, surely not without raising Sam's suspicion on the archangel's sudden extreme interest in you, he was still convinced that it was his duty to make sure that not one hair would be plugged from your pretty little head.

Later on, he watched you silently as you laid the lilac potion that would help them in their next hunt, on the table with the instruction written neatly on a medium-sized paper. Your delicate hands wrapped around the pen as you added some notes to it and handed them to Michael. He inspected your handwriting, cursive, hard to read yet there was an organized aspect of it, as if you had written the words countless times over and over. "I will keep it safe" the blue feathered angel replied. As you were about to leave he added a few words "Cora, I want to know where I could find you. For the potions". Smooth. Indeed smooth. Of course, he knew where you lived and where he could find you but that doesn't mean he will risk you getting skeptical of his behavior if he starts appearing out of nowhere before your door. You should feel like it was your doing, free will, that was what every human wanted and even if it isn't what he knew is true, it doesn't mean he will destroy your dream. If you wanted it. He will give it to you.

"Here" you handed him a small teleportation rune drawn on a paper. He nodded, knowing that he would never use it but keep it close. One last smile was what you flashed him before disappearing before his eyes once again. He noticed that you have a habit of running away from him. That must be changed.

[thedissociatives]

Heeeyyyy, I'm so so intrigued by your hockey posting. I'd love to know more about Fedorov, like what's the lore, what makes him special? Have a nice day/ night <333

good morning/afternoon/evening anon! since you asked so nicely i'll try my best but i do tend to forget everything i know when i have to actually explain it. there is a lot of lore tho so i'm not gonna go over all of it (mainly the bits that interest me the most + some other stuff). i guess what really makes him special (at least to me) is the fact that we don't get players like this anymore. and i'm not talking playing style here (the impact of euro hockey players of the 90s on the nhl today is still so obviously there). a lot of his early career was directly impacted by cold war politics, and since those circumstances haven't existed for a while now, we don't get this insane type of backstories and lore anymore. i should also make it clear that i'm a massive nerd who sat in classrooms for years learning abt soviet stuff which i think definitely has an impact on who My Guys are

seriously there is a lot under the cut so be warned because i did get carried away with myself A Lot (i literally wrote over 1k words on this. sorry in advance)

ok so. sergei started playing "pro" hockey in the soviet union in the mid 80s (i don't think this is the place to explain whether these players were pro or amateur so will leave it like that), first in minsk (only for a year) before being picked up by cska moscow- the central army team. these guys made up most of the national team, which can probably be explained by the fact that their head coach also coached the national team (god that's a bit of a mouthful, but incredibly relevant). he wasn't the only rookie on the team that season; another kid (i think they were both like 16 at the time ?) called alex mogilny had also just arrived in moscow. they would become good friends. sergei would play three seasons for cska before being called up for the national team- he was going to the 1989 world championship. alex would be there, too, having already played on the team before. naturally, the ussr won gold (as they did almost every year). but that doesn't mean everything was good with the players. not long too after the tournament, some of the older players would finally get permission to play in the nhl, but for the younger guys it was looking like they had no way of getting out any time soon. in the days between the end of the championship and the soviet team's flight home, mogilny apparently approached fedorov and asked him to go to america with him- sergei said no, worried about what would happen to his family. alex would go anyway, disappearing for a few days before popping up in buffalo ready to join the sabres. (this might seem irrelevant right now but it's actually really not- i'm getting there now)

that same summer, sergei would be drafted in the fourth round by detroit. this choice may or may not have been influenced by steve yzerman telling them sergei was better than him. after a bit of back and forth, they got him to defect after cska played a series of games in north america. it literally sounds like the type of shit they write in spy films it was fucking mental. this made him only the second soviet to defect in order to play in the nhl i'm pretty sure (defo the second in like 18 months- funnily enough it was his bestie who was the first one. what a coincidence), but they weren't the first two from the other side of the iron curtain to do that. might be wrong but i think that honour goes to the stastny brothers. anyway. when sergei got to detroit he wore 91 because he wanted to "be like stevie" or some insane shit like that. which i literally think about all the time. like seriously what was that about sergei.

okok can't not talk about the russian five so doing that now. since idk how much you know about hockey i'll do a better job on this bit. after sergei arrived in detroit, management must've figured they could get more russians. over the next couple of years they got vladimir konstantinov (who was drafted the same year as sergei) and slava kozlov to make the jump to the states. since i'm mainly talking about sergei i won't go into how they got those two but it's just as unbelievable as you'd expect. after the 1994-95 lockout, the wings traded for another russian- slava fetisov. if you ever want to learn about soviet hockey you'll hear a lot about this guy, and for good reason too. he won two olympic gold medals and seven world championships with the soviet union, and captained most of those teams. obviously adding a guy with that much experience winning was a smart choice imo, even if he hadn't won anything in the nhl yet. by now the wings had four russian players- why not add a fifth ? in 1994 the wings were embarrassed in the playoffs, losing to san jose. it just happened that sj happened to have two of the older soviets who had fought for the right to play in north america. one of them was igor larionov- probably the smartest guy to ever play hockey. it was his tactics (and refusal to change his style of play) that led to his team's success in the first round. and i guess detroit didn't ever want to deal with that again because they ended up trading for the guy in the first part of the 1995-96 season. the russian five first played together in calgary, where they played that style of soviet hockey that nhlers could never really wrap their heads around at the time. they walked all over the flames in their own building, and would continue to do the same to the rest of the league. the five would be a key part of the 1997 stanley cup-winning team, which was the first wings team to lift the cup in over forty years.

sergei stayed to win a few more cups, and then left the city. he signed w the ducks in anaheim, bleached his hair and moved out to california (i think we can all resonate with wanting to change our appearance and move thousands of miles away from where we've spent over a decade building out lives amiright). from what i can tell, this move was Not Liked by detroit's owners (honestly i can't see any other reason his number hasn't been retired there). he'd bounce around a couple more nhl teams before going back to russia to play on the same team as his brother, eventually retiring in 2012.

jumping to 2015, that year's hockey hall of fame inductees included sergei (and nick lidstrom, one of his detroit teammates and one of the best defencemen to every play the game). it was basically a 90s wings reunion. in sergei's induction speech, he did like everyone else and thanked a bunch of people who helped him out throughout his career. and, you know, it was all the expected stuff (hockey guys can be so predictable sometimes), but "to my captain, steve yzerman" still fucking gets me. it had been twelve years since he'd worn a wings jersey. my captain. i think you get my point but i'm gonna have to stop there because i can't carry on and be remotely normal about it.

oh and in 2021, after spending a few years bouncing around random jobs for the team, cska announced that fedorov would be taking over as head coach. he went back to the team where all this started. now i don't know how exactly he is with his team but i sure hope he learned enough from his days there as a player under tikhonov on exactly how not to treat your players. cska won back to back gagarin cups (the trophy awarded to the khl team who wins the playoffs) in sergei'd first two seasons behind the bench, and they're probably looking to make it a threepeat with the playoffs starting today (?)

[thewrongmoon]

writers twitter deep dive

in light of the "let's start a new party" tweet being cracked, i decided to see what else i could find from the writer's account!

DISCLAIMER: some of these things could have potentially been tweeted by an intern or someone who isn't the duffer brothers themselves. as a result, not all of this is 100% definitive proof of anything! with that being said, here is some interesting things I found:

Tweets hinting at future events of S4:

This is a hint at Max's isolation due to her depression in S4.

This one requires some extrapolation. So, let me interpret this picture by picture:

Steve and his high school friends. I can find two potential meanings for this; the first is that this is meant to show how S4 starts with all the kids not in high school. The second is that this is a representation of "forced conformity", as Nancy, who conformed to fit in with Steve's friends, is present.

Will having an episode. I think this is meant to represent the Vecna visions.

The gang in the basement. This is meant to represent the gang, again, brainstorming in Mike's basement in S4.

Completely black screen. I can think of a couple different meanings behind this-- it might be to show a separation between this storyline and vol 2. Or maybe it's meant to hint at Max's death or coma?

again, let's go through this image by image:

Billy. Billy makes a return in S4. He also serves as a metaphor for the ghosts of their past, Max's especially.

Nancy and Jonathan. I think both of these past two tweets are about the Hawkins storyline specifically, so I don't really think it's meant to represent Jncy literally? I think maybe it might be more of a metaphor for the investigation arc that Nancy and Robin go on, seeing as we usually see Jonathan and Nancy take on that role.

The mindflayer. i.e. the big bad, the lingering doom of the season. Obviously we know that that's actually Vecna, but they weren't gonna spoil the season on their twitter, so think of the mindflayer as a placeholder for him.

Steve with the bat protecting the kids. Once again, Steve is trying his best to protect the kids in S4, Max in particular.

I'll acknowledge that this is potentially a stretch. But CMON MAN, Miss VICKIE'S chips? It's a hell of a coincidence if not intentional.

Tweets of four images:

So on top we have an image of Kali and El, an image of Max and El, on bottom we have an image of Will and El, and an image of Mike and El. The two on the left feature El with an adoptive sibling. The two on the right feature El with a close friend (the image of her and Mike is pre-relationship.) All but one of these are non-romantic relationships.

The top two images are Max and El, and Will and El. The bottom two are Mike and El, and Mike and Will.

Once again, we see platonic/familial relationships on top. On the bottom is one romantic relationship and....one relationship that you literally can't label as platonic atp since one is in love with the other. Veeeery interesting placement here.

This one stumped me a bit? The main motif I get is love triangles. Lucas, Max and Dustin were in a love triangle in S2. Dustin is not in the photo with Lumax because their love triangle has been resolved. With Robin, theres two potential paths: Her love triangle featuring her, Tammy, and Steve, or, her trying to get Steve and Nancy together in S4, even when Nancy is dating Jonathan. We also have Dustin looking at her in this configuration, which could represent how he thinks she should date Steve.

And then we have Mike, Will and El. The only set of three here. The only love triangle yet to be resolved.

This one I found interesting because it places the rain fight on the same level as El being traumatized, Max watching her brother be possessed, and Murray watching Alexei being shot. The only other message I can garner is that they're saying these things come back. And we do see that in S4 (El is placed in an isolation tank again, Max is haunted by Billy, Mike and Will have unresolved tension, Murray's Russian skills are needed once again.)

Tweets of single images with lowercase text:

Okay, so if I showed these to a byler on twt I have a feeling they would immediately start doubting and say this means byler has no chance of being endgame. But let me give you my observations on this:

With Jancy and Lumax, there is an adjective given. With mlvn, it's only "love." (you could look into the love being lowercase, I know that's another reoccuring motif.)

I think it's interesting that they chose this word for mlvn. namely because it's literally the exact word Mike cannot bring himself to say to El. THAT is what I believe they are foreshadowing with these tweets.

Also, most other mentions of love on their account is in a platonic sense. See: this tweet featuring a gif of Steve and Dustin.

the only other example of them using the word "love" I found was this one of Nancy:

In which, I believe, she is talking to Steve. So this is another mlvn/stncy parallel!

they also don't just make these lowercase + image tweets with couples. Here's one with El and Hopper!

Miscellaneous interesting tweets:

A mention of Wonder Woman. In relation to El using her super powers. Once again, the only person who compares her to male superheroes is Mike.

For you lettergate truthers, here's another instance of a letter being put in the left chest pocket (by the heart in their own words!)

Likening Max and Mike's relationship to El

Not once, but TWICE they did this! Directly comparing the way Max and Mike "love and support El" despite the fact that one is her best friend, and the other is her boyfriend.

Honestly, they don't tweet many pictures of byler? But this is one of the few i did find. Actually, funnily enough, this is the notorious 53 minutes 5 seconds time code. Makes you think that they were aware of it, hmmmm?

[dreamstate4you]

Goodbyes.

Chapter 0.2

After everyone had calmed down and took a breath. The young dancer had prepared some tea and seats of cushions where everyone could sit.

Sokka inspected the tea he was holding hesitant to drink it. Katara was quitely drinking her tea. Aang had not touched his tea. His face seemed lost as millions of thoughts ran through his head.

"I don't understand." Aang broke the silence. " I thought there were no Airbenders left... I- I thought I was the last one."

The young dancer looked sadly at the avatars sorrowful expression.

"Well. The fire nation did Kill all the airbenders a hundred years ago, but my Grandmother left the temples long before that. She was Rebellious. She didn't want to follow the ways of the temple, so she packed her bags and started a life here in the earthkingdom." The young dancers smiled as she recalled the story her grandfather told her. "She was young, reckless and impulsive ,but her actions are what lead to me. The only airbender in our little village."

"Wow, your grandmother sounds like an adventurous person." Katara complimented the girl, as she set her cup of finished tea to the side.

" Thank you... I never got your names." The young dancer asked.

" I'm katara, this is my brother sokka." She guided her hands to sokka's direction. " And this is Aang." She pointed to Aang.

"My name is Venti, but you already knew that" The girl was interupted by a strange young guard calling her to the side. "Excuse me for a moment."

Once the dancer was out katara and sokka turned their attention to the Avatar who hadn't said anything since. The two weren't use to this serious Aang.

"Hey Aang, how are you holding up." Katara put her hand at the back of his back to comfort him.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit shocked. I mean everything I thought I knew is." Aang paused his words. "Is not true."

Sokka finally sipped his tea. The aroma and taste earning a face from him. Somehow it tastes sour and not sweet. He did not like it.

The three stayed in silence for a few minutes not wanting to bother the other ones train of thoughts.

Katara as she was worried about Aang. Aang who had a million questions running through his mind and Sokka who was curious about the lifestyle this woman was living.

"Oh sorry for that." Venti entered the tent in a completely different outfit. It was a fitted luxurious green with fine silk, comfortable for her to move around without worrying about her movements.

Aang noticed the small cloud patterns on the silk, the detail in this outfit must have taken a fortune.

" It seems king Bumi had a plan up his sleeve." The young girl quickly walked over to the three. Holding a little letter in her hand waving it around before she handed it to Katara.

"Bumi knew?" Aang turned to face Katara who was reading the letter.

"Yes. He's been giving refuge to me and my little village. It's all thanks to him that I'm even able to do my performances." Venti started to pack her side bag. The bag contrasted with her whole outfit. Unlike it being green it resembled Aang's outfit. It was a old orange and a dark red. "If you don't mind, we can stop by my village. I'm sure some of your questions will get there answer ,Avatar."

"Just Aang is fine." Aang scratched his head once he heard her call him by his title.

The four exited the tent. Aang leading quietly in the front as he was gathering all his thoughts. Sokka at the back, as he was given a little snack to keep him busy.( It seemed to taste better than the tea ) and Katara in the middle with Venti trying to know the girl better as they kept chatting to each other.

"So we're the same age." Katara laughed. " What a coincidence."

"And I'm surprised you are not the older sibling." Venti commented as they continued to walk to Appa. Referring to how Katara seemed like the more mature one between the two.

"So you are leaving all your stuff here?" Katara asked.

" Yes and No. They all technically belong to the king. I'll only be taking the things I see as necessary."

A loud groan and squeak shocked the girls from her conversation making venti put her arms out in defense ,but they were brought down at the sight of the fluffy cloud in front of her... She smiled.

" A BISON!" she screamed as she pointed to Appa. Running to go engulf the bison in a hug. Appa only licked her in response.

Aang watched as Venti and Appa interacted. A small smile present on his face.

Everyone climbed onto Appa. The Avatar ridding Appa's head as he prepared to take off.

"Yip yip." Aang lightly tagged the ropes to Appa's horns. A small gasp was faintly heard from the Dancer.

Not a second later the young girl crawled on the sitting pad moved closer to the Avatar.

"Avatar, oh I mean Aang. Where did you get yourself a Bison?! And a flying lemur?!" Venti beamed with bright eyes.

" Appa has been with me in the ice burg and we found Momo in one of the Airbender temples." Aang happily answered.

" They are wonderful friends. The people from my village will be filled with joy when they see you and your friends." Venti giggled as she reached out her hand to touch Appa's soft fur.

"Oh right, you must go underneath that mountain arch." Venti instructed.

Appa flew down the mountain arch, darkness becoming more as the sun was almost out of their eye site. The further underneath the arch the more cold and sandy it became.

" Katara, sokka hold onto something." Venti screamed loudly at the two siblings as the sounds of wind started to become loud. Sokka held onto Appa's fur and Katara took the safer option and held onto Appa's seat.  "Aang, get ready to turn left when I say."

Venti kneeled properly on Appa's pad. She held out her right hand and her left supporting her other hand. Aang watched curiously to see her bend. Venti took a short breath in, she focused her bending into one spot and continuously bended more air into that spot. A short silence engulfed everyone as the compressed air was let go. The pressure stopping the wind that was furiously blowing from the front. Aang would describe it as an explosion. It was so powerful that it broke through the sound and nothing was heard.

"Aang now." Venti screamed, But Aang could only see her mouth move hearing nothing.

With one swift turn, Appa harsly turned and colladed with the soft grass, Appa failing to carry everyone after the turn. Aang let out a groan as he looked at the view infront of him. The grass was green and healthy as it could be. Small houses and mini temples resembling those of the eastern and northern air temple. The wind behind them continuing once more to blow. The village seemed to be enclosed in a forest like cave.

"We're here." Venti softly said still lying on the grass with the others.

Before anyone could react, their bodies a were weight down and traped by the earth. Making it impossible for them to move.

"Hey!" Sokka tried to wiggle himself out.

"Rohan it's me! " Venti screamed. An older tanned skinned man appeared from the bushes.

" I know." His dark and gloomy voice bommed threateningly. " But who are these three, did they force you to come here-." The slightly older earth bender couldn't finish his threatening speech as he laid eyes on Aangs tattoos. Zooned out, only to have Appa's loud groan that shakes the ground to snap him out.

The loud noise leading young eyes to run out of hiding. Four young kids ran giggling to the dancer.

" Aunty Venti."

"Aunty your back."

"Did you bring anything with you."

"Aunty is that big cloud yours."

Venti smiled at the kids behavior.

" Venti, what is this?" Rohan asked confused by what he was seeing in front of him.

" I'll explain after you let us go. And after I speak to my mom. " Venti looked at Rohan in the eyes. Soon after, the earth surrounding them disappeared. Everyone stood up and dusted themselves off.

The kids giggle more as they surrounded momo. The poor lemur scared of the eight eyes and forty fingers not giving him a second of a break. The moment momo saw a chance he flew to Aang's side and covered himself with his tail and ears.

Katara softly laughed at his response.

"Come on everyone." Venti called for everyone to follow her. They all walked in silence. Katara and sokka quietly looked around the hidden cave that flourished with plants and gaps of sunlight sunlight and Aang still having multiple thoughts run through his head.

"Mom! " Venti ran to hug the sickly woman who rested comfortably her bed. The two held each other for a little while.  Before the elder woman spoke.

" You came back early this time. I thought I would not see you for another month" The woman said happily to her daughter.

" That's because I found something, well someone." Venti stod up properly. She looked back to the three behind her.

"Aang." She signaled for him to come closer.

Aang walked closer and soon stood next to venti.

" Mom, this is Aang. The Av-"

"Avatar." Venti's mom interrupted midway through her sentence. She recognized those tattoos they were the ones she saw her own mother had when she was little.

Rohan let out a small whisper of 'i knew it' under his breath.

Behind his curious eyes on wonder ,Aang manged to let his voice out. " Are you an Airbender too?" He innocently asked.

"No no. The bending ability skipped me." The elderly woman said soflty." But my daughter makes up for all the years I would have missed. "

" I - I don't understand." Aang shakinly spoke in a hused whisper.

" What don't you understand, young child." The elderly woman encouraged him to speak.

Aang held his voice in for a moment. Everyone quiet not to disturb him. " I thought I was the only Airbender left. The rest of the temple. They- they are all dead."

The elderly woman let out a heavy sigh. " Aang, let me ask you something. Do all flying lemurs eat PincelPert fruit? "

"No-"

" The same applies with people. My mother ,  was an air nomad just like you were. She lived in the eastern air temple ,but she was not happy living her life as an air nomad. So she left everyone she knew to live her life in the earth kingdom. " Everyone listened in silence as the old woman talked. " In a population filled with thousands of people there are bound to be a few who break the rules."

The elderly woman let out a dry chuckle. " I can tell you right now that we aren't the only air bending family out there who survived. After 100 years  there are some of us who hide our bending well and continue to live in harmony with the rest."

"But ,but-" Aang outstretched his hands in a hurry

" I know of the fake refugee camps the fire nation orchestrated. Informing the Airbenders who escaped from the temples that they would find safety ,but all they met was death....Aang, a few of us Airbenders are gifted with so much bending possibilities that you can't even imagine. "

" I thought I was the last Airbender. " Aang hang his head in defeat. With the sudden shift of atmosphere Venti took action. She lightly put her hand on the avatars shoulder to give him comfort.

The atmosphere slightly shifted to a less tense one.

" Now everyone, who would like some steamed buns. Rohan go pack some steam buns for them to enjoy on their journey." The elderly woman gave a closed smile to the earthbender.

Rohan gave a nod to the woman. " And my daughter, you should also be packing for your journey ahead."

" Of course mom- wait what!" The young one exploded with shocks after her mother's worlds reached her.

" M-my journey."  She stuttered.

" Yes, Venti. Aang can help you improve your bending abilities greatly and so can you. You both need each other to complete your Destinies."

"Woah mom. I don't understand."  Venti held onto her mother's hands. Trying to understand what the women was saying.

She smiled at her daughter. "You are destined for great things, freedom, you must not live a life of worry and fear like I did. Go out there. Help Aang restore the balance to the world. Don't worry about us. We will be here waiting for you."

"Aang." She turned to look at the Avatar. "Be patient with her. She was not raised by monks her bending methods are questionable."

"Water tribe." She refers to Katara and sokka. "Welcome her as one of your own."

"Now go. Go. Hurry and finish so you can come back to babysit the kids."

"Mama-" venti hugged the elderly woman. "I promise I will be back as soon as I can."

Venti saw how Rohan was holding a small bag for her.

"I'll take care of her until you get back." Rohan referred to her mother. "Food and all the necessary are in here." Rohan handed venti who looked like she wanted to cry the bag.

Venti mouthed a quiet 'thank you' to the boy before taking a last look at her mom.

"Okay team Aang, Sokka, Venti, katara, momo and Appa." Venti put the bag across her shoulder.

"Let's do this."

.

.

.

.

"That's too long. We need to come up with something shorter." Sokka cringed at the roll call.

"Agreed." Venti lauged in response as they all walked out of the house. Venti waving goodbye at her mom and Rohan.

[lorenzo-zanetta]

Knock, knock, knock.

It was just after eight in the morning, and the busy streets of New York City were already in full swing. But, as Lorenzo rapped his knuckles against the ivory door in front of him, the silence in the corridor gave way to a more ominous sound.

There was a pause as Lorenzo waited, but a second too long drew a frustrated sigh that did not help his mood. Gritting his teeth for control, Lorenzo knew it was too early to lose his patience. But having to knock twice had never been a habit of his, let alone a third. Raising a fist, ready to bear down a more demanding call, the sound of turning locks made him stop.

"What took you so long?"

"Good morning to you, too, Enzo..."

There, standing at her full height of 5 feet tall, was his sister Nicola. Still dressed in her robe and slippers, she wore a smile that matched her wry tone.

"May I come in?" he asked.

Nicola looked to be contemplating her decision before finally stepping back to allow her older brother into her home. Leaving him there to lock the door himself, she disappeared to an adjacent room, giving Lorenzo a chance to briefly scan his surroundings. Moments later, he found her in the kitchen brewing coffee — a never-to-miss essential in Nicola's morning routine.

"You seem to be settling well here," Lorenzo observed as he sat himself down on one of the barstools that lined her kitchen island. "How did you get a place so fast?"

"This could've been an email, Enzo," Nicola quipped, pouring coffee for herself and her brother. Lorenzo rolled his eyes, accepting the mug she'd given him.

"Why are you really here?" she asked, giving him a more serious look. "We agreed you weren't supposed to visit me here."

"I remember," Lorenzo insisted, albeit calmly. "But you know better than to ask me questions you already know the answers to," he said. "You know why I'm here, and why I'm having to break our rules. The rules you made yourself, might I add," he reminded her. "You are the one who's not being careful here."

Nicola was silent for a time, her dark gaze locked with her older brother's. If it wasn't for the quiet urgency in his tone, his blue eyes were enough to pierce through the silence.

"Is that why you chose New York, Nicky? Because of him?!"

"No!" Nicola jumped to defend herself. "I didn't know he left Italy, let alone move all the way here!"

"Then how?!"

"By sheer goddamn coincidence, that's how!" Nicola snapped, exasperated. But Lorenzo didn't look the least bit convinced. "Did it ever occur to you that some things just... happen?!" she cried out in frustration. "Besides, how did you even find out???"

Lorenzo chose not to reveal his ways. Doing so would open a bigger can of worms, a gateway to a world Nicola should know nothing about.

"If Papa finds out you're here with him—..." Lorenzo started. "Hell, if I see him myself? That bastard's not going to stand a fucking chance! Not after everything he's put you through!" he bellowed as memories of years past has triggered his long-contained fury for his former best friend.

"NO!" Nicola may be half her brother's size, but she didn't hesitate to match his volume. "You will do no such thing," she warned him with quiet determination. "Not if you intend on keeping me in your life." Then, she leaned in with that menacing look of hers. "And I will not have you talk about Gio like that to me or anyone else."

As silence rang between the two heated siblings, Nicola stood her ground as firmly as their late mother would in the rare instances her anger would show. And just like with the late Eleanora, Lorenzo didn't think there was a way to break her conviction.

"I'm just trying to protect you," Lorenzo implored which seemed to have softened Nicola's demeanour, at least by a fraction.

"I know," Nicola murmured with a somber nod of her head. "But only you know much he means to me, and how hard the last several years have been," his little sister said, prompting memories of an inconsolable Nicola. "It's why I had to leave Milan."

As she reached for his hand, Lorenzo forced himself to listen to words he didn't want to accept. Torn between wanting to protect her from their father's fury and keeping her from getting hurt by outside forces that were out of his control, Lorenzo was stuck.

"Please," Nicola pleaded in earnest. "We have to keep to my plan if you want to continue protecting me the way you want. Which means Papa has to continue believing that I'm in London, studying, and not here with Gio. Alright?"

Silence.

"Enzo."

Lifting his steely blue eyes to meet Nicola's, Lorenzo had to forcibly unclench his jaw in defeat.

"Under one condition..."

"Okay...? "His little sister furrowed her eyebrows in apprehension. "What is it?

"I want to see him."

* All conversations are in Italian.

[doe-writes-stuff]

Hello! I was wondering if I could request:

Daryl Dixon x Younger! Brother or Sister (depending on what you write)

Maybe after the fire on the farm , Daryl and his sibling reunite!

Also, just wanted to quickly say that I love your blog!! Thank you 🤎☺️🤎

Ahh, thank you! I've written so little so far, but I'm happy you're enjoying what content I do have already <3 Please enjoy, and I hope this is to your liking!

WARNINGS: Canon-typical violence, reader is a bit of a hothead (as all Dixons are), strong language

The farm is a total loss, and it didn't take a genius to realize it.

If the flaming barn lighting up the night with an amber glow didn't make that abundantly clear, then the few hundred walkers closing in from the surrounding forest certainly did. Too many to possibly fight off with your ragtag group of survivors. You hadn't heard so many growls in unison since the very beginning of the world falling apart. It set your teeth and nerves on edge. And a familiar paranoia set in.

What the hell had happened? It was one thing after another; first the barn, then Randall, then suddenly a massive horde shows up and everything is in chaos. Where the hell were Rick and Shane? Fuck, where was Carl? You hoped the kid wasn't by himself in this mess.

On top of that, you couldn't find Daryl anywhere. Last you knew the hunter had gone out with Glenn to track, but you'd not seen him return. He was capable and you really weren't worried about him. It didn't matter how many of the dead cropped up, your older brother was a survivor. He'd be fine. Definitely.

You for sure were not worried.

...ok, maybe you were. But Dixons didn't let that shit show, as Merle had taught.

Stray shotgun shots echoed nearby and drew in the horde with more vigor. Herschel, the stubborn bastard, unwilling to give up his home without a fight. You could respect the sentiment, but you didn't plan on dying tonight. Couldn't he see there was no saving it from this many dead?

Your knife finds its way into the head of the closest handful of walkers that approach, felling them one after the one with smooth stabs. But there's always another behind it waiting to get its decaying hands on you. Ugh.

You're making your way towards the house, unsure why but picking a direction and sticking with it. Maybe, if you could find any of the other survivors, you could get the hell out of here in the limited number of vehicles left.

The dead were everywhere. You put down one just to have another 2 closing in from another direction. It was pissing you off, frankly, but there was nothing else to do but keep moving. By coincidence--or maybe by design, you couldn't guess--your uncoordinated path through the walking corpses leads you to Herschel himself, who was practically backed up against his home, shotgun still in hand dealing lead death to any reanimated corpse close enough.

And it's then that you see Carl and Rick beside him, trying to convince him to leave. The sight of others lights a fire under your feet, and you run the last distance towards them.

"Hey!" Your shout draws their attention. "Are we gettin' the hell out of here, or what?!"

"She's right." Rick turned to the old farmer again, laying a hand on his shoulder and shaking his head emphatically. "The farm is gone, we can't stay here!"

"This is my land! I'll sooner die on it than give it up." He stubbornly replies, face set in determined lines. The flaming barn down aways gives a frighteningly loud and groaning creak as the timbers within burn. The structural integrity was weakening, and none of you were sure how long it would hold out.

You're forced to turn and take care of the several walkers that had taken the opportunity to sneak up behind your back. All this standing around...it irritated you beyond belief.

"Old man, stayin' here is suicide!" You yell. "Think of Maggie n' Beth! What the hell do you want us to tell them, huh?"

He hesitates, the reminder of his family somewhere out there starting to shake his resolve--he even gives a glance down at the wide-eyed and frightened Carl who hadn't said a word thus far--but Rick steps in with the finishing argument. The former sheriff shakes Herschel's shoulder roughly.

"Don't leave your daughters without their father! They need you, and you need them."

You look around, realizing that the dead were coming in denser and more numerous waves. You didn't have long before escape would be impossible. And damn it all if you died because of some old man's stubbornness and stupidity. Not on your watch.

Not waiting around to find out if he was in agreement, you grab Herschel's arm.

"We're out of time!" You begin dragging him in the direction you think is most clear of the dead, offering all of you the best chance of escape. He allows it with little resistance, thankfully. Rick and Carl are barely a step behind, eager to be away from the remains of what had once been home, shelter, and safety.

You're several hundred yards away when the sound of the barn collapsing within itself echoes across the clearing, sparks sent high into the dark sky.

Where was Daryl? You'd practically chewed your thumb nail down to nothing, worry presenting itself as a nervous tick. Where the fuck was he? You'd been waiting on this highway for several hours and there was no sign of anyone other than you, Herschel, and Rick.

Well, and more of those dead fuckers who'd caused all this mess in the first place. Only now, with the threat of the horde turning in your direction again, you were forced to hide and stay quiet, hoping for the others to show.

It was testing your patience beyond its limits. Sitting around on your hands, waiting, wondering...it was the worst.

On top of all of that, Herschel was getting on your last goddamn nerve, talking about leaving while you still could.

That was the last straw.

"We are not leaving this fuckin' highway until the others get here." You spit with a scowl, voice low so as not to draw more attention to yourselves.

Whether it's your words or your tone that makes him give you a withering stare, you're not sure. He tightens his grip on his shotgun. "Young lady, we have to think of Rick's boy now. There's no guarantee the others made it off the farm, and waiting around here is only going to put him in more danger-"

"Oh, don't even start with that." You scoff, ignoring the way Rick placed himself between you to try to placate the fighting. The old man's attitude coupled with the last vestiges of adrenaline wearing off had put you in a foul mood. To the point where you didn't even care if Carl was there to witness it. "You wanna know something?"

"Y/N, that's enough." The former sheriff emphasized, but you were too riled up at this point, pushing past him and pointing an accusatory finger at the old man.

"You put us all in danger refusin' to leave the farm last night."

Rick tried again. "Hey, hey, let's all just calm down-"

"We did you a favor draggin' your sorry ass out here to live another day, so until everyone gets here, and I mean everyone, I don't wanna hear a damn word from-"

The rumble of an engine draws all of your attentions, abating your anger momentarily as your gaze swung to the other end of the highway. Hope bubbled from underneath the boiling fury, settling your nerves. Was it...?

It was!

Thank fuck.

The moment Daryl's--well, Merle's--bike came into view a weight lifted from your soul. You'd already lost one brother in Atlanta. You don't know what you'd do with yourself if you'd lost the other. In the lead of the small band of vehicles approaching, Daryl came to a stop several feet away from where you, Rick, Carl, and Herschel were standing behind a stalled-out car.

The reunions commenced, loved ones and friends reuniting, but you only had eyes for your older brother. Walking up to him, an equal amount of relief is in his own eyes, masked to all except you. His eyes swept over you, probably checking for wounds. It was a familiar gesture, from years of hard childhood.

You'd hug him, but you were both Dixons.

Sour mood quickly dissipating, you punched his arm hard with a smirk. "Could've waited up on me, bastard. Bet you didn't even look for me, did you? Some brother you are."

The words were callous and snarky, but you knew he could read between the lines.

I was fucking worried about you.

"Crazy bitch, always hittin' me." Daryl complained, rubbing at his arm to ease the punch. "Almost wish I'd saved myself the trouble lookin' for ya."

I'm glad you're ok.

You give a huffed laugh. "As if you'd get anywhere without me. Still remember which side of those bolts are the pointy end?"

I love you.

"Fuck off, Y/N."

Love you, too.

You caught a glance of a few confused or concerned looks from the other survivors--mostly Lori and Carol--but you didn't give a shit what they thought. It wasn't as if they'd been all that welcoming to the Dixon clan when you'd first settling into the Atlanta camp. They didn't know shit about your family.

Whatever happened after that point, you vowed to stick close to Daryl from that point, never leaving his side, never risking being separated again.

And if his steady gaze was anything to go by, you think he felt the same.

[valfeathers]

OMG YOUR ART IS SO GOOD! Gonna go on a reblog spree tomorrow or something <3<3<3

Anywho, care to share some (more) of your opinions on Wammy's House? Saw a few text posts and they caught my interest 👀

Like, how do you think L feels about his successors or something. Or just rant about why you hate Watari and Roger (omg or more BB talk LOVE that). I dunno I can just ell your opinions/takes are *chef's kiss*

i'm so sorry this took so long but!! i had no idea where to start lmao

i spend so much time just thinking about L in any capacity,, i mean it, he occupies a scary amount of my waking thoughts (blame the autism)

so for starters, as much as i shit on wammy's and its terrible negligence, i find myself putting L & the successors into little found family scenarios & i often draw them all together

(eg. here's some older sketches of L & the kids)

now i know that canonically they probably (definitely) weren't like this but,, i want them all to be loved

i can understand why/how other people would have a different interpretation of their dynamic, but portraying L as a mentor/brother/father figure is very near & dear to my heart :'))

(this is also partly projection as i'm an eldest son who loves their sibling & wants the best for them, who also deeply relates to L so do with that what you will haha)

most of my wammy family art is for comfort! and maybe it can comfort other people too :')))

maybe one day i'll come back & explain the extent of my hcs about this dynamic but i'm not confident in my ability to like. word my thoughts coherently yet so !! for now u get art & some surface level stuff :)

but anyways, sometimes i question what being at the centre of a program like that must feel like. i try not to overanalyse L's backstory and dictate what he must have thought because i know that he's a complicated character and a lot of his morality/actions are up for debate but like,,,

having your guardians look for a replacement for you while you're still alive? that's like saying 'we're just waiting for you to die/mess up/become useless to us and then when that happens, we can instantly replace you with a new & improved version'

even if they were trying to do a classic 'heir' system where a person inherits L's position and this wasn't meant to send that kind of message,, the environment that was produced is still incredibly toxic. that still isn't good. they used children. malleable, vulnerable orphans. that's no coincidence.

and idk that's a little messed up to me.

i don't really know how else to word my thoughts on this situation rn? i just acknowledge that that's no way to treat a person and move on bc,, what else can i say? :'/ it's a terrible situation for everybody involved and watari (& roger) are fucked up for creating a cycle of abuse and putting L right in the centre of it.

and a prime example of how damaging this system was is B. he wasn't born hateful and vindictive and violent, something made him that way. we are all products of our environments, and his was inhumane by definition.

this post is getting long as fuck, jesus,,, okok i'll wrap this up by saying that i'll expand on B at a later date

and reminding u that this is my interpretation and you're free to disagree! we all read into characters & their relationships differently

but yeah a lot of my thoughts about them tend to be really sad so i pad it out with sweeter stuff like above!

[tozettastone]

I know I've been posting about other stuff today, but I've actually been working on the SPN Sabriel fic: 'Be Not Afraid, Behold'.

here's a little bit from the start of the next chapter:

-----

Sam woke with a jolt.

"You okay?" Dean asked, only halfway paying attention to the road that rose endlessly on ahead of them. Its sinuous shape snaked behind them, too, a long stretch of black asphalt that drifted off into the horizon, swallowed by a greenish mass of forest in the distance. There wasn't a lot on either side, and the only other vehicles were freight.

"Um," said Sam, squinting. The impala was a familiar rumble around him. He sat up. "Yeah... Weird dream?"

He rarely dreamed when he slept beside Gabriel, but now that he was back on the road with his brother, he was making up for lost time.

"Sounded like a nightmare." Dean was suddenly really attentive to that empty road, avoiding even the potential for eye contact with Sam.

It was fading now. What had been so clear and reasonable in the landscape of his dreaming mind was now confused and impossible to grasp. The tatters that remained of it were only an uneasy memory...

"Might've been." He fumbled for his phone beneath his seat belt, realised he didn't actually have Jess's number since she'd got a new phone, and then messaged Gabriel instead.

Hey, is Jess still on campus? She doing okay?

A response came three minutes later: Can't believe the first time you message me in a week is about a girl you dated last year. smh. She's fine btw. [Attachment: IMG_1101104].

The photo was a candid snap from one of the libraries at Stanford. Jess looked like she'd been surprised, looking up from her book only to be captured in digital media. She was as pretty as ever, but all Sam felt looking at the picture was—well, it was nice of Gabriel to go out of his way to check on her.

Gabriel? Wasn't really a library kind of guy. It was kind of odd that he had even been close by enough to take the photo—a lucky coincidence, he guessed.

Thank you, Sam sent, and then shoved his phone away.

"Sooo..." Dean drummed his fingertips on the steering wheel. "That a girl?"

"Uh." Sam rubbed his nose. "A friend. Weird dream was about her? I guess. I don't even remember it really. I was just... checking in."

A long pause. "Does 'uh, friend' have a name?"

"Jess? She's really a friend though. We went out one time and I broke it off." And hadn't his recent experience with the Woman in White, Constance, really made him feel good about that choice to sit down with Jess and talk about it? One date didn't have to mean a commitment, of course, but now in hindsight he was pretty glad to have left no expectations behind him.

"Huh," repeated Dean. "What, was she ugly?"

"Was she—? No, Dean." He sighed deeply. "Jess isn't ugly. We... Just didn't fit."

This was a highly editorialised version of events, and he could almost physically hear Gabriel interrupting in the back of his own mind: Is that what they're calling it? Do you remember what did fit? It was my—

Sam hauled his train of thought back onto its rails. Fortunately, his mental image of Gabriel was a lot more manageable than the real one.

He already missed him. It ached like an absent limb. The last time he'd felt like this was years ago, leaving Dean behind on his way to California.

Gabriel typically drifted in and out of Sam's life every second day or so with what now felt like surprising ease. For Sam, few relationships had ever been easy. He'd moved around too much growing up for that. For more than a decade it had just been Dean, Dad and Bobby. Those bonds were important—even when he didn't really want them to be—but they sure weren't easy.

...At some point, Sam was going to have to talk to Dean about Gabriel. He thought this thought intellectually, but even as he did, a less cerebral part of his brain—one which dealt with feelings like anger and fear and disgust—wondered if it was true. Maybe he could just ...avoid talking to Dean about anything Gabriel related, ever.

It wasn't that Dean was homophobic. Not... really homophobic, anyway. But they weren't the kind of touchy-feely people who talked about their feelings. And god only knew Sam didn't want to finally find their Dad after dropping that particular bomb on Dean. He could already see that playing out.

He licked his teeth. This was pretty clearly not the time to talk to Dean about any of the, um, gay stuff.

Can't even say it in your head, huh? sneered a little voice inside him. This one didn't sound much like Gabriel. Sam's meanest and most self destructive impulses never did. The, um, gay stuff, he mocked.

He set his jaw and tilted his head until his neck popped, with the sound of synovial fluid stretching, releasing gases between joints. Pop-pop, soft and satisfying, like a release valve for the tension in his spine.

Dean pulled a face at the noise and turned the radio up.

Silently, Sam turned towards his window, watching the road stream endlessly by. He didn't check his phone.

[fangaminghell]

In Which Blake Tries To Set Up the Perfect Date

Aka: Cal's confession fic Aka: The Grand Finale

~~~

No one needed to be told about it really. Heck, if it was an outsider looking in, they would have assumed that all for of them were dating already. The way they light up around each other, how the tend to linger a little too long around each other, cheeky whispers between them, making each other laugh, etc etc. It was no secret that Leo was interested in the three of them. It was no secret that he had already asked out Cain and Taka. It was definitely no secret that Cal was obviously next.

And that was the problem. Cal is next.

Cal is dense as fuck.

Leo is awkward as hell.

Those two need all the help they can get.

~~~~

" Uh," Leo says awkwardly as Blake straightens his tie, " Is all of this necessary? I didn't even ask Cal out yet. And I kinda want it to be casual?"

"Leo, hold still, I'm not done with your hair!" Shelly scolds gently, forcing Leo to stiffen as her and Heather do Leo's hair. Blake gives Leo a raised brow, getting his tie right. He places his hands on Leo's shoulders, giving him a stern, serious look.

" Leo. Listen to me. Cal is an idiot- don't give me that look, hear me out,"

"Hm," Leo frowns, but obliges.

" He will not get it if you just ask him out casually. It will fly over his head. And if he does get it, he's going to awkward and deflective- like you, honestly,"

"Hey!"

"It's true," Heather pipes in, " You are awkward and deflective,"

Ouch. Even the 12 year old agrees.

" So!" Blake clasp his hands together, smiling broadly etched in smugness, " Because I am such an amazing brother, I've set up a date for you both! You're welcome~"

"It was Shelly's idea-"

"It was my idea-"

The two girls say at the same time, catching each other off guard. It doesn't last though, as the two start giggling at the coincidence.

"Sorry, you say it," Heather giggles.

" Alright! It was my idea. Don't listen to Blake's lies"

"Wha- I didn't lie about anything!"

"Lies aren't good for you, Blake." Shelly teases, before finishing up with Leo's hair, "All done!"

Shelly presents Leo's reflection with a cute pink hand mirror….it's honestly how he usually has his hair- in a ponytail- but with a few added accessories. There was a braid that connected to his ponytail, with little hair clips attached to them. Speaking of ponytail, his was held together by a pink scrunchie. His hair didn't match his suit at all. But he loved it all the same.

" Aw, thank you girls. I love it," he says genuinely. Heather puffs her chest out in pride and Shelly beams ear to ear.

" Yeah, we're pretty great," Heather boasts,while Shelly giggles.

"False accusations aside, this is great! Now we can go fix up my idiot brother,"

When Leo blinks, the trio are already leaving out the door.

" Bye Leo! Remember the coordinates we gave you!" Shelly waves as she leaves. Heather points to him and gives him a stern look.

" And don't mess up your hair!!!"

And with that, the three of them leave his apartment with a lonesome Leo behind.

Well now what?

~~~

"I can't believe you," Cal murmurs, his face growing more red by the second. Blair gives him a reassuring pat on the back…or as reassuring as xe can make it.

" Don't blame me, blame your brother," Blair says coolly. Cal huffs, being mindful to stay still as Lilith applies makeup on him. He…honestly never tried on make up until right now. He's not sure if he should be letting a 12 year old do it, but she insisted….

Cal sighs, straightening his suit.

" I know….just. You guys really can't trust me to accept a confession?"

Blair shrugs, " In our defense: you are very dense,"

" Wha-"

" Did you seriously not notice the way Leo kept looking at you back Ametrine?"

" Uh-"

" Or how he looked at you when you weren't turned to code?"

" Well, I'm sure he looked at everyone the same way-"

"Cal."

Yeah, now his face was really red. He can hear Lilith suppressing a giggle.

" See? Told you you were dense," Blake's voice enters the room. He is greeted by both Cal and Blair glaring at him. Lilith waves delightfully to Shelly and Heather.

" Jeez, I just got here, what did I do?!"

" You're loud," Blair says bluntly

" And annoying," Cal grits out.

Shelly and Heather walk towards Lilith, and the three start talking among themselves as Lilith continues to apply Cal's makeup on.

" I'm going to ignore that," Blake huffs, " Your dense as hell, bro. And Leo's too awkward to really start anything-"

" Didn't he ask out Cain and Taka???" Cal questions, but again, Blake ignores him.

"- So we're all doing you two a favor by setting you guys up for a date! No awkward interactions needed!"

Cal raised a brow at his older brother, but sighs knowing he can't exactly stop this. Not when Shelly and the others have clearly been working hard on this.

" And….done!" Lilith cheers, stepping back to view their work.

" You look so pretty, Cal!" Shelly compliments, with Heather and Lilith nodding in agreement.

" Aw, thanks, Shelly. And thank you Lilith for doing my makeup,"

Lilith smiles brightly, clearly proud of their accomplishment.

" Okay!" Blake claps his hand together, " We're all set now! All we need to do now is get your date spot ready! So we do that and you…..do whatever you do,".

" Charming," Cal says dryly, and Blake smirks.

" I know right? Later bro! Let's go guys,"

Blake and the girls all leave Cal be, Blair slowly behind them. Before Blair leaves, xe give Cal a sturdy pat on the back.

" Good luck," was all xe said as xe follow the others outside. Cal blinks, unsure of what to do now….

~~~

" These two are unbelievable," Blake mutters, watching Leo and Cal on their date from afar. Next to him, Lilith, Shelly and Heather all lean on each other, clearly having dozed off after a long period of watching. Blake is close by too, reading a book, probably something related to xyr school work.

Leo and Cal have been awkwardly sitting together for an hour. A fucking hour. The set up was perfect too. They made a clearing in Rhodochrine Jungle, specifically near the giant tree. They set up a table, candle lights, everything! They even allowed Shelly and Lilith to serve the food.

And it started out good! They literally had a minute of staring at each other when they first arrived. Couldn't keep their eyes off each other, couldn't stop talking to each other, it was perfect! But then it just. Stopped. And Blake has no idea why. Did he underestimate how awkward these two are??? Where's the confession? The kiss?? The "I love you's"???

….okay maybe he's a bit too invested in this, but still! They're just sitting there. For about an hour now. Unbelievable.

" Blair, are you seeing this shit?!" Blake curses, clenching and unclenching his jaws as he watches his brother and his brothers future boyfriend just sit there awkwardly.

" Shhhh," Blair shushes him. When Blake turns to face xem, agitated, Blair then points to the sleeping girls, who are huddled together.

" We should get them to bed. It's been a long day for them,"

All the frustration Blake had before melted away when looking at the sleeping kids. He sighs, already abandoning the date before him.

" Yeah….yeah you're right. Come on,". He grunts a little as he picks up Heather, while Blair carries Shelly and Lilith in each arm. Heather squirms a bit, mumbling " I can walk" before drifting back to sleep. Blake chuckles at that.

As the two friends walk there way back to Beryl, Blair gives Blake a quick glance.

"...You get an A for effort,"

Blake snorts, though he quickly tries to lower his voice to not wake up Heather.

" Thanks teach," he joked, " I….I just want him to be happy, you know?"

Blair hums, a mutual understanding as xe adjusts Lilith in xyr arms.

" You should tell him that,"

Now it's Blake's turn to hum. He knows he should. It would do them both good if he did. And yet….

" Maybe" is all Blake says. Not exactly a yes. But not a no either. Definitely not a no.

~~~

"....Are they gone?" Cal whispers, looking up from his meal at Leo. Leo closes his eyes for a bit, focusing his aura. When he opens his eyes again, he nods with a small smile.

" Yeah, I don't sense- mmpf!"

Cal grabs by the blazer of his suit, pulling him forward into an impassioned kiss. The kiss was over before Leo knew it, his body feel like it was going to melt if it lasted any longer. Cal licked his lips, giving Leo a cheeky smile.

"Sweet,"

Leo would have died then and there if it weren't for two more guests entering the clearing.

" Heeeeeeey~ Hope you saved some Leo got us~"

Or he could die. Melt into a big ol' puddle.

Cain and Taka enter the clearing with big smiles, both of them in suits of their own. Taka is carrying two folded up chairs in each arm, and Cain is holding bags of takeout.

" We brought takeout," Taka says, gesturing to Cain, who waves the food cheekily.

So. Rewind.

Before their date, Cal and Leo both decided to meet up and talk about Blake's attempt at giving them the perfect date. The conversation quickly turned into a conversation about them. A confession was made,and a plan was hatched.

Since the point of the date was the get a confession out of them, the date itself was now pointless, since they already confessed. So why not make it into an actual date with Taka and Cain? All they would have to do was wait till Blake got bored of waiting, and they would have a date to themselves. Cal accurately predicted that Blake would only last an hour.

So here they are. Taka and Cain set their chairs among the dinner table,set the takeout food out, and their first official date has truly begun.

Leo himself was over the moon with it all. He doesn't remember having dates with Richard like this. Ones with such love. Sure, he was in love with Richard at that time, but looking back, it was clear that Richard didn't reciprocate. At least, he didn't after the first few dates. But right here, right now, where he's laughing with his boyfriends under the starry night sky, Leo feels so undeniably, irrefutably loved.

It was worth the wait.

[sailing-ever-west]

WRIT200 Blog Post #5: Spiders

Will this blog one day have a real theme? Who knows? For now, I'll continue simply talking about anything I find interesting. This is Letters From a Not-Quite Lunatic, after all. Maybe by the end I'll achieve full lunatic status and enter my final, most powerful form, but regardless, today is the day I talk about spiders.

I think maybe it all started when I was little, out of a desire to be fearless (or perhaps, the simple recognition that I was fearless about uncommon things, just as the things I did fear were usually odd). My mom and brother were both terrified of spiders, so when my dad was at work (a.k.a. most of the time), it fell to me with my concerning ability to switch off my emotions for a task to be the slayer of these mighty, tiny beasts.

I took pride in my warrior's status for years, only having one or two big scares (wrapping a towel around yourself out of the shower to see a huge wolf spider right on the front of it is not for the faint of heart), but over time I went from apathy to an actual affection for them.

The seed was planted most likely by my nana, who told me she was glad to have spiders around because they were good for her garden, eating all the smaller bugs that preyed on the plants. They were protectors, in that way. Nature's guardians.

I kept this in mind as the years passed, especially as I found myself to be a rather odd and lonely child. What was so offensive, I wondered, about a little creature who traveled alone and ate flies? We don't even have more than two species of venomous ones in my state. I pondered this, as I tended to ponder things. 

My life changed drastically at twelve when my mom had my little sister and we outgrew my childhood home. We moved to the east side of town and bought a house built in the 70s with problems I don't even blame the seller for tiptoeing around. It was my parents' first time buying a home, being just ahead of millennials in being able to do so at all, and it was certainly an experience. 

The house had a finished basement (a somewhat generous term, in hindsight), and I alone slept down there in a room we had to erect a small wall to create. And perhaps it was the eerie backyard pool just outside my ground-level window (by pure coincidence and having been built in the 70s, it was the exact same blueprint as the one they filmed at in season 1 of Stranger Things), or the fact that the stresses of school difficulty and caring for my little sister were beginning to truly wear on me, but I couldn't find it in me to worry very much about my constant roommates, the basement spiders. 

I think I used to kill them at first, but there were so many of them that after a while I got tired of it, and unless they were in or near my bed I began to leave them alone. I would idly watch them crawl along the wall or the floor, and something like compassion for them began to grow in me. We weren't so different, really. Small, lonely things who kept to the shadows and watched as good, social, normal people turned up their noses. As time went by and life changed, another sibling came along and school got harder, we moved again, twice, and I grew only more wracked with anxiety, I began to almost see spiders as a sign of good luck. A small moment of companionship between me and the creature, two otherwise unconnected beings who despite the so-called ways of the world, had no desire to kill each other.

A couple of years ago I even got a plush spider at a gift shop. It looked cute to me, with its big shiny eyes, and it had just the right constitution to squeeze. I named it Paolo, and with the exception of my youngest two siblings my family found it rather horrid. 

"What's with the spider?" a relative asked. "Why would you get something scary for a stuffed animal?"

I pointed out that bears were quite scary too if you actually came across one, but had been the standard stuffed toy for around a century with no complaint. 

"Well, you can at least see the good things about bears," I was told, "like how they care for their young. This is just…creepy and evil."

I didn't say that spiders protected gardens, or often died for their young. I forgot. I was quieted. 

But despite their rampant unpopularity, I still find myself defending the little creatures, perhaps all the more because they're so universally hated. I tend not to trust human vitriol, I suppose. We often aim it at things, or even people, who have committed no sin but inconveniencing us or being a bit too "different" for our personal comfort. 

It does things for the soul, I think, to love a horrible little creature who can give you nothing back. Perhaps, then, there is hope for yourself, too.

[melodythebunny]

New neighbors Au - Wordgirl x Welcome home chapter 2

A few days have passed, being that it was the weekend, there was no school. So the Boxleitner family took time to relax and hang out together. Their parents had yet to come off of work in close to an hour so in the meantime they were trying to figure out what to do.

Well Bob decided to go raid the fridge for a snack. That left the three kids to ponder.

Becky, Chase and Blu sat on the couch. Blu had decided to grab her crayons to color a picture. Squeaky, who was out of his cage, poked his head out of her overalls pocket. The two older siblings frowned upon seeing the mouse, obviously they weren't too fond of him. After shooting them a glare he hid again.

"How about we watch something?" Chase said after some time of thinking.

"Yes! I think there's a new pretty pink princess episode now." Becky said. She grabbed the remote and flipped the TV on. Chase wasn't a fan of the show like his sisters and mom was. But he didn't exactly dislike it like his dad. Still, he figured it was better than nothing.

It turned out to be an episode they had already seen. However Becky asked to see it again. Chase could remember the entire plot. The main character and her unicorn got teleported to a pocket dimension of sorts. They met a group of fairies. Then there was an evil troll. Turns out the troll wasn't actually evil but lonely. The real antagonist had turned out to be one of the fairies who was friends with the troll. She tried trapping the princess in the dimension forever. Of course in the end good triumphed and evil was vanquished.

Chase was surprised at how much he actually remembered. But when you watch something for so many times you end up memorizing more than you think.

Blu came back after some time of drawing, tapping on her older siblings to get their attention. "I found a movie…I think." their younger sister piped up. She held an old looking VHS tape, looking at it curiously.

"Hey isn't this one of the items from the antique shop we visited a few days ago?" Becky asked, peeling her eyes away from the TV. She examined the tape. Sure enough it was.

"I don't remember buying this if I'm honest" Chase said with a small shrug.

"Can we watch it?" Blu asks. "Please?" Just like their dad, Chase was not immune to the puppy eyes. So the siblings found themselves putting the tape in the VHS player and pressing start.

They were each curious and excited to see the old show. Not knowing much about it aside from its title they didn't know what to expect.

It showed a company logo before a black screen appeared. It was completely silent and still. The kids waited a couple of minutes to see if anything would happen…but nope. Still a black screen.

"How peculiar…" Becky says.

"What does peculiar mean?" Blu asks.

"It means something weird or something that confuses you." She explains. "Like how this is weird. You'd think there would be something on this tape…"

"Shhh wait…I think I see something." Chase said, holding a finger up to his lips. Her siblings quieted down looking back at the TV screen. There was a red rotary telephone just sitting there now. A yellowed four fingered hand reached out from the darkness. Silently spinning the rotary part failing a random number.

((( Ring! )))

The sound of their house phone cutting through the air, ringing caused them to jump.

Meanwhile the hidden figure on the television sat or stood (hard to tell with the darkness) patiently as if waiting for them to pick up the phone.

(((((( Ring! ))))))

((( Ring! )))

(((((((( Ring! ))))))))

Answer the phone will you?

"It's probably just a coincidence." Becky reassures. Her brother nodded in agreement but yet he couldn't help that it wasn't a coincidence. "I'll go answer it in case it's mom or dad." Chase said after a few more rings. He went into the kitchen where Bob was still. The monkey seemed to be washing the dishes now.

With a small gulp, Chase picked up the phone. For a moment there was silence

"Hello…?"

"Hi?" Chase said. He didn't recognize this voice at all. It sounded clear yet old and static like it had been recorded at the same time.

"Hello neighbor!"

"Sorry I think you may have the wrong number." He didn't recognize this voice at all. It sounded clear yet old and static like it had been recorded at the same time.

"But how when I meant to call you?"

Chase got quiet. He glanced at Bob who looked at him back, worried.

"I'm sorry, who is this?" Maybe this was a prank call.

The voice on the other end was quieter now. "I can't say right now…"

"Why not?" Okay this definitely seems like a prank…still there was something off about the strangers tone.

"You like surprises don't you?" The voice then asked. There was a loud creak and thumping noise on the other end, the stranger puases. "You should get going…Home doesn't like to wait."

Chase tried to open his mouth to ask what the voice was talking about when the phone hung up.

BBZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTT -

the boy threw the phone down, his ears hurting from the loud static. Bob gave a questioning chirp. "I'm not sure what that was about…" Chase said, holding his head. His eyes looked at the doorway as his voice trailed off.

The living room was dark and silent now. Which was quite odd since it had been only the early afternoon. But how much time has passed? "Blu…?" Chase didn't hear a response from her. "Becky…?" Nor from the middle child. He got even more worried. "Bob?" The monkey held his hand, signaling he was still there. Chase sighed feeling a bit relieved, still he was concerned why his sisters weren't answering.

The TV flickered back on, catching his attention. As he stared at it, failing to notice red wires heading straight for him.

And that was the last thing the boy remembered.

@blueweirdness @lartmacabre @dualnaturedscientist @liloskull343 @ninjastormhawkkat

[shadowqueen402]

Corpse Maren: Undying Love (Chapter 4)

(Meanwhile with Aria)

The sky had just gotten dark with the stars and full moon glowing brightly. This filled Aria with dread as that would mean that, in the morning, she would be married off to her new fiancè that she already received bad vibes from. And his sister wasn't any better. No matter how much she tried to see them in a positive view, that feeling in her gut wouldn't go away.

She really did not want to marry him. But she couldn't find it in her heart to tell her parents the truth.

Which was why she found herself getting ready to do the unthinkable; running away from home and finding a safe place for her to hide until her "fiancé" and his sister decide to call off the wedding.

"Forgive me, Mother and Father," Aria muttered to herself. "But I can't see myself marrying that man. I only hope that he doesn't do anything terrible to you two…" She already knew how worried sick and upset her parents would get if they found out about her plan.

With one last sigh, Aria left her apartment and started to be on her way. Fortunately, nobody was outside at that time. So she didn't have to worry about anyone spotting her.

"How do I tell them the truth?" Aria muttered while still walking. "I love them and I know that they love me. They were promised such excellent things by Caspar… If I told them… I can imagine how heartbroken they'd be… Ugh, why does this have to happen to me?"

She stopped when she looked up and blinked in shock. She found herself no longer in Timeville, but rather in…a forest. Since it was night, it made the forest rather eerie.

"Maybe running away from home was a bad idea…" Aria said, looking around to see if she could either find a way back or another way out. But she also had to look out for any wild animals that could be lurking.

Her arm brushed against a branch—or what she thought was a branch— that suddenly grabbed her in a firm yet gentle grasp.

Aria gasped as she tried to free herself. But to her surprise and horror, something—or someone— emerged from the grass, causing Aria to stumble to the ground. It was a strange humanoid being.

The being's striped jester hat was French blue and sapphire blue. Judging from his masculine body figure, Aria could tell that it was a "he". His skin was a lifeless baby blue. He wore a black and white worn-out tuxedo and a gold wedding band on his left ring finger.

But that wasn't what horrified Aria.

The being's face was missing large bits of his skin, revealing parts of his skull. Some parts of his jester hat were also missing, revealing the bone of his horns. His right hand, however, had bruised fingertips and the nails were missing. Like someone had painfully yanked them out.

Aria didn't dare speak a word. She was too frightened to even move. The being opened his eyes and looked down at Aria. His eyes were lifeless, but still had sparkle in them. His black lips curled up in a smile as he wrapped his cold arms around Aria's shoulders and spoke the very words that would change Aria's life.

"After waiting for so long, I have finally found you; my true love. Now, I may kiss the bride."

(Meanwhile with Jett, NiGHTS, Balan, and Lance)

"We got your letter, Jett," NiGHTS said after coming across his figure. "I hope Balan, Lance, and I weren't late."

"It's fine," Jett said. "But since you three are here, I might as well tell ya what I know. See, after I'd finished helping out with the ceremony and all, I was making my way home when I noticed a brother and sister talking to each other. So I've eavesdropped on them. Their names were Caspar and Sia."

NiGHTS's eyes widened at this. "Sia…" They repeated. "My sibling, Reala? His former lover was named Sia. And she, too, had a brother named Caspar…"

"That doesn't sound like a coincidence, doesn't it?" Balan asked. "Jett, do tell us what you've heard; every last bit."

"Caspar and Sia were talking about…Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery's money." Jett crossed his arms and frowned. "At first, I was confused. But then, Caspar mentioned about using the money for something involving their business…"

"That cannot be good," Lance said, frowning. "Are you theorizing that Caspar and Sia would steal that money if they could?"

"Most likely," Jett replied. "But what caught my interest, so to speak, was Sia mentioning Wizeman…"

"How would this Sia know my father?" NiGHTS asked. "She couldn't possibly be the same Sia that dated Reala, could she?" They pondered in silence for a bit.

"Fortunately for you all, I've come up with a plan to help Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery hide their money," Jett said. "As well as create a psychological test on them to see if my suspicions are confirmed. But I obviously cannot do this alone. I will need your help. Not to mention, I have the help from a dear friend of mine named Leona."

NiGHTS, Balan, and Lance looked at each other. Would this plan really work? They couldn't just tell Aria's parents that Caspar and Sia wanted their money. Plus, if the plan worked out successfully, Jett's suspicions would be easily confirmed.

"We'll do your plan, Jett," NiGHTS said. "But we have to pay my father, Wizeman, a visit. We need to ask what he knew about my sibling's disappearance."

Aria, her parents, Caspar, and Sia belong to me.

Jett belongs to @jettthespeeddemon