#this looks so much better on the device i drew it on than it looks on my phone and I am begging for this occurrence to just be a me-problem

[apologydanceenthusiast]

I will never understand why it is so hard to draw micheal sheen—

Regardless

I am kind of proud of this one

[azzibuckets]

anything you want [pazzi]

paige bueckers x azzi fudd

summary: fluffy blurb based off this moment last year when paige dressed azzi in her entire outfit at the sza concert then lent her her jacket

a/n: dedicated to @clairosrealwife for messaging me on 4 different places asking for a new fic like the overbearing annoying ass she is

word count: 1.1k

masterlist

“Yikes.”

Paige, Jana, and Aaliyah peered through the doorway of Azzi’s room, all exchanging glances at the sight before them. Azzi was slumped on the floor, face down in a pile of clothes while shirts and sweaters were strewn all over her bed, furniture, and closet.

They’d been eating snacks in the kitchen before muffed groans had pierced the peaceful silence of the dorm. Azzi had been in a mood all day, and no one on the team dared to bother her when she was pissed off. But it was becoming hard to enjoy their Lays when Azzi was huffing and storming around in the other room, so they made a mutual agreement to approach the girl together by having strength in numbers.

“Azzarae,” Aaliyah said gently, always having a soft spot for her younger roommate. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find anything cute to wear for the concert,” Azzi groaned. “This is literally the worst day of my life. I failed my exam in accounting this morning and then I got a smoothie to console myself but then I fucking spilled the entire thing-,”

Paige glared at her teammates as they slowly started to creep away from the door. “Your girlfriend, your problem,” Aaliyah mouthed before she and Jana took off, giggling as they returned back to their snacks.

Fatties, Paige thought bitterly to herself before entering the room and shutting the door. “You know the entire team is scared of you whenever you’re mad?”

A small smirk slid its way onto Azzi’s face. “I know. They leave me alone for once. I get peace and quiet.”

Paige rolled her eyes fondly. She grabbed Azzi’s hand and folded it between hers, rubbing soothing circles across Azzi’s palm with her thumbs. “I got some new shit in the mail a few days ago. Come over and try them on?”

Azzi nodded gratefully. On their way out, Aaliyah and Jana were still laughing like hyenas, fingers flying across their screens as they texted the group chat about how they’d left Paige to her own devices. But as soon as Azzi sent them a withering stare, they both immediately shut up. “You’re such a pussy,” Jana whispered to Aaliyah. “You’re literally older than her.” Without looking up from her phone, Aaliyah jabbed Jana in the stomach.

Azzi made herself comfortable on Paige’s bed as the older girl started rummaging through some boxes in her closet. “Here.” Paige tossed a pile of plastic wrapped packages at Azzi.

Azzi’s hands hovered over the clothes. “You sure? You haven’t even gotten the chance to wear them yourself yet.”

Paige leaned down and pressed a kiss to Azzi’s neck, letting her lips linger on the sensitive pulse point that she knew made Azzi shudder. “Stop being so unselfish all the time,” she murmured, “or I’m gonna start making out with you and we’ll never make it to the concert.”

A rosy blush fell over Azzi’s cheeks. “That doesn’t sound half bad,” she admitted, tucking an unruly strand of blonde hair behind her girlfriend’s ear.

Paige playfully bit down on Azzi’s shoulder, earning a squeal from the dark haired girl. Smirking, she drew back and punched Azzi’s shoulder. “Try the clothes on, dumbass.”

“A full Supreme outfit outfit? Really?” Azzi wrinkled her nose in the mirror as she experimented with her shirt, tucking it in and scrunching up one side to see what would look best.

“It’s gonna be cold.” Paige tossed her a puffer vest. “This would go nice with the sweats.”

Azzi shrugged on the puffer vest. Tilting her head thoughtfully in the mirror, she rolled her shirt up to above her belly button, making it look like a cropped top. “Much better.”

“You tryna make people faint?” Paige complained, eyes glued to the shiny piercing on Azzi’s stomach.

Azzi grinned, hand gesturing across her body. “You like it?”

“You know I think you look good in everything.” Paige approached Azzi from behind, hands sneakily sliding under the vest to make contact with Azzi’s bare abdomen. Paige savored the way Azzi’s muscles contracted at her touch. “But you look better in this than I would, trust.” She nestled her chin on Azzi’s shoulder, her gaze meeting brown doe eyes in the mirror. “You look so pretty, baby.”

Azzi turned and planted a kiss on Paige’s cheek. “Wanna match? You can wear your other Supreme shirt?” She smiled at Paige, that goddamn smile reserved solely for the person she loved most in the world, and Paige had seen that smile and that dimple almost every day for six years now, but she swore her knees still went weak at the sight.

Paige’s thumb brushed the expanse of Azzi’s skin, dipping just below the waistline of her pants in a slow circle. “Anything you want.”

*********

“You know I can walk just fine by myself?”

Paige’s hands ghosted Azzi’s waist for the hundredth time that night. “I know.”

Thankful that Paige was behind her and couldn’t see her face, Azzi smiled. She would never admit it, but she loved whenever Paige got unnecessarily protective whenever they were in public, guiding her through crowds with a hand firmly planted on the small of her back. Their relationship was private to the point where they could never kiss or show affection in front of other people, but this was one subtle way Paige reminded Azzi of how much she loved her, and Azzi appreciated it.

“You’re shivering.” Azzi hadn’t even noticed how cold she was until Paige pointed it out, but suddenly she could feel the late night chill in her bones despite the body heat radiating from the crowd pressed against them.

“I’m fine,” Azzi brushed her off. “I’ll go buy a hot chocolate or something later.”

“You’re gonna get sick,” Paige murmured, hand reaching out to steady Azzi as she zipped up her girlfriend’s puffer.

“Can you guys stop being cute for once?” Aubrey grumbled from behind them.

Both of them ignored her.

When she noticed how Azzi was still trying to rub her hands together for warmth, Paige immediately took off her jacket and pushed it into Azzi’s hands.

“No,” Azzi insisted, trying to give the jacket back. “You’re literally in only a shirt Paige.”

“Well, I’m not cold at all,” Paige said stubbornly, refusing to accept the jacket. “Are you forgetting I grew up in Minnesota?”

“I’m not cold anymore,” Azzi lied.

Paige cocked an eyebrow. “So your lips aren’t trembling?”

Sighing in defeat, Azzi hesitated before slipping on the black coat over her puffer. Paige smirked, adjusting the collar so that it sat comfortably on Azzi’s shoulders. “Better?” she asked softly.

Azzi nodded, glancing around before bringing Paige’s hand to her mouth and pressing a fleeting kiss to her knuckles. “If you start getting cold I’m taking this jacket off,” she warned.

“I’m actually pretty warm,” Paige said breezily. “But I wouldn’t mind some extra body heat, if you know what I mean,” she said with an exaggerated wink.

Azzi rolled her eyes, biting back a smile as she huddled closer to her girlfriend, pressing her entire body against the blonde’s. Her fingers fumbled around before finding Paige’s hand and tangling them together.

“See? Perfect.”

[7s3ven]

can you please do poseidon/reader and she finds out luke is the lightning thief?

THE GRUDGE. luke (pjo)

( master list )

IN WHICH… Y/N L/N can’t forgive Luke for his crimes despite loving him more than she loves herself.

“I know in my heart hurt people, hurt people. And we both drew blood, but, man, those cuts were never equal.”

Warnings : spoilers, small angst (in my opinion lol. I’m more sensitive to family/friendship angst, not relationship angst), short(ish) oneshot

A/N : to any other writers, do you ever act out the situations you’re writing so you can write a better descriptions of reactions and then you realise that you’re actually a good actor?

Because I literally just acted out Y/N’s reaction and either I’m great at fake crying (which has been a talent of mine) … or my heart-wrenching sobs were real 😨. Also, the song one of us from the Lion King suits Luke perfectly.

—

The life of a half-blood wasn’t easy, especially not when you were a forbidden child. Y/N flipped through her fashion magazine, aimlessly swinging her legs as she lay on her front. “Y/N.” Luke called out, pushing the creaky door open. She lifted her head, staring at him curiously.

“Hey, Luke.” She smiled at him, clasping her hands together. He grinned back, slowly walking over to her side.

“You feeling okay?” He asked, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. With Percy, her half-brother gone, she was alone in her cabin. Again.

Y/N gazed at him through her lashes. “Yeah. I’m good. I’m fine.” She whispered, reaching out to grasp his wrist. Luke bit the inside of his cheek.

“I have your phone.” Luke uttered, handing Y/N her device. Phones weren’t allowed in camp but Luke found a way around that, much to Y/N’s happiness. She had spent far too long in the mortal world to give up scrolling through social media.

“Thanks, love.” Her pink-tinted lips curved into a soft smile. “You have no idea how much I need this now that Percy is gone on his quest. It’s so lonely here.”

Y/N always hated being in her own company. Her cabin got messy and she never had the motivation to clean it. She was thankful for Luke because he always helped her with the mundane task that should have been easy, but not for her.

“No problem, princess.” Luke lightly kissed her forehead while she laughed. “I can’t wait until Percy is back because I have a feeling that things are about to change.” Nothing good lasts for long. Y/N, more than anyone, knew that. She stalked through the thick vegetation, harbouring a heavy sword. She had heard rumours of Luke… and she needed to confirm it for herself, even if it meant endangering her safety.

“Luke.” She called out, her voice shaking. She didn’t want to believe the rumours but Luke was unpredictable. Ever since returning from his quest, he hadn’t been the same.

Y/N had been at Camp Half-Blood for longer than most and she had seen demigods come and go, desperately searching for glory but never finding enough of it.

“Luke.” She said again, repeating it like it was a mantra that would save him from the terrible fate he had chosen. She dragged her sword against the ground, her eyes scanning for the slightest bit of movement amongst the trees.

She sighed, thinking of returning to camp before she spotted a flicker of orange. "Luke?" She whispered, but he still heard her. She stepped towards him, breathing heavily.

"Luke... what... is it true? Did you..." Y/N couldn't find the right words. "What did you do, Luke?" She asked, grabbing him by the front of his shirt when she noticed how he avoided her gaze and how his eyes looked so guilty. "What did you do?!"

"I did what I had to, Y/N. The gods... they don't care about us." Luke stiffened as Y/N glowered at him, her eyes filled with so much rage and hate and sadness and everything in between.

"You're wrong, Luke!" She exclaimed, harshly shaking him.

"I'm not like you, Y/N! My father doesn't care about me. Yours might give a shit about you but that doesn't apply to anyone! Look around you. Poseidon ignored Percy for years while nurturing you. My father abandoned my mother and I when he could have helped us. Ares hates Clarisse for being a girl and forces her to train harder until she collapses. They try so hard to find every little flaw in us that they ignore what we've done for them."

"But why this, Luke? Why betray us? Me! You betrayed me, Luke! And all your friends and family! Hermes may not give a shit about you, but I do! I have loved you since we first met, Luke! I fucking love you and you betrayed me!" Y/N slammed her fists against his chest, screaming until tears welled up in her eyes. "What did you do to Percy?" She muttered, her voice barely even a whisper. "Tell me. Tell me now and I might spare you! Please… please.” She hiccuped, her hits growing weaker.

Luke wheezed as Y/N gripped his throat for a split second. "He'll be fine... he only got stung."

"I hate you." Y/N seethed, rage engulfing her soft heart until it spilled out and poisoned her body with its toxins. "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you! Gods, I hate you, Luke! Fuck you! Fuck… you!” She screamed, the sound echoing around the empty trees.

But she still couldn't bring herself to stab him. "Get out of here, Luke. Go! Leave! I never want to see your face again!" Y/N's voice shook as she shoved Luke away from her.

Heart-wrenching sobs slipped past her lips as she pointed an accusing finger at Luke. "The gods have fucked up, Luke, but you are no different. Maybe you had the right idea at first... but you went with it the wrong way. And it cost you everything. Don't go near Percy again. Don’t you dare touch him ever again! You don’t deserve his kindness! Don't even look at him because I promise you, if you do, I will drive a stake through your heart!” Y/N's confident voice faltered for a moment. She shakily inhaled. "I hope you're happy with yourself." That fated day still haunted Y/N's mind. She often had nightmares about it, where things turned out different had she stabbed Luke. She always woke up with a loud gasp, covered in a light layer of sweat.

On her nightside table, her phone rang. She hadn't been using it much since Luke left. She slowly reached for it. Nobody had her phone number except her close friend, who lived in Tokyo, her cousin, and... Luke.

Her heart was beating unusually fast as she shakily turned the device over to peer at the screen. Her stomach churned and she dropped her phone in horror. Percy was in the infirmary, still recovering from the pit scorpion attack. She was somewhat thankful for that.

She let the phone ring, letting out a sigh of relief when it finally stopped. But it started again, and again. Until on the third ring, she finally clicked the green button.

She didn't say anything, flinching at the sound of Luke's voice. "Y/N? Y/N. Thank goodness you picked up! I knew you weren't going to answer my iris message so I was hoping your phone was working."

Y/N cut Luke off from his ranting. "Luke... don't call me again."

"Wait, Y/N. Please listen to me. I love"-

She hung up before he could finish. She stared at her phone, gripping it tightly. With a guttural scream, she threw it across the room. It landed safely on Percy's bed and a part of her was glad that it did. It was one of the only things she had left from Luke.

She didn't know if she could ever forgive Luke for betraying her trust. And the worst thing was that she still loved him from the bottom of her heart. "You good?" Y/N quietly walked towards Percy, helping him sit up. He groaned.

"Yeah. I'm sorry about Luke... I know how much he meant to you." Percy's eyes softened as he stared at Y/N, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"He, uh... tried calling me last night." Y/N pressed her lips into a thin line.

Percy tilted his head to the side. "So what'd you do?"

"I ignored him until the third time... then I hung up after I told him to stop contacting me."

"You don't have to be so tough all the time, Y/N." Percy uttered, pulling her into a tight hug. His arms wrapped around her waste and she sighed.

"I really want to scream, Percy. I just... can't believe he could do that so easily. I mean, leave us... leave me. I'm trying not to care and I'm trying to say I'm fine but I can't let it go." Tears welled up again, dripping down the red apples of her cheeks.

Y/N would be lying if she said she hadn’t tried to figure out why Luke did what he did. She tried to piece everything together but it only hurt her head and heart to think.

After ensuring Percy was comfortable, she stepped outside. The camp was in utter chaos after Luke’s betrayal and they were trying to find more spies amongst them. Most people suspected Y/N because she ran into the woods to confront Luke and she was closely associated with him, which didn’t help. But she loved her friends and she could never leave them as Luke had.

She wandered into a small clearing, dipping her hand into a cold river nearby to calm herself. She didn’t even notice someone was watching her from behind until they cleared their throat.

With a panicked gasp, Y/N looked over her shoulder. She was expecting a fellow camper, maybe even Luke, but not Hermes in all his glory. The pair stared at each other for a minute before Hermes finally broke the awkward silence.

“You’re Y/N, right?” He hesitatingly pointed at her, worried he had the wrong girl.

She nodded.

“I know I’m probably the last person you want to see after Luke left.” Hermes started off, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck.

“Luke is the last person I want to see.” Y/N retorted, “You’re second on that list.”

“He really did like you, you know."

“It wasn’t enough apparently.” Y/N shrugged, already accepting that she could tear Luke from his fate, “Maybe I deserved the betrayal… but not from Luke. He practically made me into the person I am. I guess he wanted to see how high he could build me before I fell. He had everything yet he still wanted more.”

“He cared about you. Dare I say, Y/N, he love”-

She cut him off just as she had cut Luke off. “Don’t say he loved me because if he did then he wouldn’t have done this! He… he wouldn’t have done all this!” Y/N choked on her words as she bit back a sob.

“He still loves you. Not loved. Not past-tense. Never past-tense. I’ve seen him, you know. He misses you and for a while, he tried to contact you in every way he could just so he could hear your voice. Even if you were screaming at him. I know that in another life, he wishes he didn’t have to leave you behind.”

“There shouldn’t be another life!” Y/N exclaimed. Getting angry at a god was dangerous but she was so frustrated and angry and hurt. Hermes didn’t seem to mind. He nodded his head, understanding her emotions. “Don’t you get it? You also have to take the blame. You’re part of the reason why he betrayed us!”

“He’ll forgive me eventually.”

Y/N shook her head. “No. You and every other deity thinks that your neglected child will forgive you but they might not. They might forgive but they will never forget. If I can’t even forgive the boy I love with all my heart, how do you think Luke will ever forgive you?” She furrowed her eyebrows.

“Forgiveness takes strength." Hermes whispered, barely loud enough for Y/N to hear. "Luke is much stronger than I originally thought and you, the mighty daughter of the sea god himself, are too.”

“Yeah, well,” Y/N shrugged as she stood up, brushing the dirty off her pants. “I don’t think I’m quite there yet.”

“It takes time.” Hermes said, “Meanwhile, I would suggest answering that.” He pointed at her phone that was ringing in her hand. Y/N didn’t even notice with how distracted she was.

She briefly looked down at the screen and raised her head again, her lips parting when Hermes was nowhere to be seen.

She hesitatingly pressed the accept button and raised her phone to her ear. She heard him quietly gasp, surprised she even answered again. “Luke… hi.”

PJO TAG LIST : @lostinhisworld @julielightwood @outerbanks-stuff @jennapancake @csifandom @evrybodydies1 @kkrenae @s0ulsniper @annispamz @justanotherkpopstanlol @soraya-09 @simpforeveyone @papichulo120627 @corpsebridenightamare @lilacspider @prettylilsimp @urmomsbananabread @ur-lacol-dsylexic @hottiewifeyyyy @kamiliora @be-bap @finnickodaddy @th0tblckgrl @shoyofroyoyoyo @uniquely-her @imafrkinsimp @syraxesrevenge @ahh-chickens @dracoslovergirl @midnightstar-90 @8812-342 @liv1104 @krkiiz @arialikestea @ch16rles @lizziesliz @maryclx01 @lukecastellandefender @yuminako @coryoskywalker @julielightwood @crybabysbakery @jsbaby @liviessun @p3pperm1nttea @angie-esc @purplerose291 @prettylilsimp @10ava01 @froggiesstalks @happy-jj @czennieszn @gisellesprettylies @loveyava @csifandom @luvvfromme @mashiromochi @kamiliora @yorksyree @mqg125 @jamesmackreideswife @niktwazny303 @2hiigh2cry @user021099 @living-in-my-imagination88 @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx

[daydreamerwoah]

Hard Time

I had this crazy ass dream last night and well...................... idk lol if it sucks, then I'm sorry yall lmao!

Notes: I have no knowledge on how military police procedures are. Again this just popped in my dream last night for some weird reason that I have no idea of.

Summary: You're married to Simon, and you're trying to take lunch up to his job for him and the rest of 141. But a new MP (Military Police) causes huge drama for you

************************************************************************

You had a day off from work, so you decided to make lunch - sandwiches - for your husband, Simon, and the rest of 141. You even decided to make a sandwich for the lady who worked at the front desk in their building. She was an older woman (maybe in her 50s), retired from the military, and had been doing admin duties such as filing paperwork and such for 141 for a long time.

You and Simon lived off base. His decision when you two got married as he always wanted to keep his personal life and work life separated as much as possible. It wasn't that he was ashamed of you or anything, but him being the infamous Ghost came with the fact that he cared more about your safety than anything in this world. Only maybe a handful of people even knew you were married. Whenever you visited him on base, it was more of what you were doing at that moment - taking him lunch and leaving soon after. No one had ever really seen you with him on base, and they did, Price, Gaz, or Soap was also there so it seemed more of just a friendly conversation you were having.

As you pulled up to the gate and rolled down your window, a young MP walked up to your window and asked for your ID; standard procedure. He scanned it with his device, but as he looked at the screen, his eyebrows drew together. He glanced at you and then back at your ID several times.

"Everything alright?" you asked.

He scanned the ID once more, looking at the screen in confusion, "Ma'am, are you military personnel?"

You furrowed your eyebrows, "I'm sorry?"

"This is a dependent ID card no?"

You nodded. Of course it was your dependent ID. Every spouse, child, or parent of soldiers' who had as a dependent in the system had an ID.

But something was wrong. The MP continued to look at you as if you were lying. "Your ID is not showing the proper identification. I need you to pull over to the side-"

"What?" you cut him off.

What did he mean the proper identification?

"Ma'am.. please pull over to the side now." He said again, a little bit more forceful.

You didn't argue. You knew better to argue. You immediately pulled over to the side lane, the MP walking towards your window again.

"Why isn't your ID showing who your soldier is?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry?" you asked, utterly confused.

"When I scan your ID, it only shows your name and that y're a dependent. It should show more info.... Now who is your soldier?"

You really didn't know what he was talking about. You had come on base plenty of times before in the past, and no other MP had questioned you. You were at a lost for words as he continued to eye you. You tried explaining to him that you were the wife of a soldier who worked on base, but you never said who it was. That was the number one rule; never tell them the name of your husband.

Luck must have been on your side as another MP who was checking IDs yelled at the one at your car what the hold up was. When he yelled back about the ID, the MP rolled his eyes and told him to let you through if the screen approved it. Scoffing, the guy handed you back the card and let you through the gate, not without giving you the deadliest glare.

Strange.

You had never been put in a situation like that before, but ultimately brushed it off as you wanted to get lunch to the boys before the sandwiches got soggy. You pulled into a parking spot in front of the building and grabbed the bag you put the food in, getting out and heading up the steps to the doors.

What you didn't realize, was the MP who had given you a hard time at the gate, had followed you in his cruiser.

Before your hand touched the handle, he yelled out to you. "Ma'am!" You turned your head, eyes widening as you looked at him. Why the fuck was he following you. "I need to see what you have in your bag."

"Excuse me?" you yelled out. "What's your problem?"

"Calm down miss-"

"No why are you following me?"

"All IDs show certain information. Yours doesn't. If you're a spouse, then why doesn't it show who the soldier is that you're married to? Now I need to see what's in your bag."

You rolled your eyes. Why did he keep bringing that up?

What you didn't know, was that high alerts had been put out the day before as discussions were floating around about the threat of a terrorist organization inching closer to military bases in the UK. The MP, while really doing his job with questioning things, had never seen your type of ID before - he had just been transferred a week prior. But Ghost wasn't just any soldier... there was a reason your ID didn't show all of the information.

"It's food. Now leave me the hell alone," you spat before attempting to reach the door handle again.

Before you knew it, the MP had tried to grab your bag. In reflex, you yanked your arm from him. Everything happened too quickly. Next thing you knew, your hands were behind your back, the MP calling over his comms that he was bringing a possible threat to the station. You questioned him multiple times about what the fuck was he doing but gave up when handcuffs were placed on you and you were being pulled toward the back of his cruiser.

************************************************************************

Hilda, the lady who worked at the front desk, just happened to be walking back to her desk when she saw you being placed in the back of the cruiser. Her eyes could have popped out of her head when she saw the scene. She ran out the doors, yelling at MP to tell her what was going on, but he brushed her off, telling her to get back inside the building. She saw the look on your face; terrified.

She rushed back inside just in time to see Soap and Gaz. "Oh thank goodness you're here!" she exclaimed, making the two look at her confused. "Where's Ghost?"

"In a meetin' with Price and that Colonel from the base in London. What's goin' on Hilda?" Gaz asked. It looked like she'd seen a real ghost.

"Y/n was just taken by an MP."

"What?" Soap yelled.

She nodded, and rushed back to her desk to look for something; anything to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Hilda y'sure?" Gaz asked.

"Yes."

Gaz and Soap immediately turned and rushed down the hallway to Price's office. They knew the meeting was important, and debated on how to get Simon out of the meeting without interrupting. This meeting was extremely important as they had been discussing the mission the guys would be sent off to stop the terrorists.

Soap tried texting Simon; not specifically saying what it was but that he needed him to step out in the hall. When 10 minutes passed, they realized he probably didn't have his phone on him.

"Bloody hell," Gaz sighed.

Soap sighed as well before deciding they would go to the base's police station to sort everything out.

************************************************************************

You had been seated in a chair next to the desk where the MP sat. Several other personnel were in the building, yet none of them had paid attention to you. The MP had pulled the contents out of your bag, examining the food like it was poison. He claimed that he would run tests on the food, making sure you weren't trying to give it to someone.

"It's very interesting you were goin' to the building where some of our SAS soldiers are," he commented, eyebrow raised as he glanced at you.

You wanted to scream in frustration. If this was going to happen each time you tried going on base, you'd tell Simon to cut up that damn ID tonight.

A few minutes passed before you heard two voices yelling. They sounded very familiar; the Scottish accent echoing in the building as he demanded where you were. The MP shot out his chair and walked to the front, leaving you in your spot. You heard more yelling from Soap and Gaz; a laugh bubbling up in your chest as they demanded for you to be let go.

When the Police Captain - the man in charge - walked out of his office to the front, he could have yanked the head of the young MP. An SAS soldier's wife was placed in handcuffs.. on his watch? He screamed at the young MP to get the fuck out of the building and go back to his station at the gate, before escorting you to Soap and Gaz; not without apologizing over and over again about the entire situation.

After the three of you made it back to the building, you found yourself tearing up; the whole thing made you feel embarrassed. You only wanted to bring lunch for them, yet the sandwiches were ruined. You tried to forget about the few people who glanced at you in passing while you got put in the back of the cruiser, wondering what was going on.

"We're not lettin 'em get away with this Y/n." Soap said, anger laced in his voice.

Gaz and Hilda were no better as they chimed in about how they'd make sure the MP would pay for what he did. But you weren't concerned about what they wanted to do.... you were more worried about Simon's reaction when you told him.

The last time a soldier gave you a hard time, Simon damn near knocked the soldier out. And it was just because you accidentally bumped into him and the soldier hissed at you to 'watch it'. Simon was walking behind you and witnessed the entire thing. But this? You had no idea what the hell he'd do.

Three voices came around the corner, one you immediately recognized. You knew his voice, and the mere thought of what was about to come made you tear up again. You glanced at Hilda who gave you an encouraging, yet sad smile. She even knew how Simon was.

You quickly wiped your cheeks from the stains as Price, Simon, and the Colonel walked passed you. Simon, surprised to even see you there, immediately noticed your demeanor and face. He was about to stop when the Colonel asked a question as they continued to walk out of the building.

"Don't worry lass. We'll try to make sure he won't kill 'em." Soap said.

It was a joke, but you didn't laugh. Gaz elbowed his rib, getting a wince from him. It wasn't a full minute when Simon marched right back into the building and grabbed your arm, gently guiding you to his office. As soon as the door close he didn't even hesitate.

"What happened?"

You stuttered, "Uh.. okay d-don't get mad Si-"

"Y/n...."

Fuck. You weren't talking to Simon at the moment. You were speaking to Ghost, the L.T., the soldier who killed people for a living.

You proceeded to tell him everything that had happened, and you weren't even halfway into the sentence of when you got placed in the cruiser when he turned around and marched out of his office. You knew exactly where he was going, and you only hoped that Price, Soap, Gaz, and Hilda could calm him down before he killed the MP.

This is so shit omg lol!

[flowery-laser-blasts]

It's the year 2023 and so much has changed...

Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable-Possible, now in their mid-thirties, work alongside Global Justice with their own specialized team (including Wade, Felix, and Jim & Tim). As for Dr. Drakken and Shego... After helping prevent the invasion of the Warlordians, Dr. Drakken and Shego were pardoned from almost all of their prior crimes against the safety of the world and eventually became, in their own words, 'neutral'. At times, they even aid Team Possible with intel, after all; who knows more about how villains do than ex-villains?

Dr. Drakken started working on his own world-improving inventions because he realized that 'positive' recognition from the world feels better than being despised by everyone, and this way he can rub it even more into James Possible's face... Shego became an elite mercenary/hitwoman after tutoring the best of the best agents of Global Justice for 5 years -it was part of her 'community service'- She now works separately from everyone, but always comes back home before Drakken finishes making dinner.

One day, Dr. Drakken thought of a hypothesis: if television programs are just a glimpse into an alternative reality and aliens exist with their ultra-advanced technology, then who says that alternative timelines aren't real? "Maybe we could learn from that to improve ours!"

He worked tirelessly on trying to find out if alternative universes or timelines exist, maybe ones where he and Shego were always good and Possible and Stoppable were the baddies, imagine!

But then he found something...

Dr. Drakken found out that there was a timeline that lined up exactly with the one they were in, except something was drastically different. It was stuck in some kind of purgatory; stuck in place but also as if looping over and over again. Separate from everything surrounding it but at the same time trying to free itself from its slumbering state.

Drakken looked into it, fascinated that this timeline could co-exist with theirs but at the same time not. What changed? Then it hit him.

"Tempus Simia... that Monkey plan-- It actually happened!?" Dr. Drakken sometimes ruminated on the weird feelings he had on the day the trio, and Shego, decided to abruptly give up on that time-traveling plan. None of them ever said or mentioned anything about it to one another, especially Monkey Fist... he became different. Drakken wished he could ask him about what happened that day, but alas the man became a supernaturally petrified lawn ornament.

"Did Monkey Fist know something about that statue that we didn't? Did the plan work? Is that what that timeline is?" Drakken became ansty, he needed to know what happened. Not that he was going to return to being evil, no-no, this was purely scientific, and well- curiosity took the upper hand. Perhaps he was a fair ruler in this 'time capsule'.

After months and months of calculations and testing, he managed to do it; Drakken succeeded in making a portal device that could connect and stabilize the broken timeline to ours. Shego wasn't entirely sure about this plan but decided to stick around to ensure the man wouldn't end up killing himself and everyone on the planet in some freak accident.

After flipping the switches and turning on the safety protocols, the machine started producing a whirling sound. No sooner did a small portal form, giving them a glimpse of the dystopian world of the Supreme One. "Wow, that-- is that me?" Shego pointed at a fallen statue. "Sheesh, who would've thought the sidekick could ever take over the world, right Drew?" Shego teasingly jabbed his arm, making Drakken roll his eyes in response. "Shego, dumpling, darling love of my life, I've apologized thousands of times already, can you finally let it go?!" He received a snicker in response, "I guess not, nevertheless, let me concentra--!" A loud bang snapped the two out of their banter, "Dr. D? What was that?!" Shego instinctively lit her hands as the room turned dark for a moment, the whirling sounds of the portal device intensified, and no sooner bright red warning signs started flashing while a deafening alarm went off around them. Shego looked at Drakken, who was frantically trying to close the portal. "Something's trying to push its way into here! I-- I haven't been able to properly secure that part yet-- Shego!" Drakken's face paled as he looked back in the direction of the portal.

"The Supreme One, actually." An icy chill went through Shego's spine as she heard her own voice coming from directly behind her. "I already thought, what took you so long Doc? It's not fun being stuck in time; ain' I right, Dr. D?" Both Shego and Drakken watched in disbelieve at the arrival of the Supreme One's sidekick, who within seconds hurled himself at the machinery, destroying most of it and breaking off the connection to the fractured timeline.

Drakken tried to jump in and save what was left by making his flowers restrain the brute, but the man ripped the foliage away from him as if it were nothing. The sidekick threw Drakken aside and blocked Shego from trying to get to him, holding her in a lock.

The supreme one stepped closer and looked at her restrained self.

"Now that botany-boy is taken care of... tell us, Shego: Where is Kimmie?"

---

I hope you guys like my little sequel idea for 'A Sitch in Time'. I absolutely love this TV movie!! I'm not much of a writer but it was so much fun imagining this story while drawing!! As for the future designs of everyone: - Kim's outfit is based on Stephen Silver's older Kim design. - Ron now has a utility belt that actually works and gloves that can help him control his Mystical Monkey Powers. - Shego's outfit stayed relatively the same with some adjustments, why change what works right? - Dr. Drakken (now Professor Lipsky) traded his blue lab coat for a white one... dress codes apply at his shared workplace, but he still wears a blue dress shirt underneath it. Aside from that his eyes aren't as good as they used to be and his contact lenses were out of the question since they tampered with the eye-scanning-security-device (he ended up being left outside of the lab for 3 hours because of it), so now he just wears glasses.

I also wanted to include Rufus in the story; Now a senior rodent, Rufus spends his retirement days around the lab assisting Drakken with various experiments and small talk while Kim and Ron are on missions. Hope you enjoyed both the drawing and the mini fanfic!!

[cozymoko]

Alright no problem.

A category I would like is the upper rank demons. Thank you.

MODERN AU! YANDERE UPPER MOONS (some)

REQUEST: Upper Moons s/o grows distant from them. Then they start talking to someone new via their phone. It's implied or shown that they're gaining feelings for the person in the phone. Later, the yandere finds out.

Includes: Akaza, Douma, Gyutaro, Koukushibo

WARNING(S): Yandere themes, weird ass writing

AKAZA

Akaza has watched you enter your password thousands of times, so, of course, he knows it by heart. However, he never felt a need to go through your phone despite how viciously his curiosity gnawed at his restraint. He trusted you undoubtedly though it was foolish to do so.

The poor soul; betrayal is truly a curse. A brisk gleam had piqued his interest and he wish it hadn't. He wants so badly to not believe his eyes, praying for a means of deception or even a facade. All the lies about who you were texting, and who you were with had to be true! He could not fathom you doing such a thing, slicing him so deeply with what felt like the sharp-edged end of a blade.

His actions after were merely on impulse — on rage and desire even. Yet he did not feel an ounce of remorse. He was unable to sympathize with the person who tore you away, and instead dwelled in the satisfaction their death had brought him.

⠀⠀WORK HAD BEEN especially tiring that evening. Fatigue had wracked your body like a dangerous drug, rendering you with little desire to move. Alas, you had to make it home. Your phone had died, leaving you no source of contact with the one who had slowly captured your heart.

⠀⠀Once you got home you were greeted with a comfortable silence. It wasn't all that strange seeing how Akaza enjoyed working well into the night, and getting off earlier left you a few hours at your disposal. You were quick to dive into the white duvet of your mattress, relishing in its warmth. A nap had followed suit with your phone set securely at your bedside, powered off, as you gleefully waltzed into a land of undiscovered dreams.

⠀WHAM!

⠀⠀You jumped at the abrupt sound. It was loud and left you quite concerned for the condition of your door's hinges. Nonetheless, you hastily descended down the short flight of steps as your bewildered hues were quick to meet his own only a mere inch from the entrance.

⠀⠀“You're home?” A rhetorical question. “Where were you out so late?”

⠀⠀Your inquiry was more off instinct rather than anything else, but the quick flashing of the clock had proved you right. It read, “3:00 am”; four hours past his usual time of arrival. It hadn't bothered you too much, though it was very unlike him.

⠀⠀You sighed at his lack of response. Another thing that was out of character. You approached him in calm yet confident strides. However, the closer you drew, a familiar scent wafted at your nose; metallic like pure polished iron. It made you sick. Your brows furrowed in mild concern as his current state struck you with great worry.

⠀⠀There wasn't any blood that you could see. But the scent was pungent, so much so that it had begun to cloud your senses.

⠀⠀“Hey, Akaza, are you okay—”

⠀⠀“Are they...better than me?” He was quick to cut you off with a biting tone. It brought a shiver down your spine as it was the coldest you'd heard from him. “Answer me.”

⠀⠀Choking on your words you stutter out a response, “Wha...what do you m-mean?”

⠀⠀His sharp eyes narrowed into slits, nearly lacerating you into two. “I saw them.” He continued. “The messages.”

⠀⠀As though it were second nature, your hand ghosted over your pocket in slight desperation, feeling for your phone. But it wasn't there. You were sure you grabbed it and the thought of losing it had instantly soured your mood. Patting, digging, tugging on your pockets but to no avail. It was gone and you had no clue as to where it could be.

⠀⠀“W...here...”

⠀⠀Looking up at Akaza he wasn't the slightest bit impressed. He reached into his pocket, taking the device in his hand. The device you'd recognized as your own. “Looking for this thing?”

⠀⠀A sickening CRUNCH! resonated through your shared apartment; loud and wretched to your ears. Your phone had clattered to the floor and with it the contents it had once held. You struggled to swallow the bile crawling up your throat, plunging to your knees with a harsh thud.

⠀⠀“You won't be needing that anymore. I have a feeling that ‘friend’ of yours is no longer with us.”

DOUMA

Indeed, he is quite favored amongst nearly every person he's come across. Darling, look at him. Even so, his attention remained on you from the beginning to the very end. Thus he's rather confused; why are you going behind his back?

Surely you must know Douma is no fool, for he knew about your little conversation from the start. Yet it fascinated him. This searing pain in his chest, bubbling and boiling with an unrecognizable emotion — could it be agitation? He asked himself. Nonetheless, it was only welcomed for such a short time before he no longer desired its presence.

Jealousy is such a pain; but he's not heartless, darling! I jest — he absolutely is! It'd be best to listen to him while he's playing nice because knowing him, he'd much rather give you an ultimatum than simply mutilate your little mistress or maistre. However, you can never be too sure.

⠀⠀THAT EVENING Douma had dragged you to the basement of your shared home, much to your dismay, claiming there was a surprise awaiting you. You'd thought nothing of it as he was always quick to shower you with anything you could ever ask for. But if given the opportunity you'd run like your life depends on it. Not for any particularly reason.

⠀⠀Though this time it was different. He had a strange skip in his step that made your heart quiver. Not many things in this life made his heart squeal with joy, or even jump for the matter, so what could've possibly done it now? The sheer thought of finding out made you all the more uneasy.

⠀⠀Something wasn't right.

⠀⠀Squeaky hinges were quick to interrupt your peace as they cried out under the weight of Douma's hand. Upon opening, a foul scent hit you like a harsh slap in the face, nearly causing you to gag at its intensity. Instinctively, your hand shot from your side and to your nose, but it did very little to ease its pungency.

⠀⠀You glance to your side and shockingly enough, Douma wasn't fazed in the slightest. He looked bored rather, as he silently waited for you to collect yourself. Though not for long.

“Ah~, it's a shame. You don't like it do you?” Douma whined. “Getting my hands dirty is no fun, even when it's for you, yknow!”

⠀⠀The sight of the mutilated corpse made your heart stammer. It was subtly rotting, suggesting its time in this place. The features adorning it were all too familiar. The realization had dawned on you far too late. The one who made you happy. Who comforted you on endless occasions. Who loved you He killed him.

⠀⠀Douma twirled the man's phone between his fingers before huffing loudly, successfully acquiring your attention. “You've been texting me for the past week and my, my, I wasn't expecting that behavior from you in the slightest~!”

⠀⠀Why hadn't you noticed it before?

⠀⠀That week his (not Douma's) responses struck you as somewhat abnormal but you'd merely presumed it was a figment of your imagination. The increasingly flirty texts that you so foolishly played along with would soon become your downfall.

⠀⠀“Don't cry now, dear,” Nimble fingers dig themselves into the softness of your cheeks, making you pucker up like a fish. “I'm sure you never thought about how I felt seeing you go behind my back so often.”

⠀⠀“So don't be so selfish.”

KOUKUSHIBO

Kokushibo, more formally known as Michikatsu, has never been a confrontational man. Yes, he indeed found your strange actions to be interesting. His strong infatuation proved such.

Being the attentive man he is, Kokushibo was quick to notice your peculiar actions regarding that phone. The field of giggles that would often slip past them. The long nights you spent staring at its flashing screen instead of attending to him who was at your side. The times you sneak out with no regards

Kokushibo had followed you, for his curiosity had truly bested him. He's always been number one no matter where he went. Thus he can no longer feign maturity. He had grown desperate for your attention and time. The demon could no longer lay restless at night, dreaming of you being held in another man's arms.

⠀⠀THE TRUTH was on the tip of your tongue just waiting to be told. His stare shook you to the core, leaving you fearful and uneasy. You shifted on the balls of your feet in anticipation, hurriedly waiting for him to break the silence.

⠀⠀You had gotten all dolled up for your scheduled night of rendezvous, expecting to slip into the night like a ghost as you always did. But of course that wasn't an option, not today. For a man who you once called your lover was seated on the couch with a thick book tucked beneath his fingertips, as waited for you to make an appearance.

⠀⠀And you did not disappoint.

⠀⠀“What've you been up to?” He had asked, a simple question that required a simple answer. You were an adult so it couldn't have been a problem, right?

⠀⠀Right?

⠀ WRONG.

⠀⠀“I...I was just...” You cursed under your breath at your useless stammering, opting to grip the end of your shirt to provide some solace. “Going out...I was just going out...”

⠀⠀“Where?”

⠀⠀Your knees trembled, ready to give out under your weight any moment now. Something about his gaze made your stomach churn. It was so kind and yet very knowing, as though he was well aware of the late-night endeavors you partook in. And yet he could not look at you with anything more than love and true understanding. You felt guilty.

⠀⠀You had caved and crumbled to your knees, begging him for forgiveness. You'd never felt so weak. So stupid. Deceiving such a kind man who would never do anything to hurt you or those around you (that's not true). He even feigned obliviousness to your terrible actions when he had the choice not to.

⠀⠀Kokushibo swept you into his arms, carefully rubbing smooth circles into your back. Your nails dug into the soft fabric of his kimono, searching for comfort within his arms. A faint smirk grazed his lips. You truly were perfect, always making his job easy for him. He hardly had to lift a finger!

⠀⠀Nothing ever gets past him. No one will ever take you away.

⠀⠀“Forgive me for what I've done, but it'd be best that you do not contact that person any longer.” He presses his lips to the shell of your ear . “They're gone.”

[twisting-echo]

Disney Mirrorverse is shutting down.

(Click on picture for better quality)

I logged into Discord yesterday and saw that the Disney Mirrorverse server made this announcement in the screenshot above. I'll be honest, after I read this announcement, my stomach dropped. I felt a little queasy; I was in utter disbelief. From the moment after I watched the Official Announce Trailer two years ago, this game had become a big part of me.

For the past two years, I’ve adored this game, its characters, and its universe. It sparked my interest in Disney crossovers and gave me my most unexpected ship and OTP: Belle from Beauty and the Beast and James P. Sullivan ‘Sulley’ from Monsters Inc. Never in a million years would I have imagined a crossover between these two characters, but Disney Mirrorverse delivered spectacularly! Since then, it has opened the door to many other Disney crossover ships and friendships for me.

What drew me to this game were the characters. I couldn’t help but wonder, “Why does everyone look so badass? What kind of threat are they facing that brings Disney’s most famous heroes and villains together to fight for a cause bigger than themselves, or even the universe—or should I say, universes?”

I love Disney Mirrorverse. I can’t express it any other way—I just love it. It might sound a bit silly that an app game could make a woman in her early twenties so happy, but it did. It breaks my heart to see two years of something that has brought me so much joy coming to an end. I’ll be dreading the coming months, knowing that Disney Mirrorverse is inching closer to disappearing from existence and my life.

 When Disney Mirrorverse was first released, some users experienced issues downloading the game on their Android devices. These problems were due to compatibility issues with certain Android versions or device specifications. Additionally, there were occasional server-side issues and regional restrictions that could have affected availability.

When I was trying to download the game well into the year it came out, it wasn’t fully supported on my Android device at that time. So, I would scour the internet for any and every crumb on Disney Mirrorverse I could find. It wasn't until February of this year that I was finally able to download it.

Am I sad? Yes. Is my life over? No. My wise friend @frie-ice , who I met through Disney Mirrorverse, told me, ‘After Disney Mirrorverse is gone, we’ll keep it alive with our creativity and works.’ And that’s exactly what I plan to do. I’ll continue to share my theories, stories, and ships for Disney Mirrorverse long after it’s gone.

Frie-Ice also mentioned that they'll hopefully keep Disney Mirrorverse alive through books and other merchandise. I really hope they do because I just finished reading ‘Mirrorverse: Pure of Heart’ and ‘Disney Mirrorverse: Belle’ and both of the endings definitely leave room for a sequel.

Well, that's all I have to say. Alright, everyone who has Disney Mirrorverse downloaded, please play it for as much as you can before December 16th. As for everyone who doesn't, my deepest apologies.

For anyone out there who loves Disney Mirrorverse, please feel free to share your headcanons, fanfiction, theories, and ships with me. My askbox and DMs are always open. My friend Frie-Ice also suggested an idea for a Disney Mirrorverse Week, and that sounds pretty darn fun to me. What about you guys?

[teaandtoastandthyme]

Lockwood & Co - Books vs. show preferences

First, things about Lockwood & Co that I like better in the books. (Book and show spoilers abound in both these lists.)

The timeline. I'm actually very confused about what the timeline in the show is supposed to be. I could see a somewhat condensed timeline making sense for screen adaptation, but I felt like the show didn't give the characters enough time to know each other as well as they supposedly did.

Which boy drew his rapier first in the Archives. In the show, Lockwood draws his rapier first to defend both Lucy and himself against Kipps' nastiness. In the books, Lockwood draws his rapier in quick defense against Kipps' rapier, having used his words rather than his sword to provoke Kipps. I just like that bit of character portrayal better.

The scene at the Combe Carey well. I think Lockwood's "No, Lucy. That's not the way it's going to be." is such a powerful foreshadowing line about how they help pull each other away from the call of death. And it would have fit so well with some of the other scenes they added for the show.

The Skull's dialogue. Certainly most of his best sarcastic lines are in later books, but they didn't set his character up well to make those remarks. While the tone of the show is a bit different than the books, it seems they could have kept at least a little of his ridiculous nature.

The plan (or lack-thereof) for infiltrating the relic auction. While certainly the trio (plus Flo) are plenty chaotic in this part of the books, they DO have a pretty well-thought-out plan to get into the auction and get the bone glass. They're not just winging it. There are several minor plot holes and/or convenient plot devices in the show that wouldn't have had to happen if they had kept the Winkman auction scene a little closer to the books. And it would have highlighted that these kids actually are smart. (And that Lockwood is actually good a making plans sometimes.)

And now, things I like more about the show adaptation:

George's physical characterization. The books' use of Lucy's voice to disparage George's appearance can be overwhelming to the point of distracting sometimes. I appreciate that the show allowed Lucy and George to have some conflict without it involving making fun of physicality in any way. There's enough of that already in the world. That is literally my least favorite part of the books. (Though at least Lucy does mature a bit over the series in this respect.) [Edited to clarify: I have nothing against George in the books or the way he looks, just the way the others talk about it!]

The expansion of Norrie's role. I think this was a brilliant move to highlight the trauma Lucy experienced and heighten the stakes a bit. And it was also the perfect device for explaining parts of the world in narrative form.

A deeper exploration into mental health and suicidality. The books contain these themes, but I love the way the show brought these characters' experiences of trauma and mental illness more fully into conversation with each other and with the story. It was masterfully done, without romanticizing or preaching or toning down.

Lockwood giving Lucy the diamond necklace before the party. When I first watched this scene in its entirety, I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. I am so used to male characters telling the dressed-up scrappy female character how stunningly beautiful she is, and I hate it. I hate the way it shifts the agency and purpose of the woman's appearance. I've said before in other posts how much I appreciate that Lockwood just lets Lucy be in this scene. She doesn't need him to compliment her appearance because her appearance is not for him. And then, of course, the necklace can be more about connection and relationally rather than approval or beauty.

Clues about Lockwood's parents and the nature of the Problem a little earlier. It ties the stories together into one larger mystery a bit sooner and quite effectively, I think.

What about you? What are your favorite changes in the show, and what do you like better in the books?

[ejzah]

A/N: Thanks so much to @mashmaiden, for once again working me through my writer’s block and brainstorming with me!

***

Ain’t It A Kick in the Head, Part 14

Deeks drew his own weapon, putting a cautioning hand on Kensi’s arm as aimed it towards the main entrance. So far none of the guns were currently pointed at them, but he had a distinct feeling that would change soon.

“Phillip, go check,” Dimitri ordered, jerking his head at one of the guards. He slung a MP5K over his shoulder and slipped out the door.

“Kensi, Deeks, we’re pinned down by three armed gunmen,” Callen’s voice said in Deeks’ ear. Based on the slight tensing of Kensi’s shoulders, she’d heard as well. “Stay where you are.”

“I thought you had good security,” Kensi said, her tone accusatory as she glared at Dimitri and Paul. “I knew we couldn’t trust you.”

“I was just about to say the same of you, Ms. Melendez,” Dimitri growled.

“Seriously. You think we’re responsible for this?,” Deeks retorted. “If I wanted to, I would have done it when we were out in the middle of parking lot and not an enclosed space when all your musclemen are here to guard you.”

Kensi nudged his hip, and he could practically hear her frustration with him. She probably wanted to strangle him at the moment.

“Or, you thought you could torture the information out of me or one my men.”

Deeks laughed, like he wasn’t being held at gun point and a firefight wasn’t raging just outside. “You’ve got and even better imagination than me, Dimitri. Torture’s really not my style.”

“You expect me to believe that on the same night we agree to meet, a meeting you insist must happen quickly, it is a coincidence that we’re ambushed?” Dimitri asked.

Phillip reappeared from a side entrance, distracting Dimitri and Paul long enough for Deeks to find Kensi’s eyes. She lowered her eyebrows in an unspoken question, and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring look. He needed her to follow his lead without question. No matter what happened.

“There’s at least two guys out there, armed with rifles. They got Johnny,” Phillip reported breathlessly. He held his left arm protectively against his chest, a trickle of blood visible on his hand. “I couldn’t get a good enough angle on ‘em. It’s like they knew exactly where we’d be.”

Deems silently cursed NCIS as Dimitri turned back to them with a grim smile. “And how do you explain that, Max?”

“I imagine you have a lot of enemies, just like me,” Deeks replied. He spread his arms wide, ignoring the way it tugged at his side in an alarming way. And the fact it left an even wider target area.

“Always an answer. Always so clever.” Stepping closer, Dimitri leaned in his face. “I think you tell nothing but lies.”

“Alright enough,” Paul snapped. “We are wasting time. Phillip, Bates, restrain them. If they resist then kill them.”

Kensi lifted her weapon higher as Phillip and Bates moved towards them, and he knew she wouldn’t just stand by if he didn’t do something fast.

“Woah, hold on. There’s no need to kill anybody. I swear to you, I don’t know who those men are or how they found us, but it wasn’t me and it wasn’t Bella. We have nothing to gain by killing you,” he said, using every ounce of persuasion he possessed. He held his hands higher, then reached out, slowly pushing Kensi’s gun downward.

She gave him a confused, then vaguely betrayed look. He nodded again, hoping she understood.

“So I’m just supposed to believe you because you give me your word?”

“No, because we’re going to help you get out of here without getting shot.” He’d noticed he’d stopped hearing Sam and Callen’s voices a couple of minutes ago, so he figured something had happened to the communication devices on their end. He hoped they’d understand him going off-script. “Send another two of your men to distract and take care of the intruders. I’m sure you have several alternate exits we can use to escape.”

“I suppose you want us to let you keep your weapons,” Paul guessed.

“You can try to take mine,” Kensi said dangerously.

“It would be ideal,” Deeks agreed. He offered his hand to Dimitri, staring back into the man’s cool gaze. “We can waste time arguing, or we can get the hell out of here before whoever those guys are shoot through the rest of your guards and break in here.”

***

“Kensi, Deeks, do you copy?” Sam asked for the second time, running as he spoke. He landed behind a parked car just as Callen stopped shooting. They’d already taken out four men, and one remained.

“Kensi!” he hissed again.

He poked his head around the car, spotting the last guy trying to move closer, and he took advantage, shooting him in the chest. As he sank down to the ground, Sam stayed in place just in case more men appeared.

After a minute, he stood and called out, “Clear!” loud enough for Callen to hear.

“Clear.” Callen met him halfway. “Did you hear anything from Kensi or Deeks?”

“No. They stopped responding five minutes ago.”

“Well, could be they didn’t have a chance without alerting someone,” Callen said.

“Kensi would have found a way,” Sam disagreed, and Callen nodded grimly.

“Yeah, I know. Let’s go save those two idiots.”

They approached the warehouse with practiced ease, Sam taking the lead. He shot through the metal lock, and Callen yanked the door open, following after him, and pivoting to the right as Sam went left.

They worked their way through building until they came to a side room, which held a large pallet and some machinery. Sam slowly checked the perimeter of the room, including a smaller closet of some sort.

“Unless there’s some secret room we haven’t found, they’re not here,” Callen said.

“There’s no sign of a struggle,” Sam added, examining the packet of drugs Kensi had obviously tested. “Kensi wouldn’t have gone without a fight.”

“Maybe Deeks made a bargain to keep them both alive. He knows these guys pretty well.”

“Or maybe he sold Kensi out.” Sam gestured to the empty room. “Think about it. We lose contact with them, there’s just enough gunmen to keep us busy, and by the time we get in here, they’re gone. It’s awfully convenient.”

“You really think he’s a dirty cop?” Callen asked. He sounded uncertain, even bothered by thought.

Sam could understand why. Deeks had been annoying, but they’d liked him enough, and up until now, thought him a solid and honest officer.

“If he is, he’s going to regret ever having messed with this team,” Sam promised.

***

A/N: Yeah, you probably weren’t expecting that. I hope you liked it!

[asexualbuthorny]

I’m a background character but the villain’s mine pt.3

Content warnings: mentions of toxic relationships, toxic relationships, abuse, starvation mentions, threats of human trafficking, fear, future smut.

 Time was running out. IT WAS RUNNING OUT!!! Mendella was at a loss of what to do. He looked through countless files on nobles who would suit his requirements but they all were either complete creeps, old men or had simply rejected Mendellas proposal outright. The young man was falling further and further into despair as the deadline for finding a suitable alpha approaches.

   As he was wallowing in his misery the door to his room opened and in stepped his older sister Livone. She walked towards his desk with calm and measured steps, her tail held loosely in the air, ears relaxed by the sides of her head and face as unreadable as ever. Before Mendella could utter a word the woman lightly threw a file on his desk and left as suddenly as she entered. The young lord stared at the file as if he had never seen one before. With shaking hands Mendella picked the file up all the while fighting the hesitant spark of hope slowly blooming in his heart.

   Mendella opened the file and what greeted him was....a completely average face of a lord in his twenties. The man in the picture wasn’t stunningly gorgeous but he wasn’t ugly either. Short (h/c) hair, (e/c) eyes and an easygoing and relaxed smile...it was kind of charming actually. Shaking his head Mendella went on to read more information on the man who was, for all intents and purposes, his last hope. (Name)(Lastname). 24 years of age (okay that wasn’t bad at all. Mendella was only a little older at 27). No illnesses, has investments in the merchants guild and in some fashion stores. Runs multiple businesses of his own. Known not to particularly enjoy human company and keeps to himself. Perfect. A simple man who has enough money and doesn’t appear in the public eye too often. This was just what Mendella needed. Just then something else on the paper drew the omegas attention and made his ears perk up in interest. This nondescript man was the one who owned the famous “crystal flowers”. Those “plants” were a rare and very sought after item among both the nobility and the commoners. The stem and petals were regular plant but in the center gems and magic stones of various kinds would grow and be harvested and later used from anything from jewelry to magic to medicine. The organic parts of the “plant” would also be used for a variety of things as well. This one thing raked in great amounts of money for (Name) and many people tried to get closer to him in order to obtain the secret to the flowers but none succeeded so they had, at one point, left the alpha to his own devices....

  YES!YES!YES! He was perfect! This was Mendellas ticket out of being sold off and out of that house. It didn’t even matter if that man was inattentive or even abusive, anything would be better than what his the omegas family had in store for him. Mendella has found his perfect (or as perfect as can get in this situation) match. The only thing that was left to do was to send the marriage proposal and hope for the best...

   You were currently sitting in your office filling paperwork with the help of your loyal beta butler Ilsith. You swore to everything in this and any other world that if it were not for him your life would have fallen apart. The man was a literal godsent. Your ears were laid flat on your head and your tail laid limply on the ground (you were so clumsy with all that at first). “Uggghhhhhhhhh” you whined as you began reading another stupid, boring document. “When will this eeennnddddd?” Ilsith turns to you “My lord, with all due respect, there isn’t much to be done today so you can stop being overdramatic” he says with a small but friendly smile. “Yeah. You’re right. I should just power through this and have the rest of the day off” you grumble as you get to working. Then the sound of a knock came through the door and in came your trusted maid Camilla. “My lord, the mail” she said as she set the letters down on your desk. She always spoke so little...whatever you do you girl....”Thanks Camilla” you grinned at her with a small raise of the hand. She bowed and left to attend to her other duties. Boooo..so business like..no fun at all. “Welp! Let’s see what we got here~” you sang as you began to shift through the mail. “Invite, invite, invite, blah blah blah, boring, boring, boring~”. Damn. You really never got anything interesting...that’s the way you liked it though so you had no right to complain. Then, your entire world seemed to stop as your eyes zoned in on the insignia on one of the letters. The symbol of the de Gregorian family. What was that doing here? Were you hallucinating? “Ilsith? Can you come look at this for me? I think my eyes are broken.”. He came to you and took the letter from your shaking hands. The butler squinted at it before confirming what you just saw. “Yes, yes. This is the symbol of the de Gregorian family. Now what could those people possibly want with us?” The dislike of the name was clear in his voice as he said it. Well...they kind of deserved it. The de Gregorian family was notorious for their arrogance and rudeness but you weren’t really surprised considering this was the “villains” family. Of course they’re assholes. You took the letter back and opened it and read the contents. As you were reading your ears slowly perked up and your tail began to wag as you read the piece of paper again and again. “Ilsith read this for me I think I’m seeing things”. Ilsith sighed as he took the letter from you and began to read aloud. It was true. It was really true. Mendella de Gregorian himself wrote to you requesting to meet to discuss a marriage proposal. This was.....AN ABSOLUTE DREAM COME TRUE! You could have the man of your dreams just like that? Life is good, the birds are singing, your crops are thriving, your skin is clear. You would have honestly just written an agreement then and there no meeting needed if it were not for EtIqUeTte. Fuck these old ass rules and these dumbass nobles. Fine. You could play by the rules. You didn’t want to, but you would. For the sake of your perfect, lovely, magnifiscent, incre- *ahem* for the sake of your possible future spouse Mendella de Gregorian or, if everything goes well, Mendella (Lastname). “Ilsith grab me a pen and paper I have a letter to write!”. You were on fire. Your poor butler watched helplessly as you spent the next few hours penning a letter worth your obsession. You didn’t have that day off afterall...

[war--crimes]

⸸ 𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖑𝖊𝖓 𝕾𝖆𝖓𝖎𝖙𝖞 ⸸ 𝕻𝖙. 𝕺𝖓𝖊 - | 𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖆𝖕𝖞

⚠ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 : MDNI !! Porn !! Mental Manipulation !! Porn Addiction !! Dark themes of fake therapy !! ⚠

A long, drawn out sigh slid through my teeth as I practically threw my weight onto my bed that groaned under sudden weight. Laying on my back I kicked dusty, old work shoes off onto the floor before staring at the ceiling with an empty expression. Exhaustion tugged at every part of my figure, muscles ached, my body practically begged for rest, but I couldn't. Not yet, anyways. It was only 8pm, after all.

Instead, my gaze was drawn from the ceiling to my laptop which rested on the opposite side of the bed. The aged device was littered with worn, discolored stickers, I've had it since I was fifteen. Reaching out a hand I drew the device closer to myself before sliding it onto my lap and opening it. Instantly, the last porno I had been indulging in began to play at full volume, making my body jolt from the sudden noise.

I quickly turned it down, staring at the screen. It was one I wasn't particularly proud of, it had become a routine of mine every day after work at this point. It had begun innocent enough, regular porno, videos of men masturbating, the typical depravity of the mind yearning for pleasure. Though, the custom worsened over time the longer I took part in it. Videos that were less common, forced, pain, the occasional bloody outlet. It was to the point that even now, my pussy ached to be touched as I watching while a woman was viciously gangbanged on the screen. How the men pawed at her body roughly, leaving red marks I knew had to sting, bruises that blossomed on the canvas of skin that was the woman.

It made me feel nauseated, I am twenty year old woman who is working my life away and only looked forward to the outlet of porn to escape the real world. It was like a drug, every orgasm helped wash away my stress better than any drink ever could. My pussy throbbed, desperate to feel fingers touch sensitive, wet folds.

I was lost in that feeling for a moment, the urge to give into the carnal impulses and let my stress be washed away with waves of orgasmic bliss. Instead, I closed the tab on my browser with a quick click. Deftly my fingers moved over the keyboard on my laptop, chewing on the skin on my thumb as the feeling of stress slowly rose within me like a rising tide.

Can you be addicted to porn?

What is a porn addiction?

How to know if you have a porn addiction?

How to help a porn addiction?

My eyes scan over every article, desperation growing in the pit of my stomach.

Eliminate access to pornography; How would I do that when it is so easily accessible with just a swipe of my fingers?

Establish a support system; I have no one, having cut off my family years ago. I didn't have any friends within the real world, a few who resided in different parts of the world and I only knew their online aliases.. No one but me, myself, and I.

Finally my eyes found another step, one that seemed much more plausible.. Seek professional help. I stared at it for a moment, before opening another tab in my browser.

Porn Therapy..

Porn counseling..

My cursor moved over several articles before an advertisement caught my eye.

"Desperate to Break Free from the Chains of Desire? Reclaim Your Life with Our Expert Counseling. Step into the Light Beyond the Darkness of Addiction - where the first step to recovery begins with a conversation.."

It wasn't a flashy advertisement, it was clean, sleek, almost blending in perfectly with the links to the other websites as if it was meant to be there. Slowly, I clicked it and was brought instantly to a different website.

This one was almost as if it made my computer go to a dark theme, black, gray, and only hints of white for text made it visually appealing, yet unsettling. It was a bland website, only majorly having a front page but no tabs or links.

Beep Beep..

The noise made me jump, the small chat bubble at the bottom right corner of my screen had a single red dot on it now. I clicked it quickly, my eyes skimming over the message curiously.

[Connecting with a real time professional..]

[Connected.]

Therapist: [Message Received: 8:45 PM] Hello, Visitor. Are you comfortable talking about what brings you to our website today?

Me: [Message Sent: 8:47 PM] Hello.. I guess so.. It's sorta humiliating..

Therapist: [Message Received: 8:47 PM] Humiliating? What about seeking help makes you feel humiliated?

Me: [Message Sent: 8:50 PM] I'm not sure.. I just feel exposed, I'm not sure if I really have a problem. I'm just looking around at options mainly.

Therapist: [Message Received: 8:50 PM] We can offer you help for your ailments. No other options will assist you like we will. If you are looking, you recognize you have a condition that needs a unique professional touch. We will do that for you. We will help you step out of the darkness, and back into the light.

I stared at the message for a long moment, the responses were all too quick as if it was automated.. I rolled my eyes, "Real time my ass.." I mumbled, before three dots appeared on the screen again before another message from the supposed therapist popped onto the screen.

Therapist: [Message Received: 8:55 PM] We will help you.

An odd feeling settled in my stomach, it was almost eerie. It was just a bot, an incredibly pushy bot. I slide my laptop off my lap for a moment, finally pulling myself to my feet as i begin to strip out of my work clothes. Tossing them to the floor lazily as I think about my options, as I ponder the idea of therapy or counseling.. Do i really need it? Do i really need professional help? I don't even feel like I have the energy to shower, so instead I slip on my pajamas and sit back onto my bed.

Looking toward the screen, I pause. My hands hovering over the keyboard, ready to type a reply to the bot but.. I was no longer on the website anymore. Instead, I was back on my google search. Blinking, i opened my browser history, nothing, as if it had been cleared. Confusion weighed heavily on me, did I just imagine it?

I looked through the results of my google search again, and again, and again. The advertisement entirely was gone. I must be exhausted, genuinely. I shut my laptop, placing it to the opposite side of the bed again as I lay on my back.

My mind wanders to the odd conversation, the last message seemed off.

We will help you..

Though before I knew it, my eyelids grew heavy and I drifted off into a much needed sleep.

[razorblade180]

Ignited 5: Hidden Attack

Ch 4 <-

With no major distractions and vigor to spare, Yujin continued running through the Forever Fall, occasionally coming across pits with future peers trapped inside. She knew better than to completely tank her time but that didn’t stop her from snapping tree limbs and tossing it one at an angle.

“Climb it and then pay the favor forward!” She yelled as she ran. There was a high chance the others would follow the example. Maybe not for righteous reasons, but for the fact that they were all being recorded. No way they would pass if they were caught being too incompetent to escape a deep hole and ignoring others.

Jael kept watching the performance but in all honesty, it wasn’t much. Yujin hardly came across anything worthy of displaying real combat skills. Nevertheless, she watched. Several other contestants had made their way back to the beginning, including the boy in the fox mask. She was only familiar with the boy under it from last year’s departure. Why he was wearing a mask, she didn’t know. Wasn’t keen on asking why either. That was until he approached her to watch as well.

“Sup.” Tenzen said casually. “We really haven’t been properly introduced. My family knows your family and all that jazz. I’m Tenzen. Currently being called-”

“TZ.” Her gaze shifted to him slightly. “What’s with the mask?”

“Oh this old thing? Hehe, I’m a street performer that’s decently sized online.”

Jael vaguely remembers hearing that alias before. Her mind hasn’t been on many other hobbies or interests for awhile now. “That doesn’t make much sense. A group of people called your name earlier, so the mask isn’t hiding much.”

“Oh you misunderstand. People know me for my mask. Not my face. I came here pretty conspicuously but with all the eyes Yujin and her family drew, I went ahead and took some of the heat off.”

“Hmm.” Jael went back to focusing on the screens. “Lucky for her she has so many in her corner.”

Her tone was rather dry and lacking any enthusiasm. Even so, Tenzin got a weird vibe. He only really knew what Yujin told him about Jael. The girl definitely didn’t get out. Lack of communication was to be expected? “Looking for someone in particular? A friend maybe?”

“They already made it through after you. Watching your competition pays off.”

Okay, maybe her social skills were fine? He just wasn’t expecting her to be the super serious type. “That’s true. If you ask me though, nothing is more important than keeping yourself loose until the final moments. All rigid things snap under tension.”

“Or become compacted. Then they become the pressure others bear. But yes…your words have merit.”

“Yeah…” he trailed off, walking away to leave the girl to her own devices. “See ya around.”

“Probably.” Jael barely gave him the time of day. Although, he was pretty keen on the uptick. She made no effort to hide who exactly she was looking at on the monitor. It was a real shame she couldn’t see his face though.

Lilith watched the entire interaction from afar with Canary. She looked at her future teacher to see a level of scrutiny in her gaze. “Something the matter?”

“That girl rubs me the wrong way. It’s common for some people to be calm during examination, but unbothered? I can understand boredom; I definitely was. This though…”

“Maybe it’s your natural biases? Worried she has a grudge against half your family tree?”

“Pfft, depends on the half.” She crossed her arms. “Are you really telling me you don’t feel anything? I’ve been told you have quite the intuition.”

“It’s nothing worth bragging about.” Canary wasn’t wrong to feel tension though. From the looks of it, their esteemed guests were all operating on a different level of tension. “I’m not privy to the ins and outs of every single detail, but there’s definitely something in the air that’s dying to rear its face.”

“So you agree? Regardless, we can handle it. That I’m certain of.”

“Should we though?” Lilith raised a brow. She put her hands behind her back and cocked her head to the side.

“What does that mean?”

“I’ve noticed that despite this being your first time in a while being on this side of Remnant, you would rather speak to me more than the family you have several feet away. And when you do, it’s rather…peckish.”

“Umm, y-you’re point?” Canary wasn’t expecting Lilith to become suddenly off putting.

“You clearly have your own tension you could probably confront now, but like most clever people, you want to do it unimpeded. Correct?”

“I’m also working right now. This is sorta on the job training.”

“And this Jael girl is taking a test. I’m sure whenever she chooses to act, it’ll be on her terms. We could become hurdles much like this course, but there’s only a way around.”

“No offense, but it sounds like you’re content with watching.”

Lilith gave a full grin. “Isn’t that the job? Don’t forget, I’m still a student at the end of the day. Drama among peers is interesting; but don’t worry. Count on me to make sure nothing gets to the point of being irreversible.”

Her words didn’t exactly inspire confidence, but Canary couldn’t say she wasn’t interested. To think so many people around her had something more than meets the eye.

“I’d believe her words if I were you.” Glynda said, maintaining her gaze on the students and the paper she grades them on. “Lilith has an annoying way of being correct more often than not.”

The girl couldn’t help but giggle to herself as she placed her hands on her hips. “Why does it have to be an annoyance exactly?”

Canary could see why her cousin had a soft spot for Lilith. The girl had an odd but attractive personality about her. “Birds of a feather.” She mumbled, turning back towards the screens.

xxxxx

“Alley oop!” Yujin cried out, flinging a straggling beowulf into an incredibly thick wall. She had seen the obstacle back at the other wall, but now that she was up close she could tell an incredible punch would be pretty mediocre against it. Not to mention it was smoother than the last one.

“C’mon. We have a brain for a reason.” She looked both ways to see it stretch out forever. If there was an end, which there had to be, it would eat up too much time to get around it.

A few people she helped had immediately started to climb or even warp short distances up. It would’ve been nice if her kindness was returned in this moment, but Yujin knew it really is a matter of circumstance if anyone could help her. The more she thought out about the singular reality made her ponder if this test was also meant to give a pretty brutal insight of their shortcoming. “I’m in deep water now.” She groaned.

Years of not designing firearms into her weapon suddenly felt like a dumb idea. Tenzen probably rocket jumped! Oh well. No use crying over spilt milk. She had to think of something soon. That’s when a different problem arrived….

“HEEEELLLP!” Cried a girl that was no older than her. She came running out of the thicket and would’ve hit the wall if Yujin didn’t grab her.

“Wow wow wow! Why are you shaking!? The girl’s eyes were shaking with fear and her clothes were covered in mud.

“I- I can feel it! It keeps stalking me! Always getting closer! Eating the grimm!”

Yujin couldn’t believe her ears. A chill went down her back. “Eating?”

The girl nodded furiously. “We need everyone to leave! I’m not cut out for this! I’m only alive because I can feel it!” She tried getting out of Yujin’s grip but she wasn’t going anywhere. “Let go! It’s still stalking!”

“Slow down! What type of grimm!?”

“I don’t know! But it’s huge! The vibrations, I feel them! It’s my semblance!” The girl felt like she could die on the spot, eyes flooding with tears. “It’s getting closer!”

A semblance that involved vibrations. Yujin has been vigilant and she doubted the faculty would leave a grimm in the area too dangerous for a novice to kill. That only left one terrifying thought; Yujin looked down at the dirt. A second later, the minerals trembled more than the frightened girl.

“Shit.” Yujin tossed the girl sky high in the direction of the wall and onlooking participants. She was glad she acted when she did, because now the ground at her feet was gone; shattered to pieces as a massive Death Stalker came lunging out.

xxxxxx

“YUJIN!!” Yang yelled as she watched the screen in immediate horror.

Raven immediately grabbed her hilt but a golden portal opened with Lilith already dashing through it before Raven could draw the blade.

Lilith came sliding out with her auburn bow and drew the golden string back, ready to fire at the beast; her eyes widened in shock to see that while Yujin was in the right pincer, she wasn’t exactly in danger. “Wow…”

Yujin held both sides of the crackling claw open with pure strength. Lilac eyes glared into the many golden eyes of the monster as it tried clipping her with the left claw. Yujin was fortunately still quicker than it, hoisting herself out of its hold and jumping over the second attack. It’s tail flicked rapidly, prompting her to cross both her arms before taking a stab. However, as it struck, a blinding gleam of light flashed by them, severing the stinger. Yujin landed safely and turned her head left as she heard a tree thud. Standing on a branch was Jael sheathing her sword.

The young swordsman looked at the girl with indifference. “Shouldn’t you move now?”

“Uh right!” Yujin grabbed the huge stinger and jumped back. The Death Stalker tried to charge at her but immediately howled in agony as a barrage of arrows blinded several eyes.

It raised both claws to dig down again, yet found no dirt as it struck a glyph. Canary came diving out of the portal with Harbinger crashing down, cutting off a pincer before changing to scythe mode and raking through several legs. The beast only screamed louder until it was silenced, choked by a stinger that was beamed right into its mouth. Canary looked back to see Yujin still in a spear chucking stance. “Nice throw.”

The girl's eyes went back to blue as she took a breath and shrugged. “Yeah? Well y’know?”

Lilith saw the Grimm begin to fade so she turned her gaze to her future peers who looked from the wall, spotting the worried girl who was thrown. Looks like she was physically safe. “I trust all of you are physically well? Please continue and take this moment to understand where you are trying to get accepted into. With all that said…I apologize for this disruption.”

It was the first time today that Lilith actually sounded somber. It wasn’t her fault a Grimm this dangerous was hiding underground. Still, Canary doubts that fact would make her feel better. Instead she put attention on Jael. “Hey? While I appreciate a quick call to actions and am grateful you aided my family, I have to ask you to refrain from doing anything reckless. As talented as you might be, you’re not even a student.”

“Yet.” Jael added confidently. “The portal was opened right next to me. It only made sense to move in.”

Yujin smiled cheerfully. “Can’t argue with that. Not that I needed the save, but I appreciated it all the same! Thank you!”

“It’s nothing worth mentioning.”

Jael jumped down from the tree and made her way back to the portal. Yujin really didn’t think much of it. Jacquelyn did say that Jael needs her focus. Although with skills like hers, Yujin couldn’t imagine why. She didn’t even see the blade, only Jael putting it away. Definitely Adam’s kid.

“Soooo…” Yujin batted her eyes at the two people in charge. “Do I get to walk through the portal? I handled this situation pretty well after all.”

“Tah!” Canary scoffed, “So now you want special treatment. From what I heard, you didn’t even have to take this test since you got a recommendation letter! Sorry squirt, handle the wall!”

“Hehe… worth a shot. No big deal though. I have my ways.”

Canary and Lilith were planning to head back but watched curiously as Yujin made her way towards the wall with a fist raised to the sky!

“Lil? What’s the likelihood she’s about to break her hand on that wall?”

“You tell me. She’s your cousin. Also, Lil?” We’re onto nicknames already?”

Yujin took a deep breath before swinging downward. Not at the wall, but the ground right next to it and under her feet. The single blow was enough to rattle the ground, reducing the spot into rubble and making a crater. Yujin looked straight ahead and sure enough, it was nothing but more dirt ready to be obliterated.

More sounds of tremendous force shook the rock at Lilith’s and Canary’s feet. The former couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hahaha! Well that’s one way to do it! Points for creativity.” Lilith starts walking to the portal.

Canary followed her with a smile on her face. “You make it sound like she needs those points.”

They both returned to the starting area and Canary looked at her family to see that calm expressions returned to them. “I am amazed that no one else ran through the portal with the way you screamed.”

Yang’s face went completely red. “Well…you two missed the part where she caught the claw. After that I may have realized I may have shouted a little too loudly…” She kicked a rock.

Jaune was perfectly calm the entire time. “I knew she could handle it. I’ve caught her in the rain fighting bears before.”

“You mean…the Ursa’s on Patch?” Ruby asked, only to see her father, Jaune, and aunt sigh heavily.

“No.” They said in unison while Tenzen tried to keep it together. He may have a few ridiculous videos to share later.

Not long after, The girl of the hour came walking through the proper portal. Her gloves were covered in soil and she smelled like nature, but she was here.

“Wait…” she blinked twice, realizing where she was. “That was the last obstacle!? It just loops back here!?”

Glynda handed her a green slip of paper. “Congratulations on passing. You will move on to the final portion.”

“I would hope so after what happened! It feels like involuntary extra credit!”

“Welcome to Beacon.” Glynda smirked and walked away. Lilith gave a silent nod to Yujin that basically said, “yeah pretty much.”

With the stragglers arriving and the second portion coming to a close, Glynda gathered in front of the screens as the second group was soaring into view “Alright everyone, well done to those who have made it this far. You will be flown to the next and final destination where you will have a proper chance to recover, eat, and prepare for the next challenge.”

“Is that another lie?” Marcus asked, his voice drained of energy.

“A well deserved question, but an unnecessary one. I’m not in the mindset of deceptive word play, unlike certain people.” She looked at the two culprits. They didn’t even look guilty.

Yujin leaned closer to Tenzen. “I don’t think it was that deceptive.”

“Oh, yeah you missed the funny part. Apparently the people who chose to prepare in town didn’t fail. They’re on their way now.” He pointed to the distant airship.

The girl fell silent, blinking twice as she realized she hasn’t the foggiest clue about how they are being graded if the second group is about to run a used obstacle course. “Elite schools are insane.” Yujin raised her hand. “Headmaster?”

“Yes? Is something the matter?”

“I trust your words, but can we have a show of good faith? What is our final challenge exactly?”

Glynda raised a brow. “ It’s the same as it is every year. For confirmation of that, look no further to the alumni.”

The aspiring heroes turned to the adults. Ruby and Jaune casually took a step away from everyone. “Don’t look at us. We got in on special terms.”

“Tah! Special terms you say.” Glynda scoffed, specifically at Jaune. “Ms. Rose did indeed stop a crime. What was yours, Mr. Arc?” Her eyes narrowed, knowing exactly what he did.

Fortunately Nora was there to pull everyone’s attention. She raised her arm up and chanted, “Hahaha! Aptitude Sparring!”

Those like Yujin, Tenzen, and even Jael were actually aware of this, but it was clear many others found themselves caught off guard. Though the confirmation was reassuring to Yujin. In the grand scheme of events, this exam checked knowledge, practical environmental skills, and combat.

Glynda continued explaining to the crowd. “In this line of work, battles never stop at Grimm unfortunately. It only makes sense to see how you all go against people. I recommend you all take this seriously. You may find this challenge to be the hardest one yet. That is all.”

This is it. At last, this is it! A golden opportunity to face Yujin. Jael could barely contain her enthusiasm, which became increasingly evident with the way her hand gripped the hilt of her blade. Jacquelyn noticed this and couldn’t stand idly by.

“Jael…remember why you’re here.”

“I know exactly why I’m here.” She said immediately. “I would’ve come last year if I didn’t know why I personally chose to wait, and you know that too.”

“There’s a dozen reasons why last year’s plans fell through. A vendetta wasn’t one of them for me. If it was then I wouldn’t have trained you.”

“What’s with the virtuous act all of a sudden?” Jael faced her mother and looked her right in the eyes. “Why are you acting like you aren’t upset, or like you have no clue what my motivations are? I’ve made no effort to truly hide them; unlike my name.” The venom in her voice leaked through in those final words. “I’ve been nothing but patient and obedient. Are you saying it’s been for nothing?”

“I’m saying don’t let it be for nothing! You don’t even know if you’re facing her so stop getting worked up and don’t do something you’ll come to regret. I have no right to tell you to hold in your rage, but understand I will always fundamentally disagree with you if you choose to direct that anger harmfully. Don’t waste your future by being your father’s past.”

Jael’s eyes widened, her heart murmuring from the accusation. “I thought you would have more faith in your daughter. This isn’t anything like he’s done. I thought you of all people would understand remotely just what type of anger I have. However, unlike you, I won’t erase a bloodline.”

Jael walks off without looking back.”I’ll settle with the death of a dream.”

A quiet tension remained in the air. Jacquelyn didn’t even find the opportunity to bring the girl’s blade. She had unsheathed it for the sake of dealing with the grimm but something about it felt…unnatural. Almost as if she was rushing to put it away. The entire thing left Jacquelyn feeling more uneasy. For a moment, the carefully crafted mask Jacquelyn displayed began to slip as her eyes flickered. She took a deep breath, concealing the internal storm. Although now she wondered if the mask was of any use? It clearly wasn’t fooling her youngest. As for the oldest…

Jacquelyn let the air in her lungs escape mournfully. “Stay strong…”

xxxxxxx

It was a silent prayer but a prayer nonetheless that was meant for the girl who quietly sat in a hidden hospital room with her tear stained face resting on the bed; her soft eyes keeping their gaze on the man so still that you could mistake him for a corpse. Her stomach remained empty all day, and her strength only appeared to hold the man’s thin, frail fingers.

Her voice was dry and quiet, the same as it was countless years ago; back in that dark, dark place. “Dad, please…” once again, tears greeted her face and her vibrant white tiger ears fell. “Please…wake up.”

[netscapenavigator-official]

I just finished Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Seven Keys. I have a lot of mixed opinions on a lot of things, but I'm gonna keep this post abridged:

The puzzles gave me Ransom of the Seven Ships vibes. While there were certainly way more than in Midnight in Salem, they were way too hard, especially on Amateur Detective. I dread to think what this game is like on Master Detective mode. Maybe I'm a weenie and just way worse at these games than I thought, but this game, RAN, and The Deadly Device are the only three ND games that I've ever played where the puzzles got my so stressed I had to split my play time across multiple days because I kept getting headaches. I think I used the hint system or video walkthroughs to get answers more times than I solved the puzzles myself. Overall, not a rewarding experience, and I'm glad I didn't buy this game. This is the first Nancy Drew game I seriously considered not finishing.

The plot was fine. It would've been better with better graphics, a better environment, and better puzzles, but with those aspects missing, the plot was meh. I much prefer MID's over this game's, even though I really don't like scary games that much. It also felt like they were trying to win brownies points and distract longtime fans by including as many references as possible. I also feel like they realized what a botch job they did with Ned and Nancy's relationship last game, and they were trying to make up for it in this game. The problem, though, is that it felt... a bit forced and overdone. Like they were trying too hard to undo what they did last time.

Graphics were an improvement from MID, for sure, but still looked worse and more soulless than every past Nancy Drew game, even SCK and STFD. This game reminded me a lot of Supermarket Simulator... which is a solo-dev, Unity asset, early access Steam game...

The villain choice was interesting. Don't wanna get too spoiler-y, but but I just can't help but feel it was a shallow, surface-level, and rushed decision to chose who they chose to be the villain.

The navigation in this game sucks. I mean this wholeheartedly when I say I would've rather had MID's hybrid navigation system than either of these. The Modern Mode is soulless and makes the game a little harder. Part of the fun of point-and-click games is that they tend to only show you things that are relevant for the story and puzzles, allowing you to focus more on the puzzles and story as opposed to navigating this big open world looking for small items to click on. The Modern Mode in this game removes that and adds too much vagueness. Not to mention, the movement and gliding-ness of the movement gives "default Unity" vibes... which is fitting since the entire game sorta gives that energy. The Classic Mode isn't much better. This is the worst point-and-click system in any Nancy Drew game, ever. The click boxes are harder to find that SCK, but their more unpredictable in where they'll take you than MID. Truly an awful point-and-click system that only added to my stress playing the game. It was the clear that the new devs were totally fish out of water when it came to designing this system.

Overall, for the majority of this game, I was on the verge of stress tears, telling myself I just wanted it to be over. Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Seven Keys placed 32/35 on my ranking spreadsheet, just below Phantom of Venice and above Ransom of the Seven Ships. For reference of it's nearest games, age-wise, Midnight in Salem (2019) placed 15/35 and Sea of Darkness (2015) placed 7/35... so... I won't be replaying this game... ever... unless I absolutely have to.

Ultimately, the difficult puzzles were the Achilles heal of what could've been an semi-enjoyable game. This game, alone, has burned me out, and I think I'm gonna take a break from playing Nancy Drew games for a while...

[three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat]

“Sonia.” Her husband’s arms wrapped around her shoulders, and she could hear the worry in his voice. “She troubles you, doesn’t she?” “She looks much like I did, in my youth." Rauru gave her a mildly skeptical look; the young woman was roughly the same age that she had been when they had met, after all, but that wasn’t what she had meant. (A year in a temple, training, bitter curses and glinting shards, the need to no longer be her father’s daughter, her hero's beloved–) No. The young woman– oh, the girl, really, the softness of youth still clung in traces to her cheeks– beared the features of her former life.

Zelda, unable to return to her proper time before the Gate of Time is destroyed, begins a new life on the Surface as Sonia, the priestess of Hylia.

(Full fic below the cut)

She used to have another name, long ago. 

It was a good name. The mother that had given it had loved her, those who had called it had done so with love, and she would have kept it all her life, if she could. 

She couldn’t, though, and it had been left behind in an ashen land with the guardian of a temple soon to be forgotten.

“High Priestess?” The familiar voice of her attendant echoed through the room. “Sir Orville is here to see you.” 

She closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded. “Let him in.”

High Priestess hadn’t been a title she had wanted, but when she had tried to gather her people, it had been all she could think of to convince them. Bringing the city down had been enough for them to believe, and before she had been able to flee, they had looked to her for guidance, even though she was still only just an adult. 

“High Priestess.” Orville said, hand to his chest in sharp salute. “The Zonai is here to see you.”

There was reverence in his voice, as there always was when her people talked about them. Even with their repeated denials, they had too many legends of gods descending from the sky to believe that such powerful beings weren’t among their ranks.

Rauru, the younger of the two, drew their attention more, with his powers of light bearing some similarities to Hylia’s– although she didn’t think they were that similar at all, really. He came to see her often, for mainly trivial reasons, and she hadn’t yet been able to puzzle out why.

She sighed. “Let him in.”

Orville nodded, and Rauru stepped into the room a minute later, likely having been waiting for his return.

“High Priestess.” He said, giving a short bow, a glint of something she couldn’t read in his eyes. “It’s as wonderful to see you as ever.”

“What is it that you want this time?” She asked bluntly. She suspected this was like a game to him, finding reasons for formal visits with her in simple requests, but it was hard to deny him– he was one of the rare few who would treat her not as a priestess, but as a peer.

“Just a question, dear Sonia–” At this, she barely managed to avoid rolling her eyes. “–do you have any powers?”

She stiffened slightly. “What do you mean?” 

“Abilities, perhaps given by your goddess– I’ve been wondering about this for some time.”

An unusual question– and one that she was sure she shouldn't handle with full honesty. 

“I have some slight control over time.” She said eventually. “I am not sure where it originated from, however, as Hylia’s powers have never included anything like it. Why do you wish to know?” 

She would know, far better than anyone else, what Hylia’s powers were.

"I wish to enter an alliance with you. We Zonai may be great in power, but we are few in number, and these lands are unfamiliar to us. We want only your guidance and support–"

She narrowed her eyes. "Do not take me for a fool. You are thriving in my lands; what is it you truly want?"

He hesitated for a second, taken aback by her bluntness. "There is a rare ore we use to make and power our devices. We have found it to be underground, and we would like, along with my previous request, permission to mine for it."

He couldn't mean timeshift ore, could he? What she had seen of their technology seemed to be green energy, not the blues and purples she was intimately acquainted with, but it was still possible… She made a mental note to keep them away from the Lanayru mines.

"If you want to mine underground, you will need to talk to the mogma and the gorons. It is not something I can resolve for you."

"Very well." He agreed peacefully enough, but there was a split-second glint of anger in his eye. "However, I would ask that you still consider an alliance; I have something to offer that I believe will interest you."

He held his hand out, and opened it to reveal a stone.

---

“Sonia.” Her husband’s arms wrapped around her shoulders, and she could hear the worry in his voice. “She troubles you, doesn’t she?”

“She looks much like I did, in my youth.” 

Rauru gave her a mildly skeptical look; the young woman was roughly the same age that she had been when they had met, after all, but that wasn’t what she had meant.

(A year in a temple, training, bitter curses and glinting shards, the need to no longer be her father’s daughter, her hero’s beloved–)

No. The young woman– oh, the girl, really, the softness of youth still clung in traces to her cheeks– beared the features of her former life. 

It was damning evidence, one that confirmed her claim that she was the princess of Hyrule– although she hadn’t doubted it much to begin with, the golden light that had brought her here being all too familiar. 

“She must have traveled a great distance with her magic, for her to still be asleep.” Rauru said, and she realized she had been quiet for a few minutes. 

“Yes.” She said, eyes tracing over goddess crest under the clasp of her cloak, the mark of the triforce on her shirt and boots. “Very far, indeed.”

---

“Did you really think we hadn’t noticed your deceit?” Zelda stepped forward, and sent the dagger spinning back towards the puppet.

Something itched at her senses. “Zelda, stay back. Something is wrong.” 

A low voice chuckled, and Ganondorf stepped through the shadows. “It seems Hyrule’s queen has keener senses than I anticipated.”

“Zelda, go.” She said. 

“But–”

“Now.” She flicked her fingers in the direction of the room they had left Rauru in, hoping the girl got the message. 

Her eyes widened, and she nodded in understanding. She focused her attention on Ganondorf, reaching into the small pouch hidden within her dress and pulling out her sword (it was amazing, really, what the kikwis could do with expansion magic).

“Trying to fight, Your Majesty?” He drew his own sword. “Very well. It will not change your fate.”

They traded blows for a few moments, and his eyes narrowed at each successful block, parry, or dodge. 

“What?” She said, smiling gently as she shoved his blade away, forcing him to stagger back. “Did you not expect a priestess to know how to fight?”

He frowned. “It matters not what paltry skill you have with a blade.”

“I would say it matters greatly.” She threw back, and ducked below a swing. “You thought I would be easy prey, did you not?”

“Heh. Maybe so.” 

The sword in his hands disappeared, and she was left stunned for a second before a spear materialized in his hands, already stabbing towards her. She spun out of the way, but didn’t manage to completely dodge it, the tip scraping up along her forearm. She hissed in pain, pulling her sword back to–

“Sonia!” A blast of light streaked past her, knocking Ganondorf to the ground. 

She watched him for a second, but he lay there with only a slight twitch. She turned to see her husband and Zelda rushing toward her.

“Sonia, oh, your arm–” Rauru grabbed her hand, seeming to not even care that she still held a sword, fussing over her wound. 

“I’m alright.” She said, laying her other hand atop his and squeezing gently. “It’s not very deep.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” He pulled her along with him back to the castle. “Guards! Take him away.”

Two things happened at once. Zelda’s eyes widened, her hand coming up and mouth opening in a shout–

And a spear pierced through Rauru’s stomach.

For a second, she didn’t know what to do. He staggered forward, clutching the wound as the spear was ripped out just as violently as it had entered. A hand seized his arm and yanked him away; she spun around, raising her sword. 

Ganondorf held him in front of him, almost as if he was a shield, a vicious smile stretching across his face. Rauru’s head lolled to the side, clouded gaze focusing on her. Her breath was ragged as she watched him, the sword in her hands in her hands flickering with weak licks of flame. He slumped down in Ganondorf’s grip, eyes fluttering shut.

Ganondorf chuckled, ripping the bracelet that Rauru used to hold his stone off of his hand and tossing his body aside; she couldn't hold herself back any longer, surging forward with a choked and hoarse battle cry.

“Queen Sonia!” Zelda cried, and she stopped, sword aloft and breath held, watching as Ganondorf examined his prize. "We must retreat, he could still be–"

He wasn't. She knew that, had watched his stone go dull and colorless before being overtaken by Ganondorf’s power, but it wasn't safe for them here. 

"Fine." She said. She could hear Zelda rushing to Rauru’s side, fumbling with her device, and stepped back. "But I will end this, you ba–"

The world dissolved into blue.

---

Being in the temple brought back unpleasant and unwanted memories. It looked different now, of course, tucked away as it now was in the far reaches of the land, but still, for the most part, the same. 

(The tree she had been told he had planted still thrived, of course. She wondered how her attendants were doing now.)

A woman stepped forward from the shadows, causing her companions to startle. Hints of gray mired her hair, and her eyes had a touch of wrinkles around them, but she looked nearly the same as she had years ago.

“Impa.” She bowed her head in greeting. Zelda let out a soft noise of surprise. 

“Your Grace.” She said in reply, a quirk in the corner of her mouth. “I nearly thought you had forgotten me.”

“As if I ever could. How have you been?”

“As well as I could be. Is this the daughter I’ve heard so much about?”

She suspected Impa already knew the answer. “No. This is Zelda, a distant relative of mine.”

“Ah.” She raised an eyebrow. “How interesting.”

She smiled without humor. “Yes. Do my companions and I have permission to enter the temple?”

“Always, Your Grace.” She turned to face the rest of their group. “There are rooms in the back of the temple if you wish to relieve yourselves of your burden.”

Medoh looked suspicious of her– this temple was near the Rito lands, and the temple appeared abandoned to even the most discerning of people, but a nod from her seemed to dispel his doubts, and he went ahead. 

“Go join the others.” She whispered to Zelda when she hung back, a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I must speak to the guardian in private.”

“Who is she really?” Impa asked, when they were sure she was gone.

“She says she is Princess Zelda, and that she has come from the distant future.”

Impa blinked. “How–”

“I’m not sure myself, but I saw her appear, and she has both mine and– and Rauru’s power.” She chuckled to herself bitterly, closing her eyes. “So yes, my daughter, in a sense of the word.”

“Hylia. What has happened?”

She opened her eyes. “You are the first to call me that in many years, old friend.”

“One must be reminded of old names, once in a while. But why have you come here?”

“A Gerudo has killed my husband, and stolen his stone. I’ve come seeking shelter, and weapons for those who would ally with me.” 

“A Gerudo? What cause would she have for doing that?”

“He, actually. The name Ganondorf might ring a bell?” She nodded. “Yes, well, I fear this might be my fault. The people wished to have Rauru as a king, and when he desired fealty from more than just my people, I should have stopped him.”

She rubbed her temples. “Ganondorf was a good man in his youth, and when Demise attacked my people, he and his answered their call for aid. I don’t know what has changed since then, but the thing he has become now– I cannot say if he would want to try to find a peaceful resolution, or even if he can be reasoned with, mad with power that he is. Naboris tells me he’s started calling himself ‘Demon King’, that he’s gone through a monstrous transformation.”

“And what do you plan on doing?”

“What I’ve always done, when my people have been threatened.” She said. “Kill him.”

Her features softened, a look that would have been pitying on anyone else. "You can try–"

"No. You and I both know I've never been able to do diplomacy in any way that doesn't involve violence; honeyed words don’t suit me."

---

“This is what you spoke of before, isn’t it?” She said, letting a hand fall to rest on Fi’s hilt. “The Master Sword, the blade of evil’s bane.”

“Yes! With that, we can–” Zelda stepped forward, but she held up a hand, and she stopped.

“We can’t.” She said. “As much as I wish to have her by my side once more, taking her from this pedestal could release a far greater evil than Ganondorf.”

“What do you mean?” 

“That story would be far too long to tell, but I will say this: there are two reasons Impa guards this temple, and she is the one that is more important.” She turned back to Zelda. “I don’t know what has changed in your time, but this sword must not be drawn.”

"I– very well." Her gaze dropped. "Is there nothing we can do then, without her power?"

She kneeled down, grasping her shoulders. "Zelda, listen to me. She is not our only hope; I have brought us here because more of the secret stones lie here, and I believe they will allow our allies’ powers to help bridge the gap."

"But– aren't you–" She cut herself off.

She waited, rubbing her thumb across her shoulder.

“I– I overheard you and Impa talking.” Zelda began again hesitantly. “She called you Hylia.”

She sighed. “So they still tell stories of me so far in the future?”

“You– you’re really–?

“In a way." She smiled bitterly, and stood back up. "Hylia– she is dead. I am her reincarnation– all her memories, powers, skills, but none of my true divinity."

"But still– couldn't you have stopped Ganondorf at the castle?" She was shaking, slightly, and suddenly, painfully, she reminded her of her younger self.

She reached up, cradling the stone in her hand. "The power this brings comes at a cost. When I wear it, it enhances the weakest of my abilities, my control over time, and at the same time mutes the others. I'm sure you've noticed the same– your powers of sealing and light have been harder to access, haven't they?"

She nodded slowly. 

"Ganondorf would not be a threat to me if not for this. I would discard it in a second if I could, control of time pales in comparison to my other powers, but to do so would be handing him the win.”

“What do you mean?”

She glanced down at the girl. “Draconification is not the only risk that comes with bearing a stone. To do so ties it to your life; forsaking it, even unwillingly, means that you will soon follow.”

“Oh.” She said quietly. “Is that how you knew–”

“Yes.” She sighed. “To tell the truth, Zelda, were it not for the cost of my mind, I would become a dragon to fight him; the power it could bring me would elevate me to the status of a god again.”

“But wouldn’t it just amplify your time powers even more?”

“Ah, no. These stones are paradoxical things; it would power up my strongest ability should I give it my life.”

“And that would be…?”

She smiled, and held out her hand, letting a small flicker of flame curl in her palm. “Burning light.”

---

“Twenty-five years ago, your people answered Hylia when she called for aid. Now, the lands she protects are facing a new threat, and I, her priestess, ask for your aid once more.” She nodded to Mineru, her cue to open the door. “I am grateful for the support you have given thus far, but Ganondorf’s power is only growing, and Hylia is not able to help us.”

Zelda’s gaze turned sharp, a slight frown on her face.

“Everyone in Hyrule knows of the secret stones the Zonai and I use to amplify our powers, but what few know is that there are more of them.” She swept her arm towards the now open door. “I ask that you take up arms with me to destroy the threat to our people. The stones will be tied to your life, and that may cause you danger, but with our combined might, he will fall.”

Ruta cleared her throat. “Sonia, the people have started to call him Demon King; I was not on the front lines of the fight against Demise, but…”

“Ganondorf doesn’t hold a fraction of Demise’s powers.” She said. “Talk to the guardian of this temple, if you wish; she fought alongside Hylia herself, and could tell you the same.”

Heads turned to look at Impa, half hidden in the shadows, who gave a short nod of acknowledgement. 

“Now, please step forward to claim a stone if you are willing.”

Zelda hung back as the others stepped into the chamber, looking at her uncertainly.

“Is something wrong?” She asked. 

“You aren’t going to tell them who you are?”

“No. They are trusted friends and allies that I’ve known for years. To do so would needlessly complicate things. If it will calm your doubts, I have told Mineru of what my true powers are, if not my identity.”

“I…” She shook her head. “Very well. But I have another question. Is Demise…”

“Yes. The remnants of his spirit remain in the Master Sword, hence the need to guard it. She cannot end her slumber until he is gone.”

She nodded. 

“Let’s go, then.” She gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and, taking a deep breath, entered the room.

“If my husband were here in my place, he would no doubt wish for your fealty in exchange for the stones.” She began. “These are the last of the sacred treasures of his people, after all. They should not be given to those who are not loyal.”

They exchanged glances; Rudania, from where he had been about to touch one, jerked his hand back. 

“Your Majesty, if that is what you desire…” Naboris began slowly. 

“It isn’t. You have been allies to my people all my life; some of you, even longer.” She inclined her head to Ruta. “Mineru has agreed, and I trust you all.”

Sparks of fire and electricity swept through on a humid wind, and the stones claimed their owners.

---

She knew what must be done. 

Ganondorf was stronger than they had thought, and the battle to merely reach him had tired them; her allies stood injured and bloody, energy drained by his magic, while he stood tall and unbroken.

“Everyone, if you please.” She said, voice low, reaching up to grasp her necklace. “I need an opening.”

“Sonia…” Mineru whispered, voice broken. “You can’t…”

“I must.”

Weapons flew, a bow sung. She ripped the stone off her neck, casting it down to the floor, and pulled, grabbing for the powers that had long eluded her grasp. The spark of fire flared in her hand, golden flames lighting up the dark room.

“I’ve seen this before!” Ganondorf roared, turning as Zelda called their weapons back, spinning again to face them. “Sonia…!”

A hand full of fire hit his chest, and she pushed him back. He grunted, and she pushed harder, summoning the magic she had used in sealing the last threat to her lands.

“Ha, planning to seal me here, are you?” He gave a bloody smile. “What a clever way to solve your problems.”

“I’ve found it to be very reliable, yes.” 

The fire flared, pulling at the dark magic lying under his skin. The scent of burning flesh filled the air.

“But are you ready to pay the price for this?” He had a smug look on his face, as if he expected her to say no, to stop this and let him win, but she had already given her life once for her people; it was not a hard thing to do it again.

“I am.” 

Zelda smiled, teeth bared, and dug her fingers into his heart.

[beckettj]

1 Year Repost: In the Blood (CS oneshot)

It's been a whole year since I first published this fic so I'm sharing it again now!

Summary: Emma breaks the news to Killian that she’s pregnant.. She’s excited and it can only be a good thing… right? Then why the bloody hell does he feel so damn terrified?

Words: 3,279

Read on AO3

'How much of my father am I destined to become?' 'Will it wash out in the water, or is it always in the blood?'

--

“Killian!”

The unexpected shout, originating from upstairs, was enough to make his head shoot out of the book in his hand, a small frown crossing his brow. It was an excited yell, almost a squeal – a noise he had never heard from Emma before – but one most certainly filled with joy, so he inferred there was no reason to panic; something of a miracle given all they had been through. Even still, the noise, the shout; it confused him.

Emma bounding down the stairs, with all the enthusiasm of her overexcited little brother on Christmas Day, only added to his befuddlement. The Emma who all-but hopped, skipped, and jumped into the front room scarcely resembled the dead-on-her-feet Emma that he had seen only an hour ago. The transformation was as impressive as it was remarkable. She had been exhausted, complaining that she felt totally drained, to the point where he had ended up carrying her up the stairs and into their bedroom, as she could barely face moving. When he had expressed his worries that her tiredness was becoming a frequent occurrence, she had shooed him out, insisting that she would be perfectly fine once she caught up on rest.

An hour had passed, and it appeared she had been correct. The short nap seemed to have rejuvenated her, turning her into a bundle of energy which was only unnerving him in that he wasn’t used to seeing her quite so animated. Emma stopped right in front of him, a huge grin on her face which met her green eyes and made them sparkle.

“Feeling better, love?” Killian remarked, raising an eyebrow at the vast improvement he saw before him.

She didn’t answer his question directly.

Instead, she drew his attention to an item she held in her hand, by holding it out towards him, and exclaimed, “Look!”

Killian did look, but he had no bloody clue what he was looking at. Every time he thought he was completely up to date with the technology and other advancements of the Land Without Magic, a new one would crop up for him to marvel at. The latest one didn’t look at all impressive, merely resembling a stick, only instead of wood it was, of course, made of plastic. It was mostly white, with a pink end to it, and an indent in the centre within which were two thin lines.

He failed to understand Emma’s excitement at such a device, it’s function most definitely lost on him. He flicked his eyes from the object back up onto Emma, finding her staring at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to share her excitement. The only thing he felt was lost.

“It’s…” he drew out, hoping for a hint or, even better, a sudden realization.

Neither came. Emma just nodded at him enthusiastically, her head seeming to bounce like one of those ridiculous bobble head dogs that people in this land liked to put in their cars.

“…a stick?” Killian finished hesitantly, aware that Emma had been hoping for a different reaction from him to what, seemingly, was nothing more than a piece of plastic.

“Well, that was anti-climatic,” Emma huffed, dropping her hand back to her side, the unidentified object along with it. “You really don’t know what it is?”

“Am I supposed to?” Killian responded.

“It’s a pregnancy test,” Emma filled him in.

They had tests for that? The scientific advancements of the Land Without Magic never failed to surprise him. He glanced at the shape of the item – the long, narrow stick – and promptly decided that he did not need to know the exact details as to how the tests were carried out.

Not immediately, at least. Clarification was more pressing.

“You took… a pregnancy test?” he checked slowly.

“Yes!” Emma nodded eagerly, her enthusiasm and smile returning. “And look! There’s two lines!”

“I have no bloody clue what that means, love,” Killian told her.

Even though he wasn’t following her at all, and still felt rather lost, there was a bemused smile on his face, simply from watching her own expressions of glee. They had fought hard, against curses, magic and various enemies, for these moments of happiness.

“It means I’m pregnant,” Emma resorted to spelling it out for him. “Killian, you’re going to be a father.”

The grin on Killian’s face faltered, and then disappeared entirely as he took the time to process the news. Emma took a seat on the couch next to him, leaning into his side, before splurging out a ton of information about doctor appointments and stages of pregnancy, none of which went in. It was all just noise to him. His only focus was on the rapid speed at which the words were escaping her mouth and the animated hand movements which accompanied them.

It didn’t take a body language expert – an actual career (that people were paid for) in the Land Without Magic, he had discovered – to determine that Emma was thrilled at the prospect of being a mother again. Killian had seen her with Henry, and he had watched her when they had babysat little Neal over the years; there was no debating that she would be a great mother to their child.

Their child.

Killian could scarcely believe it. It didn’t feel real; that he and Emma had created life, that a child was growing inside her that very moment.

Perhaps it wasn’t real?

Had he fallen asleep?

It was the only explanation which made any logical sense to him. It had to be, he decided, that he had drifted off whilst reading his book and been thrown into the nightmare unfolding before him.

Nightmare? No. Dream.

He was dreaming that Emma was pregnant because having a child would be a good thing for them… right?

“…currently about the size of a prune.”

He took in a snippet of the whirlwind of information Emma was throwing at him.

A prune to whom he would be – was – a father.

Father.

What did that even mean?

“Killian,” Emma spoke as she took his hands in hers; her light touch, and the slight coolness of her skin against his, pulling him from his thoughts. She leaned in close, her green eyes locking with his blue. “This is a good thing, right?”

His question, exactly!

He knew it was supposed to be a good thing. He knew that Emma thought it was a good thing. The one thing he didn’t know was why he was struggling with it so much.

“It’s good,” Killian agreed in a daze, resorting to forcing a smile.

Because why the bloody hell did he feel so damn terrified?

--

It turned out it wasn’t a nightmare – no, dream – it was his reality; a completely terrifying – no, amazing – reality in which fatherhood was heading for him at an alarmingly – no, excitingly – fast rate. Ten weeks had flown by since Emma had bounded down the stairs and broken the mind-blowing news and, all of a sudden, he found himself at the hospital with Emma, awaiting their first pregnancy appointment. The feeling of terror, which had subsided as they’d promptly returned to going about their normal lives, had come crashing back down on top of him as soon as he had stepped into the hospital.

He needed to get out of there. Fast.

It was a need which wasn’t going to get met any time soon. He sat impatiently drumming his fingers against the cool metal armrest of his uncomfortable chair. There was only so much toing and froing he could watch the hospital staff do before he became bored out of his mind. His eyes flicked to the clock on the sterile white walls, confirming what he already knew; the appointments were running way behind. They should have been seen thirty minutes ago.

They could have been out of the bloody place, already!

His eyes fell on Ella and Thomas, seated on the other side of the waiting room. The couple were expecting their second child, and both wore smiles of gleeful anticipation upon their faces. Thomas had his hand resting on Ella’s stomach as she leaned against him, presumably looking for something more comfortable than the horrible metal chairs.

Killian glanced over at Emma beside him. She had a small bump, nowhere near as big as Ella’s who was months ahead of them in the process, but it was growing by the week. Emma had her own hands placed on her stomach, an action which – if he were to go by the mountain of pregnancy books Emma had bought – marked an unspoken language of love between her and the unborn baby.

He had never carried out such an action himself. A glance back at Ella confirmed Thomas still had his hand on her stomach. Killian found himself getting hit by a wave of doubt. Was he supposed to do that? Didn’t he love his unborn child?

“Killian!”

He was nudged in the side by Emma, pulling him out of his thoughts before he could work out the answer to that question. Except, he realized immediately, there was nothing to work out. Love towards his own child was unconditional. That much he was sure of, that much he knew without having to place his hand on Emma’s stomach. He could already feel the love for that child, rooted deeply within him.

So why the bloody hell was he still completely terrified?

“Killian!” Emma snapped his name.

He turned to her, “Huh?”

“We’re up,” she told him with a small smile of anticipation.

She pointed up at the screen on the waiting room wall which was being used to call patients to their appointments. Sure enough, the name Emma Swan was lit up in bold white lettering against the blue background, accompanied by Room Four to direct them.

Emma led the way, taking off at speed as if she were in hot pursuit of a suspect evading arrest. He found himself hurrying to keep up with her as she navigated the corridors like the back of her hand. He wasn’t at all surprised at how well she knew the layout, given the number of times she had been there over the years.

They were at room four within half a minute and Emma pushed the door open, being greeted immediately by the sonographer inside.

“Oh my gosh, guys!” the sonographer – Olivia – all but squealed. “I’m so happy for you both!”

“Thank you,” Emma replied, “though we aren’t telling anyone just yet.”

Storybrooke being the small town it was meant that everyone knew everyone and, as the Savior who had saved the town, and its inhabitants, on countless occasions, Emma could barely so much as buy hot chocolate (with cinnamon) at Granny’s without everyone knowing about it. Killian was surprised that no one had figured out their latest news already.

Emma had insisted they kept it on the downlow, with a splurge of information about pregnancies being at greater risk of complications in the first trimester. He hadn’t really understood it, but he’d gone with it, mostly keeping out of all the baby stuff, content to leave it to Emma. He certainly wasn’t in much of a hurry to tell anyone.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Olivia waved a dismissive hand. “Patient confidentiality. I won’t tell a soul! Though, I will say, everyone is going to be so excited when you do announce the news! I still remember the buzz around town when your parents were expecting Neal.”

Killian hovered in the doorway, staring at Olivia, perplexed by her gushing and the level of excitement that she was exhibiting. Anyone would have thought that she was the one who was pregnant. In just a minute, she had radiated more excitement than he had felt over the past ten weeks.

He wanted that. He wanted to be excited at the prospect of having a mini-me running around, and at teaching the child to sail and how to use a sword, but something was pulling him back. Something was making it so that whenever he so much as thought about being a father, he was hit by complete and utter dread.

Looking around the room at the various devices, the function of many completely unknown to him, only multiplied the horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.  Since Emma had told him that she was pregnant nothing had really changed. They’d gone to work, they’d dropped by her parents’ every-so-often, and they had taken the odd sailing day trip. Other than Emma no longer consuming alcohol, buying the odd pregnancy book, and occasional musings about the nursery, they had mostly gone about their lives as normal. For the most part, he could pretend that things were normal. Standing in the doorway of the ultrasound room meant it was starting to feel real. He couldn’t push it to the back of his mind any longer. He couldn’t run from it anymore.

“Killian, come in and shut the door,” Emma prompted him.

He cleared his throat, sending her a small smile, “Right, of course, love.”

He ventured into the room, pushing the door shut behind him as instructed, and took the empty seat positioned beside the bed that Emma was lying on. She took ahold of his hand, sending him an excited smile which he did his best to replicate in return. He still didn’t feel that bloody excitement. All he felt was terror.

“Alright!” Olivia was grinning from ear-to-ear – someone clearly loved their job – as she pulled some protective gloves over her hands. “Let’s get right to the exciting part and take a look at your little one, shall we?”

Killian had no clue what it was that Olivia did next. It was the Land Without Magic so he knew that, if he asked, she would give him a scientific explanation that he would not follow. As far as he was concerned, however, it was magic, for she had rubbed some kind of potion onto Emma’s bump and then a black and white image of their child had appeared on the screen. He had done nothing but gape at the image as Olivia had determined the baby to look to be developing well and then proceeded to point out various features on the screen.

Olivia handed Emma a physical copy of the image on the screen. She passed it on to him as she started asking questions and delved into a deep discussion with Olivia over future tests and scans, nutrients, and vitamins. It all went over Killian’s head; he wasn’t listening, continuing to stare at the scan in his hand, processing exactly what was happening.

It was a picture of his child; a physical picture, their first picture, and he had it right there in his hand. The very hand that was sweating against the photographic paper.

It was real now.

His heart started beating fast, threatening to jump out of his chest.

There was physical proof of the child’s existence, beyond Emma’s bump and that stick device thing.

His breathing quickened.

There was no denying it. There was a child growing inside Emma; one that would come to depend on him as he once depended upon his own parents.

His chest tightened.

There really was no running from it anymore.

He couldn’t breathe.

He had to run. He had to get away.

He stood up abruptly. The chair legs scrapped against the floor. Two sets of eyes turned on him. He thrust the child’s picture at Emma.

“I’m sorry,” he forced out between sharp breaths, “I can’t.”

He didn’t wait around. He shot out the door like a bullet from a barrel. A series of hospital corridors. No windows. He needed to get outside. He needed air. The red exit signs lit his way. He burst through the doors, into sunlight, into fresh air. He dropped onto a bench. Closed his eyes. Tight.

Breathed. In. Out.

In. Out.

Slow.

Calm.

For a moment, for the briefest of moments; calm.

Then it was gone, as quickly as it had come, and a wave of guilt crashed over him. He had left. He had thrown the only picture of their child at Emma and ran. He’d left them.

“Killian?”

Emma. Gentle. Cautious. She placed her hand on his.

There was no running from her, from it. She knew her; she wouldn’t let him. He couldn’t run from it. He didn’t want to run from it. He wanted to do better.

In the fresh air, with Emma, so understanding and patient for an explanation, things were clearer; things were starting to make sense. He was still terrified, just as he had been for ten long weeks, but, finally, the reason for his terror was apparent. For weeks he had tortured himself for being so terrified of his own child, but he had gotten it all wrong. It wasn’t his child he was terrified of; it was himself. He was terrified of becoming the man he had hated for so long, the man he had driven himself to kill; he was terrified of becoming his father, of running from his child when they needed him most.

He opened his eyes, meeting Emma’s. He wouldn’t have been surprised to see anger or frustration in her green eyes, yet he only saw concern.

“I’m bloody terrified, love,” he confessed, allowing himself to be vulnerable with her; he trusted her, with everything.

“I know,” she replied softly. “It’s a big step, and it’s not something we were expecting quite so soon, but you are going to be brilliant.”

Killian dropped his gaze to the floor and gave a small shake of his head. He dared to pose the question, to speak the words out loud, “What if I’m just like him?”

“Like who?” Emma asked.

“I believe the saying goes ‘like father, like son’,” Killian expanded.

“No. Not you, not your father,” Emma protested adamantly. “I know you; I know the man you are. You won’t abandon our child for your own selfish reasons. That’s not you.”

“What compels you to put so much faith in me, Swan?” he asked.

“You do,” she stated. “You stand up and you fight for what you believe in, no matter the cost, no matter the sacrifice. Now, take this and look at it.”

She held out the scan photograph for him once again. He eyed it carefully and she shook it gently to prompt him to take it. He reached for it, holding it between his thumb and first finger, and dropped his gaze onto the image. It was blurry, it was black and white, but it was his child. The child wasn’t doing anything of note, just growing and developing, and yet, looking at that single image, Killian had never felt so much pride. 

“And answer me one question, just one,” Emma continued. “Do you believe in her?”

Killian raised an eyebrow at her choice of words, “Her?”

“It’s a gut feeling,” Emma shrugged with a small smile. “So? Do you believe in her?”

“Aye, with all my heart,” Killian said.

Speaking to Emma, voicing his thoughts and concerns, getting it all off his chest had done wonders in alleviating his terror. Where he had once felt fear, all he felt, as his gaze returned to the image in his hand, was hope. Hope for the future, and hope for his family.

He lifted his left arm and gently guided his hook over his child’s image as he murmured, “I'll forever endeavour to do right by you, little one.”

Tags: @teamhook @laianely @booksteaandtoomuchtv @exhaustedpirate @anmylica @hollyethecurious @kmomof4 @winterbaby89 @undercaffinatednightmare @resident-of-storybrooke @tiganasummertree @stahlop @lfh1226-linda @darkshadow7 @fleurdepetite @captainswan-kellie @motherkatereloyshipper @soniccat @jrob64 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @jonesfandomfanatic @myfearless-love

[aceofnace]

I'm so disappointed in what happened with Nace. Way too much unpleasantness for me, I wish we could have a do over. They were so wasted.

Even if they get together at the very end, they've been so tainted for me. It's clear the writers don't really care about them or how could this have been allowed to happen? Don't even get me started on Tristan and him getting everything we wanted for Ace and Nancy. I'm just sad and angry about Nace. Nothing can make them better for me. The show is already over. I'm supposed to hold out hope an entire relationship can be developed in 4 measly episodes when last episode Nancy and Ace didn't even share a scene? We're supposed to be happy with scraps? This is Nancy Drew and her endgame we're talking about, it just sucks. I really feel used, like we promoted this show for Nace and then got strung along every single season to only get a last-minute rushed together endgame if we get anything at all? This is not how you write good romance. We were used.

This was also my initial reaction after 4x09 (which...admittedly...I still haven't even watched; everything I know about the episode comes from what I've seen people talking about on Twitter), and also, of course, 4x06.

(This may end up being very long, so I'm adding a cut here)

WHY did they choose, in the FINAL SEASON, to give Nancy and Tristan a slow dance, and not Nancy and Ace? Tristan showing up at Icarus Hall in a rented suit holding flowers and asking her to dance? Imagine how swoon-worthy that would've been if it had been Ace, not the guy who was created by the writers to appear in only a handful of episodes the final season with no real shot with Nancy? Make it make sense! Or don't even get me started on the flirty text thread! Are you freaking kidding me? With Ace, her texts have always been simple responses like "no" or not any response at all (even after the one where he told her he'd be more romantic after the curse was broken, and he then asked if she was still awake...she gave him NOTHING!), but she gives full, cute responses to the guy she's literally known for less than 2 weeks? Again, make it make sense!

I've been so frustrated by all of this, just like you, until I really stopped and thought about it last night. First of all, Ace can't even attempt to do anything romantic. He ended things in 4x03. Told Nancy to move on. Which was very understandable, given what happened to Nancy after the ritual. He's already been giving her mixed signals, so attempting to do anything other than stay away will just make things worse between them right now. And there was such a small window between when Ace found out Nancy had feelings for him at the end of 4x01 and when they tried to break the curse in 4x03 that he didn't have time for any grand gestures. Besides, it's hard to be romantic when you've got a death curse looming over you.

Now, the curse. The curse can be used to explain away why we're getting no romantic moments between Nace this season (because Ace will die!), but then one can also ask, "why tf is the curse still here? Why is it being dragged out to the end?" And look, I GET IT. If you're thinking that, I'm right there with you. But it is what it is, and since the curse is still here and ruining any chance we have of seeing sweet, domestic Nace before the finale, I'm going to make the best of it with what I'm about to say about it.

The curse has ruined everything. Or has it? Yes, it's just a plot device to keep Nace apart until the end, probably because writers don't like getting their main ships together for fear people will get bored after. And since these writers probably held out some hope (no matter how foolishly) that they'd maybe get a season 5, they were going to make sure Nancy and Ace didn't get together until the finale...or heck, maybe not even until sometime NEXT season if they'd been lucky enough to get one! But plot device aside, this curse is actually the best thing that's ever happened to this ship. Why?

Because it sets them apart from most other mundane ships. Nancy and Ace could've gotten it on back in season 2. Jealousy was at an all-time high for both of them. They obviously wanted each other. I was so sure a hookup was imminent. And if they had given into their urges and gotten freaky with each other in the back room of The Claw (my dream at the time), they would've already broken up by now and gotten with other people in serious relationships until maybe getting back together in the end. I actually prefer what's happening now. Because even though we aren't getting the sweet, cute, romantic scenes Nancy is being given with other love interests, what we are getting is soulmatism. Nancy and Ace are two people who love each other. Who are in love with each other. Who are the loves of each other's lives. And their inability to be together just makes their bond stronger even as they're drifting apart. Because it's showing them, showing us, they don't want to live without each other. It's showing us that sure, other hot guys can hit on Nancy and make her smile and take away her pain for a moment, but at the end of the day, it will always be Ace. Ace is her true north. Her person. Ace is the one she wants to be with forever. And we know it's no different for Ace.

I really don't think we would've gotten all of that with Nace without this curse storyline. And I personally love that I can say my otp are canon soulmates.

Look, it's easy to be mad at Tristan for getting all the sweet moments with Nancy (and I am, trust me!) but honestly, what's the big deal about slow dances or seashells? It's way more romantic to risk your entire future to break someone's father out of prison without even being asked to. It's way more romantic to drink potential poison to prove someone's theory is correct and to keep her from getting arrested. It's way more romantic to make a deal with your shady relative in exchange for helping to save someone's life. It's way more romantic to almost let an entire city drown in a tsunami just so you can live a long, happy, not-cursed life with the man you love. Nancy and Ace's romance has never been conventional. It's been slow and gradual. Organic. Their love for each other blossomed through trust and admiration, not flirting or cheesy romantic gestures. And that's okay. To me, that's more than okay. Because that tells me that once the show ends with them together, I can feel pretty confident in my headcanon that they are staying together forever. One day, they'll get married. Start a family. They'll grow old together. Yeah, we won't get to see it, but we'll know without a doubt that's how their story will go.

And I do believe whatever sweet moments Nancy has shared with Tristan this season will be completely forgotten about as soon as the curse is broken. Ace himself said in a text that he would be more romantic after it's broken, and I believe him. That boy has loved her for so long but hasn't been able to express it—either because he didn't think she could love him back, or because expressing it could literally kill him. Once nothing is holding him back anymore, he's got years of loving her in secret to make up for. I'm sure he's had all sorts of romantic ideas forming in that brain of his this whole time, and now he'll finally be able to do something with them.

Maybe we'll only get to see one or two moments before the show fades to black, but I will gladly accept whatever they give me and will just be thankful knowing my ship made it out alive and happy.

With all this said, I can totally see where you're coming from (and my response is in no way trying to convince you to think like me!) and I'm so sorry Nace has been tainted for you. Every time we get an episode that has little or no Nace interaction now, it breaks my heart. I hate it. It makes me so angry. But I'm still holding out hope that it has all been for a reason and that the writers will wow me with a big twist. Maybe I'm just being naive, and if that's the case, I'll take the L . If not, then maybe, just maybe, this can all be salvaged in the end.