#and little christine was seeing something close to her future friend... ;)

[andrewmoocow]

Two Sides of the Same Gem chapter 4: Chaos on Two Earths (originally published on February 20, 2023)

AN: This will be the day we've waited for, because the end of Two Sides of the Same Gem has arrived, and with it, we're close to the endgame of the Steven Universe: Alternate Future AU. All that will be left are the second season of Little Homeworld Life and Snake Eyes, and we're finally done after that! Writing this whole shared universe has truly been an honor, and while it's bittersweet to see it coming to an end soon, I hope you'll all enjoy what I'll have in store. In the meantime, let's get this finale started!

Cast:

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper, Overcooked Jasper

Lauren Ash as White Topaz, Rebel White Topaz

Noël Wells as Black Rutile, Rebel Black Rutile

Zach Callison as Steven, Lord Steven

Estelle as Garnet, Toxic Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst, Sadist Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl, Sycophant Pearl

Jennifer Paz as Lapis, Zuli, Psycho Lapis

Shelby Rabara as Peridot, Nihilist Peridot

Grace Rolek as Connie, Rebel Connie

Della Saba as Aquamarine, Rebel Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball, Rebel Eyeball, Ruby, Toxic Ruby

Erica Luttrell as Sapphire, Toxic Sapphire

Christine Pedi as Holly Blue Agate, Rebel Holly Blue

Casey Lee Williams as Cat's Eye, Rebel Cat's Eye

Jinkx Monsoon as Rebel Emerald, Emerald

Kari Wahlgren as Rebel Pyrope, Pyrope

Melissa Fahn as Rebel Demantoid, Demantoid

Hayley Kiyoko as Rebel Morganite, Morganite

Dee Bradley Baker as Lion

Larissa Gallagher as Bluebird Azurite

Billie Eilish as Turquoise, Regime Turquoise

Jessica Nigri as Orange Moonstone

Keith Olbermann as Kent Whitman

Alex Hirsch as Lawrence Abrams

--

"Greetings and salutations, people of this Earth. I am Steven Universe." Lord Steven introduced himself to this new universe as his invasion kicked into high gear. Despite his chipper and pleasant demeanor that wouldn't seem out of place coming from the regular Steven, his reason for excitement was anything but good. "But spoiler warning, I am not the Steven you know. I come from a world where my mother, the ever-iron-fisted Pink Diamond, aka Rose Quartz, finally realized one simple idea. What's so funny about peace and love on the planet Earth? So after gathering up an army and giving the Diamonds the payback they deserve for their centuries of abuse, Pink took Earth for herself, and now I am left to carry on her legacy. And thanks to a very special friend residing in this world, my eyes have been opened to not just one world of possibilities, but a whole multiverse for me to conquer!"

Dropships carrying Crystal Regime soldiers began flying across the Earth as soon as they crossed over, soldiers disembarking when the ships touched down to spread Lord Steven's virtues everywhere they went, whether the people liked them or not.

At Little Homeworld, White Topaz had just finished explaining everything that had happened to her and Jasper in the other universe, from the resistance, the regime, and the two worlds' differing histories. "Wow, that's a lot to take in." Amethyst muttered. "I mean, Pink Diamond evil?! We're all aware she did some pretty nasty things, but this is a whole 'nother level!"

"Are you sure Black Rutile isn't leading us into another trap?" Peridot asked suspiciously. "I feel like this might be something she might lie about." Just then, the Vortexxer activated from inside Black Rutile's house, and out of it came the Lucent Gems, finally making it in the nick of time to help. "Alright, talk!"

"So, these must be the Crystal Gems." The alternate Black Rutile observed how radically different the Crystal Gems were from the Regime. "Wow, there are complete opposites, and then there's this."

"Enough games, Black Rutile; we know what you have planned!" Pearl said while pointing her spear at the rebel Black Rutile's face. "And since when did you get another White Topaz? And is that Connie?"

"Didn't realize they'd be so hostile too." The heroic Black Rutile added. "Greetings, good Crystal Gems. We are the Lucent Gems, and we come in peace."

"Oh no, you don't!" the Black Rutile that the Crystal Gems were familiar with yelled as she was beamed down to Little Homeworld from Lord Steven's flagship, sword at the ready. "You won't be doing any coming while I'm around!"

"Ha, that's what she said!" Amethyst yelled, but Black Rutile paid her no mind before clashing swords with her good counterpart.

"We must stop this Regime at once, or else the entire multiverse is doomed." Garnet proclaimed. "We'll need to think of a plan, though. As these are our counterparts from another universe, they'll likely know our every move."

"So what, are we just going to split up and fight whichever other us matches us?" Lapis asked.

"That sounds like a plan to me." Pearl agreed with the terraformer.

"Hey, what about my alternate universe self?" Bismuth asked. "I don't think White Topaz ever mentioned mine."

"Oh yeah, yours is dead; I almost forgot." White Topaz bluntly admitted, much to Bismuth's dismay. "From what I hear, your counterpart built weapons of mass destruction for the heck of it."

"Seriously?!" Bismuth complained. "Aw man, I was really hoping we could exchange ideologies and fists! I'm pretty sure she didn't even care about freeing Gems from the upper crusts like I did!"

"You're right; nobody was safe from her devices." The alternate Aquamarine replied. "Well, what are we waiting for? We got a world to save!"

The Lucent and Crystal Gems all nodded to each other, sealing their alliance as they raced off to confront the Crystal Regime, leaving the Black Rutiles to fight each other to the finish.

"What use will your little posse do?" the evil Black Rutile said to her more virtuous doppelganger between sword clashes. "You should know by now that Lord Steven's reign is unstoppable!"

"Well, I prefer to believe in a little thing called luck." The good Black Rutile answered slyly. "Besides, vengeance has blackened your soul, my friend. Once, I feared that I would become that which I fought against. You, on the other hand, have swan-dived into that abyss with reckless abandon." She then unholstered a shock pistol from her gem and pointed it at her evil self. "And when it looked back at you, you blinked."

The evil Black Rutile was surprised as she was shocked into submission by her good self, but she wouldn't take it lying down. Mustering enough strength to keep herself from getting poofed, Black Rutile disarmed her other half by throwing her sword at the shock pistol and tackling her to the ground.

--

"Good day America; we have breaking news." Kent Whitman said nervously as he began reading the news. "Just moments ago, unidentified spacecrafts emerged from a portal over Beach City, Delmarva, intending to conquer the entire world. And that's not all. Their leader proclaims himself to be an alternate reality version of half-alien child celebrity Steven Universe. We now go live to Lawrence Abrams at Empire City, up close and personal with the invaders. Lawrence, what can you gather?"

"Have you ever seen alien invasion films where the invaders come down to conquer the Earth and force their way of life down people's throats?" Lawrence Abrams said as he tried to hide from the Crystal Regime's forces. "Well, this is exactly what's going on right now. Folks at home, if you're still watching, don't let any of those pink-armored schmucks into your houses! I'm sure we'll have a plan to get rid of them all!"

"FREEZE, REPORTER!" a Crystal Regime grunt bellowed, pointing his blaster at Lawrence. "You are under arrest for resisting our conquest of Earth!" The soldier shot the microphone out of Lawrence's hand and smashed his face into the ground. "That's right, stay down!"

"HELP US, STEVEN UNIVERSE, YOU'RE OUR ONLY-" Lawrence screamed for a hero as the video cut to a technical difficulties screen. At Olympia diner in Keystone, a certain boy watched the report while helping himself to a burger just as a lion roared outside.

"Uh, kiddo, I think the girl outside might be looking for you." The waiter at the counter said to his customer. "Would you like your meal to go?" The boy nodded, and his burger was promptly placed in a takeout box while he paid for his meal. "Have a nice day, Mr. Universe."

"Keep the change; buy yourself something nice." Steven said as he took his burger and walked out of the diner to meet with Connie, who was waiting outside on Lion's back. "Connie, you saw the news?"

"Yeah, I came to find you as soon as the word got out." Connie replied. "I mean, an evil alternate universe version of you invading our world? What are the Gems up to that started this?"

"Hopefully, we'll learn more as we go along." Steven responded, feeding Lion his burger before hopping behind Connie on the big cat's back. "Come on, Lion, to Little Homeworld!" With a mighty roar, Lion spawned a portal that he pounced through with Steven and Connie on his back.

--

With help from the Lucent Gems, the Crystal Gems could break into Lord Steven's flagship and plan to take down the Crystal Regime one by one, each facing off against their respective counterpart. At the same time, Bismuth looked for a way to stop the invasion and send the Regime back to their world. However, Lord Steven took notice of the intruders aboard his ship and sent out his enforcers to eliminate them all one by one, just like the Gems were planning.

"You have my word, Lord Steven." The toxically fused Garnet nodded as Lord Steven ordered to terminate her Crystal Gem counterpart, who was already charging towards her. "So, I suppose you must be the me of this world."

"I'd say the same about you." Garnet coolly declared, pounding her fists together and beckoning her toxic doppelganger to bring it on while also taking notice of her third eye nearly bulging out of her head, the additional limbs, and a general disagreement over what color her body should be. "Toxic fusion. I'd like to know who the abuser is between your Ruby and Sapphire?"

"They're both abusive." The toxic Garnet replied, cracking her neck before the two fusions clashed. "They couldn't stand each other, always arguing and fighting, yet they were also inseparable at the same time. Kind of messed up, don't you think?"

"I can definitely see that." Garnet agreed, socking her counterpart in the face. "Still, you hate each other so much yet remain fused regardless."

"We're only in it for the power!" the evil Garnet said, her voice now sounding more like Ruby. "Fusion is but an excellent tactic to make weak Gems stronger! What, do you think there are other reasons to fuse as well?!"

"Yes, there are." Garnet replied before she split herself into the prime universe Ruby and Sapphire, much to the other Garnet's shock.

"We fuse because we truly do care for each other," Sapphire explained. "We've had our rough patches, but what couple doesn't?"

"We even got married!" Ruby added, presenting her and Sapphire's wedding rings to the other Garnet. "I'm pretty sure you never got married yourselves."

"We never had such time for trivial human customs." Garnet replied, now with Sapphire's voice. "But this has given us an idea." As the lovely couple realized, that idea was working together in harmony for once. Though Ruby and Sapphire had an edge once they fused back into Garnet, the other Garnet became more stable enough to subdue their good half and pin her to the wall. "You were right, love is all you need! Thanks, Garnet!"

"Maybe I should've kept my mouth shut." Garnet deadpanned as the other Garnet tossed her into a cell and stomped away. "Hopefully, the others are doing a little better."

--

Meanwhile, Amethyst shapeshifted into her Purple Puma persona to engage in a high-stakes wrestling match with her evil counterpart, and it seemed the two of them were evenly matched. "Y'know me, I'm amazed at how big and strong you are, but you should really stop being a big bully and use your strength correctly."

"Since when was there ever a correct way to be strong, you fraggin' bastitch?!" the alternate Amethyst yelled while trapping her good half in a headlock before tossing her into the air and bringing her down with a piledriver. "What, you gonna sing about being strong in the real way or something?"

"Who knows, maybe if you piss me off enough." Amethyst wheezed as she reverted back to her normal form. "So, this is what I could've been like as a perfect soldier, huh?"

"And this is what I could've been like as an overcooked geek." The other Amethyst spat in her opponent's face. "But since I'm such a fair opponent, I'm gonna give you till the count of ten to turn and run with your tail between your legs. One," She pulled out her whip. "TEN!"

Almost thinking on her reflexes, Amethyst did the same and the two's whips got tangled together. Although the two tried their hardest to undo the accidental knot, it seemed that doing so would take a lot of strength.

"You started this!" Amethyst accused her counterpart.

"Cut me some slack, I'm the strong one!" the other Amethyst replied defensively. "You should know guys like me don't got that much in the way of brains!"

"Yeah, this could take a while to fix." Amethyst agreed with her stronger, dumber counterpart as they continued their attempts at untangling their whips.

--

Pearl, meanwhile, strolled into an area that seemed near-identical to her room back at the Crystal Temple. Pillars of water surrounded her from all over, and on top of one of them stood the evil Pearl that had stood beside Lord Steven his entire life. "Come on out, evil me!" the good Pearl declared. "I'm here to challenge you!"

"Ah, my doppelganger shows herself at last." The evil Pearl sneered, leaping down from her perch to stare down the Crystal Gems' Pearl. "Have to say, not very impressed. I mean, just look at what you're wearing!" The good Pearl grabbed the rim of her jacket in embarrassment. "And while I do mourn your loss, I will not sympathize with what you've done to cope with it! Like leaving your child to die multiple times, for example."

"I was under stress; you wouldn't understand!" Pearl yelled as she clashed spears with her counterpart. "Besides, have you ever regretted all the horrible things you've done, or maybe even allowed your Pink Diamond to give birth to Steven?!"

"Yes, I must admit, I thought it was a bad idea." The sociopathic Pearl proclaimed. "But in the end, Steven was a perfect means to ensure Pink's legacy would survive. We all molded him into the tyrant he is today, but I took the most credit for his belief that he is genuinely a good person helping his empire."

"So his tyranny can be traced back to you?!" Pearl yelled. "You truly are a monster! Possibly the worst out of this entire Regime!"

"Please, this kind of behavior is normal to survive in my world." The Regime's Pearl replied. "And besides, you're one to talk, little missy! Black Rutile told us all about your crimes! Like forcing all Pearls to break out of their status quo when they didn't even ask!"

"Oh, this again?" Pearl dryly remarked as the two continued sparring. "Listen, there are better ways to cope with loss than brainwashing a child into becoming a fascist tyrant! And I won't allow this any longer!" With that, she angrily stabbed the evil Pearl in the chest, taking the other servant by complete surprise.

"Hehe, whoopsy-daisy!" the Regime's Pearl laughed innocently before her physical form suddenly vanished, leaving her gem behind for Pearl to bubble.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, but a monster like you needs to be contained until further notice." Pearl scowled as she sent the bubbled Pearl away to the Burning Room. "Your Rose deserved better."

--

The Regime Peridot continued monitoring the invasion from the mothership, watching as Crystal Regime soldiers continued deploying in cities all over the Earth and making Lord Steven's presence known across the entire planet. Once they were done with this alternate Earth, soon the whole universe will be next, and then the rest of the multiverse.

"Peri, I'm bored!" Lapis groaned irritatedly as she hovered above Peridot and rested her head on the advisor's hair. "When are we going to go out and kill somebody?!"

"Later, Lapis." Peridot tonelessly answered while facing various alternate realities that seemed ripe for conquering. "I'm currently busy reviewing our next multiversal conquests. For example, in this world, an all-powerful extraterrestrial superweapon finds itself on the wrist of a ten-year-old human boy, which grants him the ability to change into any alien lifeform recorded by the device." To demonstrate, Peridot showed Lapis a video of the boy transforming into a red-skinned, four-armed alien beast. "Or this world, primarily defended by five superheroes calling themselves the Teen Titans." The Titans in question consisted of a young man with spiky black hair dressed in red, green, and yellow, a woman in a dark blue cloak with mystical powers, a green-skinned boy transforming into a gorilla, a muscular dark-skinned cyborg, and another girl with orange skin, red hair, a revealing purple outfit, and glowing green eyes. "Many of these worlds house powerful defenders, so I recommend we knock them off the board first. Which means yes, Lapis, you will get to kill someone."

"WOOHOO!" the psychopathic Lapis cheered as she heard the doors to her and Peridot's quarters get kicked open. "Aw man, who's planning to spoil our fun now?!"

"Stop right there, me!" Peridot exclaimed dramatically, pointing a finger at her and Lapis's evil counterparts for good measure. "We won't let you take over our home!"

"Your home, you call this your home?" the evil Peridot stoically asked. "What does it matter anyways? Nothing ever matters, or even mattered. Surely once upon a time, you believed the same, correct?"

"Yes, when I served Yellow Diamond, I didn't think much about anything else." Peridot agreed with her nihilistic other half while dodging laser blasts from the doppelganger's limb enhancers. "All that was on my mind was being an obedient little technician, at least until I met Steven."

"And then he turned you into an annoying little gremlin!" the psychotic Lapis yelled, shoving her partner out of the way with another insane cackle. "I mean, come on! Hiding away in a barn doing absolutely nothing except making art out of junk and watching dumb TV shows, never once called on by the Crystal Gems even though they call you a member?! I mean, where's the fun in that?!"

"Hey, leave her alone, you freak!" Lapis said in defense of her barn mate. "You don't know her like we do!"

"Oh, have I got a lot to say about you!" the evil Lapis jeered her Crystal Gem counterpart. "Gems like you are some of the strongest around, yet you barely put in the effort to terraform! What happened to the Lapis who would tear apart planets and drown entire civilizations?! I mean, look at me!" She then began gesturing to the bloodstains all over her body. "These aren't just any ordinary bloodstains; I got them from controlling people's blood and turning them into big red fountains!" To emphasize her point, the bloodthirsty Lapis put a finger on one of her stains and painted blood on her mouth to make a disturbing rictus grin. "Isn't it great to have no restraint?!"

"No, the real strength comes from having patience with others and trying not to fly off the handle!" Lapis objected to her counterpart's psychopathy. "Believe it or not, you're not the first Lapis I wanted to teach this to." Suddenly, however, she felt herself grabbed by a water arm created by the other Lapis, who wasn't very pleased with her other self's moral compass.

"You know, Lapis. You'd be real funny if you weren't so pathetic." The evil Lapis grinned. "Oh, what the heck? I'll laugh anyways! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Her wicked laughter was suddenly interrupted when Peridot threw a piece of metal to her face, breaking her concentration and freeing Lapis from her grasp.

"Lapis!" Peridot yelled before catching Lapis in her tiny arms. "Oh my gosh, I was so worried for you!"

"Well, let me thank you for your quick thinking about why I'm in your arms now." Lapis replied before she gave Peridot a kiss on the nose, causing the two to glow and form into Turquoise.

"Wow, been a while since I pulled this out!" Turquoise exclaimed before she lifted some metal into the air and molded it like liquid to use on the evil Lapis, trapping her in an iron maiden.

"Hey, let me outta here!" the Regime Lapis yelled as she pounded on the inside of the maiden before her Peridot welded her way out. "Thanks for the lift, Peri. Hey, I got an idea. Why don't we try fusing?!"

"Fusing?" the Regime Peridot raised an eyebrow as she kept Turquoise at bay. "Are you sure this will help us win against our enemies? Besides, you should know that I care little for you."

"And you know how much I hate how much of a nihilistic nerd you are, but we're basically done for unless we fuse!" the terrifying terraformer exclaimed. "Come on, just say yes!"

Although Lapis's innocent, pleading smile definitely threw her off and made her feel like something was wrong, Peridot had no other option, much to her chagrin. "Fine, if it'll make you shut up."

"OH YEAH!" Lapis yelled elatedly and hugged her partner tightly, causing them to fuse into their own version of Turquoise.

"You know the old saying "two can play at that game"?" the Regime version of Turquoise asked her good counterpart. "You're looking at it!"

"Let's see how stable you two are!" the Crystal Gem Turquoise grinned before summoning a set of chakrams for each of her hands to hold onto before getting into a clash with her evil self.

Though the two fusions fought valiantly, the Turquoise made up of Lapis and Peridot's evil duplicates had a more challenging time keeping their fusion together through their disharmonious relationship than the strong bond between their good selves. Eventually, the two couldn't take it anymore, giving the good Turquoise enough of an opening to take them down.

"HEY GUYS, TAKE THIS!" Turquoise yelled as she formed a sword with a giant blade with which she sliced her evil half in two. "You two should spend some time apart."

--

Finally, Bismuth was leading the Lucent Gems through the inner workings of The Universe in search of a way to bring the entire Crystal Regime back to their home universe. Luckily, the rebel leader Black Rutile had gathered enough information on Lord Steven's warship to know where they needed to go. According to her diagrams, the alternate Seer to the Void should be used as fuel for the Universe to travel across realities, which meant that, obviously, it should be in the ship's engine room.

"Here it is, everyone, the Seer to the Void." The alternate Jasper proclaimed as she led the group, now joined by the main universe Emerald, Demantoid, Pyrope, and Morganite, into the engine room, where the Seer to the Void was wired to every part of the Universe, allowing it to fly from one dimension to the next. "If we change a few wires here, maybe we can send everyone back and set things right."

"Ooh, I wonder what other worlds this can go to!" Aquamarine eagerly asked as she tapped on a few screens, giving her a glimpse of some of those worlds the Crystal Regime plotted to conquer. Among them included a samurai fighting a black-colored demon with green lips and great flaming eyebrows, three color-coded, superpowered little girls flying through the sky, a little boy and his two friends fighting robots in front of a mini-mall, a boy genius enraged at his ditzy sister causing havoc in his laboratory, and two anthropomorphic cats working as vigilante fighter pilots in the big city. "Wow, this is so cool!"

"Yes, ooh, aah." The alternate White Topaz declared bluntly. "Let's just get to work already."

"Not so fast!" the familiar voice of Aquamarine, the one that the Crystal Gems knew at least, called out as she, Eyeball, Holly Blue, and Cat's Eye emerged from the shadows, having apparently been waiting for them the whole time. "We are THIS close to finally achieving victory, and we're not ready to lose to you again now!"

"Oh yeah, well, we have an army!" the Emeralds said as they stepped forward.

"And we have a fusion." Eyeball said as she and Aquamarine became Bluebird Azurite for the first time in ages.

"Guess who's BAAAACK!" Bluebird cackled, drawing her ice cutlass and preparing to charge at the Lucent Gems. Suddenly, however, a familiar sword deflected her attack as Steven and Connie rode in on Lion just in the nick of time. "YOU!"

"Of course, you'd show up!" Cat's Eye meowed angrily.

"Where have you been?!" Morganite exclaimed.

"Our heroes!" Demantoid and Pyrope yelled with delight.

"Okay, what have you guys got planned this time?" Steven frowned as he hopped off of Lion. "And what's with that evil version of me trying to take over the world?"

"If you must know, this Steven is the tyrant you claim you aren't." Bluebird proclaimed. "Now with his help, the Earth is as good as Black Rutile's, and soon every other Earth too!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Connie exclaimed before she turned to look at the Lucent Gems and comprehend how radically different they were from their main universe counterparts, but the most striking to her was the older version of Connie alongside them. "Whoa, is that me?! I'm going to look good in the future."

"Oh, how I long to have your innocence again." The older Connie sighed at her main universe counterpart, whose gaze then moved to her prosthetic arm. "In case you're wondering about the arm, I lost it in a failed rescue attempt while I spent fifteen years as a prisoner of Steven."

"Wait, fifteen years in prison?!" Connie cried out. "How are you so calm about it?!"

"That's war, I guess." The older Connie replied morosely before turning to the younger version of her archnemesis. "You're the Steven of this world, right? Let me warn you; Lord Steven is not to be messed with. He has everything he can possibly use against you, so be careful."

"Don't worry, everyone." Steven declared. "If this guy is like an alternate universe me, then surely he can see reason, right?" He then turned to Jasper and White Topaz. "Ready, girls?"

"Let's put that tyrant out of his misery." Jasper smirked, cracking her knuckles and getting eager for another fight.

"Let's do this, for both these worlds!" White Topaz exclaimed as the three raced off to save the day.

--

"What do you mean the world's armies are resisting?!" Lord Steven roared at one of his soldiers giving him a call. "And they want to deliver an ultimatum too?! How dare they reject my philosophies!"

"Golly, my lord, but this world isn't as weak as you thought it would be!" the soldier awkwardly replied. "Just because everyone loves the Steven of this world doesn't mean they should act like him."

"You're an utter coward, Private Gomer." Lord Steven shook his head in disgust when he heard the door to his throne room open. "I have to go now; I have a visitor." He then ended the call and turned to Steven, Jasper, and White Topaz standing defiantly before him. "Ah, you must be the Steven Universe of this world. I must say, not impressed."

"And you must be that evil me." Steven responded, glaring at his evil counterpart. "Figured you'd have the facial hair to go with being from a mirror universe. And I hear the Crystal Gems have conquered your Earth too."

"Crystal Regime, to be exact." Lord Steven said as he got up from his throne and strolled down to meet his younger counterpart face to face. "I hear from Black Rutile that you've basically enslaved the Gem race of this world and stomped out any resistance to your tyranny?"

"Me, a tyrant?!" Steven exclaimed. "I can accept that not everyone's going to like what I've done with the place, but Black Rutile is a terrorist who tried to kill me who knows how many times out of a vendetta towards Pink Diamond and me! Then again, many Gems hate me, which led to Black Rutile forming the Rutile Rebels."

"Black Rutile was only trying to do what she believed was right, much like I." Lord Steven responded. "However, despite your good intentions, it has led to nothing but pain and suffering for everyone, even you."

"Just shut up, and let's fight already!" Jasper yelled, challenging Lord Steven to a final battle before Steven silently told her to keep calm for a few more moments.

"However, we can still make a change, Steven." Lord Steven declared as he brought down multiple screens showing more alternate realities for him to possibly conquer. "Think of it. With my superior strength and your unnatural charisma, the two of us could become rulers of the multiverse, and possibly even the omniverse as well!"

As Steven realized, many of these screens showed worlds with all sorts of life in them, ranging from three boys working together on a con, a boy and his dog going on adventures together in a post-apocalyptic world, a mansion filled with imaginary friends, a humanoid in a black top hat selling weapons to villains, and a strange man driving an RV with a dinosaur, a talking slice of pizza, and a giant realistic flying tiger that seemed awfully familiar.

"Hi, Steven! It's me, Uncle Grandpa!" Uncle Grandpa cheerfully greeted Steven. "Say, you've gotten big since we last met! And since when did you have an older brother?"

"Ugh, remind me to conquer this one first so he won't be a thorn in my side." Lord Steven scoffed as he turned off the screen showing Uncle Grandpa's world, not listening to everyone in the world's uncle and grandpa begging him to keep him on so he could catch up with Steven. "Weirdo."

"But this is wrong; these people should be free to live their own lives away from conquerors like you!" Steven objected to Lord Steven's deal. "You have no right to say you should be the only one they need for law and order!"

"But you don't understand, Steven," Lord Steven continued. "if you really want to make a difference, to change the system instead of patching it, you cannot be subtle. You must step into the sunlight and take over like we did."

"Well, if you won't listen to me, then I guess you leave me no choice." Steven resigned himself to the inevitable battle while summoning his shield as Jasper and White Topaz fused into Orange Moonstone. "Besides, if you're so powerful, why waste your time with a little guy like me?"

"You will not stop me; I am far more powerful than you can ever imagine!" Lord Steven growled while summoning his own shield, a simple pink hexagon shape, and transforming into what Steven realized was a smaller, more humanoid version of his monster form from last year. "It has come to this! Universe to Universe."

"Diamond to Diamond." Steven replied and started glowing pink before the two charged at each other, ready to settle this once and for all.

"STEVEN TO STEVEN!"

--

Back on Little Homeworld, the swordfight between the Black Rutiles raged on as Gems either evacuated or tried to fight back against the invaders. Despite Black Rutile's centuries of acquired skills and training, her good counterpart seemed to have the upper hand with a combination of agility and mind-bending strategy that seemed to drive her insane.

"Come on, why won't you stay down?!" Black Rutile yelled as she tried to get a grasp on her other half's eccentricities.

"I'm just unpredictable; how long will it take you to realize that?!" the other Black Rutile proclaimed, taking her counterpart by surprise by kicking her in the shins and knocking her over. "Do you yield?"

"No, I'm outta here!" Black Rutile exclaimed and turned on her communicator. "Holly Blue, get me out of here!"

"Sorry my Rutile, but we're kind of occupied here with the Lucent Gems!" Holly exclaimed as Black Rutile watched her cohorts overwhelmed by the Lucent Gems' superior numbers. "I suppose that's what happens when your rebellion is reduced to only five Gems."

"Wait for me; I'll be there soon!" Black Rutile said as she tried signaling to be beamed up to The Universe to help her minions. But instead, she was warped into a much grander battle.

--

"They'd love what you've done with your place, wouldn't they?" Steven asked Lord Steven as the two half-Gems continued their duel. "You know, your parents, Rose and Greg?"

"I never knew my father when I was young." Lord Steven revealed, continuing to fight off both Steven and Orange Moonstone. "As soon as I was born, the Gems saw him as a mere disposable human slave, and he had to be gotten rid of so he wouldn't be a bad influence on me. From there, they taught me the values I stand by today."

"Values that allowed you to seize power and become a controlling monster!" Steven exclaimed, his yell loud enough to briefly knock the ruler of the Crystal Regime off his feet. "Can't you see that you're hurting people all over because of what you're doing?!"

"You still don't get it, do you?" Lord Steven replied, getting up. "Think of it, a world with no crime, no victims, no pain!"

"And no choice." Steven added. "Who elected you to be the ruler of your universe?"

"Well, who elected you to become the Diamonds' master?" Lord Steven said before tossing his shield, only for Orange Moonstone to knock it out of Steven's way with a roar. "That's the problem with politics. They almost always elect the one who'll turn out to be the most authoritarian idiot."

"You're the tyrannical idiot here!" Steven yelled angrily.

"My forebearer simply chose more extreme methods of peace, not unlike your version of Bismuth." Lord Steven continued. "Frankly, I'd have a lot more fun with that one rather than the deranged maniac who committed acts of terrorism as a hobby with her superweapons."

"You grabbed power!" Steven fired back.

"And with that power," Lord Steven proclaimed. "I've made a world where we can never live in constant fear of violence and oppression ever again! Isn't that what you wanted?" Steven froze for a moment there. As a pacifist, he preferred using his words first rather than fists and wanted everyone to get along. But even though Lord Steven seemed to share the same ideology, his methods were far crueler. But how could Steven bring a fascist who happened to share his face to his level? He could use only one secret weapon at the moment, and it just might work.

"How would Rose feel about this?" Steven asked Lord Steven as the tyrant prepared to land the killing blow. "Do you think she'd call you worthy of your legacy? I feel the same way, but in this case, you don't really have to use it to be the bad guy. I mean, in every universe, A is A, and Steven Universe is Steven Universe. Sure, other Stevens in the multiverse might be pretty evil, but that doesn't stop us from doing some amazing things with just words alone. I'm doing it right now, and you can do it too. Why don't we just talk to each other?"

Despite his initial sneer at Steven's kindness, Lord Steven couldn't help but feel like he finally found someone to relate his struggles to. Beneath the cold efficiency and pride in enforcing his idea of peace and love, Lord Steven still had tons to live up to as the ruler of the Crystal Regime and successor to Pink Diamond's throne. And yet here was someone who, despite being his polar opposite, almost had the exact same problems as he did.

Just then, Black Rutile warped into the throne room to witness this touching moment, and she was furious. "What is going on in here?! My lord, are you seriously falling for this brat's charlatan ways?!"

"You don't understand, Black Rutile." Lord Steven coldly rejected Black Rutile's anger. "This Steven knows what I'm going through; he felt the exact same way about living up to Rose's legacy. Maybe he's right, maybe being a tyrant isn't the way to spread peace and love in the universe."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!" Black Rutile shrieked with an expression of comical fury. "Fine, he may understand you, but I know someone who never will!" With that, Black Rutile opened a door, and out came the overcooked Jasper, charging at Lord Steven like a dog with rabies and fiercely attacking him. "Oh sure, you can claim you've changed your ways all you want, but that won't stop anyone from refusing to forgive you."

"No, please, have mercy!" Lord Steven cried as Jasper had him toppled over and started eyeing the gem on his stomach. "I'm sor-" But he was too late. With barely any effort, Jasper managed to claw Steven's gem out from his body, just like what White Diamond did to the main Steven so long ago.

"That's not possible!" Orange Moonstone shouted in alarm. "How is she that strong?!"

"She must be really, really angry." Steven remarked nervously as the alternate Jasper tossed his evil counterpart's gem to Black Rutile.

"Looks like Aquamarine was right." Black Rutile grinned evilly. "No matter the universe, Steven will always be Steven. Plus, I can do this without any consequences!" With a swing of her sword, Steven's gem was utterly shattered by Black Rutile, ending his reign of terror and the legacy of the alternate Pink Diamond. The irony of Black Rutile's thirst for vengeance was not lost on everybody present.

"She's dead." Lord Steven gasped as he felt himself on the cusp of death while turning to his good counterpart. "Please, Steven, I urge of you. Tell my tale to those who ask. Tell it truly, the ill deeds along with the good, and let me be judged accordingly." No one knew if he passed out from having his gem removed or was truly dying, but Lord Steven was fine either way, as long as Steven took this as a lesson that even people with the same ideals can take them the wrong way. "The rest... is silence."

"Hmph, drama queen." Black Rutile snorted with no shred of empathy as she departed with her sword over her shoulder.

--

With Lord Steven in critical condition, the rest of the Crystal Regime dropped everything and raced back to serve their master, calling off the invasion in the process as the Seer to the Void allowed the Regime's fleet to return to their universe. In the meantime, the Crystal Gems had finally settled things with their counterparts. Garnet successfully escaped her prison by taking advantage of the chaos and separated her toxic counterpart into Ruby and Sapphire, Amethyst eventually separated her whip from her counterpart and let her off with a warning, Pearl's bubbled counterpart was delivered back to the Lucent Gems to stand trial for her crimes, and Lapis and Peridot brought along their counterparts in chains.

"Well Crystal Gems, it has been fun meeting you all. I can see why the Earth calls you its mightiest heroes." The alternate Black Rutile gave her highest regards to the Crystal Gems when it was time for the Lucent Gems to return home. "Maybe someday we can drop by and see how everyone's doing."

"You're very welcome, Black Rutile." Steven nodded to the Lucent Gems' leader before turning to Lord Steven, now in intensive care to compensate for his destroyed gem. "Still, a shame I was so close to changing Lord Steven's mind only for Black Rutile to ruin everything."

"I was only saving him from you!" Black Rutile proclaimed as she snatched Lord Steven's pink cape off his cold body and added it to her attire. "You know, pink is a pretty good color on me."

"Farewell, Crystal Gems, we'll never forget you!" the alternate Aquamarine declared with a flourish as the Vortexxer opened a portal home.

"It's been fun!" Eyeball added before she and Aquamarine stepped through the portal hand in hand.

"Later, nerds." The alternate Zuli gave a casual goodbye.

"Oh, how I long to see you all again!" the alternate Cat's eye groveled at the Gems' feet, only for Emerald to pick her up and go.

"Come on, Cat, let's get out of here." Emerald snarked before stepping through the portal home.

"It truly has been an honor meeting you." The motherly Holly Blue said. "And I do hope you can keep an eye on that other Holly Blue over there."

"Shut up." The Rutile Rebels' Holly Blue pouted angrily while watching her counterpart leave with the Regime versions of Ruby, Sapphire, and Amethyst in tow.

"Catch you on the flip side." Pyrope smirked while helping Demantoid and Morganite wheel Lord Steven's hospital bed through the portal. "Hey, keep up, will ya?!"

"I'm trying, greasy fingers!" Demantoid yelled back.

"Oh, be quiet!" Morganite groaned in annoyance.

Now, all that was left to return were the alternate Black Rutile, White Topaz, Jasper, and Connie. Just as the four were about to return to their universe, Jasper and White Topaz stopped their counterparts for quick advice.

"Hey, just a suggestion, but I think you'd make a pretty cute couple." White Topaz declared.

"Uh, what she said." Jasper agreed with her white-colored girlfriend.

"Playing matchmaker, are we?" the other White Topaz smirked and took her universe's Jasper by the hand as they left.

"Thank you all." The weaker Jasper said gratefully.

"Enjoy what life you still have in this world." The older Connie said as she prepared to make the jump back home. "I'm gonna go rebuild mine."

"Yes, we all have a lot of fixing to do." The alternate Black Rutile proclaimed. "Some more than others. So long!" And so, the Lucent Gems finally returned home, with the portal closing behind them, which gave Pearl and Peridot ample opportunity to examine its construction.

"Now, Black Rutile, what did we learn today?" Pearl chided Black Rutile for yet another one of her failed schemes.

"Alternate universes can be incredibly screwy." Black Rutile growled before picking up Rasputina's grimoire. "Screw this; I'm going to read."

"And we're going to need that book too." Garnet proclaimed while snatching the book out of Black Rutile's hands. "Because of this, you could find that other world, and we don't want it falling into the wrong hands again."

"No, wait, give it back!" Black Rutile begged Garnet, who didn't listen as she walked to the Warp Pad and teleported to the Crystal Temple. "Aw, forget it. At least I saved one of its pages. And it's a doozy." She pulled out a torn page from the grimoire, and on it was the image of a strange creature dressed as a court jester, indicating that she had another plan in store.

--

Meanwhile, Lord Steven's reign was officially declared over in the Regime universe, and his subjects were finally free to live their lives away from his reign of terror. And as the Crystal Regime were locked up in prison and the Lucent Gems celebrated their victory, the alternate White Topaz dragged the Jasper into a dark corner, where they shared their first kiss. Just as the main White Topaz predicted, they did make a cute couple.

--

At long last, Two Sides of the Same Gem is finally over! But that isn't quite the end of Alternate Future just yet. Our other-dimensional adventures may be over, but if the final scene was any indication, Black Rutile isn't done with the grimoire just yet. Join us in season 2 of Little Homeworld Life where the Crystal Gems' lives are sure to get even wackier and more intense. Cheerio!

#steven universe #steven universe future #fanfiction #steven universe alternate future #two sides of the same gem #jasper #white topaz #black rutile #steven quartz universe #garnet #amethyst #pearl #lapis lazuli #peridot #bismuth #connie maheswaran #aquamarine #eyeball #holly blue agate #cat's eye #emerald #demantoid #pyrope #morganite #nice lapis

[hyperfixation-stations]

Dr Strange and the Multiverse of Madness - My thoughts and feelings

Today me and one of my friends went to go see MOM and let me tell you it was an experience. It was really interesting movie and really different from a lot of marvel movies that have come before it (a huge part of this is due to Sam Rami’s directing). Overall I thought it was really strong and it’s probably a top 10 marvel movie for me.

Below are spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet I’d skip this post.

1.) Cinematography: I’m personally a sucker for a movie with good cinematography and it’s something I typically notice in movies and pay close attention. I had feeling that with the multiverse, Strange’s, Wanda’s and America’s powers we’d get some interesting visuals and boy does that feel like an understatement. I thought that some really strong visuals were created and were like nothing we’d really seen in the MCU up until this point. Some of my personal favorites included the music fight scene, Strange and America falling through the different universes and the reflection scene. I really hope we continue to see marvel take some more creative risks like the ones we saw in this movie.

2.) The Horror Story Vibe - Going into the movie I had heard that aspects of this movie reminded people of horror films and it was probably marvels scariest movie to date. I wasn’t expecting it to be the level that it was and I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. There were multiple times where jump scares or some of the scenes got to me and I knew they were coming. I thought this darker tone and horror vibe worked really well for the movie and helped make it as strong as it was. I think utilizing some of those horror tropes or techniques elevated some of the scenes and added a new twist that made the scenes play out in a way different then what I was expecting.

3.) America Chavez: I was little concerned that with all of the chaos America’s introduction would get lost in the shuffle in this large scale movie, but thank god I was proved wrong. I thought they handled her introduction really well and she really held her own with characters like Strange, Wanda and Christine.

As for the actual character of America I loved her. I didn’t know too much about her going into the movies, I knew a bit from my readings of the Young Avengers comics but that was a view years ago so I was really going in blind and didn’t have strong feelings about her. I thought Xochitl Gomez it was phenomenal I’m her portrayal of the character. I also really liked her relationship with Steven and how well they played off each other. Her powers also intrigued my as for what they mean for the future of the MCU and what they can do and explore. I’m excited to see how they continue her story in the feature and it makes me cautiously optimistic that we might get a Young Avengers story as a movie or show.

4.) Stephen Strange: I’m going to be honest, I didn’t love the first Dr. Strange movie and I felt nothing but indifference for him through Infinity War and Endgame. But this movie and Spider-Man No Way Home really changed my perception of him. In the past two movies his character has seemed way more organic and natural and the writing is a lot better then what he was getting in his early movies (at least in my opinion). I was really surprised how good he was in a mentor type role. We had seen mentors appear a couple of times now with Tony and Clint and only one of those were well done (hint it’s not Tony), so I was a bit nervous about how these interactions would go and I was pleasantly surprised. They’ve developed his character where it makes sense at this point and he’s moved past some of the arrogance that would’ve caused issues had they done it earlier.

I thought that each universes Strange felt like they were connected but where different enough that they felt like individuals to that specific place. And that’s really a tribute to Benedict Cumberbatch’s acting abilities because playing similar but different versions of the same character must have it’s challenges. Strange feels like he’s going to be one of the staples of phase 4 on (like how Captain America or Iron Man wee heavy focuses of phases 1 and 2) so it’ll be interesting to see how is journey continues to play out.

5.) Wanda Maximoff (my beloved): I wish that they would stop causing Wanda so much pain, but god damn does she make an interesting villain. Wanda as villain is probably one of the best we’ve seen out of marvel in terms of execution and storylines. I thought her escalation to villain made sense (even though I wish we saw a bit more of it). She is one of my favorite characters in the MCU and I was so interested to see how they continued the story of her character.

Her arc this movie did feel like a natural progression from WandaVision, especially with the knowledge that she’d been out there for months alone with the Darkhold. Her desire to find a universe where she is a happy and she has literally anything going for her was a smart choice and an interesting concept. Wanda is the prime example of what happens when a person who’s had so much shit happen to them breaks, because that’s really what happened. She lost her parents, then Pietro, then Vision (x2), she died and came back to life only to find out he’s still dead, create a false reality out of grief, have to kill vision (for the third time) and her kids to make things right again. I mean I’m surprised she didn’t break sooner. Wanda as a character who is so interesting to me because she clearly wants to be a good person and doesn’t want to be this monster that she is often seen as, however she’s drawn to this darkness because of her circumstances and how this much loss truly changes a person. I could go on and on about Wanda and her storyline of grief and loss and how surprisingly well done it is, but I will save that for a different post.

6.) Cameos: the movie had the perfect amount of cameos imo. It would’ve been super easy to have become bogged down with them due to the nature of exploring multiple universes and I’m glad they just kept it to the Illuminati council. My personal favorites were Maria Rambou as Captain Marvel and John Krasinsksi as Richard Reid. I personally could’ve done without Captain Carter, she’s the least interesting of the Captain America/Winter Soldier’s and her prior filmography doesn’t paint in her a great light. I’m not going to lie I wasn’t upset to see her get killed off.

I really enjoyed the movie, however there were things that I would’ve liked to see/had me scratching my head

1.) Lack of mention of Pietro and Vision: I thought it was a bit odd that throughout the alternate universes we didn’t see or hear about Pietro or Vision for the most part other then a couple of throw away lines. I personally would’ve liked to see a nod or an in depth mention of them, but it wasn’t vital to the story so it’s a small complaint of mine.

2.) Was the Wanda that interacted with Professor X our actual Wanda and like her conscience because the darkhold had taken over her? Or was it that universes Wanda?

3.) What’s the purpose of Strange’s third eye? Is that a comic thing?

4.) No mention of the events of Spider-Man No Way home. I really thought given how big of an issue the multiverse opening up in that movie was that we would’ve gotten a few more mentions of the events that transpired and how it effected this movie.

I personally really enjoyed my experience with this movie, I know that some people loved it and some people hated it. I thought it everything about it was kind of a breath of fresh air from what are used to getting from marvel and I’m interested to see how the movies and shows may change stylistically going forward.

#dr stephen strange #multiverse of madness #pro wanda maximoff #wana maximoff #america chavez #multiverse of madness spoilers

[thephoenixandthecrocodile]

Things I love about Kingsley

I've been going through a shitty mental health period and need something positive in my life. So here are some of the things I love about Kingsley, my weird ass fantasy noir about the angry queer anthro crocodiles rebelling and giving middle fingers to colonial asshats.

1. Honestly, I love the protagonist, Kingsley 😅 he’s a little shit but he’s my little shit. He’s paranoid, he’s over dramatic, he’s sarcastic, he’s treacherous, he tortures/murders people, he friends w/ a Demon, he’s manipulative, & he’s scared. All his life he’s been afraid.

2. I love that the story is told through different formats & timelines. It is told through memoirs, letters, journals, and articles. The timeline is the past and the future so you can see how the past affects our concept of the future and the future affects our concept of the past

3. I love that the narrators are unreliable and the narrative is at war with itself. That the reader has to decide who they want to trust without really knowing how much truth they’re actually getting.

4. I love that Kingsley, who is sex repressed/awkward, is dating Oisin maybe the most horny character I’ve ever written. And that their relationship is a disastrous mixture of miscommunication, codependency, and all consuming need for stability and control.

5. I love that Kingsley’s worst actions come out of a very human need to have stability, peace, and quiet. That no matter what he does he can’t seem to escape the worst aspects of his life, so why try? That he is open about burning the world down as long as he and his are safe.

6. I love that majority of my characters are queer anthro crocodiles and that in the entire world, humans are the minority. I also love how expansive and diverse (in the human sense and the different non-human beings sense) the world is.

7. I love the catharsis of working through different traumas and letting characters being self-destructive, messy beings that still deserve love and understanding.

8. I love the Alex, the other MC, is an ace nonbinary mess of a journalist who is on the edge ready to jump and their initial solution is to embrace self-harm because that’s less scary then relying on others.

9. I love that Alex’s wife claims to hear the gods and see the future and Alex, a person of science and reason, accepts it because that’s how their wife understands and copes with her abilities and that’s all that matters.

10. I love that Alex and Christine’s relationship allows me to explore how believing that a relationship is only normal and functional if the couple have children is actually harmful.

11. I love that Devin, one of the SCs, is a rake with a heart of gold and he’s so desperate to do the right thing, even when the right thing seems impossible and when he has to choose between his conscience and the cause he chooses his conscience.

12. I love that Devin, the screw up who everyone wrote off as a joke, becomes an important character despite himself

13. As someone who was obsessed with the Nuremberg trials as a teen, I love I get to explore the many complications are international law and what does international accountability look like

14. I love that I pulled in so many noir references and made them my own like the gender nonconforming fatale, the inherit corruption of law and order and government, and the lone journalist who is desperate to find a truth that may not even exist.

15. I love all the Les Miserables references I peppered throughout the novel

16. I f*cking adore Oisin who develops more and more with each draft. He is a sex worker, burlesque dancer, club owner, and the most powerful politician in the country. He is codependent and insecure but also has a will of iron and *will* break you before you ever come close to breaking him.

17. I love Kerry, the aro-ace nonbinary transmasc self-insert who is a grumpy pain in the ass but he’s also a professional and has no time for martyrs or conceited jackasses. He is holding the movement together and desperately fighting for a future where martyrs are no longer needed

18. I love that I got to work in Eric and his family, including his dog, Winston. They’re some of my oldest characters and mean the world to me.

19. I love how complicated and corrupt the politics of this book is. And how big the world is. As an international relations nerd, it’s nice to put my masters to good use. I’m sure my professors are proud haha. 😅

20. I love that the SC, Siegfried, is based on the idea that Enjorlas from Les Miserables could be beautiful and terrible (they’re also both ace in my head so another cool connection they have haha)

21. I love my lesbian, anthro crocodile sex worker turned rebel leader turn union leader, Nora Connolly and all their intense awkwardness and their clumsy expressions of a love they didn’t think they were ever allowed to feel and are not sure they want.

#my writing #queer writers #writblr #kingsley #writing community #queer anthro crocodiles #queer croc wip #writers on tumblr #things i love #things I love about my story

[adamsart]

Eventually 3 days later I talked to my wife and the only thing she had to tell me was I was an asshole because she really liked the guy and now he wouldn’t see her because he was afraid I was going to kill him. After 10 years together that’s all she had to say oh she also closed our joint bank accounts the first thing that morning so I couldn’t get to any of the 7 thousand dollars I had just deposited. I only saw Christine 2 times after that both of which she fucked me out of more money -and leaving me high and dry in a foreign place all she would say is you don’t belong here in Sacramento go home. My third surgery had to be rescheduled and I started a three year run living in motels and selling dope and took care of my homegirls that worked for there money. All of my possessions were either burned or given to my replacement even my dogs and my truck. I wasn’t going to be defeated. I came up with a method to take prescription pads and altering them to allow me to basically write any prescription I wanted and if they needed to verify that was fine too I had someone answering when they called. So having my new hustle having the pills my doc gave me and selling BTH I usually had a lot of cash but it would come and go quickly and people were trying to rob me or steal from me and that was there full time job. I put up with it. It became almost expected that anytime I let my guard down I was going to get shit taken. Even the police were stealing my money seriously cops stole more than anyone 17,000$ once and 36,000$ the second time. Shout out to Sacramento and placer counties hope you guys enjoyed your bonuses. So that was life for 3 years I eventually got my third surgury and had to heal on the second floor of a motel in Folsom ca. One day my homeboy slash part time pimp full time badass baybay came thru my room for some shit he dropped by and said he was just getting back from picking up a crazy chick for our mutual friend and wanna be player full time tweaker mark and was it alright if he brought her in she was acting scary and needed to get high. When they got to the room she walked in first and b lined it to the sink where she got under it facing the corner and rocking back and forth. She was flawless, young, beautiful she had this innocent energy that made you want to save her. So I ask beybey wtf homie is she good and how old is that girl I honestly was worried she was 16 or something. He told me she just needed to get high and calm down so I loaded a pipe and pulled her aside to see if she was ok and she was crying. She was terrified of being pimped out she knew bay bay was a pimp and he told her on there way to sac that it cost a lot for the gas and mark said that she would have gas money and she didn’t and so he asked how are you going to be able to pay me or when are you going to be able to pay me. Either way she made it sound like he was trying to gorilla pimp her to get his money. So I told her not to trip cause bay bay wasn’t a gorilla pimp so I tossed him 50$ and told him her debt was paid. Gave her some dope and bay bay took her the rest of the way to mark. After that Shelby made every effort to try to be around me and I was definitely into her so I made every attempt to hang out with her without offending marks ass too much cause he was already laying claim on little Shelby in fact I remember him calling her his little meal ticket or his future retirement she was sitting on a goldmine. He was steadily trying to get that needle in her vain and after he got her high on meth from a point it would only be a matter of time and a few tall tales before she would turn herself out and after that she was going to end up being a 2-300$ an hour girl and I’m sure she would have been pulling 4or 5 tricks a day. I waited for my opportunity cause Shelby was brainwashed she actually called this MF her savior man ignorance is bliss. So when she called me crying saying mark had kicked her out and wanted her to go back home until she could get the car her mother stole from her back.

[britishchick09]

some of little rewrite christine’s stereoscope slide collection! :D

here’s what the stereoscope looked like:

what little christine could’ve seen:

and a stereoscope in action with help from nellie from american girl!

when christine uncovers her old stereoscope years later, she adds a couple others to the mix... ;)

#the stereoscope craze lasted from the 1850s to the mid 1860s but it went on in the daae cottage! ;) #little christine loved looking through the stereoscope and imagining all sorts of stories! #she especially loved the first two (her favorite singer and namesake christina nilsson) :) #daddy daae wanted christine to see the world so he bought the last four slides (and plenty more including the gif!) #it was like victorian google maps! ;) #the 7th slide spooked her a bit since one of the ladies vanished! :o #she loved having a tea party with the one right above it though! ;) #fun fact: the last slide is of the tuileries palace which was next door to the tuileries garden... and across the street from nadir's flat! #it was burned down during the paris commune and nadir was living on rue de rivoli at the time so he could've seen the fire! :o #and little christine was seeing something close to her future friend... ;) #there was a stereoscope revival in 1890 which is extremely close to the rewrite's time! ;) #the eiffel tower slide is from 1889! #christine and erik can see the iron lady from the opera house rooftop but it's a lot closer in stereoscope land #and who wouldn't want a slide of their house? ;) #poto rewritten

[woozi]

Um this might be annoying but your descriptions on that mutuals as svt members was so wholesome! So I thought if you could name your mutuals and say what you like abt them? Your favorite thing about them kinda? Idk I thought it was cute but you don't have to do it if you don't want to ! 💚💚💚

i went through my following list and i think these are all of my carat mutuals/friends <3 i only included those who i'm mutuals with here on this blog, but with that in mind i hope i included the right people/and all of you! if not, i may have gotten confused with your main and sideblogs. :/ i divided this into 4 sections (because that's how i think of them in my head, lol). so, without further ado, here they are in the order of my following list (from the most recent):

caratblr

@leechaerok (mirelle) - mi!! i love how you are always striving to be positive and that this is something you share and extend to other people! you literally remind me of sunshine and i hope that only good things are coming ur way. ily!!

@ohoshi (cora) - cora my naughty (IN A PLAYFUL WAY) friend <3 cora's really fun to talk to and she keeps you on your toes. idk why i didn't follow her earlier (i didnt know i wasn't following her jsdjkdsjsdk). extremely talented!! also love the upbeat vibe.

@soonyoungs (cara) - same with cora, i've been seeing cara around but never got to interact with her until recently! i love how versatile cara is and how she always always always appreciates even the little things. 10/10 would let her visit my home again <3

@wrongnanab (aya) - i get mom/older sister friend vibes from aya and i think it suits her a lot. she’s also not afraid of reaching out and i love that sm about her!! i relate to her a lot and i love how she’s always there.

@junhaoshua (e) - something interesting always comes up every time i speak to e! i also love her initiative and how well she manages her time. she’s really passionate about the things she likes and i love how she can get people to be interested in them too!

@choibeomgyus (kale) - kale has excellent taste! i love her aes so much. <3 her work is particularly right up my alley and i just love how clean looking they are. kale’s also such a sweet friend, and she’s not shy about showing affection. i love her sm!!

@dokyom (izy) - izy’s one of the first carats i first followed when i got into caratblr and i’m so glad to have made that decision! her work always wows me and although we haven’t talked much, she’s one of the people i always look out for in here.

@seohoshi (nele) - nele, my mutual at heart. <3 the way we became mutuals is so funny and memorable to me, and i can’t say that about most people! i really like the way nele presents herself as well. she can have fun while still being collected, which i find really interesting. i think she’s someone who brings stability, but i can’t really explain why i get that from her. <3

@art-hao (carrie) - goddess on earth. so elegant. a literal virgo. i love how carrie doesn’t want to be too invested in one single thing. that being said, she’s multitalented, yet is skilled in each of the fields she’s venturing in. she also speaks what’s on her mind, and i admire that a lot. what can’t this woman do :/  

@svtreasure (kate) - kate is one of the first people i got to talk to here on caratblr! and although she’s not on here that much, i always look forward to seeing her. i feel like i have to protect her like a younger sibling <3

@uriboogyu (lee) - lee definitely has feisty younger sibling vibes which i think is so cute! like carrie and e, she’s not afraid of saying what’s on her mind. lee is also such a go-getter! the future is very bright for this one <3

@smallkore (kore) - i remember first talking to kore after she tagged all 3 of my active blogs in one post, and i thought it was kind of funny <3 kore is super talented and entertaining! i also think she’s super interesting, and i love her strange picture collection. <3

@rq-s (katrina) - katrina is also one of the first few people who i interacted with here on caratblr! she is so supportive and always has a nice word for everyone. even though she isn’t here much, i always like seeing her around <3

@boosbin (isa) - iconic. legend. will kick your ass. my beloved <3 isa is SUPER talented and she never fails to amaze me. she’s also very relatable and is super fun to talk to! idk i’m just really fond of isa lol

@dk-s (zay) - i love zay’s sense of style and her overall aesthetic! she also is really smart and gets really invested in her interests. i love her dedication and initiative!

@scoupsy (dreamy) - dreamy and i haven’t really talked much aside from interactions here and there, but she’s someone i really admire. i love how she doesn’t take anyone’s shit and knows what she wants. she’s really skilled in her areas of interest and takes pride in her excellent work. love that about her!! 

@julyprince (madison) - i was really shocked when madison followed me back because i love her work so much! i love how she is so consistent and dedicated (honestly, the constant 9 sets say it all <3). she’s intimidating at first, but she is actually so nice and likes reaching out!

@xuseokgyu (belle) - one of my treasured moots. belle is literally the seok to my soon. <3 she doesn’t know it, but i was kind of shy during my earlier days in caratblr, and she encouraged me to be myself just because she was always reaching out to me. i see belle as someone who really nurtures and is just a reliable older sister for me!

@haniehae (anna) - also one of my favorites <3 anna doesn’t really need too much words but u can always feel the love from her by her little tags here and there. she’s also super supportive and very appreciative of the little things! anna is such a cute person to have around. i lalso love how much work she puts into caratblr. also an amazing dancer oh my god???????

@jaemtens (kevin) - like dreamy, kevin and i haven’t really talked much, but i always love seeing him on the dash! one of the people i admire. it absolutely blows my mind how he has a phd (about to have one? :D) and that he’s still somehow able to make gifs (BEAUTIFULLY!) consistently. love that dedication, wish that were me!!

@tearsofsyrup (vi) - vi thinking of me and tagging me on cute stuff really just makes me feel so :’>. i love how easygoing vi is and i just feel light whenever we interact!!

@soonhoonsol (chey) - everyone’s bestie!! chey literally is the go-to person on caratblr. idk how she manages to do it but she’s always so nice to everyone and really does go out of her way to make everyone feel comfortable! chey has a special place in my heart, and my stay in caratblr wouldn’t be the same without her. <3

@iiasha (emily) - you all don’t understand how much i LOVE emily. i can’t even explain why i love her i just do. she’s also one of the first people i followed when i came on caratblr and i’m so glad to have met her here on our own personal hellsite. emily’s the perfect balance of smart, cool, and funny (this sentence sounds lame as fuck but idk how else to put it)! i appreciate how much she likes her job and that’s something i hope to also imitate! i’ve said it before but i also really love how generous she is. emily also made my stay here on caratblr very enjoyable and i always love reading her text posts <3 i think tumblr junation would nearly die without her so go thank her rn. (she also spotted me turning full dinonara without me even noticing that i am one so. <3 /mwah/)

@coupsnim (izzie) - izzie gives me calm artsy vibes.  her work is always stunning omg. queen of red lips (and i think it’s so fitting bc it suits cheol the best imo???). ALSO love how much she loves cheol!! izzie’s just a sweetheart. <3 would also support ur 0 note posts, lol.

@kyeomshine (lyns) - lyns coloring queen <3 i looove how clean and cohesive her work always is! she’s also one of the people who encouraged me to stay here on caratblr (although she doesn’t know it!!). and though we don’t see lyns as much nowadays, i still think of her as the resident dk fan <3 one of the memorable people for me.

@heartgyus (rhys) - my sister (dISGUSTANG!!). my enemy. THE mutual to have homoerotic subtext with. rhys is actually my closest friend on caratblr. she’s multitalented, almost all-knowing, and has prettie vibes. i’m not elaborating anymore from here on out because i just know she’s gonna be a little devil about it on the dms. 🙄

@hanwooz (kellie & christine) - one of my absolute favorite blogs! i think of them as one of the constants of caratblr. i absolutely love their posts sm and just enjoy when they’re around!! (and how do ur gifs always look good omg tell me ur secrets pls <3)

@7ww​ (yasmin) - one of my favorite (if not my favorite) gfx maker!! i love how you can immediately tell something is from her because of their trademark look. we haven’t talked yet, but she’s one of my favorite carats!

@mngys​ (sofi) - coolest person in the world. idk why we’re even mutuals i don’t deserve this <3 sofi always has the coolest ideas and i look up to her sm!! i’ve also seen her from the birdie community before i got into caratblr so i’ve been following her for quite some time now, but we became mutuals here!

aes carats

@vixenjun​ (kaya) - another one of my beloveds <3 i always say kaya is funnie and sexie but she really is, and those are always the first words i think of when i’m reminded of her. one of my absolute favorites. a bestie that's close to my heart. <3

@tiddie​ (deniz) - i don’t see deniz posting much about svt anymore, but deniz is one of my first carat moots (i followed aes carats first). this one really witnessed my jeonghan downfall. :/ so funny. is a great friend!!

@bwaldorf (ramasha) - A SWEETHEART!! ramasha and i don’t talk much anymore but when i think of her i only am reminded of good things. i rmb how much she supported my weird posts back then <3 also iconic aes hello???? 

@vernons (oona) - oona and i are literally just vibing here <3 i actually met her from the aes side of tumblr before i got into caratblr (like deniz) and discovered that she’s also a carat! i really like oona’s presence and i just feel like she’s someone i want to protect. <3 also makes amazing pastries. she’s also so pretty!!!!! (i really like ur hair sm i think i’ve said this before lol) a cute friend. would send u things saying ‘this reminded me of u’, and i’d get heart attacks from it jsdjdjksd

@oldbooks (fawn) - my frog friend. i think it’s so cute that fawn shares this agenda with hao <3 also unexpectedly tags you on things and leaves cute little notes/tags that makes me want to :’). sophisticated taste!! also really friendly. ily!!

@scoups (hani) - hani is so friendly and takes really good care of her friends!! i was intimidated of her at first, but learnt that she’s an absolute sweetheart. i love how she’s also giving us sm svt content when she’s around! hani’s a supportive friend that you’ll always find yourself looking for. 

@snwo (joy) - refined taste. funny text post advocate. i love joy’s vibe sm!! i first got to know her when she had a hao url and i was super intimidated of her. now she’s one of my absolute besties! aside from her impeccable taste, she’s also such a great friend. this one always has ur back. ily ms joy <3

@sataemism (sof) - sof literally the funniest person in the world!! i’m always happy to see her and she brings me so much joy. very lowkey chaotic vibe (the taemin and hoshi urls speak a lot abt this lol), and just a very fun person overall!!

birdie carats

@flowerbeom (kat) - kat, like the rest of those in this category, is someone i’ve been following for a while now as i came back to tumblr because of got7. kat and i haven’t really talked much but always interact with rb/s and likes and i love that JSDJSDKJDSJ that being said kat’s tags are always so enjoyable to read. + it’s so funny as well that when we actually got to talking we didn’t realize we had a lot in common! a very generous friend. gave me a yugyeom pc even though i’m literally from another continent. 😭

@tuanzie (joanna) - content queen. i looove how joanna’s work has a trademark look to them! they’re always so gorgeous and smooth-looking. i love how joanna’s able to speak her mind and would not take shit from people. i see her as someone brave, but not too out there! also someone you can rely on to put reposters on hit lists mwah<3

@gotseventeens (belle) - my name twin <3 belle is actually one of the people/reasons why i got into svt and i’m eternally grateful to her for that!! we’ve been talking since i first became a birdie but somehow we both have 0 recollections of our conversations JSDJDKSJKSDJ tumblr wouldn’t be as fun for me if belle weren’t around ngl. i love how she seems to be mature yet you’re also up for a wild ride with her!! she’s my own personal wonu <3

@secndlife (karoline) - i’ve also been following karoline since i was a birdie, but we only became mutuals here! i love her writing so much and i enjoy seeing her lose her mind over hoshi (mood <3)

@defgyus (val) - i often associate belle with val and i think they have a lot of similarities!! val also gives me the mature yet fun vibe. i think val’s so successful and i admire her a lot!! i love her work sm and just love how she interacts with people. very warm and homey!!

more carat moots i haven't really talked to but enjoy seeing on the dash

@emailclub (emily), @kyeomblr (maddie), @joshuahong (bea), @delicatecy (deli), @mintyseoks, @syuperseventeen (nat), @haol (mali), @svtclub (hannah), @cutiejoshi (siri), @chanswu (mandy), @jeonghannie (myrena), @squishy-woozi (kris), @wonwooo (hiba), @rameniji (rain), @cafevernon (ish), @hoshluv, @minghyu (nicole), @mingyiu (katya), @yeol (tat), @dearkyeom (kristy), @seokgyus (kai), @bbaksu (akemi), @1adyluck (sushi), @shineesbag (gen)

#i didn't know i had this many mutuals lol #and i just figured out i was mutuals with some just now sdkjkjdkjsd #also #are u my mutual anon <3 #y.ask #anon

[teddy06writes]

The Phantom Of The Opera AU

requested by this anon: “Okay so I know you’re a musical kid so you have probably listened to/heard of Phantom of the Opera. Picture this: Dream as the Phamtom x Fem!reader as Christine x Sapnap as Raul”

Dream x Fem!reader and Sapnap x fem!reader (with dream as the phantom and sapnap as Raul)

trigger warnings: death, dream being a low key creeper, maybe some swears, my general lack of knowledge of this musical

premise: Phantom AU, not neccicarily the full story, its mainly what I’ve seen/read/listened to that I think is important, and like eight of the songs. Ummm, I feel like the summary above is enough for you to get the general idea.

(y/l/n)- your last name

“blep” regular talking

“Belp” singing

When things are in counterpoint, regular text will be (y/n), (text in parenthesis is sapnap), and {bracketed text is Dream}

if you, like me are unfamilliar with the story, this is the summary that arrived in my inbox last night (thank you so much to the person who sent that by the way, it really helped)  

“So basically phantom of the opera is a love triangle between 3 people, the Phantom (P) x Christine (C) x Raul (R). C and R were childhood friends until R had to move away. C grew up in the Opera house with her dad (deceased) as a music writer. C grows up getting “private” singing lessons from P ( he is literally talking to her through a vent ((Among Us omg)) or something idk). Fast forward into the future to present day. C is a ballerina at the opera and one day, the phantom makes the set malfunction so that the lead female opera singer (she’s a jerk. Forgot her name) can’t preform and C has to preform as the lead instead. Coincidentally, the night Christine sings as the lead is the day R comes to see her show and R is like “ooWooga she be fine now ig”. R and C catch up after the show and R goes away for a minute and then P is like “aight C imma kidnap you for a sec with no purpose whatsoever to the plot except for a cool song” and then C returns to her normal life ig. P them sends stuff to the people in charge of the Opera saying “ayo C be pretty fine, let her be the lead again” the people in charge of the opera were like “nah fam, let’s have the person who was supposed to be the lead be the lead”. Upset by this, during the show, P broke the chandelier and it fell into the audience. C is like “I love you uwu” R is like”let’s get engaged” C is like “let’s keep it a secret so the crazy P guy doesn’t find out” and little did they know during that conversation P was hiding and overheard everything and is now sad boi hours. A masquerade happens and P shows up like “ayo I heard you trynna steal my boo” and R is like “nah she my boo” and they duel or whatever. Idk how it transitions to this but the Opera runs another show and they make C the lead to not upset P. However, during a love song (Past the point of no return, it literally slaps), C realizes that the person singing isn’t the original actor, it is P! And then P straight up kidnaps C after the song, takes her to his lair and is like “boo you gotta marry me or I destroy the opera house with everyone inside it” C is like “fine ig” P takes off his mask and reveals he is hiding burn marks and he kisses C and C kisses back. P is like” my mom never even kissed me” and P let’s C go, telling her to go marry R... or you can just watch this video lmao https://youtu.be/4a5nahw3zi8″

On that note, here we go:

{that only goes for the final scene where its all three, it varies otherwise}

{Things I have learned while preparing this story, 1. the actual phantoms name is Erik, like what a nerd, 2. he’s also not actually a ghost??? He’s literally just some creeper who lives in an opera house screwing with people; also yes Eret is the strict lady who yells at everyone and talks to the phantom, deal with it}

{pls send me more musical au asks I really liked doing this, even if it took me a while}

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ravenous applause of the audience seemed to echo in your ears, even after you had left the stage. 

You’re debut as the female lead in Hannibal had been a smashing success, and as the rest of the chorus girls backstage were saying, it was all thanks to the Phantom scaring Hannah off.  

Niki practically ran up to you from the rehearsal room, “(y/n) that was incredible!” 

You grinned, “Oh I feel like I’m floating Niki! Thank you for volunteering me for the role.” 

“Don’t thank me, Thank whoever's giving you those lessons,” She bumped her hip against yours, grinning cheekily, “And if what the girls are saying is true you’ll have to thank him for getting Hannah out of here.” 

You chuckled, but before you could say anything else Madame Eret was approaching, knocking the end of their cane of the ground, “Miss Nihachu, you are a dancer are you not?” 

Niki nodded. 

“Then get back to rehearsal,” he waited until Niki hurried off to turn to you, “He is most pleased with your performance, here.”

You took the note from him, reading over it quietly, “Red scarf..... the attic.... little lotte?” 

She simply shrugged, leaving you to turn and head up your dressing room. 

As you changed out of your costume from the show you couldn’t help but hum the song that had earned the most applause, “Think of me, think of me of me fondly, when we’ve said goodbye.” 

Reaching around you found your dressing gown, pulling it on and tying up the front, “Remember me, once and a while. Please, promise you’ll try...” 

Your words faded off as your sat down at your vanity, beginning to brush out your hair. 

“Where is your red scarf Miss (y/l/n)? I hope you haven’t lost it. Not after all the trouble I went through to retrieve it for you.” 

You turned to see a tall dark hair man standing in the doorway, a grin spreading across your face as he continued, “I was only 14 and soaked to the bone...” 

“Because you ran into the sea to fetch my red scarf!” You exclaimed, jumping up and flinging your arms around him excietedly, “Sapnap! How I’ve missed you!” 

He chuckled, pulling away, and offering you a single red rose, “(y/n)... Little Lotte let her mind wander...” 

“You remember that too?” You asked with a giggle. 

Sapnap smiled and kept singing, “Little Lotte thought: am I fonder of dolls,” 

“Or of goblins or shoes?” You joined in, “Or of riddles of frocks, or chocolates.” 

“Those picnics n the attic...” He reminisced. 

You closed your eyes, remembering those long ago days, “Father playing the violin.” 

“As we read each other those dark stories of the north.” 

“No what I like best, little Lotte said, is when I’m asleep in my bed,” You sang, “And the angel of music sings songs in my head!” 

“The angel of music sings songs in my head.” He repeated softly. 

You smiled at him, an excited fond feeling forming in your stomach as you sank back into your chair,  “Father said, when I am in heaven child I will send the angel of music to you. Well now father is dead, Sapnap. And I have been visited by the angel of music.” 

“Well that is very evident,” He chuckled, taking your hands, “Your performance was wonderful. And now, we shall go to supper.” 

“Oh- sapnap I can’t, the angle of music is very strict.” 

He didn’t seem to understand the urgency in your voice as he laughed again, “Well I shant keep you up late.”

“No- Sapnap, things have changed-”

“You have to change,” He interrupted, “And I have to grab my hat. Two minutes little lotte.” 

As he went out the door you cried after him, “Sapnap! Thing have changed Sapnap!”

But he was out of earshot, and the voice that had become so familiar to you was booming, “Insolate boy! This Slave of fashion basking in your glory! Ignorant fool! This brave young suitor, sharing my triumph!”

“Angel I hear you! Speak, I listen! Stay by my side and gude me!” You begged up to the ceiling, “Angel my soul was weak! Forgive me! Enter at last master!”

“Flattering child, you shall know me, see why in the shadow I hide, look at your face in the mirror, I am their inside!” 

The voice sounded closer now, and you couldn’t help but look around, “Angel of music! Hide no longer!” 

You turned again, finding yourself face to face with what seemed like a mask, floating in your mirror, “Come to me, strange angel!”

“I am your angel! Come to me angel of music!” 

A shadowy figure seemed to appear behind the smiling mask, a hand outstretched to you. In a daze you stood, grabbing his hand and allowing him to lead you away down a dark pathway.

“Who’s voice is that?” Sapnap asked, knocking on the now closed door, “(y/n) who’s in there?” 

“Come with me angel of music!” Dream, the Phantoms voice echoed again. 

“(y/n)!” 

~~

“In sleep he came to me, the voice which calls to me and speaks my name!” You moved quietly through the passages, following Dream, “And Do I dream again? for now I find, the phantom of the opera is there, inside my mind!” 

“Sing once again with me our strange duet! My power over you grows stronger yet! And though you turn from me to look behind, the phantom of the opera is there! Inside your mind!” He sang, turning back to make sure you were following once more.

The walls of the tunnel seemed to widen, and you could almost make out an empty candle lit space. 

You reached out, fingers almost brushing the edge of his cloak, “Those who have seen your face draw back in fear! I am the mask you wear..”

“It’s me they hear...” 

As you emerged into a cross roads of the tunnels, you sang in tandem, “Your (my) spirit and your (my) voice in one combined, the phantom of the opera is there, inside your (my) mind!” 

He helped you into the boat that waited in one tunnel, before casting off, propelling the boat down the slow moving current, “In all your fantasies, you always knew the man and mystery...” 

“Were both in you....” You sang softly as the boat came to dock in a wide chamber.

Slowly you climbed out of the boat after him, looking around the dank space, and at the organ in the corner. 

Dream pulled off his cloak, “And in this labyrinth where the night is blind..”

“The Phantom of the opera is there! Inside my mind......” 

~~

As the people downstairs argued, you tried to think over what had happened. Was it a dream? It didn’t seem like it, but still, a man appearing in her looking glass? Taking her away and singing words of praise, words of love, words that made nearly no sense now that it was day, and a haze covered your memory. 

The one thing that remained clear was the monster she had found beyond the mask.

All too soon it seemed you were being rushed into rehearsals, being told you no longer had a speaking role, as Hannah had returned, and was back to her diva ways. 

Rehearsals that would normally drag on seemed to go quicker now, and soon you and the rest of the girls were getting ready for the performance. 

“This is ridiculous,” Niki muttered as she adjusted her costume, “You should be playing the duchess, not Hannab.” 

“Hannah is the featured soprano. She’s always the lead.” You retorted. 

“But how will Sapnap know to look for you in the chorus?” Niki teased.

You elbowed her, laughing lightly, “Shut up. Besides I doubt the phantom would let him see me again.”

The show had gone well, at least until the fifth scene. 

All the music stopped abruptly as a voice boomed, “Did I not instruct that box five was to be left empty?”

“He’s here: The Phantom Of The Opera!” Niki cried from offstage. 

Your head jerked up to turn and look at the audience, “It’s Dream!” 

“Your part is silent, you toad!” Hannah snapped. 

From somewhere up in the audience Dream frowned, “A toad Madame? Perhaps it is you who is the toad...” 

Hanna opened her mouth to continue on her script, but no sound seemed to come out, save for what was close the a croak. 

The men who had bought the opera house, Wilbur and Tommy were coming rushing down from their box, “Ladies and gentlemen we apologize! The performance will continue in ten minutes time, with Miss (y/l/n) as the duchess!”

Tommy nodded as Wilbur finished, “And for now, we will give you the ballet, from act three of tonight's show!” 

The ballet didn’t last long, as when you returned to the wings dressed for the new role you had been given, someone let out a horrified scream.

“What the-” 

You were cut off as you looked up to see Shlatt, the stagehand in charged of the curtains, hanging from the rigging, a noose fully tightened around his neck. 

“Ladies and gentlemen remain calm! It was just an accident- remain calm!” Someone shouted. 

Through the darkness you could make out Dream’s menacing figure, the smiling mask watching you threateningly as you clamped your hand over your mouth to stop the scream that had ripped at your throat. 

“(y/n)? (y/n) are you alright?” Sapnap had run down onto the stage in all the chaos. 

“We- we have to get out of here,” You choked, grabbing his hand, “We aren’t safe here.” 

He didn’t seem to understand the reason behind your panic, but even so he offer you his arm, “Lets leave then.” 

~~

Twenty minutes later you ended up in an empty park, the panic that filled your chest not yet fading as Sapnap asked, “Why have you brought me here?”

“We can’t go back there!” You exclaimed. 

“But we must return.” He gripped your hands, “Darling their bound to be missing you.” 

You shook your head, “Sapnap- He’ll kill you! His eyes will find us there!” 

“(y/n), don’t say that! It’s okay (y/n), it’s okay!” 

You looked up into the darkened sky, “No it’s not- no it’s not- Those eyes that burn!” 

“Don’t even think it!” He cried desperately. 

You couldn’t tell whether you were trembling from fear, or from the cold, as you sang, “And if he has to kill a thousand men....” 

“Forget this waking nightmare!” Sapnap insisted. 

“....The phantom of the opera will kill.” You sang distractedly. 

He gripped your shoulders, “This phantom is a fable, (y/n), believe me!” 

“And kill again....” You shuddered at the idea of Dream doing anything to Sapnap. 

Both of you sang, “God who is this man, who hunts to kill? (this mask of death?)

“I can’t escape him!” You cried. 

He shook his head, “Whose voice is it you hear...”

“...I never will!” 

“With every breath?” 

His grip on your shoulders tightened, pulling you closer to him as you both sang, “And in this labyrinth where light is blind, the phantom of the opera is there, inside my (your) mind!”

“There is no Phantom of the Opera!” 

“Sapnap- I’ve been there, inside his world of never ending light! To a world where daylight dissolves into darkness, darkness! Sapnap I’ve seen him!” You cried. “Can I ever forget that sight? Can I ever escape that face? So distorted, disformed it was hardly a face!  in the darkness, darkness. But his voice filled my spirit with a strange, sweet sound in that night there was music in my mind And through music my soul began to soar! And I heard as I'd never heard before!” 

“What you had was a dream and nothing more!” 

You could hardly look up at him, “yet in his eyes was all the sadness in the world! Those pleading eyes that both threaten and adore!” 

“(y/n), (y/n)!”  Sapnap exclaimed. 

“.....(y/n)......” A different voice seemed to cry into the night. 

You gasped, pressing yourself against Sapnap, “What was that?” 

He hugged you tightly, before pulling back and singing gently, “No more talk of darkness, forget these wide eyed fears. I’m here, and nothing can harm you, my words will warm and calm you.” 

You relaxed into his grip, listening to his quiet voice, “Let me be your freedom, let daylight dry your tears, I’m here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you.” 

“Say you love me, every waking moment. Turn my head and talk of summer time,” You looked up at him, biting your lip, “Say you need me now and always, promise me that all you say is true, that's all I ask of you.” 

“Let me be your shelter, let me be your light, you are safe, no one will find you. Your fears are far behind you.” He assured you, smiling softly. 

 “All I want is freedom, a world with no more night. And you to always be beside me, to hold me and to hide me.” You admitted. 

Sapnap’s smile grew wider, “Then say you’ll share with me, one love, one life time. Let me lead you from your solitude. Say you need me here, beside you. Anywhere you go let me go too, (y/n), that's all I ask of you.” 

“Say you’ll share with me, one love, one life time,” You repeated, “Say the word, and I’ll follow you.” 

“Share each day with me, each night, each morning.” You sang together as he leaned down to rest his forehead on yours.

“Say you love me?” 

He smiled, whispering, “You know I do.” 

“Love me- that's all I ask of you.” You both sang, before he leaned in to gently press a kiss to your lips, “Any where you go, let me go too. Love me- thats all I ask of you.” 

Sapnap kissed you again, before pulling away, “We could go anywhere- we could be married! You would marry me, yes?” 

“Oh, yes, Sapnap, yes I would. If you’d have me.” You nodded, eagerly. 

He grinned, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

You couldn’t help but giggle, before turning back toward the direction of the opera house, “I must go back, they’ll wonder where I am. Wait for me Sapnap!” 

“(y/n), I love you!” He exclaimed. 

“Wait for me, Sapnap. Order your finest horses and being waiting by the door.” You could go back, and continue working at the opera house, there was nothing left for you to fear while Sapnap was there.

“And soon you’ll be beside me!” He chuckled.

You grinned, “To guard me and too guide me!” 

Sapnap offered you his arm again, and you headed off out of the park, toward the opera house. 

Slowly, Dream slinked from the shadows where he had watched the proposal, “I gave you my music, made your song take wing. And now your repaid me, denied and betrayed me.” 

He groaned running a hand through his hair, “He was bound to love you, when he heard you sing. (y/n)- oh (y/n)-”

He was cut off by the sounds of your voices drifting down the street, Say you’ll share with me, one love, one life time, Say the word, and I’ll follow you. Share each day with me, each night, each morning.”

Dream’s hands flew to his ears, desperate to block out the sounds- he had been so sure that you could’ve loved him, but now Sapnap was stealing you away. 

“You will curse the day you did not do, all that the phantom asked of you!” He bellowed. 

~~

The following weeks at the opera house were a blur of panic masked by busyness, Wilbur and Tommy refusing to let the disaster of the chandelier falling from keeping the company from working on their next performance. 

You kept on working, the ring on the chain Sapnap had given you around your neck helping you to feel safe, even as the chorus girls cited the Phantom for the cause of all the distress. 

Now you were back in your dressing room, getting ready for dinner with Sapnap.

“Wander child, so lost, so helpless,” A soft voice seemed to drift down from no where, “Yearning for my guidance.” 

You looked up at the ceiling, “angel or father? Friend or phantom? Who is it their staring?” 

“Have you forgotten your angel?” The voice murmured, Dream appearing once again in your mirror. 

You turned to him, almost in a trance, “angel, oh, speak, what endless longings, echo in this whisper.” 

Sapnap, having arrived to the opera house appeared in the door, watched as you moved toward the phantom. 

“Too long you’ve wandered the winter...” Dream continued to sing, hand outstretched to you. 

“Once again she is his.” Sapnap sang, as you started to cross the room toward the mirror where the phantom stood. 

“...far from my far reaching eyes.” 

“Wildly my mind beats against you....” You sang, transfixed. 

Behind the mask Dream grinned, “You resist. Yet your soul obeys.” 

“Once again she returns, to the arms of her angel. Angel or demon? Still he calls her, luring her back from the grave. Angel or dark seducer? Who are you strange angel?” Sapnap sang, again, more to himself than you or Dream. 

Dream beckoned you forward again,  “I am your angel of music, come to me angel of music!”

“Angel of darkness, cease this torment!” Sapnap exclaimed, moving into the room properly and drawing attention to himself. 

Dream unbothered, continued to sing, “I am your angle of music! Come to me angel of music!” 

“(y/n), (y/n) listen to me! Whatever you may believe- this thing, this man is not your father!”  Sapnap yelled, “(y/n)! Let her go! For gods sake let her go!” 

Jarred by his sudden yell, you turned, the trance broken, “Sapnap...” 

Dream, unimpressed, began to clap, deadpanning, “Bravo monsieur. Such spirited words.” 

“No more tricks monsieur!” Sapnap yelled, stepping forward to put himself between you and Dream. 

“Oh, but that's not any fun. Why don’t you come closer, sir? Keep coming this way.” 

Sapnap, not liking to be challenged, stepped forward, “You cannot win her love by holding her prisoner!” 

“No- Sapnap don’t!” You grabbed his hand, pulling him back. 

He nodded resolutely, gripping your hand as you both moved toward the door, “Lets go then, no more time will be spent with this monster.” 

“Don’t go!” Dream wailed as you hurried away down the hall, “Now let it be war upon you both!” 

~~

Something was going wrong, of course it was, because when was it not?

Your entrance in Don Juan Triumphant had gone according to plan, but the man who had stepped out as Don Juan was not George, as it should have been.

You steeled yourself, trying to come up with a logical reason.

George must have gotten sick, and a stand in had taken his place, yes that must be it.

“Past the point of no return, no backward glances, the games we played till now, are at an end.” The man sang, “Past all thought of ‘if’ or ‘when’, no use resisting, abandon that thought and let the dream descend.”

Your panic seemed to rise, the double meaning in his words filling you with dread.

“What raging fire shall flood the soul? What rich desire locks the door? What sweet seduction lies before is? Past the point of no return, the final thread hold. What unspoken secrets will we learn? Beyond the point of no return.”

You moved carefully to your next mark, trying to work out who it was in George’s place, “You have brought me, to the moment when words run dry, to the moment when speech disappears into silence, silence.

I have come here, hardly knowing the reason why, in my mind I already imagined, our bodies entwined. Defenseless and silent, now I am here with you, no second thoughts, I’ve decided, decided.”

You just barley stopped from trembling as you realized, it was Dream, “Past the point of no return, no going back now. Our passion play has now, at last, begun. Past all thought of right and wrong. One final question: how long should we two wait, before we’re one?”

“When will the blood being to race? When will the sleeping bud burst into bloom? When will the flames at last consume us?” You finished, taking an only slightly shaky breath.

The phantom grabbed your hand as you both sang, “Past the point of no return, the final threshold. The bridge is crossed so stand and watch it burn, we’ve past the point of no return!”

Everyone in the audience seemed to hold their breath, they too knew that this was not George. The cloak that had hidden Dreams mask fell, and they gasped upon seeing the plaster smiling face.

He grinned behind the mask, and punctuated, “Say you’ll share with me, one love, one lifetimes lead me, save me from my solitude.”

The words stung even before he pulled out a ring, holding it out to you, “come with me, or this whole place will come down upon us.”

Slowly you looked to the audience, Sapnap was standing in the isle, looking worried.

You couldn’t let him get hurt.

You nodded reluctantly, as he continued, “say you want me by your side anywhere you go let me go too, (y/n) that’s all I ask of-“

Slowly, you reached up, pulling the mask off his face, revealing the terribly scared face to the world.

The gasps turned into horrible screams as a curtain was raised, and Georges body tumbled onto the stage.

Almost immediately Dream flung his cloak around you, disappearing.

Sapnap ran up onto the stage, along with the crew, police officers and other patrons.

“Sapnap! Sapnap you’ve got to come with me!” Eret cried, rushing out onto the stage.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Sapnap!” They yelled again, “I know where they are!”

“But can I trust you?” He demanded.

She nodded, “yes, and remember, keep your hand up at eye level.”

“Why?”

“Punjab lasso.” Was all he offered in explication as he led Sapnap away.

~~

Soon enough Sapnap was creeping through the shadows of the phantoms layer, watching as he tried to place a wedding veil on your head, “Too bad pity comes to late, turn around and face your fate, an entirety of this before your eyes!”

You turn to face him, looking up at the mess of scares that cover his face, “this haunted face holds no horror for me now, it is in your soul that the true distortion lies.”

The phantom turned suddenly, to Sapnaps hiding place, “Wait! I think, my dear, we have a guest! Sir, this is indeed an unparalleled delight! I had rather hoped that you would come And now my wish comes true— you have truly made my night!”

“Free her!” Sapnap yelled, stepping into the light, “do what you want to me but let her go!”

“Your lover makes a passionate plea.” Dream laughed at you.

“Sapnap it’s useless!” You cried.

Sapnap shook his head, “I love her! Does that mean anything To you? I love her! Show some compassion!”

“The world showed no compassion to me!” Dream retorted.

He reached out toward you, “(y/n), (y/n), please let me see her!”

Dream grinned maliciously, “be my guest.”

Sapnap rushed forwards, as Dream contiued to taunt, “Monsuier, i bid you welcome, did you think that I would hurt her? Why should I make her pay, for the sins which are yours?” 

As he finished the last words the Punjab lasso came sailing out, and Sapnap barley had time to fling his arm back up as he was dragged back, the only thing keeping him from hanging being the fingers he’d wrangled between the rope and his neck. 

“No!” You cried, struggling to your feet. 

“Order your fine horses now!” Dream yelled, “Nothing now can save you, except maybe... (y/n).” 

You stood, shaking as he turned to you, “Start a new life with me- buy his freedom with your love! Refuse me now and send your lover to his death! This is the choice, this is the point of no return!” 

“(y/n), forgive me, please forgive me, I did it all for you, and all for nothing.” Sapnap sang, looking at you desperately.  

At the same time you turned toward Dream, “Farewell my fallen idol, and my false friend, one by one my delusions shattered.” 

“Too late for turning back, too late for prayers and useless pity!” Dream sang.

“{all hope of cries for help, no point in fighting!} (say you love and my life is over, either way you choose, he has to win!) {for ether way you choose, you cannot win! So do you end your days with me or do you send him to his grave?}”

“Why make her lie to you, to save me?” Sapnap yelled. 

You looked between them desperately, “Angel of music..... {past the point of no return!} (For pity’s sake (y/n) say no! Don’t throw your life away for my sake!) Who deserves this? When will you see reason? {The Final threshold! His life is now the prize you must earn! You’ve passed the point of no return....}”

You looked at Dream, no longer trying to hide the fear that coursed through your veins, “Angel of music, you have deceived me, I gave myself blindly to you.” 

“You try my patience! Make your choice!” Dream yelled. 

Looking back at sapnap for a moment you stepped forward, whatever it would take, you would keep him safe, “Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you known? God give me courage to show you, you are not alone.” 

Reaching out, you took the mask from his hand, tossing it to the side as he moved closer to you as well. 

Before you could hardly blink he was kissing you, and with little more than a second thought you kissed back. 

Sapnap watched, in partials horror, until the phantom drew back, shaking as he whispered, “No one has ever kissed me- not even my own mother.” 

You nodded, and then suddenly Dream began to move across the room, grabbing a knife from somewhere as he stalked up to Sapnap.

He paused for a beat, and you could feel the terror in the room- until he slashed at the rope, and Sapnap fell the ground. 

You rushed over to him, kneeling beside him, “Sapnap! oh Sapnap!” 

“Take her,” dream wailed, “Take her and forget me, forget all of this! Leave me alone- forget all you’ve seen....”

Sapnap struggled to his feet, holding you close to him as he backed towards the channel. 

“Take the boat, leave me here, go now, please!” 

The sounds of the mob looking for Georges murderer seemed to grow louder as they grew closer.

“Hurry! Now before its too late!” Dream yelled. 

Sapnap hurriedly started to help you into the boat, but you pulled away, moving back to the Phantom, long enough to hand him the ring. 

Then you were off, turning to Sapnap as the current carried the boat away, “I’m sorry Sapnap- I couldn’t let him hurt you- I couldn’t!” 

“Shhh. It’s alright (y/n), it’s alright. He can’t hurt you anymore.” He murmured, pulling you into his arms.

“Say you’ll share with me, one love one lifetime.” You sang shakily.

Sapnap nodded, “Say the word and I’ll follow you.”

“Share each day with me, each night, each morning...” The sounds of your voices traveled back up the tunnel for Dream to hear. 

He sighed, looking resolutly into the distance, “You alone can make my song take flight- It’s over now, the music of the night!”

#mcyt x reader #mcyt imagines #dreamwastaken x reader #sapnap x reader #phantom of the opera #teddy06 writes

[angryhausfrau-writes]

I Travel Troubled Oceans: Chapter 19 - In Which Jack and Charles Secure Planning Permission and Max Micromanages

Mary had liked several of Charles's photographs of Jack and the workroom and the half-finished fashions enough to post them to Instagram. And she'd liked the photograph of Charles all decked out in silk and countless jewels enough to use it as the title page for a more formal press announcement of the upcoming fashion show. The word “DECADENCE” is emblazoned across a glossy version of the picture in a stark, masculine font.

And then, in slightly smaller font underneath: Jack Rackham – Fall/Winter 2009.

His name. His name. Not quite in lights, but there, for everyone to see. For everyone to know that he is the one who did this. That these accomplishments are his.

Not that he did it all himself, of course. Mary's role is obvious. Christine is indispensable. And it's Charles's face on the cover of his press release.

The may have called Charles his muse as a joke. It seems like the sort of thing a flamboyant fashion designer would call his favorite booty call. Just the right side of pretentiously obfuscating for the older guard who might not be ready for the party boy persona they've both adopted.

But the honest truth is that Jack's come to rely on Charles in a way he hadn't quite expected for this con.

It's not exactly in Chaz's wheelhouse, is the thing. But he's worked hard to learn skills outside bashing skulls, just as Anne has.

Not that he doesn't do plenty of that as well. And gotten some good information out of it. But he's more than the street thug he'd been for so long. And Jack can't say he misses those days – not when the days they have now are so much easier.

So much less full of fear and strife and poverty.

It's almost like an extended holiday, the way they live now. All getting to pretend they're rich and soft and genteel. Getting to walk among the special, the exalted, the beautiful people. The ones with titles and money and pedigree. The ones with names that mean something.

Well now Jack's name means something too.

And not through an accident of birth. Through cleverness and planning. Through luck, of course, but also through plain hard work. Something those gilded, pampered elite would never understand.

--

Charles has been given a slight reprieve in lugging armoires around. The old Hennessy house has been emptied of all the furniture, finally, and Mary's light rigs have all been installed. All the walls repainted and all the pictures of grand empty rooms taken.

But then Max sees the reaction the upper crust have to those pictures. All the ruined grandeur on display, just to be knocked over to make way for progress, for new ways of making money – they fucking love it, the rich brainless investment fuckers.

So now Max wants to take advantage of that greed she's awoken in the elitist twits in thousand pound suites. That desire for wealth, for faded grandeur, for a past of riches and glory and conquest. But brought into the future. Brought into the now. So they can pretend England isn't just some pretentious backwater with delusions of grandeur, with visions of glory (that was never all that glorious) long past.

So Mary decides, yeah, it would be a fucking great idea to do a little promotional photo shoot of all the models for Jack's fashion show in the house, before it gets demolished. Jewel bright clothes, sparkling gems, enough gold to sink a fucking warship, all juxtaposed – that'd been the word she'd used - all fucking juxtaposed against the backdrop of the ruined townhouse.

So Jack'd worked like a fiend to get the clothes ready. And Charles's break is over.

Now he gets to lug around garment bags and makeup trunks and jewelry chests and even more light rigs – all to be placed precisely where Mary dictates, and moved with the changing light or her changing whims. All that shit's fucking heavy. And Anne's no help this time because she's been set to wrangling all the models and making sure they're properly primped and preened and posed for the photos. All under Max and Mary's watchful eyes.

Cuz Max has apparently decided that she wants to have her hand in things personally.

Not that she hadn't kept things well in hand with Jack's other fashion show – finding the models, organizing the behind the scenes contracts. Setting Idelle up with Featherstone.

But now she's actually telling Mary how she wants the pictures to look. Or more specifically, that she wants some big fancy painting in all the shots. Not the whole paining, though. Just pieces of it. Enough to tantalize, to excite, but not to show the goods.

There's even a picture where the models are holding it at the front of the shot, but it's covered by a lacy black cloth, all except for one corner, which pokes out like a whore's ankle in some repressed 1700s pin up.

Charles thinks the whole thing's fucking unnecessary. Who gives a shit if there's a painting showing too much or too little in the shot? Why does he have to be the one to move it over and over again – sometimes millimeter by fucking millimeter – until Max deems it just right? He's got other things to do with his day, thank you very fucking much.

Like pretending to be Jack's ditsy muscular boytoy, and all the hours in the gym and gossiping by the pool that takes to maintain. He better get another fucking break when all this shit is over.

--

With investors sniffing at Max's skirts like rabid jackals, ready to rip each other apart for a chance at the Hennessy townhouse, Jack broaches the topic of planning permission to Councilor Featherstone. And he does it over dinner in a private room at a restaurant where the esteemed councilor could never have gotten a reservation – and especially not on such short notice. Because for all that he has power. For all that he attends all the right clubs – the same clubs Jack himself attends. Well, the councilor's a bit of a social outcast. A bit of a dud in the personality department.

Whereas Jack is all glib charm and meaningless flirtation. Jack knows how to play the sort of high society games that result in the private table on nearly no notice that the councilor is currently enjoying.

What is it they say? Always come to the negotiating table with the outcome already certain? Well, Jack's doing his damnedest to stack the deck in his favor. And if a little show of how well connected he is, how much more he belongs in this world of high-society fops and casual displays of obscene wealth, is what it takes to get Max her planning permission, then Jack will wine and dine Featherstone at the goddamn Ritz if he has to.

Although the slightly less-upscale, though no less entrenched in British upper-class hegemony, restaurant he's chosen for tonight seems to be doing the trick well enough. Councilor Featherstone is looking around with ill disguised awe.

If he were slightly more uncouth, Jack imagines his jaw would be actually agape at all the gilt and velvet and fine linens and sparkling crystal. As it is, it's more than obvious Jack has introduced him to a style of dining out that he's never experienced before. Perfect.

The entire point of this little excursion is to underline to Councilor Featherstone what a... fruitful... relationship they can have. All Jack's connections and wealth at the councilor's fingertips – and all he needs to do is pass the occasional planning permission for a project that otherwise may have languished in limbo for years. And to that end, Charles is doing his considerable best to bring the conversation around to where Jack needs it to go, namely planning permission for the Hennessy house.

A conversation that demonstrates that Charles has become considerably more subtle than Jack ever believed him capable of.

And perhaps that is an oversight on Jack's own part. Him never deigning to look past Charles's rough and unpolished exterior to hidden – really very well hidden – depths. Known for a straightforward style of smash and grab, Charles has really developed a mind for strategy of late. And something of a silver tongue, though it doesn't come close to rivaling Jack's own.

At any rate, Jack appreciates his efforts. Lord Hamilton may have been willing to come right out and ask for little favors, so assured of his power and his place in the London hierarchy he would eschew subtlety entirely - but there's such a thing as being too forward.

Jack finds that method rather gauche. And the last thing he wishes to be is gauche.

Plus, Jack would rather have the councilor's regard – his friendship, even if it is a tad one-sided – than his fear purchased compliance. Because fear may breed deference in the short term, but it leads to chafing at the yoke in the long run. And Councilor Featherstone didn't get to where he is today by being a complete pushover.

So Charles is sitting in this opulent private dining room, as the councilor sips champagne and enjoys expensive hors d'oeuvres, chatting to Idelle about a spa he went to with some of his “friends” from the health club. Which isn't even a lie. Charles had in fact attended a quote girls day unquote at an upscale spa courtesy of one of the women who lounges poolside and looks over her designer sunglasses at the tanned skin Charles is so very unconcerned with putting on display.

The fact that it was a nude spa may have had something to do with Charles being invited. But it sounds as if Charles had a nice enough time. Or at least he's talking it up to Idelle, who makes suitable sounds of impressed jealousy as the story unfolds. Commenting that she'd rather like to be taken to something like that – perhaps on a date?

Personally, Jack would pay enormous amounts of money to not see Featherstone in the alltogether – but Idelle is a consummate professional and lets no sign of displeasure at the idea show. Maybe Max ought to consider giving her a raise. Jack resolves to raise the issue once planning permission has been secured. Speaking of -

“The only thing,” Charles says, voice measured to ensure that Councilor Featherstone is paying the utmost attention. “The only thing I didn't particularly care for was how crowded the spa was.”

“Indeed,” Jack butts in, “that hardly sounds relaxing. Being surrounded by all the teeming masses.”

“Oh, the actual spa part was lovely. So relaxing after a long, hectic week...”

Jack can see Councilor Featherstone's scoffing disbelief that Charles could have anything resembling a hectic week – his schedule filled with nothing more than lounging in various decorous poses on various expensive surfaces, as far as the councilor is aware. But he has some long, hectic weeks at work...

“But as soon as you're back in the more public areas, all that work at relaxing and destressing – gone!”

“Oh, how terrible!” Idelle exclaims with just the right amount of dramatic disbelief.

“And it was supposed to be one of the more exclusive spa packages as well. You think money would go a bit further nowadays, is all,” Charles finishes. And now all that's left to do is set up the pitch...

Right on cue, Idelle chimes in with, “Too bad there isn't a more private spa. Someplace intimate.” The last is directed at Featherstone, who's blushing and looks primed for the sell.

“Funny you should mention that,” Jack says causally – but not too casually. That's the key. They have to think you're playing them a little so they won't look too deeply at how you're actually playing them. “I happen to have a friend who's looking to start up a little boutique hotel spa. You know where the Hennessy townhouse is?”

The councilor nods, although Jack doubts he was ever actually invited there.

“Well, my friend got it for a song. They were looking to move to warmer climes, you know. And she got an excellent deal for the whole package – house and furniture and everything. Which turned out to be a good thing! The whole place was falling apart, if you can believe. Just completely structurally unsound.” Jack says the last part as if it's the most boring thing in the world.

“So anyway, she's looking to rebuild. Plenty of investors already lined up around the block, of course. And there's mixed zoning, you know. And she doesn't exactly need yet another house to sit empty and eat up heating costs. Plus the cleaning service – you know how much they'll gauge you.”

Pretending that the councilor has a maid service – when Jack knows for certain he doesn't, which is why he doesn't entertain at home much – is another stab at just how different he is from the upper crust.

“Yes, of course,” Councilor Featherstone responds. “They'll take an arm and a leg.”

“So she came on the idea of the hotel and spa. For the country set, or celebrities, or whoever wants a little privacy when visiting the city.” Rich men with mistresses. Government officials with less than acceptable girlfriends. Whoever.

“That sounds lovely,” Idelle chimes in. “Perhaps we might do a spa day there sometime, dear.”

“Oh. Oh I don't know,” the councilor responds, obviously thinking of the enormous price tag attached to something like that.

“We could do a double date,” Charles gushes. “Oh, Idelle! What an excellent idea!”

“Oh, I'm certain I could arrange something like that,” Jack is quick to assure the increasingly panicked looking councilor. “Given that the proposal comes from a close personal friend. I imagine I can talk her into pulling a few strings with whoever purchases the building so we get first crack at it.”

A delicate pause. Calculated to be just enough to let the councilor experience euphoric relief that his problem has been solved - that Jack has been the one to solve it – before bringing it all crashing down.

“Of course, that's assuming the project moves forward any time in the next decade. You of all people know what London real estate is like.”

“You said the lot was zoned for mixed use?” Featherstone asks desperately. He's so close to giving Idelle her heart's desire of the current moment and he can see it slipping away.

Jack nods.

He's not even lying. There are several businesses on that street dating to just after the Great London Fire that necessitate the designation. Plus one unbearably posh cupcake bakery charging upwards of a tenner for a single cupcake.

“Well, then it should be no problem. I can even take a look at everything personally - just to make sure it's all in order, of course.”

“Oh, darling!” Idelle exclaims rapturously. “Would you?”

“Of course, dear. Anything for you.”

Perfect.

Charles grins at Jack, wolflike. And then steers the conversation to other idle gossip about the rich and famous.

Best not to let the councilor dwell too long on what just happened.

#black sails #charles vane/jack rackham #anne bonny/max #i travel troubled oceans #chapter 19

[jesuiscalmedammit]

Goodbye – (3) || [Bones x OC]

It was time. The USS Enterprise was about to leave Starbase 1 for another mission and Jim couldn’t be happier. He always loved that, the thrill of leaving Earth on this ship, his ship, and every time he wished his father was still alive to see how far he’s come. But this time was different. This time he had his sister on board and she was going to travel with them in the next three months. Having family around would make things easier, at least that’s what his mother had told him when he called her with the news.

Unable to contain his good mood, he kept talking to Bones about how Izzy would probably make his life miserable every now and then, but his friend wasn’t listening apparently. If he had to guess, Jim would have said he was probably thinking about the things that could possibly kill them in space during the mission as he stood next to him on the bridge with his arms crossed over his chest. Jim let out a quiet chuckle while he shook his head, then went on as if nothing happened.

“Are you done?” Bones suddenly asked impatiently, looking over at the captain who only glanced at him for a moment with a mischievous smirk. “Look, I understand that you’re excited and everything, but you’re the captain of the USS Enterprise. There are plenty of things you should do instead of talking about someone who will spend months aboard the ship,” he said in a tired voice. “Not to mention Sulu’s only waiting for your orders,” he added, pointing at the helmsman.

“Take us out, Mr. Sulu,” Jim gave out the order then looked back at the doctor as he sympathetically patted his shoulder. “Oh, I know the only reason why you’re not happy about her arrival is that she will follow you around all the time,” he said, faking a painful expression. The arrival of Izzy meant Bones had a duckling from now on, someone who would follow him wherever he went. Knowing him, only the thought tired him out mentally. “But trust me, she’d do anything to make you happy,” Jim added.

The doctor’s eyes grew wide in surprise. The way Jim told him that kicked his mind into overdrive, and his imagination was about to get out of control. He quickly shook his head to dismiss the thoughts. “What does that supposed to mean?” he inquired.

“You’ll see, Bones,” was all he said in a tone that made it obvious he was merely testing his friend’s patience.

“There might be a day when I throw you off this ship myself, you know,” Bones noted, trying hard not to yell at the captain who was only laughing at his reaction as they left the bridge. “So how come I’ve never met your sister? She’s been in San Francisco for about a year yet all I know is that the two of you are close and you call her Izzy. You never told me her full name or showed me a picture of her.”

“And there’s a good reason for that.” When the doctor gave him a questioning look, Jim shrugged. “I may be a little overprotective when it comes to her. The last thing I needed was her falling for your Southern charm instead of focusing on her job and studies,” Jim explained.

“It’s not like I’d–”

The doctor fell silent when they noticed Spock not far from them with Izzy on his side. “Dr. Krause, this way, please,” he said in his usual, polite way.

“Come on, Bones, she won’t bite you,” Jim told him quietly as they were getting closer.

“You know that’s funny; someone said the same thing about my ex-wife,” he replied sarcastically. The captain gave him a disapproving look that could be also translated as it's not like you're gonna marry her.

When Izzy’s eyes fell on them, her lips curled into a wide smile and she immediately ran over to Jim to pull him into a hug. “I can’t believe I’m here!” she said excitedly.

Jim quickly peeled her off himself then turned her around so they were now facing Bones. “I’m sure you’re my resident, Izzy,” he said as he extended his hand. “I’m Dr. Leonard McCoy, the chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise. You’ll be working with me in the next three months,” he said flatly.

“Dr. Isabella Krause, nice to finally meet you,” she said, quickly glancing at her brother with a pointed look.

“Fangirl,” Jim suddenly whispered to her.

“Shut up, Tiberius,” she hissed without hesitation.

After Spock excused himself and left, Bones gave the two a disapproving look and rolled his eyes. But Jim decided to ignore him for now and he restarted his conversation with the young woman. “How’s your mother?” he asked quietly.

A sad smile appeared on Izzy’s lips. “She’s gonna be fine for now. At least I hope there won’t be any problems. Dad promised to call me if something happened,” she added as she casually leaned against a wall. “By the way, dad asked me to tell you that he’s proud of you.”

“He’s what now?”

“You heard me,” Izzy nodded, letting out a quiet chuckle. “He finally accepted the fact that, after all, you are good for something. He just... You know, didn’t want to get all mushy when you talked to them. Surprising, isn’t it?” she asked, smoothing out a non-existent wrinkle on her blue uniform.

Jim’s steel blue eyes were fixed on her light brown ones for a few moments while he processed her words. “Yeah, that’s surprising,” he agreed with a suspicious look in his eyes. “You only made up the last part, didn’t you?” he asked, though he already knew the answer. Izzy nodded, flashing a sheepish smile at him as she massaged the back of her neck.

“I really don’t want to destroy this family moment, kids, but you’ll have plenty of time to talk later,” Bones walked up to them, then he turned to Izzy. “We should go to the med bay. I’ll show you everything there so you won’t get lost in the future,” he said. “I hope,” he added after a short pause.

“Alright.” The brunette’s gaze shifted from the doctor to the captain, and she gave him an almost scared look.

Bones noticed it and quickly shook his head. “Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you. We don’t want to scare you away, do we?” he asked with a small laugh. “Come on,” he said then walked towards the med bay with Izzy, leaving a smiling Kirk behind.

Bones wondered how he should bring it up. Growing up as an only child had both its advantages and disadvantages. Not having a sibling sometimes made him crave the relationship he saw some of his friends had with their own. From what he’d heard before and what he witnessed a few minutes earlier was exactly what he always missed.

“You two seem to be really close,” Bones suddenly spoke up as they entered the med bay. Izzy looked over at him, chuckling quietly, but she remained silent in the end. “Am I wrong?” he asked curiously after a short pause.

The brunette shook her head in response, thinking about what to say. “No, you are absolutely right, doctor,” was all she said after the silence, emphasizing the word doctor.

He showed her the main areas of med bay, informing her about the size of the medical team and the main protocols. But before he could begin the next chapter of the introductory speech, a cheerful voice interrupted them.

“Good morning,” said a young woman with long, blond hair. “You must be our new test resident,” she added, extending a hand. “I’m Christine Chapel.”

“Isabella Krause,” the young doctor replied with a smile, shaking her hand. “But please, call me Izzy.”

The nurse chuckled. “I hope you can help make him stop acting like a grumpy old man all the time,” she said, earning a questioning look from Izzy and a threatening one from Bones. “All right, I got it. We’ll continue this later,” she said and waltzed out of med bay.

Slowly shaking his head and massaging the bridge of his nose, Bones broke the silence. “Nurse Chapel is kind of my right hand. She’s really good at her job, so you don’t have to worry about her carefree behavior,” he said. “By the way, you can call me Bones,” he told her casually with a small smile, sitting on one of the beds. Since she was Jim’s stepsister, he hoped they could leave formalities.

She gave him a curious look as she sat on the other end of the bed, a strange smile playing on her lips. “What about Leonard?” she asked curiously, looking in his eyes again.

“Just call me Bones, Isabella,” he said reassuringly, hoping it wouldn’t be a problem for her to use his nickname. The other doctors and the nurses on the ship rarely called him Bones since he’d become the chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise.

“No, thank you, Leonard is really good,” she said cheerfully. “And please, call me Izzy,” she added.

Bones took a deep breath, keeping eye contact with her. “All right, I’ll call you Izzy if you’ll call me Bones from now on,” he stated.

“Oh, come on,” she laughed, subconsciously putting her hand on his. When she realized her mistake, she immediately pulled it away with an apologetic look on her face.

For a short second, he was thinking about reaching for her hand but decided against it. What was going on with him? There was a small voice in the back of his mind telling him there was something he’d forgotten, something important. Did they somehow know each other from the hospital? No, he would remember. Probably.

Once he cleared his throat, he went on. “No, no. Think about it: if there is, for example, a medical emergency and you have to shout my name, Leonard is too long,” Bones explained, smiling friendly at her.

“You're right. Still–” she started, but Bones interrupted her.

“No still, dammit,” he said angrily. “You’re acting like Jim and that’s really annoying, you know.”

Shaking her head, Izzy shrugged in response. “What can I say? We grew up together. But fine, I’ll call you Bones if that’s what makes you happy,” she said quickly. Bones nodded and put a small scanner in front of her. “Is that mine?” she asked, picking it up.

“Yes. I want you to take it everywhere you go,” he ordered, giving her another device. “Also, here’s a PADD in case you need to see a patient’s medical files.” Bones watched as her face lit up like a Christmas tree, and this made him smile too. Unlike Jim, she was apparently always serious when it came to her job, and he truly appreciated it.

“Is there anything else I should know?” she asked eagerly.

The doctor looked around the intensive care unit they were in and thought for a moment. “Well, I think you already know the rest of the medical equipment,” Bones started and she nodded in response. “Obviously my office is also located in the med bay,” he said.

“Okay, I think I got it,” Izzy chirped happily then hesitated. “Can I ask you a question?” Bones nodded without thinking. “Why did you join Starfleet if you have aviophobia?” she asked, trying to hold back a laugh.

Bones’ eyes darkened as he looked at the young doctor. “Jim told you,” he stated with a tired sigh.

“Of course he did. We tell almost everything to each other,” she replied casually with a shrug. As unsurprising as it was, Bones still reminded himself to be careful around these two in the future.  “When you two met on that shuttle, the first thing you told him was something like I may throw up on you. I wonder if you would still be friends if you had actually thrown up on him," she said, finally freely laughing at him.

“Hey, aviophobia is not funny. Stop laughing,” he warned her.

“Sorry, I know it’s not funny,” she said now that she managed to calm down. “Men often love to act like they are not afraid of anything. And, you know, if you meet one who admits he has a phobia then it’s–”

“Ridiculous.”

“No, it’s kind of cute,” she said.

“Cute?”

“Yes.”

"So you really think it’s cute if a man admits that he’s afraid of dying in something that flies?” Bones asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” she nodded with a bright smile on her face.

“You’re strange. For some reason, I thought most women preferred men who are not afraid of anything. Or if they are, at least they don’t show it.”

“That’s a stupid stereotype. Prince Charming is a handsome guy with blond hair, blue eyes, he’s brave, strong, romantic and faithful, and yes, he has a white horse,” she began to explain. “Look at James, for example. Handsome? Check. Blond hair? Check. Blue eyes? Check. Brave and strong? Check. Romantic and faithful? He’s not even close, since he’s a real womanizer. This goes for almost all the Prince Charming-looking guys in the world. No one’s perfect,” Izzy finished her little speech with a shrug.

“Wow,” was all Bones managed to say, looking into her light brown eyes. It had been a while since he’d last heard a woman speak so honestly. “Now that I heard it like that… I have to admit you might be right,” he said.

Izzy chuckled nervously as she massaged the back of her neck. “Well, of course I’m right,” she said. “Hey, don’t you wanna have breakfast with me tomorrow? I was about to ask James and Spock if they would like to join me.”

After a short pause, while he was thinking about the chances of the green-blooded hobgoblin not being present the next morning, he replied. “Sounds good,” he said with a nod. Izzy then left to find Nurse Chapel and once he was left alone, Bones let out a long, tired sigh as he laid back on the bed with his arms behind his head. “Why do I have a feeling she’ll be the death of me one day?” he asked quietly from himself.

#star trek #star trek 2009 #leonard mccoy #leonard bones mccoy #leonard mccoy x oc #leonard bones mccoy x oc #bones #bones x oc #fic: goodbye #fanfic #fanfiction #jim kirk #james kirk #james t. kirk

[chaoswillfallrpg]

VICTOR YAXLEY is TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OLD and a SOCIALITE amongst THE SACRED TWENTY-EIGHT in LONDON. He looks remarkably like NAT WOLFF and considers himself NEUTRAL. He is currently TAKEN.

→ OVERVIEW:

The youngest of the infamous Yaxley twins, Victor Yaxley could be described as an outlandish character for those who had not met his sister ELEANOR. Born into a very wealthy family a few moments after his older sister, Victor followed Eleanor into the world and would spend his life doing the exact same thing thereafter. The only son of ELIJAH YAXLEY and ISMENA FLINT, Victor would have had an easy life if he had been an only child. The Yaxley family were fabulously wealthy, with influential ties to the Ministry through his uncle CORBAN. It was tradition that the eldest son, would take over the helm of the Yaxley family after the passing of Victor’s grandfather, but Victor’s father had always been more concerned with the stage than with balls and advantageous unions, prompting his grandmother ZARIAH YAXLEY to pressure his father into settling down and eventually marrying his mother. A larger than life man, Elijah had worked in the theatre since graduating Hogwarts, which Victor’s grandmother had always despised. A traditional woman, Zariah fiddled in the lives of her sons as she would later come to fiddle in the lives of her grandchildren. Before his marriage, Elijah had lived a life of chaos, chasing chorus girls and putting on lavish productions at the playhouse which made their family cringe. Victor had always gotten the impression from his father that marrying into the Flint family had broken his creative spirit in some way. 

After Victor and Eleanor were born, Elijah had tried to maintain his life at the theatre and Victor’s very early years were littered with memories of sitting in the front row watching his father leap around on stage pledging his undying love for actresses who wore glittering costumes Elijah had helped design. The theatre was Elijah’s passion and Victor’s mother, Ismena’s passion had been his father Elijah. Despite being raised to always think of how you were perceived by others, Ismena did her best to ignore the constant whispers as she clapped for her husband and told her children how proud she was of their father. It was when Victor and Eleanor began to grow old enough to hear the whispers themselves his mother urged Elijah to give up the stage. When it came to drawing up marriage contracts both Ismena and Zariah knew families like the Blacks and the Malfoys married their children to Pure-Bloods entering society, not the children of an actor and playwright. Despite no longer working for the theatre, the Yaxley family could not outrun Elijah’s passion. The people he’d worked with were replaced with his children and Victor’s sister became the star of the show. Eleanor, like their father, demanded attention and whilst Ismena and Zariah tried to rear Victor to one day be the head of the family, as it seemed his sister was destined for a life like her father, Eleanor didn’t quite seem to get the message and treated him like her personal assistant rather than a brother. 

As she stood in the family parlour during her one woman shoes, Victor was reduced to making costumes and dressing her in them or ushering their family in to watch her sing. His sister was the only thing that eased his father’s departure from the theatre, but even Victor could see Eleanor wasn’t enough to make him happy. No one ever commented on it, but Victor would watch it all unfold silently. His mother would often tell him to stand up to his sister and demand her respect but Victor found it difficult to take advice from a woman who had allowed her husband to treat her so terribly. It was frustrating feeling to know that in their family Victor and his mother would only ever be supporting characters though he resided not to argue with his parents or sister about it. In Victor’s opinion, Eleanor was only capable of loving herself. She was a dead ringer for their father who had never taken an interest in anyone who couldn’t give him something he wanted. As he listened to his family he made a silent promise to himself to not end up like them. Unhappy and thrown together into a situation of convenience that would never manifest true happiness. He had hoped Hogwarts would be the start of finding that happiness he so desperately desired. Although Victor was much quieter than his sister and overlooked because of that, he had all the grandeur and showmanship of his father. 

Out of his school robes, Victor only wore expensive, hand tailored clothing and often had a hand in the process of designing all of the garments he wore. It was his love for his appearance and an ability to withstand being around very strong personalities that attracted the attention of NARCISSA BLACK. Sorted into Slytherin alongside her, Narcissa was everything his sister could never be but what Victor’s mother and grandmother hoped strict schooling would turn her into. Narcissa was image conscious and constructed a friendship group of beautiful people like him and his sister. VIOLET BULSTRODE and PERSEPHONE WILKES were perfect till they opened their mouths and REGULUS BLACK and RABASTAN LESTRANGE were handsome, stoic and quiet which seemed to be how Narcissa preferred her company. Although Victor was fond of her, the constant noise from the people that surrounded her and close proximity to his sister drew him to become friends drew him to become friends with WILLIAM GOYLE and ALECTO and AMYCUS CARROW, fellow Slytherins who floated on the edge of his original group of friends. The new group allowed Victor to explore a side of himself he’d never been brave enough to look at. Alecto and Amycus were trouble maker twins with a relationship which made him envious. Amycus let Alecto take the lead but was always there to catch her when she fell or jump aboard a plan she had to make the lives of those she hated miserable. 

He wondered if he and Eleanor could have been that way if he’d been more comfortable giving her the limelight or if she’d have been happy to share it. At first his friendship with the twins and William was to help boost his ego but then it became about something else entirely. Amycus Carrow was feared by all who knew him, but Victor saw something else. He was always seen as a monster, but Victor told himself it was mostly for show. The love he had for Alecto seemed too pure for him to be completely evil and although Victor projected a very firm and cold stance to the outside world, he allowed Amycus to see a softer side to him he believed they both shared. Victor found beauty and meaning in every owl he received from him and each glance and kiss exchanged after parties in dark corridors filled Victor with the promise of something more. Even when Amycus and his family were disgraced due to his father’s gambling, Victor was still willing to marry him and offer him every happiness. The Yaxley family refused to hear of it. As they lectured him on appearance and the importance of strong ties, his father sat oddly quiet. Elijah had never been much of a father but with their family reputation in the balance, Victor had thought he would say something, but he wouldn’t. Unbeknownst to Victor, his mother and sister, his father would have been a hypocrite. More than the love of the stage had prevented him from being a proper father and husband, leaving him with little a leg to stand on. 

CHRISTINE MAY was a Muggle actress and ¼ veela who had worked opposite his father for many years. Their professional chemistry had carried off screen and due to his stupidity or perhaps out of love, three children had been born. ADAIRIA LINWOOD and LAUREL LINWOOD were born before he’d married Ismena and had been swept under the carpet by Zariah. MAREN LINWOOD was born after Victor and Eleanor and had been a closely guarded secret his grandmother and father had tried their best to keep. A year their junior, Maren had been a favourite target of Victor and Eleanor’s at school to bully. A Muggle-Born witch, they’d known her from choir and despised her talent and prettiness, none the wiser her talent ran in their veins too. Knowing that if their birth was made public it would ruin the family, Victor’s grandmother had done her best to steer the family away from drama and draw up good contracts for the rest of the family to wither the storm should it come. As such she had thrown the twins at anyone she deemed worthy and sent numerous owls to RITA SKEETER to push her endeavours and make them seem more eligible to other families. Sick of her interfering, Victor hatched a plan to keep his grandmother at bay and plan his path to happiness. Scheming with former schoolmate Persephone Wilkes, the pair have been plotting a scandal sure to keep their annoying relatives at bay and cause the right kind of stir on the Sacred Twenty-Eight social scene.

ADDITONAL INFORMATION:

Blood Status → Pure-Blood

Pronouns → He/Him

Identification → Cis Male

Sexuality  → Homosexual & Demisexual 

Relationship Status → Single

Previous Education →  Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Slytherin)

Societies → N/A

Family → Elijah Yaxley (father), Ismena Yaxley (mother), Victor Yaxley (brother), Adaria Linwood (unknown half-sister), Laurel Linwood (unknown half-sister/adversary), Maren Linwood (unknown half-sister/adversary), Corban Yaxley (uncle), Dionysus Flint (uncle), Lotte Flint (aunt), Decius Flint (cousin), Rosalie Flint(cousin), Eelis Burke (uncle), Kratista Burke (aunt) Caius Burke (cousin), Lyra Burke (cousin)

Connections  → Amycus Carrow (close friend/object of affection), Alecto Carrow (close friend), William Goyle (close friend), Narcissa Black (close friend), Persephone Wilkes (friend/faux girlfriend), Violet Bulstrode (friend), Rabastan Lestrange (friend), Regulus Black (friend)

Future Information → N/A

VICTOR YAXLEY IS A LEVEL 3 WIZARD.

#marauders rp #marauders rpg #harry potter rp #harry potter rpg #harry potter roleplay #victor yaxley #nat wolff #neutral #wizard #socialite #taken #taken wizard #taken neutral #taken lgbtqia+ #taken lgbtqa+

[andrewmoocow]

Steven Universe Alternate Future chapter 28: Fusion Frenzy (originally published on October 4, 2021)

AN: It's fusion time everyone! Last time, Black Rutile initiated Phase 2 of her new plan to eradicate her enemies by interrupting the President's emergency address and now, she's on her way to Beach City as we speak to begin Phase 3. Can the Crystal Gems stop this monster and save both Steven & the Earth? Find out today on Steven Universe Alternate Future!

Synopsis: Bluebird Azurite, Black Rutile & White Topaz return to capture Steven.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Monster Steven, Watermelon Stevens

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl, Volleyball, Mega Pearl

Grace Rolek as Connie/Future Connie

Tom Scharpling as Greg

Shelby Rabara as Peridot/Future Peridot

Jennifer Paz as Lapis

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth/Future Bismuth

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper

Noël Wells as Black Rutile/Future Black Rutile

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball

Larissa Gallagher as Bluebird Azurite

Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond

Lisa Hannigan as Blue Diamond

Christine Ebersole as White Diamond

Sarah Stiles as Spinel

Aparna Nancherla as Lemon Jade

Erica Luttrell as Future Sapphire

Lin-Manuel Miranda as President Eduardo Suarez

Wendie Malick as Vice President Theresa Maxwell

GZA as Major General Wade Grant

Aimee Mann as Opal

Billie Eilish as Turquoise

Esme Bianco as Malachite

Catherine Tate as Lepidolite

Toks Olagundoye as Nanafua

--

Closed off from the chaos outside, Jasper remained curled up in the bathtub, sobbing quietly over being rejected by her Diamond, over how nothing seemed to go right for her on Earth, and how she'd rather have gone back to Homeworld with the Diamonds rather than stay with all the other healed Gems. However, her misery wouldn't last any longer.

"Can you keep it down?! I'm trying to mope!" Jasper bellowed before she finally burst from the bathroom and marched on outside as she heard roaring from the beach. However, what she saw was a shocking sight. "What is that?"

"Is that you Jasper?" Lapis exclaimed as she hovered over to her orange frenemy. "Where have you been this whole time, you'd be pretty useful here but it seems like you don't want to!"

"I was busy being depressed, brat." Jasper snarled at Lapis. "Depressed over how my Diamond left me again. Now where is he? I want to give him a piece of my mind!"

"Funny you should mention that," Peridot replied loudly. "That monster thing is Steven!"

"You're kidding!" Jasper replied before she began sounding more insecure. "Please tell me you're kidding and that this isn't all my fault because he shattered me, I'm begging you guys!"

"Are you okay?" Pearl asked the big Quartz as Lapis brought Jasper over to the Gems. "You're sounding a bit more frantic than usual."

"Sorry," Jasper began, cringing at the thought of apologizing for something she did. "I just think this might be my fault, since because of me he went mad with power and shattered me."

"It's not your fault Jasper," Garnet said comfortingly. "I think we all might be to blame here. But it could be worse." The fusion followed up by kissing Jasper on the forehead, much to her disgust.

"Ew, what did you do to me?!" Jasper yelped in disgust as she harshly rubbed at her forehead before her vision began to distort. "Wait, what's-"

--

What Jasper then saw was not a beautiful seaside where a monster stormed about, but the remnants of Little Homeworld, now reduced to ruins in the middle of a desolate wasteland. As far as she could see, no life could be seen for miles, all except for a ragtag band of survivors finding their way in this apocalyptic future.

"Any sign of He Who Must Not Be Named yet?" the possible future version of Peridot, easily distinguished from her regular self through wearing Pearl's blazer, asked a young adult version of Connie.

"No, thankfully." Connie said as she looked through the skies with her binoculars. "But we gotta move at some point, he could be here at any moment now!"

"No, I say we stay and fight!" Bismuth declared. "I don't care if that's still Steven, you all seen what he did to our friends!" she added despondently. "Ruby, Amethyst, Pearl, Lapis, they're all gone now, all thanks to him!"

"Bismuth, you're being irrational." Sapphire calmed the blacksmith down. "But I do agree, there's no future I see where we calm Steven down and rebuild society."

"Well, let him come." Peridot stated tiredly. "Anything to be with Lapis again. I'm just so tired of fighting."

As the surviving Crystal Gems bowed their heads in shame of how powerless they were to save their loved ones, a hoarse, piercing laugh rang out, causing the four to take up arms against whatever foe crossed their path. That foe in question turned out to be Black Rutile, now without her cape and her visor showed many visible cracks.

"Ah, yes." Black Rutile said as her laughing turned into smirking. "Tired of something you barely even did to begin with. Maybe if you two weren't tossed to the side after the Cluster and reduced to a comic relief role, that little witch could've stood a better chance."

"Be very careful with what you say next." Connie threatened the Rutile by pointing her sword straight at her gem.

"Oh come now Mama-Say-Mama-Sah-Warren, I've lost people too." Black Rutile grinned while lowering the sword. "I've lost people too. Heck, you saw how Steven killed my old gang, and now he's after me too for all I've done."

"Well frankly, you had it coming for all that." Bismuth responded before turning her finger into a spike. "Now pipe down while I smash you to pieces."

"Bismuth, stop." Connie advised Bismuth. "I think she might be our best chance at surviving yet."

"Are you serious?!" Peridot shrieked in defiance. "It's all because of her that Steven went nuts, shattered Jasper, and then started rampaging across the planet and maybe beyond! All our friends and family are dead because of Black Rutile, and you think she might help us?!"

"We kept you around despite being a Homeworld loyalist." Sapphire told Peridot.

"So anyways, you might be our best chance at stopping Steven." Connie said to Black Rutile before sticking her hand out. "You in?"

"I'm going to assume that if I don't play by your rules, I'll pay with my life?" Black Rutile asked as she shook the human's hand.

"You bet." Connie answered. "When I found White Topaz before Steven shattered her, she begged me, with her last words that when I'd kill you, and make no mistake I will kill you, I'll give you the slowest and most painful death I can offer. And if you try and run away, I'm going to honor that promise."

As the handshake broke, Black Rutile was left completely speechless at both Connie's death threat and her late bodyguard having the audacity to wish death upon her. Before long, her silence was broken by another bout of maniacal laughter at Connie's expense. "Honor? Really kid?" Black Rutile declared. "You know we live in a society, or at least what's left of one, where honor is but a distant memory."

"You talk too much, you know that?" Sapphire snarked before she received another future vision, one that might spell their doom. "My stars, he's coming!"

While Connie, Peridot, Bismuth, and Sapphire prepared for the fight of their lives, Black Rutile looked up at the pink-colored sonic boom in the sky and laughed as a pink glowing figure landed on the ground in front of the rebels, the resulting impact causing more destruction to Little Homeworld.

Connie pointed her sword at their opponent, and her face softened upon discovering who it was. A pink, gargoyle-like monster whose size was equal to Bismuth's with massive horns on his head, scars on his chest forming a star, and a pink gem on his stomach.

"Steven?"

--

"So all that could've happened, because of me?" Jasper despaired as she was returned to the present day before dropping to her knees. "You were right, I am nothing but trouble."

"Okay, maybe you are, but you can still change." Amethyst rejected Jasper's notion. "And you can start by helping us stop him!" She then pointed to the pink monster, who took one look at Jasper and began to run away from her, no doubt the Steven inside it afraid to see Jasper again after killing her.

"Hey, get back here!" Jasper yelled as Steven tried to run straight towards Beach City.

"It's gonna smash Beach City!" Amethyst yelled. "We gotta stop him!" Without even a chance to be asked, Lapis summoned a water rope that she used to lasso Steven and drag him away from Beach City.

"So, is there any way to fix him?" Jasper asked.

"None that we know of so far." Garnet replied. "Not even the Diamonds could solve this problem."

"And now, I don't think there's anything we can do." Pearl declared.

"Anything, except surrender." Black Rutile declared as she, White Topaz, Aquamarine, and Eyeball dropped down from and stood before the group with an army of robots behind them. "Oh look, everyone is here! We got the insipid oppressors, their mindless sheep, and the sorry excuses for monarchs!"

"What's your game Black Rutile?" White Diamond angrily asked her former subordinate.

"It's quite simple really." Black Rutile replied. "Thanks to yours truly, all of you are now enemies of humanity for allowing this to happen!" She pointed at Steven. "And not just your little monster problem, but for all the horrible things you've done to this planet! And all while you were too busy crying like babies for the brat."

"Yeesh, someone likes to talk." Spinel murmured.

"Zip it, playmate!" Aquamarine declared. "Once all of you are out of the way, our master shall claim this galaxy as her own!"

"And maybe become one of the great Universal Lords!" Eyeball added.

--

All across the world, riots began breaking out over Black Rutile's broadcast. Picket signs were made, effigies were burned, and calls were made to eliminate the Crystal Gems' threat to humanity, even though not a single one of them knew of their existence before today.

In Washington, Theresa was showing Suarez a livestream on her phone of a group of people in Russia cursing in their native language of how the Gems deprived them of their ancestors' native land, leaving the president more depressed over the incident just as Wade strolled into the Oval Office.

"I just got off the phone with Prime Minister Sorayama." Major General Grant said. "He's saying the cabinet of Japan is ready to launch everything they've got against the monster and the Crystal Gems. They just need you to give the okay."

"No, we are not nuking anything!" Eduardo screamed, making the vice president and the major general jump a bit. "I know the Gems are good, kind people, but is it really true they're responsible for all that? And who's this Pink Diamond anyway?"

"I know they're your friends Mr. President, but what friends places the world in danger so many times, the only one to address that is another member of their species?" Grant asked. "It's your choice, sir. Your friends or your country?"

"He raises a pretty good point, sir." Theresa stated. "What's it gonna be?"

After wiping a few tears from his eyes, Eduardo turned to face the window behind him and made his decision. "Major General, tell Japan to call off the attack. Because we're doing it ourselves."

--

Back in Beach City, Black Rutile continued her speech to the Gems. "Look at all of this." She declared. "This is the chaos I've wanted to engender for so long. I wanted to build a new Homeworld order where you failed, but you chose Steven over your own people just because he's family." As Black Rutile continued speaking, she could feel her sanity begin to teeter off the edge more and more. "My purpose was to fight for the Gems, that is the sole purpose I was given. And now, I barely have any people left. That is what you have taken from me. That is what you have taken from EVERYONE!"

"That is where you're wrong!" Pearl boasted in reply. "You may think you're a misunderstood hero, but you're not! You're nothing more than a sociopathic, bloviating monster who only thinks that she's doing what's best for everyone! As actual heroes, we'll fight to stop you till our last breath, because we are the Crystal Gems and we'll always save the day!"

With that, Pearl took Amethyst's hand and the two merged into Opal, who pulled out her bow and fired an arrow at Black Rutile, who only moved her head an inch to the right to dodge it.

"Oh, fusions, eh?" Black Rutile snickered. "I guess we should even the odds then." She then turned to White Topaz. "Topaz, to me!"

"Right away my Rutile." White Topaz sadly complied and fused with Black Rutile to once again form Lepidolite.

"BEHOLD PEONS!" Lepidolite declared bombastically. "THE UNPARALLELED, UNIMAGINABLY ALMIGHTY LEPIDOLITE HAS FINALLY RETURNED!"

"Oh geez, she can fuse too?" Lapis snarled before turning to Jasper. "Hey Jasper, wanna join in?"

"Whatever." Jasper said and the two formed into the turquoise and gold-colored Malachite.

"Well, you know what to do Eyeball." Aquamarine said as she took the Ruby's hand and twirled in place before they formed Bluebird Azurite and unsheathed her ice cutlass & a flaming saber.

"Gems, now!" Garnet gave the order to attack and led the charge against the four rebels. However, Greg was feeling a little left out.

"Uh, what about me?" Greg asked as the battle began. "If only I could still make Steg." However, Greg quickly saw Lion rising beneath him and making the father ride on his back. "Oh, well that should suffice." Greg smiled before he made Lion gallop into combat. "WOLVERINES!"

--

Lepidolite roared as she threw a punch at Malachite, who caught it in one of her hands and fought back by launching a geyser at Lepidolite's face, sending her flying towards Peridot, who sent Bismuth soaring before the rainbow Gem smacked Lepidolite into the sand with her hammer.

"Feeling a little outmatched?" Malachite boasted with her arms folded.

"Child's play!" Lepidolite growled while summoning her claws and slashing Malachite in the torso. However, Malachite quickly grabbed Lepidolite by the arms and summoned Jasper's crash helmet to give her a nasty headbutt. "Topaz, what are you doing?" the Black Rutile half of Lepidolite asked. "Pull your weight and help me here!"

"But it's the four of us against all the Crystal Gems, the Diamonds, and even a Spinel!" the White Topaz half replied as Malachite began punching Lepidolite at rapid speed. "We're so outmatched here, let's just un-fuse and surrender so we won't have to risk our lives against such an unfair numbers advantage."

"Oh shut up!" Black Rutile yelled before Lepidolite received another punch to the face. However, Lepidolite just as quickly stabbed Malachite with her claws and slowly dragged them up her torso up to her face, hitting both Lapis & Jasper's gems and causing them to un-fuse.

"I got you guys!" Greg shouted as Lion leaped up and he caught the two Gems on his back. Lion then followed up with a roar aimed straight at Bluebird while she was fighting Opal, who was sent flying towards Spinel.

"Comin' at ya!" Spinel exclaimed before she began dribbling Bluebird like a basketball and flung her at some of Black Rutile's robot minions, who were firing at the Diamonds.

"Well, at least we tried with Malachite." Lapis said while getting up before she turned to Peridot. "Hey Peridot, wanna give it a shot!"

"Gladly!" Peridot exclaimed and raced over to her bestie.

"Wait, what?" Jasper asked as she watched her former cohorts fuse into Turquoise. "Since when can you do that?!"

"Don't ask, just fight!" Turquoise declared while forming a set of three swords out of liquid metal from the air to use, two in her hands and one between her teeth.

"Right." Jasper agreed as she prepared to charge. "Let's kill her properly this time."

--

Amid the chaos, Volleyball and Lemon Jade were left trying to escape harm with no idea what to do in battle, as they had never engaged in combat before.

"What are we going to do?!" Lemon Jade yelled while shaking Pink Pearl in her hands.

"I have no idea!" Volleyball replied. "I did fuse before, but it wasn't really for fighting an enemy." That was when she got an idea. "Wait, hold on!"

Volleyball ran towards Opal, who was busy shooting down Black Rutile's robots with her arrows when she felt something pulling down at her drape. "Oh, do you need something Volleyball?"

"Can I fuse with you Pearl so I can protect Jade?" Volleyball asked Opal.

"In the middle of something, but that's a definite possibility." Opal replied, unaware of the robot that was now hovering behind her.

"TARGET OPAL CONFIRMED. COMMENCE UN-FUSING." The robot droned and sent out an electric shock that forced Opal back into Pearl & Amethyst.

"Well ain't that a coincidence." Amethyst snarked as the two Pearls fused into Mega Pearl. "It's like she planned for this!"

"She planned for everything Amethyst." Mega Pearl responded before slashing away at robots that were cornering Lemon Jade.

--

Meanwhile, Turquoise was engaged in a swordfight against Bluebird Azurite, her metal katanas against Bluebird's ice and fire swords. "This is what you get for taking Steven and causing Lapis to leave me!" Turquoise yelled as she tried to stab Bluebird in any opening she could find.

"Oh, did kidnapping Steven hurt you that much?" Bluebird snickered. "I wouldn't have guessed judging by how you never show up." The smaller fusion quickly disarmed Turquoise and prepared to go in for the kill, but she had another thing coming.

"Got this from a manga." Turquoise grinned cheekily while cupping all four of her hands to her side and sticking them out, launching a torrent of water at Bluebird's face.

As for the Diamonds, they were busy protecting Steven from the robots by swatting them away. "These things are multiplying by the second!" Blue said while smashing drones to the ground so that the surviving Watermelon Stevens could dismantle them. "We have to get Steven somewhere safe so we can calm him down!"

"Everyone's trying their hardest, but Black Rutile just keeps coming back up." Yellow replied.

"Don't despair, we can win this!" White added, confident that they could still win the day somehow when she spotted something in the distance. "Wait, what are those?”

--

"Get a move on everyone, we're wasting daylight here!" Wade Grant barked to his men from his Humvee as the US Army advanced towards Beach City. As their goal was only to capture the Crystal Gems, they didn't need massive tanks, only jeeps, armored vans, and helicopters to get the job done. As the seaside town grew closer and closer, some of the army men felt the need to converse among themselves.

"So, do you think it might be sexist to capture a bunch of alien women?" one of the soldiers driving an armored van asked his companion.

"I'm not sure." The other soldier replied. "From what I've heard, they only look like women. They kinda don't have any gender since they're like, holograms projected by rocks. Holograms that happen to look female."

"Yeah but are there male Gems out there somewhere?" the first soldier continued. "How do they even procreate, if possible?"

"Beats me, they don't look like they have the goods, if you catch my drift." The second soldier wiggled his eyebrows. "Y'know, nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more!"

"Yes, I catch your drift, no need to reference old-timey British comedy." The first soldier groaned before turning on the radio. "Sir, we're nearing Beach City. Permission to be the first to step out?"

"Permission granted Private Eric." Wade accepted over the radio as the two soldiers' van rolled up to Beach City, where its citizens were already evacuating.

"Excuse me, we'd like a word with the mayor of this town." Private Eric said as he and his partner stepped out.

"That's me, Mayor Pizza." Nanafua declared as she walked up to the pair. "Now what brings the military here?"

"We're on official business here Mayor Pizza." Eric stated. "Are you aware you have been housing aliens that have been threatening your planet regularly?"

"Oh, the Gems? They're pretty harmless." Nanafua laughed. "Though that giant monster is a bit concerning."

"Everyone step aside, Black Rutile has convinced us those Gems need to be placed under arrest." Wade stepped forward and prepared a special anti-Gem weapon made from the remains of the Destiny Destroyer. "We won't use lethal force against you all, but we strongly urge you to let us through if you want your planet to live."

The armed forces began marching towards the pink monster menacing Beach City as the townsfolk nervously stepped aside to allow them to pass. Though they treasured the Gems, they couldn't bear to be victims of yet another incident relating to them.

--

"Get back here!" Lepidolite roared as she chased Connie around and clashed her claws with the girl's sword. "Don't think you've won yet just because you've trained with that rotten Pearl!"

"That's what you think!" Connie yelled before she slashed at Lepidolite's arm, causing the fusion to yell.

"How can we be hurt just like that?!" the Black Rutile half of Lepidolite muttered before looking accusingly at no one in particular while beginning to destabilize. "Seriously Topaz, why can't you contribute?!"

"Seriously, can't you read my lips?!" White Topaz yelled. "I want out!" Suddenly, the two Gems split apart and fell to the ground. Black Rutile fell face-first and spat out some sand before glaring daggers at her bodyguard.

"Does it look like I care?" Black Rutile said. "Besides, we should be getting some back up real soon."

"Wait, back up?" Mega Pearl wondered before she got shot down by a weapon resembling a Gem Destabilizer and forced back into Pearl & Volleyball.

"Fan out, take down anything with a star!" Wade Grant gave out orders while his men zapped the Crystal Gems with their Destabilizer-like weapons, managing to take down Turquoise, Garnet, Amethyst, Bismuth, and Jasper before forcing them into a truck.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Jasper roared as she was herded like cattle into the truck with the other Gems.

"You're finally getting the Earth justice you deserve." Black Rutile declared smugly. "When this planet's government learned of your exploits, the leader tried to make an address that I hacked into and used to expose you to the world. Hope you enjoy confinement!"

"You won't get away with this!" Pearl yelled rebelliously before she, Volleyball, and one of the Watermelon Stevens were forced into the truck as two of the soldiers looked up at Steven and the Diamonds.

"What do we do with them?" Private Eric wondered.

"No need, I got this." Black Rutile bragged, taking Aquamarine's wand and using it to imprison the three Diamonds in a forcefield.

"Hey, you let them go!" Spinel yelled before she found herself getting trapped in the bubble as well, along with Lemon Jade.

"Uh, what is going on?" Greg asked before the major general walked up to him.

"There is no need to panic sir, we are simply following orders." Wade answered calmly. "Alright, move out! We're bringing them to Area 42!"

"Area 42?!" Connie exclaimed. "What are you going to do with them there?!"

"Just gonna ask some questions followed by deciding their fates, no big." Wade responded as he hopped into his Humvee and drove off while turning on his radio. "Gems have been captured, I repeat, Gems have been captured. Requesting a lift to Area 42 in Calivada, over."

As the military drove away with the Gems in tow, Bluebird Azurite picked up Black Rutile & White Topaz before she flew them away from the beach, the combined weight of the Diamonds, Steven, Spinel, and Lemon Jade in the bubble having no effect on her.

"So Crystal Gems," Black Rutile laughed evilly. "Who are you going to believe in now?!"

--

With the Crystal Gems in government custody, Black Rutile is just a few steps closer to victory. But what plans does she have in store for the Diamonds, what fate shall await the Crystal Gems at Area 42, and do White Topaz's loyalties still lie with Black Rutile? You're just gonna have to wait and see.

#steven universe #steven universe future #fanfiction #steven universe alternate future #steven quartz universe #garnet #amethyst #pearl #connie maheswaran #greg universe #peridot #lapis lazuli #bismuth #jasper #black rutile #white topaz #aquamarine #eyeball ruby #bluebird azurite #yellow diamond #blue diamond #white diamond #spinel #pink pearl #lemon jade #president eduardo suarez

[dlwritings]

Firecracker Soul | Dean Winchester

Chapter 12 - Textbook Toxic

pairing - mob!Dean x teacher!ofc

word count - 5,298

warnings - language, oral (m receiving)

additional notes at the end

(previous)

The week went by uneventfully for both Alice and Dean. On Monday, Dean had his meeting with Crowley. On Tuesday the pair went out for dinner, but Alice decided to forgo spending the night at his place so she could get some more work done before school the next day. On Wednesday, she woke up feeling like crap. Mother nature kicked her in the gut and made her bleed. She always hated getting her period on a weekday, because her first day was always her worst. If she didn't have school, she would lay in bed with a heating pad on her tummy, medication pumping through her system, and a Friends rerun on TV. During the school day, she had to power through it like a grown up.

But when she got home, she changed into sweats and threw herself into bed. She wasn't even through an episode of Friends when her phone went off. She groaned in annoyance as she looked at it, only to feel a little bit better when she saw it was Dean. You wanna come over tonight? Or should I say CUM over ;)

She rolled her eyes with a chuckle as she texted him back: As tempting as that sounds, I'm feeling pretty horrible right now, so I think I'm just going to whine in bed all evening like a loser

Dean: ? Are you okay?

Alice: Just thank your body for not giving you a uterus

Dean: Ah I see

She was just about to text him back when he texted her again.

Dean: Would me coming over to cuddle help or hurt?

Alice was glad she wasn't someone who got weepy during her period, because she was sure his kindness would make her lose it if she was.

Alice: You know you're the best, right?

Dean: I know. I'll be over in twenty

True to his word, Dean was at her apartment in twenty minutes. Even as she stood up to let him in, Alice found herself wincing with every step. Medication could only help so much on her first day. Dean took in her pained expression when she opened the door and frowned. "You okay, sweetheart?" he asked, pulling her in for a hug and kissing the top of her head as he kicked the door closed behind him.

"Not really," she said with a sad laugh. "You'd think after eight years or whatever I'd be able to handle this when it comes around." Dean just smiled sympathetically, and the two of them went into her bedroom. They sat on the bed, and he situated her between his legs.

"Is it your stomach?" he asked. She nodded and picked up the remote to play Friends again. "How can I help you?" he asked. "Do you want me to rub your stomach? Or do you just want your heating pad?" She thought for a moment. As nice as it would be to have Dean's gentle touch on her, she didn't think it would make her feel any better.

"Can you reach my heating pad?" she asked, motioning to where she had left the pad on the end table. He nodded and grabbed it, so she lifted her shirt and put it on her lower stomach. The controls attached to the cord had four different heat settings, and she always put it on the second highest. Dean kept his arms around her, and her head was resting on his chest.

"I'm surprised you're not watching Criminal Minds," he teased.

"Friends is part of the period routine," she said with a small smile. "No one can make me feel better like Joey Tribbiani and Chandler Bing."

"Not even me?" he asked, lightly kissing her neck.

"Don't push your luck, Winchester," she said. "You're great and all, but 90s Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry just hit different." She could feel his chest shake as he chuckled, and she looked up at him. When he met her eyes, she put her hand on the back of his head and pulled him down for a kiss.

Dean ended up spending the night, and he left to head home as soon as she started getting ready for work, not wanting to get in her way and mess up her morning routine. The way she kissed him goodbye with a cup of coffee in her hand before rushing off to her bedroom to put some makeup on made him feel weird. Something about it was so domestic. It wasn't a bad thing, it just caught him off guard. They had barely known each other for three weeks, but their relationship already felt like it had been going on for so much longer.

And he liked that.

-

On Saturday, Alice got to the diner before Christine. AJ brought her usual coffee, and Alice told her to go ahead and put their regular order in as soon as Christine arrived. The door opened just then, and her friend walked in. AJ went to place their orders, and Christine joined Alice at the booth.

All week, Alice had been trying to decide if she should tell Christine about Dean. Dean never explicitly told her not to tell anyone about his job, but she still felt like it was supposed to be kept on the down low. But she told Christine everything, and the last thing she wanted was for something to come up in the future that she wouldn't be able to tell her about because it had something to do with Dean or his family.

"You've got something on your mind," Christine said.

Alice chuckled. "Am I that obvious?"

"Only cuz I've known you for ages," she said. Her eyes lit up hopefully. "Is it about your masters?"

For some reason, Alice felt guilty. She felt like she was letting Christine down. Christine was a constant support, and Alice had pretty much given up trying to fill out her application. It wasn't that she didn't think about it anymore. She did. It just wasn't at the forefront of her brain. It should've been. She was free of Greg. She had Dean. She loved her job. She was happy. Life was good. Wasn't now the best time to think about pursuing something more?

She vowed then to go home and spend at least an hour on the application. If this was something she was serious about, it needed to be something she put time into.

"No," Alice said, "it's about Dean."

Luckily, Christine was equally interested in that topic.

"Oh my god," she said, leaning forward so her elbows were on the table. "You guys totally fucked, right?"

"God, Christine," she said with a laugh and a roll of her eyes. "That's so not what I was gonna talk about."

"But you have?" she asked.

"No!" she said with a laugh. Christine looked unimpressed as she leaned back and folded her arms across her chest.

"I don't know if I'm more disappointed in him or you," she said. Alice pursed her lips, and a slow smile grew on Christine's face. "You're not telling me something," she said. "What have you done? Has something happened since you rode his thigh?" Alice's eyes grew wide as she looked around, like she was afraid other people were listening. No one was.

"Okay," she whispered, leaning forward, "if it'll get you off my back, I'll tell you." Now, Christine was interested. So, Alice gave her a -quite undetailed- account of what had happened on Sunday. Clearly, the lack of details wasn't acceptable for Christine.

"Was it good?" she asked. Alice knew her face was red, and she looked down at her plate. "Oh my god, you loved it."

Alice couldn't hold back any longer.

"Of course I loved it," she hissed. "I am human, you know." Christine laughed. "God, it was so great, Chris," she continued. "I didn't know stuff like that could be that great. Plus, like-" She hesitated, the embarrassment from earlier coming back. She should've just dropped it, but she knew Christine wouldn't let it go now.

"Say it," Christine said with a grin.

Alice sighed. "Okay you can't make fun of me."

"Cross my heart," Christine said. Alice looked around again to make sure no one was anywhere nearby. She leaned forward again and lowered her voice even more than it already was.

"Because you put it into my head," she said, "I, I called him daddy."

"Yes!" Christine cheered, so loudly in fact that now people were looking at them.

"God, would you shut up?" Alice said, throwing a napkin at her, glancing apologetically at the people staring at them.

"I fucking told you," Christine said. "I knew you were secretly a kinky little bitch."

"Shut up," Alice whined, hiding her face. "It totally just slipped out."

"How'd he react?" Christine asked.

"He loved it," Alice whispered, moving her hands away from her face. "Like-" She shivered at the memory of his hard cock straining against his boxers. That was something she'd keep to herself. Some memories she wanted to just be hers. "Yeah," she said. "He really liked it." Christine fanned herself playfully.

"God," she said. "I really need to get laid."

Alice laughed. "Yeah you do." Christine rolled her eyes.

"So have you done anything for him?" she asked after taking a sip of her coffee.

She sighed. "I wish we weren't talking about this in public."

"Alice, no one is listening," she said.

She was right, of course. Alice was just trying to find ways out of this conversation.

"We talked about it the other day," she admitted. "He told me it wasn't a big deal."

Christine shrugged. "Then it's probably not a big deal."

"But shouldn't I do something?" she asked. "I feel like I'm being selfish."

"If he's not asking you," Christine said, "you're not obligated." She narrowed her eyes at Alice. "You want to though, don't you?"

"I just want him to get something out of this," she admitted. "He's so nice and selfless, and, I don't know. I want to see if I can make him feel good. But-" She hesitated. "-I've never given anyone a blowjob. I don't even know how to do it." Christine clearly was biting back a laugh. "Quit it!" Alice said, wishing she had something else to throw at her. "You said you wouldn't laugh."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Christine said. "It's just, I swear blowjobs are so easy. You pretty much can't get it wrong. Just, honestly girl, go to the store and buy some popsicles to remind yourself how you suck one."

"Jesus Christ, Christine."

"You wouldn't have mentioned it if you didn't want my help."

Again, she was right.

Christine noted her silence and continued, lowering her voice for her friend's sake. She had no shame, but she didn't want Alice to get any more upset than she already was. "Listen, just, use your tongue and relax your throat. If you can't take him all, use your hand. Don't rub him dry though, cuz that won't feel good. Make sure you get your saliva all up in there." Alice laughed a little, which had been Christine's goal. "And squeeze his balls. They like that. And don't use your teeth."

Alice scoffed. "I'm not an idiot."

Christine smiled, and then her eyes popped a bit as she remembered something. "Okay," she said, leaning close to her friend again, "if he's a decent guy, he's gonna let you know before he cums. He might even ask you where you want him to cum."

"Where do I want him to cum?" Alice asked cluelessly. Christine tilted her head from side to side as she thought.

"You could swallow, but I swear, that shit tastes nasty," she said. "Don't believe any of the shit you read. It does not taste good. There's no way to spin it." Alice crinkled her nose, and Christine shrugged. "But some guys find it super hot if you do."

"Or?"

"Or," she continued, "you finish him off with your hand and -if you don't have a shirt on- he could cum on your tits. Or your face. Or you could just let it fall where it falls." Christine chuckled. "If you really want to please him, you'll ask him where he wants to cum." Quickly, she added, "But don't do that if you're not comfortable with all the options. Again, if he's a decent guy, he'll just want you to be comfortable, especially if he knows it's your first time."

"Okay," she said with a slow nod. "Okay. I can do that."

"Oh, and eye contact," she said. "Guys love that shit, and you'll hit even harder cuz you got that whole innocent-doe-eyed look."

Alice laughed but nodded with another, "Okay."

They finished up their breakfasts, but both of them still had coffee, so they kept chatting. After a lull in the conversation, Christine said, "So what were you gonna talk about?"

Alice furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"When you first mentioned Dean," she said, "I immediately brought up sex, but you said that wasn't what you were gonna talk about. What did you want to talk about?"

Right. The actual news she had to share.

"Oh yeah," she said. "You know how I said he's a businessman?" Christine nodded, and Alice hesitated. "You can't breathe a word of this to anyone," she said. "Okay?"

"Okay," Christine said. Alice wasn't completely satisfied, so she held out her pinky. "Seriously?" Christine said. Alice took pinky swears very seriously, so when she didn't respond, Christine sighed and hooked her pinky with hers. Alice leaned as close to Christine as she could over the table, and Christine met her halfway.

"Dean's a mob boss."

Christine sat back as confusion took over her features. "Here?" she said. "In Kansas?"

"No, in Idaho," Alice retorted. "Yes in Kansas."

"I thought the mob was only in big cities," she said, "like New York or Chicago." Alice shrugged.

"I know he's not lying," she said, "because I went to one of his meetings on Sunday."

"You what?" Christine said. "Are you crazy?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If the mob is anything like I think it is," she said, "the closer you get to Dean, the more danger you'll be in."

"Dean will protect me," she said matter-of-factly.

"Don't be naive," Christine said. "Don't you watch enough Criminal Minds?" Alice just raised her eyebrows. "Could Hotch protect Haley when George Foyet held her and Jack at gunpoint?"

"Really?" she said. "That's your argument?"

"I'm just trying to speak your language," she said. "Dean can say he'll protect you all he wants, but the bad guys always go after the person closest to their enemy. What are you going to do if that person for Dean is you?"

"I'm not," she said. "He would do anything for Sam, and I'm sure Lucifer knows that."

"Lucifer?" Christine repeated.

Alice cringed, wondering if she shouldn't have used his name. Well, she was in too deep now. "He's one of the other mob bosses in the area," she said. "Dean and the other guy, Crowley, are hatching a plan to kill him."

Christine threw her hands in the air in disbelief. "None of this bothers you?" she said. "Alice, this is textbook toxic."

"No it's not," Alice snapped back. "I've already lived textbook toxic, remember? This is different. Dean would never hurt me."

"Not on purpose," Christine said. "But like I said, how's he going to stop someone else from doing it?" Alice was getting annoyed now.

"If you met him, you wouldn't be saying any of this," she said. Christine didn't say anything. Her arms were folded across her chest again, and her right eyebrow was twitching, something that only happened when she was really mad. "Please," Alice whispered. "I just want you to be happy for me. Give him a chance."

"I am happy for you," she said. "I'm glad you found someone who treats you right, but you still have rose colored glasses on. You've only known him for three weeks. I just want to make sure you're thinking all this through."

Alice had thought about this too. She wasn't naive. She knew she and Dean were still in the early stages of their relationship and that things could very well take a turn for the worst, but she was completely and utterly under his spell. There was no going back. Not really. Three weeks in with Dean was completely different than three weeks in with Greg had been. To her, that was a sign towards success.

"I know," she said to Christine. "I am. I swear." She paused. "My dads want to meet him." Christine's hard expression quickly changed to a gentle smile.

"Really?" she said.

Alice nodded. "I guess I've been talking about him a lot to Dad whenever I'm on the phone. Mark said it's about time."

"Do they know he's, like, significantly older than you?" she said.

"Actually yeah," she said with a slight laugh. "Mark wasn't totally for it at first, but Dad was able to calm him down and get him on board. He was older than my mom, so he gets it. I think."

"Nice," Christine said with a laugh. "I think my dad would kill the guy."

"Yeah well, my dads think if a guy can fix a car, he's good enough."

"And Dean can fix a car?"

"He drives a '67 Impala that he's rebuilt, like, three times."

"I don't know what a '67 Impala is, but I take it it's good?"

"To my dads it's better than porn."

"You're disgusting."

When Alice got home, she sat in front of her computer and opened up the blank document she had saved as MASTERS ESSAY. Despite the late night she had pulled at school a few weeks ago to work on it, she still only had the prompts written at the top: Why do you need this degree at this juncture in your life? What are your short- and long-term career goals? What are you most proud of?

She decided to just write everything that came to her mind, even if she knew she wasn't 100% making sense. She just needed to get all the garbage out to make room for the good stuff.

She was on a roll when her phone rang. Without even looking up from her computer, she pressed accept and put it on speaker. "Yeah?" she said.

On the other end, Dean laughed. "Well hi to you too."

"Sorry," she said, lifting her fingers off the keys and picking up her phone to put it to her ear. "I was distracted."

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked. She looked at the clock and saw that she had already been working for over an hour.

"No, you're good," she said. "What's up? Why'd you call?"

"Can't I just call my girlfriend for no reason?" he asked.

"No," she said, a smile on her face.

He laughed again. "Alright, you caught me. Was wondering if you were planning on coming to dinner tonight."

"Crap," she said, putting her forehead on her hand. "Yes, yes, I'm planning on it. I just totally forgot. Were we supposed to make anything? I still have time to whip something-"

"Hey, hey, relax," Dean said with a chuckle. "We're just in charge of drinks tonight. I'm gonna pick up a couple bottles of wine on my way there."

"Okay," she said. "Sounds good."

"You sound stressed," he said. She shrugged even though he couldn't see her.

"I guess I am a little," she said. "But it's no big deal. My neck is aching through. I feel like I've been sitting at the computer for a year."

"Let me come over," he said. "I'll give you a massage." His tone was teasing, but she knew he was being somewhat serious.

"If you do," she said, "can you promise not to distract me?"

"I cannot," he said.

She giggled. "At least you're honest. Be here in twenty?"

"I'll make it 17."

Somehow, true to his very specific word, Dean was at Alice's door in 17 minutes. She buzzed him into the building and resumed her position on the floor by the coffee table where her computer was sitting. She was still working on the application essay even though nothing worthwhile was coming out. Dean came into the apartment, confused for a moment when he didn't immediately spot Alice. He saw the top of her head over the couch and laughed. "What're you doing on the floor?" he asked, walking over to her.

"I think better," she said.

"What do you have to think so hard about?" he asked.

"Just writing," she said.

"Writing what?" he pressed, sitting behind her on the couch so her back was now against his legs.

"Shh," she said playfully. "More massaging, less talking." Dean chuckled and made her scoot forward so he could sit behind her on the floor, not wanting to hunch over as he massaged her. He spread his legs so she was nestled between them, and he put his hands on her shoulders.

They were both quiet as Alice continued to work and Dean massaged her. She told him he could put the TV on at a low hum so he wasn't bored out of his mind. He thanked her and flicked on Game of Thrones, which was perfect because Alice didn't care about it so she wasn't distracted. They were together with only the hum of the TV making noise for a full episode until Dean clearly started to get bored. He didn't play the next episode. Instead, he brushed some of Alice's hair over her shoulder so her neck was exposed to him. He started kissing her skin, glancing at her computer to see if he could catch her reflection. The screen was too bright, so he only saw what she was working on.

"I didn't know you wanted to go to grad school," he said. She bit her upper lip and shrugged.

"Yeah," she said.

"What do you want to study?" he asked.

"It's nothing," she said, shaking her head. "It's stupid."

"What are you talking about?" Dean said, squeezing her shoulders lightly. "It's not stupid. It's great." She turned her head to look at him and noticed the sincerity in his eyes.

"You're serious?" she said.

"Of course I am," he said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Alice thought for a moment. Now was the perfect time to open up about Greg. She didn't have to go into all of it, but there was no reason she couldn't tell him a little bit. "Um, I had a boyfriend in college," she said after clearing her throat. "He didn't think it was smart for me to pursue a masters."

"Why not?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I probably won't get in anyway, and why break focus on the career I already have?"

"So he didn't want you to better your career?" he asked.

She scoffed. "Yeah. Pretty much I guess."

"Well, fuck that guy," Dean said, squeezing her shoulders again. "Tell me what you want to study. I'm sure it's great." She smiled softly and stared down at her hands. Dean started pressing kisses to her neck again while she composed her thoughts.

"Applied Behavior Analysis," she said.

"Mm?" Dean hummed. "What's that?"

"It's basically the study of behavior," she said. "Like, what causes it and why it happens and what the consequences are. Because every behavior serves a purpose, and knowing why someone does what they do helps us understand them as a whole."

Dean didn't even have to see her face to know she was smiling. It was clear to him that she had been aching to talk to someone about this -something she was clearly so passionate about- but had been holding back, probably because of her asshole ex-boyfriend.

"It's one reason I love Criminal Minds so much," she continued. "It's like, their whole job as profilers is to understand people's behaviors and how it makes up who they are."

"So you want to join the FBI?" he teased.

"No," she said with a giggle. "It's also good for teaching. Like, I'm a gen-ed elementary teacher, but I still have students with special needs in my classroom, and it always frustrates me when I don't know how to help them. I have one BD student, and-"

"BD?" Dean repeated.

"Sorry," she said. "It's an abbreviation. Behavior disorder."

"Got it," he said.

She continued. "Right, so his name's Peter, and he can get violent sometimes. Like, almost every time we're about to start our math lesson, he comes at me with anything he can get his hands on. Sometimes it's his pencil or my stapler or his scissors, but sometimes it's just his little fists. But it's not his fault he does that. Something in his brain is convincing him that lashing out will help him, and if I can understand that better, I can help him more."

Alice was barely breathing at all between her sentences, and she didn't even care that she was rambling. Dean had stopped kissing her neck and now just had his chin resting in on her shoulder. "You know how I told you I like the movie Good Will Hunting?" she said.

"Mhm," he hummed.

"Have you ever seen it?" she asked. Dean shook his head no. "It's so good. Matt Damon plays a guy with a crazy high IQ but a lot of, like, bursts of anger and abandonment issues. He starts going to therapy, and his therapist is Robin Williams, which doesn't matter but it does because he's such a good actor." Dean chuckled, and Alice continued. "The more he opens up and the more Robin Williams is able to understand and help him, the better he gets. The difference between helping adults with behavior problems and kids with behavior problems is obviously huge, but the basics are the same. And that's what I want to learn more about. I know it's cliche and cheesy and stuff, but that movie helped me realize that the more we push aside kids who struggle, the worse they get, and the more likely we are to lose them to violence and crime and alcohol and drugs."

Alice finally took a deep breath, then clicked save on her document. "Sorry," she said with a chuckle. "I totally just went off."

"Don't be sorry," he said. "I love that you're passionate about that."

"Yeah," she sighed, "well, how come I can't put all of that passion into writing?"

Dean kissed her cheek. "You'll get there."

Alice turned around and looked at Dean, resting her hand on his cheek. "You're really awesome, you know that right?" she whispered. He smirked.

"I do," he said, "but it's always great to be reminded." She just giggled and pressed her lips to his, kissing him and crawling onto his lap. He groaned against her lips and gripped her hips in his hands. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she rolled her hips against his. She started kissing across his cheek and down to his neck, smiling when she heard him let out a heavy sigh.

Dean jumped when he felt Alice fumble with the buckle of his belt. "Hey, hey, sweetheart," he said, grabbing her hands. "What're you doing?" She didn't look at him, just kept lightly kissing his neck.

"I think," she whispered, "now would be a great time for me to make you feel good." Dean wanted to keep his composure. He refused to melt under this girl's touch, but Christ, it was her fucking sweet tone that killed him.

"If you're sure," he said. She nodded, then pulled away from his neck.

"I'm sure," she said, looking in his eyes. He licked his lips before pressing them to hers, threading his fingers in her hair. She kissed him back, easily getting lost in that drunk feeling he gave her. "Okay," she said as she pulled away, escaping the kisses Dean kept trying to give her. "Okay. Sit on the couch."

He chuckled. "Yes ma'am." He moved to the couch, and she straddled his waist again, pulling her t-shirt over her head. She could tell he wanted to kiss her, but she stopped him by pushing his flannel off his shoulders.

Why did he always wear so many layers?

When he was in only his black t-shirt, she reached for the hem and pulled that over his head too. She kept her hands pressed on the couch on either side of his head and started leaving open-mouthed kisses down his body. She moved so her knees were on the ground and unbuckled his jeans, pulling them down his legs. He helped her by lifting his butt so she could get them off with more ease. His boxers came right after, and Alice had to stop herself from gasping like a weirdo.

She had seen a penis once in her life, and it was because she googled penis because she was so sick of not knowing what one looked like. So this? This was her first real penis. And she didn't know much, but she knew Dean had to have been considered big.

She ran her tongue up the underside of his cock, giving it slow kitten licks. She looked up at him through her eyelashes and locked eyes with him. When she did, she wrapped her mouth around him and took his cock, inch by inch. She kept her throat relaxed, just like Christine said, and did her best not to gag when he hit the back of her throat. She pulled away completely so she could suck the tip before sinking down on him again.

"Oh fuck," Dean grunted. His hand moved to her hair, and she looked up at him again as she pulled back.

"Should I go faster?" she whispered, swirling her tongue around him.

"God, sweetheart," he said. "Whatever you want. You're doing so good." She hummed around his cock, and he barely whispered another, "Fuck." He kept his fingers gripped in her hair, though he didn't force her movements at all.

It was taking everything in his power not to lose it right then and there. He wanted to fuck her mouth until tears streamed from her eyes, but he held back. She felt so good wrapped around his cock like that, and the way she kept looking up at him made him moan and tug her hair a little bit. She moaned as well, the vibrations destroying him. "S-Sweetheart," he said, "I, I'm, fuck I'm gonna cum, baby." She pulled back and lazily rubbed his cock, not quite enough to make him cum, but still keeping him on that edge.

"Where do you want to cum?" she asked, her voice slightly hoarse.

"Fuck, ah-" He tried to concentrate. "It's, it's up to you baby."

She had no idea why she decided this considering everything Christine said at breakfast, but Alice put her mouth back on him and continued sucking him off, now dragging her nails up his thighs so she could gently squeeze his balls. He let out a strangled, "Fuck," and came in her mouth. She swallowed most of it but pulled away towards the end so some of it ended up dribbling on her chin. Dean's chest heaved, and he leaned forward and wiped the cum off her chin with his thumb. He was ready to pull back, but she grabbed his thumb and sucked it between her lips, licking it clean before allowing him to pull it away with a pop.

"Jesus Christ, Alice," he said, chuckling in disbelief. "You're fucking incredible, you know that right?" She giggled and shrugged.

"It's nice to be reminded."

----- ----- ----- -----

A/N - whatever you do don’t watch sexy Dean Winchester compilation videos if you’re single and a virgin because it gives you FEELINGS that only YOU can handle because you do NOT have a Dean Winchester at your disposal

(next)

series masterlist found here

general masterlist found here

----- ----- ----- -----

add yourself to my TAGLIST

@bangtan-serendipity | @planetdemon | @the-singing-clown406 | @tomshufflepuff | @bluelalal | @grandloser | @jackiehollanderr | @mindset-jupiter | @bisexual-sk8r | @feel-like-gold | @runaway-apple | @miraclesoflove | @marvelismylifffe| @wonderbyers | @coraz0ndcristal| @lizmarvel | @delicately-important-trash | @superhoorny4daddy | @eunomiasloane | @dvnmbabe | @superavengerpotterstar | @akshi8278​ | @onepackfrombroke

If you want to be taken off the list (or be put on for only certain people) just message me and let me know!

#dean winchester #dean winchester fic #dean winchester imagine #dean winchester x ofc #original female character #ofc #supernatural #supernatural au #mob!dean #mob au #mafia au #dean winchester smut #dean winchester fluff #supernatural imagine #supernatural fic #firecracker soul

[ufonaut]

Onesided Brainwave/Icicle - PATIENCE - "In the end, it was always going to be the two of them. Soon, Henry will see that. " [A fic about planning their future, Jordan musing on his first and most reoccurring obsession, pre-JSA annihilation.]

I was stunned by her thoughts, Jordan. They were so-- pure. So good. So unlike everyone else’s.

Most of all, Jordan remembers the sting of it. The glee in Henry’s voice, nothing at all like himself. A botched robbery, a last minute escape and Henry had been... happy. No, downright ecstatic. Then, as he’d recounted the details over and over, he’d turned wistful, like there was something beyond shared aspirations and the late nights that had meant the world thus far.

Jordan likes Merry Pemberton-soon-to-be-King. The fact of the matter is that Merry makes herself very difficult not to like, she’s bubbly and energetic and open and present in ways Henry’s never been. By now, Jordan’s met her three times total and there’s nothing disconcerting about the way she seems to really listen when someone’s talking, her little laughs and a tendency to go wide-eyed before breaking into a particularly bright smile. She’s sunshine. Jordan wants to hate her. He tries to, at any rate. It’s easy to see why Henry’s fallen hard and fast, harder to understand why his own heart is closing like a fist.

It’s ridiculous.

Betrayal isn’t-- doesn’t-- even begin to cover it. Jordan’s always assumed his own thoughts to be good enough. He’s been there when Henry’s migraines had gotten too much and he’s dared to hold him through the occasional attack of hopelessness that seems to come with the territory when one finds themselves capable of telepathy, he’s even let Henry into his own mind, has shuddered at the odd sensation but allowed it nonetheless.

A wish for a better world and a plan to achieve it should’ve been enough. Jordan doesn’t know what Merry’s got over him, whether it’s precisely this petty jealously that Henry’s sensing.

Jordan throws himself into the mission, gathers a team to the best of his ability, practices endlessly with the ice he’s wielded since childhood and the hurt doesn’t recede. If the enthusiasm of that first sight of Merry stings, the ensuing missed and forgotten meetings wound.

The Injustice Society of America -- a name that’s, ultimately, been lifted from an older incarnation with less noble, far-reaching goals -- doesn’t much impress Henry. I made our dream come true! Jordan wants to shout at the inevitably empty apartment he comes home to. He considers moving back in with his parents, is nearly willing to face the taste of failure that leaves behind. Instead, when he’s exhausted all resources and Henry’s announced his engagement, Jordan runs. It’s been a year and a couple months of waning interest, it strikes Jordan as too quick and, as always, nothing like anything his best friend would do. It’s that day that Jordan does catch him at home, too far off from an ending fitting for the start.

“Henry, people like us don’t get married,” Jordan says and he remembers the plane ticket in his room, the bags he’d packed in a frenzy just the other night.

And Henry’s frowning but all Jordan can think is that he’s looking at him. He’s almost giddy with it, the lack of Merry Pemberton-soon-to-be-King, the reality of Henry’s piercing gaze. It should hurt, he supposes, but it doesn’t. Jordan fears how far he’s willing to push just to get here.

“Why? Because we’re-- because people assume we’re villains?” Henry bites back. Merry’s changed him in ways Jordan might never understand. At his core, Brainwave languishes.

Jordan, for his part, sort of gapes in the absence of coherency.

“Yeah,” he decides. It’s the work of urgency. He knows what he means and yet clings to the notion that Henry does not. The missed chance already stains what little they’ve still got. “That’s what I meant.” Jordan nods, for good measure. “That’s exactly what I meant. Don’t read my mind, please.”

For whatever reason, Henry listens.

Maybe he knows, after all. Jordan’s leaving all the same.

---

It’s been days since he’s last spoken to Henry. They’d had an argument. Again. Variations on a theme, nowadays. The mission, the stakes, the inherent sacrifices. Henry’s reluctance has been a thorn in Jordan’s side for seven years now. Henry has a son, a family and-- he says it like Jordan doesn’t, like he hadn’t given up London in favour of a return to form and the same longing in his chest that only Christine has ever managed to soothe. The ISA is here to stay. To Jordan, the addition of a family has only made the importance of their project that much more stark, even their resident gym rats appear to have caught on. It’s Henry alone who falters, tainted by Merry’s heroics. She’s never seen the bigger picture.

If Jordan has attempted to remedy that with the permanent defeat of the JSA, he’s certainly convinced he’s done the right thing.

Sacrifices, as he keeps telling Henry, are expected.

What he doesn’t expect, however, is a call from Henry and a greeting consisting entirely of harsh, gasping breaths.

“Henry, are you--”

“I think she’s-- I didn’t--” Henry, sounding like he’s swallowing down a sob, only continues after a pause. The moment drags on. Jordan’s never heard him like this, has hoped he never would. “It’s Merry, she-- I need you.”

With that, the line goes dead. Jordan sinks into dread and the flutter of those sweet words tightens like a noose. It’s not what he’s planned.

Not at all.

#icewave #jordan mahkent #henry king sr #brainwave #icicle #stargirl #fic #u can reblog #HOPE THIS IS GOOD I REALLY TRIED #anon #ask

[ineffablebuddies]

Thoughts on how the Star Trek remakes should approach the characters , in a way that I think would be realistic for 2021 and our current climate:

Romantic relationships:

Sulu/Chekhov - We know they spend a lot of time together on a one to one basis, especially in the films, and they are very endeared to each other. It also wouldn’t change their dynamic or the dynamic on the bridge, and could slip into any future films or shows without change to character. (unlike Spock and Uhura, which I don’t hate, but required adjusting Spock’s character in order to enable a pre-existing relationship.) Like, all you’d need is one throwaway line to make it canon and you could keep the rest exactly the same. And there is obvious value in representing an interracial same sex relationship.

Uhura/Scotty - this would work as a slow burn, because Scotty is a bit of a hopeless romantic whilst he is younger, and is easily misled by his heart and can be a bit overprotective in a very 60s style which is a character flaw integral to his character (and is the plot of a few episodes). Which is why a slow burn is nice for him, because he needs to learn to come from a place of genuine respect and deep affection. And whilst I do like that Uhura stays relatively unattached as one of the few prominent female characters in tos, I do think that as a black woman it is important to allow her to have a romantic relationship due to current representation issues. Which is why I think the slow burn is also nice for her, because you can’t change her character, or make her the object of affection, but showing a deep love and affection developing on the job is nice. We also only start getting the scotty/Uhura romantic dynamic coming in the films when they’re much older. And again I think this is one you can show without having to change anything integral to them. Same with checkov/sulu that it shouldn’t be a plot point, but a character thing that happens without needing to be focused on. Neither of them seek it, but it happens naturally.

Amanda/Sarek - obviously this is already canon, but I think it should be explored in a little more detail. I also think we can do away with the whole “Vulcan is incredibly sexist and treat women as property” thing, which doesn’t actually make sense considering the female Vulcans we do meet, so doesn’t really add to the world building anyway.

Ambiguous Relationships:

Kirk/Spock/Bones - now I know this is controversial, but I don’t think they should necessarily make them canon in the remakes, except possibly at the very end of the shows/last film. To focus on the romantic relationship between Kirk/Spock too early on will potentially reduce the time for Bones to be included as a very necessary part of the main three, and the fact of the matter, the three of them are presented as having a deep bond, not just Kirk/Spock. And there’s a certain level of yearning and unspoken love that really defines their relationships. They should always end up together in some manner, with no other romantic attachments. Part of me would love to make it a ployamarous relationship, but I don’t think it’s likely to happen anytime soon.

I do think however that they should make Spock gay, and I think they should keep the relationship with the Romulan commander but make it a man, because that was actually very well written and acted, but the fact that Spock is able to use that romantic affection to his advantage against a woman is a little sexist considering it’s like the only time we see a female romulan commander, but as a man we wouldn’t have those same issues. And I think that’s the only other relationship we should see Spock have outside of Kirk/bones, because it’s marked by the fact that he can’t act on it the way he would like to, and none of the other relationships in tos really work IMO because it just seems ooc for him. But I think it’s important to allow him to be confirmed as gay considering he is queercoded.

I don’t think it’ll be as easy to confirm a queer identity for Kirk, but I think that for the women he has flings with, he should never be the one to initiate it, but have the same flaw of scotty as being a bit of a hopeless romantic who can be misled by his heart, and again that would give more value to the slow burn he has with Spock. I think you can very much allow him to refer to Spock with love, and I think you can confirm a relationship with Spock at the very end, but I think it should be non-sexual. Vulcan kisses are the way to go, and should allow you to give confirmation of romantic love whilst also having plausible deniability for the people who would riot against it.

I think it’d be fucking amazing if we could cast a trans guy as Kirk. I don’t think you’d get away with saying the character is trans, but having a trans actor and just never mentioning it in show may just be enough to get away with it. Especially if this is a relatively unknown actor who passes completely so casual watchers can’t even get fussed about it (I know this wording has some issues, but I’m thinking more about getting around execs and producers, than on what would be best for rep.)

I’m torn on how far you could get away with including Bones in their relationship. The bones/Spock dynamic is interesting because it is like enemies to lovers, they definitely develop that care for each other, whilst Kirk/bones are old friends. I think Bones shouldn’t have romantic relationships on screen, and should maybe be quite unromantic as a result of his divorce. I don’t think we should ever meet his daughter, though I’m also quite interested in the idea of his ex wife having remarried for a number of years and then having a brief affair with Bones, before breaking it off, but then gives birth to his child but it remains a secret. Because it’s definitely part of his character that he has no attachments to his home, and it makes more sense of his attachment - his love for a daughter that never knew him - if it’s one he can’t do anything about. And would understandably make him more bitter towards his ex, which can make him more unromantic. But I don’t think it needs to be a major plot point.

Like I said, Spock/bones/Kirk should always end up together in some way. And I think it’s in their character to never define why they end up together, but to acknowledge that they can’t live without each other. And I think you could get away with including that as ambiguous to how far their love for each other goes. There’ll be too much backlash to make it completely canon for it, but you could get away with the Good Omens approach. Perhaps you could include Bones in a Vulcan kiss subtly enough to get away with it.

Characters who should be important:

Christine Chapel - she should definitely be in it and made a more significant character, because otherwise Uhura is really the only woman in the show. But it’d be very nice to have a woman who doesn’t need to have a relationship, and there’s no need for her romantic desire for Spock to exist in any remakes. It would also be nice to just make her a doctor from the get-go. Her friendship with Uhura was present in tos, but can now be focused on more, as well as her supportive role to Bones throughout. She wouldn’t be part of the main group, but she should be a big part of their lives.

Doctor m’benga - he was an interesting character, and it’d be nice to have a fixed medical team that work closely together. There’s also a potential for an interesting concept of him being an expert on Vulcans, Bones being an expert on Humans, and thus they’ve both been hired on the ship to work together for the sake of Spock. Also, having another established doctor on board could give an actual explanation for why it’s okay that their only doctor keeps beaming down to dangerous missions and going up to the bridge for no reason lol. Plus there is a lot to be said for casting a dark skinned black man in the role of knowledgable caregiver, especially if they can make him more of a scientist of alien biology too. There may be value if it naturally develops of him having a relationship with chapel, because whilst I like allowing women to exist without relationships, it might be balanced out with the positive representation of an interracial relationship.

Lieutenant Rahda - remember her? She was like In one episode but was great, and she should definitely be introduced as part of the bridge team again. Though her exact culture or religion is not disclosed, she is seen to wear a bindi, and i think it’s always a great time to add more diversity. It makes sense to have more people in the bridge crew too, even if they aren’t part of the main team dynamic. Considering the current political climate, it’d also be a great idea to add another bridge crew team who is visibly a Muslim woman who wears a headscarf, seeing as various countries are still trying to ban that.

Walking Bear - he was only in the TAS for one episode, but again I think he would prove a valuable addition, especially considering star trek’s representation of native people has never been the best, so it’s time they started to make up for that a bit. In most episodes there’s always usually others in the bridge that are helping the main team, and it’d make sense to have a fixed cast of who these people are and flesh them out a bit more.

Saavik - she shouldn’t be in it until much later, at least not as part of the enterprise crew, but there is something very interesting about her character and the dynamic with Spock (which is why I think they should meet later on, because he takes on a role of mentor which is a dynamic shift, and thus should probably happen later. Multiple Vulcans on board is also a dynamic shift that I think should be addressed more.) I do wonder whether it might be nice to move her to being a scientist rather than bridge crew, as that would afford her more interaction with Bones as well, who I think we should get to see interact with other Vulcans more, to establish that he is not xenophobic despite his conflict on Vulcan philosophy with Spock. (Or at least if he does start xenophobic, to start showing his development away from this.) She also should not have a relationship, especially not with Spock oh my god. I think a nice way for her to be introduced would be if she was staffed on a Vulcan only ship that the enterprise for whatever reason has to work alongside, because I think we need to see Spock interact more with other Vulcans and see that Vulcans, despite claims to the contrary, can have the same xenophobic failings as humans. I think her being one who is sympathetic to the enterprise and to Spock is a nice set up to them then meeting later and working together (and also why she might change careers and move away from the Vulcan only ships, as we do get the sense it is unusual for Vulcans to serve on board a starship.) Whilst I do think that a romulan/Vulcan offspring could provide an interesting story, I think she should be fully Vulcan in order to make her acceptance of Spock more poignant.

Kevin Riley - I just think he’s neat. Also maybe we can return to the Tarsus 5 colony story point?!?!?!?

I’d also think it’d be cool to establish some engineers that work beneath Scotty, and a mix of genders of course.

But yeah, I think there’s a lot of ways that any remakes could stay true to the original, whilst still pushing for progressiveness in the same spirit as tos, whilst managing to manoeuvre around execs and producers and negative media. Star Trek should always be progressive for its day, and it’s a new day now, so we need to keep moving onwards.

#Star Trek #Star Trek tos #long post

[fandom-necromancer]

571. What are you doing here?

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900 (Warnings: talking about death in the end)

‘Meet your new partner, the newest RK-unit. One of the late deviant additions to our team and I believe you will get along just fine.’ Then: ‘Hello, my name is Nines and I’m looking forwards to working with you.’ Gavin knew then and there that the world as he knew it had ended.

It had ended a few weeks prior already, but a man could live in denial a few weeks, couldn’t he? Sentient robots rising up, being deemed as equals and everyone was supposed to just get along from one day to the next. He had hoped to be spared the torture of having a damn tin-can at his heels at work, but apparently, he just wasn’t lucky. By the time the Connor-lookalike stood in front of him, hand outstretched for him to take, he just had accepted his fate. He looked at the creepily human hand, then up to the face, murmured ‘Phck my life’ and walked out the way he came, waving the android to follow him without any motivation.

He endured the day, although he had to admit the android wasn’t any more insufferable as any human partner. Eventually he would learn Gavin was not one for talking, being friends with or anything vaguely social to begin with. Or he would ask for a transfer. Both was fine with the man. So, as his shift was over he logged himself out, shut down his terminal and walked out of the precinct to head home. The last thing he heard before he was outside was Nines’ voice, sighing: ‘Well, that could have gone worse.’

-

Gavin grunted as he finally reached the end of the stairs and reached into his pocket to get his keys untangled from his headphone cord. He yearned to sink into his couch or maybe even a warm bath? His back direly needed some care after a whole day of sitting on his desk tense and on edge. Hell, he would manage. If he was anything then adaptable. He could swallow his personality at work, as long as everyone left him alone. He still had his life outside of work to relax and unwind. Walking forwards leaned to the side to balance the groceries he had bought after work, his back gave him an entirely new feeling of hell. Yep, definitely hot bath. As he finally got his keys free, he looked up towards his door and froze.

‘What are you doing here?’, he asked completely perplexed, as he met the android’s eyes. It was the same damn robot. ‘I am entering my apartment.’ ‘Your what?’ ‘My apartment, Detective.’ ‘Wha-wha-what the hell?’ Gavin looked from the android to the door next to his own. ‘You did this on purpose?’ ‘No, Detective. New Jericho distributes a place to live for any android who wishes to have one. I have to repay them a previously invested sum and my rent. But I didn’t choose this apartment.’ ‘This is some kind of joke right?’ ‘No’, the android answered, unlocking his own door. ‘Good evening Detective.’

The android disappeared into the apartment right next to Gavin’s own and he spent a good amount of time staring at the closed door. Oh, this had to be a joke!

-

The next morning Gavin had suppressed everything that happened the previous day. He would let the world hit him as soon as he would enter the precinct. For now: Coffee. He finished his cup in the kitchen mindlessly petting his cat that lay on the table. Then he gathered his belongings and braced himself for leaving his little oasis.

He opened the door just to see the android next door do the same. Gavin stared at the RK900 feeling no emotion except resignation. ‘Good morning, Detective!’ Gavin groaning and slamming the door on him was his answer. Gavin would just be five minutes late today.

-

‘Another day survived, Liz!’, Gavin announced stretching his back as soon as he had changed into something more comfortable. At least on his way back he was spared meeting the android again. Maybe this was bearable, as long as they timed their arrival and departure right? He put out dinner for his cat and then moved to the couch to just lay there for a while. In the total silence he could hear the door to the apartment next to him being opened, then closed. Great. Tin-can in the house.

It stayed silent for a while. Then Gavin could hear music wafting through the walls. It wasn’t as loud as Gavin liked to hear his, but he could still make out some words and the melody. Enough to realise it was a complete disaster of a playlist. Songs popular in the radio followed 80s pop, Irish folk songs interrupted death metal. Then an hour of violin music with various sounds of nature added in. Something that sounded like the choir of a medieval church. Radio songs again. Punk. It started to get on his nerves after the third hour and Gavin decided to just go to bed and drown it out with his noise-cancelling headphones.

-

Nines had realised early on, that Reed didn’t like him. But he didn’t hate him either he supposed, so it was a welcomed neutral stance. He could work like that. Them living next to each other had been a shock for the man, but after Nines left home before the detective and came back after him there had been no further problems. They ignored each other completely in their private lives and although Nines had hoped to maybe make a few friends in his neighbourhood, it wasn’t like he needed it.

This morning he listened for the sound of the Detective’s door and waited five more minutes. The man should have departed by then and there wouldn’t be any confrontation until they were both at work. But as he walked out of the building he saw Reed vividly cursing at his car, bend over the hood  and shaking his head. Nines stood there watching him. Should he speak to him or keep up their mutual ignorance? Maybe this was a chance to better their relationship? ‘Whatcha staring at, tin-can?’ Too late now. ‘I wanted to ask if you needed help with your car.’ ‘Yeah, well, phcking thing won’t start. And with these fancy electric ones it is difficult to find the reason for it. Back in the day you just looked at it and when something seemed or sounded wrong you knew exactly what would have to be repaired.’ ‘May I then?’, Nines asked, surprised by the Detectives lack of abrasiveness. He had thought to be fobbed off with a hissed ‘None of your business.’ ‘Sure’, the human sighed, stepping back and waving to the car. ‘Knock yourself out.’

Nines came nearer, carful not to step into the man’s personal space he had long since worked out from observing him around others. He searched for a place to interface with it and accessed it’s internal systems. ‘Easy. Your car has a software error. It thinks the battery is depleted although it just didn’t realise it was temporarily disconnected while it was recharging.’ Reed stepped from one foot to the other warily. ‘Well, can you convince her otherwise?’ ‘Already done, Detective.’ He stepped back to close the hood, cocking his head to the side. ‘Christine? A nice name.’ ‘Hmm? Yeah, it’s from some old movie, where��� You know what, never mind.’ He walked around to the driver’s side and scratched his neck. ‘Err… You need a ride to the precinct? I mean, since you kinda repaired my car…’ ‘Only if it’s not a problem for you. I can call myself a taxi.’ ‘Ugh, get in toaster. Just don’t think I’ll give you more rides in the future.’

-

Although he had said he wouldn’t do it, the Detective had offered the android to take him back home again. Reasoning it was needlessly complicated to keep avoiding each other when they lived next door. His only condition was they wouldn’t talk, and Nines could do that. They climbed up the stairs and Gavin walked faster in the hallway to his door, so he was the first one to open it. ‘Mreeow!’ A little black ball of fur was sprinting out the door and down the hall, followed by a screamed ‘Phck!’ Acting on instinct, Nines moved into the path and scooped up what he discovered was a cat. ‘Stupid ball of fur! I know I’m late, idiot cat!’ The Detective was running towards him and the android handed her over. ‘Thank you, toaster. She is the most idiotic animal I know. Sorry!’ Then he disappeared through the open door and left Nines to listen to the angry screams from inside as Gavin scolded his cat verbally. She did talk back to him though. So, Reed had a cat, huh? Apparently, the man wasn’t that aloof after all.

-

After Gavin had been appropriately angry with his stupid cat, he cuddled her for good measures. Afterwards he prepared a meal for himself and fed Liz. As he sat down to eat, the music next door started up again. This time some songs were missing, entire genres even, as it seemed. Others stayed and new ones were added. Only then it clicked that maybe the android was trying to determine his taste in music and find new songs to listen to. Surprisingly the RK900 had good taste. Gavin listened to it and smiled as one song he liked himself came on and the android seemed to like it enough to play on repeat for a while. Maybe the android wasn’t that bad.

-

It was late in the evening as Nines came home. He had been out with Connor and Hank to see a movie. Nines hadn’t particularly liked it, but he had only ever seen one movie before that one and thought he needed more to base his likes and dislikes on. It was already dark and the lights in the hallway weren’t the best. Still, Nines could see light flowing from Reed’s apartment, illuminating two figures in the doorway. Two men, one the Detective, one someone he didn’t know. They were kissing and so preoccupied they didn’t even realise they weren’t alone anymore. Nines hurried to unlock his door before they did, noticed the smell of alcohol sticking to them, and closed the door behind him.

-

The next morning the ride to work was as awkward as it could be. The human didn’t seem to mind, but Nines was thankful for their agreement not to talk. That was until the man broke the silence himself: ‘Hey, toaster, what has you all worked up?’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Your mood light. All red. Something, I should know before we arrive at work? Caught a virus or something?’ ‘Oh.’ Nines checked his stress levels and blushed. ‘I just… I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.’ Reed flinched. ‘Shit. Were we that loud? I’m so sorry, toaster, I know that’s phcking disgusting to hear…’ ‘No!’, Nines immediately blurted out. ‘No, I didn’t hear anything.’ And he definitely didn’t want to hear anything more, now that he had realised the Detective wasn’t showing any shame talking about it. ‘I came back late yesterday and saw him.’ ‘Oh phck. Yeah, I thought I heard something in the hallway yesterday. Anyways, he is not my boyfriend.’ ‘He isn’t?’, Nines asked despite himself. He was curious, okay? That was entirely normal for a neighbour. ‘Nines, ever heard of one-night stands?’, Reed answered. ‘We were just blowing off some steam.’ Then he laughed bitterly. ‘The man that wants to stay with me permanently has yet to be invented.’

-

‘Holy shit, this reeks!’ ‘He has been dead for two weeks already, Detective. That much is to be expected at this stage of decay.’ ‘Ugh, how has no one even found him yet? The neighbours have to smell that three floors down.’ ‘It was a neighbour who contacted us because of this smell.’ ‘Yeah, but still… No one noticed he was missing? Workplace? Friends? Family? Some phcking bar-tender?’ Nines sighed. ‘According to prior interviews he was what you would describe as an “asshole” at work, so they just thought he had quit. No friends anyone knows of. There are still a brother and a sister, but they got into a fight over inheritance money and haven’t spoken since 2033.’ ‘Phck. That strikes home…’ ‘What do you mean, Detective?’ ‘None of your phcking business’, Reed hissed and put on his gloves, stepping closer to the body to examine what little evidence there was. Nines was naturally curious. But he also knew when it was the right time to ask questions and it wasn’t now. So, he kept quiet.

-

That day Reed had been especially reclusive. The ride home had been dead silent with the radio turned so low it could as well have been shut off completely. With only so much as a ‘Bye toaster’ the man had vanished into his apartment, leaving Nines behind to wonder what had upset his neighbour that much. Had it been his question? A murder or suicide case with a body two weeks dead. Striking home. Nines couldn’t find a satisfactory connection, so he just decided to leave the man alone. Maybe in a few days he could ask again. Or maybe after the case was closed.

He entered his own apartment and began cleaning it. He hadn’t anything else to do and didn’t feel like listening to music. It occupied him a few hours, until he had reached his bedroom, a simple bed and his stasis-booth. He had tried “falling asleep” in a bad like a human but had ultimately failed. It didn’t feel safe somehow, to lay down. It was also directly next to the Detective’s living room and he could hear nearly every word.

He was shaking out the bedsheets as he heard a sound he had never before. It was very quiet and came from the other’s apartment. Was this… crying? He went to the wall and listened more intently. Yes, that were definitely sobs. He took a step back staring at the wall. Detective Reed was crying. A simple fact.

Now what should he do? Should he even do something? Whatever had upset the Detective today most likely was the reason for this too. And the man hadn’t liked his questioning back then. Maybe him going over and check in on him was invasion of privacy. He shouldn’t go. He should stick to their tactic of ignoring each other.

But it was too late as his legs had already brought him to Reed’s door. And he knocked. The crying from inside stopped. Then there was an answer: ‘Phck off!’ Nines waited for a while. But he decided against following the order. ‘Detective, are you okay?’ ‘Obviously not!’, the wavering voice screamed at the door. ‘But it’s not your problem.’ ‘If it interferes with your ability to go to work tomorrow, it is’, he tried joking. That normally helped. But he was met with silence. ‘I’m sorry’, he apologised. ‘Can I help you?’ ‘Phck off to some scrapyard and get compressed into something useful, will you?’ ‘Detective, please, may I come in?’ ‘What is so difficult about the phrase “Phck off”? It means: GO. AWAY.’ ‘Detective. 98% of interviewed people state that talking about distress helps.’ ‘Don’t you statistic me! I’m fine. Go.’ ‘Please. At least tell me what is going on, so I can sleep.’

Again, there was silence. Then footsteps. Then the door was unlocked, and a tear-stained face emerged. ‘You are one persistent bastard.’ ‘I’m only worried.’ ‘Fine. Come in. I don’t want to have the whole floor know about my personal shit.’ Nines followed the human inside and realised then he had never been to his flat before. It was very lively, nicely decorated too. It showed the personality his own still lacked. Reed let himself fall onto the sofa and pulled his knees to his chin. Nines felt lost. ‘So, you gonna stand there forever or come sit?’ ‘Oh, Of course.’ He sat down next to the man but kept his distance.

‘I will tell you this once, and we will never talk about it again, you got me? Never. I’m not one for personal talk, but you are alright. You understand what it means to be patient and don’t act as if you had a right to know everything about everyone. Makes you damn likeable.’ Nines just nodded. ‘And if you ever talk to anyone about it or tell them I cried, I will-‘ ‘Got it, Detective. I won’t.’ ‘I’m lonely. I know I’m an asshole, but even disgusting people can get lonely. I have a brother I decided to hate and can’t bring myself to apologise. He tried keeping in touch, but I ignored him. By the time I wanted to get back in contact he had given up, so I did too. I’m an ambitious asshole at work who doesn’t care for personal relationships. Guess I felt the need to make everything a competition. But some self-centred careerist makes little friends. And once I’m home I’m home and I don’t leave again until work because you gotta take all the time you got, right? Doesn’t matter what you do as long as you could do something and then you end up binging some old movies and series. And I’m fine. I’m fine with being a loner most of the time. Just… When I see things like we saw today… What if that’s me? When I suddenly die because someone decided to take it out on the detective that found them? What if I die and no one realises it? As I said, I’m an asshole at work, people would be happy to have me gone. My brother wouldn’t even realise it because I’m basically dead to him already. And no friends to miss me either. Phck, I would lie here until someone notices the smell and I’m not even that sad about it because hey, I won’t be there to experience it, but what’s with Liz? She is stuck with me and needs me to feed her. And… And… Phck, I don’t want to be some cold case no one bothers to investigate really, because what a sad phck this dead guy is, dying alone and-‘

‘I would miss you.’

‘What?’ ‘I would miss you, Detective. I like you.’ ‘Yeah, bullshit, we never even talk.’ ‘I have nothing to talk about. I am alive for what? Four months? Not much to experience yet. With you it’s easy to pretend that… doesn’t matter. You are very competent, and your personality isn’t that bad once you found out what words were meant to strike. I would notice would you suddenly disappear and… And I think I wouldn’t like being alone again.’ Reed stared at him for a while disbelievingly. ‘You are shitting me, toaster, you think we are friends? From just that? God, that’s even more sad than my story.’ ‘I don’t think we are friends yet, Detective. But I would like to be one day. I could even…’ He sighed. ‘Reed… Gavin. I like you. I don’t want to see you in pain. I don’t want to hear you cry. And I don’t want you to be lonely, because you don’t deserve that. Make of that what you want. But be reassured, you won’t end like this man. You have a tin-can for a neighbour after all.’ Gavin chuckled awkwardly, trying hard not to process at what the android had hinted. ‘Are you better, Detective?’, Nines asked. ‘I think I am now.’

#detroit become human #dbh #Reed900 #Gavin Reed #RK900 #Don't mind me I'm just torturing my favourites again #Sweet bois are sweet

[themummersfolly]

Ami du Roi: 💛, 💔 and 💞

💛: what is the title based on?

Ami du Roi is French for Friend of the King. (When I publish it, I might use the English translation as the title instead, at least for the English language version. I’m seriously contemplating having it translated into French, if possible.) It’s a reference to the fact that the main character, Charles D’Albret, was historically brought up with his cousin, the future King Charles VI, and appears to have been quite close to him throughout his life. In a time when France was polarizing over who controlled the king, D’Albret seems to have built an identity not as a leader of one side or another, but as a loyal servant and supporter of the king himself.

💔: give a brief character bio of your 3-5 MCs

Charles I D’Albret: the king’s first cousin and son of a Gascon routier lord. Very much a courteous gentleman by the standards of his time, but... he goes above and beyond. For instance, his contemporaries might excuse him for using his cousin to enrich himself, or for being cruel to peasants, but he doesn’t. The chivalric ideals that most noblemen consider to be nice but impractical, he actually lives out. And he’s of high enough birth that certain dukes can’t simply sweep him aside.

Charles VI, King of France: he started out as a sweet, extremely enthusiastic if naïve boy king. Not a great leader, but not a bad one either, and his greatest strength was that he was surrounded by good advisors and knew to listen to them. And then a bout of typhoid turned into something much, much worse, and now he barely knows who he is, let alone who to trust.

Marie de Sully: the heiress of Craon, a Breton or Breton-adjacent stronghold. She wasn't ready to retire from society when her first husband died, and an arranged marriage to Charles D'Albret represented a good opportunity for her. The fact that she finds him handsome, respectful, and good company is entirely coincidental.

Christine de Pisan: a court poet and the daughter of one of the royal physicians, she's been around the mess that is French politics almost as long as D'Albret has been. Despite the difference in social status, she and D'Albret are close friends; in addition to her education in science and philosophy, she also has an astounding grasp of martial theory, and D'Albret high-key low-key regrets that she wasn't born into a station where she could become a knight and help him sort this bullshit out.

Louis, Duc D'Orleans: the family disaster child. Growing up he was always closer to Charles D'Albret's younger brother, and as they got older his attitude pushed his older cousin away. D'Albret had a hard time forgiving him for the Bal des Ardents incident.

💞: which future scene are you looking forward to writing?

There's one story in the collection where D'Albret is following the investigation into the assassination of Louis D'Orleans, and the evidence is starting to point to his friend, Jean of Burgundy. Which is ridiculous, because Burgundy would never... but then he admits to it. And D'Albret still can't believe it, but before he can confront him Jean fucks off out of Paris. Because there is one thing Jean sans Peur fears, and that's the righteous anger of Charles D'Albret.

I’m also looking forward to writing D’Albret and Charles VI as kids, or D’Albret interacting with the little Valois and Orleans kids. There’s so much angst inherent in the material; it wouldn’t be worth reading unless we occasionally get to see the Constable ditch the armor and become beloved Cousin Charles.