#my nightmares are based off what i currently fear at a certain point

[astrxealis]

once i dreamed that i was in the Video Game Store and there was a copy of drakengard 3 for ps3 there and i got it

[shadowy-suitcase-herring-neck]

Please, send the info dump. I WANNA HEAR THE FERAL NIGHTMARE AU STORY

you my friend have no idea what you have just started :)

(nightmare) The Feral nightmare au is kind of a what if to how the corruption might work differently. Essentially The corruption essentially inhibits the mind and erases memory. like thinking through a fog if that makes sense. The corruption also enhances negative emotions.

so instead of just gaining tentacles and going tyrant mode during the apple incident he just goes feral beast mode who is currently powered by fear and anger.

After the incident nightmare doesn't have the same drive most of his counterparts would have. also his memory is pretty much wiped. though he does remember certain emotions based on objects. apples make him feel anxious so he stays away from them while he collects other things such as books because they trigger a positive emotion even if he doesn't quite remember why. or how to read. His mind is much more survival driven and doesn't really care much about multiverse domination or even revenge.

he lives in an underground cave network under Dreamtale which by this time has been transformed into a shadow Forrest full of creatures that have been affected by the corruption and negativity. The place where the village and the tree of feelings was in completely barren though and everything avoids it. The cave network is mostly long twisting tunnels nightmare has made with a few massive natural caves that the tunnels connect.

Nightmare is still well known across the multiverse as he has the ability to travel between au's and he tends to cause a bit of a panic. You see nightmare feeds entirely off of negative emotions, mostly being fear. the usual way he get fear is by finding a random person and proceeding to scare the life out of them. he tries to find people who are alone because groups tend to attack more than a lone individual. Nightmare isn't exactly murderous as... he has no need to be. he doesn't eat people so. after he gets his negative emotions he usually leaves. unless the individual decides to attack then nightmare will probably kill them.

(the gang)

the gang only involves horror, killer, and dust. idk if you could really call them a gang because they are really just... well a group of sanses nightmare has kidnapped and brought to his burrow. none of them know why. none of them know anything about nightmare. they don't even know his real name or that he has one. he just kinda kidnapped them.

Not that they really mind that much. killer and dust where pretty much in an empty world at that point. and Horror had no more desire to go back anyway because his brother had died due to starvation.

Horror was the first of the gang that nightmare surprise adopted. he has been living with nightmare for about two years now. the underground river has a abundant amount of fish plus nightmare regularly goes on supply runs and grabs whatever he thinks the smaller skeleton creatures he shares a home with would like. horror is pretty good at navigating the tunnels by now.

Killer was actually the second one to be kidnapped by Nightmare. he finds living with the equivalent of a demon dragon (minus most of the dragonish part) to be rather cool. he calls nightmare Beasty but not in a bad way. he is the only one who can call him that and makes sure everyone else knows this. spends a lot of time carving wood but nightmare takes him to the surface of the au to make sure he doesn't get to bored. nightmare has to be nearby though so "the shadow creatures" don't attack killer.

Dust has only been in the burrow for about 6 months. please help this man he is so lost. what is this place and who are these people, who knows! why is this weird slimy skeleton creature keeping him hostage? he sure doesn't know. all he knows is that at least he isn't trapped in a loop anymore.

(star sanses)

Dream doesn't know what happend to his brother. he holds onto the hope that maybe he is alive out there somewhere in the multiverse but ultimately has no idea. he made friends with blue and ink and helps them protect the multiverse from all the other dangers to the multiverse because the gang wouldn't be the only one. Dream doesn't really know of his position as guardian... no one knew... he's just the guy that was also that statue Blue found in that weird desolate au.

Blue has been a sort of multiverse guard since learning about all the au's. he always wanted to do somthing like this and finda the travel and protection of the denizens of the multiverse to be quite rewarding. though he makes sure to still spend plenty of time back in under swap with his friends and brother. Dream lives with him and his brother as he needed help adjusting to modern society and stuff. Blue has a bit of a fued against nightmare as he is attempting to figure out where he keeps coming from and why he is randomly attacking people, nightmare has not been much help in this regard.

Ink id just there because Dream and Blue are his friends. and their adventures and "quests" they go on is fun and he likes spending time with them. nightmare doesn't really care about ink. Ink can just sort of watch him do stuff and he could not care less. Ink takes this opportunity many times to draw the weird goop creature. Nightmare is a little intrigued by the fact he cannot sense any emotions from ink.

(other stuff)

this au is mainly focused on how nightmare is able to slowly find himself after the corruption shattered his mind. which he is able to do somewhat. he will never be the same though.

Dream and nightmare have an interesting relationship. neither know at first that the other is their brother. Nightmare doesn't even remember having a brother beyond a vague collection of fragmented memories and sensations. but Dream definitely feels familer... and nightmare wants to know why. Dream can sense there is something familer about nightmare as well.

for anyone reading this feel free to ask any questions. it is how i share more about an au :D this ramble is just skimming the surface of lore and stuff >:3

[prismadog]

so...I've been thinking about working on a couple more aus/fics.

I know what y'all're gonna say - "dude, you don't even have regular updates on the two fics you're currently writing - why would you want to write more fics? you won't update those regularly either"

I know, and I'm sorry for that. it's just...my thoughts are that if I keep all my focus on those and crank out chapters like there's no tomorrow, then I'm going to burn out sooner or later. this happens all the time when I start working on something and I'm trying to take things slow so it doesn't happen for these fics.

but also, I'm getting bored in between working on the Found Family au fic and the Jimnoth au fic so I'm thinking...maybe if I have another fic to work on, then I can cure a little bit of that boredom without burning out. ya know?

so...

Potential Fics

Corrupted Jimmy: after the raid on the Cod Empire, Jimmy loses everyone, all his people, and in his moment of despair, Xornoth is there promising retribution for the wrongs committed against him. he accepts a deal and falls from grace and disappears, corruption spreads and alters to the point where even the water isn't safe. some canon things like ice powers and axolotl-Lizzie still happen. Jimmy is the one to kill the dragon and free Xornoth. Cod are infected with corruption and salmon are killed.

Among Us - Empires crossover: the cast of Empires in an Among Us setting [ie, SPACE and on a spaceship, some liberties will be taken]. siblings Lizzie and Jimmy are Imposters, sent by their people on missions to wipe out crews. their next mission in to infiltrate Captain Pixlriff's ship and take his Crew down as they've done to others. but they quickly find that this crew isn't the same as the others - they're all a little bit weird and somewhat chaotic. Lizzie finds love in a weird little man named Joel and Jimmy finds the friends he's always wanted [and maybe some love too in a certain teal-haired man]. Joey is Joey, ie big simp for an Imposter. Xornoth is here as well, though human and named Conner [he tries to get everyone to call him "Xornoth" tho and they play along].

Watcher Grian: Hermitcraft season 6. the Watchers sent Grian to a random server when their base was attacked by other Watchers - they had taken a Player from the Universe and would face punishment for said action. Grian has no memory of life before the Watchers so as far as he knows, he's a Watcher and the only family he's ever known [the two Watchers who took him from Evo] has been killed. he finds himself alone on the server, just barely managing to survive, until one day a Player [Xisuma] enters the world. more Players [the other Hermits] follow and Grian doesn't know what to do, at first. he decides to just Watch them for now but his Watching only fuels his curiosity and soon, he starts studying them and watching them build. Watcher Grian is a curious guy and a perfectionist so if he sees a mistake, he fixes it, but he only does so when nobody is around - the hermits actually know he's there but keep their distance for fear of scaring him off, plus, he leaves little rhymes on signs for them.

Sleep-Deprived Sausage/Jausage/Jausmajor: takes place after Sausage returns from the spirit realm and he's trying to make amends with those he hurt - this is a more difficult task than what c!Sausage went through [I like canon but I think Sausage was forgiven just a little too quickly by some folks]. Sausage suffers from nightmares and gets little sleep. eventually, he decides that to combat the nightmares, he just won't sleep at all - hence the "sleep-deprived" part. this causes all sorts of problems like hallucinations, weakened immune system, loss of time, etc and it affects him greatly. he and Jimmy are working together for the first time in ever and he's unwell, he collapses and Jimmy is there to help him. Jimmy calls in Scott and together they take care of Sausage, though it's very reluctant on Scott's part because of the kidnapping, but he helps because Jimmy asked him to.

Dragon-Mom Grian: pretty much regular Hermitcraft 8 where Grian makes the game of Tegg. the game starts out fine but as time goes on, Grian starts to become anxious whenever the egg is in someone else's hands. he finds himself doing bird things like making nests and his wings change color to resemble the void [something he hates because it reminds him of the Watchers - unlike in WatcherGrian, he hates the Watchers here]. Grian also seems to become more suspicious of non-Boatem people when they wander into Boatem, and he becomes a little more protective over Boatem/its inhabitants. these changes continue even after the game is won and Grian gets the egg back. the Boatem members eventually realize that Grian is basically following dragon/bird/mom instincts.

if you wouldn't mind, maybe helping me out on deciding which one(s?) to work on alongside Found Family and Jimnoth?

[deewithani]

Perils of Spring - Chapter 1

Rating: Explicit (18+)

Pairing: Captain Rex x F!Reader

Word count: 1,456

Warnings: sex pollen, masturbation, oral sex (m! receiving), Rex begs (not really sub!rex, tbh), cum eating, light gagging

A/N: We’re throwing basic biology out the window. I’ve never been with a guy who has been able to cum more than twice in a fairly short amount of time, but this is fanfiction rules, so our dear Captain has no problem. This chapter is just absolutely dirty smut that only exists so Rex begs. I wanted to make it a one-shot after the prologue, but I have too many ideas and so much more to add, so at least 1 more (if not more than 1) chapter will be released.

Prologue | Chapter  1 | Chapter 2

“Please, I need you. Help me cum, it hurts so bad.” You had entered Rex’s tent to check on the Captain, fearing he may have been injured as you heard him calling out for you, but what you saw when you entered was gloriously beautiful and scary at the same time. Rex lay stretched out on his cot, sweat beading at his temples, a look of pain on his face, wearing full armor minus his codpiece. In its place his blacks had been pulled down just enough to release his cock, thick and slightly curved, the tip glistening with precum. You watched, entranced, as he moved his still gloved hand up and down the shaft, his foreskin hiding and then revealing the reddened head of his cock like it was a present just for you.

The smell of sweat and blaster residue and something entirely “Rex” filled the air of the small tent. It was like you had walked straight into a dream that was morphing into a nightmare before your eyes. Your mind had wandered many times before, during the night when you were lonely, to scenes very much like the one which currently lay before you. In those fantasies Rex was relaxed, enjoying your eyes sweeping over his naked form, beckoning you with a lust filled stare that sent electricity straight to your core.

But here, now, he lay trembling, regarding you silently as he continued to stroke himself, his request hanging in the air, waiting for you to obey.

Slowly, you moved further inside the tent, pulling the flaps closed behind you and tying them to keep them from being opened. No matter what is happening to him now, you’re certain he wouldn’t want anyone else to walk in on this scene. Although he is still –almost- in his full armor, he looks nothing like you would expect from a Captain in the GAR. Until you know exactly what is happening, you have to protect him. You will bring Kix back to the tent if you need to, or another trooper you know you can trust, but you have your suspicions as to what has happened to Rex.

His eyes followed you as you moved through his tent toward his cot. You sat down next to him and placed your hand on his cheek, still considering the request. You had heard that the core temperature of clones ran higher due to their heightened metabolisms, but the heat radiating off his face seemed much higher than could be safe for anyone.

“Something’s very wrong, you’re burning up!” you warned, but Rex wasn’t paying attention to what you were saying. He was gazing up at you searchingly, as one would look if they were asking a deity to answer their prayers. “T-touch me, please. I h-have to cum. It will get worse. K-kix warned…”  

Kix had given you all a quick rundown of some of the more “interesting” fauna of the planet, warning that there were rumors of a plant with aphrodisiac properties which, if ingested at a large enough quantity, could cause death. There was no antidote, he explained, only a physical release could lessen the biological response of anyone unfortunate enough to come across the flower. It became clear to you that your suspicion was correct. Rex must have come across this plant and he was now suffering from its effects.

Slowly he moved his trembling hand from where he had gripped himself and covered yours that you had laid on his cheek. “Cyar’ika, please touch me” he breathed, his fingers tightening around yours as he looked to you for approval. When you nodded your head he placed his hand over yours and moved it down his fevered body, to the point where it was needed the most and tightened your grip on his weeping member, guiding your movements and holding your gaze with his, before quickly releasing your hand and grabbing the thin GAR-issued blanket that covered his cot. It only took a few strokes before Rex groaned and threw his head back, coming undone in your fingers, some of his pearly white release splattering on his armor and running down your hand.

“S-so good for me, kriff, so good”, he whispered. He let his eyes close for a moment, looking as if he was trying to calm his ragged breathing.

When he opened his eyes he looked up at you, eyes shining with unshed tears looking as if they could fall with his next heartbeat. Biting your lip, you tore yourself away from his pained gaze and looked to his cock, which looked painfully hard despite his release. You touched his cheek again, and he leaned into your hand, but he felt no cooler than he had before his orgasm.

Licking your lips, you glanced down at the mess on your other hand before throwing away your inhibitions, deciding then to give Rex a little show before licking up his warm cum and popping your fingers in your mouth, letting your tongue clean the tangy saltiness from your skin. You kept your eyes on his while working your fingers in a way you hoped was seductive until Rex suddenly tensed, moaning your name and climaxing for a second time.

‘That was unexpected’, you mused to yourself, and he looked to you, seeming to want to speak, but no words were forming. “How do you want me to help you, Rex? I want to help you, just as long as you want me to help. I need you to tell me what you need.”

“Mouth, cyar –kriff, it hurts. Please – I want your m-mouth”, Rex sighed, “Dreamed of your sweet lips around me.”

Your heart skipped a beat at his words. You had dreamed of this so many times, on your knees between his legs, his heavy cock in your hand while you licked and sucked at his length. Closing your eyes, you let out a breath that you didn’t realize you had been holding, mentally preparing yourself for the task ahead. You were not exactly experienced in giving blowjobs, and Rex was much larger and thicker than your previous lovers.

“Rex, I-I don’t know…” you started, but he quickly cut off your protestations. “You’re so beautiful, so good. G-good for me.”

You positioned yourself between his knees, and wrapped your hand around the base of his thick cock. Tentatively you laved at the sides, cleaning the mess from his previous releases and mentally preparing yourself. His hard cock jumped in your hand at the attention you were giving it, and Rex let out a weak moan, but you were too much in your own thoughts to hear him. He was so thick, thicker than you had imagined in your fantasies, that now self-consciousness was biting at the edge of your mind.

‘Stop it’, you chided yourself. He told you he had dreamed of this, and you had as well. There was nothing holding you back from fulfilling this fantasy but the self-doubt that was running rampant through the hallways and recesses of your inner self.

Confidence surged through you as you took him into your mouth; lips stretched wide, the salty taste of his release and your own spit heavy on your tongue. You lower yourself until his head reaches the back of your throat, when his hips suddenly jerk, causing you to gag on his length, causing you to release him quickly, embarrassed by your lacking abilities. The movement pulled you out of your thoughts, and you heard Rex speak more clearly than he had when you first entered the tent.

“You make such sweet noises for me. I want to hear them again.” You look up to see Rex sitting up on his elbows, reaching out to you. Touching your cheek, much like you had touched him, he moved his thumb to your bottom lip, pulling it down and rubbing it along the seam. Instinctively you opened your mouth, licking the digit and bringing it into your warm heat. Something new is in his eyes, something dangerous, as if he’s a predator watching his prey, deciding when to strike. “So beautiful. All for me. Will you let me do this? Fuck your mouth?”

His words, so filthy and so unlike the kind, courageous Captain you knew, sent heat straight to your core. A small whimper escaped your lips and your eyes widened at the request, and he removed his thumb so you could answer.  “Y-yes, Captain”. You watched as his cock twitched at your reply, filing that new information away for later. With a smirk on his lips and a playful glint in his eyes, he replied “That’s my good girl.”

‘Good girl’, kriff. You were truly fucked now.

_______________________________________

Taglist: @latenightsthoughtsnstuff

If you’d like to be added, just let me knowJ

[crazy-loca-blog]

Disclaimer: Please note I’m neither a psychologist, nor a psychiatrist nor an expert in mental health. Everything I’m writing here is based on some reading I’m currently doing on this topic and on some personal experiences.

Even though I’m really, really happy and my heart is exploding because most of the LIs FINALLY stopped treating our MC as a friend and began to treat them publicly as a significant other (because you’ve deserved it for a long, long time guys!), I know that those people who are romancing Ethan are actually hurt and mad because he seems to be pushing our MC away AGAIN. But what if I told you I’m beginning to see this as canon for him? Like he’s actually not pushing the MC away because he wants to but because he is showing a part of his personality or something that is a result of his experiences as a kid instead?

A few days ago, I found a psychology article about attachment and how self-sufficiency can be very negative when taken to the extreme. For some reason, the article really stuck with me because I had never heard something like that and because I might have felt that some of the stuff on it represented me, to the point that I talked to some psychologist friends because I wanted to know more about it. And after reading the latest Open Heart chapter, I couldn’t stop wondering “what if this is the actual reason why Ethan seems to be pushing the MC away? What if he doesn’t even realize what he’s doing?”

These are some excerpts from the article (the original one is in Spanish):

“Being excessively independent and self-sufficient is a sign of having suffered great disappointments, to the point that we feel that we cannot trust anyone but ourselves.”

Sounds familiar? Another one:

“[…] when we show ourselves to be hyper-independent -and we don’t resort to the help of third parties- we are actually revealing something deeper. Some defense mechanism to protect us against the eventual possibility of rejection, damage or suffering.”

And what do you think of this longer one?

“[…] as adults, [these children] stick with their careers and what they feel they can control. Deep and intimate relationships turn into threats. Being vulnerable is not an option, because if they are rejected […] they may find the loneliness they know well. When they grow up, people who create bonds from avoidant attachment find it difficult to recognize their own needs. They are extremely independent, they can do everything on their own, but they really fear not being good enough for others, and ultimately they fear rejection. They are adaptive people, who can even be very successful in a society, but when it comes to intimate relationships, it is difficult for them to overcome those barriers.”

And a bonus, just because I can’t leave this out:

“This hyper independence can be linked to traumatic situations, even unconsciously. These experiences can translate into greater difficulty when setting up a couple project or a work project, or when committing to someone or something. Because of course, committing also means showing yourself vulnerable.”

Did you read them all? These quotes have the name Ethan Ramsey written all over the place! All of them are from professional psychologists who based their opinions on the Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment: Studies in the Theory of Emotional Development by Donald Winnicott and on the Theory of Attachment by John Bowlby. Based on this theory, Ethan would be an avoidant attachment type of person. In very simple words, he is “someone who […] often sees himself as independent and able to ‘go it alone’. He often maintains strict boundaries, can be emotionally distant, and has a hard time opening up to their partners or making and keeping close relationships.”

So based on all of this, I think Ethan may not even notice that he’s pushing the MC away because that’s part of who he is. He is so used to solve everything by himself, to be independent and to not rely on anyone when he has a problem (because that’s how he has managed to survive all of his life), that even though the MC constantly tells him that he’s not alone anymore he has trouble processing the message. The fact that he is also an only child may have even helped to exacerbate this behavior because, as he has no siblings, he had no choice but to deal with things by himself (and here I’m talking from the experience, I was an only child until I was 14 and I left my parents’ home right after turning 18, so you can tell I know a thing or two about growing up on your own).

His relationship with his dad also had an effect on him. Alan even described Ethan as a perfect son for a single parent. He always did his homework, helped at home and worked during summer. And he even said he didn’t have to motivate Ethan to do anything, that he did all of that by himself. But then the article says: “Parents who generate avoidant attachments with their children are mostly caregivers who are not fully emotionally available to them and therefore are concerned that they function from autonomy. That makes the child act in a certain way, to try to attract or to please those unavailable dads.” So what if Ethan did all of this not only because he wanted to do it, but also because he was involuntarily trying to please his dad? The article adds: “It is not a lack of love [from the parents]; it has to do with the caregivers having difficulties on terms of affective connection, so these children learn to adapt and be complacent.”

Should we also analyze Ethan’s social skills? We all know he hates parties and having to socialize could be a nightmare for him. Do you remember that he became friends with Dolores just because she kept in touch with him and she was the one who invited him to have a coffee? Or how Naveen took him under his wing not only as his mentee, but also as his putative son and friend? Or more recently… have you ever noticed how he basically never mingles with our friends, especially in book 3? Have you ever seen him at Donahue’s talking to anyone but the MC and Reggie? Did you notice that during Ines’ wedding he wasn’t with Harper and Tobias, with Naveen or with Baz? He is always by himself!

Let’s move on to his romantic relationships. Besides the MC, the only relationship we know about is with Harper. Have you ever wondered how their relationship was? For some reason, I’ve always felt it wasn’t as serious for him (we don’t have her side of the story). Sure, he cares about her a lot, but he never loved her, even though they dated for a long time. In fact, when I hear him talking about his relationship with Harper, I kind of feel like the only reason they were dating was to keep each other company. Did they have plans as a couple? Did they ever live together? Did they meet each other families? Did they ever talk about marriage? Did he ever tell her he loved her? I have too many questions, but for some reason I think the answer to all of them is “no”.

Finally, have you noticed how focused he is on his job? And please let’s forget about Ethan in book 3 because we all know the MC is solving every single case… I mean… he must have been an intern or a resident when he wrote his book! Let’s also remember how he was obsessed with diagnosing Naveen in book 1 or how in book 2 he focused himself on helping as many patients as possible before Edenbrook’s closure. Of course, let’s add that the man is a perfectionist as well (do you remember when he was mortified and ashamed for misdiagnosing a patient ONCE?).

So yeah, I’m beginning to think that all of this is not about Ethan being mean to the MC and repeating the same story over and over again on purpose. Instead, I think it has to do with his personality as a character and with his childhood experiences. But of course, we all know there is no way that PB makes any reference to this, I just needed to get it off my chest (and to stay awake until 5:30 am writing this) because when I connected everything I was like "OMG!" 🤯

Where can you find more info about this topic?

https://bit.ly/3toNBaA (this one in Spanish, but Google Translator might help you to understand it)

https://bit.ly/33qmbGP (this one is in English)

[imaginesga1ore]

Loves Harsh Reality

Summary: Life is a bitch.

Pairing(s): Bucky Barnes x Reader, Avengers x Reader (all platonic)

Warnings: swearing, mention of past/current abuse

Prompt: “You want what everyone wants. You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, and adventure, and maybe even a little danger.”

Word Count: 1780

Do not copy, translate, or post any of my stories anywhere you write stories, whether that’s here, Wattpad, or Ao3.

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

Life never treated you well. Not even when you were just an innocent child, trying to navigate your way in this terrible world. You were forced into a cold and unloving organization that was run by people who don’t really give a shit that you were only 2 when they stole you. They never treated you like a human, more like a laboratory experiment, which kind of went haywire. When you were brought in, the sleaze running this entire operation stripped you of everything you had so far, which was only a name you had just barely begun to learn, and they assigned you a number, much like a court case; experiment 973. And that’s what you went by for the next 23 years of your life.

The day you were rescued from that deranged and psychotic place was...hectic to say the least. It began like any other day while you were their little pet; get woken up at the ass crack of you don’t know when, test out your powers until you physically passed out and then get ungracefully woken again only to be forced to use your powers. This continues for hours on end before these assholes make you go fight actual people in hopes that you aren’t lacking in physical strength. You fight until bodies start piling up and when your sadistic handlers are satisfied with your progress, as if you haven’t they haven’t been training you to take down monsters bigger than Goliath himself. But something wasn’t right and you could feel it in the enclosed space of your cell.

While you normally had a rough awakening by someone poking, prodding, and eventually yanking you out of bed, nobody was there. In fact, there wasn’t even a peep from the cells neighboring yours. That was until you heard multiple gunshots and multiple bodies slumping against the floor. See, the thing about HYDRA is that they’ve trained you for this exact moment but every single ounce of training they’ve ingrained in your body and mind left the building completely as you hunkered down against the wall furthest from the thick, metal door barricading you from the outside world.

Suddenly, the door you were just measly standing behind came crashing down, dust from the unwashed floor rising. After the dust settled, you looked up to see the poster boy of HYDRA himself, the Winter Soldier. “Steve, I’ve got a live one here. Female, looks to be in her mid-20s,” he whispered into his ear piece. He slowly moved closer, putting his weapon away as he noticed your frail body shaking from fear. “У тебя все нормально? Я ведь не бил тебя дверью?*” Shaking your head, the soldier stopped in front of you, kneeling next to you. “Меня зовут Баки. Что у тебя?” Shrugging your shoulders, you made an attempt to look over at him. “That’s ok. How long have you been here?”

“двадцать три года*,” you said, a bit of hesitation in your voice, finding it hard to speak after decades of being punished if you spoke out of turn. As you finished speaking, you heard another voice, one which you assumed belonged to this Steve person.

“Хорошо. Стив дал мне добро, чтобы мы могли убираться отсюда,” Bucky said, standing back up on his feet. But you weren’t too sure about this. Along with your training, your handlers had pushed on you the notion that the Avengers, and anyone associated with them, were out to harm you, always, and that’s why you needed to be able to defend yourself.

“Ты ведь не сделаешь мне больно, верно? О-или убить меня,” you asked, clear hesitation towards the soldier who was about to grant you freedom from this hellhole.

Bucky looked at you with sympathy drawn over his features. Shaking his head, he gently grabbed your hands, a shiver traveling up your spine at the coolness from the vibranium arm. “Конечно, нет. Я вытащу тебя отсюда.”

-TIME SKIP-

It had been a few months since the Avengers had rescued you from HYDRA and you were beyond grateful that Bucky had stumbled upon you that day. But the fear that HYDRA had instilled in you about being near the Avengers was still running rampant in your system. Whenever someone knocked on your door, or came up behind you, your fight or flight instincts kicked in like that of an animal in the wild. You thought it’d be better by now, considering you have been going to therapy since coming to the compound. But today, all your frustrations came to a head.

You probably should’ve been in bed considering it was 4 in the morning but you needed to burn off some steam. What you failed to realize was that a certain super soldier was sitting in one of the boxes above the training center, watching your every move. But, him being a super soldier meant that he could pick up on more than you realized. Bucky had noticed that blood dripping onto the floor, which came from your terribly wrapped hands.

He knew you were on edge, but not like you were when he first got you out. By the time that you realized Bucky was in your presence, it was a bit too late. You felt a hand on your shoulder; two seconds later you had the body attached to the arm on the floor, your other arm extending towards their throat, keeping them pinned to the floor.

Once the haze cleared, you could tell who it was that you had down on the ground. “Buck? Oh my god.” Quickly pushing yourself off of him, you started pacing the gym floor. “Fucking shit. I am so sorry Bucky. I-I didn’t mean to do it. Are you ok? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” You kept rambling and pacing until Bucky stopped you, stepping in front of you to stop you from wearing a hole in the floor.

“I am fine, кукла. Are you ok? Your hands are bleeding.” Looking down, you saw the streaks of red coming out from under the tape on your hands. “Let’s go get you fixed up, ok?” Nodding, you followed Bucky out of the gym and towards the medical center. “So, what’s got you going at 4 in the morning anyway?”

“I couldn’t sleep. No matter what I tried. I even tried that tea Wanda suggested. By the way, don’t drink it. It tastes like dirt.” Bucky chuckled as you sat on a gurney, grabbing supplies from the cabinets. “What are you doing? Shouldn’t we wait for, you know, a doctor, or an actual medical professional to come in and do this,” you immediately questioned him.

“Do you seriously doubt my suturing skills? I did serve in World War II, so I’m pretty confident that I know my way around a needle and thread,” he said, carefully unraveling the useless tape from around your knuckles, taking a look at the damage. “Yeah, this’ll probably take a little bit, but don’t you worry, Dr. Barnes is always here to help.” Bucky smiled at you, calming your nerves the tiniest bit.

After prepping and numbing you properly, Bucky began stitching your open wounds shut. “So, do you wanna talk about why you couldn’t fall asleep? Talking might help, at least it usually does for me,” Bucky asked, not taking his eyes off his work in progress.

“I, uh, I keep having nightmares. They went away for a bit, when I could actually sleep for the night, but for some reason, they’ve come back,” you admitted quietly, almost like it was a dirty little secret.

“Well, you’ve only been here a few months so I wouldn’t expect your nightmares to just instantly go away. It took me a few years to actually get a good night's sleep with them waking me or anybody else up. So I know exactly how you feel,” he said, finishing up before wrapping your hands in sterile dressings. “And you are all set. Now, no excessive force, which includes going to the gym at 4 in the morning and working out like you are about to fight the Hulk.” You laughed lightly, shoulders loosening up.

“Why are you being so nice to me? I mean, you just stitched up my hands cause I got too into my own brain after I almost choked you when you could’ve just dropped me here and gone back to bed.” Tears filled your eyes once more, a thickening feeling surrounding your concerns.

Bucky sighed, gingerly sitting next to you on the gurney. “When I found you at the base, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy ride for you. Or for anyone here really. Adding another member to the team can sometimes jostle things around. And I knew for a fact that you would feel like an outcast amongst some of the biggest heroes the world has ever seen...so far,” he said as you laid your head against his arm, wiping away the tears that had made their way down your face. “And I thought maybe, just maybe, if we became friends or even just acquaintances, that you wouldn’t feel so alone here. Cause I know exactly how that feels. And ever since coming here, I can see what I looked like when I was found; lost, felt like I didn’t deserve anything good or even deserving of love. But even though you hide it with a sort of tough exterior and you’re used to being trapped away, I can tell you something about yourself that you probably don’t even know,” Bucky said in a matter-of-fact voice.

“Oh yeah? What would that be,” you asked, quite curious as to what he may have found out.

“You want what everyone wants. You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, and adventure, and maybe even a little danger. Cause that’s exactly how I feel right now.” At some point, of which you weren’t sure, Bucky had hooked his fingers under your chin, turning your face up to meet his. Your eyes finally met his, capturing the look of a pure and innocent love in his icy stare. He slowly leaned down, but stopping right before your lips collided. “Is this ok?” Quickly nodding, Bucky pressed his lips to your own, cupping your face as your injured hands made their way to his sides.

Pulling back, Bucky rested his forehead against yours. “Never thought that this is how we would have our first kiss, doll,” he said, making you laugh which in turn caused him to chuckle. “But, I’m not at all opposed to it.”

“I’m glad. Now let’s get out of here. I’m tired.”

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

1. У тебя все нормально? Я ведь не бил тебя дверью - Are you ok? I didn’t hit you with the door, did I?

2. Меня зовут Баки. Что у тебя? - My name is Bucky. What’s yours?

3. Это хорошо. Как давно ты здесь? - That’s ok. How long have you been here?

4. двадцать три года - 23 years.

5. Хорошо. Стив дал мне добро, чтобы мы могли убираться отсюда. - Ok. Steve gave me the go ahead so we can get out of here.

6. Ты ведь не сделаешь мне больно, верно? О-или убить меня? - You aren’t going to hurt me right? O-or kill me?

7. Конечно, нет. Я вытащу тебя отсюда. - Of course not. I’m going to get you out of here.

8. Кукла - Doll

If you see this on another blog, @multifandomwhre , that is my first blog where I submitted it to @sweeterthanthis “Quote Me” challenge. 

[diloph]

Say, how have you found Oban? Also, I was wondering your thoughts on Don Wei, especially compared to a certain other distant sci fi cartoon father.

Haven't had much time to sit down and watch over the past two days, currently at episode 15. Pretty happy to be in a universe where it looks like everything's been thought through with its main racing mechanic having a lot of twists (challenges, good and bad racers, actual serious losses for the protagonists) to keep it interesting. It's great!

Yeah, Don Wei though. Wowie. His relationship with his daughter is super interesting. We as the audience know he's got a lot on his shoulders, is still struggling with the death of his beloved wife and is trying to manage a team and racer that goes against all of his coaching advice...

Buuuut, we also know that he ditched Eva at a boarding school and left her alone at a young age... only to go to seed. While he recovered by coaching Rick, he maintained that distance from his daughter. Eva, masquerading as Molly, never got the same sort of recovery he did (evidenced by the nightmares/dreams, flashbacks, the desire for revenge on Spirit and outright branding him a murderer).

She still thought the world of her beloved dad to try to help cope with the fact that he abandoned her after their mutual loss... only for it to all come crashing down when she met the racing-stripe haired authoritarian her father had become.

Since then, I've been watching the two very, very closely. It's pretty tense in my opinion, because when things kick off between them, they really kick off. There was at least two confrontations where I thought that Eva was going to angrily rebuke him with the truth and in a way, I kind of wanted her to.

Yes, it would have an impact on the Earth team. Don Wei would suddenly become even more reluctant to field the racer who only very loosely follows his advice and recommendations, for fear of repeating what had happened to Maya.

But my god, the catharsis of her slamming him with that would potentially make him listen to her for once. The "Didn't your father teach you any manners?!" *Eva stops dead, speaks with venom in her voice.* "No, he didn't." hit my core, man.

More likely however, it would drive even more of a wedge between father and daughter. Eva already feels pretty alienated from the rest of the team whenever I see her. Nobody, with the exception of Rick, ever seems to trust her judgement even remotely, least of all Don Wei.

Jordan, for example, is her direct teammate and side-gunner. He constantly follows the orders given to him, even when Eva's trying to reason with him or point something out. Especially when it comes to Prince Aikka, for example. He's unwilling to believe that there's any good in somebody he doesn't know at all based on their species and has personally both fought him over basically nothing, then overheard him being press-ganged by Colonel Toros, despite the Prince's stating his intent to resist.

If there's a history there (asides from the Crogs invading the Earth, he kisses his dog tags that have somebody else's name on them and at least twice has brought up cloning), it's not been addressed yet, so fair enough.

The twin engineers seem pleasant enough to Eva, but they're pretty distant and follow Don Wei's orders all the time. Even when she managed to win them some races, the second it looked like Rick was back on his feet, they scooped out the cockpit she'd jury-rigged without much resistance.

Speaking of Mr-Wears-Sunglasses-Indoors-And-At-Night, Rick has been the only member of the team consistently willing to support her, even taking into account his struggles with his injury and his determination to get to the bottom of the sabotage. He genuinely tries to help Eva improve via training, giving her a lot more respect than the others, I feel, even though he's also doing things out of duty to the team and as a favour to Don Wei.

Sadly, thanks to the machinations of the Timeless One, he's had to duck out to Earth, leaving Eva alone and without that support from now on. I really do think that she's going to struggle without his influence like that, moreso now that our mysterious distant figure has nobody aware of them at all now.

In short, I think Don Wei has a real uphill struggle if he wants to make any attempt at recovering his and Eva's relationship. Eva's definitely the victim here, even if what Wei did was based in grief, it does not excuse it. He also needs to know she is his daughter, but that part will come sooner rather than later, I think. Hopefully, they'll pull through, because I do like them both.

As for that comparison, Don Wei seems a lot more professional and selfless. Not in an altruistic "I must help people" way, more of a "this is my duty, come hell or high water, it's for the greater good". Flaws aside, he knows the weight of what he's doing and cannot afford any slip-ups. The pressure's getting to him, an already not-so-nice short-tempered individual, with what he views as a dangerous task and a pilot who seems reckless and irresponsible to him, too willing to gamble. He'd rather rely on his experience and logic, rather than gut feelings and trust.

While they both love their kids, comparing him to the Professor, who is outwardly more cheery, is a contrast indeed. One's short, one's tall. One's friendly, one really isn't. One has a full head of hair, the other is balding, asides from a flipping crazy spike on his head.

But crucially, Don Wei isn't doing everything for himself, despite his arrogant and demanding persona. Membrane strikes me as, whether he's doing something for the good of mankind or not, kind of an egocentric person. His worldview has to be completely correct, because he's so smart. Everything he does must be right, because how can the world's greatest scientist be wrong? He'll chuckle at your ignorance, explain to you how things should be and if you disagree with him, well, it doesn't matter. You're not going to change his mind.

That... really, REALLY bugs me about him, now I've come to see it as part of his character.

And for all his flaws, Don Wei, upon learning the truth about Eva, or about what's really going on with the Oban tournament, isn't the type of person to kneel down to his child and gently reprimand them for their word choice in expressing their desires with very intense emotion, because "wishing isn't very scientific".

Just be glad that Gendo Ikari set the bar so low for you, Professor. He isn't even the worst.

[caffernnn]

OK so.. the movie spoilers suggest that there's some big drama going on between Haru and Rin (and if there's big drama between characters in the first movie, then of course there's bound to be a big emotional resolution in the second one); also, Makoto and Sousuke seem to be spending time together in the movie, so.. I'm almost afraid to ask but.. do you think it's possible KyoAni has decided to go with rin/haru and sou/mako for the 'endgame' ships after all?

⚠️ Talking about Free! Final Stroke spoilers below the cut ⚠️

From the different spoilers, summaries, and fan reactions I’ve seen so far, I’m not necessarily getting that vibe.

For one, I wouldn’t think that they’d lean too far into establishing any ships as endgame, especially any ones with those big four. It benefits them too much to keep things ambiguous, letting different pairs have their moments together (whether in the show, side stories like the birthday stories, or positioning/proximity to each other in different merch campaigns). Maybe I’m wrong here, but considering how heated people can get with certain pairings, I’d doubt they’d make a full leap into any of those camps and potentially polarize large parts of the fan base.

Outside marketing interpretations aside, it makes a lot of sense to see more of Haru interacting with Rin and Makoto interacting with Sousuke. I think I mentioned it in one of my first theory posts about the movie, but it seemed natural that Rin would come back to the forefront alongside Haru after their relationship being pushed into the background for a large chunk of DttF. Now they have the proximity (competing in Sydney together, Rin coming back to Japan for a bit) and motivation to check in with each other as friends and rivals. With how things lined up at the end of DttF and with some scenes in Timeless Medley, it makes sense to see Sousuke and Makoto spending more time together alongside Nao, as their current dreams are placing them on that supportive training/coaching path. They’re supportive of their best friends who are off racing (there were apparently moments where Sousuke and Makoto reflect specifically on their relationships with Rin and Haru), but they’re also in Tokyo with their own ambitions to work hard towards. All of this is to say that getting to see those pairings and relationships (not implying if they’re anything beyond platonic; choose what makes you happy) get more screentime doesn’t feel like it’s out of left field to me, which I might expect if certain agendas were to be forced. I talk about my personal favorite ships a lot on here, but I think part of the draw of fr! comes from how swimming has allowed these characters to make so many strong and important bonds together beyond just their best friends. The “everybody knows everybody” phenomenon in the Free!verse does feel bizarre at times, but it does do a good job of feeding into the show’s emphasis on swimming being the thing to encourage interconnectivity (even if characters’ own demons occasionally warp the sport into a means of isolation and self-destructive behaviors).

Looking at Haru and Rin’s drama (with the few details we have without seeing the movie for ourselves yet) I think it’s important to recognize how the conflict is probably bigger than just the two of them. The details I’ve seen lead me to believe that their blowup comes at a peak moment of Haru beginning to implode on himself, much like Makoto and Haru’s fight in ES. Haru lashing out at Makoto was about them, of course, but it was also a chance for Haru to blow up about feeling cornered by way too many people in his life to go down a singular expected path. I imagine Haru and Rin’s fight functions largely the same way, where he’s using their own bumpy past to lash out, but the heat behind it all stems from a greater feeling of loneliness, from a fear that everyone is leaving his side again and the choice of “swimming vs. bonds” will be made for him when he’s left all alone. It seems like they make that point more obvious too, with the whole “Albert possessing him” angle (which sounds weird on its own and I saw many fans angry about the “unexpected darkness,” but hear me out). The important part, at least from the details I’ve seen, isn’t that Haru is being mean in a way that feels foreign, but that he is recognizing in the moment that these aren’t the words he should be saying, that he’s actively regretting destroying his relationship with Rin for a separate agenda, even if he feels he can’t stop himself (the “ghost of Haru” floating outside of his body and yelling or whatever). I’m super excited to see this moment for myself, because so many people described it as a huge tone shift from the majority of the movie and feeling uncomfortable and potentially ooc for Haru. I want to see for myself if it actually feels out of left field, or if it lines up with the growing darkness we’ve been talking about seeing start to manifest in Haru for awhile.

Final thing, even though I’ve seen less details or consistent accounts for it, Makoto and Haru end up having their own rift start to form as Haru begins making his sacrifices for swimming. Makoto seems to have another nightmare sequence where he can’t reach Haru (which I am SO pumped to look more into, especially to compare it to other dreams shown throughout the series), and that fear starts to manifest when Haru starts closing himself off and saying that they won’t be seeing each other for awhile. I want more information about Makoto’s position in that conversation, because it doesn’t sound like it was a big blow up, and there’s apparently something concerning going on with him. People were saying that it seemed like he wanted to say something or give something to Haru, but before he could confront him again, he conveniently gets whisked off to go check on Ran and Ren. It’s hard to make any statements on any of these details before knowing fully what happened (playing telephone with spoiler recaps will be the death of me). The point of me even bringing up their conflict is that Haru choosing to “give up someone/something for swimming” was always going to ripple out beyond a single bond, and he’ll have a lot of burnt bridges to mend if or when he figures out a lonely path to glory isn’t glory for him after all.

[multifandomwhre]

Loves Harsh Reality

Summary: Life is a bitch. 

Pairing(s): Bucky Barnes x Reader, Avengers x Reader (all platonic)

Warnings: swearing, mention of past/current abuse

Prompt: “You want what everyone wants. You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, and adventure, and maybe even a little danger.” 

Word Count: 1780

Do not copy, translate, or post any of my stories anywhere you write stories, whether that’s here, Wattpad, or Ao3. 

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

Life never treated you well. Not even when you were just an innocent child, trying to navigate your way in this terrible world. You were forced into a cold and unloving organization that was run by people who don’t really give a shit that you were only 2 when they stole you. They never treated you like a human, more like a laboratory experiment, which kind of went haywire. When you were brought in, the sleaze running this entire operation stripped you of everything you had so far, which was only a name you had just barely begun to learn, and they assigned you a number, much like a court case; experiment 973. And that’s what you went by for the next 23 years of your life.

The day you were rescued from that deranged and psychotic place was...hectic to say the least. It began like any other day while you were their little pet; get woken up at the ass crack of you don’t know when, test out your powers until you physically passed out and then get ungracefully woken again only to be forced to use your powers. This continues for hours on end before these assholes make you go fight actual people in hopes that you aren’t lacking in physical strength. You fight until bodies start piling up and when your sadistic handlers are satisfied with your progress, as if you haven’t they haven’t been training you to take down monsters bigger than Goliath himself. But something wasn’t right and you could feel it in the enclosed space of your cell. 

While you normally had a rough awakening by someone poking, prodding, and eventually yanking you out of bed, nobody was there. In fact, there wasn’t even a peep from the cells neighboring yours. That was until you heard multiple gunshots and multiple bodies slumping against the floor. See, the thing about HYDRA is that they’ve trained you for this exact moment but every single ounce of training they’ve ingrained in your body and mind left the building completely as you hunkered down against the wall furthest from the thick, metal door barricading you from the outside world. 

Suddenly, the door you were just measly standing behind came crashing down, dust from the unwashed floor rising. After the dust settled, you looked up to see the poster boy of HYDRA himself, the Winter Soldier. “Steve, I’ve got a live one here. Female, looks to be in her mid-20s,” he whispered into his ear piece. He slowly moved closer, putting his weapon away as he noticed your frail body shaking from fear. “У тебя все нормально? Я ведь не бил тебя дверью?*” Shaking your head, the soldier stopped in front of you, kneeling next to you. “Меня зовут Баки. Что у тебя?” Shrugging your shoulders, you made an attempt to look over at him. “That’s ok. How long have you been here?”

“двадцать три года*,” you said, a bit of hesitation in your voice, finding it hard to speak after decades of being punished if you spoke out of turn. As you finished speaking, you heard another voice, one which you assumed belonged to this Steve person. 

“Хорошо. Стив дал мне добро, чтобы мы могли убираться отсюда,” Bucky said, standing back up on his feet. But you weren’t too sure about this. Along with your training, your handlers had pushed on you the notion that the Avengers, and anyone associated with them, were out to harm you, always, and that’s why you needed to be able to defend yourself. 

“Ты ведь не сделаешь мне больно, верно? О-или убить меня,” you asked, clear hesitation towards the soldier who was about to grant you freedom from this hellhole. 

Bucky looked at you with sympathy drawn over his features. Shaking his head, he gently grabbed your hands, a shiver traveling up your spine at the coolness from the vibranium arm. “Конечно, нет. Я вытащу тебя отсюда.”

-TIME SKIP-

It had been a few months since the Avengers had rescued you from HYDRA and you were beyond grateful that Bucky had stumbled upon you that day. But the fear that HYDRA had instilled in you about being near the Avengers was still running rampant in your system. Whenever someone knocked on your door, or came up behind you, your fight or flight instincts kicked in like that of an animal in the wild. You thought it’d be better by now, considering you have been going to therapy since coming to the compound. But today, all your frustrations came to a head.

You probably should’ve been in bed considering it was 4 in the morning but you needed to burn off some steam. What you failed to realize was that a certain super soldier was sitting in one of the boxes above the training center, watching your every move. But, him being a super soldier meant that he could pick up on more than you realized. Bucky had noticed that blood dripping onto the floor, which came from your terribly wrapped hands. 

He knew you were on edge, but not like you were when he first got you out. By the time that you realized Bucky was in your presence, it was a bit too late. You felt a hand on your shoulder; two seconds later you had the body attached to the arm on the floor, your other arm extending towards their throat, keeping them pinned to the floor. 

Once the haze cleared, you could tell who it was that you had down on the ground. “Buck? Oh my god.” Quickly pushing yourself off of him, you started pacing the gym floor. “Fucking shit. I am so sorry Bucky. I-I didn’t mean to do it. Are you ok? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” You kept rambling and pacing until Bucky stopped you, stepping in front of you to stop you from wearing a hole in the floor. 

“I am fine, кукла. Are you ok? Your hands are bleeding.” Looking down, you saw the streaks of red coming out from under the tape on your hands. “Let’s go get you fixed up, ok?” Nodding, you followed Bucky out of the gym and towards the medical center. “So, what’s got you going at 4 in the morning anyway?”

“I couldn’t sleep. No matter what I tried. I even tried that tea Wanda suggested. By the way, don’t drink it. It tastes like dirt.” Bucky chuckled as you sat on a gurney, grabbing supplies from the cabinets. “What are you doing? Shouldn’t we wait for, you know, a doctor, or an actual medical professional to come in and do this,” you immediately questioned him.

“Do you seriously doubt my suturing skills? I did serve in World War II, so I’m pretty confident that I know my way around a needle and thread,” he said, carefully unraveling the useless tape from around your knuckles, taking a look at the damage. “Yeah, this’ll probably take a little bit, but don’t you worry, Dr. Barnes is always here to help.” Bucky smiled at you, calming your nerves the tiniest bit. 

After prepping and numbing you properly, Bucky began stitching your open wounds shut. “So, do you wanna talk about why you couldn’t fall asleep? Talking might help, at least it usually does for me,” Bucky asked, not taking his eyes off his work in progress.

“I, uh, I keep having nightmares. They went away for a bit, when I could actually sleep for the night, but for some reason, they’ve come back,” you admitted quietly, almost like it was a dirty little secret. 

“Well, you’ve only been here a few months so I wouldn’t expect your nightmares to just instantly go away. It took me a few years to actually get a good night's sleep with them waking me or anybody else up. So I know exactly how you feel,” he said, finishing up before wrapping your hands in sterile dressings. “And you are all set. Now, no excessive force, which includes going to the gym at 4 in the morning and working out like you are about to fight the Hulk.” You laughed lightly, shoulders loosening up.

“Why are you being so nice to me? I mean, you just stitched up my hands cause I got too into my own brain after I almost choked you when you could’ve just dropped me here and gone back to bed.” Tears filled your eyes once more, a thickening feeling surrounding your concerns. 

Bucky sighed, gingerly sitting next to you on the gurney. “When I found you at the base, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy ride for you. Or for anyone here really. Adding another member to the team can sometimes jostle things around. And I knew for a fact that you would feel like an outcast amongst some of the biggest heroes the world has ever seen...so far,” he said as you laid your head against his arm, wiping away the tears that had made their way down your face. “And I thought maybe, just maybe, if we became friends or even just acquaintances, that you wouldn’t feel so alone here. Cause I know exactly how that feels. And ever since coming here, I can see what I looked like when I was found; lost, felt like I didn’t deserve anything good or even deserving of love. But even though you hide it with a sort of tough exterior and you’re used to being trapped away, I can tell you something about yourself that you probably don’t even know,” Bucky said in a matter-of-fact voice.

“Oh yeah? What would that be,” you asked, quite curious as to what he may have found out.

“You want what everyone wants. You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, and adventure, and maybe even a little danger. Cause that’s exactly how I feel right now.” At some point, of which you weren’t sure, Bucky had hooked his fingers under your chin, turning your face up to meet his. Your eyes finally met his, capturing the look of a pure and innocent love in his icy stare. He slowly leaned down, but stopping right before your lips collided. “Is this ok?” Quickly nodding, Bucky pressed his lips to your own, cupping your face as your injured hands made their way to his sides. 

Pulling back, Bucky rested his forehead against yours. “Never thought that this is how we would have our first kiss, doll,” he said, making you laugh which in turn caused him to chuckle. “But, I’m not at all opposed to it.”

“I’m glad. Now let’s get out of here. I’m tired.” 

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

1. У тебя все нормально? Я ведь не бил тебя дверью - Are you ok? I didn’t hit you with the door, did I?

2. Меня зовут Баки. Что у тебя? - My name is Bucky. What’s yours?

3. Это хорошо. Как давно ты здесь? - That’s ok. How long have you been here?

4. двадцать три года - 23 years. 

5. Хорошо. Стив дал мне добро, чтобы мы могли убираться отсюда. - Ok. Steve gave me the go ahead so we can get out of here. 

6. Ты ведь не сделаешь мне больно, верно? О-или убить меня? - You aren’t going to hurt me right? O-or kill me?

7. Конечно, нет. Я вытащу тебя отсюда. - Of course not. I’m going to get you out of here.

8. Кукла - Doll

I will also be posting this on my other blog, @imaginesmcu. This is a very, very late submission to @sweeterthanthis ‘s “Quote Me” challenge. 

[annaraebananawriter]

Sour Candy Kisses

Yellow again everyone! Two oneshots in a day, would you look at that...this time, I’m basing it off of @lollzida AU Bikerverse. I recommend it if you like Error who is too pretty to be alive. Also check out this too!

Fandom: Undertale, but specifically Bikerverse

Characters: Ink (Who belongs to Comyet), Error (Who belongs to Loverofpiggies(CQ)), Dream and Nightmare (Who both belong to Joku)

Warnings: Language, and I think that’s it? Let me know!

Word Count: 1357

~oOo~

It was official: Ink was gay.

She realized this in the middle of the night, as she lay on her bed, thinking about the biker girl who goes to her school. It was honestly a wonder she didn’t realize this sooner. Ever since she met Error for the first time, she had been thinking about her constantly.

Then there was also her love for rainbows, but that didn’t matter in this situation.

The point was, now she had to decide how she was going to move forward with this. Was she going to just continue on like normal? Was she going to tell someone? She honestly didn’t know. It was worse with the party coming up.

Dream, Ink’s best friend since kindergarten, always through a party at the end of the school year. Everyone in the town was invited, which made Dream’s twin sister, Nightmare, retreat up into her room, never to be seen socializing at said party. The party was always a blast, too. Nothing could beat it.

At the end of the week, this part would commence. And Ink just knew that Error would be there. It would really be the perfect time to make a move. Tough, she didn’t know if Error even swung that way…

Oh well, she’ll have plenty of time to think about it anyways.

~oOo~

There she was.

Leaning against her bike.

Hair perfect as always.

Blowing a bubble with her gum.

Scrolling on her phone.

Just…perfect. Error was so perfect.

Ink watched from afar, hidden inside the doors. She wanted to reach through the doors and look as perfect as Error did. Error would then look up from her phone and fall instantly in love with her. They would run to each other; Error would spin her around and their faces would slowly move towards each other until—

“Hey Ink! Watcha doing?”

Ink jumped and spun around. Dream smiled at her, oblivious of the daydream she ruined. Nightmare stood off nearby, frowning softly to herself. Ink swears that the girl never smiles. Always has a cloud over her head, that one.

Ink sighed and directed her attention back to her friend. “Nothing.”

“Really?” Dream’s grin widened and she glanced behind Ink, certainty looking at a certain biker. “Okay. You still coming tonight?”

Ink looked at her weirdly. “Of course. I always come to your parties.”

“Good!” Dream clapped her hands and started to drag Nightmare away without another word. Before they passed through the doors, she paused and looked back at Ink. “Oh, I invited your girlfriend Error too, just so you know. See you soon!” With that, the twins were gone.

Ink blinked. Once. Twice. She blushed quickly as the words her friends used suddenly sunk in. “She’s not my girlfriend!” She called out to no one, before mumbling to herself, “Unfortunately.”

“Who ya talking to?”

Ink jumped again and turned. She froze. There the biker was, gazing at Ink with eyes that she couldn’t read. She only knew they were very pretty blue eyes with…was that a little yellow at the top? Oh god, they got prettier!

“Uh…” Ink said, unable to form words.

Error gazed at her silently for a few more seconds before smiling softly. The smile felt like a fatal wound against Ink’s heart. The pitter-patter of sudden rain distracted them both and they looked through the doors to the outside. It was raining now. And it was raining hard.

“Shit.” Ink heard Error swear beside her. Ink seconded the statement in her head.

“Yeah.” She said out loud. She hugged herself, already beginning to shiver. “And I have to walk without a jacket.”

Caught up in her worries, she didn’t notice Error staring at her. She felt something but she mostly ignored it in favour of deciding how to get home. A weight settled on her shoulders and she snapped out of it, looking down.

The jacket. Error’s jacket. Was on her shoulders.

She blinked at it for a few seconds, unable to get her brain to work properly. That is, until the jacket’s owner shifted beside her, sighing.

“Look,” Error said, drawing Ink’s attention. “I would drive you home too, but I was supposed to be home, like, five minutes ago so…” She gave an apologetic smile. It was illegal to be that pretty. Ink was suing her. “Sorry, you’ll still have to walk.” She bit her lip and seemed to think for a few seconds.

Before Ink could begin to catch up, Error brightened and snapped her fingers, fiddling with her phone. “I know! You’re going to the party, right? I’ll pick you up! What’s your address?”

Ink blinked and told her address without thinking.

“Great!” Error put her phone away and started to walk to her bike.

Ink blinked yet again. “What—wait! Your jacket—”

“Keep it!” Error called back putting on her helmet and hopping on her bike, starting it. She grinned back at Ink. “I can take it back when I pick you up. See you later, Doll!” With that, she drove off.

Ink stood there for a few more seconds. Her blushed had deepened from being called that pet name, though she was sure it was an accident. She smiled to herself, starting the walk home while gripping the jacket.

She had a new confidence within her.

Yeah, tonight she’ll make her move.

~oOo~

She can’t do this.

She was watching Error while standing by the wall with a cup in her hand. People talked all around her, but she couldn’t focus on anything but the biker. Error was currently laughing at something someone was saying.

(Again, it is definitely illegal to be that pretty.)

She wanted to move closer, to finally make her move. But so many things could go wrong. She didn’t even know if Error saw her the same way. But she did give Ink her jacket, which had been given back to her…

Ugh, why couldn’t this be simple?

Ink sighed and walked through the crowd of people and out to the backyard. Surprisingly, nobody was out there. She leaned her arms on the porch raining and looked up at the night sky. It was pretty, almost as pretty as Error.

“Aw, I’m flattered!”

Ink startled, losing her balance and almost falling but an arm stopped her. The two paused for a moment, the sounds of the party muffled behind them. Ink stared up at Error. She was sure her face was full-on rainbow by now. Error, on the other hand, seemed to think this was normal.

“Sorry!” Error eventually said, after a while of staring into Ink’s eyes. She helped Ink onto her feet before continuing, rubbing the back of her neck. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Doll.”

Ink’s heart skipped a beat at the nickname again. “It’s fine!” She managed to squeak out.

Error laughed. It was honestly the most beautiful sound Ink had ever heard. She took pride in the fact that she had been the cause of it. “Okay.”

They stood there together for a minute, looking anywhere but each other. The stars twinkled in amusement at them.

“Heya, Doll?” Error eventually said, tone unrecognizable.

Ink blinked. She looked back to Error, who was staring at her with an unreadable expression. “Yeah?”

Error didn’t say anything, only walked forward. She stopped when she was right in front of Ink, who hadn’t move in fear of disrupting this moment. It seemed almost magical to her. Their faces slowly moved forward until they were inches apart. In the last second, both of them closed their eyes and their lips connected.

It was a wonderful first kiss. A party in the background. The night sky above them. The sound of a polaroid camera taking their picture. Ink didn’t dwell on the last one, though, because at that moment…

At that moment, all she could think was:

Man, I love the taste of sour candies now…

~oOo~

Dream grinned as she placed the photo of Ink and Error kissing onto a board full of other people kissing. One more down.

Now, who would go out with Nightmare…?

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : WandaVision [Disney+, Episode 9] (2021)

All good things must come to an end, and after roughly a year of speculation and nearly two fabulous months of weekly anticipation, Disney + and Marvel Studios have (seemingly) wrapped up the highly anticipated MCU-based series WandaVision.  For the general viewing public, it’s been a slow but steady growth of new fans (which I anticipate to boom now that the series can be binged in its entirety), but for many of us with a vested interest in the MCU (as well as a deep love for nostalgiac television and referential film), WandaVision became the gift that kept on giving : giving us fuel for what became rampant speculation, giving us a deeper insight into Wanda Maximoff as a grieving character and a being with power greater than she understood, and giving us new characters that will surely have a lasting impact on both movies and television series moving forward.

As an experiment on connecting a cinematic universe to an entertainment medium not dependent on box office returns, I would consider WandaVision a success, and one that can not so easily be duplicated by DC or any other entertainment entity.  Over a decade of work has been put into the foundation of the MCU that was Phases One - Three, and with a lore firmly established, it was really up to Marvel to fumble transitioning their storytelling style into longform storytelling for television.  With a handful of new series on the way, and movies expected by year’s end, the future is exciting for both Marvel and fans of the MCU alike.

THE STORY THUS FAR

Episode 09 : The Series Finale With Tommy (Jett Klyne) and Billy (Julian Hilliard) firmly in tow, Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) continues to goad Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) into a confrontation.  Wanda eventually gives in and attempts to attack Agatha, but Agatha absorbs the blows, revealing that she can (and intends to) absorb all of Wanda’s abilities.  A greyed-out version of Vision (Paul Bettany) appears and accosts Wanda, but Wanda’s Vision created in The Hex comes to her rescue, confronting and battling Grey Vision while attempting to appeal to any reason in existence.  Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) watches from the captivity of a nearby home, with Quicksilver (Evan Peters) standing guard.  Director Tyler Hayward (Josh Stamberg) recaptures Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) outside of The Hex, but Woo manages to contact Quantico.  Before they can arrive, however, Wanda is forced to partially remove The Hex by Agatha, and Hayward takes advantage of the situation to move S.W.O.R.D. forces into The Hex.  After realizing that a complete removal of The Hex will cost her Tommy, Billy and Vision, Wanda seals The Hex once again, leading to a final confrontation between her and Agatha Harkness with major consequences.

THOUGHTS ON THE SHOW For a series that was supposed to introduce us to Phase Four of the MCU, as well as potentially set up Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, I can’t say that I have any complaints with the execution.  I came into the show with Wanda Maximoff and Vision as two of my favorite characters, and like many people, I’d been referring to Wanda as Scarlet Witch despite this name designation having not taken place within the MCU.  Being rewarded with gift was the perfect amount of fan service (if you can even call it that, as it is key to Wanda’s story), and the way that future storylines have been set up will lead to worlds of revelations in the coming years.

Watching those willing to enjoy the series during its initial run lead to some of the grandest and widespread sets of theories and speculations that I’ve ever seen in regard to a TV show, although the implications of impact on the MCU cinematic universe makes that understandable.  The MCU is certainly showing a new approach to this speculation, as the inclusion of Evan Peters (as well as the fun and games they had with the introduction of the latest Spider-man film title) showed us, and I expect more trolling and swerves moving forward.  Be it Mephisto, Nightmare, Grim Reaper, Reed Richards, Professor X, Magneto or even Deadpool, the list of names that people attempted to will into existence was incredibly impressive (although, props to those who speculated on Skrulls, who I imagine will be EVERYWHERE moving forward).

As we move forward with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki on Disney +, and the eventual release of Spider-man : No Way Home and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, I anticipate more magic, more cosmic adventures, and more mind-bending antics that will introduce (and remove) characters from the playing field in soon to be iconic ways.  The future is really and truly an open door of possibilities the way that the MCU and Marvel are stepping their game up, and if WandaVision is any indication, be ready for some bold steps ahead.

As we move forward with Wanda Maximoff embracing her Scarlet Witch designation, and the depths of her powers in turn, it seems as if we are seeing Marvel take their already established practice of blurring the lines between hero and villain (a la Bucky) to staggering new heights.  It seems as if not even Wanda knows what the true ceiling for her powers is, but with the final moments of her battle with Agatha and the image of her dedicating a projection to absorbing the secrets of the Dark Hold, her ability to learn and adapt appears to be a key element to her strength.  With Agatha outright stating that Wanda’s powers exceed that of the Sorcerer Supreme, a clear line in the sand has seemingly been drawn between Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange.  Ironically, the discovery of her potential has only made the implied fear from the Infinity Saga into a very real thing in the wake of her manipulation of Westview, which could separate her from the Avengers for a time.

Many speculated that WandaVision would play out as a sort of swansong for the Vision character, and while that appears to be the case for Wanda’s approximation of Vision, the enlightenment given to Grey Vision (and the absence of a resolution for this new character) leaves the door wide open for what will be with the character.  As a character (and also thanks to Paul Bettany’s stellar performance of said character), Vision continues to be one of the most compelling members of the MCU cinematic universe with his consistently thought-provoking and deeply emotional dialogue.  I thought that WandaVision would be a one-off, and based on the upcoming slate of films that may be the case, but with many unanswered questions left, I wouldn’t be surprised of Vision and Wanda find their way back to the realm of the limited series (again, contingent on character involvement in the already slated projects).

Bravo to Kathryn Hahn for bringing Agatha Harkness to life, and making her an instant fan favorite.  With her imprisonment presented at the end of WandaVision, we are not only seeing a potentially powerful played being put on ice and ready to reemerge at any given moment, but her connections to Mephisto and the Fantastic 4 leaves her open for future involvement in the MCU as a key player.  With Westview being so close to Avengers headquarters, she also serves as a living reference library for Wanda (although, as mentioned before, Wanda’s connection to the Avengers is unclear at this point).

Another fan favorite was Teyonah Parris, who stepped into the MCU fold in a gigantic way as Monica Rambeau.  Using her to bring “reality” into the series was a beautiful play, with her inclusion in The Blip serving as both a marker in the MCU timeline and an emotional shock for viewers looking for a character to root for.  It feels as if we have only seen the tip of the iceberg in regard to Monica’s power potential, which leaves room for her evolution to take place on-screen, and based on what we’ve seen thus far, it feels like Photon, Spectrum, Captain Marvel, or possibly even some combination of the three could be her next step.  With Nick Fury showing his hand in the form of a Skrull contact, it is almost a sure thing that Monica Rambeau will be playing a key role in the upcoming Secret Invasion storylines.

The appearance of Tommy and Billy marked a huge point of story potential for the MCU, and with so much of their fate left up in the air, seeing where their journey heads will certainly be interesting.  With announcements of a handful of future MCU characters on the way, it seems certain that Marvel has plans for the Young Avengers.  As previously mentioned, tying the twins physical form to The Hex, only to have them still seemingly alive and in existence somewhere, opens up two very specific doors of narrative : option one being a future encounter with Mephisto, and option two being Wanda’s journey for her twins serving as the breaking point for the Multiverse that sets up the Doctor Strange film.

I am even more excited about the future of the MCU now that I know where Wanda, Vision and all those tied to this series currently sit.  With the rampant rumors out there in connection to Spider-man : No Way Home, who even knows if these spaces that each character occupies will be the same by the time we revisit them.  What I do know is that the MCU/Marvel Studios and Disney + make a good team, and I will be wholly invested moving forward with anything that comes out of their collective camp.

[divine-draws]

lov: vigilante (2 of ??)

The afternoon sunlight filtered in through the blinds of the Leagues’ “base”. The building was an older slightly run down building that Shirakumo happily bought for the ragtag group. Over the years the walls got patched in places and got a fresh coat of paint. The furniture consisted of odds and ends and there was the necessities for a group of vigilantes: first aid supplies, a kitchen that was in various states of being stocked, a couple rooms to crash in if needed, concealed storage for their gear, and of course video game systems. It was far from the nicest place, but to the League it was basically home. 

A meeting about some future ops and a schedule for patrol had ended an hour ago and each member went off to do their own things. Currently Dabi sat on the couch with Shigaraki’s head in his lap and his hands in Toga’s hair. He planned on taking a nap, but clearly that plan went to hell. Toga chattered on about class and everything else that day as Dabi did her hair. He hummed occasionally and was in fact listening to what she said. He was partial to who she had a crush on and what teachers were dicks. He knew which of her coworkers she gelled with and what music she was listening to on repeat. He might be a dick but he had some decency and Toga was basically a little sister to him. 

Once he finished up the last braid and pinned it into place, she hopped up off the floor, planting a dramatic kiss on Dabi’s forehead. She effectively dodged his lazy swipe at her and giggled as she ran off to somewhere else, most likely looking for Twice to talk with now. Dabi leaned back with a sigh, though his peace was quickly disturbed once again. Shigaraki shifted some and made a noise in the back of his throat, not looking up from his Switch. 

“You guys are fucking leaches,” Dabi grumbled though he burried his fingers in Shigaraki’s hair this time, scratching at his scalp. Shigaraki quickly melted under the warm touch.

“Not my fault you’re a walking space heater.”

“I’m going to start charging you guys.” That didn’t get a response instead there was a quiet hum as Shigaraki tilted his head some to get Dabi to reach a certain spot.

“You’re like Monchan,” Dabi grumbled though his voice had an affectionate lilt to it. The aforementioned dog perked up at the sound of his name, looking at Dabi from where he lay on Shigaraki’s legs. Mon laid his head back down after a moment as Dabi continued to massage Shigaraki’s head and play with his hair. A comfortable silence fell over the two of them only broken by the occasional content hum. Despite all of his complaints, Dabi didn’t mind giving the others attention like this, especially Shigaraki. They’d known each other the longest and both had come far in many ways. Dabi could easily recall a frail and angry Tenko who would flinch anytime he would touch others or be touched by someone else. A scared kid who didn’t have nearly enough support or therapy, who could barely even stand to look at his own hand and who would pick and scratch relentlessly at his skin. The 20 year-old who laid sprawled out on the couch, leaning into his touch, was far from that kid. Shigaraki had issues, yes. He still would pick and scratch but he’d gotten better. He still had times where the thought of his own hands and quirk made him sick or left him shaking after nightmares. He was still prickly as ever but it’s not like Dabi had room to speak on that matter. Honestly, it wasn’t just Shigaraki or Dabi that had immense improvement over the years. Everyone who became part of their little family came out better than before. Society and many heroes may have failed them in one way or another, but the all found their way back onto their feet stronger than ever.

“Awww, when you two aren’t at each other’s throats, you can be so cute.” The cooing, quite literally, voice startled Dabi out of his thoughts. Shigaraki, who had his eyes closed and Switch resting on his chest, glared up at the newcomer. Hawks just grinned down at the two of them, preening a bit at the fact neither of them noticed him come in.

“Sorry to interrupt. Just thought I’d drop by.” 

Hawks made his way around the couch. He pushed some empty glasses out of the way before sitting on the coffee table across from them, careful to not knock anything over with his wings or tail. He clearly just got off work seeing as his hero costume was still on. He idly pushed his goggles up and out of his face, pushing his unruly hair back with them. 

“Don’t sit on my coffee table, you oversized chicken,” Shigaraki grumbled, continuing to glare at Hawks, though it was weak and the the complaint just sounded annoyed at best.

“Wow, is that how you treat all of your guests?” Hawks asked with a light, dramatic gasp. Drama queen. “I thought at least one of you would be excited to see me.” His gaze shifted over to Dabi as he said that.

“Listen birdie…” He let his sentence trail off, fingers still in Shigaraki’s hair. “Go get changed and then we’ll talk.”

“I was gunna wait until we got home but… If you insist.” He shot Dabi a lopsided grin before standing up. The edges of his smile looked a bit strained and his shoulders were too tense for his easy going demeanor. As Hawks turned tail and headed to one of the spare rooms where he had a change of clothes, Dabi noticed the way Hawks shook his hands some before clenching and unclenching his fingers. It seemed he wasn’t the only one to notice the anxious tells. Shigaraki sat up and nudged Mon who hopped off the couch. 

“I’m gunna go take Monchan for a walk,” he said as he got up and put his Switch away. They were all aware, at this point, of Hawks’ situation. They knew more than enough about what the Commission did and still does. Just like the actual members of the League, they all cared for Hawks and did their best to support him.

Dabi got up off the couch and headed for the room Hawks slipped away to as Shigaraki went about putting Mon on a leash. It was mostly quiet in the building. The distant sound of Toga and Twice talking could be heard from another room and the building made noises as it settled, but it was a peaceful afternoon for the League. Dabi knocked on the door, one hand on the handle as he quietly listened for a response. 

“Yeah?”

“It’s me.”

“Oh, come in.” 

Dabi opened the door, quietly closing it behind himself. Hawks was already out of most of his costume, the compression suit being the last part he had to remove. Hawks gave him a small smile as he quickly slipped out of the suit. The halter top esque design of the suit made getting and out easy for him. He quickly went to put on pants and a loose shirt, sending some feathers out to make his wings small enough to easily slip through the slits in the back. Dabi sat on the edge of the bed as he got dressed, silently holding out his arms once Hawks was done. A moment later, Hawks sat in his lap and buried his face in the crook of his neck.

“Hey Kei.” Dabi’s words were soft and just loud enough to be heard by only them. 

“Hey Touya,” came the shaky reply. Hawks trembled for a moment before slumping against Dabi, taking in the heat.

“Wanna talk about it?” He ran his hot hands along Hawks’ back, pressing into sore muscles and working out knots as best he could from this angle. 

“Just a meeting and a rough debrief.” Hawks nosed at Dabi’s chin before sighing. “Just wanna relax a bit…” Dabi hummed and continued to rub his back.

“Let’s lay down for a bit,” he eventually said, shifting away some as he spoke. Hawks got off his lap so Dabi could scoot back and get under the covers. Hawks was quick to follow, curling up against Dabi’s side, laying mostly on his stomach to allow his wings and tail the room they needed. Dabi alternated between playing with his hair, rubbing his back and arms, and smoothing out the feathers he could reach on his wings. Hawks stretched out his wings some, doing the same with his taloned feet, finally free from the confines of his work boots.

“Do you want to take a nap? I can make some food for when you wake up,” Dabi suggested. Hawks chirped softly.

“Is Toga here still?”

“Yeah. I’m sure she’ll want to do facemasks later. We can preen your wings too. I have no idea how you get them so fucked up all the time,” he teased lightly.

“Well it’s a good thing I have you guys then.” 

Dabi pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Yeah… Alright birdie, I’m gunna go start making some food. You stay here and get some rest.” Hawks whined a bit when Dabi began to move, taking his warmth with him, but he remained in bed anyway.

“Nooo you’re so warm.” Hawks looked up at Dabi with a pout and half lidded eyes.

“I know, Kei. Get some rest, and I’ll warm you up again later, okay?” 

“Fine,” he relented with a huff.

Later, when food was made and everyone who was there ate, they found themselves once again in the living room. Hawks laid himself out on Dabi’s chest, basking in the warmth as he carded his fingers through the bleach blond hair. Toga and Shigaraki each took a wing, correcting feathers and coating them in the protective dust the downy provided. Being cared for and preened took Hawks a bit of getting used to, but it was something he needed desperately and the others were happy to provide. Dabi typically took charge of this, but Toga was ever eager to help just like Hawks was eager to do Toga’s hair even if he was shit at it at first. It took Shigaraki some warming up, even with the great improvement of his touch aversion and fear of hurting anyone with his hands. The first time a feather came back as dust in his hands he wouldn’t touch anyone for a week, Hawks explaining it was because, like birds of prey, he didn’t have oil glands and instead some feathers would create a dust. Eventually, after plenty of time and reassurance, Shigaraki eagerly took up preening his wings, even if he acted like he wasn’t.

[snarkymonkeyprime]

I apparently started a destiel!labyrinth!au a million years ago?  And it’s not terrible?

Also, I don’t know what a Bowman Tree is but I’m intrigued by my thought process regarding it.  

Also, I made a note of who’s who:

Sarah – Dean Winchester

Toby – Sam Winchester

Goblin King – Lucifer

Hoggle – Castiel

Inch-Worm – Balthazar

Ludo – Benny Lafitte

The Dueling Guards – Bobby Singer and Crowley

Sir Didimus – Gabriel

Everyone’s so horrendously in character that I can’t stop snickering.

     The creature stared at Dean, blue eyes wide.  “I understand now, why the Bowman took hold of you.  You’re the human,” he stated, voice deeper than Dean had expected.

     Still holding his plank, Dean nodded sharply.  “Yeah?  So?”  He inched forward, muscles tight with strain.  The thing might have pulled him out of that bloodthirsty tree but even in the short time he’d been in Lucifer’s playland, he knew he couldn’t trust it.  If he could get close enough, he could stab it and run.  Probably.  God, he hoped its skin wasn’t made from iron or something equally annoying.

     “You one of Lucifer’s dicks?”

     The winged man across from him tilted his head like a bird, narrowing his eyes a bit as he did.  “Dicks?  Lucifer has only one penis.  And it isn’t anthropomorphic.”

     Startled by the blunt answer, Dean almost dropped his makeshift weapon.  “Uh, no shit Sherlock,” he muttered, frowning. 

     “My name is Castiel, not Sherlock,” he replied bowing.  The black wings at his back flared out gracefully before tucking in once more.  “I apologize for the lack of introduction.  My brothers and sisters were most curious of news regarding humans.”  He smiled, clearly trying to appease Dean.  “We don’t often see your kind here.”

     Dean glanced around, still not lowering the wood in his hand.  “Yeah, I figured that part out when the tree tried to eat me.”

     Castiel approached him again but stopped as soon as Dean swung the stick toward him.  “Apologies,” he murmured, holding up his hands.  “I mean you no harm.  You must understand that this world feeds off the energies of its master.  Currently, that is Lucifer.”  He half turned, pointing in the direction Lucifer himself had indicated after dropping Dean in the middle of this hellhole.  “It is a living creature.  It forms based on the fears and dreams of the creatures around it.” 

     Curious despite himself, Dean half-lowered his weapon.  That … no way.  Christ, no wonder Lucifer had seemed so smug after Dean had agreed to this stupid bullshit.  “He controls it?  So, he tells it what to do?”  Five minutes ago, he’d never have asked such a question but, five minutes ago, he hadn’t almost been eaten by a tree and rescued by a man with wings.  So … fuck it.

     “Hm, no.  Not entirely.”  He pointed again toward Lucifer’s home.  “In fact, he is as much at its whim as you and I.  However, this land feeds on his presence.  The presence of an ancient angel.  As long as one of that line remains on the throne, it survives.”

     “Hold the fuck up,” he snapped, eyes wide.  “Did you say angel?”

     “Of course.” 

     Dean waited but when Castiel stayed quiet, he lifted his brows as high as he could.  “That’s … what?  How the … what?”  Seriously, his brain was going to explode.  Just … exasperated Dean all over the damn place.

     Castiel’s wings lifted, feathers fanning.  Sunlight gleamed on the blue-black color.  “I am an angel, human.  We are a limited race here but this is our home.”

    Clenching his jaw, fingers gripping his plank, Dean grunted, “Why isn’t God your leader?”

     The angel’s blue eyes were blank.  “God?  Perhaps you mean the one who created us?  Created this place?”  His visage soured for a moment as he looked away.  “Our Father left us here a long time ago.  We have no name for him.  Not one that is translatable.”

     There was sorrow in Castiel’s voice.  And anger.  Dean, strangely, understood that all too well.  “So he just up and ditched you?  Put you in charge and walked?”  Yeah, that sounded pretty damn familiar.

     Castiel nodded.  “In a way.  Lucifer has led us since we woke here.  He is our brother.”  Something in the way he phrased the statement sat wrong with Dean.  Brother wasn’t a term he wanted to use.  But why he held back now was a story better for another time.  The land was important as far as Dean was concerned; not brotherly sniping between giant winged human dicks.

     His mind whirled as he rehashed their conversation.  “Right.  That’s a bunch of shit but … fuck it.  Can’t deal with that right now.”  He took a deep breath, letting it out in a rush.  Jesus, this was tiring.  “So, if what you said is true, empty the chair, the place dies?” 

     And then there was that.  Just when he thought this place couldn’t get any weirder.  Giant life support system hooked to a massive dickhead?  Yeah, that’s a great thing to learn.

     Castiel nodded.  “To simplify it; yes.  It would take ages to die but it would cease to be, eventually.  So we keep one of the ancient blood on the throne at all times.”

     “But I’m going to kill him.  I need to get my brother back.”  He sneered.  “Isn’t it in your best interests to stop me?”

     Again the bird-head tilt.  “I suppose, it would be the right thing.”  He licked his lips.  “But, no?  There are others of ancient blood.  I, myself, am one.  We would find a replacement, if need be.”  Castiel was holding something back given the hesitation in his voice but for now, given he had helped Dean, he was willing to overlook it. 

    Great; history lesson was over.  Dean hefted the wood again.  “Fine.  So … thanks for smiting the tree back there but I’m kind of in a hurry so kindly fuck off.”

     Castiel blinked.  “I … I could help you?”

     “Are you asking or offering?” Dean tossed back.  He really didn’t need a tag-a-long in this endeavor.  He just had to hike it to that dick’s home and get his little brother back.  God only knew what Lucifer was doing to him right now.  The very idea made his shoulders tense and splinters dig into his fingers. 

     Again that broad smile.  “Offering, of course.”

     Yeah … no.  Dean shook his head.  “Nope.  Fine on my own, feathers.  I don’t need one of you bastards spying on me to His Royal Dickness.”

     “The title is highness, actually,” Castiel corrected blithely.  “Though, we don’t heed such terms here.  He’s merely considered our … leader.”  He wrinkled his nose.  “You seem quite obsessed with male anatomy.”

     Dean wanted to be annoyed but it was strangely endearing how literal the birdman was taking him.  Despite the situation, he found himself grinning a bit.  “Uh, it’s a … nevermind.  Cas, I don’t exactly care what you call him.  He has my brother and I’m getting him back.”

     He hadn’t even seen the guy move.  In less than a second, Castiel had gone from being a few feet away to less than a handful of inches.  His eyes were narrowed but it didn’t hide the brilliant blue.  He didn’t seem particularly angry; just confused. 

     “Cas?  Did you forget the rest of my name?  Did the fight with the Bowman Tree make you ill?  If you’ve forgotten, it’s Castiel.”

     “Uh, nickname, Cas.  You know … short.”  He glanced at the plank he still held.  Given the guy’s insane speed, he was fairly certain it wouldn’t be much in the way of weaponry.  With an annoyed sigh, he tossed it, noting that Castiel relaxed when he did.  His black wings fluffed once before settling again.  “It’s easier to remember.”

     “Hm.”  Castiel nodded.  “Very well.  Do you also have a name?”

     “Yeah.  Dean.”  He snorted.  “I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but it kind of isn’t.  Lucifer stole my brother and then told me I have twenty-four hours to make it to his lair to get him back.”  He swallowed, new nightmares of what waited for Sam swarming his head.  “I just … this wasn’t what I wanted,” he muttered.

     “Dean.”  Castiel spoke his name as though cradling a gift.  He smiled again.  “Would you prefer to go by D?  Short, yes?”

     He did laugh then.  “Uh, no.  The short name thing is really only for longer names.  So … like Matthew?  You’d call him Matt.  That kind of thing.”

     Castiel, strangely, seemed disappointed.  “Oh.  I see.”

     “You really have never seen a human before?  Talked to one?”

     “Not myself, no.  I believe some of my brothers and sisters have.  But not for many, many years.”  He stared up into the sky, squinting.  “It is … somewhat remote here.  You have to intend to arrive.”

     Figures.  Dean scratched his head.  “Yeah, got it.”  He looked up to find Castiel watching him intently, the blue eyes tracking slowly along his face and body.  Suddenly uncomfortable, he shifted and pointed.  “So?  Do we go or what?”

     “You’ll allow me to aid you?”

     “Yeah, sure; first sign of trouble?  I take your head off, though.”  With what, he hadn’t figured out just yet.  He still had his dad’s tactical knife in his boot but that wouldn’t do much more than poke a hole in the guy; if he could even be cut.  Shit, this place officially sucked.

     Castiel’s eyebrows lifted a moment before settling again.  “You don’t trust me.  Very well.”  He took a few steps away from Dean and gestured toward the dirt road ahead of them.  “I assure you, I mean no harm.  If, however, you feel my presence is detrimental, you need only tell me and I will leave.”

     Dean considered it.  But then again, he was alone in this freakhole of a place.  Knew nothing about it.  Hell, the giant slimy tree had almost eaten him.  What else waited?  He stared ahead, barely able to make out the shape of Lucifer’s home.  Sammy, I’m so sorry.  I didn’t … this wasn’t what I meant.  Wasn’t what I wanted.  He sighed and began walking.  “Yeah.  Fine.  Just … let’s go, all right?  I need to get to Sam.”

[whenputtingpentopaper]

One Regret

A/N: This is my first request for this blog! It was so exciting to receive, so major thanks to @canyouevencauseicant for slipping this prompt into my inbox. It was quite inspiring, and therefore, the words flowed quite easily. However, I did not realize until I went back to read over the request after I had written it, that the requester probably wanted some build up to this, involving a backstory. I do apologize! If you would like, I would be more than happy to write a prequel to this, if you so wish. Let me know, @canyouevencauseicant! Also, I hope this was angsty enough for you!

Also, requests are currently open, so request here. I am currently accepting requests for headcanons, blurbs, drabbles & one-shots!

Pairing: Kili (Tolkien) x Reader

Words: 1505

Synopsis: Based on this request by @canyouevencauseicant.

Rating: T

Warnings: Angst, Major Character Death, Possible Unrequited Love & War

Translations:

Âzyungel = “love of loves” in Khuzdul according to this site.

Men lananubukhs me = “I love you” in Khuzdul according to this site.

They say that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes, and all you could think, in your last few moments, was how a truer statement had never been spoken. Your mind was filled with thoughts of him. Memories, both happy and sad, as well as your own visions for the future you had always wanted with him at your side. Of course, they would have never come true, even if you had survived this day, and knowing that gave a certain finality to it all. In the end, you had saved the love of your life, and knowing that he would be able to live on, probably with his beloved she-elf, but smiling and laughing and loved—oh so very loved—was enough for you to leave this world without any regrets.

Well, perhaps that was a bit of a lie. 

“Y/N!” 

It was your name that you heard amongst all the silence. You were on the ground now, eyes on the clear blue sky; it was a shame that, on such a beautiful day, the lot of you were all out fighting a pointless war, one with needless casualties. But he would not be amongst the corpses. No. You had ensured that by claiming your own space.

And for the first time since you felt the harsh slide of metal pierce your flesh, you felt pain. Searing, burning agony, and it brought tears to your eyes. You blinked them away, air being torn from your lungs as you felt yourself lifted. Not metaphorically. Actually, physically lifted from the ground, and your body, mostly limp without energy, groaned in protest, your face screwing into a wince.

Hurried, hushed apologies reached your ears as you were moved, something brushing your hair from your forehead. And again, your name was uttered, but this time, it was quieter, and it broke. A sniffle followed and finally, you were stilled, warmth encompassing you in the form of two arms and legs. 

The dwarf held you close to him, tears streaming down his face, and it wasn’t until you had opened your eyes—your beautiful, soulful orbs that had ensnared him the first time you met and kept him ever since—that he spoke once more. “Y/N. Please.” He bowed his head, his nose touching yours. “Help is coming.” 

His calloused fingers touched the side of your face, pushing your hair back as his tears touched the curve of your cheek. You had thought you passed on, this moment your own personal version of heaven. Bliss, to you, was an eternity in this male’s arms. But there, you weren’t supposed to feel pain, and your body still ached, wound festering like fire against your midsection. A groan left your lips, breathing becoming difficult, and seeing you like this, the young dwarf let out a sob, his grip on you tightening as if it would keep you tethered here, to him.

“Y/N. Stay with me.” The plea was a caress against your dirty skin, and it struck a fear within you that you had never known or considered. You had accepted death as the price for allowing the young prince to see the light of the next day, but you hadn’t realized that it meant you would be separated from him. Or that your absence from his world would affect him so greatly. 

“Kili,” you managed his name, gasping afterwards. It required air in your lungs that you just didn’t have. 

He hushed you again, chocolate eyes straying from your face to your chest. The sight of you struggling for breath—it was the stuff of his worst nightmares. “Don’t speak. You haven’t the strength…” He trailed off as you slowly shook your head, the movement slight but noticeable, and his heart broke in two when he saw the sorrow in your smile. He lifted a hand to swipe his thumb over a tear, your cheek still slightly warm but a touch colder than it had been a moment ago.

“Kili,” you repeated with a similar struggle as before. Every part of you ached to touch him, to wipe away the liquid evidence of his sorrow as he had done for you, but all you could manage was to lift your hand slightly. 

In his periphery, Kili saw the slight movement and he reached for your hand, squeezing it gently with his own. It terrified him; your fingers were like ice. “Yes, Âzyungel?” His tone was soothing, as he had managed to establish a fake calm in his disposition, one that may have even fooled himself if he wasn’t so absorbed by you and your closeness. 

I know you love Tauriel. That’s what you wished to say, a bit of a disclaimer to what you truly wanted to tell him so that you would have no regrets. But you were in no position to give him a speech, to tell him that you thought his stubble made him handsome or that you needed no campfire all those nights because you always found warmth in his friendly gaze. That the moment you started actually falling for him was when you ducked into the parlor of Bilbo Baggin’s home and he had run passed with his brother, tossing dishes and singing. There was a giddiness to him that was contagious, and your smile only widened until you laughed, the young prince having dropped the dish he was supposed to catch when his brown eyes landed on you. You figured he wasn’t expecting a human to show up.

He hadn’t expected a beautiful woman to show up.

Your lips moved, but hardly any sound came out. Frowning, Kili leaned in closer to you, the tips of his bangs tickling your temple as he told you to say it again. And at this point, you had no time to feel embarrassed or bashful. It became so easy to say what you had wanted to say long before the dungeons of Mirkwood, where you had to watch the dwarf you were quite sure you held a torch for flirt with someone else. Oh, that had been a cut most foul, worse than the one you sustained now.

“I love you, Kili.” The confession was just a whisper, but the shock evident on his face when he lifted it was enough to let you know that he heard it. His eyes were comically wide for a moment before he was giving you one of those toothy grins that set your heart a flutter. Bringing your hand up to his cheek, he turned towards it, pressing his chapped lips against the smoothness of your palm. Warmth spread through you, dulling the scorching ache in your side.

“Men lananubukhs me,” he sighed as if the weight of the world was no longer upon his shoulders. His lips moved from his hand to find your forehead then your nose. “Oh, Y/N, Âzyungel, you have no idea how much I love you.” He kissed your mouth gently but soundly, not at all minding your weak attempt at returning it; his tears wet your skin, and it was a sob—again his—that broke your lip-lock. “Why did you have to do what you did? Why?” 

You managed to lift a brow at him, exhaustion beginning to overtake you as you finally felt yourself relax. It was bittersweet, knowing he felt the same now, of all times, but you did not regret what you did one bit. Killing Azog meant protecting someone that was irreplaceable to you. And that was worth more than your share of the gold. Either way, it was not meant to be; one of you had to die on this battlefield. Better it be you.

A laugh bubbled in his throat as he pecked your lips once more, his thumb tracing the edge of your cheek. And you found you could go to sleep with that last image. The sight of your lovely dwarf, haloed by the sun behind him, smiling down at you with such adoration...May that vision be burned in your soul forever. Then, you could spend eternity in bliss.

“Y/N?” 

You had closed her eyes, your body becoming heavier, and it was then that Kíli realized...He croaked, fresh tears filling his eyes as he crushed your form to his own, his fingers embedded in your hair as he hugged you. Over and over, he spoke words of love, and all who had looked on bowed their heads. The young prince wasn’t the only one who had lost that day.

A funeral was held within the walls of Erebor a day later. You were ethereal, your hair framing your cleaned face with new clothes on you...If he didn’t know any better, Kili would have thought you to be in a peaceful slumber. But he did, and a lump formed in his throat as he fingered the bead at the end of one of your braids. It was silver; it had his ruins on it.

His one regret? Not giving it to you sooner.

[pinkevilbobdoesthings]

Okay guys, content warning on this one. There’s body horror in this chapter. Just giving you a heads up.

So here’s Chapter 5 of ‘Make You Scared’.

Caleb focused on keeping his breath even, on keeping calm and trying to deny the fear creeping up on him. Ikithon wanted him to be afraid, and there was no way Caleb was going to give him what he wanted. Unfortunately, Caleb was terrified. Everything about the room haunted his nightmares, and it was all Caleb could do to keep himself from whimpering like a child. 

"Well, let's see how you are doing," Ikithon said entering Caleb's room. He tapped on the current iv bag dripping solution into Caleb. "You know, at first you were a complete failure. I was furious with how you'd turn out negative result after negative result. But then I realized that I was looking for the wrong results." Ikithon turned off the drip of the iv bag and unhooked it. "See, you were supposed to be a greater unending resource of fear, but you weren't. Certainly you were scared; you're very good at being afraid, but your fear was very pedestrian. A disappointment really." Picking up an IV bag filled with a dark sludgy mixture, he hooked it up to Caleb. "But then I thought to look for something else in you. And oh it turned out that you were fun of all sorts of mysteries and answers we never thought to ask." He flicked on the switch for the IV drip. "And then you left me." Anger and hatred dripped from his voice. "You've caused a bunch of delays, I'll have you know."

Caleb watched as the sludge went through the clear tube towards his arm. It was slower than most of what Ikithon saw fit to inject into him. 

Ikithon chuckled as Caleb squirmed trying to get away from the inevitable. "Really, you should've learned by now that struggling doesn't change anything. I mean it's amusing to watch, but that's not what I'm here for, not really. But for all my complaints, your escape taught me some things. Most of them about doing proper screenings on security, but your return shown me things that I wouldn't have dared test. You're very adventurous to try monster food. Most humans would've gotten violently ill before they ate even half as much as you did. But you're not entirely human anymore now are you, Bren." 

Freezing, Caleb stared at him. A thousand questions ran through his mind, but the cursed gag stopped them all. The sludgy solution from the IV enter his vein and a hot pain went through him. He shook uncontrollably covered in sweat. "There's no point in fighting it," Ikithon said. "It will run its course no matter what. Now, there's something I must attend to, but I'll be back by the time you're done." He patted the IV bag.

Bile rose up in Caleb's throat, but he forced it back down. Being sick with the gag was not an experience that Caleb wanted to repeat. His brain was in a fog and he tried to focus, but all he could think of was the pain. Hands touched his arm and he tried to pull away. "Caleb, Caleb, it's okay, it's me." Caleb squinted to see a blue face. Jester. She took the gag out of his mouth and pulled the needle out of his arm. The IV bag was already empty. More time must’ve passed than he had realized.

Caleb tried to sit up, but he fell back down onto the bed. "You found me." His voice was dry and croaky. "You actually found me."

"Of course I did," Jester said.

"I'm sorry no one found you. You shoulda been found." Caleb could feel himself rambling, but he couldn't stop his tongue. "I shoulda found you."

Jester carefully picked Caleb up lifting him out of the bed. "You weren't even in the monster world, Caleb."

"Caleb, that's my name," he said clinging to Jester like a lifeline. "Caleb should've found you."

"Well, Caleb's found me now. Caleb's a very good friend," Jester said gently.

Caleb shuddered in her arms. The shaking still hadn't gone away. "No, he's not. He’s not a good thing.” He looked up at her. “You're blue." His head hurt and everything felt fuzzy.

"Yes, I am blue."

He rested his head on her shoulder. "Blue's favorite."

"Yeah?"

“I like Jester.” Caleb had trouble quite remembering where he was, but everything hurt and he liked whatever was holding him.

There was a pause. “Oh, well, Jester likes you too.”

He tried to move his hand, but it was a thousand pounds and too heavy for him. “She shouldn’t. ‘M bad.” His head dropped down and he couldn’t lift it.

“Caleb. Caleb!” The voice was pretty but scared.

His tongue was itchy, thick and hurt, but he managed a hum of acknowledgement.

“Oh, don’t scare me like that. I know it’s my fault Ikithon got you again, but I need you to be okay.”

He wanted to tell her something, but he couldn’t think of what it was and his mouth wouldn’t open. Instead his mouth ached and he was certain his teeth were falling out. A pressure built up in his head until it felt like it was splitting. Like a hot whip, a searing pain burned along his spine. Instead of fingers, it felt like he had blades shoved into his hands. Then suddenly everything was so much pain all he could see was white.

And then the pain cleared, and Jester was looking down at Caleb her eyes wide with concern and fear. “Caleb,” she gasped.

Caleb stared at his hands. His fingers were replaced with long, sharp claws. “Jester?” It came out messy and slurred. Running his tongue over his teeth, Caleb discovered that they fangs, huge and fearsome. He looked up at Jester hoping for some explanation that would undo all of it.

“Caleb,” she said, her voice full of confusion and care, “you’re a monster.”

***

Jester still held Caleb in her arms. It didn’t make sense. None of it made any sense. Caleb was human, and humans did not just become monsters. The only explanation she could come up with was Ikithon must’ve done something to him with all those tubes and syringes. But it shouldn’t have been possible.

Caleb stared down at his hands in disbelief. No longer were there pupils in his eyes; instead just blueness. Four pairs of tiny horns protruded out of his hair. Jester had to adjust her grip on Caleb for the bony protrusions jutting out of his back. A bristly tail hung limpy from the base of his spine. She had never seen monster quite like him before but he wouldn't have stuck out of a crowd. 

"Well," Jester said trying to look on the positive side, "You're a very handsome monster."

He just looked up at her wanly.

"Sorry. But I thought you should know." Jester wished there was something that she could do for him. She couldn't imagine what it must have felt like. What would she do if she were suddenly a human? Probably cry. "Are you okay?"

"I-" but it just sounded like he had a bunch of snakes in his mouth and long thin tongue slipped out from behind his large fangs. Caleb ran his hand through his hair and stopped when he got to the horns. The look he gave Jester was heartbreaking.

Jester pushed down the dread in her heart and smiled at Caleb softly. "I'll get you out of here."

"Will you now?" a voice said behind her. Jester turned around to see Ikithon. "I believe you have my property there and must request that you put it back where you found it."

"You have no right," Jester said. "He's not yours, he's a human being and shouldn't be here."

Ikithon chuckled. "I believe you mean monster. Or rather a hybrid, I suppose. Don't believe I've gotten rid of all the human from him, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's not like I was trying to just make a monster. Any two monsters can do that."

Caleb shuddered in Jester's arms. "You," he said.

"I? I gave you a gift. You don't need to fear anything now. You are something new and marvelous," Ikithon said. "True, you don't have much purpose in the world, but for science, you will show us so many new possibilities."

"Change him back." Jester stared down at Ikithon. 

Ikithon gave her a look of disgust. "Why in the world would I do that? Not that I could, but there's so many tests we can do on him. We can see what the true divide and difference between humans and monsters is. Bren is the answers to all the questions we never thought to ask."

"He's not Bren and he's not yours!" Jester shouted. Caleb gripped her arm accidentally scratching her, but she didn’t mind.

"Then whose is he? Something like him has no place in the world. Hybrids like him are unnatural and get rejected by the world. It is my place to care for him as no one else will," Ikithon said it like he was doing a grand and noble thing he was doing.

Jester looked down at Caleb. He looked so small and dejected in her arms staring still at his hands. "I will," Jester said. "He can be mine and I will care for him." She smiled at Caleb and the shock on his face. "It wouldn't be a hard thing to do."

Ikithon made a sour face. "You are a fool if you think you could be happy with a thing like that. He was a human. A creature capable of the most terrible things. His kind kill and destroy for fun."

"And you don't?" Caleb asked. His tongue would slip out of his mouth long and thin and he tripped over his words, but Caleb kept going. "You've destroyed everything you've touched. My mother, my father, me! You are are just as bad as a human."

Ikithon shook his head chuckling softly. "I'm a monster and am as nature made me. Humans are supposed to be more."

"Jester is more. She's more than anyone can ask for." Caleb looked up at Jester with the softest look in his eyes and shifted to get out of her arms. She let him down, but Jester kept an arm around Caleb hardly believing the kind words he was saying about her. "You can't say that to be monster is to be horrible if she is one. Nothing that is even slightly like her can claim to be awful by nature. Your evils are entirely by your own doing!" Ikithon snarled showing off his fangs. They weren't as big as Jester's or Caleb's, and Caleb just laughed. "You're nothing! I was an idiot to be scared of you. What are you?! Just an old man with a needle!"

"Watch your tongue, you filthy thing!" Ikithon spat. "I can destroy you without a second thought."

Caleb's legs were shaking and he leaned most of his weight against Jester, but he held his head up like he was a noble king. "You're the one that made a filthy thing. How does that reflect on you? A doddering old fool wasting his time on a pointless folly."

"And Caleb's not filthy," Jester added feeling like she needed to say something. 

Caleb glanced at Jester and barely shook his head. He returned his glare to Ikithon. “What are you? A monster? Ha, you are nothing.”

With a wordless roar, Ikithon launched himself at Caleb. "Run!" Caleb said shoving himself away from Jester. Ikithon tackled Caleb and the two tumbled head over heels crashing into tables of medical equipment. Jester backed away almost frozen with fear. With loud snarls and growls Caleb clawed at Ikithon, but the old monster's scales were too thick to break through.

Ikithon laughed mirthlessly as his hands wrapped around Caleb's neck. "You stupid boy. Not even a monster for five minutes and you try to pick a fight. I should've never wasted my time with you. Oh well, I can still learn from an autopsy.”

Jester looked around in a hurry and grabbed the first thing she could find, a clipboard, and slammed it against Ikithon’s shoulder.

He hissed out in annoyance, but his hands remained firmly around Caleb's throat as Caleb turned blue. "Idiot! Don't think you'll get away with this. I'll have my revenge on you, but first I'll dispose of this filth!"

"Caleb isn't filthy!" Jester yelled kicking Ikithon in the head.

The old man stumbled and his grip on Caleb loosened.

Jester grabbed Caleb and dragged him and and towards the door. "You were supposed to run," Caleb said coughing.

"You're my responsibility. I wasn't going to leave you." Jester tried to open the door only to find it locked.

"Did you think I was foolish enough to let you escape?" Ikithon asked. "I wasn't going to do that. Now you're going to just give up quietly and no one is going to get hurt."

Jester glared at him showing her fangs. "Why would I do that? I’m not dumb enough to believe you. You're not getting Caleb!"

"I wasn't talking to you," Ikithon snarled. "You want her to stay safe, don't you?"

Caleb nodded and approached Ikithon his fists clenched to his sides. 

"Caleb! Don't'!" Jester screamed. "There's a better way! There has to be."

Ikithon smirked at Caleb returned to him. "I knew you'd listen to reason. Always were a soft one, weren't you?"

Caleb just nodded. "She'll be safe, right?"

"She’ll rest in peace," Ikithon said. He laughed at Caleb's glare. "I can’t let her run about revealing what I’ve been doing here, can I? A man has to keep his secrets."

Caleb glared at him and then started coughing so hard that he doubled over low to the floor.

"Get up!” Ikithon demanded. Jester started to move forward, but Ikithon held up a hand. "Make another move and I will kill him right where he stands."

Jester stood back fighting the tears. 

Caleb pushed himself up off the ground and stood up leaning against the wall. He was panting with exertion.

"A weak thing, aren't you," Ikithon said.

Caleb nodded and then lightning fast jabbed two needles into each side of Ikithon's neck. Ikithon clawed at the needles as Caleb sunk down the plungers. With a gasp, Ikithon sunk down to the ground and then fell over.

"You knocked him out!" Jester said. "We gotta get out." She knelt down next to Ikithon and took the key to the door out of his pocket.

Caleb shook his head slowly staring down at Ikithon. "No, not knocked out."

Jester froze half way through unlocking the door. "You killed him?"

"Yes." He stared down at Ikithon silently. “He was going to kill you.”

“He was going to kill you too, Caleb.” Jester lightly put her hand on Caleb’s shoulder and turned him away from the dead body.

Caleb followed her numbly to the door. “I just killed a man. What am I?”

“You’re Caleb and my friend. You were hurt bad by a bad monster and now you’re a good monster,” Jester said as she unlocked it letting them out.

“Am I a good monster?” Caleb asked looking incredibly lost and hurt.

Jester grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze as she led him through the old abandoned hospital. It was late and  Ikithon was the only one there, but Jester was starting to think that he had set that up to be a trap for them. “You’re a very good monster. And one that I’m going to take care of.”

Caleb shook his head weakly.  “You don’t have to. I can take care of myself.”

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Monsters aren’t supposed to be alone. And neither are humans, and I think that that goes for hybrids like you,” Jester said double checking the halls just in case someone else was there. Nott should be up at the front of the hospital gathering evidence of the illegal experiments Ikithon was running. “Besides, I don’t think you can take care of yourself. Do you know anything about being a monster?”

Caleb let out half a chuckle.  “You have a point there. But it doesn’t have to be you.”

Jester pouted at him. “I gave Ikithon my word that I’d take care of you.”

“And you always keep your word?” Caleb asked.

Jester nodded. “I do. Besides, there’s kind of another reason why I want to.”

“And what is that?”

Before Jester could lose her nerve, she kissed Caleb on the cheek. “I like you.”

Caleb’s cheeks and horns turned red and he sputtered. “I like you too,” he said, ducking his head down. Jester laughed and hooked her tail around Caleb’s. His eyes went wide with surprise. “Oh, oh, I could get used to this.”

[hiding-under-the-willow]

EMH/Stan Frederick AU (kinda) Full Explanation

Okay, so

Basically I was thinking a lot about the Stan Frederick episode where they're trying to find out more about the rake and they're going through boxes and boxes of old research and at one point Susan pulls out a binder marked with purple duct tape, which she claims has a lot of info about the rake in it, an obvious homage to EMH. Stan immediately shuts Susan down when he sees what binder she's looking at, and the specific line "If we're ever that desperate..." just really stuck in my head for one reason or another. It got me thinking about Stan and Habit interacting, and while I thought that was interesting enough to go off with as an idea, but obviously we need a context for that interaction, that's where the AU comes in.

It takes place in an alternate iteration, one in which the majority of the story is the one that we have experienced alongside the EMH crew. We've made it all the way up to 'Sleeping dogs lie.' and it is the first iteration with this format in which Habit has managed to make it this far. He's furious that Vinnie has ruined the plan by going off to follow the leads presented by the Princeton tapes and is convinced that by following those leads Vinnie will end up dead. Deciding there's no fixing the iteration in its current state, he decides to fuck with it in a way that he finds entertaining, pulling someone else into the fray and trying to get them to go along with his plan the way Vinnie was meant to.

He thinks for a bit about who he could have the most fun messing with. Noah seemed like a fun choice but that was almost sure to start a fight with Firebrand and he wasn't exactly in the mood to fight that war, there was Micheal/Patrick but he still didn't know where they were (a fact he was fairly salty about considering the lengths he went to to lure Shaun to him as bait). This brings him to wondering "Hey what about that Stan Fredrick guy? The paranormal investigator Firebrand used to complain about, what ever happened to him?"

He looks into it and is honestly kinda excited by what he finds. This Stan guy, he's real entertaining to watch and looks like he would be great to mess with, and they share a common enemy, that old stick-in-the-mud. He's also fairly curious about the concept of corruptelams and since Stan is one after the events of '40. Amendments' he could do some research. He decides that if he's able to manipulate Stan just right, with promises of defeating slender, a happy ending where he gets to go back to a normal life with his wife, maybe even hinting at the possibility of being able to bring Stan fully back to life from his state as a corruptelam, he might just be able to have a bit of fun with this collapsing iteration, and he figures, just maybe, Stan could be powerful enough to complete his plan the way Vinnie was supposed to.

Stan on the other hand, is doing fairly okay, well, kinda. After the events of '40. Amendments' he basically went into hiding, traveling around the country to avoid staying in one place too long while also avoiding places like Maine, New Jersey, Florida, and Alabama, all to avoid being found by the monsters again and being pulled back into the fray, because he knows that as soon as his moster realized it missed a piece it'll come back to collect the rest of him. He's managed to stay safe, but he's become uncomfortable with his existence as a corruptelam, hating having to use the word to describe himself, and is depressed by his lonely existence, traveling from place to place in fear, never being able to see the people he cares about or get close to anyone. He's tired, but completely restless at the same time.

Habit brings Stan to his base of operations 'Severence' style while Stan is asleep, one of the few human comforts he's able to still enjoy as a corruptelam. Stan's sure at first that he's having a nightmare when he awakes in the unfamiliar house but quickly realizes that he's very much awake when confronted by Habit, who is very real and very much a threat. Stan is forced to confront the lack of humanity brought about by his existence as a corruptelam and the discomfort that that existence brings him. Habit, having done all of the possible research he could before hand, is perfectly prepared to emotionally manipulate Stan into joining him, and despite everything Stan has aligned himself with all these years and Habit's obvious pension for dishonesty he somehow allows himself to fall victim to this very blatant manipulation and joins Habit to defeat Slender in the hopes of returning to his old life with Susan without monsters and death looming over his shoulder the rest of his life.

Habit is absolutely ecstatic that his plan is working so easily, and even goes as far as agreeing to a couple of ground rules Stan wants set before they start working together (not actually planning on following them of course). They form a kind of symbiotic relationship while living under the same roof and planning their attack on slender, slowly learning more about eachother and the world around them from eachother. Stan learning more about the monsters that inhabit their world and the magic that surrounds them, Habit learning more about the psychology of humanity and Stan's general mindset in his strange situation. Habit comes to respect Stan in a strange way, and Stan gets to a point where he almost trusts Habit, at least not fearing him quite as much as he did before.

Stan finds himself surprised by how seemingly normal everything around them seems. They live like normal people, talk like normal roommates. If it wasn't for the fact that they were both supernatural creatures planning to take down a god like monster Stan might've almost found their situation comforting. But then, as always, there are those small things that remind him that things are, infact, not normal. The static behind Habit's voice, the way the air around him sparked with static electricity, the supernatural forces at play in the house, the feint smell of blood that stuck to Habit or certain rooms of the house at times. All of them would bring him back to reality and remind him of who he was working with and why he was doing so in the first place.

This all comes to a head with the release of 'The Drive West' and then 'Finding Fairmount'. Habit is struck with the realization that Vinnie is very much alive and has found the North Star, and now he has two very good candidates to finish the job and take down that old stick-in-the-mud.

Habit brings Vinnie back the same way he does in the iteration we witnessed. To say the least, Vinnie is surprised and a bit unsettled by Stan's presence. He encourages Stan to leave as soon as they get a second alone without Habit, he's noticed something different about the creature that's been inhabiting his friend and is worried about what exactly he has planned and what's going to go down. He knows this battle is his to fight, not Stan's. Stan isn't persuaded, he's determined to reap the rewards he has spend months working towards. There's no way he abandons everything now and goes back to his lonely existence empty handed after all this time he's spent dealing with Habit to get this far.

I don't want to spoil anything further than this because I have some plans for this AU in the future, but I will tell you that, to say the least, things do not end well.