#this is a leopold hate zone

[vonbergerpants]

What's your opinion on Caspar father if you don't mind because DEAR GOD I HATE THAT GUY

Hoo boy if anyone came in here expecting me to be a Leopold Apologist, they will be SORELY disappointed. This is a Leopold Hate Zone.

So! It's time for another essay!

Caspar's been gaslit to believe that his father is a great man, brave and powerful, fearless and to be feared, a fair and just man to his soldiers and deserving of utmost respect for his accomplishments, but shows classic signs of ignoring everything about him that makes him a terrible father, regardless of his status as a military man.

To place his son's value based on how well he fights is exactly what kept Caspar believing that fighting is literally all he's good for if all he's ever known is "I have to keep getting stronger just to prove myself" and that mindset starts with his father treating him as a soldier from infancy. Because he's known nothing but training and fighting, he believes he can't do anything else, even though we all know full well he's fully capable of trying.

He doesn't even know what to do with himself if he can't be relied on for his fighting ability, and then he deflects with more of his developed habit of training non-stop to the point of exhaustion!

Speaking of his training, how is it okay to force your kid to do insane training exercises that are considered ridiculous, to the point where he's even doing night training?

It's no wonder people think training's all he cares about, because he's been enduring it like THIS since he was a child and it's all he's been taught to do non-stop! Breaking away from that does nothing but good for him because he deserves a break, and we know he won't accept one.

Yes, in Hopes, Azure Gleam shows a hint of Leopold showing his care for Caspar by telling him he sent him to the Academy to give him his own future (please correct me if I'm wrong on this ; this is what I've heard, I haven't played AG because Caspar's fate there makes me far too sad), but don't think I forgot about 3H canon where all he did was ask Caspar about how his training is going, and not... you know, how he's doing???

Leopold doesn't know how to treat his son like a father should. He only knows how to treat him like a soldier. And I know that I'm placing my opinion on him based on modern standards, and let's face it, by that standard, most dads in this game aren't great. This includes Waldemar, I have my own separate opinion of him (spoiler: it's not a positive one). But I'm still allowed to hate what Leopold's mindset towards his son did to Caspar's development as a character (see my longpost about what breaking from the Empire does for him - his positive growth outside of Crimson Flower includes having to break away from his father).

Caspar doesn't even fully realize the implications of his father's actions unless he spends time at the Officer's Academy, where he learns for the first time of what Leopold's done to Petra's father. Where he weighs his own self-worth because he learns about it and sees it for what it is; a tragedy, which he believes he himself should weigh the burden of guilt for. This is where Caspar starts to see the cracks in his image of his father (and anything before it could be straight-up denial, but that's all headcanon), but those cracks conveniently go away once he follows the CF route.

And let's not forget the fact that he owns a grounding charm, an item specifically made to calm his anxiety towards thunderstorms. Where did that fear come from? Leopold. He literally gave Caspar a fear response to thunderstorms.

Leopold is a good general. He is NOT a good father.

In conclusion:

Leopold: I raised a perfectly good soldier.

Me: You raised a kid with self-worth issues is what you did. Look at him, he's got anxiety.

[gregorygerwitz]

What do you mean about fate and FS and Moustead?

Hello! Thank you for falling for my lil trap!

There is so much because I'm longwinded, have fun with this I got too excited getting to put this all into words.

I've been against using "fate" as an argument for FitzSimmons, specifically, since... 2017? Yeah, that's when that half of s4 aired. I'll give you a SparkNotes version, for anyone who didn't watch Agents of SHIELD - Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons, who I do love as a ship in the early seasons, I have nothing against the ship specifically, just the "they're fated to be together" argument. They met at the SHIELD academy when they were kids, when Jemma sat next to Fitz in a class and they became... friends? They both thought the other hated them and they were gonna be rivals, while secretly admired each other and how smart they were the whole time. Anyway, now they're married and have a daughter, which is cute as shit, good for them, this is not an anti-FitzSimmons post.

I don't think they're fated to be together.

I use the Framework-created alternate reality to make this point every time. In that reality, Ophelia is the one who sat next to Leopold, and that butterfly effects into them being in a relationship down the line. Ophelia specifically set it up to be that way, I get that, I know that's how the Framework arc worked. My username was HoldenDadcliffe across most social media for 4 years, I know what I'm talking about. But the argument could be made that Fitz would have ended up with anyone who sat next to him in class and engaged with him, whether as a friend or a presumed rival or what have you. That's the only point I want to make. It could have been anyone. In the real world, it was Jemma. In the Framework, it was Ophelia. It could have been Matt, my Bruises Verse OC, it could have been anyone. It was the situation that brought them together, not the universe. That doesn't make the relationship any less important or genuine, it's just a fact.

Anyway, I would argue that Moustead is fated to be in each other's lives, especially if we take the possibilities in Bolivia into account. Not necessarily in a romantic way, because soulmates, or whatever you want to call it, don't have to be romantic. I just think they're meant to exist in the world together, and the universe seems to be encouraging that.

For instance, in Afghanistan, Jay did make friends with Knox first. In canon. They were close, they built explosives together, had to rely on each other to survive, the whole nine yards. They were halfway around the world with only their team to count on and trust. They had to be a family to stay alive. And then Knox did everything he did, and that friendship was obviously completely ruined after that, which meant that one of Jay's most important relationships at the time was just... decimated. He had to find someone who he could actually rely on, someone who wouldn't murder civilians because he wasn't taught to handle his emotions in a healthy way.

Mouse wasn't exactly handling his emotions in a healthy way, either, but at least his poor coping mechanisms didn't have a civilian body count, you know? Like, the only person he hurts is himself? It's fine, he gets better, eventually. But the idea of the universe seeing Jay make a friend, and going "wait, no, not that one, come back here" is just so... *chef's kiss* It's just a coincidence, at that point, but there sure are a lot of coincidences, aren't there?

He gets attached to the one other person from Chicago. The one other person who survived that war zone with him. The one person who kept him sane - who he also kept sane - when they got home and had to navigate civilian life again.

They just work, you know? They balance each other out in so many ways. Jay is absolutely driven by his heart - he wants to help people, he wants to put good into the world and take bad out, he wants to fall in love and have a constant presence in his life. On the other hand, Mouse is driven by his head - he's so smart, and he uses that to learn about computers and the world around him, and he has great ideas. They both rely on those opposites so much that it hurts them. Jay holds onto relationships until they tear him apart. Mouse thinks things through so much that he had to turn to drugs to keep himself from unraveling.

They even go so far as to completely reject those opposites in themselves. If Jay used his head, he'd know to let go of relationships and connections long before they hurt him the way the do. If Mouse used his heart, he'd be less untethered, he'd have more connections to his Chicago life than just Jay. Of course, all of my labels for them are just headcanons, but Jay being aspec and Mouse being arospec adds to this so beautifully.

Even if it is all coincidence, that balance is so important to their relationship. If one goes too far, the other can pull them back, and they really make up one fully functional human being together. They share a braincell, for sure, and Mouse usually has it. Jay certainly didn't have it in s5, that's a fact.

I think, with Jay leaving the show - and rehashing the same speech that Mouse gave him with only slightly different wording - the universe might be pushing them together again? Obviously, canon hasn't mentioned Mouse since s4, and we're never going to know if they're actually serving their country together again, but I can pretend. I can pretend that the person Jay called his best friend is still in his life, somehow.

But especially with how s9 went, and that whole year leading up to Jay leaving for Bolivia...

Even just starting with the Knox episode, 9x03, that had to bring up memories that he hasn't thought about in a while. I'm almost certain that he came across a few pictures of Mouse while he was doing his digging, even if we didn't get to seem them on screen.

After that, I want to bring up 9x09. Lovingly, the rushed marriage episode. (I love Upstead, but their romance arc was rushed and if they, the writers, had taken the time to develop the relationship more, they could have navigated the distance much more easily, or at least put off the actual wedding until Jay made his way through his crisis and they were both in a more stable place, but that's just my opinion and not the point of this post, ignore me) I just think about that episode a lot in a Moustead context because of what made Jay panic and rush into it like that. They had to get the FBI off of Voight and Hailey, obviously, but the steps they took had to be personal to him, at least in the context of his friendship with Mouse. A young, queer-coded drug addict, who was the same age that Mouse was when they met, using him and this weakness (that Jay canonically doesn't judge, he literally gave Mouse drug money in s1) and holding that over his brother as leverage, it's... He saw the lowest point of his best friend's life right in front of his face, something that he couldn't fix before and can't fix now, and Jay...

Jay, who just wants to help people, and put some more good into the world, and fix things because he hasn't had much control in his life and now he's older and stronger and he can do something. He used this intimate knowledge he has of people in that situation for his own personal gain, in a way, and doesn't that make him feel so dirty? But he can't think about it too hard, because he's not the one who uses his head. Mouse is his head, the one who would have actually said out loud how stupid and reckless and horrible that idea was and how they shouldn't do it. Because it was exploiting a literal child, who didn't do anything wrong beyond giving into vices. But Jay... Jay is the heart. He finds someone he cares about and he holds on so tight. And he was already engaged to Hailey, so what's the harm in moving the wedding up?

He'd already lost the person he'd been thinking about for months, and it's not like he could just call and ask Mouse to come back to Chicago, not after how things ended. But he could hold onto the people he loved who were close. He could turn an engagement into a marriage. He could insert himself further into Voight's bullshit. He could cement himself in the team and focus on what he had, not what he missed.

Then there was Adam's undercover thing, and the overdose, and even if November 2011, specifically, is from my headcanons, how many times did Jay worry? How many times did he text or call or pop by to make sure that Mouse was high but not in danger? How much did he check in after Mouse's multiple felonies and other petty crimes and make sure he was okay and alive? How many times did Jay have to worry, over their 10+ year friendship, that he'd lost someone he cares about so much?

And then there's s10, with his exit, and that entire episode doing the exact same thing to me, emotionally. 10x03, my beloved, my ride or die, my defining moment... A veteran is doing his best, getting pulled into crime just to pull himself afloat, getting hurt and getting himself killed through that. Isn't that something Jay has seen before? Just with a less tragic finale? Of course he helped clear up the guy's record, so that his family could still get the benefits, and all of that wasn't done for nothing. And then...

He left. He went back to the army, however loosely, basically quoted Mouse's reasons for why - because how else would he explain it? The logic is sound, of course it is, the head handles the logic. Jay just followed the logic laid out for him six years earlier, when his heart finally caught up with it.

And the idea that they somehow ended up in the same area again? Working together and rekindling their friendship now that they're finally on the same page? What else could that be?

It's fate.

[lovelybunn]

coloring book ᥫ᭡ ˖ ೃ࿔

pt. one (pt. two coming soon!)

pairing: kenny mccormick & leopold "butters" scotch

warning(s): mentions of abuse, mentions of bullying, slight (?) angst, swearing

summary: butters got in trouble with his parents, again, so he stays in his room and colors in his coloring book, one of his favorite coping mechanisms. suddenly kenny shows up, and things get a little... emotional.

word count: 2,633

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ㅤ“I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in my house. Stay in your room, and don’t dare come out unless I tell you to, son.” Stephen Scotch, Butters' father, howled at him before slamming the door shut. He was grounded from everything. No tv, no video games, no phone, no Nintendo switch, for a full two months. All because he drank Eric’s “special lemonade”, or so Eric called it, for a week. The drink was harmless, Butters didn’t understand why his father was so angry at him. Although, he had to admit the lemonade was a bit… salty. Butters didn’t question it, of course. Eric was just being a nice friend. He allowed Butters to have something for free, without asking for anything in return. It was very rare in Eric’s nature to be so giving, but Butters was very welcoming of the shift of personality.

Sometimes Butters wished he could read his parent’s minds, so he could know what upset them and what made them happy. But so far, in all of his 10 years of living on this earth, it didn’t seem like anything that Butters did made his parents happy. He felt like a burden, just another thing that they had to deal with.

Butters sighed, flopped on his back, spread-eagle across his bed.”Welp, it’s not like I can do anything now. I can’t leave my room.” He stared up at his pale blue ceiling, zoning out. The room was silent, the only sound was the slow, light exhale and inhale from Butters’ still form. Ten seconds passed, and Butters sat up and crossed his arms. He pouted in frustration. “I’m bored. Y’know, I’d rather do chores all day than just sit here and do nothing.” Butters looked around his room, absorbing its atmosphere. His eyes trailed toward the “Panda Mania” poster across from his nightstand. He smiled. “I love pandas. They're such silly lil fellas.” Suddenly, Butters heard a tiny little squeak from the cage on his nightstand. His hamster pawed at the glass, desperate for its owner’s attention.

“Awe, hey Baby Chaos! You need some water? Food?” Butters giggled to himself, picking up his hamster. “Maybe you just need some good ol’ cuddles!” He plopped himself back on his bed, legs criss-cross. The tiny furry creature laid peacefully in his lap. Butters petted at Baby Chaos with two of his fingers, gentle enough not to hurt the little thing. “Yeah, I know. We all need some love sometimes.”

Suddenly, the hamster skidded out of Butters’ lap and onto the floor with a loud thud. Butters gasped. “Oh golly! Are you okay, friend?” He rushed over and tried to check to see if she was injured, but B.C. just turned herself back around from her back and kept moving. “Hey-” Butters started, chasing it on all fours, “Come back here, girlie!” He kept crawling toward B. C. until she stopped in front of one of his shelves filled with toys.

Butters scooped up his pet and glanced at her, confused. “What’s over here that you wanted to show me, honey bunches of oats? We can play if you want!” She twisted around in his palms and pointed with her head to a paper back on top of the shelf. He slowly walked toward it and placed Baby Chaos down next to the book. There was a pack full of crayons right behind her fluffy body. Butters’ eyes practically popped out of their sockets. “You’re a genius!” His eyebrows furrowed, arms lazily rested at his sides. “Wait, what does that mean again?” He waved his hand dismissively, “Ah, it doesn’t matter.” Butters grabbed the book and box, leaving his arm out for Baby Chaos to climb up it and onto his shoulder. “Thanks, friend! You know how much I hate sitting still for too long!” As he walked back to his bed, the hamster nestled against the crook of Butters’ neck. Butters placed the coloring book and crayons in between his legs. Both of his legs laid out straight, almost taking up half of the bed’s space.

“Wow, I haven’t used this since I was a wee little boy. It’s crazy how I still have this. Mom and Dad musta forgot about it, I’m sure if they knew I had this, they’d take it away faster than I can say ‘dingle berry’.” He flipped the book and opened it up to a random page. He smiled brightly at the colorless lineart. It was of a bouquet of tulips, one of Butters' favorite flowers. “I know what to do with this. It’ll take a while for sure, though.”

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⊹ ੈ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — ₊ ˎˊ˗

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Little Baby Chaos had fallen asleep long before Butters had expected, so he put her back in her cage to nap peacefully. She would be appreciative to be able to rest without the constant shifting of bodyweight from Butters; he simply couldn’t find a general position to sit in.

Butters put down the mass of crayons in his hand and took a moment to admire his work. It wasn’t finished yet, but his wrist was getting tired from coloring so much. Thirty minutes had passed since he started, yet only the petals were colored. The tulips were a bright, almost blinding shade of yellow with hints of orange speckled here and there. They were all so pretty already, it made Butters smile. “Ah shucks, I wish we grew tulips here in this town. It’d make everyone a lot more happier, I think.” He shrugged, then turned his body to lay on his stomach. Butters lifted his legs in the air and kicked them back and forth. With one hand being used to rest his head, his free one grabbed a forest green and started scribbling around the very end of the stems. Suddenly, Butters accidentally colored outside the lines.

He flipped onto his back and covered his face with his hands. “Dang-nabbit! Just when I think I’m doing good…” Butters groaned in irritation. He sat back up and quickly ruffled his fingers through his hair. “Come on, Butters, get it together. You didn’t mess anything up, its still pretty! Don’t give up now, You’re almost finished!”

Butters sighed heavily. He grabbed all his supplies with the coloring book and leaned against his charcoal bedframe. Butters then picked up the green crayon and went back to work, the coloring book placed carefully on his lifted lap. He was deep in concentration, focusing intensely on the lines around the drawing of the bouquet. “There it goes… Just one more little scribble–”

Tap-tap.

Butters whipped his head toward the sound, slightly startled. It came from his window. Butters grabbed the nearest object to use to defend himself, the coloring book (mainly because it was already in his lap). He held the newfound weapon at the ready, cautiously edging closer to the window.

Tap-Tap!

It was louder this time, causing Butters to flinch. He bit back a scream, he didn’t want to get into any more trouble than he already was with his parents. “Who’s there? Show yourself, or else… or else I’ll–” He stopped, feet glued onto the floor, two feet away from the window. “I’ll hit you with this book!”

That comment seemed to scare the intruder into silence. Butters fisted the air and nodded, acknowledging his achievement. “Yeah, that’ll teach em’!” He giggled to himself and strolled proudly back to his bed. His victory was rudely disproven by the loud laughter from the intruder outside.

Butters slowly spun on his heels and tiptoed back to the window. He removed the purple curtains to let the sun back into his dark room, also allowing him to search for the suspect trying to break into his home. Sadly, all Butters could see was the snow coating everything in plain sight surrounding his yard. He sighed, almost deciding to leave before he heard a familiar muffled “Hey!” coming from the outside of the window. He gasped.

Butters fought with all his might to get the clips open, but when he finally did, he practically slammed the window open. “Ken!” He squealed, yanking the orange boy’s gloved hands into his own. Kenny’s big blue eyes shot in surprise at the gesture but soon relaxed. Butters squeezed Kenny’s palms tightly as he exclaimed, “Oh Kenny, am I glad to see you, fella! Come on in, I don’t want you to catch a cold or anything.” Butters helped Kenny hop into his room, wet boots caked with snow and all.

Kenny put his hands up to do something, but before he even had the chance, Butters tackled the poor boy into a tender bear hug. Kenny was hesitant at first, but again, he slowly got used to it and rested his chin snuggly against Butters' soft mound of blonde hair on top of his head. Kenny rubbed Butters’ back with one hand, his other one wrapped around his waist as the two of them rocked back and forth. Butters suddenly felt his eyes grow heavy, and his throat hitched. He buried his face deeper into Kenny’s parka, fingers clutching onto the material for dear life.

Butters always felt like he could come to Kenny for anything, he was so kind and understanding. If Butters was being honest, Kenny McCormick was his best friend out of the four he hung out with. Stan, Kyle, and Eric were fine, it was just that he felt like around Kenny, he could truly be himself, and Kenny would never judge him for that.

More than once or twice Butters had cried himself to sleep over being made fun of because of something he enjoyed. For example, on P.J. day, he wore his favorite “Hello Kitty” pajama pants to school, and everyone laughed at him for it, and called him names like “Gay boy!” “Pussy-cat!”. Everyone except Kenny. He saw how upset Butters was and instantly came to comfort him, holding Butter in his arms the same way he is now. While Butters sobbed quietly, Kenny was there for him. He always was, just letting Butters pour out all of his emotions all over him, without a second thought. Butters felt safe with Kenny, safer than he’s felt with anyone else, even his own parents.

“Butters..? Dude, Hello? What’s wrong? I wanted to ask you if you wanted to play Heros with me and the gang, but–” Butters quickly pulled away, wiping away the tears stained onto his face. He knew that his eyes were a puffy red mess, he just hoped Kenny didn’t further question it. He sucked in a shaky breath and plastered a fake smile. “Ahm-” Butters stuttered, “Its- … Its nothing.” He glanced down miserably at his bare feet. They squeezed against the murky brown carpet as he muttered, “I wish, but I can’t come. I’m grounded again. My parents yelled at me, and now I’ve been stuck in my room for more than a half-hour.” An agitated grunt escaped from Kenny’s mouth, and Butters flinched.

Kenny slowly took off his hood, and carefully walked up to Butters. Butters held his hands up to his face to defend himself. Kenny took Butters arms and gently put them back down, he cradled Butters’ tiny wrists in his still gloved hands. “Dude, chill. I’m not gonna hit you, why would I? Why are you so jumpy all of sudden? What did they do to you?” Butters tilted his head, eyebrows furrowed in distress. “What?”

“Did they hit you?” Kenny asked more sternly. “Did... Did he hit you?” “Wha– No, why would you-” Kenny abruptly rolled up Butters’ sleeves revealing bruises tattered all over his arm. Butters yanked his arm out of Kenny’s reach, trying desperately to cover the scars up. “It’s not what it looks like, Ken! I promise! This is just from… From me playing ball with my dad! Nothing you need to worry about!” Butters giggled nervously, rubbing at the bruises as Kenny stared dumbfounded at him.

“Those are marks from a belt, Butters. I’m not an idiot.” Butters smile faded, turning into a deep frown. “I’m sorry.” He swallowed deeply, and his lips quivered. Kenny raised an eyebrow. “Sorry for what? Dude, this isn’t your fault. You’re just a kid, y’know? You can’t help doing stupid shit all the time, you don’t know any better.” A salty tear slid down Butters cheek as he tried to form coherent words. “But– I- I just… I just want my parents to love me again, I wanna be their little ‘Butter-ball’. But no matter what I do, they just get mad at me and ground me. I mean, all I did this time was drink some lemonade that Eric gave me and they still found a way to be upset with me.” Kenny grimaced, unable to respond. “And then whenever I tell them that some of the other fellas are making fun of me, they make me feel like I deserve it.” Butters didn’t try to hold it in anymore, the flow of pure sadness drowned him in his own pitiful sobs, and Kenny rushed to hug him. Butters added through choked hiccups, “And sometimes… I think I do.”

“Butters. Leo, don’t say that. You’re the nicest guy I’ve ever met. All those other guys can go fuck themselves. And your parents definitely don’t deserve such a great son like you.” Butters' eyes crinkled as he grinned weakly. “Aw, thanks, Ken.” He glanced back at his bruises. He touched them slightly, but it stung so he pulled back quickly. “You’re probably lying though.” Kenny stared at Butters in disbelief, eyes squinted.

They stared awkwardly at each other for a hot moment before Kenny reached into his parka’s pocket and took out a Crunch candy bar. Butters gasped softly, trying to contain his excitement. That was Butters’ favorite candy after all (well, aside from Sour Patch Kids, his number one). Kenny nudged the candy bar into Butters’ hand, his lips pressed into a firm line. “I was gonna eat it, but you need it more than I do, with all that you’re going through right now. I hope you take this as ‘Yes, I do mean it’.” Butters beamed at Kenny; his cheeks flushed a healthy shade of pink. “Ken! Ah, of course I believe you now! I can’t believe you remembered!” Kenny looked at him doe-eyed, scratching his head. “Y-yeah, I’ll never forget small details about my best friend, Butters!” Kenny smiled at him goofily.

Butters snickered and plopped onto his bed, gesturing Kenny to sit beside him. Kenny cautiously took the offer, seeming to take extra good measures to stay quiet. “Golly Kenny, what’re you, a spy? My mom and dad aren’t even here, you would know if they were.” Kenny shrugged and sat closely next to Butters. Butters clapped his hands happily then proceeded to open up the chocolate wrapping. Kenny watched intently. Butters peered back up at Kenny. “You can have some if you want. It’s your candy after all.” Kenny shook his head and smiled, as if to say, ‘No, Leo. It’s all yours. Your gift from me.’

Butters ate his Crunch bar in silence as Kenny explored his room with just his eyes, not wanting to be rude by leaving him to sit all alone. Butter quickly got tired of the lack of noise, so he presumed, “Ken, did ya get a taste of Eric’s lemonade? I’d hate to be rude, but I thought it was kinda salty. Isn’t lemonade supposed to be sweet? Sometimes even a little sour?“ Kenny slowly turned his neck toward Butters from its direction the exact opposite of him. Kenny’s face was stuck in a blank expression. “Butters. That was his pee.”

[a-person-who-is-not-you]

Some Dark Academia/DA adjacent media for people who don’t like the popular books/movies/plays

Rope directed by Alfred Hitchcock- Two college boys murder their classmate and invite his family, friends, and their former teacher for dinner. has intellectual murder, critique of classicism, homoeroticism, two mlm lead actors, cool camerawork

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov- cw child abuse/rape, the story of a professor who becomes sexually interested in a young girl and the slow destruction of both of their lives. unreliable intellectual narrator, beautifully written and has the EXACT opposite message that people think it does, emotionally difficult to read but worth it

Miss Julie- the woman of the house falls in love with a servant, but neither is as they seem. play by August Strindberg, also a 2014 movie that’s really good. Deals with ideas of class, romance, inherent good. Really good play. cw: animal death, suicide

Man and Superman- a romance dealing with the superiority of women. Play by George Bernard Shaw, it’s really long but worth it. Definitely comedic but discusses feminism, philosophy, politics, and has a really beautiful love story. There are audio versions of it. If you don’t want to read/listen to the whole thing, there is an abridged version called Don Juan in Hell which is just the fourth act

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Pierce- a man is about to be executed, but escapes and tries to flee. short story, also a Twilight Zone episode. Southern gothic with discussions about guilt, the post war atmosphere of the south, unreliable narrator

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner- poem mentioned in Frankenstein, about a sailor who commits a horrible act and has to suffer for it. Great imagery and fun tragedy stuff

Never the Sinner- two college friends attempt to commit the perfect crime as an intellectual excercise, and everything that follows after they get caught. play by John Logan, about the Leopold and Loeb case. Explicit lgbt relationship, discussions of philosophy, class critique, murder. Courtroom drama as well. Very similar to Rope

Rebecca- novel by Daphne du Maurier, films by Alfred Hitchcock and a more recent one by Netflix. About a poor woman who marries a rich man who lives in the English countryside, and falls into a world still controlled by his former wife, who died a year earlier. Homoeroticism, esp in the Hitchcock film, class critique, moral ambiguity

The Monster Variations by Daniel Kraus- more of a coming of age story akin to the Goldfinch, not a whole lot of academia stuff but very good. It’s a story about three boys growing up and it’s really creepy and sad and dangerous. Scowler by Daniel Kraus is also really good

Casefile True Crime: Silk Road- podcast summarising a real case of a man who creates a drug website on the deep web and the story of how he was caught.

Ghost Flower by Michelle Jaffe- a runaway who looks exactly like a missing heiress is hired to impersonate her by family in order to claim their fortune. Amazing murder mystery with a lot of great characters, twists, and reveals, her other books are really good too.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones- four men kill an elk on the elder’s section of the reservation and years later must pay the price. Not exactly DA but amazing horror novel wit great tension and characters.

The Oedipus Cycle by Sophocles- three plays about Oedipus and his family, and the hubris. Great Greek plays for someone new to Greek theatre, and while you probably already know the twist from Oedipus you might not be familiar with Antigone.

The Oresteia Trilogy by Aeschylus- the story of Agamemnon and his family when he returns from Troy. More great Greek plays, and definitely more morality questions than SOME popular DA books about the Greeks are willing to provide (not naming any names but y’all who hate Agamemnon are getting biased info).

Literally any other Shakespeare play but MacBeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Othello- please, for the love of god, check out some of the less well known shakespeare plays I’m begging you. The Henriad is GREAT and def worth reading, Titus Andronicus is very funny and gory and good, my personal favourite is Measure for Measure and the adaptation Off the Rails by Randy Reinholz. I’m so tired of only seeing Shakespeare memes of the most popular plays and I IMPLORE you to check out some of the other ones, there are great movie versions of most of them (this listing exempts the Two Noble Kinsmen, never mention that play to me again)

I know most of these can’t strictly be called DA, but they give the same vibes to me. Also I know this list is pretty eurocentric, so if anyone has suggestions that are less so please let me know! We need more diverse stories in this genre. I’ll also probably add to this list as time goes on because I have a lot of media that works for me in the way that some of the more popular books/movies don’t. Thanks for reading!

[imanes]

kinda specific question lol but do you know any nice cafés in bxl near arts loi/maelbeek/schuman/merode?

café léopold! it's in montgomery but technically that's only a few minutes away from merode akjdfkgj. schuman and maelbeek are a european technocratic food desert i hate it there there's nothing to eat or drink unless u are willing to spill ur whole bank account on smt that is slightly better than the slightly less expensive but still expensive option which will make u cry tears of blood bc it won't even be good. however coma if that isn't too far from maelbeek for you, karsmakers near place du luxembourg is good and i could sometimes eat there on my meager intern stipend akljkldjgfd. from arts loi again it's just the basic type places like asap and i wouldn't get coffee there even if i was in withdrawals ajlkfdgd but i'd recommend walking to park and going to café léopold or my little cup. the arts loi to schuman axis is cursed i've spent so many years of my life there and it's so hard to find something DECENT. i used to work in merode and never found a decent coffee place. schuman is the worst of the lot fuck the european commission. i have a friend who works in arts loi and he walks to madou every day to get his food bc he is that desperate. sorry if i'm making it sound worse than it is i just can't lie about how depressing this area is. but i'd genuinely seriously recommend both of café leopold's places in montgomery or in park i love going there for a drink, sorry that they're slightly outside of the zone u were talking about!

[shitty-check-please-aus]

2020 Books Read So Far, Part 2

Prior post here

So it turns out that it’s really hard for me to actually read books when I’m stressed out about a once-in-a-century pandemic, so this list is a bit shorter than my February post. Factors include: no commute, so harder to focus on audiobooks, stress, the purchase of my Nintendo Switch and Animal Crossing. All ratings are completely subjective and basically just how much I enjoyed reading them.  

The Feather Thief, Kirk W. Johnson 4.5/5. This was a pick for my book club because we wanted to read about some kind of heist, and it delivered! It’s nonfiction, about this guy who stole a ton of really old and scientifically useful bird skins/feathers so he could recreate Victorian fishing flies, and also make a ton of money. Do you ever delight in reading about drama that in no way can ever impact you? You will enjoy the drama of the fly-tying community, which is a real thing with an illicit underworld that violates like a billion laws on poaching. Do you stay awake at night wondering what really happened to the paintings in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist? Enjoy reading about how they caught this asshole and figured out how he did it. 

Untamed, Glennon Doyle 2/5. The thing is, I think this would be a great book if I was a straight middle-aged woman going through some stuff in my marriage. But I bought it for my book club’s pride month read, thinking that it would be more about her marriage to the USWNT captain and less about her divorce with some asshole who cheated on her. Doyle also just hit on some sore spots for me (”why are so many queer people prejudiced against God and Jesus” ma’am, my atheism literally does not impact your life whatsoever and my issues with Christianity are between me and my therapist). 

She completely lost me when she described going into an airplane bathroom and straightening her hair and putting on a full face of makeup. I guarantee you that SOMEONE on this cross-country flight was sitting there, pissing themselves in their seat while she spent fifteen minutes minimum doing some glamming up. Why did she not wait to get to her destination airport? This should be a crime. I also hate when parents talk about personal shit their kids go through for profit. 

Her prose is also incredibly flowery, and I do not believe for half a second that anything presented in quotes was actually said verbatim. I also feel like if you’re going to name drop, don’t be coy about it. “My friend Liz came over” you mean Elizabeth Fucking Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love, who like Doyle famously divorced her husband and married a woman? If you’re bragging about meeting Oprah you should go all the way in your name drops. 

tl;dr it’s a book that’s written for a straight audience, and I am not a straight audience. The cover design is excellent, though, I would definitely put it on a coffee table if I was styling a photoshoot. Probably wouldn’t have finished it without my book club as motivation. 

The Hand on the Wall, Maureen Johnson 5/5. This is the third book in a trilogy, and it wraps up the first two books wonderfully. Without getting too spoilery, the main mystery is like half Leopold and Loeb and half the Lindbergh baby. You can tell from every sentence how much Johnson loves mysteries, and knows how to craft compelling, complicated, sometimes annoying characters, It’s also so tantalizing to feel for a minute like we could solve some of these ice-cold cases in the real world. 

The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal, The McElroys and Carey Pietsch 5/5. Really fun read! I love graphic novels that really force me to look at the art, pay attention to details, and take my time reading. This is also a really fun adaptation of one of my favorite arcs in the podcast, and manages to either keep the same level of fun or even ramp it up consistently. I love Pietsch’s facial expressions, and the tiny easter eggs she’s hidden on almost every page. The choices they’ve made in adapting it from podcast to graphic novel are also very well-done. Some things work better in audio improv than they would in this form, and they’ve recognized that some changes can improve the story (it’s a graphic novel, we don’t have to be as tied to the three main players as we do when they’re doing the voices). 

Wires and Nerve, Marissa Meyer, Stephen Gilpin 4.5/5. This was also a fun, fast read! I love the Lunar Chronicles, so it’s interesting to see it as a graphic novel. The half point deduction is maybe unfair, because it comes from the characters not looking the way I pictured them in my head when I read them. It follows Iko, Cinder’s android friend, and has a lot of good questions about whether a robot/android can be a person (imo, they absolutely can). 

Wires and Nerve: Volume 2, Gone Rogue, Marissa Meyer, Stephen Gilpin 4.5/5. Again, fun, fast, exciting. Some parts made me actually gasp out loud, there are good twists, there’s romance, it’s overall highly recommended! We get to spend significant time with everyone from the main series, which is lovely. Like meeting up with old friends. 

[loafingdragon]

who are your favorite top ten black clover characters & ships? talk about them!

A question? For me? 🤭 Let’s see if I can collect my thoughts long enough to answer! I’ll put things in no real order under the cut~

Kaiser Granvorka, captain of the Purple Orcas (sing that title. You will not regret it.)

Sometimes less is more. I love his design. I love his chill. I love his love of his wife. I love how he stepped up to clean up his trash squad.

Reve

I LOVE the elves and I really wish that they would get some recognition. Did you know that Phantom Knights just calls Reve and Charla “Dorothy (reincarnated)” and “Charlotte (reincarnated)”? They’re different people!! They have NAMES. Why wouldn’t they use their names?? The elves have so much lost potential!

Anyway, Reve is also very chill. A sleepy queen. I have a LOT of headcanons about her. I also have an au where the elves stay after reincarnation and share their bodies with their hosts, and she and Dorothy are best friends and girlfriends and hang out in glamour world together and I love them.

Nebra and Nozel Silva

Listen,,, she’s so pretty,,, I’m gay,,,

But in all seriousness, she’s my favorite Silva. She’s just sort of a mean, sexy lamp in the manga/anime, but she gets slightly more character development in Phantom Knights, where you see that she’s at least an honorable knight who really cares about getting things done right and even goes above and beyond the call of duty; she’s a lot more mature than Solid, and it even seems that she’s more concerned about capabilities than status at some points (much to Solid’s surprise.) That doesn’t mean she won’t go out of her way to make trouble, which is fun. The wiki also suggests she has confidence issues which is super interesting to me. I’d like to see her grow as a character or get like... even a little bit of attention at all besides backing up Nozel and Solid and getting stabbed. I also think her magic is really cool... would love to see her actually use it sometime.

-coughcough also since she gets so little screen time i can write her how i want in my fics and as far as we know it’s canon coughcough-

There’s more to her than her pretty, pretty face!! She’s probably my #1 favorite.

1) I love powerful fictional royals in general. 2) I love to write fics where he is embarrassed and vulnerable. Silvas deserve a healthy dose of humility whenever you can give it. He is an easy target with his uptight nature and silly hair. I’d also like him to grow as a character.

hehe look at Nebra peeking out of the corner of this pic lol

Fuegoleon, Mereoleona, and Leopold Vermillion

I am still a simp for powerful fictional royalty, okay? Everyone love the Vermillions. There is nothing I could say here that has not already been said, except that I love writing fics where Fuegoleon gets to be embarrassing and oblivious.

Dorothy Unsworth

She’s so cute and the coolest witch. Love her chaotic energy. Love how she knows things she probably shouldn’t. Always shaking it up. Another sleepy queen. I wish I could sleep all the time and still get my work done. Also since I made her my icon on discord, I have been cheerier.

Charla

I’m so deep in headcanons for this one but see my earlier elf complaint with Reve before continuing. Okay, understand? Charlotte is awesome, but the sheer hilarity of Charla and Charlotte sharing a body is what make Charla so, so good. The LAST thing Charla did before going away forever is SNITCH on Charlotte to her crush. This elf loves drama. She would help Charlotte so, so much, but also make her life a living hell. We stan a queen who can’t mind her own business.

Alecdora Sandler

This man is hilarious. He’s a full grown man ready to throw hands with a 15 year old because William gives him attention. He fell in a hole and had to be saved. Yuno let him declare all his love for William and then obliterated him. It’s so funny. It’s what this asshole deserves. A perfect, satisfying character arc and a hilariously embarrassing personality wins him his place among my faves. I love to hate him so much. I’d like to put a picture of his stupid face in a locket to look at and give me strength in any situation. “At least I’m not this man child,” I would say. A smile would tug at my lips as a single tear ran down my face. “Thank you, Alecdora,” I would whisper, holding his image close to my heart.

---

My favorites tend to change around with my moods, so maybe on any other given day, you would find Charlotte Roselei, Paplo Espuma, or Kirsch Vermillion (post royal knights exam humbling) on this list. Charlotte is badass, Paplo cute, and Kirsch is funny with cool magic. Also working with Charlotte on my blog, @lawstaverse makes me fond of her, and I have some fun party boy headcanons for Kirsch and the Coral Peacocks. Mimosa Vermillion is also super duper cute. Honestly, Jien Du could even be on here for being accused of being evil and then going “let me clear things up” and then just doing the super villain laugh- also for having rainbow lights flashing around him when he fights. I can hear carameldansen playing in the distance whenever he’s doing stuff.

Now for my favorite couples!

Fuegoleon Vermillion x Nozel Silva

This one is probably #1! They obviously care for and respect each other and a lot of Nozel’s dialogue gets... debatably romantic. I just really enjoy writing them in sort of ‘boys will be boys’ situations, where they can let their guard down around each other and their friends and be stupid and silly. I also love the idea of Fuegoleon being oblivious about how flirty he comes off. Nozel is pining but more in an annoyed way than a sad way. “No homo, bro,” says Fuegoleon, as he kisses Nozel on the lips and gives him a ring after they eat together and wrestle in the woods. Nozel rolls his eyes into the next solar system and admires his new wedding ring. Currently working on a 150k+ word slowburn bisexual disaster Fuegoleon fic with @thespiralgrimoire that involves this ship and the third on this list, along with tiny snippets of others.

Leopold Vermillion x Asta

Leo saw Asta do something cool and said “I’m done being classist. Actually I’m in love with you,” and never looked back. Every single Royal in Asta’s age group being obsessed with him is very very funny. I picture their relationship is much like Nozel and Fuegoleon’s as described above, but they’re BOTH extremely oblivious bros being romantic bros.

Fuegoleon Vermillion x Nebra Silva

Less my fave but still on here bc it’s fun. Nebra is fun, she can push Fuego out of his comfort zone, and also feel comfortable and confident with him. It’s nice. Ngl, anything that gives Nebra a chance to develop her character, whether it be in a friendly or romantic setting, is good.

Nebra is sexy. Fuegoleon is sexy. Together they are super sexy.

Reve x Dorothy Unsworth

I mentioned this briefly earlier, but they finally get someone who can share their world with them! Dorothy was so happy to have Reve in her head, and didn’t even regret being possessed at all. Also, Reve’s chill personality can balance out Dorothy’s excitable and unpredictable one! I think that them both being in dream world, with the magic power to look into each other’s minds(even more than other elf/human cohabitants) means that they can pretty easily become super duper close. They also have a space where they can physically meet. It’s kind of the best of both worlds.

Zara Ideale x Ina’s Father (did he really not get a name???)

There is no way you can convince me that Ina is not Zara and that man’s child. Look at their eyebrows. Rewatch episode 138. You’re lying to me if you tell me you don’t see it.

Nebra Silva x Zora Ideale

🤷🏽‍♀️ Punk and Prep is a fun combo, I like pitch romance, and the more info we get for Nebra, the more likely I see her willing to go vigilante and have a good time working with/ playing around with Zora. They both like to mess with people, Nebra appreciates a job well done, and Zora likes seeing people improve themselves. Nebra would def need to develop a bit for this to work, but I like to believe that would happen.

[norafike]

Despite All This, I still love you 7

Nora had returned to camp with Lem not long before her brother's had done. Their argument cut short when they realised that they had been left alone in Valentine.

Cripps greeted the brother's fondly when they arrived; his arms open wide for a hug. "It is good to see you both!" He cheered, taking them by their shoulders and walking them further into the camp to catch up.

"They're gonna be chattin' all night, I reckon you and I could slip away from 'em all completely unnoticed." She commented as the pair of them watched from a distance.

"M-Most likely." He muttered.

She nodded gently, patting his shoulder before walking away to sit back in her tent. Seeing as her brothers weren't fond of him and he had no place of his own to lie low for a little while he had taken to sit on the chair just outside, close enough to still talk with her if he needed.

"You don't gotta sit out there, I don't mind you sitting in here." She called out towards him.

"I feel a little i-intrusive jus' entering your tent."

Nora gently chuckled at his comment, stepping closer and leaning against the post to get a better look at him. "I'm inviting you in, there's no intruding."

"Guess you're right."

She noticed the forlorn look on his face and left the cover of her tent to stand in front of him. She placed her hands on her hips and crouched to be at a similar level as he was, even though it only made her smaller. "What's with the long face?"

He hummed as he looked at her, but gave no immediate response. Instead his hand reached forward to brush a strand of her red hair behind her ear, it coming loose from her braid. "I'm okay, perhaps a little exhausted."

"We done a lot of work today."

"You done a-a lot of work.. I guess I'm jus' getting old."

"You've barely turned thirty." She chuckled. "Don't remind me." He whined after this but she remained amused.

"There any other reasons or are you just tired."

"That's the only reason, Nora Morgan."

She wasn't convinced by his constant reassurance but chose to not continue with the topic anyway. "Can I ask you somethin'?"

He nodded.

"Why don't you play guitar in front of people?" He winced at her question despite it being innocent enough to prompt such a response. She noticed just how uncomfortable he became by it and quickly apologised from not realised the sort of response it would illicit.

"If you don't wanna talk about it, you don't have too."

"No, no." He waved away her worry. "Danny-Lee t-taught me how to play, he taught me a lot of things so it's hard to p-perform in front of other's without.. rememberin' all that drama."

"I understand." She let out a quiet sigh, hushing her voice so the men couldn't overhear. "It's not the same but I get all freaked out over the loud noises because it reminds me of that night.. but you already know all this."

They remained shrouded in an awkward silence before Nora cleared her throat and stood properly. She gently grabbed his hand to bring him inside her tent despite his best attempt not to.

"Jus' sit here."

"But-"

"Please." He couldn't be bothered to argue further, instead choosing to listen and sit on the edge of her cot as per instruction. She left shortly after and he thought about leaving to return to the moonshine shack but the thought of upsetting her kept him from doing so. Later, she returned with two bowls of stew freshly made.

"Cripps had me bring these over, I was on my way to grab the harmonica."

"Did you grab it?"

"No; Cripps' need to talk with me made me forget." She let out a quiet sigh. "Regardless, I did enjoy his brief story."

"What story did he tell this time?"

"Only that damn Tennessee bank job one." Lem laughed at her answer as he took the bowl from her hand. She sat next to him and prodded at the chunks of meat for a little bit. "I swear for someone who has seen a lot, he only ever tells the same little stories."

"They are his best; he used to have more a few years back but he's forgotten them it seems."

"That's right. You've known him for a while isn't that right?"

"Yeah." He nodded, taking a mouthful of stew to pause the conversation. "Him and Aunt Maggie were meant to be married once."

"Cripps said when I first met Maggie."

"What a disaster that had been." He explained, vaguely. He noticed her face and how she silently urged him to continue. "Cripps decided that he didn't want to marry, Aunt Maggie. She didn't take too fondly on his decision neither but at least they reconciled."

"Sorta." Nora added. "They have their moment here and there."

"Don't most people?"

"Guess so."

...

In the following day's she had begun to spend more time with Arthur Morgan and a few of his associates. Dutch still made her feel at an unexplainable unease whenever he was near, but she figured that perhaps she wasn't as good as a judge of character as she thought.

Regardless, she began to spend longer at camp, these people slowly warming up to her presence on their grounds. While most of the men still were wary the women had become far more open and talkative towards Nora and she soon found friends in Mary-Beth and Tilly.

"Miss Morgan." Susan called, her strides long to catch up with her as she prepared to leave after a few days of staying. She pulled on the reins of her horse and looked down. "Yes?"

"I hate to be a bother, but John Marston has asked for you and Arthur to meet in Valentine."

"Me?"

"Yes you, do you know anyone else here named Nora Morgan?"

"No... It's just I hadn't expected him to ask for me."

Susan's lips tightened into a frown. "Neither did I." She stormed off and given that she had no other plans for that evening she had decided to ride out towards the livestock town where she was expected.

...

"Marston." Nora greeted when she neared him. He gave her a subtle salute with his fingers, gently waving her over. She noticed how Arthur had yet to arrive and so she took a moment to engage in idle conversation.

"I must admit, I was confused as to why you asked for my help with whatever it is you got planned."

"Arthur praises you a lot, figured in the chance of something going wrong that you'd be good to have around."

"Trust me." She let out a sigh. "Of all the people back at camp I'm not the best option."

"Don't make me think that, Miss."

When Arthur did arrive they didn't waste time by engaging in idle conversation, rather they chose to get the job started as soon as they could and that way they would have time for conversations later. However, John wasn't very descriptive in what it was they needed to do as he kept his answers short and simple. At first Nora thought it was about sheep coming in but when he told Arthur to purchase a rifle she began to have second thoughts.

They rode out soon after, leaving the town and turning around the mountain into the open plains of the Heartlands where Arthur had asked a second time what this job had been for. "Some sheep are comin' in from Emerald Ranch." He explained finally, but Nora zoned out soon after this as the mention of the all too familiar Ranch how disinterested her.

She hadn't been paying all that much attention until John had called for her and from the annoyed expression she had gathered that he had been calling for her a couple of times. "Miss Morgan." He shouted again, this time louder and she looked forward with an apologetic smile. "Do you have any experience with herding cattle?"

"Some.. done it once mainly. Why?"

John frowned but Arthur only chuckled. "This dumbass here doesn't know either. If we need it you can help."

"Of course."

He smiled at her before turning back to focus on the roads just in time as John had pulled them off of it and up a ledge. She remained mounted while the men approached the edge to look at what they believed to be the herd and a few ranch hands coming in and by luck, it had been.

The job was for Arthur to shoot near them and spook them off which had gone well, the problem was herding near fifteen sheep back to the livestock in one piece which could have been a problem and for the better part of this journey all Arthur and John would do was bicker back and forth about everything and nothing. She grew tired off their chatter and took to riding a little further forward, making sure that the sheep were still heading the right direction while Arthur did most the work.

...

Nora accompanied them back into town, following them into the smaller saloon where Dutch Van Der Linde had been supposedly waiting. She didn't need to go in with the men, after all, it wasn't her who he needed to speak with and so she waited outside for the men.

She lit a cigarette to pass the time, focused on the horses and people that passed by rather than anything else. John and Strauss left the saloon and briefly greeted Nora and telling her that she could go inside if she so pleased. She was going to but when a group of armed men showed up with Leopold and John held in their grasp she saw no other alternative but to raise her hands in false surrender.

"Dutch Van Der Linde!" One man, dressed far too fancy for being in Valentine called out. She looked behind her at the window and noticed the man he called remained at the table, albeit confused.

"You don't know me, but you keep robbing from me!" He shouted again.

She didn't pay too much attention to the conversation shared, too much focus on John and Strauss who were balancing on the edge of death. Eventually Dutch did come from inside the saloon with Arthur in tow, using his natural charm to try and sway the enemy.

Before she could even process anything Arthur had quickly shot at the two men who held Strauss and Marston and all hell broke loose as the fighting began.

She quickly threw herself over the railings to duck behind some of the boxes that lay conveniently on the ground, crouching low near Leopold. The shooting gradually got louder and she grew more uneasy, more afraid and she had a job to steady her breathing during the ordeal but it didn't stop her from helping.

Getting her bearings, she raised her gun to the people and blindly fired a couple of times and from a pained scream she assumed that she had caught somebody. However, hiding here wasn't going to do any good and the horses had been moved across town. At Arthur's word the group all crossed the dirt roads, losing their hats in the process and unfortunately for Strauss, the ability to walk properly as a bullet became lodged in his leg.

She stumbled for a moment as she came to a halt to help Dutch move the man from being exposed. Cursing a couple of times as she carried the man towards a wagon. "Place him in here, John and Arthur, shoot." Dutch instructed. Nora pushed Strauss inside and began to push the wagon through the town, it being used as perfect cover during their escape.

"Keep shooting." Nora cried, struggling to keep focus on keeping the members alive during this shootout and not crumble through fear with the hail of bullets that rained over them. Her breathing became more erratic but they pushed on, the horses in sight although jumpy. "When we get to the horses, put Strauss on Nora's horse and you two stay behind!" Dutch sent another instruction and the male nodded. He pointed at Nora. "Come back to camp with me, we're gonna need the help."

"Of course."

When the opportunity arrived they grabbed it, fleeing the wagon and running towards the horses to calm them as they bucked wildly from the gunfire. Wasting no time, Arthur picked up Strauss from the wagon and broke into a sprint as best as he could towards the animals, sitting Strauss on the back of Casper. Nora mounted up and followed Dutch out of town while Arthur and John remained.

They arrived at camp quickly, the horses tired from how hard they were pushed and immediately Nora rewarded them both with a sugar cube. "Men!" Dutch called and immediately Javier and Bill ran over and with Dutch's word helped Strauss off of the horse and over to Miss Grimshaw to help with the wound.

The camps leader turned sharply on his heel and pointed a long finger towards the O'Driscoll as he sat against a rock. Kieran looked up with wide eyes, thinking that he was in trouble for whatever reason at the harsh glare cast on him. "You and Miss Morgan here pack up Arthur's wagon, prepare the caravan to leave and the horses." He told before walking off and approaching the women with more commands. Nora turned back with a gentle smile as she noticed the scared expression on his face. "Wanna make a start on Arthur's stuff?"

"Yes, o-of course." He managed to say, quickly walking across the camp to Arthur's wagon. She followed behind with a small smile and began to gather the bits of clutter on the tables while he focused on the larger things.

...

She carried a few rolls of blankets into the wagon ahead while he placed the chest he had his clothes in and a few other materials belonging to John. Seeing as this was their only instruction they were lost on what else to do but sought out more work regardless.

Kieran found work in fixing the wheel on Strauss' wagon whereas Nora chose to accompany the women in packing up the final of their belongings. While she did so she was ready to approach Arthur once she noticed his return but stopped herself when he and Dutch began talking. No sooner than he had been there he had left again, this time with Charles and from a passing comment exchanged between the two she picked up that they were on their way to find a new camp.

...

"You were right about this spot, Charles." The caravan arrived a few hours after Charles and Arthur set out. The majority of their journey making up most of that time spent on their way here.

Kieran, while still not trusted, was allowed to move to Clemens Point untied albeit he sat in the back of the wagon alone in contrast to those who were able to travel together. While Strauss and Swanson did sit at the front they spent the journey ignoring the former O'Driscoll but would converse loudly amongst themselves.

When the wagon stopped he looked around before climbing out and with those long, authoritative steps, Dutch approached. "Take care of the horses, O'Driscoll." Oh how he detested that nickname.

"Grimshaw!" He called after. "Let's make this camp a home!" He detached the horses from the wagon's and when few gang members rode in shortly after, he made sure to take care of them more so out of his love for the animal than duty.

"Hello, fella." Nora greeted as she stepped closer.

"Hey, Nora."

"Mind some company?"

"No, 'c-course not."

She sat near him on the rock while he brushed through the dirt on Branwen. His eyes fixated on the horse in front of him rather than on the girl who spoke to him.

"What do you do 'round here Kieran?"

"W-Well I mainly take care of the horses a-and do most the chores. Why?"

"Jus' making conversation." Kieran finally worked up the courage to turn around and face her. "May I ask why you chose to speak with me miss an' nobody else?"

"You seemed lonely, but I can leave you lonely if you rather it."

His face, which had been screwed up previously, softened slightly and for once he was able to relax as he noticed the genuine kindness come from her. "I don't mind a bit of company miss."

"Good because I probably would have stuck around regardless." She chuckled, watching him as he resumed tending to the horses. "Say, Kieran." He turned back to face her, slightly annoyed with having to stop tending to the horses.

"Yes, miss?"

"Do you like fishin'?" His face lit up at the question. "W-Well I do. But I doubt I'd be allowed too."

"Nonsense." She chuckled. "Stick with me an' none of 'em will give ya grief and we can invite Arthur along."

"I doubt Mr. Morgan would want to spend any time fishin' with me, Miss."

"Ask enough times and I'm sure Arthur will." She noticed Kieran's face drop as she said this. She raised a brow and thought she may have said something wrong, but quickly Arthur spoke up from behind her. "Arthur will what?"

She startled at his words before turning around. "I was discussing fishing with Kieran here."

Arthur's frown only tightened as if he hadn't quite caught on with what she meant. "Taking Kieran fishing and the idea of askin' you to tag along was brought up."

"Now?"

"No, not now." She crossed her arms, giving a gentle shrug. "Maybe next week or somethin', I got business back home but I can make time. If he's allowed to go that is."

"The O'Driscoll can go but I'll keep an eye on him." Nora cheered and clapped her hands, but Kieran wasn't too thrilled with the idea. "Grand, if it's alright with you both I'm gonna bring Lemuel along."

"Lemuel?" She nodded towards Arthur, a bright smile on her face. "My friend, he's been a bit glum as of late an' I think a fishing trip'll help."

"Alright, but don't go bringin' your entire posse down here."

"I ain't gonna, jus' Lemuel and I."

He still looked displeased but nodded regardless, accepting these terms of hers. "Lem's an alright fella, we spoke."

"Exactly." She looked over at Casper as he lazily grazed at the grass. "I must head off now, but I'll see you both soon." She looked over at Kieran now and gently placed her hand on his forearm.

"You don't worry 'bout these fools, they all act tough but I come to learn that it's nothin' more than an act." She gave him a gentle smile, retracting her hand. "I don't know 'em that well, but I reckon things will be fine an' even if they ain't, s'pose I got your back."

"T-Thank you."

She gave him a warm look. "Don't worry about thankin' me, it's the decent thing to do."

[im-not-corrupted]

Safi, No (A Witchlands Fanfiction) - Chapter Twelve

Also written with @un-empressed!

Read other chapters here: Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven

Chapter Summary:

There's a photoshoot and Vivia has a revelation.

Also on Ao3!

Safi had arranged for a photo shoot.

Of course, none of them knew that at the time. No, they had only got a message from Safi in the Bribery and Corruption group chat - Meet me at my house, 6pm. Bring your jackets or you'll be the receiver of the revenge plan.

Iseult was the only one who had replied. Saf, you shouldn't threaten the people who you need to complete a revenge plan. She had given up after Safi replied with I fail to see how that matters.

So, as one does when one is threatened with a plan to ruin your life, they all went. Iseult knew Safi wouldn't follow through on her threat, but she went anyway just to make sure Safi didn't kidnap Merik or something.

Maybe that was a little extreme, but it was Safi. She loved her, yes, but Iseult was not going to take any chances. Just in case.

6pm came, and they were all gathered outside Safi's house, confusing Iseult, who was a few minutes late. Apparently, being threatened with a revenge plan made one very willing to be on time and follow directions. Everyone wore their jackets - even Vaness and Aeduan, both of which Iseult hadn't seen wear the damn things until now.

Iseult approached the group, frowning slightly. "What are you all doing out here?" She stood next to Aeduan.

Aeduan sighed when she approached. "Thank God you're here. Safi said we had to wait here for a few minutes, and that she'll join us in a minute."

"That doesn't sound good."

That was when a van pulled up outside Safi's house, the words Mark's Photography painted onto one of the doors, and Iseult realised what was actually going on.

Safi, grinning widely, joined them outside, ignoring the group's confused stares.

A man got out of the van and walked over to them. "Hello, hi, I'm Mark. I'm going to be your photographer for today. Where should I set up?"

Safi stepped forward. "Can you set up in the garden?" Mark nodded. "Thanks."

Mark headed back and opened the back of his van, bringing out a bunch of equipment while the others looked on in either shock or confusion. He was clearly professional, and very good - he had all the right equipment, plus a fancy camera.

"Safi," Iseult began. "We are not doing a photo shoot."

Safi grinned. "Iseult. We are definitely doing a photo shoot."

Vaness rolled her eyes. "You dragged us here for a fucking photo shoot? In these things?" She gestured to the jacket she was threatened into wearing - God, Bribery and Corruption truly worked miracles, though she would never tell Safi that.

"Yes," Safi replied. "Now, come on." She ran into the garden, where Mark had set up the things they needed. Apparently, they weren't using any backdrops and they were only using natural lighting, because Mark had only set up the camera and nothing else. Which seemed like a waste of time, considering how much equipment he got out of his van.

Safi pushed everyone in front of the camera, and while everyone but Leopold and Stix complained about it, they did as she wished. There was no point fighting it. "First photo is a group photo," Safi announced, as if that wasn't obvious.

Mark raised an eyebrow. "What's this for, anyway?" he asked her. "There's quite a lot of you."

"Well," Safi began, and everyone groaned because they had heard this story far too often. "It began when this boy spoke over me in geography. I actually knew the answer, too! But no, he had to speak over me. So I came up with a plan to make his life hell and recruited these people to help me."

"I don't think 'recruited' is the right word to use," Aeduan said.

Iseult snorted. "More like most of us were forced into joining, bribed or corrupted."

Mark looked rightfully disturbed by the turn the conversation had taken. "Uh...Okay then?" He seemed to ignore everything Safi said, though, because he squinted at the camera and pointed towards Vivia and Vaness, who were standing at the sidelines. "Could you two get closer to the others, please? I can't get you in the shot."

Vaness looked ready to protest but Vivia just sighed and said something that had them both moving closer so they were in the shot.

"Perfect," Mark said, and took the first shot.

Leopold had screwed it up, though, by sticking out his tongue at the camera, so Safi forced them to take the same one again until it was perfect.

'Perfect' by Safi's standards was incredibly hard to meet. By the time they were ready for the next photo to be taken, it was already half six and Iseult's legs were hurting from standing up so long. But that didn't stop Safi.

"The next photo will be of the original crew - me, Leopold, Iseult, Caden, Lev and Zander," Safi announced. The people who were not needed went away, and Aeduan almost made it, until Safi spotted him. "Wait! Aeduan too!"

Aeduan came back and stood next to Iseult for this photo, too, though he had a very confused look on his face. "I'm part of the original crew?"

Iseult laughed and shrugged. "I didn't know there was an original crew. Just go with it. It can't go on for much longer."

She had been very, very wrong about that. Safi forced them her to do a picture with Aeduan, winking at her from where she stood next to Mark. Safi had pictures of her, Leopold, Caden, Lev and Zander done. She had Mark take a picture of herself with her arm around Vaness shoulders - the perfect picture of friendship, if Vaness wasn't glaring at her. That glare made Safi take the picture again and again, until Vaness actually smiled for the picture.

Vivia and Stix had their own picture taken, for a reason Iseult didn't actually know until she saw the photo itself. By the looks of things, Stix had decided last minute to place a kiss on Vivia's cheek, leaving the other girl's face bright red. Iseult found the picture quite cute.

By the time Safi finally said they could stop, they had been taking photos for an hour and a half, and they were all pretty exhausted. Iseult and Aeduan had spent most of the photos talking about whatever they could, so when Safi said they could all go home, Aeduan came up to her and asked to walk her back home.

Iseult had smiled at him and nodded. "Okay," she agreed.

Safi apparently overheard because when Iseult went to say goodbye to her, Safi had grinned wickedly and winked at her, something Iseult made an effort to ignore.

Aeduan did walk her home, and Iseult had a good time. The two laughed at whatever was said between them, or simply walked in silence. Iseult didn't mind either of them.

When they reached her house, Iseult paused, sad to put an end to it all. "Well, this is my place," she told him, a little crestfallen. She loved being in Aeduan's company.

Aeduan nodded. "See you tomorrow?"

She smiled. "Of course."

[x]

Vivia Nihar's week had been strange.

A very entertaining but strange week, anyway. She had pushed Corlant off his damned table not too long ago. The other students in school cheered for her. Safi had called her 'corrupted', but Stix had said she wasn't corrupted. Merik decided to...To what? To talk to her, to make amends? She wasn't sure, and it was strange. It was their first conversation that was, well, civil, and it was strange. Safi had got them all jackets. Jackets. They were practically advertising the fact that they're part of a group that worked to make Merik's life hell - and 'Bribery and Corruption' wasn't even subtle.

The jackets were decent, she supposed, considering what they represented. She didn't plan on wearing it often, though - that felt a bit too extreme.

After another talk with her father, Vivia holed herself up in her room and sent a quick message to theriverstix. The two talked almost every day, now, and Vivia loved it. Theriverstix, whoever it was, was such an interesting person. Funny, too. Vivia talked to them for hours a day, and it was always the highlight each day. She felt at peace when she talked with them through messages. She could talk about anything, and theriverstix never judged her, and Vivia did the same.

Though, to be fair, theriverstix didn't say that much that Vivia could've judged her for.

She got a reply quickly. Not for the first time, Vivia admired how often the two of them could actually talk. She knew all about time zones, and was incredibly thankful that theirs seemed to be the same.

theriverstix: Hello to you too! How are you?

Vivia smiled at her phone and typed another reply. Great, actually. You?

theriverstix: Amazing. Oh, did I tell you what happened recently? Because it's a funny story and everyone should know it.

Vivia laughed. This was just like her friend. Theriverstix always had the best things to talk about, and their stories were always hilarious. No, you certainly didn't.

theriverstix: I didn't? I have failed you. I shall tell you the story now.

The next message came after a minute or two.

theriverstix: Okay, so, there's this kid at school, yeah? He's super annoying. Everyone hates him. He seems to be part of this strange religion that worships himself? Idk what his deal is, not really. So the other day, he gets up on a table and some asshole gave him a microphone so we couldn't ignore him and he started ranting on about how we were all 'impure' and all we had to do was follow him in order to regain purity.

Vivia frowned, rereading the message, a strange feeling in her chest. The story felt too familiar - the boy on the table with a microphone, talking about purity? It was too familiar. Maybe it was a coincidence? Or did theriverstix actually go to her school?

She didn't reply, though. She didn't want to take that chance in case she was wrong. And it didn't matter, anyway, because theriverstix continued on.

theriverstix: Of course, everyone at school really hates him, but none of us ever thought of doing something about it until someone did. There's this girl, and she was waiting in line to get her food, but the annoying kid didn't shut up so she marched over to him, rips out the book in his hands - idk what the book is tho, don't ask - and she fucking HITS HIM WITH HIS OWN BOOK AND THEN SHOVES HIM OFF THE FUCKING TABLE

theriverstix: IT WAS THE BEST THING TO EVER HAPPEN AT MY SCHOOL

theriverstix: FUCKING ICONIC, I WISH YOU COULD'VE SEEN IT

Vivia stared at the phone in her hand, rereading the messages again and again. But the words remained the same - they never changed. They were still arranged in the same way, still said the same thing. Still talked about Corlant and Vivia pushing him off a table from the point of view of a bystander who thought what she did was iconic.

She was right. Theriverstix went to her school. Had probably been at her school this whole time, and she hadn't known.

She dropped the phone on her bed, unsure what to do. Did she tell theriverstix who she was? What if theriverstix was actually someone she already knew?

If she told theriverstix who she was, would they want to be friends with her? Very few people did.

But what if they were a friend of Merik? Vivia had no idea what her brother told anyone about her, though she was fairly sure most people didn't know she existed. She didn't know for sure, though, and that was the only thing stopping her from sending theriverstix a message saying It was me. I was the one who pushed Corlant off a table.

What if she could find out who theriverstix was? If they didn't know Merik, maybe Vivia could tell them. Maybe they could be friends in real life, not just online. But how would she do that? She didn't talk to many people - but the people she talked to did.

She grabbed her phone again, scrolling through her contacts before finding the one she wanted. Her contact list wasn't usually so full, but since she joined the Bribery and Corruption group, there was suddenly a lot more people, all of which got her number from the Bribery and Corruption group chat. But she clicked on only one name - Vaness'.

Vaness answered her phone immediately. Vivia always wondered how she managed to do that, with her social life being so big and all. It seemed like a lot of effort. "What is it?" she answered, forgetting 'hello'. She sounded mildly annoyed, and Vivia felt a little guilty for ringing her.

"I need your help," she said. If anyone could find theriverstix, it was Vaness. At least, she hoped so.

This seemed to get her attention. Vivia rarely asked for help. "What with?"

"Can you find someone for me?" she asked. Her voice sounded desperate even to her ears.

"I don't know." Vaness didn't say anything for a few minutes, and Vivia hoped she was considering it. "Do you have a name? A social media page? Or anything else to use."

Vivia hesitated before replying, "Yes." Theriverstix was a secret. She hadn't told Vaness about them - was that selfish of her? She didn't really care. "Remember that app you forced me to get? I met them on there. Their name is theriverstix."

"I'll see what I can do."

*

Read the next chapter here: Chapter Thirteen

[medialists]

Mamma Mia

Atomic Blonde 

Filth 

Regression 

Colonia 

El círculo 

Beauty and the Beast 

Trance 

Victor Frankenstein 

Atonement 

Starter for 10 

Becoming Jane 

The Conspirator

The Last King of Scotland 

X-Men.

Glass 

The Last Station 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 

Big Fish 

La desaparición de Eleanor Rigby 

Submergence 

Thor 

The Avengers 

Intensamente 

Las ventajas de ser invisible 

IT. 

Inception 

Harry Potter.

At eternity's gate 

Catch me if you can 

Her 

Pulp Fiction 

Xavier Dolan 

Memorias de una Geisha 

Ready player one 

Battle angel 

Taxi Driver 

El doble 

Shutter island 

Cube 

My week with Marilyn 

Noé 

Ballet shoes 

El diablo viste a la moda 

Cazafantasmas 

Les miserables 

Lady Bird 

The Truman Show 

Irene, yo y mi otro yo 

Call me by your name 

The Favorite 

La la land 

La chica del tren 

Jolene 

Winter's war 

Tomb Raider 

Ex machina 

El código Da Vinci 

Ángeles y demonios 

Mean Girls 

Mulan 

Coraline 

Mujer Bonita 

E.T. 

Crimson Peak. 

Extraordinario. 

Las de Marvel que faltan 

The Room 

A quiet place 

Blade Runner 

Animales Nocturnos 

Animales Fantásticos  

La Propuesta 

A star is born 

Begin again 

Anon. 

From Russia with Love

Goldfinger

Thunderball

You Only Live Twice

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Diamonds Are Forever

The Man with the Golden Gun

For Your Eyes Only

Octopussy

Never Say Never Again

A View to a Kill

The Living Daylights

GoldenEye

Tomorrow Never Dies

The World is not Enough

Die Other Day

Casino Royale

Quantum of Solace

Dawn of the Dead

Blade II

RED

The Dark Knight Rises

Kick-Ass 2

Die Hard

Scarface

From Dusk till Dawn

Face/Off

No Escape

Impostor

Death Race 2

Jobs

Les Quatre Cents Coups

The Wolf of Wall Street

The Murder of Princess Diana

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Fight Club

My Sister's Keeper

Ida

Loreak

Sowon

Gran Torino

All About Eve

The Nun's Story

The Sunset Limited

A Clockwork Orange

Kingsman.

Batman: Under the Red Hood

Lords of Dogtown

Unbroken

Ip Man

Million Dollar Baby

Concussion

The Great Gatsby

Lilting

Birdman

The Theory of Everything

War and Peace

Collateral Beauty

The Children's Hours

Moulin Rouge!

Dolls

The Bridges of Madison County

As Good as It Gets

Me Before You

Before Sunrise

Before Midnight

Carol

The Reader

Like Crazy

New York, I Love You

Anna Karenina

Pride & Prejudice

Bridget Jones's Diary

How to Marry a Millionaire

Bus Stop

The Prince and the Showgirl

Ladies of the Chorus

Roman Holiday

Prendimi l'Anima

The Young Victoria

Sabrina

Ed Wood

My Life Without Me

A Woman of Paris

Metropolis

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Fantasia 2000

Punisher: War Zone

Robin and Marian

The Unforgiven

Green Mansions

Live and Let Die

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

To the Bone

T2 Trainspotting

La Grande Bellezza

Men, Women & Children

Lost in Translation

Ghost World

Before Sunset

Evil Dead

Army of Darkness

After Earth

Hulk

Get Smart

Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Dark Crystal

Labyrinth

300

Mononoke Hime

Edge of Tomorrow

Death Race 2050

L'Écume des Jours

Paris When It Sizzles

The Seven Year Itch

Down with Love

Monkey Business

Dead Alive

Monty Python's Life of Brian

Vertigo

They All Laughed

Love Among Thieves

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Let's Make Love

Funny Face

On the Town

The Sky's the Limit

A Damsel in Distress

Shall We Dance

There's No Business Like Show Business

It's Always Fair Weather

My Fair Lady

Don't Bother to Knock

Monte Carlo Baby

Las Dos Caras de la Verdad

Ciudad en Tinieblas

El Bebé de Rose Mary

The Chuck Net Atrapado Sin Salida

El Experimento

Holy Motors

Mindscape

Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me

Antichrist

Bottom of the Worlds

High Rise

Southland Tales

Magnolia

Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy

Inherent Vice

The Lobster

The Number 23

They Look Like People

Upstream Color

Twelve Monkeys

Minority Report

Los Cromocrímenes

Predestination

About time

Blue Velvet

Pi: Faith in Chaos

The Box

Identity

The Life of David Gale

The Gift

Lovesong

Miss Sloane

The Meyerowitz Stories

The Big Sick

Efectos Secundarios

The Notebook

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

The Little Mermaid

Manchester By the Sea

Silence

Moonlight

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Snowpiercer

Star Trek Beyond

Moonrise Kingdom

No Country for Old Men

The Exorcist

The Darjeeling Limited

House of Sand and Fog

Napoleon Dynamite

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Armores Perros

La Dictadura Perfecta

Frida

El Crimen del Padre Amado

El Estudiante

Cilantro y Perejil

Perfume de Violetas

Arráncame la Vida

Como Agua para Chocolate

Solo Con tu Pareja

El Callejón de los Milagros

Rojo Amanecer

La Ley de Herodes

Un Monstruo de Mil Cabezas

Las Horas Contigo

Maquinaria Paramericana

Ella es Ramona

El Jeremias

Sopladora de Hojas

Los Insólitos Peces Gatos

Guten Tag, Ramon

El Infierno

Mientras el Lobo No Está

Sexo, Pudor y Lágrimas

Miss Bala

Cronos

Después de Lucía

Qué Culpa Tiene el Niño

Nosotros los Nobles

La Jaula de Oro

Y tu Mamá También

Canoa

Amar te Duele

Toki Wo Kakeru Shoujo

Transformers

Harry Potter

Old Yeller

Legally Blonde

Miller's Crossing

Faustrecht der Freiheit

It's Called Murder, Baby

Heathers

The Love Witch

Southside With You

Pink Flamingos

Hr's Just Not That Into You

Windstruck

What's Your Number?

There's Something About Mary

When Harry Met Sally

Forgettin Sarah Marshall

Say Anything

Pretty Woman

Not Another Teen Movie

Kate & Leopold

Sleepless in Seattle

Pretty in Pink

Serendipity

Four Weddings And A Funeral

50 First Dates

Bridget Jones' Diary

Something's Gotta Give

Pánico Antes del Amanecer

Cumpleaños Mortal

Viernes 13

La Quema

The Slumber Party Massacre

Campamento Sangriento

Curtains

Siete Mujeres Atrapadas

The House On Sorority Row

Detrás de la Máscara

April Fool's Day

Lovecraft

Bubba Ho-Tep

Thor Ragnarok

Lo Que Hacemos en las Sombras

Zombies Party

La Noche de los Muertos Vivientes

El Regreso de los Muertos Vivientes

Army of Darkness

Pasion Infernal

Terroríficamente muertos

El Baile de los Vampiros

Braindead

Creepshow

El Jovencito Frankeinstein

Gremlins

Un Hombre Lobo Americano en Londres

The Edge Of Seventeen

Murder of Cats

The Book of Love

Atomic Falafel

Buddies

Tiempos felices

Illegal

Nise: El Corazón de la Locura

Kill Command

The Blind Side

The Fundamentals of Caring

The Danish Girl

Miss You Already

Fantastic Beasts the Crimes of Grindelwald

Side Effects

Requiem for a Dream

Constantine

The Island

The Box

The Tall Man

Oblivion

Gods of Egypt

Twilight Zone

Dusk Dawn

Jeepers Creepers

The Descent

30 Days of Night

The Midnight Meat Train

VHS

Minority Report

Terminator

Avatar

Midnight Sun

The Book of Henry

Lady Bird

Truth or Dare

Adrift

Stronger

Every Day

A Nightmire on Elm Street

REC

Monsters

American Mary

Found

The Witches

Let Me In

Let the Right One In

Oculus

Insidious 4: The Last Key

Trainspotting

Night of the Living Dead

Life of Brian

Drive

Snatch

Blade Runner

Scarface

Lord of the Rings

Ben - Hur

Cantinflas

Tin tan

Pedro Infante

Gone With the Wind

Indiana Jones

Salon Kitty

The Wild Bunch

Harold and Maude

The Warriors

The Long Goodbye

Deep End

Coonskin

The Bestia in Calore

La Cage aux Folles

Badlands

The Brood

1941

Eraserhead

Labyrinth

Legend

The Sound of Music

Repo! The Genetic Opera

Enemy Mine

Cannibal Holocaust

The Evil Dead

Lola Montes

King Kong

Rock and Roll High School

Blood In Blood Out

Easy Rider

Heavy Metal

Pink Floyd The Wall

Wicker Park

Lars and the Real Girl

The Cable Guy

Sophie's Choice

Brokeback Mountain

A Wrinkle in Time

Scream

Presagio

Señales

Titanes del pacífico

Clint Eastwood

Dirty Harry

Chappie

The Greatest Showman

Safe Heaven

Across the Universe

Thirteen

Perfect Sense

A Life Less Ordinary

Shallow Grave

No Reservations

The Holiday

Ali G in da House

The Reader

The Dressmaker

Brigsby Bear

Cast Away

Romeo + Juliet

What's Eating Gilberte Grape?

Body of Lies

Little Nemo Adventures in Slumberland

Apt Pupil

Stand by Me

Shawshank Redemption

Excalibur

Hearts Beat Loud

Velvet Buzzsaw

Nightcrawler

Chungking Express

Twin Peaks

Throne of Blood

Harakiri

2046

Tokyo Story

F for Fake

Allegrophobia

Lost in Translation

Hereditary

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

Rear Window

West Side Story

Manhattan

David Lynch Cooking Quinoa

Ikiru

Midnight Cowboy

Bonnie and Clyde

The Straight Story

Annie Hall

The Great Dictator

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

M

Y tu Mamá También

Paddington

Paddington 2

Birdman

Autumn Sonata

To Kill a Mockingbird

Barry Lyndon

It's a Wonderful Life

The Wrestler

The Florida Project

Rashomon

It's Such a Beautiful Day

Paths of Glory

Kung Fury

Boogie Nights

Gone with the Wind

The Prestige

Shaun of the Dead

The World's End

In the Mood for Love

Handmaiden

Intolerance

El Bola

Celda 211

El Olivo

Las 13 Rosas

Blue Valentine

Closer

Like Crazy

(500) Days of Summer

Le Mépris

Match Point

Ruby Sparks

Once

Revolutionary Road

Happy Together

Sleepy Hollow

Vampyr

Black Sunday

The Hunger

The Haunting

Rebecca

Crimson Peak

The Crow

Pan's Labyrinth

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Drácula

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

A Cure for Wellness

Horror of Dracula

The Bride

La Novia

Flavors of Youth

Dead Poet's Society

Mary and Max

Dear Zachary: a Letter to a Son about His Father

Big Fish & Begonia

20th Century Women

The Villainess

Touch of Evil

Christine

Zero Dark Thirty

The Stranger

Hannibal

El Autor

Short Term 12

Grave of the Fireflies

Cinema Paradiso

My Girl

A Ghost Story

Hasta el viento tiene miedo

El libro de piedra

Veneno para hadas

Pearl Harbor

Infierno azul

Guerra de Novias

El Bar Coyote

Needful Things

Sense & Sensibility

El Diario de Carlota

Batman vs Superman

Black Panther

Dredd

Scream

Valentine

Camino hacia el terror

Sé lo que hicieron el verano pasado

Joy Ride

Jeepers Creepers

La reunión del diablo

Viernes 13

Another Earth

A Quiet Place

Mississippi en llamas

The breakfast club

The revenant

birdman

sing street *

frida

roma

catch me if you can

dead poets society

the age of adaline

changeling

brooklyn

good will hunting

artificial intelligence

paranoia

to the bone

the danish girl

90 minutes in heaven

while you were sleeping

james and the giant peach

Crimson peak

pretty woman

summer days with coo

the breadwinner

summer wars

the gift

cargo

julie & julia

spirit

8 mile

raw

okja

schindler's list

blue valentine

the hateful eight

the untouchables

old boy

ghost in the shell

sophie's choice

ip man 2

frances ha

the tree of life

amanda knox

hail, caesar!

Janis: little girl blue

my beautiful broken brain

noah

the badadook

origin: spirits of the past

project almanac

the thing

bird box

death note

death note ii

1922

death note: light up the new world

pandora

american gangster

the nightmare

pasión por las letras

le dîner de cons

la grande vadrouille

la traversée de paris

le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain

El secreto de Adeline

La boda de mi mejor amigo

Loco por ella

Quédate a mi lado

The mexican

A él no le gustas tanto

El regalo

Lo imposible

Con derecho a roce

Mi segunda vez

Canta!

El examen

El número 23

The game

Clown house

Km3!

Macario

Once upon a time in Mexico

Wes Creaven's New Nightmare

Don't look now

Eyes without a face

Como si fuera la primera vez

El diario de Biridget Jones

500 días con ella

Juno

El descanso

Virgen a los 40

Eterno resplandor de una mente sin recuerdos

Realmente amor

Ligeramente embarazada

¿Cómo sobrevivir a un ex?

Mensajero del futuro

El imperio del fuego

El libro de Emo

Oblivion: el tiempo del olvido

La última esperanza

Escape de NY

El expresó del miedo

Soy leyenda

El último camino

Cuando el destino nos alcance

Sunset boulevard

North by northwest

The artist

The good the bad and the ugly

Highlander

Hair

The Maltese falcon

The road

Independence day

Armageddon

28 dias después

Hijos de los hombres

La guerra de los mundos

Stake land

Take shelter

Snowpiercer

2012

Supersalidos

American Pie

Rumores y mentiras

Todo en un día

Chicas malas

El club de los cinco

El exorcista

El descenso

The babadook

La matanza de Texas

La cosa

Martyrs

Rec 2

El conjuro 2

Pulse

Evil dead

Voice from the stone

Clinical

Dig two graves

Kidnap

Black butterfly

Grey Lady

Dans la maison

Memories of a murder

Incendies

The prestige

Gone baby gone

El secreto de sus ojos

Mystic River

[lilacmoon83]

Dreaming Out Loud

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 109: The Summons, Pt. 1

One Day Ago

The tan colored Sedan drove through the backwoods of Maine. The man in the driver's seat was known in his home city of Boston as Detective Landon Griffin, or he was, before he took early retirement due to a botched investigation a few years ago. But something very intriguing had brought him back into the game, unofficially, of course.

He had received an e-mail from an old friend; a reporter by the name of Derek Jefferies. He had distanced himself from Derek over the years, as his friend had his own career missteps, but they maintained casual contact. So when he received a suspicious e-mail that stated if he didn't hear from his friend within three days to suspect foul play, Landon had naturally wondered what trouble his friend had found himself in this time.

He decided to investigate himself first by coming to the longitude and latitude coordinates provided to him by his friend to check things out. He wasn't sure the e-mail alone was enough evidence to get the authorities involved yet, especially since his friend had a history of erratic behavior. He also had no family or ties to any communities, so he needed actual evidence to present a missing person's case. So here he was, literally in the middle of nowhere, and cursing Derek to high heaven. It seemed that his supposed friend had either provided the wrong location or had sent him on a wild goose chase. He sighed and parked the car on the side of the road before getting out and casually looking around.

"Should have known...damn fool always was a bit off," the retired detective cursed, as he got back into the car. Then suddenly, right before his eyes, the trees and woods began to move and recede. He blinked, wondering if he was hallucinating and his mouth dropped ajar, as a town popped up literally out of no where. And if he didn't know any better, he would have thought he was high or drunk. He stumbled out of the car and stared up at a clock tower, which his car was now parked in front of. He scarcely could believe his eyes, as people appeared around him and more fantastically, castles popped up amid the trees in the distance. He turned in circles, examining his new surroundings and truly wondered if he had somehow stumbled into the freaking Twilight Zone. He swallowed thickly and stared at everything that was now before him.

"What the hell is going on?"

~*~

As they appeared back in the shop, Belle and Rumple looked around in confusion.

"Weren't we just on the beach?" she asked.

"Yes…" Rumple replied, as he searched his memories and realized the gap.

"Then how...I don't even remember coming back here," she said.

"Pan…" Rumple growled.

"But we didn't even see him," Belle admonished.

"Oh yes we did...and he wiped our memories, I'm certain of it," Rumple hissed.

"He's...he's that powerful?" Belle asked with trepidation.

"Oh yes...which means if he did that, then there is something he doesn't want us to know," Rumple replied.

"Then we should go back there and confront him," Belle stated.

"No...he'll just wipe our memories again and send us back here. This is his game...he loves to play games," he responded.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

"We play along with his game. He obviously wants to make some grand entrance and will probably do it tonight at the summons," he replied.

"You can't keep this from the others though," she warned.

"And I'm still waiting for you to tell me how you know so much about Pan," she added. He cursed inwardly. He didn't want anyone to know about his connection to that demon...but telling them would probably take some wind out of Pan's sails so to speak.

"I'll tell you...everyone. Let's convene with them at the hospital," he agreed.

"Oh, Snow texted me and they're home already. Persephone healed her so she'd be able to attend tonight. We can go to the loft," Belle replied. He nodded.

"Why on Earth are they still living at the loft? They have a castle now," he mentioned. She smirked.

"So do you...but we still stayed at the mansion last night. Storybrooke is truly home...for all of us," she reminded. He couldn't refute that.

"Agreed," he relented, as they locked the shop up and began the short trek to the loft.

~*~

Snow stretched sleepily and heard the baby whimper from his bassinet beside their bed. It had only been a couple hours since he had last been up, but she didn't care. Neither of them could get enough of him and even though she told him he didn't have to, David had gotten up with her each time.

"I'll bring him to you, my love," he whispered, as he kissed her cheek and she smiled warmly at him. It was never lost on her how lucky she was to have a man like him. David's face lit up, as he peered down at their newborn, whom they still had to name.

"Come on little man...let's go see Mommy," he cooed, as he carried him over to her and then helped Snow shrug out of her nightgown. She took him in her arms with a giddy smile and put him to her breast. He showed no trouble in latching at the hospital and with Artemis' ability to be there instantly, they felt comfortable in taking him home.

Though they weren't sure how much longer the loft was going to be home. They loved their little loft and would be sad to leave it behind. But they knew they needed more room and Snow's father had insisted they come live in his palace now that it was an option. Snow had one set of very fond memories of growing up there, even if there were times her former step-mother Ravenna and her father's court made it difficult. But no matter what any of them had ever said, she had very fond memories of Eli always being there and with him doting on her. And not in the creepy way that she realized Leopold did. She still had that set of memories, but could no longer look upon them with much fondness. She still recalled fondness for the memories she had of Eva as her mother, but ultimately, growing up with her real mother, real father, and step-father were the memories that were now dominate. She also still had many memories of growing up with Regina as her step-mother and could still think about those fondly, even though she now knew that Regina had secretly loathed her. Still...Regina was clearly changing before their eyes. It was slow, but she was seeing glimpses of the woman she used to be coming through and she hoped with all her heart that she could become that woman again.

Snow gazed down at him, as he nursed and she looked at her husband fondly, who was just as mesmerized by their baby as she was.

"We still need to give him a name," she mentioned.

"I know...I was looking through this name book that Belle gave us earlier. I'm just not sure any of them are right for him," he replied.

"We'll find the one," she assured.

"Are you ready for this? I mean tonight?" he asked curiously. She scoffed.

"I'm not sure how all this is even happening. I mean...all the realms are here now...and just as they are," she replied. He sighed.

"I know...it's a bit hard to wrap my head around too," he said, as he looked around.

"And as much as I know we'll enjoy having a bedroom door again, I'll miss this little place," he added. She smiled.

"Me too...it's where I fell in love and my new husband moved in with me," she said fondly.

"You know, when I was just Mary Margaret," she added. He smiled and kissed her hair.

"I love that you have your memories back, but I'll admit, those seem like such simple times now," he admitted.

"Mmm...I think I'll miss Storybrooke just being Storybrooke," she agreed.

"Snow...if you want to live in Storybrooke, I'm sure your father will understand. I mean, obviously we need to look for a bigger place, but if a castle isn't what you want...then we don't have to go," he said. She nodded.

"I know...I know Daddy would understand, but I actually do. Despite Ravenna and the horrible people in my father's court, I have a set of memories that is very good living there and when we took back the Kingdom, I dreamed of living there with my husband and raising our baby," she replied. He smiled fondly.

"We may not be raising Emma there, but we can raise this little one there," she said. He smiled.

"Then I guess this family is moving, after we get through tonight, that is," he said. She sighed.

"Like things weren't complicated enough before," she replied and he couldn't disagree.

"We have a lot to figure out for sure, but we have a lot of family there to do it with us," he reminded. She smiled and nodded, as he kissed her tenderly again. The baby was asleep again, so after they put him down, they too went back to sleep, hoping for a few more hours before it was time to attend that evening's summons.

~*~

Henry looked around his mother's castle with wonder later that day, as he walked beside her. Emma and Neal followed them and shared a smile at the look on his face. Even Regina smiled back at them, enjoying his mirth as much as they were. Slowly but surely, they were figuring out this co-parent thing and calmer tempers were prevailing over all the hurt and pain there had been. And it was all because one little boy had brought them together.

"So...is this where I'm gonna live now?" Henry asked.

"Well...that's up to you, sweetheart," Regina answered, though there was a catch in her throat. It was her worst fear that he was going to decide that he wouldn't want to live with her anymore.

"What about Mom Emma and Dad?" he asked. They exchanged a glance.

"Uh well...we'll be as close by as you want us, kid," Neal replied.

"They'll be here...if they want to be," Regina responded, as she looked at them and they smiled.

"Yeah...a room in a palace is probably better than Granny's" Neal agreed.

"Yeah and I will probably split my time between here and Mom and Dad's new castle. I'm sure we'll all have rooms there too," Emma said, looking at Regina when she said it. And Regina couldn't be unhappy about that now. As she was slowly letting go of her hate and idea of revenge, she was finding that family was replacing that and filling the void. And though she was loathe to admit it at times, she liked it. Which was about to become very important, as she learned upon stepping into her Throne room and finding Leopold sitting upon it.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Emma asked, the first to voice her disgust at him.

"This is my castle...I am alive, which means I am still King. Alas, it appears that my wife Cora is still deceased and my other ex-wife has no claim to this Throne any longer," Leopold replied.

"That is my Throne...I earned it," Regina hissed.

"No...you murdered me to get it," he corrected.

"So...you're going to play King again? Maybe find another child bride to ruin?" Emma growled.

"I am a King...and without an heir. The one I had really isn't mine, now is she?" he questioned.

"No...and she'll never be anything to you. Even you're smart enough to know that if you come near my mother...you'll get a one way trip straight back to the Underworld," Emma warned.

"Duly noted...now get out of my castle," he snapped, as a few guards closed in on them. Neal pulled Henry back and held his hand up.

"We'll go peacefully…" Neal assured.

"The hell we will…" Regina hissed.

"For now...we will. This isn't the time to discuss any kind of action," Neal insisted, as she glanced at their son and relaxed. They turned and left peacefully, but it was clear that this was far from over.

~*~

Evening came and carriages began to arrive at King Eli's palace. Persephone looked down into the night and then turned back to her husband. She was garbed in an elaborate lavender gown that was sleeveless and a diamond necklace, earrings, and tiara completed her ensemble.

"You look beautiful…" Hades mentioned, as he looked very smart and dashing in his formal black velvet tunic, which had light blue embroidery and black formal pants and boots to complete his dress wear.

"Hmm?" she asked, obviously too nervous to hear his compliment and he gently put his hands on her bare shoulders.

"It's going to be fine," he assured.

"You don't know that. This entire night could be a complete nightmare. We really have no idea what attitudes everyone is walking in here with. And need I remind you that Cronus' ball was not a smashing success at all," she replied. He chuckled.

"Cronus couldn't throw a good party if his life depended upon it. I mean, he didn't even have a chocolate fountain and we do. It's going to make the party," he joked, but she was too worked up to appreciate his usual quips.

"Listen...I have a contingency plan. I am ready at a moment's notice to snap my fingers and get our family out of here if it comes to that. And Hephaestus is now waiting in the wings, at your command, with a completed supply of forged lightning bolts on full display," he reminded. She relaxed slightly at that. Even Frollo would be careful about making any rash moves tonight with her so directly ready to smite him down. Even the Chernabog had limits and her powers were definitely among those limits. She took a deep breath and he put his arm around her waist.

"After tonight, everyone will know why they are now here and how they can move forward. Most will adapt and we will be ready for the troublemakers," he assured.

"I hope you're right, my love," she lamented, as they exited their chambers and readied themselves for this summons to commence.

~*~

David stood by the window in their new chambers in Eli's palace. Their chambers was twice the size of the loft's lower level and there was a large adjoining room that Persephone and Demeter had somehow found time to magical turn into a warm, inviting nursery. He held their son and gazed out from the balcony. It would be the same balcony that they would present their son from to all the Kingdoms. It would have been what they had done with Emma had it been an option. And they were still wrapping their minds around the fact that it actually was an option. They thought they would be introducing their son at a low key event held at Granny's. And to be honest, they would have probably preferred that to this, for they could have never predicted this turn of events. It was surreal looking out at the landscape before him now. From this vantage point, they could see the clock tower. Their palace was probably the closest to Storybrooke, which they liked. Regina's palace was fairly close as well. He looked out toward the Harbor and saw the glimmering Emerald City in the distance, as well as the island of Neverland, which they had been warned about. Castles of all the other Kingdoms now dotted the landscape in their hidden bubble of Maine. They were still waiting on word on whether or not there was a barrier again, but even if there was, they still had a problem with Circe's outsiders in town. In a way, it was amazing, but he knew it opened up a whole new host of dangers as well.

"Well, little man, this may be a very new world, but I promise you're not going to be in alone. I couldn't promise that to your sister...but I'm going to keep that promise to you," he whispered.

"And we'll keep that promise together," he heard Snow say and he turned to find her in a gorgeous, shimmering silver gown. It was sleeveless and she wore elbow length satin silver gloves. The entire ensemble was completed with her tiara.

"Wow…" he uttered. It never ceased to amaze him how she could always take his breath away, no matter what she was wearing. But this particular gown was spectacular.

"It's a bit showy, isn't it?" she asked uncertainly.

"No...you look incredible," he answered, still in awe of her.

"Mom said that in an event like this that elaborate is better and I must say I'll never get tired of seeing you in this," she replied, as she admired his outfit. It was his formal red coat and the same ensemble he had been wearing when he awakened her with true love's kiss. In both realities.

"That's definitely something we'll have to get used to," she mentioned, as she looked out at their new view.

"I know...as incredible as it is, it comes with a lot of unknowns that we don't need," he said wearily, as she cuddled against him and peered down at their tiny son.

"But...like you said, we'll do it together," he added, as he pressed a kiss to her hair, which was back to being short, but not as short as it once was. When the original curse had broken, she had started to grow it out again and it was currently styled in a short bob that was just below her ears. They heard a knock at their door and turned, as Persephone came in.

"It's time," she told them. They nodded and followed her and Hades, as they began the short trek to the winding stairway that would lead them down into the atrium.

"We have a problem...and I haven't been able to find you," Regina said immediately, as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"We were getting ready and I had to nurse the baby," Snow replied. The former Queen sighed.

"I know and that's why I was looking for you and your husband," Regina said, directing her attention to Persephone.

"What's going on?" the Goddess asked.

"We went to Regina's castle earlier with Henry to show him around and apparently, Leopold has decided that it's his Throne again," Emma replied.

"That makes sense. He is technically alive again," Hades stated, receiving a glare from Regina.

"I didn't say I agree with it. He's not fit for the Throne, but technically, it's his. There's not really rules for coming back from the head since it shouldn't be possible, but here we are," he added.

"He's right...there are no rules for that. He's alive again and can take the Throne. He can choose to keep you as his Queen or absolve your marriage. I'm guessing he'll do the latter," Persephone agreed.

"He can't do that! I married into that Throne and I suffered through being married to him, at least in one reality, and I earned my place on that Throne," Regina growled.

"And technically he did die, at least in one reality. Right there, that invalidates your marriage and knowing his crooked court, they'll choose to go that route so he can remarry some poor child to produce a viable heir," Hades added.

"He's right, but we will sort this out. Perhaps a different Throne is right for you," Persephone proposed.

"A different Throne?" Emma asked.

"In one reality, you were step-mother to my daughter. That technically makes you Queen Mother to her," Persephone replied.

"No...that would be you. You're her real mother," Regina corrected. Persephone nodded.

"I am...but I already have another Throne to rule from," she reminded. Hades smirked.

"The highest Throne, my wife...Goddess of the heavens," Hades boasted.

"Stop," she chided.

"So Leopold is coming here tonight?" Snow asked. Emma nodded.

"Yeah...but don't worry, I think I put the fear in him if he tries anything," she replied.

"Oh he won't be that bold. Slinking like a snake in the grass is more his style. He knows if he were to make a move tonight, he'd be ash like that," Hades said, snapping his fingers for effect.

"He's sneaky...he used to impart his "wisdom" to me all the time, until Persephone's mother finally clued me in on what he was really after. He may come here tonight, but then he will be explicitly banned from my castle," Eli added.

"Seeing you two agree on anything is still uber weird," Emma commented, making Hades chuckle.

"We don't always see eye to eye, but we both love our family and want them protected," he said.

"And for that reason, I can tolerate you, but don't get the idea that I actually like you," Eli retorted.

"Perish the thought," Hades quipped in return.

"Sweetie...are you okay?" Persephone asked her daughter, as she noticed the pensive look on her face. Snow forced a smile.

"I'm fine," she assured, as she held her newborn close.

"Honey...if this is too much too soon, say the word. I know we can handle all of this if you want a quiet evening," Persephone soothed.

"A quiet evening sounds nice, but no, I want to do this. I need to be here. We're ushering in a brand new era with a lot of unknowns and I am going to be here to see it," Snow assured. Eli smiled and put his hands on her shoulders.

"You are my heir, sweet pea, but more importantly, the greatest thing in my life," he said, making Snow start to tear up.

"I know that there is a version of me that you didn't know and that was a very angry man," he began.

"But you were changing, even before all this. And then I got the chance for you to be my Daddy," she said. He smiled.

"And despite the fact that it was a spell that probably shouldn't have happened, I have never been so grateful for it," he replied. Snow smiled at that.

"Me either. There were a lot of great things during that spell," she agreed.

"I just wish that I had been stronger and had the courage I needed to dismiss that horrible court and have my marriage to Ravenna absolved. I'm sorry for the way you were treated," he said.

"Daddy...that's not your fault and you were in a terrible position. You were trying to keep the peace and prevent war. And despite how they treated me, I never doubted how much you love me," Snow assured, as she hugged him and Eli nearly began sobbing at that.

"Do you want to hold your grandson again?" she asked.

"You know I do," he replied, as he cradled him. With that, they began to receive the arriving Kingdoms, just as Rumple and Belle arrived.

"Snow…" Belle said, as they shared a hug.

"You look beautiful," Snow said, admiring her golden dress.

"So do you...I love this color on you," she agreed. Rumple rolled his eyes impatiently.

"Belle…" he said.

"Oh right, we have something to tell all of you," she said.

"What is it?" Persephone asked.

"It's Pan…" Rumple answered.

"You mean dear old dad?" Hades asked.

"Dammit…" Rumple cursed.

"Say what now?!" Neal exclaimed.

"Never mind that for now...I planned to explain all that. But I think I've already run into him," Rumple admonished.

"Well, you're still alive so it couldn't have gone that bad," Hades quipped.

"Except that we don't remember and Rumple thinks he wiped our memories," Belle corrected.

"Which means he's up to something," Rumple added.

"Whatever it is...he'll get a lightning bolt thrown at him if he comes near this family," Persephone assured, as the processional began. Thomas, Ella, and Thomas' father Mitchell were first in, having also regained their Kingdom. Midas, Frederick, and Abigail were next as well. Eric and Ariel arrived, since the Maritime Kingdom was among the realms united. Next, they saw a blonde woman garbed in a pinkish silver gown, with a wand walk down the aisle next. She bowed respectfully.

"I am Glinda...the good witch of the North and ruler of the Emerald City. And this is my apprentice...Dorothy," she introduced.

"Welcome Glinda," Persephone greeted, as the two women moved off to the side and the next guests approached. An older man in golden robes and a tall hat approached, with a man in blue robes flanking him on one side and a person garbed in armor on the other side. They bowed to Persephone.

"I am the Emperor of China. This is my adviser, Chi-Fu, and my most valiant warrior...Mulan," he said, as the warrior removed her helmet.

"Cool...Mulan is real too…" Henry whispered to his father and Neal couldn't help but chuckle. Following them, was an older man in white robes, with a white turban and a young woman, with long dark hair, dressed in a blue cropped top and harem pants.

"I am the Sultan of Agrabah and this is my daughter, Princess Jasmine," he announced.

"This is so cool…" Henry gushed, as Emma and Regina smiled at him. Next, it was David's turn to be surprised, as he saw people that he knew.

"Your Majesties...I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle. This is my sister Princess Anna and my brother-in-law, Kristoff, Prince Consort," the blonde introduced.

"Kristoff…" David said in surprise.

"David…" Kristoff called, also in surprise.

"You know him?" Snow asked.

"Old friend...but I also know her, but obviously not who she really was. Princess Anna," he said slyly. Anna smiled.

"Nice to see you too, just a shepherd, David," she teased, as they moved along, but he was certain they would be able to catch up later.

Next, another couple approached and bowed respectfully.

"Your Majesties, I am King Arthur of Camelot and this is my Queen, Guinevere," he introduced, as Persephone nodded curtly and the man caught Hades' stare boring into him, which made him suddenly very nervous, as they moved off to the side.

Cronus was next, along with Deimos and Phobos.

"Why is he here?" Hades growled.

"At ease, son...Deimos will be on his best behavior this evening," Cronus assured, as he turned his attention to Snow and David.

"Congratulations to you both on the arrival of your tiny Prince," he offered, as they acknowledged his pleasantries.

"If he steps even an inch toward Snow…" Hades warned.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Your Highness. I would not betray the orders of my Lord Cronus," Deimos quipped, as they dispersed with the others that had arrived. But if Cronus wasn't bad enough already, Leopold waltzed into the castle, followed by Frollo.

"Neither of you are welcome here. Get out," Eli spat.

"I am once again King of my Kingdom and I believe all the heads of state were summoned," Leopold countered, as he made his way to join the other royals.

"And I have taken over as head of my state as well. The Cathedral is mine now," Frollo announced.

"One wrong move, Chernabog and you'll see a test of my full power," Persephone warned. Frollo smirked.

"Do not worry, Your Majesty...I, too, am on my best behavior this evening," he replied, as his eyes rested on Snow.

"Congratulations on your new arrival," he said, as she held the baby close to her chest. They received a few more Kingdoms and soon, everyone was decidedly present.

"Now that everyone is here...I can explain everything and answer all the questions anyone may have," Persephone announced. But, as she prepared to go on, the castle doors slammed open again and there were gasps of surprise. Rumple was expecting Pan...but it wasn't him.

"It can't be…" Eli uttered, as he stared at the person that had interrupted.

"But she's dead…" Snow said.

"Apparently not," Hades replied, as Queen Ravenna strolled into the castle, her beautiful face marred with an evil smirk.

"Sorry I'm late…" she announced, as shock rippled through the entire chamber...

[gotojobin]

#BlackClover #ブラッククローバー #BurakkuKurōbā #KingDevinJoseph #キングデビンジョセフ #おたく #Otaku #オタク #GotoJobin #後藤Jobin #デヴィンジョセフ王 #Weeb #WeebDar #王デヴィンジョセフ 1. ヴァーミリオンMereoleon a Vermillion CV。Minagawa Junko Affiliation: The Knights of Gurren: The Magical Attributes of Affiliation: The Knights of Magic Affiliation: The Lions of Gurren: The Dawn of Magic: A Birthday of Birth: July 26 The eldest daughter of the royal family, the Vermilion family, and the sisters of Fuego Leon and Leopold brothers in the "Lotus King of the Lotus" group. Became a new leader of the “Red Lotus King” group, replacing her younger brother Fuego Leon, who had been withdrawn due to injury. Her temper is strong and I hate it, but she has an energetic and caring sister skin. I hate that I have no interest in warfare or politics, and that I am stiff. If it fights, it is said that it is "stronger" than his younger brother Fuego Leon. A mana who lives freely in the mountains and takes full advantage of the "magic" of the natural world, and always keeps on scooping the whole body of power "Mana zone", which is superior to the basic technology "Manaskin" I got it. 2. ヴァーミリオンMereoleon a Vermillion Minagawa Junko Affiliation Magic Knights: Crimson Shishio leader Magic attribute Affiliation Magic Knights: Crimson Shishio leader Magic attribute: Flame Birthday: July 26th The eldest daughter of the Royal Vermillion family, the elder sister of Fuego Leon and Leopold Brothers of the "Crimson Shishio" corps. Instead of his brother Fuego Leon, who was withdrawn from the injury, he became the new leader of the "Guren Shishio" Corps. It is unyielding, but it is elder sister skin that looks great and takes care. I'm not interested in warfare and politics, and I hate being stiff. It is said that it is stronger than brother Fuego Leon if it fights. In addition to the basic technology "mana Skin" that lives in the mountains freely and bathed in the "demon" of the natural world, always wearing the magic in the whole body, I learned "mana zone" to dominate the "demon" of the area in the region. https://www.instagram.com/p/ByVy6lAnul2/?igshid=6z8smuhxxp20

[pajama-nerd]

There’s been a lot of talk about Cringy OCs lately, so fuck it: enjoy

So I have like a million self-indulgent fics

One of the ones I keep coming back to is Alexis, my OC for my Critical Role fic (which isn’t published anywhere, but that I talk about all the time to anyone who will listen)

So this conversation happened between me and a friend (it’s been tidied up a bit for spelling and conversation flow and such, and I added some narrative flair.)

Me: Also, my brain fed me a thing for Alexis Friend: Ya Me: It was pretty rad and centered around people's reinforced preconceived notion that Alexis *hates* magic. So she makes a drinkable wish spell or a power word potion, using her in-depth study of magic and magical effects Him: Neat Me: Yes Him: But why? Me: Well there's a dragon Me: A big dragon Me: A big, fuck off, ancient, evil, red dragon Him: That would do that Me: Yeah. Him: Making something magical is a bit outside her zone Me: Well yeah if she were straight Tinkerer, which means yet another version of Alexis (thank you brain). Anyway, she made it a while ago, but she never used it, just kept recharging it 'in case of emergency'. Also the aftereffects of the potion are rough; HP, exhaustion, strength damage, etc.    And she managed to bully and cajole and rally a fighting force (or perhaps Vox Machina did that) against the dragon    But things are not going well    Because, well...dragon.    And the dragon knows that. Him: Things don’t typically go well against a big, ancient, red dragon Me: (No they do not). And he’s laughing and mocking them and generally demoralizing them, further hampering their efforts.    And he’s all, “Pathetic! You are ants! Kneel before me and I might spare you. You cannot defeat me, feeble nothings!”    And in the middle of that is Alexis, who’s banged up and bleeding and almost out of tricks, ducked behind a building that hasn’t been knocked down yet, and looking out at what she can see of the battlefield that Emon has become. Leopold is laying strewn in small, metal pieces along the street, his parts almost indistinguishable from the rubble. Bruno is barely visible from where she is slumped against the cracked, unstable wall, his massive, metal plated form looking small - lying there in the street, his sword shattered, his shield rent. One arm is missing, revealing the soft, sinewy bark beneath, which has been scorched with dragonfire.    And she stares at him for a while as Thordak continues to monologue about his superiority. How weak they are compared to him. How they are finished.    She spits blood from her mouth, grits her teeth against the pain, and reaches into the third pocket of her toolbelt, hand disappearing past the wrist.    “You think so, do you?”    And she pulls out a small glass vial that shimmers with a pure, white light. She stares at it for a while and looks back at Bruno’s corpse and shakes her head.      “Sorry, mama,” she says, before slamming it back like a shot of everclear. Him: As the dragon’s like, ‘Oh shit’. Him: That’s pretty boss of her. Me: And these veins of light pour down her throat (Oh, he’s not even paying attention to her. Like, he’s making a big show of being the boss of this fight, but he is taking damage, and it’s not like Vox Machina is sippin Mimosas somewhere else), and up her face and into and out of her eyes Him: And takes one level of Badass. Me: And she steps out onto the shattered street, with this light pulsing through her veins, and it doesn’t look holy, and it doesn’t look cool, it’s like every supernatural poisoned vein shot, complete with bile dripping from her mouth, only it’s made of light. And she takes a few breaths and then yells, ‘Thordak!” And her voice is magically amplified to the point where flames sputter away and whatever’s left of glass windows shatter around her.  Him: That’s awesome, or it is in my head. Me: His massive head turns at the sound of his name and he growls at this insignificant human standing defiantly in the rubble of the city he’s conquered. She reeks of magic - powerful magic - even from this distance, and he will not allow this. This city is his. His. And he turns entirely away from the fight around him, lips pulling back, flame pouring from the sides of his mouth. And she just stands there as he barrels towards her, and just as he picks up speed, she says - not bothering to raise her voice

   “Die”

He seizes, eyes constricting in pain and surprise. His arms buckle, suddenly useless. Him: Fucking epic Me: He tries to flame, but he can’t breathe. He slams into the earth, rubble spewing in all directions as he writhes, tongue lolling from his mouth as his panicked, furious eye fixes on Alexis, who stands in the street - broken, bloodied, hideously glowing, and unmoving - blood trickling from her eyes, nose, and mouth. Glaring down this hideous, evil Wyrm, who expends its last breaths trying to claw its way to kill her.     With one last surge of strength, he heaves forward with one massive claw    She doesn’t move.     She doesn’t flinch.     Only watches as this massive claw slam into the broken cobbled street eight feet away.     The earth shudders violently beneath her and she falls to her knees. She stares at the claw for a moment, feels the last, shuddering exhale of evil leave the world, and allows the tension to leave her shoulders. The glow leaves her. Her skin pales, and she coughs up a gout of blood before collapsing forward into the broken street.     She did it.     She got him.    But...    Her eyes dim, even as she fights not to close them. The fight is half-hearted.    She’d known the risks.    She’d known there’d be no turning back.    With the last of her strength, she turns her head so she can see Bruno, laying not ten feet away, his broken body facing her, the sockets of his face where once the ghostly blue of his eyes lived are dark and empty.     She’d known there’d be no going back.    But that scaly fucker had it comin’. Him: Jesus.  Him: If I were reading a book and then it said "Bruno is irreparably shattered" I would be like "Nope, I'm done" Close the book probably wouldn't pick it up till the next day.

[kylosrehn]

okay but Framework verse and fitz is on a mission or something away from base and time zones suck and calling each other even tho they're like seven hours apart

Hey, you know what we haven’t had in a while? Baby fic. More specifically, 888 words of baby fic. It got away from me a bit, okay. Also on ao3.

Ophelia answers on the second ring.

“Hello?” She asks, voice thick with sleep, casting her gaze towards the alarm clock flashing at her through the darkness. 2:47 AM. She suppresses a groan, leaning over and fumbling with the nightlight switch, squinting against the brightness that envelops the room.

“Ophelia.” Leopold’s voice is tinny on the other end of the phone, distorted by something like jet engines — which, she can only assume, is the Zephyr — but unmistakably familiar.

“Leopold?” She blinks away the tiredness, sitting up in bed, sheets pooling around her hips. “Is something wrong?”

“I wanted to hear the sound of your voice.” Leopold says in lieu of an answer. For a brief moment there’s nothing but the soft whirring of engines, an oddly soothing noise.

“Shit.” He says suddenly and she can almost picture him scrubbing a hand over his face. “Did I wake you?”

“No, no.” Ophelia reassures him quickly and it’s not exactly a lie. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Is everything alright?” Leopold presses, his tone evidently twinged with concern, even through the phone.

“Yeah, just—the baby, you know.” Ophelia shifts her weight from one leg to the other, tucking her phone into the junction between her ear and shoulder.

“How is she?” She catches the hint of a smile in his voice, softer and quieter than before.

“She.” Ophelia scoffs, rolling her eyes at Leopold’s persistence. It’s a funny thing, she thinks, the way he’s adamant that they are having a daughter even though he’s got no evidence to support his claim and every time she asks about it he shrugs and says he “just knows.”

“She is fine. Getting bigger.” Ophelia slides a hand under the swell of her stomach, cradling her bump. “And keeping me up.” She falls silent for a moment, smiling down at her unborn child. The baby nudges her side, kicking out against her ribs, and she lets out a soft laugh.

“I think she misses you.” Ophelia admits and Leopold lets out a drawn out sigh. “I know I do.”

She thinks of vast empty spaces in too-big beds, the way the cold sheets catch on her body and make her shiver — the way she’s been falling asleep alone and waking up alone in a bed that’s made for two. Sometimes she thinks that if it weren’t for the soft periodic kicks beneath her skin, the loneliness would’ve become unbearable.

“Oph, I’m sorry. You know I hate leaving you two.” He grits out. Anger seeps into his tone, low and dangerous and tasting acrid on his tongue. “I’ll be back as soon as we clean up this mess.”

“Don’t worry about it, Leopold.” She says, absentmindedly pressing her fingers against the spot where the baby had kicked, as if to reassure her that her father would be back soon.

“How’s Berlin?” Ophelia asks, padding across the hall and into the kitchen. She grabs a spoon and moves to rummage through the fridge, pleased to find a tub of chocolate ice cream sitting in the freezer. She pops the lid, leaning her elbows on the counter, and starts digging into the frozen chocolate with the spoon.

On the other end of the line, Leopold lets out a low chuckle, swiping a thumb over his brow bone.

“Hard to tell. I haven’t exactly had time to go sightseeing.” A pause, and then, softer: “But we should come here together someday. With her.”

Ophelia hums, licking the back of the spoon.

“Someday.” She agrees quietly.

“Fuck.” Leopold says, stomach churning with regret. “I miss you, Oph. I should be there with you, holding you both. Instead I’m—” There’s a thump on the other end of the line, the dull sound of Leopold’s shoe kicking out at something. “—tying up loose ends.”

“I know.” Ophelia says softly and it’s comforting and sympathetic and he wishes he could press himself against her body, slip his arms around her waist, feel her warm hands on the small of his back. She’s become this warm, solid presence in his life that keeps him grounded. And somehow, she always makes things better.

“Two more days, right?” There’s a brief pause as she hesitates, twirling the spoon against her teeth. “Hey, uh. I have that appointment soon. Are you…Will you—?” She swallows around the words, dipping her head.

“Ophelia.” There’s a tightness in his voice when he speaks. “I’m going to be there. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Nothing is more important to me than the two of you. You know that, right?”

She nods, making a soft noise that sounds like affirmation, before yawning around the spoon in her mouth. A quiet laugh spills from Leopold’s lips on the other end of the line.

“Go back to sleep.” He says. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Ophelia mumbles and he can hear the lilt of tiredness in her voice.

For a lingering moment he says nothing, letting silence stretch in the space between them as he listens to the gentle sound of her breathing. A beat, and then:

“I love you.”

She blinks, lips curving into a sleepy smile.

“I love you too.” Ophelia tells him, a soft parting gesture, before reluctantly ending the call and letting the phone slip from her shoulder and into her palm, leaving her alone in the silence.

[mbtizone]

Leopold Fitz (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.): INTP

Dominant Introverted Thinking [Ti]: Fitz is a brilliant engineer. He can create all sorts of weapons, gadgets, and technology. He’s gifted when it comes to figuring things out quickly, making him an asset to the team. Fitz has a talent for fixing things as well. He can disassemble and reconstruct machine parts with ease. He has an inherent understanding of how things work. Fitz is always confident that he and Jemma can find a way to solve the team’s problems, even when it seems like all hope is lost. He refuses to give up until he fixes it. He’s good at determining the likelihood of certain events occurring (such as the effects of suggestions that the team makes or the probability of this idea yielding that result). Fitz is highly analytical and can speedily assess problems, scan for solutions, and determine his best course of action.

Auxiliary Extroverted Intuition [Ne]: Although Fitz has a logical mind, he is also open to exploring things that are unproven (he believed in the plausibility of telekinesis for a period of time while he was still in school). It’s no trouble for Fitz to come up with possibilities. He generates ideas and theories, and he can also discern all of the ways something might go wrong. He knows how to think creatively, allowing him to come up with innovative solutions when the team is in a bind. Fitz and Simmons are constantly bouncing ideas off of one another. They can develop machines, tech, and serums to accomplish the team’s goals. When Jemma goes missing, Fitz comes up with many possible explanations as to where she could be, even though, according to Coulson, these theories are all unsupported. After Ward’s true allegiance is revealed, Fitz continues trying to come up with rational explanations. He proposes that Ward is being controlled and not acting of his own accord.

Tertiary Introverted Sensing [Si]: Fitz has an amazing memory for recalling facts and details that he’s read. It’s difficult for Fitz to accept the truth about Ward. He just can’t be HYDRA. He also enjoys reminiscing about past experiences with Jemma. Sometimes, Fitz has a hard time accepting change. He was very content at his former job, and didn’t really endeavor to join S.H.I.E.L.D. and step outside of his comfort zone. His resistance to change might also be part of the reason he took so long to express his feelings to Jemma. When everybody begins acting weird about Skye after she receives powers, Fitz stands by her. She’s still Skye. The same Skye that they knew and loved before. He doesn’t want to see her as anything other than the person she’s always been, even though she might be “dangerous.” She’s a little different now, but she’s still her, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing (Ne-Si).

Inferior Extroverted Feeling [Fe]: It’s difficult for Fitz to express his feelings. He’s socially awkward, and can sometimes become a bit flustered when talking to people. Fitz cares a great deal about the members of his team. He wants to help people, but it’s sometimes tough for him to know the right thing to say or do. Because Fitz had a lot of respect for Ward, his betrayal hit hard. He’s selfless when it comes to the people he loves, and prioritizes their safety and well-being over his. He couldn’t find the courage to tell Jemma how he really felt about her until his life was on the line. Sometimes, when Fitz bottles things up, he can have rare emotional outbursts.

Note: Sometimes I see Fitz typed as an INFP. He’s not. He heavily favors dominant Ti over inferior Te.

Enneagram: 5w6 Sx/Sp (Tritype: 592)

Quotes:

Coulson: What’s supposed to be in there? Fitz: The answer. Coulson: You’ve thought you had the answers before. I think you’ve considered every possible answer. Except the obvious one. You thought Simmons was trapped inside the monolith, but every instrument scan showed the stone was solid all the way through. After hearing about the Pym technologies disaster, you even thought she’d been reduced to a microscopic level. But no evidence supported that. And now… Fitz: And now I think… I know it’s a black hole. It’s dark matter made solid. It can warp space-time. It… look, regardless… okay? This is gonna tell us exactly what that monolith is.

Coulson: Fitz, I’m gonna make the trip to Sheffield. Jemma’s family deserves to know that she’s M.I.A. Fitz: Ohh. Coulson: They need to be able to move on. And so do we. You have shown so much heart, never giving up on Simmons, and I will always, always respect you for it. But look around. We need you. We need that big brain of yours and that heart here. Okay? I miss her, too. I’m having a hard time accepting it… all of it. I-I’m on my third hand, but nothing feels normal because nothing will feel normal. May took off on vacation and never came back, so I lost my right hand, too. We have got to accept it, to say goodbye. We need to say goodbye. Jemma would want us to do that. Okay?

Fitz: I was doing just fine tucked away in a safe, indoor, non-mobile lab at the academy! Then you had to go and drag us into this flying circus! Didn’t even pass our field assessments, for God’s sake! Jemma: Please, as if I forced you to follow me anywhere. Fitz: You said, and I quote “Fitz, “it’s the most perfect opportunity “for us to see the world. We’d be fools to pass this one up!” Jemma: I hate it when you use that voice. That’s not even how I sound. And you were just afraid of going into the field. Fitz: I’m not afraid… Jemma: And don’t you dare act like these last few months haven’t been the highlight of your entire pasty life! Fitz: Pasty? Really? Well, when did you become so sun-kissed? Because I’m pretty sure that every minute of every day, You’ve been stuck in a lab right beside me. At the academy, at sci-ops, this plane. You’ve been beside me the whole damn time! [Starts to get emotional] Fitz: You have to fix this.

Jemma: Fitz, I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but… Fitz: I’m doing what we always do. We’re gonna fix this. Together.

Jemma: What do you think it’s like? Fitz: Death? Well, depends on the method, really. Drowning’s supposed to be quite pleasant in the end, apparently. Once the water fills up your lungs… Jemma: I mean after. Fitz: Ah, yeah. Well, my mum always said that you shouldn’t be afraid because it’s just like the way life was before you were born which wasn’t that bad, was it? Jemma: That’s sweet. Though, apparently, I was miserable before I was born upside down, umbilical cord all wrapped around my head.

Coulson: We have no authority to do this. We’re no longer S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. We’re… Fitz: We’re vigilantes. Coulson: I was gonna say, ‘doing this because it’s the right thing to do,’ but… yeah.

Skye: It’ll be okay, Fitz. No matter how deep they dig, they’ll only find the new identities I’ve created. Fitz: It’s not that. It’s the idea of giving them access to all of our designs. Coulson: We’re not actually giving them anything. We just need to get inside so we can plug Skye’s flash drive into one of their computers. You don’t have to go. Fitz: It’s not that either. It’s Ward. What if Garrett put an exploding eye into him, to control him? Maybe that’s why he betrayed us. Skye: I’m pretty sure there’s a much simpler reason. He’s evil. Fitz: Well, I don’t believe that people are born evil. Something must have happened.

Jemma: There’s no principal that would support Telekinesis. Fitz: Not yet. We did believe for a bit, though, remember? Freshman year? When Sally Webber made the books fall off the table in neurobiology?

May: [Regarding how to get in Quinn’s compound] Without a man inside, it’s impossible, unless you’re immune to pulse laser emissions. Fitz: If we had a monkey, we could get in. If we had a small monkey, he could slip through the sensors and disable the fence’s power source with his adorable little hands.

Agent Eric Koenig: What’s the difference between an egg and a rock? May: Edible. Not. Jemma: Well, that’s absurd. The differences are innumerable. Fitz: If you want, I can start listing them, but then we’ll be here all day.

Fitz: Just allow me these rare moments of self-pity, okay? You’re the least supportive pretend girlfriend I’ve ever had.

Skye: You, uh, got a little flustered back there. Fitz: What? When you kissed me on the cheek like my grandmother? Good going. Really selling our relationship there.

Fitz: I’m always the gadget guy. Maybe sometimes I want to do things with my bare hands. Skye: You make the gadgets with your bare hands.

Coulson: You’re saying reading the Darkhold may have corrupted Aida’s programming? Is that even possible. Fitz: Technically, no, but we are dealing with a book that can read people’s minds and also reveal the hidden secrets of the universe, so…

Fitz: Yeah, and we were a team and a family, and you betrayed us! Ward: I know. It’s what I regret the most. Not the lying, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents I had to put down, and I’m sorry not even dropping you two in the ocean. It’s this. My actions destroyed this. I’ll regret that forever. ‘Cause there were good times. Right? Before? I mean, for a while there, we were a good team. Weren’t we?

Gordon: I’m trapped in here! That’s not possible! What did you do? Fitz: Science, bitch.

Fitz: I won’t give up. I can’t give up.

Skye: So, you think the rock is a portal? Fitz: No. No, I’m *proving”* that it’s a portal. Okay? To another planet. A, a very old planet. A crack in space/time that carried Simmons away, and carried the sand back. Which means… Coulson: She’s out there. But, it’s been months. Fitz: Yeah? Coulson: She could be long gone from wherever this thing dropped her. Fitz: Yeah. Coulson: She could be dead. Fitz: Yes. Coulson: But, we’re gonna find out. Aren’t we? Bobbi: Yep. Mack: Damn right. Skye: Yeah.

Coulson: Okay, Fitz. What do you need? Fitz: Uh. Uh, well… More historical data. People have studied this thing for centuries. Um… An expert on quantum mechanics and Einstein-Rosen Bridge Theory. And, uh… a sandwich would be nice. Coulson: I might have an idea… about the other things.

Skye: [after Fitz lied on her behalf] What did you just do? Fitz: I switched your blood results with your old samples. Give me your hand. Skye: The new samples are different? Fitz: Drastically. But until everyone around here calms down, I don’t think we should tell anybody, what with the way Simmons is acting. For now, we should just keep it between us. Keep you safe until we figure it out, okay? [Skye starts crying and hugs Fitz] Fitz: It’s okay. Skye: This is all my fault. Fitz: No. Skye: I could have stopped her. I let this happen, and I’m so sorry. Fitz: No, it’s okay. Skye: It’s all my fault… There is something very wrong with me. Fitz: No, you’re just different now. You’re just different now, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Skye: Hey, whatever you’re doing, just take a break. What are you doing? Fitz: Coulson has me patching a transceiver into a system that’s not even meant to handle one. Triplett: You can do that in your sleep. Fitz: In my sleep, yes, I’m quite good at it. Problem is, I’m awake.

Jemma: Well, at least we still have each other. Fitz: Yeah, good. ‘Cause the last thing I want is for things to change. Jemma: Fitz, it’s too late for that.

Fitz: [to Skye] Things change. That’s what I’m saying. So maybe if you can learn how to control this, then… you could have Avenger-level powers, something like Captain America, even. Jemma: I think it best we keep in mind the unstable natures of Skye’s power. If there is an Avenger equivalent, right now I’m afraid it’s The Hulk. Fitz: Well, Hulk, saved the world, last I checked.

Fitz: What, you don’t think I should help Simmons rescue Will? Hunter: Do you think you should? He’s the competition. If your girlfriend’s ex wants to visit from Phoenix, you do not buy him a plane ticket. Fitz: That’s really specific. Anyway, this guy kept Simmons alive. I owe him. He deserves my help.

Jemma: Skye is my friend. She’s different. Fitz: Oh, yeah. Like I was your friend, and then I changed. How did you handle that? Mack: Uh, t-the point is, secrets don’t help any of us. Skye should have just come clean. Fitz: What, and risked being locked up, studied, or who know what else? No, I wouldn’t let her. Jemma: Oh, you wouldn’t let her. Mack: We could have handled her in a way that could have kept everybody safe. Bobbi: It wasn’t fair to us, Fitz. We had a right to know. Fitz: A right to know. What – is that the same way that Sif and the Kree had the right to know? Hunter: I think the situation is a bit different, mate. Fitz: No, you would have done to her exactly what they wanted to. Jemma: You don’t know that! Fitz: Yes, I do know that! They would – you would – you’d “handle her”! Mack just said! Like, uh… like Skye’s something to be locked up in a cage somewhere. We should be protecting her. Mack: No, Fitz. We’re the ones that need the protection from her.

Leopold Fitz (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.): INTP was originally published on MBTI Zone

[hepaidattention]

More Than Just Neighbors

FS Non-SHIELD AU 

@aosficnet2 weekly prompt: Neighbors/Domestic AU

Fitz and Jemma are best friends, neighbors, that is until Jemma comes crying at Fitz’s door at four in the morning.

 Fitz awoke with the incessant sound of someone knocking, specifically on his apartment door. He inwardly groaned as he took a quick glance at the clock and sluggishly made his way to the door. Before Fitz could finally get to it, however, he heard the lock wiggle around, and before he knew it she was rushing into his apartment, looking at him with a flustered expression.

 Sadly, this had become a regular thing anymore. But, he would say it was never this early in the morning. Or late at night. However you wish to see it. “Jemma, you do know it’s four in the morning, right?”

 Jemma Simmons looked at him, letting an out a huff and tightly crossing her arms around her chest. “I know.” She said wearily. She knew Fitz wasn’t going to be mad at her for marching in like this, Fitz could never be mad at her. So why did she look so distressed?

 He observed her clothes, seeing the lack of pajama’s, but instead the same clothes she was wearing earlier today, and his brow furrowed. “What happened?”

 Her bottom lip wobbled, tears starting to pool in his eyes. “Will broke up with me,” she finally announced, her voice unsteady.

 Fitz wasn’t sure what to do. He had never seen Jemma cry before, and on top of that, he was overly joyed by this news. He felt bad for Jemma’s heart ache, but Will was a royal jerk who didn’t even deserve the lowliest of scum on the bottom of the ocean – never in a million different worlds did he deserve Jemma Simmons.

 Fitz stepped closer to her, rubbing the back of his neck. He was awkward, he wouldn’t deny it. Crying women made him uncomfortable, as shameful as it is. Yet, seeing Jemma cry, Fitz couldn’t bear it. “I, uh, m’sorry Jem,” he opened his arms out for a hug, and before he could even try to reel her in, Jemma collided into his chest and started to sob. Her arms gripped tight around Fitz’s neck, her head buried into his shoulder. Unsure on how to react, Fitz started rubbing circles on her back, saying nothing, but just letting her cry. Jemma knew Fitz hated Will, and they both knew whatever he had to say about him wasn’t even close to nice, so they both mutually understood Fitz’s silence.

“I’m so sorry, Fitz,” Jemma pulled back after a long moment, makeup running down her face. She was still beautiful, Fitz thought, it amazed him how she looked gorgeous no matter what the circumstance was. She wiped tears from her cheek as she said, “I just … I didn’t know where to go. I shouldn’t have woken you up like this.”

 “Jemma,” Fitz gave her a soft smile, his arms still wrapped around her waist. He even dared to push a tear from her cheek, his thumb brushing across her soft skin. “You are always welcome. Even at hours most might consider the time for sleep.”

 Jemma chuckled a little, looking down at her feet. When her eyes met his again, she just grinned. “What would I do without a neighbor like you?”

 He shrugged. “Probably be dead, ‘cause you decided to the only way to get rid of that spider a few weeks back was to bomb the place.”

 Jemma laughed again, ending her laughter with a content sigh. Tears still ran down her cheek, nonetheless, and Fitz had to keep himself from pushing all the tears back and just kissing her on the lips instead.

 He had been in love with Jemma Simmons the moment she came and introduced herself as his new neighbor. He realized this fact probably about a year into their friendship.

 Jemma, however, constantly likes to call him, “Her best friend in the whole world.” So Fitz, being dreadfully friend zoned, refrains from ever making a move. Because if he screwed up this friendship – well, he wasn’t sure what he’d do without Jemma in his life, but he wasn’t a hundred percent certain he’d be able to manage at all.

 She sniffled a little and shifted, Fitz releasing her from his embrace. She took in a deep breath and said, “I should leave you be. We both should get some sleep before work tomorrow.”

 “Yeah, probably.” He wouldn’t deny he was sleepy, but Jemma didn’t need to be alone right now. He gave her a smirk and walked into the kitchen. “You want sugar and milk both, or just sugar tonight?”

 Jemma furrowed her brows, though a smile was creeping on her face. “In what?”

 “Tea – ‘less you’re in a really strange mood and want coffee.”

 Jemma grinned at him and walked to the counter of his small little kitchen. “Just sugar is fine.”

 Fitz nodded and continued making them their tea. Jemma watched him, a broken smile on her face as she observed how he made his tea, and how he made hers. She watched him every time, almost like it was a new discovery to enfold. A mystery she just couldn’t quite map out. The answer why to her curious expressions was that Fitz never did the same thing over and over, every time, like Jemma did. Jemma had a routine about making tea, and she almost always just wanted sugar. If she wanted milk, she was in a really good mood. Fitz, however, made tea different every time. Sometimes he wanted milk, sometimes he wanted sugar, sometimes he wanted it black. Sometimes he put the sugar in first, then poured the tea, sometimes the other way around – it didn’t matter. If Fitz was honest, he did it differently just to make it so Jemma couldn’t predict what he would do next. She loved to evaluate and then predict everything, and Fitz enjoyed keeping her on her toes.

 He handed Jemma her mug and gave her a warming smile. “Nice and hot, just what the doctor ordered.” He commented.

 She mumbled a thank you, and Fitz noticed how solemn her demeanor became in just a few short moments. It killed Fitz, seeing her so upset. He might just find Will himself and give him a good punch or two. “So,” he cringed, hating to ask. But she needed to talk about it. “What happened?”

 Jemma let out such a heavy sigh that Fitz could have sworn she’d been holding her breath since she sat down. “We got in a fight.” Fitz nodded, encouraging her to go on. She was staring at her mug, but somehow Fitz knew she saw him. “He told me I made him feel stupid and I was anal, my OCD tendencies had pushed him too far.” She let out a shaky breath, her lip starting to quiver again. “Then I tried to calm him down and I told him I’d work on it, and I’d try to change, but he just scoffed and told me I could never change and then shouted that he didn’t want us to see each other anymore.”

 What a jerk. Fitz was definitely going to punch him now. “Jemma, m-m’sorry,” He saw her hand tremble and he laid his over hers. His brow furrowed. “He didn’t … hurt you, did he?”

 Jemma furiously shook her head. “No, nothing like that. He just … his eyes were so … dark, and his words… I didn’t know words could hurt so much. I mean, I suppose I did. But any time someone had ever said something hurtful to me, I just shrugged it off. But this … I …”

 “Hey,” Fitz voiced, his tone bringing Jemma’s head to raise and meet his gaze. “Whatever that hog face said to you, not one bit of it was true. You are magnificent, Jemma Simmons, and you always deserved better than that emotionally abusive arse.”

 Jemma gave him a watery smile, nodding her head. She looked back down at her tea, tears running down her face. He started to remove his hand from hers, but Jemma caught it, laying her other hand over his and giving his a tight squeeze. “As long as I have you, I’ll be nothing but extraordinary.” She traced her thumb over his knuckles. “At least we have each other, Fitz.”

 Fitz’s heart melted inside his chest – he knew she never met it in a romantic way, but it was hard sometimes, for Fitz to separate his feelings for her from their platonic friendship. He shuddered at her touch, and then asked, through his groggy voice, “Did you love him?”

 She paused, giving him a surprised look. She looked back down at their hands as she said, “I don’t know. I … I suppose … yes.”

  That one ‘yes’ hurt Fitz more than it ever should. She chose to love the emotionally abusive, American, hog faced numb brain before she ever once considered loving him. He shouldn’t let it get to him – but he did. “Right, right. Course you do.” He grumbled, trying everything not to sound jealous. He wasn’t very successful. “Why wouldn’t you? Top marks, heroic action man – saving children from burning buildings and cat from tall trees. He does everything right.” He pulled his hand from her grasp and wrapped both his hands around his mug, taking a sip of his tea to hide his frustration.

 She eyed him, a stern, quizzical expression on her face. She watched him for a moment, before a small smile curved the tip of her mouth. “Fitz, are you … jealous?”

 Fitz sighed. “Don’t be ridiculous, Jemma.”

 “You are.” She looked like she was in shock. “Fitz –”

 “Why would I be jealous of your ex, Jemma? Of all people, hog face. Children scissors are sharper than him.”

 “Leopold James Fitz,” a wide smile was covering her face now. “You’re jealous, admit it!”

 Fitz groaned. “Maybe I am.” He stared down at his tea, avoiding all eye contact.

 “Fitz, you …” He heard her sigh, then said, “You are ten times more of a man than Will could ever be.”

 He sucked in a deep breath and met her stare, asking, “Then why did you date him?”

 His mouth just about fell open once realizing what his question implied. Jemma looked at him with a scrunched brow, her eyes searching his. She was just about as shocked as he was that those words ever came out of his mouth.

 Jemma stammered on her words, saying, “You – you’re my best friend in the world, Fitz, my sweet, amazing neighbor, I didn’t…”

 “Yeah, well,” he had already gotten this far. No backing out now. “You’re more than that, Jemma.”

 She was just staring at him, her mouth slightly gaped open, her eyes darting back and forth between his; as if she’d find an answer in his eyes. She closed the space between her lips, causing Fitz to instinctively eye her mouth, his stare lingering longer than it should.

 “Fitz, I –”

 “It’s getting late. You should get some rest before dawn breaks.” Fitz walked around the counter, heading for the door, when Jemma catches his hand. He looks back at her, feeling her reel him in.

 “Will you let me talk?”

 “There’s nothing to discuss, Jemma –”

 Jemma stands up and gives him a loving look, a smile so soft and gentle Fitz felt it had to be forced. Jemma would never look at him so… lovingly, would she? “Yes, there is.”

 Fitz realizes that there is now no longer any distance between them, her hand slipping up the back of his neck, her eyes looking longingly in his. Their shallow breaths seem to come in sync, he’s watching her lips, she’s leaning in, their foreheads meet, and before Fitz knows it, he’s kissing Jemma Anne Simmons.

 Fitz’s arms glide around her waist, pulling her flush to him. Jemma smiles through, deepening their kiss in a hitch of a breath, and Fitz can’t believe it.

 Now, he supposed they really were more than just neighbors.