#magical witness protection program

[ayoooo3]

Imagine… that Regulus Black didn’t die that day in the cave, and instead chose to disappear, to walk away from the war and try to start again.

Imagine… that Regulus steps away from magic altogether and tries to find a place in the muggle world. Along the way he reinvents himself completely.

Imagine… 10 years down the line James stumbles into this muggle candy shop he’s heard of, where it seems like magic fills the air. His curiosity fueling the need to see it for himself.

Imagine… James getting the air knocked out of his lungs because there at the counter is his Reggie, handing out candy to customers, a smile on his face as he watches them scream and laugh and try to figure out how the candy works. James knows it’s magic even if the other customers don’t.

Imagine… Regulus looking up and seeing James, a smile creeping across his face as he presses a finger to his lips and nods towards the delighted customers.

Imagine… Regulus whispering “look at them, Jamie. If anyone can use a bit of magic, it’s them, isn’t it?”

Imagine… they get to fall in love all over again.

(This TikTok got me thinking and as always Will was there to add fuel the fire… and the perfect dialog for Reg)

[marvelous-llama]

NCT recs

<<original book

most of the mentioned works is 18+ NSFW, MINORS DNI

pls don´t hesitate to hmu, if any of mentioned links doesn´t work or you have suggestions for more fics... thank you so much for all the love and comments

one shots

Where Angels Fear To Tread by @lisired

Jaehyun x fem!reader (wc - 14.5k) fwb to lovers - fluff, implied smut, angst(ish) Three years ago, you had a summer fling with Jung Jaehyun, and what was simply sex turned into more after you caught feelings for him. Then, you find out he has a girlfriend, and decide to call it quits. Three years later, he’s back in town, trying to come back in your life, and most importantly trying to come back into your heart, but you’re a little hesitant to let him.

Arranged by @smileysuh

Jaehyun x fem!reader (wc - 3.5k) established relationship, arranged marriage, mafia AU - smut you give your arranged marriage to Jaehyun a chance

he fell first, and he fell harder by @taurusdaylight

Jaehyn x fem!reader (wc - 18.7k) childhood best friends to lovers, university AU, mutual pining, change of PoV - angst, fluff jeong jaehyun really loves basketball. but also, he’s terribly in love with his childhood best friend of seventeen years, you.

His Love In Her Force by @anashins

Jaehyun x fem!reader (wc - 28k) slowburn, detective!Jaehyun, ballerina!reader, fake marriage AU - angst, fluff, smut, romance, hurt/comfort Fleeing from a ruthless stalker, you are forced to participate in a witness protection program at the other side of the world, pretending to be the wife of a taciturn undercover detective from now on. Despite all differences, you slowly start to settle with your new life as a married couple - until your newfound happiness is stripped away from you all over again.

Snow in London by @anashins

Jaehyun x fem!reader (wc - 4.2k) idol!Jaehyun, escort!reader - fluff, smut, crack(ish), romance Jaehyun has to spend Christmas alone in London and figures that with money, you can buy anything - even company to make him feel less alone.

All the Pretty and Ugly Things by @anashins

Jaehyun x fem!reader (wc - 27.5k) idol!Jaehyun, established relationship, second chance - angst, fluff, smut, hurt/comfort, romance He stands in the spotlight, but the only one he's looking at is you. Until one day, the sparks in his eyes are gone and the Jaehyun you know privately is only a lifeless shell of the Jaehyun he pretends to be on stage. Crumbling under the pressure of being an idol, you try to share his baggage, but there is only so much a human can take.

wish i never by @lisired

Jaehyun x fem!reader (wc - 27.2k) forbidden love, slowburn - angst, fluff, smut Your brother, Johnny, hates Jaehyun and has never told you why. Although you intend on leaving it alone, unforeseen events thrust you into a forbidden love affair with Jaehyun. In between hookups and stolen kisses, you have to bury your feelings for Jaehyun around your overprotective older brother.

Strawberry Sunday by @babbymochiiii

Dojaejung x fem!reader (wc - 12.6k) friends to lovers - fluff, angst(ish), smut Doyoung, Jungwoo, and Jaehyun each have a crush on you, while you do like 'em as well, but in order to find out if your shy nature with them is because you also feel the same way, they take things to the next level, by themselves and together.

Spot! by @starryhyuck

Johnny x fem!reader x Jaehyun (wc - 3.5k) Challengers AU - smut johnny suh and jeong jaehyun are determined to prove their worth to you in this year’s tennis competition. you all end up receiving more than you expected.

mission: prom by @rosietaeyongswife

Jaehyun x fem!reader (wc - 7k) teenage romance - angst, fluff, hurt/comfort? what happenes when prom is in a month, and you haven't been asked out yet?

[9:22 pm] by @gyeomsweetgyeom

Jaehyun x fem!reader (wc - 1.3k) enemies to lovers, academic rivals, university AU - angst, fluff

just like magic by @starryhyuck

Jaehyun x fem!reader (wc - 4k) university AU - fluff, smut jung jaehyun’s body count is almost as high as yours. however, after yuta spreads a nasty rumor, you learn that jaehyun’s always imagined those girls to be you instead.

No Clue by @xomakara

Jaehyun x fem!reader (wc - 11.9k) best friends to lovers, mutual pining, university AU - fluff, angst, smut You're in love with Jaehyun, your best friend, but he has no clue. You have suffered in silence as you have watched him date countless of girls left and right. Graduation is coming up, and you are running out of time to tell him how you feel. Will he finally see that it should have been you all along, or will he break your heart forever?

series

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Austin Grossman’s ‘Fight Me’

On July 14, I'm giving the closing keynote for the fifteenth HACKERS ON PLANET EARTH, in QUEENS, NY. Happy Bastille Day! On July 20, I'm appearing in CHICAGO at Exile in Bookville.

In Fight Me, the novelist and game developer Austin Grossman uses aging ex-teen superheroes to weigh the legacy of Generation X, in a work that enrobes its savage critique with sweet melancholia, all under a coating of delicious snark:

http://www.austingrossman.com/fight-me

It is, in other words, a very Gen X kinda novel. Prodigy (AKA Alex Beekman) is a washed-up superhero. As a nerdy high-schooler, he was given super powers by a mysterious wizard (posing as a mediocre teacher), who gave him an amulet and a duty. Whenever Alex touches the amulet and speaks the word of power, reaclun (which he insists is not "nuclear" backwards) he transforms into Prodigy, a nigh-invulnerable, outrageously handsome living god who is impervious to bullets, runs a one-minute mile, and fights like a champ. Prodigy, he is told, has a destiny: to fight the ultimate evil when it emerges and save the world.

Now, Alex is 40, and it's been a decade since he retired both Prodigy and his Alex identity, moving into a kind of witness protection program the federal government set up for him. He poses as a mediocre university professor, living a lonely and unexceptional life.

But then, Alex is summoned back to the superhero lair he shared with his old squad, "The Newcomers," a long-vacant building that is one quarter Eero Saarinen, three quarters Mussolini. There, he is reunited with his estranged fellow ex-Newcomers, and sent on a new quest: to solve the riddle of the murder of the mysterious wizard who gave him his powers, so long ago.

The Newcomers – an amped-up ninja warrior, a supergenius whose future self keeps sending him encouragement and technical schematics backwards through time, and an exiled magical princess turned preppie supermodel – have spent more than a decade scattered to the winds. While some have fared better than Alex/Prodigy, none of them have lived up to their potential or realized the dreams that seemed so inevitable when they were world famous supers with an entourage of fellow powered teens who worshipped them as the planet's greatest heroes.

As they set out to solve the mystery, they are reunited and must take stock of who they are and how they got there (cue Talking Heads' "Once In a Lifetime"). With flashbacks, flashforwards, and often hilarious asides, Prodigy brings us up to speed on how supers fail, and what it's like to live as a failed super.

The publisher's strapline for this book is "The Avengers Meets the Breakfast Club," which is clever, but extremely wrong. The real comp for this book isn't "The Breakfast Club," it's "The Big Chill."

When I realized this, I got briefly mad, because I've only had two good movie high concept pitches in my life and one of them was "Gen X Big Chill." Rather than veterans of the Summer of 68 confronting the Reagan years, you could have veterans of the Battle of Seattle living through the Trump years. One would be on PeEP, one would be an insufferable Andrew Tate-quoting bitcoiner, one would be a redpilled reactionary with a genderqueer teen, one would be a squishy lib, one a firebreathing leftist, etc. The soundtrack would just be top 40 tracks from artists who have songs on "Schoolhouse Rock Rocks":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock!_Rocks

Every generation has some way in which they seek to overthrow the status quo and build a new, allegedly better one, after all. "Big Chill"'s impact comes from its postmortem on a generation where it was easy to feel like you were riding destiny's rails to greatness thanks to the sheer size of the Boomer cohort and the postwar prosperity they lived through. A Gen X Big Chill would be a stocktaking of a generation that defined itself as a lost generation reared in the Boomers' shadows, armored against the looming corpo-climate apocalypse with the sword of irony and the shield of sincerity.

Which is basically what Grossman is doing here. What's more, doing this as a superhero story is a genius move – what could be a better metaphor for a teen's unrealistic certainty of destined greatness than a superhero? Superhero fantasies are irreducibly grandiose and unrealistic, but all the more beautiful and brave and compelling for it.

You know, like teens.

At 52, I'm a middle-aged Gen Xer. I've got two artificial hips and I just scheduled a double cataract surgery. My hairline is receding. I'm an alta kaker. But I wasn't always: I was a bright and promising kid, usually the youngest person in the room where we were planning big protests, ambitious digital art projects, or the future of science fiction. I had amazing friends: creative and funny and sweet, loyal and talented and just fun.

We're mostly doing okay (the ones that lived; fuck cancer and fuck heroin and fuck fentanyl). Some of us are doing pretty good. On a good day, I think I'm doing pretty good. I had a night in 2018 where I got to hang out, as a peer, with my favorite musician and my favorite novelist, both in the same evening. These were artists I'd all but worshipped as a teen. I remember looking at the two selfies I took than night and thinking, Man, if 15 year old me could see these, he'd say that it all worked out.

But you don't get to be 52 without having a long list of regrets and failures that your stupid brain is only too eager to show you a highlight reel from. No one gets to middle age without a haunting loss that is always trying to push its way to the fore in order to incinerate every triumph great and small and leave ashes behind.

That's why there's a "Big Chill" for every generation. Each one has its own specific character and meaning situated in history, but each one has to grapple with the double-edged sword of nostalgia. Not for nothing, John Hodgman (a bona fide Gen X icon) calls nostalgia "a toxic impulse."

Grossman really makes Fight Me work as a Gen X Big Chill. He's a great Gen X writer; his first novel, Soon I Will Be Invincible, was a knockout debut about superheroes and supervillains that had a very "The Boys" vibe, you know, that neat little move where you contend with the banal parts of a super's life and show how super powers don't make you a good person, or even a competent one.

His followup to Invincible came six years later. YOU is a coming-of-age story about the games industry with a second-person narrator (think "Zork"). Grossman is an accomplished game dev (Tomb Raider Legend, Deus X, Dishonored, etc), and he uses YOU to really plumb the depths of what games mean, what fun is, and how working on games isn't just work, it's often really shitty work, the opposite of fun:

https://memex.craphound.com/2013/04/16/austin-grossmans-you-brilliant-novel-plumbs-the-heroic-and-mystical-depths-of-gaming-and-simulation/

Grossman's last novel was Crooked, a very daffy alternate history in which Richard Nixon is a Cthulhoid sorcerer locked in a Lovecraftian battle of good and evil. This is a purely hilarious romp, wildly imaginative and deliciously certain to offend reactionary jerks:

https://memex.craphound.com/2015/08/26/austin-grossmans-crooked-the-awful-cthulhoid-truth-about-richard-nixon/

All those chops are on display in Fight Me: a book that covers its brooding with wisecracks, that spits out ten great gags per page even as it drives a knife into your heart. It's a great novel.

Fight Me doesn't come out in the US and Canada until tomorrow (it's been out in the UK, Australia, NZ, etc for more than a month). Normally, I would hold off on reviewing this until the on-sale date, but this is my last day on the blog for two weeks – I'm leaving on a family vacation early tomorrow morning. I'll see you on July 14!

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/01/the-big-genx-chill/#im-super-thanks-for-asking

[fotibrit]

When peter parker pulled himself back on his feet after the spell, there was no information on him to look up, and he never provided a decent explanation for why that is.

Over time, his coworkers started believing he was in the witness protection program.

Add on his shakiness surrounding topics like Tony Stark, magic, and the snap, people started speculating that, just maybe, the kid had something to do with Tony Stark’s mysterious recovery after the battle of the snap.

They said Stark woke up in the hospital asking for a boy, though all records of which boy were lost, and stark himself has no recollection of that requests.

It’s not that Peter’s coworkers are convinced he is a government agent who somehow revived Stark and was protected for his efforts. They’re just not not convinced of that

[cursedonyx]

So apparently it's Kinktober and today's prompt is dryhumping?

Sure, why not?

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: NSFW (MDNI), dubcon (but not really), regret, Horny!Ominis, somnophilia, I guess?

Everyone is aged up 18+

An unedited stream of consciousness because it’s my birthday and I don’t care FU have horny Ominis.

It was a regular thing, now, to fall asleep together. It hadn’t been before, when life was a turmoil of fear for his best friend and the path he was following. But that was then. This was now.

Ominis curled around the new student, only she wasn’t so new anymore. They were in their final year of Hogwarts, and sometime in the last sixteen months, they’d started dozing off together. At first, it was only in History of Magic, the monotonous drone of Binn’s voice the perfect antidote to his insomnia. Soon enough, however, with all the extra-curriculars MC continued to get up to, she was as exhausted as he was, and their conversation would wane as they tired, eventually slumping, shoulders together, falling asleep in any old part of the castle.

And sometime in those months, he wasn’t quite sure when, but he’d started… feeling something. Something he wasn’t quite sure he was supposed to feel. Perhaps it was protectiveness? He certainly cared for her, she’d become very important to him after all she’d done, trying to stop Sebastian’s relentless dance into Darkness, then convincing him to keep his best friend’s secrets, salvaging their friendship when he thought it couldn’t be saved.

Sebastian was away at St Mungo’s now, training to be a Healer, a part of the work-experience program Hogwarts offered to its final-year students. He missed him, certainly, but he was also privately very glad. He had MC all to himself.

Perhaps this feeling was possessiveness, then? That couldn’t be right, she was a free spirit, and to tether such a creature would be wrong… especially to a Gaunt, of all things. She deserved so much better than him. But he couldn’t deny the searing jealousy he felt when he heard her laugh at one of Garreth’s stupid jokes, making him want to tear her away and hiss at the bastard, or make her laugh himself with something so cutting no one could hope to compare. But at times like that, even his dry wit failed him, leaving him speechless and raging on the inside.

Then what was it?

He nuzzled his face into her hair. She’d drifted off beside him on the sofa in the Room of Requirement, her essay falling from her hand as they’d studied late into the night, and he’d pulled a blanket over them both, settling down behind her. She smelled of autumn mornings and crisp pine. His tongue crept out, capturing his lower lip and bringing it between his teeth, listening to her soft, steady breathing.

Merlin damn it all… she was delightfully soft, and yet deliciously hard, a firm muscle under the layers of her peachy skin from hours of sprinting all over the Highlands.

One of his hands was caught under her head, his fingers winding through her hair. He gripped softly, giving it a gentle, experimental tug. Would she make a sound if he pulled her hair roughly? Probably. But what sound? Could he dare to make her make it?

He let out his breath slowly, not realising he’d been holding it, and she shifted in her sleep, her firm backside pressing against him, and Ominis froze.

Ah.

That’s what that feeling was.

Unbridled, insatiable, uncontrollable lust.

He gritted his teeth as he felt himself stirring as she shifted again, wriggling her backside against him with a gentle sigh. That movement woke his arousal with a fury and suddenness so shocking he almost gasped. But he couldn’t do anything about it. He mustn’t. MC was his friend, for Merlin’s sake! To cross such a line would be… would be… damn it, it was getting difficult to think, what with her moving her arse against him like that! He moved his hand from the sofa where it rested, lifting it slowly and tracing along her arm, finally resting on the perfect curve of her hip. He closed his eyes, listening to her breathing, pulling ever so gently at her side, pressing her against him.

It was all he could do not to groan as he felt the curve of her behind through his trousers, the hard lines of his cock finding the crease almost instinctually, and it twitched, almost begging to be freed from the cruel, fabric confines of his clothing.

Sebastian would be furious if he did anything. Not that he was with MC, he’d never staked that particular claim, but even he could see the other man’s infatuation with her. He was probably waiting for the end of the year to ask her out. Ominis didn’t want to get in the way of their happiness if that’s what he was planning, because it was rather obvious she liked him too.

But then… Ominis bit back another soft groan as he tilted his hips forward, pressing against her, rubbing himself against the softly yielding flesh of her behind. Why in Merlin’s name did she have to wear such a flimsy skirt? He could damn near feel everything! She seemed to like him as well, even though such a thought seemed impossible. Merlin damn her, she’d even kissed his cheek the other day, her lips far too close to the corner of his mouth to be proper!

And she was a heavy sleeper.

Trying to control his breathing, Ominis pressed himself against her again, his hand firmly at her hip, holding her in place as he buried his face in her hair, the gentle scent of her skin driving him wild as he thrust, very slowly and gently, rubbing his cock over her arse, wishing he could just take it out, that she’d wake up and take it in her hand, her mouth, or…

He hissed something, a garbled string of Parseltonge, so soft it was barely a whisper. Merlin, what was he doing? This was wrong! I-if she knew, if she woke up… how on earth would he explain? But his hips kept flexing, his insistent cock begging for more, and he whined softly, wrapping his arm around her waist, gripping a fistful of her hair as he settled into a slow, deliberate rhythm, each movement deliberately glacial and soft, terrified she would wake, wishing she would as a slow fire stoked in his loins, the heat intensifying until it was almost too much to bear.

His fingers dug into her side, and all he wanted was to speed up, to slam into her with reckless abandon, to hear her sweet voice cry out in passion, to hear his name on her lips in the tone he’d only ever heard in his dreams… those sinful dreams that left his face burning and his cock straining against his pants that he couldn’t banish from his mind no matter how he tried.

“Oh, sweet Merlin…” he whispered, his head tilting up, his cheek pressed to the side of her head, thrusting his hips faster, seemingly without knowing, his breath speeding with his rhythm through parted lips. He had to stop, he needed to pull back, he had to get a grip on himself before…

But Ominis couldn’t have stopped even if Headmaster Black had walked in. He was barrelling towards a cliff, a wind at his back, a grin on his face and a song in his heart, and he flung himself readily over the edge with a strangled cry of passion, his cock throbbing and twitching as he released the pent-up desire of the last year and a half into his trousers.

He fell forward, gasping, suddenly over-sensitive and aching, his parted lips cupping the shell of her ear. And it was those gasping breaths that stirred MC at last.

“Ominis?” she shifted, and he froze, before hurling himself back. “Are you alright? Did you have another nightmare?”

“I…” he tried to catch his breath, shame burning a path through his belly to nestle alongside the delicious ache in his abdomen. “Yes. I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m sorry.”

She chuckled and slipped out of the blanket that covered them both. “I’ll make some tea.”

He listened to her retreating footsteps, surreptitiously sliding his wand into his palm and vanishing the mess he’d made before she could see it. He sat up properly and bowed his head, clasping his hands, before a small smile crept onto his face.

Something in him told him this wouldn’t be the last time. He’d just need to make sure she was awake for it, next time.

(Just for the fun of it, MC’s been awake this whole time and deliberately started it)

😘

[hearsayhorizons]

Holism’s introduction and the confirmation that there are more ships/intelligences on ART’s level with their own idiosyncrasies and quirks has a real possibility of opening up that coven/school house fertile field of fanfiction that makes people grab other series and hold on tight (not that we weren’t doing that already with this one).

Perihelion’s secret function is in confirming lost colonies and providing initial response for the purposes of safeguarding “”assets”” from predation.

Based on its interactions (attempted interactions) with SecUnit, Holism’s function/special interest is to provide infrastructure after Perihilion’s crew has argued/forged their way into securing long-term protection for those people. 

Perihelion is a secret agent ship and befriended Murderbot, who watches thrillers and other media. Holism the infrastructure/”look at this neat thing!” ship is probably going to find a receptive contact in Three, who seems most comfortable with nonfiction and educational materials (some other good poster pointed out that Three’s interests are tied to its introduction to freedom and choice via Murderbot 2.0’s autobiographical files; I want to put a pin in that for later).

This establishes a thematic setup I want to play with. I was going to fiction this up, but I have weather-related migraines and it is WEATHER lately.

My contribution is [namepending]. Once you have safety, once you have infrastructure, you look at connections and community. And you know what would be a great way to jumpstart an ambassadorial program or knowledge exchange? A university where everyone is doing something new, going somewhere new, where you might have interactions that last a few years and still mean a lot to you later, OR they might help define how you choose to live forever—there’s no knowing, even in real life, how experiences as a young OR older person going to school will influence you.

Why does that student wear something no one else does? Why do those hand gestures stand out? That’s an unusual set of facial features. But no one, literally no one, is going to look at a batch of shaky college students and assume they’re all from a/a variety of colonies 40+ years out of contact with the wider world.

So yeah, I know ART is already the Magic School Bus with weaponized pathfinders, but I posit that our next/a great fanfiction point is... [pending], much more a school bus. Maybe ferrying back and forth between colonies to keep the info exchange open too, but I think the university would be SO useful to give colonists a knowledge base without overwhelming them or forcing them to assimilate into other cultures.

Now, I imagine that just like Amena has to do some learning modules before she can join the University, there’d be sims and modules for incoming students or people going between colonies. And just like System Collapse chapter 8, you hit them where it works—right in the media. So this [pending] has a huge collection of, and is interested in, games.

As a side note, part of me thinks a fully mechanical system like ART would be a bit better able to perceive/use games without a SecUnit filter than media; sure, there’s music and mechanics meant to emotionally motivate the player, but non-visual novels non-dating-sims (eg: “game games”) have goals, mechanisms, more hard input than media.

Remember my pin from earlier re: Three’s interest tied to its path to freedom? I posit a SecUnit (either one of the two freed at the end of System Collapse, or someone else if there’s...)

Actually, if I’m already spitballing fanfic bullshit and ComfortUnits presumably have resources for interacting on a more emotional basis with clients, the CU. I want that construct on [pending]. The odds of that happening are miniscule unless it was maybe at a wit’s end, didn’t know what to do with itself like other units after having its freedom foisted on it.

Yeah, so, it has access to surreptitious funds secured by Tllacey. Maybe IDs. It doesn't have weapons and I get the vibe that no one would be looking as hard for a rogue CU, so I don't imagine it's hacking or has to hack anything. Maybe it can't, since it isn't a security system.

But it IS probably meant to be fluent in current events, folklore, random shit random clients care about. Ergo the Ganaka pit bit.

It searches for SecUnit activity in the news. Oh, or maybe info on ART, maybe it picked something up during its last scene. Murderbot does have a whole aside in SC panicking about the news and what info about the kidnapping could mean for the University’s colony-saving scheme, but that doesn’t go anywhere given the timeframes. So, maybe there is something there, some way to pull the ComfortUnit back in.

It finds the University. It finds, or [pending] finds it, and [pending]’s whole schtick is orientating confused people. It introduces CU to some sims, some games, maye interactions in reality or through games with young people.

I posited in previous posts that SecUnit probably wouldn’t be super into games because the ability to passively exist alongside an atmosphere presented by a story or music is the appeal of its media; it is an actor DOING things during its day job. But CU has presumably been always acted-upon in its day job. So now it has a risk-free method to DO things. Maybe it prefers solo games, or it participates in group games where its identity as a CU comes up only as far as it is comfortable.

I’m sure my [pending] would be thrilled to have a contact/friend who can both communicate comfortably with newcomers while also relating really hard to them. Plus, I feel like the CU construct just sort of gets set loose and abandoned by Murderbot and the narrative. Sometimes those loose ends happen, but I kind of see a way we could work it back in now that we know there are more ships and they want filters/friends/units.

Now I just gotta find a name for [pending].

I do think I have the first few lines of the fic, though:

The shuttle came within range of the bigger ship annotated in the smart glass: Perihelion.

This is you. I transmitted an image of a young human and what the news broadcast identified as another human.

Oh, fuck off.

[empresskadia]

I think the most powerful gifts you can give a Spartan is one that reminds them of you for when you're aren't there. Sometimes they're off doing missions, and you're separated, and they really miss you. Having that little reminder always makes it better.

Like, say, for Naomi, her partner has an Ace of Spades playing card on the pauldron of their armor like their uncle did back when the Human-Covenant War began. Luck was important to him, so it was important to you. Naomi was just as important to you, so when you couldn't always be together on the same ship, you gave her two things: A copy of the card on your shoulder and a magic eight ball to keep in her room. You may or may not have replaced the die inside with things you would say, so it was like you were there in spirit when you couldn't be there in person.

Not when you're getting scouted for some big secret project led by a guy whose name you forget but a number that reminded you of hers.

096?

First, I got chills reading this! Second, I gasped so loudly my dog came to check on me to make sure I was okay. Third, I was like ‘fuckin Musa! Naomi’s gonna murder you.’ Like I didn’t know how the Spartan IV program started. I lowkey went feral for this ask, you’re spoiling me and I adore it.

I love this so very much and this is canon in my head now. How cute is this!!! Spartans don’t have personal things but the item their partner gives them becomes their prized possession and they would break bones if someone tries to take it.

Like for Linda, she has pressed flowers that you gave her and kept on her dog tags at all times, when she’s thinking about her partner or missing you, she grasps the chain and feels a little closer to you. Or a small charm on Nornfang that you made for her that Linda never takes off. Whenever she takes down targets and sees the charm, she thinks to herself that she can’t wait to hear about the mission you’ve been sent on or just to see you in general.

There is a ring that your grandmother passed down that you always wear on your pointer finger and end up giving to Kelly because it fits on her pinkie/places it on her chain because you wouldn’t see her for a few months. When Kelly’s thinking about her partner/missing you, she subconsciously spins the ring, and later, ends up seeing her name/spartan tag engraved inside the band. Or give her one of your earrings that your father gave you, so she had half of something that was super important to you and feels very protective of the jewelry because she knows you adored your father.

For John, it’s the exchanged dog tags, one is his and the other is yours. Sometimes he takes it off and runs his finger across your name and service number, he doesn’t realize that his expression softens just a bit but Cortana and Blue team know he’s thinking about you.

Everyone on Blue team knows that Fred has a favorite combat knife that you gave him and if something happens to it, he is going to kill someone, and no, it’s not an exaggeration. Kelly witnessed him panic about losing it once and horde of brutes didn’t even have a chance to blink before they were dead. There are personalized words written on the inside of the knife from you and it will be over his dead body before someone tries to take it or use it.

But also! Luck is important to Naomi because it reminds her of John too and we see how worried she is for Chief in the books, this is very important to her! So you give her the card and tell her about it, she’s putting that on her armor in the same spot that you have it in. It makes her feel closer to her partner and her eyes soften anytime she glimpses it from the corner of her vision. Especially once she gets recruited for Kilo-Five and you get sent on a secret ‘mission’ that she can’t know about. Naomi knows there is something you’re not telling her but she won’t push because it’s classified, which kind of worries her.

When Serin tells her about the whole Halsey thing or finds out about her dad, she shakes the eight ball wishing you were there to talk with but quietly laughs to herself when she reads the message because it’s 100% something you would say. Naomi constantly starts asking BB if there were any messages sent to her, getting antsy when he tells her no every time to the point BB shares this with the captain.

Eventually, Naomi asks Serin if she could find any information about you, giving her your full name, service name, rank, and all the important things to find your file. If anyone could get into classified mission files, it would be BB and Serin.

It's BB saying, "Oh that's rather somber to find out." that has Naomi wanting to panic. Did something happen? Was her partner hurt? Were you hospitalized? Did you get killed? She knew she should've upgraded your armor with those last bits of data, what was she thinking?! Naomi's thoughts are spirling but nothing prepared her for what your file read,

'SPARTAN-IV Lieutenant - pending transfer to REDACTED'

'Augmentation Procedure - Successful'

'AI Partner - Pending Compatibility with REDACTED'

'Stationed - UNSC REDACTED'

'Notes - Expand'

"What does it mean by Spartan-IV?" Naomi had to ask, she had to know because all she recalled was her own augmentation, the pain, the recovery, the loss of her sisters and brothers in arms, something that she might've just lost her partner to.

[lilacella]

Non-magical AU, cop!James Potter, mafia!Sirius Black

Safehouse

A man of honor never associates with a cop. But a man of honor was also not supposed to break the code of silence - which was exactly why he was here. So he might as well scratch two off the list at once...

Part I

(read on ao3)

Next

A bead of sweat made its way down James' forehead, trickling down his face. A loud bang caused him to duck and he felt the bullet pass closely over his head. He grabbed the man by his side tighter.

"We need to make a run for the car," he said quietly, his heart hammering in his chest. Nothing could happen to him.

"That's stupid they will shoot us. Just give me the gun..."

"No! I am here to protect you and you will do as I say. Now, on my mark..."

James peered cautiously around the corner of the container they were hiding behind. Maybe this was in fact stupid. But he would not let Sirius know that. He inhaled deeply and then leaned out to fire a couple shots, 2, 3, 4, they had all hopefully ducked now.

"Now!" He pulled at Sirius' arm and they both started running towards the bulletproof car that was just a few meters away. A few meters without any cover. They were to slow. When they had made it about half the way, James could see one of the mafiosi pop back up, immediately opening fire.

Instinctively James threw himself in front of Sirius, tackling them both down. He could feel something hitting his side. An incredible pain shot through his body. He heard himself scream. Then more shots. But none of them hit him. Suddenly everything was very quiet. He lifted his head and saw Sirius cowering over him with a concerned look on his face. James barely registered that he was holding his gun. Then everything went dark.

**

Three weeks prior

"And this is supposed to be safe?" Sirius examined the interior of the black car with doubt. His contact from the witness protection program had said that the officers would pick him up with a bullet proof vehicle, but after one look inside he was certain that the only thing bullet proof about this car was the forged security certificate. The windowpanes were too thin and the doors clearly hadn't been enforced, judging by the hollow noise they had made when he'd gotten in. He also didn't like that he was accompanied by only two police officers, one of them young - about his age -, with these small, useless police pistols. If his family would decide to attack, they would all be dead, he was sure.

But he really didn't have much of an option. He had already packed his bags in the middle of the night, climbed out of the window of his family villa, snuck past the armed guards and had entered this accursed deathtrap.

Sirius knew he was doing the right thing. After pondering it for years, last month he had finally decided that he had to act. He had to get out of this family. Sirius was the oldest son of Orion Black, the current leader of the Black clan. Growing up in the mafia had meant that Sirius had learned quickly that the word family could be used in many different contexts.

"Family" meant blood bound. Not necessarily related, but fiercely loyal. It meant doing everything for each other. It meant being a unity, against everyone else. It meant that if you messed up, if you "dissapointed" your family, you'd loose everything. Potentially even your life. And yet he was about to do just that.

In a few weeks he would testify against them as a key witness. Laying it all out on the table. It wasn't because he had been caught and was in need of a deal. No. He had just decided he would no longer be watching. Not after what had happened on Christmas, four months ago. Even if it meant that he could die. It wasn't like he had anything to lose anyway.

"I assure you, this is perfectly safe," the older officer said with a reassuring smile that made Sirius' vigilant. He glanced over to the youger officer sitting next to him on the backseat, who gave him a nod. He had his hand on his gun and seemed quite tense. At least one person that understood the gravity of the situation.

"Let's just drive." Sirius tried to hide his suspicion. He relaxed into his seat and tried to stay as far out of the window as possible. They would be followed. It was unlikely that they would just get away like that.

They had been driving for two hours and Sirius started to think that maybe he did just get really lucky. Even the officer next to him, Potter, according to his introduction, seemed to have relaxed a bit. The other officer pulled up at an unfinished building. Ah, that was clever. They were going to hide him in a house that looked like it was still under construction, surrounded by high hoardings. This way you could smuggle him out easily if necessary and food or other supplies in without raising suspicion. The officer parked the car and got out. Sirius wanted to follow him, when officer Potter put a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait. Let me get out first. It is safer."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. What did he even want to do if they were ambushed? He'd simply get shot. But he complied. The police had told him to not take any weapons with him and Sirius had actually listend. Well, he didn't carry any on himself that was. So these two guys and their sad looking guns were the only thing between him and the eternal slumber.

He waited until Potter had opened the door for him and got out, Potter sticking to him like a shower curtain. Sirius thought this was a little ridiculous and the older officer seemed to agree.

"Sorry about my colleague," he said. "He is taking his job very seriously." Sirius was about to find out what that meant.

Potter had been assigned as his personal protection officer and would stay with him on the premises. Sirius took the upstairs bedroom while Potter slept on the couch, or rather laid on it, staring worriedly at the entrance door.

"Are you not going home at all? Aren't they swapping you out sometime?" Sirius asked, while opening a can of soda. Potter had been here for the last four days and he was starting to get a little concerened about the working conditions at the local police station.

Potter shook his head. "There is noone else. I mean, noone else who would do it. I wasn't supposed to either, but...I can't just leave an important witness all alone. It isn't right!"

Sirius frowned.

"So...You don't have an order to stay here?"

Potter shook his head again.

"I volunteered. I took vacation days."

"You what?!" Sirius hadn't been this perplexed in his life. Here was a young man, using up valuable vacation days to babysit him? Why on earth would he do that? This was so unnecessary. But also quite flattering, somehow.

"When you called, noone wanted to take on the witness protection. They are all afraid of your family."

"As they should be. Are you not afraid?"

"I am. But I also think you are."

Sirius took a sip and tried to appear unphased.

"Why would you think that?"

"You asked for witness protection. Why would you do that if you weren't concerned? And you are nervous. I heard your pacing at night."

Sirius laughed.

"Well...I'm not saying you are wrong." He walked around the kitchen island and plopped down next to the officer on the couch.

"What's your name?"

The man looked puzzled.

"You know my name. Potter."

"Yes but I feel after you've spent more than three days with someone it's high time for first names." He extended his hand. "I'm Sirius."

"James." The officer shook his hand, frowning a little. Sirius stretched out his arm on the backrest, turning towards James.

"James. Don't you have a family, James?"

"I'm not married, if that's what you're asking."

Sirius chuckled.

"Well, it's good to know. So don't you have parents? Siblings? Cousins..."

"Of course I have parents. Everyone has them."

"But you don't talk to them."

"I do."

"But they wouldn't care if you died."

"They would!"

"Then what are you doing here?" Sirius caught the mans warm brown eyes. "You should go home. Spend your vacation doing something nice. You can't protect me. If my family finds us here, I will die. And if you stay, you'll die with me. So don't waste your time and your life. Go home, James."

James stared at him for a few seconds, before shaking his head decidedly.

"Your chances of survival are higher if I stay. When I became a police officer, I swore to do everything in my power to do good and protect the people..."

Sirius interrupted him with a harsh laugh. This guy was filled to the brim with naive idealism. He had to be new.

"How long have you been a cop?"

"Twelve years."

Sirius stared in surprise. Twelve years? And he was still like this? He could hardly believe it. Then, an idea crossed his mind and the adrenaline rushed trough his body like an avalanche. His eyes immediately flickered to Potters gun on the coffee table.

"They bribed you didn't they? You're a plant. Supposed to make me feel safe so you can easily dispose of me. How much did they pay you?"

"What?"

"How much?"

"I don't take bribes! I never have and I never will!" James seemed genuinely offended. Either he was an oscar worthy actor or he was really one of the "good" cops. One that hadn't gotten spoiled yet by corruption and misunderstood corps loyalty. After twelve years... Sirius had to admit, he was impressed. And that made hin want to get James out of here even more.

He sighed deeply.

"Then you really need to go. I don't want you to get hurt."

James laughed dryly.

"Hey. I am the one protecting you. And I am way more capable than you might think. I will stay. And I will make sure nothing happens to you until the trial."

**

Sirius was awoken by a scratching noise at one of the plastered windows. A bird, maybe or a marten. No. He knew that sound. Someone was trying to pry the window open from the outside. Fuck, they had found him.

He was suddenly wide awake. Immediately, he rolled himself off the bed and crawled towards the door. He didn't know when the hitman would get the window open, so he needed to remain hidden. He cursed himself for not bringing his mini revolver up here. It was still somewhere in his bag, no chance to find it quickly in the darkness. Maybe he had started to feel a little too safe with James around. He shook his head at the thought. Ridiculous. The man couldn't do anything to help him. Exactly why he needed to get to him, quickly.

Sirius reached the door to the hallway and hurried down the stairs as fast and quiet as possible.

"James!" He hissed in a whisper.

James' touseled head popped up between a pile of blankets on the couch. His glasses were askew. He looked kind of cute like that...Not the right time!

"Someone is breaking into my window, we need to hit it!"

James shot up, readjusted his glasses and grabbed his gun. Within a split second his eyes shifted from sleepy blurriness to hard determination.

"Get behind me." He aimed at the stairs.

"What? No, we need to go! Maybe we can get out through the downstairs bathroom."

"The window is barred."

"I loosened the screws."

"What? Why would you do that?"

"So I can escape when someone breaks in upstairs!"

"But you are making it easier to break in from the fucking outside!"

Their bickering was interrupted by a loud crack and a thump from upstairs. He was in. Or she. Hopefully not Bella. No, Bella wouldn't have taken so long.

"Give me your gun," Sirius said.

James ripped his arms out of his reach.

"No! Bloody hell get back Sirius. Hide behind the counter," he whispered sharply. Sirius glared at him for a second but when he heard steps coming from the bedroom he complied. He grabbed a large knife and a heavy steel pan. No match for a gun, but effective enough on short distance.

A man appeared at the end of the stairs. A loud shot sounded, followed by a scream. James cursed. Had he been hit? Sirius popped up behind the counter, but James was still standing, though he was lowering his weapon. He gestured at Sirius to go back down, which he reluctantly did.

He heard James approaching the stairs before pulling out his phone.

"Yes, Potter here. We had an incident at the house. Yes, I am... No... Yes... Copied... Over." He hung up. Sirius peered around the edge of the counter but couldn't really see what was going on.

It turned out that the person who broke into Sirius' window had in fact not been sent by his family to assassinate him, but was rather a homeless man looking for shelter during a rainy night. He had expected the house to still be unoccupied and reckoned it a good place to sleep. Now, the poor man was brought to a hospital after being shot in the right arm. James hadn't hesitated, when his shadow had appeared and fired a shot, with intention to disarm the attacker. Surprisingly unerring, Sirius thought.

James closed the front door with a sigh. The last officers had vanished.

"Let's just hope noone saw you," he said to Sirius, who was climbing out of his hiding space in the pantry. "I will talk to my superiors about changing locations. It is too risky to stay here."

"I'll go back upstairs," Sirius said tiredly. A homeless person...James was right, maybe he was a bit jumpy at the moment. He felt a little embarrassed if he was honest.

"I'll come with you."

Sirius shot James a questioning look.

"After what happened I should stay close. What if it had actually been an attacker and he'd surprised you in your sleep? I couldn't have done anything to protect you."

Sirius rolled his eyes. James was overdoing it with his protectiveness. But some - quiet - part of him, found that he really didn't mind.

So he allowed James to follow him upstairs and dropped back into his bed. They had managed to close the broken window, but Sirius didn't feel particularly good about it. Having James here with him wouldn't be so bad...

James proceeded to sit down on a chair in the corner of the room. Sirius gave him a look.

"What are you doing?"

"I'll just be over here, don't mind me."

"You can't sit there."

"Why not?"

"Because it is fucking strange. I don't want you to watch me while I sleep!" He patted the mattress next to him. "Just lay down, for fucks sake!"

James hesitated, but finally lowered himself akwardly next to Sirius. Fully clothed, with his gun on his chest, laying stiff like a corpse.

Sirius groaned in annoyance. What was wrong with that guy? He propped himself up on his arm and picked James' glasses from his nose, before snatching his gun, putting both of them on the nightstand. James protested, but Sirius simply ignored him and instead proceeded to pull the blanket over the stubborn man.

"Stop acting ridiculous and sleep. If someone comes in, we either both wake up, or we die. That's just how it is."

Sirius curled up, facing away from James and closed his eyes.

But he couldn't sleep. He knew that James was there, laying only inches away. It made him nervous, but not necessarily in a bad way. After a couple minutes he gave in to the urge and turned around. James had his eyes closed, but Sirius wasn't sure if he was actually sleeping. Still, he used the opportunity to take a good look at him. He really looked good. His skin was brown, a bit darker than Sirius' own, strong jawline but his features still had a certain softness to them. His dark short hair seemed to be always a little messed up and his shoulders... God, his fucking shoulders. Sirius had noticed them before, broad and muscular, their shape faintly visible through his tight t-shirt. All of James' t-shirts were tight. Sirius wondered whether he knew what kind of effect that had. With his strong arms exposed, the fabric hugging his well built torso...

Sirius felt his mouth water and quickly turned back to the wall, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to get rid of the images that were flashing up in his mind. He needed to sleep.

Sleeping next to James was an odd experience. Sirius hadn't slept next to someone in a while and James...James was different somehow. He made him feel things he usually didn't. Like wanting to curl up in his arms, being held, secure and protected...Absurd! Sirius didn't need anyone to protect him. He was very capable of doing that himself, he always had and he knew that if it came to it, James probably wouldn't even be able to actually keep him safe, but still...He was almost yearing for it. He hated it. And with every day that they spend together, waiting for the transfer to a new safehouse, with James never leaving his side, it got worse.

"I don't know why this is taking so long," murmured James while absentmindedly rubbing his stubbly chin. Sirius tried his best not to stare, but it was hard. He wondered what it felt like to run his own hand over it...

James looked up from his phone.

"How's the crossword going?"

Sirius froze, caught, quickly turning back to the newspaper in front of him.

"Oh, it's finished. I moved on to the Sudoku section." He fidgeted with the button on his shirt, feeling James' gaze upon him. Why did this make him nervous? He wasn't a fucking schoolgirl! And James was a cop! A man of honor never associates with a cop. But a man of honor was also not supposed to break the code of silence - which was exactly why he was here. So he might as well scratch two off the list at once...

Sirius raised his head again and found that James was still looking at him. His eyes flickered away, when Sirius met them. Things clearly had changed between them since the break in. Sirius eyes grazed over James' face, down his neck, getting stuck at the outlines of his pecs under his navy blue t-shirt. He bit his lip, but letting it go again immediately, startled by his own reaction. This needed to stop! He was being childish and stupid and he should know better.

Just when he wanted to get up to leave the room and go literally anywhere else, James got up from his spot on the couch and dropped himself on the barstool next to Sirius, leaning his elbow on the marble countertop. His muscular forearm flexed slightly as he dragged the newspaper towards him. Sirius cheeks were burning and he prayed that he wasn't getting red.

"Is there anything in the news about you yet?"

Sirius shook his head.

"I suppose my family wants to keep it internal. But I am sure they have noticed..."

"Do you think they know why you left? What you will do?" James looked at him intently and Sirius couldn't help but get captivated by his eyes. Warm brown with a faint hint of green around the edges. He was so gorgeous... Sirius cleared his throat.

"They aren't stupid. So I suppose they will suspect it. But I could have just left, because I've had enough. It's not like it was all sunshines and rainbows before. At any rate, they'll be looking for me." Sirius was hit by a wave of anxiety, coupled with the urge to move closer to James.

"I won't let anything happen to you," James said as if he had read his mind. "I know that you think that I am rather useless, but I will make sure you are safe. I promise."

Fuck. Why did he have to say it like that? In that bloody tone. While looking at him like that. Sirius felt like his whole body was being drawn towards the other man, wanting to kiss him, to touch him, to be touched.

"I don't think you're useless," he brought out. His mouth was dry. He hoped fervently that James wouldn't notice his composure crumbling. "I just think that you are putting yourself in unnecessary danger."

"I'm a cop, that's part of the job."

Sirius laughed.

"You are an idealist, James. Cops don't put themselves in danger, they mostly do that to other people."

"Is that what your family taught you?"

Sirius flinched angrily. How dare he?

"I'm not supid, Potter," he snapped, James flinched a little at the last name. "I've seen enough to shape my own opinions. And I tell you, I've never met a cop that you couldn't buy." He crossed his arms and leaned back into the small backrest of the barstool.

"I can't be bought," James replied defiantly. Sirius smirked suggestively.

"I'm sure you also have your weak spots..."

James stared at him for a second, lips slightly parted as if he wanted to say something but being to stunned to speak. Then he quickly got up.

"I'm gonna take a shower," he mumbled and vanished towards the bathroom.

Sirius thoughtfully took a sip of his coffee, smiling to himself. Maybe he wasn't the only one with a questionable infatuation...

[13thdoctorposts]

Oh my goodness, thank you for that post. I was losing my mind seeing the excuses people were cooking up. Now they're all about the writing being better and loving the discussion, like (a) the writing is just vagueries that never explain or resolve anything and it's hit upon multiple damaging stereotypes on adoption and race because there's no black writers or adoptees at the helm, not to mention how many times RTD has already released those weird behind the scenes videos explaining things which is just embarrassing and weirdly egotistic, (b) it's not great that there's so much discussion because RTD is using ~~magic~~ as a handwave explanation or that people lack the awareness to acknowledge the lack of discussion before was because they bullied anyone remotely interesting in actually engaging with Thirteen's series of the show and aggressively took over discussions and filled them with their shittakes.

Seems they still have a lot of shittakes to be honest.

All the 'Sins' they claimed made Chibs a terrible writer... plot holes, leaving things ambiguous, too much exposition, things not making sense, bad representation... if these are the things that make a writer bad then how is RTD a master writer because every episode so far has had these things along with stereotyping issues. I'm sorry but you can't just say 'oh magic, that makes those things ok' thats hypocritical because if Chibs claimed 'magic' they would have ripped him to shreds for that.

Could you imagine if Chibs made an episode with a bunch of set up and no answers that both created a time paradox at the end and essentially didn't happen to the character in the end rendering it unimportant to the characters and show? How what would have gone down? Could you imagine is 73 Yards had Chibs name on it instead of RTDs? Below were just some of the questions I had off the top of my head. This episode is being hail as one of the best in years... imagine if those same people had this many questions after a Chibs episode, the dude would have had to been put into the witness protection program.

I'm not claiming the episode is bad, I'm just highlighting the hypocrisy.

Who made the circle?

How did that person know about the future to make the circle? 

Did they know that the Doc and Ruby were going to land there and so deliberately put it there because why was in that location?

Why was there a circle in 2024? (When Mad Jack is PM 22 years later)

Why was it 73 yards? 

Where did the Doctor go? All of them not just 15 because they are time travellers so all the other Doctors also existed through those years, so why didn’t they show up/do anything, or did they all just disappear leaving all their companions wherever they were? 

Why were the people at the pub so horrible?

Why were there 2 older women who are supposedly meant to be Ruby played by different actresses, because that makes you wonder is it actually Ruby who's been 73 yards away?

Why if it is older Ruby did she scare everyone off? Like why did she want herself to be alone, why did the younger version of her have to be alone and abandoned by everyone what purpose does it serve? 

How did older Ruby (73 yards version) manage to get closer than 73 yards when older Ruby (in her bed) was dying (I’m assuming she was dying)?

Was older supposed older Ruby gesturing to her the same message throughout the years after the Doctor disappeared that she was telling to tell younger Ruby to tell the Doc not step on the circle so Ruby would understand it to close what I’m assuming is a time loop? I can't be sure were weren't told it was a time loop and that would be sci-fi not folklore magic.

Was stopping the nuclear bombing the purpose of all this because the woman remained 73 yards away for the next 40 years after that why? To tell Younger Ruby to tell the Doctor not to stand on the circle so she wouldn’t live through all that and so wouldn’t stop the nuclear bomb stuff?

How did supposed older ruby get telepathy to say don’t step on the circle?

Doesn’t stopping the Doctor from stepping on the circle create a time paradox, because if he doesn’t step on it Ruby doesn’t have that experience and so she never tells him not to step on it?

What is the lady saying to everyone to scare them off? And it must be some kind of magic she’s doing because a mother isn’t just going to abandon their child so how did supposed older Ruby acquire the magic to do that?

Also how did she time travel back to stand on the hill just to give her younger self a telepathic message?

Since she doesn’t live that life that means she never stops the Nuclear bomb PM so theres really no point to having gone through all that, since we’re getting Nuked by him now because Ruby doesn’t live that life.

Why did Ruby’s grandmother Cherry never talk to her again? that woman seems like she would have slapped Carla for kicking Ruby out of their lives considering she didn’t talk to the lady so wouldn’t have been affected by her.

Where were all Ruby’s friends from the first episode?

Ruby knew everything started with the circle, why did she never go back to Wales and find people who specialised in folklore stuff and seek their help? If goblins exist, if curses exist then you can assume witches or magic people do why wouldn’t you try and find them?

I haven’t watched unleashed but supposedly RTD says Ruby had to pay a penance and do good, I.e stopping Nuclear bomb PM I guess for the Doc standing on the circle… Why would Ruby have to pay a life penance for the Doc stepping on the circle? You shouldn’t go to jail for someone else’s crime. Also he disappears, is that his penance and hers is living that life for reading the paper? who knows?

And a real world question since you only have 8 episodes why would you spend one where you have to spend the whole episode with the companion (because Ncuti was still tied up with Sex Ed) to create an episode that doesn’t actually effected the companion at all because it seems shes forgotten the whole thing at the end. Make an episode that dives deeper into the companions character that we dont usually get because we dont normally get a whole episode with just them, she should have come out of this episode changed somewhat for the better. 

If this episode was to show her abandonment issues… the girl was left on a church door step, and the Doc said she couldn't see her biological mum from that night so we already know she's going to have abandonment issues.

People are like oh its meant to be all open... this much should never be left open and if Chibs did it, it wouldn't be hailed a one of the best episodes in years it would be hailed as a failure of writing.

It's the hypocrisy that annoys me because yes you can still enjoy this episode not getting any of these answers, it can still be your fav of the season but you can't claim RTD is a good writer and Chibs a bad one when RTD in this episode alone went above and beyond in doing all the things you claimed made Chibs a bad writer. Honestly I hope Chibs from here on out has the best life because he deserves it after all the horrible things that have been thrown in his direction.

[forthedancingandthethriving]

Thought this might be interesting:

Since Dapple started out the closest of everyone, she's the one who reaches Damien/Disc first, and sees him nursing his wounds from Lumiere's "resignation." He, of course, still has no idea that she hasn't been affected by his memory edits, or how uncomfortable she's always been around him, and he's still as interested in her as when they first met, even more-so now since now that he no longer has to keep his Program abilities under wraps and can now consciously sense that she's managed to Cheat Death (even if only at the Character level still) and that she's an outsider like him. So he tries to convince her to join him... and this, of course, goes horribly.

See, Dapple absolutely doesn't fear death, even though of the two of them she's the one who's suffered the worst at its hands. After all, can he say that he was forced to watch, helpless, as a hateful, uncaring Creator kill everyone he loved, everyone he swore to protect, everyone in the whole fucking world? Did he find himself alone at the end, without even the ashes to sift through? She has witnessed so much more death than he could ever even comprehend, experienced trauma beyond his wildest nightmares as a result, and yet she has no fear of it. On the contrary, at her worst moments (particularly most of the perceived millennium she spent as nothing but half a soul in an endless void), she longed for it, would've begged for it if there had been anyone to hear. Thankfully she's now in a healthy enough place where she actually wants to live again, but she'll accept her death with grace when the time comes.

As you might expect, Disc doesn't take this rather dramatic dismissal well, especially since she more-or-less called him a coward to his face during part of it, and so chooses to double down on his plans and accept her monologue as a declaration of war. This close to him Dapple can feel his True Code-Level Form shining through, even with his (healing much faster than a Dark-Specialized Harmonian cat should be) injuries locking most of it down, so she knows that even with her considerable power she won't stand a chance in a straight fight.

So, instead, she invokes a magical ritual from her old world known as Owanimo. It locks them into a Puyo Puyo match, one where if either of them "cheats" by attacking each other via any means but popping Puyos, their magic will be sealed.

Permanently.

She's well aware that he has no good way of learning this, in fact she's counting on it. Even now he indulges her "little game," seeing as he's already winning for real what with the ghost hurricanes and all, but no doubt he'll eventually get frustrated at having to play a game he's probably never even heard of against a Final Boss and attack her directly. It probably won't affect his natural Program abilities, but losing access to his Harmonian magic (and The Rule does affect other games' magic systems, she learned that during her time with the Union) will still be a heavy blow, especially in his current state.

And even if he doesn't take the bait, well, at least she'll be able to stall him until anyone else who feels like getting involved shows up.

She grins wildly as she triggers her latest chain. She'd thought she'd forgotten how good it felt being on the good side of a fate-of-the-world-level-stakes Puyo Battle.

Ooooh yes!! Love this. Get his ass, Dapple!!

[shyanshippingsociety]

can you help me find some shyan arranged/contract/accidental marriage au? I love this trope but can't find that many fics....

hello! we asked our members for their favorite fics and here's what we got!

Your Heart Inside of Mine by miraclesofpaul | M, 51K, complete

They're placed into the Witness Protection Program after a bomb was found on the set of Unsolved. The only way to stick together is to lie and say they’re engaged. Years go by. Things change. Things transform

don't know why but you're dying to try by orphan_account | T, 2K, complete

"oh, hey, you dropped this," ryan notices suddenly, bending to pick up the sleek fur coat. he brushes it off and holds it out to shane, who just stares at him with wide eyes.

Believer by cellard00rs | E, 101K, complete

Some demons and otherworldly creatures love climbing up the power ladder. Shane is not one of these. He likes where he is (thank you very much) and has no interest in moving up. All he wants is to give his friend Ryan a nice birthday gift. So, naturally, everything goes to hell.

I’m Gonna Keep You in Love with Me (for a While) by beethechange | E, 21K, complete

Shane is pacing around the hotel room. It’s not a huge room and Shane’s legs are long enough that he doesn’t have much real estate to pace before he has to swing back around for another loop. “Can you stop?” Ryan asks. “You’re making me dizzy.” “Okay,” Shane says finally. “Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re just going to—we’re going to be married. The only way out is through.” “Um,” Ryan says, because this plan strikes him as counterproductive to their shared goal of not being married.

Resuscitation, Sounding Heartbeats by sunlight_sonata | M, 17K, complete

"Very funny," he said shakily, looking nervously at the pair. Shane was now avoiding his gaze, not the usual emotion for someone who just pulled a wicked prank. "Yeah, that’s a good one. Now, we need to decide-" "I’m not joking, Mr Bergara," Madame Alexandrina said. "Or should I say, Mr. Bergara-Madej." And oh, fate was nasty. Because now the name that had chased Ryan’s nightmares and taunted him wherever he went was the second half of his own. He really ought to have learned to read the terms and conditions. OR, Ryan knows only too well that being a Private Detective isn't as cool as it's all made out to be. His pursuit of a certain infamous criminal ends up solving more problems than it creates.

The Shape of Him Stamped Everywhere by miraclesofpaul | E, 42K, complete

Prince Ryan of Nueva California grew up lonely. As the first publicly out royal in the American Union, he signs up for an arranged marriage and gets matched with Shane Madej. It seems impossible that they’ll even manage to be friends at first, but with time and effort (and the Shyan Love Campaign by PR genius Steven Lim), they find themselves growing closer every day.

share your address by idkspookystuff | E, 4K, complete

It’s never fun when you wake up to your head pounding out of your skull after a night you can’t remember. It’s even worse when you wake up to someone chanting “shit, shit, shit!” - when shane and ryan get a little too drunk on a weird, wonderful world shoot, they find out they got married and it's all over the internet. a few weeks later, ryan learns he's pregnant. the plan? pretend to be a married couple. easy enough to do with feelings, right?

courtship for dummies by icantturnthisthingoff | E, 18K, complete

“I have a question to ask, how well do you know Lord Shane Madej?” Steven asks. Ryan has a think. “Not very well truthfully, we have only really met in passing. Why do you ask?” “Because he has announced his intention to court you.” Steven reveals. an a/b/o nobility au that nobody asked for.

The Prince's Sneakers by petitfangs | E, 4K, on-going

A classic fairytale about a prince and a demon. There’s foolish royal decrees, magical caterpillars, enchanted creatures and some good old-fashioned smut. Read at your own peril.

if you enjoy, consider leaving a comment or a kudo! authors appreciate it!

[oliverreedmasterass]

Roxanne - 4k words, Jake insists that everyone should participate in a new drinking game, bets are made, and things almost immediately descend into chaos

Heat Above - 4k words, the guys get up to some hijinks and hair trouble on the set of their Heat Above music video 

It’s Been - 3.8k words, Jake picks a pointless fight with Josh and it takes them one week to finally let it go (oddly enough, based on the Barenaked Ladies song, One Week) 

Argh - 3.5k words, Jake, Josh, and Sam are all little kids, indulging in a fun and dramatic game of imaginary pirates

Sunshine - 2k words, 12 year old Jake meets his famous Gibson SG guitar for the first time

It’s Giving - 4k words, my interpretation of what happened backstage before the guys took the stage in Tucson, slaying the house down with their stage makeup

Stage Fright (pt. 1) - 2.7k words, the guys have to work through some nerves before playing new music at the Sacramento DIG show

Stage Fright (pt. 2) - 3.5k words, the aftermath of the last show of the DIG tour, some angst, and a stressful trip to In N’ Out

They Say It’s Your Birthday - 4.4k words, Danny and Sam take the twins to a karaoke bar to celebrate their 27th birthday

Welcome to My Crib - 2.8k words, Greta Van Fleet gives a home tour for Architectural Digest 

Thirst Tweets - 2k words, Greta Van Fleet react to Thirst Tweets for Buzzfeed 

New York Runaway - 800 words, the GVF group chat is popping off when Sam disappears to New York without any explanation 

Sam Kiszka Sees God While Eating Spicy Wings - 7.9k words, Sam goes on Hot Ones and frankly kinda terrifies Sean Evans

GVF Masterclass Group Chat - 1.2k words, a look at the group chat between Oliver Reed, Cal A Bungah, Chip Bunker, and Dr. JMK

Booze Run - 3k words, the GVF guys come up with a game to make their booze run a bit more entertaining

The Greta Van Fleetles - 3.2k words, GVF go on America’s Got Talent, impersonating one of the most popular bands of all time

Addressing Your Questions and Concerns Pt. 2 - 7.6k words, Literally what the title says lol 

Clowning Around - 4.1k words, Oliver Reed is alive, he’s just stuck in a witness protection program because he accidentally stumbled across a ninja clown crime ring

Rising With the Demons Above - 5.2k words, Greta Van Fleet witness a demonic possession and, of course, end up making things like 20x worse

Ready for the Garden - 1.8k words, Jake reflects on his success, and how Greta Van Fleet finally played Madison Square Garden

Turkey Day - 4.3k words, Jake decides he wants to host Thanksgiving this year, and Josh is immediately skeptical that he's up to no good 

Prime Suspects - 8k words, The GVF guys find themselves caught in a heap of trouble. The problem is, they can't quite work out what they did.

Growth - 2.4k words, Danny will go to great lengths to ensure that he can grow facial hair

Nardwuar Vs. Greta Van Fleet - 2k words, The members of Greta Van Fleet agree to do an interview with the Human Napkin himself, Nardwuar, and find themselves ridiculously unprepared for his interview style.

Hexed - 27k words, Jake physically can’t stop singing and dancing and it seems that there must be some dark magic involved. Will the guys be able to get Jake back to normal before their show?

Summer of 69 - 39k words, Greta Van Fleet somehow manage to travel back in time to the Woodstock Art and Music festival

The Frozen Light - 48k words, In the quiet town of Frankenmuth, a string of missing persons cases opens a wider question about who is to blame, drawing a deep divide between the town and its hidden supernatural residents. 

Battle of the Bands - 29k words, A young Greta Van Fleet find hope in a local battle of the bands competition to finally catch their big break.

Episode 1 - 5k words, Josh struggles with writer’s block, Jake is certain he’s being haunted, and Sam and Danny are engaged in an intense prank war

Episode 2 - 6.7k words, The members of Greta Van Fleet deal with loss: Josh loses his beloved notebook (which Sam attempts to find) and Jake and Danny get hopelessly lost in the woods

Episode 3 - 5.9k words, After an incident involving Jake's amp, he's determined to win the cash to buy a replacement. Meanwhile, Josh and Danny choreograph a dance for a music video and Sam's clumsiness makes him see red. 

Episode 4 - 5.8k words, It's media day for the GVF guys! What could go wrong? (everything) Danny struggles to hold back the truth, Jake takes advice from a higher up, and Sam and Josh can't stop saying the wrong thing. 

The One Where They Play Monopoly - 1.5k words, On a slow day, GVF decides to play a friendly game of Monopoly that winds up being anything but that

Greta Van Fleet Go To A Haunted House - 4.7k words, GVF make their way to a haunted house for shits and giggles. 

[mrsbsmooth]

Looking for my chaptered fics? Click here Want to sort by character? Click here

Places we won't be found - Lucas / OC - Lucas is in the witness protection program, Lauren's masquerading as his wife while she guards him. They hate each others' guts, and Lucas's attitude isn't helping. (10k+)

Where everything stands still - Ciaran / OC - Ruby's the Prime Minister's daughter and she's just been assigned a new security detail. As furious as she is, she can't help the butterflies that happen whenever a certain Sergeant's on duty. (7.5k)

All I Want for Christmas is You - Tom / OC - Royal AU, Enemies to Lovers, Second chance love. (23k+)

Deck the Halls (with scowls of Holly) - Lucas / OC - Coworkers Lucas and Holly have to plan the Christmas Party together. They have very different opinions on the way it should be done. (5.7k+)

Employee of the Month - Gary / OC - Gary has a new Boss, and she's not what he expected. (5k+)

Yesterday - Tim / OC - Famous rapper/DJ Big T got everything he ever wanted. Record deal, supermodels, a huge group of friends. He's happy - really - he swears he is. (5.5k+)

A Sign. Any Sign - Bruno / MC - Bruno likes Lana, but she only sees him as a friend... he thinks. Cue the heartrate challenge, where she's going to show him exactly how she feels. (1k+)

Bruno and Miri Make a Porno - Bruno / OC - Best friends Bruno and Miri are about to have their electricity shut off. They need cash, and fast. So when Youcef approaches them with a solution... they aren't in a position to turn it down. (6.8k+)

The Alps - Lucas / Henrik - Lucas and Henrik cross paths in the alps (5k+)

Christmas Timing - Henrik / MC - Leah's liked Henrik for ages, but even in the villa, the timing was never right. When will the timing be right!?! (3k)

Delicate - Angie / OC - Paramedic Catalina wants to set Angie up with Talia. But seeing them together is making her feel... weird. (3.6k+)

De-finn-itely - Finn / MC - A rewrite of the 'note' scene from Season 9 (All Stars) leading to 'being with' Finn to make things make more sense (5.2k)

Her Cupid's Bow - Gary / OC - Gary and Mads have been best friends since they were 11. Now they're stuck up a tree, and it's getting really cold. Oops. (4.7k+)

Let's go - Angie / MC - Angie thinks she and Siobhan are just friends. But it's the heartrate challenge, and Shiv's not dancing for the boys. (1k+)

Ruin Our Friendship- Chelsea / MC - Chelsea's got a crush, and it's not on Elijah (1.8k+)

See you soon - Tim / MC - Tim and Mia have to decide which one of them will leave the island for good. It sure is lucky they're just friends, and there are no feelings involved. (1.5k)

Whistle For the Choir - Seb / MC - The boat party rewrite where Seb gets what he wanted all along. (10k+)

Beauty Lies in the Eye - Seb & Nicky - Seb and Nicky fall for the same girl. (2k+)

The Boys go on a trip - Lucas / Noah, Gary / Bobby / Rocco / Tai / Henrik - Lucas, Noah & others go camping, and take drugs for a new experience. Wow, does this get gay fast. (5.5k+)

Dylan's Redemption - General- After Love Island, Dylan's reputation is shot. His family's being targeted, and he needs to clean up his image. Luckily, an anonymous helper has a solution - Love (and Respect) Island University. (5.5k+)

Hook, Line, and Sinker - Graham / Marisol - Scheming Graham's perspective of Casa Amor (2.5k+)

Part of Your World - General - Seb gets trapped in the Disneyverse (5k+)

Touch nothing but the lamp - Bobby / Lottie - Bobby & Lottie swap bodies and shit gets real weird. There's magic involved. Oh boy. (5k+)

Black Forest Gâteau - Jake / MC - Ali shows up at Jake's restaurant after Love Island. He's devastated because he told her he loved her and she turned him down. She did turn him down... right? (2.8k+)

Four Seconds - Bobby / OC - Lucas is Bree's soulmate, or is he? (2.3k+)

Hearts Awakened, Live Alive - Lucas/OC - K-Pop Idol Lucas gets swarmed by fans and needs help. (6.3k+)

I could see this view a hundred times - Tim / MC - Tim's been hiding something from Catarina (5.4k+)

If you like Piña Coladas - Graham / OC - Graham's feeling stuck in a rut. Meets a girl online that makes him feel alive again. Only problem is, he's already got a girl at home. (3k+)

if you want one of us - Lewie / MC - Mistaken identity - it was an accident - God, what will Ally say? (6.7k+)

The Man from the Jungle - Henrik / OC - Henrik is Tarzan, with a twist. (2.5k+)

Sex on the Beach - Bruno / OC - Bruno drinks in 'Never Have I Ever'. Here's that story. (2.5k+)

Shut Up - Hamish / MC - Sadie and Hamish had a 'something' before she left for Casa Amor. So when she comes back hand in hand with his best friend… (2.8k+)

Villa full of snakes - Hamish / MC - The fallout of Hamish giving MC the necklace if she's also on a Marshall route. (>1k)

*Note: Mostly angst. Always a happy ending.

Chanel Paris-Biarritz - Youcef / MC - Chloe reminds him too much of his ex. He already knows it'll hurt. But loving her from afar is worse. (2k+)

He had to know - Lucas / OC - Lucas knocks a girl up and walks away. But something keeps pulling him back. (3.2k+)

This Time I’m Serious(ly Angsty) - Bruno / MC - The original Chapters of TTIS (14k+)

But not quite - Jake / OC - Jake is her best friend's brother. Mandy's been gone for nine years, though. Surely she's over her crush by now. (5.1k+)

Carry On- Roberto / MC - Pilot Roberto fake dating at the airport (5.4k+)

Every minute - Lewie / MC - how Lewie really would've reacted if Siobhan showed up at the stick or twist ceremony (1k+)

For a Minute - Oliver / MC - Oliver sticks up for Ellie after Dylangate. (2.5k+)

Oh, Paw-lease - Andy / OC - Cass is having a day, and the fact that the hot vet gets to witness every bit of it? Great. Just great. (4.9k+)

Shoot Your Shot - Lewie / MC - He sees her in the crowd, she makes quite the impression. Will he ever find her? (4.2k+)

The colour that you are - Rocco / OC - His aura is a mess. Luckily, Freya can see that. (3.1k+)

Three in the morning - Bobby / OC - Pretty nurse meets cute catering guy. He's determined to win her over. Damn. She kind of wants to let him. (3.5k)

Cabernet Sauvignon - Jake / Talia / MC - Jake comes for a visit. Talia and Zoe decide he needs a new experience. It backfires. (4.3k)

Customer Service - Marshall / MC - Marshall's dream car pulls into the garage. His dream girl is in it. (6.4k+)

Dasvid Anya- Finn / MC - Finn's exhibitionist kink that Anya's only too happy to indulge. (1.5k+)

Electromagnetic - Carl / OC - Carl's a Star Trek captain, and likes to experiment with the holodeck. (3k+)

Everything else is enthusiasm - Tom / MC - Tom's a little nervous about his first time with Felicity... but it turns out, he's got no reason to be. (2.1k+)

Filthy - Andy/Hamish/Marshall / MC - Alexis hasn’t found what she’s looking for in the villa. Maybe Casa will be… more her speed. (8.8k+)

Finn-ish- Finn / MC - Keira gets the shower scene we all deserved (2.4k)

FINNOCENT - Finn / MC - Finn sticks up for Erin after Alfie cheats on her. Then, it's time for sexy, sexy revenge. (3k+)

Follow your instincts - Tai / OC - Rugby coach Tai is having a crisis of confidence. He needs to do things his way. Luckily, one of the referees is happy to reassure him - he's got good instincts. (3.1k)

The French Connection - Bruno / MC - Bruno's got a French lingerie model for a roommate and it goes exactly as you'd expect. (10.5k+)

He was sure - Oliver / MC - Oliver doesn't rush into making things physical. But when he's ready, he's... ready. (2.5k+)

IGFBSGITMPAAIGWTFWAM - Finn / MC - Saoirse's got a front row spot and she'll do anything to keep it. (1.5k+)

if I get burned, at least we were electrified - Alfie / MC - Alfie's done with walking on eggshells. He wants her, and he's going to have her. (3k+)

I just wanna love you, baby - Alex/MC Every time they'd had the opportunity to 'do bits', Alex had… done the honours. Well, now, it was his turn. (4.7k+)

Jets- Roberto / MC - Sexy pilot has an interesting idea in the hot tub (3.2k+)

Lady Grifferley's Lover - Noah / OC - Noah & Bronte are audiobook narrators. The book gets spicy. (6.8k+)

Let me be your woman - Ozzy / OC - Ozzy's celebrity fling in the dance studio (5k+)

Measure Twice, Cut Once - Alex / OC - Alex moves slowly. He's waiting for the right girl. But what happens when he finds her? (8k+)

Men of Particular Interests - Noah / Bobby / Lucas - Noah & Lucas meet Bobby in a BDSM bar. They've finally met their match. (3k+)

Mrs Robinson - Felix / Dylan's Mum - It's his lucky day. (4.5k+)

Repetition. - Jake / OC - Professor Wilson is trying to grade papers, but Adriana's got something else in mind (1.7k+)

Tom's Game - Tom / Priya - Nasty, privileged fuckboy Tom meets his match in the villa. (3.5k+)

[danco110]

“Into the light!”

The hunted witness sprinted madly into the magical sunbeam filtering down from the Boros angel’s sword. The ray then exploded with a blinding flash, stunning everyone present. When the light faded, the man was nowhere to be seen, much to the dismay of the Dimir spy that had been chasing after him.

“Elori,” grumbled the cloaked vampire standing across the way, “that man was an…asset of House Dimir.”

“And now he is safe from you, Nefara!” the angel spat back in return. “You and your schemes.”

Nefara gave Elori a slack-jawed stare, inadvertently flashing her razor sharp fangs. “You imbecile! He’s one of our informants!”

“Under coercion, no doubt.”

“His confession wasn’t forced! Why else would we want to protect him?”

“Protect…?” Elori blinked in surprise, then shook her head to refocus. “No. You won’t fool me. You were chasing him.”

“Chasing him to the next safehouse!” Nefara hissed. “It was a cover! No one would dare interfere with Dimir ‘business’ unless they either had a deathwish…or wanted to play hero, like you!”

“You lie.”

“Ask him!”

Elori raised her sword, and turned the blade sideways to look at the flat. Begrudgingly, she waved it around, causing it to glow with the same light from before, and spoke to it:

“Can you hear me in there?”

“Y-Yeah!” echoed the witness’s voice from the blade. “Uh, you are part of the whole…thing, right?”

Elori scowled at the question, and dispelled her weapon’s light without answering. Looking down, she directed her ire at Nefara.

“All right! All right…so you are telling the truth. But why conceal it from us and the Azorius?”

“Because you’d have inevitably ruined it, like you did just now,” Nefara snarked. “And, erm…Azorius?”

“I’m here! I’m here…”

A haggard Azorius arrester sprinted into view, adopting a solid stance as she stared down Nefara.

“I’ve got your back, Elori! Let’s take down this villain!”

“No need, arrester. It was a misunderstanding.”

“…Oh?”

Nefara almost laughed at the Azorius’s disappointed look.

[Headcanon: witness protection teams on Ravnica have to be badass, to put up with interference from Dimir and overall inter-guild violence. But ironically, the spies have a pretty killer program themselves, to protect their willing informants on account of them being few and far between.]

[lilacartsmadsion]

..scenario?

Damn a Harry Potter scenario? Um…

Harry : Professor, there’s something I want to talk to you about…

Dark Cacao: If this is about the weapons thing, no I am not changing my mind…since The Dark Lord’s forces have increased in the coming of years and our school was attacked by The Cake Witch, you ought to learn how to defend yourselves other than using magic.

Harry: That’s not why I came to talk to you sir…

Dark Cacao:…? Then what is it? What’s so important that…you three had to come here…

Harry: Three?

*Looks behind him and sees Hermione and Ron, he just sighs*

Harry: Professor…what usually happens when you leave class?

Dark Cacao: I don’t know what you mean?

Harry: It’s just that, everytime you disappear you seemed rather…angry…

Dark Cacao: Pure Vanilla already told you, it was stress, I’ve already had a complaint from Lucius Malfoy and half the board wants me to stop the program just because some rich wizard wants his way…

Harry: Yes but…everytime you do…someone dies…

Dark Cacao:…

Dark Cacao: Are you accusing me of being the murderer?!

Hermione: Forgive me professor but the evidence is hard to dispute…Everytime you disappear someone dies…

Ron: And everyone someone dies, you’re the first to hear the witness discover the body…

Dark Cacao: I did not kill any of my students, I have no grounds or reason-

Harry: Yet somehow you have no alibi and somehow you’re always in places nearby that you don’t normally go to…

Dark Cacao: Potter…

Harry: You can’t continue to deny it anymore…if you’re killing people just admit it.

Dark Cacao stands up: My whole life’s work is to protect students like you! I created a whole programs so that children can defend themselves other than the use of magic! Why would I kill for no reason?

Harry: Because you were angry at them…

Harry: All the students you’ve killed they’ve angered you at least once!

Dark Cacao: That’s just a coincidence!

Harry: When it piles up like that it becomes a pattern! Admit it Professor! You’re the one killing people! You’re working with the Dark Lord!

Dark Cacao: ENOUGH OF THIS INSOLENCE-!

*Turns Berserk*

[dc-sideblog]

No Capes AU

Bruce: Dr. Bruce Wayne is a beloved Gotham philanthropist, majority shareholder of Wayne Enterprises, and the sharpest man you'll ever meet. Everything he does is to protect Gotham and honor his parents' legacy. He's had a long string of romances that always seemed like they were going somewhere but never made it to the altar

Dick: Dick Grayson was a circus acrobat whose parents were killed by the mob when he was ten. He was then taken in and adopted by Bruce Wayne. He was an angry kid for a while, became a cop when he grew up and tried to change the system from the inside before Blüdhaven chewed him up and spit him out. He quit the force after the ordeal with Blockbuster and now he's an Olympic athlete/children's gymnastics coach

Jason: same origin as in canon but they just called the police on Ma Gunn. Jason was a happy kid! He graduated with honors and got a degree in nonprofit management. He runs a universal basic income project in Crime Alley and a harm reduction drug center

Cass: instead of the whole child assassin thing, Cass was one of those feral children found living alone in the wilderness at age seventeen. She never meets a magic man who rewires her brain to understand language this time. Cass uses an AAC program on a tablet to communicate. After five years in Gotham, settling in and taking lessons, she successfully auditions for the Gotham City Ballet. She goes on to become the prima ballerina

Tim: Tim was always that kid kinda on the fringes of the Wayne family's circle but then both his parents were tragically killed on a cruise, so Bruce offered to take him in. He knows the kid, after all. Tim goes to summer camp every year and has a tight knit group of friends from it. He graduates school like a normal person while also taking online college classes at night so that he can have a double graduation ceremony, not like a normal person. Eighteen year old CEO of Wayne Enterprises (Drake Industries is now a subsidiary)

Steph: Cass and Tim's bestie! She had a part time gig as the pianist for Cass's first ballet class and that's how they all met. Inseparable now. Steph was working her way through med school. Doc Thompkins is training her to take over the clinic one day when she retires. She did singlehandedly put her father in prison for life by proving he committed his crimes

Duke: lost his parents in a random mugging that Bruce witnessed. He obviously had to take the poor kid in, how could he not? Duke is a good kid, aspiring writer, still in high school but thinking about joining Jason's nonprofit. He gets fav sibling rights

Damian: Damian grew up incredibly privileged and sheltered until he was ten, as the only son and heir apparent of Dr. Talia Head and her many businesses. Bruce was SHOCKED to learn his ex wife lied about losing the baby. Who could've predicted that she would do that given the everything that went down. Anyway Damian acts like a little prince and is prickly and superior at first, but he's got a big heart and he's mellowing out