#there were three? yellow labs that would come around too.

[the-best-bagel]

free roaming outdoor dogs a la cats are not a good idea and are just asking for injuries and conflict but unfortunately i've only ever had great experiences growing up in a neighborhood with a handful of those dogs and i miss themmmmm

[littlelordfuckler0y]

Felix catton x reader Instagram au

yourusername if I can’t Oppenheimer my way out of this sem, I’ll Oppenheimer my way out

yourfriend NO LMFAO not the green apple 😭

yourusername was held hostage at the lab today

yourfriend you mean had to prepare a lab report right there?

yourusername had to perform the experiment three times.

yourfriend I support the green apple

fel1xcatt0n Pub tonight. See you?

yourusername I’ll try to make it but I think lab’s gonna run late…you guys carry on tho :)

-

Sun casted a bright yellow hue from the grass to the glass, making the general weather warmer than usual. Walking alongside her friend y/n was somewhat surprised to see the notification of felix’s comment pop up, voluntarily inviting her to the pub, again. Quite the modern day tragedy it felt like to have to decline it because their labs ran very late. But regardless it was surprising to say at the very least, “We just had drinks with his friends once and he’s inviting us again?” She said as she showed her friend the notification.

“Woah.” Her friend said as they looked at the notification and smiled “well, inviting you but this is-this is cool?”

“You and I are a package deal so inviting me is inviting you.” Y/n said as their friend stared at the comment and the reply, they were analysing the interaction.

“Oh okay yes” they nodded “Also when did he start following you?”

“Okay so we had drinks two days ago right? I think, that night, but it was after I returned to my dorm and I don’t remember exchanging socials.” Y/n said as she went through their interaction from drinks that night.

Her friend tilted their head raising brows, “oh so he looked you up. Plus your account’s open and he still commented? Wow.” They implied in a surprised yet elated tone.

“Wait-what? What do you mean by open account? Almost everyone has open accounts?” Y/n stated confused with a shrug.

“Yeah and anyone can see his comment on YOUR page. So he wasn’t embarrassed to comment now that’s the outlook.”

“Why would he be embarrassed to comment?” Y/n said as she looked at her friend in somewhat the offended tone.

“Are you serious? You have 79 followers.” Her friend said giving her a tight smile to comfort her through their brutal honestly.

“Exactly. Even the serving lady follows me. I get along with everybody.” She stood her ground with an obvious shrug.

“Do you hear yourself? Do you want to repeat that first sentence?” Her friend asked her with a sigh as y/n contemplated that. She needed the serving lady’s follow to reach upto 79 followers as social as it may seem. “Also, don’t forget how we got drinks with him and his friends in the first place.”

“Oh” she said nodding, “We were getting alcohol for lab work on a weekend, wow, yeah I see it now…”

“But. Come on. He commented.” Her friend said pointing her phone screen which still had her comment section open like a textbook.

“Him and his friends most definitely thinks we’re the coolest.” Y/n added regaining her optimism.

“Well…” her friend trailed off not wanting to dampen the enthusiasm “I like how you positive you are.”

“I wish we didn’t have lab today” She whined and rested her head on the lab table.

yourusername ideal study session

fel1xcatt0n can’t believe you never tried the Chinese place around the corner…

yourusername Sorry to break it to you but it is not crime

fel1xcatt0n literally is.

yourfriend ^^it is a crime

-

“So you ditched us to get Chinese last night?” Farleigh asked raising a sharp brow as he’d scroll through his phone and stumbled upon a certain post.

“How’d you know?” Felix asked as he turned in his chair to look at farleigh.

“Y/n has the dumbest social media presence” Farleigh stated as she scrolled through her previous posts “I mean all her posts are some ugly project model and if not that it’s some random cats?”

“Oh yeah it was a last minute plan-to get Chinese whatever…” felix trailed off with a sigh.

“What is this girl doing? She is too pretty to post stupid jokes and labs god” Farleigh complaint as he went through y/n’s posts. “2 likes on each post yeah, you’ve got to give it to her dedication to document everything.” He scoffed.

“Can you stop stalking her?” Felix urged rolling his eyes.

“Oh I’m stalking her?” Farleigh asked tilting her head. “I know you just out of curiosity asked around for the D wing lab timings and you just happened to be there by the end of her lecture yes sure” with not much reply felix just threw a pillow at farleigh which he happened to dodge.

-

Fel1xcatt0n local pen and paper girl in her natural habitat

yourusername LMFAO

yourusername didn’t see you click this one

Fel1xcatt0n ;)

farleigh_start you are not subtle.

Fel1xcatt0n thank you for your input

yourusername at that point in semester when breadboard starts looking like bread

farleigh_start why do stem majors follow diet culture the ugly way ew

yourusername I’m not dieting????

farleigh_start then why does your charcuterie board look so ugly

yourusername never mind…

yourfriend LITERALLY I was thinking the same thing

yourusername “what happened to your group project” well…professor…we got hungry

Fel1xcatt0n this is not funny

yourusername ouch.

Fel1xcatt0n be there in 5

Fel1xcatt0n healthiest thing she’s had in decades…

yourusername thanks MOM

Fel1xcatt0n laugh all you want but you can’t live on sugar donuts and ramen

yourusername try me

farleigh_start …

farleigh_start you have never passed me the table salt

—

I really like this and I’d like to do more parts but it feels pretty stupid idk if I’ll do more parts pls let me know what you think <3

DRINK WATER AND HIIII ILY

requests are open go nuts!!

[ladykailitha]

Never Hold Back Your Step... Part 13

This really is getting down to the end here. I'm already at the Mind Flayer in the spot where I'm at in the story so...yeah. Then it would just one chapter after that. Maybe. I don't know. But it's sad to see this one go, too.

Of course as with "Can Anybody See Me?" once this is done, I will begin work on the final story which will take us all the way to the end of the fourth season. Which I hope to get done before season 5. Ideally.

It will have a line from a song in a musical just like the last two (1776 and The Scarlet Pimpernel respectively) so you have any songs you think will fit the theme of the third book (which will be Steve and Eddie clashing over nerds vs sports until that fateful day in March) let me know in the comments or tags or even a DM or ask. It took me months to come up with the title for this one, so any help would be great.

Here we have the dipshit detectives trying to figure out the message and the "secret tunnel".

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

~

Once they explained everything to Robin, she told them about what the message said. And no given the context of the message coming from the mall it suddenly made too sense.

“The clock tower, the shoe shop and the Chinese place,” she crowed. “It’s got to be.”

“You sure you translated it correctly?” Steve asked. “Because what the fuck does blue meeting yellow have anything to do with the clock tower?”

Robin rolled her eyes and huffed out a deep sigh. “The hour and minute hands are blue and yellow and meeting in the west would be 9:45!”

Eddie tilted his head to the side. “AM or PM?”

Robin stared at him for a moment in shock. “Oh. I don’t know. Could be either I guess.”

Eddie looked at his watch and cursed. “As thrilling as all this has been, I have to get to band practice.” He gave Steve’s shoulder a squeeze. “Be careful, Stevie. Okay?”

Steve nodded and squeezed Eddie’s shoulder back. God, he just want to kiss him goodbye, because it might be his last opportunity to do so. But Dustin and Robin were watching and probably half of the mall too. “As careful as I can be.”

“How can you be so super chill about this?” Robin asked after he left. “Like Russians are running around our mall and Eddie acts like this is a normal Tuesday for you?”

Dustin and Steve shared a glance.

But Steve just scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Like I’ve had the worst year. My girlfriend broke up with me, I got my head bashed in by Hargrove, I got harassed by the basketball team, I nearly got water dumped on my head because I won the part fair and square, then the same asshole tried to scramble my brains further, I didn’t get into the right colleges and was forced to work here instead of the rec center pool like have for the last three years, and a fuck ton of other things. Now Russians have set up shop in my home town? This is just the cherry on top of a very shit filled cake.”

Robin and Dustin winced. Dustin knew that Steve’s year was actually way worse than the truncated version he gave Robin, but they couldn’t tell her about the tunnels, El, monsters, and secret labs. Hence, fuck ton of things.

“Okay,” Robin conceded, “it does sound like your average Tuesday.” She looked up at the clock. “You’re supposed to be off, anyway. So shoo and take the genius child with you.”

Dustin beamed up Steve smugly, but Steve just knocked his hat off on his way to clock out.

“Hey!” Dustin shouted after him. He turned to Robin. “Can you believe this guy?”

Robin just shrugged. “You’re the one who’s friends with him, not me.”

Steve walked out moments later, twirling the hat on his finger. He walked past Dustin to the mall food court. He stopped and turned around.

“Are you coming or are you going to keep harassing workers?” he huffed, putting a hand on his hip.

Robin burst out laughing as Dustin hurried to catch up, scooping his hat off the floor in haste.

Steve shook his head as they walked through the mall. “Hey if we grab my binoculars, I bet we could stake out the mall and look for Russians.”

Steve looked at his watch and sighed. Eddie wouldn’t get done with band practice until much later tonight and he didn’t want to go back to his large empty house, because of course his parents fucked off to the Caribbean for the summer. His father had forced him to give up a job he loved for the most humiliating retail job imaginable and then fucked off to some place pleasant, leaving him to rot.

“Yeah, okay.”

Dustin let out a whoop and jumped up and down. “You won’t regret this!”

Steve buried his head in his hands. “I already do.”

~

Steve and Dustin were hiding behind a large potted plant with Dustin’s binoculars watching people go by.

“What are we supposed to looking for, anyway?” Steve asked, scanning the crowds.

“Russians.”

Steve tore himself away from the binoculars to glare at him. “Thank you for that unhelpful assessment. I know I’m supposed to be looking for Russians, but what do Russians look like?”

“I don’t know,” Dustin huffed. “Tall, blond, scary looking dudes, I guess.”

Steve rolled his eyes and kept looking. He spotted Anna Jacobi flirting with Mark Lewinsky and huffed out a a noise of disgust.

“You have got to be kidding me,” he said with a sigh. “Anna can do way better than swamp ass Lewinsky.”

Dustin smacked his shoulder. “Can you please take this seriously? You’re supposed to be looking for Russians, not your next date. Besides you already have the perfect girl right there!”

Steve rolled his eyes and went back to looking through the binoculars. “Don’t say Robin.”

“Robin.” Was the immediate response.

“No, man,” Steve said as Dustin grabbed the binoculars from him, “she’s not my type. She’s not even in the ballpark of my type.” Considering that she had boobies and not a dick, pretty much sealed the box on any chances of that romantic relationship going anywhere.

Dustin looked over at him and sneered. “And what’s your type again? Not awesome?”

Fuck you. But Steve sneered and stuck his tongue out. “Thank you.”

Dustin grinned back at him with a little hum.

“Look,” Steve said, “for your information, she’s still in school. And she’s weird. But not like Eddie weird. Weird, weird. And she’s hyper. Like worse than Eddie. At least if you put a book in his hand, he’ll settle down. She’ll tap her fingers and twirl her gum. She was also one of those kids in drama who didn’t think I deserved the role of Thomson. That’s a bad look. And she’s in band? But not a rock band like Eddie, a fucking trumpet.” He twisted his lips in disgust. “No.”

Dustin turned to face him. “Now that you’re out of school, that means you’re an adult. And don’t you think you should move past primitive social constructs like popularity?”

Steve looked at him as if he was joking. “Popularity? Are you fucking with me right now? Did you forget I wasn’t popular for the last four months of high school? Primitive constructs, I tell you. Where the hell did you learn that shit? Camp Know Nothing?”

“Camp Know Where, actually,” Dustin huffed, “And no, it’s shit I learned from life. Instead of dating someone you think will make you cool again, why not date someone you enjoy being around for a change? Like me and Suzie.” He smiled broadly. He turned back to watching the through the binoculars.

Steve was soo close to just telling the little shit that he was dating someone he enjoyed being around, someone who did make him look cooler, someone who loved him for him and not in spite of him. But instead he took a deep breath and said, “Oh Suzie. Yeah, you mean hotter than Phoebe Cates. That Suzie. And let’s think about how exactly you scored a girlfriend?”

He scratched his head, appearing to think about it, then he snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah, with my advice. Because that’s how this works, Henderson. I give the advice and you follow through. Not the other way around, all right?”

Dustin sighed. “I just think you could really benefit from being with someone like her, you know?”

Steve rubbed the top of the kid’s head. “I’m doing better than you think I am. Better then everyone thinks I am.”

Dustin stared at him skeptically, but left it alone. Steve knew that there was no way he was going to leave it alone. He just knew that it was going to come back and bite him in the ass in the worst way and at the worst time. He could feel it.

~

“There is a secret room under the mall,” Steve said slowly, not quite wanting to believe this. “And we can get there through the air vents in the break room?”

Robin nodded emphatically. “Yeah, isn’t that cool?”

He had no idea how to tell her how uncool that actually was, because Jesus fuck, the deeper they got into this, the more over his head he felt.

“Let’s go see your secret tunnel,” he said with a sigh, rubbing his face, just suddenly exhausted by the whole thing.

He followed them to the back and looked up at the vent in utter despair. Sighing, he got a ladder and set it up, then hunted around for a screwdriver. Once he found one, he tucked it between his teeth and started climbing. He reached the vent and unscrewed the screws holding the vent in place.

“Oi!” he called out to Dustin. “Hold these!” He held out the screws for him to take. “Don’t lose them, otherwise people are going to ask why there is a great big gaping hole in the wall.”

Dustin rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. Steve put the screwdriver back between his teeth and took off the vent cover.

“It’s a tight space,” he murmured. “Hey, Robin you think you could fit? You’re pretty thin.”

Robin put her hands on her hips and glared up at him. “While I appreciate you thinking I’m skinny enough to fit, I question your sanity if you think I’m going down the creepy tunnel.”

“Vent!” Dustin huffed. “You’ve both called it a tunnel. It’s not a tunnel, it’s a vent. And none of us are small enough to fit.”

DING! DING! “Hey!” someone called out from the front of the store. “Is anyone here?”

Steve who had been climbing down the ladder, stopped and shared a look with Dustin. A slow smile took over their faces.

“Erica!” they said together with glee.

They ran out to the front with Robin fast on their heels. They skidded to a stop and their smiles grew to actual grins when they saw that she was alone and not with her many friends.

“Erica...hey,” Steve said smoothly, leaning against the counter. “What can I get you?”

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “Why are you suddenly being so nice?”

Just then Dustin and Robin burst out of the back room and stumbled into front and Erica was even more suspicious than she was before.

So Steve bundled her over to one of the booths and tried plying her with all the ice cream a little girl could conceivably eat, while Dustin filled both Robin and Erica about the messages and all their clues and how they put it all together. It was a hard but impressive sell.

“So will you do it for America?” Dustin asked.

“Well, you can’t spell America without Erica,” she said smugly. “A life time supply of Scoops Ice Cream and you’ve got a deal.”

Robin and Steve shared a glance. Then Steve reached across the table to shake Erica’s hand.

“Deal.”

~

Part 14 Part 15 Part 16

And if you remember something else there from WIP Wednesday... yeah. It wasn't fitting with the rest of the story and had to be cut. Sadness.

Tag List: FIVE SLOTS REMAINING

1- @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @kultiras

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @justforthedead89 @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @blondie1006

5- @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @angels-of-hades

7- @mugloversonly @y4r3luv @greeniebean911 @birbsauce @acingthecounts

8- @cryptid-system @counting-dollars-counting-stars @ravenfrog @dreamercec @sadisticaltarts

9- @clockworkballerina @bluelightsinthevoid @blcksh33p1987 @i-go-pink-in-the-night @mamafaithful

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Halloween prompts no. 21

Phantom had died very young, a fact that both friend and foe mourned. It was unusual for an undead child as young as him to end up here, though his method of arrival as a toddler was likely to blame. His parents shouldn't have allowed thier children into the lab, even with custom fitted hasmat suits. They certainly shouldn't have taken thier eyes off of thier three year old to show his scared older sister the new inventions that would keep her safe.

He doesnt remember what he was thinking. He had saw the buttons inside the portal and decided to play with them. And then...there was a loud boom and pain everywhere. The zone wasn't all that bad at first. Sure, there were a lot of people fighting over him which since children were rare in the zone and unclaimed ones were much more so. This lead to him being very good at hiding and escaping.

Quickly he grew very powerful, so much so that he was taking out the likes of Undergrowth and Vortex by the time he was seven, but while the power made him feel safe and secure, it also isolated him as people were afraid of him. He was a halfa. An unknown. "The glitch" they called him, "an abomination" "deaths mistake" "unwanted by life and death alike" so many cruel things, yet he tried to not let it bother him too much. He often failed.

He was six, the first time he killed. A ghost named Skunker or something captured him for his "pelt" and Phantom escaped, setting all of Skunkers other prisoners free. Unfortunately Phantom was recaptured and the robot ghost set about trying to de-pelt him. It hurt and Danny screamed, causing his wail to manifest and destroyed skunkers mech suit and forcing the little gooball in the pilot seat to eject himself.

After that Skunker never stood a chance against Phantoms fury.

Phantom continued killing anyone that harmed him, such as that weird vampire wannabe and that dragon king guy. After many years of violence and destruction he began to dispise his afterlife and yearn for that faint memory of the sun.

At the age of fifteen he came up with a plan. One of his enemies had stolen some of an Ancients medalians, which gave the barer immunity from time manipulation and distortion. Phantom had shoved the medalian into his own chest after the other entity had dropped it so that he couldn't retrieve it. After the victory he kept it inside him for the added protection and so Clockwork couldn't see his future and meddle in his affairs anymore. He used this to his advantage.

He had located a portal door to the living realms. One where there were many people called "metas" that looked odd and had strange powers. He planned to use this as a cover when he moved in.

All he needed was to fake his End in one of the larger battles that would no doubt come.

----

Phantom stepped out into a small bricked place between two buildings. He lamented that the air wasn't nearly as "fresh" or "clean" as he would have liked, especially for his first taste of freedom, but the sun was shining so bright. He stood there for a solid few minutes just staring up at it through squinted eyes. A man in a red helmet that covered his entire head-face included-watched him warily but did nothing to stop him. Eventually he walked off to find a place to set up his new lair. This was so exciting! He was moving all around this crowded human place. Sure, the people were giving him strange looks, but he had been here for a whole two hours and not a single person had attacked him! He picked good!

He stopped in front of this building with many floors and went to investigate. The main entrance was blocked off with a bright yellow tape that had lettering on it. That didn't matter to him. He never learned how to read.

It was a small task to flood the building with his ice and energy. There were no humans to fight for this territory so all was well. Plus the collar around his neck changed his ecto signature so it didn't matter how much energy he used, no one would ever know he was the one here.

Phantom placed the purple door that lead him to this world against one of the walls and began removing the knobs. The interesting thing about the doors was that the worlds they lead to never had any natural portals to slip through, and by removing the knobs from them they can't be opened. So long as Phantom had the door and knobs no one from the Infinite Realms could get to him without making thier own portals and no portal maker would be able to portal to him with his ecto signature changed. It was brilliant!

Danny got to work on his lair, coating everything in ice and creating entire rooms and floors that were just solid ice but for the tight dark tunnels running through them leading to different places in the building. It was basically a maze.

Nodding to himself he went outside and created a balcony out of the ice. The thing was large and looked to be defying gravity, but still Phantom wasn't pleased with it. He wished for a large home, many children and a loving spouse. One of the things this fellow ghosts had talked about was "a large yard and picket fence." The balcony was large but he wasn't sure what classified as a "yard" not to mention he didn't know what a picket fence was. Hopefully it wasn't like the fences Walker had on his prisons, while it would be effective for corraling his potential children, it would look...distasteful...

Phantom tore himself away from those thoughts. Creating a flashy lair was the first step in telling others he was looking to settle down. Surely the large tower of shimmering ice would capture someone's attention.

His first guest entered through an open window on the third floor and Phantom flew down to meet them. They were friendly, if a bit wary of him. Understandable, no world is without danger after all. This man was strong, talented and funny. He wasn't bad looking either. The only real problem he had was that Nightwing was so much older than him and kept calling him a "kid" Phantom was both powerful enough to be considered an adult even before he reached the adult threshold of 13, a fact that he shared with the blue bird. The man looked shocked and tried to convince him to talk to a doctor. He didn't understand. He was perfectly healthy!

Irritated, he flew through he cieling and abandoned the conversation.

The second guest was a green woman with firey hair who was lounging on the balcony. She was inspecting the plants whos roots dug into the ice and fed off of the energy he gave them. He told her this when asked and she was just as confused by him as the blue bird man, but began teaching him about plants and thier various wonders. Phantom listened because back in the Infinite Realms knowledge was power and power was hoarded and kept away from others. If she was willing to give him knowledge so freely he would not turn her away.

His third guest was a younger boy named Robin who tried to kill him with a mortal blade. He responded by phasing the blade into the floor and pinning him to the wall. After a chat in which Robin demanded to know why he was there, Phantom responded with the truth. He left the violence of his home world behind hoping to turn over a new leaf. He wished to start a family and live here happily. Thankfully the child excepted this. Phantom also told him about the flashyness of the ice was a indication he was looking for a spouse and that entering was an indication that one was interested and Robin was too young for marriage

The boy grumbled about Phantom also being too young which Phantom found odd. That was three separate people who all claimed he was too young. Sure, this ye old tradition wasn't in common use anymore and ghosts rarely coupled nowadays but...was he really too young? What was the age of adulthood here?

Not for the first time he envied the other ghosts for thier knowledge. The Undead carry memory from thier first lives, which Phantom is lacking due to his own having been cut so short. Neverborne come into being with knowledge of both worlds and the Deathborne are born from two entities of death creating a child together. These beings are taught about both worlds from thier parents. Another thing Phantom lacks.

----

Meanwhile, the batfam are freaking out at this "undead" pit child that Jason is terrified of. They all feel the need to parent him and try to get him away from all this marriage talk. Maybe let himself be a kid.

After a few weeks they manage to get him to go out to places with them, with Red Robin being the most successful. Appearently the kid found the red coloring of Tim's suit to be "beautiful" and "nothing like the muting reds and pinks from the Infinite Realms" and they planned on putting a pin in that info for later.

For now they needed to focus on rehabilitating this feral child who has lived like a wild animal most of his (after?)life.

Just: Danny never walking as Phantom so when he transforms into his human form he falls on his face cause he doesn't know how to walk.

Phantom doesn't like his human form because he has "constant pain in his stomach area" and they discovered that Phantom hadn't eaten anything at all in the twelve years he's been in the Infinite Realms

Alfred and Bruce teaching him to shower, brush his teeth, and other basic things that he never had to do before as a ghost. Dick and Tim are right behind him with a camera for all of it and are making a "baby book" of all his firsts. They even convince Jason to help teach him to read.

Danny eventually stops flirting with people and tells the family he's happy being a child instead of a father. Dick cries and hugs him.

[jebewonmorelike]

Devil by the Whiteboard

wc: 4.2k (so i was way off lmao) pronouns: none used; n/a warnings: MEAN!hanbin he is not nice so be forewarned but the ending suggests he can possibly be fixed maybe but no promises; being alone with a mean person in a hallway; light swears; angst but only towards the end; i wrote that they go to an academy but it could be a university it doesn't change the story summary: booksmart!reader is ready to finally win the scholastic decathlon, but a series of coincidental unfortunate events that couldn't possibly have anything to do with studentbodypresident!hanbin threaten to ruin their chances once more. ~masterlist~ ♡ ~kofi (no pressure at all)~ guys i did it, i finished my masterpiece. i hope you like it. academic play on the title of the txt song, i know-- clever. the scholastic decathlon is inspired by the one in high school musical. also pls don't make fun of me for not knowing how science or chemistry works, i was literally advance in science but my chem teacher in high school was on academic probation for being such a bad teacher and we all nearly failed our regional exams so. anyway pls excuse this or lightly roast me in the tags or comments. i hope you enjoy mean!shanbin... this one might need a part 2... or a prequel. or both. I'M SO EXCITED I FINISHED THIS OMFG I HOPE YOU LOVE IT!

(part two— “i didn’t think you had it in you”)

It's 7 P.M. on a Friday and there's nowhere in the world you'd rather be than at the Regional Scholastic Decathlon Finals. You're about to partake in your favorite extracurricular activity: more academics. There's only one thing you wish you could change...

"I'm so honored to be competing as a team leader in the Regional Scholastic Decathlon Finals," Hanbin says into the handheld microphone. "And I'm even more honored to be competing against who I believe to be the most worthy opponents."

You fight the urge to gag at the Student Body President standing next to you on the makeshift stage.

"And you know each other well, I've been told," the announcer adds with a laugh. "You and (Y/N) are something of academic rivals, yes?"

Hanbin laughs, smile lines on his cheeks only adding to his innocent, clean-cut image. "In the most respectful way. Wouldn't you agree, (Y/N)?"

There are, in truth, very few things you'd agree less with. Coming from a private academy for gifted students, there were several different Scholastic Decathlon teams at your school. The Green Team, the Red Team and the Yellow Team had all already been eliminated this semester, which left the Blue Team (led by Hanbin) and the Pink Team (led by you).

There had also been a new Purple Team formed at the beginning of this year, but they were disbanded when the headmaster found out the "experiments" they were conducting in the science labs were a bit unorthodox.

You honestly weren't sure how much of a "worthy opponent" the Pink Team was at this rate. The Blue Team had won Regionals for three semesters straight and it didn't seem like their streak would end any time soon...

Not with Sung Hanbin on their side.

You glance at the walking, talking cinnamon roll standing next to you and wish fervently that all his teeth would fall out. "Right. Respectful," you chime quietly into your own microphone.

"And (Y/N)! It seems this is always where the Pink Team meets its demise under your leadership," the announcer notes, a bit too happily if you're being honest. "What makes you think you can beat Hanbin this time?"

The audience of family, friends, and teachers laughs awkwardly at the dig of a question. You swallow nervously, taking a deep breath to steady yourself before you answer.

You and Hanbin were total opposites, both competing for the tile of top student since your first year at the academy. He was friendly, outgoing-- a networker, even. When the election for Student Body President came around each year, there weren't any votes cast for anyone except Sung Hanbin (and you knew that for a fact since you were the one counting them). You were more of a behind-the-scenes overachiever. Acing every class, developing plans and putting them into action, and keeping your head down in the hallways to avoid any unwanted social interaction.

Though President Hanbin had been asked to recite a speech for Teacher's Appreciation Week, it was Secretary (Y/N) who had stayed up until the wee hours of the morning writing it.

"I don't think I can beat Hanbin," you say finally. "But I do think the Pink Team can beat the Blue Team. I think that's what you meant to ask, right?"

There's a moment of uncomfortable silence before Hanbin grins, extending his hand for you to shake. "I couldn't agree more. This event is about our teams, not us. Every team member has worked hard to prove their abilities tonight."

You watch as the audience absolutely melts at the handsome boy's charming smile and his words of camaraderie that were merely a more attractive repackaging of your previous reply. You pull your hand back from his as quickly as possible.

The announcer smiles in admiration at the boy to his right. “You are entirely correct, Hanbin. My mistake. And what a wonderful sentiment for you to share with us.”

It barely even phases you anymore: the hold Hanbin could have on people. Maybe you’d have been captivated too, if you weren’t the one person who--.

“(Y/N)?” The announcer prompts, his tone indicating that this isn’t the first time he called your name. “Any words for your team?”

“Oh,” you mumble, mentally shaking off the embarrassment of daydreaming during a regional competition. "Let's do our best! No matter the outcome, though we will strive for a good one, I'm incredibly proud of the work my amazing team has done so far this year and you all should be as well. Fighting!"

"That's just swell," the announcer replies rather unenthusiastically. "Hanbin?"

Hanbin nods, smiling graciously at the announcer and the crowd. "We've put in so much time and effort this semester and I truly believe our labor of love has blossomed into a winning fruit. And, even on the chance that we don't take this win, I will still be so proud of that fruit that is my amazing team. Fighting!"

The audience applauds and the scream sitting in your throat is now desperately trying to claw its way out. Instead, you just smile.

"Hanbin has such a way with words, doesn't he?" The announcer muses to you.

"He does," you agree politely, muttering under your breath, "If that 'way' is stealing them."

"Then let's get this Regional Final started!" The announcer's words are met with applause as you rejoin your team behind your table.

"We've got this," your teammate Maria encourages, patting you on the back gently. "It's our turn to win!"

You nod, smiling at your team and giving them two thumbs up. "Let's win this! Fighting!"

The first subject of the Super Relay is mathematics, an event where each team's members must rotate in a line to solve a new equation while racing against both their opponent and the clock. As the team leader, you are last in line as you will have the least amount of time left on the clock to solve your equation.

Unfortunately, Sung Hanbin is also at the end of the Blue Team's line. While you're better at economics, history, literature, and geography, Hanbin has a slight leg up on you in the math and science departments. But you had been studying overtime and, even if you didn't manage to beat his time in this round, you were confident you could follow closely enough behind that your team would not be hurting for points.

As soon as both teams are set in their positions, the announcer raises one arm. "On your marks, get set..."

"Go!" He signals, lowering his arm as Maria rushes to the shared whiteboard.

Her equation flashes on the screen and you exhale with relief. Maria was the weakest at maths on your team, so she always went first in relays so the other four team members could make up the time. This equation is fairly straightforward and in her wheelhouse, so you're able to relax for awhile.

Each team member finishes their equation, placing their markers on the whiteboard shelf and joining the end of the line until it's finally your turn to solve. David throws his marker down too harshly and it falls to the ground, rolling to the other team's side.

Hanbin is now racing up to the whiteboard for his team, but on his way he bends down and reaches under the chair that your team's marker has rolled under. After a moment, he resurfaces; marker in hand as he smiles at you sweetly, holding it out to you as you run up to the whiteboard.

"I think you might need this," he jokes politely. You give him a nod and tear off the cap as you quickly memorize your equation, smiling to yourself as you realize you've practiced this exact problem in a workbook just last week.

"And look at this sportsmanship from Sung Hanbin!" The announcer commends. "He's the Student Body President for a reason, folks."

You put your marker to the board, attempting to copy your equation as you ignore the adoring audience's endless mumbling about Hanbin. As you write, however, you suddenly realize that the marker in your hand isn't producing any ink.

Panic flows through you as you scribble it desperately against the whiteboard trying to get the ink flowing again, but your efforts are fruitless. You turn to the announcer in a frenzy.

"Please, my marker isn't working!" You exclaim, looking to the judges' table for assistance.

"It worked fine for the previous team member," the announcer contests, watching as you show him the lack of ink. "But, yes, it seems to be out of ink."

He walks to the judges table as your heart sits in your stomach, terrified that some fluke could completely ruin your team's chances of finally beating the Blue Team. You glance over at Hanbin, who, much to your surprise, is looking back at you concernedly.

A judge brings you another approved marker and you resume solving your equation frantically, despite the judge relaying that you would have ten seconds added to your permitted time due to the mishap.

After about 45 seconds, you check Hanbin's progress and your spirit is renewed when you see how quickly you've caught up to him. You're now only two lines behind him in the equation and you can tell Hanbin is caught off guard by your speed.

After another thirty seconds, Hanbin steps back from the whiteboard and nods as he double checks his math. He circles his answer and lays his marker down on the shelf, running to the stop clock and hitting his team's timer.

The audience cheers at the Blue Team leader's probable victory, but you don't let it throw you. Another nine seconds and your answer is circled on the board as you run to the buzzer and stop the clock. Your team surrounds you excitedly, praising you for your focus during the stressful situation and your noticeably quick solving of the equation.

After the judges finalize the results of the mathematics portion of the Super Relay, they hand the announcer a script card. "The results are in! The winner of the mathematics Super Relay is... The Pink Team!"

Your team starts to cheer, jumping up and down ecstatically around you as you remain absolutely shocked at the unexpected win.

You watch as the announcer's eyebrows furrow confusedly, rereading the script card to check if the result is correct.. "Huh. Mathematics is usually where the Pink Team has the most trouble, but with the additional ten seconds added to their time clock... The Pink Team wins by just 0.45 seconds."

You can't help but notice that the announcer looks concerned by the results, but before you can analyze him further you're pulled into your team's celebration. Out of the corner of your eye, you catch Hanbin chewing his lip nervously at the Blue Team's defeat.

~

You're halfway through the Science portion of the Super Relay when your beaker begins to boil. You watch as it bubbles furiously when it's merely supposed to be simmering on the hotplate.

You hover your hand over the hotplate, panic turning into confusion when you feel a low amount of heat that couldn't possibly be boiling the solution in this beaker. Unfortunately the alternative to a hotplate turned up too high was much worse...

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," you whisper, taking the beaker off of your hotplate with your gloved hands. As expected, the beaker continues to bubble over even after being removed from heat and you stare at the mixture in horror.

Where had you messed up?

You look around at the different tubes on your table, reading the labels of each vial carefully to see if you'd poured in the wrong liquid by mistake. You check each empty tube, verifying that they were in fact the liquids you had thought they were.

But there's one label that catches your eye in particular. The side of it is sticking up slightly and, cautiously, you peel it off to reveal another label underneath.

Glycerin.

Thankfully it wouldn't kill you, but it was a huge nuisance. You'd have to remake the solution and, as you glance at the time clock, you realize your prospects of finishing are hopeless.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

Hanbin hits his team's buzzer in the knick of time, the crowd erupting into applause for the school's golden boy. You chew your cheek, willing yourself not to cry as your team members begin to comfort you. Just as you compose yourself, you hear shouts coming from the other side of the room.

"(Y/N) couldn't even finish the experiment!" One of the younger Blue Team members taunts, smirking at you. "Pink Team is going down!"

"Maybe they should consider appointing a new leader," another Blue Team member jeers. "(Y/N) is clearly--."

"That's not very kind, Ilsung," Hanbin interrupts, placing a hand on the shoulder of both of the younger team members sternly. "Everyone here is trying their best and, unfortunately, mistakes are very easy to make under pressure."

"I didn't make a mistake. The--," you start to correct, but Hanbin has already stepped up onto his metaphorical soapbox once more.

"Whether we are winners in the competition or not, we are the losing team if we don't treat our opponents with the respect they deserve," Hanbin concludes, turning back to face the audience.

"Once again, Sung Hanbin proves his humility and kindness," the announcer coos as Hanbin shakes his head to politely deflect the compliment with a smile. "Exactly what we'd expect from the Fall Regional Scholastic Decathlon champion."

"What!?" You exclaim. "He didn't even win yet!"

"Anyway," the announcer continues as the judges hand him the results, "the winner of the science portion of the Super Relay is... The Blue Team! Obviously!"

You laugh hopelessly. "Obviously, he said."

"It's alright," David reassures. "Double the points in the final Humanities portion. The Blue Team has nothing on us!"

You nod, smiling reluctantly. "You're right. We can still win this! I believe in all of you. Let's do this!"

~

Pink Team is ahead 44 to 36 when you finally step up to the podium to answer your set of twenty humanities questions. Hanbin steps up to his podium, picking up his buzzer and breathing deeply in preparation for the upcoming questions in his weakest area.

You pick up your buzzer, placing your thumb on the trigger comfortably so that it doesn't cramp when you press it rapidly.

"Good luck," Hanbin says, smiling at you cutely.

"Yeah," you manage to reply without throwing up. "You too."

You fire off the five economics questions easily, hitting the buzzer a full second before Hanbin each time. You're on a roll and you don't have any intentions of slowing down.

"Now we'll move onto literature," the announcer prompts, rearranging his script cards.

"One second, please," Hanbin calls suddenly, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. "This is embarrassing but I think there's something in my shoe. Can I be allowed to remove it?"

The judges look at each other momentarily before nodding. "Quickly," one agrees.

Hanbin bends down, untying his shoelace and shaking out his shoe. You look out at the audience, who are all both visibly and audibly fawning over how adorable the Blue Team leader is.

"So endearing, that Sung Hanbin," the announcer remarks fondly.

Hanbin finally hops back up to his feet, nodding at the judges and the audience respectfully. "Please forgive me for the delay."

"No worries at all. Let's jump right back into it then," the announcer segways. "Question six: What is the name of the collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay—.”

You smile as you press your buzzer, but confusion sweeps over you when Hanbin’s buzzer sounds first.

“The Federalist Papers,” he answers, but you can hear a bit of uncertainty in his voice.

“Correct,” the announcer says. “Question seven: Name the correct order of the three cantos of The Divine Com—.”

You press your buzzer, Hanbin’s buzzer ringing out again.

“Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso,” the Blue Team leader answers correctly again.

You go through five more questions like this— knowing the answer to them all immediately only to somehow be beaten by Hanbin’s buzzer.

“Um, excuse me?” You ask before the start of the history round. “I think… I think there’s something wrong with my buzzer!"

The announcer turns to the judges who allow the complaint with a nod. "Please test your buzzer several times," the judge on the end requests, gesturing for you to proceed.

You press the button on your buzzer and hear it ring. You press it once more and it rings again. The third time you press it, your cheeks heat up with utter embarrassment. You could've sworn it wasn't working just a moment ago...

You smile uncomfortably. "I'm sorry," you apologize quickly, mortified as your bottom lip tucks between your lips shyly.

"It's okay," Hanbin answers, smile lines appearing on his perfect cheeks. "I know this last section is usually not my best, but I promise it's just because I've been studying so hard. I would be thrown off guard too!"

The audience laughs at his humorous compassion, your error only making way for another opportunity to boost Hanbin's morale. You swear you feel yourself shrinking down, down, down to the size of an ant as Hanbin gets every last point in the final round of the Super Relay.

You pressed the buzzer in the middle of every question.

"It's okay, (Y/N)," Maria says, resting her head on your shoulder. "I'm sure all of that stuff with the marker just threw you off. That wasn't your fault."

You shake your head, completely perplexed by how this had happened and now also beginning to questioning your sanity. "I was pressing the buzzer," you assert, fighting off another round of tears welling up in your eyes as the adrenaline of the competition wheres off.

"I pressed the buzzer every time."

~

"We'll get 'em next semester, (Y/N)!" David encourages. "And they'll never see it coming."

You force yourself to smile, not wanting to to show the team your real emotions. Had you really not been pressing the buzzer? Were you actually going crazy?

"Mm," you agree quietly. "Pink Team: Spring Regional Scholastic Decathlon Champions! We'll make it happen!"

Your team all puts their hands into the circle, shouting, "1, 2, 3: Pink Team on Top!" After saying your temporary goodbyes, you walk through the empty hallway behind the gym and hang your lab coat up on the designated rack. As you secure your lab coat on the hook, you hear a mumbling coming from around the corner.

"Here's five hundred," you hear a familiar voice say as you tiptoe quietly to the end of the hall. "I'll get you the other half by Monday."

"Are you kidding me? You said you'd have it in full! Should've known the kid that was paying me to help him cheat in a Scholastic Decathlon would end up screwing me."

You peak your head out slowly around the corner, taking care not to make any loud sounds that might get you caught.

"Guess that's on you then. By Monday."

As the two men start to go their separate ways, you duck back behind the wall and try to control the rampant beating of your heart. You desperately attempt to silence your breathing as you hear one set of footsteps approach, closing your eyes and exhaling with relief when they continue down the hallway and past your hiding spot in the adjacent corridor.

With your hands over your eyes, you rub your face as tension bubbles to the surface. "Oh my god," you squeak out as the interaction you just witnessed sinks in.

Suddenly, something slams down above your head on the locker you're leaning against and rips you from your thought spiral.

"I'm glad you're finally starting to see my appeal," Hanbin says with a smirk, both hands pressed firmly against the locker on either side of your head. "But I think god might be a bit too much, even by my standards."

You swallow nervously, having had the displeasure of being confronted by Hanbin like this numerous times before. You look around to check if by some miracle there's anyone still lingering in the hallway that's witnessing this.

"Just me," Hanbin seemingly reads your mind. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"Y-you--... You..." He tilts his head expectantly, waiting for you to stop tripping over your own tongue. "You cheated?"

"Oh," Hanbin coos mockingly. "Did I?"

You nod, feeling your bottom lip shake. "You paid that announcer to give you all the answers."

"What?" He asks, face scrunching up in confusion. "He didn't give me the--... You think I, the reigning Regional Champion, need someone to give me the answers? Come on, (Y/N), I know you're smarter than that."

You blink back at him silently, watching as his face lights up in amusement.

"Do you actually have that little self-confidence?" He asks, shaking his head at you in amazement. "You really think your marker just happened to stop working right when it was your turn to solve? Or that the glycerin tube was just coincidentally mislabeled?"

Your lips part as Hanbin pieces the truth together for you.

"You and I both know you pressed that buzzer first every single time," he says earnestly, pouting at you sadly. "Are you really that insecure that you'd believe you were going crazy before you'd believe that I'd rigged your buzzer while I was fixing my shoe?"

"You... you..." You attempt to protest, but once again your stammering proves why you're always just Hanbin's ghostwriter.

His eyebrows furrow in concern and it's unnervingly genuine. "Seriously, (Y/N)? Now you're kind of just making me sad."

The patronizing from Hanbin is the last straw. He can steal your words, he can call you names, he can even sabotage your efforts...

But the moment Sung Hanbin begins to pity you is the moment you can no longer just stand there and take it.

"I'm gonna tell everybody," you threaten, but your voice comes out far too soft and shaky for him to take it seriously.

"I'm sure you are," he mocks, smirking at you. "I'm sure this time you won't just suck it up like you always do."

You lean forward, your face now just a couple inches from Hanbin's and you swear you see just the smallest flash of panic in his eyes at your action. "You're right," you agree. "You're always right, Hanbin."

He stares back at you, unmoving.

"That's why I'm so disappointed," you admit, sentiment suddenly shifting. "It wasn't my lack of confidence that made the possibility that you cheated unfathomable to me. It was honestly that, even after everything we've been through, I've always thought a bit more of you than that."

Hanbin leans back, hands falling to his sides as he continues to frown at you.

"I really don't like you, Hanbin, and I don't like always being in your shadow, but the truth is: you make a much better leader than I would," you confess, everything you've wanted to say now flowing freely out of your mouth. "And up until tonight, I thought that if I had to stand in a shadow, at least it was of someone who on some level deserved to be casting one."

Hanbin just blinks, his lips parting slightly as you study him. When he continues to refuse to react, you turn on your heels and begin to walk back down the hallway in the direction that you'd come from. You're halfway to the doors when Hanbin's voice suddenly rings out behind you:

"Join my team next semester."

You turn around quickly, one eyebrow raised in shock. "What!?"

"You heard me," he replies calmly.

"That's--... That's ridiculous! And your team is full anyway."

"Not for you, it's not," Hanbin quips, walking up to you.

"But--... But--."

"Come on, (Y/N). You just said it yourself: you were never meant to be a leader," Hanbin says as he stops in front of you. "But you're smarter than me. That's why I needed to set you back. There was no way I could've beaten you fair and square this time and you know it."

You stare at him wordlessly, wondering what you did in your past life to have to suffer the acquaintanceship of such an infuriating man.

"Even being thrown off by your stupid marker, you knew that equation like the back of your hand," he continues definitively. "If you had spoken up about the mislabeled tube. If you had trusted yourself about the buzzer..."

"But you knew I wouldn't."

He nods. "So join my team. Anyways, I... I could really use you," he says, a sheepish look on his face that you've never seen him wear around you before. "Blue Team is always able to win Regionals because I know how to beat the Pink Team-- I know how to beat you. But we always lose at Sectionals because the smartest person at our school was on the team we just beat."

You bite your lip, chewing on Hanbin's words as you feel both intensely offended and unfortunately flattered. But you could never let him know the latter. "What about anything that I just said makes you think I would join the team of some cheating asshole?"

To your surprise, he just laughs. "I've never heard you swear before. It's kind of..." He clears his throat, trailing off before he finishes his sentence. "If I'm being honest, your sudden display of willpower is kind of throwing me."

"Well I hope it throws you into another dimension, you self-righteous prick," you respond, turning back around furiously and continuing to walk down the hallway towards the exit doors-- shaking your head at the audacity of the boy called Sung Hanbin.

"Then can I pitch an alternative?" Hanbin calls as your fingers grip the door handle.

You pause, not realizing the mistake you've made as Hanbin's voice ricochets off the walls of the gym hallway:

"Go out with me."

[viaphni]

RUINED REALLTY SEASON THREE: CATALYST TRAILER ANALYSIS

I have to completely admit that the end of season 2 and its epilogue had me very hesitant for the way things are going, and I am still a little hesitant, but i DO BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE 1000% COOKING

First of all, that trailer was AMAZING!

The music, atmosphere, and cinematography were all done very very well (and great voice acting from Rinzler too)

But onto the actual trailer

It opens up on the results of the Soulstice's arrival, with Light alone, showing everybody's souls stolen away and their bodies on the ground. Light has lost it all. He immediately blames himself. It's also made apparent pretty quickly that Soullless is still present in some way, and is going to play a significant role again.

One of the first really interesting things to occur is Light taking the Soul Eater's weapon in his hands.

He stares at it for a moment before picking it up, the screen fading to black. But why would he be using his worst enemy's weapon? What benefit does it serve him? Mostly likely, I think it would have something to do with Soulless. Whether he likes it or not, Light now has a complete tie to the Soulstice itself. As he takes it, he says "And now, another threat is here..."

And Void's new reign of terror is displayed:

We are shown the Yellow Kingdom again, and the areas around it, completely overtaken by Darkness. Void must have taken complete control of the situation, as we just saw Seer with active dominance over their body in the epilogue. Maybe it was a defense mechanism to keep him alive after Corrupt's attack?

After these shots, we see what I think is the center tower of the kingdom—and there is a deep, bottomless pit surrounding it where the moat of lava once was.

It reminds me a bit of the castle entrance to the Depths from Tears of the Kingdom. Void might have something important down there.

A few more shots cycle through of the tower, and we see this—

The camera is descending into the chasm.

Next, we see a room maybe akin to some kind of lab?

It could also be a big machine. Somebody is standing there, but even with heightened exposure and brightness, it's hard to tell who it is. I'm sure it's Void, however, due to the chasm and darkness. This shot is really interesting, too--

--because it seems to be the view of the surface from this area underground. With heightened exposure, the walls look very machine-like.

Whether that or a lab, it clearly serves a primary purpose in Void's plans. (One of my first thoughts was likely a stretch, but I asked myself if it could be similar to the Soulstice--in the way that a machine was created to steal all souls, another would be created now to spread Darkness. Shadow Sabre did something similar in RQ.)

The next four shots emphasize what seems to be some of our new group of main characters.

We see the Purple Leader in his home. Him coming into the main cast will be very interesting, as I'm sure it will give us more opportunities to learn about the histories with people like the Sorcerer and Phantasia, strong links to the Soulstice. I'm sure this knowledge will be vital to the fight.

Now this next photo--I can't exactly tell what's going on here? It appears to be Corrupt's lab? When the exposure and brightness are edited, I can't see any details. But this is 1000% Corrupt is just is trust frfrfrfrfrfrfrfrfrfrffrfr Corrupt is alive

The shot then switches to an Indigo and an unidentifiable Aquamarine who seems to be imbued with light energy, given the white eye. I assumed this could be Aaron, but his soul got stolen. Who knows? The Indigo is the Doctor Indigo, I would think--given the coat and monocle, but he didn't have a design in Season 2, so I'm unsure. Both of these could be completely new characters.

And now, Dimension facing off with the Soulstice. It seems that Dimension will play a much bigger role now and actually put in the work for once. I guess that was his final straw? Or maybe the season will start and he will still show absolutely no concern.

A couple of interesting shots of Light and Soulless show up after this.

In a similar fashion to the Season 2 intro, Light walks towards the camera and glitches into his other forms, this one being Soulless. It only emphasizes his apparent new role in the season.

After this, we see a standoff between the main cast and the main opposition. Light, Professor, Dimension, Purple, and...a strange new variant of Assistant. It makes me think of the assistant robot from A Dark Soul, which was also themed around light. In the beginning of the trailer (and in the thumbnail), we only see the Assistant as a head. I guess he got repaired, and Light was a major factor playing in it.

I'd also like to point out how odd the new Sculk Steves look. They have gray streaks, like light energy. Since Corrupt was absorbed by the Soulstice, I imagine that the light crystal he held became of high use to the Soulstice, allowing it to power up these Steves like this.

The patterns on the ends of their limbs also look much bigger/brighter/saturated, or maybe its just the lighting--like soul flames instead of the typical sculk steve pattern.

The Steve standing above in the second picture catches my eye, though. It seems to be a "normal" being, and even appears to be holding something if you look closely.

Right by the head there. This figure is also standing closest to the Soulstice, so they must be important. Could it be Corrupt? Well if you watch a few more seconds--

Right there. We see Light fighting with who appears to be that figure. But that sword... We have seen that sword before!

Corrupt's sword.

We never saw Corrupt disappear when the Soulstice found him. It's more than probable that he simply could have just absorbed the light energy from him, used it to power up the sculk steves and other operations, and left Corrupt weakened. But what purpose would he have even leaving him alive? The Soulstice has everything it needs now, right?

Light found Toxin, too. And with a potion effect? He seems weakened. Perhaps Void has abandoned him and Light will team up with him? He already seemed to be cracking during his fight with Light in the forest where his prior identity as Soren was revealed. Is it finally time we get Soren back? Or will he still be evil?

The next few shots depict a battle between Light and Void, seemingly at his new base of operations. I'd put photos, but I'm almost out of space, and I want to keep this all in one post. Plus, there isn't a lot to analyze there.

The final shots of the trailer are some of my favorite ones.

There's a good bit to break down here.

We start out by seeing Light's cursed form, except his curse appears to have spread greatly. I've also just realized that he doesn't have his soul-afflicted eye in this form. Images of Purple Leader, Soulstice, Professor, Soulless, and Assistant are not surprising--we already know of their larger roles. I believe that's Corrupt again in the 5th shift. As for the 8th, I'm a bit confused. I don't think we know who this person is. However, the purple belt definitely brings up a few ideas, even if they're stretches. Could we meet a new Purple Steve--maybe even Phantasia?? I doubt that's the case, as it seems pretty outlandish. The Yellow Leader being present actually makes a lot of sense as well. His Darkness should give him resistance to the Soulstice.

BUT, I'm really focusing in on those last three. Louis, Cliff, and,, Seer.

We saw the Elites' souls taken. Clearly, they find their way back to the land of the living eventually (and with some sick new redesigns.) Louis doesn't change much, but Cliff appears to now be entirely a Light Steve. Which brings up another thought--if he is now 100% light, does this mean that he is completely purged of Darkness? Is his Shadow gone? Is his shadow the reason he had to become fully light?

And then there's Seer. There's no doubt that this is him. My friend @chaoticcyprus brought up this photo:

We saw this shot during the semi-finale when Void was battling the Soul Eater. The outfit aligns perfectly, except now his hood is down, and he seems to have been set free from whatever chains held him previously.

But how would Seer and Void separate? I assume it would have something to do with Corrupt's final blow on Void.

Corrupt dealt an absolutely MASSIVE amount of power onto his opponent. I'm sure that the sheer amount of light energy could be enough to somehow split Void and Seer apart. It would explain Void's sudden spike in power and authority that he seems to have in the next season.

As for any final thoughts,,, I can't think of much else for now.

But I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone else has to say, and also what the team presents for Catalyst!

[objecthusbandry]

keeping objects as pets #6: lightbulbs!

hi there! in this series, i’ll be going over basic descriptions of commonly-kept object species (and some rare ones too!), facts about them, why you might want one as a pet, their basic needs and necessities provided you want to house one, and things you should NEVER do. for the sixth post in this series, we’ll be talking about incandescent lightbulbs!

description

lightbulbs are a common species of domestic object. they have shiny, glossy, transparent bodies that can come in a multitude of tints, most commonly clear, white or yellow, though colors such as red, green and blue aren't unheard of, especially as exotic pets bred for their colors. they have segmented, metallic limbs connected to their cap (not their bulb); their legs are digitigrade, their hands have three padded fingers each with small claws, and their feet have three toes, also padded with claws. their teeth are primarily evolved for insects, so they have small, sharp, needle-like teeth in front with grinding molars in back. the iconic rounded bulb shape is most common, but other shapes do exist. while they usually remain unlit, they are capable of 'igniting' and producing light via bioluminescence. this burns through energy quite fast, so they must eat lots to obtain the necessary nutrients.

the upper bulb portion of their body is almost entirely hollow, aside from the light-producing organ, with the rest of their organs being in the metallic cap underneath. it is common to see wild or feral lightbulbs with scratched, cracked or broken bulbs due to the fragile nature of the structure.

facts about lightbulbs

lightbulbs tend to live in the wild in mixed-species groups of three to five, though it's not impossible for them to be in groups of up to twenty, if it provides an advantage for their survival. they're crepuscular, being most active during twilight hours, like dusk and dawn. these creatures are curious and playful but are also prone to getting themselves into trouble due to their sometimes dimwitted personalities (despite the common symbolism of lightbulbs representing wisdom or intelligence).

as far as we are aware, their bioluminescent displays evolved for two purposes: attracting mates and scaring off potential threats. lightbulbs have two different commonly seen "light dances" they perform, one of which being dimmer flashes in various patterns, and the other being several quick very bright flashes. it is suspected that the former is meant as a sort of mating ritual, with the most elaborate dances being the most desirable to potential mates, while the latter is meant to stun any would-be attackers, buying time for the lightbulb to run for cover.

incandescent lightbulbs were one of the first described scientifically. in many ways, they are a model species of objects and are often considered equivalent to lab mice because they breed readily in captivity and are small enough to be easily controlled in laboratory settings.

why as a pet?

as previously stated, lightbulbs are curious, playful critters that make for fantastic pets. they enjoy being around humans, objects and animals alike! they form long-lasting attachments with their owners and love attention, physical affection and being interacted with. they can be trained to do tricks such as rolling over, making sounds, shaking hands, and even flashing their light! they do well with children, though their small size must be taken into consideration when allowing them to interact with young children or particularly rowdy objects.

basic needs + do's and dont's

lightbulbs are primarily insectivores! they do well with just about any feeder insect; they aren't picky. their diets should be supplemented with calcium powder and certain individuals may struggle with hunting on their own, so you might have to help them out while feeding, though this isn't super common. it's okay to have a dedicated "hunting space" to leave them in for feeding if you'd prefer not having crickets or dubia roaches accidentally escaping. they will also opportunistically feed on meat if insects aren't available. for treats, they specifically love eating cookies. we don't know what it is about them that seems to attract lightbulbs, but most individuals share this taste for them.

as a social species, lightbulbs NEED to be interacted with. long periods of isolation will cause them to become clingy, anxious and possibly even act out. you should be spending at least two hours a day with a pet lightbulb, but more is always better and that is a bare minimum.

housing

lightbulbs are attracted to vibrant, colorful spaces and should be allowed to free roam for at least thirty minutes every day. while they don't need an entire house to be happy, a large open room is best for these objects. they appreciate having soft pet beds and of course lots of toys to keep them engaged and to provide enrichment. i also highly recommend having at least one window in their enclosure or room as they love sunbathing and derive some of their energy from it.

however, it is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL THAT YOU MAKE THEIR ENCLOSURES AS GLASS-FRIENDLY AS POSSIBLE! lightbulbs are prone to cracks, shatters and breaks when falling, so you should never allow them to climb unsupervised if at all.

that’s all! hopefully this helps educate anyone who is considering this species!

[amansabastris]

lucky shot

lo'ak x male! reader

a/n: i forced @blustalker to watch the avatar movies and it may have been my smartest decision ever

"[name], keep up!" spider looked over his shoulder at you as he ran.

you huffed, trying to run faster.

"not all of us grew up following around the sullys like a stray!" he stuck his hand back and flipped you off.

the forest was sticky and hot today, the perfect weather to spend the day in the river with your friends. the plan was that spider would guide you to the clearing just outside the village, where the two of you would meet up with the sully siblings and travel the rest of the way together.

but when you finally entered the clearing, you couldn't help but notice that someone was missing- kiri.

"she wasn't feeling well today, decided to stay home." neteyam explained. you nodded in understanding, but tuk was suddenly upset.

"kiri is sick? i thought she just wanted to stay home!" she frowned and looked back at the village. "'teyam, take me back! i wanna be with kiri!"

"kiri is sick?" lo'ak asked- wouldn't he have known that?- but he was drowned out by tuk's whines.

"fine, fine- come on, tuk." neteyam huffed, scooping up his youngest sister. as he turned to walk back towards the village, he shouted back: "don't wait for me! i'll meet you there!"

"well- guess it's the three of us, then..." you muttered to yourself, glad spider was still here so you weren't left alone with lo'ak- the boy he constantly teased you about having a crush on.

but then you turned around- and he was gone. lo'ak realized it at the same time.

"kalweyaveng!" lo'ak cussed quietly, a slight purple blush creeping up his cheeks. "those kurkung planned this- left us out here alone..."

"so what- should we go back to the village? i'll just... go back to the lab, i guess."

"go back to the lab? no! no-" his eyes flicked over to you as he answered just a little too fast. "i mean- no. you never come out of there. they're up to something but i still want to hang out with you, [name]."

"...you do?" you asked, blush creeping up your own cheeks.

"well, yeah." he started to walk further into the forest so you wouldn't see him embarrassed. "i like being with you, [name]. i don't get to see you as often."

you smile as you quietly follow behind him. lo'ak slows his pace a bit, not wanting to leave you more than an arm's length away out here.

not another word was spoke on the walk to the river. all you could think about was how the others had tricked you into being alone with him- and unbeknownst to you, lo'ak was thinking about the same thing. he was going to kill them when he got home.

the scientist in you was examining every plant you passed by, admiring pandora's beauty that grew each time you saw it. and too lost in your thoughts to notice, lo'ak was examining you.

his big yellow eyes were trained only on you as you walked. he admired the care and interest in your eyes, your human features that were so close and so far from his- especially your voice speaking his language.

"lo'ak!" you grinned under your mask and pointed. "i can see the river from here!"

lo'ak broke from his trance and followed your gaze to the sparkling blue stream. it glittered just the way your eyes did. in a split second, he was back to the usual lo'ak- a fanged grin growing on his face.

"i'll beat you there." he shrugged off his bow and quiver, then tossed his knife down with it.

"of course you'll beat me there! lo'ak, your legs are like half my whole body-" you laughed out his unfair advantage, but he was already running towards the water.

a loud splash broke the forest's peace, followed by laughter from the two. lo'ak beckoned you into the water, all while teasing and splashing. you waded into the shallow shore of the water, laughing at his antics.

"c'mon, [name], it's not that cold!" he grinned. he swam closer and reached out an arm- then pulled it back, ears twitching as his stood up.

"...lo'ak?" you say his name but he hushes you, ears turning towards one specific spot. "what's going-"

"move!"

suddenly, you were on the ground. red trickled from new scrapes littered across your skin, groan passing your lips as your head falls back. that's when the snarls hit your ears.

"fuck! lo'ak!"

you turned your head and were greeted with the sight of lo'ak wrestling with a seven foot viperwolf.

"go! [name], go home! run!" lo'ak yelled out in his struggle to protect you. the viperwolf managed to flip their positions, pinning the boy to the ground and you scrambled away.

your breathing was quick and panicked as you moved from the shore, sniffling as you tried to think of what to do. a step backwards, then another, then another- and then your foot hit something.

lo'ak's bow.

with shaky hands, you reached down and picked it up, along with an arrow. everything was moving in slow motion.

his bow was huge compared to you. heavy, difficult to pull back as you nocked the arrow. it took all your strength to pull it back, and even then you could barely get it to your cheek.

and then you let it go.

your eyes were closed as you loosed the arrow. you had never even held a bow before- much less used it. oh great mother... please don't let it hit lo'ak.

"fuck- fuck, [name], are you okay? come here- how did you do that?"

when you opened your eyes, you were pulled tight against lo'ak's chest. his breathing was ragged and blood dripped down onto you- but he was alive, and... the viperwolf wasn't.

"...i just shot it the way you do, lo'ak." you whispered out, leaning into his touch.

his big hands shook as he ran his fingertips up and down your back. you stood like that for what seemed like hours, desperately clinging to the comfort you got from each other's touch.

"that's my tawtute." he finally said, leaning down and kissing your forehead.

"...i'm going to kill spider when we get home."

©️ copyright amansabastris, 2023

all rights reserved

do not copy/paste, claim as your own, post on different sites, or translate without prior consent from me

[daboyau]

@tmntstorycomp

@boots-with-the-fur-club

here, have some Massy meeting the Leave au boys again. :)

The next time they see him, Massy is up a tree. 

He is lounging against one of the branches, one leg dangling off of it while the other is propped up, acting as a makeshift table to lean the notebook he’s flipping through against. He is frowning with enough force that Four can see the way his mask creases with the furrow of his brow from all the way on the ground. 

In the library, his presence had seemed almost overwhelming. It had felt like every book and shelf was orbiting around him even when they were standing still. A tiny sun, or maybe a black hole, pulling everything in with the force of its gravity. 

Here, he just looks small. Lonely. It makes Four sad for him. Makes his chest ache a little bit, because he knows what that’s like. He knows it hurts in a way physical injuries never do. At least if the gash is bleeding, it will heal. The hurt that’s inside is a lot harder to get rid of. 

Luckily, he knows what makes it better! 

“Hiiiii!” he calls, lifting one hand and waving when Massy’s head snaps up. Three jerks forward to slap a hand over his mouth, but he’s too late. His brothers’ groans and worried grumbles fill the air around them, and Three’s claws dig into his cheeks just a little too hard before his hand lifts away. Four’s a little sad he didn’t slobber on his brother’s palm while he had the chance; at least then Three would actually have something that made sense to be upset about! He’s worrying for nothing. Massy hadn’t hurt them last time they ran into him, so it all stood to reason that they’d be fine this time, too! 

Yellow eyes lock onto them, glowing unsettlingly bright in the dappled shadows of the forest. A grin splits his face, something showy and full of the kind of menace and mischief that Four’s only really seen on the goblins locked away in Draxum’s lab before they try to stage a jailbreak. One’s told him it never ends well for them, but they keep trying anyway. 

“Hiiii,” he croons back, shifting to crouch on his branch. The markings on his body seem to bleed, leaking down his scales and into the air around him, like blots of ink spilled across paper. They’re spreading slowly, like they’re trying to swallow up the world. Or maybe just swallow Massy, bit by bit. 

With his brothers hovering around him and their mysterious host grinning down at them, and with a goal in mind, Four marches forward. He hears his brothers all hiss out their complaints and warnings, but he ignores them. Predictably, they follow close on his heels. Massy watches them approach, head cocked almost too far to be natural. 

Though he can’t put his finger on why, Four can’t help but think that the black masked turtle seems so…sad. When he looks at him, Four can’t see an enemy or even a potential threat anymore. What’s before them is just a kid, hurt and afraid and alone. Just like them, in so many ways. 

He gets to the base of the tree and tips his head back, searching through the branches and leaves for a pair of bright yellow eyes. Massy has flipped himself over and is dangling from the branch by his knees now, necklace and mask tails swaying slowly below him, grinning impishly down at Four. 

“Can I come up?” he calls, and watches Massy swing slowly back and forth for a few long seconds before he shrugs. 

“I don’t see why not,” he calls back, and Four feels his smile grow. He places one hand on the trunk of the tree, feeling the rough bark beneath his palm with all the wonder of discovery. There is precious little flora in the Hidden City, and even less in the lava fields surrounding Draxum’s fortress. He’s never actually been this close to a real tree before!

Before he can do much more than marvel at the novelty of it, he feels a pair of hands wrap around his waist and pluck him away. He slouches, trying to make himself heavy enough to give One at least a little trouble, but it doesn’t do much more than make him chuff out a fond little laugh. Typical. Four crosses his arms and pouts once his feet are back firmly on the leaf strewn ground. 

“Guyyysss,” he whines, sad and pleading, and he feels One shuffle uncomfortably beside him. 

“No, Fourster. Absolutely not,” Three snaps, already knowing what he’s about to say. Four sticks his tongue out at him, then turns his gaze upon One. Massy’s eyes are back to watching them all again, his face all screwed up in confusion as he watches their interactions. The dim glow of his eyes cuts through the haziness of this liminal place trapped between impossibly tall trees and slowly shifting shadows.

“Pleeeease?” he asks, tugging at their biggest brother’s hands, forcing him to unfold his arms from where they’re crossed almost protectively across his plastron. One frowns, but his eyes dart between Four and Massy, like he’s trying to draw connections between the two of them. Massy gives a playful little wiggle of his fingers, still swinging upside down, and One’s face goes all soft like it sometimes does when he’s reminded of how things were before their training with Draxum started. He sighs, shoulders slumping, and Four knows he’s won. Going by the way Three and Two are hissing to each other, they know it, too. 

“Fine,” he sighs, massaging the bridge of his snout and squeezing his eyes briefly shut. “Do what you want. We’re not climbing up there after you if you get stuck…or get into any other trouble.” 

That’s a lie, and they all know it. His brothers will be up the tree faster than you can say begin if he so much as sniffles! Four giggles at the thought, a bright grin quickly replacing his previous pout. 

He darts forward to squeeze One in a tight hug, tosses Three and Two’s worried faces a smug grin, and darts back towards the tree Massy’s in. He’s never climbed one before, but he has scaled the walls of the fortress, so it’s probably not that different, right? He’s totally got this! 

One hand after the other, he slowly begins to climb. The lower branches are still a little out of reach, so he resorts to digging his claws into the oddly soft bark. He feels cool wetness trickle from it, and when he pauses long enough to investigate, he finds that beneath the bark there is only black ink. It runs in messy rivulets down the bark, and Four stares entranced for a few seconds before shaking himself and continuing his slow climb upwards. His heart is in his throat, but he forces himself to continue, not wanting this to be for nothing. Ink handprints trail in his wake, and the tree continues to weep until black is pooling at the base of the trunk, refusing to sink into the ground and disappear. 

Four pauses on the branch below Massy’s, staying just out of reach of those dangling hands. He swallows heavily, eyes darting between Massy’s inkblot markings and the blackness that stains his own hands. The other turtle looks curious, but Four’s heart is pounding heavy and painful behind his plastron as it sinks in that he’s damaged their host’s work. He swallows again, filling his lungs with a shaky breath. The air smells like Draxum’s office after a long day of paperwork, medicinal and vaguely smokey, tinged with something fresher and familiar yet completely unknown. Four tries to wipe his blackened hands off on one of the old bandages that had been wrapped around wounds that have probably healed by now. Massy’s yellow eyes follow the movement, and all Four can think of is a hard golden gaze and how angry Draxum would be with him if he damaged his hard work like this.

“I’m sorry,” he manages to squeak out around the lump in his throat, hands clenching into tight fists to hide the way they’re trembling. Massy arches a brow ridge. 

“What for?”

“I messed up your tree. I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”

They both fall silent, Four fighting to keep himself composed and his face empty. Massy is eyeing him thoughtfully. Maybe thinking of a proper punishment. Four very resolutely doesn’t allow his gaze to dart towards the pen and notebook that rest haphazardly on the branch above him, terrified to remind him that he has all the power in the world to do whatever he wants to them. 

From the ground below, he can hear his brothers shuffling and talking amongst themselves. He wonders if Massy will leave them out of it, if he begs well enough. They didn’t do anything wrong; the blame is all on Four! 

Before he can open his mouth to ask, he’s startled into silence when Massy barks a sharp little cackle. He sets himself to swinging again in a slow, hypnotic motion, and throws his arms out wide. 

“Look around you! There’s plenty more trees where this came from! Don’t sweat it.”

Four nods, and the steel band that had been slowly tightening around his chest finally releases its hold. He takes a deep breath and makes himself smile, embarrassed at the little slip in his control. From the ground, he hears Three call up to him, asking if he’s okay. He peaks down at them, giving a little wave he’s sure they’ll be able to see despite all the branches and leaves that lie between them. Three waves back, and then he turns his attention towards Massy again. 

“So, how did…you….” He trails off, eyes going wide as he realizes that the other turtle is nowhere to be found. His head whips around, eyes darting over the surrounding branches, before he finally spots a flash of yellow a few trees away. Massy waves, and Four waves back, too stunned to do much more than that. Then, with one final mischief filled grin, he sinks into the shadows and disappears. 

“Huh,” Four says out loud. 

“What is it?” Two asks, and when he looks, he sees that his brothers are crowded around the base of the tree. Two is riding on One’s shell to avoid the puddle of pitch colored ichor that’s still oozing from the trunk. They’re all okay. The sight makes him smile, easing the last remnants of fear from his chest. 

“He’s gone!” he calls, and Three rolls his eyes so hard his whole body sways with the movement. His mouth is moving like he’s muttering something mean, but Four’s too far away to hear it, so he won’t let it bother him! 

“Can you get down?” One calls, brow furrowed with concern as he stares up at him. Four scoffs, ready to wave off his concern, but then his smile falters. The ground seems really far away all of a sudden, and he can’t quite remember which branches he’d used to get up in the first place. The trunk is probably kind of slippery now, too, since it’s all wet.

His eyes scan the limbs around him, half hoping that maybe Massy had conjured up some rope before he’d left. No luck there, though. Grinning sheepishly, he presses his plastron against the trunk of the tree and hugs his arms around it as far as they’ll go. 

“Um, maybe one of you could come get me?” 

His words are met with a chorus of groans and one extra catty but smugly satisfied, “told you so!”

[happyandticklish]

The Gift of Your Laughter

Notes: I literally pulled this fic out of my ass last night for the holiday so be kind to it ;-; This fic doesn’t technically have a ton of tickling actually in it but you know what I don’t care because anticipation is more than half the fun anyway~ Happy Valentine’s Day, and enjoy a heavily flustered Levi with me~ 

Summary: Erwin knows Levi a little too well. Normally, Levi appreciates this, until it comes to a certain shared interest of theirs. 

It started with a feather, which is what clued Levi in that he wasn’t overthinking it. A brown feather with white spots speckled throughout it and black streaks curving up the inside. It glistened in the sunlight coming in from the window, perfectly innocent on his desk. Erwin—the only person it could be, the only person who had access to his office—had made sure it was placed directly in the center, not wanting Levi to be able to miss it.

He hesitated, as though something was going to pop out of it and attack him, but after a moment Levi picked it up. He pinched the stem gingerly between his fingers holding it up to the light.

Soft. Beautiful. Rare. He brushed a fingertip over the edge of it, allowing the downy tufts to kiss his skin. He wasn’t sure where Erwin would have gotten something like this. He wasn’t even aware there were birds with such elaborate designs still around. 

He looked around for a note, some sign of what it could possibly mean, but there was nothing. Just a feather and a world of questions. Levi grimaced in annoyance. He wasn’t fond of antics or surprises, and Erwin knew that. Whatever game he was playing, he wasn’t in the mood for it and he would be sure to let Erwin know the next time he saw him.

He kept the feather, though. He felt too bad not to. It was too delicate of a thing to simply throw away.

The second one came at lunch, nearly crushed by Levi before he noticed it. It was sitting on a chair, his chair, the chair he always sat at because it was isolated and far away from the noise of the cadets. This one was blue and Levi sucked in his breath helplessly. Blue. It was such an unimaginable color nowadays as the ink was far too expensive to ship in. To see it so blatantly in nature…

He picked it up, placing it carefully beside his lunch tray before continuing to eat with a growing sense of unease. He felt ridiculous for putting so much thought into it, but the gesture was so un-Erwin-like that he couldn’t help but dwell on it. There was yellow in the blue too. Probably, these were collected items from the olden years, before the Titans. It didn’t surprise him that Erwin had them, but this strange scavenger hunt method of gifting them was weird and suspicious all at once.

Finally, at feather number three, he put the pieces together.

The room was mostly Hange’s domain, part of their perverted scientific ‘experiments’ that they liked to execute. It had become less of an office at this point and more of some mad scientist lab mixed with a torture chamber. Levi was supposed to pick up some paperwork from them, but he paused when he entered the room and noticed them..

It wasn’t just feather number three. It was feather number four, five, and six as well, all four of them tied with a string that was dangling out of one of the holes in a pair of rustic stocks. The rush of air from the doorway ruffled them gently, causing them to twist and buffet in the air. Realization hit Levi at the same time that a flush crept its way up his neck and out to his ears.

Oh.

Oh. 

Thankfully Hange was absent, otherwise, Levi would have killed the both of them right then and there to cover up his oncoming embarrassment. He marched forward and snatched the feathers out of the stocks, crushing them in his hands and trying to ignore the way his heart was racing.

He tried to act casual as he made his way back to his office, one hand shoved in his pocket where he fiddled with the feathers. They felt soft. Really, really fucking soft. Anger and humiliation and something else that Levi didn’t want to put a name to rose inside of him at the ploy.

More than anything, however, he tried to stifle the creeping anticipation growing inside him. If he was right, and he sincerely doubted that he wasn’t, Erwin had planned this. Which meant Erwin was waiting, somewhere, to ambush him with this. Which meant that Levi had to choose whether or not to confront him or hide like a coward.

It really wasn’t a fair decision.

By the time he reached the door he felt jittery like he’d just pulled an all-nighter, his body tense with nervous energy.

It’s just tickling, he told himself, hand wavering over the knob. It’s just fucking tickling so get a hold of yourself. At least in your office, you’ll be safe so stop freaking out.

He pushed open the door determinedly and froze when he saw Erwin casually sitting in his chair.

“Levi.” He looked unfairly calm for how rattled Levi felt. “I see you got my message.”

He hadn’t realized he was still messing with the feathers. He stopped, pulling his hand out and glaring at him. “You’re in my spot.”

An arched brow. “You want to trade places?”

The implications of it sent a thrill running down Levi’s spine. Sitting down, strong arms wrapping around him, fingers crawling ever so softly up his sides, a voice whispering in his ear—

Instinctually, he glanced towards the open door and Erwin followed his gaze. “I’ll just catch you, you know. It would serve no purpose but to draw this out and make things worse for yourself.”

He was being so unbearably smug about this and Levi wanted to punch him for it. Instead, he settled on trying to shove down the smile begging to make itself known on his features, and focused his efforts towards survival. Erwin was right. There was no way he could outrun him even if he wanted to and right now Levi didn’t trust his body not to betray him into Erwin’s awaiting hands.

Still.

There was no way he was just gonna take this gift disguised as punishment.

Erwin’s chuckle rang out behind him as Levi bolted, an affectionate, amused sound that sent goosebumps prickling up the back of his neck. He slid around a corner, years of training kicking into gear as he expertly navigated his way through the building. He could hear Erwin pounding behind him and panic sent him flying down the stairs, skipping half a dozen steps in the process.

He knew he looked stupid as he raced past the barracks, a grown man running for his life and probably alerting half the camp while doing so, but he didn’t care. He could feel Erwin right behind him and his thoughts were betraying him as he imagined what it would be like to be caught, to be grabbed, to have his arms forced over his head—

Nope, no, not going there, not right now, now he needed to focus. Left or right. Dining hall or living quarters. Both public, both dead ends. He cursed under his breath, hesitating a bit too long as he weighed out the decision. Voices of confusion murmured behind him as soldiers recovered from the shock of their captain running for his life, and, more importantly, the last of Erwin’s boot falls landed on the stairs indicating he was catching up.

Levi flung open the bedroom door haphazardly, just barely managing to get inside before the door was shoved open once more. Levi flinched, stumbling back against the wall as Erwin calmly closed and locked the door behind him. Levi silently thanked any deity that was still be remaining that this particular room was absent at the moment.

“You shouldn’t have run.” Erwin looked more amused than annoyed, which wasn’t helping matters. “It’s impolite to turn down a gift.”

“A gift?” Levi scoffed, hating how out of breath he sounded. His gaze darted anxiously about the room, looking for any path of escape. “Is that what you’re calling this?”

Erwin arched a brow. He was taking slow, steady steps towards him that set Levi on edge. “Are you saying you don’t want it?”

“Fuck you.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Levi thinned his lips together in irritation. He could feel the heat crawling over his features and prayed that Erwin didn’t notice. He didn’t move when Erwin approached him, glaring up into his eyes as he pressed him against the wall.

Stop looking so goddamn helpless already.

“Wrists?”

Levi didn’t move, stubbornness rooting him to the spot.

“Should I make it an order?”

Levi’s gaze snapped up at him before slanting off to the side. “Cheater.”

“As if you didn’t cheat first.”

He felt positively giddy and he hated how much he loved it. Erwin had grabbed his wrists anyway, tugging them firmly up and against the wall. Levi pulled at them to check their hold—breakable, if he wanted. Which only made this worse because now Levi was forced to stand there and just endure it until Erwin had had his fill.

Levi tensed when fingers came to rest at his sides. “Erwin, the cadets.”

“What about them?” A twitch to his sides.

“They’ll hear,” Levi hissed, trying not to squirm already because god would that be embarrassing if one touch of Erwin’s hands was all it took to get to him. “They’ll hear and they’ll talk and the last thing I need is to deal with rumors about us spreading through the whole garrison.”

“Well then…” Erwin’s fingers jumped into action now, skritching and digging into Levi’s sides in a manner that made him want to crawl out of his skin. “I guess you’d better be quiet.”

Levi bit his lip, something that was horrendously close to a giggle nearly slipping past his lips. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, this was not happening, this was not happening right here, right now, not when there’s a bunch of nosy soldiers standing right outside that room forcing Levi to keep silent despite how ungodly ticklish Erwin’s nails felt against his shirt.

He kind of hated it.

He kind of loved it.

“Oh, and Levi?”

Erwin’s voice was close, his breath hitting the shell of Levi’s ears and making him scrunch his shoulders in defense. Nails slipped under his shirt to get at bare skin as a shiver rippled down Levi’s spine.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

[theinternetisaweboflies]

Gates to Heck Chapter Three

Teru woke up on his couch with a headache and dry mouth, which would have been normal enough if it weren't for the fact that someone had removed his jacket. It was folded neatly on the coffee table next to his makeup kit. Then the hushed conversation coming from the genkan finally made it past that funny ringing in his ears.

He squinted against the too-bright overhead lights and barely made out Shigeo and Reigen. Teru relaxed the yellow power that had started to build between his hands. Shigeo hadn't noticed the change in his aura. He was reaching out a hand to steady Reigen, saying something about "-the wall above the bookshelf."

Reigen was standing with one foot in the genkan and the other in the air as he tugged off a shoe. He turned around to look into the living room and would have fallen over if Shigeo hadn't steadied him. Teru shut his eyes again.

"Psycho Union… Espers…" read Reigen. Teru could hear them approaching the bookshelf. "I'm sensing a theme."

"You're right, Reigen-shishou. I didn't even notice. Maybe he's renaming the Awakening Lab." The frown was audible in Shigeo's voice. "Oh, and I accused him of-"

"I don't think so," Reigen interrupted. "They're not exactly Extermination Club material."

Teru tried to even out his breathing so it wouldn't catch when Reigen snapped his fingers and said, "Is he still doing that Kaijin thing?"

"You mean when you sent me out to patrol the city at night in tights?"

"Don't put it like that."

"I don't think so," Shigeo said slowly. "He said nothing ever happens in this city."

"Was that before or after we dismantled a psychic terrorist organization?" asked Reigen.

"Before," said Shigeo, "but… they're… dismantled now. Right, Shishou?"

"Which means the ones that didn't get arrested are probably getting bored instead. Or angry."

Shigeo sighed. "Oh, Teruki," he said, and of course, that made Teru's breath catch.

Teru opened his eyes. Reigen and Shigeo had definitely heard him. He wouldn't have been surprised if the old lady from next door had heard him.

"Hanazawa-kun, how are you feeling?" asked Shigeo, and Teru already missed the sound of his first name in that voice. At least he could blame his blush on the fever.

"Fine," he said, sitting up. "I'm sorry."

Now he could see Shigeo's frown. "What for?"

Teru hadn't intended to laugh at Shigeo. He definitely hadn't intended to laugh so hard he passed out again, but the question had caught him off guard. For one thing, it seemed like he hadn't shaken his old urabanchou status after all.

For another, he hadn't exactly formed that gang.

Three months into his middle school career, Teru had finally hit back with his powers instead of his fists and broken Edano's nose.

Edano had threatened to turn him into the principal unless Teru agreed to go on-call for any fight more serious than rock-paper-scissors. Teru doubted the impending parent-teacher conference would have a good outcome if only half of the parties were present, so he became the shadow leader of Black Vinegar Middle School. By the time Edano's nose had healed, being an urabanchou had gone to Teru's head. At least Teru could win those fights.

By then he was winning most of his fights against Claw too. He'd always been stronger than them in terms of psychic powers, but it helped that he was no longer young enough to get two black eyes from one punch.

Teru just shrugged. "What's Reigen-san doing here?"

"Mob'll have to start heading home for dinner soon," said Reigen, before Shigeo could answer. "Unless you want Outoto-kun to make that headache of yours worse."

Teru tried to glare, but his squint probably ruined the effect.

"That doesn't-"

"You have a concussion, right?" Reigen interrupted. "You're not supposed to be alone in case you slip into a coma and die."

Shigeo looked alarmed, but Teru just glared harder. "I all know about concussion checks. I can do them myself."

"You-" Whatever carefully-controlled thing Reigen was doing with his face slipped out of place, and for a moment he looked genuinely confused. "How?"

"Balance test, cognitive function, visual tracking," Teru ticked them off his fingers. "I know what I'm doing."

"That's not as comforting as you think it is." Reigen's voice was faint.

"Please listen to Shishou, Hanazawa-kun," said Shigeo. "He thinks you should go to the hospital."

"Hospital?" Teru had been starting to list back against the pillows, but at that word, he jackknifed into a sitting position. "I don't need to go to a hospital!"

Hospital trips meant phone calls to his emergency contacts, which meant phone calls to the Seasoning City Child Guidance Center when his emergency contacts didn't pick up. He'd made that mistake once before and learned most of his acting skills the hard way putting out the resulting dumpster fire.

"Seriously, kiddo," said Reigen. "You don't look so hot. I think it would be a good idea if you got checked out by someone with an actual medical degree. The cab's waiting outside, so why don't we just-"

Teru didn't mean to teleport.

One second he was on his couch, and the next he'd been dunked ass-first in a rice paddy somewhere significantly more rural than Seasoning City. Without his shoes or coat.

He felt his fever go up a couple more degrees.

[queen-of-the-avengers]

Captain Marvel: Part Three

Pairing: Carol Danvers x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.5k

Warnings: canon violence and angst

Author’s Note: For the sake of this rewrite, Howard and Maria Stark dies on December 16, 1997 instead of 1991. Tony is 23 when they die.

x

It's not easy being with someone like Vers, but as the years pass on, the dislike you have for her takes an unexpected turn. Being with the Kree is the last thing you ever want to do, but the longer you train and work with Vers, the more you want to stay with the Kree because of her.

You're not in love with her or anything like what you felt for Bucky, but you do admit to having some sort of feelings for her.

What did I tell you about using your powers? If you want to learn how to control them, then you need to learn how to fight without them," Yon-Rogg chews her ass out.

She's been taught never to use her powers but you think that's bullshit when all they ever want you to do is to use yours.

"It wasn't her fault," you speak up. You have no business butting in, but you can't let her get in trouble for using what she was given. "She didn't want to use them but I pushed it out of her. I made her use them. Punish me. Not her."

Vers stars at you when Yon-Rogg walks over to you intimidatingly. She admits only to herself that you could be something more than just her training buddy, but the last thing she's gonna do is admit it to you.

"You have some nerve doing that to her. You know why we don't allow her to use her powers."

"Sue me for thinking someone with powers should use them. How else will she learn how to control them?"

"Head to the labs. I'll be right there."

The "labs" is where they like to torture people for disobeying them. They sugarcoat the words to make it seem like they're these perfect people. Vers watches you leave with worried eyes but she keeps her mouth shut so she doesn't receive the same treatment. You're used to being tortured, so whatever Yon-Rogg can come up with is only going to amuse you.

Things stayed the same for a few years after that but your and Vers' relationship blossomed from training buddies to being actual friends. She is still the same conceited, cocky, arrogant asshole you always knew her to be but whenever she's around you, she allows herself to be someone no one else gets to see.

One of your favorite things to do is to sneak up to the roof of your building and watch the Hala sunset together. You bring all sorts of snacks while she brings a few drinks for you two to enjoy. It may have taken six years to come to this point in your relationship, but you're glad you got here.

Peter and Yondu often sneak into your head when you're not expecting them to, and you remember your promise to Peter before you left. I promise, Peter, I will come back for you. I will find my way back to you. It's been six years and you're still on Hala with Vers with no intention of leaving it. Peter had Yondu and the other Ravagers he can turn to. It wouldn't kill him if you spent a couple of more years on this planet.

"Kree isn't the best people out there, but Hala's sunsets are beautiful. It reminds me of home," you say and grab a snack.

"What was your planet like?" she asks delicately.

"It was always sunny and warm. Not too warm where it feels like your skin is melting off, but the kind of warm that when it winds, the air feels nice as it cools your skin. There were a lot of buildings but even more nature. Everywhere you looked, there was the bright color of green. When the seasons changed, the color would turn red, orange, yellow, and then brown. The oceans were so calming. They rarely ever were choppy and aggressive. The animals were so majestic and beautiful, but you really had to look for them for they loved to hide. I haven't been back in centuries. I miss it."

"Would you ever go back?"

"Only if I knew Markus was dead. I don't care how much time passes, if there is a possibility of the man who tortured me is out there, I will never return."

"I've only heard stories about Markus. What was he like?"

You can't talk about Markus and be sober, so you grab the alcohol bottle and chug half of it to get a nice buzz going.

"To everyone else, he was charming. He had everyone wrapped around his slimy little finger. He was a really good businessman, I have to admit. To me, he was a monster. No, he's what monsters fear. He wanted to rule the universe and roped my mom into being his test subject. It got so bad that she killed herself so he used me instead. Like mother, like daughter," you whisper.

Markus was lethal. He wasn't going to stop unless you showed the progress he was looking for. Once he mixed his own serum with the power of the Tesseract, there's no telling what he'll do to you. There's no telling what kind of power you'll have, but that won't stop Markus from trying to figure it out.

"Please, Markus, just stop. I'm begging you," you cried.

He walked closer to you with a red-hot iron poker in his hands. It'd been sitting in the fire for over an hour, so it'll burn anything it touches. In order to ensure you won't run away from him, he chained you to the ceiling and floor. Your arms are above your head and your ankled are shackled to the ground. It gave you a little wiggle room but not enough to escape whatever torture Markus concocted.

"Be a good girl and stay still," he commanded.

He stuck the poker onto your bare stomach, and you screamed out as loud as you can from the pain. Your body jerked from the damage, but that only encouraged Markus to press the poker harder into your skin.

There's nothing you can do but take the pain he gave you. Markus took the poker away and stared at its mark on your smooth skin. Like the many trials before, he watched your wound heal itself. The more he did this to you, the easier it got for your body to heal the wounds.

Gone was the pain but your body still shook. Your skin patched over the wound on your stomach, scarred over, then completely disappeared. This is the first time you've healed your wounds so quickly. Markus grabbed the poker and stuck it to your side once more, and you screamed out expecting to feel excruciating pain.

However, it never came.

In fact, it didn't even hurt.

You looked down with dried tears on your cheeks to see your skin glowing with fire around the site of the poker. Your body has become adapted to the flame of the poker exactly how Markus was hoping. Markus smirked, dropped the poker, and headed to the front door where his lab assistant is.

"Day seventy-two successful. Get her ready for the next one."

When Markus injected the new serum into your body, he saw the four elements flash through your body. If you can control the weather, then he can tweak the serum so that when he gives it to his army, they won't go through what you're going through now.

One down, three to go.

"No!" you gasped in enough air just before Markus' lab assistant pushed your head underwater.

He's done this fifteen times this day, but your body refused to succumb to the water. It fought hard to survive whatever Markus was planning. Every time he pulled you from the water, you tried to intake as much oxygen as you could before you were dunked back underneath the water.

"You have been fighting this for thirty days, Y/N," Markus sneered when you're pulled back above water. "Either you do what I want or I'm going to make sure you rot next to Mommy." The lab assistant pushed your head below the water again. "Make sure she breaths or else she doesn't come up."

"Yes, sir."

The assistant holds your head below water for longer than usual, and your body thrashed as you tried to get oxygen into your brain. One by one, your nerves began shutting down to conserve energy for the organs that needed it. Markus watched as you kicked and punched the air as if you could somehow fight your way to the surface. He looked at his stopwatch, and around the three-minute mark, your body went completely still. He watched and waited with his breath in his throat. Was this going to be the time that worked? Will you finally be able to control the water around you so that you can breathe and live?

Everything in your body started to shut down. When there was no more fight left in you, you felt oddly at peace. No worries, no cause for concern, no problems on your shoulders, and no Markus. You could die right here and you'd be okay with that. Then, something clicks in your brain. Your mother wouldn't want this for you. You don't want this for you.

All you needed to do was breathe, and you'll make it through another trial. Just breathe. Breathe. BREATHE!!

Your eyes flew open as you sucked in the water. Only to you, the water felt like oxygen. The water is converted into oxygen as soon as it entered your mouth. Your chest heaved as you took in deep breaths of water. The assistant let go of your head when he felt you breathing, and you pulled yourself out of the water with a deep gasp. Markus watched with greedy yet joyous eyes at this discovery.

"I hate you," you panted.

"You're doing a very good job, Y/N," he grinned. "Two down, two to go."

"I don't know how much more of this I can take. Please, Markus," you begged.

For the past couple of days, he's testing the effects of air. The worst kind of feeling in the world was not being able to breathe, and this is what Markus was going to do. He would stimulate the room so that the air in it would thin out until it became so hard to breathe. Markus watched through the two-sided glass window where he could see you but you couldn't see him.

He pressed the button that activated the vacuum that would remove the air almost completely from the room.

"Mark---"

The air immediately thinned, not allowing you to take in a lungful of air. You're on the ground with your back against the wall since you don't have enough energy to stand on your own. There were no words to describe the pain you were feeling, but Markus wasn't going to stop until he got what he wanted. The mirror in front of you only showed the torture and pain you were seeing, but also a reminder that only you had the power to stop this. Only you had the power to get back what was taken from you.

Something bubbled inside of you that busted out in a whiff of air. Suddenly, the air around you wasn't so thin. You intake a lungful of air when you could, and you fall to the ground in a fit of coughs. 

When will this end?

"I knew she would control this element the quickest," Markus says to his assistant. "Not being able to breathe must be pretty painful. Prepare the next trial."

This one was different than the other three. Markus is only allowing you one day to get this power under control since he's running a bit behind schedule. The last power you must control is rocks, soil, and stones. Basically, you needed to take the ground you walk on and control it how it moves or shapes. Until you do that, Markus would not be satisfied. 

He's placed you underground in a small room made of only rocks and dirt. It's so small that you can't even stand up all the way. You're not that claustrophobic but after six hours of being in this room, you're going a little crazy.

"Markus let me out!!" you screamed.

If you don't do something soon, you're going to die of suffocation in here. If you can will your body to breathe underwater, take the pain of a hot poker, and allow air to circulate through a room when it's been thinned, you can definitely fight your way out of this.

"What the hell does he want me to do? Create an opening and climb my way out?"

As soon as you're finished speaking, light shined from above. You stepped away from direct sunlight and saw a crack in the opening on the ceiling.

"I'll need a bigger opening than that."

The hole on top grew bigger at your words until it was big enough or you to fit through. However, there's no way for you to climb that high. If you can make a hole appear from just your thoughts, then you can create some sort of steps that leads to that hole. You touched the wall and closed your eyes as you allowed the thoughts of stairs to enter your brain.

The room began to shake and rocks started to fall to the ground to shape some kind of stairs that led all the way to the top. As soon as the ceiling was clear, you ascended the stairs slowly. You wanted them to know you were coming. When you approached the top step, you turn and see Markus, his assistant, ad a few other men on the far side of the room.

Before you have a chance to take one step, Markus pushed a button that activated the thing he stuck in your neck on day one of experimenting. Every nerve, muscle, and bone stiffened upon hearing the buzzing noise coming from it. Your body fell to the ground once it had no support system, and Markus smirked knowing he was safe from you.

"Gentlemen," he said as he walked to your still frame, "this concludes the Tesseract trials. We are now ready to begin the cloning process once we assess these minor details. We don't need our soldiers behaving the way she did now do we?"

"What are you going to do with her after this is all over, boss?"

"She's proven to me that she's capable of taking a lot more than what I've given her. Don't worry, boys, I'll find good use of her yet."

You didn't even know you were crying until Vers put her hands on your shoulders. Drinking all this alcohol wasn't such a good idea.

"I won't ever let them harm you again," Vers promises.

You turn to look at her not realizing your face is only a couple of inches away from hers. You're not sure what's in the air or if it's the romantic setting of watching the sunset, but you take a leap of faith and kiss her quickly. You're not sure if that was a good idea, but when he leans in for more, you know she's wanted this as much as you.

What you feel for Vers is nowhere close to how you felt for Bucky, but you can't keep living in the dark. You have to enjoy your life and the people that are in it, so what's the harm in dating her when there is no one else in your life to stop you?

"Wait, what does this mean?" you ask and pull away from her.

"I think you know what it means," she smiles.

"Does this mean I can sleep over in your room tonight?"

"I think it means you can sleep over in my room every night."

You two go to bed that night and cuddle until the morning.

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[the-fluffiest-trainer]

[A video is attached. It seems to be filmed by Talia, as gardevoir hands are also capable of operating the holocaster.]

[Fluttershy, Arden, Twilight, and Luna the umbreon are all together in a makeshift cuddle pile in a row of seats in the front of Sycamore's lab. Muffin sits on the back of one of the seats, while Raya the lucario paces across the floor in front of the group.]

[The camera jerks to the side as a loud thud is heard, and the frame comes to rest on the front door of the lab building. Ari, the tall, white-haired man with the scarf as seen just outside the Lumiose gates not long ago, is there, having apparently walked straight into the glass. Just behind him is a circular portal, black inside with wisps of violet, the whole thing ringed in gold. It shrinks to a point and vanishes, just in time for the man's stagger backward to not carry him through it. He takes a moment to collect himself, then pulls the door open purposefully.]

Fluttershy!

[Fluttershy looks up, and partially extricates herself from the cuddle pile. In front of her, Raya stops pacing and appears alert, sniffing, sensing the newcomer's aura, but then she calms.]

Yes? I'm sorry, this is not a good time.

I know. But listen. You are Fluttershy, yes? Yellow, wingèd, Fallen from a place without humans? And this one, purple, is Twilight Twinkle–

Sparkle.

Who loves books, and is no fun?

Excuse me?

[Twilight looks at the man, bewildered and offended. On the back of the chair, Muffin reaches out one paw to gently bat at her mane.]

Ari, what is this?

I have not found what I seek. The one I have searched for, for so long, ever following my friend's guidance in where to look next. And I have realized that, perhaps, in his mind, there were always two searches to carry out.

[Ari unwinds his green scarf, revealing a chain around his neck like an exceptionally heavy necklace. The end of it disappears through a golden ring, so if there is anything attached to the chain, it is through the strange black portal and cannot be seen. He grabs the ring, letting his fingers curl through the portal, and raises it to speak into the blackness.]

It is her. You were right. You knew this day would come all along, didn't you, old friend?

What's going on? Who are you talking to?

[Fluttershy stands up from the cuddle pile and takes a few steps forward, ending up next to Raya. As she moves, another golden ring appears in the air and grows to two feet across, showing nothing but darkness and a thin purple mist inside.]

[A pokemon flies out of the portal: small, imp-like, colored gray and pink, with more rings around its waist and around the horns at the side of its head. Its two arms are disconnected from its body and float by its sides. Behind it, the portal shuts.]

Well, well, well, if it isn't Fluttershy, in the flesh! And Twilight too, how... delightful...

[The pokemon's tone is noticeably sarcastic on this last word.]

You... you sound just like–

Now, now, Fluttershy, it's rude to interrupt. Greetings, my little ponies! My name is Hoopa. Also known, formerly, as Discord. Or if we want to go really far back, also once known as Q, but there's no need to get into all those sordid details, now.

Discord?

Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten, that would spoil all the fun. I was there with the rest of you when Tirek murdered us all, remember? It wasn't just you ponies. I got dropped here, turned into a pokemon – curious that you two weren't, actually – and after three millennia I really must say, Fluttershy...

What took you so long?

[Video ends.]

[introverted-author]

Arla

Emily gets a service dog. JJ is allergic | Written for @prentiss-theorem bingo. Fulfills the prompt 'Maybe I'm allergic to them?'

Emily didn’t think that she had ever experienced this level of anxiety. As she sat in the small room with her wife JJ right beside her, she couldn’t stop the thoughts racing in her head.

Will they be a boy or a girl? Black lab or yellow lab? What colour will their eyes be? Will I like their name? Please let me like their name!

Things had gotten really bad for her after the Doyle case. She hadn’t been able to leave the house, let alone work. And when JJ had suggested a service dog, everything had fallen into place. Emily had been waiting for a service dog for her PTSD for two years. And in just a few short minutes, she would finally be meeting her new partner.

All of these thoughts and more sped through her brain and she was aware of how stupidly nervous she was and the fact that she would probably be crying as soon as she saw them. JJ was gently running her thumb along Emily’s knuckles, doing her best to soothe her wife’s anxieties. It was times like these when Emily was so grateful to have JJ at her side.

After what felt like both a millenia and ten seconds, the door clicked open and in walked a trainer and the most beautiful golden Labrador that Emily had ever laid her eyes on. As soon as the trainer led the lab over, they were up on two paws, leaning on Emily’s lap as they butted their head into Emily’s chest.

“Her name is Arla,” the trainer said, looking on with a fond smile as Emily lost herself in golden fur and deep brown eyes.

“Hi Arla,” Emily beamed, high in the clouds as she doted on the materialisation of dreams that had taken far too long to come true. Emily didn’t know how long the two of them played, tears of elation trickling down Emily’s cheeks.

…

JJ didn’t seem to be able to stop sneezing.

They had been home for a few nights with Arla after an intense week of training. JJ had taken the next month off of work at the BAU to help Arla settle in. And everytime that Arla was on JJ’s lap, she broke out in a fit of sneezes.

“Your eyes are really red Jayje,” Emily commented with trepidation from the armchair opposing the couch. “Are you okay?”

JJ sniffled, wiped her watery eyes and said, “... I think I might be allergic to Arla.”

“Oh no. Jayje, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were allergic to dogs otherwise-”

“Em, relax,” JJ said, holding up her hands. “I didn’t know that I was allergic either. And it’s really not that bad-”

“You have snot dripping from your nose.”

Emily laughed as JJ panicked, frantically snatching a tissue from the box on the coffee table and blowing her nose.

“You never saw that!” JJ exclaimed as Emily laughed, enjoying her wife’s embarrassment.

“But seriously,” JJ started. “What should we do about Arla?”

“We could call Reid? He might have some ideas.”

“Whatever happened to Google?”

“You know Reid is more accurate than Google could ever be. Besides, if he doesn’t ramble at least once a day he’ll explode in a blast of neurodivergent glory.”

JJ shrugged and nodded, continuing to allow Arla to lie on her lap despite the increasingly apparent consequences. Emily took her phone from the coffee table and was quick to find Reid’s contact and press the call button.

“Hey Reid,” Emily smiled when the doctor picked up after only a few rings. “How’s it going? Got a case?”

“No, today’s a paperwork day,” Reid said, switching on the FaceTime feature and beaming as Emily appeared on his screen. Reid preferred FaceTimes as he found it easier to pick up on the other person’s emotions when he could see them. “I haven’t seen you in a week and three days! We’ve all missed you and JJ. How is Arla? I cannot wait to meet her!”

“Arla’s good,” Emily flipped the camera around to show Arla and JJ. JJ’s face brightened up and she waved before being interrupted by another sneeze.

“Is JJ okay?” Reid asked as Emily turned the camera back to herself. “It looks like she might have a cold or allergic rhinitis.”

“We think that JJ might be allergic to Arla. We thought we should ring you to get your verdict.”

“Emily, I’m not a medical doctor.”

“But you are better than every search engine combined.”

Reid laughed at that, nodding. “Well, I would recommend going to a doctor - a doctor who is qualified in the medical field, Emily. They can diagnose JJ and provide you with a treatment plan which will likely consist of taking antihistamines or even immunotherapy. But given that the symptoms that JJ is experiencing are relatively mild, antihistamines will probably be all that she requires.”

“Thanks Reid!” JJ called from the couch, groaning as she sneezed again.

“No problem. But for now you might want to separate yourself from Arla.”

JJ sighed in disappointment before Emily called the lab over to herself. JJ laughed as she watched Arla climb right up into her wife’s lap.

“We’ll see you in a few weeks Reid,” Emily said, knowing that Reid didn’t have long until he would get in trouble with Hotch for having a personal phone call - no matter who it was from.

“See you Emily.”

And with that Emily’s phone returned to her home screen. Emily was quick to open up Google and make an appointment with their GP for a few days' time.

…

The GP had referred JJ to an allergy clinic and it wasn’t until they were both back at work and Arla was settled into the team that the appointment occurred. A skin prick test confirmed that yes, JJ was allergic to dogs. However, the allergist was happy to inform the couple that JJ’s symptoms could be easily treated with some prescription medication that the allergist was quick to prescribe.

As soon as JJ began taking the medication, she found that her symptoms faded away and she could happily lavish love on Arla as much as she desired without a single sneeze. There had been a few hiccups along the way but now the Prentiss-Jareaus were an unstoppable team.

[rj-drive-in]

Moth To The Flame Department:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep....

THE CAMPFIRE © 2024 by Rick Hutchins

In the darkest hour of the endless night, in the deepest tract of the primeval forest, under a black and moonless sky sprinkled only faintly with cold stars, the campfire was a warm and yellow beacon.

It was visible for miles and Sumalee had been stumbling toward it for hours through the thick and pathless underbrush. Her face and arms were scratched from the branches, her legs bruised black and blue from the rocks and fallen trees. She trembled and shook violently from hunger and nervous exhaustion as she struggled through the thickets. She had been separated from her friends since before sunset.

“Get me out of here, please, get me out of here,” she cried huskily, despair mixing with frustration and anger. “I am so fucking sick of this shit. I just want to go home!”

Hiking in the Berkshires with her new friends from the physics lab had seemed like such a great idea. Amherst had totally changed her life. It seemed like every day brought her the opportunity to do something she had never done before. What had gone wrong? How had she gotten separated from the other kids? She didn’t even know.

The campfire was close now; it seemed like it was just a few feet away. She ducked under a low-hanging branch, pushed through bramble bushes that tore divots out of her jeans and sweatshirt. A clearing became visible, painted in flickering yellow light and dancing shadows.

“Come on,” she sobbed. “Oh, come on….”

As she got nearer, she could make out steadier shadows blocking the firelight. Three of them. Silhouettes of people sitting around the fire.

“Thank god,” she said. “Help me, please, help me.” But her voice was too dry, thin and husky to be heard, a dehydrated whisper.

Finally, she broke through the edge of the forest and stumbled into the clearing, dropping to her knees, sobbing. These people would have water, food, a map, a cell phone. She could already feel the warmth of the campfire against her cold and clammy skin.

“I need some help here,” she shouted hoarsely, crying and trembling on hands and knees.

After a few moments, she realized that nobody was rushing to her aid. She looked up, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her dirty hand. Three people, dressed warmly against the night chill, sat on logs arranged around the campfire. They were as still and silent as statues.

“Excuse me…?”

Confusion flickered through her mind. Were they meditating? Praying? Had she stumbled onto some bizarre religious camp or outing? These questions were followed by even more disturbing thoughts of cults, inbred backwoods families and cannibal bikers flashing through the back of her head.

Slowly, cautiously, she rose to her feet.

“Hello…?”

She stepped hesitantly forward, hugging herself, tiptoeing, as if afraid to wake these people from their slumber. The grass and leaves beneath her hiking boots were dry and brittle and crunched softly in harmony with the brisk crackling of the campfire.

Four logs had been set up in a circle around the campfire as benches. Two of the people, in heavy plaid coats-- a middle-aged man and woman by the look of them-- sat side by side with their backs to Sumalee. The third person sat alone on the other side of the fire, head down, dressed in a dungaree jacket over a bulky black sweatshirt and wearing a dark blue knit stocking cap.

The fire threw off a lot of heat; they didn’t need to be dressed so warmly.

Sumalee stepped up to the edge of the circle of logs and still nobody moved. But from this distance she had a better view of the face of the man on the other side of the campfire, and he looked like hell. Like death warmed over, thought Sumalee. Literally.

His skin was as gray and cracked as a dry old newspaper, his cheeks and eye sockets sunken and hollow. She realized that, under his bulky clothes, he was as emaciated as an ancient Egyptian mummy.

Now she realized what was going on, and she put her hand to her mouth as a wave of pity ran through her. These people were patients from that cancer clinic in Farmington; part of their holistic therapy included camping retreats, reconnecting with nature.

She took another step closer. “I’m sorry,” she said, both for the intrusion and the terrible….

And then she saw the human bones.

A chill of horror raced up her spine and curdled her stomach, and she swayed with vertigo. She wanted to step backward, turn and run back into the woods, but she was rooted to the spot.

Scattered on the ground, both inside and outside the circle of logs, were ribs, femurs, vertebrae, pelvises. Skulls. Tattered shreds of clothing, rotten and dirty, lay among them. Some of the bones were black and cracked with age, mingled with the dirt and grass; some were gray and smooth, only recently picked clean.

“Holy fuck,” she gasped, her voice breaking. “Holy fucking shit. Oh my fucking god.”

She put her hands to her face, like in the Munch painting, the blood pounding dizzily in her temples, and she felt on the verge of passing out. Her eyes, wide and white, scanned back and forth over the bones, the logs, the stone-circled campfire, the pitiful sitting figures. Did that clinic just leave them here to die? Was this some horrible scandal that she had stumbled upon, some cost-saving measure, some inhuman disposal of the homeless, the unwanted, or the uninsured?

Then, as her eyes once again fell upon the wizened man in the stocking cap, he seemed to fold into himself; turning, twisting, he slowly toppled to the side and struck the ground with a limp thud, slack and dead.

“Oh, no,” sobbed Sumalee, tears bursting from her eyes. “Oh my god….”

But still she didn’t run; instead, she stumbled forward on shaking knees and sat down unsteadily on one of the logs. What the fuck am I doing? she thought. I have to get the fuck out of here.

If this was some horrid human disposal ground where the hopeless were left to rot and die, she could be in immediate danger. If they came back while she was here, what would they do? Kill her? Imprison her? They couldn’t just let her go and tell what she had seen.

As soon as she steadied herself, as soon as she could stop her legs from shaking, she had to get up and go. There had to be a road nearby for the clinic to use to bring these patients up here. She could follow that to find the way back to civilization. As soon as she felt steady. But the woods were cold and dark, and the firelight was warm against her face….

The campfire! Holy shit! They wouldn’t just go away and leave the campfire burning like this. They had to be right nearby. They could return at any second, find her here, catch her.

But still she didn’t move.

I’m in shock, she realized with sudden dispassionate insight. Fear, exhaustion, exposure, hunger, dehydration-- and now this horror. Definitely shock, no doubt about it. Good god, this was a nightmare; anybody would have a breakdown.

And still she didn’t move.

There was something odd about the campfire, Sumalee thought as she watched it burn steadily, serenely, hypnotically. Something odd about the texture, the edges, something strange about the way it overlapped the circle of stones.

And why would the clinic dress up their patients in hiking clothes to dump them here? These weren’t patients. These were people who had wandered into the clearing, just as she had.

Something odd about the campfire, she thought, staring at it intently.

She looked across the fire at the other two people sitting on the log. A man and a woman, their hair wispy gray, sitting shoulder to shoulder, the fingers of his right and her left hand intertwined. They wore matching red plaid jackets and brown hats with ear flaps. They had been elderly in life, an old married couple. Now they were gray, shriveled, parchment-skinned mummies.

Staring at the fire.

And still she didn’t move.

Sumalee realized at that moment that the campfire was never going to let her go. It was keeping her here, feeding on her, eating her from the inside out, just as it had done with these people who were now just dry dead bones. It had lured them in with its friendly yellow glow, promising warmth and protection and companionship and it had never let them go.

What the fuck was it? She stared at it as it flickered and danced and crackled, rose and fell, sent glowing orange embers floating up to fade in the cool night air, and tried to penetrate its strangeness. It looked like a normal fire and yet-- animated. Self contained. Fluid. Smeared at the edges like something in a bad old videotape.

Was it some vampiric energy being from outer space that feeds on life energy, like on Star Trek? Maybe that was it. Maybe it was some clump of exotic particles that had gotten caught in Earth’s gravity well, some quark-gluon soup or packet of strange dark matter that was incompatible with the standard variety and wreaked havoc with cell activity, like a sunspot causing radio static.

Sure, thought Sumalee sardonically. My first month in the physics lab and I just happen to wander into the woods and stumble on an unpredicted physical phenomenon that fell to Earth. Not too much of a coincidence.

Maybe it was just fucking haunted.

Somehow she had to free herself, get away from this thing before it killed her. But she didn’t know where to begin. There was no force holding her, no compulsion to stay, no voice in her head telling her what to do.

She just wasn’t getting up.

Panic began to rise and she fought it back down. It will be all right, she told herself. It will be all right. Kim and Jerry and Maureen were still out there looking for her and they had probably gotten help by now and any minute they would pile out of the woods and grab her and drag her to safety and the campfire would die and the credits would roll.

She began to cry.

Closing her eyes might help, she reasoned; if she couldn’t see the fire, or whatever it was, it couldn’t affect her. But its erratic, gentle rhythms could still be seen through her eyelids, red instead of yellow, outlining a delicate pattern of blue veins. The pulse of the firelight and the pulse of her blood combined to create swirls of phosphenes, like splashes of bright paint, like galaxies and nebulae exploding in the dark, like fireworks, beautiful fireworks.

She had seen the fireworks at the Esplanade in Boston a couple of years ago with her mother and father and brother and her best friend Nicole. Her father had let Nicole come with them and had even let the girls have their own room at the hotel in Braintree. She and Nicole had ordered chicken strips and French fries from room service and her father had been furious; room service was expensive and he had already spent too much. He had yelled at her and she had yelled back, but she had been sorry and mad at herself. She hadn’t meant to cause him any problems, hadn’t meant to upset him after he had been so generous; she had never told him how sorry she was.

Sumalee opened her eyes. Time had passed, but she didn’t know how much.

The bodies of the old couple had fallen over backwards. She could only see their baggy trousers, tucked into their hiking boots, hooked over the log where they had sat.

Everything seemed muted and quiet, colors were dim and washed out, sounds were distant and hollow. She didn’t want to die, but she knew she was already more dead than alive. Her mouth was dry, her lips cracked and her throat constricted; she didn’t have the strength to swallow. She could barely feel the heat from the campfire on her face.

I’m sorry I ordered the chicken strips, Daddy, she thought calmly. I’m sorry I’m dead. I know you would save me if you could.

Eventually, she slumped forward onto the ground, face down in the bones.

And the campfire continued to burn, and its brittle crackling sounded like cruel laughter.

[adambrainrot]

@things-arent-what-they-seem66

Now, to the ask, I sent...

If you saw my AU page/pinned post.. you probably have gotten that I had an Undertale phase (and yes, I won't hide it) and I still sometimes check out fan made stuff for the game (and waiting for next chapter of Deltarune to come out...)

This year has been VERY fruitfull for the gaming side of community, as three big games were released in literally first few months of that year... two of which were updates for TS!Underswap and Deltatraveler... and third is long awaited Undertale Yellow, which is where I go off here.

For a bit of background, just so we're on same page, if you aren't into it... on it's own, Undertale Yellow is a fan made prequel to Undertale, exploring adventures of previous human to Frisk, human of yellow soul (also known as soul of Justice), ingame name is Clover (they/them).

I won't go deep into adventures, because... spoilers, but can give deeper, if you'd like to. But at one point, Clover gets into a typical Wild West type town, run by a group of people, that call themselves "Fiesty five", and, as a human is a HUGE deal within the Underground, the serif of the five, North Star (or Starlo as we learn later on), wants them to join the team, that's how we meet Ceroba, another character of this part of our adventure and one we will be traveling later on.

Ceroba is right away stands out of the crowd as everything in cowboys and Wild West style, while Ceroba herself is based on Japanese's fox-live creature. When Clover first leaves the bar to explore the town, Ceroba meets and encourages them to play along with Starlo, given that they're the first human to ever show up in their town. This right away gives us idea of their bond and that they knew each other for quite awhile, that later on confirmed more than once. If to talk to bartender, she tells that Ceroba used often bring her daughter, Kanako, around, but then she mentions that it's been awhile since she saw Kanako.

After some plot development, we're met on scene with Sarlo and Ceroba behind their childhood home, that has entrance to old lab, Ceroba's husband and Kanako's father, Chujin, used to work at. At this point, we have some mentions that something happened in Ceroba's family, but here we get that insight from Sarlo, as he says Kanako has fallen down recently (a coma-like state, a monster enters before they die and turn into dust), but Ceroba says that it's not all truth. That she sent Kanako to the royal scientist, who wanted to use fallen down monsters to gather enough of soul power from them to break the barrier. She says that she still feels her soul, so she wants to go down there and see what has happened to her daughter. But she needs somebody's help down there and, since Sarlo is busy (plot reasons that I don't want to get into-), but he's not much of help here, so Clover is the one to join her.

And that's how their decent begins.

Honestly, Ceroba's story is my favorite one of the game, and I love her character as well. She's a good friend, devoted wife and loving mother. She is flawed, as it revealed later on, but who isn't? Her story line can be summarized in "Learn to live with your mistakes, there are always people, who care about you and are willing to help you". Yeah, we never got a clear conclusion to Kanako's story... but I do hope she eventually got her reunion with her mother once Frisk comes around in Pacifist ending (after Ceroba finished beating Alphys up-).

And so... now that Hazbin AU, I told you about... it's basically the Ceroba and Clover story... but with Sera as Ceroba and Lucifer (or whoever will be in that role) as Clover. Adam is Kanako (also, VERY tempted to make it into yet another Eden twins situation and throw in Lilith too...)

I got this idea while listening to Ceroba's battle theme, that I think would do good as an AU's name...

For now, I call this AU... "A mother's love"