#eternal night redux

[carefulfears]

Top 5 msr hand holds <3

below the cut because you know i'm gonna TALK.

1. closure

the two of them sitting in that coffee shop, both cups in front of them untouched, filled to the brim, reading samantha’s journal. bearing witness to the suffering of this little girl. they are in this moment together. they have been in this moment together since he looked at her and told her “nothing else matters” to him, seven years ago in that motel room.

for the past seven years, scully’s job has been to play the skeptic, to argue against the paranormal theories that his grief leads him to. later that night, she stands outside the door of the last person to see samantha alive, and prays for aliens.

they’ve been in this together for the better part of a decade and they’re sitting in a coffee shop reading the truth they’ve been looking for, how devastatingly human the evil of it was, and she looks at him with tears in her eyes and squeezes his hand.

2. redux ii

one of the few moments in the series where you see scully break…scully defines herself so completely in loyalty. in following him, in being ahab’s starbuck, in being her captain father’s first mate.

in this moment, mulder is heading off to a hearing where he will be testifying to details of the conspiracy and against members of the FBI. this is It. this is The Truth. this is The Quest that they’ve been working on for five years. the dutiful first mate would send him on his way.

scully clings to his hand. she doesn’t want to lose any more time (nine minutes in bellefleur was enough). she can’t believe either of them are going to go through the next few hours, the last few hours, without each other.

she might not be there when he returns, she’ll be the next on the list of people to have disappeared behind his back, and he’s kissing her cheek and casually cracking jokes, and she‘s desperate to hold on for just a moment longer.

3. tithonus thumb war

one, two, three, four…we die next to each other or never at all. what’s immortality next to a mindless game with your best friend?

scully asked fellig, “how can you have too much life? what about love?”

he answered, “love lasts 75 years, if you’re lucky. you don’t want to be around when it’s gone.”

in a story about the grief of eternal life, waking up in that hospital, i don’t see scully taking on the quest to give it up.

4. dreamland

the central question of this episode, becomes the central question of the rest of the series: don't you ever want to get out of the car?

while they may be years from stepping away from the car long enough for that house and "normal life" that scully laments driving past, for a moment they stand in front of it.

they gaze up at lights in the sky the way they did on their second case together, the way they did in antarctica, and he reaches wordlessly for her. half "scully, you gotta see this" and half "stay here on the ground," it's an instinct that doesn't disappear with their memories.

it's like that thing DD said once, "there is no such thing as that story ever ending. those characters are forever searching. that’s what they do. even if we’re not watching them, they’re out there."

they'll get back in the car and they'll "just keep driving," for years and for decades and for the rest of their lives, because they'll forever be searching. and when there's something to see, they'll reach for each other.

5. pusher

"smile, scully."

kneeling down before her to surrender his weapons, he meets her worried eyes with a calm smile.

this episode is all about palpable tension and anxiety, about walking into a losing battle without control of the stakes, and it's most visceral in scully from the moment they decide to send mulder in alone.

but before she nervously watches a surveillance screen, before she jumps up the moment the feed cuts out, before she runs in after him, before she screams at a serial killer and cries out to him in fear...she quietly looks down at him, the way she has so many times before, and keeps his hand still. steadies them both, holds them both in this moment.

the emotional arc of this episode is bookended with touch, and more than the absolution in the way she reaches for his hand in the final scene, it's this moment that simplifies it to me. it's the calm before the storm, and the time that's taken in the midst of it all, to pause outside influence while they still can.

(BONUS: Fight The Future)

reaching out to him as she recommits, parroting back his own words to him. she has memorized everything that he has ever said and it is the two of them in this work, in this fight.

if they quit on each other now, they lose.

+ ghouli

[droogiesanddiscourse]

"Hellfire."

Pairing: Monsignor John Pruitt x F!Reader

Summary: You are called first to receive everlasting life from the angel's blood during Easter Vigil.

Warnings: Spoilers for Episode 6 of Midnight Mass and all the content that comes with it. Language. Taking some liberties with how the angel's blood works uhhh hehe. Millie who's that AU. Going off of the stream of consciousness / dream-like writing I am trying so hard to stay out of my head and just write what comes.

"Brothers and sisters,” Monsignor Pruitt concludes. “On this most holy night I come to you with good news. Not only the good news of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who arose to forgive us of our sins after three days in the tomb. But, also the resurrection of ourselves."

He clasps his hands together in makeshift prayer, eyes sparkling an unfamiliar orange glow that you've never seen before. That of a feral black cat's eyes bouncing back light. The ones that hunt on the outpost of the island, all teeth and heat and hunger and sex and wild and and and--

Visions of nocturnal holiness.

"I ask you. Trust in me. And God will reward your loyalty heavily. Know that I would not ask of the ultimate sacrifice of your life if I did not have utmost faith in our God for the miracle he is about to bestow tonight."

The silence within the church is deafening. Not a soul rises for his offer, parishioners stunned to their seats. His eyes scan, searching for a familiar face. Finally focusing on yours.

“Please. [“____”]," his voice like liquid honey calls to you, echoing through the church. "I call upon you to take the plunge first, my sweet child. Show the good people of Crockett Island that there is nothing to fear. That there is paradise waiting for us all tonight."

He leaves his pulpit, descending down the steps towards you. His arm reaches out, using his slender fingers to beckon you to him with a "come hither" motion. White vestments flowing, covering his human visage as he moves, billowing out like an angel's wings.

Devils were once just fallen angels. Symbols of purity be damned.

He notices your trepidation.

"One moment of pain, perhaps. But an eternity of youth and love and worship in His name. We have been given a tremendous gift, sister ["____"]. Be brave.”

Beverly Keene remained tucked in the upper corner of the church, stirring the choice of death for this evening. She's always been a witch in your eyes; now the harsh comparison rings true more than ever as she concocts a deadly potion of sickeningly sweet liquid.

The smell reminds you of too hot summers and running against the shoreline as the waves lap against your ankles and buying popsicles at the general store and sticky raspberry juice running between your fingers. Familiar memories and tastes intermingled with rat poison.

“And so Jesus rose from the tomb, trampling down death. As will we. I am with you, and you are with me. There is nothing to fear."

Don't drink the kool-aid, the old adage goes.

But you wonder how vanilla and raspberry taste mixed together.

Jonestown redux is standing before you, with his hand outstretched for you to take; his body backlit by the illumination of hundreds of candles. You look up at him through your lashes, lips slightly parted. Your eyebrows upturned and eyes reposed.

"Monsignor. Forgive me, but I cannot," you swallow hard. Back yourself from that cliff, you have one leg dangling over the edge now! "For I have not taken communion as my sins have been too weighty, too difficult to ever be forgiven. I believe I did not deserve the body and blood of Christ at that time, which is selfish of me. Forgive me.”

John almost considers this for a moment, his thick eyebrows furrowing together as he stares down at you.

"There is no resurrection for me. I will die,” you state bluntly. Your words are finally registering. 

Back away back away, make distance between the cliff.

But he smiles, against your expectations. A tight lipped smile, his eyes kissing at the corners when his cheeks raise. Missed by the miracle of reversed age, not reaching the crows feet that reveal only when he's truly happy.

"My angel. You've taken more than enough of my seed in your womb, and down your throat. The blessing is already inside you."

His hand grazes your cheek, and Hellfire reigns down as the finality of his reveal sets in across the room. Hot and prickling at the back of your neck. High pitched buzzing of bees in your ears. Whore of Babylon comes to Crockett Island. Mary Magdalene weeps. Hundreds of eyes descend upon your form, fragile and ready to break at a moment's notice.

Hell has a special place reserved for you for tasting the most unholy fruits. You wear guilt like a halo.

John positions his index fingers and thumb underneath your chin, tilting it upwards. Your eyes dart away, unable to face him. For sure your very skin would burst into flames if you stared too long.

"Look at me," he demands. "Look at me, angel. Do not be ashamed.”

Oh, you’re more than familiar with this position.

Your eyes tilt back, big and yearning and scared yet wanting more. More of John, more of his smell on your bedsheets, more of his fingers in your mouth more of the salty bitter taste of his skin more breaking the boundaries between heaven and hell more more more more flesh more blood no sin no death no guilt.

Hell has a special place reserved for you in due time.

But real hell is living without him. You slip your hand into his, rising from the pew.

The church is silent, conversations about your unforgivable sin now hushed to murmurs. Somewhere in the distance you hear the gentle song of night crickets that intermingle with your delicate footsteps across decades old wood. A resounding creak and moan of the floorboards that echoes through the small church that makes it become an entity of its own, ready to swallow you whole.

Someone is crying, quietly muffled pathetically behind a cloth. A woman blesses herself using the sign of the cross as you pass.

A dead girl walking, and this is the sound of your funeral march.

Your toes bump into the first step leading up to the chancel. Guiding you by your waist, John spins you to face the congregation. Expressions of the crowd are unreadable.

Are you Joan of Arc or a witch about to be burned at the stake?

Blasphemy, blasphemy stood before your friends, family, acquaintances.

A light. The vision of John blocks you away from their watchful eyes as he stands before you, cupping your face within his hands. Your eyes lock together. Gently, he presses a chaste kiss to the center of your forehead. Lips just barely ghosting over your flesh. You tremble before him.

Bev stands behind you, both arms outstretched forward, bent at the elbow. You’re smart enough to realize she’s ready to catch you for when you involuntarily start seizing, your body putting up its final fight against the poison coursing through its veins.

Life. Death. Rise. 

A sob starts in your larynx, unable to burst fully to the surface The warmth of his hands removed from your face, now reaching for Bev's as he takes the small plastic solo cup of juice from hers into his.

"I am with you," he whispers as he holds the cup up to your lips. "As you walk through the valley of the shadow of death I am with you, and you will come out on the other side anew. Whole. Pure as a reward for your devotion to Him."

Raspberry and vanilla threaten to break the seal of your lips, the cup tapped against it. His other hand snakes his way up your back, weaving his fingers within your hair. The digits tug against your locks slightly, tilting your head back.

"Open."

Saliva gathers at the back of your throat.

You can't, you can't, you can't.

You cannot dare to lose the chance to miss another one of those too hot summer days where the children of Crockett island throw their books haphazardly into their backpacks basking in their first hours of summer vacation and the salty water clinging to your hair making it curly and sticky raspberry juice dripping between your fingers–

But oh the visions of him with and the way he whimpers into your neck when he thrusts into you, his hot mouth on your pulse point, the way his hand pin down your wrists forcing you to stay still. Murmured praises and bedroom hymns whispered as the moonlight coats both of your bodies in a ghostly blue glow. Was it truly ever living without him? No more hiding no more secrets you are his and he is yours. A boundary death cannot even cross–eternity is a beautiful thing to imagine.

A tear slips out of your eye, rolling down your cheek. The pad of John’s thumb gently rubs it away. Sympathy for the condemned.

"Drink."

And you do.

[surveillance-0011]

Galeem and Dharkon head canons: Redux

Remake of an old post. Dharkon and HCs for their dynamics with each other and the smashers below the cut for length

Galeem

any, tends to default to he/they but is totally partial to whatever

maverique , pan + aroaspec. only very rarely experiences attraction.

Wishes to change the world into one that suits his likeness out of a sense of entitlement and superiority. He thinks the world as it is now is dull and overcomplicated and wishes for one revolving around himself, drenched in light

A very selfish and prideful individual, out of touch for sure.

Presents itself as elegant, sophisticated sort of deity. Cares a lot about presentation and any attack on his ego will be met with an eternal grudge.

They get very humiliated when they are proven wrong and when their facade of coolness breaks. Because it does. A bit more often than Galeem would like too.

They try to act unaffected but they get very emotional. Galeem is always at the extremes when they're upset or even happy.

Genuinely scared of the dark to an extent. He's very glad he glows.

Doesn't really need to eat or drink but can do so and sometimes feels the drive to. Likes cute lil pastries and fruit. Not huge on chocolate though and won't each much of anything else.

Doesn't like most of the smashers but has grown to respect most over time. Likes Kirby the most now that the burning rage has faded and kirby sneaks him bites of cake when he can is nice enough

Also has some bias over the more light-aligned smashers esp Palutena and Pit

Giving the Hands the cold shoulder still. Mocks them behind their backs. Sort of teases MH about being able to control the guy but MH is like "shush you lost you can give it up it's not my first rodeo". though MH is totally still bothered.

Likes classical and very cinematic sort of music.

Loves sunny days, dislikes stormy weathers. That being said, he enjoys snow.

Dharkon

any, defaults to she/he/it in no particular order but as w/ galeem it doesn't matter all that much

genderfluid sapphic/trixic. Greyro? sad little girlboy-boygirlthing

Can change its voice to sound more fem, masc or even in between. Sometimes it does so because of a change in mentality as well (vulnerable,strong,angry, friendly) Its voice is often deep, raspy and rumbling.

This also means he can mimic voices with a lil bit of time and effort. Totally uses this to taunt people.

Wants to plunge the world into darkness out of hatred and apathy for virtually all life. Wishes to be alone with only like individuals in a world of gloomy anarchy.

Certainly very selfish but he's got like. Reverse superiority-inferiority complex. Self loathing but also so hateful of everything else that he decided his way was still the better option. like does that make sense. doomer blackpilled nihilist reddit core.

Not unlike ridley he's smart but sees no need to communicate this. Clever but from a rougher school of thought and can't be assed to talk to people he doesn't respect.

Same as Galeem, doesn't need to eat food in the traditional sense but will do so out of boredom or cravings. Likes rich chocolate and hearty meaty foods. Great spice tolerance also. Eats much more than Galeem 2 fill the void.

Sensitive to light, especially in its weakened spirit form. This keeps him inside, when he is allowed to go out he stays in the shade or waits until twilight and night. Fond of rainstorms and cloudier weather.

Has also warmed up to Kirby somewhat. Still holding a grudge but she's starting to see the humor in being beat by a lil pink puffball, too tired to be angry about it anymore. Not to mention how Kirby is extending an olive branch

More fond of the villains. Has probably talked to Ridley, Seph and Ganon if they approach him.

Also thinks Sonic is kind of cool. Dharkon is Guy Who Only Listens To Sonic Soundtrack ig. That's the sorta person she is.

Likes rock and metal.

Drilled into the Hands for not being able to protect the smashers. Master Hand might've cried a lil about it. ok he totally did. But Dharkon has warmed up a little to Crazy Hand but hasn't been able to reconcile

Slowly starting to be less misanthropic but could still benefit from therapy and some prozac.

Together

Kept under pretty high security with lots of limitations, but allowed some freedom to keep them from being totally miserable.

Allowed to roam around every now and then.

Though it may seem rather odd to not really punish them strongly, the beatdown they've faced and permanent servitude as spirits alongside Typical Smash antics are punishment enough in the Hands' eyes (erm, lack thereof?). And, considering they did what they did out of greed and dissatisfaction, keeping them relatively happy now that their egos are in check seems like the right thing to do.

Clowned on 24/7. The fighters that feel comfortable enough to approach them tend to be teasing or will outright use them for pranks and whatnot.

Kirby is sternly kind to them, willing to turn the other cheek as long as they don't turn back to their old ways. Would totally wipe the floor with them if need be.

For others, the water is not under the bridge. Many want nothing to do with them. Some like Villager, the Ice Climbers and Duck Hunt Duo are terrified of them. Others are hostile. Oddly enough, the pikmin of all folks fall under this latter group and are extremely aggressive towards Galeem and Dharkon. In turn, these forces of light and dark have learned to fear them. Olimar is almost apologetic about it but above all else he just doesn't want his pikmin getting wiped off the face of the earth. Alph gets a little bit of a kick out of it.

Mario isn't having any bullshit. He's very cautious about the whole ordeal and will even admonish the more mischievous individuals that go out of their way to try and rile the two up. Palutena, Rosalina, Peach, Link and Samus are also very, very cautious and keep a close eye out.

Some of the villains are curious about their power, namely Ganon and Sephy. They'd like to harness their powers probably. Ridley is also curious, moreso about Dharkon but it's more like he's sizing them up for revenge.

Wario is still figuring out a way to make a quick buck off of 'em. He almost got Galeem into a mlm scheme that one time. Bowser is more cautious and cares less about trying to win them over and more about trying to avoid them bc he's mad abt his kids being hurt.

Mewtwo is also cautiously curious.

They're enemies but. Sometimes they seem a little. hm. maybe you should just kiss abt it. or something. frolic in the fields. hit each other with squeaky hammers. don't actually stab each other. thanks.

if they could stop arguing they'd be a cool evil couple. They'd be great partners in crime because they do bounce off of each other well on the occasion that they're on the same wavelength. Even when they clash, there is beauty in the way they work off of each other.

The two were kind of friends once upon a time. Whatever happened to them? No one knows, and they won't speak.

They kinda sorta apologized about WOL to each other but it's like. The spongebob scene where they're like "id hate you even if i didn't hate you" that's them 24/7 still. And they're always getting into petty disagreements.

They haven't formally apologized about it to the smashers though.

Dharkon enjoys challenging Galeem and is usually the instigator of their conflicts, but Galeem also angers Dharkon a lot through his smug behavior. Neither apologizes or forgives easily. Galeem can be bribed or buttered up, but Dharkon needs time for sure. And a valid apology.

It's very can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em, tried both. They really cannot imagine life without each other.

[homestuckmusicbracket]

Bracket Information

There will be a total of 513 songs in the bracket (with 585 prior to preliminary rounds)! Each round will last one week, and each batch will be staggered by one day, With two days in between rounds. Propaganda is not only allowed, but encouraged! Assuming nothing goes awry, I also have a surprise planned for the winning song >:3c

This SHOULD include every song in Homestuck, excluding Hiveswap music and Beyond Canon, however, because there are an absolutely insane amount of songs in Homestuck, it’s possible I missed one or two. If there are any you think I DID miss, feel free to send me an ask and let me know!

The bracket is seeded randomly, in no particular order.

this brackets was inspired by other brackets like it, such as @character-of-all-time @transfemswagbracket @eyepatchbracket @movingmusiccomp @undertale-ost-bracket @notp-poll-showdown

Preliminary Round

For this round, the results of a draw will conclude in the original version of the song being chosen

All Polls

Showtime (Piano Refrain) vs Showtime (Original Mix) vs Showtime (Imp Strife Mix)

Aggrieve (Violin Refrain) vs Aggrieve vs Aggrieve (Violin Redux) vs Aggrieve Remix | DRAW

Sburban Jungle (Brief Mix) vs Sburban Jungle

Harlequin vs Harlequin (Rock Version) | DRAW

Explore vs Explore Remix | DRAW

Rediscover Fusion vs Rediscover Fusion Remix | DRAW

ohgodwhat vs ohgodwhatremix

Dissension vs Dissension Remix

Three in the Morning vs Three in the Morning (TJ’S I Can Barely Sleep in This Casino Mix) vs 3 in the Morning (Pianokind) vs Three in the Morning (Aftermath)

Blackest Heart vs Blackest Heart (With Honks)

I’m a Member of the Midnight Crew vs I’m a Member of the Midnight Crew (Post-Punk Version) vs I’m a Member of the Midnight Crew (Acapella)

How Do I Live (D8 Night Version) vs How Do I Live (Bunny Back in the Box Version)

Pondsquatter vs Pondsquatter (Live Chamber Version)

Candles and Clockwork vs Candles and Clockwork (Alpha Version)

Creata vs Creata (Canon Edit)

Eternity, Served Cold vs Eternity Served Cold (Canon Edit)

Mother vs Mother (Piano)

Vagabounce vs Vagabounce (Remix)

Trollcops vs Trollcops (Radioplay)

Guardian vs Guardian V2

Verdancy (Bassline) vs Kinetic Verdancy

Hoschestra vs Horschestra STRONG Version | DRAW

Walls Covered in Blood vs Walls Covered in Blood DX

Doctor vs Doctor (Remix)

Overture (Canon Edit) vs I - Overture

Sarabande vs II - Sarabande

Serenade vs III - Serenade

Homestuck Anthem vs IV - Anthem

Beatdown (Strider Style) vs Beatdown Round 2 vs Beatdown DX

Lotus vs Lotus (Bloom)

Pyrocumulus (Kickstart) vs Pyrocumulus (Sicknasty)

Even in Death vs Even in Death (T’Morra’s Belly Mix)

Round One

All Polls

Batch One

Ante Matter vs Land of the Salamanders | DRAW

Upward Movement (Dave Owns) vs Crustacean

Hardlyquin vs Phaze and Blood | DRAW

Aggrievance vs Skaian Summoning

Contention vs Medical Emergency | DRAW

The Thirteenth Hour vs Skaian Skuffle

Underworld vs Nannaquin

Chorale for Jaspers vs The Beginning of Something Really Excellent

psych0ruins vs Sarabande

Aggrieve vs Dissension

Homestuck Anthem vs Hardchorale

Enlightenment vs Endless Climbing

Atomyk Ebonpyre vs Skaian Dreams Remix

mIrAcLeS vs Harleboss

Spider’s Claw vs Space Prankster

Verdancy (Bassline) vs The La2t Frontiier

How Do I Live (Bunny Back in the Box Version) vs Greenhouse

Beatdown (Strider Style) vs Showtime (Piano Refrain)

Amphibious Subterrain vs Ace of Trump

Dupliblaze COMAGMA vs Nightlife | DRAW

Descend vs Vertical Motion

Dead Shuffle vs Clockwork Contrivance

Lotus Land Story vs Phantasmagoric Waltz

Skaian Skirmish vs Valhalla

Happy Cat Song! vs Candles and Clockwork (Alpha Version)

Revelawesome vs Tall, Dark and Loathesome

Sburban Jungle vs Mutiny

Welcome to the New Extreme vs Three in the Morning

Versus vs Ballad of Awakening

Black vs Snow Pollen

Octoroon Rangoon vs Pony Chorale

White vs Homestuck

Batch Two

Bed of Rose’s / Dreams of Derse vs Harlequin

An Unbreakable Union vs ohgodwhat

Song of Life vs Hauntjam

Joker’s Wild vs Planet Healer

Gardener vs dESPERADO ROCKET CHAIRS,

Hollow Suit vs Biophosphoradelecrystalluminescence

Skies of Skaia vs Get Up

Keepers vs Sburban Countdown

Upholding the Law vs Moonshatter

Softly vs Walls Covered in Blood

Light vs Vagabounce

Savior of the Waking World vs Pyrocumulus (Kickstart)

Sunsetter vs Showdown

Crystalanthemums vs Carefree Victory

Sunslammer vs Ectobiology

Clockwork Melody vs Carbon Nadsat / Cuestick Genius | DRAW

Moonshine vs Plague Doctor

Explore vs Chorale for War

Death of the Lusii vs Hearts Flush

Rediscover Fusion vs Livin’ It Up

Liquid Necrocity vs Virgin Orb

The Ballad of Jack Noir vs Crystalmanthequins

Pumpkin Cravings vs Heirfare

Clockwork Sorrow vs Throwdown

Squiddle! vs Unsheath’d

Blue Noir vs Skaian Ride

Ecstasy vs Hauntjelly

Knives and Ivory vs Can Town

Ruins (With Strings) vs Doctor

The Lemonsnout Turnabout vs Skaian Flight

Skaia (Incipisphere Remix) vs Guardian V2

Endless Climb vs Jade’s Lullaby

Batch Three

Stormspirit vs Heir Transparent

Make a Wish vs Karkat’s Theme

Chaotic Strength vs Time On My Side

Eridan’s Theme vs Wacky Antics

Scratch vs Clockwork

Spider8reath vs Trollcops

Trial and Execution vs Frogs

The Deeper You Go vs Rex Duodecim Angelus

Fly vs The Broken Clock

Darling Kanaya vs Horschestra

Rest a While vs Pumpkin Tide

Catchyegrabber (Skipper Plumbthroat’s Song) vs Nautical Nightmare

Squiddissension vs Phrenic Phever | DRAW

The Blind Prophet vs Terezi’s Theme

Savior of the Dreaming Dead vs Apocryphal Antithesis

Science Seahorse vs Beta Version | DRAW

Boy Skylark (Brief) vs The Nic Cage Song

The Sound of Pure Squid Giggles vs Carefree Princess Berryboo

Dreamers and the Dead vs Play the Wind

Gaia Queen vs Knife’s Edge

Warhammer of Zillyhoo vs Vriska’s Theme

Forever vs Mister Bowman Tells You About the Squiddles

At the Price of Oblivion vs Dance of Thorns

No Release vs Variations

Alternia vs Eldritch

Frost vs Ocean Stars

English vs She’s a Sp8der

Jade Dragon vs Rumble at the Rink

Friendship is Paramount vs Heir Conditioning

Omelette Samdwich vs Let’s All Rock the Heist

Sun-Speckled Squiddly Afternoon vs Nepeta’s Theme

Chain of Prospit vs Lazybones

Batch Four

Havoc to be Wrought vs Umbral Ultimatum

Arisen Anew vs Rainbow Valley

Shade vs Blackest Heart (with Honks)

Light vs Crystalanthology

Trollian Standoff vs The Carnival

Awakening vs Rhapsody in Green

Tangled Waltz vs Time Paradox

Squiddle Samba vs Terezi Owns

Atomic Bonsai vs BL1ND JUST1C3: 1NV3ST1G4T1ON

Lies with the Sea vs A Tender Moment

Squiddles the Movie Trailer - The Day the Unicorns Couldn’t Play vs Rain

Let the Squiddles Sleep (End Theme) vs Heat

Plumbthroat Gives Chase vs You Won a Combat

AlterniaBound vs Killed by BR8K Spider!!!!!!!!

Squiddles in Paradise vs FIDUSPAWN, GO!

Wind vs Tribal Ebonpyre

Courser vs Requiem of Sunshine and Rainbows | DRAW

Squididdle! vs Tentacles

Elavatorstuck vs I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing

WSW-Beatdown vs Squiddle Parade

Chartreuse Rewind vs MeGaLoVania

Swing of the Clock vs Catapult Capuchin

Baroqueback Bowtier (Scratch’s Lament) vs A Fairy Battle

Midnight Calliope vs Walk-Stab-Walk (R&E)

Squiddle March vs Dawn of Man

Clockwork Reversal vs Humphrey’s Lullaby

Squiddles Campfire vs Friendship Aneurysm

Black Rose / Green Sun vs Earthsea Borealis

Gamebro (Original 1990 Mix) vs Lifdoff

Maplehoof’s Adventure vs Squiddle Happytime Fun Go!

Even in Death vs Frost

Trails vs Temporal Piano

Batch Five

Nightmare vs Battle Brotocol | DRAW

Hussie Hunt vs Pink Cat

Black Hole / Green Sun vs Emerald Terror

Litrichean Rioghail vs Red Disc

Calamity vs Mayor Maynot

Chronicles vs Teal Hunter

What a Daring Dream vs Iron Knight

Teal Seer vs Cyan Beast

Homefree vs Prospit Dreamers

Hallowed Halls vs Questant’s Lament

Creation vs Escape Pod

Tomahawk Head vs Revelations II - DISQUALIFIED

Indigo Heir vs Serenade

Coolkid vs Olive Scribe

Requiem for an Exile vs Bargaining with the Beast

We Walk vs Green Ghost

Judgement Day vs White Host / Green Room

Carapacian Domain vs Gust of Heir

Derse Dreamers vs Endless Expanse

Purple Bard vs March of the Batterwitch

Purple Tyrant vs Years in the Future

Bronze Page vs The Golden Towers

I’m a Member of the Midnight Crew vs Do the Windy Thing

Raggy Looking Dance vs Song of Skaia

The Vast Glub vs Terraform

The Lost Child vs Rust Maid

Gilded Sands vs Genesis

Orchid Horror vs Love You (Feferi’s Theme)

Exodus vs Cobalt Thief

Requiem vs Flare

Arcade Thunder vs Blue Atom

Rapture vs Violet Prince

Batch Six

Fuchsia Witch vs Violet Mariner

Frog Hunt vs Pendulum

The Meek vs The Prelude

Airtime vs Pilot Light

Riches to Ruins Movements I & II vs Iron Infidel

Havoc vs Indigo Archer

Rust Servant vs Eden

The Obsidian Towers vs Temporal Shenanigans

Phantasmic Youngsters vs Infinity Mechanism

Revered Return vs Galactic Cancer | DRAW

Nine Lives One Love vs Bec Noir

Revelations III vs Cascade (Beta)

Sburban Reversal vs Jade Mother

Kingside Castle vs Orange Hat

Galaxy Hearts vs Scourge Sisters

Cobalt Corsair vs Null

Pale Rapture vs ohgodcat

Fuchsia Ruler vs Davesprite

Center of Brilliance vs Jade Sylph

Carefree Action vs Your Universe

Revelations I vs Bronze Rebel

Afraid of the Darko vs Squiddle Song

Darkened Streets vs Cupcake Girl

Core of Darkness vs Aimless Morning Gold | DRAW

Cascade vs Frostbite

Made of Time vs WV: Become Mayor of the Cans

Gold Pilot vs Do You Remem8er Me

Unite Synchronization vs Ruins Rising

Frog Forager vs Drift Into the Sun

Temporary vs Ocean Stars Falling

Skaian Birth vs Gold Mage

Superego vs Olive Rogue

Batch Seven

Speaker (Skaia’s Reflection) vs Lunar Eclipse vs June Sleeps / Skaian Magicant

Aggrievocation vs Feel (Alive)

Of Gods and Witches vs The Lordling

Red Sucker vs Moonsetter

Ascend vs Cairo Overcoat

Respit vs Princess of Helium

FantasyP vs Conclude

Beatup vs Frogs’ Intermezzo

Bridge of Stars vs Mother (Piano)

Portrait vs Eternity Served Cold (Canon Edit)

Dord Waltz vs Reverie

Firefly vs Entrance of the Salamanders

Breeze vs Frustracean | DRAW

Stargaze vs Trepidation

Another Chance vs Pipeorgankind | DRAW

Solar Voyage vs Overture (Canon Edit)

The Vast Croak vs Crystalmethequins

Pumpkin Party in Sea (Redacted)’s Water Apocalypse vs Stride

Breakshot vs Prospitian Folklore

The Temple’s Withered Bloom vs iRRRRRRRRECONCILA8LE

Constant Confinement vs Elephant Gun

A Taste for Adventure vs Despot

Jane Dargason vs Hate You

Negative Aperture vs Starfall

October vs Another Countdown

Clockstopper vs Creata

Sweet Dreams, Timaeus vs Checkmate

Requited vs Busting Makes Me Feel Good

Our Glorious Speaker vs Carne Vale

Game Over vs Voidlight

Noirscape vs Lilith in Starlight

Train vs Firefly Cloud

Batch Eight

Red Miles vs Skaian Shrapnel

Coursing vs The Lyrist

Bilious vs THIS Pumpkin

Dapper Dueling vs Encore

Pink Shells vs Battle Against an Unfathomable Enemy

Stress vs Minihoof’s Adventure

Power Fantasy vs Consorts’ Intermezzo

Everything is Something to Somebody vs Skaianet

Vodka Mutiny vs Cumulating Dreams

Cancerous Core vs Castle

Pondsquatter vs Moonsweater

Frogsong vs Flying Car | DRAW

Skaian Happy Flight vs Thanks For Playing

A Little Fight Mewsic vs Heir of Grief

Constant Conquest vs Anbroids V2.0

Stoke the Forge vs Freefall

Sunrise vs Unlabeled | DRAW

Breeding Duties vs Expedition

The Scratch vs Before the Beginning and After the End | DRAW

Buy NAK Sell DOOF vs Ugly Betty

Renewed Return vs Green Lolly

ASSAULT vs Lancer | DRAW

You Killed My Father (Prepare to Die) vs Dogfight

Rustless Fall vs Underfoot

Another Jungle vs Whistling Jackhammer | DRAW

Thip of the Tongue vs GameGrl (Original 1993 Mix)

Austin, Atlantis vs Stellarum Salve

The Changing Game vs Negastrife

Oppa Toby Style vs Great LOFAF Expedition of 2009

Skaian Overdrive vs Sound Judgement

Under the Hat vs Three’s a Crowd

Prelude vs Miasmajesty

Round Two

All Polls

Batch One

Ante Matter vs Land of the Salamanders vs Upward Movement (Dave Owns)

Hardlyquin vs Phaze and Blood vs Aggrievance

Contention vs Medical Emergency vs Skaian Skuffle

Underworld vs The Beginning of Something Really Excellent

Sarabande vs Aggrieve

Homestuck Anthem vs Endless Climbing

Atomyk Ebonpyre vs Harleboss

Spider’s Claw vs The La2t Frontiier

How Do I Live (Bunny Back in the Box Version) vs Beatdown (Strider Style)

Ace of Trump vs Dupliblaze COMAGMA vs Nightlife

Descend vs Clockwork Contrivance

Lotus Land Story vs Skaian Skirmish

Candles and Clockwork (Alpha Version) vs Revelawesome

Sburban Jungle vs Three in the Morning

Black vs Ballad of Awakening

Octoroon Rangoon vs Homestuck

Batch Two

Bed of Rose’s / Dreams of Derse vs An Unbreakable Union | DRAW

Hauntjam vs Planet Healer

Gardener vs Biophosphoradelecrystalluminescence

Skies of Skaia vs Sburban Countdown

Moonshatter vs Walls Covered in Blood

Vagabounce vs Savior of the Waking World

Sunsetter vs Crystalanthemums

Sunslammer vs Clockwork Melody vs Carbon Nadsat / Cuestick Genius

Plague Doctor vs Explore

Death of the Lusii vs Rediscover Fusion

Liquid Negrocity vs Crystalmanthequins

Pumpkin Cravings vs Clockwork Sorrow

Unsheath’d vs Skaian Ride

Ecstasy vs Knives and Ivory

Doctor vs The Lemonsnout Turnabout

Skaia (Incipisphere Remix) vs Endless Climb

Batch Three

Heir Transparent vs Karkat’s Theme

Time On My Side vs Eridan’s Theme

Clockwork vs Spider8reath

Trial and Execution vs Rex Duodecim Angelus

The Broken Clock vs Darling Kanaya

Pumpkin Tide vs Nautical Nightmare

Squiddissension vs Phrenic Phever vs Terezi’s Theme

Savior of the Dreaming Dead vs Science Seahorse vs Beta Version

The Nic Cage Song vs Carefree Princess Berryboo

Dreamers and the Dead vs Knife’s Edge

Vriska’s Theme vs Forever

At the Price of Oblivion vs Variations

Alternia vs Frost

English vs Jade Dragon

Heir Conditioning vs Let’s All Rock the Heist

Nepeta’s Theme vs Chain of Prospit

Batch Four

Umbral Ultimatum vs Arisen Anew

Shade vs Crystalanthology

The Carnival vs Rhapsody in Green

Time Paradox vs Terezi Owns

BL1ND JUST1C3: 1NV3ST1G4T1ON!!! vs Lies With the Sea

Rain vs Heat

Plumbthroat Gives Chase vs Killed By BR8K Spider!!!!!!!!

FIDUSPAWN, GO! vs Wind

Courser vs Requiem of Sunshine and Rainbows vs Tentacles

Elevatorstuck vs WSW-Beatdown

MeGaLoVania vs Swing of the Clock

A Fairy Battle vs Walk-Stab-Walk (R&E)

Dawn of Man vs Clockwork Reversal

Squiddles Campfire vs Black Rose / Green Sun

GameBro (Original 1990 Mix) vs Maplehoof’s Adventure

Even in Death vs Temporal Piano

Batch Five

Nightmare vs Battle Brotocol vs Pink Cat

Black Hole / Green Sun vs Litrichean Rioghail

Mayor Maynot vs Teal Hunter

Iron Knight vs Teal Seer

Prospit Dreamers vs Hallowed Halls

Escape Pod vs Revelations II

Serenade vs Coolkid

Requiem for an Exile vs Green Ghost

Judgement Day vs Carapacian Dominion

Derse Dreamers vs March of the Batterwitch

Purple Tyrant vs The Golden Towers

I’m a Member of the Midnight Crew vs Raggy Looking Dance

Terraform vs The Lost Child

Gilded Sands vs Orchid Horror

Cobalt Thief vs Flare

Blue Atom vs Violet Prince

Batch Six

Violet Mariner vs Pendulum

The Prelude vs Pilot Light

Iron Infidel vs Havoc

Rust Servant vs Temporal Shenanigans

Infinity Mechanism vs Revered Return vs Galactic Cancer

Bec Noir vs Cascade (Beta)

Sburban Reversal vs Orange Hat

Galaxy Hearts vs Cobalt Corsair

Pale Rapture vs Fuchsia Ruler

Jade Sylph vs Your Universe

Bronze Rebel vs Afraid of the Darko

Darkened Streets vs Core of Darkness vs Aimless Morning Gold

Cascade vs Made of Time

Gold Pilot vs Unite Synchronization

Drift into the Sun vs Ocean Stars Falling

Gold Mage vs Olive Rogue

Batch Seven

Lunar Eclipse vs Feel (Alive)

Of Gods and Witches vs Moonsetter

Ascend vs Respit

Conclude vs Beatup

Mother (Piano) vs Eternity, Served Cold (Canon Edit)

Reverie vs Firefly

Breeze vs Frustracean vs Trepidation

Another Chance vs Pipeorgankind vs Overture (Canon Edit)

Crystalmethequins vs Pumpkin Party in Sea (Redacted’s) Water Apocalypse

Breakshot vs iRRRRRRRRECONCILA8LE

Constant Confinement vs A Taste for Adventure

Hate You vs Starfall

October vs Clockstopper

Sweet Dreams, Timaeus vs Requited

Carne Vale vs Game Over

Lilith in Starlight vs Firefly Cloud

Batch Eight

Skaian Shrapnel vs Coursing

THIS Pumpkin vs Encore

Battle Against an Unfathomable Enemy vs Stress

Power Fantasy vs Skaianet | DRAW

Vodka Mutiny vs Castle

Moonsweater vs Frogsong vs Flying Car

Thanks for Playing vs Heir of Grief

Anbroids V2.0 vs Freefall

Sunrise vs Unlabeled vs Expedition

The Scratch vs Before the Beginning and After the End vs Ugly Betty

Renewed Return vs ASSAULT vs Lancer

You Killed My Father (Prepare to Die) vs Underfoot

Another Jungle vs Whistling Jackhammer vs GameGrl (Original 1993 Mix)

Austin, Atlantis vs Negastrife

Oppa Toby Style vs Skaian Overdrive

Three’s a Crowd vs Miasmajesty

Round Three

All Polls

Batch One

Upward Movement (Dave Owns) vs Aggrievance

Skaian Skuffle vs The Beginning of Something Really Excellent

Aggrieve vs Homestuck Anthem

Atomyk Ebonpyre vs The La2t Frontiier

Beatdown (Strider Style) vs Dupliblaze COMAGMA

Descend vs Skaian Skirmish

Candles and Clockwork (Alpha Version) vs Sburban Jungle

Black vs Homestuck

Batch Two

Bed of Rose’s / Dreams of Derse vs An Unbreakable Union vs Planet Healer

Biophosphoradelecrystalluminescence vs Sburban Countdown

Moonshatter vs Savior of the Waking World

Sunsetter vs Sunslammer

Plague Doctor vs Rediscover Fusion

Crystalmanthequins vs Pumpkin Cravings

Unsheath’d vs Knives and Ivory

Doctor vs Endless Climb

Batch Three

Heir Transparent vs Time On My Side

Spider8reath vs Rex Duodecim Angelus

Darling Kanaya vs Nautical Nightmare

Terezi’s Theme vs Savior of the Dreaming Dead

Carefree Princess Berryboo vs Dreamers and the Dead

Vriska’s Theme vs At the Price of Oblivion

Alternia vs English

Heir Conditioning vs Nepeta’s Theme

Batch Four

Umbral Ultimatum vs Shade

The Carnival vs Terezi Owns

BL1ND JUST1C3: 1NV3ST1G4T1ON!!! vs Heat

Killed by BR8K Spider!!!!!!!! vs Wind

Courser vs Elevatorstuck

MeGaLoVania vs Walk-Stab-Walk

Clockwork Reversal vs Black Rose / Green Sun

GameBro vs Even in Death

Batch Five

Pink Cat vs Black Hole / Green Sun

Mayor Maynot vs Iron Knight

Prospit Dreamers vs Revelations II

Serenade vs Green Ghost

Judgement Day vs Derse Dreamers

Purple Tyrant vs I’m a Member of the Midnight Crew

The Lost Child vs Orchid Horror

Flare vs Blue Atom

Batch Six

Pendulum vs Pilot Light

Iron Infidel vs Temporal Shenanigans

Infinity Mechanism vs Cascade (Beta)

Sburban Reversal vs Galaxy Hearts

Fuchsia Ruler vs Jade Sylph

Bronze Rebel vs Core of Darkness

Cascade vs Gold Pilot

Ocean Stars Falling vs Gold Mage

Batch Seven

Feel (Alive) vs Moonsetter

Ascend vs Beatup

Eternity, Served Cold (Canon Edit) vs Firefly

Breeze vs Overture

Pumpkin Party in Sea (Redacted)’s Water Apocalypse vs iRRRRRRRRECONCILA8LE

A Taste for Adventure vs Hate You

Clockstopper vs Requited

Carne Vale vs Lilith in Starlight

Batch Eight

Coursing vs THIS Pumpkin

Battle Against an Unfathomable Enemy vs Power Fantasy vs Skaianet

Vodka Mutiny vs Moonsweater

Heir of Grief vs Anbroids V2.0

Unlabelled vs Ugly Betty

Lancer vs You Killed My Father (Prepare to Die)

GameGrl vs Austin, Atlantis

Oppa Toby Style vs Three’s a Crowd

Round Four

All Polls

Batch One

Upward Movement (Dave Owns) vs The Beginning of Something Really Excellent

Homestuck Anthem vs Atomyk Ebonpyre

Beatdown (Strider Style) vs Descend

Sburban Jungle vs Black

Bed of Rose’s / Dreams of Derse vs Sburban Countdown

Savior of the Waking World vs Sunslammer

Plague Doctor vs Crystalmanthequins

Knives and Ivory vs Doctor

Batch Two

Time On My Side vs Rex Duodecim Angelus

Darling Kanaya vs Savior of the Dreaming Dead

Dreamers and the Dead vs At the Price of Oblivion

English vs Heir Conditioning

Umbral Ultimatum vs Terezi Owns

BL1ND JUST1C3: 1NV3ST1G4T1ON!!! vs Killed by BR8K Spider!!!!!!!!

Elevatorstuck vs MeGaLoVania

Black Rose / Green Sun vs Even in Death

Batch Three

Black Hole / Green Sun vs Iron Knight

Prospit Dreamers vs Serenade

Derse Dreamers vs I’m a Member of the Midnight Crew

Orchid Horror vs Flare

Pendulum vs Temporal Shenanigans

Cascade (Beta) vs Sburban Reversal

Fuchsia Ruler vs Core of Darkness

Cascade vs Gold Mage

Batch Four

Moonsetter vs Beatup

Eternity, Served Cold (Canon Edit) vs Overture (Canon Edit)

Pumpkin Party in Sea (Redacted)’s Water Apocalypse vs Hate You

Requited vs Carne Vale

Coursing vs Skaianet

Vodka Mutiny vs Heir of Grief

Ugly Betty vs Lancer

Austin, Atlantis vs Oppa Toby Style

Round Five

All Polls

Batch One

Upward Movement (Dave Owns) vs Homestuck Anthem

Descend vs Black

Sburban Countdown vs Savior of the Waking World

Crystalmanthequins vs Doctor

Batch Two

Rex Duodecim Angelus vs Savior of the Dreaming Dead

At the Price of Oblivion vs English

Umbral Ultimatum vs BL1ND JUST1C3: 1NV3ST1G4TION!!!

MeGaLoVania vs Black Rose / Green Sun

Batch Three

Black Hole / Green Sun vs Serenade

I’m a Member of the Midnight Crew vs Flare

Temporal Shenanigans vs Cascade (Beta)

Fuchsia Ruler vs Cascade

Batch Four

Moonsetter vs Eternity Served Cold (Canon Edit)

Pumpkin Party in Sea (Redacted)’s Water Apocalypse vs Carne Vale | DRAW

Coursing vs Heir of Grief

Lancer vs Oppa Toby Style

Round Six

All Polls

Batch One

Upward Movement (Dave Owns) vs Black

Savior of the Waking World vs Doctor

Rex Duodecim Angelus vs At the Price of Oblivion

Umbral Ultimatum vs MeGaLoVania

Batch Two

Black Hole / Green Sun vs Flare

Cascade (Beta) vs Cascade

Moonsetter vs Pumpkin Party in Sea (Redacted)’s Water Apocalypse vs Carne Vale

Heir of Grief vs Oppa Toby Style

Round Seven

All Polls

Black vs Savior of the Waking World

Rex Duodecim Angelus vs MeGaLoVania

Flare vs Cascade

Moonsetter vs Heir of Grief

Round Eight

All Polls

Black vs Rex Duodecim Angelus

Cascade vs Heir of Grief

Round Nine

Black vs Cascade

Winner: Cascade!

Current Bracket

[twittytelly]

An Unexpected Gain

Epilogue - Seven Months Later

Colin Shea X Female Reader

Previously…

Series Masterlist

A/N: This is my submission @the-slumberparty‘s Week 2 Writing Challenge: Blast From The Past. I know I promised to write an epilogue to this in 2020, and I actually started to write this a year ago, but I hated every version of this that I’d written. I just want to say thanks to @navybrat817 and @darkficsyouneveraskedfor for hosting these challenges and giving me a reason to kick myself in the arse and get myself motivated to get this finished. Maybe one day I will revisit these idiots, but I’m not going to promise anything.

Warnings: All the fluff, brief mention of childbirth but nothing graphic

Word count: 568

Moodboard by @imanuglywombat

Once Upon a Time in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, Colin Shea had forgotten why he didn't like hospitals. Maybe it was something to do with cold, bright lights, or the smell... To be honest, he didn't really care any more; what he had witnessed just hours before was pure magic, and he was sure he was going to be in awe of you for the rest of his life. A small part of him wanted to stay with you in the small cocoon of your hospital room forever, but he couldn't wait to get home and begin his new role, raising his son.

The labour had been long and arduous. Unsurprisingly, Colin had been by your side for the entire thing, his support unflinching. When the midwife placed the small, mucus-covered human onto your chest and the baby started bellowing, he didn't think it was this possible to be this happy.

Colin was reluctantly making his way back to the car to fetch your phone charger. Squinting as he stepped into the early morning sunlight, Colin tried to remember how long he had been in that hospital room for. The last couple of days had been like a particularly vivid fever dream, that felt like an eternity and just a few seconds at the same time. Pausing to take in his surroundings, he wondered if the birds in the sky and the nurses making their way home from the night shift knew that the world had changed irreversibly overnight.

-

Rentering the building charger in hand, Colin decided to forgo his morning coffee until he was certain that you and the baby had settled. However, as he strode past the gift shop, something green and fuzzy caught his eye that immediately stopped him in is tracks.

When Colin went into the gift shop and took a further look at the chartreuse creature, he smirked in recognition. Picking up the inanimate amphibian, and looking into it's large yellow eyes, Colin knew that it was coming home with him. He could just imagine the look on your face when he presented you with the cuddly toy, but Colin couldn't think of a more appropriate first buddy for his child.

Sure, despite the inside jokes of frogs, princes and jesters; your relationship was nothing like the pile of fairytale books that was sitting in the nursery. There were definitely some communication issues that needed to be straightened out, especially when you decided to be cohabiters, not neighbours; but the pair of you were now stronger than ever in your new home in North End.

As Colin reached the till, and reached into his pocket for his wallet, his fingers brushed against the velvet box that he had kept on him since he had made a sneaky visit to the jewellery store a few weeks ago. He was not planning on getting down on one knee just yet, but after the way he had found out about the pregnancy, he was too scared to try and hide it at home.

Colin wondered what would happen if he could go back in time to tell his smug past self about how you would quickly become the love of his life, and how he would become a father. While commitment and fatherhood were truly an unexpected gain of the friends with benefits arrangement, he wouldn't have changed any of it for the world.

-

Taglist: @mrs-captain-evans @whiskeyncoke-redux @supersoldiersruined-me @katiew1973  @kelbabyblue @amiquette @feelmyroarrrr @patzammit @daydreamerinadazedworld @denisemarieangelina @jeremyrennermakesmesmile @bellaireland1981 @sweater-daddiesdumbdork @georgeweasleydumbhoe​ @ladydmalfoy

[avaritia-apotheosis]

Phantom Children: Redux | III. Nothing is Bred that is Weaker than Man

A DPxDC crossover // Read on [AO3} or [FFN.net]

← Previous Chapter // MASTERPOST // Next Chapter →

CW: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF GORE

Three Years Ago…

Danny could not sleep though the chill of the ship invited him to rest his eyes. 

No, he could not.

Though the coolness of his room and the layers of blankets cocooned around him would be tempting enough to knock him out for a couple hours on a regular day it was the cold that kept him wide awake

The freezing, numbing, blessed cold that made the back of his left knee ache and any attempt at sleep fitful.

He tossed and turned in his bed. When was the last time he slept, anyway? Was it in the car ride to the docks? The plane? The hotel they stayed at two—three?— days ago?

Danny couldn’t remember. That was… Jazz would say that was a bad thing if she were here.

It was kind of stupid really but—

He curled in tighter on himself, burying his head beneath the blankets.

When he was younger, his parents bought him a stuffed animal; a brown monkey in a space suit. He named it Albert, after the first monkey to ever go to space. Well, go to space and survive. The first monkey to go to space was Albert II but he died coming back to earth because of a parachute complication. Albert VI (also called Yorick, but Danny preferred Albert) was the first monkey to go to space and survive the landing.  Anyway, that stuffed monkey used to be his favorite thing in the whole world. He used to drag it everywhere until he accidentally left it in a hotel during summer break when he was nine.

God, he was absolutely inconsolable when that happened. Couldn’t sleep for anything more than a few hours and when he woke he was the most snappish nine-year-old to ever walk on the face of the earth. His parents offered to get him a new one but he didn’t want a new one. He wanted Albert. 

But then there was Jazz. Jazz who snuck into his room at night and tucked Bearbert under the blankets next to him. 

“Sleep is important if you wanna grow taller,” Jazz said. “I know he can’t replace Albert, but maybe Bearbert can keep the monsters away until we get Albert back.”

The memory warmed his chest for a brief moment.

And then the reality of it all came crashing down again.

Jazz was dead. His parents were dead. 

Lost for all eternity like Albert.

And both times were his fault.

If he just looked underneath the blankets or on the side of the hotel bed, he would have realized that Albert wasn’t in his backpack.

If he hadn’t given in to Dan’s taunts, then he would have  been fast enough to everyone.

If he never cheated on that fucking test—

God, he just did everything wrong didn’t he? 

Good ol’ Danny Fenton, fucking everything up as usual.

Fucker can’t even die right.

◆◆◆

It was sunset when Danny found himself wandering onto the deck of the ship. The sun resembled a red giant as it sank into the sea, less so in size and more so in the intensity of its color. Visceral and raw and blinding , dying the ocean a deep violet-red.

His mania had abated, somewhat. It seemed to fluctuate in intensity. Sometimes the cold felt all-consuming; frost would crawl up the walls of his little cabin, his skin tinged frostbitten-blue, and the cold would seep beneath his flesh and war with the fever that made him delirious to the world around him. Sometimes it manifested as nothing more than an occasional shiver. What made each day different, he didn’t know. But those calm days, those good days, he savored like a bittersweet drink.

Today was one of those good days. He wasn’t feverish, wasn’t nauseous, and his head didn’t hurt like Skulker had elbow-driven him from 500 feet in the air. 

Sure, a shiver would occasionally crawl up his spine, and sure there were a couple moments where his powers froze the waves as they crested, but it never lasted long. The shivers would go away and the ice would break as the wave slammed down again.

“Ah, young Danyal.” Dusan stepped up beside him on the railing, the sea breeze catching a few tendrils of his white hair in the wind. “Your mother told me you had been feeling better.”

He gave a noncommittal hum beneath his breath.

There was a wrinkle between Dusan’s brows and instantly, Danny straightened, hands squeezing the railing. “Yes, sir.”

“Hm.” Dusan pulled a sleek black phone from his jacket pocket, unlocking it with a few taps of his thumb. He passed it to Danny. “You will be pleased to note that our ruse has succeeded, and you are now free from the clutches of the law.”

It was an article from the Amity Park Angle. It was short, only a couple paragraphs long, and had his school picture posted beside it.

Daniel James Fenton, 14, passed away tragically last Wednesday. 

Ah. His jaw tightened, skin tingling though not from the cold. 

This was his obituary.

He returned the phone to Dusan, not wanting to read the rest of it.

How did you do it? He wanted to ask. How did you kill me?

Instead, he gave a strained sort of laugh. “You think I’ve set a record? I’m probably the only one in the world who managed to technically die and remain alive three times.”

The corner of Dusan’s mouth quirked up. “Needs must, I’m afraid.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He scratched the back of his neck, eyes drawn to the lull of the darkening waves.

“What is it that occupies your thoughts?”

He pursed his lips, shifting his arms so that they laid crossed on the railing. “I don’t— I just…everything happened so fast.” He dropped his head into his arms, fingers raking through his hair. “A few weeks ago I was, well, not normal , but close enough to it. I had my parents, I had my sister, I had my friends, and the most I had to worry about was the next ghost attack and making sure I remembered to do my homework. And then the explosion happened and everyone died and I became an orphan but it turns out I’m not? Because my real mom found me but I can’t— you guys had to fake my death to get me away!”

Frustration coursed through his veins with the same intensity as the waves slamming against the side of the ship. He leaned back, hands holding the railing in a knuckle-white grip, frost creeping from beneath his fingers. Not that he noticed. Not that he cared. 

“I’m dead. I’m dead but I’m not and I’m constantly flipping between being fine and becoming a human popsicle. I’m on a ship in the middle of the ocean and I have no idea where we’re going because people won’t tell me!” The red sun glared hatefully into his eyes. Red red red like Dan’s eyes, like Plasmius’ eyes, and burning so, so bright . He had half a mind to wish that the sun would just extinguish itself so he’d never have to see that color again. 

The sun did not extinguish, but Danny’s anger did. Left as quickly as it arrived, leaving him hollow. 

He slumped against the railing. 

What was he doing unloading all this stuff on Dusan? Dusan didn’t ask for any of that. He didn’t deserve to listen to all of Danny’s baggage. Not when Dusan was already doing so much for him.

He should have kept his mouth shut.

“I’m sorry,” Danny said quietly. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

Dusan laid a warm hand on his shoulder as they both stared at the sun. “Tell me, my boy, have you had the chance to read the Odyssey?”

Danny shook his head. They were supposed to, though. On the first day of school, he remembered Mr. Lancer’s quiet pleasure as he passed out the class syllabi of how they’d be covering the Odyssey in the spring. Poor Mr. Lancer. He was a hardass, sure, and he had his faults, but he genuinely did try with Danny. 

“And if some god should strike me,” quoted Dusan “out on the wine-dark sea, I will endure it, owning a heart within inured to suffering. For I have suffered much, and labored much.”

He continued: “Like Odysseus, you have found yourself cast adrift into the world, far away from all that you knew. And like him, you will endure this. You must. For the world is a vast and cruel place, Danyal, and you must either bear against its weight or it will see you crushed and broken beneath it.”

“But what if I can’t?”

“You can,” he stated, resolute and firm like his grip on Danny’s shoulder. “You can endure because your family is here to support you.”

◆◆◆

Danny opened his eyes.

The sky was an endless expanse of swirling gray clouds. The ocean rocked the raft to a punishing rhythm, murky green-gray waters slapping against the rotting planks.

Danny was tied to a makeshift mast, the rope crossing over his abdomen and tied tightly behind his throat, digging into his jugular. He could not speak. Could not breathe . 

“Do you remember, Danny?” Sam stood at the head of the raft, her back turned to him. “Do you remember that story I told you about The Raft of the Medusa?”

Eighth grade. A field trip to the Amity Park Museum. Their teacher wanted to show them the new art exhibit since it was only available for a short while. He remembered the painting Sam was talking about; it was hard not to when The Raft of the Medusa seemed to overpower every other painting in the exhibit. 

It depicted the aftermath of a ship wreck. A morbidly beautiful painting of a raft lost at sea, its few surviving passengers desperately trying to call for help, their faces gaunt, eyes manic and wild.

“There were originally 147 passengers on that raft. One hundred and forty-seven people and only fifteen survived at the end of it.”

A large wave smashed against the raft. It filled Danny’s nose with salt-water and his mouth of the taste of asphalt. He gasped, coughing out the smoke in his lungs. 

Sam was still rooted to her spot, back turned to him.

“Do you remember, Danny? Do you remember who they blamed for the entire disaster?”

The ocean carried the raft up and up and up . High into the air that they rose. He could almost touch the clouds if it weren’t for the ropes digging into his skin. 

“They blamed the captain.”

The raft plummeted into the sea. He couldn’t scream, his heart was lodged in his throat.

The raft slammed into the ocean, pieces splintering off upon impact. Thunder roared around them like the clashing of cymbals and the sound of laughter.

Danny strained against his confinement, but the ropes tightened around him, the harsh fibers burning his skin.

He could hear the mast creak. Hear it splinter as it fought against him. 

He was almost there. Almost there .

“Look at me Danny.”

Danny opened his eyes—when did he close them?

Sam was in front of him and— oh god.

Oh god.

Her face.

Her flesh was melted, plastered against her blackened bone. Eyes nothing more than empty sockets in her head. Her skeleton hands held his face, forcing him to look. To look at what he had done to her.

“Why didn’t you save us Danny?” She asked. Asked with the voice of six people he had failed, their voices conjoined in some deranged siren song. “Why did you kill us?”

He could see it now. He could see that they weren’t alone on the raft. There, being slowly dragged into the depths, were the burned and waterlogged corpses of his victims. 

He screamed, and the sky answered with his own manic laughter.

◆◆◆

Danny opened his eyes and his skin was on fire.

He yelped, tearing off the weights that pinned him down and tumbled onto the floor. 

He can’t—

He can’t breathe—

Tucker suffocated to death, chest caved in and choking on air.

Someone was calling his name.

Who was it?

He can’t—

He doesn’t—

Mom?

“Focus on my voice, habibi . I need you to breathe, can you do that for me?” 

There’s something warm enveloping his hand.

“Breathe in, Danny, come on. Inhale through your nose for four.”

One. Two. Three. Four.

“Hold for seven.”

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven.

“And exhale through the mouth for eight.”

She counted out loud, and he tried to focus on her voice.

In for four. Hold for seven. Out for eight.

In for four. Hold for seven. Out for eight.

Each second felt like an eternity. Some part of him laughed and said that this was Clockwork’s doing. Retribution for daring to interfere with the timeline. Punishment for whatever future atrocities he committed.

“I’m sorry,” he choked out.

Talia gave him a closed lip smile, rubbing circular motions across his back. “There is nothing to be sorry for, my son. Now, let’s get you back to bed. Perhaps I’ll get you something warm to drink, would you like that?”

◆◆◆

Talia slipped her son something to ease the pains and make him drowsy. Carding her calloused fingers through his hair, she watched as Danny sank further and further into sleep’s sweet embrace. His breath evened out, the tension loosening from his frame. She continued her soft ministrations on his dark hair, but slowly her fingers moved to stroke the lines of his face, the slope of his nose, and then the curve of  his eyes.

She cataloged his features and compared it to her own. He had her nose. Her mouth. Her skin. He had a more lean figure like her, built more for speed and agility than brute strength— though currently, Danny could be considered more ‘lanky’ than lean, but training and a strict diet will correct that. The rest of Danny was all her beloved’s, from the wide too-bright-too-blue eyes, to the sharp jawline, to the exact shade of black in the hair.

Was this what her beloved looked like in his youth?

Was this what Damian would grow to become?

The ship rocked gently along the waves. She smoothed down Danny’s hair and pressed a soft kiss to his head before rising from her seat at his bedside.

She could not say the same for Bruce at that age, but she was quite certain that Damian would never be as trusting as Danny was. Though she could not blame it entirely on the boy. He was raised in a rather…inferior household, per se. What innate skills he might have inherited from his bloodline were left to rust under the mundanity of civilian life. Had circumstances been more favorable, Talia would have whisked Danny away the moment Dusan had discovered him all those years ago.

Alas, such was not the case.

She left Danny’s room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

The League had too many enemies at the time that bringing Danny in would have made him too tempting a target. Though Talia was not naive enough to believe that concern for his first grandson would be Ra’s al Ghul’s only motive for not having recovered sooner, she did see why it would have been more beneficial to keep his existence and any connection to the League wrapped under secrecy.

“It seems that our father’s investments have paid off.” She looked to her left at where Dusan seemed to materialize from the shadows of the ship’s passageway. “Now, we have the makings of a great assassin at our disposal.”

“Do you think that he planned for this to happen?” She asked, matching his stride, the pair of them slowly making their way to the bridge.

“I cannot even begin to fathom the mind of Ra’s al Ghul. How he could have  predicted this , I do not know, but he must have expected some kind of result by keeping your son with the Fentons. No— even that was an accident, wasn’t it? This…this is fate.”

Talia doubted that even the great Ra’s al Gul could predict this outcome for her son. However Ra’s was not one to so carelessly sacrifice a potential asset unless he had a particular gambit in mind. What future did he envision when he made that decision all those years ago?

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “The Rosa disanthus produced mixed results. The worst of the chills and fever abated about half an hour after he imbibed the tea, only to be replaced by nausea and vomiting.” Talia raised her hand, contemplating the lines of her palm for a moment. “There was frost when he had a panic attack. Frost coated his palms and covered his arm all the way to the elbow—I don’t believe he even realized  it—but when he drank the tea, it receded.”

“Hm.” Dusan furrowed his brows. “His condition affected his physiology to a greater extent than we thought. No matter. Hopefully enough exposure would mitigate much of the effects. Neither of us are strangers to mithridatism; we would have inevitably tested for all his potential weaknesses, and starting early would prove fruitful later on.”

 “You have spoken to father, then?”

He inclined his head in affirmation. “He has given me the task of training young Danyal.”

Talia’s fingers curled into a fist, hand dropping to her side. “I would have thought that I, as his mother, would be in charge of his lessons.”

“Take no offense, sister, this is not meant to be a punishment.” He smiled, a cunning gleam in his eyes. While Ra’s al Ghul normally paid more attention to his daughters for their strength, not even he could deny that, above all his other children, it was Dusan who inherited Ra’s ruthless cunning. “Danyal is young and naive, but he is powerful . Simply isolating him in Nanda Parbat will do nothing if he could simply fly away whenever he wanted. We must teach him to love us. To choose to stay.”

Talia thinned her lips, jaw clenched. She nodded, leaving the conversation at that.

Dusan would be a harsh master to learn under. He would strip Danny and of all he used to be and break him down into nothing . It would be cruel and unkind— but it would be efficient.

Well, no matter. Talia would always be there to pick up the pieces; the honey to the vinegar; the carrot to the stick. She would take what remained of the boy known as Danny and rebuild him with loving words and her motherly embrace, fill the cracks with love and loyalty for the League and their family and shape him until he becomes her son and no one else’s.

She had been forced to give up her eldest son once. Never again.

This child was hers.

◆◆◆

A light fever clouded Danny’s mind during the last stretch of their journey. 

Talia said it was the tea that caused it. A little something that they picked up at their last port stop that she and Dusan believed would help with his mania . 

Danny didn’t like that tea. It had a pungent aroma to it that made his nose wrinkle. He couldn’t place the scent, but the strength of it was like walking past a Bath & Body Works at the mall mixed with the smell of cherry-flavored cough syrup. Its taste was about as pleasant as its smell, considering that his stomach fought the tea at every step of the way. 

He didn’t want to drink it, but Talia and Dusan insisted and Danny didn’t really have much right to refuse. They did so much for him already and in return all they really wanted was for him to drink some tea.

Despite his revulsion for it, Danny could admit that the tea did work. Sort of. It kept the worst of his chills away, thawing the bitter cold deep within his core.

It kept the dreams away too.

So maybe it wasn’t so bad. 

He couldn’t remember much of what happened in the interim. Only the rocking of the ship, the quiet lull of his bedroom, Talia’s soothing voice and her hands carding through his hair.

Dusan came at one point with the intention to prepare Danny for his meeting with Ra’s al Ghul, his grandfather and his parents’ benefactor. There was a degree of reverence in Dusan’s eyes as he spoke, his usually impassive face split into a wide grin.

 “He is a remarkable man, your grandfather,” Dusan began. “Powerful and intelligent. A self-made man of means.”

A visionary, Dusan described him. A man with dreams of a better future, of freeing the world from the corruptions of society and the clutches of greedy and vicious people who only want to drain the world of its vitality to feed their voracious gluttony. 

“Too long have the scum of the earth been allowed to exist in the light of day,” Dusan said. “And so it is from the shadows that Ra’s al Ghul means to rectify it.”

Danny squeezed his eyes shut, trying to take it all in. “That sounds…” His foggy brain couldn’t find the right word. “Intense.”

Well, at least it was safe to say that Ra’s al Ghul wouldn’t like Vlad.

Dusan chuckled. “Indeed. But do not make the mistake of assuming he lacks benevolence. Ra’s al Ghul is ruthless because he must be. But to those who are worthy, he is merciful and just. You have already taken the first step in proving your strength to Ra’s al Ghul, but now, you must leave yourself in his hands. Present your case. Tell him what you seek. Trust that he will help you—for you are of his blood—and that he will help you best.”

It’s those words that Danny—through all of the sudden influx of new sights and sounds and scents around him and the anxiety crawling beneath his kin— tried to remember as they traveled through the mountain fortress of Nanda Parbat. 

Exactly where Nanda Parbat existed on the map, Danny had no idea. It was surrounded by snow-capped mountains, built atop a large plateau that dropped off into a deep canyon. The fortress was palatial. Tall towers framed the high walls that encircled the fortress, sunlight bounced off the deep blue tiles of the steeply sloping roofs and gleamed against the golden spires atop the main buildings. 

There were three courtyards from what he could tell, each one hidden behind the other and separated by a thick wall. The training yards, Talia called them. 

“Who are they?” Danny said, gazing down at the hundreds of people below from their helicopter. They appeared to be doing a series of some kind of martial-art exercises, one form smoothly transitioning into the next in an intimidating display of synchronization.

Dusan answered, “They are those who believe in the world Ra’s al Ghul would bring.”

Trepidation settled in his gut. There was a voice at the back of his head that sounded like Jazz that told him that something was wrong. That this was a bad idea.

His core smothered the thoughts with a brief flicker of grimace, happily humming that warm family-here-home-wish.

Talia and Dusan led him up the lengthy staircase leading to the main compound and through a dizzying series of hallways and stairs that led to the office of Ra’s al Ghul. He barely noticed anything as he walked, too busy trying to keep in pace with his guides. The main building was a huge square tower. The hallways were made of polished wood, rows of shoji screens on Danny’s right and a railing looking down into the courtyard in the middle of the tower to his left. 

“What is this place?” he asked. His other question— who are you?— remained unsaid.

Dusan smiled, the overhead lights casting shadows across his face. “This, young Danyal, is home.”

The screen door slid open to reveal a large and spacious office. An antique desk sat in the middle facing the door, piled high with all manner of books, scrolls, ancient tomes, and artifacts. The walls were filled to the brim with even more books and miscellaneous items— some familiar, and some completely unknown to Danny. 

Sat behind the desk, a gold bird-shaped magnifying glass held steady above some ancient manuscript, was Ra’s al Ghul. 

“You are here,” Ra’s al Ghul remarked. He set down the magnifying glass and gently flipped a page of the manuscript spread out on his desk before standing. He clasped his hands behind his back and leisurely made his way around the desk. 

 To Danny’s surprise, Ra’s al Ghul did not look like a grandfather. Not that Danny had any other grandparents to compare Ra’s to, and Dusan’s descriptions certainly didn’t give off the vibes of some friendly and sage man who doted on his grandkids and talked about ‘the good old days.’

Yeah, Danny didn’t really know what to expect, but he certainly didn’t expect Ra’s .

Ra’s al Ghul looked, at most , a decade older than his mom and dad. Hell, even Dusan looked older than him. Built tall and broad-shouldered, the indication of whipcord muscles visible beneath his dark green and gold embroidered shalwar kameez. He had the same cool tawny skin as Talia’s, his strange green eyes marked by crows feet. He had dark gray salt-and-pepper hair with a receding hairline and sharp widow’s peak, the back of his hair tied tightly and low against his head. 

At his acknowledgement, Talia and Dusan greeted Ra’s al Ghul with a salute. Right hand curled into a fist and pressed against their heart, head bowed. Startled, Danny was quick to do the same. 

He bit back a cringe when he realized how sweaty his palms were.

Ra’s inclined his head and they were allowed to drop the salute. He approached them at a measured pace, movements so unnervingly silent even as Danny was watching him move right in front of him. 

He stopped in front of Danny, looming over him with narrowed eyes.

Was Danny…was Danny supposed to meet his gaze or lower it? He knew that in some cultures it was rude to look someone directly in the eye. Or was it supposed to be a sign of respect?

Ra’s al Ghul suddenly straightened. Smirked. Danny really hoped that was a good sign.

“So this is him, then,” Ra’s said, walking back further into the room. He turned abruptly on his heel, head cocked to the side. “Come closer, child. Let me get a better look at you.”

His heart jumped into his throat, and he pushed it back down with a painful swallow. A tingling sensation overtook his arm, the urge to try and scratch it away needling his mind. He caught Talia’s gaze as he moved past her and felt a flicker of reassurance as she subtly brushed her knuckles against his, calming his frazzled nerves. 

Dusan tilted his head slightly, features impassive  but assessing. 

Ra’s al Ghul, worryingly enough, reminded him of Vlad. Appearance wise, they looked nothing alike. But there was this… presence , this certain gravitas about them that emanated both great wealth, resources, and the cunningness of which to use them. 

Though while Vlad came off as comically villainous and, well, kind of pathetic at times, Ra’s al Ghul possessed an overwhelmingly intimidating aura that seemed to engulf the room. This was a man who did not demand attention but commanded it. One could not help but obey.

Gut instinct told him to not show any fear.

Gut instinct told him to leave .

Ra’s al Ghul’s flat affect broke into a small, soft smile that peaked from beneath his goatee. Gentle. Kind. Almost what Danny assumed to be grandfatherly .

His core hummed excitedly. The anxiety at the pit of his stomach subsided somewhat. 

Ra’s loomed over Danny—too close—eyes sharp and assessing. “Do you know who I am, boy?”

“You are Ra’s al Ghul,” he answered. 

Family , his core replied.

His smile grew. “That I am, boy, that I am. But I am also your grandfather.”

Grandfather, his core sang.

He straightened his posture, settling a firm hand on Danny’s shoulder.

This time, Danny could not help but flinch.

“No need to be so nervous,” Ra’s chuckled. “We are family, the two of us. My blood runs through your veins as surely as it does your mother’s, no matter that you were once lost to us. And besides that, the doctors Fenton were an invaluable asset to us, both in their research and in caring for you.” He shifted his hold, arm now across Danny’s shoulders as he led Danny in front of the desk. “Dusan and your mother were rather…cryptic with their reports. I have heard that you have a rather unusual situation and would like our help.”

“Yeah— I mean, yes, sir.” Best behavior Danny, best behavior. 

Ra’s detached himself from Danny’s side and sat behind his desk once more, elbows rested on polished wood and hands steepled in front of him. Curiosity gleamed in his strange green eyes. “Do tell.”

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, craning his gaze towards Talia.

Talia gave a reassuring smile.

He swallowed a hard lump in his throat, trying to remember what Dusan said.

Present your case. Tell him what you seek. Trust that he will help you.

It was— he never had to tell this many people before. Hell, he never had to tell anyone this story at all! Personally, Danny would like to keep it that way, but it made sense that Ra’s al Ghul would want the whole story. To know what mess he found at his doorstep.

And wasn’t this the reason he came with Talia, anyway? To look for help?

He raised his head once more, meeting Ra’s with a resolute gaze. “Some months ago, I was caught in an accident in my parents’—um, the Fenton’s—lab. Long story short, it turned me into a meta…or at least meta-adjacent? Sorry, I didn’t really have enough time to get too deep into ghost biology.”

Ras raised an imperious brow. “Ghost biology? Yes…If I recall, that was where your parents’ research lay. So you claim that you are a ghost?”

“Yes. Maybe?” Danny shrugged. “It’s kind of been what everyone’s been telling me and what all the signs have been pointing to.”

“I was under the impression that death was a prerequisite to becoming a ghost.”

“There’s been a running theory that I did die in that lab accident. It just didn’t stick.”

Ra’s blinked, giving Danny another appraising look. Danny fought the urge to squirm. Then Ra’s threw his head back with a loud, raucous laugh. “Fascinating!” He stroked his goatee, amused. “What a brilliant little enigma you are. What a wonder my grandchild has become! Though taking his blood into account, perhaps I should have expected it.” He leaned forward in his chair. “So, what request is it that you will make of me?”

Danny bit the inside of his cheek, mind racing for the right words to say. “I want…I was told that you would be able to give me a new life.”

“A new life.”

“I need— I don’t know what I need, really, but for certain reasons I can’t stay in Amity and I certainly can’t trust the law because I know where they’ll put me if I go back and if that happens then—”

Red eyes. A city in ruin. A world on fire.

“Then, what?”

Danny looked away, shoulders hunched as if he was Atlas himself, carrying the weight of the world on his back. “Something really, really bad will happen.”

Ra’s al Ghul beheld him, fingers drumming on his desk in a steady thump-thump-thump . Danny felt stifled under that gaze.

Trust in him , Dusan had said.

Grandfather , his core said. Family-here-trust-together.

After what seemed like an age, Ra’s al Ghul nodded. “Your request is doable, and I will excuse your ambiguity for the present, though I will require a full and detailed explanation at a later date.”

Danny let out a shaky breath. Relief coursed through his veins.

“But,” Ra’s al Ghul said. “I do not give you this new lease on life for free. I require payment.”

“I don’t— I don’t have anything to give.”

Ra’s waved off his concerns. “Worry not, boy, the price I seek is not so steep. What I want is for you to take your proper place in this family.” He stretched out his hand. “Do we have an agreement?”

Danny stared at the hand.

Was it…would it really be this simple? A new name, a  new life, a new family all in one fell swoop? 

It was almost too good to be true.

Take , his core hummed. Chance-take-family-mine-whole-take.

He took  Ra’s al Ghul’s hand and shook it. “We do.”

From that pact, Danyal al Ghul sprang into existence. 

And at that moment, though he did not know it yet, Danny Fenton well and truly died. 

[simmerforever93]

Lookbook for one of my news sims, Gina Davis. If interested, you can download her here https://www.tumblr.com/simmerforever93/723741587422789632/my-latest-sim-i-used-a-gallery-sim-from-baho84?source=share or Tag #Gina Davis

Disclaimer: I used a sim off the gallery for a base. So credit to BAHO84 for their sim Melani Sultan! you can find the original sim the gallery. Also all credit to creators of the awesome cc! Poses by @roselipaofficial

Hair: @aharris00britney Marci Hair. @aladdin-the-simmer Elegant-Camiile Hair. @arethabee Vega Hair.

EveryDay: top @greenllamas Slasher-Trowma top. Skirt @greenllamas downtown Soho miniskirt. Belly ring @suzuesims Daya N2 (HQ). Shoes: @sentate dream decorator shoe fix. Rings: @arethabee mia rings. Earrings @arethabee Sienna Ashley earrings. Nails @xurbansimsx Classic French Long Gloss nails. @joliebean Pedicure nails

Formal: Dress @aladdin-the-simmer Elegant Brigitte dress. Shoes @madlensims Stella Shoes. Necklace @christopher067 Eternal Necklace. Bracelet @arethabee Sunbeam Set, Marija bracelet. Earrings @nougatpocket Pearly earrings. Nails @synthsims Matte Ballerina Office Chic nails And @joliebean Pedicure nails

Workout: Top @imvikai Athena top. Pants @blushchat Comfy sweatpants.

Sleep: Dress @trillyke Karma dress.

Party: Shoes @mauvemorn Saint Laurent Amber sandals. Necklace @arethabee Sunbeam Set, Marija necklace, Bracelet @arethabee Sunbeam Set, Marija bracelet. Earrings @pralinesims poet artist earrings (left). Nails @synthsims Matte Ballerina Night Out nails. @joliebean Pedicure nails

Swim: Bikini @phsims Malu swimwear.

Cold Weather: Coat @trillyke Moment Blazer dress. Tights @magic-bot classic tights set patterned tights #1. Boots @madlensims Mitra boots. Rings @simpliciaty-cc Simple Rings.

Hot Weather: Top by EllieSimple Basic tee (https://www.simsfinds.com/downloads/148465/elliesimple-basic-tee-sims4). Shorts by StoryLegacySims Denim Part one short shorts (http://www.storylegacysims.com/2020/02/denim-part-one.html) Shoes @nolan-sims Wedges Redux.

[free-for-all-fics]

Obscure Characters List - Female Edition

Obscure Characters I love for some reason. (By obscure I mean characters that have little to no fanfic written about them. Not necessarily characters nobody’s ever heard of.) Don’t ask me to explain why. 

A

Abigail Bishop/Emily (Let’s Scare Jessica to Death)

Agnes (Downfall Redux)

Agony Symbiote (Marvel Comics)

Alice (Apsulov: End of Gods)

Amanda Ripley (Alien Isolation)

Amelia (Underworld)

Anastasie “Tasi” Trianon (Amnesia Rebirth)

Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods (Bloodborne)

Anna Valerious (Van Helsing 2004)

B

Baroness Clarimonde Catani (The Vampire Happening)

Belle (A Christmas Carol)

Black Canary/Dinah Drake/Dinah Laurel Lance (DC Comics)

Blackfire/Princess Komand'r (DC comics/Teen Titans)

Blind Mag/Magdalene DeFoe (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

Brides of Dracula (any version)

C

Cala Maria (Cuphead)

Calendar Girl/Page Munroe (DC Comics/The New Batman Adventures)

Catherine Chun (SOMA)

Charlotte Elbourne (Vampire Hunter D)

Charlotte Thornton (Nancy Drew, Ghost of Thornton Hall)

Chrissy/Mildred Pratt (Deadstream)

Constance Blackwood (We Have Always Lived in the Castle)

Cora (Devil’s Carnival 2)

Countess Marya Zaleska (Dracula's Daughter)

D

Dana Newman/The Angry Princess (Thirteen Ghosts remake)

Dolirra (Fariwalk: The Prelude)

Doll Face (The Strangers)

Dollisa (Fariwalk: The Prelude)

E

Edith Finch (What Remains of Edith Finch)

Elisabeth Williams (Maid of Sker)

Elizabeth Eilander (Rusty Lake Paradise)

Elizabeth Shelley (Frankenhooker)

Empress Tihana (Amnesia Rebirth)

Erin (You’re Next)

Estella (Great Expectations)

Esther/Leena Klammer (Orphan 1 and 2)

Evelyn “Evie” Carnahan O' Connnell (The Mummy series)

F

Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

G

Ginger Fitzgerald (Ginger Snaps)

Glorificus “Glory” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Goody (Vampires)

Grace Le Domas (Ready Or Not)

Gwendolyn “Gwen” Grayson/Royal Pain (Sky High)

H

Harper Thornton (Nancy Drew, Ghost of Thornton Hall)

Hel (Apsulov: End of Gods)

Hero (Much Ado About Nothing)

I

Imogen “Idgie” Threadgoode (Green Fried Tomatoes)

Iris (30 Days of Night)

Isabelle/The Bride (Spookies)

J

Jane Doe (Autopsy of Jane Doe)

Jayme/Red (Blood Fest)

Jennet Humfrye/The Woman in Black (The Woman in Black)

Julia/Subject Three (TAU)

Juliette Waters (Sylvio)

Justine Florbelle (Amnesia the Dark Descent)

K

Kate Drew (Nancy Drew, The Silent Spy)

Kathy Rain (Kathy Rain)

Katrina Van Tassel (Sleepy Hollow)

Kissin’ Kate Barlow (Holes)

L

Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower (Bloodborne)

Lady Sybil Crawley/Branson (Downton Abbey)

Lamia (Stardust)

Laura "Lorelai" Wood (Lorelai)

Laure Richis (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

Laurie (Trick ‘r Treat)

Leech Woman (Puppetmaster series)

Lena (Underworld: Blood Wars)

Lily (V/H/S Amateur Night/SiREN)

Lily Munster (The Munsters)

Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree (Elden Ring)

Lucille Sharpe (Crimson Peak)

Lucy Billington (The Invitation)

Lunar Princess Ranni (Elden Ring)

M

Malenia the Severed (Elden Ring)

Marni Wallace (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood (We Have Always Lived in the Castle)

Mel (Nancy Drew, Warnings at Waverly Academy)

Melanie Ravenswood (Phantom Manor)

Melina (Elden Ring)

Millicent (Elden Ring)

Milk Maiden (2001 Maniacs)

Mirror Queen (The Brothers Grimm)

Miss Brixil (Level 16)

Moder (The Ritual)

N

Nepheli Loux (Elden Ring)

O

Ophelia (Hamlet)

P

Pannochka/Young Girl/Witch (Viy)

Peaches (2001 Maniacs)

Pearl (Pearl)

Pin-Up Girl (The Strangers)

Princess Daphne (Dragon’s Lair)

Princess Gemstone (Laid to Rest 1 & 2)

Princess Una (Stardust)

Q

Queen Akasha (Queen of the Damned)

Queen Jadis the White Witch (Chronicles of Narnia series)

Queen Marika the Eternal (Elden Ring)

Queen Rennala (Elden Ring)

R

Rain (Blood Fest)

Rebecca de Winter (Rebecca)

Rebecca Owens (The Mortuary Assistant)

Riley McKendry (Hellraiser 2022)

Rose Vanderboom (Rusty Lake Roots)

S

Samantha Quick (Nancy Drew, The Silent Spy)

Sarah Bellows (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark)

Sarah Fier (Fear Street series)

Sarah Martin (Night Trap)

Scream Symbiote (Marvel Comics)

Selene (Underworld series)

Shilo Wallace (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

Sinead Lauren (But I’m a Cheerleader)

Sonya (Underworld series)

Sophia Anne Lester Crain (The Haunting of Hill House novel)

Spooky (Spooky’s House of Jumpscares)

Stacy (Vampires)

T

Tanith (Elden Ring)

The Doll (Bloodborne)

The Queen of Light (Mirrormask)

The Queen of Shadows (Mirrormask)

Thorn/Sally McKnight (Scooby Doo)

V

Valerie Page (V For Vendetta)

Violet Baudelaire (A Series of Unfortunate Events)

W

Wick (Devil’s Carnival)

Winnifred “Winnie” Foster (Tuck Everlasting film)

Y

Young Woman/Lucy/Louisa/Lucia/Ames (I’m Thinking of Ending Things)

[blastikmusik]

retro wave 452

Chill Collins - H e a t w a v e s oDDling - Evoke Frank Redux - Night Owl Timecop1983 - Resonance Le Louvre - Love Eternally Neoslave (Feat Becca Starr) - Digisexdreams A.L.I.S.O.N, VIQ, Krosia - Nightfall Adieu Aru (feat. A.L.I.S.O.N) - Discorde Windows96 - Takeaguess Natsukime - Space Odyssey (STRNGR Remix) Caspro, Baldocaster - Spectre Stereopole - Painless Cyberwalker - Afterlife Where's Rin - Twilight Boulevard Mezhdunami - Pacifica Zane Alexander - Fata Morgana

[metalindex-hu]

Fémjelzés – a hét újdonságai (2023. november 6-12.)

Fémjelzés – a hét újdonságai (2023. november 6-12.) - https://metalindex.hu/2023/11/13/femjelzes-a-het-ujdonsagai-2023-november-6-12/ -

A november második hetében született underground porontyok listája ezúttal is száznál több lemezt kínál böngészésre.

Acid Throne – Kingdom’s Death (stoner/sludge/doom metal) Adventum Diaboli – Mørke (black metal) Æolian – Echoes of The Future (melodikus death metal) Aglo – Build Fear (death/doom metal) Ammonium – Erased Existence (death metal) Ancestro – Tierra desangrada (thrash metal/hardcore) Athiria – Conjure the Beast (death metal) Belialed – Beyond Resigned (melodikus black metal) Burn Ritual – Grave Watcher (stoner/doom metal) Catch the Giant! – Midnight Tales Pt. I: Nighttime (power/heavy metal/hard rock) Cold Eternity – Space Wanderer (progresszív metal) Collapsed Mainframe – Theater of Tyranny (doom/death metal/blackened grindcore) Cranio – 11:11 (heavy metal/hard rock) Crescendium – Within (progresszív/melodikus death metal) Cydron – Timewarrior (black metal) Desynchronized – Existential Nothingness (death metal) Dilim – Lagim (black metal/dungeon synth) Dissona – Dreadfully Distinct (EP) (avantgárd/progresszív metal) Diviner – Avaton (heavy metal) Drowning in Formaldehyde – Nightmares and Seroquel (slam/brutális death metal) Dry and Shattered – Systemic Turpitudes (death metal/hardcore) Empire of Disease – Shadows in the Abyss (metalcore/melodikus death metal) Extinkt – Trinity Redux (thrash metal) Fallen Utopia – Ruin (death metal) Fog Warrior – Of Strength and Sadness (atmoszferikus black metal) Fog Warrior – Ruined (atmoszferikus black metal) Gama Bomb – Bats (thrash metal) Halvar – State of the Nation (death/thrash metal) Hard Excess – The Nations Dust (heavy metal/hard rock) Helmet – Left (heavy/groove metal/alternatív rock) Hinayana – Shatter and Fall (melodikus death/doom metal) Hubris Debris – Reclamation (metalcore/groove metal) Hypaethral – Hypaethral (technikás death metal) Inmisericorde – Alquimia de sombras (death metal/hardcore/grindcore) Innominate – Foreboding (death metal) Isometry – Break the Loop (progresszív metal) Ivann – Eternal Decomposition (death/thrash metal) Katrofy – A Velha Estrada (black metal) Krahnholm – Коне�� трагедий (atmoszferikus black metal) Krakh – Strangeled Hope (atmoszferikus/post-black metal) Kungagraven – Hassjäger und nackte Percht (black metal) Left Cross – Upon Desecrated Altars (death metal) Left Eye Perspective – Conundrum (progresszív/stoner metal) Lodestar – Polaris (doom metal/rock) Lord Kinbote – Calm like Castle Bravo (stoner metal/grunge) Luminous Path – The Dark Path to Enlightenment (nyers black metal) Luvart – Until the Void (black metal) Marsh of Swans – Heartwood (atmoszferikus post-black metal) Mephorash – Krystl-Ah (black metal) Metal Life Crisis – Theatre of Fire (heavy/progresszív metal) Mindead – Breathing Fire (groove/thrash metal) Morildraugen – Desolate (black metal/dungeon synth) Mørkdryad – Cold Possession (black metal) New Skies – The Legacy of Avelore (progresszív/szimfonikus power metal) Night Crowned – Tales (melodikus black/death metal) Niphredil – The Final Star (atmoszferikus black/doom metal) No Man Eyes – Harness the Sun (heavy metal) Northern Eye – Under Siege (doom/gótikus metal) Odd Crew – Dark Matters Part II (groove/alternatív metal) Okrütnik – Krwawy pontyfikat (heavy/speed/black metal) Opvs Nostri – Velas Negras Sobre o Altar da Morte (black metal) Passage – Oblique (post-rock) Perilous Grave – Soilsiú (szimfonikus black metal) Phantom Winter – Her Cold Materials (sludge metal) Phorceps – License to think (heavy metal) Plague Rider – Intensities (experimental/technikás death metal) Pyreficativm – K’aahz Menoh (black metal/dark ambient) Pyrolatrous – Inveterate (blackened melodikus death metal) Rascal – Lost Beyond Reason (heavy/power/speed metal) Rigorious – Night of Retribution (power metal) Roman Master – Death (black metal/ambient) Sanctum Sathanas – Into the Eternal Satanic Damnation (black metal) Sangre Maldita – Alma negra (gótikus/death metal) Sâver – From Ember and Rust (sludge/post-metal) Secret Sphere – Blackened Heartbeat (melodikus power/progresszív metal) Shylmagoghnar – Convergence (progresszív/melodikus death/black metal) Sodom – 1982 (EP) (thrash metal) Sons of Sounds – Seven (progresszív metal) Spectral Spectrum – Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (black/heavy metal) Stargate – Escaping the Illusion (heavy/power metal) Stille Volk – Le Dieu D’automne (középkori/kelta folk) Stögö – Vampyre Gods (heavy metal/synthwave) Sutratma – Images Beyond the Self (funeral doom/death metal) Sutratma – Realms of Eternal Immolation (funeral doom/death metal) Swarzo – The War You Sought (szimfonikus/power metal) Tarja – Dark Christmas (szimfonikus metal/rock) Temple Balls – Avalanche (melodikus heavy metal/hard rock) The Color of Rain – Oceans Above (progresszív/post-black metal) The Neologist – Between the Darkness and the Fade (melodikus death metal) The Ritual Aura – Heresiarch (technikás death metal) Ulvdalir – Ancient Throne of Unholy Ingria (black metal) Under a Spell – Freya (heavy metal) Uvikra – Comfort… (progresszív rock/metal) Varamus – Luminous Affliction (melodikus/technikás death metal) Vastum – Inward to Gethsemane (death metal) Venomous Agent X – The War Will Feed Itself (death/black metal) Verilehto – Kuoleman siipien havina (black metal) Vestígio – Vestígios (black metal) Voracious – Path to Death (death metal/hardcore) WarBand – OverAmped (thrash metal/punk) Wastelander – Endless Survival (black/thrash metal/crust) Weightless World – Sleepwalker (progresszív metal/metalcore) Welcome to Pleshiwar – Apostasy (melodikus doom/death metal)

[xmystophalesx]

Best New Heavy Metal Releases Week of November 4th, 2022

I know this is sounding like a broken record every week when I talk about the insane amount of new releases, but damn, two weeks in a row with 150 plus Hard Rock and Metal releases. Looking forward to the next few weeks, it doesn’t look as busy and I have to admit a bit of a break is going to come in handy. That end-of-year best of list looming just over the horizon. Hard to believe the year is almost up. The last few years have seen quite an uptick in the amount of incredibly high quality releases coming out, which bodes VERY well for the future. The list is once again VERY long so lets get to some the highlights.

Dolchstoss-War is Eternal (Black)**

Black Metal with some Punk Rock influences in the rhythm section which I am a sucker for. Quite a few Saidan vibes here which is always a good thing.

Disillusion-Ayam (Death/Progressive/Melodic)**

Ever wonder where modern era Opeth would go if they leaned further into the realm of Progressive Metal? I think Disillusion is that answer. I will fully admit the vocals may not click with everyone but the music and songwriting here is absolutely stunning.

Nocturnis-Unsegen (Black)**

No fucks given old school Black Metal. This isn’t trying to be anything else and I get the feeling this band could give a shit less whether you like them or not.

The Jokers-Rock and Roll Bones (Hard Rock/Heavy)**

Blues influenced Hard Rock that makes for a great palate cleanser in between some of the more extreme forms of metal I routinely enjoy. Fantastic album all the way through.

Lokurah-Distorted Truth (Melodic Death/Thrash)**

Great mix of Death and Thrash Metal with incredible production and a more modern approach in the songwriting.

I will cut it off there. When the list is this long, I always feel like I need to mention that there are more than a few albums that could have made the “Best of the Week” category but some tough choices had to be made. You may feel completely different, so don’t sleep on any of the albums on this list. Until next week and, as always, just remember that music is the passion of the soul.

BANG THY HEAD!!!

All worthy of a listen if you like the genre

*= standout in that genre

**=best of the week regardless of genre

Best of the Week

Dolchstoss-War is Eternal (Black)**

Theory-Obsidian Haze (Heavy/Progressive/Power)**

Stranger Vision-Wasteland (Power/Heavy)**

Legions of the Night-Hell (Heavy Power)**

Black Anvil-Regenesis (Black/Thrash)**

Iron Kingdom-The Blood of Creation (Heavy/Traditional)**

Disillusion-Ayam (Death/Progressive/Melodic)**

Nocturnis-Unsegen (Black)**

Sarcator-Alkahest (Thrash/Black)**

The Jokers-Rock and Roll Bones (Hard Rock/Heavy)**

Lokurah-Distorted Truth (Death/Thrash)**

Mist of Misery-Severance (Symphonic Black)**

Standout in their Genre

Vexation-Trepidation Reigns (Thrash/Death)*

Vltima-Ouroboros (Black)*

Red Mourning-Flowers & Feathers (Stoner)*

Nadir-Eternal War, Forevermore (Progressive Thrash)*

Redreigner-Eater (Death)*

Satan’s Blade-Curse of the Blade (Heavy/Traditional/Speed)*

Rodrigo Gutierrez’s Jadoo-Chain Reaction (Heavy Power)*

Mandragora Thuringia-Rex Silvarum (Folk)*

Dragonhammer-Second Life (Power)*

Ggu:ll-Ex Est (Drone/Doom)*

Lemegeton-Demons I to X (Black)*

Pahan Ikoni-Ikonoklasti (Death/Thrash)*

Pitch Black Mentality-World Final Wake (Thrash/Melodic)*

Warlung-Vultures Paradise (Psychedelic/Stoner/Doom)*

Mezcla-Vidas Suspendidas (Death/Thrash)*

Exordium Mors-As Legends Fade and Gods Die (Black/Thrash/Death)*

HÖST-Nightmares and Goals (Black)*

Aeveris-White Elephant (Metalcore)*

Ninth Realm-A Fate Unbroken (Thrash)*

Osyron-Momentous (Heavy Progressive)*

Warlung-Vulture’s Paradise (Psychadelic Doom/Sludge)*

Wolfcross-From the North (Black)*

Dunkelheit-Inner Awakening (Black)*

Worth a listen if you enjoy the genre

Hell Theater-S’Accabadora (Heavy/Thrash)

Celtic Legacy-Redux (Heavy)

Funeral Harvest-Redemptio (Black)

Psychlona-Palo Verde (Psychadelic/Stoner)

Ratlab-The Hammer and the Dance (Hard Rock/Heavy)

Denial of Death-A Failed Exorcism (Death/Black)

Atomic Witch-Crypt of Sleepless Malice (Speed/Thrash)

Second to Sun-Nocturnal Philosophy (Black/Post)

Deliverance-Neon Chaos in a Junk Sick Dawn (Black/Sludge)

Ingested-Ashes Lie Still (Brutal Death)

Iron Flesh-Limb After Limb (Death)

Last Wander-Last Wander (Melodic Death)

Under Threat-Impermanence (Melodic Death)

This look encapsulated the difficulty in making the Pick of the Week this week, but with 4.75 worried looking bulldogs out of 5, Disillusion takes this weeks top spot.

[elizabethemerald]

Eternal Night Redux: Part 6

“We’ve caught him. We’ve caught the Trollhunter!” The triumphant call of the Gumm-Gumms echoed around the Heartstone chamber. 

“If this is another illusion I swear I will crack open the Heartstone with my bare hands!”

Jim couldn’t help but smile at the furious tone coming from Gunmar. Apparently his and Angor’s plan had worked very well. He quickly hid his smile as he was dragged before the Gumm-Gumm King. 

“So Trollhunter. Your games end at last.” Gunmar growled. “Now you will release the Eldritch Queen and when you have served your purpose I will enjoy breaking you.”

“You weren’t able to break me before, what makes you think you can do it now?” Jim said defiantly. “Do you think just because you are in the Heartstone with two Krubera and three Gumm-Gumms that you will be any better?”

Gunmar gave him a strange look at the way he was talking before he growled even louder. He stomped closer and Jim braced himself for the impact he knew was coming. 

“Hey Gunmar! Fooled you again!”

“Yeah you couldn’t tell the real Trollhunter from an illusion if I came up and smacked you on the ass!”

Jim strained against the Gumm-Gumms holding him to look back at the entrance of the Heartstone. There, Jim Lake Jr. swung a flaming warhammer and crushed one of the troll guards into dust. And Jim Lake Jr expertly twirled a jagged staff before summoning a portal under another. The Gumm-Gumm struggled for a moment before it fell into the portal and disappeared. Both of the Jims disappeared from the entrance to the Heartstone, the sounds of their laughter echoing around the chamber. 

“Another illusion!” Gunmar roared in fury. “After them! One of them must be the real Trollhunter.”

The Gumm-Gumm holding Jim’s arms released him and fled for the entrance. Gunmar moved to follow but before he he left he turned and back handed Jim. He probably would have flown much farther if he hadn’t immediately ran into the wall of the Heartstone with a brilliant flash of blue from his armor. 

Jim laid there for a few seconds then pulled himself to his feet with a groan. Gunmar and the rest of the trolls had departed. He took a wheezing breath and braced himself against the crystal walls as he dragged himself forward. It took all of his strength to limp down the stairs to the chamber where Morgana was kept prisoner. Each breath filled his chest with a shooting pain. 

Down below two Krubera guarded the Staff of Avalon. They readied their maces at the sound of his approach, but when they saw who it was they stopped. Jim walked past them, giving them both a nod, before he pulled the Staff from its position He turned and faced the two Krubera again. 

“Are you sure you’re just going to let me take this?” Jim asked. He had to lean heavily on the staff just to keep upright. 

“Yes.” One of the massive trolls said. “We served an evil queen for far too long. Now it is time to right that wrong.”

Jim nodded and pulled his phone from his pocket as he used the staff as a crutch to return to the rest of the Trollmarket. 

“I have the staff.” Jim said into his phone. “It’s time to end this.”

He limped out of the Heartstone to see the rest of Trollmarket. He could see another Jim flying by over head with his war hammer and could hear the distant sound of portals opening. He trudged forward with the two Krubera on his heels. He walked toward the sound of Gunmar’s enraged roars, and soon enough he could see him. 

“Hey Gunmar!” Jim shouted. 

Gunmar turned to look at him and Jim pulled the amulet from his chest. The armor of Daylight disappeared in a flash of blue. On the other side of Gunmar, Claire and Toby pulled off their glamour masks revealing their true selves in two flashes of green. Gunmar tried to roar orders to the Krubera, but they ignored him instead turning to attack the mind controlled Gumm-Gumms. 

The sound of an explosion suddenly echoed from the direction of the Gyre station. Jim could hear the sound of the Quagawump battle cry from that direction. Distantly he could see Blinky and Aaarrrgghh at the head of the charging green trolls. At the same moment several humans ran down the from the crystal stair, and in flashes of light they transformed revealing themselves to be changelings. Strickler and Nomura were there fighting alongside their brethren. 

Jim looked at his amulet for second while the noise of battle washed around him. Tiredly he tapped his amulet against the emerald of the Staff of Avalon. The magic made his hair stand on end, he could feel the power flowing between the two objects. Toby landed on one side of him with his hammer out and ready. Claire jumped out of a portal on his other side, her staff in hand. 

“For the Doom of Gunmar, Eclipse is Mine to Command!”  Jim shouted, holding his amulet out in front of him. 

The black armor appeared out of the air around him covering his body. Every line, carving and edge of the armor glowed with a brilliant red light. As Jim materialized the Eclipse Blade in his hand he took a deep breath, one with out pain, as the magic flowed through him, filling him with power and healing his injuries. 

Jim smiled at Claire and Toby. They nodded. And Jim charged at Gunmar. 

The battle reached a fever pitch. Changelings, Krubera and Quagawump fought tooth and nail against the Gumm-Gumms. Angor was a phantom, using his magic and blades to keep any troll from assisting Gunmar.  Aaarrrgghh and Blinky fought as one. Jim swore he caught sight of his mom fighting alongside Nomura and Strickler for a second. But his attention was solely on Gunmar. 

He had been training and fighting alongside Claire and Toby for months now. They were almost one mind as they fought perfectly in sync. Toby would slam into Gunmar’s side, then dive into a portal Claire created when Gunmar turned to attack him. While he was distracted Jim drove forward earning himself several deep cuts into Gunmar’s hide. Then Claire would batter at Gunmar’s back with her staff. 

Jim pushed his skills to the max. He fought with Eclipse. He fought with his glaives, or with his shield. And he fought with the staff of Avalon. He wasn’t as used to staffs  as Claire was, but he still knew how to swing one. Each blow from the staff sent up a cloud of sparks and smoke. 

Fighting side by side with his friends, with the people he loved, reminded Jim of what he fought for. He didn’t fight for Merlin, to be his perfect champion. He fought to protect those he cared about and maybe to be protected by them in turn. 

Gunmar roared in pain and fury as Toby slammed the back of his knee with his war hammer. Before he could retaliate, Claire created a portal under his other leg that Gunmar slipped into. Jim jumped at his opening, thrusting Eclipse deep into Gunmar’s chest. 

“In their darkest hour, we burn brightest!” Jim snarled as he pushed the blade even deeper. 

For the first time in his memory he could see fear on Gunmar’s face. Fear and pain as light began to spread in burning cracks across his whole body. Jim let go of the handle of Eclipse in order to drive the Staff of Avalon into one of the cracks. Claire jumped to his side and Toby was half a second behind her. All three of them grabbed the staff and forced the emerald into Gunmar’s splintering form.

The light pouring out of Gunmar suddenly grew even brighter. At the last second Jim pulled the staff out, and grabbed Toby and Claire and covered them with his body. A shock wave blasted through them and all across Trollmarket. Lightening bolts struck out from Gunmar’s stone body, destroying the mind controlled Gumm-Gumms. 

It felt like only a moment later that Jim felt two pairs of arms wrap tightly around his chest. He, Claire and Toby all dropped their weapons and hugged each other as tightly as they could. It was over. Gunmar was dead. They didn’t have to live in fear of him anymore. 

Slowly the sounds of cheers and celebrations filtered through the fog filling Jim’s head. He had won. They had won. Together. He couldn’t help but laugh, even as tears flowed down his face. He pressed kisses to first Toby’s then Claire’s faces, and they both kissed his cheeks in return. 

“You did it! You did it Master Jim!” Blinky said. Jim felt his trainer wrap his arms around the three of them, and they they were hoisted into the air by Aaarrrgghh. 

“Well done Haunter!” 

“I’d say that performance deserves an A, Young Atlas.”

“I guess you were right to hope, Little Gynt.”

The rest of the voices blurred together. The changelings, his mom, the Trollmarket Trolls, the Quagawumps, the remaining Krubera. All congratulating him. Celebrating their victory. Jim could only hug Claire and Toby as close and tight as their armor would allow. 

The celebration suddenly grew hushed as a golden light began to seep out of Gunmar’s stone form. Jim called Eclipse back to his hand as he released his friends. However there was no need. His body began to crumble as more and more of the golden orange light flowed out of him. They watched as the light floated gently through the air towards the gray heartstone. Slowly the warm glow returned to the massive crystal as the energy Gunmar had stolen returned to its home. 

Blinky was on the edge of sobbing as he and the other trolls could feel their bodies drinking the magic of the Heartstone again. It had been far too long since they had last experienced this warmth. 

The moment was shattered by a gravely voice. 

“Now that Gunmar is no more, may I have my staff back.” Merlin said as he strode forward, pushing his way through the surrounding crowd. 

“Oh now that the fighting is over you show up.” Blinky said, his voice heavy with disdain. All four of his arms are crossed over his chest. 

“And what exactly would you expect me to do without my magic?” Merlin replied dismissively. 

“That didn’t stop anyone else from fighting.” Jim sneered. Then he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. “Including my mom. Who has no magic at all.”

“Truthfully I didn’t expect any of you to survive this sucide mission you were so interested in. And while I consider it a pleasant surprise that you have, I wasn’t going to risk myself on that gamble.”

“Yeah yeah yeah.” Claire said, as she rolled her eyes. She bent down and picked up the Staff of Avalon off the ground and the Shadow Staff as well. “There is still the question of what are we going to do with this, or with...that.” 

She gestured to the staff, then used the staff itself to gesture toward the softly glowing Heartstone, and the prisoner they all knew held under neath it. There was a moment of silence as everyone considered their options. 

“Well whatever we do, we’ll do it together.”

Jim stepped forward and wrapped one arm around Claire’s shoulders and the other around Toby’s. Together they stared at the Heartstone and the rest of their small army gathered there with them, pushing past Merlin if they had to. 

Jim smiled. Their fight wasn’t completely over yet. Morgana would still have to be addressed at some point. But for now, for now he had the two people he loved most in the world in his arms. His mom was safe between Strickler and Nomura. Angor was free of Gunmar and Morgana’s control. Trollmarket was safe. The remaining changelings had survived Gunmar’s slaughter. Whatever came in the future, whatever machinations Merlin had planned, Jim would face them, with his family at his back.

[gamerzylo]

Favorite postal game (inclu stuff like corkscrew rules and a very postal christmas)

Redux, Paradise Lost and Happy Night

Never got to play Eternal Damnation but from watching Youtube videos I like it because of the over the top edginess.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Johnlock Podfics by Podfixx

Hey all! Today’s a different kind of Fic Rec Sunday! I was recently asked to send some love to the amazing @podfixx, and of course I said yes! And I’ve decided to do it in one of my fave ways for content creators: promoting their work!! While I’ve never listened to podfics (it’s not really my thing) I know that Podfixx is a staple of the Sherlock podfic community and deserves all the love for their hard work, professionalism, and dedication.

I want to share my own happy experience with Podfixx: they are the reason I have chapter counts on my fic recs now, if you guys didn’t know. They asked me a few years ago if I could add Chapter counts to fics, because [and this isn’t verbatim, but it’s how I interpreted what they told me... can’t find the message now, it was so long ago] adding chapters actually helps podficcers in deciding which fics to pick next to read, or how to break up a LONG 1 Chapter fic, and helps them plan out their podfic schedule. First of all, I was FLOORED that someone as amazing as Podfixx even read my fic lists (I’m always shocked when anyone takes vested interest in anything I do), but that, at the time, they used them to help pick fics. And since then, I’ve always put chapter counts on all my fics.

So you guys should go and give them a listen!:) This list is OBVIOUSLY not comprehensive, and not everything they’ve done, but PLEASE check out their “Podfixx” tag for everything they’ve read (including Good Omens and Jeeves and Wooster!), and give them some love!!

Click on the “PODFIC AVAILABLE” link to go to the Tumblr or Ao3 posts linking to their Spotify Tracks!

Enjoy! And thank you @podfixx for providing endless hours of fics for the community! This one is for you 💜🖤

-------

The Lustful Cockmonster by hubblegleeflower (M, 954 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Established Relationship, Pet Names for Penises, Fluff, Humour) – Not many people know this, but Sherlock is the funny one. Part 2 of the Favourite Ficlets series

Something red, something green, something sparkly by Silvergirl (M, 1,106 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Christmas, Texting, Impending Desperation, Gift Shopping) – If you can't solve a puzzle yourself, ask the experts. Of course, the experts may be utterly useless ... until they aren't.

Out of the Shadow of Missed Chances by MargueriteSomebodyoranother (T, 1,132 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post TRF / TEH Fic, Reunion, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining) – He’d had eighteen months - it seemed like a goddamned eternity at the time - and he never uttered a word.

The Man in Aisle Ten by standbygo (G, 1,395 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Christmas, Shopping, Gifts, Original Female Character POV) – It's Christmas Eve, the busiest day for shopping at Harrod's, and there's a guy in aisle ten who's snapping at every sales associate who dares to approach him. It's up to Moira to help him find the perfect present. [TRANSLATIONS: Русский || 中国] 

Ink by Strange_johnlock (T, 1,460 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Parentlock with Rosie, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss/Time, Tattoos, Mutual Pining, Angst, Fluff) – Every tattoo Sherlock gets has to do with John.

On The Dangers Of Semi-Skimmed by loveanddeathandartandtaxes (M, 1,536 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-S4, Domestics, Masturbation, Accidental Voyeurism, First Time) – “I don't mind,” John blurts. Sherlock looks at him. “If you were to come up to my room for - anything.”

Letters, Redux by earlgreytea68 (G, 1,730 w., 1 Ch. || PODFICS AVAILABLE: [PODFIXX || THEMUSECALLIOPE] || Tags to Be Added) – While he's dead, Sherlock writes John more letters. Part 3 of Letters  [TRANSLATIONS: Polski || Русский]

Say you won't let go by WritingOutLoud (G, 1,996 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || TSo3 Fix It, POV John First Person, Drunk Sherlock, Drunk John, First Kiss) – Short ficlet about what could have happened if they hadn't had a case on the stag night. [TRANSLATIONS: Español]

Letters, the Writing Of by earlgreytea68 (G, 2,416 w., 1 Ch. || PODFICS AVAILABLE: [PODFIXX || THEMUSECALLIOPE] || Tags to Be Added) – While he's dead, Sherlock writes John letters. Part 1 of the Letters series [TRANSLATIONS: Русский || Polski]

The Perils of Pair Bonding by Infinitely_Stranger (M, 2,761 w., 2 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post S4, Awkward Conversations, Idiots Being Idiots) – Sherlock turns out to have been a bit wrong about something. John turns out to have noticed.

The General Idea by agirlsname (T, 3,022 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Retirement, Promise of Forever / Proposal, POV John, First Kiss, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Soft Sherlock, Idiots in Love, Crying / Emotional Sherlock, Love Confessions) – After twenty years of friendship, John is used to Sherlock acting weirdly. But the news Sherlock finally brings himself to deliver change the carefully built dynamics between them, and John realises it's time to act.

The Beauty of Broken Edges by snorklepie (E, 3,181 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || POV John, John’s PTSD, Sexuality, Blow Jobs, Idiots in Love, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Feelings Realization, Fluff, 221B Baker Street, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Frottage) – John Watson thinks he's Very Bad at Relationships. Sherlock Holmes dreams of wandering around his entorhinal cortex.

By the Rivers of Babylon by verdant_fire (T, 3,359 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post HLV Canon Divergence, Love Declarations, Exile, Pining Sherlock, Longing, Angst, POV Sherlock, Reunions, First Kiss) – Sherlock goes back to Serbia, and endures exile, boredom/torture, and a certain chemical defect, for the sake of one person and three improbable words.

Safe Harbour by 221b_hound (G, 3,842 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF, Angst, Emotional Hurt / Comfort, Five and One) – Five times John comforts someone, and one time someone comforts him.

The Romance Was There by apliddell (G, 4,011 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post S3, Post Mary, Christmas, Domestics, Villain Mary, Platonic Bedsharing, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Love Letters) – In which Sherlock reveals his merits as a housekeeper, and a few other things, too.

Tree Topper by May_Shepard (E, 4,017 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Christmas Tree, Christmas Fluff, Drunken Shenanigans, Smut, First Time, Friends to Lovers) – Sherlock and John are celebrating Christmas the best way they know how--alone together, with booze. They've almost finished decorating their tree, but John is determined to find the best way to top it.

Golden Hours by stopthat (M, 4,783 w., 2 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || POV Sherlock, Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Hugs and Cuddles, Conversations, First Kiss/Time, Seaside Cottage, Love Confessions, Frottage, Tenderness, Sexual Tension) – John is too quiet. Sherlock whisks him away to the sea.

Letters, the Reading Of by earlgreytea68 (T, 5,334 w., 1 Ch. || PODFICS AVAILABLE: [PODFIXX || THEMUSECALLIOPE] || Tags to Be Added) – While he's dead, Sherlock writes John letters. John reads them. Part 2 of the Letters series [TRANSLATIONS: Polski || Русский]

Five Times Sherlock Fell Asleep in John's Arms by Accident and the One Time He Did It – Accidentally – on Purpose by WillowGrove (T, 7,201 w., 6 Ch, || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Five and One, Falling Asleep, Cuddling & Snuggling, Texting, Tea, First Kiss, Dreams, Fever, Comfort, Caretaker John, Love, Humour, Fluff) – Sherlock notices that John keeps cuddling him to sleep and he rather likes it. But then John stops, and Sherlock has to result to schemes to make it happen again. Who falls asleep, who wakes up in who’s arms, and – most importantly – will there be a kiss in the end?

Three New Messages by earlgreytea68 (M, 7,485 w., 2 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Tags to Be Added Upon Reading) – If you were dying, if you'd been murdered -- in your very last seconds, what would you say? [TRANSLATIONS: Русский || 中国]

of midnight moments and mistletoe by hudders-and-hiddles (M, 7,669 w., 4 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Christmas, First Kiss, Fluff, Mistletoe, Snow) – John and Sherlock are throwing a Christmas Eve party, and the flat is all strung up with mistletoe.

The Love Song of Two Idiots by SkipandDi (T, 7,868 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Crack, Humour, Proposals) – The eighth time Sherlock proposed to John, it was on a Thursday afternoon in the middle of a Tesco. And like the seven times before, he got rejected. Part 2 of The Infiltrate Series

Tomorrow by Berty (M, 9,517, 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Magical Realism AU || Canon Divergence, Christmas, Hurt/Comfort, Spells and Enchantments, Married John/Mary, Difficult Decisions, Fluff and Angst) – The night before they travel to Dorset to spend Christmas with Sherlock's parents and John's wife, 221 Baker Street is peaceful with the smell of baking, flickering candles and presents under the tree. But Father Christmas can't be relied upon to bring the boys their heart's desires. Just as well Mrs Hudson - who is NOT a fairy godmother OR their housekeeper, thank you very much - is so good at her job.

Casualty by Silvergirl (E, 12,051 w., 4 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Canon Compliant Until T6T, Mary’s Dead, Trauma/Comfort, John’s a Good Friend, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss/Time, Sherlock Learns Teamwork, Parentlock) – Sherlock renders assistance at a hit-and-run and is left deeply shocked. When the accident turns into a case, John moves back in to 221b to help—and finds that Sherlock has way oversold his image as an emotionless thinking machine.

A Thousand Kisses Deep by Susan (E, 12,689 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Time Travel, Longing, Angst, Post S1, Time Travel Fix It) – “Come here,” Sherlock said and when he did, he put his arm across John’s shoulder, and pulled him close. John let him, and after a moment, rested his head against Sherlock’s chest. Sherlock felt the familiar ache, a longing for what might have been. If only he’d been braver, more sure of John’s feelings. He dropped his arms and stepped back. It was too late. Things were as they were meant to be. But it was autumn in Sussex, and everything was changing. If you were given a chance to go back to the beginning and make things right, would you take it?

The Zebra Sheets by agirlsname (M, 13,733 w., 35 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post TRF, POV Sherlock, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, UST, Dialogue-Heavy, Relationship Negotiation, Holidays/Sussex, Touch-Starved Sherlock, Brief Mentions of Torture, Falling in Love, Mentions of Past Drug Use) – Sherlock is back from the dead and he's exhausted. So is John. They go on a holiday to a faraway cottage and unexpected truths are revealed.

Almost Home by Berty (E, 13,871 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Alternate First Meeting, Captain John, Pining John, University Student Sherlock, Gay Bar, First Time, Anal, Mutual Masturbation, Protective Big Brother Mycroft, POV John, Time Skips, Memories, Angst With Happy Ending) – He pulls out the ID card – the one that Sherlock had somehow seen when he was buying drinks at that awful club. He’s had other ID cards since then but he’s hung on to this one for some reason. He looks at the image of his face, young and pale and idealistic, and he knows that just a month later that man would have found and lost the love of his life within a week, and even knowing that, John wouldn’t change a single thing.

About Sleep and Coffee and the Existence of Fate by Atiki (E, 17,426 w., 6 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Humour, 5 and 1) – Naturally, John was startled when suddenly the ultimate solution occurred to him: Marriage. This was, of course, a bit of a fundamental problem rather than an actual solution. One didn't simply use the words “Sherlock” and “marriage” within the same sentence. Not even in a hypothetical context. Five times John kind of wanted to propose to Sherlock, and one time he didn’t have to.

Straight Boy Pain by Glenmore (NR, 18,257 w., 10 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Coming Out, Pain, Romance, Birds, Sexuality) – Sherlock is in pain. Billy Kinkaid, the Camden garroter and best man Sherlock knows, diagnoses it. Ademar Silver, a male prostitute in south London, attempts to treat it. Lestrade, kindly Detective Inspector of New Scotland Yard, doesn’t notice it. Eventually, John Watson, healer and registered medical doctor, cures it. And a beautician called Penny paints Sherlock’s toenails.

Over Cloud and Under Cloud by khorazir (T, 16,477 w., 3 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Cabin Pressure Crossover || Post-TRF, Angst, Humour, Pre-Slash, Pining) – After his Fall, Sherlock travels the world to destroy what remains of James Moriarty's criminal empire. When things don't go according to plan and he finds himself in desperate need of a discreet means of travel, cue MJN Air... Part 1 of the Over/Under series

Winter to Spring by standbygo (E, 19,416 w., 10 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post S4, Post-Nuclear War, Parenthood, Danger, BAMF Sherlock, Whump, Angst with Happy Ending) – Sherlock is babysitting Rosie when the ultimate disaster strikes London. There will be fear, there will be danger, there will be despair - but in the end, there will be love.

Divinest Sense by ChrisCalledMeSweetie (E, 25,001 w., 18 Ch. |  PODFIC AVAILABLE || Alternate First Meeting, Mental Health Issues, First Kiss/Time, Coded Clues, Virgin Sherlock, Bisexual John, Slow Burn) – John has been sectioned — deemed to be a danger to himself and others — and is facing six months in an experimental psychiatric treatment facility. After his recent drug overdose, Sherlock is being shipped off by his brother to live amongst the mad, as though this will somehow improve his mental health. What will happen when these two damaged men meet under the least auspicious of circumstances?Hint: You can expect some humorous misunderstandings, burgeoning attraction, coded clues that the reader is invited to try to decipher, eventual explicit sex, and altogether more fluff than one might imagine, given the rather dark premise of this story. Part 1 of the Divinest Senses

Extraction by holmesian_love (NR, 28,594 w., 15 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF/Hiatus, Kidnapped Sherlock, BAMF John, Rescue Mission) – While Mycroft spends a month working overtime to find his brother, with agents reporting back and an extraction team in place, John's world is turned upside down, after a surprise delivery shakes his foundations. He is forced back into the world of Sherlock Holmes, completely unprepared to face the consulting detective.The extraction is only the beginning for these three men as they face the consequences of past actions. Part 1 of Extraction

The Whore of Babylon Was a Perfectly Nice Girl by out_there (E, 32,897 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Past Drug Use, Blowjobs, Toplock, Mentions of Switching, Rough Sex, Background Cases, Sherlock’s Past, Sherlock’s Sexual History, Experienced Sherlock, Past One Night Stands, Fingering, Cuddling, Possessive Sherlock, Paris Holiday, Bed Sharing, Naked Lie-Ins, Bathing Together, Confessions, Worried Sherlock, Laying in Bed All Day, Meddling Mycroft, Naked Lazy Day) – Sherlock walks into a room and takes all the space right out of it. He does the same inside John's head.

You Should Have Changed Course Long Ago by msdisdain (E, 33,235 w., 12 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Epistolary, Slow Burn, Angst, Flashbacks, Frottage, Rimming, Anal Sex, Fingering, Blow Jobs, First Time, Outdoor Sex, Light Dom/Sub, Blogging) – John realizes too late what has been in his heart all along, and flees London. But can he ever truly leave Sherlock behind?

Ride On by Silvergirl (M, 34,342 w., 9 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || TEH Divergence, Reunion, First Kiss / Time, Mutual Pining, Alternating POV, Sherlock’s Violin, Music, Original Characters, Happy Ending) – After the disastrous reveal at the Landmark, John tells Sherlock there can be no excuse for what he’s done, and no forgiveness. Sherlock leaves London and starts a new life, and not even the British Government knows where. It’s up to John to track him down and make things right, with a trip around the world and a clue only John would recognize.

Chances Are by Berty (M, 51,830 w., 14 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post TGG, POV Sherlock, Head Injury, Medical Procedures, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Mycroft Being Mycroft, Injury Recovery, Sherlock Whump, John Whump, Developing Relationship, Emotions, Revelations, Friends to Lovers, Doctor John, First Kiss/Time, Aphasia, Muteness, Feelings) – Sherlock is spending some time in his mind palace - so far, so normal. But why is John there, why do things keep changing and why are there only two exits from the sitting room at 221B, neither of which seem to go anywhere useful? It's a case like no other for Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

Quarantine by wendymarlowe (T, 53,950 w., 200 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Coronavirus / Quarantine, John’s Blog, Asexual Sherlock, Slow Burn, Epistolary, Developing Relationship, Real Time, Case Fic) – John and Sherlock are stuck at 221B together due to coronavirus concerns. Sherlock slowly drives John barmy. [TRANSLATIONS: Русский]

Letters, Resolved by earlgreytea68 (M, 55,253 w., 14 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Tags to Be Added) – The letters have been written, read, and discussed. But that doesn't mean anything's been resolved. Yet. Part 5 of Letters [TRANSLATIONS: Русский]

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker's Yeast) by yaycoffee (E, 60,879 w., 13 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Unplanned Pregnancy / One Night Stand, Drunken Sex, First Kiss/Time, Bit of Case Fic, Sally/Sherlock Drunk Sex First Ch.) – Sometimes, one makes an imprudent decision born of a devastating combination of drink and sentiment. Sometimes, the consequences of that decision take on a life of their own. And sometimes, the facing of those consequences shapes every aspect of one's life--from the hugely meaningful down to the seemingly insignificant. Part 1 of the Knows His Own series

In Memoriam by strangegibbon (E, 66,136 w., 15 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF, Romance, Angst, Drama, Amnesia, Humour, Sherlock’s Violin, Sherlock in A Sheet, Blogs, Alcohol, PTSD, UST, Mystery, Hurt/Comfort, First Time, Anal Sex, Oral Sex) – Sherlock returns from his self-imposed exile to find a John Watson he barely recognises. Now he must solve the mystery of the disappeared man and try to rebuild their relationship as well as deal with his own return to a London that has forgotten him. Part 2 of the In Memoriam series

The Vapor Variant by 88thParallel (CanadaHolm) (M, 72,684 w., 18 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-THoB, John Whump, Protective Sherlock, Guilty Sherlock, Anxious/Worried Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD John, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Suspense, Virus, Sick Fic, Big Brother Mycroft) – They stood face to face in the middle of a clearing. The dim light of the moon barely allowed Sherlock to see the glassy terror in John’s eyes and the sweat that glistened off his forehead. His nose was bleeding again, blood dripping in a slow stream from his right nostril. They were both gasping for air, John’s eyes locked on Sherlock’s. There was no recognition there, just wild animal fear. Time stood still for an eternal few seconds, and Sherlock took a shaky breath. “John—”Spell broken, John spun and bolted back into the woods. Still heaving for air, Sherlock took off after him. 

The Wedding Garments by cwb (E, 105,390 w., 36 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Alternate Future AU || Alternate First Meeting, Dating / Arranged Marriages, Romance, First Kiss/Time, Heavy Petting, Cuddles, POV Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn / Falling in Love / Dev. Rel., Nervous/Anxious Sherlock, Jealous/Cranky Sherlock, Hiking, Vacation Homes / Honeymoon, Sherlock’s Family, Horny John/Sherlock, Patient John, Massages, Hand Jobs, Assassination Plots, Oral Sex, Case Fic, Emotional Love Making, Bath Time Fun) – This is the story of a young consulting detective who wants nothing to do with marriage and an army doctor who wants to find true love. It's 2020 post-Brexit England and the British government is encouraging arranged marriages. Candidates meet through state-run agencies and date in hopes of finding love (and tax benefits). Sherlock doesn't need or want a spouse, at least not until John Watson shows up. Hesitant to give in to his more carnal urges because of the way they derail his mind, how will Sherlock progress toward the more intimate aspects of a relationship? The answer lies in a very special wedding gift.

Proving A Point by elldotsee & J_Baillier (E, 186,270 w., 28 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Me Before You Fusion || Medical Realism, Insecure John, Depression, Romance, Angst, POV John, Sherlock Whump, Serious Illness, Doctor John, Injury Recovery, Assisted Suicide, Sherlock’s Violin, Awkward Sexual Situations, Alcoholism, Drugs, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Body Image, Friends to Lovers, Hurt / Comfort, Pain, Big Brother Mycroft, Intimacy, Anxiety, PTSD, Family Issues, Psychological Trauma, John Whump, Case Fics, Loneliness, Pain) – Invalided home from Afghanistan, running out of funds and convinced that his surgical career is over, John Watson accepts a mysterious job offer to provide care and companionship for a disabled person. Little does he know how much hangs in the balance of his performance as he settles into his new life at Musgrave Court. Part 1 of the Care And Companionship series

The Case of the Green Gown by splix (E, 209,261 w., 29 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post S3, Case Fic, First Time, Action/Adventure, Angst, Peril, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Slow Burn, Torture) – ...Watson had at that time deserted me for a wife, the only selfish action which I can recall in our association. I was alone. –– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier

[genevievemd]

The Year Between (19/22)

April 13, 2022 - The Diamond Redux

Book: Open Heart: Third Year Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Genevieve McClure) Word Count: 1524 Rating: T Category: , Extended Series: WIP, AU Series, fluff Trope(s): and there’s an anniversary, and they go on a date

Summary: ~Series: Following their engagement, Ethan and Gen navigate the year between the ring and wedding. ~ Chapter: Gen and Ethan celebrate their one year engagement anniversary.

Warnings: none

A/N: Only 3 chapters left after this, we’re getting closer to the big day. Enjoy the fluff, peanuts. 

April Part 1 ~ April Part 2 ~ TYB Masterlist

Ch. 1 ~ Ch. 2 ~ Ch. 3 ~ Ch. 4 ~ Ch. 5 ~ Ch. 6 ~ Ch. 7 ~ Ch. 8 ~ Ch 9 ~ Ch. 10 ~ Ch. 11 ~ Ch. 12 ~ Ch. 13 ~ Ch. 14 ~ Ch. 15 ~ Ch. 16 ~ Ch. 17 ~ Ch  18

Wednesday, April 13th

3:43 PM

The elevator doors open, and that giddy feeling comes back. The same butterflies she used to get when she and Ethan first started dating. Making her giggle as she walks down the administration floor.

Today is their one year engagement anniversary, and she’s buzzing with anticipation for the night ahead. Ethan planned to give her a replica of his original proposal plan, the one that went out the window when he got down on one knee in the middle of their kitchen.

And although she loves their real proposal, and how perfect it was for them, Gen is ecstatic to see whatever over the top romance her secret husband has planned.

“Good afternoon, Dr. McClure.” Olivia plasters a fake smile once Gen makes it to Ethan’s office. “You’re up here a lot today.” 

“It’s Ethan and I’s anniversary, I’m feeling extra loving today.” 

“Oh, that’s right. He’s leaving early because you have plans.” 

“We do. Very romantic plans, because my fiancé likes to spoil me.” 

She doesn’t give Olivia a chance to respond, instead opening the door to Ethan’s office with a smile on her face. 

“Hey you.” 

“Hi.” He looks up from the papers on his desk briefly, glasses perched low on his nose. “Are you getting any work done today?” 

“Obviously. I just hate that we’re not working together today.” 

“Me, too.” Ethan looks up again once she’s at his desk, tossing his glasses down as she hops onto the dark wood. “I’d love to work on an actual case and not budget proposals.” 

“I’ll happily play patient for you.”

“Cute.” Ethan smiles, taking her hand. “Come here.” 

He pulls her off the desk and onto his lap, holding her tightly. Without a moment's hesitation, Gen wraps her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against his. 

It’s in the quiet moments like this, when they’re simply basking in their love for each other that she feels eternally grateful to have found Ethan. That she was brave enough to fall in love and find her happily ever after. Because when she’s nestled so safely in his arms, it’s hard to imagine being anywhere else. 

“I love you.” She whispers in the small space between them, eyes still closed. 

“I love you, too.” 

7:27 PM

The plan was fairly simple: in three minutes, the limo would be there to take them to the opera; in fifteen minutes Sienna and Natalie would arrive to decorate the apartment in rose petals and fake candles, and place a bottle of Gen’s favorite champagne in the fridge; in thirty minutes he and his wife would arrive at the opera, where they’ll walk to their box and she’ll be greeted with a large bouquet of white roses. And finally, in three hours, Ethan will get down on one knee – again – and re-propose to the love of his life. 

And as ridiculous as it may seem, Ethan was nervous about the entire affair. There were plenty of ways it could go wrong and he’d never forgive himself if it did. Gen deserved the world, and tonight that world included his over the top proposal.

The Ethan of two years ago would have scoffed at the idea. He and Gen were still in limbo then, balancing on the edge of forever or never. That Ethan never would have imagined proposing to her, let alone doing it again a year later on the anniversary of that proposal. 

But time had proven him wrong, pushed them off the cliff into the blissful heaven of forever. Now, he can’t imagine his life without Genevieve, without her as his wife. 

The elevator dings as they make it to the lobby of their building, Ethan silently taking her hand and leading her outside.

“Why are we going out front? The garage is the other way.” Gen stops for a second, looking at him curiously. 

“Because we’re not taking the car, my love. Come on, we’re on a tight schedule.” He takes her hand again with a laugh, leading her out the door. 

She stops again once they make it outside, her eyes lighting up like a christmas tree when she sees the large white limousine.  

“A limo? You got us a limo?”

“It was part of the proposal plan. Limo, champagne, roses.” Ethan reaches for the limousine door, smiling when she hesitates.

“We haven’t even gotten to the opera yet.” Gen takes a single step toward the car, eyes flickering between it and his face. 

“I know. Get in the car, baby.”

“Ah! I got a baby!” She smiles even brighter, squeaking with excitement. “Wow, this night keeps getting better and it just started.” 

Ethan laughs loudly as he ushers her into the limo, no longer nervous about the rest of the plan. Because he knows no matter what, she’ll look at him just as she is now. With all the love in her heart and all the happiness she feels. 

10:22 PM

She can’t help but think about what her sister had said while they were texting in the limo. How Ethan’s original plan to propose at the opera was because they were performing the same one he had taken her to during her intern year. 

It feels like a lifetime ago, that first show and their second kiss shared in this very box. When Gen had just learned of Mrs Martinez’s passing and Ethan was thinking of every reason to push her away. 

They’ve come so far in the three years since. He doesn’t hesitate to take her hand like he had that evening, doesn’t push her away when she leans in for a kiss. He loves her fully and openly, for the entire world to see without any regrets. 

Gen lifts her head off Ethan’s shoulder as the final notes of the show begin to play, watching as his eyes stay laser focused on the stage. 

She loves watching him when they attend the opera, getting to see the peace that washes over him as he gets lost in the music. It’s not unlike the calmness she sees when he comes home to her after a long day, the way the tension melts off his shoulders when he gathers her in his arms. 

It causes a flurry of emotions within her, feeling grateful that he finds solace with her and heartbroken that before her, he only had the opera to offer him peace. He’s never let anyone but her get so close, and it's something Gen treasures. Something she tries to never take for granted. 

Ethan finally takes his eyes off the stage as the curtain closes, meeting her loving gaze with one of his own. Sharing the smile they save for each other, the one that silently screams I love you. 

“Tonight was perfect.” She whispers as the crowd begins their applause, unwilling to break the spell they’re under. 

“It’s not over yet.” He takes her hand, leading her to the edge of their box. His face so calm, full of the endless amounts of love he has for her.

The love that takes her breath away, the love she’ll get to feel every day for the rest of her life.

“Why are we standing here?” Genevieve smiles up at him, ignoring the ruckus of the crowd below them.

“So I can do this.” He returns her smile before taking her other hand, bending down on one knee, just as he had in their kitchen a year ago. 

“Are you serious?”

“With you? Always.” Ethan clears his throat, smiling brighter than the spotlights that hit the stage only moments ago. 

“Genevieve Rose, the day you came into my life, was the day it truly began. I hadn’t realized it, but before you I wasn’t living. I was simply going through the motions. With you I am. With you I can picture the future, I can see the hope in tomorrow, the joy that can be found in every moment. With you I discovered what true, unconditional love is. I learned not only how to give it but how to receive it, and I can’t imagine going through the rest of my life without that love, without you. Which is why I proposed to you a year ago today, and tonight I’m asking you again. G, my love, will you marry me one month from tomorrow and continue to spend your life with me?” 

He pulls a small box from his coat pocket, opening it to reveal, not a ring, but a pair of brilliant blue topaz earrings. The color matching his eyes perfectly. 

“Ethan…” She speaks through the tears now streaming down her cheeks, taking a deep breath before joining him on the floor. 

Gen cups his face in her hands, memorizing every line on his face, caressing his cheeks with her thumbs like he so often does with her. “My answer will never change. Its yes, always yes.”

“I love you, Rookie.” 

“I love you.” 

They seal their declaration with a kiss, so similar to the one they shared a year ago. Dripping with every ounce of their love and every hope for their future. 

A/N: Who’s ready for the wedding, raise your hand. And because I’m feeling generous, I’ll give you the names of the last three chapters. 

20: Past The Clouds 21: Dearly Beloved 22: A Happy Beginning

K, see you next time! 

also submitting this for @choicesficwriterscreations​ April Celebrations, since it’s E and G’s anniversary and he also proposed again 

(tagging separately) 

[beevean]

Masterpost of my stuff

last update: August 29th 2024

AO3 account

Sonic Music of the Day (October 31st 2018 - February 28th 2021)

Music of the Day (March 7th 2021 - June 5th 2024)

Shadow the Hedgehog (game)

Analyses:

The Doom

Lost Impact

The ARK

G.U.N. Fortress

Expanding on the endings of Shadow the Hedgehog

Miscellaneous:

The AI of the soldiers in Westopolis

Why the dark path works

Central City intro

Small parallel in the Semi-Hero endings

Shadow’s shippy paths (because this post is legendary)

Sonic Advance 3

Long posts:

Sonic Advance 3 Team System

Sonic Advance 3 Level Tips

Videos:

Sonic Advance 3 Speedruns (masterpost)

Ocean Base Act 3 secret underwater route

Twinkle Snow Act 2 underwater shortcut

Miscellaneous:

Team names (and Sonamy) in Sonic Advance 3

Castlevania (spec. Curse of Darkness/Prelude to Revenge)

Analyses:

Isaac’s tool mentality

“Hector-dono”

Isaac and Dracula

Hector and Isaac’s designs

Rivarlies in Castlevania

Isaactor headcanons

Trevor and Isaac as rivals

Julia the Stepford Smiler

Why Rosaly matters

Hector vs. Netflix Hector (redux)

Isaac vs. Netflix Isaac

Dracula’s favoritism

Dracula in Netflixvania: how small changes in lore build up to disaster

The Devil Forgemasters in Netflixvania: why you shouldn't fix what is broken

Hector and selfishness

Dracula and Rosaly

Hector and naiveté

Re-translations:

Re-translating parts of Curse of Darkness

Re-translating Symphony of the Night

Re-translating parts of the Curse of Darkness manga (volume 1, volume 2)

Extra: 

Beev Watches Netflixvania (negative) (#anti-netflixvania for more criticism)

Beev Rewatches Netflixvania (even more negative)

Lenector is a selfish relationship that pretends to be wholesome <- complete with links to previous posts

Ace Attorney

Beev Plays Gyakuten Saiban (in progress; up to Turnabout Samurai)

Translations of @latin-dr-robotnik‘s articles

Sonic and speed: are we misunderstanding them?

SEGA and the eternal issue of the Sonic-Amy dynamic

“I love you” – Forbidden words in Sonic

SEGA and the eternal issue of “Sonic’s girlfriend”

3 years of Sonic Forces, the biggest love-hate relationship of the series

SEGA and its most recent Sonamy side – more canon than ever

Opinion: How could Sonamy progress in IDW?

Sonamy Paradise – a reflection on recent and future events

Sonic 2: the best of the series, or a terrible sequel? (ft. Beevean)

Opinion: what is the main problem of Sonic Unleashed? (ft. Beevean)

The good, the bad and the ugly: the Sonic Advance trilogy

Learning how to love Sonic Advance 3

Compilation: the Sonamy dynamic, explained in Seaside Hill Paradise (2022)