#who else would hold a grudge against the flash family? who else knows how powerful the speedforce is and wants to use it?

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

...... Oh wait a fucking second....

A civilization based around science and technology. Their main goal is utilizing speedforce. Taking over planets and turning everything into machines. A never ending hunger for power and resources. An Empress, who is probably a hostage, with a convenient metal hat on.....

Holy shit. It's the Thinker.

I'll bet that fancy hat on the Empress' head is actually the Thinking Cap!!

And he probably kidnapped Iris for the same reason he got Linda last time! He needs leverage! He's smart enough to learn from his past mistakes and he knows that the speedsters can/will stop him. So he needs some assurance. I bet he went after Iris because she has a connection to everyone. That's probably where he got the twins from as well and he used them to develop his speedforce tech.

Devoe is a living computer. The last time he attacked he turned all of Keystone into a giant machine. Looks familiar, right?

He was obsessed with getting Wally because of Wally's speed. With Wally's brain the Thinker could process information at light speeds. This would make him unstoppable and he would be able to take over the world in seconds.

BUT! Wally kicked his ass!

Wally's brain moved too fast for the Thinker and Wally essentially shredded his data. They thought he was gone for good... but what if he had a backup in the cap? What if there is still a 'Fraction' of the Thinker left over?

He's learned his lesson this time. The speedforce is too powerful to hook up to him directly but it can still be used as a tool. He can make 'artificial conduits'. Conduits that can't fight back. He can take the 'organic' conduits and use them solely for power. No need to repeat the same mistakes! And using the speedforce as a tool he can slowly but surely turn the entire universe into one giant computer.

It's the Thinker!

[kateanthnys]

Dumb Dramione arguments and rebuttals because it’s about time we talked about it.

This is taken from @/hermione.s_butterbeer on Instagram and @hermiones-butterbeer over here on tumblr, who constructed the basis for this, I added my own thoughts with theirs. I haven’t learned how to put things under a cut yet so if you’re not interested in this and have to scroll past it I’m sorry :/

Hermione would forgive Draco

Hermione is not a forgiving person. She holds the toughest grudges. She will attack you with birds and stop talking to you for months for getting a girlfriend, she will keep you in a jar for writing incriminating shit about her, she will scar the hell out of you for betraying her. Let’s say she grew out of this in her adult years, it’s not a stretch right, she seems to regard malfoy with contempt in the epilogue? Barely a glance, but then again she never really gave him the time of day as a teenager either so who knows? Even then, as an adult, Draco doesn’t need her forgiveness. Hell he probably doesn’t even want it. Couldn’t care less about her. Nor does he even deserve it from her or any of the golden trio. He surely wouldn’t get it from me but I digress. He bullied her for years and was very openly and vehemently against people of her kind. And again, even if she did somehow forgive him, they would definitely not fall in love.

Hermione would change Draco

It’s definitely not her job to “change” Draco, he is a grown man, not a baby in diapers. Nor is it her job to fix a man that bullied and harassed her for years simply for having muggle blood. Anyway, didn’t Astoria already have that covered? She was a pure blood who changed her views about muggleborns. It was probably much easier for Draco to connect with her, someone who understands him on a level Hermione never would be able to, than the ones he hurt most.

If they were together they would break stereotypes

This one is the biggest laugh of them all. Not only are there multiple couples throughout the Harry Potter universe that breaks the stereotypes and normalcy of the wizarding world, these couples didn’t have to suffer each other’s company like Draco and Hermione would. Because to break them they’d have to have love, which was nil in their case. What’s the point If they don’t even like each other. Draco probably could’ve broken some stereotypes himself by not being a blood purist but once again I digress.

Ron didn’t deserve Hermione followed up by a Draco would’ve appreciated her yk the usual shit that don’t make sense

Love isn’t about who deserves who. Who is more deserving than who. How does one even come to the conclusion about who is more deserving than someone else? Money? Power? Blood status? Who cares about those things, Hermione sure doesn’t. Love is about love, and most important of all, choices. She fell in love, made a choice, acted on it and by god she never regretted it or looked back. And you won’t find any textual evidence saying otherwise (fck u Joanne). And if she did I doubt Draco would even factor into one of her choices.

Draco never made her cry, Ron did

Yes, Ron did. Multiple times. Taking away the fact that Hermione is an emotional person, is it really the end of the world if you once in a while make the person you love cry? Ron was her friend, a friend she had feelings for, she cared about him and his opinions, of course she’s gonna cry when shit hits the fan. Draco is another person on the street walking past her, she doesn’t dignify anything he does or says about her with a response. Now talk shit about Hagrid and get smacked tho. Anyway, my family has made me cry more than any random person or people at school have. Does that make them the worst possible people on the planet? Does that mean these random people love me more than my family? No, it does not.

Ron was dumb, Draco was her intellectual equal

This is one of the ones that’s probably fanmade. News flash fanon Draco isn’t canon. There’s no textual evidence to support that he was close in class with her or matches her wit. When Lucius made that comment in CoS, it didn’t mean Draco was RIGHT under Hermione. You can assume everyone was beneath her in marks, doesn’t make him second best. Oh but the vanishing cabinet, the one he had help with. But the mead and the necklace, once again not his ideas. But Legilimency. Yea he learned to blocked his mind. But Hermione didn’t? And we still know she’s the smartest in her year, certainly smarter than Draco? So really does it matter? Guess not. And on Ron’s intelligence. Books and academics aren’t the only forms of smarts either. If anything books will only take you so far, especially in the wizarding world. Back to Draco, who started failing potions as soon as Snape was gone. Favoritism? Not a stretch at all.

Hermione was worried about him and he warned her about the death eaters

Yea, but no? If you read the text with context you’d know she was worried about Hagrid’s job in 3rd year, fourth year, she was right, a teacher doing that to a student was dumb and he could’ve been harmed, and they could’ve lost another DADA teacher before the school year was even over, this is Hermione being logical, Not being caring. And when Ron made the “amazing bouncing ferret” comment, she laughed. Pretty broken up about it isn’t she?Caring is her reaction that same year to Neville and the cruciatus curse. 6th year, do I even have to explain this one? She was NOT DEFENDING HIM. She was being skeptical and reasonable, there’s a difference. She and Ron had every right to be iffy on the death eater thing, they were already proven wrong in 2nd year when they jumped to conclusions about Malfoy, they didn’t want a repeat of that. And the warning thing, my god, if you think that’s a warning, you need to work on how to identify a warning, it might help you later in life.

Jkr said she wanted to make them canon and date in third year and that Draco bullying her was hiding his crush

Source? And don’t say tumblr. Anyway atp what the author says doesn’t matter to most fans so your fighting a losing argument if you use this.

My last thoughts on this is that you will see that most of these points are about Draco. Well that’s because Dramione seems to be all about Draco. What Draco wants, what Draco needs, Draco’s forgiveness, Draco’s redemption. A relationship is a two-way street of equals, give and take, not Hermione giving and Draco taking. What exactly does Hermione get out of a relationship with Draco? Oh, an Intellectual equal, good to know she’ll have him to recite the periodic table to each other at bed time after she’s worked herself to death at work because thats what she wants and needs. Well, at least she’ll have her books to keep her warm. Every girl’s dream amiright. *sarcasm*

The End.

[astridhunter]

BASICS.

full name: astrid rhian hunter

nicknames (if any): tri (pronounced tree)

age & birthday: twenty-nine & september 29th

gender / pronouns: cis female & she/her

occupation: member of parliament & minister in ministry of defence (defence procurement)

AESTHETIC.

double strength coffee in a environmentally friendly to-go mug. over stuffed diary, crammed with meetings you’ll never have the time to make. late night twitter rants. over acquaintance with the block function. experimenting with your mother’s family recipes. rainbow pins on blazers. saturday morning yoga classes. sunday morning brunches. satin slip nightgowns. flowers from your mother’s garden. a laugh for every occasion. annotated speeches. a rebuttal for every argument. pigheaded, refusing to admit you could ever be wrong. the revolution will not be televised. 

BRIEF HISTORY.

full application |  pinterest board.

born and raised in an industrial town in caephilly (wales), astrid was born in the midst of personal and societal crises. the two were interlinked: her community was suffering the repercussions of margaret thatcher’s policies, leaving many - including her own family - unemployed and living hand to mouth.

an active trade unionist and former miner who led the strikes in the 1980s, astrid’s fathers installed a core set of values and beliefs in her which have remained to this day. the fight to realise justice and economic equality was the struggle of her father’s life. soon, it would become hers.

very much an outsider to elite and upper class culture, astrid’s first taste of privilege was at university, when she expanded her universe by befriending non-traditional individuals. it was from them that she learnt how to integrate herself into the elite, realising that the quickest way to gut them could be to speak and act like them.

unafraid to challenge power where ever she perceives it. as an adult, she cut her teeth first negotiating for better wages and working conditions for public servants before challenging a thirty year old incumbent in her local community. against all the odds, she ousted him and has gone on to serve as an MP for three years.

got involved with bellum nova by way of a corrupt MP who was being blackmailed by war over his tax evasion. approached juno and threatened to expose the company’s political influence if bellum nova didn’t give into her demands (moving their factory to her local constituency and creating jobs). bellum nova agreed to provide the economic stimulus her community desperately needed in return for astrid becoming their pawn/angel and sacrificing her ideals for the exercise of power. she agreed.

she’s been working for war for about eighteen months and is in complete denial about war’s more illicit activities, point blank refusing to have anything to do with it, believing it would be a step too far. 

recently was promoted to minister of defence, cementing her position in government. astrid actually wanted to go work for the department of education, but gabrielle found out and threatened her into taking the defence position. we love a cooperative mother in law!!

her involvement with bellum nova is only known to war. everyone else knows her as juno’s girlfriend #powercouple.

personality wise: she’s quick as a flash in an argument, can hold grudges like no one else’s business, but is fiercely protective if someone earns her trust. she believes passionately in equal justice, economic parity and protecting the climate - a brash progressive. she’s also a massive hypocrite but likes to conveniently ignore that part of herself?

[michtimadhura]

MAJNU (Lover)

This is not my story. I’ve taken this plot from Ajeeb Dastaans on Netflix and tried to modify it

Heart pounding out of rhythm and hormones taking over her body, Lipakshi sat in her royal bedroom in her extravagant red wedding lehenga. Her nervous emotions were all over the place, exerted due to the wedding yet handling herself with grace, she waited for her husband. The door opened and Deepraj walked in, but his steps stopped all of a sudden. He stood at the entrance in his cream sherwani and sandpaper rough face, hesitant about her reaction yet quite firm about his decision. “ I’ve married you only because my father told me to…I am in love with someone else so I can’t love you and neither can I give you any children. Let us consider this marriage a sacrifice between 2 political parties for money and power.”, he stated this as loudly and bluntly as he could. But Lipakshi wasn’t just going to let go, gathering her most savage poker face, she said, “You men will always remain hypocrites…if you are going to cheat me in the very start of our marriage, well… then get ready to be cheated on”.

Deepraj walked out of the room leaving Lipakshi in a puddle of tears. She spent hours crying her eyes out until she couldn’t take it anymore. She had realized that this marriage was nothing but a deal between her MP father and a mafia boss. Her feelings were played by her father’s politics but she wasn’t among the ones who live a hopeless life lost in sadness when there’s no hope visible. Her decision was finally made, she was going to avenge everything that had happened to her. She did not care about life or death anymore and started seducing Deepraj’s mafia men. She started having affairs with them. Men who were genuinely loyal to Deepraj ignored Lipakshi’s behaviour and those who weren’t, started dating her or asking her for sex. But none of them lasted for more than 3 days because DING DONG, you can mess with demons but you cannot mess with Satan himself. Deepraj always caught them and like a true mafia boss he didn’t even flinch before taking their lives. As time passed, experimenting while killing his own men became his new hobby.

Months passed and so did years, Lipakshi’s grudge against her husband was not a news anymore. Everything was going on as usual until one fine day when “he” came. That one fine day was situated in the summers of May. Lipakshi was sitting on the huge swing in her front yard peeling a Mango while Deepraj sat miles away from her. Resting on his armchair with his feet slightly grazing the grass, he spoke to his driver, “Babloo, isn’t your son coming back today?” Babloo’s chest swelled with pride, “Haa sahabji, he is already here. He flew back from London yesterday. But he’ll soon be leaving for USA to start his new job…he’s gotten a job for 1.5 million dollars over there…” Deepraj cut Babloo off, “Uh…what was his name again?”

“His name’s Rajkumar, but Raj feels more modern na…so he’s switched to Raj nowadays”

“Acha?..a few years in a foreign country has changed him so adversely”

“It’s not the way you’re thinking……”

“Invite him over someday. Even I want to see how big he’s grown now.”, Deepraj cut Babloo off.

Out of nowhere, Lipakshi entered this small meeting, fed her husband a slice of mango and left without even bothering to start a conversation. She really was one hell of a savage.

“Ha Babloo, even I want to see your son”, said Ranjhesh, Deepraj’s right hand who was sitting right next to him to break the awkward silence after Lipakshi left.

“Jaroor sahabji…I’ll invite him over”

Half an hour later an army green coloured jeep entered the front yard. It stopped right near Lipakshi’s swing. A 6 feet figure got out from the jeep, “Raj beta!”, Babloo shouted from the other side of the front yard lawn. Raj adjusted his denim jacket over his shoulder and started walking towards his father only to glance at Lipakshi who caught his eye and winked at him. Raj got flustered for a moment but then regained his posture and resumed walking towards his father. “Namaste bhaiyya”, he said to Deepraj while touching his feet. “Welcome to our village Raj”, Deepraj said with a semi-smile while holding Raj by his arms. “Rajkumar is okay sahabji”, Babloo muttered. “Arey Nahi Babloo …he is a city man now, Rajkumar won’t suit him”.

Raj reached his pocket to take out a little transparent box. “Bhaiyya, I bought this Rolex for you”, he said as he handed that glistening box over to Deepraj, “Thank you bhaiyya, thanks a lot for everything that you’ve done for me and my family, especially when baba was in the hospital”

Ranjhesh found this suspicious “You know that Deepraj was the one who broke your father’s leg, right?”

“Yes, he did. But dad deserved it and Bhaiyya’s done so much more to help us that it outweighs everything. Also, I like to return people’s favours with even more fervour”, Raj said without any sign of hesitation.

“You’ll be waiting for dinner today, right Raj?”, Deepraj asked as if commanding him to stay for dinner.

“Sure, I’ll never refuse this honour”, Raj said.

“Hey Raj! This is Lipakshi, Deepraj’s wife”, Lipakshi said as she gave Raj a weirdly touchy hug. She wasn’t going to miss out on this guy, was she?

The atmosphere shifted 180 degrees to being extremely awkward and suffocating as Lipakshi kept staring at Raj who preferred to face the ground instead of facing Lipakshi.

“Namaste bhabhi”, he said looking down.

“Raj, why won’t you look at me?”, Lipakshi asked using her best baby voice.

“The right to look at you only belongs to Deepraj bhaiyya, bhabhi”, Raj replied trying to avoid eye contact.

Anger and the lust for revenge shot up in Lipakshi’s brown orbs as she locked eyes with her husband. “The only regret is that your bhaiyya doesn’t know the value of this right”, Lipakshi said as she reached Deepraj and gave him a little peck on the cheek which was meant to be more of a taunted slap.

Dinner was served hot and tasty that day. Deepraj, of course, sat at the centre of the dining table. Everything was going smoothly, dinner was midway over when Deepraj started talking, “So … Raj, I have an offer to make to you”, Deepraj sounded rather nervous, “ha bhaiyya, bolo na”, Raj said. “Well, I have a job offer for you, would you like to work right here for me, would you like to handle my business for me?”

“But bhaiyya… I already have gotten a job in the US… and I am leaving soon”

“Then tell them you won’t be joining. That job might be great, but I think you should think about staying here too. My business is quite huge right now and with you here to help me…who knows what we would accomplish.”

“But bhaiyya…”

“We all are a big family, right and what in this world is better than working with and helping your family. The company owns worth more than 500 million dollars of shares in the US market. Acha, I promise you a 4-million-dollar salary here. Now….don’t tell me that didn’t convince you”, Deepraj cut Raj off in a rather dominating manner.

Dollars flashed in Raj’s eyes. He took about 10 minutes to speak up and finally agreed with an “Okay bhaiyya”

Rest of the dinner progressed quietly.

Raj’s father was absolutely disappointed with his decision. “I worked hard to send you to the US just so you could come back here and join this slavery! Are you also going to serve those bastards for the rest of your life? Are you going to serve the same people who broke your baba’s leg? Do you even have any idea about what you’ve done?!”, he shouted at Raj as soon as he heard about Raj’s decision. “Baba, do you even know how much money 4 million is! It’s more than 100% of what the US people are offering me.”, Raj said his last words rather hastily as he left for the terrace. Raj’s bungalow had a clear view of Deepraj’s mansion.

He shared a cigarette with his local friend Badraa as they chatted about the village’s happenings.

“Rolex watch for that bastard and nothing for your yaar, ye kya Insaaf Hai bhai!”, Badraa pouted. “Choop baith, I don’t want to hear another lecture from you. The Rolex is fake, that man doesn’t even deserve a hit from my shoe. Also, what’s up with Deepraj’s wife?”, Raj asked. Even a dog is a king inside his own house, no matter how well he was fed at Deepraj’s mansion, he loathed him with every single nerve inside his body. “It’s been about 2 years and she’s not even pregnant. Now that tells you a lot about their marriage. Nahi toh, you know how fast Deep bhaiyya is”, more and more chuckles followed as they stared at the so-called “Deepraj mansion” under the starlit sky gossiping about the what-nots of the village.

Raj’s knowledge about stock exchange was remarkable and so was his willingness to work hard. He used to stay up late at Deepraj mansion to get his work done. Deepraj’s not-so-disciplined company had joined hands with the disciplined efforts of Raj, hence it did receive multiple rewards. In no time, the company started booming with money as Raj brought about 250 million worth of profit. Raj had now become Deepraj’s most trusted underdog, he was trusted even more than Deepraj’s own right hand Ranjhesh. As of Lipakshi, well, she had fallen head over heels for Raj and Lipakshi being Lipakshi never stopped her efforts. She used to flirt with Raj all the time and Raj being the most loyal underdog always ignored Lipakshi which was the most important factor fuelling the trust between Raj and Deepraj. He used to stare at Lipakshi when Deepraj wasn’t around but never did he ever manage to speak a word with her. He knew how big of a deal it was to flirt back with that lady until the day arrived when he mustered up the courage to do so.

One day, Deepraj was leaving for Lucknow for some work, “Raj, we need to attend some important business in Lucknow tomorrow. The Range Rover is already cleaned and washed, get ready at 7:00 am tomorrow morning. We need to leave as soon as we can” “Deep bhaiyya”, Raj put on his puppy face as he walked towards him, “Bhaiyya…actually I’ve got some important work to do here…so I won’t be able to accompany you. Instead Badraa will join you for the trip. Will that be fine?” “Acha thik Hai… you sure you’re not coming?”, Deepraj sounded a bit desperate for Raj’s company. “Sorry bhaiyya, I really have got a lot to do right now”, Raj rejected him with the softest words that he could gather. The night ended with deep talks over beer for the 2 of them… Deepraj went to sleep quite early. The next day arrived and Deepraj left early in the morning.

It was supposed to be a bright sunny day but the weather was quite windy and moist that day. Windows of Deepraj mansion were banging against each other as strong wind blew by. But it seemed like a fine day for Raj to make his first move on his so-called “Bhabhi”. He entered the mansion at lunchtime. Lipakshi was working out in her bedroom in her sports bra and yoga pants and the weather got steamier when Raj entered the room in his white shirt and black fitted pants. Lipakshi noticed his steps from far away and switched to squats. Raj finally entered the room and all that he could do was to stare at Lipakshi’s sultry figure. Lipakshi ignored him, continuing her squats. There was pin drop silence in the room but it wasn’t awkward, heat was building up in both of their bodies. Raj didn’t even dare to open his mouth, he tried muttering “Lipakshi” but when he couldn’t, he finally gave in. The spontaneity of the moment was too much to hold on to, Lipakshi just couldn’t hold herself back from the six feet, handsome meal standing right in front of her. She finally stopped her workout and turned towards Raj. “ahh, you men …aren’t you the greatest hypocrites of the world?”, she said as she held Raj by his collar. The first move was finally made and Raj was all ready to do his part. Clothes were torn, undergarments were destroyed, kisses were smothered, love bites were engraved on both of their bodies. Lipakshi was her happiest self now, she had finally found somebody with whom she could share a part of herself. But she was so, so afraid of getting caught this time, that she took every precaution possible to hide her beloved from the rotten eyes of her husband.

Lipakshi and Raj’s relationship had started growing beyond their sex. Their relation had grown into something beautiful and memorable. Deepraj spent most of his time outside the mansion which gave these lovebirds even more private time. But the best days were spent every time Deepraj left for Lucknow for 2–3-day trips. Raj used to find various excuses to avoid these trips but Deepraj never suspected him about doing something malicious behind his back. Trust really does take up the best out of a person.

It was one of those nights when Deepraj was off to Lucknow and the whole mansion belonged to Raj and Lipakshi, their bodies were tired after a long session of love making. Lipakshi was resting in Raj’s arms and she decided to start a very deep conversation with him. “Raj, you know that I love you, right?”, she said but Raj straight away ignored her question “I am tired of living in this mansion, being the wife of a stranger and longing for you all the time. I am soon going to book 2 tickets for us so that we could elope to somewhere peaceful. Where do you want to go?”, another question was ignored but Lipakshi continued,” I’d love to explore Shimla with you. But it’s okay for me if you want to go somewhere else. We can finally find our happily ever after there…Oh my god, I’m so excited, good days are finally on the way! But Raj”, Lipakshi’s tone suddenly grew serious, “Are you willing to leave everything for me….do you really love me?” Raj was quite hesitant but he composed himself enough to say, “sure darling, whatever you say, I’ll be there right beside you.”

A year later…

A year had passed since Raj had joined Deepraj’s company and summer was back to its best. Deepraj was returning from one of his Lucknow trips. It was 12:00 am already and he pulled up his rover in the parking lot. Exhausted due to the journey, he started unlocking the door, and stumbled upon something. He saw a khaki envelope sitting right underneath his feet. He opened up the envelope only to find some photographs he was too tired to look at.

The next day at the mansion was a lazy one. Deepraj relaxed on his armchair as he bathed in the vitamin D filled sun. He opened the envelope of photographs and he couldn’t believe what he saw next. The photographs were of Lipakshi and her new lover. Getting such photographs anonymously was nothing new for him, but this time the photographs enraged the hell out of him. Lipakshi snogging other men was morning tea but the person she was snogging immediately raged him up.

How did this little fuck even dare to look at my wife? he thought to himself.

He immediately called Raj and told him to come over to the mansion at 8:00 pm, “Bhaiyya…actually my parents are leaving today so I need to send them off. Is it okay if I join you at breakfast tomorrow?”, Raj said

“Nahi Raj. You can come after sending your parents off. Any time after 8 is fine with me. Tonight, I need to discuss something very important with you. You’ll come, won’t you?”

“Jaroor bhaiyya, I’ll be there as soon as I can”, Raj ended the phone call only to get another one from Lipakshi.

“My beloved husband is too tired to even move a muscle, he’ll soon fall asleep that’s when I’ll be packing my bags for tomorrow’s train at 6:00 pm. The tickets are already booked. It’s time for our ‘together forever’ now”

“Ah ha…my monster seems too excited today”, Raj teased Lipakshi.

“Raj, I am Hella serious about this, I’ll be waiting for you at 5:30 on the platform. You’ll come na… won’t you?”

“Sure baby, let’s meet at the platform tomorrow, done it is, I love you “

The phone call ended and the remaining day went by quickly.

It was 11 pm when Raj arrived at the mansion. Deepraj was sitting on Lipakshi’s swing with a beer in his left hand while his right hand balanced himself on the swing. His plain white kurta was stained due to his tears and they were rolling down his eyes continuously. Overall, he seemed to be in a pretty horrible state. “Bhaiyya!”, Raj exclaimed as he saw his bhaiyya’s condition “Kya Hua bhaiyya, why are you crying?” “Don’t call me bhaiyya …please”, he said while grabbing Raj’s hand. He leaned in to give Raj a tight hug which made Raj extremely awkward, Deepraj then got even closer trying to kiss Raj on his lips and that’s when Raj reached his limits. “Bhaiyya what is happening…please tell me”

“Tum hi ho yaar Raj” Deepraj said as his tears turned into waterfalls, “You are the only one who loves me for who I am. You might wonder why me and Lipakshi are not able to have kids right?”, Deepraj said out of nowhere.

“Nahi bhaiyya aisa kuch Nahi Hai…”, Raj tried to explain but he was cut off by Deepraj as always.

“Ruko Raj. Let me talk now. Let me tell you about all the hurt I’ve been carrying over my shoulders all this while. I was a very different child since childhood, an introvert and a completely opposite person than what I am now. There was this boy called Saumya whom I loved. We were a couple since high school. He was my best friend and my life partner. He was the only close person I had opened up to until my father saw us together, making out in the back of a car and that was the end of our story. My father then locked me up and forced me to marry Lipakshi for some bullshit political alliance and as of Saumya, till date I have no idea about what happened to his family or him. Life ended the moment my dad separated us from each other. You tell me Raj; how can I satisfy a stranger woman for whom I don’t even feel anything. Hence, I decided not to have any children of my own. Baba died without having any grandchildren but his punishment still lives on. Lipakshi never stopped being a pain in the ass. But in the midst of all that was going on… I found you Raj, I finally found my happiness. I found my peace. Work has been so much fun since the day you joined my company. I loved spending time with you, may it be discussing business strategies while working or just having deep talks over beer late at night. It took me so long to realize how madly I was in love with you”, Deepraj said as he gently placed hand on Raj’s, “I love you Raj, I love you to the moon and back and I want us to be together, I want to make this work”, Deepraj lifted their intertwined hands together. Tears were welling up in Raj’s eyes as if he was desperately waiting for this moment to arrive. Raj pulled Deepraj into a tight embrace.

“Ek aur baat”, Deepraj said without breaking the embrace, “your friend Badraa seems quite interested in Lipakshi. I never even imagined that dumbfuck to be so brave.”, Deepraj said pointing towards the photographs on the table. “He really did dare to make a move on my wife. And according to what Ranjhesh heard, they are both going to leave the town using the 6'oclock train tomorrow. But I am going to end this torture, once and for all. I am going to teach Badraa the biggest lesson of his life tomorrow. But I need your help. Will you help me Raj?”, They finally made eye contact. “Have I ever said no to you Deep? Batao, how can I help you?”, Raj said.

“I need you to kill Lipakshi”, a moment of silence followed as Deepraj completed his sentence.

“Ha….Even I want to eliminate that nasty woman out of our life”

Our life? He really does love me, Deepraj thought.

“I’ll be there at the station and I will be the only one to witness her struggle for the last breaths of her life. I’ll kill her right when she reaches the station to catch her train”, Raj said without showing even an inch of hesitation. Raj and Deepraj had spent loads of nights together in the front yard but this one hit different. Every embrace felt short as time passed. Tomorrow was going to be a big day in both of their lives, so their little get together didn’t last too long.

Lipakshi’s doomsday had arrived. She packed her suitcase and escaped her house using the backside gate. The moment she stepped foot out of that house, she felt like the freest bird in the world, just the way it was before she got married. Lipakshi started her journey towards the station as Deepraj was beating the shit out of her presumed new lover Badraa who begged for mercy even though he had done nothing wrong. For the first time in his life Deepraj felt happy, not because he was punishing someone, but for the fact that he was going to be happy for the rest of his life now. He was going to live a life he had always dreamt about. He received a WhatsApp message from Raj right and he stopped everything that was going on and opened the message only to find a video clip. Like every lover in this world, he was quite curious what that might be about so he opened the message.

“Hey Deepraj, I am recording this as I leave for another country. Surprised, aren’t you? Maa and baba are right beside me. You want to see them? Hey maa baba, say hi to the camera for me please”, Raj’s parents waved to the camera with a wide smile having no idea about what their son was doing. The camera again switched to Raj. “Well let me tell you a little something, I was the one who sent you those photographs. And my god, I was so damn sure you would believe them and believe, you did. Bhaiyya”, Raj chuckled as he used his baby voice, “how could you not know there’s something called photoshop in this world. That guy in the white shirt wasn’t Badraa, it was me. So, leave my friend alone please. Also, ain’t I a pretty good actor? For what I did yesterday, I seriously do deserve an Oscar. Ohh… before I forget, let me remind you that I’ve taken all my profit money. Those 250 million dollars belong to me, not you dickhead so don’t panic when you find your account empty. And don’t you dare try to find me… even though you won’t be able to do that even in 1000 lives. This is the reward you get for breaking my father’s leg for no fucking reason, for hurting my family, for pulling generations and generations of my family into being a slave for you, for disrespecting my father, for trying to ruin my life with your “better job offers”, for not even letting your own wife be happy. You deserve everything that has happened to you. You deserve your sadness bhaiyya, YOU DESERVE IT”

Deepraj went blank after what he saw and Badraa took that moment to escape before anything much horrible could happen to him. Deepraj fell to the ground out of shock. He just wanted to fade out of existence. He wanted to go back to his real happy times. He wanted to go back to Saumya. His feelings were too genuine. He had been played once again. It was as if there was no end to his pain so he decided to kill his emotions.

If not Raj, then let it be me who kills Lipakshi. I just can’t stand the sight of her anymore.

Deepraj loaded his gun as he left for the station. It was 6:30 pm already and the train had left the station. There was pin drop silence everywhere as this was the last train for the day. Deepraj saw a silhouette from far away and assuming it was Lipakshi, he started walking towards her. He knew for a fact that Lipakshi won’t leave by herself. She was sitting on a bench and she stood up when she saw Deepraj. “You must be feeling so happy, right?”, she said as tears gathered in her eyes. Deepraj took no time in pointing the gun at her. “oh… so you’re here to kill me”, she regained her posture, “Maarna Hai to maar daalo mujhe… even I don’t wish to live with a husband like you. Even I am tired of living this loveless life” Deepraj pressed his gun hard into her skull but he just couldn’t find the courage to pull the trigger. She might not have helped him through his heartbreak but she had always been the one to stand right beside in these 2 years. Deepraj collapsed into the ground and so did Lipakshi. Death was all she wanted, but how can a person who is already dead from the inside kill her. Tears flowed and the only thing Lipakshi managed to day was, “I am pregnant” and at that moment Deepraj Raj’s words resonated in his mind “ I like to return people’s favours with even more fervour.” Raj’s favour was too much for Deepraj to handle but what else could he do than face it all, after all, he did deserve his sadness right?

[misssophiachase]

I’m back, hope you liked the first part! You can read from the beginning on AO3 and FF. 

Synopsis: She skipped bail and he’s tasked to track her down. As a seasoned bounty hunter, it’s a fairly routine job on paper for Klaus Mikaelson but then he meets Caroline Forbes and has no idea what to do with her.

Thrill of the Chase - Part Two: Man Down

Cumberland County, TN, (Interstate 40) - Caroline

Karma was a bitch, currently disguised as a blown-out tire.

Caroline kicked it a few times in frustration but then stopped realising her heels weren't fully equipped to soften the blow.

"Mother chucker," she hissed, rubbing her sore foot.

Caroline decided then and there she was woeful at this whole ‘on the run’ lifestyle. Not only with her poor choice of footwear but the fact she had no spare tire, and even if she did, no jack to change it.

Only she would decide to skip her bail hearing and not complete the requisite checks required on the vehicle aiding and abetting her getaway from New York City. 

She could hear her idiot, car-obsessed ex-boyfriend berating her for not taking proper care of her convertible. Caroline figured she must have done it despite him. Unfortunately, her stubborn ability to hold a grudge had led her to this moment and he was clearly still tormenting her from afar. Ass.

It really wasn’t her day. Actually, who was she kidding? It wasn’t her year.

2.5 hours earlier

“How’s my little fugitive?” She’d asked after the call connected, while Caroline was still singing along with Rhianna about shooting a man down in Central Station.

“I’m fine,” she lied, turning down the music.

“Liar,” she countered. “I heard Rhianna, things must be desperate.”

“I’m getting into character,” she offered.

“This isn’t high school drama club, Care,” she sighed.

“What ever happened to you being the bad influence?” She growled. Katherine Pierce had been well renowned at their prep school on the Upper East Side for her questionable reputation. “I recall having to cover for you more than a few times.”

“For smoking in the girls’ toilets.”

“And the rest. I also seem to recall other less PG things happening in that bathroom too, Kitty Kat,” she laughed, despite everything else.

“Good times,” she chuckled. “So, where are you now?”

“Bristol.” For some reason, every time she crossed a state border, Caroline felt relieved. Like the more miles she put between herself and Manhattan the better.

“Welcome to Tennessee,” she squealed excitedly. “You’ll be here in Nashville with me before you know it.”

“Thankfully,” she murmured, pleased to see a familiar face. “But I can’t stay too long.”

“I know,” she drawled. “You’re a woman on a mission.”

“I promised,” she insisted.

“And, as your best friend, I know more about your ability to keep a promise than most. Please tell me we can get obscenely drunk before you go at least?”

“Are you kidding? We have so much time to make up for,” Caroline smiled. “And now that I’m a felon on the run who knows what I might do under the influence?” Katherine’s laughed intermingled with her own until she stopped suddenly and Caroline could already tell what she was going to say next.

“Do you think maybe you should have stayed and…”

“You are really killing my fugitive vibe, Pierce,” she interrupted. “I couldn’t stay there, you know that. I needed to get away, it was stifling and had been for a while.”

“Your father certainly has that suffocation gift down.”

“Lucky me,” she muttered. Katherine was responding but she was breaking up and difficult to decipher. “Kat, I can’t understand you.” She could hear her voice cutting in and out until the line went dead. 

As stupid as it sounded, Caroline really didn’t want to talk about him so it was probably good timing the cell reception dropped out when it did.

Although interstate 40 was a busy route, Caroline hadn’t seen many cars that time of the day. She’d noticed mile marker 337 not long before her tire blew out, interrupting her fugitive themed playlist in the process.

Now, here she was stranded and trying to get someone to pull over. Easy, right?

Although, wasn’t that how people were kidnapped and killed? That’s what her parents had drummed into her since she was young and although she was supposed to be rebelling against society it still didn’t feel right or safe.

Caroline winced thinking about her parents again. She’d already ignored their steady stream of calls since leaving New York and was too afraid to listen to her voicemail. She was fairly certain if Liz and Bill were disappointed in her after committing her crime they were royally pissed about her running away.

So, the fact her cell reception was non-existent was timely because her parents’ calls weren’t getting through but it also meant no calling for help hence her current predicament.

She decided to push aside every sensible thought and think about what would Thelma and Louise do? Well, besides that driving into the Grand Canyon part.

Caroline was madly trying to remember if general hitchhiker etiquette was to hold out a thumb or not. Pity she was wearing jeans otherwise she might have flashed a little leg like she’d seen in movies.

While inwardly arguing with herself, Caroline heard a loud crunch synonymous with tires on gravel.

The silver Lincoln was impressive looking but what she couldn’t get past was the person behind the wheel. 

Even wearing aviators, she could make out an enticing pair of crimson lips curved into a curious smile and untamed, dark blonde hair that curled over his ears teasingly. His black henley was open at the top, a few necklaces peeking out that were just begging to be pulled upon.

Looks like her Brad Pitt had arrived just in time. 

Caroline just hoped he wasn’t going to ask too many questions.

Klaus

Usually, when Klaus had to apprehend a skip it took a lot more than two hours but yet here she was standing on the roadside.

He had to open and close his eyes a few times to check they weren’t playing tricks on him. But here she was basically standing there waiting to be caught. His intel from Lucien was supposedly a reliable destination in Nashville but it looks like he wouldn’t need that anymore.

Klaus recognised her straight away given the picture his friend had sent through had been running through his mind ever since. One thing was for sure that her photo, albeit flawless, still didn’t do her justice.

Those fitted, dark jeans were showcasing a lithe pair of legs, her red and white striped tee highlighting her creamy skin and those golden waves were fanned out perfectly over her shoulders. And that was before he’d even studied her face of expressive, blue eyes with some kissable, pink lips.

Given Sex on Fire was blasting through his speakers, it seemed almost apt given the way his nether regions weren’t cooperating.

But Klaus was a professional and knew he had a job to do.

He still couldn’t believe he was doing this in the first place but Lucien had begged and pleaded. Lucien never did that. Ever.

2.5 hours earlier

“Even if I could help, you know Rebekah would murder me if I don’t...”

“Kol tells me the family reunion is in a week, you’ve got the time, mate.” Klaus balled up his fists remembering to kill his brother when he saw him. “

Who is it?”

“Excuse me?”

“This walk in the park? In and out, no trouble? Last time I checked that’s a little beneath my skill set, Castle.”

“Agreed but this case is special. I, uh, sort of know her father.” Klaus nearly swerved off the road given how unexpected that confession was.

“I’m hanging up now.”

“Klaus, please?” He pleaded. “Let’s just say he’s well-known in the city not to mention extremely powerful and can’t risk this getting out publicly.”

“So, let me get this straight,” he growled, his frustration growing. “You want me to chase down some rich, daddy’s little girl who decided to ruffle his feathers by getting arrested?”

“Well…”

“Wow,” he groaned. “Rebekah’s demand is suddenly not so bad.”

“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, Klaus,” he insisted. “And if you do this I’ll be in your debt. Any skip you want I'll get.” Klaus had to admit it was an enticing offer, especially given all of the revenge he could exact.

“Keep talking.”

“So, you’ll do it?”

“I want to know everything first,” he replied gruffly. “Who her father is and what the hell she did.”

When Lucien told her what Caroline Forbes had done he was surprised but another part of him was intrigued. Seeing her picture had done nothing to dampen his curiosity either.

Her father was a whole other story and Klaus was beginning to realise that she wasn’t just any other skip. She was a liability, an expose waiting to happen. No wonder he was hoping to keep it under wraps as long as possible.

Now, peering at her through his windshield, Klaus had to decide how he was going to handle this. Handle her.

Should he use the handcuffs or not? Should he identify himself from the outset or not? Was she a flight risk and more savvy than expected? Or was she just crying out for attention from daddy and would be compliant and come easily?

Klaus never had to question himself. He always worked on pure instinct and it had served him well in the past. Let's hope it did this time.

As he opened the car door and eased himself out from behind the wheel, Klaus knew was this certainly wasn’t going to be dull.

Soundtrack: Man Down (Rihanna) Sex on Fire (Kings of Leon)

[the-lightning-strikes-again]

I really don’t get why people keep saying Allura was SO awful or horrible to Keith after learning about his heritage. She just gave him the cold shoulder for an episode or two, and it’s not like they brought this up later in the show as a way for her to hold some other grudge against him. People are just blowing it up as something bigger than it actually was. And like many people have said, her liking or “suddenly” being nice to Lotor wasn’t bc oH he’s Altean (1/2)

Continued anon message: “There were several moments between their first close encounter and him revealing his heritage which prove that trust was developing before then, but I guess people just overlook those (2/2)”

Hi, anon! Thanks for the note! Yeah, haha, this topic of “is Allura racist?” is an interesting one because for me, it boils down to looking at the show’s design decisions and details. And those design decisions came from real human beings who aren’t any more objective than the rest of us. So as a content creator myself (who feels incredibly human and and whose stories and portrayals are also imperfect by virtue of their imperfect creator), I have to recognize that it’s impossible to create a totally woke, unproblematic creative product—and it’s also impossible to ensure that everyone around the world interprets everything in exactly the same way, no matter how well-intentioned the project.

That said, I do think a lot of fans are victims of how this show may have manipulated/gaslit them to feel, not just about Allura but also about other characters and events as well—and that there are benefits to analyzing what went wrong with VLD.

My hope is that, as content creators and fans, maybe we can learn from VLD’s narrative mistakes or even better understand how two fans can have totally opposing interpretations over the same creative work. In the case of VLD, as I’ve mentioned before, the show uses a screwy and imbalanced narrative lens when portraying victims. To add to that, the show design also consistently undermines details foundational to the show universe (such as using an unreliable narrator to express what the show actually accepts as objective fact or history). This is important, because the way in which something is told/shown ultimately manipulates audience emotion for or against something. This gets into how propaganda and subliminal messaging work at a technical level. And when the narrative lens is handled in a biased way that undermines other story elements, audience reaction/interpretation gets messy, no matter what the stated events/facts are in the story. We are attuned to pick up on cognitive dissonances (inconsistent patterns) as part of our human survival instinct.

I’m not convinced that VLD dev team wielded the Power of the Narrative Lens very well—if it had, season 2′s portrayal of the conflict with Keith and Allura would have looked different.

In an s2 with a more balanced narrative lens, we likely would have seen at least flashes of Allura’s memory, showing some s3 backstory of Allura’s fear upon realizing that previously faithful Galran allies were killing multiple civilizations upon an order from their own kind...and coming for Altea next. Or maybe there would have been something/someone else involving Allura’s traumatic experiences so that the audience could have an empathetic, emotionally connective moment with her. We would have, in equal parts, still seen Keith’s plight as the suffering saint trying to figure out what being half-Galra means. And we would have seen the other paladins trying to resolve the conflict and understand how to recalibrate together as a team and a family.

Instead, in provided canon, we see Hunk (of all people, why Hunk?) make racist microaggressions at Keith, further alienating Keith without any recourse. And for Allura, the visual lens shows her making a cold glare at Keith without further explanation. It’s a very alienating moment. In season 2, you feel that coldness from Allura because the show’s visual lens aligns you to Keith’s gaze for several agonizing seconds, and the narrative bias of the animation is to show Keith as the singular victim in this situation. It is a very targeted, lonely, and disquieting moment for Keith. The other paladins and their reactions to Allura and Keith even feed into this. It’s not until s3 that we get an emotional glimpse into the omnicide of an entire solar system—and even then, that history focuses more on the motives of the instigators rather than showing the brutality experienced by victims. By that point, we’ve blown way past the s2 issue, which creates another layer of cognitive dissonance: that the situation doesn’t feel totally...resolved, somehow, even though plot-wise it actually is.

So I think there are indicators that the dev team’s own biases and agendas informed, at times for the worse, the very lens through which we consume the VLD story. I don’t think the dev team was aware what tackling genocide while visually portraying Allura’s trauma as antagonistic and alienating would result in? And I think this oversight gets into why some fans feel a certain way about literally anything in this show, haha. So I feel like we’re all victims of a show with amazing potential and incredibly fascinating elements but just…poor execution. 

One other thing I have to give faith on when I have a disagreement with another show fan—it’s a 78-episode show. How often are people holistically watching and critically reviewing this show in order to catch every little detail? I’m pretty sure I can’t remember all the details either, even though I re-watched the show not that long ago. So there’s a whole other layer here, where fans have a separation from the source content itself. So take those emotional negative “impressions” people developed while watching s2 or any other moment where Allura has been less than the ideal woman (oof, fandom is so forgiving with men but so unforgiving with women), and then suddenly muddy those memories with 2 years of not re-watching the show holistically. Typically, the brain is better at storing negative reactions than positive ones. So if someone had a negative reaction to Allura’s actions with Keith in s2 or elsewhere, without an empathetic moment to balance it out, then that negativity is going to stick, and every detail to the contrary is going to fade out.

I know for me, I’ve really had to fight the memory problem because after over a year, for example, I was building up impressions about VLD history that actually were missing some important details from s3. And that was kind of a shock to me. So I do think selective memory plays a part in adding to a biased dissonance one might feel from the actual story.

Ultimately, this whole unnecessary fandom split on “is Allura racist?” is one reason why I feel that VLD—for all of its good things that I genuinely love so much—had a lot of troubling issues. Despite all the canonical good that Allura ends up doing and how she overcomes trauma to champion genuine peace for all, there’s subliminal messaging against her because of how the visual and narrative spins  or hides things. And that issue has nothing to do with the characters but everything to do with the development team and how the show was written/directed. And that, I think, informs ongoing fandom perceptions of Allura and creates just some really painful and unnecessary messes, to the point of creating an overall inaccurate take like “Allura is racist” when in fact, she’s just traumatized from very real and significant abuses and overcomes that, even.

It really makes me, as a writer, try to look at my own stories and attempt to understand “why” I portray certain things as I do while writing—and if that lens portrayal is really the best one for the effect/message I want. Because the way in which a story is conveyed can really play mind games with the audience, and that might not be the right effect for a story that isn’t another Inception or Crying of Lot 49, lol.

[coffeestainsandcashmere]

‘All that’s best of dark and bright’ - a Draco x Hermione x Theo story

Summary:

Hermione returns to Hogwarts for her 'eighth' year without Harry and Ron, with the horrors of the war still fresh in her mind, but determined to start anew. Malfoy seems subdued, altered by the events of the past year or so, though he's not without his acerbic tongue. Assigned Theodore Nott as her patrol partner for their prefect duties, she finally has the time to get to know the two Slytherins, and discovers that there's a whole lot more to them than the prejudice of their past and the snake on their house badge.

Slow-burn Draco x Theo x Hermione, endgame happy trio with lots of fluff and smut. Title taken from 'She walks in beauty' by Byron. Also posted to my Ao3.

___

Chapter One - A fresh start

She didn't mean to flinch.  

“Granger,” Malfoy said curtly as he sat down beside her in their first Advanced Arithmancy Studies of the new term. His usual sneer and bravado were somewhat lacklustre though, like the colours of a tapestry bleached and robbed of their vibrancy by the power of the sun.  

Still, she really didn’t mean to flinch. After all, she’d seen him once or twice since that last battle - the now infamous ‘Battle of Hogwarts’ - so it shouldn’t have been so jarring to see him back in his ordinary school robes, with an ordinary Slytherin tie on and an ordinary white school shirt; a quill in his hand instead of a wand brandished…  

But it really was jarring.  

He was a young man in a schoolboy’s uniform and it was frankly ridiculous. It felt somehow like they were trying to pretend as if nothing had happened; like there weren’t huge gaping holes in friendship groups and families, even if the masonry of Hogwarts castle had been restored almost without blemish. The word gouged into her left arm burned dully beneath her blouse. It was ridiculous to pretend; none of them would ever forget what they’d endured in the past two years.  

Malfoy looked older than he should have done at eighteen, and there was something serious, even dolorous, about the set of his brows and his hard, grey eyes. She’d grown so used to seeing him stalking around the halls and corridors of Hogwarts like a spectre; dressed from head to toe in severe black, accentuating the white-blond of his hair and rendering the silver of his eyes colder, the shadows beneath them deeper. His once gold-tinged blond hair had faded to completely, starry white now, and it even had a slight wave to it, which actually went some way towards softening him a little around the edges. He’d apparently realised that an overabundance of hair oil did nothing to ease the slimy impression he gave, and she surprised herself as she snuck a quick glance at him in the classroom to find that she thought the softer look rather suited him.

What little colour there had been in him to begin with, though, had faded to ink and paper monochrome. 

Now, as Malfoy turned away from her to glare at the front of the classroom and slouch across the desk, resting his sharp chin in a graceful, long-fingered hand, she shot another sidelong look at him and weighed him anew.  

The last time she’d seen him before the start of school had been at his trial. He’d looked truly awful then - worse even than in that dreadful pause during the battle, that holding of breath before the final screams began, when they’d all believed Harry dead and Voldemort victorious. Malfoy had looked like a standing corpse in the empty embrace of Voldemort.  

Gaunt and haunted in the Ministry courtroom docks, it was obvious that he’d been held in the cells in Azkaban for nearly a month before being brought to London. He’d turned eighteen in those cells, no doubt alone. That particular thought made her chest ache. No one deserved to come of age in utter isolation in Azkaban; and certainly not Malfoy of all people. He’d saved their lives in the end, and she’d testified to that in person. He’d refused to identify Harry at the Manor, even though it had been painfully obvious to anyone who’d seen Harry even once who he was, and he’d surrendered his wand to Harry after their brief skirmish. The protest he’d put up had been so farcically thin, it was a miracle that no one had seen right through it. Even in the midst of chaos, he’d done what he could to make it right. The Ministry had said she could make a written statement for them to read out, but Gryffindors didn’t flinch away from difficult situations, and so she’d spoken her testimony aloud in front of everyone.  

Malfoy had stared at her the whole time with those lifeless, ice-grey eyes. His gaunt face was a porcelain mask behind the rune-inlaid bars of the magic-resistant cage which they’d locked him in like an animal while his mother had wept and Hermione had been cross-examined almost to tears herself. They’d made her feel like she was the one in the dock for daring to state the truth about how he and his mother had saved them all. Then again, to have a mudblood defend a family like the Malfoys might have been one stretch too far for most.  

He’d clawed back a bit of weight again in the months before school started up again, but he was still on the leaner side of slim. He still had dark shadows under his eyes too, and the lids looked heavy and almost bruised. His profile, as she now saw it in the classroom, was all sharp angles and hard plains. His jaw was set and a tendon in his neck jutted like a guy-rope, pulled taut and thrumming with the ever-present tension in his body. It seemed to be the only thing holding him together. Even his shoulders were hunched and solid. He looked caught between expecting a blow to the back of the head and being half a second away from drawing his wand. In short, he still looked terrible.  

She stared too long.  

“Waiting for me to bare my arm and cast the Dark Mark above the castle, Granger?” he sneered sidelong at her under his breath. “I think I’ll have to disappoint you.” She thought she heard him mutter something else under his breath, but she didn’t catch it.

Closing her eyes briefly, she looked away without responding. He was just lashing out and she wasn’t going to rise to it. A seventh year in the row in front had gasped at his words, and began a hushed and scandalised whispering with her neighbour, but Hermione remained silent, staring unseeing at her open textbook. No one really knew what it had been like for any of them - the ones at the core of it all - regardless of the side they’d been on.  

What had McGonagall said in her welcome speech in the Great Hall the night before? “Hogwarts is entering a new age of openness and tolerance, of compassion and companionship, where walls must be torn down and old grudges laid to rest if we are to heal and move forward as a whole - as a unified community -  in both school and society at large.” She wasn’t wrong. If Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy could sit side by side in a classroom without disrupting the space-time continuum, there was hope for everyone, she mused, allowing a tiny smile to play across her lips.  

A moment later, someone slid into the lecture hall benches on Malfoy’s other side and she caught a glimpse of Theodore Nott, before Professor Vector swept in amid a billow of robes, and the class of mixed seventh and ‘eighth’ years fell quiet. The movement of his silver-blond head told her that Malfoy had been staring at her since his little outburst and had only just looked away.

The room was not overly full, and she had been a little surprised to find that Malfoy was taking Arithmancy this year as one of his N.E.W.T. subjects. His strengths had always lain in the practical rather than the theoretical. Not that he wasn’t smart in either field; he’d matched her almost grade-for-grade in nearly every subject they’d taken together since first year. Nott, however, she wasn’t at all surprised to see there. He was the only one who’d ever beaten her test scores - though admittedly only once back in third year when things had been somewhat more… hectic for her. Between the three of them, they probably made up the brightest minds in the student body at that moment.

Nott leaned forward as Vector began her introductory spiel, and ducked his gaze beneath Malfoy’s chin to sneak a look at her. When Hermione’s eye was drawn by the movement, he met her gaze and flashed her a grin that brought dimples to his cheeks. He was then promptly and unceremoniously shoved back against the classroom bench by the flat of Malfoy’s palm. His back connected with a soft ‘oof’ and he laughed under his breath before falling silent under Vector’s dark glare.  

Hermione frowned, but quickly lost herself in the beautiful and relative complexities of higher level Arithmancy.  

At the end of the class, she packed up her belongings and filed out of classroom 7A alone, heading for the Great Hall and lunch with a growling stomach and a strange knot of tension in her chest. It showed no signs of loosening all day. It felt odd to be walking the halls alone, without Ron on one side and Harry on the other to share a joke or a worry on their way to the next fixture. She ached at their absence, and wrote them each a short letter over her lunch break to tell them how her first morning had gone. She left out her musings over Malfoy, however, and concentrated on the work and how the castle had been restored almost perfectly to its condition prior to the takeover, save for the memorial to the fallen in the courtyard.  

Long after supper that evening, having completed her first Arithmancy assignment already, she headed up to the newly-repurposed Prefects’ Common Room for their first meeting with Headmistress McGonagall. That ball of tension in her chest had gnarled itself tighter and tighter around her heart and lungs, but it wasn't until a first year actually squeaked that she finally realised why people had been shying away from her all afternoon in the corridors and in the Gryffindor common room. Her scowl had become as fierce as a basilisk’s stare. She almost snorted at the idea, especially since her route to the common room had taken her past the girls’ bathrooms, where all the chamber of secrets chaos had found its focus. Famed war heroine Hermione Granger, the brains of the Golden Trio, was glowering like a thunderhead, and people veered away as if she might start spewing acid.  

“Ah, Miss Granger,” McGonagall’s lilting voice called as she finally reached the prefects’ common room at about a minute to nine. “Wonderful. Now we’re just missing Mister Nott, and then we can begin.”

“Nott’s a prefect?” Hermione hissed at Ginny, and the head girl nodded. “Since when? He wasn’t one before…” All anyone had to do was impose a certain inflection on the word ‘before’ and all the implications were well understood.  

“He was given Malfoy’s badge,” she whispered back. “Can’t very well have that Death Eater ferret stalking the halls at night, can we? McGonagall picked Nott to fill out the Slytherin numbers since Pansy Parkinson and most of the others didn’t return this year.”

“Ex-Death Eater ferret,” Hermione murmured pointedly, recalling his subdued glower in the classroom that morning, and Ginny pulled a face as she conceded the truth.  

“Still a bloody ferret though,” she huffed. “And he’s here on probation don’t forget. If he fucks up, he’s going straight to Azkaban to join his father.”

Mulling it over, Hermione fell silent, and a moment later the door opened again and Nott stepped inside.  

She’d never really taken the time to look at him before; he had been a part of Malfoy and Pansy’s little gaggle of Slytherins since the beginning, apparently having known Malfoy since early childhood, but she’d not known him to take part in many of Malfoy’s petty cruelties. He seemed rather bookish, but definitely not shy; aloof but not arrogant. If he hadn’t aligned himself with the Malfoys, he might perhaps have been someone with whom she could have got along. Intellectually, of course. He was still a Slytherin and the son of a convicted Death Eater…  

Now as he stepped into the cosy little room and apologised for his tardiness to the headmistress, and also to Ginny with a quick flash of his eyes, Hermione took stock of his high cheekbones dusted with a plethora of freckles, his sapphire blue eyes that noticed everything and revealed almost nothing, his floppy, dark brown hair that curled attractively in a somewhat old-fashioned and timeless manner and glimmered with gentle highlights in the dancing flames of the fireplace. He was tall too at almost six foot - taller than Malfoy by a good few inches - and a fraction broader at the shoulder. Gone was the skinny, lanky, coltish boy whose robes had hung off him like he was no more than a wire coat-hanger. Merlin, she thought, he’s actually quite handsome now.  

A second later, he caught her staring at him and her cheeks flushed unexpectedly hot.  

Still oddly flustered, she looked away and focused on McGonagall as she began to inform the newer prefects of the duties and expectations of the role, before going on to assign patrol partners. Even in the flickering warmth of the fire, the headmistress looked tired and drained. No doubt the most recent toll on her had been the immense effort of readying the blasted and battered castle for the start of term after the Battle of Hogwarts.  

“In the interests of continuing and promoting congenial inter-house relations, I’m going to be splitting the patrols up. You will no longer be patrolling by house. You will meet in the entrance hall and begin your patrols from there. Now, Padma, you will pair with Hannah; Ernest with Anthony; Cho with Michael; Hermione with Theodore; the rest of you will find your pairs on the rota, and of course the heads of school will patrol together. Any questions?”

Hermione glanced across the room and found Nott staring at her with a strange quirk to his mouth that was almost a smile. He was leaning against the carved masonry of the door frame, ankles and arms casually crossed - the very picture of nonchalance. She raised one eyebrow at him, and his expression blossomed into a full grin, all white teeth and dimples. Rolling her eyes, she looked away, hearing a very low, faint chuckle.  

“The rota will be posted here in the prefects’ common room, along with the upcoming password for the door,” McGonagall went on. “Anyone found abusing their position, or caught docking or awarding points gratuitously, will be permanently and immediately removed of all privileges. Thank you, and goodnight.” With a flourish, she sent the parchment with the rota fluttering across the room to pin itself to the cork board, and left.  

The younger prefects huddled around it, keen to see which nights they were on duty and someone called, “Granger, Nott! You’re up first!”

“Wonderful,” Nott purred suddenly standing at her elbow. “I didn’t get a chance to say hello properly earlier.”  

Good Godric, he really was tall, she realised as she turned slowly to regard him and tilted her chin up. “I don’t think we’ve ever actually spoken,” she said carefully.  

“I don’t believe we have,” he returned with an easy, genuine smile. He had all the politeness and poise of a pureblood, trained from birth to schmooze and glide his way through social situations, and she reminded herself not to be charmed by it. He was still a Slytherin, and his father was a notorious and sadistic Death Eater, even if Theodore had mostly stayed out of it himself. He held out his right hand and she stared at it. He had ink stains on his thumb and first two fingers, just like she did. “Theodore Nott,” he grinned. “Call me Theo.”

With another roll of her eyes, she acquiesced to his playful little farce and shook his hand as if they’d just met. “Hermione Granger.”

“Everyone knows who you are,” Ginny snorted, sidling up and digging her in the ribs, the gesture making her yelp and lurch towards Nott. He steadied her with a hand on her upper arm and smiled. Ginny glared at him and he let go, still chuckling. “If you fuck around with her, Nott,” Ginny glowered, her face darkening.  

“Ginny,” Hermione said softly, turning to her. “It’s fine. Besides, it’s not as if I don’t know how to take care of myself anyway…”

“I know that!” Ginny countered hotly. The red in her cheeks eclipsed her freckles for a moment before she took a deep breath. “The same goes for everyone else,” she snarled as she sensed they had an audience. “If anyone pisses around or puts a single bloody toe out of line, I will hex it off, McGonagall will hear of it, and you will be out of here. Got it?”

Her outburst was met with a mixture of nods and snickers, and with that, she left.  

“Come on,” Hermione said with a quick, awkward laugh. “Let’s get going.”

“Eager, Granger?” he chuckled, holding the door open and ushering her through first. The gesture didn’t seem facetious, and she nodded curtly at him in thanks as she stepped out into the corridor. “I assume, since you’re an old hand at this whole prefect thing, that you know the routes and the hot spots better than anyone. Lead the way…”

“Why did you get made a prefect?” she wondered aloud instead of responding. “You’ve never shown any interest in anything relating to school spirit before.”

“That’s not fair,” he countered easily, striding to catch up with her after softly closing the door behind him. “I watch Draco play quidditch on a regular basis. Have done for years.”

“Watching sports doesn’t count towards the wellbeing of the whole school, Nott,” she sniffed dismissively, turning left at a portrait of a white haired old witch who appeared to be having a discussion about astronomy with her kneazel, and hopping onto a staircase before it decided to move.  

He sprang after her easily enough. He might not have had seeker reflexes, but he certainly wasn’t clumsy either. “Of course it does,” he said. “If no one showed up, morale would plummet faster than a dropped quaffle and you know it. But you’re right; I haven’t shown much interest other than that… No time like the present,” he added a little breathily.  

“Indeed. I heard Malfoy is trying out for seeker of the Slytherin team this year. Ginny says he’s good.”  

“Mmm.”

“You’ll be able to bolster your already admirable school spirit then by being a prefect as well as continuing to support him from the stands then,” she said sarcastically.  

Nott only laughed lightly and strode along beside her, but after a while he cleared his throat and said, “Listen, about earlier in Arithmancy… Draco told me what happened… what he said…” He scratched his jawline and grimaced. “Don’t mind him…” he faltered. It sounded like he was aiming for a light tone, but he missed a mile. “He doesn’t really mean it when he says things…” he didn’t finish his sentence, but he didn’t have to.

“I know,” she said, pausing to listen at the end of a shadowy corridor. As she glanced up at him, she witnessed a flicker of surprise in Nott’s dark blue eyes. “Malfoy’s always lashed out like that when he’s feeling defensive. And it’s no wonder he had a go at me today - it must be hell for him being back here with everyone staring and whispering.” She sighed. “Better than the alternatives, I’m sure, but still. It’s brave of him to come back to Hogwarts.”  

Theodore blinked twice, and then a slow, dazzling smile dawned on his handsome face.  

Merlin, had he always been that good looking? She refused to let that of all things become a problem on their first patrol, and so, fighting to keep a blush off her cheeks, she marched off down another corridor before he could say another word.

It was true, although it had taken her actually speaking the words aloud to realise it. Malfoy had always had some pithy, nasty, venomous comeback whenever he was cornered, his words designed to inflict enough showy, hurtful damage to allow him to escape. In a world where he’d been rendered all but helpless by others, buffeted this way and that by more powerful players, and with impossible choices forced on him, his sharp tongue and hard, silver glare had been some of his only defences.  

He really is like a snake, she thought wryly: beautiful, quick, and deadly, but… perhaps largely harmless if left un-threatened.  

To her surprise, it took Nott a brief moment to catch up with her. 

___

Part Two

If you enjoyed, please reblog and share! I’m new to the fandom on here and appreciate all the help I can get!

___

writing masterlist | Ao3

[mist-chance]

Dabi Theory, Pre-Chapter 264

Ok, here’s my unlikely Dabi theory: everything that Dabi has done so far, from recruiting Hawks up until now, has been him planning and manipulating people and events for a showdown with Endeavor.

Yes, I’m aware this is a stretch. I’m probably reading too much into everything, because Dabi is my favorite BnHA character. I tend to read BnHA in a way that favors Dabi’s motivations and, most likely, makes him seem more competent and intelligent than Horikoshi intends for him to be, as one tends to do with a favorite character. But this kind of speculation is what’s fun about being part of a fandom and having a favorite character, or favorite characters. :)

Since his first appearance, Dabi hasn’t appeared to be completely dedicated to the LOV. He told Shigaraki his desire for joining the League was to “uphold Stain’s ideals.” Stain’s creed was to tear down the false Heroes in order to pave the way for a revamp in Heroics (how Heroes serve society). The League under AFO’s leadership was also geared towards reforming Hero society, but by destroying Heroics altogether; Shigaraki’s goal seems to be destroying All Might, because for him, All Might is the symbol of Heroism (and Shigaraki also just seems to have a vendetta against him).

Dabi never shared how he planned to go about upholding Stain’s ideals, but his behavior when confronting Endeavor in the aftermath of the High-End fight (calling Endeavor by name and telling him to try not to die) suggests that Endeavor will be involved. Regardless of whether or not Dabi is Todoroki Touya, it’s undeniable that he holds a personal grudge, a vendetta even, against Endeavor. It could be because Endeavor’s an abusive asshole of a father/husband (from the Dabi-is-Touya POV); or it could be because Endeavor, a self-entitled asshole with a powerful, controllable fire Quirk was made the Number 2-and-promoted-to-Number 1 Hero, while Dabi, whose powerful fire Quirk is unsuited for his body and eats away at him, is considered trash, and it’s fucked up that the society would let that happen (from the Dabi-is-NOT-Touya POV). It’s likely the only part of Stain’s creed that Dabi is interested in, is the “tearing down fake Heroes” bit, with his main target being Endeavor.

So, how would Dabi get access to Endeavor? By targeting the Hero closest to him.

Now, Dabi could target the Todoroki family to get to Endeavor. But if he’s actually Touya, he would be reluctant to make (hopefully against making) the rest of his family targets; if Dabi isn’t Touya and is truly following Stain’s creed, he wouldn’t want to involve “innocents” in his vendetta. So the next best target would be someone who works close to Endeavor.

Dabi probably got on the Hero Commission’s radar when he was “recruiting” for the League, and burning low-level criminals to death in back alleys. Dabi walked around without a disguise and flashed his Quirk without hesitation, presumably for that entire block of time. There’s no way he was trying not to attract attention. He might’ve been wandering around under the guise of recruiting, but it’s more likely Dabi was trying to get a reaction from the Heroes, either against himself as an individual threat, or against the LOV. The HC’s response was to send their best operative - Hawks - into play, to infiltrate the League. 

Bam. Heroes hooked and paying attention.

Of course, Dabi couldn’t have known that Hawks would end up close to Endeavor.  Prior to the High-End fight, Dabi was just testing Hawks to gauge how sympathetic he is to the LOV. But then Hawks brought Endeavor along to fight High-End. Endeavor, the Hero notorious for being a giant, flaming asshole who reluctantly, at best, works with other high ranking Heroes. (Hawks himself didn’t find out how much Endeavor’s perspective about teamwork had changed, until after High-End.)

And even better? It took both Endeavor and Hawks, the two highest ranking Heroes, to defeat High-End. An accomplishment they barely managed to do.

The High-End fight revealed two things. First, that Endeavor listens, however grudgingly, to Hawks. And second, that Endeavor can, and will need to, rely on Hawks to take down extremely powerful opponents. Dabi wasn’t prepared to confront Endeavor after High-End fight (especially since Miruko showed up), but he learned a lot from it, and his talk with Hawks.

But with the League as it was prior to the merge into the PLF, Dabi couldn’t manipulate things for a real showdown with Endeavor. The LOV had to focus on survival without AFO’s resources and influence. Since Dabi isn’t enough of a threat on his own and he knows it - as in, if he’s seen in public, the first response wouldn’t be to call in the Number 1 Hero to “deal” with him - he has to stay associated with the League. He wouldn’t be able to stay in contact with Hawks either, because the only reason Hawks stays in contact with him is for an in with the League. Dabi suspects Hawks is a spy, and a spy will only jump through the ridiculous hoops you put up for him if he thinks you’ll get him to where he wants to be. As long as Dabi is part of the League, he at least has Hawks’ attention.

Then the PLF is created, and Dabi has all the resources he needs to manipulate Hawks, and by default, the Heroes. He knows he’s on a time limit, because Shigaraki is undergoing some kind of power-up with Ujiko; and once Shigaraki is ready, he’ll go after All Might. And All Might is still important enough to get protection from other high ranking Heroes. It wouldn’t be surprising for All Might to get one or several high ranking Heroes as bodyguards, when he gets targeted by Shigaraki. And even if Endeavor doesn’t guard All Might (though it would be entertaining to see), his attention would be on Shigaraki, the “greater threat.”

So Dabi brings Hawks to the PLF base. Then he makes Hawks feel nervous, makes him feel pressured enough to call in the other Heroes, by sending Twice his way. Twice, who is a reminder of how dangerous the LOV, now the PLF, is.

Of course, it’s not explicitly stated that Dabi does this, which is one reason this theory is a stretch. (It’s probably a place where I’m speculating too much, but bear with me.) 

In Chapter 258, Twice needs help understanding Destro’s/the PLF’s propaganda, so he can better lead his group. He “happens” upon Hawks and asks for his help, because as he explains it, Dabi (and Compress, I think) didn’t care about stuff like that. Since Hawks helps him out and seems sincere about his dedication to the PLF, Twice thinks Hawks is a good guy, and gives him a breakdown of the PLF’s operations and chain of command. Twice freely gives Hawks all of the information he needs to make the decision that Shigaraki and the PLF have nearly amassed too much power and influence; that Shigaraki and the PLF need to be stopped now, or the Heroes will miss their chance to stop them before they really wreak havoc on society. As a result, Hawks finally calls in backup, and the Heroes gather for a full frontal assault on the PLF and Ujiko.

It’s a fifty-fifty chance that Twice really did just see Hawks and asked for his help, or if someone else (Dabi) told him to do so. Twice is an unpredictable character; he did, after all, try to recruit Overhaul. Though Twice has a powerful Quirk, he’s rather weak-willed and easily influenced by other people (I’m not trying to bash Twice; that’s just how he comes across to me). With everything the League has gone through so far, he might’ve been reluctant to seek help outside the former League members without being told to do so; he also might’ve just wanted to meet the guy his pal Dabi recruited, and asked for help.

Either way would work in Dabi’s favor, but in any case, this initial encounter appears staged. It’s more likely that Twice was told to speak with Hawks. At first I thought it might be another one of Dabi’s tests for Hawks, to see if he was truly turning against the Heroes; that Twice is acting as the bait to trigger Hawks into blowing his cover. And maybe that is all this is, but let’s continue with the theory that this is all leading to a Dabi vs. Endeavor showdown.

Dabi seems to be acting in his own self interest, because if he was really dedicated to the LOV, now part of the PLF, he would’ve warned the PLF’s main intel guy, Mr. Skeptic, about Twice’s bad habit of trusting people and sharing sensitive info with them. But in Chapter 263, Skeptic and everyone in the base is surprised by the attack. Dabi is the only person who doesn’t seem surprised. It seems more like he expected this attack to happen.

Dabi’s been waiting for Hawks to blow his cover, so it’s not surprising he’d hunt down Hawks while the Heroes are attacking the PLF base. Whether or not Dabi sent Twice to Hawks, he knows that Hawks’ main priority will be to neutralize Twice and prevent Twice from using his Quirk. 

Dabi knows when he finds Twice, he’ll find Hawks. Once Dabi finds Hawks, he’ll either fight him to the point where Hawks feels the need to call in back up, or he’ll manage to beat Hawks in a fight (ending with Hawks either heavily wounded, or Dabi holding him hostage) and have Endeavor target him instead.

I’m not sure how Twice would react during the Hawks vs. Dabi showdown. Hawks wouldn’t be able to fight Dabi and keep his feathers on Twice at the same time; Dabi’s Quirk is too destructive for Hawks to have his feathers divided between two targets. So Hawks might try to turn Twice to the Hero-side, but given Twice’s loyalty to Toga and the other League members, I find this option unlikely. Besides, I think the sense of betrayal would be too fresh on Twice’s mind for him to let Hawks “turn” him. Hawks might try to knock out Twice, so he’ll be able to focus only on Dabi. But Twice is also rather good at slipping out of tight spots; it wouldn’t be surprising if he managed to slip free of Hawks’ feathers, and teamed up with Dabi.

This is all just speculation, but it would be interesting and cool if Dabi really turns out to be this cold-blooded and manipulative. I can’t wait to see where the next chapter goes. :)

[more-pokeimagines]

Requesting drabble with Dawn and her crush/future s/o confronting Mars at Lake Verity, and when Mars calls them a “lovey-dovey couple to the rescue”, how does Dawn react to her crush casually saying that’s not true because they haven’t had the chance to confess to Dawn yet?

I’m terribly sorry that it took me so long to finish this one! I’m still not 100 % satisfied with the way it turned out but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless and have fun reading. 

Love birds – Dawn x reader

It was one thing to be in love with someone. It was weird and wonderful at the same time, feeling her heart skip a beat whenever she saw her crush or heard them laugh. It was a whole different story to be in love with someone Dawn had known for so many years no without ever noticing how much they meant to her – until that person had leaned forward to press a kiss to her cheek that one day to thank her for her help. She still got goosebumps when she thought about it. And soon after, she started to feel terrible because she didn’t have the courage to confess her feelings to you.

It was awkward to be around you after that incident. Not because your behavior changed or because you acted like you didn’t care for her but because she spent most of the time analyzing every word you said and every move you made, just to figure out whether she was more than a friend to you or not. She knew that the kiss probably didn’t mean anything. But Dawn still couldn’t get it out of her head, no matter how hard she tried.

She even thought about it now, despite having other things to focus on – for example stopping Team Galactic from putting their crazy plans into action. She knew that there wasn’t much she could do to stop them but she just couldn’t sit around and wait until someone else took care of them. She needed to protect Sinnoh, her family, her home… and you.

Dawn still wasn’t too happy about the fact that you decided to go with her. “It could be dangerous,” she had told you – to which you only replied: “And that’s exactly why I’m coming with you” before grabbling your backpack and rushing out of the house.

She had tried everything in her power to convince you to stay at home while she took care of Team Galactic but you hadn’t even listened to her. That was another thing she loved about you: you never let others down, no matter how often they told you to leave them alone. And even now she had to admit that a part of her was glad that you were here with her. The other part of her still wished you had stayed at home where you would be safe. If something happened to you… she would never forgive herself if you got hurt, just because she didn’t try hard enough to talk you out of your plan.

She suddenly felt the urge to reach out and grab your hand. Not because she was afraid but because she wanted to reassure herself that she really wasn’t alone.. But she resisted.

“Be careful,” you whispered in that moment, an echo of her own thoughts. “Who knows what they’ve got planned to keep people away.”Dawn nodded. Team Galactic was unpredictable, and it was important to keep a lookout for possible traps or other things that were supposed to hold people off.

Lake Verity was already in sight. Dawn had never been there before. Fr a moment, she took in her surroundings, admiring the landscape and the clear water but then, a flash of red caught her attention. Dawn froze. It was too late. Team Galactic was already here.

She gave you a side glance, and as if you could read her mind you took a pokeball from your belt and nodded. “Let’s go. We can still stop them,” you said with a smile, even though the situation was far worse than you originally expected. But you didn’t want Dawn to worry about you, so you tried your best to radiate confidence and strength.

Finally, she returned your smile. Then, the two of you entered the cave.

It was dim and the air felt chilly and damp at the same time. Your eyes needed a few moments to adjust to the sudden darkness but soon enough you recognized the person who was standing in the middle of the small cave. Commander Mars. She hadn’t noticed you yet but you knew that it was only a small advantage.

Next to you, Dawn pressed her lips together. She was upset, you could almost feel it yourself, but you had no idea if it was because the two of you arrived too late to protect Mesprit or because she held a giant grudge against Mars. You didn’t like her either. She was reckless and rude, constantly trying to prove that she was the smartest and strongest trainer around. Even if she wasn’t a member of Team Galactic you’d despise her.

The way she looked at you when she turned around and spotted you was enough to make your blood boil. There was a condescending smile on her lips as she stared at you as if you were the most annoying thing she had ever seen. “Ah, look,” she said and let out an exaggerated sigh. “It’s the lovey dovey couple coming for the rescue. Sorry, loves, but can’t you bill and coo somewhere else? I’m busy.”

Dawn opened her mouth but you were quicker. You crossed your arms and raised an eyebrow. “We aren’t a couple,” you said in the most casual tone you could manage right now. “I mean, it’s none of your business but I figured I’d tell you anyways. You wouldn’t want to spread rumors, would you?”

Next to you, Dawn froze. She always assumed that you didn’t feel the same but hearing it directly from you made it a hundred times worse. It felt like someone punched her right into the face.

She clenched her fists, trying to give the impression that it didn’t bother her at all that you rejected her, simply because she knew that Mars would mock her for it. And she also didn’t want you to know how much it hurt her that you turned her down. At least she didn’t want you to find it out like this.

“Yeah,” she finally agreed, even though it felt like her heart shattered into a million pieces in that moment. “We’re just friends. And we’re here to stop you.”

[acioo]

( PART THREE HERE ) & ( PART ONE HERE ) here are NINE MORE CHARACTER BASES ( label & background & personality ), all of whom i have played out in the past. they expand beyond ‘ the fuck boy ‘ and ‘ the arrogant rich kid ‘ because i think as a community we’re all tired of the cliche bull, so have some of my most fun & most subversive times. these are for inspiration purposes as well as admin purposes. if you are going to use these in an rph setting, i request credit, but otherwise, it’s not necessary. ( all details viable to change ; pinterest board links available for all of them - if you are interested in my characters, see my muse page )  TW : violence, alc, drugs, ( parental ) emotional neglect, death, blood, homelessness, police

001.   THE WITCH — you are in the second generation of witchy women in your family. you’re not meant to misuse, you’re meant to give back, your mother tells you. nature loves you but nature holds grudges, your mother tells you. you are not you but we, your mother tells you. you will not heed her advice. age six, you learn how to make the tea boil in seconds just by whistling, even if you know that it’s not necessary. age ten, you make the kids who say bad words to you trip on their way up the stairs, leaving them with bloody noses and mouthfuls of curses. age sixteen, you fall in love with a girl who loves you like she’s going to lose you, who makes you forget why your parents crossed continents and why your blood sings a song of violence and why you stand unflinching in the eye of loss. you and your friends get into bad things when you start to get old enough for people to notice you. their eyes always go to you first. you and your dark eyes. you and the furrow in your brow. you and your lesson in awakening. you adopt another stray emotionally compromised teenager into your friend group and she tells you breathlessly, reverently that you’re the most beautiful person she’s ever seen. and it makes you mad, but maybe not at her, because you can recognize the good and bad people like a lie detector that’s seen too much and knows in details what a long night is because they’re all you have. you’re powerful in a way that they don’t seem to understand and maybe, you will take a lesson your mother. you’re powerful and you won’t let them see.

002.    THE PROM QUEEN — the oldest by eleven minutes, you grow up trying to be everything your little siblings need. your parents are twisted but you learn to see them through rose-colored glasses instead of living in pain. when your siblings fall, you feel it, too, and when they cry, you cry too. it’s too much responsibility. your parents feed and clothe them, but you hold their mental health in your hands and the truth is you’re no better. you just got so good at hiding behind your mask that you can’t seem to tell the difference between you and party favor anymore, and the fact of the matter is that while they’re quiet and just so different in a way that your parents feared they would be, you blend in like a chameleon. you’re class president and prom royal. that’s the way it’s always been. but all the makeup in the world can’t hide the fact that you’re no better. the older you get, the more they can see. your grandmother, first. then your little sister’s best friend. your first love. everything you try to hide sits in your lap and you try to wrestle it into submission and sometimes it wins. they know you but you don’t. your eyes flash golden sometimes when you’re mad enough that you remember that you’re the one who put the burn stains on the wood floors of your family’s old penthouse, but you’re more human than anyone can ever even imagine.

003.    THE UNAPOLOGETIC SLOTH — you’re the small-town preacher’s child who comes out with a slam when you turn ten years old. you’re burning your clothes in the basement when your mother comes home from book club. you’re looking for a way out, but all she wants to know is if you want to do it in the expensive fire pit outside instead. they call you their golden child but no one else shares the sentiment. you’re lucky that your group of friends ( they don’t look like you exactly or act like you exactly, but you all know what it’s like to feel like you’re alone in the world, or you did until you met them ) likes the way you bite back even if your grandmother doesn’t and neither does she come over for christmas dinner anymore and it tears you up inside until you bleed an angry and violent storm and trail curses ( against anyone, against god, if there is a god at all, if you even believe in a god at all ) down the creaky wood stairs from your room all the way into you mom’s lexus. you’ll come back but for now, you are a tempest and you are only beautiful when you’re burning. you’re not the type to bend yourself out of shape for people who won’t look back at you. you’re happy with yourself in a way that most people wish they could be, most people who spend nights drinking or turning in bed or smiling. you’re happy because you couldn’t care less.

004.    THE PYROMANIAC — the child of two famous superheroes, you’re the picturesque image of your mother. you only have your father’s mutant blue eyes and you think that you’ll curse your mother with unhappiness for it until she gives up on you like you want her to. you hate her for her giving you everything you have. your powers, your hair, your two good hands. you love your father more than you love anything. it starts when you’re still little. lying about your powers, saying you have your fathers. your parents can’t stop it. the therapists certainly can’t stop it. not even your classmates' jeers can. the fires start in your teens around the time you start sneaking out at night. your mother with her kind eyes ( not yours, which are an icy and violent storm that everyone needs to seek cover from ) and tired crinkle in her forehead, who loves you even if the only time she gets your affection is at the request of your father, asks you about it and you don’t answer, look at her with contempt and a scoff. she knows the answer anyway. you’re the angriest kid she knows and they all wonder where you got it from as you project the worst pieces of your parents. your father's arrogance. your mother’s envy. by the time you turn eighteen, you’ve been arrested six times ( your party stories are to die for ; arson & assault & arson & underage drinking & arson & disorderly conduct ). you’re so hilarious, so famous, that they like to forget that you are also lethal.

005.    THE PRINCELY POLYMATH — you don’t grow up as a person. the only child of one of the richest men the world may yet see, you come out of nowhere. bright hair and brighter eyes, you look and act nothing like your father. it takes you many years to find out that the only reason you’re surrounded by people is that they want something from you. the anxiety develops around the same time. coils into you and holds you tight. you cover it up poorly with anger and insult. it’s a bad look on you and it makes you bite your tongue hard enough to draw blood but it’s better than the alternative. you’re still going to get followed around. you’re still going to have callers. because you’re attractive and you’re devastating and you’re one of the brightest minds they’ve ever seen. you try not to let your father find out that under that mop of blonde curls lies a brain that can’t be matched, but he does when the maid returns from your room with empty vodka bottles and books on aeronautics and too-tiny baggies and sketches of architecture. your iq test makes the news, but you just wanted something of your own. your new school is just as fancy, but now you don’t have to hide the fact that you’re bored and unchallenged. when you’re fourteen, your starlet mother, who your father never forgave you for resembling, will overdose on pills in a bathroom in ibiza as you take the sats. you’re not allowed to be sad. you haven’t seen her since your fifth birthday. there’s nothing for you here. you wonder when there will be. 

006.    THE BEST OF THEM ALL — for as long as you can remember, you’ve been the nicest kid anyone has ever known. a candy-sweet smile and you really mean it, too. people marvel at the way you carry yourself and the hpw you can speak to people, but they’re always looking over your shoulder for your brighter, more reckless friends. you’re in the instagram posts but you’re no one’s first choice, and it’s okay because you’re used to it. you’re still going to be there when they fall down and cut themselves on the sharp edges of others that you told them with a wavering voice to watch out for. you keep a shovel in your trunk and your ringer on. because you’re that good. you won’t survive this kind of disregard but you think you’ve known this from the start. you’re not the protagonist in this story, but maybe you should be. people like to hear about warzones and long nights with longer bottles but the fact of the matter is that you’re not the kind of kid. you’re warm hands and a down looked smile. you won’t stand on the edge of the mountain but you’re happy to use your first aid kit to patch up anyone who does.

007.    THE ACTIVIST — your mother never wants to be a mother and your father isn’t the kind of man she’d trust with her heart, let alone you with your chubby hands and big eyes. giving you up is the right thing to do. you run away from foster homes left and right. eventually, they stop looking for you, and you move from state to state, a rolling stone of your own. you find a person of your own. you call them your twin, but the facts don’t line up in a way you won’t realize for a very long time. eventually, you find your place with a microphone in hand and a shoebox under your feet. you care about everyone but yourself and you’re pretty okay with that. you’re a survivor, you always have been. when you’re fifteen, the peaceful protest you organized gets interrupted by local police who ask for a permit that’s not there. the noise ruptures your eardrum ; the crowd, the riot guns, the yelling. you never get back all your hearing but it won’t stop you. you’d never let that happen. you keep going, just different and with the help of friends. when you’re sixteen, you’re moving through a crowd, doc martens ahead of you when you stumble into a strong chest. an older man with a kind smile. when he offers to walk you home, asks if you’re parents know where you are this time of day, you laugh, but he’s serious. ( you’ve never met someone kind over the age of twenty. ) he adopts you in the spring and your platform is larger now, but you’re still the same old kid with fire in their heart and no chip on your straight shoulders. that’s the year you track down your biological mother. she’s apologetic and kind, but honest with you and you forgive her. she thought she was doing what was best for you and you think, despite the grim, and the scares, and the bad parts, that she did. you grow up, move from smartphones to tv screens to podcasts. you make a difference. 

008.    THE PSYCHIC’S DAUGHTER — you’re never going to be your sister, and eventually, you’ll be able to live with this fact. she’ll know of a father, a man who has dark hair and dark eyes and a dark heart, but you left him breathless and unhappy because he, like you, is a fighter. the worst person you know has your last name and your lips. your mother. she is what someone would call a powerful woman. she opens up a business of psychic women, trademarked under your last name, and you know it’s going to haunt you until the day you die. you know they have no power. you know they’re a trick of the light or a flick of a card or a bag of sequins. they teach you one thing. if you say anything with enough confidence, someone will believe you. you don’t know why you never say anything, but you don’t. you won’t. you will never reveal their secret. it’s not yours to tell. when you’re sixteen, following after your sister with big puppy dog eyes as she speaks gold and weaves silk with her steps, she will beat a girl half to death on the football field. she never tells you why and it seals the fate between you, but the truth is that you’d never be able to forgive yourself if she told you. ( she did it for you. the unloved child people whisper about under the bleachers. the psychic's youngest. you’ll curse them, they say. ) you are not your sister and you’re certainly not your mother. you’re dramatic, earnestly so, not with an outreached hand but with an open heart. and you may never recover from spending your days in the dark house at the end of the block, but it won’t hurt to try.

009.    THE BACKGROUND CHARACTER — your small town chokes you from a young age. you grow up as one of the cool ones in that big squad of pretty, rich kids that everyone wants to be apart of, but you never asked for entry. your mother’s a bird who breathes down your neck, pecks at you for answers that she will never get because you’re too stunted, too angry to really be the child she’d always dreamed of having, and you find that kind of funny because you’re a lab baby that cost more than her car. you’ll try for her, but not for anyone else. they know that your ‘we’ll see‘s and your ‘maybe‘s are really just your fun way of saying you don’t want to hang out. you’ll try for her because she gave you everything you have ever had, but all they give you is migraines. too loud and too inconsiderate, you think. you’re a harsh judge on people, but they know what they bought into when they invested your sour apple self. you watch from the windows and that’s how you’ve always liked it. you’re safe there. they can’t hurt you. you’ll sleep with one every other month, or attend a party or two, but you’re too fast and too much of a whim for them to even know you before you’re gone.

[secret-engima]

Can you write about some of the many misunderstandings that happened because the Glauber never had the talk and suppressed their scent all the time because it was a survival instinct. Like they literally don’t know why people think they are weird.

*squints* I am going to assume you meant Glaives because I have no idea what a Glauber is. Already talked about this a bit in another ask but-

-The Citadel is 100% convinced that Titus Hates Their Guts and only tolerates King Regis or any of them because his Hate for Niflheim is greater than his hate of them. Why else would he always suppress his scent and have such a stoic mask? Why else would he ignore scent signals and stare balefully down at the few people who’ve ever tried to flirt with him? (Titus does not stare balefully, he stares blankly in non-comprehension, he just ... looks scary by nature).

-Regis is honestly a little afraid to let Noctis and Titus be in the same room for more than a minute and always tries to ensure it doesn’t happen. He ... respects Titus. Respects his work and efficiency and combat prowess and trusts that Titus will do his job but he’s also SEEN Titus fight, seen Titus tear apart an enemy flank by himself, roaring like a Behemoth but ... totally scentless. It makes him feel unpredictable and inscrutable and he just- Noctis is his son. He can’t take that risk even if Titus has never lifted a hand against Regis or anyone else in the Citadel. He can’t risk Titus finally snapping and turning on Noctis over whatever grudge Titus CLEARLY holds toward Regis and the rest of the Citadel (maybe even the rest of Insomnia). He’s seen the way the few times Noctis happens to be in the room when Titus comes in to report, Titus’s focus zeroes in on the prince like a laser and doesn’t falter until Noctis is gone from the room, even while Titus is giving a report or something (he will talk and act like normal, but his gaze sharpens and keeps drifting to Noctis and his nostrils flare subtly and it Scares Regis on a primal level). He just- he can’t risk it.

-Council members have suggested getting rid of Titus because of his supposed hate, but Regis refuses 1. because Titus does good work and 2. Regis would have to pick another glaive to promote and all of them are even scarier than Titus. At least Titus doesn’t try to hide his dislike behind anything other than a stoic mask of professionalism and a suppressed scent. He’s observed the others from afar. They SMILE. They laugh and joke and snark at each other and anyone else like everything is fine, but they keep their scents so locked down even Cor can’t get a read on them. Regis would rather have someone who is grimly professional than someone who tries to hide it behind fake smiles and quips.

-A decent chunk of Insomnia think the glaives straight up aren’t human. They’re ... something else. Something other and that Regis has bound them to his service somehow. Some businesses will put up warding signs to keep the glaives out and the glaives only make it worse by playing along and visibly recoiling from the warding symbols with flashes of teeth and annoyed snarling.

-On the Glaive side of things. The Glaives have mostly come to terms with the fact that all of Insomnia is Weird. In fact, all of Lucis is Weird and the only ones that are really tolerable in their Weirdness is the king (who they respect even if they have no idea what he’s thinking half the time) and the Hunters out in Lucis, who are nice and give them free food and cool trinkets sometimes in exchange for helps on particularly tricky Hunts (the Hunters are convinced that the glaives are supernatural fae creatures and do their best to keep on their good side by offering them free food and by offering trinkets in exchange for their Favor. Honestly the Hunters are the least unnerved by the Glaives, mostly because the Hunters have all seen some Weird And Scary Stuff and they know that the glaives are far from the worst thing to wander Lucian soil).

-That doesn’t mean the glaives don’t make assumptions. They get that Regis and the Crownsguard are super wary around them, and they ... try their hardest to ease that? Like- they kinda get it (or so they think). This is their Territory and the glaives are all interlopers, even if they have no choice but to live here and earn their keep as glaives. They get why the Crownsguard would take offense to a strange Pack in their domain and why King Regis might be so wary of an alpha as powerful as Titus. So they do their hardest to smooth things over, they smile with teeth because apparently Insomnians like that (looks like snarling to the Galahdians unless you’re with fellow Pack but okay) and tell jokes that they’ve overheard from the Lucian tv channels and they do their best to be nice and they Keep Their Scent Locked Down in all places except like- the Old Citadel that serves as the glaive HQ (the HQ is glaive territory now so they will occasionally relax their suppression there). They don’t fling their scent around, don’t presume to be able to wander around leaving scent trails in a place that is Not Their Territory. See? They’re being good. No unwanted scent, no false claims, no accidentally challenging the King Alpha to a duel of dominance even though they’re pretty sure Titus would win in a dominance display. See? They’re Being Good! So Why Is Everyone Still Mad At Them?????

-This is especially hard on Titus, who interacts with the Crownsguard and upper echelon the most (he also has to attend council meetings and OH BOY was his first council meeting a trip for everyone involved). Titus is a powerful Alpha and honestly it ... hurts a little to keep himself that suppressed. But he does it because he respects Regis and doesn’t want to upset him or seem like he’s challenging him in any way. But Regis won’t ... won’t lighten up? Is always just a shade tense, his gaze is always a touch wary under the pleasantries, his scent always just a little bit sharp like he expects Titus to suddenly try to Dominate. So Titus locks it down tighter. He keeps his face stoic and professional rather than presume to joke or snark like he sees Clarus and Cor freely do. He does his job and makes his reports and never, ever challenges Regis in any way beyond verbal, and even then only does it to point out a tactical fallacy that might get his glaives hurt.

-SO WHY DOES REGIS NEVER CALM DOWN???? Titus doesn’t know what to do and eventually (sadly) comes to the conclusion that Regis just- doesn’t like having a Galahdian alpha in his territory and that this is as good as its going to get. Which is ... a real shame because Titus respects very few people outside his Pack and Regis is at the top of that list. And also Titus has only caught glimpses of Noctis over the years and that Distresses Him because as Captain of the Glaive, it’s his duty to protest the royal family. ESPECIALLY THE PUP. Like all Galahdians, Titus is hyper-fixated on the protection of kiddos when they are nearby, but how is he supposed to do that when he barely knows what Noctis looks, sounds, and smells like?? Whenever he comes to report and Noctis happens to be in the room, he tries his best to memorize what he can of the boy’s appearance and scent before a servant inevitably whisks him away but it’s- it’s not the best and it’s so FRUSTRATING sometimes. He doesn’t know how to get Regis to understand that Titus would never hurt the pup. That Titus could and would HELP PROTECT the pup at all costs. All the glaive would.

[aweebwrites]

Move on Dragons Ch22

uwa! sorry for disappearing again! I was just distressing over the financial side effects of this pandemic has on my family is all. I hope you enjoy that lil art piece in apology! I'll keep doing my best with updates!! Thank you for reading!!!‘Come on bud. Say Jay. Jaaaaaay.’ Jay cooed at Nix who was laying before him on his stomach on the deck of the Bounty, looking at him with curious shiny eyes.

“Maybe you’re asking too much of the little guy.” Lloyd huffed, watching the two not too far away, Little G watching as well from his perch on his head.

“And those guys aren’t?” Jay huffed, looking to where Kai was trying to coax Rux who was being held by Cole, into using his powers again by showing off his fire breathing, the latter looking entranced as Zane supervised. “Besides, the big dad said it himself. They should be learning to talk by now.” He says as he looked to Nix again then slithered closer to the dragonling so his snout was almost touching his nose.

‘Come on Nix. Jaaaay.’ He cooed and Nix only licked at his nose, pulling a laugh from the lightning ninja. “You are waaay too cute for your own good.” Jay smiled as he nuzzled Nix’s snout with his nose.

“Maybe you should try other words than your name. It takes a while for dragons to learn to effectively communicate after all. Our language isn’t exactly easy to learn.” Shard suggested, watching them all from his place laying just beside the ship, the other dragons gone to do their usual rounds. “Words- sounds that might be easier for you aren’t so easy for them. Names are one of the most complicated since they’re of a specific sound combined with a specific tone, both of which neither of them have a grasp on as yet.” He continued.

“He has a point.” Nya had to agree, watching the two nearby, on break from her last mission to help administer some antidotes for an excited poison dragon’s fumes in a village nearby Jamanakai village.

Luckily the fumes only caused nausea and headache and nothing life threatening. The people there held no grudges however and eagerly welcomed the friendly dragons as they dropped by for a drink by the lake near their settlement with food and curious pats and climbing the dragons found endearing.

“Alright then, so what kind of sounds you have in mind?” Jay asked Shard who paused to think.

“Nix.” The dragonling responded to his name by turning his head to look at the older dragon. ‘Bone.’ He rumbled low and Nix blinked at him as he repeated it again.

‘... Bone.’ Nix repeats after a while listening to Shard say it.

“Yeah! You said it! You spoke!” Jay cheered the little guy on, picking him up and swinging him around.

Nix clearly didn’t understand why Jay was so excited but it made him excited and the dragonling gave a high, happy chirp as his chubby tail wagged.

“Jay his back-!” Lloyd was cut off by Jay slowing down dramatically with Nix still in arms, spinning with him slowly in the blue energy that engulfed them. “Well then.” He huffed, amused.

“Nix’s powers are less likely to cause trouble at least.” Nya shrugged.

“Face it Kai, the kid doesn’t want to use his powers- though he’s having a hell of a time watching you use yours.” Cole huffed at Kai who shot a ball of fire from his mouth and having it explode outwards in the sky like a firework.

“Yes so I recommend not performing your extravagant fire tricks on and over a very flammable mostly wooden ship that holds a high amount of rocket fuel surrounded by very flammable trees.” Pixal called down from the bridge of the ship.

“Pixal does have a rather strong point.” Zane pointed out and Kai huffed smoke through his nose as the fiery glow of his chest  started to fade.

“Then how else are we going to get him to use his powers?” Kai asked them, placing his hands on his hips.

“We don’t.” Cole shrugged. “No doubt he’s a little traumatized from all the commotion the first time he used them caused so we just have to wait until he’s comfortable using it again.” He told Kai, scratching Rux’s stomach like he likes, smiling once he purred and turned over for a better angle.

“And when he does, Little G has to be close by, which means Lloyd has to be close by since the little guy would rather burn than be away from him.” He added, looking across at where said oni was watching them, the dark dragon tilting its head curiously at the mention of his nickname.

“Who knows how long that will take though.” Kai pointed out as he sat cross legged, glancing down at his permanently half shifted feet, wiggling his clawed toes.

“The reality of the situation is less urgent than you think.” Zane spoke up lightly, reaching over to Rux to scratch under his chin, an amused smile tugging the corner of his lips once Rux’s right leg began to twitch, his purrs growing. “At this point, I’m certain Vortica knows how to solve the situation of Garmadon’s fractured soul and it’s only a matter of time before Sensei Wu brings the other half of him here. While reversing time on Little G would prove insightful, with or without that occurrence, the end result will be the same. Garmadon will be whole again.” He elaborated.

“Yeah. I mean if she monitors dimensions, no doubt she’s seen this happen at least a couple of times.” Nya shrugged.

Before anything else could be said, Jay suddenly stumbled to a stop.

“Woah. Did he just use his powers?” He asked, looking down at a still happily wiggling Nix.

“He sure did.” Lloyd confirmed and Jay beamed at Nix again.

“Look at you becoming a big, strong dragon!” He cooed at Nix and the dragon gave a happy chirp of ‘bone’. “A talkative boy too!” Jay grinned at Nix wiggled in his arms from his almost violent tail wags.

“You already talk enough for us all Jay.” Cole says dryly and Jay shot him a glare before setting Nix down again, his arms starting to ache with the weight of the growing dragon.

“What else can we teach the little guy?” Jay asked Shard and the white and blue dragon paused to consider.

“Usually young dragons begin learning how to call for a parent by now with a specific sound at a specific frequency but well, their parents have long passed since they were fledglings as I was told.” Shard murmured in thought. “For now, I suggest taking things slow. He learned one word quickly but I highly doubt he will be able to learn another so soon.” He told Jay who deflated a little before sitting down, laughing as Nix crawled into his arms.

“Alright bud. One day at a time. Maybe we should show you what an actual bone is…” Jay hummed as he stroked his head, Nix purring as he did.

“What about you Rux?” Kai asked as he laid on his side, a hand on his cheek and the tip of his large wing being kept just out of the young dragon’s reach. “Feel like saying ‘bone’?” He hummed, watching as he set to pounce at his wing.

“What can he say?” Cole chuckled. “He’s a free spirit. He’ll say bone and use his powers when he wants.” He says as Rux jumped up, snapping his jaw at Kai’s wing he lifted out of his reach, leaving Rux to miscalculate his fall and land on his side.

He sprung up again before they could inquire if he was ok, setting to pounce again. Zane huffed, watching the young dragon attempt to bite at the tip of Kai’s wing again. He was persistent, Zane would give him that much.

______

“Looks like there’s gonna be one heck of a storm tonight.” Cole murmured as he leaned against the railings of the ship, watching dark clouds move in from off the sea, cool winds wrapping around him as they blew by.

“You’re telling me.” Tempest huffed next to him, eyes on the sky, flashing with the lightning in the clouds before he gave his usual smile. “My kind of weather…” He hummed, the tip of his horned tail gently tapping the deck.

“I hope you aren’t planning on flying out in this kind of weather.” Tempest leaned his head back to look at the green eyed Nindroid as she narrowed said eyes at him. “I’ve grasped the extent of both of your capabilities and in a storm of that magnitude, you would only end up in trouble.” Pixal warned, giving him an unimpressed look once he laughed light and airily.

“Lighten up. I meant it was good for sleeping.” He told her, resting his elbow against the railing and his cheek in his palm as he grinned at her still, the grin- as with all his smiles and laughs- never quite reaching his eyes that were noticeably darker than Jay’s bright blues.

Cole huffed next to him, knowing he definitely meant for flying. But he wasn’t wrong. Storms like this are great when you’re all bundled up in bed and warm. He hopes the same applies for the napping twins in the make-shift nest of blankets and pillows in the middle of their room. They don’t seem particularly bothered by storms but you never really know…

“Cole! Tempest!” They both glanced at Lloyd who was calling them from the living- and eating quarters below the bridge. “Lunch is ready!” He told them and Cole pushed off the railing.

“Let’s go. Jay told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t go eating anything raw.” He says to Tempest who looked genuinely amused for once.

“The threat of a whole day of screaming is more than enough to keep me in line.” Tempest hummed as he headed in, his stride a lot more elegant and graceful than Jay’s- much like the snake he half was.

That made Cole think. This Tempest seems a little different from the tempest of the First Realm. Maybe the whole becoming half serpentine changed him a bit…

“Cole.” He snapped his head up to see Lloyd looking at him with red eyes holding a hint of worry, Tempest too looking at him over his shoulder. “You coming?” He asked and Cole huffed as he walked over.

“Yeah. I was just thinking.” He says, ruffling Lloyd’s hair between his horns as he walked by.

“Hey! No-one messes up my hair!” Lloyd called after him, fussing to straighten his hair again.

“Tell that to literally everyone else.” Cole called back with a laugh as he took his seat and Lloyd huffed, totally not pouting as they too took their seats.

____

“Man, the rain’s really coming down.” Kai says as he gathered their used dishes, balancing a few on the flat tip of his tail as he did, looking out to where Lloyd and Tempest were seated by the sliding doors that were half opened, looking out as the rain pelted the ship.

“I don’t know about you but it makes me wanna take a nap.” Nya says around a yawn, leaning against Pixal who had joined them for conversation, not minding at all that she can’t actually eat like Zane can.

“Weather patterns show that it might keep raining until well into the night. Perhaps back until into the morning.” Zane says as he too looked out from his seat around the table too.

“Hopefully no dragon gets in trouble then. It’ll be a hassle moving around in weather like this.” Nya says as she got up to wash the dishes with Kai as it was their turn.

“Unlikely. The dragons like to hunker down for weather like this. Lightning dragons might be out but they’d be grounded instead since they don’t need to fly to gain a boost of energy from the electricity charged air.” Pixal explained, her studies on the dragons coming in handy.

It wasn’t every day that she got an opportunity like this after all.

“That’s good. I plan on having a nice long nap after this.” She says as she followed behind Kai as he carried the dishes to the sink.

“Dibs on the tv.” Lloyd says as he got up, heading towards said device and curling up on the couch.

“All yours.” Cole says as he got up with a stretch, his joints popping as he did.

He couldn’t stop himself from jolting at a sudden and deafening crash of thunder however.

“Holy f-” Zane cleared his throat. “... Fudge!” Cole breathed, a hand over his chest.

He shot Tempest a glare as he laughed at him- the effect lost when a bright flash of light came with an even louder boom of thunder, startling Cole again. Tempest’s laughter was cut short when a sharp, high cry sounded. Cole was moving before he could even comprehend it, his feet taking him down the stairs quickly. He grunted once Rux ran right into him, landing on his butt in the hallway below. He did hold the young dragon closely as he all but crawled into his chest, trembling in his arms, whimpering fearfully.

“Shh. It’s alright. I’ve got you. It’s just a storm, you’re alright.” Cole reassured, holding the young dragon close.

He glanced up once a whining chitter sounded, finding Nix there, not at all afraid but certainly looking worried and afraid for his brother.

“Don’t worry Nix. He’s alright.” Cole glanced back, noticing that everyone had also gathered, Jay walking by to take Nix in arms.

“Poor guy must have been frightened out of his sleep.” Kai says, stroking Rux’s head from where he was, leaned over Cole. “He’s been awake and asleep through storms before, no problem.” He says as he knelt next to the two.

“Those lightning strikes were rather close as well…” Zane murmured as he shifted his attention between the two dragonlings.

“It’s just a storm… It won’t hurt you…” Cole continued to murmur low, pulling out his large dark wings to wrap around Rux to make him feel safer.

“Maybe it’s best to bring them above deck where everyone else is.” Nya suggested and Pixal nodded her agreement.

“Alright. Sounds good. I’ll grab their blankets.” Kai says as he walked passed them to the end of the hall.

Cole moved to get up- when another deafening rumble of thunder went off and Rux gave a terrified cry.

“Cole! Rux!” Jay yelled and Cole looked down at the dragonling as his right side glowed amber.

Uh-oh.

Cole didn’t have a chance to even attempt to set Rux down before amber blinded him.

Rux gave a small yelp once he was suddenly dropped, whimpering as he got to all fours.

“Cole…” Zane whispered with wide eyes and Cole stood there, not needing to see what happened to him.

This feeling of being disconnected like this, feeling as if his body was turned off… He’s felt it before, had dealt with it for months before. Rux turned back time on him… And he turned it back to one of the worse times of his life.

_______________________________

_______________________________

(uwa! sorry for disappearing again! I was just distressing over the financial side effects of this pandemic has on my family is all. I hope you enjoy that lil art piece in apology! Let’s just pretend I added scales to all of his wings, tail and feet. Also his hands look normal on the ground but they’re rather thickly padded in the palm area. I'll keep doing my best with updates!! Thank you for reading!!!)

[prurientpuddlejumper]

HEY ANON, sooooo remember how I said I know I said NO to this ask?

well I LIED!!! (kind of!) This is a bit of a different angle on it, and is actually an idea I got while watching Legends of Tomorrow XD I hope you enjoy this kinda wacky concept :D 

Please pretend, if you will, that you have just been reading a full-length novel about a band of plucky heroes trying to thwart the enigmatic-but-definitely-villainous plans of an evil monster, and this is the last 2 pages >_>

A group of valiant heroes race through a dark castle, which stands like a spire atop a desolate Swiss mountain, their boots clapping against the stone as they descend into the dank dungeon below.

“Stop, fiend!” a golden-haired adventurer shouts, “the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation will never allow you to pierce the veil!”

“YOU ARE TOO LATE,” a harsh, booming voice echoes. A steel gate drops in front of them with a heavy clank, and another behind, trapping them. The voice cackles madly. 

Gathering his instruments around him, the dark, immense silhouette of the monster emerges from the shadows, and draws an intricate sigil upon the floor.

“In fact, I was counting on your following me. Did it not seem too easy?” he taunts. Taking a long spear, the creature plunges it deftly and suddenly between the metal bars, hitting his target. One of the adventurers, a sallow young man in glasses, gives a sharp yelp as the weapon pierces his shoulder. “The blood of a descendant of my despised creator. The last ingredient.” The monster grins a pearly-white grin that does not match his dry-parchment complexion. With a fluid motion, he flicks the blood onto the sigils, and the markings begin to glow with magic. As the etheric light swirls and fills the air, the room shakes as if by earthquake—no, not the room—it is as if reality itself is cracking.

“Whatever beast you are summoning, you-you mustn't!” the sallow young man cries, “There was a reason my ancestor refused to help you! He believed you were capable of destroying all of mankind if he granted your wish. There will be repercussions even you cannot predict. I know you hold an ancient grudge against my family, but you cannot doom the entire world! Please! I’m begging you to reconsider before it’s too late!”

There are many things the creature could say, that he could spit at this naive Frankenstein in contempt, but he is bored of hatred after so many years. The whole of humanity could burn—or not—all he cares about is one thing, and nothing will stop him from getting it. He watches the glowing of the seals, his eyes feverish with anticipation.

“Here it comes. However monstrous this fiend is, whatever he summons from Hell shall be even worse. Brace yourselves!”

Slowly, you begin to remember. You remember the ashy taste of smoke filling your throat and scorching your lungs. You remember the searing pain of your flesh blistering as it was licked by the flames. The rough rope digging into your wrists was a discomfort you could no longer feel over the agony of burning alive. And then everything went black.

You open your eyes.

There are distant shouts echoing off the hard stone walls of the torch-lit dungeon you appear to be in, but you hardly give them any notice. The first thing you see is a familiar face, smiling so sweetly and tenderly at you that you almost don’t notice its cadaverous hollowness. You never minded his appearance, anyway. There is a haze around your memory, like waking from a dream, and you’re not quite sure when you last saw him. (Don’t you see him every day?) All you know is there’s a burning feeling in your stomach of missing him so much.

“It is really you?” he whispers, almost a prayer.

“My love!” You laugh brightly, throwing your arms around his neck and flooding him with kisses. His arms lift you off the cold stone altar or sarcophagus you had been laying on.

Somewhere in the distance, voices argue in sharp, confused tones. In between the desperate, passionate smashing of your lips against his, you make out only a few words, including, “—doesn’t look like a demon?” and “what the f—” 

His skin is just slightly too cool for a human, as always, but his arms still feel warm around you. You’re freezing, actually. As if you had been swimming in an icy river. And as you peer out over his shoulder, you confirm you are indeed in a castle dungeon, surrounded by strange tools and occult paraphernalia, with several oddly-dressed prisoners trying to free themselves from a steel cage.

“Wait. What… what happened? What is this place?” you tremble, pulling back. He sets you down again on the stone platform, his face unreadable as he searches for the words to explain. His hesitation convinces you something is very, very wrong—he never hides anything from you. You stare at the back of your hands. Your skin. There was something wrong with your skin.

It was… fine.

“No. I remember… I remember burning. The fire. How am I not burned or scarred?”

“My love…”

“No! Not just burning. I died, didn’t I?” you demand, breathing hard and shallow.

He puts a large hand on your shoulder, and his yellow eyes meet yours, trying to calm you. In a slow, deep voice, he says, “It has been two-hundred years, my love. It is the 21st century now.”

“Two-hundred years?” you breathe. “That can’t be.”

“I can thank Victor for one thing. There is no reason my body, powered by an artificial mechanism of life, need ever age or die. I have lived all this time, learning every science and mysticism that could return you to me. When my father refused to aid me in restoring life to your physical form, the dark arts became the last refuge of my hopes. I have spent every waking minute finding a way to bring you back. And it worked. Finally, you are here. We are together again.”

He stoops to kiss you again, but you stop him with a hand on his chest. “But… So much time has gone by. We were only together a decade. If it has truly been two centuries, you’ve been working to restore me far longer than we ever knew each other. Do I even know you anymore?”

“Of course you know me!” he snarls, making you jump. “I did all of this for you—now do as you were meant to, and love me!” He gnashes his teeth, towering over you at his full eight feet of height. Your breath catches in your throat and tears prick your eyes. He was always prone to outbursts of emotion, but he never behaved like this before. He never made you afraid. 

Who had he become in all that time? Left on his own, his goodness and gentleness eroded away as he obsessed over his one goal—you.

But as quickly as his anger flashed, the moment he saw your horrified expression, he melted to his knees, bowing his head over your lap. “I am sorry, my love. Forgive me. I have been alone for so long, waiting for this day. You still know me.” He looks up, yellow eyes soft and sorrowful. He reaches cautiously toward your face, and when you don’t recoil, wipes a tear that had formed at the corner of your eye. 

You consider his apology, and, after leaving him dangling for a few dreadful moments, stroke his hair like the magnanimous owner of a penitent cat after a night of roving. “Have you never loved again in all this time?”

“Never. Who else could ever tolerate such a wretch?”

“Oh you poor, foolish man.” You cup his chin, and can’t help but get caught up admiring him. Though his skin was scarred and shrivelled like a corpse, he had a strong jawline that made him quite handsome. “Of course there are others who would love you. I’ve always told you so.”

“And if they were caught up by some angry mob that was looking for me? If they were burned alive for loving me as well? No—I could never put another in danger after what happened to you. Not until I could correct the injustice that was done.”

You lean in to kiss him, but are interrupted by the loud choking sounds of weeping. One of the men in the cage—a bespectacled boy bleeding from his shoulder—blows his nose into a handkerchief and swipes at his reddened eyes.

“Th-that’s so beautiful. I had no idea.” he whimpers.

Oh right. Those guys. 

"Umm. So, who are they?"

"Oh, well, you see..." The creature scratches the back of his head, and shrugs his shoulders sheepishly. "I had to break certain... laws of nature, you know, spitting in the face of god and so forth in order to bring you back. There may have also been some crimes involved. At some point a monster-hunter group got wind of what I was doing, and—"

"You WHAT? CRIMES?"

"And, you know, the prejudice of humans against me has not changed in the passing eras." His eyes shift around the room, landing on his feet, which he scuffs nervously on the floor. “They just see a monster and… and make assumptions.” 

"Oh don't give me that excuse, buddy, you are in SO much trouble! Breaking the laws of nature..." You wag your index finger at him.

Grinning widely, he pulls you off the altar into his arms, and squeezes you tightly to his chest. You nuzzle into him, breathing in his familiar tomb-scent, and twining your fingers around his neck, through his long, dark hair. You sigh. Life was always an adventure when you were by his side, good or bad. Now you have a second chance, whatever the future holds. You're finally home.

[transformersimagines]

Left Behind

It wasn’t completely your fault, not really. They hurt you first, they made you run away. But even then they weren’t the ones that made you stay away, that was your choice. I was so mad and hurt, it consumed me. The voices didn’t let is go either, if anything they held a bigger grudge against the Autobots than you. They had their full confidence in me and when my trust was broken so was theirs, another part of the reason you hadn't gone back. Not being there though caused everything else to happen. Why the world wasn’t the same anymore… why everyone was dead. You weren’t there to stop the Decepticons, you didn’t do anything. The last thing you did, your final kindness was in aiding in the Autobots fleeing from your planet. You still don’t really remember why. After the Autobots left the Decepticons fully terraformed your planet, completely draining it of life. Everything and everyone died, I was the only one left. Once the Decepticons got everything they wanted they left too leaving you truly alone. 

The Autobots probably thought I was dead, they would never come back to my planet. The voices disagreed. Even though they wanted nothing to do with the Autobots they knew they would be back for them. Once the Autobots realized I still had the Allspark they would come back, greed would always drive them to the power. They would use me again, hurt me again… Would I be ok with this? Just so I wasn’t alone anymore. Where you alone though? The voices were always there keeping me company inside your head. They are the ones that kept me alive. They changed me, I was barely my old self. What did I even look like before? The Autobots probably wouldn’t recognize me anyway. 

(weird time break lol)

I stood in silence, staring at the ship slowly descending onto my planet. Its shape cut through the thick layer of clouds that had formed in the sky. I didn’t hide when bots excited the ship and slowly approached me. I didn’t need to, they were no threat to me, to us. As they got closer I notice my height in comparison, being considerably taller than most of them. I don’t remember being this tall before? 

“L̸̡̩͔͕͍̗̫̽̈́͆͆̃͊̅͊̌͛̓̿̆i̶̡̢̲̦͍̪̠̮̻̭̬̼̐͂͂̒ͅå̶̧̛͔͈͒̀̊̋̾̏̈̒͌͘͘͝?” One asks. I don’t understand what they said, it had empty meaning, but somehow I recognized him. The yellow color and rounded shape were familiar.

“That's your name, right?” Another says. I shift my gaze and eye the bot that spoke. This one I knew as well. Old memories flash across my vision, music, laughter, and-

“ＪＡＺＺ.” I speak slowly. I don’t remember the last time I actually spoke words out loud, the action felt so foreign. 

“That's my name, do you remember yours?” Jazz questions. I just stare back, was what the other one said a name? I guess it might have been, I don’t think I have a name now though, haven’t needed one in a long time. 

Another bot behind me takes a step closer, I turn to face him instead. I don’t recognize this bot, but he was getting way to close. He flinches under my gaze and takes a step back, adjusting his weapon. 

“She’s gone Jazz, it's a miracle she recognized you.”  He comments. 

“No, she’s not, I can see it in her eyes. L̴̈́̽̍̂̆̓̈́̀̇̽̆̊͆̓ͅi̷̅͐͆́̇͋̍͛̕̚̕͜ą̸̢̠̜̤̯̻̘̙̪͖̟͌̒̌̚ is still there.” Jazz says, taking a step closer. I slowly turn to face him, eyeing up the other bots. They each had a weapon out and they had formed a semi-circle around me. They were going to hurt me again. 

“ＨＵＲＴ... ＭＥ...ＡＧＡＩＮ?” I ask adding extra emphasis on ‘again,’ pointing down at Jazz’s weapon. It was hard to really speak, I had to get to the point or else I wasn’t going to have any voice left. 

“We aren't here to hurt you L̵̹̬̖̩̟̄̋̑̀̏̃̿̏̇̅̋̂̆́̈̏͘͠i̸͙̻̲̣̺͙͙̞̯̒͊̏͜ả̵̛͈͔̠͖̩̲̠͙̦̤̰̙̜̱̓͛̂́͜ͅ. We had to take precautions because we didn’t know what we would find here.” Jazz explains. He’s lying, he knew your planet was completely empty, just us. They were scared of me, they didn’t know what you could do. 

“ＮＯＴＨＩＮＧ... ＨＥＲＥ... ＯＮＬＹ... ＵＳ.” I state. My throat starts to noticeably ache from use, it had been centuries since it was used, after all, it made complete sense.  

“We know that now. Why don’t you come with us, that way you won't be alone.” Jazz offers, taking a step closer. All the bots here do so actually, they were closing in on me. They thought I was easy to trick, easy to capture. I look past Jazz and at the ship, I saw a glimmer, a flicker of the Matrix. He was there hiding, he didn’t want to face his mistake. 

All I had to do was focus and I wasn’t on the surface of my planet, I was standing in front of him on the ship. Optimus Prime didn’t seem too spooked, but everyone else on the ship jumped back and drew their weapons. Optimus waves at the bots, causing them to lower their weapons. You watch as one seems to contact the bots on my planet, they were going to try and leave with me on the ship. 

“Ļ̶̥̣̤̰̬͉͈̋͌i̴̹̹̜̻̠͂̊̾́̓͒͝a̴̡̡͕̻̳̬͇̫̳̫͈͔̤͍̯̯͇͙̍͐͐̚̚͜͝?” Optimus says. I stare at him, “I’m sorry we left you alone. I’m sorry we lost.” Apart of me really wanted to agree with him and continue to be anger. But when he said all that it didn’t sound true. All this time I’ve had to think about everything, it wasn’t all their fault. It wasn’t for a while until I finally responded to him. 

“ＮＯＴ...ＡＬＬ...ＹＯＵ.” My voice starts to crack and falter. I reach out and place my hand on Optimus’ chest. I couldn’t vocalize my true emotions, so I instead project them onto him. All the original pain that they caused and all the pain of everyone on your planet felt when they lost. Then all my sorrow of not helping, showing him the role I played in their final escape. Then all the regret and loneliness I felt after everyone was gone. Optimus gently grabbed my hand and removed it from his chest. 

“I understand, but we need your help. This time we will do right by you and your planet and make up for the pain we caused.” Optimus says. I take my hand from Optimus’ and move away from him. He just wanted to use me again, he was lying to make me feel better and trust him. 

“No one is going to be hurt anyone anymore, we just want to help you.” Optimus explains. Another lie, he just wanted a chance to redeem himself from the giant mistake that was my massacred planet. I turned around to face him, anger clearly expressed on my face. 

“ＹＯＵ... ＷＡＮＴ... ＳＰＡＲＫ.” I manage to crook out, my voice very hoarse and rough. I glare up at him, daring him to lie to me again.  

“It is what brought us back here, yes. We didn’t expect to find you though, this is our chance-” Optimus starts before I cut him off. 

“ＹＯＵＲ... ＲＥＤＥＭＴＩＯＮ!” I claim. He didn’t want to actually help me, it was just a chance to redeem himself. This claim shocked Optimus into silence. 

“Is there something we can give you in exchange for your help?” Another bot steps forward and asks. He was black and white with wings, his eyes are iced and cold. 

“ＦＲＥＥＤＯＭ.” I state, moving my hand over my chest. I wanted to be free of this Allspark, it had kept me alive for far too long. I want to join my family and friends beyond. Nothing was holding me to this life, I had no hope left. This other bot hums to himself, tapping away at this metal screen. 

“We can try. I’ll put Wheeljack and Ratchet on removing the Allspark from you. That should allow you to be free of it.” This bot explains, tapping away at the screen. “Can you give me a name, that way we know what to call you.” There was that word again, ‘name.’ What was my name? 

“How about a new name? A point to start over.” Optimus offers, “Something that describes who you are.” What describes me? The only thing I have done for the past centuries was watching the sky, it was the only thing that stayed the same after the change. 

“ＳＫＹ?” I offer, not exactly sure if that could even be a name.

“Sky’s a good name. It’s nice to meet you Sky, I am Optimus Prime leader of the Autobots. Welcome to the Ark.” He greats.

Looks like I was right back where I started, not that I remembered the beginning all that well. I am with the Autobots again. Most of the bots on this ship though I was slow and dumb, trying to teach me and instruct me in undermining ways. But some saw the knowledge and experience behind my silence and actions. But even with the similarities to the past, I was still moving forward towards something better. I wasn’t trapped in my planet anymore, I wasn’t alone anymore, and maybe I could find hope again.

[kariachi]

Storyline thoughts for the earlier mentioned Morningstar Vengeance Mode (because I’m a digimon nerd that’s why). Warning, shit’s fucking long.

Okay, so, we start with Mike introduction as usual and it goes a lot different. Not completely different, but despite him and Kevin clearly not liking each other from the word go there’s a lot of changes. He doesn’t have eyes and teeth on Gwen for one thing- she and Ben are just a means to the Ruin Max Tennyson end and he’s going to make full use of them, can’t do that if one’s a half-dead thrall

Still flirts? Still flirts. It’s his default way of communicating with people in his age range who aren’t other Ossys or Elena. So he’s flirting with Gwen and Ben and sniping and snapping back and forth with Kevin because they’re too young to be thinking in terms of mating options but just old enough to be growly over territory.

The only other person who fights with him over it is Manny and he doesn’t even want the territory he just doesn’t want Mike to win. The others are either too far removed from their roots to want territory, are Erinaen and therefor non-territorial, live outside of territory range, or are Cooper and have accepted that the others are more dominant forces than him

Mike joins the team, everyone is happy except Kevin

Ken rescues happen, Max is found, mentions being happy about how well Mike is holding up among all his other ‘hi kids’ shit, Mike is notably colder than normal, is surprisingly affected by Max’s death

He is so fucking pissed, though that doesn’t come out until later. How dare he fucking die before Mike could ruin him. How. Fucking. Dare.

For a while Kevin is the glue holding the team together despite himself while Gwen is a wreck, Mike is a more put together wreck, and Ben is trying to pretend he’s not a wreck. It takes a while for everything to even back out.

(Not sure if I want to modify What little Girls Are Made Of... Like, on the one hand I’ve been writing Mike as having the Spark for a while now, but on the other what would having him be verified an Anodite do for the story besides encourage Gwike?)

Eventually this version’s version of Darkstar Rising comes along- earlier, probably, and with a lot more shit with the Plumbers Helpers before it happens- and we don’t have Magister Dumbshit (I can’t remember his name, this works) talking about vigilantism and crap, but about the fact that Max authorized a bunch of underage civilians to get involved is illegal, alongside a whole host of other things that are brought up that basically boil down to both “sit down, the professionals will handle things from here” and “holy shit your grandpa was a piece of shit”

The Tennysons are freaking out, because some of the shit brought up is stuff nobody would’ve known to look into if they hadn’t heard about it from family, and eventually it comes out that Mike is the one who made the call.

This is where we get the backstory- Max was involved in his father’s death (how? I don’t know yet. I don’t even know how he went yet. Also how bitter Mike is and just how he ended up going this far may vary depending on if I decide to keep Devin a thing. I kinda don’t want Kevin one of the Plumber Kids for this... Devin was thing but not Kevin’s father? Or his father but nobody knows/knew it? Eva seems the type to get knocked up by a one night stand and roll with it.) Max was involved in Mike’s father’s death, it was classed as an accident or his involvement was small enough that it wasn’t considered or he was just there, who knows, whatever the situation Mike put the blame on him and has been working with the Tennysons to take advantage of Ben’s hero worship to gather dirt. He was going to ruin his life, but with him dead the least he can do is ruin his good reputation.

Ben and Gwen of course flip and cut all ties with him while Kevin is torn between “Can’t blame him too much” and “Yeah, fuck him, territory thief” (Kevin no, he was here first, stop). With Kevin’s help they’re able to fake some shit to restore Max’s good name, managing to both get Magister Dumbshit to let them keep helping with the Highbreed Stuff but also managing to get Mike in trouble with the law (only half on purpose, because damnit don’t attack their family and make them consider how shit their grandfather might actually be)

That last one’s fun, making sure Mike will want to return to start more shit while also giving us a bit of darkness for the Tennysons to grapple with and try to reconcile. It doesn’t become a theme, but they do have to actually stop and consider that they just got an innocent guy in trouble with the law, partly by accident and partly because they were angry. (Kevin, meanwhile, sits sagely. He knows the feel, been there so very often.)

We still get the team-up for the Highbreed Finale, which stays mostly the same, with just minor edits to fit the new canon. Mike’s involvement ends with him and Kevin glaring each other down and silently parting ways, both too tired after all that to start shit.

From that point Mike is a regularly recurring villain across the series with a few different story types- 1) Out for Max’s blood, 2) Out for Ben and Gwen’s blood, 3) Fuck Off Levin This Neighborhood Is Mine, and 4) Miscellaneous

He loses the first 2 types, of course, but sometimes manages a win in Type 3 episodes. Makes it a nice power struggle between him and Kevin as they try to ‘take over’ Bellwood and Undertown.

I’m not sure whether or not I’d keep the Dominus Librum inccident... On the one hand without Mike being all half-starved I don’t know that it completely fits, but on the other we could have him finally taking drastic action to stop being so fucking hungry. Could maybe tie it in with a modified In Charms Way...

The boys lose their powers as a result of the artifact and for a while get along great without them, mostly because they’re celebrating being normal for the first times in their lives and hey, who else are they gonna celebrate with. But the effects turn out not to last long and between that and Mike’s continued hate for the Tennysons, well...

Then, we get a different In Charms Way where there’s no fucking pseudo-romance angle, purely platonic manipulation, and have it happening at the same time as Dominus Librum. How might things have gone if friendships had truly blossomed? Will we ever know? *shrug*

Mike’s involvement in the Ultimate Kevin arc stays the same, this time being brought in despite everyone’s best interests because he’s the leading expert that isn’t half-eaten and also they’re hoping he’s as interested in powering down Kevin as Gwen is

He really is. Has been avoiding that fucker like the plague, has no intention of ending up gristle between his teeth

While all this shit is going down, he notices the similarities between his and Gwen’s powers and begins looking into magic- even winning a few fights with Kevin through it (seriously, please picture both of them having big maps of Bellwood with their territories marked off on it that they just growl over occasionally)- which leads into the next altered episode

Couples Retreat is entirely different, like the episode idea I offered a while back. Charm opens her door to a battered and tired teenager laying on the charm and asking to be taught magic. She’s surprised, a little confused, and Gwen is visibly against the idea, so she says yes. The rest of the episode consists of the Tennysons trying to get her to change her mind while Kevin celebrates in the background because a Mike in a different dimension is a Mike without claims to Bellwood.

Charmcaster does not change her mind and the last we see of the two in UA is them in Charm’s library, going over the basics.

During OV half the time Mike is seen it’s with Charmcaster. His magic improves and he continues to hold a fucking grudge. They make a good team, she treats him like an annoying younger brother when she isn’t treating him like a student, it’s a fun team-up and the way she keeps correcting his form is hilarious. For the most part things seem normal, though sometimes Charm seems off.

Eventually though she starts acting too off and Mike goes to Cooper for help with whatever the problem is because he doesn’t exactly have many friends and Cooper is the best of moral grey. Cooper then goes to Kevin, and Kevin gets the Tennysons involved. This becomes a multi-episode arc where the old team get together again- Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Mike, with added Rook- to figure out what’s wrong with Charmcaster and fix it. They do. The final scene has Charm and Mike leave on shaky but maybe better ground with the Tennysons, a silent promise that maybe things could truly improve between the groups.

The flash forward episode has Charmcaster in the background

Mike is mentioned as not coming because even nearly 20 years later still Fuck Maxwell with a Pineapple.

[hookaroo]

Vocivore, Ltd. (22 of 40?)

A OUAT WINTER WHUMP FIC

Also on FFN and AO3 (ListerofTardis)

Tagging @ouatwinterwhump, @killian-whump, @sancocnutclub, @killianjonesownsmyheart1, and @courtorderedcake <3

***THE MOST WONDERFUL COVER ART BY @cocohook38 HERE!!!!!******

***Chapter 12 animation and art that will absolutely astound you!!!**********

***NEW!!!!!!! LETHAL Chapter 19 art in all of its BLOODSTAINED GLORY!!!! AAAAAAHHHH!!! THANK YOU MY WONDERFUL COCONUT FRIEND!!!!!!***

5 weeks ago, continued...

The portal sizzled closed behind Emma, leaving Killian and Rumplestiltskin alone in the clearing. According to the plan, Emma needed at least a small head start so that the blame for Hope’s disappearance could fall solely on Killian’s shoulders. But during all of their careful scheming, Killian had concealed something from her: his grudging conclusions about how he would spend the time while he waited.

Without a word, the Dark One promptly spun on his heel and headed off in the direction of his temporary lodging. Sighing reluctantly, Killian called out a commanding,

“Oi!”

Rumple stopped but didn’t turn back; Killian rolled his eyes and adopted a casual tone.

“What’s your rush, mate? Surely you could spare me a few moments more, for old times’ sake?”

“Did you require something else, pirate? I’m really rather busy at the moment and I was under the impression that our business was concluded.” Rumple waited to turn until he had finished speaking, as if to emphasize his eagerness to be gone. Killian quirked a sarcastic smile that hid sudden nerves.

“Not to worry; I won’t keep you long.” Killian drew a deep breath as Rumple waited with a peeved expression. “Bloody hell, I can’t believe I’m about to ask this, but… well, look, this whole plot hinges on believability, yes? The entirety of Storybrooke needs to accept my desperation to get my daughter back. And anyone who thinks I wouldn’t fight tooth and nail to keep her from being taken in the first place is very sorely mistaken indeed.”

The Dark One’s startled smirk set Killian’s teeth on edge. “Why, Captain. Are you asking me to give you a beating?”

“You don’t have to look so happy about it,” grumbled Killian, already regretting the request. He grimaced. “I’d much rather have Emma do it, but I couldn’t ask that of her. And I know you won’t hold back to spare me pain. Do keep in mind, though--”

Abruptly, Rumple materialized just in front of the unenthusiastic pirate, cutting him off with a swift fist to the nose. As Killian reeled back in pained surprise, Rumple followed up with a knee to the groin. And then the Dark One was pummeling him, raining magically-enhanced blows down upon a floundering Killian and taking obvious delight in the task.

Gathering his wits and relying on centuries of combat experience, Killian rallied to the point of blocking or dodging about one third of his opponent’s strikes, even landing a smattering of answering hits upon the imp’s damnable grinning face. But Rumple’s magical speed and power gave him the overwhelming advantage. Killian quickly succumbed to aching exhaustion and simply closed his eyes, waiting for it to be over.

One final uppercut to his face, and the pirate lost his footing and collapsed to the dirt. Gasping for air and spewing the blood that flowed freely into his mouth, Killian tried for any attitude but miserable defeat.

“Would you look at that?” he panted, the brash words falling short in light of his current position on the ground. “I’d heard of crocodile tears… but croc’s blood… that’s a new one.”

“I could say that I didn’t enjoy that,” Rumple began, not even breathing hard. He waved a hand over his own face and all trace of injury instantly melted away. “But we both know it would be a lie.”

“Bastard,” muttered Killian as he struggled to his knees.

“Don’t get up just yet, dearie,” warned Rumple, the slight singsong tone a taunting hint of his true Dark One nature. Killian froze. A flash of foreboding landed in the pit of his aching gut.

“Why?” he growled in suspicion.

Rumple’s voice had a shade of that high, mocking quality that Killian so despised as he answered,

“Because this is probably going to hurt.”

That blasted dagger--the bane of everyone’s existence--misted into view. Before Killian could even flinch, Rumple lunged, and the undulating blade tore into the pirate’s flesh. A wicked, searing anguish jolted through Killian’s side. The dagger slid straight through and exited out the back, then reversed as Rumple yanked it free. Releasing a shocked cry of pain, Killian hunched over and clamped his hand against the wound.

The Dark One dagger faded into smoke, off to resume its place in whatever trophy display currently housed its evil. When he had caught his breath, Killian snarled at Rumple, all trace of concord gone.

“Dammit, Crocodile; I asked you to rough me up a bit, not bloody well run me through!” He winced, every movement sending spikes of unbearable agony throughout his abdomen. He could feel hot blood pulsing out between his fingers.

“You wanted realism,” countered the Dark One, whose demeanor bordered on gloating. “Planned abductions do tend to involve a weapon or two.”

“What good is realism if I bleed to death before the scheme even kicks off?” Sweat mingled with the blood on his face, while agonized tears stung his eyes. “Take it back.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” laughed Rumple. “Take back a stab wound? How do you expect me to do that?”

“Heal it,” grunted Killian. His attempts to get to his feet were increasing the pain a hundredfold. “I’m no use to anyone like this.”

“I think… not.” Rumple looked him over once more. “You have your realism, your shock factor… not even Queen Regina herself would notice if either of you were to slip up. Your sheriff spouse will exhibit genuine surprise and fear. And then, of course, she can be the one to heal you. It’s only logical.”

Through the haze of pain, Killian could see his point. If there was one way to ensure that Emma displayed real, startled terror, having her husband appear with a serious injury would do it. And despite the steady flow of blood, Killian didn’t think he was truly in any mortal danger. Just a short trip through the portal, and Emma could use her healing magic on him. But it would be a damn excruciating journey until then.

“I hope you fall off a cliff on your way home,” Killian spat. The Dark One smirked.

“Good luck with that Vocivore, Captain. I would be mildly amused to hear that you lost your head over it.”

Using disgust as motivator, Killian finally managed to push himself to his feet. He straightened, cursing, feeling the utter wrongness of the tunnel through his flesh.

“Oh, I do enjoy the look of pain on your face,” gloated Rumple. Killian clenched his teeth, in no condition for witty retorts.

“Sod off, scaly blaggard.”

“Gladly.” Rumple raised his hand in a ‘summoning magic’ sort of motion, but then he snickered. “I may have failed to mention… though the monster is nourished by screams, some of my sources mention rumors of… other appetites. I do not envy you in the slightest.”

He waved his hand, his cloud enveloped him, and he was gone. Killian shivered, an instant of panicked shock overshadowing even his excruciating wound. But then he dismissed the statement with a glower. The Crocodile was likely just fabricating something to throw him off balance. He wouldn’t be cowed. Not by bloody Rumplestiltskin.

Moments later, Killian’s portal activated and he hobbled through, eager for the tingle of healing magic, but dreading the necessity of spinning the web of lies and deceit for his family and friends.