#left to his own devices however. madness ensues.

[waitineedaname]

what do u think ritsu would do if he got stuck in a time loop

oh he would go insane. like, immediately. you know how in a lot of time loop stories, there's a point where the character kind of loses it? it would take no time for ritsu to reach that point. like as soon as he realizes he's trapped, he will Freak The Fuck Out. he'll either throw himself really intensely into trying to figure out how to end the time loop, or he'll go completely off the deep end and start blowing shit up because it'll all be reset by the next day. potentially both.

of course, this is all presuming he's alone in the time loop. I think if he had someone else trapped in the time loop with him, he'd be less likely to lose his mind and instead would work really hard with them to break it. but if he's by himself in the time loop, he would not cope well

[raptorfae53]

OK so having seen some of the pics for what "arachnus prime" could have looked like in the canned fourth season of tfa,it got me thinking of an au/plot idea regarding the character that mixes several of the canned plots together. (Namely the initial "arachnus prime" idea,"trukk vs munkey" and the shattered glass episode "mirror mirror")

What if in this hypothetical plotline,optimus desire to save elita one in the past causes a split in the timeline,causing him to become technoorganic instead. Believed dead by his friends and abandoned by the civilization he so dutifully served, "arachnus" goes a little nuts in his isolation,his misery creating one hell of an insecurity/superiority complex. He doesn't join the decepticons, believing both sides were all in all just as bad as each other and strikes out on his own desperately searching the galaxy for a "cure" for his condition and causing chaos and destruction for cybertron using his advantage of how their systems work. These actions draw the attention of academy washout Elita One and her crew (grumpy,seen it all warrior Chromia,athletic ninja Firestar,and eager to prove young bots Nautica and Moonracer) of repair bots, "Arachnus" damage causing them no level of ire on the job.

This continues until an incursion from a different reality by four bots,the autobots Optimus,Ironhide and the predacons Blackarachnia and Optimus primal. (Who in a previous adventure cloned optimus multiple times after encountering several of starscreams clones wirh similar results,hoping to find a way to cure her own condition,primal being one of said clones who stuck with elita) When both sides fall in with their respective counterparts "Arachnus" is intrigued by Blackarachnias talk of an invention that can turn regular bots into technoorganics like him,and the pair team up (not the least due to their shared belief that cybertron as a whole is corrupt and generally hypocritical) in order to get back to Blackarachnias dimension. Shenanigans ensue however and not the least due to boths insecurities,Blackarachnia encountering her alternate self, and "arachnus" increasingly unhinged mental state, Blackarachnia is betrayed and left by the wayside while "arachnus" escapes to find her lab,from here,a few things happen.

With Elita as a mediator, Blackarachnia,Primal and Optimus finally talk after everything that happened,and optimus let's slip he really does think cybertron is currently a bit corrupt (not the least with Sentinel currently in charge,who optimus has long since grown irritated with) , but that doesn't mean they can't at least try to fix it,so even if Blackarachnia has her doubts,the three of them try to rebuild the device to send them home.

However, before they can stop him,"arachnus" reverse engineers elitas predacon-making machine,only for it to horrifically mutate him further into a saurian mishmash of machine and organic parts and driving the poor guy completely mad,hijacking Blackarachnias burgeoning project now convinced that the real way to deal with "the Cybertronian problem" is to turn the entire species into feral,technoorganic monsters just like him,with him as their leader and lord as the only one who had the foresight to see the problem at hand,yeeeesssss.....

Horrified by what she's unleashed,Blackarachnia,Primal and a gang of Cybertronians turned technoorganic by "Megatron's" (after all,if regardless of the timeline everyone will treat him like a monster,why shouldn't he take the name of the guy most fear akin to a bogyman) experiments team up to try and stop him,if the Cybertronian population can't stand them based on what they now look like, why not show them and "Megatron" the true maximal of what a few technoorganics can do,hmmm maximal...

All the while,imprisoned within the depths of iacon along with his most faithful,the real Megatron,despite the irritation with this young upstart using his name,sees the emergence of the "predacons" as an opportunity. Coupled with the increased amount of decepticon attacks within the outer regions this event is clearly taking a toll on the new magnus,making him all the more pliable and easily manipulated,any day now he's going to snap,and Megatron will use the opportunity to escape and continue his conquests...

TLDR: in an alternate dimension optimus becomes a giant spider instead of elita,he escapes into tfa optimus dimension and becomes the tfa version of beastwars megatron, with Blackarachnia forming the maximals to stop him.

I might add more to it in the future if anyone wants more,but I hope you like what I've written here.

[durmstrange]

Blow Your Mind - Fred Weasley

Hello and welcome to another Fred Weasley fic!  This is inspired by Blow Your Mind by Dua Lipa.  Hope you enjoy!

Plot:  “enemies” to lovers trope (enemies in quotes because its more of a rivalry to lovers trope)

Word count: 2,208

In all honesty, you thought Fred Weasley was the most stubborn, annoying, and insufferable person you had ever met.  His cockiness, his blatant disrespect and disregard for rules, and his superior attitude drove you absolutely mad.  Ever since first year, when the two of you started fresh at Hogwarts, you couldn’t stand him.  From his initial prank on you, which was only a dung bomb released in the dormitory you shared with Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, his close friends, you could barely stand the mentioning of his name at times.  

Unfortunately, he was very much in your life.  Angelina and Alicia were your closest friends, and also good friend with him.  George Weasley was kind to you, typically only being an accomplice to Fred’s pranks on you, not the mastermind behind it all.  The relationship you had with Fred was rather complicated, as neither of you truly hated each other.  You weren’t exactly friends, either.  Rivals, at best.

You had thrown such a fit after his first prank that you soon became the target of his tricks then, as he found it so amusing when you were worked up. Over time, you began getting back at him.  It was rather elementary tricks you’d pull, like putting a bucket of creature droppings above his door, nabbing all his clothes from his dormitory, spare a too small sweater, and hanging them in the courtyards, or even sabotaging his pranks on others.  All through the years, you kept your revenge to yourself for the most part, and Fred was clueless as to who constantly tricked him in return, and typically pinned it on Lee or George, never suspecting you, as far as you were aware. 

During your fourth year, Fred began to prank you more than ever.  In fact, his pranks were getting more and more complex, earning the least bit of respect from you. One prank you’ll remember for the rest of your life was right after the Halloween feast.  You had stopped in the library for a moment, finishing up a final essay for the night.  Fred must have been following you, as when you finally left the library and headed towards the Gryffindor common room, you stepped on a tripwire, immediately making your blood run cold.  

Blue dye rained down from above you, coating your uniform, white shirt and all. You could hear Fred cackling from up the hall, but you were too busy wiping the dye from your face.  “Fred Weasley, I am going to end you!”  You took off down the hall after him, leaving a trail of dye down the corridor. 

For weeks after that, your hair remained a brilliant shade of blue, not fading until almost Christmastime.

Just a week or so later, Fred found his bed sheets, pillows, and blankets all strung up in the Astronomy Tower, flying in the wind like a flag for all of the students to see.  You could recall his fury as he blamed Peeves for this prank.

During your fifth year, you decided to step it up a notch after Fred’s constant pranks.  He had began creating his own prank devices, so his work was rather sporadic and creative than years prior.   

One morning, as you sat with Angelina and Alicia in the Great Hall, your fingers drummed against the table as you were lost in your thoughts.  There were thousands of possibilities flying around your mind as to what you could do to embarrass Fred in front of the entire school, but one particular idea stood out to you.  A small smirk formed on your lips as you settled on your plot.  

After a few moments, there was a small jab in your side, bringing you back to your friends.  “What’s that look for?”  Angelina asked hesitantly as she looked at you skeptically. 

You looked up, fighting the smirk that was forming on your lips.  “Oh, nothing.  Just thinking about the upcoming match,” you mumbled in response as you reached forward for a muffin from the large plate.  “Can’t wait to see what’s in store.”  Just as your hand reached the muffins, the entire plate jumped and the muffins exploded, sending bits of muffin all over your robes, your face, and in your hair.   A gasp left your lips as you flinched back.  Immediately, your voice roared through the Great Hall as the other students began to laugh.  “FRED!” 

Angelina and Alicia had bits of muffin on them, but nothing like the crust that covered you in your entirety.  A groan came from you as you wiped at your face.  “About time she quieted down.  I don’t know how the two of you can listen to (Y/N)’s mouth all of the time,” a smug voice spoke from in front of you.  Your eyes wandered up, spotting the red headed devil standing in front of you, across the table, with his arms crossed over his chest.  He was lucky he was out of your reach, or else you might of strangled him at that moment.  

The laughing in the Great Hall wouldn’t subside.  You, however, fought back the tears forming in your eyes.  “If you don’t like the way I talk, why am I on your mind then, Fred?  You’re always playing tricks on me, so you must like the way I say your name,” you replied cooly as you stood and brushed off your robes, but it was no use.  “Just wait until you see what’s coming.” 

“I’m so scared,” Fred taunted you as you stormed away from the table.  “Pathetic she won’t even fight back.”  His voice loomed in your ears as you shoved through the hall with your head held high, ignoring the other laughing students.

 ~.~

“I know that look,” Hermione said to you as you stood in the stands, your arms over your chest and a smirk remaining on your lips.  There was an unsure look on her face that only made you all the more proud of your work that was soon going to be shown.  “Harry said you borrowed his cloak last night.” 

You laughed gently, pushing your Gryffindor scarf over your shoulder.  “I did.  Was up half the night, actually,” you confirmed to her as Madam Hooch stepped out on the field, the wind about blowing her broom from her hand. The crowd cheered at the sight of her.  “Rather windy today, isn’t it?”  Your voice was smug as you smiled into the wind.

Hermione let out a soft breath and held a nervous look on her face.  The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teams stepped out on the field, forming a circle before mounting their brooms.  The students roared at the teams, but you remained silent, your eyes on a single player.  “Watch Fred,” you instructed Hermione as you leaned your hands on the railing in front of you, a haughty look on your face. 

Hermione did as she was told, as did Ron, who listened in on the conversation. “Since when do you pull pranks?”  Ron asked aloud, but your eyes watched Fred as he ascended from the ground.  

“Always,” you answered shortly as the wind whipped at his cloak.  Just before Madam Hooch started the game, you watched your hard work shine. 

The faux layer of Fred’s cloak broke loose, as you had only tacked it in place with three stitches, revealing large pink letters across the real crimson red material, spelling out “(Y/N) IS THE PRANK QUEEN” on the entirety of his cloak.  Each letter was hand stitched in place, accounting for your lack of sleep, and making it nearly impossible for the lettering to come off in the wind.  The crowd erupted in laughter, the Gryffindor team joining in, at least those who could spot the words across the ginger’s back.

Madam Hooch started the game regardless of the distraction, and Fred realized the crowd was howling at him.  A confused look formed on his face as he glanced around, trying to figure out why, and after a quick visit from his twin brother on his broom, Fred twisted to spot the bit of pink writing he could see on his own back.  His eyes shot the crowd, spotting you in just a moment.  You had expected him to be furious, but there was an amused and incredibly happy look on his face.  You gave Fred a contentious wave and wink, earning a quick head shake from him before he took off, joining in the game.

Despite the distraction of Fred’s mainly pink cloak, Gryffindor won the match and a party ensued in the common room.  With a drink in your hand, you leaned against one of the desks and chatted quietly with a fourth year, who was praising you for your prank.  As the team entered the room, your smile turned to a smirk as the fourth year ran off to greet them all.

You remained back, allowing all the other students to greet the players, and waited for Fred to find you, because you were sure you were going to get an ear full. 

After about twenty minutes, the team dispersed into the crowd, finally able to break free from the congratulating.  You watched as Fred spotted you, a smirk coming onto his face.  You moved to sit on the desk, your feet swinging above the ground with a prideful smile on your lips.  “Well, do a spin for me!  Let me see my work,” you instructed him once he was close enough to hear you.  With your finger, you did a spinning motion, only making his smirk grow.  

Regardless of the hard feelings you shared in the past, Fred turned, allowing you to see your work on him.  “Prank Queen?” he asked incredulously as you giggled, covering your mouth and he turned to face you.  “You’ve got a lot of catching up to do before you earn that title, you know.”

You mocked being offended.  “What?  My years of pranking you means nothing?” 

Fred looked confused at your words.  His smirk faded as he came to terms with what you meant.  “You mean to tell me it was you?  The buckets, the bedding, the clothes, all of it?” 

Proudly, you nodded.  “Those and every unsolved prank in between,” you confirmed as you crossed your arms over your chest.  “I suppose I’m not so pathetic after all, am I?” 

For a moment, Fred was at a loss for words.  It wasn’t often that he got like this, but for this moment, looking at the person he hurt and tormented for the last four years, he couldn’t find the words to properly express how he was feeling.  “You’re bloody brilliant,” he finally stammered out, his face red at his own words. “I knew it!” 

A gentle blush formed on your face.  “Well, the games have only begun, Weasley,” you teased him as you reached forward, taking the edge of his cloak. “Listen, if you leave me with this for the night, I’ll remove the stitches and get the lettering off,” you told him and ran your finger along the Q in ‘QUEEN’.  

You released his cloak, looking up at Fred.  “I think I’ll keep it on, actually.  I’ve got a spare one I can wear for games,” he explained with a crooked smile.  

You laughed, shaking your head at him and swinging your legs once more.  “Whatever you say, Fred.”  You rolled your eyes and sipped your drink as he leaned against the desk next to you.  

“You were right, you know.”  Fred’s words lingered in the air, making you tilt your head to the side in confusion.  “I could listen to you say my name all day,” he murmured low enough for you to be the only to hear his words. 

His voice rumbled in your head as your face grew warm.  You held the cup to your lips to hide the smug smile on your lips.  “Are you coming on to me, Fred?”  Your own voice was low and sultry, and you waited his eyebrows raise. 

“Is it working?” 

For a split second, you weighed your options in your head.  Before you could process much of your own thought process, your words fell from your lips, “Rather well, actually.” 

Fred smiled, taking your chin in his hand and turning your face so that you had to look at him.  His large, calloused hand caressed your cheek as he caught your lips in a kiss.

From across the room, George leaned against the wall with his arm around Angelina, watching his twin kiss her dorm mate.  “Do you think she finally told him that it was her pranking him all these years?” 

George chuckled, pressing his lips to the side of Angelina’s head.  “He was starting to catch on, anyways,” George admitted with a faint smile.  “The last one, where she took all his cloaks and hung them on the suits of armor, they came back spelling of her perfume.”

Angelina snickered quietly.  “I’ve got to admit, that was my doing.  While (Y/N) had all his cloaks in our dorm, I sprayed a few of them in hopes that he would catch on.”

George raised his eyebrows, impressed with his girlfriend.  “Well, it was only a matter of time before they got together.”

-

durmstrange’s Taglist:  @starlightweasley​ @theweasleysredhair​ @whiz-bangs78​ @hufflepuffgirly​ @tonksichu​ @toomanybandstocare​​ @mentally-in-northern-italy​​ @alwaysasadaesthetic​​ @through-the-little-door​ @clandestinecherry​

Weasley Twins Taglist: @wand3ringr0s3​ @kpopgirlbtssvt​

[has-gilgamesh-doneanythingwrong]

Let There Be Cake!!

In which an assortment of Mastersonas visit Seihai’s Chaldea for some tea.

Disclaimer: Err well this may be a very random representation of all the masters, but I hope you enjoy it. (lmao) This may be a bit ooc ;; don’t destroy me pls

Decorating the tables with napkins and cutlery; Mash, Gudako and Seihai helped prepare for today’s meeting.

“I can’t believe so many masters are coming to visit,” Gudako grinned, as she nudged Seihai in the ribs- her eyes gleaming with mischief. “You’re lucky that I managed to get people like Emiya to lend a hand with the cooking!”

Rubbing their side indignantly, Seihai grimaced. “Hey, don’t nudge me like that! And yeah, I’m grateful...I almost had a panic attack once I caught sight of the guest list.”

Seihai was struck with awe once they realized how many different Chaldeas existed concurrently amongst one another. All they had sent out was a measly little pager, yet it had managed to make a huge impact.

“...To think that parallel worlds really exist...I dunno what to say, really.”

“Haha, try seeing it this way instead- if we can even summon servants from mythological epics, then who’s to say that only one version of this world exists? For all you know, we may live in an entire realm of endless interdimensional universes!” Spreading her arms wide, Gudako reared back her head with laughter, as Seihai accidentally tripped over the table. “For all you know, there may be 100 Gudakos! And they probably all have a nice harem tucked under their sleeves, as well!”

Before Gudako could lapse into yet another one of her much-loved rambles, Da Vinci rushed towards the door of the canteen. “Yahoo! The guests are all here, Gudako, Mash, Seihai. I sure hope you’re prepared!” And with a wink, they were back out the door again.

“Senpai, I think that’s our cue to go now.” Mash cuts off Gudako’s resistance by wrapping her arms around them. “No, senpai. Let’s leave Seihai to deal with teatime today. Good luck, Seihai.”

“Thanks....” Seihai muffled a laugh when they caught sight of the flailing Gudako, who was passionately yelling “NO, I DON’T WANNA WAIT ‘TIL LATER! I WANT TEA NOW!”

‘Gudako sure is an interesting master...’ Taking a deep breath, they went to greet the guests gathering within the hallway.

As soon as Seihai turned the corner, a ginormous loaf of bread was thrust in their direction.

“GWAH!” Leaping back in surprise, Seihai almost tumbled to the ground, until another master with cool, black-lace boots helped them up.

It was Candace and Quin!

“S-sorry about that. You know...I saw your face, and the bread. Yes, well here’s some bread.” Candace smiled softly, as they passed their loaves to Seihai. “I wanted to pass a gift for today.”

“Thanks, that’s nice of you. This bread smells amazing...I feel like I’m in bread heaven...” Turning back to face Quin, Seihai grinned. “Thanks for the save there as well, Quin. You have great reflexes.”

“Ah, that’s nothing much! I just wanted to help, that’s all.” Quin smiles sweetly, as they peer at the bread. “Ooh, that does look tasty...”

“It’s bread courtesy of my own Olive Garden,” Candance’s eyes gleamed with pride; as Quin giggled softly.

“I’ve heard the tales of your Olive Garden as well. BB says that she’d like to make dragon steaks there someday.” As Quin cheerfully shared this, Seihai paled in terror.

‘BB? DRAGON STEAKS? SHE’S NOT GOING TO COOK LIZ AGAIN, IS SHE?’ Only Seihai worried about this, as Quin and Candace enjoyed a good conversation about all of the madcap shenanigans that occurred in the Olive Garden; as well as BB’s cooking skills.

Once Seihai lead them to their seats, they greeted the next group of visitors. There, was none other than Kiryu- with a shy Bunyan lurking by their side, as they held hands- and Julius, holding a rather interesting contraption.

“Nice to see you both,” Seihai waved. As they peered down at the trembling Bunyan, concern flickered across their features. “Is Bunyan okay?”

“She’s just a bit shy,” As Kiryu patted her head, Bunyan smiled brightly. “Hope you’ve got some good drinks and snacks for today.”

“Err...Well we have some tea and stuff....Hahahaha...” In fact, Seihai had no idea at all what was going to be served for tea. They had more or less left everything up to Emiya. “Yeah...”

“I’m looking forward to it too,” Julius unleashed a rather huge machine. “In order to celebrate, I enlisted the help of a few allies to make a ‘magical tea’ device.”

“Cool, what does it do?” Kiryu gave it a light tap.

“It can create tea; in any flavor you want.” Julius explained excitedly. “And by any flavor, I mean any.”

“Nice. That’s more my kinda style.” As Kiryu hi-fived Julius for his genius idea, Seihai clapped with wonder. Julius’ inventions were awesome.

“Thanks, Julius. Well, the canteen is just by there. I’ll see you in a bit!” As Seihai went to look for the other guests, they were caught off guard by an array of floating cards.

Yes, floating cards.

‘B-bruh..what?!!!’ “Y-yo...” Seihai smiled awkwardly as they backed away from the dancing cards. ‘Shit...Where’s my runes? SHIT!’ Worried that they were magical spirits or something, Seihai was about to unleash the algiz rune to make a protective ward- until the cards transformed into people!

It was an amazing magical trick. Arising from a sparkling array of stars was none other than Faye and Vann; two mages that were very adept at magical skills. As Seihai breathed a sigh of relief, Vann posed.

“Yo, it’s me! I’m excited for some tea today.” Vann gave both Faye and Seihai a fist-bump.

“Me too, it’s my first time visiting here! Glad to make your acquaintance.” Faye shook Seihai’s hand.

“Nice to meet you both as well." As Seihai greeted them, the two began to discuss their various skills.

"I'm amazed you also know some card skills and tricks, Faye. Think we could work together?" Vann summoned a card from thin air.

"Hehe, I was taught them by some good allies of mine. Sure, why not?" Pirouetting, Faye invokes a supreme burst of magic, as a bunch of photos land in her hands. "I've been putting my magic to great use lately."

"Ehh! Lemme see!" Vann and Seihai clamored around Faye, as they peered at her photos. "WHOA!!!"

In her hands was none other than a gleaming collection of rare Ereshkigal and Serenity photos....photos that were worth their weight in gold.

'Hot damn, that's so adorable...' Seihai's eyes watered slightly when she caught sight of the cute shots of Serenity laughing and Eresh blushing. 'Faye has some mad skills.'

"Whoa, you gotta teach me that sometime...Wait. Seihai, where are we going again?" Vann looked up suddenly. "Aren't we going for tea?"

"Ah, yeah...I forgot. The canteen’s just by your left.” As they went off on their way, Seihai freaked out in horror as yet another card leapt into their face-Vann grinning mischievously at them as he and Faye walked along.

“H-holy crap...card magic is so good, yet so scary at the same time...” Seihai hoped that they could be as good as them at magic someday. Finally turning to look for the other masters, they bumped into some familiar faces.

“Oh, there you are! We got lost on our way to the canteen,” The final group of masters stood nearby, waiting in the wings. Maya, Val and the mage trio of Kat, Cris and Jeanne greeted Seihai, as they lead them to the location of the tea party.

“Ah, sorry about that. Actually, I also got lost trying to locate you all,” Seihai grimaced. They had lived in Chaldea for god knows how long; yet still struggled to find their way around!!! “How are you all doing?”

“Never been better.” Maya spun to the side, tapping their feet. “It’s a nice break from my regular duties.”

“Ooh, you mean your duties as the CEO of Chaldea?” Kat shot them a wide grin. “How’s that going?”

“Perfectly well! I’m having a lot of fun. What about you? How’s the trio doing?”

“We’re doing great! Although Spartacus ran into a bit of a frenzy during the movie shooting recently,” Jeanne spoke reflexively, stroking her chin.

“Haha, sounds just like him!”

As they burst into rancorous laughter, Seihai tapped Val lightly on the shoulder. “How about you, Val? Are you doing alright?”

“Huh...? Oh, yeah?” A light blush sprinkled across her cheeks. It seemed as if Val was hiding something. And Seihai definitely wasn’t the only one to notice. Leaning towards Val, Maya cheered.

“You hiding a little something?” As Maya winked, Val’s blush deepened.

“Er...Well, you see...” Sucking in an enormous breath of air, Val swung a ginormous box out of thin air. “The girls and I picked out a bunch of tabletop RPGS for us to play! But I was a bit worried that you guys maybe wouldn’t want to play...So, yeah. Well, you know.”

“Val...” Seihai’s eyes glimmered with unshed tears. The fact that Val had gone out of her way to bring games that she carefully selected with the people she loved...It was adorable. So sweet that Seihai clutched their heart. “I really appreciate the sentiment. Thank you.”

“Yeah, we do too. Games are good fun,” Cris patted Val on the back, as Maya helped Val carry the enormous boxes. “No need to worry.”

“Trying out new hobbies is good! Besides, I read Jeanne Alter’s doujinshi on a daily basis. There’s no way I’d judge you for that.” Maya was right. Hobbies were great to share!

“...Thank you...”

Once everybody had gathered for tea, utter chaos ensued. As Seihai panicked, Emiya was competing against Julius’ tea machine. That’s right; Julius’ tea machine was a challenger in Emiya’s eyes. However, Emiya won the competition once he showed off his brilliant bartending skills- by elegantly pouring Kiryu a nice cup of beer.

“Heh. Not even a tea machine can match up against my bartending skills.” His expression was smug.

“He’s got you beat on that one,” Kiryu conceded, as he took a nice sip of beer. “Wow, this beer’s amazing!”

On the other hand, the other masters were cheerfully wolfing down Candace’s baked loaves, and a wide assortment of cakes that had been ever-so-kindly prepared for them. Even Bunyan was treated to a special pile of pancakes.

However, problems began to occur as masters started to arm wrestle over who’d get the biggest slice of cake. Despite this, Quin defeated every single challenger as swiftly as possible.

“I love cake,” She exclaimed, as she took a glorious slice. Nobody could defeat her!!

‘I’m so damn jealous...’ Seihai sighed, as they settled into a small slice. After that, things went even more nuts when playing some of Val’s tabletop RPGS. Even though magic was meant to be banned when playing games, that certainly didn’t stop anybody!

By the ends of things, the canteen was bustling with fun; laughter; and a massive pile of cards.

Once Seihai saw all of the masters off, they chortled. ‘That was a lot of fun...’

They hoped that they’d all come back again soon.

Lol it’s finished. Sadly, I couldn’t go into detail about the tea time events as there were so many visitors! well hope u enjoyed. XD

List Of Mastersonas Included (tags):

@hasabbydoneanythingwrong @hasishtardoneanythingwrong @hasereshdoneanythingwrong @hasnightingaledoneanythingwrong @haspaulbunyandoneanythingwrong @hasspartacusdoneanythingwrong @havetheavengersdoneanythingwrong @hasbbdoneanythingwrong@hasnobbudoneanythingwrong

[chaoticneutralwriter]

Third Act: Patience

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

guardian demon!jimin x reader

genre: fluff, angst, supernatural, romance, comedy, slice of life

word count: 5.1k

Related works: see Masterlist under guardian demon!jimin

Continuation of the events following Jamais Vu + Interlude: Second Best

A/N: SOOO this is surprisingly quite shorter than I had planned because i was actually gonna put together two acts in this chapter but then i thought against it by the end because it would ruin my aesthetic of the story LOL PLUS more to read for these trying times. On that note, i hope you guys enjoy this nevertheless and that you’re all doing well, stay healthy and safe!

Tags! @cherryjiminiee @kokobaekkie @breathebangtan @itsadoozie @thatshylatinagirl @chiminieboi @azulamakesmeblank @sectumsemptae @awkwardwookie @aduky @poisonseashell @shortannoyingginger @caramelmac-chiato @sana-b @jiminstinct @beautifulparisiangirl​

The rest of the night was a blur in your memories. You vaguely remember exiting the arena in a daze, robotically moving with the flow of the crowd and ending up outside. The night air doesn’t shock you as much as it should from being in a stuffy place for so long, the reason being never really did leave your mind and it only makes you worry your bottom lip.

Eventually, Rosa finds you after blowing your phone up with all of her messages that weren’t able to get through from the weak signal; first crushing you into a hug and asking if you were okay, apologizing for having lost you when really, it was your fault and once you assured her that you were, proceeded to squeal with unbridled emotions while shaking you, still crushed against her.

It pulls a small smile out of you, wheezing a laugh before she finally puts you down. You’re happy to hear Rosa chat away so excitedly about the concert, the high of it all has yet to subside. You wish you could share the same enthusiasm as her, but you’re feeling more like you skipped straight into the post-concert depression stage, even though you literally just stepped out of the arena. Or at least, you tell Rosa that when she notices how strained your responses were.

It takes some time, but you make it back to your hotel. You remember trying to push yourself to keep up conversations with Rosa, guilty for raining on her parade a little and at times, you think it works as you two look over the footage she managed to get on her phone. However, unsurprisingly, it was short-lived; whenever you catch sight of Jimin despite knowing that it’s not your guardian, your mind automatically drifts to the fight you had in the back alley and your guilt takes on a completely different form — one much more stifling and overwhelming.

It continues to gnaw at you through the night and to the moment you step on the plane, ready to fly back home. It’s made you develop a habit of checking your phone every other minute, a small part of you hoping to see something, anything that might be from him.

By the time you’re back in your room late in the afternoon, you still hear nothing.

You discard your luggage and bags in a corner without much care before sagging onto your bed. Jaehee wasn’t home when you got in, but the note she’s stuck on your bedroom door told you that she was out doing a grocery run and would be back shortly to welcome you home properly with a home-cooked meal. You smile softly at the thought but it doesn’t stay for long as your attention drifts back to the phone clutched in your hand. You click to unlock it, finding no new messages or calls yet again, the sight further eating away at you.

A heavy sigh leaves you, eyes slipping shut and your head slumps down as you bring the phone up to your temple, hitting against it gently.

Why did you have to be so stubborn? Your mind recalls the memory with clarity; a movie scene being replayed before you and you cringe at how you acted, every word and action reminded you of a spoiled child. Looking back now, you knew he was only trying to look out for you, keep your best health in mind but you were too caught up in your emotions at the time, tunnel visioned so hard you didn’t see the bigger picture until you’ve already walked away.

Now you’re reaping what you sowed.

As if the weight on your shoulders became too much, you allow yourself to fall back onto your bed. Your arm automatically reaches out to the giant plush cat, dragging it until you have it flushed against you, the malleable toy bringing a little sense of comfort. You pull your phone up to your face again, unlocking it once more and unsurprisingly, not finding any new messages. You stare a little longer before almost unconsciously your finger taps onto the text thread and then they hover over the call icon — hesitating.

What would you say? Would he even want to hear from you?

The thought makes your chest ache, but what’s worse than that is never hearing from him again at all and this would be your last memories of each other. No, you don’t want that. So you take a fortifying breath, pushing away all of your self-doubting thoughts and finally —

The phone comes alive in your hand, the vibration and the ringtone combined making you jolt for a second with your hands fumbling the device. Once you get a grip, your eyes scan the screen and your eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets. Without a second thought, you slide to accept the call.

“Hello?” It comes out in a gasp, breathless from how fast you bolt up from your position, ramrod straight and the poor plush cat clutched against you like a lifeline.

“Y/N?”

“Y-Yeah, hey…” Your heart is racing like you’ve ran a marathon, so loud in your ears that you hope by some miracle he doesn’t pick it up through the line because lord knows you’re not doing a good job at hiding how nervous you are.

“…Hey…”

And the sound of his voice is not helping; husky and low, like rich velvet chocolate that has your heart stuttering and melting all at once. He’s so easily emptied your head of all the things you had wanted to say and he’s only said one word.

Wow, you’re really losing it huh?

“Y/N?”

“H-Huh?”

“I asked if you got home okay.”

Your cheeks heat, picking up on the breathy edge of his tone and already imagining the amused quirk of his full lips. “Yeah! I — Yeah, I just got in…. In my room, just… resting for now…”

“That’s good to hear….” You hear him trailing off, trying to keep the conversation light and casual as if there wasn’t a giant pink elephant between you. It does nothing but make you more aware of it, antsy in needing to come forward and own up to your mistake because he, of all people, deserves an apology for how poorly you acted. Swallowing, you take in a breath and just go for it before you can regret it.

“Jimin—“

“Y/N—“

You both pause, an awkward silence filling the space at not anticipating the other speaking the same time. Hurriedly, you try to cover up your social blunder, embarrassed.


“God, sorry you can—“


“Sorry, what were you—“

Again, you speak over each other, which ensues another awkward beat. It’s only broken when you can’t help but let out a short huff of a laugh, completely at a lost. Through the line however, you’re greeted with the pleasant sounds of his own chuckle joining your own and like a spell, you are at ease, the nerves dissipating slowly.

“Now I remember why I can’t do phone calls…” You groan, half-jokingly but also already burying your face halfway into the large toy you have that’s now acting as an emotional support. If only it could swallow you whole…

“It’s okay, I don’t mind — not like I’m doing any better.” He replies and you smile softly, the warmth of his voice so soothing to your ears. Any other time you probably would be satisfied in listening to him talk for hours through the phone, social awkwardness be damn but this is neither here nor there, so you shake yourself before you get too lost into the tempting idea, getting back on the matter at hand.

“How about you go first?”

“No, you go ahead.”

“Seriously, Jimin—“

“I insist, Y/N.” Jimin’s voice is still gentle yet firm, enough for you to sense that there’s no room for argument. “Please.”

So you sigh, giving in. “Okay….” You say that, but it takes you a moment to gather yourself, not knowing where to begin or how to put into words what you feel properly.

But he waits patiently, and the quiet assurance allows for you to take that first step, even if you might stumble.

“I’m sorry,” You blurt out before you catch yourself and think maybe you need a little bit more context. “The concert… When you saved me from passing out by taking me outside, I— I’m really grateful you did that. I think it would’ve been bad if you hadn’t so…. What I said afterwards, and how I acted afterwards, that was really shitty of me…. You were right; I was so careless —“

“Y/N....”

“No! I really wasn’t thinking! And it’s so unfair of me because you helped me and I just—!” You stop abruptly, your voice rising dangerously in pitch with frustration and take in a shaky breath, trying to reign in your emotions. There’s no way you’re going to turn this already mess of an apology into an even bigger mess by actually crying. He might not be able to see you but you still felt the need to walk away with some dignity; composed so that he won’t think you’re some pathetic wreck. After swallowing away the growing lump in your throat, you continue on quietly, “I was just….so mad at myself. Like, after everything I couldn’t even stay for the entire concert — like I completely wasted it all and I took it out on you. So if you’re mad at me, then I get it; just know that I’m really sorry, Jimin.”

You don’t know what to say after that, not sure if there’s anything else left that isn’t ‘I’m sorry’. So you wait with bated breath for him to say something. Forgiveness was a selfish want from you but you would understand if he chooses not to despite the thought of it alone leaves your chest aching. The mere minutes of silence drags on like an eternity for you until finally, you hear him sigh.

“Y/N, I’m not mad at you, I promise.” He says, sincerely. “And I should be the one apologizing; for…freaking out at you like that, it just made things worse. I know….I know how much they mean to you,” There’s a short pause, like there was suddenly something holding him back but he shakes it off just as quickly as it had came, “how much he means to you.”

The statement has you momentarily taken aback, not expecting it at all. For some reason, you didn’t like the way he said that, even when everything about it was true. Before you can think too much on it however, Jimin quickly switches the tone in conversation, redirecting your attention elsewhere. “I’m sorry that things didn’t work out but you know your safety is my priority, right?”


“Y-Yeah, I know….” You reply, a little flustered from having your thoughts derailed but pouting at being reminded of your deplorable behaviour, feeling much like a reprimanded child. “I promise I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“That’s my girl.” You grunt in acknowledgement, heated face sinking back into the soft confines of the bean-shaped cat still in your arms. “Listen, I have to go soon, so take care of yourself for me alright? Get something to eat and, please unpack and do your laundry.”

His playful gibe draws out an affronted gasp from you, “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

You only get a peal of laughter in response, making you further pout indignantly.


“I’ll talk to you later okay? Stay safe, cherub.”

“M-Mm, yeah okay. I’ll talk to you later then.”

When you hang up, you’re in a bit of daze. On one hand, you feel relieved that you both managed to resolve the fight that was weighing so heavily on your chest, honestly just glad to hear from your guardian again too but on the other hand, you can’t help also feeling like you’d been bulldozed a little. You want to say you’re simply over analyzing things, but your mind is constantly wandering back to what he said about how much BTS meant to you — more specifically, how much he, BTS’ Jimin, meant to you.

It almost sounded as if….

As if he believed you thought less about him in comparison.

You swear your heart drops to your stomach, frozen in a stunned silence like you can’t process this information, the idea preposterous and so close to outright denying it until you realize that… you never gave any indication otherwise. It really has always been BTS and their Jimin with you but now…

Now there’s Jimin….Your Jimin.

BTS are still important to you but your guardian has become someone irreplaceable to you, and through all the fond memories you can recall, he's there.

He's always been there.

The revelation triggers everything all at once; sweaty palms, palpitating heart, butterflies in the stomach — the whole shebang along with a whole Pandora’s box of emotions: elation, relief, disbelief, giddiness, uncertainty….

And crippling anxiety.

Oh boy, you think as a nervous laugh escapes you, I’m in danger.

-

Fuck.

He curses to himself for the umpteenth time as a particularly harsh wave of pain rolls over him, eyes squeezing shut to try and block it out but he thinks all he’s done successfully is make himself dizzy. It lasts for a second longer before finally it ebbs away and a long exhale escapes past his lips, relieved. The demon remains where he is slouched against the concrete ledge lining the rooftop he’s on a while longer, simply catching his breath and letting the gentle breeze cool his skin. Only once he feels the throbbing against his head die down does he let his eyes slip open again.

He’s greeted with the brilliant sight of the sunset sky, so vibrant it almost seems like he’s looking at a painting. The rich shades of orange bleed like wildfire, lighting the streaks of wispy clouds almost red before blending in to softer pinks and hints of lilacs, the blues deepening into a more indigo shade with the coming of night. The sun sits just a little above the horizon, its glow no more than a haze as it continues to make its descent and he watches on with an almost mocking indifference to the splendour of it all.

Jimin instead, idly thinks he’s gotten a good handle at dealing with the shockwave of pain that comes with completing a deed. He doesn’t feel as winded or sore from the muscle aches it usually leave behind — he wonders if he’ll eventually become numb to it or simply be too tired to care. Dark eyes wander down to his phone still clutched in his hand and the conversation he had not too long ago rushes back.

It went… surprisingly smoother than he had expected, despite the awkward start. When he had decided to call you, Jimin had finally swallowed his pride in that he owes you at least an apology for shouting at you the way he did. It was unnecessary and did more harm than good, evident when he had watched you withdraw in on yourself soon afterwards. He should’ve known better, but in that moment his emotions got in the way; those dark desires he's trying to keep locked away, only for them to become harder and harder to contain the longer time passes. And that’s what Jimin’s afraid of — that despite knowing how much the band and the singer means to you, he’ll disregard it all for petty, selfish reasons. Hell, he couldn’t even acknowledge the fact out loud just now without having to practically force it through his teeth and even then, the bitter aftertaste the words leave behind still lingers.

Like a reminder that all Jimin will ever have with you are fleeting moments, nothing more.

Jimin’s afraid that sooner or later, he’ll end up hurting you because he got too greedy.

A deep sigh leaves him and he runs a hand through his dark tresses out of stress, thoughts racing through his troubled mind until one sticks out above the rest. From the way things are going, Jimin thinks his best course of action would be to distance himself from you a bit more; see you less in person and maybe perhaps get your roommate Jaehee to check in on you every once in a while for him.

It’s not something he wants to do, but with it, it’s killing two birds with one stone — you won’t find out about his weakening condition and he won’t do anything that he’ll regret.

-

Before you know it, the week is nearly over with days passing by with you back on your routine again of going to work and occasionally hanging out with your friends. The world moves on as if nothing were amiss even though for you, it was anything but.

Sure, in the grand scheme of things (i.e. the universe), your problem is pretty minuscule and there’s no doubt that if your friends were clued in on everything, they would probably smack you, call you a dumb-dumb and tell you to quote, ‘get that ass!’ but it just had to be so much more complicated than that.

First and foremost, you were four days old when you found out that you’ve caught feelings for a demon who also happens to be your supernatural entity guardian.

That sentence alone is already chock full of all sorts of sacrilegious implications (not that you really cared but you can only imagine how it would sound like to an outsider).

Secondly, you don’t know if he feels the same way or if he just sees you as something else; a tolerable human being that’s entertaining? A friend you would hope at least. Or…. Simply an obligation.

That last one stung a little.

Worse is you haven’t forgotten that your guardian was only meant to stay temporarily, something that had already been troubling you in the back of your mind and though you had pushed it away continuously, you learn that all it did was grow until it began manifesting itself in ways you hadn’t realized. Both a good and a bad thing because in doing so, some things make much more sense now. But with you being aware of your feelings, the question of how or should you even let them be known becomes the cherry on top of this rapidly melting sundae.

You think you’ve worked through every possible scenario, dissecting them every way you can like a mad scientist, but the results all end up the same either way — things wouldn’t work out and you’ll just end up being heart broken.

An exasperated groan leaves you and your forehead nearly connects with the table below you before you caught yourself midway, thinking better because you don’t know what’s been on it. You don’t get time to continue your brooding however as a radio static voice cuts through the lunchroom.

“Hey Y/N, you back from your break yet?”

Glancing down at your phone, you note the time and inwardly curse, reaching up to press down on the mic reluctantly, “Yeah, I’m on my way out.”

“Okay, cool. Once you’re back up on cash, Stephanie can take her break then.”

You slouch back on your seat, intent on taking your time to get up (not like there was anyone here to clock you on your punctuality). You have two hours left on your shift but already you feel drained, both physically and mentally. Eventually, you muster the strength and willpower to finally get up and begin making your way back to the store floor, despite your mind being far from keeping the queue line clean and customers happy.

You sigh, hoping weakly that by some miracle, the remaining work would be enough to distract you from your troubling thoughts, if only for a short while.

When the two hours were done, it felt like you had been holding your breath the entire time and when you finally clocked out did you let yourself breathe. The weight of your thoughts stayed, but at least now you’re finally free to wallow in it once again without any interruptions. Probably not the greatest thing since it nearly made you miss your stop. You get through the door, catching Jaehee just as she’s making her way to the kitchen, changed in her lounge wear, fresh from a shower with her hair still damp and a towel draped around her shoulders.

“Jaehee, you’re home… kinda early?” You remark, taking a glance down at your phone to confirm that usually she wouldn’t be home for another hour and a half.

“Oh yeah, I asked to clock out early; wasn’t feeling too well.” She answers wryly with a half-hearted shrug. You blink at that, brows pinching a little in worry.

“Coming down with something?”

“Nah, nothing serious. Promise.” Jaehee smiles, assuring. “I’m gonna make lasagna tonight, sounds good?”

You nod, feeling your stomach rumble with anticipation. After washing up, you head out of your room, comfy in your pjs and already smelling the cheesy goodness of the lasagna baking. Peering into the kitchen, you see Jaehee busy with cutting up lettuce, most likely for a salad on the side for you to share.

“So how was your day?” Jaehee asks as you step in to take out some plates and utensils.

You respond with a noise; a straining, drawn out groan that borderlines on a mental breakdown but never quite reaches. It’s a response your roommate is familiar with, so much that any further context isn’t necessary for her to understand that work has been same old, same old; irritating but you do it for the money.

“Any dumb customers?” She laughs.

You pause to think but then answer, “Thankfully, no. Like, God decided to take pity on me for once. What about you? Has your manager been acting up lately, Ethan?”

At the mention, Jaehee lets out her own groan, shoulders dropping for a second as if the very thought’s weight had suddenly pushed down on her. You offer a sympathetic pat before slipping on oven mits to grab the now ready lasagna. Jaehee worked at an office in a junior position as a recruiter of sorts, a job she managed to get a little bit before graduating and thus, quitting her old retail job. What the company does specifically you’re still a little unsure of to this day but from what you’ve been hearing through Jaehee, you think that’s not the biggest issue to worry about.

Most of the stories Jaehee chooses to share with you were more or less what you would call ‘office horror stories’ — two-faced co-workers, that one guy who doesn’t know what personal space is, after work get togethers that, although is a nice idea, were often times far too forced to feel anything remotely ‘team bonding’, some handful shady department practices and of course, the unstable manager. Needless to say, it’s left you feeling concerned over the environment Jaehee has chosen to work in and although she expresses the same opinions as you whenever she vents, she’s always left feeling uncertain on what to do and then just brushes it off.

You don’t push on it further after that, only offering suggestions she could possibly consider but ultimately, leave it for her to decide whether she would actually take them or not. This is Jaehee’s job, not yours and you respect and trust Jaehee as a person who can make the right choices about her life.

And so dinner passes by in that same manner, the subject shifting quickly onto more casual things. Once or twice Jaehee would sneakily ask how things are going on with Jimin (or Julien as she knows him) of which like talks about her workplace, you skitter around on — as if you can explain your dilemma to her when you don’t even know where to begin yourself!

By the time you wash up and crash land onto your bed, you’re back to square one, caught up in your internal whirlwind of emotions with no hopes of trying to sort any of the mess out. Like Dorothy trapped in her little house that’s been sucked into the tornado, except you don’t even have a little dog to be your emotional support. You toss and you turn for a while, kept up by those thoughts until your self-promises of trying to go to sleep early is abandoned in favour of scrolling endlessly through your social media feeds. So much for trying to fix your awful sleep schedule.

You swear you blink once and it’s well past two in the morning already. You put your phone down with a sigh, bringing up a hand to rub your eyes and relieve them momentarily from the harsh glare of the screen. The thought that maybe you should give it a rest and attempt to sleep, even if it means just closing your eyes and hoping you lull off at some point crosses your mind but right when you’re about to part with your phone, a low buzz erupts from it along with a small chime. The vibration sends a shock from your chest before you lift up the device, the screen lit with a new incoming notification. When your eyes adjust to the brightness once more, you freeze.

Speak of the demon.

“Hey cherub,

I know it’s pretty late (though something tells me you’re still awake anyways)

But I just wanted to check up on you and see how you’re doing.”

You inwardly groan to yourself; it’s like the Lord is testing you right now. All the mixed feelings you’ve been having has you seeing things through new lenses. It’s annoying on every aspect — you hate how it has made you second guess yourself on everything that you’ll do or say, like you’re walking on eggshells while being smothered at the same time. But you can’t deny that your caution isn’t without reason. When it comes to matters of the heart, your approach is comparatively much more skeptical than to most people you know. Hence, you suppose, it would explain your sparse and short-lived dating history.

You weren’t a big risk taker or trusting enough to leave your heart in someone else’s hands; you feel like you have so much more to lose than to gain and you’d rather save the heartache for something a little bit more worthwhile. So to even think about shooting your shot with someone when the odds are so against you like this….

You chew on your lip, heart pounding and fingers hovering over the keyboard in limbo, caught between listening to your head or your heart. But Jimin…. Your dear guardian Jimin, always had this inexplicable effect on you. You don’t know whether it’s from his nature as a demon or something else, but it has only grown stronger over the time you’ve spent with him that you think no matter how hard you try to stay away, you’ll find yourself unconsciously searching for him again, like a moth drawn to a flame.

And so you find yourself tentatively typing out your response, backspacing when the doubt creeps in but ultimately, you reason, as long as you don’t give anything away, he can’t see through you… yet.

You hit send before you think too deeply on that.

“I don’t appreciate being called out like that >:(

But if you must know, I’m well (despite, you know, possibly losing out on precious sleep right now due to a certain demon).”

The bated breath you let out could be mistaken for accomplishing something excruciatingly nerve wracking, like skydiving for the first time. It’s comical really, if you weren’t the one going through it. Your head flops to the side momentarily in a defeated manner; why did you have to get smacked in the face with feelings when you can barely get a handle of what you want for dinner the following day? Maybe you shouldn’t have replied, but then you’d feel bad because Jimin hasn’t done anything to get ghosted. Oh god, maybe you should’ve just replied in the morning instead, why did you have to be so — ! A rumble pulls you out of your mental panicking and with jittery hands you bring up your phone again, hastily reading the reply.

“Don’t pout cherub, I’m just messing with you ~

I actually didn’t think you would reply but anyways, I’m glad to hear you’re doing okay at least so you should try to get some of that sleep.

I won’t keep you then.”

But you do pout regardless. In spite of sounding like you wanted to desperately hide away from ever talking to Jimin again in fear of acting like a fool, you can’t help feeling a little disappointed at how short the conversation was. Your fingers move on their own, typing out the first thoughts that comes to mind, only to erase them. It goes on like that until you finally stop on the sixth try, deflating as if all the night’s tumultuous emotions have finally worn you out to a sullen calm. What are you even trying to do? You feel like for the past minutes, you’ve done nothing but be so indecisive with yourself that you fear you don’t know what you want anymore. Perhaps this is your divine intervention that you should sleep on this, at least for tonight.

With a resigned sigh, you send off a short and simple message, not really expecting a reply as you finally place your phone down on your nightstand.

“I’ll go to sleep soon.

I hope you’re doing well too, staying out of trouble and such.

I can’t exactly guarantee you that I’ll be of much help if you do, so….don’t do it!

And thanks… for checking up on me.”

You go to settle down into your sheets when the familiar chime and rumble once again snags your attention and you can’t resist, reaching over. You read over his words, a smile tugging at your lips.

“I’m fine, don’t worry your pretty little head over me.

I won’t do anything that’ll stress you out….too much ;)

(the prick, always gotta keep you on your toes somehow but you suppose that’s why there’s never a dull moment with him)

It’s not a problem darling, so rest easy and …. sweet dreams.”

The smile lingers on your lips long after you drift off to a surprisingly peaceful slumber, mind put more at ease. You’ll figure this out, one way or another.

[ask-the-party-god]

hiiii!

sorry to announce it with such a lack of fanfare, but terezi and the rest just came back! :D id have liked to liveblog it, buuuut i got a few videos for all of you to enjoy instead! you may also notice a slight quality increase from the previous pics ;p expect more of that from now on~

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

The recording starts. Jade sticks her green tongue out at the camera and flashes those sharp fangs with a little wink, before turning the camera around to the rest of the party. Tables have been set outdoors, as well as two posts with a large “WELCOME BACK!” sign on it. Snacks and baked goods fill the tables, and the Creators are talking with each other.

There is a cut, and the recording cuts to a shot of the clear blue sky. Excited giggling can be heard, and movement keeps the focus all over the place. Soon enough, five silhouettes appear framed against the evening Sun, and the background chatter gets louder. An uproarious “Welcome Back” comes out in unison as soon as the Five newcomers are within earshot.

Terezi leads them, carefully descending in her dragon-winged Jetpack, followed quickly by the woman she’s spent sweeps looking for. The teal is dishevelled, her hair, a mess, her clothes torn and dirty with sweat and blood, and while her eyes are hidden behind those red shades, the marks of dry tears on her cheeks are very much noticeable. Vriska is no less ragged, she looks exhausted and beat-up, but energetic. A blue eyepatch covers her left eye, and a mixture of teal and cerulean blood peppers her shirt.

Trailing behind them, is Aradia Megido. A mess of hair that rivals Jade’s own settles around her shoulders and frames her, a wide (uncannily so) smile on her red lips. Right afterwards land the last two stragglers. Davepeta, the glowing Sprite Squared, flapping their wings, and carrying one (1) Sollux Captor, hooked by the armpits with their legs, as a bird would snatching prey away. Davepeta’s hair has grown a bit longer in the time they’ve spent out, but compared to the rest, their outfit seems rather spotless. Sollux just looks tired, red eyepatch covering his right eye, left one exposed, the darkened pit of his burnt out Psiionics obvious.

And then the camera drops. A laugh, as hands start to pick it up, and points to the now laughing group. Terezi and Vriska are losing it, and Sollux is tense after having narrowly avoided the Jade Missile thrown their way. Davepeta and Aradia aren’t so lucky, now a tangled mess of fluffy hair and affection rolling on the grass. with the dog Goddess. The recording cuts briefly.

Once it comes back, Kanaya is reaching out to ruffle Terezi’s hair, with Vriska muttering something, arms crossed under her chest, smiling wide. Sollux and Aradia join into the conversation, but after a few moments, they’re interrupted by a groaning noise. The camera tilts to the side, to show Karkat Vantas, unable to contain his tears, after seeing his friends for the first time in so long. The cerulean ‘D’aw’s in the back, and Sollux gazes at the scene fondly, while the other three reach out to pull him into a collective hug.

Soon after, Kanaya points Terezi off-screen, and she seems eager to dash towards someone, before stopping in her tracks. The camera catches up soon enough, to show June Egbert. Rose stands by her side, and Terezi knows immediately what’s going on. A flash of green, and the teal’s hands are full, a dirty, fluffy bunny warped to her hands. She can barely contain a low groan, when June attempts to coerce her into playing out the heartfelt reunion at the end of Con Air. Terezi’s hand meets her face, for a brief moment, and before June can say anything, her hands are tugging at her shoulders, and pulling her into a spite-filled snog. Everyone cheers in the background.

Another small panorama of the outdoors party, the chatter and festivities going on, before the frame settles on Davepeta and Roxy. The two seem to chat excitedly for a moment before exclaiming “Fuck yeah, NB Rights”, and pulling each other into a tight bro hug bump. They are, in fact, making it happen. And everyone on Earth-C knew, in that moment, that Pride Month truly had come.

The frame returns to Terezi and June, only to find a Vriska Serket leaning in close to them. The smooches are done, which allows the cerulean plenty of time to talk to June, particularly, the fact that she wasn’t June the last time she saw her. The Thief shares one uncharacteristically fond smile with her, and then she ruins it by smugly recounting the heroic tale of how she faced Lord English and saved the Multiverse. The teal is obviously annoyed, and she’s not the only one. The camera shakes a bit in Jade’s hands, and she only manages to catch a glimpse of Terezi dragging the other away by her hair before it pans back to Davepeta.

They’re not with Roxy anymore, however. Karkat seems to be back after his heartfelt little breakdown, and after a quick greeting and a slightly shocked jolt of the troll at seeing the sprite squared, they’re left even more shocked by a quick and gentle kiss to his cheek. Jade giggles, and moves the camera juuuuust a little, enough to show that, next to the dumbfounded and blushing Troll, Dave Strider is standing with a similarly glowing blush, and soon covering his face in embarrassment. He knows. And Rose knows he knows, a hand tapping his shoulder from behind. He knows the embarrassment of having a Sprite Squared version of yourself embarrass you.

Aradia comes from behind Jade and peeks over her shoulder. Her hands grab around the device and the dog girl lets her have it. For a brief moment, that unsettling smile of hers is facing the audience. Jade finds this charming, and after a few giddy moments, she starts flirting with the rustblood. A dirty joke is cracked, with a waggle of her eyebrows, which is met in kind by... Something. Whatever Aradia said, it is enough to make Jade’s expression change to shock for a few moments, but it has been edited out of the recording. In no time, Jade’s yanking Aradia by her hood, and the camera drops. Roxy cheers in the background before picking up the Camera, pointing it back to the two snogging girls.

Once more the recording cuts, but when it comes back, it’s Terezi who’s holding the camera. Vriska’s still trying to sell someone on her heroic tales, but Kanaya and Rose practically ignore her bragging, leaving her angrily rolling her eyes. Soon, she focuses her attention on Jake English, who’d been having a conversation with Sollux in the background, and tries to fish for compliments, leaving him visibly uncomfortable. Terezi sighs, about to step in, when the shadowy silhouette of the towering dog girl steps up behind Vriska. It takes a few seconds for the cerulean to stop chatting and realize there’s someone behind her, and she turns to stare at Jade, not happy to see her trying to mess with her grandfather-slash-son.

Sollux and Jake take the chance to slip away from them, and Vriska seems silent for just a moment, staring at the imposing woman Jade has become these past few sweeps. After a few moments of this staredown, Vriska’s expression relaxes, and a finger curls through her hair, muttering about not having gotten a ‘good look at Jade earlier when she nearly tackled her’. Jade’s shoulders tense as she realizes she’s caught the cerulean’s attention in the worst of ways, and she throws her head back with an annoyed moan. Terezi cackles behind the camera, and the recording stops once again.

Finally, the last few minutes of the video show the celebration properly starting. Jane and Nannasprite have brought in a humongous cake decorated with the colors of the Creators, and the newcomers. They have to carry it in its own separate cart, and Vriska, of course, steps in to cut the first slice. She starts with a spiel about unity, coming back, and the sacrifice everyone went through to get where they are today, before the second Nannasprite bursts out of the cake and pies her right in the face. The two trickstery sprites high-five each other. Jade drops the camera with an horrendous howl of laughter, and madness ensues. Baked goods fly through the air, shouts, screams and cheers ring out in equal measure. The celebration devolves into a food fight.

The still shot of the camera on the grass while absolute chaos happens in the background continues for nearly half an hour, at which point someone picks up the camera. June Egbert gets some cake off the lens and licks her finger, before pointing at the pile of food and people just sprawled out across the field, in various states of exhaustion. A giddy laugh from the windy girl, and the video ends.

[END TRANSCRIPT]

[meganshinsou-tm]

Vermilion. (m)

↳ chapter three: a helping hand

❧ genre:  pro-hero’s bakugou/kirishima, poly, happy ending

❧ chapter warnings: none

[multi-chap masterlist] [previous chapter - next chapter]

It had been about a week since you and your crimson eyed friends went out for dinner that night, and you may or may not have gotten a little buzzed from the sake. You rarely ever drank, but Bakugou was in a challenging mood and teasing you all night, so like any other time you didn’t back down. Unlike the blonde though, you were a lightweight and all you could remember was him and Kirishima bringing you home and Bakugou carrying you up to your apartment with what seemed to be a slight smile on his face.

As you sat at your work desk now, going through police reports that bored the hell out of you, you wished the night could repeat itself, other than not remembering much it was still fun. At the moment fun is what you needed because now you were more stressed than ever since you received an eviction notice a few days ago stating you had two weeks to find another apartment. To say that put on damper on your usually bright and bubbly personality was an understatement, and it didn’t go unnoticed by your two colleagues.

“Fuck this, I’ll finish searching through this junk later,” you sighed to yourself, pushing away from your desk and getting up, heading out and towards the training room.

Bakgou saw you walk in and head to the locker room, wearing the same blank and stoic expression on your face that you wore the past few days.

“What crawled up her ass lately?” He questioned himself as he stretched.

A few minutes later you walked back out of the locker room, in your workout gear, hair up in a messy bun. Bakugou eyed your body the entire time, how the matching black tank and leggings shaped every pliant looking curve of your body, until you noticed him, making him look away and force down his blushing red cheeks. You shrugged your shoulders and walked to the other side of the room and began to stretch yourself, not once saying a word to him. He found it odd, usually the second you’d see him in the training room, your eyes would light up as shit-talking spewed from your mouth. He didn’t want to admit it, but the fact that you didn’t today made him feel slightly disappointed. It actually pissed him off and Bakugou wasn’t one to shy away from confrontation, so finally he groaned and made his way to you.

You were sitting on the floor with your legs spread open, as your torso stretched forwards, your elbows touching the floor beneath you.

“Oi, princess!” Katsuki so loudly addressed.

Hearing his footsteps approaching, made a drawn out and tired sigh escape your lungs. “I don’t need this shit right now,” you thought to yourself, not giving the blonde a glance.

“I know you hear me, we sparing together today or are you still being a stuck up brat for no reason?”

Katsuki was now crouched down in front of you, giving you no chance to not look at his handsome smug face. One elbow propped on his knee as the opposite arm hung between his legs. The tank he wore showed off the definition of his biceps and broad shoulders, and your eyes may have lingered on them for too long before you shook your head.

“Not today Bakugou, I’m not in the mood.”

You stood up and walked away from him, heading towards the track that enclosed the training area, putting your earbuds in and starting to jog. A deep breath left your chest as you felt distance between you and the explosive blonde, for some reason you thought he’d just leave you alone. 

Wrong.

Out of nowhere you felt the earbuds being plucked from your ears and your phone being snatched, followed by a slap on your ass, making you yelp out and grab yourself as you stopped in your tracks. Bakugou was jogging backwards with a shit eating grin as he waved your phone around.

“If you want it back, come and get it!”

Just as your hands started to glow red, getting ready to use your telekinesis to grab your phone from him he laughed, “No quirks you shitty girl, earn it!”

You growled at him in frustration before taking off in a full sprint, making him face forwards and accelerate. The two of you ran hard but you quickly caught up with him, he sensed you behind him getting ready to snatch the device from his hands and as you did he dodged to the side. You growled and lunged towards him again, your feet failing you as you tripped, pulling Bakugou down with you. It worked out in your favor however, it caught him off guard, letting you pin him quickly before he could get up and take off. Your hands were tight on his wrists and your knees had him trapped, he could’ve easily overpowered you but something wasn’t letting him. 

His crimson eyes looked up into yours that were burning holes into him, you looked pissed, a sight he’s never seen. Sure he’d test your patience sometimes just to get a rise out of you, but you were never legit mad at him.

“I’ll be taking that now, and if you could kindly fuck off for the rest of the day, I’d be even more grateful for that!” You hissed at him, snatching your phone from the ground beside him and going to stand up.

Bakugou growled and quickly pulled you down by your shirt, slamming your back onto the ground and quickly straddling your own hips with his body. You went to sit up and punch him but he caught your wrists and quickly shoved you back down to the floor, pinning you like you did him. His teeth were barred and eyes narrowed.

“What the fuck is your problem huh, you've been a real bitch lately!”

Even though it was no use, you tried to free yourself from Bakugou’s grip, squirming and groaning. You wanted nothing more than to be alone, to wallow in your own issues at the moment but instead this asshole was keeping you from that.

“Get off me Bakugou, it’s nothing!”

He scowled, letting you know he didn’t believe your words for a second, his grip on your wrists tightened.

“That’s bullshit, you’ve been short with everyone around here lately and sulking at your desk!” He replied angrily. 

His sudden interest was bringing up every emotion you were trying so hard to suppress, the feeling of failure as you couldn’t even pay your own bills or seem to move up the ladder at work; anxiety from having to find another apartment so soon or else you’d be homeless, and at the moment anger because someone like Katsuki Bakugou was confronting you about it. Your chest tightened and your head turned to look away from his burning gaze as you tried to calm your breathing before a full breakdown ensued in front of him, the last person you wanted to let see you cry was him, fearing you'd look weak. Suddenly, you gave up trying to fight him off, letting your body go limp.

“I just have a lot going on right now Katsuki, please just leave me alone to deal with it okay?”

Your voice was quiet, defeated. 

It made Bakugou’s grip loosen slightly, you looked so helpless and broken under him. It made him feel like shit that something was clearly bothering you to the point where you hadn’t even smiled or laughed in the past few days, two things that he had grown to enjoy but wouldn’t admit to. ‘Why the fuck do I even care,’ he thought to himself.

“Look princess, we both know that I’m not going to let you off that easy. Now tell me, what’s going on, m-maybe I can help,” Katsuki strained, voice soft now and sounding like he genuinely cared. This shit was new to him, he’s never really … comforted anyone.

You finally looked back at him with a hopeless expression, “Unless you know of a cheap place for rent, I don’t think you can.”

Blonde brows furrowed, his head shaking in a way letting you know he needed more elaboration. You sighed, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth and looking anywhere but straight at him.

“I’m getting evicted from my place, I have less than a week now to find somewhere else to go. I’ve been stuck at my desk ever since I got here, so I don’t have a lot of money to really even live on my own at the moment. Happy now?”

You sighed and let your head fall back onto the floor, feeling embarrassed.

“Move in with us!”

The words just came out of Bakugou’s mouth without thinking, you looked up at him with wide shocked eyes and parted lips. The same damn lips that would haunt his dreams every so often, or cross his mind out of nowhere; the same damn lips that were starting to become the bane of his existence.

“Y-you fucking with me Katsuki?”

You finally answered back, breaking Bakugou’s thoughts. His eyes looked away from you, as he thought to himself. Was he serious? What the fuck were these feelings that were making his chest tight, making his mouth go dry and palms sweat more than usual.

Bakugou was able to force all that weird shit away, long enough for him to actually think clearly about what he suggested. Him and Kirishima did have a three bedroom home that was more than spacious. Their high-school friend Denki was supposed to room with them as well but he went and fell in love like some idiot and moved in with his boyfriend, boyfriends? The plural term sticking more in his brain.

Since then the pair didn't bother looking for a roommate, they didn’t really care because everything was split between them, plus they never met the right person, until now. He knew Kirishima wouldn’t mind at all that he asked you to move in with them without consulting him first, especially given the predicament you were in. That idiot would see it as being ‘manly’. But did Bakugou himself want you to move in with them? That would mean having to see you at his own home and not just work, never getting a break from you or being able to truly distance himself like he needed to. At the same time though … he wanted to help you, something in him wanted to do everything he could, just to have you back to normal and smiling again, even if it did mean making it harder for him not to fall for you.

Bakugou grit his teeth and breathed deeply, sealing his own fate and knowing it would be the end for him.

“No, I’m not. We have an extra room that you can have. Me and the overgrown puppy already split everything, if you want then you can move in and we’ll just split everything three ways, that should be easy enough on you.”

“Why are you trying to help me?”

Of course you considered Bakugou a close friend, but not once did you think he thought the same of you. Even if you noticed how he was softer towards you, had a little more patience and was maybe a bit more chipper when you were around. But on other days, there was no ignoring how he acted like just the sight of you made his skin crawl, how his jaw would clench when you touched him a certain way. So why would he offer to share a home with you, why was he being so…thoughtful?

Bakugou shrugged his shoulders, “I-I don’t know, we’re f-friends right, don’t you do dumb shit like this for a friend?” The blonde chewed on the inside of his cheek and looked at you, he went rigid when you softly smiled and clicked his tongue, looking away and jutting out his lip. “Plus - if I didn’t ask you, then fucking Kirishima would have so don’t think you’re special or some shit. And don’t act like you wouldn't fucking love seeing our faces every waking moment of your life princess!”

‘And there he is,’ you thought to yourself, huffing a laugh and rolling your eyes. This seemed to satisfy him, as he rolled his eyes back.

“Okay then, but only because you basically demanded I do!” You chuckled.

You then looked around and saw the other heroes in the training room looking at the two of you with mixed expressions on their faces. Making you brows rise in and cheeks turn red.

“Uh, Katsuki, I know me being underneath you like this is a huge turn on and all, but can we do this some other time, everyone is staring at us!”

Bakugou looked around himself and chuckled before ordering everyone to mind their business with a "This ain’t a free fucking show, fuck off," and released your wrists finally. He stood to his feet, stretching out a hand to help you up. You took it as he pulled you from the ground roughly, bringing you extremely close to his broad chest and making your nose brush the tip of his.

“So close,” you screamed in your head.

Bakugou was definitely taller, making you look up to him as he looked down on you tilting his head, his ruby red eyes and that smug grin making you melt as your hand stayed gripped in his. His warm breath fanned across your cheeks, making you bite your lip and butterflies dance in your stomach as you leaned in closer, inhaling the sugary scent that always permeated from him. The blonde grit his teeth and squeezed your hand once you released your lip, his red eyes drinking in the teeth indention's on it and his mind going hazy from how badly he wanted to lick them away.

“Dammit (Y/N),” he cursed under his breath.

“Hey guys, uh – what’s going on?”

A cheerful and warm voice called out to you and Bakugou, breaking his gaze from you and making him release your hand. Your heart sunk a little as a disappointed expression crossed the heroes face, your fingers wanting to reach out to his as your hands fell to your side but didn’t. You swallowed and replaced the sad look with a smile, turning around to see an equally smiling Kirishima walking towards you.

Bakugou stood beside you and ruffled your hair as he looked at his friend, “We seem to have a new roommate shithead!”

[caffeinechic]

Good Omens Fic Recs 1/?

I went to fix a link in this post and managed to delete the entire thing like an absolute fool. 

But my complete annoyance with myself won’t be bested with my determination to post this lot. So here I go again. I am so sorry if this has shown on your dash a million times. And sorry for the double links / tagging as I honestly went half mad over even the basics. This is where I am with life.

I have about 300 Good Omens fics bookmarked at this point to trying to pull out my absolute favourites sent me down a re-read (and in many cases a re-re-re-re-read) rabbit hole, which was an absolute joy so no complaints here!

These are just some of the ones that have just really stuck with me for one reason or another so I’ve gathered them up under the cut

4 Authors I just need to do like a HUGE rec for as they’re life ruiners. How dare they be this good. HOW DARE THEY.

@princip1914 @princip1914

Yeah I started pulling out the bookmarks I had for @princip1914 and realised it was...everything they’d written. All of it. Just...all of it.

But my particular favourite out of an outstanding batch is the following - which I have read approximately 70 squillion times. It stuck with me for so long in a way that I don’t think many fics have, ever. I actually can’t recommend this enough:

Doubt Thou The Stars Are Fire

“But how,” Aziraphale gasped, agonized and close to tears. “How can you be sure. Crowley, dear, you got thrown out of heaven for questioning everything. How can you be sure about this?”

Crowley loves and Aziraphale doubts. God intercedes. A groundhog day kind of situation ensues wherein Aziraphale has to fall in love with Crowley over and over again as a human until he gets the point. Highlights include: delivering medical care in rural Louisiana, stargazing in Vegas, strangers on a train, and teaching middle school.

@bestoftheseekwill @bestoftheseekwill

Same “problem” with @bestoftheseekwill - READ EVERYTHING. Oh my god, the human AUs, THE HUMAN AUS.

Special shout out to Acts of Service which was the first Human AU I’d read and got me completely hooked and now whenever seekwill posts I immediately read.

Acts of Service

"You seem very familiar to me. I can’t say why that is." As Aziraphale spoke, Crowley turned away from the fire, and Aziraphale was momentarily concerned that the spell had been broken, that he had crossed some invisible line. But Crowley smiled and brought his beer to his lips.

"Maybe we met in a past life. Does your lot believe in that?"

"Past lives?"

"Yeah."

Aziraphale smiled into his wine. He was sure Crowley was poking fun, ever so slightly, but he liked it. "Not strictly speaking. No."

Crowley shrugged, taking another long sip of his beer. “A mystery then."

After receiving direct instruction from God, village reverend Aziraphale leaves his countryside congregation to serve the underserved and in-need at an urban church in London, a transition made all the more complicated by the mysterious and handsome Crowley, who always seems to appear when Aziraphale least expects him.

OH!! but also

That this could be the kingdom

- this one sat with me for a while. Stunning

I have lived my whole life with a wrecked heart. Fr. Aziraphale Fell’s present mirrors his past, as long ago roommate, classmate, and former friend Anthony Crowley reappears in his life in an unexpected and disarming way, challenging Aziraphale’s choices, and bringing him back to the breaking point, when he made a decision he couldn’t take back. It isn’t temptation, it’s revelation.

@mygalfriday @mygalfriday

Ah here, listen - I went to get my bookmark list for @mygalfriday and just ended up re-reading all 12 fics this week.

i can't say the words, so i wrote you into my verse

Aziraphale blinks as it slowly dawns on him exactly what he’s looking at. Crowley has a tattoo. Well, another one anyway. Unlike the small serpent curled just beneath his temple, this one takes up far more space.

And listen if you don’t read the blind date au series then I don’t know how to help you!

I couldn’t find Rend_Herring  Found @rendherring @rendherring on Tumblr but I had to put my phone and my head down after I read both of these.

The Lightness of You

God should not have built them with such discrepancy, made them need for love, and long for wholeness, then left them to their own devices.

This Soul Outstreaming

“Why did you come here?” Aziraphale interrupts. “Why do you keep doing this?” All the saving, he means, all the chasing after Aziraphale he does. It can’t only be that he’s not keen to endure a replacement. That can’t be it, not anymore. He’s going to get himself in trouble, and then it’ll be Aziraphale’s fault.

Crowley’s mouth shuts with a click. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat, reaches for the handle of the fork and taps his fingertips against it before setting his hands in his lap.

When he speaks, it’s very soft. “Don’t you know?” he asks.

Aziraphale, unaccustomed to his heart refusing to translate why it throbs with such haste, shakes his head.

Fics that, to me, are just stunners. I love them so much.

Slow Show - @mia-ugly @mia-ugly Honestly if you’re seeing a rec list WITHOUT slow show...I’d be legit surprised In which temptations are accomplished, grand romantic gestures are made, and two ineffable co-stars only take four seasons of an award-winning television program to realize they’re on their own side (at last, at last.)

Barriers, and the breaking thereof - @cardinaldaughter @cardinaldaughter Ezra Fell has long been comfortable in his loneliness. He’s content to simply run the Soho Public Library and otherwise keep to himself. However, when a handsome stranger bursts in one evening with a baby, frantic and in need of help, Ezra finds those carefully constructed barriers he’s long maintained begin to crack.

Perhaps it’s time to let them fall.

Anthophilia - @fortinbrasftw @fortinbrasftw Anthony J. Crowley's life seems like it's finally falling into place: his floral shop has begun to gain an undercurrent of appreciation in the design elite of London, and he might have even finally found a boyfriend who looks just right lounging on his Tenreiro sofa. Things seem almost perfect, until one day the empty shop across the street is leased to frumpy fellow Oxford alumni, who doesn't seem to remember Crowley nearly as well as he remembers him, which really shouldn't bother him as much as it does - it was ten years ago after all, and it wasn't even that good of a kiss.

The road to rapture has a lot of pit stops - @emmagrant01 @emmagrant01 Five times they kissed over four thousand years, and one time they actually meant it.

Demon and Angel Professors - Ghostinthehouse - not 100% sure that this is also their tumblr handle so if anyone can confirm that would be great! They're professors. They're married. Their students don't realise. Cue shenanigans.

Multiple short arcs with one-shots (and often pauses) between them. Characters continue from one arc to the next. It's marked as complete, because each short arc is complete in itself, but there will be more arcs and one-shots in the future.

The Grinch Who Sold Christmas - @forineffablereasons @forineffablereasons Anthony J. Crowley, a big-time attorney from London, is sent to small-town Tadfield to close a deal before Christmas that would sell out half of high street to a fancy developer and put him up for partner at his firm. The deal will run the local businesses out and change the landscape of the town forever, but that’s none of Crowley’s business; he’s just doing a job.

But as the town invites him to share in their lives and their hopes and their holiday celebrations, and as the enigmatic Aziraphale invites him to share in something more, Crowley starts to wonder: if everything has its price, is he still willing to pay what this deal will cost?

Slow - write_away It started like this: A boy with the ability to warp reality met an angel and a demon and he made assumptions.

You might say it started like this: An angel and a demon found a marriage contract hung on the wall of the angel's bookshop. They didn't question it.

It also could have started like this: Once upon a time, the angel told the demon he went too fast. The demon took it to heart.

Aziraphale and Crowley find themselves somehow married. Crowley fears going too fast. Aziraphale forges ahead. Neither know how to ask questions of each other.

You, soft and only - @thehoyden He hadn’t expected a sudden lapful of angel.

“Very sorry about this,” Aziraphale said, and kissed him.

A Bushel and a Peck- @thehoyden  Sometimes, a family is a demonic nanny, an angelic cook, and a kid who isn't actually the Antichrist.Or: Crowley helps Aziraphale secure a different position at the Dowling Estate.

Long is the way, and hard - Kate_Lear The first time Crawley meets the angel, the celestial being is twisting its shining white robe in its fingers and looking wretched. It hardly spares him a glance as he shifts from snake to human, and Crawley is a touch put-out. It’s taken some practice to be able to do it so fluidly.

A story of Crowley's thoughts about Aziraphale, from the Beginning to the present day.

And also of temptation, and want, and whether - for a Fallen Angel - redemption is possible after all.

the 21st century, in which they finally work it out - @fieldbears @fieldbears This is light speed in comparison to the last few centuries of their relationship, but Crowley is barely holding on to his patience.

A Few More Rescues - @poetic----nonsense @poetic----nonsense 5+1 Times Crowley Rescued Aziraphale According to the Romantic Tropes of the Era, and One Time Aziraphale Turned It Around on Him (plus Prologue)

The Cottage, the Husbands (series) - Dragonsquill A demon and an angel fall in love and decide to take on the monumental task of living together in a cottage by the sea.

[entransta]

Gimme all the details about Vilga since she's your main character in one of the campaigns?

Alrighty, lets see....

Youngest of two, Vilga was born into the noble Ecale family. Hearing tales, and getting to look through many of the families spell books, she wanted to learn how to use magic herself. among the tales, her favorite were of her great-grandmother, Veronica Ecale; one of the families many lore master wizards. She had plans to attend a school of magic after her 18th birthday, after finishing up her regular schooling, but those plans were nipped at the bud when a necrotic wave swept through the hamlet she lived at. She had to fend for herself, ending up having to put down her own zombified parents, breaking a sword that she had received as a gift; more for a mantle piece instead of an actual one. After a day that seemed to take longer and longer, The Reapers managed to arrive, and got her out of there, taking her to the Reaper HQ for treatment of her necrotic energy uptake. A few weeks passed, and she had recovered, and with it, a new resolve had formed inside her, one that many reapers seemed to get; a resolve to help those that had to endure what they had, and to try and prevent someone else from having to go through it again. She joined the Reapers, and ended up becoming quite the fighter, already having practice with sword fighting, and at least a basic knowledge of magic to become an Eldritch Knight Fighter. For the next 12 years, she’d be a part of the Reapers, when one day, she volunteer to become a part of a PSI squad, and became a part of Gamma squad. She, and a few of Gammas members, tagged along with Echo squad to the City of Bells while they went on leave... though, that was cut short as a necrotic wave went through the city. People dropped dead instantly, only to rise again moments later as The Lost. At this point, the team had contacted Central, letting him know what was going on. After being told to get Kendo, who then needed to get his daughter, the teams were able to get to evac... which ended up getting attacked by a flesh golem. The fight went on, and it dropped to the ground, dead.... until lightning struck it, causing it to get back up. Eventually, we managed to put it down permanently when the skyhopper dropped its ‘Rod of Annihilation Launcher’, which Vilga used to put a very big hole into it. A nearby lightning tower tried to revive it, but was soon broken by the groups longer ranged users. Time passed sense evac, and the two groups were sent out again, this time to investigate a lab owned by Ezlan. There, they found the place had horrors worse then the Lost within. Combating these creatures, the group found a table of research, then proceeded further into the lab, deciding to send it later. They found Berkin, who worked for Hans, who in turn was supposed to be working for Ezlan. The group tried to get him to come peacefully, but combat was forced. In the end, Berkin had transformed himself into some kind of creature, then escaped when Fenderia accidentally triggered the labs self destruct sequence. The group had just barely managed to escape, thanks to a teleport circle that was being set up. After a while, a solution to the event has been devised: a positive energy bomb, right in the heart of the city. Gamma and Echo team, along with other teams, had provided a distraction for Alpha team to do their job. In the end, the plan worked, taking out all the lost in the city, and bringing light back into the area. The two teams came back to help aid civilians that were still stuck in the city, and came across a museum. Inside, the saw various artworks, and eventually encountered the artist behind them: Pickman. Eventually, Pickman gets put into Gamma squad, and with the patrol protocol activated, various teams are able to go on patrols, to try and act before something happens, instead of just reacting. Gamma squad, heading to investigate the Pomaco Jungle, discovered that the local gnoll population was getting kidnapped and transformed into true, demonic gnolls. They dealt with the problem, and returned to PSI base. After a few days, things were stiring up back in Vilgas old home. The two teams arrive, seeing just how dead the hamlet still was, the residual negative energy choking out most of the life, making the wood grey and brittle. Arriving back at her childhood home, bad memories, ones that she tried not to think about, had started coming back. The teams split up on the two floors. While investigating the second floor, Vilgas team investigated her parents old room, finding a gift that had never found its way to her: a masterwork spellbook, a gift from her mother. This brought the typically stern Vilga to tears, unable to hold everything in any longer. Needing a moment, the group let Vilga stay behind while she collected herself, and pressed forward. Moments passed, and the other group contacted theirs, telling them they found... something calling itself ‘Victor Ecale’. The groups regrouped, and it was found that there was a Black Dragon Artifact under the manor. The teams split up once more, and Vilgas group headed down to reapply the wards on the artifact. Getting there, it was revealed that the artifact was The Obsidian Mirror, which when Vilga looked into it, her own reflection came out of it, dressed like her great-grandmother, a crown of madness on her head. A fight was avoided, however, as the crown shattered upon seeing her own father with the group, though this peace wouldn't last as the mirror grew angry, sent the mirror Vilga away, and reflections of the others had come out to fight. A battle ensued, but before Vilgas reflection could do anything to replace the wards, the mirror burst out with energy, blinding everything in the area. when it cleared, no one was found, and the mirror was missing, leaving everyone back at PSI very concerned. Some background stuff: Vilga comes from a long line of magic users, typically wizards, that dates back to the fall of the dragon empire, when the first Ecale stole a dragons spellbook, and obtained a deeper understanding of how magic works then most, giving rise to Lore Mastery. That same ancestor was one of the major players in the fall of the empire, and was entrusted to guard one of the many artifacts that housed fragments of his power, becoming a keeper. This tradition of magic was kept in the family, in one way or another, with some having it through divine belief, or through a pact with some entity, but most had studied magic, and many learning lore mastery as well. Vilga was going to be the next keeper in the Ecale family, but because of the necrotic wave that went through her hamlet, she never learned of this, and thus the artifact was left to its own devices for 12 years.

[ruroy9i]

Assassin's Creed: Conquest

Kashmir , 1521: Twelve year old Hariharan Pundit watches in awe as the soldiers of the new Sultanate come to his father's humble cottage with news from His Excellency, Emperor Babur. That awe turns into rage and terror when in a week's time his village is burnt down and he is forced to flee with his mother, as his father and the other Brahmins are executed for refusing to accept Islam. Overwhelmed by the enormity of his life coming crashing down, Hariharan swears to tear the Mughal dynasty apart.

Buxar, 1528: Farid Khan is a new recruit in the army of Jamal Khan, the Mughal governor of Jaunpur (Uttar Pradesh). Young and promising, he is asked to oversee the repairs of a captured Rajput fort and its surrounding village: Bhangarh. He is shocked to see the death and decay in the village, haunted by a mysterious epidemic. Jamal asks him to kill the people, but his efforts are interrupted by a mysterious man infiltrating the camp. As this man silently eliminates the guards, Farid manages to catch up with him, just as he is about to spring an attack on Jamal. Farid prepares to give alarm, but watches as the hooded man expertly steals the keys to the fort from Jamal's person. Intrigued, Farid follows him and climbs up the fort ramparts, to the inner sanctum. The keys grant them audience into a secret hall, with strange golden letters on the wall. Meanwhile, Jamal raises alarm and surrounds the sanctum with the troops. The hooded man reaches the apex of the hall and removes a green glowing goblet. Jamal asks him to let go of it and charges in with the troops. This sets off numerous booby traps as the troops fall to freak deaths. The hooded man takes care of the rest. Jamal knocks the goblet off him and tries to escape with it. The hooded man follows him and is about to go for the kill, when Farid intercepts him and wrestles him down. The man almost gouges Farid's eye out with a blade hidden up his slave. He stresses upon how the goblet is an "instrument of Jannat" and must be retrieved at all costs. Farid lets him go, but it is too late He is surrounded by reinforcements and wounded severely. Farid pretends to go in for the kill, while secretly leading the man to relative safety. He treats the man's immediate wounds until he regains consciousness. The man expresses his gratitude and gives him his name: Hari Baaz. By the time Farid is back with medicines, the man is gone.

Few days later, Farid breaks into Jamal's quarters to see what else he is hiding and steals several obscure maps before leaving his services and Buxar forever.

Bihar, 1529: Hari Bazz is called upon by the Assassin grandmaster, Khifur Mia to foil a coup on the Mughal interests in Bengal by the Sultan Mahmud Shah. Hari is somewhat conflicted due to his personal hatred for the Mughals but is reminded of his oath as an assassin. He starts by flushing out traitors within the soldiers of Bahar Khan, the governor of Bihar. After making his way through the riff-raff, he learns of plans to murder Bahar Khan and destabilize the Mughal rule in Bihar. He learns from gossip among the soliders that it may be spearheaded by the ambitious young commander: Farid Khan. Hari joins a hunting convoy to spy on Farid Khan. He follows a suspicious Farid away from the main party, deeper and deeper into the forests. He sees Farid deciphering strange maps and finally recognizes him to be the man who saved his life in Buxar. Farid is about to enter an abandoned temple, when a tiger pounces upon him. Farid barely holds it off, before the tiger mauls meat off his arm. Farid still fights him back, driving a dagger into its neck. Hari jumps in just in time and drives his hidden blade right into the tiger's heart. Farid is surprised to see him again and recognizes him instantly. Hari asks what he is doing with the maps and Farid says that he has realized Hari is working for some secret organization. Hari asks Farid to trust him. So Farid leads him into the temple and they uncover a locked book. Farid has been deciphering the cryptic maps and has discovered many places and people of interest all over Hindustan who are guarding some "Instrument of Eden". Hari takes a look at the maps and realizes that the key is to be found separately. He is faced with a tough choice, whether to kill Farid or not. But he hears the whole convoy converging on them and a worried Bahar Khan rushing in. So he asks Farid to continue deciphering the maps while he go gets the key. As he leaves, he hears Bahar Khan congratulating and applauding Farid's bravery and conferring upon him the title : " Sher Shah"

Delhi, 1529: Hari Bazz tracks down the key to the ruins of the Indraprastha region. But he finds he is too late, it has already been retrieved by Pratap Rao, a minor subedar. He tails Rao to a brothel, where he is enjoying a grand dance by Akhtari Begum. Eliminating all opposition , Hari enters the bed- chamber and asks the Begum to leave. As Rao hurtles into the room lustfully, Hari holds the blade to his throat and asks where the key is. In due course, it becomes clear that Rao is part of a secret organization left behind by Ashoka the Great, entrusted to find the devices of salvation that can shape the world. But now they plan to use those devices to cripple the Mughals and drive them out of the country. And they are so well hidden in the Mughal administration that they have obtained Babur's permission for their own decimation. Hari debates what is the best way forward and in that delay, Rao raises a cry for help and then impales himself on the blade. Guards come rushing, and Hari is helped by the Begum in hiding and subsequently escaping the city.

Ayoddha, 1529: Khifur Miia drops by to tell Hari that the leader of the secret organization might be Amir Khusrau, who is in Ayoddha for collecting jizya tax. Hari tracks Khusrau down and witnesses the brutality meted out to the Hindus. He does his best to minimize casualties, by incapacitating rogue soldiers. In due time he realizes that Khusrau is going door to door, not collecting the tax, but looking for someone called Sasaram Pathak. He discovers Pathak's house and intercepts a messenger pigeon sent out by them, leading him to Sasaram,who is hiding by the Ram Janmabhoomi temple. Hari realizes that Sasaram has gone paranoid and will kill anyone who tries to get through. Before he can think of something however, Khusrau sets fire to the whole slum adjacent to the temple. Hari abducts and pushes Pathak out of his room(who was bent on dying). Once out however, Pathak scrambles like a chicken and it falls to Hari to eliminate Khusrau's men trying to catch him. It is then that Pathak decides to trust him. Turns out, Pathak is a learned Scholar of Vedic texts, whom Khusrau needs to activate some obscure device.

The next morning, Khusrau finds one of his soldiers dragging Pathak in. Pathak refuses to help Khusrau and asks how he even got the device in the first place. It becomes apparent that the device was the one unearthed from Ashoka's own investigations from Bhangarh fort by Jamal Khan. Pathak is forced to solve the puzzles that open the device. It starts giving off the same green light. Pathak is thrown into the prison. By the next morning, all of Khusrau's soldiers are vomiting blood and some claim that its apocalypse come for them. Hari, so long disguised as one of Khusrau's men finally realizes what the device actually is. He braves the spell of illness to take Pathak and escape. But Khusrau sends more men to kill Pathak in case he had survived the illness. And so ensues a mad chase through Ayoddha, off and on buildings, through stables and temple roofs, in and out of tree branches and not without the slight disturbance to the monkeys dwelling in there. At the end of it, Hari retrieves the goblet and drives a bullock cart right into the Ram Janmabhoomi temple. Khusrau marvels at the madness before leaving the city. Hari leads Khusrau's men into the deep well in the heart of the temple's sanctum and dumps the cart along with the goblet into it. A surge of green light breaks the skyline as Hari barely escapes, blood and vomit frothing at his mouth.

**********

As the player is pulled out of the animus due to a nosebleed, his supervisor joins the dots of the memory he has uncovered. The device must have contained a radiation source, capable of killing everyone within a 200 mile radius. That is what must have killed everyone in Bhangarh and would have done the same in Ayoddha, had it not been for Hari. He wonders if that is why Babur constructed the Babri Masjid atop it, to keep the radiation sealed in.

**********

Bihar, 1530: Khifur Miia convenes a meeting of the Indian assassins to discuss their future course of actions. They agree to find the devices before Khusrau and his men do, for they are clearly not suited to use them. Khifur asks Hari to make short work of Farid and retrieve the maps, to which Hari severely disagrees. He makes it clear that the Mughals are unwittingly in the pockets of the very men who will kill them and are also not suited to be trusted with the devices. On the contrary he trusts Farid and believes him destined for greatness. And to out-maneuver Khusrau's men with the Mughal empire's resources, they'll need an empire of their own. Not all agree, but they decide to give Farid a chance.

Later, Hari infiltrates the grand birthday of Jalal Khan, the son of the late Bahar Khan. He is discovered by the regent of Bihar, Farid Khan aka "Sher Shah Shuri". Sher is glad to see him and the two start discussing the developments they've made. They unlock the book and discover what the devices are capable of: engines of death, epidemic and disease.

***********

Bengal, 1534: With Babur's death, Humayun's tumultuous reign has started.

Hari finds himself in Gaurbanga, looking for the third of the eight devices of death.

He meets up with Sasaram Pathak and is pointed in the direction of Susunia. Pathak tells him that this goblet might be the treasure sought after by many Tantrik cults, and they might have collected clues already. So they stake out the cottage of the infamous "Aghori" Tantriks and locate their leader: Rudrahara. Hari isolates Rudrahara, only to have a bunch of dacoits crash the party. Turns out they are after the treasure as well. The dacoits take Pathak hostage, so Hari yields. The tantriks hand them a strange idol of Goddess Kali, that is suppose to lead them to the treasure. Rudrahara admits that they were going to sacrifice a human and smear its blood on the idol, to get it to open up. The dacoit leader takes him up on the idea, but wonders who would make a good sacrifice. They bring Hari to the stake and sharpen their blades, but just then Pathak points out that the idol is shaped oddly, like the insignia on Hari's armband. Just then, King Pala's men surround them. Hari and the dacoits engage in a curious fight to defeat them. The dacoit leader is impressed with Hari's ability to incapacitate the men without killing them. He surmises that they were looking for him, as he is a most wanted criminal. He asks to tag along, and Hari agrees hesitantly. Pathak brings the Kali idol's hands down in the shape of the assassin's insignia, and the idol splits open. It shows them the path to an abandoned temple. Once there, they overcome more odds to find the goblet. As Hari uncovers it, the lights blind the dacoit. He is disappointed not to find a treasure, but decides to learn from Hari the way of the assassins. Hari agrees that he has the skills, but he has to leave his practices behind. The dacoit agrees and Hari swears him upon the assasin oath and gives him a new name: Raghu.

On their way back, they notice the governor,Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah's fleet preparing to sail to Bihar. Raghu explains that Sher Shah Suri has sprung a coup upon Jalal Khan, and Shah is sending reinforcements to help Jalal. Hari asks if Raghu's men are ready for battle.

Surajgarh, 1534: Khifur Miia warns Hari to not help Sher Shah in this battle, but Hari refuses. He admits that the Mughals are best suited to rule India, but not as long as the devices exist. Khifur Mia accepts the arrangement Hari is hinting at. And so the Indian assassin's, Raghu and his dacoit converts and Hari head on to Surajgarh fort to help Sher Shah. Sher Shah is glad to see them and remarks that this is Amir Khusrau's doing, manipulating Jalal Khan into eliminating the assassin's stronghold. But he promises to help the assasins in every way he can, should he survive this crisis. And so the siege of Surajgarh begins, with catastrophic consequences. The assasins help in turning the tide of war, but Sher Shah also proves his military mettle to no end.

Hari finally confronts Khusrau on the ramparts once again and after a fierce battle, kills him. Khifur Miia sustains too much damage and dies from his wounds

But after five days, Sher Shah beheads Mahmud Shah and cuts down their flag from the fort. And with Hari by his side, he hoists a new flag, a tiger leaping though the assasin insignia. And so begins a new era in Indian history, a new partnership and friendship.

The assasins help Sher Shah defeat Humayun at Chausa and Kannauj, and retrieve two more devices in the aftermath. And then comes Malwa, where Hari convinces Sher Shah to betray long time allies: Puran Mal, who was the new chief of Ashoka's order and ran a trafficking trade of women and children. It would be one of the last battles Hari and Sher Shah would fight together.

**********

As the player completes the Animus session, he is left wondering how Sher Shah lost his empire if he had been helped by the assasins. And what happened to the remaining devices, how were they disposed. The supervisor asks him to not to prod, as he might not like the answers. But the player sneaks in layer to access Hari's last memories.

********

Kalinjar Fort, 1545: A hawk flies over the ramparts of the highly guarded fort, as cannon fire and smoke fills the skies. The tiger and assasin insignia flies high on the end of the fields. A lone assasin stands atop a fort minaret. As the Hawk passes over him, he takes a leap of faith into a haystack below. And then makes his way slowly into Sher Shah's camp. Heated arguments can be heard, as commanders quarrel. Sticking to the shadow, the assasin wipes a tear off his face and inches closer to the center of the bustle. And then Sher Shah's voice is heard as he sends his commanders to fetch the mortar. He himself puts in the gunpowder and is aiming the Canon, when the assasin drops a smoke bomb and inches closer to Sher Shah. Sher Shah places a hand on his shoulder and says: "Hello old friend, haven't seen you in forever." Hari looks him dead in the eyes with tears in his own, stabs him with the hidden blade and lights the cannon. As Sher Shah is left grabbing for support, Hari leaves saying, "Goodbye, you deserved better. Don't forgive me."

The Canon blows up, taking Sher Shah with it as Hari puts on his hood and disappears into the smoke.

*****

Agra, 1643: An elderly assassin overlooks the transport of several marble boxes into the inside of a mausoleum being built on the banks of the Yamuna. The Emperor approaches him and says, "Baba Birbal, is that satisfactory?"

The assasin smiles and assures Emperor Shah Jahan that he has done the country and the world a great debt. He remarks in passing to some Hariharan Punditji, that his work is now complete.

[ramajmedia]

The Leftovers: 10 Storylines That Were Never Resolved

Despite having had its grand finale in June of 2017, The Leftovers left a big impression on fans. The scintillating series aired for a full three action-packed years, from June 29 of 2014 and during this time included many intriguing, suspense-filled narratives.

RELATED: Where Are They Now: The Leftovers Cast

These were centred around police chief Kevin Garvey and his family, and their struggles to adapt to life after The Departure. Problem is, some of these storylines were never quite resolved. Here are just 10 storylines from The Leftovers which were never fully resolved before the series' grand finale in June 2017:

10 Remaining questions over the series' main theme

The Leftovers is a fascinating glimpse into what it might be like for those ‘left over’ after the occurrence of the Biblical rapture. In the story, on October 14, 2011, 140 million people vanish into thin air. This is a full two percent of the world's population. No one can say where they have gone to. Have they gone to Heaven, or is there a special place reserved for ‘The Departed’? And what about ‘The Guilty Remnant’? What will ultimately become of them? While Scripture offers an answer to this, such an answer is never fully presented in bold technicolor.

9 What is Kevin's resurrection secret?

The character of Kevin appears to be completely resilient to everything set against him. Viewers of the series are never given a clear answer or resolution as to how it is that Kevin keeps resurrecting back to life. Can his resurrections be explained away by science?

Did he really survive all those multiple drownings? Did John's bullet miss his vitals? Scriptwriters never fully resolve the issue of this miraculous feat of coming back to life again, and again, and again... is it that he is just incapable of dying?

8 Questions over Mapletown

At the series’ conclusion, many viewers were left wondering what really became of all of the residents of Mapletown, New York. The show made a shift from Mapletown to Jarden but viewers were left with big questions. What happened to Lucy Warburton and did she ever find out the secrets of Kevin Garvey?

RELATED: Hunger Games: 10 Storylines That Were Never Resolved

Then there is Aimee. What happened to her after the series shifted its focus to Jarden. Also, the Frost twins. These storylines never seemed fully resolved and fans are probably still wondering...

7 The future of Kevin and Nora

The series ended with things looking good between Kevin and Nora. However, if past behavior is a predictor of future behavior, then things aren't looking as good as might seem for the couple into the future, as both don't have the greatest track record of sticking together (or to anyone else, for that matter) for too long.

They entered their relationship with lots of baggage and grief and if they are to make it, this will mean overcoming quite a lot. Their story remains unresolved with the series' end.

6 What happened to the guilty remnant?

The series' conclusion doesn't answer what happened to the Guilty Remnant after the drone attack which caused a shaking explosion. We know that at the end, Evie was standing outside the building after the drone attack and that she might have somehow survived, but it is hard to say.

RELATED: Mad Men: 10 Storylines That Were Never Resolved

What can be concluded is that it definitely wasn’t a gas explosion. For one thing, there were visible drones, and for another, Meg was seen smoking- and if it was gas, the cigarette would have ignited it.

5 What did Nora shout out?

As the waters of the LADR Device rose over Nora's head in the series finale, she shouted something out. Fans of the show will never know what. More than likely, viewers were made to believe her words were something along the lines of, 'Stop!' but later she revealed she actually did go through, making it unlikely she shouted out 'Stop!'. This narrative was never fully explained and many fans still wonder what exactly transpired in the waters.

4 Who is the tiger?

Faithful viewers of the show The Leftovers are never completely let in on who exactly the tiger is in the Siegfried and Roy analogy. There are bound to be many questions around this. Was this analogy linked to Meg and to the Guilty Remnant? This seems plausible. They are surely the ones who betrayed Evie? Or does the 'tiger' refer to the government, whose agents drone attacked the building. Fans might not be quite sure of this or even around the motives behind the drone attack.

3 The identity of Sarah

Who is Sarah? Some fans believe her to be a counterpart or alternate identity of Nora. Could this really be true? There are many indications of this and what’s more, the intricate, complex storyline lends itself to countless possibilities. Even the name Sarah seems to have some Biblical significance, with Sarah being the mother of the patriarchs and children of the covenant of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel who is the author and initiator of the Rapture around which the series revolves.

2 The Great Flood

Remember Kevin's father, as he sat on the roof of a house, waiting for a flood which never arrived? Viewers probably remember him sitting with his son, asking in all sincerity, "What now?" when the Great Flood he anticipated did not come. There was never any clear resolution to this storyline and fans are left wondering whether he was able to recover from his ordeal and find refuge from what seemed to be voices speaking to him in his head. The non-existent apocalypse he anticipated never arrived but did he manage to put his life back together, accepting it could be a beginning for him and not the end.

1 Laurie's will to live

Fans might have been left wondering about Laurie and her intended suicide. It is related to viewers that she never killed herself, however, questions remain as to what really transpired on the diving expedition during which she had intended to take her own life. What caused her to change her mind? Was it her children calling her which tweaked her conscience and awoke her to the dreadful reality which would ensue should she end her life? This was never fully resolved during the series.

NEXT: Frasier: 10 Storylines That Were Never Resolved

source https://screenrant.com/the-leftovers-unresolved-storylines-plotholes/

[goldeagleprice]

Bowers on collecting: The birth of the Lincoln cent

By Q. David Bowers

Collecting Lincoln cents from circulation and putting them in blue Whitman folders is the way that most people discovered numismatics from the 1930s down to the 1970s or so. The hope was to find a rare 1909-S V.D.B. or 1914-D Lincoln cent. By the 1970s most cents in circulation were of the Lincoln Memorial reverse type. Older cents called “wheaties” were mostly removed from circulation and were worth two cents each in large wholesale lots. Today, “wheaties” are hardly ever seen. The only hope of finding a valuable cent is the 1969-S Doubled Die, an obscure variety that has not inspired many people to search.

Among older Lincoln cents there are two that are very historical and very affordable. The first is the 1909-V.D.B. cent from the Philadelphia Mint. The second is the 1943 zinc-coated steel cent made at the three mints.

As to the birth of the Lincoln cent, this week I give a few comments:

1907 G$20 Saint Gaudens (Roman, ultra high relief, wire edge) Gold (fineness 0.9000), 34 millimeters, 33.436 grams, designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Hover to zoom.

President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905 commissioned Augustus Saint-Gaudens, America’s most famous sculptor, to redesign all circulating coins from the cent to the double eagle. In failing health the sculptor created designs for just the $10 and $20 that were made in coinage form. In 1908 the $2.50 and $5 were redesigned to the Indian Head type by Bela Lyon Pratt. Then it was the cent’s turn

On January 30, 1909, a note was sent from the Treasury Department to the editor of The Numismatist:

President Roosevelt has given his consent to the placing of the head of Lincoln on one of the popular coins. He conferred today with Director Leach, of the Mint, and details are now under advisement. Victor D. Brenner, the New York sculptor, has submitted to the director some models of Lincoln busts, and these have been shown to the president. The head of Lincoln will adorn one side of the coin and the customary coat of arms the other.

It is probable that the half dollar piece will be selected as the principal coin to bear the Lincoln head, but some legislation may be necessary to make the change.

Subsequently, Director Frank A. Leach wrote to The Numismatist:

Nothing has yet been decided upon in relation to the proposed issue of a coin bearing the head of Lincoln. The matter is only under discussion.[1]

However, by this time models had been submitted to the Engraving Department at the Philadelphia Mint, and the staff was busy at work on a new coin, not yet identified as being of the cent denomination. Originally a reverse was proposed featuring a design with a single sprig in the center, inspired by the French two-franc piece. Another idea proposed the standing figure of Miss Liberty, also modeled after a French coin. These were rejected, and a reverse depicting two symmetrically-arranged wheat stalks was used, these being stylistic and modern, rather than from nature.

The March 1909 issue of the same periodical told of progress, under the title of “Lincoln to Appear on Cent.” It was revealed that “several months may pass before the long familiar Indian cent will be displaced by a proposed new issue which will have for its main device the head of Lincoln. The designs for the coins are the product of Victor D. Brenner, and since their acceptance, Mr. Brenner has been kept very busy making the suggested, slight but time-consuming changes. . .” The dies were cut by Henry Weil, of New York, using Brenner’s models. Brenner was a well-known sculptor and, I believe, was the first designer of a federal coin to be a member of the American Numismatic Society.

The July issue of the same magazine noted:

Coinage of the Lincoln cent has been in progress at the Philadelphia Mint for some time. The number of one-cent pieces coined in June, 22,213,575, are believed all to be of the new type. No advance coinage of the Lincoln cent has been made at any of the branch mints. It is not believed that any of the specimens, except a very few for inspection by government officials, have left the custody of the chief coiner.

The final mintage was  27,995,000. At the San Francisco Mint, 484,000 were struck

On August 2, 1909, the first Lincoln cents were released into circulation. A mad dash ensued, and all available pieces were quickly scooped up. In the same month The Numismatist related:

Notwithstanding the advance coinage, the demand for them in Philadelphia was so great that only a limited distribution was made to an individual. Banks were supplied with a portion of their order; at the mint two specimens only to a customer; at the Sub-Treasury 100 was the most anyone could purchase.

Newsboys and others, taking advantage of the interest in the new coin, obtained them in hundred lots and found customers at from 2 for 5 cents to 25 cents each.

A rare 1909-S VDB cent, with Brenner’s initials at the base of the reverse.

All was not well with the new cents. Although this was not heralded in publicity, in honor of the designer the initials V.D.B. were visible at the bottom of the reverse for all to see. Soon a controversy arose concerning the initials. Some said that as Brenner had been paid for his design, what he did was strictly as a workman, and no recognition was needed. Others said that the letters were too prominent, and that few knew what the possibly cabalistic notation meant.

Complaints were registered, and demands were made that the letters be dropped. All of this defied numismatic tradition, for in 1907 Augustus Saint-Gaudens boldly signed his new $20 piece with his ASG monogram in the obverse field. As far back as the days of ancient Greece, artists had signed their names to dies, sometimes in full, as with KIMON on certain silver decadrachms of Syracuse. Within memory, James B. Longacre’s initials, J.B.L., appeared on nearly all of the gold coins of the second half of the 19th century, continuing to 1907-1908.

The Mint bowed to these complaints and removed the V.D.B. initials. Today, the Philadelphia Mint 1909 V.D.B. coins are readily available in any and all grades from well-worn to gem Mint State, the last usually with original orange color, either full or partial. Luster varies from frosty to matte. We are all fortunate that this very short-lived type, certainly one of the greatest “story coins” in American numismatics, is the most affordable of all early Lincoln cents. There should be room for one in every collection, as this is at once a landmark coin and inexpensive.

The obverse of a 1909-S VDB cent.

In contrast, the 1909-S V.D.B. cents are rare and expensive—well worth owning, of course, but more in the realm of the Lincoln cent specialist.

[1] Apparently, the final decision to use the cent denomination was made in March, per the Report of the Director of the Mint, 1909: “New Design for the One-Cent Piece: With the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury the new design for the bronze one-cent piece was adopted in April 1909. On the obverse, the head of Lincoln appears instead of the Indian head which this piece had borne since 1864. The engraver of the mint at Philadelphia was instructed to prepare dies, and coinage of this piece was commenced in May. . .”

❑

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

         Comments

The real question is what they will make the reverse look like ... by John Q. Coinage

[topworldhistory]

Royal brothers and sisters have squabbled through the ages—often leading to war.

When family members are also co-workers, things can get messy. This is never truer than in royal families, where the interplay of private passions and public displays of affection or dissatisfaction are broadcast on an international stage. While some royal feuds remain minor, others in history have become so dysfunctional, they’ve led to major wars.

Cleopatra's Family Feuds

Cleopatra

By the time the legendary Cleopatra VII was born into the ruling Ptolemy dynasty of Egypt around 69 B.C., the family already had an incestuous, murderous history. For generations, sisters had killed brothers, mothers had gone to war with their children, and sons had murdered their parents. 

“After a while the butchery came to seem almost preordained,” writes Stacy Schiff in Cleopatra: A Life. “Cleopatra’s uncle murdered his wife, thereby eliminating his step-mother (and half-sister) as well.”

The last of their line, Cleopatra and her three siblings continued this bloody family tradition. On the death of their father around 51 B.C., Cleopatra and her brother, Ptolemy XIII, were married and assumed the Egyptian throne as co-rulers. This forced partnership quickly fell apart, and by 48 B.C., Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra were engaged in a brutal civil war against each other. In the midst of the madness, their younger sister, Arsinoe IV, also claimed the throne for herself.

Cleopatra did not take her sister’s betrayal lightly. “It is unlikely that she underestimated her 17-year-old sister,” writes Schiff. “Arsinoe burned with ambition; she was not the kind of girl who inspired complacency.”

Arsinoe soon banded together with Ptolemy XIII and together the siblings launched the Siege of Alexandria against Cleopatra in the winter of 48 B.C. But Cleopatra then gained a secret weapon—the all-powerful Roman leader Caesar, with whom she began a personal and professional relationship. Together, they routed her siblings at the Battle of the Nile, in 47 B.C.

Ptolemy XIII

Ptolemy XIII drowned in the Nile shortly after his defeat. Arsinoe was captured and paraded through Alexandria in golden shackles, before being exiled to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus.

Her triumphant sister, Cleopatra, now in control of Egypt and Caesar’s heart, soon married her younger brother Ptolemy XIV.  Ptolemy XIV then died in 44 B.C., likely poisoned by Cleopatra, and the queen made her infant son co-ruler with her as Ptolemy XV Caesar.

But there was still the problem of Arsinoe. According to Schiff, Cleopatra’s younger sister rallied enough support in Ephesus to have herself proclaimed queen of Egypt. “Her feat speaks both to her tenacity and to the fragility of Cleopatra’s position outside her country,” Schiff writes, “certainly the two sisters despised each other.”

This prolonged family feud finally ended in 41 B.C., when Cleopatra’s great love Mark Antony ordered Arsinoe killed on the steps of the Temple of Artemis. “Now,” wrote one chronicler, “Cleopatra had put to death all her kindred, till no one near her in blood remained alive.”

William the Conqueror's sons

There is only one civil war in history that can trace roots to a chamber pot.

When William the Conqueror, the first Norman King of England, died in 1087, he left Britain to his middle son William Rufus instead of his eldest son Robert. William had long been in conflict with the charming, combative and dissipated Robert (known as Robert Curthose, perhaps for his short legs).

William Rufus

According to an account by Orderic Vitalis, a Benedictine monk who wrote chronicles of 11th and 12th centuries, Robert had been at odds with his father since 1077, when William Rufus and their younger brother Henry had dumped a full chamber pot over his head. A brawl ensued, and their father broke it up, but refused to punish William Rufus and Henry. Robert was furious and staged a failed attack on the castle of Rouen in retaliation.

This family feud lasted for years, with Robert fleeing to Flanders, fighting his own father in combat. They were finally reconciled in 1080, but not surprisingly, their relationship was strained, and Robert spent most of his time abroad. When his father died, Robert was left the lesser prize of Normandy. He gathered a rebellion against his brother, now King William II, but it failed when Robert failed to appear in England.

Instead, he went off to crusade in the Holy Land. On his way back in 1100, he was informed that King William II had died—and that his young brother Henry I had claimed the crown.

Robert Curthose

From Normandy, Robert raised an army and headed across the channel in July 1101. “Robert headed towards London and was intercepted by Henry at Alton in Hampshire,” writes historian Richard Cavendish. “Henry persuaded Robert to renounce his claim to England in return for a pension of 3,000 marks a year and the abandonment of any claim on Henry’s part to Normandy. It was agreed that no action would be taken against the Duke’s supporters.”

But Robert had been deceived. His brother stopped sending the pension and invaded Normandy, restless after years of Robert’s mismanagement. In 1106, Henry beat his brother at the Battle of Tinchebray. Robert was imprisoned for the next 28 years. “Woe to him that is not old enough to die,” he wrote during this long captivity.

Robert finally died in 1134, in Cardiff Castle, at the ripe old age of 80. Henry I died the following year, victorious over his brother even in death.

Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots

When Mary I finally inherited the throne of England in 1553, she had endured a lifetime of disappointments, heartbreaks and slights. The only child of King Henry VIII and the Catholic, saintly Catherine of Aragon, she had been the beloved heir to her father’s throne for much of her childhood. 

Mary Queen of Scots

But after Henry’s passionate affair and subsequent marriage to the Protestant-leaning Anne Boleyn, her world was destroyed. She was ripped away from her mother, stripped of her royal title and forced to curtsey to her new half-sister, a small redheaded baby—Princess Elizabeth.

Her new stepmother was particularly cruel to young Mary, and the impressionable teenager stored away these insults for the rest of her life. After Anne Boleyn’s execution in 1536, Mary’s status was restored, and she appeared to become fond of her now motherless half-sister Elizabeth.

READ MORE: The Wildly Different Childhoods of Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots

But their tortured familial history was only part of what would make this ceasefire temporary. “Relations between elder and younger sisters are often difficult—particularly when there is an age gap of seventeen years, as there was to be between Mary and her half-sister Elizabeth,” writes David Starkey in Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne. “But fate also cast them as opposites in appearance and character and opponents in religion and politics.”

With the vehemently Catholic Mary’s accession in 1553, all her old bitterness rose to the surface. Though Elizabeth had ridden into the city of London with Mary for her coronation, their relationship quickly soured. Elizabeth was now the “second person” in the kingdom—young, charismatic, confident and Protestant.

READ MORE: What Inspired Queen 'Bloody' Mary's Gruesome Nickname?

Elizabeth I

In 1554, the Wyatt Rebellion was launched in reaction to Mary’s unpopular plan to marry the Catholic King Philip of Spain. Leaders of the rebellion planned to put Elizabeth on the throne, and Mary believed that her sister had been part of the plot. Elizabeth was arrested and sent to the ominous Tower of London, the same place her mother had been executed decades before. “Oh Lorde!” she cried. “I never thought to have come in here as prisoner!”

Once in the tower, Elizabeth wrote her sister a frantic, rambling letter, her usual composure lost to fear:

I pray to God the like evil persuasions persuade not one sister against the other, and all for that they have heard false report, and the truth not known. Therefore, once again, kneeling with humbleness of heart, because I am not suffered to bow the knees of my body, I humbly crave to speak with your Highness, which I would not be so bold as to desire if I knew not myself most clear, as I know myself most true.

The letter did not have its intended effect. Mary was further enraged by this letter, feeling that it lacked the respect she deserved. However, she did let her sister out of the Tower after three weeks, and Elizabeth was sent to Woodstock under house arrest. Here, she etched a short poem into the window of her prison with a diamond:

Much suspected by me,

Nothing proved can be,

Quoth Elizabeth prisoner

Elizabeth was finally pardoned a year later, and the sisters resumed a strained but cordial public relationship. Only four years later, in 1558, Mary died during an influenza epidemic, and Elizabeth started her glorious reign.

Viciousness at Versailles

Louis XVI

From childhood, the clumsy, well-meaning Louis XVI of France was often overshadowed and outmaneuvered by his malicious younger brothers. Stagnant and bored at the court of Versailles, Comte de Provence and Comte d’Artois spent much of their time stirring up gossip about their hapless older brother.

Left to their own devices, the brothers often engaged in petty arguments, occasionally in view of the whole court. Soon after Louis’s marriage to the young Marie Antoinette in 1770, the former Austrian archduchess—from a large family of brothers and sisters—found herself frequently breaking up embarrassing fracases between the brothers.

“With her experience of family life,” Antonia Fraser writes in Marie Antoinette: The Journey, “Marie Antoinette began to act as peace-maker between the sparring royal brothers, Louis Auguste and Provence. On one occasion when the clumsy Louis Auguste broke a piece of porcelain belonging to Provence and the younger brother flew at him, Marie Antoinette actually interrupted the fight...”

Louis XVIII, Comte de Provence

With their accession to the throne in 1774, Louis and Marie Antoinette’s inability to produce an heir became fodder for his brothers’ taunts. After his own marriage, Provence was also unable to consummate his union. “None of this,” writes Fraser, “stopped the wily Provence from dropping hints about his wife’s condition whenever he could most conveniently bait his brother and his Austrian wife with their own failure.”

The brothers also encouraged the rumor that the graceful, fun-loving Marie Antoinette was having an affair with the equally high-spirited Artois, a complete fabrication. This assault on their brother’s fertility reached a breaking point in 1778, with the birth of Princess Marie-Therese. According to Fraser, at the child's baptism, the Comte de Provence argued that the "name and quality" of the parents had not been formally given. 

"Under the mask of concern about correct procedure, the Comte was making an impertinent allusion to the allegations about the baby’s paternity," Fraser writes. 

As tensions rose in France, his brothers’ increasingly conservative, reactionary politics caused constant problems for the moderate, placating Louis XVI. Both Provence and Artois escaped France with their families during the revolution. After their brother’s death, both men eventually got what they had perhaps always longed for—the chance to be king. After the fall of Napoleon, Provence reigned as Louis XVIII from 1814 to 1824. Artois followed as Charles X from 1824 to 1830, before he was deposed.

Napoleon's Relations

"My relations," Napoleon once said, "have done me more harm than I have done them good."

The fallen Emperor had reason to be bitter. In Napoleon’s eyes, he had raised his large Corsican brood, consisting of Joseph, Lucien, Elisa, Louis, Pauline, Caroline and Jerome, to the status of royalty. He had given them titles, put them on the thrones of kingdoms, and made them rich. In return, Napoleon had expected blind loyalty from his siblings. He should have known better.

From the start, not all of Napoleon’s brothers and sisters held him in high regard. His younger brother Lucien hated him from childhood, believing that he was a bully and a megalomaniac. Writing to his older brother Joseph in the early 1790s, he listed all Napoleons faults, noting, "He seems to me to have a strong liking for tyrannical methods; if he were king, he would be a tyrant, and his name, for posterity and in the ears of sensitive patriots, would be a name of horror."

The brothers and sisters of Napoleon Bonaparte his Consecration in 1804.

Once Napoleon took power in France, Lucien was banished to Italy for marrying a woman whom his brother did not approve. The rest of the Bonapartes continued to bicker—united in little but their hatred of Napoleon’s wife, Josephine. In response, Napoleon taunted them with the honors he bestowed on Josephine and her children. One night at dinner, he continually addressed his stepdaughter Hortense as Princess, just to anger his sisters. According to Theo Aronson, author of The Golden Bees: The Story of the Bonapartes, "Caroline burst into tears. Elisa, who had a better grip on her emotions, resorted to shafts of biting sarcasm and long haughty silences."

The dysfunction reached a fever pitch in 1804, when Napoleon crowned himself Emperor. His sisters and sisters-in-law were appalled that they would have to carry the hated Josephine’s train in the ceremony at Notre Dame. Joseph said he would move to Germany if his wife was so dishonored. Eventually, the women begrudgingly agreed—only if their trains were also carried.

The siblings were also jealous of each other. Napoleon made Joseph King of Italy and Sicily, Jerome King of Westphalia, and Louis King of Holland. Upon learning that Elisa had been given the principality of Piombino, Caroline quipped, "So Elisa is a sovereign Princess, with an army of four privates and a corporal."

After his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon turned against much of his family. "I love no one, no, not even my brothers," he once said. "Joseph, perhaps a little; and if I do love him, it is from habit, and because he is my elder." 

Stewing in exile on Saint Helena he realized he had made a mistake by putting his siblings in positions of power. "If I made one [of my brothers] a king,” he muttered, according to Aronson's account, “he imagined that he was king by the grace of God. He was no longer my lieutenant; he was one enemy more for me to watch."

from Stories - HISTORY https://ift.tt/2Nb51Fd January 10, 2020 at 09:12PM