#the family's ability do erase people's memories

[a-secret-bolton-vampire]

CW: Rape, incest, CSA

This is actually not a strictly A Song of Ice and Fire post here, but it overlaps in some ways so I figured I'd write this.

Anyone who has not read the web serials Worm or Ward and wishes to avoid spoilers, don't read this post:

Disclaimer out of the way, I've found striking parallels between fandom reaction for both A Song of Ice and Fire and Parahumans regarding how characters who survived sexual abuse view their abusers, in a dangerously disturbing way.

For this I'm going to specifically be using the examples of Aeron and Theon Greyjoy from A Song of Ice and Fire to compare and contrast to Victoria Dallon in Ward. All three were psychologically and sexually tormented by their abusers during the course of the series. Theon is a young adult by the time Ramsay gets his hands on him, but Aeron and Victoria were both children when they were molested by family members so they will be the main two characters to compare.

In the case of Euron and Aeron, there are a (sadly very vocal) minority who are ready to dismiss Euron's danger to others by specifically using Aeron's abuse against him. Sure, Euron is evil and horrifically abused him and Urrigon when they were children, and it is understandable that Aeron would be mortified of Euron. After all, he tries to warn people about Euron repeatedly, only for his attempts to stop him to all fail.

The response by this section of the fandom to claims of Euron being built up as a major threat are essentially that Aeron's trauma is in the way of his ability to perceive Euron objectively. Is Euron actually as dangerous as Aeron claims? You can say the same for Theon and Ramsay. After all, Theon is half-mad warning Stannis about Ramsay, and Stannis is bringing some Rational Realness to the forefront by saying "what do I have to fear him for?"

Since GRRM is never releasing another A Song of Ice and Fire book it's hard to say what he intends but he could definitely intend for this to be the case. That said, there is a story featuring a similar character that is completed. Ward!

Victoria Dallon's sister, Amy, is a cape with healing abilities, though as the series progresses we know that healing is just the tip of the iceberg; she can change the biological makeup of living things. Amy is adopted, and has never felt any love from anyone other than Victoria. Amy develops deep romantic love for her sister, however, and then begins a series of bad decisions that just serve to deepen her already deep mental breakdown.

Amy proceeds to; alter Victoria's brain chemistry to give her compulsive romantic thoughts about her, then following healing Victoria after a battle, she spends several days alone with her, during which she repeatedly rapes her, erases her memories of said rapes, until her mental health deteriorates even further and she is unable to use her power properly and turns Victoria into the Wretch: a mass of flesh and limbs and heads, rather than anything actually human.

Then Victoria spends 2 years in a mental institution, stuck in a body she hates, all the while fighting the compulsions Amy left in place. When she finally returns Victoria to normal at the end of Worm, it is actually against her will and not because she had a change of heart or got more confident.

Then we get to Ward, where Victoria is the main POV. As is very obvious, Victoria is struggling with extremely intense PTSD, mentioning Amy is enough to trigger a dissociative flashback, and she wants absolutely nothing to do with her anymore: and fucking rightfully so.

Victoria also warns people about Amy. She warns her therapist to try to reach out to Amy before she hurts someone else, she warns literally anyone who will listen about Amy and what she might end up doing. We may not know what it is that Ramsay and Euron end up doing, but we do know what Amy does.

She refuses all help and doubles down on bad decisions, enslaves people with her powers, later imprisons and torments and touches Victoria again against her will, and becomes the dictatorial monster in charge of an entire planet. Victoria's warnings prove to be extremely prophetic and extremely real.

Now lets get into some discourse shall we?

Despite Amy being a rapist who rapes her sister, enslaves others via mind control, and literally never once improving as a person or acknowledging that her actions even caused harm, there are still those who think Amy isn't at fault. Some might find this post, but I don't really care. Amy is at fault for things Amy did. Victoria is not at fault for hugging her sister like a normal human being when Amy is upset, Amy didn't do her a favour healing her because then she just raped her and then really couldn't fix her back to a human body, and Amy isn't absolved of these sins because she healed a lot of people.

Essentially, Victoria is sometimes blamed for being raped by her sister, the rapist, despite Amy canonically being a manipulative lying liar rapist.

Okay so that doesn't seem to related to what the fandom says with Euron and Ramsay, right? After all, we don't really blame Aeron for being molested and Theon for also being sexually tortured and abused by Ramsay, do we? There are factors as to why that is (mostly that Aeron and Theon are men and Victoria is a woman; if you don't buy this argument look at people who say Cersei deserved to be sexually assaulted by Robert or try to use "the times" as an excuse to overlook Daenerys also being raped by Drogo) but there is an overlap here.

Amy being able to get away with that she did only to go on and hurt so many other people is a meta-commentary on the way survivors of sexual abuse are disbelieved or blamed for what happened to them. Naturally, those real like abusers end up going to abuse other people too. Fuck, even in the fandom, Victoria is still fucking blamed for things that she had absolutely no choice in the matter.

Which leads back to Theon and Aeron. Yes, trauma impacts the way you remember traumatic events, and that means objectivity can get lost at times. It can for Victoria and Theon and Aeron. But that trauma, the dissociation, memory problems, all of these together, are there for a reason. And that's because someone came along, ruined another persons life for their own pleasure and satisfaction, and then got away with it.

Victoria warned the world about what Amy would do, and she was unfortunately correct. Theon and Aeron warned others about Ramsay and Euron. Survivors should be believed, and not be dismissed. After all, it isn't our fault that we got abused. People may hear things about Euron or Amy or Ramsay, but the people who truly know who they are---what they are capable of, what they are actually like---are the people they abused.

So yeah, it's kinda fucking lame when I hear someone go "Stannis gonna prove Theon wrong with facts and logic" as if he doesn't, I don't know, have insight into Ramsay's psychology in ways Stannis doesn't. Same with Euron. Same with Amy.

Also fucking read Ward it hurts as intensely as it kicks ass.

[another-goblin]

It's been established that people can look however they want in the dreamworld, even up to their species.

So (in addition to Sparkle being able to impersonate anyone), how can we be sure of anybody's identity?

How do we know, for example, that Firefly isn't actually some sleazy elderly millionaire who likes to pretend that he's a teenage girl to mess with people?

[its-your-mind]

ALWAYS rotating TAZ: Balance around in my brain like microwave but ESPECIALLY with the announcement of The Suffering Game graphic novel

The dope thing they can do (and are doing) with the graphic novel series is sprinkle in moments of foreshadowing and hints to the reader about what REALLY might be going on here, which is so cool and I’m a huge fan of it, especially when you’re telling a story in this form.

But what is REALLY FUCKING TASTY about Balance as a story is that none of the motherfuckers telling it had any clue what they were doing when they started

Gerblins is dick jokes and not knowing how dice work and making fun of each other for voices. LICHRALLY the scene where Taako grabs the Umbrastaff is immediately proceeded by Clint trying different voices for Merle while Justin begs him to stop, as Taako. Merle gets launched across the room cuz he failed his save, and now Taako has an umbrella. The scene moves on.

Griffin brought them up to the BOB, introduced them to the Director, and gave them memories of a war fought over nameless, lost, powerful but mysterious artifacts. The memory that Taako takes from it is the idea of soured cream (ya know, for his taco quest).

And then they’re off, on different adventures, making friends, saving lives, making more dick jokes, and Griffin is in the background, slowly building in the meta-plot, as all DMs do.

But this meta-plot was HUGE. It was ALL-CONSUMING. It completely changes everything we know about this world and these characters. It takes the moments of dick jokes, and arguments about character voices, and flirting with death, and adds a layer of tragedy and complexity that just wasn’t present the first time they told that story.

AND THAT’S WHY THIS STORY KICKS ASS. The vibe of the story changed as Tres Horny Boys grew closer and closer to remembering the lives they had lost, as Griffin upped the stakes, as people started dying. They still don’t know shit for most of The Suffering Game, but you absolutely could not have predicted the tone of that arc after just listening to Gerblins. It sounds like a completely different story. And so when the other shoe drops, when shit breaks bad, when it’s the end of the world… again, and they have to reclaim their Stolen Century…

It makes sense. The tone has shifted enough to accommodate that kind of change. The characters have grown (back) into themselves enough to make this work.

Because TAZ: Balance is a tragedy. But the tragedy happened before the podcast even started, and had been erased. So of course it started off with goofs and dildo jokes. Of course the three of them started being standoff-ish with each other and making light of every situation that should have had a lot more weight. They didn’t know what they had lost, and we, the audience, didn’t either. So it was easy to laugh and joke… until slowly, it wasn’t so much anymore.

Plenty of people have praised Griffin’s storytelling abilities, but I think the thing that was most impressive to me was how he took the disparate threads laid out behind the Boys on their adventures, and followed them backwards, into the story they had lost, and forwards, into the ending they earned. I fucking love that he settled on Istus as the deity to interact with them, because I don’t think there’s a better representation of the story Griffin was weaving behind the scenes of the arcs.

Story and Song wasn’t really an arc driven by dice rolls and role playing - but it wasn’t railroading either. Griffin took every story they had told, every happy ending they had fought for, and twined them around and through each other. The world was saved not because of a lucky nat 20 roll, but because every person they had helped through the story came out in force to fight beside them to save their world.

And so in the end, the Stolen Century was a tragedy. But The Adventure Zone: Balance was a story of hope, of family, of the power that just a few loveable doofuses can have when they move through the world, making friends and saving lives. So when the world was ending and they needed help, there were dozens of people waiting to hear the Story and the Song that would give them the push they needed to fight, and the hope they needed to win.

[ronearoundblindly]

would you ever write an invisible reader? Like let’s say she’s an agent or a scientist. Quiet and stuff right? She always keeps to herself has the biggest crush on Steve but because she’s thinks she’s invisible she doesn’t ever think he might be interested too. There’s a mission she goes on and things go awry and she actually turns invisible. Something akin to how in the Fantastic Four movies they get their powers she gets this one? But it takes time to get under control. Steve thinks it’s his fault so he tries to help out. And through the the process of helping her gain back visibility she realizes Steve has seen her all along. Lol this really just came to my head when I was thinking about Steve using paint on someone’s body as a way to show them he thinks they’re art.

This. Is. Spectacular. I'm gonna fudge it a bit. Headcanon/stream of consciousness format. No warnings just canon-level "action." gif credit: @meidui

Erasure (Steve Rogers x junior agent!Reader)

My first instinct is to make it an ability to alter someone perception--i.e. you're constantly a little embarrassed of your input, so you tell people to 'forget you said that'--and let's say that constant hope that you won't be remembered badly is the innate trigger for your ability.

Probably a science experiment of Tony's gone wrong. He and the team are arguing about something that needs to be recovered before a damaged thing reaches critical mass. You sneak in to just grab what he wants and not waste time arguing. Tony doesn't know you're in there and locks the lab down until the dangerous pulse dissipates. (Steve doesn't know you're in there either because you popped in while he was facing and yelling at Tony, fwiw.) Maybe Tony saunters in once the doors open, finds you there with the part in your hand and knocked on your ass.

Your skin touches his as he reaches for you and the part. You jokingly tell him there's nothing to worry about, nothing to see here. You're surprised that he listens and walks off immediately, chatting and leading the team away down the hall to show them something else he's working on in the hangar bay.

Overall, once you catch your breath, you're fine. You don't want to go to the infirmary and tell them you did something so dumb.

Life continues.

Through a lot of trial and error, you realize what you can do--forcibly--by erasing people's memory of you being around. The head count for meetings is off. Several teammates you know you spoke to see security footage of you at the time and curiously remark that they don't recall you being there. Things like that. It works on everybody, or so you think.

There's a brainstorming session about how to infiltrate a possibly corrupt corporation's facility to gain intel. Everyone agrees to this elaborate rouse where two ripped agent dudes pose as janitors and blah blah blah. It's a little absurd.

You check the companies job listings, and knowing you qualify for one, submit an application the next day. The woman in HR who hires you doesn't work on the same floor as where you are technically snooping, and you can handle the work they actually want you to do in just a few hours a day, giving you a bunch of time to access nearly everywhere and nudge everyone to forget you were there.

The attempted break-in of fake janitors is the talk of the office on your last day, the one where you find the info Stark wanted to begin with, and then you quit, still quietly, returning to the Avengers the next morning.

You drop off the intel to Tony's office when he's not there, but just as you get situated back at your little desk, Steve comes up.

He looks concerned, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the flimsy cubicle wall.

"Feeling better?"

You're so confused.

"You were out for over a week. Did you need to go to the hospital? Was a family member with you at least? You could have called in for help."

On impulse, you grab his arm and tell him not to worry about you, yet he...doesn't move. After a flawless use of the power hundreds of times in a row, you don't understand.

Blinking up at Steve, you blurt, "I should be erased. Why are you still noticing me?"

He's bewildered, sure, but Steve tucks his head and smiles shyly.

"Can't erase you, doll," he chuckles, so soft only you can hear. "I draw you in pen--" Steve taps his temple "--up here..."

He bends down, his hand gently gripping your arm and his cheek touching yours.

"...now where you been for a week?"

And then, yes, some beautiful closeness and Steve paints on you to highlight what parts he drew so permanently on his mind!

🤗

a/n: Thank you for sending in this lovely idea, nonnie! I'm sorry everything I'm writing has been short and convoluted the last...while, but this is such a sweet premise. (Also, my apologies if you really, really wanted straight invisibility as the power. Just send in another ask, and I'll try to come up with an alternate version!)

[Main Masterlist; Light Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

[yuri-is-online]

ruggie to (unknowingly) his kid: imma flirt with your mom and potentially erase your existence, sorry not sorry

*cracks knuckles* nothing but the best for my favorite hyena.

notes: they/them used for Yuu, for context on the fyuuture kid au can be found here and here.

The entire Yutu situation gives Leona a headache.  He sees the portal, takes a sniff, rolls his eyes, and goes looking for the only hyena he (or to be more accurate Yuu) knows.  He doesn't outright say “congratulations you're a dad” because he doesn't know if that would be too much to believe but Ruggie takes the whole "time traveler related to Yuu" idea fairly well.  I mean, Yuu’s from another world and Ruggie was pretty convinced that was impossible until .  What bothers him is Leona's saying Yutu is a beastman.  That can only really mean one thing, but Ruggie doesn't want to bug Leona for any more details because what if his first thought is wrong and all his hopes are crushed?  I mean he never said that Yutu was Yuu's kid... just that they are related. Maybe it's an ancestry thing and he can just adjust the streams a bit?

Meanwhile Yutu is thrilled to see what a great partner to his parent his dad is. It makes him feel very warm and safe, something Yutu hasn't felt in a very long time.

Ruggie! Yutu is a bit oblivious to certain things.  He tries to socialize with people, really he does but things always just sort of come out wrong and leave him upset, lonely, and embarrassed. He doesn't have Ruggie's charisma or ability to schmooze, but he does have his laugh. Something that endears him to Yuu which is all he really cares about at the end of the day. Hyenas tend to be more solitary and stick to their clans/family units, and while he might not have his ears and tail in your world he still has his instincts.

Yuu remembers Ruggie as someone who took care of them and took a great deal of pride in that. They tell him about how Yutu shares his laugh, and how they know in their soul he would have loved Yutu to bits. Ruggie has a voice line about how he used to make flower crowns for the neighborhood kids back home, and I can see him teaching Yuu how he made them when they were preparing for Yutu so they "could make some for the kid when they get here." Yuu might not remember that's why they know how to make the little crowns Yutu loves so much, but it makes them nostalgic to watch their little dandelion prince run around their backyard in his crown.

Dandelions are his favorite flower from how often Yuu uses them to make flower crowns, and he quite likes making wishes on them.  When he was a child he used to bring them up to Yuu and insist on them making wishes too, he never told them but he was convinced that one day Yuu's memory loss and pain would go away if they just kept wishing on them. He still makes wishes on them sometimes, but he feels very silly about it now.

He likes being useful, especially to Yuu, and is surprisingly good at negotiating for someone who isn't as unflappable as his dad.  People tend to think he comes off as a bit stupid, so they're very blindsided when he knows all his figures and what to charge for his work.  He doesn't fully realize this which tends to annoy people, which he does pick up on but he's too stubborn to let that affect negotiations.  He needs that money more than whoever is dunking on him.

What does he use that money for? Well he wants Yuu to use it on bills, but you keep saying no so he spends it on fabric and yarn. If he's going to spend so much time alone he might as well be able to clothe himself. And you always praised him when he made you something new. Like I said, he wants to be useful.

As described here upon being transported to Twisted Wonderland, Ruggie! Yutu found himself transformed into a hyena beastman. His hearing is overwhelmingly sensitive, Crewel has to speak to him in whispers for the first few weeks, and still finds himself doing it sometimes. Losing Yuu clearly struck a massive blow to Yutu's sense of self, and now Crewel has to tell him about what happened to his dad.

Yutu really likes the idea that the dead in Twisted Wonderland become stars. He starts stargazing to cope with missing his parents, even picking out where in the sky he thinks you and Ruggie are watching over him. It evolves into an interest in stargazing that he keeps up when he travels back in time.

Now Ruggie. Ruggie. When Yutu meets him he's surprised at how accurate Yuu's memories of him were. He loves showing off how good he would be at taking care of Yuu while providing them the room to take care of themselves too. Ruggie has so much respect for what Yuu can do without magic it makes Yutu a bit teary eyed, he had always worried about Yuu feeling alone in Twisted Wonderland since he knows first hand mages can be very judgemental so seeing one not like that-

"Well it's just nice to see." His father can't see it but his tail his wagging underneath his hoodie. For some reason, Ruggie doesn't seem proud of himself though, he's just staring at the ground long and hard like he's thinking about something.

"Are you sure you should be thanking me?" Yutu thinks that Ruggie sounds sad, and he's instantly worried that he's said something wrong somehow but has no idea what it could be or how to explain himself if he had.

"Um- is is there a reason I shouldn't?" Please don't make him guess that's his least favorite game and he always fails-

"Well I mean I'm flirting with your parent ain't I? That could potentially erase your existence." Ruggie is so serious about it that it shocks Yutu out of his spiral.

"Oh. I don't think that will be an issue."

Listen the instant Ruggie learns he can flirt with Yuu to his hearts content without causing timeline issues he gets three times as "insufferable" (Yutu thinks it's cute) with how direct he is to Yuu. He's still more reserved than some of the other boys, he wants you to make the first move, but he's happy that he wasn't misinterpreting your relationship up to this point. Really happy.

He is significantly LESS happy with what Yutu tells him about the future. Ruggie was raised by his grandma and while he loves her to death the last thing he ever wanted for his child was to A) have to struggle like he did and B) have to struggle alone. Don't get him wrong, he trusts Yuu to have given Yutu the best childhood possible given their circumstances but those circumstances never should have existed. It's literally the one thing he has been working for all this time and vowed never to accept failure for.

Very worried about Yutu's health now that he knows he's been a Hyena beastmen all this time under that hood. He uses his new found freedom to take up Yuu's time to keep them away from Ramshackle (until Yutu is ready to tell Yuu) so Yutu can have a bit more time to relax outside of his disguise. he's very impressed by Yutu's sewing skills and takes the time to teach him how to alter his clothes to be more friendly to his tail and ears.

From the bit of reading I did on Hyenas, and some of Ruggie's voice lines, bringing back food for the cubs is very important to them so Ruggie starts being very concerned about seeing Yutu eat enough. He won't even charge for it if he thinks his kid didn't get enough to eat, Rugginald is going to find that boy a sandwich if it's the last thing he does (but not really he's not going to die on Yutu again.)

Surprisingly, Ruggie is more than fine with Yutu's lack of charisma and social awkwardness. It takes all sorts of peoples to make the world go round and Yutu clearly has a good head for figures and a strong work ethic. He knows what his weakness are and he tries to make up for them, what else could a survival minded guy like Ruggie ask for? (One of those sweaters he made Yuu, a matching one preferably he wants to take holiday pictures he's heard rich people do that.)

Ruggie is another one who has no idea how to fix the future, but he's sure Leona will be willing to make it his problem if he learns just how much more work is waiting for him in the future if he doesn't stop things now. In the meantime he tries not to think about the death that could be awaiting him in favor of working to maintain what he has now, and that's you, your not cat, and your star gazing son from the future. Ruggie's never been one to take stock in the idea that a person can be poor in wealth but rich in friends, but damn if he doesn't feel like it every time Yutu asks him to show him something new.

[rosemallowss]

some thoughts

Obviously, people have probably analyzed the hell out of this poem already, or it's incredibly obvious, but I just cannot get over the parallels between Bill Cipher and Stanley here so here are my ramblings for myself when I originally read the poem.

As we learn more of Bill's backstory, the hatred he has for Stan goes deeper, not just because Bill is upset that a "lower life form" has defeated him, but because he's deeply envious that the both of them "always dragged his family down", "couldn't outrun life's regrets", and yet only one of them got a happy ending: reunited with a family who loves him despite his mistakes, able to reverse one of his own deepest regrets, ie. pushing Ford through the portal after just getting him back. Bill likely always dragged his family down with his ability to see the third dimension, as the book and website implies that no one in Euclydia were exactly fond of his abilities, nor did they take him seriously, and they tried to quell his power. (He's basically like Viktor from The Umbrella Academy, but I digress I have not seen the new season). "One mistake, disowned, denied", their paths differ here, but Stan's mistake- ruining Ford's school project accidentally, and Bill's- massacring an entire dimension in the process of attempting to get them all to see what he sees.

We know Stanley's whole life of hiding and changing his identity. Bill goes to "reinvent, retry, reload" throughout dimensions.

"A girdle, eyepatch, fathers fez, / 'I'm a new man!' so he says,": With new info from the website, we can also guess that Bill's top hat, where he keeps the molecules of Euclydia in, once belonged to his father. They both "couldn't outrun life's regrets," and both are con mans in their own right of course, Bill is sketchy and makes deals to manipulate people. He’s a new man once he takes his dad’s top hat!

"When you've lost track of your lies / When the poison starts to rise / When the walls are closing in / When its clear you cannot win / When your actions make it worse / When they see you as a curse," sheesh, Bill is really projecting here. Even his lies are lies. It's funny how Bill really sees himself in both of the Stan twins. With Stanley he seems to project what he hates most about himself onto him in terms of mistakes, failures, and permanently altering his and his loved ones' lives forever, again showing why he despises Stan the most. Despite all of that, Stan got the life that Bill couldn't get back. With Ford, they both have a genetic abnormality, and level of genius and personality that no one else could relate to, making them both outcasts.

"You think you left the past behind / But trust me / I'm still on your mind." By the way, if Bill was still in his mind while his memories were getting erased, and Stan is getting those memories back, that implies that Bill can reform whole again, right? But anyway, these last few lines don't seem to apply to Stan as much as it does to Bill. His dead universe is always on his mind no matter what. Bill's story is so fascinating to me. He's been my favorite villain since I was eleven, so to expand upon him feels awesome. Book of Bill coming out has made me feel like a giddy little kid again who was screaming when she found out that there was a secret flashing of an image once the GF intro ended.

Stanley Pines, the conman clown,

Always dragged his family down.

One mistake, disowned, denied,

Only thing to do was hide.

One way out: the open road.

Reinvent, retry, reload.

A girdle, eyepatch, fathers fez,

"I'm a new man!" so he says

Couldn't outrun life's regrets,

Just kept placing bigger bets.

Changed his haircut, switched hotels-

Truth is just whatever sells.

When you've lost track of your lies,

When the poison starts to rise,

When the walls are closing in,

When its clear you cannot win,

When your actions make it worse,

When they see you as a curse,

Give the wheel one last spin,

Take your chips and go all in,

And Lucky Stan- the roll's on black,

He got his life and family back.

His big break, it finally came,

Redemption from a life of shame.

You really think you won the day.

You packed your bags and sailed away.

You think you left the past behind.

But trust me

I'm still on your mind.

[kanerallels]

kanera pirate au for the ask!

(good luck with your wip!!)

(Aww thanks! It went really well!)

This was a BRILLIANT request, and I had a great time writing it!

Legend said that mermaids had the most stunning voices in the world. A single note from them could transfix a man— or kill him. Their voices could heal or hurt or control, and even without magical intent, it was supposed to be the single most beautiful noise in the world.

This was why Kanan had his secret theory about his captain being a mermaid.

He hadn’t told many people— only Zeb, who’d laughed in his face. “You do realize she doesn’t have a tail, right?” the burly man had guffawed, slapping him on the back before he walked away, chuckling.

And yes, Kanan was aware of that. But he of all people knew that a person wasn’t always what they seemed. Sometimes there was a magical spell or curse on someone that prohibited them from returning to their true shape or their family under pain of death or memory erasing.

For instance.

The point was, Hera was different. She just seemed different, not like the rest of the crew. And it wasn’t just her incredible sailing skills or her ability with a sword, or her beauty, or even her voice, which sounded like the song of a violin and rich golden honey.

It was… everything about her. Which was why Kanan was sure there was something supernatural about her.

That, or he was falling in love with her. Either was entirely possible.

[satanicsanity]

Guess who's got more au lore for Baker-wally!! (I worked hard on this with some friends and mutuals in the Discord server)

Tw: Disturbing themes, cannibalism, implied abuse, violence, demonic-ritual stuff, overall Just... Huge trigger warning! This is a bit dark!

The overall lore, so far:

Wally was unstable from childhood, grew up in a violent home, baking was always a coping mechanism for wally... Whenever wally was sad or angry, he would bake. This always kept wally calm... And happy. Wally found from early childhood that sugar improved his mood immensely... By large amounts. (this lead to later-on sugar pills, to keep himself happy and.. mostly stable)

One day during his childhood, a close friend of wally's passed away. Wally (being completely off his rocker already) ended up eating their corpse in a desperate and crazed attempt to stay close to them... and never forget them. But upon doing that he got a sudden addiction to it, to the taste of the flesh... and began going out late at night to kill innocent folks and would frequently draw little pictures in the victim's blood.

However one evening upon doing this... He accidentally drew some kind of demonic entity symbol (A swirl to be specific 🌀) which summed... Well... And entity. (because it was drawn in blood) which lead wally into the knowledge of the paranormal, etc etc.

Realizing all of this... He tried to convince the entity he'd accidentally summoned, to bring his friend back. But the entity couldn't do so... because wally had eaten and harmed the corpse... Meaning they couldn't be brought back, because they had no physical body to be brought back TO anymore.

Wally was discouraged by this, but the entity decided to give wally an offer... The entity took a quick liking to wally.

So the entity proposed a deal... Keep making sacrifices to them, and the entity would assist wally... Giving wally SOME of their mind and time manipulation abilities to use however he wished. The only downside, is that this mind manipulation could only go so far... And could only erase others memories for so long. (There was a time-limit on how long the memories would stay erased, in a sense.)

Wally of course took the deal without hesitation... Using it to his advantage to get more sacrifices, to keep the power the entity has granted him alive. But there was another issue, the entity only needed the blood-symbols and the life of said victim... They had no use for the victim's body. (And wally could only eat so many victims at a time on his own.)

And so, Wally began struggling to hide the corpses and the police were catching on... As the downside was previously mentioned that wally could only erase people's memories for a certain amount of time, before the memories would be returned. (The Time manipulation didn't help, because The memories were still intact after time ran out for the erased memories. It just made people slightly confused on why the day seemingly reset.)

So wally moved out of town quickly for a fresh start, packed his things and left without a trace... Left his family behind... Left everything behind. Eventually finding himself in a cute neighborhood. Wally quickly made friends with some nice neighbors... Barnaby, Julie, howdy, Eddie, frank, Sally, and poppy.

Unable to keep his cannibalistic murdering urges at bay... Trying to bake to Distract himself from those intrusive thoughts... He realized he could simply get rid of the corpses by baking them into the treats he makes. Not only that... But he could embed his new-found power into his treats by infecting it, in a sense.

So wally worked some magic when greeting his new neighbors formally, offering them cupcakes... That he infected himself using certain sprinkles (doused in the entity's power he'd been given) that would allow complete control over those neighbors minds, COMPLETE control. (the same sprinkles that are stuck in wally's hair, a hidden sign of wally's control over the neighborhood) This created a loophole of sorts when it came to wally's power limitations... The time limit didn't matter anymore, BECAUSE wally's power was now attached INTO their bodies and systems, attaching onto their brains, growing like fungus... Wally had complete manipulation over their minds now and practically the entire neighborhood, no time limit to worry about. This would make things much easier... He could create the PERFECT neighborhood! Killing off neighbors he didn't like, baking them into teats to serve, and his neighbors would be none the wiser! And if he was ever caught... He'd simply erase their minds, and reset the day!

There was one issue though... Poppy didn't take his cupcake offer upon first meeting. This is a huge issue for wally... Because now she's the only one, besides wally, who remembers things the others don't... And is aware of the day-resets. And she has a strong feeling it all has to do with wally. (which she's absolutely correct, but has no proof)

When poppy tries bringing this up to the other neighbors, they have no idea what she's talking about. (like I said... Their minds get erased by wally if he's ever caught.) Poppy knows something isn't right... and wally is aware poppy knows, as she never took his cupcake offer. She's as aware as wally is of the neighborhood resets.

Wally finds this a bit fun though... And strives to make poppy feel as if she's going crazy. He doesn't bother using his short-term mind eraser on her... He finds toying with her is far more amusing.

Now where does home (wally's bakery) come in with all this?

Home was built from the ground up by wally, and brought to life through sacrifices wally made to the entity. In short... Home basically owes wally their life. Wally is the reason home is alive and conscious... Which is a reason why home never goes against wally's word. (other than the fact wally also protects home to an extreme extent.)

In A VERY short sense: Wally's gained complete control over the neighborhood, and all the neighbors expect poppy, through the help and collaboration between him and an entity who'd taken a liking to wally after an accidental summoning.

(This is all over-explained and word vomit, so I apologize for that! If there's anything problematic about this story, I will go back and fix it! <3 I tried to make the lore as close to the overall theme as possible! This may be edited in the future!)

[clawsofakiller]

Wolverine #50 spoiler alert and trigger warning I'm gooooing nuts. Poor grammar alert!

How how how can you say that, buddy? As an astral walker I thought you have seen enough to make you less prejudiced? Yes I admit Sabretooth deserves to die after what he had done to the mutant kids and Logan's family and all his victims, but this?

POV: I believe Victor is irredeemable he had done so many damages he can never fix or pay for the price, but this is bullshit.

Have you ever tried to save him or change him? I mean all of you, not just the Exiles, all of you including the X-Men. Have any of you, and anyone else in the rest of the world, except for Victor's own mother who almost died to protect him, tried to save him when he was a kid? When his father treated him like an animal, chained him in a cold basement and fed him nothing but disgusting ughhh leftovers and live animals, and pulled out his teeth every day, DID ANYBODY TRY TO SAVE HIM? When he grew older and ended up a white glove of CIA, he experienced numerous brainwashes and memories implants and was kidnapped and abused and experimented, did anyone try to save him?

When he was tired of his killing urge and looked for change, he forced Birdy to calmed him using the Glow, and she died so was his mental stability, he went deranged and asked the X-Men for help. They did took him away, they did and they put him in a fucking basement again. Did the X-Men try to help him? Assuming they did. But what exactly did they do? They didn't get him to talk therapy they didn't use the glow to calm him they did not even want to spend any time with him they just left him in a basement and Logan came, put a claw into his brain, the brain damage erased his ability of empathy once and for all. Begone compassion, begone control! Sabretooth looked for change. Sabretooth, at least once upon a time, wanted to be saved, wanted to be helped. And what did they do?

No one helped him when he was a boy and no one even gave him a try when he looked for help. And now you're telling me some people just can't be saved or changed, that some people don't worth a damn. No. NO ONE FUCKING TRIED TO SAVE HIM OR CHANGE HIM OKAY??? I'm literally going mad how can you say that bitch

[bagely]

Q!MISSA VS STEVEN UNIVERSE: love when you don't love you

(essay on a beloved wet cat)

WARNING: These are my opinions, none of this is strictly canon, and it took a lot from Missa's pov and nothing more. ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE. As you can see in the title I'm all related to Steven Universe songs lol

AO3 LINKKK

Welcome to the firts song, Love Like You;

Minecraft Extreme is the key to understand the actions and decisions of Missa cube. In extremo he was alone in that cold and hostile world until the team vacío legal took him in. They taught him what it was like to have a family, they protected him and teached him to defend himself, but since good things don't last missa left first. But across dimensions, time and space, the connections he had, the warmth and the feeling of family never went away. It changed the perspective of family forever. In missa's own words about them: 

Missa Cubito has never felt enough for the people he loves.

If I could begin to be

Half of what you think of me

I could do about anything

I could even learn how to love..

Missa: I was in a team of very talented and wonderful people, they taught me how to play.... I didn't learn much but that team was called the " Vacío legal" Team, they were the best, they formed what I am now.... A disaster.

Missa learned, he grew up and there was a development in his abilities but he does not feel like that, he does not stop feeling like the person he was before them. He doesn't stop seeing himself as the weak one, the one who is protected, the one who didn't know how to survive until the end. 

Another reason why extremo is important to understand q!missa is because some people from extremo went along with missa to quesadilla island, and one such relationship was maintained.

Spreen and Missa are brothers. There is much to say about the two of them, and it is impossible for me to summarize, but for Spreen, Missa was everything, and for Missa, Spreen was MORE than everything. 

Before the eggs in the early days when they met again they did not change this relationship, and roier was also there, became his friend and helped him with his taqueria. Then the betrayal of the tacos happened.

Missa came back one day, and the world was upside down. Spreen killed his cat? no, it's not impossible, Roier is lying. His brother would never do that, he wouldn't be able to do that just for power and money, wouldn't he? He had to have a reason, he would never do that to missa, they're not like that. he's not like that. Missa even mentioned that maybe he wasn't Spreen that maybe he was like Quackity and "ElQuackity" because Spreen is his brother who protected him from everything, a person like that wouldn't hurt him, right?

When I see the way you act

Wondering when I'm coming back

I could do about anything

..I could even learn how to love like you

Even when Missa accepted that it happened, he blamed Roier. He knew it was a bad idea, he didn't have to trust Roier, all of this is because of his ambition. It is obvious that he would not beat Spreen, nobody beats Spreen. Roier is a fool and it's all his fault, not spreen's. And Roier made Spreen angry at him too, there is not other explanation, is Roier's fault.

Missa : [...] Throw everything away. Get rid of absolutely all the tacos you have and burn it. Get rid of- 

Roier : You don't understand, Missa .

Missa : [...] I'm leavin   

Roier : Are you leaving Missa? Are you going to leave me alone

Missa: You are not alone, you are with your pinches tacos, family ruiner.

Missa always idolizes his brother. Spreen is; brave, strong, and cool. this bunch of things that Missa felt he isn't. Spreen is and was Missa's hero.

But he betrayed him. Missa erased that from his memory in denial, and when he saw him again he pretended nothing had happened. He didn't expect an apology, it didn't matter anyway… it was just a cat, his brother is more important. Missa has never been against spreen, he can't be after all they have been through as siblings... Still, why did he kill his cat, why didn't he apologize? Why would he- ... After the egg event, he never saw his brother again. 

It's strange when people leave, because you can't ask them for explanations anymore, you can't tell them how bad their actions made you feel, you can't complain. Spreen left, and Missa couldn't do anything to stop it.

Now, Missa is alone and meets someone, and becomes a father. Things move fast, on the island. He is with two people who think he is amazing, who praise his attributes, who show him constant admiration, love... Something he hasn't felt since the team vacío legal, family.

I always thought I might be bad

Now I'm sure that it's true

'Cause I think you're so good

And I'm nothing like you..

Missa had never really been in the position of protector until chayanne came along, after the betrayal of the tacos, missa had been alone and out of nowhere he was given this little egg to protect and he couldn't get happier. Missa becomes someone's hero, someone's protector.

Missa loves Chayanne, that is something without a doubt. He is their little warrior. Missa doesn't want Chay to end up like him, he wants to make him strong because he is afraid that Chay will feel what he feels all the time. Missa supports Chayanne in everything, and even he doesn't limit Chay from just being strong and treats him like the child he is.

Missa: I wanted to see you, I missed you a lot. [...] I was afraid to return, because I was a bad father and I said: My son will not love me anymore, never again [...]

Missa thinks he's a bad father, he says it so much that it comes out easily. Although his son and husband deny it. When he sees his son's joy at seeing him, he thinks of his sadness when he goes away. He started to see himself as a shadow for the death family. 

Look at you go, I just adore you

I wish that I knew

What makes you think I'm so special..

He tries to emphasize his presence, to make gifts like drawings that will cheer them up when he's not there. He feels weaker and weaker as the world gets harder and harder, and he doesn't see himself going up steps but trapped on an electric ladder going down.

Missa: Omg, I'm making you work just for me, thank you so much for.... Sorry, sorry...

Philza: Don't worry, I got you.

Missa: I don't deserve you philza, I'm going to talk like this weird so the translator won't work, so it won't understand that I'm telling you that I love you.

Missa begins to believe that he is a burden to these wonderful people, especially Philza. They were named as a partner, and now they are in this together... but Missa every time he comes back he feels he contributes less and less. And Philza gives him so much, Missa thinks Philza should give it to someone else and that he doesn't deserve it.

Missa can't see someone else as the father of their child, and for some reason that Missa doesn't understand Philza can't see someone else in Missa's place either, and it's all wonderful... but is it? Isn't he putting too much pressure on Philza with Chayanne?

If I could begin to do

Something that does right by you

I would do about anything

I would even learn how to love..

And Philza is so good, someone was going to notice, see it, and take it away from him. Missa doesn't blame them, but it bothers him, and he wants to fight but not because of Philza, but because Phil's rights to decide need to be respected, even though he doesn't believe he will be chosen. 

Missa feels that he can't support him anymore, that the level of support he can give is not enough. That he is not enough. Philza tries to calm him down, to tell him that he's fine taking care of Chay alone, but out of nowhere it's two kids... When? How much has he missed? 

When I see the way you look

Shaken by how long it took

I could do about anything

I could even learn how to love like you

Love like you

Love me like you.

THANKS FOR READING THE FIRST PART!!

MORE COMING NEXT WEEKS

[feckcops]

What does it mean to erase a people – a nation, culture, identity? In Gaza, we are beginning to find out

“Earlier this month, Gaza’s oldest mosque was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. The Omari mosque was originally a fifth century Byzantine church, and was an iconic landmark of Gaza: 44,000 sq ft of history, architecture and cultural heritage. But it was also a live site of contemporary practice and worship. A 45-year-old Gazan told Reuters that he had been ‘praying there and playing around it all through my childhood‘. Israel, he said, is ‘trying to wipe out our memories’.

“St Porphyrius church, the oldest in Gaza, also dating back to the fifth century and believed to be the third oldest church in the world, was damaged in another strike in October. It was sheltering displaced people, among them members of the oldest Christian community in the world, one that dates back to the first century. So far, more than 100 heritage sites in Gaza have been damaged or levelled. Among them are a 2,000-year-old Roman cemetery and the Rafah Museum, which was dedicated to the region’s long and mixed religious and architectural heritage.

“As the past is being uprooted, the future is also being curtailed. The Islamic University of Gaza, the first higher education institution established in the Gaza Strip in 1978, and which trains, among others, Gaza’s doctors and engineers, has been destroyed, along with more than 200 schools. Sufian Tayeh, the rector of the university, was killed along with his family in an airstrike. He was the Unesco chair of physical, astrophysical and space sciences in Palestine. Other high-profile academics who have been killed include the microbiologist Dr Muhammad Eid Shabir, and the prominent poet and writer Dr Refaat Alareer, whose poem, If I must die, was widely shared after his death ...

“As the ability to tell these stories publicly comes under attack, so do the private rituals of mourning and memorialisation. According to a New York Times investigation, Israel ground forces are bulldozing cemeteries in their advance on the Gaza Strip, destroying at least six. Ahmed Masoud, a British Palestinian writer from Gaza, posted a picture of him visiting his father’s grave, alongside a video of its ruins. ‘This is the graveyard in Jabalia camp,’ he wrote, where his father was buried. ‘I went to visit him in May. The Israeli tanks have now destroyed it, and my dad’s grave has gone. I won’t be able to visit or talk to him again.’

“A memory gap is forming. Libraries and museums are being levelled, and what is lost in the documents that have burned joins a larger toll of record-keeping. Meanwhile, the scale of the killings is so large that entire extended families are disappearing. The result is like tearing pages out of a book. Dina Matar, a professor at Soas University of London, told the Financial Times that ‘such loss results in the erasure of shared memories and identities for those who survive. Remembering matters. These are important elements when you want to put together histories and stories of ordinary lives’ ...

“This is what it would look like, to erase a people. In short, to void the architecture of belonging that we all take so much for granted so that, no matter how many Gazans survive, there is, over time, less and less to bind them together into a valid whole. This is what it would look like, when you deprive them of telling their story, of producing their art, of sharing in music, song and poetry, and of a foundational history that lives in their landmarks, mosques, churches, and even in their graves.”

[mykingdomforapen]

I love the almost escapism of Link Click’s China, in the sense that I love how the show beautifies and highlights mundane modern-day life in China, something I miss and long for. But I can’t stop thinking about how subversive the story, mainly Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang’s abilities, can be in the face of the bigger picture of China. Namely, People’s Republic of China.

Photography is a storyteller, and a powerful one at that. National memory of history is shaped through photographs. Your image and reputation is immortalized through visual record keeping. What you show, what you stage, and equally as importantly what you hide, is controlled by where you point the camera. What you know or don’t know depends on what photos you were allowed to see, and what was erased. And man, did PRC lean on that during the Great Leap Forward and et cetera.

I think about photographs my family showed me that portrayed their life a certain way, and when asked about it my parents would laugh and say, well, actually. The Party arranged that so it would look like we were doing well. What really happened was…

For these two young men who grew up under mainland’s censorship, what would happen if they got their eyes on the Tank Man?

[analogwriting]

Star-Crossed

Chapter 1: Cridhe

Corazon x gn!reader word count: 3.1k a/n: figured i'd pump out two chapters for y'all. a prologue as always and the first chapter. i definitely decided to just google the word 'heart' in different languages and use that for chapter titles bc idk what the fuck else to do next

After that, you didn’t see either of them again. The two left the hospital and you kept your end of your deal. You erased all traces of them; it was as if they had never been there to begin with. No one questioned you either, you were too valuable to lose anyway. Besides, they knew you had a reason - it wasn’t like this was something you did on a regular basis. You just rang in a bunch of favors and hoped for the best.

Following the events, you finally had the courage to tell your father that you didn’t want to be a part of…any of it anymore. You were going neutral. Things were really put into perspective for you and really solidified just what you wanted. You wanted to be able to help people, not hurt people. You also wanted to be able to help others get out of situations like that as well.

Your father respected your decision. He knew you were strong enough to hold your own and make your own decisions, he also knew he wouldn’t be able to stop you if he tried, so he let you go. He also had an inkling as you started withdrawing way before you had made your final decision. He didn’t include you in any family decisions or really tell you what he was planning with anything. The only thing the two of you talked about was what normal people talked about. Sure, he might have talked about people in the family, but he didn’t talk about work. It was more just funny stories, or if people were getting married, etc. You would talk about school and work.

Because of your father’s understanding, you were able to fully focus on your career. This rundown hospital was going to become your ultimate project. Your lifelong dream. You were going to help people in more ways than just health. You wanted to be able to help other people like yourself, getting them out of that kind of lifestyle. That was your ultimate dream.

You stayed in that hospital, moving up quickly. Before long, you were practically running the place yourself. You graduated college early, getting your doctorate at a young age. Your grades were off the charts and it seemed things came naturally to you. You had an immaculate memory, helping you memorize just about anything and everything, which also aided in your work. 

Over the years, you also built up the hospital’s reputation. You turned the entire place upside down. It was now state-of-the-art. It was the top hospital in the region. You had dragged it from its own grave and given it new life. It was now constantly bustling, people didn’t shy away from coming to get help. You made sure to have some of the brightest minds, but also made sure to have the best bedside manner. 

There was also another, underground side of the hospital you developed. You had achieved your dream, for the most part. While you are neutral and had gotten out of the mafia lifestyle for the most part, everyone was always haunted by their pasts. You were a central hub for them coming and seeking medical attention. Your hospital was good at keeping things under wraps and doing things under the table. You also aided any and all families. You didn’t care who was associated with whom. Your goal was to help anyone who needed it. 

You also helped those who no longer wanted to be in that lifestyle. They would come to you, you would give them new identities, and send them off into the metaphorical night to live a new life. A few families tried to take over the hospital over the years, all of them quickly learning that you wouldn’t go down without a fight. No one had been able to take you down. Between your own abilities and the small handful of trusted people you had to help defend the hospital, no one was taking you over.

Those same people helped you with the underground side of things. They were some of the brightest minds so they ran that part of the hospital.They were your most trusted staff and they tended to stay on the underground side of things, coming in when you needed them. There was always at least one or two staff in the wing, others coming in when you needed. It obviously wasn’t as busy as the hospital itself, so you didn’t need to have it bustling at all times.

“You’re spacing again, doc.” You were ripped from your thoughts as a voice rang through. You looked over seeing one of your most trusted colleagues, Marco. He’s been with you since almost the very beginning, you trusted him with everything. He was also one of the few people who actually knew your history. He helped you run both sides of the hospital. You honestly wouldn’t be able to do all of this without him.

“Thinking about that night again?” There was a smug grin on his face and you wanted to punch him. You groaned, nodding. “I don’t know why. I’ve been thinking about that time a lot as of late.” You folded your arms, shaking your head as you stepped away from the window you had been gazing out of.

Over the years, you hardly thought of Rosinante and the child he had been with. You were focused on your goals, on helping people. The last few weeks, he started appearing in your dreams and you started thinking of that time a lot once more.

“Maybe you’re going to see them again,” he mused, leaning against the doorframe with his coffee mug. “Subconscious manifesting n’ all that.” You regret telling him about your dreams.

You gave him a droll look. “Please don’t tell me you actually believe in that shit.” You rolled your eyes as you moved to pour coffee into your own mug before taking a sip.

“I’m just saying. Why else would you be thinking of it all of a sudden? You even admitted that you hadn’t thought of them in years. And dreams too? We all know that shit is important.”

“Yeah, but that doesn't mean…” You just sighed, shaking your head. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t pop into your head. It was rather annoying. If fate was planning something, you just hoped she’d get it over with. 

“Maybe it’s ‘cause it’s been a decade? I don’t know. Do memories have anniversaries? Milestones that cause something like this? I don’t even know what the hell I’m asking.” You pinched the bridge of your nose. Ugh, maybe you’re just working too much. You were always here.

“Well, if they’re traumatic, yeah. Which, for you, should be almost all of your childhood.” Marco snorted and you rolled your eyes. “Okay, that’s…” You pinched the bridge of your nose. “Then I guess if that was the case, I’d just be reveling in the past all the time. So I guess I can check off whatever weird ass theory I had going on.” Not that you could really call it that. It was more of a nonsense ramble. 

“I’m still sticking with my fate theory. Who knows, maybe you’re soulmates and they moved back. Expect to see them soon.” Marco gave you a lazy grin and you rolled your eyes. “Twenty bucks says fate.”

“I don’t mean to offend you, but you’re out of your mind.” He just laughed at you, shaking his head. He glanced at his watch. “Oh shit - we’re late!” He jumped, straightening himself out. “Let’s go.”

You blinked, immediately forgetting about your conversation. “Late? For what?” You looked over your shoulder at him as he pushed you out of your office. You were currently racking your brain for what could possibly be going on right now.

“The new guys are starting today! You know, the two new interns? For their residency or what have you.”

“Oh shit, that’s right!” You started walking quickly down the hallway, Marco hot on your heels. You stopped causing him to almost run right into you. “What were their names again? Shit. I forgot my clipboard.”

“For fuck’s sake, y/n.” He grabbed a tablet from a nurses’ station, tapping away on it. “I don’t know why you don’t just use the tablets, for one. For two, here you go.” He handed you the handheld device and you took it, looking at it.

“Shut up. You know I just like having papers.” You read the screen before you. “Looks like…Trafalgar Law and Nico Robin? They both look promising.” They both had high marks and seemed to pass their tests with flying colors, they also had glowing reviews from their professors. They also seemed to have jumped a few grades like yourself. Prodigies. 

“Wow, I’m reminding you about an important meeting and helping you gather your information beforehand and you can’t even thank me? You wound me, y/n.” Marco feigned hurt, putting a hand over his heart and pretending to faint.

“Oh my god, you are so dramatic.” You laughed, shaking your head with a roll of your eyes. “You’re right. What would I do without you, Marco?” 

“That’s better. I know my worth.” He straightened himself out and you chuckled. “Alright, let’s go. We’re already late as shit.” You started back down the hallway, Marco close on your heels once more.

It wasn’t long before you entered the conference room where the two were sitting. They both turned to look at the both of you. You were greeted by a rather grumpy looking man and a neutral looking woman. Both gave off the same but different vibes.

“So sorry we’re late. We were in a meeting.” Marco shot you a look as you lied and you ignored him, looking at the tablet in your hands once more before setting it on the table.

The two just looked at you and you nodded. “Anyway. I’m Doctor y/n. I’m the head doctor here at the hospital. I run the place. I am typically always in meetings or putting out fires, so I won’t be able to work as closely with you as I would like, but I will be keeping an eye on the two of you. Especially with how promising your resumes and such are. I’m sure you’ll be a wonderful addition to the team and I hope that you find everything to your liking.” You smiled at the two of them.

“I do have an open door policy, so if you need anything - don’t hesitate to come and talk to me or ask. If you can’t find me, feel free to leave a note or let Doctor Marco here know. He tends to somehow always know where I’m at.”

“I have a y/n radar. Comes with the territory of knowing them for so long. It’s how I keep them out of trouble.” You glared at him and this time he’s the one that ignored you. He gave a small wave. “I’m Doctor Marco, by the way. I’m their right hand man and will be the one who is going to be looking over the both of you. Like y/n, I also have an open door policy. We all are going to be seeing each other a lot, so it would really suck if we hated each other, yeah?”

The two just stared at you blankly. It was a bit unnerving, but the both of you had somewhat made fools of yourself by being late.

“Since we were late, I’m going to go out and grab us some drinks. I have a bit until my next meeting and figure that it might be a good way to apologize. Marco is going to start giving the history of our hospital and how things run. Write down your orders and I’ll go and grab them from the cafe down the street.” You smiled at the two before you. The woman returned your smile, but the other seemed to keep the same face. 

Oh man, you always hated the awkward first few weeks of anyone’s residencies. 

--

After grabbing the interns’ orders, you headed out. You obviously knew yours and having known Marco so long, of course you also knew his order.

You were mentally kicking yourself for being so off today. You had no idea why you were like this. You were usually so punctual, organized, and not so…’spacey’ as Marco had put it. Sure, you were growing more spacey as of late, but especially today. You also weren’t the type to stutter and stumble over yourself when introducing yourself. Nothing seemed to be going right. You were mentally kicking yourself.

A familiar feeling overcame you, finding yourself moving before you could process what was happening. Your hand reached out, catching someone by the collar before they fell flat on their face. “Oh my god. Are you okay?” you asked, moving to help them up. 

Only when they stood, they towered over you. A familiar feeling once more and your eyes widened as the man turned around. You felt your entire body grow rigid and your blood run cold as the memories came flooding back for a second time today. You had to be fucking joking.

“I’m so sorry!” 

Donquixote Rosinante stood before you with an apologetic look on his face. The air around him was definitely different from the last time you saw him but…it made sense considering the circumstances. He was more…playful and lighter.

“Are you alright?” he asked you. You blinked, coming back to reality, clearing your throat. “Uh, I’m fine. But are you okay? You’re the one that fell.”

Marco’s words were echoing in your head and you could imagine the look on his face once you told him about what happened. Maybe you wouldn’t. No, you had to. You told him everything.

“I’m fine! I’m really clumsy so I fall all the time.” He let out a nervous chuckle before pausing. He tilted his head to the side. “Do I know you? You look familiar.” He leaned in close, causing you to back away slightly. 

You shook your head, putting your hands up as some kind of barrier between the two of you. Your head was spinning and you felt like you couldn’t breathe. “I don’t believe so.” He narrowed his eyes as he looked at you, making your heart rate pick up three fold. You thought it was going to burst out of your chest.

“Well, I have to get going. I’m running late. Be careful and make sure you watch where you’re going,” you said, inclining your head and basically running off.

--

What the absolute fuck? Your head was spinning. Was that really him? Was everything Marco said true? Did you start remembering those things because he came back and you somehow sensed it? Was it because you were soulmates? No, no. That was fucking ridiculous. There was no way. This was all just pure coincidence.

You wouldn’t have been so shocked to see him if you hadn’t literally been dreaming about the man the past few weeks. If you had just ran into him without all the pretext, you wouldn’t have thought anything of it. 

That had thrown you so off guard you almost completely forgot to grab coffee and had been halfway back to the hospital when you remembered, so you went again. Only you took a different route this time, you didn’t want to risk running into him again.

You eventually dropped the drinks off, but you had a conference call that you had to take care of, so you couldn’t stick around. You did apologize about fifty times to the two. You were making quite the first impression. Robin seemed rather amused, telling you it was fine. Law didn’t say anything except for a thanks for the coffee. Real talker. But you also have done nothing except make a fool of yourself, so he was probably reconsidering working here. You didn’t blame him.

Finally, things calmed down for you. You were sitting in your office, head down on your desk as you were taking a breather. The events of earlier still ran in your mind as well as a million questions. Why now? Of all times? You hadn’t even had time to think let alone process what happened.

“You look like you’re having a great time.” 

You looked up at Marco with a deadpan expression. “How could you tell?”

“Oh, with the way you’re bouncing off the walls, for sure.” He snorted, setting a mug on your table. You thanked him before taking a sip.

“So, what happened on your little excursion?”

You looked up at him as he asked. “How-”

“C’mon. You’ve been off all day. I can feel your anxiety radiating from across the hospital.” He began to sip from his own cup, looking at you expectantly. “Plus, I’m your best friend. I would lose my title if I couldn’t tell.” He grinned at you.

“You know how I’ve been thinking about…you know…all that lately?”

His eyebrows raised and he nodded, immediately intrigued. He looked at the hesitant expression on your face and his eyes widened. “No fucking shot.” A shit-eating grin spread across his face. “I fucking told you!” He laughed loudly, ringing off the walls. He jumped up from his seat, doing some stupid ass victory dance causing you to groan into oblivion.

You glared at him, rolling your eyes. “It’s just a coincidence. Shut up.”

“If it was that, you wouldn’t be all up in a tizzy about it, now would you?” The stupid grin wasn’t going away.

“Who the fuck says ‘tizzy’ anymore.”

“You’re changing the subject.”

“Damn right I am.”

“Failed. Try again.”

You let out a long sigh and shook your head. “It was only once. I’m sure it was just coincidence and I’m thinking too much about it. I’m just on edge is all.” You shook your head. “They are from here, maybe they moved back for some reason.” You frowned. “Who knows, maybe he rejoined his family.”

Marco rolled his eyes, scoffing. “Yeah…sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night, doc.” He wasn’t even going to humor any of that.

“If it happens again, then I’ll…” You thought. “Probably really freak out. You’ll be getting a call immediately.”

“I’ll be waiting.” He grinned behind his mug and you just narrowed your eyes at him. You opened your mouth and he held up his head. “Oh, it’ll happen. Trust.” 

You just rolled your eyes, shaking your head. There was no way it could happen again. Especially not in the way that it did. Right?

[klausysworld]

hello, can i request a headcanons with klaus in love with a reader! antichrist she being lucifer's daughter

Klaus & The Devils Daughter HCs

I think you’d be pretty confident with your title. You’ve walked the earth longer than any original vampire, you have the power to destroy it if you really desired to and you know it.

When you learnt of the creation of vampires it was certainly something interesting in the world, your father had never been prouder of the creation he had tampered with. What was once meant to be protection via immorality was now a new creature, a dangerous, blood thirsty creature.

You learnt their abilities and originally you would prefer Kol, he was uncontrollable, a mad man. You’d definitely befriend him at some point, share you identify and show him the better way to do things through bloodshed and torture.

It was when you witnessed his brother, Niklaus, shove a dagger through his chest did you notice his potential.

He had changed, something sinister swirling within him, he could be powerful.

You let him spot you a few times. Make an appearance at one of his events or two, even dance with him once but never did he see your face, a masquerade like mask always worn on your face.

He found himself searching for you, your touch burning him in the best possible way. Confidently radiating and red lips pulled into a knowing smirk. The fact you knew his name, knew which buttons to press for him to respond accordingly, who were you?

Your favourite time was when the originals had taken residence in New Orleans. They were like royalty, they had power and ruled together, Kol was awake and the Mikaelsons had even taken on a new family member, Marcellus.

When Rebekah and her lover summoned her father it was a moment that even the devil himself did not commend. Lucifer hated Mikael with a passion. He knew what it was like to be cast away given that he was thrown out of heaven to fend for himself. Niklaus was to protected, who better than his daughter who already had a growing interest in him.

You befriended Rebekah in the 1920s. Well Stefan introduced her to you, Stefan became one of your many…friends over the years, when he was ruthless and ripped an entire country to shreds.

Rebekah had said she had seen you with Kol and so you made an excuse before eventually telling her your story, when the trust was there of course. Not that it mattered, memory erasing wasn’t exactly difficult.

Klaus was pissed when he saw his sister talking to the women he had been hunting, your back again turned to him, blocking your face from his view but he knew it was you from your laugh, the way you held yourself.

He slowly, cautiously made his approach, he couldn’t have you vanishing into the air, not again.

This time when he put a hand on your shoulder you did not hide, turning to meet his eye with a smile on your face as Rebekah ‘introduced’ you.

He kept a hand on your the entire time you were at Gloria’s and you didn’t mind, physical contact wasn’t something you were used to, you didn’t get very close to people all that often but something about him was calming, inviting.

When Mikael arrived Klaus believed he had compelled you, told you that you needed to run away, his father would harm you and though he may not know anything other than your name, he could not bare the thought of your pain unless pleasure came from it too

It was a shock to him when he received letters with your names signed at the bottom. Feeding him information. A doppelgänger in Mystic Falls, A werewolf pack in Portland, Sophie Devereux in New Orleans with a pregnant wolf carrying his child. The last letter was slightly bitter.

There was never a return address which upset him greatly, no matter how hard he tried to find your location, you were simply gone.

And so Klaus would sit and await his letters, hoping for advice and words of reassurance, longing for some sort of peace to settle over his life, his childs life.

When he was chained in a circle of magical salt that restricted his movement, a dark knife embedded in his chest leaving him to rot in agony, it was your face he pictured. Your voice that flew through his head, your hands that touched his face and told him that Hope was doing okay and that he was strong.

It was a shock when you walked down the stairs to where he was, arm linked with Marcel who believed you to be a trusted alliance. Now you liked Marcel yes, but you adored Niklaus.

Marcel let you remove the blade from his father like figure. He kept speaking of his future plans, not noticing the little whispers in Klaus’s ear

“your family are coming for you shortly, everything is going to be okay, remember you are strong and powerful, do not be afraid. We are on your side, trust me.”

And he did trust you.

Soon enough his family had him out, he thanked them, hugged them and checked they were alright before asking where you were. Rebekah and Kol were shocked to hear your name after so long, the others remained confused.

He began to assume you were just a hallucination that day.

It isn’t until the hollow comes that you are finally with him.

Your father did not expect the pure rage that you expressed seeing Niklaus’s utter heartbreak when he had to leave his own child.

Even the devil began searching for a way to destroy the hollow once and for all.

Now that Klaus was alone, it was the safest to approach him.

He wasn’t expecting your arrival but it was very much welcome. You picked him up from his lows as he drowned in the loss of his family, kept him safe from any enemies and made sure he kept up his letters to Hayley, phone calls to Hope.

It didn’t take long for you to admit that you were not human, you didn’t even belong on this world. Of course you thought he was asleep when you shared your news, the priceless look on your face when Klaus turned his head to respond had your father laughing as he watched over you.

“i knew you were something unimaginable” he whispered with a small smile, holding onto you a little tighter.

For the next few years you helped him kill off any of his remaining enemies. Every being that helped lock him away in a dungeon, missing his daughters childhood. He could find stand knowing they were still out there. They knew that Hope was alive, they could know that Elijah had no memories. You had promised to protect him and his family came with him.

Klaus has been in love with you since he first saw your mischievous eyes through your lace mask. But he never thought that you would actually be together, in your own house living a life.

His heart had never beat faster than when your lips were on his, everything within him called for you and every bad thing that was happening in the world melted away.

He didn’t even think as you both tugged the clothes off of eachother, as your bodies became one. Him ontop on you, hips meeting yours with your hands in his hair or when you had your hand around his throat squeezing lightly as you rode him.

“i have waited centuries for that and if was even greater than i had dreamed it” he uttered while breathing heavily against your skin, hands still holding onto your shoulders to calm himself

“being a demon you aren’t exactly supposed to believe in love, especially with somebody from Earth but you, you’re all that i want” you told him, trying to say the words ‘i love you’ without saying them exactly

“you have me, for as long as you desire” he returned and he knew that together everything would be alright

[adorablebanite]

OC Deep Dive Questions

Thank you @hippotooth for the tag, and giving me more excuses to blab about my dumb girl!

I'd love to tag some folks, should they wish to partake (if they haven't already!) @newtia @beecreeper @obuoliukai @melvinthedepressedrobot @ennissg @sankttealeaf @forged-by-fire @forlornghosts @walkerdraws @lizziemajestic @archduchessgortash @archduchessgabrielle @elinorbard @sunflowergem @threeofswrds @arianiziolek @defira85 @lillietea @kawareo @toobisa @kaava @asteria49 @demong @aurorawintersnight @archduke-enver-gortash (I'm sorry if I missed anyone! I'd love to see EVERYONE'S response, if possible!

(I realize Tumblr doesn't let me tag more than a handful of people but i'm stubborn and will do it in the replies, lmao)

Questions/Answers for my beloved OC ~Lilla~ under the cut

Warning - she's literally just a "made in a lab for gortash" trope, so enjoy extreme self-indulgence!

What common/uncommon fear do they have?

I don't know if there's much in the way of common when it comes to BG3, but I suppose Lilla's actually fairly brave! She's a Banite after all - though it took some getting there. Honestly her worst fear is getting "fired" by the boss - but that's a given. Lady Orin actually terrifies her, and maybe Balthazar a bit, as well (he's just mostly stinky and smug, though.)

Do they have any pet peeves?

You'll be sick of hearing this already, but given Lilla's nature, her biggest pet peeve is when people don't cooperate with Gortash 😅

Honestly just general incompetence - her standards rival the Chosen's, which are basically impossible, so good luck!

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

An emerald silk bathrobe, an alchemy station stocked to the brim with all the good stuff, and a small library nook!

What do they notice first in a person?

Visually not much (unless she's attracted to them, in which case she's just like the rest of us and looks respectively, or otherwise 😉).

Believe it or not, she doesn't judge much based on looks; she's learned from the boss that every person has the potential to offer some skill or opportunity that could benefit the Banites and their chosen - so she's always looking to see what she can exploit or harness from someone, and to see if she can delegate their skills to Gortash's cause.

On a scale from 1-10, how high is their pain tolerance?

Pretty high up there- gonna say at least an 8, but she's cheating because she was kind of intentionally 'made' that way. Once she got a pommel from a greatsword straight to the cheekbone during a tournament and she just kind of smiled bloody at the dude which freaked him the fuck out because she's so small and un-phased.

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

Depends on the pressure! She's survived/won a battle royal against some really grizzled Banites - though it may have mostly been luck -but it helped shape her ability to respond to fear fairly well! Again, the whole 'Banite blood' thing helps a lot!

She did have a massive panic attack when she thought her worst fear (see first question) was realized, which sent her into quite a state - so that would be the closes to fleeing she's ever gotten, really.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

If by "family" you mean "secret Banite sect at the outskirts of Calimport," then yes she comes from a fairly big family, but she doesn't remember them, since they erased her memory when she was five and gave her to an Ilmater orphanage (long story - sounds weird - it is). Not really a family person, but could be, if her path took a different turn! She's quite nurturing considering all things (Which may have been a point of contention with Bane, but she ultimately proved herself, eventually).

What animal represents them best?

This is such a hard question...I never considered. Hmm what could be considered regal and unhinged in the same stroke? Maybe I'll say Owl - because it's the symbol of knowledge, and she's a knowledge domain cleric? Also she can be fairly deadly if you let your guard down around her 😊 Also she doesn't shut up sometimes.

What is a smell they dislike?

Balthazar.

Have they broken any bones?

As mentioned before, she had her face smashed with a really heavy weapon. Would you be interested in a smol excerpt? (You get it regardless 😅 (as usual warning: amateur writing)

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Very prim, proper, and polite! Quite sweet as well! Unless you've said something uncouth about Lord Gortash (It is recommended to not do that around her).

Are they a night owl, or morning bird?

She's extremely gort-coded, so whatever he wants (so both)

What’s a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

Plump red berries are her favourite for reasons only the readers of AFI know :p. I don't know what she doesn't like! Maybe dirty/muddy meat and potatoes, which also only AFI readers will know why ^_^

Do they have any hobbies?

lol. lmao.

Alchemy I guess xD. Basically studying anything that makes her more competent/useful at her job.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprise?

I think at first she'd think it was a waste of time, but she wouldn't admit that she loves it (and the attention).

Do they like to wear jewelery?

Yes! A black suede collar with a Banite charm! She switches it for an Ilmater charm when in public though >.>

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Very neat, very succinct, very efficient. Transcribing was the very first reason Gortash hired her - especially because she's able to use her Mage Hand to write (ie in unseen places for what may or may not be for spying purposes).

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

This is so lame and cringe but just general catharsis for fulfilling her purpose. It's a perk of the whole "made in a lab" trope. For a being conceived during a silly Banite ritual designed to make the perfect servant for Bane's chosen (whoever it should be at the time), she actually feels a great deal of love -it's up to individual philosophy if it's organic/genuine, or preprogrammed.

Do they have a favourite fabric?

Emerald silk ^_^

What kind of accent do they have?

An English one, I dunno man. She grew up in an orphanage, but was taught by Ilmater nurses/clerics, so she sounds like a fancy lil bitch.

[heliads]

i’m so glad your reqs are open again, i love your writing !! i had an idea for a peter parker x reader for nwh after he’s been erased from everyone’s mind where him and the reader used to be really close but now for some reason when they meet again the reader doesn’t really like him and he tries his best to change that.

kind of like a one sided enemies to lovers?

one sided enemies to lovers? anon you're going wild

masterlist

Peter Parker is staring at the ceiling and wishing he were somewhere else. This place is not his home. This apartment with its crumbling drywall and uncomfortable amount of black mold in the corners is not the place he grew up, it is not known by anyone Peter has ever cared for before, and it only serves to separate him even further from the life he once led.

All this is unavoidable, but if Peter slumps onto his bed (too small, too hard to be the one from before) and fixes his eyes up above, he can just pretend that he’s back there again. Back at home. Back where everything made sense, where his friends remembered who he was and he still had at least one family member still alive and breathing.

He’s better at excusing away the present moments on some days rather than others. The illusion’s slipping away for now; Peter squints one eye shut slowly, then the other, trying to get the world to lose just enough details so he won’t notice the fractures that could only belong to this apartment.

It’s not worth the effort, and soon enough Peter gives up, sitting up in a rush and swinging his legs over the side. There’s nothing he can do to pretend that he is back at home, that the life that had once seemed so certain isn’t locked away in the past, never to be his again. This is him now, a shadowed sort of existence full of people who have never so much as heard the name Peter Parker in their lives. There is nobody in this world who knows him. It is some of the worst solitude he has ever endured.

Peter hadn’t counted on how truly terrible the loneliness would be. Maybe he’s grown to rely on his usual support group a little too much, and that’s why he’s so beaten down by this latest turn of events. Even when the rest of the world hated him when he was revealed as Spider-Man, he could still go to his friends for solace. Now, they have no idea who he is. How splendid.

He’s missing his friends a little extra today. That would explain why Peter grabs his Spider-Man suit and throws himself out into the brisk air with the usual flourish, why he finds himself heading to one specific rooftop before he can stop himself. 

Only when Peter’s feet hit the ground and he catches himself in a tight somersault does he realize what he’s done. Peter stands up slowly, looking around. He hasn’t allowed himself to come back here, even after weeks of solitary patrols came and went. Peter pretends that he could reinvent himself whenever he wanted, but some part of him knows, has always known this:  the worst pain of all has been losing Y/N, and he will never get over that.

Y/N L/N is an honor student at Midtown. Y/N was Peter’s best friend. More than that, Y/N was Peter’s partner in patrols. They were an inhuman with enhanced abilities; faster and stronger than any human being. Better in every way too, but maybe that’s just Peter’s faulty memories glorifying them in his eyes, gilding their every edge, making him miss them even more than before.

Peter has yet to run into Y/N as Spider-Man. He did that on purpose; they met as regular people first, so he has no idea if they would have any memory of their patrols together whatsoever. Peter knows that he cannot bear looking at Y/N and seeing no sign of all the hours they’ve spent fighting and dying for each other, so he stays away. Y/N has yet to track him down, so clearly his presumption about their memories was right.

Still, Peter is here now, a mistake to be sure. Peter allows himself one final moment of pretending that they might be coming for him. He deludes himself into thinking that he can hear the pattern of their feet now, the swing of their arm reaching towards him, a smile on their face. The two of them have done this so many times. What’s one more evening together? What’s one more night? Peter wouldn’t risk his life for anyone else. He would give it freely, and he did, and that is exactly why he cannot have Y/N anymore.

A voice sounds from behind him. It’s far too cold and untrusting to ever be Y/N’s, but maybe that’s because he hasn’t experienced what it’s like to be a stranger to them in years. Regardless, he knows now that he wasn’t merely conjuring up the sound of them approaching, they’re actually here. 

“What are you doing here?”

The words, leveled at him like a blade, pierce through Peter’s best efforts at pretending this memory spell hasn’t affected him. He can practically feel the blood dripping out between his fingers. 

Trying not to choke on the overwhelming tang of copper, Peter swallows back his regrets and does his best to speak with a level tone. “I’m just patrolling. Same as you.”

Y/N’s in their uniform for patrols, mask and all. Even so, he can sense the way their eyes are narrowing, tightening with suspicion. “You never come over here, Spider-Man. What changed?”

“Crime,” Peter says pleasantly, “there’s a lot of it, in case you haven’t noticed. Figured this view was as good as any.”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m handling it,” Y/N’s voice remains hard. “Go back to your part of the city. This area is mine.”

Peter forces himself to laugh. It’s easier than despairing over how quick they try to get rid of him, certainly a far cry from how close they’d been before the spell. “Surely you wouldn’t mind an extra pair of eyes watching your back. It’s dangerous out there.”

Y/N shakes their head decisively. “I’m good, thanks. Always have been.”

Peter can’t help a quiet plea. “Always?”

Y/N hesitates a second, but their stony demeanor comes back up again in a flash. “Always. Now go back to your part of the streets. I’m fine by myself.”

Peter sighs, the ghost of his last promise to track them down and make them remember him disappearing into the wintry night air. “Alright, then. If you’re sure.”

Y/N doesn’t respond to that, and Peter allows himself one last moment of torment before jumping off the edge of the building and swinging into the endless black. Unable to stop himself, Peter glances over his shoulder as he goes. He notices that Y/N had walked to the edge of the skyscraper, staring out after him in surprise. Maybe they don’t remember Peter’s casual way of launching himself over the edge. Or maybe he’s just gotten more careless since he stopped having someone to look out for him.

Regardless, it’s not like it matters now. Peter’s last hope was that Y/N would remember their time together on patrols, even if they wouldn’t remember that it was Peter behind the mask, but it looks like that’s over. He does his best to distract himself from the aching hole in his heart, but it’s no good. Peter can hear Y/N’s voice whispering in the space between his eyes, calling out to him like the old days. He was always more attuned to them than anyone else. Even MJ.

The shriek of sirens drags his thoughts from the past. Distantly, Peter realizes that they’re headed in the direction of Y/N’s usual patrol spot. He panics for a moment, scrambling for his phone so he can check the police radio networks he hijacked. After listening for a few moments, Peter learns that some big showdown is going down between some unidentified inhuman and Y/N.

The situation is not great, to say the least. Judging by the amount of property damage, Y/N isn’t winning the fight. Peter may have lost his place in their heart, but he’s not willing to lose them, too. Without another thought, he throws himself into the air again, swinging from web to web as fast as he can. The only thing on his mind is making it to Y/N as soon as he can.

Sure enough, the scene is bad. Peter gives himself about half a second before launching himself into the thick of things. Some inhuman who seems to have super strength is throwing cars, lamps, and everything in sight towards Y/N. They’re doing a pretty good job of dodging so far, but Peter can tell that they’re getting tired. At some point, they’re going to be unable to move fast enough to miss a blow, and it appears that moment is coming right now.

The enemy inhuman hurls two cars Y/N’s way. They’re able to avoid one, but the second one is thrown too quickly and there’s no way they can escape in time. Peter launches a spiderweb towards the car, sending it spiraling down the street instead. Surprised, Y/N turns towards him in unison with the other inhuman.

Peter’s main focus is taking out the maniac, though. Shocked revelations are going to have to come later. He quickly shoots two webs at the inhuman’s hands, tying them down to the road. Peter adds layer after layer of web. Y/N quickly knocks the guy out while he’s distracted, and Peter ties him to the ground with another web for good measure.

Only then does Y/N stalk towards Peter. “Once again, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Saving your life,” Peter points out somewhat needlessly.

Y/N groans, aggravated. “I didn’t need your help.”

“Actually,” Peter counters, “you would have been pancaked by that Honda Civic if you hadn’t, so really, I feel like you should be thanking me instead of yelling at me again.”

Y/N folds their arms across their chest. “Really?”

“Really,” Peter says, “although if you aren’t into the whole gratitude thing, I will accept it if you stop hating me instead.”

Y/N scoffs. “I just met you. I can hate who I please.”

Peter feels his heart sink in his chest for the dozenth time today. “Of course. We just met.”

Y/N cocks their head to the side. “What’s that about? That attitude.”

“Nothing,” Peter denies frantically, “absolutely nothing. Anyways, see you around, new best friend.”

He isn’t sure about it, but he swears he hears Y/N laugh as he swings away. It could just be his overactive imagination, of course, but Peter is certain that they might not completely hate him anymore.

It takes a few more weeks for Peter to be sure of that. The first few times Peter tries showing up to their patrol spot again, Y/N forces him to leave. After the fifth time, Peter stopped rolling up with an expectation of conversation and just perched somewhere on the side of the skyscraper. That was allowed. Eventually, they gave in and let Peter stand on level ground, if only for the claim that it was freaking them out to see Peter sticking to a vertical surface.

It’s not the same, even after Y/N begrudgingly lets Peter tag along on patrols. Of course, it never could be. Peter doesn’t know why he keeps expecting something to change, it never will. That sort of memory spell isn’t the type to break. Still, he keeps hoping.

If there’s one thing Peter should know, though, it’s that hope has no place in a life like his. Every time Peter has dared to enjoy a dream, it is taken from him. This is no exception.

They’re back on that rooftop one moonless night, staring out over the never ending expanse of cars coming and going. Peter is bothering Y/N because he won’t stop pointing out all the purple cars to pass through the streets (Y/N swore they’d never seen one, Peter thought otherwise). Y/N’s been doing their best to pretend Peter isn’t funny at all, but he knows he’s wearing them down.

His point is proven when Peter triumphantly points out not one but two purple cars side by side. Y/N groans. “Okay, you were right. Happy?”

“Thrilled,” Peter calls back, “I may never top this moment. Maybe I’ll print out a certificate to tape on my wall. On this day, Spider-Man proved his favorite patrol partner wrong.”

Y/N makes a choking sound. Peter knows it for what it is, though, and he spins around, arms raised in victory. “Was that a laugh? Did you just laugh? After all this time, you’re laughing at my joke. Now that’s a real success.”

Y/N indulges this for a moment, then fixes him with a typical piercing stare. “Why are you so excited about this? Most people would have given up on trying to win me over by now. What’s keeping you around?”

Peter sighs. “I know how good it is to be your friend. Maybe I want to have that.”

“How would you know?” Y/N’s tone grows suspicious. “You know something about me that you refuse to share. What is it?”

Normally, Peter would deflect with a casual joke and let the past die just like it always has. He’s been faulty in his defense, though, and keeps slipping up. Y/N’s noticed it, of course they have. Peter hasn’t exactly been the best at concealing his feelings, either. He references things that Spider-Man shouldn’t know about Y/N. And then there was that one time he accidentally used their name instead of the code name Y/N uses on patrols. He immediately clammed up and pretended he misspoke, but Y/N knew.

So, Peter lets the anger and sadness and deep, deep regret out. It’s been bottled up for so long that it feels good to finally say everything that’s been on his chest.

“I know that I want to be your friend because I already was, Y/N. I was your friend for years, and they were the best damn years of my life. I thought that there would never be another person for me like you. We were friends outside of patrols and everything. I was happiest when I was with you. You don’t remember a single moment we shared because I had to get someone to cast a memory spell so everyone would forget me.”

Y/N’s brow is arched. “A memory spell?”

Peter nods, keeping his eyes firmly trained on the dark night so he doesn’t have to look at them. “The universe was getting messed up. It was the only way. You made me promise that I’d come back and make you remember anyway. We both knew it wasn’t going to work, but the thought of forgetting everything we did together was so horrible that we pretended otherwise.”

Y/N’s voice cuts through the midnight air like a blade. “Prove it. Prove this is real.”

“Alright,” Peter says, and he starts to speak. He pulls off his Spider-Man mask as he starts in the hope that maybe it’ll make some difference, but he knows even before Y/N looks at him that it won’t.

“Your name is Y/N L/N and you were my best friend until you forgot who I was. You started going on patrols when you were sixteen because you could do things no one else could and it made you sick to your stomach with guilt to think that people were getting hurt and you weren’t stopping it. Your first uniform was made out of supplies from the craft store down the block. We made the second one together. At one point, you wanted a cape but we saw The Incredibles after school one day and you decided it would never work out.”

Peter takes a deep breath and continues. “The first time you almost died, you were trying to save people from a burning building. It was that apartment four streets over from yours, for a moment you thought you knew someone in there but you went in even after you realized they were just strangers. You still have a scar on your right shoulder from a burning beam falling on you. I brought you food for two weeks afterwards because you swore you were too tired to cook. That didn’t stop you from trying to climb out your window every night for patrols, though. I had to web your window shut to stop you.”

Peter laughs bitterly at the memory, but it turns sour in his mouth when he looks over and realizes that Y/N is clearly recalling none of this.

They pull off their mask too. “I probably don’t need this if you know me so well,” they say, gesturing at it.

Peter dares to nurture even the smallest bit of hope. “Does that mean–”

Y/N cuts him off with a simple shake of their head. “I’m sorry. Really, I am, but whoever you knew, that isn’t me anymore. I’m just some person. I’m not your Y/N.”

Peter nods stoically. “And you never have been. Listen, I’m sorry for all this. I should have just let it go.”

It doesn’t matter that he never could. Peter shoves his mask back on his face and heads out. The  night air whips at him, threatening to send him spinning into the multitude of skyscrapers surrounding him on either side, but Peter keeps going. Anything is better than staying still and letting the pain overwhelm him. He really thought he could convince Y/N to remember him, but even his best efforts are worthless.

Peter settles on a tall roof of an office building. He lands in a contained roll but just stays there on the ground, chest heaving, staring up at stars that will never look back on him in quite the same way. He knew the spell was permanent, but he had hoped that somehow he would be able to change Fate’s mind and let this all work out.

Footsteps appear around the corner of the roof. It appears that Peter’s time of self-pity is over. He gets up without looking at the intruder, assuming it to be the owner of the office building. Peter opens his mouth to apologize for trespassing, but the words dry up in his throat when he realizes that it’s Y/N who’s followed him all this way instead.

Their eyes are wide, but their stature is as steady as ever. “I may not be your Y/N,” they repeat, “but I could be. I don’t have your memories, but I have mine. Maybe I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

“You never have been,” Peter says softly.

He slowly crosses the roof until he’s in front of them. Y/N’s breath is rough in their chest, but they still look at him like Peter is all they’ve ever needed. Peter forgot what that felt like, how it struck him to be this close. It appears time has its way of messing with him as well.

“Before the spell,” Y/N whisper hesitantly, “were you and I– were we just friends, or–”

They can’t manage to complete the sentence. Peter knows enough of their mind to guess at the rest.

“No,” he answers, “just friends. Nothing more.”

“What if I want to change that?” Y/N asks tentatively.

Peter stares at them, then damns the past to the past. It is dead and gone and buried, but the future is as alive as ever. For once, that doesn’t haunt him like it always has.

marvel tag list: @namoreno, @thatfangirl42, @rogueanschel, @mycosmicparadise, @ellobruv, @sher-lokid7, @amortensie, @with-inked-solace, @callsign-scully, @23victoria, @watchreadfangirlrepeat, @w1shes43, @deafsuperhero, @fadedver, @gods-fools-heroes