#like of course maya can handle it. there was never any question of that. the question is was that REALLY the best time to be dropping it on

[cornertheculprit]

Mia: ...Phoenix.

Phoenix: Mia...! Umm... H-How is Maya doing!?

Mia: Physically, I'm not worried. She'll recover completely. But emotionally, she's been hurt very badly by this case.

Phoenix: I-I see... ...! You don't mean...! She's learned who Elise Deauxnim really was?

Mia: ...Yes. I went to the medical office and talked with her. I told her everything I knew.

Phoenix: ...But why?

Mia: Maya is stronger than you think... I knew she could take it... All of it.

i was thinking about this exchange and specifically mia's line of "maya is stronger than you think" and it kind of got me wondering if it was a moment where mia actually kind of misjudged phoenix's feelings on the matter. because phoenix DOES think maya is strong! even if he doesn't admit it out loud (because he's a moron):

Maya: ...And then you look at me, and, well... I'm the daughter of the Master, but I'm still just a little girl. And on top of that, I'm the suspect in a murder trial.

Phoenix: (Um... But I think you're really strong too, Maya, for all you've gone through...)

it may just be how i was reading it but phoenix asking "but why?" was not a question of whether maya was strong enough to take it but rather a question of "she's physically and mentally exhausted and we just saw her collapse on the ground from channeling dahlia's spirit for so long. why would you tell her that the person she saw get murdered right in front of her was her mother NOW." and yes i do think part of it was because phoenix wanted to hide it from her for a little while longer because he wants to protect her and hiding things is his go-to for pretty much everything but it was never a matter of him not thinking she's strong enough to take in the information. and yknow i think something else to factor into this is that in recent years phoenix has spent much much more time around maya than mia has. because mia's dead obviously i know that but also even before that...at the beginning of turnabout sisters one of the things maya mentions right off the bat is that mia hadn't called in a while. she was getting more and more distant. and meanwhile maya has been hanging around phoenix for almost three years now and spent the seven months between aa2 and aa3 staying with him instead of living in kurain village. even all the way back in aa1 it was to phoenix that maya admitted the heartbreaking thought that she wished she'd never woken up from being tased at all. and it's interesting to me how it seems like in this instance mia looks at maya and sees the strong little sister she left behind who can take anything the world throws at her and phoenix looks at maya and sees his best friend who CAN take anything the world throws at her but who has already been through so much and who he doesn't want to see suffer anymore. because he saw her crying in the detention center more than once he saw her admit she never wanted to see a knife again after 2-2 he saw her in the aftermath of morgan's betrayal and in the aftermath of the engarde trial and everything else. and the different perspectives they seem to have really do affect how they treat her.

[leadoutlap]

pullpin pacific rim au sneak peek

The moments after your first drift will be rough, Lewis had warned her, that day in his pilot’s room after her victory in the Jeddah sim competition. Fatigue. Muscle cramps. You might get a migraine. And then, of course, there’s the velcroing. 

Doriane stared in confusion. “Velcroing?”

Lewis cocked an eyebrow. “An aftereffect of the drift. Susie hasn’t told you about it yet?”

She shook her head. Lewis sighed.

“Once a neural link is established, it takes a while for it to fully break. You can fall out of sync, yeah, but the connection is still there. It’s just, you know, weakened. Even once you exit the drift, it’ll be a bit before the link fully degrades.”

Doriane didn’t move. Lewis’ tone was measured, careful, calm—even more so than usual. There was something he wasn’t telling her.

“I don’t think I fully understand what you’re getting at here,” she admitted. 

She’d never seen the man this uneasy. Sir Lewis Hamilton was a seasoned veteran with seven Category V kills under his belt. He’d been breaking sim records while she was still in the womb. He could field questions from beat reporters and Defense Corps officials alike with a level of poise Doriane could only aspire to achieve someday. And yet here he was, floundering under the gaze of a twenty-year-old rookie who hadn’t even drifted with another pilot yet.

Lewis shifted in his chair, glancing at her, out the window, then back to her. 

“What I mean is that once you leave the drift, it might be difficult for you and your co-pilot to, er, stay separate. Physically, I mean. The residual link triggers a desire for… proximity.” 

“What exactly do you mean by proximity?”

“Well, it’s different for everyone,” Lewis explained. “Depends on the pair. I’ve got it pretty easy with George, we just need to stay in the same room. I had it a lot worse when I was still piloting with Nico… But that was a long time ago.”

Lewis coughed, and Doriane could have sworn she saw the faintest hint of a blush creep onto his cheeks.

“Regardless, it really just depends on the bond between you and your co-pilot. Do you know who yours is going to be?”

Doriane shook her head, a little embarrassed.

“Not yet,” she confessed. “Susie’s still putting us through compatibility trials.”

“Ah,” Lewis said, nodding. “Any idea who you think you’ll end up with, then?”

Doriane shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. Maya, maybe. Or Chloe. I think the Al Qubaisis will end up together, though.”

Lewis chuckled. “Yeah, I’d have to agree with you.”

There was a moment of silence. Then, Lewis spoke.

“I’m surprised that you didn’t mention Abbi.”

Doriane felt a shiver run down her spine. She grabbed her water bottle and took a swig, trying to act natural and failing miserably.

“I don’t think it will work,” she said. “We’ve been jockeying for first in the sims all spring. You can’t drift with someone who’s constantly trying to come for your position.”

Lewis sat back in his chair. His gaze seemed to pierce right through her.

“I wouldn’t say it’s that simple,” he said.

Doriane fidgeted uncomfortably, cursing her lack of resolve. After an agonizingly awkward silence, she stood.

“I, uh… I think I should probably head back to the Academy,” she muttered. “They’re probably wondering where I’ve gone.”

“Oh, I told Susie you were with me,” Lewis assured—but Doriane was already gathering up her things, shrugging her jacket back onto her shoulders.

“Look, I–I just need to leave.”

She strode towards the door and was just about to reach for the handle when she suddenly stopped, burning with shame. Who the hell did she think she was, talking to Sir Lewis Hamilton like that? Was she out of her mind? The most accomplished Jaeger pilot of his generation had invited her over to congratulate her on her win and here she was, acting like a petulant child.

Breathing in, she turned back to Lewis. He showed no signs of having been offended by her outburst, but then again, he had spent decades in front of cameras and being hounded by journalists eager to criticize his every move. His poker face was better than most.

“Sorry, I…” she started, then shook her head. “I, uh… Thank you. For inviting me over. And for telling me about the, uh, velcroing.” The word still felt unfamiliar on her tongue.

Lewis merely nodded. 

“It was my pleasure,” he said. “Most pilots don’t like to talk about it. It’s a bit… Well, it’s a bit embarrassing, isn’t it?”

Doriane nodded. “I guess so.”

“Have a good evening, Doriane.”

“You as well, Lewis.”With that, she pushed open the door and plunged back into the blazing heat of the Jeddah Shatterdome, the words proximity and Abbi swarming in her head like locusts.

[summercreolefanfictioner]

romantic feel by feel || helen and maya

@nutaella-kookie I only have 6 words for this summary: saint maya, pray for us all (new readers can refer to maya's masterlist for more info)

Expertise and knowledge: things that Helen took pride in when it comes to the flirting department... until a storm in the name of Shuu fucking Sakamaki came along.

Helen has dated tons of guys before—the nerd, the secret creep, the lonely, the romanticist, the one who needs ego boosting, manchild—basically every guy you can think of. Heck, she even studied all too well how to handle them all properly because Helen is not Helen if not for her prowess to attract men and make them beg for her attention with their 'sincere' "I fell in love with you"'s and sweet nothings.

But Shuu—oh my fucking gosh—this man has tested her patience (she might sound like Reiji right now but she didn't care).

It wasn't like Shuu's the most terrible man she ever met since the day she was born. It's just that he was really hard to pin down. Like Helen tried everything to turn situations and make him act romantic (even a tiny bit) on her. But it all ends up with her forcing it out of him or swallowing her pride and begging for his attention. And as much as Helen didn't mind it, she yearned for that day when she can finally manipulate Shuu to do his bidding.

Hence why she was currently sitting by the bar counter, watching Maya prepare a mushroom soup with puffed pastry on top. To be honest, Helen can just browse about the recipe online and call it a day, but the thing is, she needed to have some sort of excuse to ask Maya for help. Besides, her pride is on the line here.

Don't get her wrong, though. Helen and Maya have interacted plenty of times, especially when Helen drops by the manor or whenever they pass by each other at school. However, they don't hang out as much because Maya's purple gremlin husband has been hogging her 24/7. Furthermore, Maya doesn't frequent nightclubs like Helen does because according to Shuu, the vampire doll pukes at the scent of alcohol for some unknown reasons.

Anyways, what started this whole fiasco is when Maya told her once that she wanted to reenact this one library scene from the romance manga she was reading where the male lead catches the female lead off guard by suddenly holding her hand from the other side of the shelf. Of course, Maya asked Kanato about it, and surprisingly, he agreed. That moment made Helen rake through her mind any plausible reasons on how Maya did what she was trying to do with Shuu for a few years now.

Like seriously, how in the name of heaven did she pull that shit? And with Kanato, of all people?!

"Helen-san."

Helen was snapped from her thoughts, blinking away to recognize the present where Maya was staring at her blankly, hands dusting off the leftover dirt on her apron.

"Oops. Sorry 'bout that."

"Why are you apologizing, though?" the doll inquired, turning to the oven to set the timer for the puff pastry. "I am not mad at you or something."

Once done, Maya ripped out a page from her notebook and handed it to Helen. "You can also refer to that recipe for your future reference."

Helen took the paper with care, folded it neatly, and placed it in her purse along with her never-ending receipts. "Thanks."

Silence.

It seemed that they were only waiting for the puffed pastries to come out just fine since the soup had already been made. And with that, Helen decided this was the right time to ask Maya indirectly about her dilemma.

"Maya-chan."

"Hm?"

"I wanna ask something." Maya gave Helen a questioning look, to which the ballerina added, "Ah, no worries. This is not difficult."

"Okay."

"So..." Hmm... where should I start? "It's not that I am being nosy or anything, but... how do you ask Kanato out on a date?"

Maya stared at her blankly, and even though her face was void of any emotion, Helen could feel that she was looking at her like she had asked that stupidest question ever.

"I-It's okay! There's no need to answer if you don't—"

"Now that you mention it, I have never asked Kanato out on a date."

Helen suddenly felt her world stop at that, repeating Maya's words in her head.

"... never asked Kanato out on a date."

Never. Asked.

NEVER. ASKED.

"... oooooka—wait, hold on! How do you go on dates if you don't ask him out then?"

"To be honest," the vampire doll was a bit reluctant to explain, "I have no idea we were having a date until he told me we are going out on one."

Helen just made a face of understanding even though she found Maya's answer completely unhelpful. "Ah. Okay."

And then there was the silence again, followed by the 'ding' of the oven signaling that the puff pastry was ready. While Maya was taking out the soup, she asked, "Is there a reason you're asking that question, Helen-san?"

"Nothing, in particular, I guess." LIES. "I just remembered someone... uhh... asking me for advice and... uhh..." Another lie. "I wanted to think I gave the right one."

Even though I am the one seeking advice here.

Maya only shrugged in response, preparing the two soup bowls in front of Helen until she stopped in her tracks, realizing their whole conversation.

"Are you asking me how you can get Shuu-san to be romantic with you?"

And at that, Helen immediately jumped from her seat and held Maya's shoulders, not minding if the doll was startled a bit by the contact.

"YES! YES! YES!"

"Umm... Helen-san, I am confused—" Because I should be asking you about that.

"You see," the ballerina started, already at her wit's end and eyes filled with desperation, "I've tried everything, like everything! And nothing seemed to work. That's why I have to ask you about your secret," and she whispered the last part, "even though this pains my pride."

"Eh? What secret? But I am not flirting with Shuu-san, though." Deep inside, Maya is already thinking, I hope Kanato is not around, or else he'll misunderstand things and skip to his imagination again.

Oh, boy, she's already hearing his voice yelling in her head like the troublesome gremlin prick he is: 'Are you flirting with my older brother just because he is your legal guardian? Is that it?'*

"Of course, I am not referring to that blonde guy," Helen clarified, and Maya found herself sighing in relief. "I am referring to you and your husband."

"What of it?"

Helen frowned. "Remember when you prepared soup for me the other day here in the manor?"

"And?"

"You told me you asked Kanato to reenact that library scene in one of your romance mangas," she explained slowly, and then... "I expected he would reject you, only for you to tell me HE DID WHAT YOU ASKED HIM TO!"

Now, Helen's half-screaming all her frustrations on the poor vampire doll like a punching bag.

Helen-san's wrong. Kanato only held my hand for a few seconds, but he traveled up his fingers to the inside of my elbow. Not that she needed to know that.

"Like seriously, how is that purple freak romantic to you, huh?!" She swore she could rip her hair out here and there. Then she remembered, "But he and Shuu are still brothers, right? There's got to be some way!"

Maya was only quiet, fingers under her chin as she contemplated Helen's words. "You're right."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Shuu-san and Kanato are brothers, and both of them are closed-off." Helen's face lit up at that, only for Maya to bring her down by adding, "But Kanato is really romantic in nature despite his personality. Shuu-san is never romantic in any way, though."

Helen exhaled. "So there's no way?"

"You are not listening to what I am saying, Helen-san."

Now Helen was quiet, waiting for Maya to continue.

"Shuu-san and Kanato are brothers," Maya repeated. "And as such, there's no need for you to do anything at this point."

Helen gave her a dumbfounded expression. "W-What? So is that it? There's nothing I can do? So I'll just suck it up until he flirts back at me?"

Maya let out a breath of frustration, which was rare, so Helen immediately straightened and zipped her mouth shut, remembering Shuu's words. ("Don't piss that doll off. She might look frail, but she's scarier than both Kanato and Subaru.")

"The only thing you can do is do nothing," Maya said. "The six brothers are all sadistic in their own ways, and they love controlling people. That's why you must let Shuu-san do whatever he wants and make him think he has power over you."**

"Are you sure about that?" Helen asked, wondering how applying this advice would turn out. There's an underlying fear that she's treading on something she shouldn't.

"I would not be alive and married to Kanato if that wasn't the case, Helen-san."

And over the next few weeks, Maya received tons of missed calls and texts from Helen. When she opened her phone, it said:

"IT WORKED!"

"🤯🤯🤯"

"OHMYFUCKINGGOSH IT WORKED"

"THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYA-CHAN!"

"🙏🙏🙏"

"I OWE YOU ONE"

"❤️❤️❤️"

NOTE:

*refer to the shuu x maya relationship post

**maya's way of controlling kanato is the same as his, as stated in this post

[trulytiredhermit]

Evelyn, oh Evelyn, Maya and Anya absolutely love to mess with her, but you could clearly see that they would fight their whole lives to protect each other, especially Evelyn.

You miss the way she latches on to you for comfort, because with her by your side, you just know that you aren't alone, and that you could do this, if only to protect someone.

She is quiet, and shy most of the time, but honestly, you think that out of everybody in the group that you four formed, she seems to be more comfortable with you than anybody else.

She knows her limits very well, but sometimes she doesn't even know her limits because she never tries to cross those limits, she's cautious, that's for sure, and while you're happy that somebody like her is your friend, sometimes you wish that she wasn't.

Because you didn't want this to happen to her in the first place, she must be alone and scared and you couldn't be there for her..

Just absolute perfection once more. Seriously this is just *mwah* 🤌 chef’s kiss.

And the thing about Evelyn knowing her limits yet also NOT being she’s afraid to test them, amazing. And in a new world where there are so many new, and dangerous things, Evelyn is going to be ever more wary to test her limits and will want to latch onto Reader even more.

Also Reader starting to wish that they hadn’t been friends with any of their friends simply because then they would have been safe, just yes. Reader is definitely going to go through some heavy self-doubt and questioning whilst searching for her friends.

And of course, like the Anaya ask, should Reader ever meet up with Evelyn the Chain are for sure going to have a problem with Evelyn’s clinginess. I mean yeah, they can be quite clingy too, but that’s because Reader is their darling and they’re just showing their love and appreciation for Reader.

Plus, they obviously appreciate and care for Reader more than any of Reader’s friends so they’re the only ones who should be allowed to get close to reader.

Thankfully, they’ve handled people like Evelyn before. Really, all they’ve got to do is bring Evelyn to a little safe house and tell her to stay out. Perhaps, even put the idea of leaving Evelyn at a safe into Reader’s head. That way Evelyn is more inclined to go along with it.

And why wouldn’t Reader agree with Evelyn staying at a safe house. They don’t want Evelyn to get hurt out in the wild and they know how scared Evelyn can get at times. Plus, Reader is most likely thinking about how Evelyn and the rest of their friends would be far safer away from them (especially if the Chain’s yandere tendencies are appearing more frequently).

Of course even if the chain’s tendencies aren’t that much (yet) Evelyn, with her overly cautious personality, may still be able to pick up on the Chain’s antics and true intentions. She may even try to warn Reader about it, unless the Chain bully/intimidate her into silence.

[tricksheart]

DAD ! Akira Headcanons because I love jumping on bandwagons.

Not the type to smother his kid / kids. His parents were always grilling him and not letting Akira have breathing room, always asked questions day in and day out because they are a detective and reporter respectfully. Of course he is not going to be fully detached, Akira just likes giving his kid / kids a little space, since he values that a lot.

Would totally say a lot of dad jokes, especially the 'Hey hungry, I'm dad' meme. Also would love the memes like the 'Boogie woogie woogie' one that his kid / kids would make of him. Akira helps his kid / kid's fashion sense too, saying that one meme of 'not dressed like that you aren't' meme when doing so.

Since Akira is either going to be an actor or a professional racecar driver, unless he marries Haru in which they open up a cafe, he's not going to be home a lot or there is going to be a bunch of paparazzi to deal with but he's going to protect them the best he can when it comes to the negatives towards his job like annoying fans.

Tries to keep his persona stuff close to his chest but if his kid / kids asks him about it, he's not going to leave them in the dark like his parents did. Although, there is some things he will leave until they are a little older to handle some of the truths, like the reality they are all living in is not the original one.

Akira lets his kid / kids visit Maya, his mother, a lot. However, he keeps them away from Katsuya, his father, because their own father/son relationship is still very rocky. It's going to take a lot of pestering from his partner and/or his kid / kids to make him agree to even a telephone call.

Very supportive of his kid / kids and would never take the other person's side, no matter what. Is a fiercely protective if the force tries to take away his kid / kids for any reason and will fight tooth and nail to always protect them from anything.

Takes his kid / kids to the movie theater to watch movies. Akira is a film buff and really loves the cinema and hopes that his kid / kids do as well. Also teaches them how to cook and bake, since the latter he enjoyed doing when he was younger and still had a decent relationship with his own father.

He's a little hesitant on having pets, besides Mona, but would allow his kid / kids to either raise a rabbit, hamster, fish, hedgehog, gecko, or turtle. However, Akira is not going to be the only one taking care of it, so his kid / kids will have to take more responsibility to keep it.

Akira loves video games, so he would be the parent that encourages that for his kid / kids and also plays co-op games with them to spend time together. He also watches anime and cartoon with them when he has the time to do so.

He gives food he doesn't like to his kid / kids if they like them. But for those that Akira and his kid / kids don't like they try to give them to someone who does, all the while complaining how gross these foods / drinks are during this.

Brings his kid / kids to visit all his confidants, even though he isn't in Tokyo anymore. And if someone is living outside of Japan, Akira will fly with his kid / kids to meet them. Also takes his kid / kids to Hawaii and Okinawa since those two islands are something special to him for all of the memories of his youth.

Due to his low blood sugar, Akira would be the parent that would have a whole bunch of snacks on hand and would be the one preparing meals at home when he could outside of his work.

Doesn't really know how to handle children at times but tries his best since he does love and care for his kid / kids a lot and hope they don't have to go through trauma or persona related things like himself in the past.

Will take his kid / kids to Sanrio Land or Destiny Land once a year for a family outing. Unless they want to go somewhere else but when they are young, Akira will take them to these destinations.

[maya-matlin]

Out of curiosity

How do you think Tori reacted to things like Zoe coming to degrassi and being best friends with Tristan since west drive was her and Tristan’s favorite show, how she reacted to Zaya living together, Zaya eventually dating, Zig cheating on Maya, Zig Tristan and Maya being in the bus crash, Tristan being in a coma, and Maya’s suicide attempt?

Oh wow, that's kind of hard to answer. It all depends on the person Tori would have become during her last three years of high school and if Maya and Tristan were keeping in touch with her the entire time. I do think she loved her friends and would hate the thought of anything terrible happening to them. My gut is that Tristan is more likely to have kept in touch with Tori than Maya. Simply because Tristan was Tori's childhood best friend while things got complicated between Maya and Tori over Zig. It was easier to be friends in the aftermath of Cam's death with Zig not really being part of the friend group. But once there was some distance between them, it's hard for me to imagine the two maintaining much of a friendship. Even though Maya was overall a good friend to Tori, the betrayal with Zig would realistically still linger on some level. Of course, I don't know how the writers would have handled it had Alex Steele chosen to stay. Sorry. I typed a lot, but answered none of your questions.

In the case of Zoe coming to Degrassi, I imagine Tori would have been psyched and kind of starstruck from afar, insisting that Tristan give her every detail about what Zoe's like. But because Tori wouldn't physically be around to get to know Zoe, any positive feelings would probably be replaced by anger and dislike once she finds out about the cyberbullying. If Tori and Tristan are still in contact when he and Zoe become good friends, I'd assume Tori would have mixed feelings. It's just difficult to know whether she'd call Tristan out on being disloyal or take more of a neutral stance. As for everything Zaya, I doubt she'd be entirely happy about it. Zig was Tori's boyfriend first. Just because Tori was aware there was an attraction between Zaya even before the cheating doesn't mean the double betrayal didn't hit hard. So, definitely mixed feelings. Tori wouldn't be around to continue her friendship with Maya or see how Zig has evolved, so I imagine her feelings towards Zig would stay about the same. She'd know he's overall a good guy and be glad he's treating Maya right. Until he doesn't, and then there's probably some "once a cheater, always a cheater" thoughts. If Tori continues to be friends with Maya and Tristan from a distance, I doubt she'd ever be super pro Zaya even after they're back together for good.

I have no idea how Tori reacts to the bus crash, Tristan's coma, and Maya's suicide attempt. Badly? I imagine she'd be pretty fucked up over it if she knew, though there's only so much that can be done unless she visits. I'd assume she at least saw Tristan at some point during his coma. I feel like Tori would try to reach out to Maya after the bus crash, but Maya's depression would have prevented their contact from getting very far. I doubt she'd make keeping in touch with Tori a priority. Zig might get a text if they still had each other's numbers, but I think it would basically be "I'm glad you're alive/Thanks, I appreciate that." Maya and Tori might renew their friendship somewhat after Maya's suicide attempt, but both would be in their senior year and about to go in different directions. They'd probably be friendly, but their relationship would never be what it once was. I hate that I sound so negative about the Maya/Tori friendship. I just feel like the reality of only being close for a year and the way Zig came between them before means they wouldn't have much long term potential as close friends. With Tristan, there's a better chance of consistent communication if he stuck with it. I don't feel like Tristan ever felt the same resentment and complicated feelings towards Tori than he did with Maya, so I feel like their dynamic as old friends would stay pretty pleasant.

[bewitchingfanfiction]

MCYT (2022/06/06)

The SBI meetup was supposed to be fun. They had so many ideas planned for videos and such, and had gone out to get some supplies for the different things they were going to do.

But while they were at the mall, of course one of them had to get recognized.

Except it wasn’t in the typical way.

It was much, much worse.

“Hey, it’s Tori! I know that pink hair anywhere. Tori, over here!” Techno actually froze mid-step at the name, feeling sick in his gut.

Phil, Wilbur and Tommy, who had been chattering away, brought their conversation to a halt to look around in confusion for whoever had yelled out.

They didn’t know Techno’s deadname, he never bothered to share it, because he was Techno now.

“Oh my gosh Tori, its been so long! Are these your friends?” A girl was hugging him, if he remembers correctly her name was Maya.

He cringed a little in the hug. “Hey…Maya…”

She practically jumped in shock. “Whoa- your voice is super deep! Hey wait, your face is kinda funny…”

“No way, it’s actually Tori. Girl, I haven’t seen you since out little make out at the lockers.” An arm was around his neck now.

Techno winced. “Jesse…” He remembered that day. That day he was slammed against the locker and kissed and just locked up.

He hadn’t wanted it. But it happened, and he wasn’t gonna cry about it now.

The final friend of theirs walked up, hands shoved in his pocket; Zack. “Ey, its been years, how’s life treating you, Tori?”

God he couldn’t stop flinching at that stupid name.

Phil, Wilbur and Tommy were still shell shocked, unsure of what to say or how to handle the situation.

Jesse’s eyes widened when he spotted them, grinning widely. “No way, let me guess, the one with the beanie is your boyfriend, he seems like your type.” He winked.

But the assumption nearly made both boys in question let out a genuine gag. Wilbur was like his goddamn brother, and the idea of him being anything else made Techno’s skin crawl.

And what the hell did he mean by type? Techno didn’t even have a type.

“Why don’t you guys give him a little space? Can you not see you’re stressing him out?” Tommy snapped, finally breaking out of his stunned trance with annoyance, crossing his arms.

Techno couldn’t even hide his relieved smile when Tommy spoke up for him.

Maya’s eyes widened in disbelief. “He? Tori what did you tell them?”

“Are you still going around claiming to be one of the guys?” Zack cackled at the idea. “Oh man, you guys should’ve seen Tori here back in high school, she used to absolutely destroy any guys who tried to grope her, all while declaring she was a guy.”

Techno’s face flushed a little at the reminder. Back in high school he’d been forced to wear skirts as part of the uniform, and the boys had no problem taking advantage of that.

But Techno had only put up with it for so long, until finally when a boy tried to grope his chest and he had grabbed the guy by his throat and shoved him into a locker for it.

Naturally he just got the reputation of being the type who ‘played hard to get’.

Phil scowled at them. “For your information, he’s trans. So, he’s a boy.”

“Pfft, come on, you don’t really believe that do you?” Jesse smirked, his arm still dangling around Techno’s neck like he fucking owned him or something. “Trust me, there’s tits under these layers.” He poked Techno’s chest, as if to prove his point. “I’d know.” He grinned at the memory.

But the action caused multiple reactions. Techno faced a deep red and covered his chest with his arms as Tommy yanked him away from the guy, all while Wilbur had taken the chance to punch Jesse in the face without hesitation.

Jesse tumbled to the floor in pain, people nearby were stopping to watch the scene. “WHAT THE FUCK-“

Wilbur grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him up to his face, glowering dangerously when he made eye contact. “If you ever even dare to look at Techno again, I’m going to toss you each into the fucking garbage bins, and if you’re lucky I won’t strangle you first. Get out of my sight.” He dropped the man.

His actions caused the three to look at him with mild terror, scrambling away from him, muttering about how he was a crazy possessive boyfriend or some other gross shit.

Wilbur spun on his heel to see Techno collapsed on his knees, struggling to breathe as he rested against Tommy, who was holding him up. Phil was trying to console him but Techno couldn’t seem to focus on anything.

“Tech? Techie?” Wilbur knelt down on the floor in front of him, relieved that the people watching them had dispersed when the three ran off. “You okay?”

Breathing heavily, Techno’s hands curled into fists, grabbing fistfuls of Tommy’s shirt as he trembled. “…Not a girl…”

“Oh Techie…we know that.” Wilbur assured him gently. “You’re my brilliant, twin-like brother.” He all but gushed.

Phil smiled weakly down at them. “Yeah mate, you don’t have to prove anything. We know who you are.”

Tommy smiled kindly at him. “Don’t be so sad big man, it’s not like you.”

Techno sniffled a little, still shaking as he slowly let go of Tommy in favor of hugging himself. Despite wearing his binder, a t-shirt and a jacket, he felt like he was exposed.

Noticing his discomfort, Wilbur slipped his jacket off and threw it over Techno’s shoulders, earning a weak smile from the boy.

“Let’s get out of here, yeah?” Tommy suggested as they all stood up. “Let’s have a chill movie night, Techno you can pick.”

Techno zipped up Wilbur’s jacket and grinned. “How about…Frozen.” The others groaned.

“Again? Techno we get it, you hate the movie-“

“And I want the chance to make fun of it again.”

Phil smirked. “It’s his choice boys, now let’s go.”

Everyone headed out of the mall. The three hovered around Techno, almost acting like shields, and he finally felt safe.

[gunterfan1992]

Episode Review: ‘Together Again’ (Distant Lands, Ep. 3)

Airdate: May 20, 2021

Story by: Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang, Hanna K. Nyström, Christina Catucci, Jesse Moynihan, Adam Muto

Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Iggy Craig, Maya Petersen, Serena Wu

Directed by: Miki Brewster (supervising), Sandra Lee (art)

Across Adventure Time’s ten season run, the show explored a bevy of “mature” themes and story ideas—topics, like love, sexuality, depression, and grieving. The show also touched upon death, but the emphasis was usually placed on the emotional toll of a loved one dying, not really what happens when you die. We knew there were Dead Worlds and Death. We knew that there was reincarnation. But how does it all fit together? What does it mean? How does it work?

With “Together Again,” we finally have many of the answers.

This special opens with a marvelous fake-out episode simply called “Finn & Jake,” that sees the two steal a magical cartoon of 50-flavor ice cream before rescuing Turtle Princess and LSP from the clutches of the villainous Ice King. This is all deliberately anachronistic and over the top. Ice King is back to his season one ways, Finn has both arms, and he is still wielding his golden sword that he lost in season two’s “The Real You.” There’s lolrandom dialogue and silly monsters; it’s like a parody of seasons 1-2. But then, this adventure starts to get all wonky, and in time Finn realizes that he is in a some sort of trance or illusion: one that ends with Jake being buried in the ground. Suddenly, Finn awakens from his reverie. He’s an old man. And he’s dead. We’re then presented with a new title card that lets us know the episode is actually called “Finn & Jake Are Dead.”

Holy Glob! They actually went there.

Turns out Jake died years before Finn, so naturally Finn is super excited to see his best bud. But something’s wrong—he cannot find Jake!! They planned to spend eternity together. But all that Finn can find is his very own psychopomp, Mr. Fox (voiced by Tom Herpich, whose purposefully stilted line readings are the epitome of delightful). Finn rightfully assumes that Jake is in a different Dead World, and so, being the ball of spunk and energy that he is, he demands to meet with Death, only to discover that there’s a New Death in town (voiced by Chris Fleming). The episode eventually explains that New Death was the son of Death and Life, and after New Death killed his father, he became the sovereign of the afterlife. New Death hates his job and decides to just blow up all the Dead Worlds so he doesn’t have to deal with it all. (I won’t get too much into the details here, because there would be a lot of story to parse out.)

Finn soon learns that Jake has reached nirvana in the 50th Dead World, where there is nothing but peace and serenity. Finn nevertheless tracks down Jake, pulls him from paradise, but in doing so, accidentally lets New Death in, who promptly obliterates Elysium, sending all the enlightened souls—including those from different levels of the afterlife—to the 1st Dead World. This gronks up the afterlife, temporarily halting the reincarnation process.

Well, Finn and Jake are rightfully ticked, and so they haunt the material plane looking for Princess Bubblegum. She’s not home (more on that later), but Peppermint Butler is! After Ghost Finn and Ghost Jake explain the situation, Peppermint Butler tells them what to do: They need to find Life and explain the situation. The duo manage just that, and Life is rightfully angry that her kid has stopped the transmigration of souls. After Life gives Finn a McGuffin sword that can hurt Death, Finn and Jake return to his abode. A brawl ensues wherein we learn that New Death has been possessed… by none other than that spirit of the Lich.

That’s right, it’s the Lich! He’s back, and boy is he evil.

The Lich explains that by possessing Death, he can destroy the afterlife, thereby destroying a key aspect of reality. Naturally, Finn and Jake are not cool with this, and they engage in combat. After Mr. Fox grabs the McGuffin sword and uses it to annihilate the Lich and New Death, he is proclaimed the New New Death and sets everything right. Finn is slated to be reincarnated, and Jake is slated to return to the 50th Dead World where he and Finn will one day be reunited. As Finn is pulled into the wheel of souls, Jake suddenly decides to go back with Finn, too, “Just for fun.” The episode ends with a card letting us know that the episode is neither called “Finn & Jake” nor “Finn & Jake Are Dead.” Instead, it is “Finn and Jake Are Together Again.”

As they say, “And there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.”

If you were to tell me several years ago that the last episode to star Finn and Jake would revolve around them dying, I think I would’ve been upset. Not simply sad, but rather frustrated because “they all died” can feel like a cheap ending. But with “Together Again,” it all works. And a large reason that it works is because the show goes all in with their ideas. Finn and Jake don’t magically leap back into their old life (no, no, they very much do bite the dust). Instead, the special emphasizes the cyclical nature of life through the transmigration of souls. The episode ends with a beautiful scene of Finn and Jake, bound together as soul-brothers, being reborn into a new, mysterious (possibly Ooo 1000+?) world. It’s both aesthetically and emotionally pleasing; it doesn’t feel off the way over finales might. This is right. This is the way life works. “Round and round as nature goes,” and all that jazz.

I loved the series explanation of how death works. It seems that souls land in a specific Dead World, where they ‘marinate’ for a bit, presumably being rewarded or punished based on their life in our meat reality. After a time, they are then reborn. This process repeats, with each soul reaching higher and higher levels of enlightenment until they hit nirvana, which is the 50th Dead World. So in a sense, Adventure Time has a roughly Buddhist cosmology with a dash of Greco-Roman mythos thrown in for flavor. (As to what happens after a soul stays in the 50th Dead World for a long period is anyone’s guess, but I’d speculate that when all the souls in the multiverse have been purified and land in the 50th Dead World, they will all collapse into one another and form one perfect Monad. Perhaps this is the sphere of perfection that the beings who merged into Matthew thought they were connecting to? Who knows! It’s anyone’s guess!) I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see who Death, Prismo, Life, etc.’s boss was, but perhaps that’s a mystery better left up to the imagination!

One minor thing that I loved about this special was the number of characters who made cameos as well as all the callbacks that were made to previous episodes. Regarding the former: Finn and Jake’s canine family show up (including the oft-forgotten Jermaine!), as do Tree Trunks and her myriad husbands. Tiffany plays a major role in all these shenanigans as a “death cop” of all things. There is a delightful rogues gallery stuck in the 1st Dead World (including, among others, Maja, Sharon from “The Gut Grinder,” and Wyatt). In the 50th we find Ghost Princess and Clarence happily at peace next to Booshy, the weird spirit mentioned in the Pen Ward classic “High Strangeness.” As far as callbacks go, perhaps my favorite is the clap (from “James Baxter the Horse”) that Jake taught to Finn in case they ever do get separated in the afterlife. And of course, there are myriad references made to “Death in Bloom,” the episode that planted the seed for what this would grow into.

Going into the special suspecting that it would involve Death, I was curious how they were going to handle Miguel Ferrer’s character. (In case a reader is not aware, Ferrer played Death in episodes like “Death in Bloom” and “Betty,” but he sadly passed away a few years ago). The producers’ choice to feature him in a non-speaking cameo—despite playing a relatively significant role in the story—was wise; I’m not sure if I can articulate the exact reasons, but something about his role felt appropriate and not gross, as some post-mortem memorials can be. Speaking of which, the wonderful, lovely Polly Lou Livingston was featured for the last time in this episode as Tree Trunks, happily in heaven with her literal harem of husbands. It was funny, it really was, and I’m sure that Polly Lou would’ve gotten a kick out of seeing it on screen. (Also, this is a pro-Tree Trunks safe space. Any Tree Trunks haters will be chucked into the 1st Dead World with Wyatt.)

The biggest mystery in this whole thing, for me at least, is the question of Princess Bubblegum and Marceline. Several years ago, I wrote an essay about what could’ve happened to them in the Ooo 1000+ universe. I speculated that they peaced out and left Ooo behind. In this special, neither Bubblegum nor Marceline are to be found in the Candy Kingdom—Peppermint Butler seems to be the one in charge, given that he is now wearing Bubblegum’s crown. Likewise, the duo aren’t anywhere in the Dead Worlds either. Maybe the two of them skipped town and got a duplex in the Nightosphere? Who knows… I just want my favorite gals to be OK!

All things considered, “Together Again” was a marvel: An episode that managed to feel like a series finale even more than “Come Along with Me” already did without taking away from the series itself. An episode that managed to make the idea of dying funny. An episode that brought back the Lich in a way that wasn’t forced. An episode that made Mr. Fox the New New Death. An episode that gave us a beautiful ending to Finn and Jake’s story… as well as the beautiful beginning to a new one. I said it on Twitter, and I’ll say it again here: “Together Again” was the end of a sentence in a book with infinite pages. Truly, the fun will never end.

Mushroom War evidence: Everything takes place in the Dead Worlds, so not really. Perhaps a more eagle-eyed viewer can inform us...

Final Grade: That’s right, I’m gonna do it...

Post-script, I actually messaged Jesse Moynihan to ask about his writing credit. He told me that it was for an unused story idea that he had developed. I’m not certain, but I’ll bet it was a part of the cancelled TV movie they were trying to make during season 5, since that would’ve seen Finn and Orgalorg journey to the various Dead Worlds.

[shyestofhearts]

Hey Shy, so....

My Period Cramps™ are in full swing and I need some comfort...

Do you have any? 🥺

I have got you covered my friend

First of all: sending you all my good vibes

Now for the comfort! It shall come in the form of lots of headcanons

People can tell if Damian's had a nightmare by the way Titus behaves in the morning, and they make sure to go easy on him those days

Sometimes family pictures/portraits will go missing but they're always put back no longer than two days later

Alfred doesn't ever bring it up because he knows that Damian takes them when he wants to sketch/paint them

Everyone thinks Damian goes to Dick to rant when he's upset: he doesn't

He goes to Duke because as much as he loves and trusts Dick, Dick has a way of trying to solve the issue where Duke will just listen and joke with him about the issue to lighten the mood

Most times Duke will invite Damian to do something after Damian's rant has ended

If it's something that made him ESPECIALLY upset though, like with the whole family? He goes to Stephanie

Stephanie has a similar approach to Duke during these times: listen, make jokes, hang out with Dami. She just tends to make a few more jokes

Stephanie keeps getting Damian more animal friends, Damian does not ask where they came from and Steph does not tell Bruce

They're going to get caught eventually but by then it'll be too late

Maya is the one Damian goes to when he's upset but doesn't want to talk about it

She never asks questions, just takes it in stride and they spend the day together and usually by the end he's either forgotten what he was upset about or he's simply not focused on it anymore and will handle it later

Maya, Jon, Maps, Damian, and Colin all have sleepovers constantly but instead of doing it in the manor where there's plenty of room for all of them, they do it in Jon's backyard in several tents with flashlights and everything

(Occasionally they do it at the manor too but they like to see the stars)

Damian has brought a raccoon into the house on 3 different occasions that the family knows of

Bruce never let him keep the raccoon

However Dick could swear he saw Alfred sitting next to a raccoon, giving it some food once

Alfred denies it of course

If Damian gets (minorly/mildly) injured over something he thinks is reasonable he goes to the cave with the family to get patched up

If he thinks it was a very stupid and embarrassing way to get injured he goes to either Alfred exclusively or to one of Jason's safehouses where he steals the first aid kit

Damian once broke a window and blamed it on Jason

Jason agreed to take the fall but only if Damian promised to tell him what was actually going on because he wanted to know what actually broke the window (+ a few other things they negotiated)

Turns out a few things broke the window, 1 being an animal and another being something Damian had accidentally thrown (lost his grip) + a few more things

Jason won't let Damian live it down

[multiplefandomfics]

Kidnapped

Pairing: Alpha!Bucky Barnes x Omega!reader

Warnings: Dubcon, smut, A/B/O dynamics, age gap, underage, forcefully induced heat, mind control, hypocrisy, breeding kink, knotting, trauma, hydra

Words: 3615

A/N: Hi guys, so this is my first attempt at ABO. I’ve read a lot of those so I hope I’ll get this right. So don’t be too hard on me. And now enjoy.

Omegas had become almost extinct. More and more kids were born who turned out betas and the rest were almost always alphas. So maybe it is easy to understand that when you turned out to be an omega at the age of 17 your value to your mother suddenly skyrocketed. 

Your other siblings were all betas but you were suddenly special. The first heat your body put you through was a terrible strain on your body and took a lot of strength from you. A whole week was spent in delirium between fever and hallucinations. Your mother, a beta herself, had no idea how to help you and asked your family’s doctor for help.

He was very interested in you and your presentation and handed your mother a number to call. 

A week later two very polite men who looked like they had fallen out of a 1940s crime movie, stood in front of your door. 

“Mrs. Y/L/N? You have contacted us to take a look at your omega daughter?” the taller of the two asked.

“Yes. Please come in. We are in desperate need of advice. Her first heat was so terrible and I don’t know what to do if this gets even worse.” The men followed your mother to the livingroom and took the seats offered to them. 

“Our facility is very well equipped and we are very skilled in dealing with young omegas. We would be able to monitor her closely and give her the right suppressants to quell her natural heats.” one of them explained. 

“So you would take her with you?” your mother sounded sceptical. “Would we be able to see her? And when would she return home?” she asked.

The men shared a glance before continuing “She will be able to call once in a while and we will try our best to get her hormones in check and her home quickly.” the man ensured her. 

Your mother hesitated and the men noticed so they changed their tactic. 

“Mrs. Y/L/N. Your daughter is suffering badly and it will only get worse. We are the only ones who can actually help her. There aren’t a lot of experts in the field of A/B/O dynamics left. We definitely are your best shot. And if it helps to convince you, we can pay you handsomely for taking your daughter and giving her a shot at a normal life. How does 250.000$ sound?” your mother almost choked on her tea. “You want to pay me a quarter million dollars for her? You think I would sell my own daughter?” she was enraged, jumping up from her chair. “I want you to leave my house immediately.”

“Consider our offer for a moment please. We could help your daughter and learn from her case and you could finally sell off the mortgage to this house. We know that if you don’t take our money now you will have to move out soon. Do you want to move into a 3 room apartment with 4 children?” They knew a lot about your family which irritated your mother but she also quickly understood that they were right. 

After your father had died in Afghanistan 3 years ago it had not been easy for your family.

As a single mom of 4 and just a part time job at a dentist's office she worried greatly how to make a future for them. The money from the strange men would take a lot of those worries away from her. 

“Maybe you are right. She will come back to us quickly, right?” she asked to quell her guilty conscience.

“Of course, Mrs Y/L/N. She would be back in no time at all. We are very successful in what we do.” the men knew they had her in their grasp. 

“Alright then. I will go upstairs and explain everything to her and then I think it is best when you take her immediately.” she got up and went upstairs.

A few moments later they heard yelling and then crying from upstairs. But suddenly it was quiet. 

Another few minutes later you stumbled down the stairs, cowering behind your mother who held a duffel bag with some of your clothes and personal things. 

“Hello Y/N. How are you feeling?” the taller man smiled at you.

“I’m okay, thank you. So I will go with you?” she asked back. “And you can help me with my biology?” You seemed very innocent to the men and they were sure that you had no idea what your intended purpose was in this world. 

“Indeed we will make you more comfortable with your presentation. You will be able to return home quickly.” they ensured you too.

“Alright then.” you gave in. “Tell Joe, Lea and Maya that I love them and I will see them soon.” you instructed your mother and she nodded with tears in her eyes.

The men lead you to their car. The whole ride was silent. You looked out the window and saw landscapes passing by. The driver took so many turns that it didn’t take long for you to be completely confused and you had lost your orientation. 

The journey seemed to take forever and at some point you closed your eyes and fell asleep. 

You awoke disoriented and confused. You were laying on a bed in a sterile white room without a window but an adjoined bathroom. You sat up slowly to take in more of your surroundings. When you had decided to venture out further you noticed that the door was locked. You were trapped. Panic rose in your veins. What did that mean? Was this a kidnapping? 

Just when you were about to have a mental breakdown the door was unlocked and a man you had never seen before stepped inside. 

“Hello Miss Y/L/N. How are you feeling?” he asked you.

“Y/N is fine. I’m okay but why was the door locked?” you asked hesitantly.

“We didn’t mean to startle you. It was to your own protection. The compound we are currently in is comparable to a labyrinth. We just didn’t want you to get lost. Someone is going to come by later and give you a tour of the rooms you need to know. I am here to check out your vitals and ask you some questions. Is that alright with you?” He seemed nice enough.

“Ehm, yes it’s alright, I guess.” you sat back down on the bed while he took a seat on a chair. 

“Very well, how long ago was your first heat?” Those kinds of questions seemed very personal but after all they wanted to help you.

“My first heat was about 2 weeks ago. It was awful. Hurt so much and lasted about 6 days.”

“Good, that is interesting information. Have you been intimate with a male before?”

You swallowed thickly “No never.”

“So no potential alpha around?”

“No.”

“Good, good. Is someone in your family an omega?”

“No, I am the only one as far as I know.”

“That is quite rare. Normally this is hereditary. I will take your pulse, blood pressure and temperature now.”

After the doctor had left someone came and took you to a room where you were served some dinner.

The night you spent tossing and turning. So many thoughts coursed through your head until you fell asleep of exhaustion. 

You were rudely awoken by the cold neon lights being turned on. They ripped you out of a nice dream and you inwardly cursed them for it. 

“Good morning Y/N. Did you sleep well?” the voice of a tall blonde female doctor- or agent, or whatever, you were still not sure where these people belonged to- reached your ears.

“Good morning. I had some trouble sleeping. I felt somehow on edge. Probably the new surroundings.” you shrugged.

“That is possible. I need you to get dressed. Breakfast is ready and then we will start with your training and testing of different medications.” she smiled and you did as she asked.

Breakfast consisted of fruit and porridge and then they took you into the opposite direction of your room. 

You were led down multiple corridors until you reached a doctors room. 

“Hello Y/N. Please remove your shirt and lay down.” The doctor said. She was the first person in this organization who smelled different than the others you had met. Everyone else had a neutral scent other than her and it wasn’t a perfume but you couldn’t place it and let it go for now.

“So you are an omega.That’s why they brought you to me. I presented as an omega too when I was 16 years old. My biology dictated my life for years and that’s why I am quite happy that we can make it easier for you before it gets too bad to handle.” that explained the different smell.

“I don’t want to sound rude, but you are not on suppressants right?” she shook her head no. “I thought you smelled different. So that’s one of my superpowers as an omega?” you joked.

“Indeed it is. Do you have any more questions?” she saw your hesitation. “Don’t be shy. You can ask me anything.”

“Ehm… well during my first heat… I felt really hot and I had those very explicit fever dreams and then my body produced this… fluid out of my… ehm… you know.” you pointed toward your groin.

“Yes, I know what you mean. When you are in heat your body longs for a mate. Preferably an alpha to satiate your natural urges. The slick that your body produces is only a natural lubricant to make it easier for the alpha to slide in without hurting you.” she explained.

“So my only purpose in this world is basically to mate and give a few children to some alpha?” you asked unbelievingly.

“Not necessarily. We could find the right meds and suppressants for you and you could live your life alone until you decided it was time for a family or not. Your choice.”

“I like the way that sounds. So when do we start?” you asked exited.

“We will start right now. I am going to administer your first shot of a medication which will make you feel better.” 

She put on some latex gloves and prepared a syringe with a clear fluid.

“Alright, don’t move now please. I will give this right into your upper arm muscle.” said done. It stung a little but if that actually worked it was definitely worth it.

“All done. I will bring you back to your room now. These meds need some time to settle and you might feel a little uncomfortable later.” 

When you had arrived at your room she sent you inside with the words -“Someone will have an eye on you the next few hours. I will see you soon.” and locked the door behind you again. For your own protection they had said…

Before you had time to think about all of this your head hit the pillow and you were fast asleep. 

The next time you woke up you were in terrible pain. Your abdomen was cramping and your throat was bone dry. That could only mean one thing: the heat was back. But that should have been impossible. It wasn’t due for another 2-3 weeks. But here you were, sweating, hurting and in desperate need for something you weren’t ready for.

You didn’t even get the chance to get out of bed before the door flew open and two men grabbed you to pull you behind them. You were too weak to fight them when they pushed you into another cell which looked almost the same as yours. Only in that one someone was waiting for you.

The moment you were pushed into the room his eyes shot toward you, almost hidden under his shoulder long brown hair. His nostrils flared as he took in your potent scent.

“Omega.” he breathed and his pupils dilated.

He looked downright feral so you shrunk into the corner next to the closed and locked door. Though he really tried to hold himself together. You knew that he wanted to give into these primal urges the omega in you tried to push you to, too. 

Suddenly he wiped the hair off of his face and you had a first clear glance at his handsome face. And to your amazement you recognized him from your class trip to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. the year before. 

His name was James ‘Bucky’ Barnes and he had fought in the 107th infantry in WWII. He had also been Steve Rogers- or as most people know him, Captain America’s- best friend and later part of the Howling Commandos. The only thing that didn’t add up here was the fact that he was supposedly dead since 1943. 

But you were so sure that the man standing before you was not a ghost as much as you were sure that he was not the same man who had gone to war in the 40’s. 

“James?” you whispered. He cocked his head so he must have heard you but he didn’t know what to do with your question.

“You are James Barnes born on March 10th in 1917. You don’t remember?” you asked in a louder voice.

“No.” he tried to sound secure but you could hear his voice slightly wavering. 

You wanted to help him so you took the risk and stepped closer. It might seem strange, standing in front of this intimidating hunk of a man, and feeling safe. The pain in your body had also almost disappeared. 

“What do you remember?” you asked him. He seemed really nervous by now, always trying to scent you.

“Pain. Missions. Training.” was all he said and you felt really bad for him.

“I am sorry to hear that. Do you want me to tell you everything I can remember about you? Maybe you will gain back some memory. And maybe you can tell me who these people are and why they forced me into heat early.” in that moment another terrible cramp invaded your lower abdomen and your legs gave out. But before your body could hit the ground his arms caught you and he carried you to his bed.

“Mhh omega you smell delicious. Can barely hold back.” he mumbled into the crook of your neck and you felt it too. The tall alpha seemed to somehow soothe the ache inside you but it wasn’t enough. 

In that moment you just let the omega in you take over. You started pulling frantically on his and your clothes until they were lying long forgotten on the floor of the dusty room.

“Need you ‘mega. You’re mine.” he growled at the sight of your boobs.

“Alpha please make it stop.” you whimpered and he growled louder at you calling him by his presentation. 

You let your biology completely rule you and followed your instinct. Crawling onto your hands and knees pushing your face into the pillow and your ass in the air. 

“Good omega. Presenting for your alpha.” his approval made you mewl.

He was quick to get behind you. In this state there was no foreplay needed. 

His right hand grabbed your buttcheek. It was soft and warm. When the index finger of his left hand followed your spine from the neck down you shuddered at the cold metal. 

“Tell me ‘mega, have you ever been with an alpha?” he asked while stroking a flesh finger through your glistening folds.

“No alpha. Haven’t been with anyone.” the realisation that you were a virgin let him hesitate for a second.

“Mhh I’m gonna make that virgin pussy feel so good. You want my cock ‘mega?”

“Yes, alpha please. Make the pain stop.” you begged him.

He took that invitation and slowly pushed the head of his massive length against your opening. “Relax ‘mega. I won’t hurt you.” his pressure got harder and then he slid in. The pain was intense for a moment until he slid in further. It felt like your channel was made for him. 

“Fuck doll you’re tight. Squeezing me so good. Gonna breed you ‘mega. You want that? Me filling you with pups.” he groaned and your channel squeezed him tighter in confirmation. 

In that heat of the moment none of you cared that this might be a bad idea.

He sped up his thrusts and your moans got even louder when he hit that magical spot inside you. 

“Feels so good.” you mewled.

“Come ‘mega! Come for me!” he commanded and something that had waited for his okay snapped. Your pussy clamped around him and he pushed in that bit deeper. His knot popped and he filled you with his cum all the while pulling you up with his metal arm across your chest and biting into your neck hard enough to break the skin, laying claim to you.

When you both had come down from your highs he rolled you over to lay on your side. He was still locked snug inside you and that would probably stay like that for a while. 

“You wanted me to tell you why they brought you here. The answer is for this exact cause. They want to keep me- or rather my alpha- in check. And they want to find out if the serum can be inherited.” he suddenly spoke up after a long pause.

“And do you want them to do that?” your question seemed to shock him a little.

“I didn’t expect that question. No one has ever asked me what I thought. And no! If we have pups I don’t want them to be treated the way I was. We would never know what happened to them.” he said sadly.

“Then let’s get out of here.” His knot had finally gotten down which gave you enough room to turn around.

“How? I may be able to vanish on my next mission but I won’t be able to take you with me.”

“Then play the part. They don’t know that you remember who you are. So when you get out of here the next time you get help and get me out later.”

“And who do you think would help me? A murderer.” he let his head hang low. 

“Steve Rogers. He was found a few years ago and has most recently been working with a group of people who call themselves The Avengers. I know you have the possibilities to find Steve and get him onto your side to help. Until then you will have to pretend you are still the brainwashed assassin they created because if they notice you will be put on ice or erased again.”

“I gotta admit that does sound like a plan. I will try everything in my power to succeed. I promise that I will get you out of here. Unscathed. You are my omega now. That means something to me.” he kissed the top of your head. 

“Thank you- Bucky. Is it fine when I call you that while we are alone?”  you asked him.

“Yes sure. I love when you say my name.” and then he gifted you with one of his rare smiles. 

The next few days were spent almost the same way. Until your heat was down. They took him away from you and you didn’t see him for at least 6 weeks. Hard to keep track of time without daylight.

They had brought you back to your room and you didn’t see any of the old doctors you had seen before your forcefully induced heat. They probably thought you would attack them. 

In week 7 they finally found out that their plan had worked. You were indeed pregnant. Oh, how you wanted to tell Bucky but everytime you asked for him they shut you down.

More weeks passed by. They didn’t tell you anything. Not even about the baby. 

By esteemed week 22 you were able to feel the pup kicking in your tummy and you were talking to him or her. You missed Bucky more and more. Up to the point where you thought they had wiped him again and he had failed your mission. 

One night you were awoken by chaos outside your door. Before you could get up the door bust in and in the frame stood Captain America himself. The relief you felt in that moment could hardly be measured. 

“Captain Rogers. I’m so glad to see you.” you expressed your feelings.

“Good to meet you Y/N.” he smiled at you then spoke into the comms inside his ear “I’ve got her. Room 503. She’s fine.” then he came over and insisted on carrying you out of the building. 

Somewhere on the way to the Quinjet you met Bucky again.

“Bucky! You`re alright! Oh, thank God. I missed you. And I’m pregnant. We did it.” you beamed at him.

“You’re alright too. I love you. Let's get you home.” he took you from Steve’s arms and carried you inside the jet.

A few months later you and Bucky moved into an apartment with your son and daughter.

[parachutingkitten]

The Samurai Swap

Chapter 1: Nya's Problem - In which Nya and Pixal make a very large mistake.

TW: gore

“I am Samurai X.”

The smile beamed from her newly revealed face, now finally able to see her friends without the filter of a mask. Several arms instinctively surrounded her, the first of which being Jay’s, the second of which was Zane’s and a few more that she wasn’t able to identify in all the commotion.

“I knew it was you!” Jay broke away, now excitedly jumping. “I didn’t say it, but I had a hunch!”

“Yeah right,” Cole rolled his eyes, offering her a high five, which she gladly took.

“You look brilliant!” Her father smiled, taking her hand. “Brand new body and everything! It looks fantastic!”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Zane asked, his arms still wrapped around her.

“I didn’t want you to worry about me.” She nervously shrugged.

“Worry about you? You totally saved our butts on more than one occasion this week.” Lloyd broke in. “As far as I’m concerned, you can be the new Master.”

“Temporary Master Pixal, in training!” Kai added, hitting her in the arm.

“Yeah, yeah, this is great and all,” Nya sighed, speaking from behind the crowd. “But what about Wu? We lost him in the time stream. We have no idea where he could be.”

The whole group’s tone shifted, the energy being sucked away in less than a second.

“If I know my uncle, he’ll be alright,” Lloyd assured her. “Wherever he is, whenever he is, he’ll find his way.”

Silence stayed with the team a moment before Cole finally stepped forward.

“Lloyd’s right! We lost a friend today, but we also gained one back. Sensei would want us to do what he taught us and keep moving forward.”

“Hear, hear!” Jay cheered him on.

“And I think we start with this.” Lloyd picked up the reversal blade, its orange glow illuminating the faces all around. “We need to get rid of it. It’s far too powerful, and we don’t know the extent of its abilities. I say we put it back in the boiling sea. You think you two can handle that?” He glanced up at Kai and Nya as they exchanged a look.

“We did it once, didn’t we?” Kai chuckled.

“Good.” Lloyd agreed. “Then we leave first thing in the morning, and we take shifts guarding it tonight. I don’t want to take any chances, not after everything that’s happened.”

“But aside from that…?” Jay broke in.

Lloyd sighed. “But aside from that, everyone deserves to celebrate. You’ve earned it.”

Cheers went up throughout the group, Zane squeezing Pixal just a bit tighter, before finally letting go.

“I missed you so much,” he whispered.

“Zane,” Pixal smiled. “I’ve only been out of your systems for a couple of days.”

Zane took both her hands, bringing them to his chest. “I missed you.”

Her smile softened, her hands gripping his. “...so did I.”

“Pixal!” Kai’s voice came barreling into their vicinity. “I should have known it was you! You’re just as annoyingly perfect in costume as you are out of it!”

Pixal chuckled, pulling out of Zane’s grasp.

“And hey,” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I can’t think of anyone better to replace my sis.”

“You don’t remember what it’s like having both of us on the same com link, do you?” Pixal smirked.

“I am choosing to ignore that right now and assume that the stupidity that used to happen just… won’t happen now.” Kai smiled blissfully.

“You’re right, it’s been what, 5 years since the jet fuel incident? I’m sure we’ve both matured immensely since then.” Pixal winked.

“I make no promises.”

“Hey guys!” Jay’s voice called out to them. “Let’s get back to the bounty! Zane’s making cake to celebrate!”

“I am?” Zane called back.

“You are now!” Cole waved them over as the group headed for the ship. “Come on!”

“I guess I’m making cake now.” Zane sighed, resigned to his fate as they began moving.

“Oh! Can you do your cream cheese frosting?” Kai asked.

“I suppose,” Zane shrugged. “Pixal, you have any requests?”

“I like your cream cheese frosting.” She smiled.

“Cream cheese it is then.”

Pixal’s smile faded, one of her hands still linked with Zane’s as the group quietly continued forward. Everything should be right with the world now that her identity was off her chest. This weight that she’d been holding onto should be gone now - but something felt off. She couldn’t pinpoint what, but there was still some unsatisfied strain of tension left within her. Her eyes instinctively wandered, looking for what it was that was out of place before it struck her.

“Kai, you really think Nya’s okay with… me?” she asked.

He looked at her puzzled. “Yeah, why wouldn’t she be?”

“I don’t know,” Pixal sighed. “I’m taking over one of her creations, it’s strange that she didn’t really address it when I revealed myself.”

“Don’t worry about it!” Kai shrugged it off. “You’ve definitely proven you can take care of Samurai X, and I’m sure she’s excited to have another girl on the team.”

“You’re right, I’m probably just in my head about it,” Pixal shook her head, this nagging feeling persisting with her. Nya hadn’t really acknowledged her while she was code, seemed to antagonize the new samurai X she had created, and hadn’t even attempted to pass on good will to her after she had revealed herself. Her brother approached her before she did.

Something had to be bothering her.

---

“Who is she again?” Ray asked.

“Part of Zane's brain that decided she wanted to be a real girl.” Nya grumbled, taking a swig of milk.

“Zane's old girlfriend who got stuck as code inside his head,” Jay clarified. “So, it was like two brains in one body. Which, I don't know if that's like the ultimate relationship status, or a terrifying hellscape I never want to experience, but either way, it worked for them for like… what, 5 years now?”

“Yeah… I'm still not sure I get it,” Ray shrugged.

“Well, she seems nice!” Maya smiled. “Have you talked to her much? Maybe you could give her a crash course in Samurai X or something.”

“No mom, I’m not really in the habit of training people who try and replace me.” Nya sighed, lifting her glass to take with her as she moved away from her parents and the rest of the celebration taking place inside.

Everything about this felt wrong. This new Samurai X had certainly surprised her when they first appeared but knowing who it was somehow made it worse. Seeing her creation be appropriated by someone else, put it on like a cheap costume as the whole team celebrated, it didn’t sit well with her.

“What’s your problem today?” Jay’s voice came from behind her. “You saved all of space time, is that not enough for you?”

Nya sighed, leaning back on the wall. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have a problem. I’m completely problem-less.”

Jay paused a moment, joining her on the wall, and following her line of sight. “You know, Pix is a really great person.”

“It’s just not right.” She grumbled. “I don’t even know her!”

“Well, maybe that’s your fault.” He gently suggested. “She’s been living with us for years now.”

“Yeah, well, I haven’t been living with her.” Nya sat up. “It’s like she’s been spying on us, quietly observing us, collecting information before popping up again. Isn’t that off putting to you? You’re gonna sit here and tell me that’s not the least bit suspicious?”

“Yeah, it is.” Jay shrugged. “And it would probably make a great plot for a horror movie or something, but this isn’t a movie, this is real life. And that’s a real person over there, who obviously looks up to you. So maybe, just maybe, you should at least go over and talk to her.”

Nya’s gaze turned again to Pixal, slowly transforming into a glare as she thought, all her emotions still furiously stirring inside her.

“No one’s guarding the blade.” She turned to Jay again, holding out her drink. “I’m gonna go watch it for a bit.”

Jay looked at the milk, disappointed. “Nya, honey-”

“Jay, darling.” She pressed, her words now forceful as she gestured the cup towards him again.

Jay sighed, taking it. “Yeah okay.”

And with that, she was gone. Down the hall, and towards the time blade, away from her problem still chatting away in the living room. Jay meandered back to the kitchen, setting down the glass in a pensive defeat.

“You get her out of her funk yet?” Maya asked.

“No,” Jay shook his head, ideas still churning in his mind. “...Not yet anyway.”

---

Pixal could tell that her presence wasn’t welcome the moment she stepped through the door. It wasn’t a great feeling, but it wasn’t a new one either.

“Everything okay in here?” She asked, scanning the room, her eyes lingering on the glow of the reversal blade sitting in its center.

Nya stared at her for a moment, puzzled. “…Yeah.” Her answer was hesitant and questioning. “Who sent you in here?”

“Jay” Pixal answered, still hugging the wall.

“Of course he did.” Nya sighed. “Look, I’m fine in here, you can go back to your party or whatever. I’m sure you’ve already missed like five people telling you how great you are.” Nya rolled her eyes, shifting as they lingered on the blade, waiting for her to leave.

Despite Nya’s insistence, Pixal remained in the room, her eyes narrowing. She was sick of this. Sick of the dismissive tone, and the constant avoidance. She was a real person, with real feelings, and certainly had more reverence for the Samurai X title than Nya ever had. She deserved some respect, and she wasn’t about to let this fickle, arrogant, lowlife deny it from her.

“Did I do something to you?”

“What?” Nya’s attention snapped back to her.

“It’s just, you’ve been really cold to me, and I can’t think of a single good reason why.” She took a few steps further into the room, Nya standing to match her.

“Well, for starters, you stole my stuff, I thought that much would be obvious.”

“It’s not exactly like you were using it.” Pixal crossed her arms.

“It’s my tech!” Nya tensed up, her voice raising quickly. “I made it! I built the cave! It’s my stuff!”

“Yeah, and it was covered in dust, broken down, and abandoned!” Pixal waved her off. “You clearly didn’t care about it anymore.”

Nya pressed her tongue against her teeth for a moment, attempting to stifle her anger. “I made Samurai X with my own two hands-”

“And you forgot about it the moment you became a ninja.” Pixal cut her off. “Are you really going to stand here and criticize me for saving lives?”

“No, but you’re certainly not the best person to be doing it.” Her tone was increasingly accusatory. “I mean, you’ve essentially been a ghost person for years, and now you suddenly want to be put in charge of, not only your own body, but my legacy, and countless innocents? I don’t think so. That’s something you have to earn!”

“Oh, like you earned your powers?” Pixal mocked her.

“Like I earned my place on the team,” Nya corrected her. “Which you clearly haven’t.”

Pixal laughed in defiance. “Five years of dealing with your crap, saving your lives countless times, without as much as a voice isn’t enough for you?!”

“I don’t trust you.” Nya shrugged. “It’s as simple as that. And you think I’m supposed to just hand over my life’s work to you?”

“No, you’re supposed to pass it on,” Pixal pressed. “But you were too lazy to even do that.”

“I don’t know you!” Nya screamed. “I don’t know anything about you!”

“Yeah, well, I do,” Pixal snapped. “And maybe I should have thought twice before attaching my legacy to yours.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?!”

“You know what, you don’t really seem in the right frame of mind to be watching the time blade.” Pixal shook her head.

“Well, I think we’ve established that you’re not exactly qualified to watch it either,” Nya sneered.

Both of their eyes darted to the blade and back, their status quo hanging in the air for a moment. And in an instant, both of them were scrambling towards it. Nya’s hands reached the blade first, with Pixal getting a hold quickly after, the two of them now stuck in a tug of war over the weapon.

“Let go!” Nya screamed, her grip quickly slipping from the edge of the handle she had a hold of towards the blade.

“You first!” Pixal demanded, readjusting her own grip.

“You stupid second rate knock off, just give it to me!”

“Not a chance, you-” Pixal stopped short, the glow from the from the blade growing increasingly brighter.

“What the hell?” Nya’s grip softened for a moment, both of them concerned about the light.

Pixal seized the opportunity, yanking the blade forward, Nya’s hands slipping down, and Pixal’s hands moving up, both towards the glowing blade of the weapon.

“WAIT-!”

But before either of them could stop their momentum, the room was consumed in the orange light, a pulse of energy going through them both. Neither could tell exactly what happened in the moment, but one thing was clear to the both of them:

Something had gone very, very wrong.

And it was definitely their fault.

---

It was cold.

An unearthly, deathly, sort of supernatural cold. It wasn’t just surrounding her, but actively extracting heat from her core. She had never felt anything like it before.

It was dark.

She waited for her eyes to adjust, but they never did. It was pitch black in all directions, no trace of light anywhere.

Nya sat up, a pounding echoing in her head as she tapped around, trying to discern her surroundings. She instinctively recoiled as her hand hit something… wet. It wasn’t water, it was thicker. Smoother between her fingers. Stickier to the touch.

What was this?

Where was she?

She listened for anything that might help her determine her situation. It wasn’t completely silent. There was a definite mechanical hum in the space, and… was it… getting louder?

Suddenly, A bright flash of light illuminated the space, almost like lightning, but brighter and more artificial. And for a brief moment she could see her surroundings, still dark, cold, and mechanical, but there was only one thing she really processed.

Her corpse.

Her own limp, disjointed, misshapen corpse hanging on the wall in front of her. The throat was slit, a stream of blood running down her chest, meeting with the sword sent through her center, affixing her to the wall behind. All of it formed a river of blood, trickling down the walls, and trailing onto the floor.

The flash of light came again as she stared at her hand, untouched by the blood she had so clearly felt between her fingers.

What the hell happened?

Where the hell was she?

And if she was here…

Where was Pixal?

[lovesgonnabe]

Love Is Worth It - Episode II: The Talk

Characters: Chris Evans x Maya Alonso-Evans (Black OFC)

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, cursing, slight Implied smut

Word Count: 2928

Summary: What happens when a dad has to have a tough conversation with a 5 year old about something he may never experience?

Point of View: Chris Evans 

Authors Note: It has been a while since I’ve written so please bear with my rustiness, and there’s slight edits so there may be errors. RIP Chadwick Boseman. 

Disclaimer: This is about to be super dramatic and very fluffy. Also italicized is a flashback.

Taglist: @thesecretlifeofdaydreamss if you would like to join the taglist message me.

Please leave a note and tell me what you think!

I Just Don’t Understand...

As I walk into the house i was having a hard time processing what had just happened on the other side of the door and having a screaming child, barking dog and the anxiety monster on my back isn’t helping.

And I swore I put the heater on but the house was cold and empty.

“Delilah give daddy a minute sweetheart” I told my crying baby girl.

She cried as loud as she could as I sat her down on the couch with a now whimpering Dodger at her feet 

As I paced trying to think, the commotion around me was crippling, I just couldn’t endure the pain my entire body was in, I was in a state of powerlessness.

I’m always prepared especially for moments like these, but at the amount my ability to think was out of the window when I realized i was not mentally prepared for this. Doing the next best thing I called in reinforcements.

the phone rang four times before he picked up “Chris this better be damn important and why is my niece screaming like she’s dying?” Austin said on the other line.

I sighed running my hands through my hair “It’s Maya, she just got arrested in driveway and I don’t know what to do an- quiet down sweetheart, it’ll be alright.” I said.

I sat down on the couch laid Dede on my chest as I tried my best to calm her down, and keep myself together.

“Hold on, What do you mean arrested, what did she do.” Austin asked in shock now giving me his full attention.

Who is Austin you may ask?

Well he is our attorney...

Who also happens to be a prosecutor for the Southern District of New York...

Oh and did mention he’s Maya’s older brother.

Of course I told him everything I knew and then some.

I thanked the heavens when I turned on Frozen and Delilah calmed down to a sniffle, i started to feel like I had some control of the situation.

“That’s some bullshit man, ok listen I’ve gotta make some calls, don’t go to the station, don’t call for her or pick up any calls from the police station, just let me handle it and I’ll text you when it’s taken care of got it?” Austin said

I sighed “Alright we can do that” Austin chuckles “look I know that feeling of being helpless right now, and it’s all gonna be alright, she’s gonna back home tonight, so just relax, this is just something we sadly have to go through, I’ll be over this weekend to check on her” I nodded like he could see me and we hung up.

I took a deep breath and rubbed Delilah’s back and a few tears escaping from my eyes as looked at Elsa save Anna at the end of frozen. I wiped my face because I had to stay strong for my baby girl and I looked down at her.

“Hey Lilah how about some pizza for dinner tonight?” I asked her, nodding her head she wiped her nose mumbling that she was gonna take a bath.

She reminded more and more of her mom everyday from her big brown eyes to her high cheeks and button nose she was becoming just like the woman love.

When she got up all I could think about was when Maya was pregnant with Delilah.

—————

Maya laid on the bed rubbing her belly looking at me with an annoyed look on her face.

“Chris I’m being serious there is going be a day when we are going to have to face the reality that we will have to talk about race relations with our little peanut” Maya said.

I chuckle as i walking out of our connected bathroom leaning against the doorframe looking in adoration of her infatuation with her little belly.

“Babe I understand that trust me I’ve read more how to raise a multiracial baby books than I can count” I said. She looks at me I’m like I’m crazy and rolls her eyes.

“Maya I’m joking but don’t you think its a bit early to having these conversation the baby isn't even here yet babe.” I sighed 

Shaking her head she gets up from the bed “well that was a terrible joke Chris and it's never too early to think ahead especially since, I may not always be around so you have to be one to be prepared.” She said.

She steps in front of the vanity mirror in our room stripping the red satin body hugging dress she wore from our dinner date tonight. I know what she was doing but I couldn’t focus on how beautiful her glow was because of how morbid she was acting.

Walking to her from the door frame, I got up behind her and wrapped my arms around her softly rubbing her belly. “Don’t say that, we are going to be together till infinity you better believe that.” I placed my chin on her shoulder and kissed her check.

She whispered sadly “Chris I do believe that, It’s just statics show that black women are 3x more likely to die in childbirth than white women, I just want you to be prepared” I groaned.

She reminds me that deathening fact at least once a week but I keep my cool stood up straight and grabbed her hands, placing them on her belly while intertwining them with mine.

We caught each other's gaze in the mirror, her pregnancy glow makes me want to make sure she keeps popping out babies. The way her skin glistened under our dimmed lights and how soft she felt under my touch to her sweet smell Lavender, this woman was my world.

“Look I refuse to leave that hospital without you ok. Maya I don’t know what I’d do if I were to lose you” I softly respond 

“Now repeat after me we are going to have a beautiful, healthy, happy baby girl and we are leaving that hospital together.” I say as we held an intense gaze through the mirror in front of us.

She chuckles “I still think our little peanut will be a boy but I guess we’ll find out in a few days” I let out a gut busting laugh. “Whatever you say my love” I kiss her shoulder then the sweet spot behind her ear

I whispered in her ear “maybe we can start you know practicing for that baby boy right now?” 

I stand, slowly pushing her back down bending her in front of the vanity with her hands on the chair, I move my hands to her hip and sent a smack to her ass.

She sucked her teeth “Don’t think you’re slick we aren’t done with this conversation” she moans as I gently rub her clit. I chuckled and got to work.

———————

I concluded that without her no matter how much we’ve prepared there is no way I was ready to handle situations like these especially alone.

By the time the pizza gets here I’ve emptied the groceries from Maya’s car, feed Dodger and changed the movie.

When I came into the kitchen Delilah was on her little step stool gabbing the plates then the cheese and utensils.

I raised an eyebrow very confused as to when my little girl was becoming a big girl.

“When did you become so independent Dede” I said give each of us two slices

She gave me a said smile and said “I just watch mommy do it.” She shrugged

We walk in to the living room and I started Princess and the Frog or Delilah’s favorite movie.

We sat in silence for a bit and then sniffling again she asked “daddy why did they take mommy today”

This is the talk I’ve been dreading it was something Maya and I agreed we’d give her when she was 10 and we’d give it together.

When we talk about it all Maya would say was “you will know what to say when the time comes at least that’s what my mom says”

Yet all I could do was look at those big brown eyes and hesitate, i paused the movie, grabbed her hand and just went off the cuff with what came from the heart.

I sigh “look at our hands do you see any difference?”

She nodded “yeah mommy says she dark chocolate, you’re white chocolate and I’m a cute Caramel, we are all different but we all love the same” 

I laugh, it would be like my wife to be teaching me while she wasn’t here.

We put our plates down and scooted closer to each other still holding hands.

I hesitate again “the thing is sweetheart there are some but not all people in this world and a lot of them are white chocolate like me and they don’t like that mommy is dark chocolate so they do mean things to them like what happened today.” She nodded with her processing the information face.

“Ok daddy but why aren’t more white chocolate people like you, mommy didn’t do anything we just got ice cream.” She asked still somewhat confused with the entire situation.

My little peanut is one of the smartest cookies I know and I forget sometimes that she is still only 5. It pains me to see that she even with how bright she is she is still too young to fully comprehend the severity of the situation.

“That I don’t know but I do know that mommy’s gonna be ok and that no matter what I love you and mommy more than anything In the world” I said with a reassuring smile.

“One more question since I-I am Caramel and not white chocolate like you would that happen to me” she asked.

This is the dreaded question as a father you don’t want to see your kids in pain you want them happy but the reality is that the one thing I’ve learned with being with Maya is  that being black in a white America isn’t easy.

Running my hand through my hair the wrapped my arm around her “It may happen Lilah but mommy and I will do everything in our power to make sure you are ready for those moments, but right now just worry about being a kid and we’ll take care of the rest.” She nodded and I kissed her forehead.

We continued our movie session and sat in silence until the end of the movie when Delilah wanted to watch Moana.

It was midnight on school night but I decided that Delilah wasn��t going to school tomorrow and I let my assistant know to relay the message that I was not coming to set tomorrow. So I turned on the next movie.

Half-way through I got a text from Austin

------------------------------------------------------

                        11/25/2020 12:49am

Austin: Hey bro just got off the phone with the Boston PD precinct Maya’s at she’ll be released in about one hour and she good go

Chris: Thank You, I’m on my way.

------------------------------------------------------

I wanted to cheer so loud but Dede and Dodger were asleep, so I called my parents to drop Delilah off which my mom agreed happily.

After dropping Dede off at my parents who I am still shocked were still awake this late, I headed to the precinct, my body was shaking with nerves. When I got there I parked and rushed inside.

When the front desk lady began speak I cut her off “I’m here for Maya Alonso-Evans” she looked at me like she was gonna scream with excitement but I guess my face said it all.

She escorted me to the back “Chief Demilio will see you now” my hands were sweaty I knocked and heard a come in.

Walking into the office there she sat with dry tear stains on her face, looking disheveled, she ran to me and threw her hands around me as she started to cry some more.

“its gonna alright baby I’m here” I whispered and hugged her back tightly.

“Hello Mr. Evans thank you for joining us we are just wrapping up here, would you like to take a seat” the weird looking man behind the mahogany desk asked.

I ushered her back to her previous seat and I stood behind her placing my jacket on her shoulder as I rub them softly “no I’m good with standing” I say with a menacing face.

He clears his throat and looks at us awkwardly “ok then, on the behalf of Boston PD we would like to  give our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience of this mix up and the officers will be dealt with accordingly.” I raised an eyebrow at his shortness and at the sorry ass apology we were getting.

“Ok so what is going to happen to these officers then?” I ask with my hands still on Maya’s shoulders trying to keep both of us calm.

He smirks “one will be put on administrative leave for the next month and the other indefinitely until we can get this all sorted” he says to us show us the file.

Maya sighs an exasperated sigh looking as if she could pass out right there.

I speak up “that’s it the are getting a paid vacation?” I asked highly confused at this situation.

“The board thinks due to the incidents in this case that this is best punishment we can give them, we know your upset Mr. Evans but you must look at the circumstances” he says talking down to me as my breathing began to pick up.

I chuckled “the only circumstances I see was my wife being falsely accused for a crime that she didn't commit and being arrested in front our 5 year old daughter wh-“ Maya put her hand up cutting me off speaking for the first time since I got there. 

Placing her hand on top of mine “It’s ok Chris I just wanna go home” she got up grabbed my keys out of my hand and without another word walked out and I followed right behind her shaking my head.

She got her things they took before they booked her and we headed to the car, I opened the door for her she quietly thanked me and we started our journey home.

The first 10 minutes was a comfortable silence then I decided to break it.

I grabbed her hand and kissed it “honey you alright?” I know it was an awful question to ask but something had to be said.

She shrugged her shoulders “I am just exhausted right now all I want is food, maybe some sex and a good cuddle with Delilah, did you leave her with your parents” she ask now checking her phone.

I nodded “Dede asked me if what happen to you would happen to her” we were now at a red light and looked at each other.

Maya groaned and rubbed her forehead “what did you say?” She looked at me again

I let out a heavy breathe “I just told her it could happen and that we’d deal with it when she got a little older and that not all people are like the men from today.” I started tapping the steering wheel with my left hand, I was nervous.

she let out a relieved sigh “Ok that works” was all she said and I looked at her confused.

She chuckled “What? You did your best among the circumstances. Isn’t that what the police chief said back there” she rolled her eyes and I laughed at her sly remark.

“There goes my baby. Have you heard from Austin yet?” I ask turning on our street.

Then she laughed “yeah he called me while I was in a holding cell to let me know when I’d be let out.. You know his frat brother is the attorney general of Massachusetts” I chuckled and pulled to the driveway.

Once I parked, I got out and opened her door and she asked me to carry her in, she wrapped her legs around my waist and I walked us into our home.

With her looking at me as I focused on getting us both up the stairs she starts kissing me all over my face “Hey I know you wish you could’ve done more babe but you did what’s most important and that be a father to our beautiful daughter.” She said as we reached our room.

I dropped her on our California King and stood between her legs rubbing her thighs.

She sat up rubbing the hair on the back of my neck “You are the rock to my roll you make me feel safe and today you protected me the best you could, I love you papi remember that” she softly kissed my lips.

Her lips tasted like sin and strawberry lip balm. Her back felt like velvet as I ran my hands up her warm body and into her hair pulling on it softly. As our kiss deepened, her embrace felt like home to me and I would not know what I’d do if had loss her tonight.

I whispered back “I love you to the moon and back my love”

Many people do not agree with our relationship and don’t understand why I’d choose Maya over all the other women I could be with. But this was my choice to make and I wouldn't change a thing. However, for those who disagree with me.

Fuck Them!

[phoenixyfriend]

I am seized by a fatal need for courtroom ninja drama fic

But not serious courtroom drama. I'm talking Phoenix Wright style Nonsense.

(Some of this was provided by the folks over in @sloaners​‘ server, but the bulk of it was me spitballing nonsense at people who actually know the games, which I do not. I do paraphrase a few times to make it more feasible as a tumblr post/fic concept, rather than a rapidfire text conversation.)

Or one of those like. Reality TV paternity test things? But specifically in my mind the people involved in the actual paternity are a married couple and someone that joined them to be their third, and Clan Elders are throwing a fit about how the baby might not be the heir by blood! while the actual parents are like "I could not care less, this is our child, all three of us, please stop getting involved."

HashiMitoMada would be a VERY good option for the paternity nonsense, mostly because I can see Madara screeching at his own elders about how he already said Izuna would be his heir and he's not changing his mind!

Tobirama is just begging the paternity test to work faster off-screen because he's the only person with the machines to make it happen.

(Hashirama is just. Moping in a corner.)

"I just had to INVENT a paternity test that works before the birth! I had to figure out how to test amniotic fluid! If you assholes make me do something this stupid on such short notice again, I will be digging some shallow graves!" "...for who?" "I haven't decided yet."

Anyway, jumping back to like a Phoenix Wright-style murder investigation.

The victim was Danzo. Even the prosecution isn't actually that interested in making sure someone gets arrested, but they're legally obligated to do at least try. A bunch of people all acting really suspicious about who killed him. There is at least one shitty fake mustache-on-glasses disguise to provide a paper-thin alibi.

WAIT The other thing this gives us is ninjas in three-piece-suits but half of them wear the suits wrong. I’m talking mismatched buttons. The wrong way of tying their tie. Sewn-on-cufflinks. This is Naruto, for instance.

Tobirama would wear it properly, except he's rushing about in a lab coat, screaming at everyone to get out of his way because he's The Entire Forensics Team.

(This is the part where I have to confess that I have only seen the live-action movie of Phoenix Wright, as I don't game, so I just have the live action and tumblr osmosis.)

At this point, of course, we gotta ask: Who is the most Belligerent Witness And who is the Helpful™️ Witness that's super enthusiastic but entirely useless

I can see, say, Mito being a solid witness that both defense and prosecution are really thankful for.

Modern gen you have like... Sasuke and Neji are both incredibly belligerent witnesses. Neji at least is polite about it but pulls the "only answers with the absolute minimum of information."

Lee and Gai would have the over enthusiasm but forget to say actual vital testimony until pressed, and Naruto would love to help but might not be entirely sure what the case even is.

Shikamaru falls asleep when the lawyers consult their partners. Prosecution A consults Prosecution B for thirty-seven seconds, then turns around and the witness is asleep at the stand.

Tobi (as in Obito with mask) is an incredibly frustrating witness. They have to declare a recess just so all the lawyers can recover their blood pressure. "Can we please get someone up on the stand with this guy as a handler? I'm--I'm going to explode."

Gaara: Helpful. Polite. Answers with detail. Answers the spirit of the question as well as the letter. Includes more detail. That's too much detail. Gaara please stop telling us about the sounds that bones make.

His testimony just drags on forever.

Ninken can and will take the stand! Pakkun even enjoys it! Some ninken require translators.

ABURAME TRANSLATING FOR A RANDOM GIANT CENTIPEDE THAT WITNESSED A MURDER IN THE FOREST OF DEATH

There are arguments about whether or not the testimony can count since nobody else can confirm the translation except Other Aburame so how do they know the Aburame aren't part of the coverup.

"Okay, so this Danzo guy had like fifty shell companies but I think I found the route that leads back to him?" "Nah, that one goes to a guy that died eighty years ago that's still collecting pensions: his family lied and said he was still alive for the money." "Fuck!"

Also I just. I love the idea of Sasuke and Madara being the exact opposite kind of belligerent witness.

Also, Orochimaru answers with pretty much the exact kind of wording as Gaara, but where Gaara is trying to be helpful and provide detail for the sake of the case, and failing to see that it's maybe not necessary, Orochimaru just wants to see people squirm. ...similar thing happens with Sakura and Kabuto. Similar phrasing, very different energy.

I keep picturing all of Team Taka as part of Forensics and Evidence Collecting ajshakshjd

Juugo, holding up a rabbit: I found a witness.

Karin joins forensics and Tobirama nearly weeps from joy until he finds her criminal record "Shit, that was supposed to get thrown out when I turned eighteen."

Tobirama: I asked for an assistant, not a criminal. Karin: I'm on parole. Tobirama: That makes things worse. Karin: I know how to use a [concerningly advanced machine that I, a business major, cannot name]. Tobirama: ...never mind, I'm keeping you.

Karin: I know how to DNA sequence AND use LA-ICP-MS Tobirama: [weeps with joy]

Suigetsu would be great at blood splatter analysis. ...I think I read somewhere that blood spatter analysis is actually over in 'fake science that's pushed by cops and media but actually doesn't work' BUT apparently it’s in the Ace Attorney games so we’re going to ignore reality a bit. We’ve already got dogs and rabbits and centipedes as witnesses, what’s a bit of blood spatter?

He's also probably really good at cause of death stuff? Like looking at corpse and figuring out how long it took the victim to die, which blow did it, whether any damage was inflicted post-mortem, etc.

Sasuke is usually too busy playing Belligerent Witness but sometimes goes to join Taka for... uh... reasons.

Juugo: [takes the stand] Lawyer: Hey, uh, why's that Uchiha guy with him? The witness-- Judge: No, no, we need Uchiha Sasuke on hand when questioning Expert Animal Handler Juugo. Lawyer: ...why? Judge: Property damage.

(Sasuke as a work partner with Juugo, also moonlighting as a witness/suspect in Danzo's murder.)

One time they need Juugo but can't find him even though court is already in session and he said he'd be here, turns out he was lured away by Kakashi's army of dogs. Kakashi didn't notice until he turned to ask Pakkun if he could help find the missing expert.

Juugo is a decent lab assistant, I think?

Anyway.

Tobirama taking on Team Taka as his forensics team while Orochimaru is... hm... traveling the country to promote his new autobiography, which is outselling the newest Icha Icha to Jiraiya's ire.

Sloane suggested “a case where it's all the Sannin as suspects in a murder. They would be THE WORST, say... the murder of Hanzo.”

To which I suggested “The Sannin are all suspects but the people on trial are the Ame trio, maybe?”

Which garnered the response of “It could be a surprise upset IN COURT that the trio should be on trial.”

We love a court upset.

Suigetsu finds out that the cause of death was actually an entirely natural heart attack, but while he was determining this, the rest of the team and the lawyers found like eight conspiracies by Zetsu, three by Danzo, four by Orochimaru, and an entire network of nonsense by Sasori.

INO IS THE PSYCHIC. I know her thing in canon is reading minds but pls. Ino is Maya. The Spirit Medium.

Is the judge: 1. Hiruzen 2. Hashirama 3. Hagoromo 4. Mifune 5. The Daimyou

(Old dude with authority, optionally easily distracted/questionably competent. I'd have gone for impressive facial hair but only Mifune and Hagoromo have more than like... Hiruzen's weird soul patch.)

It's not a soul patch but I don't know what facial hair is called and I can't just call it a goat beard

Response commentary was as follows: The Daimyou would unfortunately be closer to the personality of the ace attorney judge, more blindly agreeing with things that sound good :joy: Hiruzen could be fun if only for the competing facial hair for a beard, yes xD Hagoromo would possibly be most buckwild tho WELCOME TO MOON COURT

I managed to get this far with like... NO idea who the judges were except “IDK maybe Kakashi?” but consider:

...HashiMada rival lawyers

Dropping over to Izuna vs. Touka for when Hashirama and Madara inevitably become suspects of something or other themselves and have to be witnesses.

(Tobirama's too busy running blood tests, Anija, let Touka handle it, she's better at people anyway.)

...Hashirama is like. Marginally more put-together than Madara, right? So that... makes him Edgeworth... somehow... That feels wrong but Madara as Edgeworth feels even more wrong.

Madara is very into screaming OBJECTION

ALSO consider: Friction when a doctor from a nearby hospital gets called in to provide expert testimony on something because Karin is like "no hey I should be the one doing this" and then she sees how cute Sakura is.

But also at some point Kakashi vs. Gai for a nonsense case. Their personalities are both VERY FUN for this sort of thing.

[dessarious]

Misconceptions, Miscommunication, and Misinformation Pt92

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When Chloe pulled back Marinette kept a hold of her shoulders to force eye contact. She knew Chloe still got embarrassed showing any type of affection so if she let go Chloe would likely retreat back into herself. As it was she just looked confused.

“I’m sorry.” She watched as Chloe blinked at her, obviously not sure how to react to that.

“Sorry about what?” Where did she even start?

“I’m sorry I scared you last night.” Chloe opened her mouth to respond but Marinette just kept going. If she didn’t get this out now she wasn’t sure she’d be able to. “Sorry that I’m so used to pushing myself past my limits that I don’t even stop to think if I need to anymore. I’m sorry you feel like you need to keep up a front around me because you’re afraid I won’t be able to handle hearing your problems. And I’m so sorry you didn’t feel like this was something you could talk to me about.” She motioned to the papers still spread out on the table. “It’s obviously something that you’re passionate about and have put a lot of work into. I can’t believe I got so wrapped up in myself that I didn’t even notice you were working on something. You deserve better.” It hurt that Chloe was so afraid of adding stress to her that she didn’t even want to share the good things.

“I didn’t want to bother you with it, at least not until I had a better idea of if it will work or not.” The mumbled response just made Marinette feel more guilty.

“Chloe.” She waited for her girlfriend to make eye contact. “You are not a bother. Your ideas and thoughts are not a bother. We’re partners. Even if you don’t want my input on something, you can still talk to me about it so I can at least offer you support. If it’s important to you, it’s important to me.” Chloe just stared at her for a minute before Marinette saw tears in her eyes. The next thing she knew she was in another crushing hug.

“Thank you.” She sounded so grateful and Marinette was mental cursing at herself. She forgot to take into account how different their home lives were far too often. Marinette had parents who loved her. More than that they were present in her life. If she was excited about something she knew she could go to them and they would at least be interested in how she felt about it. Chloe had never had anything close to that. Her father gave her money and shooed her away. Her mother couldn’t be bothered to remember she had a child most of the time. Chloe had been alone for most of her life other than Sabrina.

“You don’t have to thank me. Given all the times I’ve bored you to tears with my nonsense, not to mention everything you do for me, I’m the one who should be grateful.” And she was. She honestly didn’t know what she would have done without her.

“You’re never boring and after everything I’ve done I still can’t believe you’re even willing to talk to me.” That was the problem. She felt like she deserved to be alone and ignored by everyone around her. Marinette was fairly certain Chloe expected her to just up and leave one day, or maybe even start being abusive towards her because that was really all she knew to expect.

“You made mistakes, yes. But you learned and grew from them. Judging someone on their past actions but completely ignoring their current ones is insane. We’ve both done things we regret, but letting those things define you just keeps you trapped in the past. I’d much rather concentrate on our future.” Marinette caught Selina give Chloe an ‘I told you so look’ that she was going to have to ask about later. “But to do that we’ve both got to get better at talking to each other. I need you to remind me every once in a while that I don’t have to do everything by myself anymore, and I’m going to get it through your head that just because your parents don’t think anything is more important than themselves doesn’t mean no one will ever put you first.”

“You two are so cute. I imagine this is how talks with Bruce would go if the man understood the concept of communication. Or admitting he’s wrong about something.” Chloe let out an amused snort before pulling back to look at the woman.

“So you’re saying Damian comes by it honestly then?” Marinette shot her a glare but the girl just stuck her tongue out at her.

“Between having a mother with no emotions, and a father with no idea how to show them you could certainly say so. He seems to have gotten much better at it since moving here though. We actually talked for once instead of just poking at each other.”

“Mari has that effect on people.” Marinette just rolled her eyes at the praise.

“I’m pretty sure I’m not the one calming him down.” Selina’s eyes lit up and Marinette regretted being so flippant.

“Ah yes, the mystery boyfriend that the boys think doesn’t exist. I’m looking forward to meeting him as well.” Marinette shared a look with Chloe.

“That will be on their terms if it happens at all. Given some of the things they’ve said and done, Damian’s not thrilled about having told them that much. And he doesn’t want to subject his significant other to their interrogations until they’ve had a chance to calm down either.” Selina rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated breath.

“I don’t blame him. Bruce was an only child and really has no concept of how siblings should interact versus how his kids actually do. Some of the things that come out of their mouths are ridiculous, especially Jason and Steph. Bruce always seems surprised when their teasing results in Damian pulling out weapons. It’s sad really.”

“So you’ll leave him alone to tell everyone in his own time?” Selina looked surprised by the question but Marinette had to make sure.

“Of course. When I figure out who it is I’ll keep it to myself. I promise I won’t even tell Bruce.” Chloe was eyeing the woman with a calculating expression.

“What makes you think you’ll figure it out before he tells you?” Selina chuckled.

“Because unlike the Bats I pay attention to the things that are right under my nose. Not to mention they all seem to be expecting some drastic transformation whenever he’s around this person and won’t be looking for subtle hints. I do know that Alfred and Cass have figured out who it is already and aren’t sharing, so I’m confident I’ll be able to figure it out, and keep the boys from looking too closely at the wrong things, just in case.”

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[slytherinbarnes]

Sub Rosa [78]

vii. nevermind  

Pairing: Bellamy Blake x reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: language, blood, anxiety, fighting, violence, injuries.

Summary: Reeling from the loss of Clarke and your agreement to not exact revenge, you receive some welcome news.

a/n: HOW ARE WE HALFWAY DONE WITH S6 ALREADY!? the taglist for this series is open! I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think!!!

previous chapter // season masterlist // series masterlist

You toss and turn all night, plagued by dreams and memories of Clarke. 

It’s not enough to be heartbroken while awake, you’re also heartbroken while asleep, unable to escape the loss of your twin. Most of the dreams are weird, a strange collection of memories gathered together and played in your mind. You dream of EMPing Raven and accidentally killing Maya in Mount Weather. You dream of Clarke leaving you and Bellamy in the fighting pits, watching Clarke mercy kill Finn, and landing on the ground for the first time, all of you watching Octavia be the first person back on Earth. You also dream of Monty and your father, and by the early dawn hours, it’s enough to drive you crazy.

You eventually give up on sleep and climb out of bed, leaving Bellamy’s sleeping form behind. As you get dressed for the day, you see Delilah’s dress draped over a chair, along with the bracelet she let you borrow, and you grab both of them and slip out of your room. As expected, both of her parents are downstairs in the tavern, preparing for the day, and only one other patron is in the room, a hooded figure tucked away in a corner, despite the early hour. Blythe Ann and Jae smile as they see you, motioning for you to come sit at the bar. “Can’t sleep?”

You shake your head and slide into the seat they motion towards, draping the dress across the seat beside it. “No, too busy being haunted by memories.”

Blythe Ann freezes, giving you a look of understanding, as Jae squeezes her shoulder in comfort. “I understand the feeling.”

“Speaking of,” you lift the dress onto the bar and set the bracelet on top of it. “These belong to Delilah, and I haven’t had the opportunity to give them back yet. I’m sorry.”

Blythe Ann shakes her head, pushing the dress back towards you. “You should keep it, Delilah would want you to.”

“I couldn't.”

“Please, we insist.”

You start to protest again, but Jae grabs the bracelet and reaches out for your hand. You give it to him, and he attaches the bracelet around your wrist, smiling as he does. You admire it, remembering the thought you had when you first put it on, a star for Clarke and one for Bellamy, and you fight back your rising tears as you look up at him. “Thank you.”

He just nods and grabs a basket of pastries, placing one on a plate in front of you while Blythe Ann pours you something to drink. You sit at the bar and eat your breakfast, enjoying the silence of the tavern as Delilah’s parents flit about, getting ready for the influx of customers. When you reach for your glass of juice, you accidentally knock it off the bar, sending it crashing to the ground below. You jump down and pick up the pieces, gathering them together as you frantically apologize to Jae, who is coming around the bar with a rag, ready to clean up your mess. “I’m so sorry, I didn't mean to.”

“No need to apologize, accidents happen.”

He smiles at you and you smile back, standing with the broken pieces of your glass in your hand. “What do you want me to do with this?”

“Here, I’ll take it.” Blythe Ann walks over, extending her hand out to you, and you drop the pieces into her hand. As one of them slides out of your palm, the jagged edge turns just enough to cut your palm, and you wince and mutter, “Shit.”

You peer down at the cut, watching as black blood starts to rise to the surface, and you feel a rush of panic as you remember the danger of anyone knowing the color of your blood. Even with your mom back in space, preparing to make Nightblood for the Primes, you’re not sure it's safe to have just anyone knowing your secret. You squeeze your hand closed, hiding the cut from view, just as Jae asks, “Did it cut you?”

“Just a little nick, nothing major.”

He reaches out for your hand, looking concerned. “Let me take a look.”

You shake your head, pulling your hand away, forcing out a casual laugh. “Really, I’m fine. Nothing to worry about.”

He shrugs, accepting your answer, handing you the rag instead. “In case you need it.”

“Thanks.”

He nods and walks off again, back to preparing for the day, and you rip off a strip of the rag and tie it around the cut. You look around, checking to see if anyone saw, but Blythe Ann and Jae are both still working, and the customer in the corner has their head bowed, seemingly unaware of any of their surroundings. You sigh and plop back in your seat, turning back to your breakfast again. It’s not long before you hear someone else coming down the stairs, and when you turn to look, your eyes land on your boyfriend, giving you a small smile as he approaches. He plops down beside you, in the chair unused by your new dress, thanking Jae as he brings Bellamy something to eat too. Once the couple turns back around and starts to work again, Bellamy reaches out and takes your hand, eyeing the torn strip of rag with concern. You look around, eyes a warning, shaking your head to let him know that you’re fine, but this is not the place to talk about it. He nods, before settling on a different topic instead. “Did you get any sleep?”

You nod, not wanting him to worry about you. “Yeah.”

You can tell that he doesn't believe you, but still he lets it go. “I saw Gaia in the hall. She said something is wrong with Madi.”

“What? What is it?” You turn to look at him in alarm, already preparing to stand up and go check on her, but he grabs you and stops you. 

“She’s okay, it’s nothing Gaia can’t handle. It’s Commander stuff. Apparently there’s a dark Commander, Sheidheda, and he’s vying for control. Madi banished Gaia last night, but she told me she’s going to stick around out of sight, in case we need her.”

“Great. Just what we need, a Dark Commander trying to take over my niece's head.”

Bellamy squeezes your hand, “She’s going to be okay, we’ll keep an eye on her. Gaia will too.”

You nod but say nothing else, picking at the last little bit of food on your plate. Bellamy watches you closely, his eyes never leaving you, and he whispers, “The first time I ever heard Clarke’s name, we were still on the Ark.”

You turned to him, intrigued, and he continues, “I had just heard about you actually, The Invisible Twin.” You cringe at the nickname, and he gives you an apologetic look before continuing, “But it worried me. One of the most Privileged families on the Ark discovered to have a second, illegal child, and still you were locked up. It made me worry about Octavia and what they’d do to her. Not enough to keep me from taking her to that stupid party, but still.”

You squeeze his hand, wishing you could carry his guilt for him. He squeezes back before he adds, “Anyways, I was a cadet in my first few days of training, and they used to send us to all the things they didn't want to do. We got a call that there was a fight near the Privileged section that needed to be broken up, so we rushed over there to break the scuffle up. Imagine our surprise when we pull a girl off of a boy, the boy’s nose gushing blood, a black eye already forming. When we question the girl on who she is, she tells us her name is Clarke Griffin. Of course, the second we heard her last name we knew who she was. Then we asked her what happened, and she said that the boy made a comment about her twin, and how she deserved to be floated for being born. So Clarke punched him and told him to apologize, and when he made another comment about how her whole family needed to be floated, she punched him again. It was the only incident report on her record, up until she got arrested with your father.”

You give Bellamy a sad smile, simultaneously happy that he shared this story with you, but sad that your sister is still gone. “You’ve never told me that before.”

“I didn’t really remember it until a few days ago.”

“Clarke has always been fiercely protective, it’s something I love about her.”

“Funny, I love the same thing about you.”

You smile a little. “Must be a twin thing.”

“Must be.”

But as the story sinks deeper, your brain processing it even further, you whisper, “It feels like I’ve given up on her.”

“You haven’t.”

“Bellamy, we’re just letting them walk free. We’re letting Josephine walk around in my twin's body, and we’re doing nothing about it.”

He shakes his head. “No, we are doing something about it. We’re honoring Clarke’s legacy and we’re surviving. We’re doing better, keeping the peace, and building a compound of our own so we can live, truly live, once and for all. Everything she did, she did for her people. For you. For Madi. Building this compound and ending the cycle of violence means that all of us don't just survive, we thrive.”

You catch the reference he makes to Clarke’s speech to Arkadia before Praimfaya, and you think of how desperately Clarke wanted everyone to live, not just survive. How she always encouraged love and friendship and the happy moments in between all the war and fighting and chaos. You look at Bellamy, knowing that he’s right. This is what Clarke would want, this is how you honor her. You nod, relenting with a sigh, “Okay, so when do we meet with Russell?”

-

You and Bellamy head to the palace to meet with Russell, Miller in tow. Everyone insists that you bring a third party, someone who wasn't locked up for figuring out the secret of Clarke’s death, so the two of you decide on Miller, despite the fact that he’s just as much of a hothead as you and Bellamy. 

Bellamy takes the lead at the meeting, knowing you can barely stand to look at Russell, let alone talk to him, and you stand by your boyfriend’s side, jotting down notes as you listen to Russell’s plans. As the meeting is nearing its end, Bellamy looks at Russell, summing everything up in one succinct sentence, “In exchange for ignoring that you murdered Clarke…”

He trails off when he hears the door open, and you all look towards it, watching as Josephine steps inside, her hair pulled back, Clarke’s clothes gone from her body. It's a shock to you to see her dressed the way she is, and you freeze as she comes to a stop behind Russell, eyeing all of you with curiosity. You hear Bellamy finish his earlier sentence, “You build us a compound.”

You feel Russell’s eyes shift to you, but your gaze never leaves your twin’s body, trying to convince your brain that it’s not hers anymore, someone else is inside at the controls. “What about the sister, mother, and child? Will they agree?”

Your brain registers his words and you flit your gaze over to him, annoyed by the words he used. “The sister will take care of our people.” 

Bellamy reaches out and squeezes your hand before he redirects the conversation, “How long will it take to build?”

Before Russell can answer, Josephine clears her throat, waiting for his attention. He holds up his finger, “Just a moment, sweetheart.”

Your gaze moves back to Josephine, watching her tap impatiently on her arm, waiting for your meeting to finish. But the longer you watch her, the quicker you realize that the tapping on her arm is rhythmic, repeating a small pattern. You flip a page in your small notebook, waiting for the pattern to start again, and then you furiously start to write.

●— 

●—●● 

●● 

●●●— 

● 

You almost laugh in shock when you realize it’s Morse Code, and you rack your brain trying to remember the translations from the brief moment in time that Clarke learned Morse Code in school, but you struggle to remember. You get pulled from your thoughts by Bellamy putting his hand on your shoulder, and you tug the notebook close to you, hiding it from everyone as you turn to look at him. “What?”

“Russell asked if we agree.”

You barely glance at the man as you answer, “Yeah, we’re agreed.”

“I'll order construction to begin.”

You turn and look between Bellamy and Miller, nodding towards the door, trying to hide your excitement. “Let's go.”

They nod and follow you out, the guards at the door closing them behind you, and you jog down the hall, putting distance between you and any spying eyes. Bellamy pulls you to a stop, sensing the shift in your energy, looking at you in confusion. “What’s going on?”

“Didn't Pike teach you Morse Code?”

Bellamy nods and Miller shrugs, “I slept through most of Earth skills.”

You shake your head at him, and focus your attention on your boyfriend. “I remember Clarke learning it too, but I can’t remember what each symbol means.”

Bellamy shakes his head, still not understanding, and you push the notebook towards him, getting excited. “Josephine was tapping out Morse code on her arm.”

He takes your pen and quickly translates, you and Miller looking over his shoulder as he does.

●— A

●—●● L

●● I

●●●— V

● E

You nearly cry with relief when you read the word, looking up at Bellamy with tears in your eyes. You can see the emotion written across his face, a mix of shock and happiness as he stares back at you, both of you overcome with emotion. Miller looks between the two of you, still not sure he understands. “What does it mean?”

You turn to him, your grin growing even wider. “It means Clarke's alive, and we're gonna get her back.”

-

next chapter

[moiloru]

About the so-called "Third-Case Syndrome"

I've been in the Ace Attorney fandom for a few years now, and there is a story I've heard more times than I can count: the story of the "Third-Case Syndrome." After joining the Danganronpa fandom, I realized - not without surprise - that a similar "Third-Chapter Syndrome" had admittedly cursed the series. However, I do believe that, in both cases, it would be wise to exert caution: things are never as simple as they seem. Now, even if this seems evident to me, I'll say it just to be sure: this is only my opinion. You might disagree, but please do not be toxic about it.

Before we proceed, I'd also like to warn you all: spoilers ahead for the entire Danganronpa and Ace Attorney series (even the Investigations and DGS games). Now, let's begin.

Ace Attorney:

AA1 - Turnabout Samurai:

To start off, we have 1-3. I agree with most of the fandom that it is slightly too long and the investigation segments drag out. Going from Studio One to Studio Two, to the Detention Center, etc. is quickly boring. However, its cast is solid (especially Powers and Oldbag), Dee Vasquez's motive (self-defense) is original, the Steel Samurai's theme slaps, and Edgeworth gets the first bit of his character development! I believe it outweights the negative aspects of the case and make it enjoyable. I believe it is far better than 1-1 and 1-2 (with its obvious twists and rushed ending), although it doesn't compare with 1-4 and 1-5, of course. But it's definitely not the case that people point the finger out when arguing about the "curse."

JfA - Turnabout Big Top:

I'll definitely be playing Devil's advocate on that one, but I like 2-3. Of course, the whole "love triangle" thing was shit, but the rest of the case was fine! Regina sucks, that I can agree with, but Moe was funny (in my opinion), Max got some quality character development in the end, Ben & Trilo were a nice duo, and Acro... Acro is one of the best culprits in the series, hands down. His theme is amazing and he is one of the most tragic characters in the series. Knowing that he unknowingly killed the person who had helped him is just sad, and his motive for trying to kill Regina, while not excusable, is understable. Losing the two people he was closest to, and him explaining that he couldn't "up and leave" (literally, too) before Bat had woken up was just sad. Also, while 2-3 isn't amazing like 2-4 (my favorite case) is, it's miles ahead of 2-1 (which objectively sucks) and 2-2 (which lasts for hours with an annoying and predictable culprit). Besides, the plot twist at the end with Edgeworth appearing sets the tone for the upcoming final case. In my opinion, Turnabout Big Top gets some undeserved hate.

T&T - Recipe for Turnabout:

3-3 is really good, no questions asked. The mere fact that it's better than 3-2 (predictable culprit, forgettable victim...) is obvious to me. But it also features the return of Maggey, and the first (and only) appearance of amazingly comical characters like Furio Tigre and Victor Kudo (who both have amazing theme songs). The victim might be a little forgettable, but he at least gets some development, unlike Bullard in The Stolen Turnabout. Of course, Tigre is obvious as the killer, but he's meant to be this way, and the way you corner him is amazing. The reveal that Godot can't see red on white matters in 3-5, and the case is hilarious. Special mention of Viola Cadaverini, who's underrated by the fandom, in my opinion. 3-3 is probably the strongest third case in the Trilogy, and it is definitely not the worst case in T&T.

AJ - Turnabout Serenade:

Okay, this case sucks. I dislike it very much and I can't find anything that would redeem it. The victim is boring, Daryan is obvious, Valant isn't good enough, the mini-game is tedious, and the "Phoenix saves the day" thing is repetitive. However, 4-3's biggest flaw is the defendant, Machi Tobaye. Lamiroir is an enjoyable character, and the plot twist surrounding her eyesight isn't bad, but it doesn't make Machi good enough not to ruin the case. This case is the weak point of a great game, but fortunately, 4-4 more than makes up for it.

DD - Turnabout Academy:

Dual Destinies is my least favorite game in the main series, but it has some solid cases, 5-3 being one of them. The trio of Juniper, Robin, and Hugh is amazing (even if the twist around Robin was pretty obvious), the WAA trio works very well, and we even get a chance to see Klavier again (his objection clip sucks, though)! It is definitely a strong case, even if Means was a bit obvious, and while it doesn't hold up to the great ending of DD, I do believe that 5-3 is better than 5-1, 5-2, and maybe even 5-4.

SoJ - The Rite of Turnabout:

Maya's comeback makes this case good, albeit not great. It is better than 6-1 for sure (drags on too much for a tutorial case) and probably 6-4 and 6-6, but it pales compared to 6-2 and 6-5, of course. Nayhuta is the weak point of 6-3, but everything else about this case is pretty good! The "new" Maya is a right balance of her former self with some more maturity, Datz is funny, Beh'leeb Inmee was a really emotional character, and while I don't like Tahrust too much, the plot twist around his death was pretty cool. Also, this case also makes it clear why Phoenix did what he did in 6-5 when Inga blackmailed him: he can't lose Maya. It could have been better, but this case is solid, and definitely not part of a "curse" of any kind.

AAI - The Kidnapped Turnabout:

Unfortunately, AAI kinda sucks. The first three cases aren't that good, and while I1-3 is probably better than I1-1, I'll admit it's terrible. It's long, the Amanos sucks, Lauren Paups isn't that great, and if it wasn't for Kay, the case would probably be the worst in the series.

AAI2 - The Inherited Turnabout:

Is there anything bad to say about I2-3? I mean, you play as Gregory freaking Edgeworth, so what more do you want? Ah, yes, it also has DL-6 development, the exceptional Katherine Hall and Jeffrey Masters, plot twists, flashbacks done right (!), and while the villain isn't great, he is satisfying to catch, and he matters in I2-5. Honestly, this case would probably be enough to prove my whole argument.

DGS1 - The Adventure of the Runaway Room:

After a somewhat disappointing second case (in my opinion), DGS1-3 is really good! Megundal (I'll use the names from the fan translation, since I'm used to them and like them better) is quite the interesting character, and the Engarde-like plot twist surrounding him is amazing. His death in the final cutscene is also good and ties in nicely with the final case. Ryunosuke's first trial in England gives him cool development, and damn it, Barok van Zieks! His legslam, glass throw, and objection clip suffice to make him an amazing character, and there's more to him that just that. This case is better than DGS1-2, DGS1-1, and maybe even DGS1-4 if you don't consider its link to DGS2.

DGS2 - The Return of the Great Departed Soul:

While not as good as the two following cases in my opinion, this case is definitely above-average. Gina's comeback is just great, and her new mentor-protégé relationship with Gregson is nothing short of wholesome. Enoch Drebbler is one of the best culprits in the duology, and Courtney Sithe's character is very good, too. She gives a confident vibe that really serves the case. Benjamin Dobinbough (because his canon English name is one I refuse to acknowledge) is a great clueless defendant, and his relationship to Barok is quite nice! It definitely makes the case trickier! Rozaic has a really mysterious and enjoyable atmosphere surrounding her, and finding Herlock standing like statue at the wax museum was amusing. Of course, the best thing about this case is Asogi's return. It is handled well by the game that doesn't try to cover the obvious plot twist.. The final cutscene is just *smooch*. I also can't forget the Joint Reasoning with Herlock when looking for Enoch. Again, this case is definitely not part of a "curse" of any kind.

Overall thoughts:

I don't think the Third-Case Syndrome holds for Ace Attorney. Some third cases weren't good (4-3 and I1-3) but most are either good (1-3, 3-3, 5-3, DGS1-3) or excellent (I2-3 and DGS2-3). I know Turnabout Big Top traumatized most of the fandom, but I don't think it's that bad, and definitely not bad enough to start a curse revolving around third cases.

Danganronpa:

Trigger Happy Havoc:

Chapter Three of THH is... good enough. The pointless argument between Taka and Hifumi is annoying, to be sure, and Celeste did us a favor by getting rid of them. And her plan wasn't bad, either! It could have worked if Makoto and Kyoko had not been there. However, I do believe that this chapter is too boring before the first murder. The motive is also... meh. The plot twist oh Hifumi waking up and remembering Celeste's true name was enjoyable, though. 1-3 isn't amazing by any means, but I think it's better than 1-5 and 1-6, but it stands no chance against 1-2 and 1-4.

Goodbye Despair:

Well, this one sucks. I think it's the only DR chapter that literally has a plot hole. The "Despair Syndrome" motive is probably the worse in the series and this case pretty much ruined Mikan's character. Her execution is lame, Ibuki shouldn't have been a victim (seriously, why?), the culprit is obvious, and the timeframe to execute her plot doesn't work if you aren't Sonic the Hedgehog. Also... that attempt at fanservice was cringe, and it almost killed Hajime. The only thing that redeems this chapter a bit is the name "Titty Typhoon" but that's it. This one definitely alimented the "curse," and rightfully so. In-between two great cases, 2-3 doesn't make a good impression.

Killing Harmony:

3-3 is a chapter I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, the atmosphere was excellent and fitting of the killer, and Kokichi's prank had us all freak out at first. I don't like neither Angie nor Kiyo (sorry, Kiyo fans), but somehow, it didn't make the chapter worse for me. On the other hand, the Necronomicon motive sucks almost as much as the motive in 2-3. It could have worked in DR2 considering the Killing Game happened virtually, but in V3, the motive was just an outright lie from Monokuma, so it doesn't work. Also, Kiyo was a bit too obvious: the music, the theme, his sudden importance in the plot, the séance... it was just a bit too much not to make him suspicious. Finally, this chapter's major flaw, which I can sum up in one word: sister. That, was traumatizing. Without even going in details, everything that happened after Kiyo's "sister" appeared during the Class Trial ruined it. I'm also curious to know if the writers at Spike Chunsoft are mentally stable, considering Kiyo's relationship with his sister and the fact that they ship Monotaro and his sister Monophanie in the next case. It's not a bad chapter at all, but it has its flaws, unfortunately.

Overall thoughts:

While I wouldn't call it a "curse," it's true that third cases in Danganronpa aren't amazing, especially in DR2. You'll also notice that I didn't mention UDG simply because it's too different a game to be compared to THH, DR2, and V3. If we ever get another Killing Game, I hope that the third chapter will be better, because we've yet to have an awesome Chapter Three so far.

Final thoughts:

I don't believe there are curses revolving around third cases/chapters, neither in Ace Attorney, nor in Danganronpa. However, it's true that in the case of Danganronpa, on average, third cases are the weakest, while Chapters Four and Five are almost always great. Third cases in Ace Attorney definitely get an unfair treatement, though.

Thanks for reading, and I'm open to discussing all of this if you disagree!