#it's got the black from Remus and red from Roman

[logosbot-tm]

This will forever be my HC of what (adult)Creativity would've looked like if he hadn't split.

[nightingale2004]

Severus as a vampire hcs

Credit to @intotheswollenriver for inspiring me

I personally would feel like it would be a Dhampir situation for Severus. His mother is a vampire, and his father is obviously human

The Prince family would've been one of the few vampire families still existing, and they would've originated from Romania

Severus would not be as powerful as a normal full blooded vampire, but since he is also a wizard, he would still be considered powerful

Eileen fed him blood when he was younger, but Severus didn't know.

Severus wouldn't know he was a vampire until either before he got his Hogwarts letter or after

As he grew up, his normal human scent changed into a scent similar to death, and his fangs started coming in slowly

Lily would NOT know he was a vampire or, in this case, half vampire.

Severus (I feel) would've hated drinking blood from both animals and humans when he was younger (you can't tell me he wasn't sensitive about that) but he went for animal blood since it somewhat satisfied him

Severus would've had a suspicion about Remus much earlier due to his scent of wet dog, which separated him from every other witch and wizard around them

Similar to Wolfsbane, he would've made himself a potion of his own creation to become a blood substitute to satisfy his cravings. He makes enough to last him years (he's prepared)

His powers/abilities other than magic, potions, and alchemy would include enhanced strength, speed, heightened senses, and maybe even compulsion

Normally, Severus would have control, and he would be able to retract his fangs and hide any of his vampire features.

When his hunger gets too much, his eyes will turn dark blood red to light blood red, his fangs will show, he'll become fidgety, his senses will kick in overdrive, and he'll become overwhelmed. It will also become very difficult for him to stop from ripping everyone around him apart, but he manages to make it.

When he goes into a frenzy, it will take minutes up to a few hours to calm down and gather himself. He also makes sure to isolate himself very deep into the forbidden forest with lots of animal prey and no human scent in his sight or in his vicinity

He goes into the forbidden forest, not just for ingredients for his potions but to also hunt and to "set the beast free" along with train and control his vampire abilities

After the 'prank', Remus found out about Severus's vampire side, and Severus made sure that Lupin wouldn't breathe a word of his secret to anyone, especially his friends or else he will take Lupin down with him

I want to believe he can also turn into a bat (i will leave that to you all to decide)

He hates the sunlight or sunny days (no. It can't kill him. It just annoys him and gives him headaches)

Prefers cloudy days

Dumbledore obviously knows

Severus self-taught himself control from a very young age since there wasn't anyone to help teach him

Similar to Rosalie from Twilight, he won't drink the blood from bad people. He will probably see it as tainted or bad.

He saw himself as a monster for a very long time, and he still does to this day

He ages more slowly than normal people due to his vampire blood

His appearance will be normal. Pale skin, skinny, black eyes, black hair, and roman nose. But his vampire blood will sharpen his features and some of his bone structure, build him a little muscle but nothing too noticeable, paler than usual, his hair will have something more to it than normal (idk what, tho), and his gaze and presence will also have an unspoken power to it

Voldemort, along with many of the death eaters, doesn't know about him being a Dhampir

The only people who truly know about his vampire side are Lucius, Narcissa, Regulus, Remus, and Dumbledore (Regulus figured it out by himself)

Lucius and Narcissa both have given Severus their permission to feed off them if needed

Remus is very frightened of Severus, but he feels some sense of common ground with Severus because he's not the only dark creature he knows of anymore.

Severus (much to his deep regret) granted Remus access to Severus's hunting grounds in the forbidden forest, so Lupin can "wolf out" every full moon without endangering lives.

Severus has cast many protection and glamor spells on the hunting grounds, so that way no one other than himself and Lupin had access to the hunting grounds and no one outside can enter the area

Vampire blood can heal wounds and is often used in healing potions

Severus is immune to garlic and crosses, but pure silver stings him a little bit but not fatally

He can eat normal food

Has tasted werewolf blood before, but it tasted unappealing and disgusting like acid

Has tasted human blood on more than one occasion, but it's like sugar to him. Very addicting and difficult to control, but he manages through it

[anxiousgaypanicking]

i know my dummy self keeps asking shi and you can ignore me but. an i get side headcanons like top/bottom, body shape, ethnicity, age and other stuff like when you imagine smander smides, what do you see? thank you (i swear i'll stop buggin you eventually)

no its completely okay!! i did actually just sketch what i picture the sides to look like on my art account (here) but im free to go over everything verbally as well!!

rq though i dont really picture them with certain ethnicities. in human universes i like the idea that the twins are costa rican on their fathers side, and so speak a little spanish, but that their mother is very conservative white and lowk tries to erase that culture from their household. and for janus ive always liked the idea he's italian but i really have no reason for that headcanon other than its funny to me. for the others i really have no preference - and all-in-all i feel that their ethnicities can be whatever because theyre imaginary. as a white person, i tend to picture most of them as just... white, which is lowk uninteresting sorry </3 ily sanders sides creators who give the sides cultural and ethnic depth

i also typically imagine them to just be "adult" but have never thought of it more specifically than that. old enough to drink i suppose lmao <3

patton: i picture patton to be the biggest of all of them! hes the tallest, and the fattest, very warm and squishy to the touch, and very smothering (unintentionally or intentionally) when giving affection. hes also very hairy bc thats a fatherly thing i picture, so his chest, stomach, legs, arms, etc is all covered in hair. + he has a cool beard. i also picture him to have a gap between his front teeth and freckles over his entire body. he also has round glasses, and i imagine him to be blonde. i also picture him to be a top, but whether he's dominant or submissive depends on who hes with (he likes to take care of his partner, and so typically lets them choose).

remus: i picture him to be the second tallest side, but the thinnest. his ribs are visible if he lifts his shirt up, because regardless of what he stuffs down his throat, he doesnt retain any weight. hes also very hairy, with long, messy hair on his head (that you KNOW he doesnt brush), a groomed mustache, and a messy bit of hair on his chin. he has a black crown floating above his head, with a cracked green gem in it. i imagine him to have dark brown hair that almost looks chlorine stained (with greenish undertones, yk?) sexually i picture him to play and enjoy any role - top, bottom, sub, dom, etc. so long as its sex, he doesnt care

roman: roman is the third tallest (and by "third tallest" i mean remus has got like half-an-inch on him, but constantly rubs it in romans face). he has long hair like remus, but its neatly brushed, styled, and tied back in a ponytail to keep it out of his face while fighting. he has freckles that dot his nose and spread over his cheeks, but he frequently covers them with makeup. hes also very muscular because he feels it fits his prince/knight aesthetic; looking strong means he must be strong! i picture his hair to be that pretty reddish-brown, and he has a floating golden crown above his head, with a red gem in it, and pierced ears. sexually, i picture roman to be a submissive bottom, just because i think 1. hes pathetic (and i love him) 2. he deserves to be treated sometimes 3. he has the smallest cock

virgil: fourth tallest. a bit heavier-than-average body type, but i picture him to have been thin before accepting anxiety, and having gained weight after joining the light sides. i know his eyeshadow is important or whatever but ive always loved his bangs and like the idea they cover his eyes completely. he also dyes his bangs purple, but keeps the rest of his hair black. he has pierces ears, and no facial hair. sexually i picture him as either a dom top or dom bottom, just because he likes to be in control. however, he will play a submissive bottom if comfortable/vulnerable enough

logan: i picture him to be the average height for a male in america (which is about 5'8) and all of the other sides are just crazy fucking tall lmfao. i always picture him with rectangular frames, of which obscure his eyes, so his emotions aren't conveyed clearly (when i draw him now, i like drawing "eyelids" on his glasses almost, as if his emotions are only shown through them). i picture him to be pudgy, with neatly brushed black hair kept short and mostly out of his face. sexually i picture him as a sub bottom, but can also play a sub top role depending on who hes with. on rare occasions i enjoy him as a dom, but i prefer picturing him as pathetic and oversensitive! (hes also my favourite side teehee)

janus: i actually never paused to think about what janus looked like until i drew him last night lol i think ive described him physically different in like every fic ive ever written about him (i seriously need to reread hunger hurts and see if ive ever talked about his physical appearance outside of his scales, but whatever), but i like the idea he has long blonde hair that he ties into a ponytail at the base of his neck. and when i say his hair is long, i mean i picture it absurdly long, so that it almost looks like a snake-tail trailing behind him. also in human universes i picture him to have a hip injury, and thus needing a cane. he's also clean shaven, but because i picture that he's unable to grow facial hair/hair on his lower body (though he lucked out with still growing eyebrows). sexually i picture him to be the most dominant out of everyone, and strictly a top (though i do enjoy sub/bottom janus as a rare treat)

uhh some fun other design hcs that i didnt feel could be listed up above. here: - i picture all the sides to have heterochromia except the twins (patton has one dark blue eye, one light blue eye. logan has one dark blue eye, one orange eye. virgil has one purple eye, one green eye. janus has one brown eye, one yellow eye. remus has two red eyes, and roman has two green eyes) - roman and remus are supposed to mirror each other in a lot of ways. they have mole birthmarks on their cheeks, but on opposite cheeks. their parts are both naturally on opposite sides (i borrowed this hc from my identical twin sisters - they split from the same egg and are completely identical except their hair parts, with one of their parts naturally flowing left and the other right), their sashes are going opposite directions diagonally - then there's their boots, their cape things, even their hair! they're very noticeably similar, but still incredibly different. - patton wears a bracelet made by each side - a bracelet from each light side on one wrist, and one from both dark sides on his other - patton keeps his hoodie tied around his waist and not his shoulders for no reason other than i liked it better there lmao - virgil has matching a bracelet from patton that he wears, but its not visible while wearing his hoodie - i dont draw hands (obviously lmfao) but i picture all the sides to consistently have their nails painted as well (logans black, pattons a variety of colours, romans red/white/gold, remuss green/black/silver, virgils black or purple, and januss black or gold) - remuss white streak is a birth mark and not a bleached piece of his hair. i also like to imagine that any other part of his hair will retain hairdye except that part, where it'll just wash out (much to his dismay) - when logan gets particularly stressed his hair will grow out faster and quickly can become rather long and unruly. remus finds it really attractive but logan finds it quite the nuisance - logan has persistent bags under his eyes, but they aren't visible beneath his glasses - remus and virgil both have yellow teeth - all of remuss teeth are very sharp - virgil and logan both have sharp canines - janus has fangs

[sanderssideswriting]

Just watched the Halloween video from this year and saw screencaps of the Halloween video from a few years back… I just don’t understand how we can go from Frankenstein prosthetics for Logan in that episode to messy eyeliner with visible mess up marks for Janus in the new one. Like it’s not a difference of a new makeup artist, it just feels like a lack of caring for it to be as good as it’s been.

I just loved this series so deeply before, so it’s frustrating to see what seem like such flippant disregard for the quality of what they’re making

thank you for this ask because I've been thinking of going through each makeup look and analyzing them more. I totally agree with you about the lack of care. The whole thing is so insanely rushed when they could've taken like, a few more days of planning if they wanted to get it out for halloween, or hell a few days after and have them spin it as them being sad spirit halloween is gone for the year and what a spirit christmas would be like. Or like, the 12 days of christmas but 12 days of spirit halloween? I just feel like there could've been some better ideas. The makeup looks like they were given 5 minutes to figure out what each side would be and 5 minutes to do the make up itself.

onto the make up analysis that'll be under the cut.

Little disclaimer before though, I'm in no way a makeup artist, what I am is a cosplayer and I've pulled together some pretty cool shit with very limited supplies and knowledge.

editors note: so according to the comments it seems like everyone's a character from the nightmare before christmas? Or at the least, Remus, Virgil, Roman and maybe Logan. I don't know, I've seen the movie like twice. just keep that in mind I didn't know until after writing everything below. But it really doesn't change my criticisms of the makeup

first on the list: JANUS

now this is just, I don't even know what it is. I think it's from the I'm Mr White Christmas, song because every year people do half Mr. White Christmas and half Mr. Sun makeup and it looks very good. But you don't need it to look that good. Like, I'd personally make the contrast between the blue and red way more, because it just isn't there. Maybe to keep the snake appearance do like, orange scales or orange underneath then red? Something to look more like fire. the joker esque smile doesn't work, again the contrast is very bad. The blue sticks out but the red doesn't so I'd get some lipstick, maybe a blue eyeliner if you can't get a blue lipstick, and loose the black lines, maybe make the blue side white and the red side more of a very dark red?

VIRGIL

I've got no idea, it's just so generic. A ghoul? A zombie? Who knows, not me. first of all, make the eye makeup darker, maybe some dark contour to make his cheeks look sunken in. if the stitches have to be purple then I'd say make it darker and use a black eyeliner pencil to add some definition and some detail that's harder to do with the eyeshadow

LOGAN

Frankenstein's monster? Or Frankenstein, the thing on his forehead says monster, the lab coat says man. why the fuck is Logan the only one who's got something over his usual attire. I guess you could argue that he just has one laying around? I'm not going to get into the wonky line, straight lines are hard. but the screw, again could've been done better with an eyeliner pencil because they are very pale.

PATTON

also I'm not trying to take unflattering screenshots, I'm just trying to get a clear one of Thomas facing the camera

a clown! very simple, very easy and the makeup is fucking visible!! Personally, adding the triangles around the eyes would be nice, for Patton I'd definitely lean on the fun side of clows and not the scary side. I just think a little more could be done. But I'm just thankful there's an actual red nose. The bar is low. I have to mention Patton's verse again, it's so bad, so rushed, could there not have been a little more thought into it specifically?

ROMAN

Jack Skellington I believe? I don't fucking know. my issue is the eyemake up once again, Make it much darker and less blocky. maybe some nose contour or try to make it look like an actual human skull? the stitches are eh, but I feel like they could be darker, maybe a liquid eyeliner in this case. This is also the only one where I think they really tried to hide Thomas's mustache I guess for the lip stitches?

REMUS

THe boogey man? Also from the nightmare before christmas. Are Roman and Remus doing a group costume? Remus's is probablt the best, he is also the only other side with something over his costume. The makeup looks pretty good, the black is solid at least around his mouth. Again, the eye makeup should be darker. the things on his cheeks are worms I believe. those are alright, I'd probably try to make them stand out a little more

[ghostofacalico]

I'm so sorry it took me so long to post this, I've been extremely busy with the end of the year coming up, dealing with finals and my health. I'm not sure when night two will come out but i will be working on it! Also, please feel free to ask the characters questions! I have the characters that are free to questions on my pinned post.

Night one

Summary: it is Remus and Romans first year being able to go to both celebrations. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) for Roman, Remus is too busy trying to impress Janus to stick with Roman. Though maybe Roman can forgive him after all, if Remus didn't run off, surely he wouldn't have spotted the most feared God, so he isn't complaining too much.

Night One

Tw: alcohol, snakes

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

Remus was bouncing excitedly, chatting to Roman about his plans for the day. Remus had already finished his outfit, a black crop top with a green lightning pattern, a black skirt and neon green fishnets, finished off with black combat boots.

Meanwhile, Roman was finishing getting ready. He had a much similar look, black boots and slacks with a dark red button up, a small crown sown into the pocket with gold thread. He was currently finishing his makeup look, it was a natural look, though it he had added some light red to his eyes. He was smiling as he listened to his brother talk about his plans to get noticed by Janus, the god of lies. He didn't really like the fact that Remus was so interested in him because he didn't want his brother to get hurt but, its fine, he trusted Remus.

Remus continued to talk, "I think hes going to love my gift! Its perfect!"

Roman chuckled, "are you going to tell me what it is yet?"

Remus grinned, it looked almost unnatural amd even a little unnerving if you weren't used to it. "Nope!"

Roman fondly rolled his eyes at his brother. He'd never say it out loud but he enjoyed how excited his brother could get, it reminded him of when they were younger.

Finally Roman finished and stood, "well, we should get going soon."

Remus perked up. "I'll go get my gift!" Before Roman could reply, Remus ran off.

Roman grabbed a satchel and carefully got his gifts. Unlike Remus, Roman had several gods he'd like to give an offering to. Most were the gods of the arts, after all he was planning on being a professional artist. However he was also planning on giving an offering to Virgil, the god of fear. He was going to be very busy this year and was planning on taking some huge steps for his career, he needed to have hes fear under control.

He couldn't afford anything expensive though, most of his money he worked for went to his brother. Remus was having some trouble getting work so, he needed it more. Instead he made him a drawing, a Jaguar sitting in a field at night.

It wasn't much but hopefully he appreciated it. No one truly knew what Virgil liked after all but, this was a good guess.

He put everything in the satchel carefully.

He walked out of the room, going to wait for Remus. After a few minutes, Remus finally walked out of his own room and Roman froze. "....Remus...why are you holding a snake?"

Remus grinned at him, "its my gift!"

"...of course it is." Roman wasn't even sure how Remus got it... though he long since learned to not question his brother.

They finally made it to the festival. People were already there, they were outside at the moment, enjoying the sun before it set. Some people were already drinking. Some of the Gods were already there, some talking with the mortals, mostly Patton who was practically glowing with excitement, maybe he was. The others watching from the side. Logan was watching Patton closely, he spoke with the people that came up to him. King Thomas was also talking with people.

Janus was standing by the refreshments, talking with Para and a few other gods.

Remus almost immediately abandoned Roman to go over to Janus.

Roman didn't mind though. He walked towards the giant temple, where the festival takes place at night. A place for all the gods.

A few other people were already there as well as the more antisocial gods. Roman approached the group of thrones for the art gods, though they weren't there at the moment. A few other offerings at the foot of the thrones already there. Roman placed his and said a silent prayer.

Then he turned to look at the other group of thrones, the ones for the underworld gods and children of chaos. All but one were empty.

Virgils throne was covered in a thick blanket of shadows. The only hint that he was even there was the fact that a few of the stray cats were laying at the feet of the throne. Though most of the cats were wondering around, watching.

Roman took a deep breath and started towards the throne, the moment he took a step towards it, a lilac cat raised its head and looked over at Roman, watching him. Virgil knew.

Despite the fear that struck him, he forced himself forward.

He tried for a smile when he got closer, reaching into his satchel.

Around 4 of the felines sitting around immediately shot up, puffing up. Roman froze.

"I'm just getting out a drawing..." Romans throat felt tight but still he forced out the words.

He heard a quiet huff from the shadows and the cats relaxed a bit. Roman could continue.

He brought out the drawing and extended his arm towards the shadows. The lilac cat stepped over, sniffing it before carefully taking it in its mouth. Roman let it.

The cat turned and jumped up onto what Roman assumed was the seat. After a long moment of tense silence, it sounded as if someone let out a small huff.

The cat jumped down and walked over to Roman, rubbing against his legs before running off. Romans fear seeming to melt away just enough.

Virgil must have appreciated the gift.

Roman smiled and nodded slightly. Turning and walking away.

Later that day, as the sun began to set, people moved into the temple to continue the celebration.

Music was played, people dancing and drinking.

Remus had yet to meet back up with Roman.

Roman was standing to the side, against the wall. As much as he loved partys, drunk people intimidated him.

He held his drink close, watching the party around him. Luckily also enjoyed people watching.

He watched as a few people seemed to manage to get the attention of a god, slipping away. Most danced and talked, a few had the same idea as Roman, sticking to the side. He also watched the cats from earlier now easily slipped and weaved in and out of the crowd. Some had found high up places to watch.

He wondered the purpose of it. No other god had their animals running around, except Patton who was happy to summon his animals to cheer up and excite people. But Virgils just watched, nothing else. Roman supposed it was just another mystery about Virgil.

Roman was fascinated by Virgil, all the mysteries surrounding him and whatnot.

As much as he wanted to continue to figure Virgil out, this crowd was overwhelming him.

He carefully slipped out to the garden to the side.

He took a deep breath and relaxed, starting to walk around.

Roman walked for a while, enjoying the kind of quiet you get when you leave a party. The night air soothed his muscles that he didn't even realize he was flexing.

That was until he saw him.

A man, seemingly around Romans age and a bit smaller, was standing in a small clearing, his back turned to him and looking up at the night sky.

Though, that wasn't what made Roman stop in his tracks. It was the black tail that curled around the mans leg in a seemingly self-soothing way. The man was also surrounded by cats.

Despite the mans small statue, he seemed to radiat fear. Roman immediately know who this was.

Virgil, the God of fear himself.

Roman was about to turn to leave when Virgil looked over his shoulder at him, making Rimans breath catch in his throat. The God of fear looked nothing like he thought he would.

He was beautiful, the most beautiful person he's ever seen.

Soft violet eyes looked at him with curiosity, brows knitted in confusion but otherwise, completely unreadable.

Eventually Roman found his voice, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know you were here, I was just leaving. I swe-"

Before he could say more, he heard a rumble, similar to thunder, however this sounded purely amused.

Virgil shook his head, his tail twitching in amusement. Then he did something Roman would never have expected, he motioned for Roman to join him.

Roman blinked at him, processing it for a moment before finally walking over. Virgil went back to looking at the sky.

They stayed like that for awhile, side by side. Eventually they ended up laying in the grass. Virgils eyes closed but tail still twitching in interest as Roman told him stories of what constellation meant what.

Roman had no clue how long they spent together, nor what time it was when he opened his eyes. He must have fallen asleep somehow.

He felt something rough against his cheek and looked over to see a cat, the lilac one, licking his cheek.

He sat up and looked around, it was still dark out. Virgil was gone and, for a brief moment, he thought he dreamed it. he decided to figure out if it was or wasn't later, right now he needed to get back to Remus.

He got up, dusting himself off and started to head back to the large building.

Tonight was certainly eventful and he hoped that maybe, he could meet up with Virgil again tomorrow.

[prince-rowan-of-the-forest]

Fairytales : In which Virgil kills some plants.

Virgil ends up on a quest in the imagination he didn't agree to. Through which he ends up slaughtering some flora, almost stabbing an old woman and expessing his hatred for a staircase in his quest to rescue his beloved from his own woes.

----

| Ao3 |

Warnings: None I'm aware of, if there are any I should list lmk!

Pairings: Prinxiety

Word Count: 2139

Notes:

This is the longest fic I've written from one of these ship weeks so far jfkdlsjfds

Todays prompts from @prinxietyweek were Fairytale and Daydream! Both of which I employed here!

Roman is genderfluid in this fic/au! They switch between pronouns and how they prefer to present - in this fic they're using they/them

I don't think this needs any tws but please let me know if I should add any!

----

“Roman?” Virgil yelled into the forest, picking his way through dense vegetation, pushing aside a thick dark green vine to keep making his way forward. Belatedly he realised he could use the sword at his hip he had been given to cut through them - albeit sloppily, Virgil wasn’t good with a sword, “Ro c’mon, we don’t have time for this!”

The wind whistled through the trees, there was no answer.

“Can you at least - eugh-” Virgil slashed at an invitingly pink flower that had started oozing some kind of corrosive slime as he got closer, “Can you at least give me a hint at what I’m even doing here?”

Looking for Roman was a pretty monumental task when Roman didn’t want to be found, and Virgil had been the unlucky soul to get the job (he had volunteered). They were supposed to be going to a ball on Remus’ side of the imagination as a group in less than an hour and no-one had been able to find Roman, so Virgil had said he’d go into the imagination to look. His time spent in there with the Prince himself had gotten him acquainted enough.

At least so he thought. 

When he entered the imagination he found himself in this thick forest - closed in on all sides with dense vegetation, half of which seemed to be out to kill him. Not to mention he was dressed up all fancy. The imagination was in quest mode.

Quest Mode was the name Virgil had affectionately given to the infuriatingly frustrating trials and plotlines Roman liked to conjure up to get the others to play in. They’d get an outfit change, a character role, sometimes even a backstory. Virgil hated it (he didn’t, usually he liked the adventures his beloved Prince put together for them all, he was just frustrated). He was yet to even work out what his role was supposed to be here and Roman wasn’t giving any hints. 

And they had to be somewhere! Yet the only way to get out of a quest was either for Roman themself to end it or for the quest to reach its conclusion. Great.

“Where am I supposed to be going?” Virgil yelled at the sky, which he couldn’t see through the canopy. 

A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance and Virgil groaned, taking that as a sign and beginning to head that way. At least he finally had a direction.

“So…” Virgil said aloud to no-one, “Anyone gonna tell me who I’m supposed to be…. Or what I’m doing here…? Where is Roman anyway, they’re usually here with us!”

No response. Virgil looked for a puddle of water he could at least see his reflection in, before once again realising he had a very shiny sword in hand that he could quite easily use to look at himself. When he did, he groaned. 

On his head was a silver crown. It was light enough that he had barely noticed it before, and it was pretty too - set with purple gemstones and shimmering silver beads. The outfit he wore was way too fancy for his tastes, he already knew that, and absolutely not suited to trekking through the forest at all. He was wearing a royal purple sash. 

“Am I supposed to be some kind of Prince?” Virgil complained, huffing and tugging at the sash. His outfit looked a little like Roman’s, but black with silver and purple accents rather than white with red and gold. It was also a little more elaborate, with silver embroidery and a collar that circled up to his neck. His boots came up to his knees and his pants were loose and baggy - at least that was decent. This outfit was horrifically impractical for the setting he had been thrust into. Usually on these quests he ended up as some kind of rogue or archer - not a Prince - that was usually Roman’s role, if they were feeling it, or princess, if they were feeling that instead. Regardless, ‘Royalty’ wasn’t Virgil’s role, he didn’t like it. Suddenly he felt like he had a whole lot of pressure on him. 

All he could do now, though, was to keep moving towards the distant sounds of thunder. 

—

Eventually, Virgil emerged from the forest after what felt like hours on hours of walking, though really it mustn’t have been that long. From the forest he came onto a cliff face, the drop must be hundreds of feet and a sick feeling pooled in Virgil’s stomach when he looked down. Looking back he could see that this forest spanned for miles, and behind him the cliffs continued upward to form a steep, rocky mountain. 

This place seemed just as treacherous as the forest did for a whole host of different reasons, but at least here he could see into the distance - and what he saw was a single tower surrounded by a dark sky full of storm clouds, lightning crashing and thunder rumbling.

He guessed that was his destination. Great. 

If he died, he was going to kill Roman.

At the very least, the tower had given him a little more of a clue as to what the story he was supposed to be a part of was about. That didn’t mean he liked it any more.

So he was a prince rescuing a damsel in distress - a princess locked in a tower, or something. The typical cliche.

“Hello dearie!”

Virgil screamed, turning and pointing his sword at the little old lady who had just materialised on the goddamn path out of fucking nowhere. He had almost stabbed her right in the face. 

“Who the hell are you?” Virgil asked, he could admit he had panicked a little - he wasn’t normally the type to scream at old ladies. 

“Now now dearie, it’s all okay, don’t fret so! I’m your guide!” She said brightly, Virgil stared, dumbfounded.

“Well I know where I’m going now,” he huffed, “You couldn’t’ve poofed into existence back when I was lost in that stupid forest?”

“I’m afraid Their Grace is… having a tad bit of trouble,” The old lady admitted as she took Virgil’s hand and hobbled resiliently up the rocky path. Goddamn, this lady was strong.

“Trouble with what?” Virgil asked, following though he was unhappy about it, “Roman never has trouble with this kinda stuff!”

“Trouble holding the fairytale together for you, dear, but it’s what they need right now.”

“Cryptic much?”

“You’ll understand in time,” She said, typical old-lady-in-a-story to not actually tell him shit. Virgil grumbled, but eventually fell quiet too as they continued to approach the distant tower that slowly became not so distant.

—

The old woman left when they arrived at the foot of the tower, wishing him good luck as he headed in. 

It turned out that the tower itself wasn’t that special, with just a set of spiral stairs inside leading up. 

Looking back, none of this journey had actually been hard - well, perhaps the deadly plants in the forest had been annoying - nothing had been impossible or even all that difficult to defeat. 

The worst thing he’d had to face today, thinking realistically, was the stairs in this tower. By the time he finally reached the top of them he was exhausted, and not to mention worried about Roman. What had that old lady meant? What if Roman was hurt?

When Virgil finally gets to the top of the tower he expects to find Roman. 

What he did not expect was to find Roman huddled up on themself in the corner, dressed in an extravagant ball gown and tiara but looking practically miserable. Immediately, of course, Virgil went over to them, crouching down and reaching for them. Roman quickly took his hand in both of their gloved ones. When they looked up it was clear that they had been crying. All of his frustration at the quest melted away at the look of pure relief on Roman’s face. 

“Hello, your majesty,” Virgil says softly, with just the hint of a tease, reaching with his other hand to cup Roman’s cheek, “I believe I’ve been sent to rescue you?”

“I’m sorry, stormcloud,” Roman said quietly, voice smaller than Virgil would like it, “I didn’t mean to rope you into all this I- I couldn’t project properly - I meant to bring you closer to the tower - just- I- I didn’t want any of the others so I had to-”

“Hey, hey, shhh Princey, it’s okay,” Virgil said, rubbing Roman’s cheek back and forth with his thumb, “It’s okay, what’s wrong? What's got you in such a sorry state?”

“I- I couldn’t decide what to wear to Remus’ ball…” Roman admitted, looking down. For a moment, Virgil considered saying something along the lines of “Is that all?” but he bit his tongue. He knew how important presentation was to Roman. 

“And you got upset?” Virgil asked, Roman nodded, “Can you tell me exactly what it was about it that upset you?”

“I…” Roman said, before stopping themself, “I couldn’t decide whether to wear a dress or a suit - and - and so I tried both on and- neither felt right and I- I didn’t know what to do-”

Virgil could see the tears building up in Roman’s eyes, so he gently squeezed Roman’s hand. 

“Okay,” Virgil said softly, “Can you end the daydream, my love?” he asked, “I’d like you to snap us into some comfy clothes, if that’s alright? Pajamas - or a hoodie or something, whatever you feel most like wearing right now.”

It took a decent amount of time and concentration, but eventually the quest setting faded, leaving them in a lush room in Roman’s palace instead, the one that sat at the centre of the imagination. Best of all, though, Virgil was back into his hoodie. With a snap, Roman wore an oversized sweater along with a skirt and knee-high socks, Virgil coo-ed.

“Pronouns, love?” he asked, tilting his head. 

“They/them, I think, it’s kinda fuzzy right now,” Roman admitted, looking down. Virgil nodded and scooped Roman up - earning a yelp in surprise - and carried them over to the large bed. Putting them down and climbing up after them earned him a confused hum as Virgil pulled Roman into a hug. Resting his lovely Royal against his chest and combing his fingers through their hair. 

“So…” Virgil said eventually, “What’s bothering you so much about the clothes, then? It’s not that Remus’ll care, right? We both know he won't.”

“No- no it’s not that,” Roman mumbled against his chest. Virgil kissed the top of his head, “It’s… I don’t know, both just felt - wrong, too - too gender, both outfits.”

“Ahh, I see,” Virgil said softly. So Roman didn’t want to dress masculine or feminine - Virgil sighed, trying to wrack his brain for a solution. Eventually he came up with one.

“What about-” he paused, “Hm- I saw this thing on the internet a while ago where it’s like - some kind of formal jumpsuit thing that has pants that kinda look like a skirt? Do you think something like that might work?”

For a long moment, Roman seemed to be lost in thought, before humming, “Oh that - that could maybe work…”

Roman stood up and Virgil moved to the side of the bed to watch as Roman snapped themself into a red and white jumpsuit. The jumpsuit had no sleeves and a high collar with a cape-like section attached to the waist that looked like a skirt when they stood still, but when they walked showed that they were actually wearing pants instead. They looked delighted. 

“Oh you look great, Ro,” Virgil said happily, “Does it feel okay?”

“Y- yeah actually - this feels… perfect,” Roman said softly, “Thank you, my dearest stormcloud… are you sure it looks okay?”

“Well duh -” Virgil rolled his eyes, “Now - we should head to the ball before it doesn’t matter what we wear - because he’ll kill us.”

“Oh but what about you? You can’t go dressed like that!” Roman protested, rushing over and brushing down Virgil’s hoodie. Virgil rolled his eyes.

“Damn - thought I might get away with that,” He joked, “Uh - I mean, that prince costume from earlier wasn’t actually that bad…”

“Your wish is my command!” Roman cheered, leaning forward and giving him a kiss. When he pulled away, Virgil’s clothes had changed back to the costume he had been wearing before, “You shall go to the ball, my sweet Prince.”

Roman kissed the back of his hand and Virgil blushed bright pink, making a string of incoherent sounds before finally ending up on “That’s - that’s not how this works! You can’t do that!”

“I think I very well can,” Roman said with a smirk, “Come, lets go, we wouldn’t want to be late now, would we?”

“That’s what I- oh nevermind…”

----

Tags: @full-of-roman-angst-trash @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess @glacierreblogs @roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @scalesfeathersnfur @oatmeal-stans-the-trash-rat @littlerat2 ( if anyone wants to be added, let me know!)

[beetlewine-art]

Hey guys, do you remember this post i made about an AU were Thomas is Batman and his sides are Batman villain: https://www.tumblr.com/beetlewine-art/710102337156530176/okay-listen-ive-been-thinking-a-lot-about-a?source=share

Well, i mentioned that i also wanted to make a post about the sides as Spiderman villains, so here is what i have so far:

Those are my takes, i want to clarify that i'm putting Virgil as Spiderman, mostly because i think it fits him too well. Also, i wasn't happy with making him any of the villains, i thought of making him Electro but i decided it didn't match well outside of the electric aesthetic. So far i think they all match pretty well, specialy Remus as Mysterio, i thought of switching Remus with Janus, but i am not sure. I feel like Remus could be an amazing villain if he had Mysterio's powers and the outfit just fits so nicely.

Roman is not in the post because, if i am honest, i have no idea of what villain he could be. I just can't make my mind about him, the only one that i can think about is Mysterio, but I already made Remus Mysterio and i don't want to repeat it. So, i am taking suggestion about wich villain would fit Roman the best, because at this point, my shipper side and my funny side is thinking about Roman being either one of this two:

Neither of them fit, but i'm a prinxiety shipper so in my mind it makes sense the Black Cat one. And for Carnage... Well, they both red, to be honest, it would be more about Roman having a Symbiote more than him being Carnage. So if anyone has more suggestions, i'm listening. (Might as well just make him MJ)

Also, about the Batman AU: I think i'm going to change some things, don't worry, Bane!Patton and Scarecrow!Virgil are staying, Remus is also staying the same most likely. I thought of changing him and instead of making him the Joker, i could make him "The Creeper" but aparently Creeper is not actualy a Batman Villain (i need to investigate more about him) and every Batman needs a Joker, so i think Remus is staying as the Joker. Logan and Janus are going to change, Logan is most likely going to replace Janus as Riddler and Janus is either going to be Two-Face or Pinguin, mixed a little with Killer Croc.

I'm, again, not sure about Roman. I want to keep i'm as The Music Meister but i also got some very cool suggestion from @donttellthemangosiwashere about making him Clayface or Babydoll and now i can't unsee it (Calendar Girl is good option too). I'll see what i do with him.

Tag list: @maze-arts @roman-can-gay @dorkyduckling16 @emomightmareace @full-of-roman-angst-trash @pyros-random-thoughts @skeleton-obsessed-idiot

[obsidiancreates]

From Regular Wednesday To Regular Whimsday

(I still haven't watched past 41 in OUAW, I keep just restarting it, so for the OUAW gang this is just some unspecified time in the swamps of Hither.)

It starts with Witchlight, of course. A patch of mushrooms, a mysterious artifact that could reportedly "open doors to new worlds of possibilities", and the whims of a 20 year old with ADHD and the ability to write whatever the fuck xey want.

And so the artifact shatters in the patch of Witchlight, and Carnival LeCroux find themselves faced with six deeply confused, highly concerned, and bafflingly identical humans.

"Well this is diffrrrent," Torbek says, scratching his head. "Isn't it usually uuus who Witchlight messeees withhh?"

"Must've been that orb thing!" Kremy searches the mud below them by poking his cane around in it.

"Roman, what is this?" The human in the dark shirt and blue-striped tie asks the one in the white-and-red royal-like getup.

"Don't look at me." Roman points at a human with a similar but more elaborate outfit of green and black. "Whatever this horrid imagining is, it must be Remus!"

"Oh, thank you, brother, it is horrible here! But, I didn't do it! Maybe good ol' Daddo did? He's been a frog before, frogs, swamps-"

"Please, Patton would never bring us somewhere this gr-oss!"

"And I really only looked like that because we were talkin' about Frogger." The human in the lighter blue shirt with the gray covering tied around his neck says, wincing a little and adjusting his glasses. "Virgil? Do you know where we are, kiddo?"

"No." The human in the patchwork purple and black hoodie is tense, ready for either fight or flight (probably flight, based on his general vibe). He looks around, eyeing Carnival Lecroux. "And those guys seem way too active to be any imaginary constructs. ... I told you guys we shouldn't have let Janus convince Thomas to have another glass of wine tonight! We're probably in some... weird nightmare because of it!"

"Oh, blaming me, what a surprise." The final human- well, maybe not. While most of him looks human, half of his face is covered with scales. His cheek has a natural slit implying an ability to unhinge his jaw quite wide but only on that side (so he probably can't actually, because his other cheek would be completely screwed if he tried), and his eye is bright yellow with a slitted pupil.

"Slit pupil means he's venomous," Frost warns his friends. "Right, Gricko?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah. I've never seen a snake-folk before, though, actually."

"He's barely a reptile-folk at all!" Kremy points at the kind of-human. "Either fuckin' commit or don't!"

"Oh, okay, gettin' some strong language here! Let's uh, elt's tone that down, how about, huh?" Patton looks at Remus. "Kinda leaning towards this being you, now."

"What, like I'm the only one who swears between us?! Ro-bro here-" Remus slings an arm around his brother, who quickly shoves it off. "-is the one who came up with Bitchmas!"

"I was in a heated debate! I'm just very passionate!"

"You're a potty-mouth! Even more than me!"

"I have to disagree, Remus. Your deodorant alone is all the evidence I need to contradict you."

"Mmm, but does contradicting me really matter if no-one cares to pay attention, Logan?"

"Oooooh, they've got drama." Twig climbs down from Gideon's shoulders. "This is just like those trashy major images!"

"We are not trashy!" Roman looks at his brother. "Well, most of us are not trashy. And we are not from some... major image!"

"Roman, I don't know that you need to justify us to the imaginary child."

"I'm not a child! I'm a Twig!"

"As in your name?"

"Yeah!"

"Then those are not mutually exclusive concepts."

"Alright, alright, enough of all this!" Kremy points at Logan with his cane. "Y'all explain yourselves right now so we can get a fuckin' move on!"

"Boy, lotta f-bombs being thrown around by this guy." Patton plays with the sleeves of the hoodie around his neck.

"Why would I explain? The only possibility is this is happening within Thomas's mind, so I see no reason to-"

"OH, GREAT FLYNN RIDER'S SMOLDER! Logan, there is another possibility! A whimsical, fantastical, impossible possibility!"

"That... is already a contradiction within itself."

"We... have been TRANSPORTED TO ANOTHER WORLD!" Roman strikes a pose, one arm aloft in the air and the other held close t his chest as he gazes up into the sky.

"That is absolutely impossible."

"Uh... I dunno." Virgil looks down at the mud and swamp ooze clinging to his boots and pants. "I do feel... weirdly solid, right now."

"Yes! Some kind of incredible magic has taken us OUT OF THE REALM OF PRETEND and into a true fairytale!" Roman's eyes positively sparkle.

"First of all, magic does not exist."

The entire Carnival Crew look at each other. These people are either completely insane, or from what sounds like the worst world ever. No magic is like no stones for building, no wood for burning, no air for breathing.

Logan continues. "Second of all, if we have been somehow transported, beyond all possibility and the very logic that makes up my being, where is Thomas?"

Gideon puffs on his cigar. "Quit talkin' between yerselves! Just answer Kremy's fuckin' question, man!"

"The... alligator-man did not ask a question. He told us to explain ourselves."

"Oh-ho my gods! He's worse than Frost!"

Frost doesn't show if he's offended or not. He simply goes, "Mmm."

"I don't care what you say, Logan-"

"Not new information to me."

"-I am going to treat this as a grand magical adventure! Clearly we have been taken away to a world of magic and monstrosities to fulfill some grand quest, and these uh... strange creatures, are the proverbial tutorial for our journey!"

Gideon leans down to Kremy's ear. "Can I punch 'im?"

"Not yet, Gid. But probably later."

"Mmph, fine."

Roman points at the other party. "My good sirs! We are the Sanders Sides, a group of uh- what's the word you use, Logan?"

"Fine, I shall play along until a reasoning more aligned with myself is presented by someone who will actually be listened to. The word I use is Metaphysical, it simply means not actually physical beings."

"Yes! Metaphysical adventurers from another world!"

Frost leans in, intrigued. "What exactly do you mean, you aren't actually physical beings?"

Logan speaks before Roman can give his own explanation- likely for the best, as the words 'Well, nerd,' were clearly to be Roman's next input to the conversation. Logan, instead, matches the energy of Frost with his clear explanation.

"Well, to put it simply we are personifications of various aspects of Thomas's personality and mental processes. Our main function, and reason for existence, is often to externalize an issue that would normally be resolved through an internal examination and investigation."

"Wow, that's uh- that's really quite interesting. And yet you all take on these uh, these-these roles, and personalities, beyond your intended representations?"

"Yes, and the... severity, of these individualizations has increased drastically over the years."

"So you've had a-a growth cycle! You've developed your minds to contain intricacies and um, and greater depth of character, literally."

"Well- yes, I suppose that is not an inaccurate way of stating it, but again we are not individuals. We are not actually capable of fulfilling many of the requirements considered for actual-"

"OH MY GOSHHHHH!" As Patton cuts Logan off with a joyous scream, Logan's huff of indignation goes unnoticed by all but the fascinated Frost. Instead, all attention turns to the creature who has stepped out of the bushes. Giant round eyes, soft and fluffy fur-feathers, a little beat that the leg of a frog is quickly swallowed into.

"I'm going to cry," Patton breathes, hands clasped up by his mouth.

Logan clears his throat and adjusts his glasses. "It is a very adorable creature. And apparently docile, which I assume means it's with these people."

"OH, of course she is!" Gricko throws himself at the adorable owlbear, clinging to her neck with a hug as she muzzles her face into his. "This is my daughter Hootsie, Hootsie T. Cutesie-Grimgrin!"

"Don't you mean pet?"

Gricko looks at Logan with horror. "No! She's my daughter, and a very bright little girl, oooooh Hootsie, he didn't mean it, they must not have adoption in whatever world he's from."

"What? Of course we understand the concept of adoption, but-"

"Well y'all said you ain't got magic where you're from, so it ain't too unreasonable to assume you're lackin' a buncha other stuff as well!" Kremy gestures at Logan with the ground-end of his cane, flinging swamp muck onto the human's shirt.

Logan sets his jaw and looks Kremy in the eyes while flicking the muck off. "Our world lacking in nonsensical magic does not mean it lacks basic concepts such as adoption. I was proposing a correction because, while it is clear anthropomorphic animal-human hybrids are a normalcy here, that... is just a bear with an owl face."

"Hey! You keep shit-talkin' our niece, I'm gonna punch you right in the body!"

"I am not-"

"AWWWWW, you guys think of each other as family?"

Kremy taps the eyehole if his skull cane topper. "Well, I dunno if-"

"Hell yeah we're a family!" Gideon grabs Hootsie, and by extension Gricko, and holds them both in a hug. "Been travellin' together so fuckin' long an' know so much about each other, what else could we be?"

"I mean we could be a group or uh-"

"Ooooooh, but Mr. Kremyyyyyy, Torbek thinks of you all as faaamily."

The screams of the entire collective, Sides and Carnival alike, could deafen someone unused to either party. Twig and Roman especially.

"Oh-ho, geez, man! We forgot you were here!" Gideon thumps Torbek on the back. "You gotta stop doin' that!"

"He does that a lot?!" Vigril, adrenaline leaving him, drops out of his pose to bolt and sinks deep into his hoodie. The words come out more like spittle, forcing their way through gritted teeth.

"Ooooh, Torbek doesn't mean to. People just forget Torbek exists."

"That's not a terrifying notion at all." Janus keeps his cane hoisted up and arm cocked for a swing, just in case. "There's nothing alarming about a seven foot tall glowing monster who can completely vanish from notice without even trying."

"I knew he was still here!" Remus twirls his morningstar and walks over to Torbek, burying his face in Torbek's closest patch of fur and taking a deep sniff. "You reek! It is delightful!"

"Oooooh- huh? Wait, reeeeally? You find Torbek deliiightfuuul?"

"Oh, abso-lutely! What is that smell, I have never whiffed it before! Is it your deodorant? What flavor is it called?!"

"Uuuuuuh, what's deodorannnt?"

Remus blinks up at Torbek with a grin absolutely carved into his face. "You're going to be my new best friend. Sorry Janus!"

"I don't care at all." Janus examines his "fingernails", despite the presence of his gloves. "The title means nothing to me."

"You love me!" Remus begins to literally climb Torbek. "Now let me see these glowing drug implants! This place is a wealth of new ideas!"

"Please do not encourage my brother," Roman says with a look of disgust.

"We ain't, I think he's just encouragin' himself. And trust us, we've tried makin' Torbek a little more presentable."

"Yeah! When he was all tiny in my inn, he got a nice bath and makeover! But it got ruined as soon as he fell out." Twig holds up her tiny satchel-sized inn for Roman to see.

"Your- oh, look at that! Now that is the kind of whimsy and fantastical magic I was looking for!"

"Speaking of looking, let's look for a way home." Virgil is no longer quite so pressed into his hoodie, but the hood is still up over his head. "What is Thomas going through right now? You guys said when I ducked out, things got bad. Now we're all gone!"

"Oh, sweet Tatiana's beignets, he's right! Thomas could be in serious peril!"

"That's assuming our roles as facets of his personality still apply to us at this moment. Given that we have physical forms-"

Remus's head snaps around and he shouts, "You're all aware of your own breathing!"

Everyone splutters and gasps and makes general noises of upset as suddenly Breathing becomes a conscious effort.

"And we've all got heartbeats!" Remus giggles and claps his hands as even more displeasure rings out, and he simply turns back to trying to part Torbek's fur around the implants and see the scars. Torbek shifts uncomfortably, but his ear twitches and his eyes glaze with a bit of relief- Remus is unintentionally helping scratch a few itches and clean some gunk from Torbek's fur.

Virgil has his hand over his heart. "Is mine supposed to be racing this much?"

"Well, everyone has a different resting heart rate, Virgil. Allow me to- oh my goodness. Ahem. No, that is likely because your, well, you, has spiked with Remus's comments."

"Hhhnnnnggg..."

"Okay, Virgil, now would be the time to utilize those breathing exercises you've taught Thomas."

"Little easier to say than do, Logan!"

"Well, simply try."

"Yes, and if the racing nature of your heart causes you other health problems, Gricko may be able to help." Frost gestures at the goblin who, when Torbek had frightened everyone, had dropped from Hootsie's neck and landed head-first in the soft muck of the swamp. Gricko puts up a single thumbs-up, still quite stuck and dazed, though his nose peeks out just enough for him to breath without worry of suffocation.

Logan blinks. "He, is your doctor?"

"Not exactly, he is uh- let me pull him out, actually, he may want to correct you."

Frost does not move to pull Gricko up- but up Gricko comes anyway, a shhhhhplop! following some invisible force yanking him from the mud.

"Oh, thank you, Frosty," Gricko says, his voice becoming mumbled and somewhat slurred at the last word. "Anyway! Um, yes, I am not exactly a doctor, I am a druid. I can help with some basics healings but not everything."

"Like Torbek's various raaashes."

"Ooooh, you have rashes? Where?!"

"Remus, you will get rashes if you touch them," Janus says, reaching up with his cane and swiftly pulling Remus down to the ground. "Having a real body means you can actually get diseases now."

"Oh, Janny, you're saying that like it's a bad thing!"

"Which means real, symptoms? Including things like death?"

"I still don't see the issue here."

"Okay. Does anyone have a leash?"

"Ooooooh, yes, please."

"Eugh."

[bookworm-1196]

Part 5 of my yearly wrap up : my 30 favorite ships that I shipped throughout the year

1. Percabeth (Percy and Annabeth from the PJO & HOO series by Rick Riordan) the first ship I ever shipped I want a love like theirs

2. Locklyle (Lucy and Lockwood from Lockwood & Co series by Jonathan Stroud) I love slow burn couples in book series where you see the characters evolve over the years and where the romance isn’t the main plot

3. Herongraystairs (Will Jem and Tessa from the the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare) always thinking about them in some way shape or form I want a love like theirs

All these ships are my Roman Empire btw they all share the top spot there’s no ranking

4. Pip and Ravi from AGGGTM by Holly Jackson - badass intelligent talented girl x supportive funny guy who loves her like it’s breathing trope you will always have my heart (funny that seems to be a consistent pattern with these ships lol)

5. Malec (Magnus and Alec from the Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare) yes I know they’re everyone’s favorite along with Herongraystairs I’m basic bla-bla-bla but have you considered that they’re popular bc they’re such a top tier ship? All the ships I mentioned are ships I could write an essay or multiple essays about just get me all the books they’re in so I can quote stuff and around ten to twenty hours and I’ll write an essay of 292749299171883902883 words about how much I love them

6. Pandalily (Pandora Lovegood and Lily Evans from the Marauders fandom loosely based off of the HP series) I’m writing a fic about them I have to put them in the top 10 even if I’ve been relatively inactive in the fandom and when it comes to actually writing my fic (sorry I’ve been busy with school and existential crises lately)

7. Wolfstar (Sirius Black and Remus Lupin from the Marauders fandom especially from the fic All The Young Dudes by MsKingBean89 because in that fic the angst and the slow burn are unparalleled)

8. Jegulus (James Potter and Regulus Black from the Marauders fandom, especially from the fics crimson rivers by bizarrestars, only the brave by solmussa and art heist baby! by otrtbs) not the biggest shipper bc i read too many fics of them in too short a time and got jegulus overexposure and needed to take a break from reading fanfics for a while but in those three fanfics especially crimson rivers and only the brave they’re incredible

9. Dorlene (Dorcas Meadowes and Marlene McKinnon from the Marauders fandom) I want to write a fic about them next. In my head they’re sooo imgonnagetyouback by Taylor Swift coded

10. Kanej (Kaz and Inej from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo) soulmates in my opinion but not in the “they were destined for each other” SJM way but in a “their souls fit together like pieces of a puzzle and everything falls into place perfectly because their love is just so cosmically powerful, they weren’t destined for each other but they loved each other so much from now on they will meet and love each other in every lifetime” kind of way if that makes sense (same goes for all the ships here especially Herongraystairs)

11. Herondaisy (otherwise known as James and Cordelia from The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare) the unrequited lining the angst they’re just so perfect

12. Kitty (Kit and Ty from The Dark Artifices and soon to be The Wicked Powers main couple by Cassandra Clare) I love angst and pining and an excruciatingly long slow burn so you know I love Kit and Ty

13. Nick and Charlie from Heartstopper by Alice Oseman - it seems like your typical teenage love story but it’s actually so much more than that at the same time, I want what they have

14. Everlark (Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins) a beautiful love story

15. Sizzy (Simon and Isabelle from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare) I love them so much

16. Firstprince (Alex and Henry from Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston) RWRB is perhaps one of my favorite romance books ever and I love the “exchanging love letters” trope

17. Helnik (Nina and Matthias from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo) I knew Matthias was going to die bc of spoilers from before I read SoC but it still hurt so much

18. Solangelo (Will and Nico from HoO, ToA and TSATS by Rick Riordan) the sun and the star wasn’t one of my favorite books of the year but I still love them

19. Ruegard (Clarisse and Silena from PJO by Rick Riordan) I joined TikTok this year and discovered they were shipped by a pretty big part of the PJO fandom and now I need to reread PJO.)

20. Eva and Celeste from It Goes Like This by Miel Moreland - I highly recommend this book it’s abt a queer sapphic band who get broken up and now they come back together to perform one last time. The main couple, Eva and Celeste have such a beautiful story I don’t want to spoil anything

21. Teo and Aurelio from The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas - they got together too soon in the second book in my (very very biased towards excruciating slow burns) opinion but I loved them in the first book

22. Kit and Theo from The Pairing by Casey McQuiston - the fact that we have two Kits and two Teo/Theos on this list but in different ships (also two Wills) is kinda funny. I really loved their story and I want a love that’s so profound but also so fun like theirs.

23. Thomastair (Thomas and Alastair from The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare) I love them so much

24. Ghostwriter (Lucy and Jesse from The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare) they’re a big part of why Chain of Iron is one of my favorite TSC books but also their relationship conflict in CoT about not being able to kiss for a weird illogical reason was just not believable

25. Gracestopher (Grace and Christopher from The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare) some people ship them but in a platonic way some people ship them in a romantic way I understand both sides and honestly as long as we got to see the two of them develop a close bond based on love and trust it doesn’t entirely matter. Unfortunately CoT broke my heart

26. Ineffable Husbands (Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens) I watched Good Omens at the end of 2023 and read Good Omens the book at the start of January 2024 I still think of them from time to time and I’m not really up to date on s3 news but apparently s3 is going to be much shorter 😢 again that thing I said about loving excruciating angst and pining

27. Rosekiller (Evan Rosier and Barty Crouch jr from the Marauders fandom specifically in the fic “I’m not going to teach him to dance with you” by greensenne (not 100% sure I haven’t messed up the name of the fic but 100% sure that’s what the fic author is called if ever you want to check it out. It’s a no Voldemort AU with lots of Speak Now by Taylor Swift vibes) they’re Wolfstar but evil/morally gray Slytherins depending on the fic basically)

28. Jurdan (Jude and Cardan from The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black)

29. Fierrochase (Alex and Magnus from Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan) I discovered the TSC fandom bc I kept reading Pinterest posts with “Magnus and Alec” in them and thinking huh I don’t remember that part of the story from Magnus Chase and also why is there consistently a typo in Alex’s name?? I love their dynamic so much I NEED to reread MCGA next year

30. Edwin and Charles from the Dead Boy Detectives TV show on Netflix (why does Netflix keep cancelling shows I love? I watched it and then right after Netflix cancelled it)

Honorable mentions go to Just for the summer by Abby Jimenez my second favorite romance book I read this year after The Pairing.

[jewel9887]

Day 4: experiment

Part 3 to other day prompts. To read them on ao3 or you can just read this one

Logan excitedly walks to the museum where Remus texted to meet up for their date. He still can't believe he had the courage to ask Remus on a date, for some reason being around Remus just made him speak his mind without second guessing himself. Looking up he notices Remus and Roman. Even from a distance, it's easy to tell they're twins especially since they decided to dress alike; Remus is wearing a green shirt under a leather jacket and black ripped pants while Roman is wearing a red shirt under a gold jacket and white pants. It's easy to see how he got them mixed up at first but seeing them together he notices all the differences.

Roman notices him first and waves, jumping up and down, "LOGAN, LOGAN OVER HERE! Oof," Roman stumbles.

Logan watches Remus and Roman start shoving each other as he walks up the steps. 

"I thought this was a date with romantic intent?" Logan questions.

"It is and Roman was just leaving" Remus replies glaring at his brother.

"Remus is right. I have a project for my art history class, so I bribed Remus to bring me along but I'll be in a different part of the museum. Remus will text me when the date is over," Roman explained. "I'll see you guys in a few hours or whenever." 

Logan doesn't have time to respond before Roman walks inside leaving him and Remus alone.

"You look extra nerdy hot today, Lo," Remus says.

"Thanks," Logan says blushing looking down at his blue constellation tie. "So which exhibit are we here for?"

"Well, a little frog and spider told me you enjoy science and puzzles," Remus responds holding open the door. "They opened a new exhibit where you can do experiments hands-on and there's another exhibit that goes through the history of detective stories and how poisons discussed in the stories realistically work. The best part is this museum won't ban me because they said and I quote "You are a walking disaster" so it lets them know how to make things safer for the kids as long as I don't intentionally hurt anyone which I would never do."

"There are so many things to address in that statement. Firstly, how much have Virgil and Patton talked about? Secondly, I heard about the new exhibit but have not had time to come to see it, and am greatly looking forward to doing so with you. Lastly, you keep mentioning bans; how many places have you been banned from and why?" Logan asks.

"I think you're their third favorite person after Roman and I. Glad I picked a great first date idea and you got to wait a few more dates before I disclose that information." Remus rapidly replies winking. 

Remus goes to the desk and pays for their tickets, letting Logan know he can pay for the next one. 

Together they head to the science lab room where they don the safety equipment, which are safety glasses, gloves, and a stained lab coat. Most of the experiments are made for kids although Logan manages to rig a bunch together to create a cascade of rainbow foam, somehow barely making a mess. Meanwhile, Remus creates a Rube Goldberg machine with all the random objects lying around. It goes all the way around and through the room with its ending being a picture of him and Logan captured using a polaroid camera creating a big mess and somehow activating the elephant foam which wasn’t part of his machine.

Next, they head to the detective/puzzle room where Remus learns that Oedipus Rex is categorized as detective fiction. Logan takes his time reading all plaques for each era, story, and author for the history part; pointing out any extra interesting facts or ones he thinks Remus would enjoy.”

Once Logan declares he is finished, Remus pulls him to the other side of the room where there are three puzzles set up. One, a murder case to be solved, another a puzzle using different codes to decode a three letters, and lastly a bunch of different puzzle locks. Remus goes straight to the puzzle locks and Logan tries the code and decodes all three letters in no time, then together they easily solve the murder mystery.

"See it's not always the maid or butler," Remus jokes laughing.

"True but in no story has it ever been the cat who poured the poison in the tea and with no human intervention," Logan argues.

"You're just upset I solved it right before you could," Remus says as he grabs Logan's hand to lead him back towards the front.

"Let me text Roman to tell him to wrap up whatever he's doing," Remus tells Logan pulling out his phone but not letting go of Logan's hand.

"This was the best date I've been. I'm glad I lost the bet and let you pick where," Logan happily says.

"You're one of the first to say that and I am glad. Does this mean a second date is in the future?" Remus asks.

"Definitely, though it is my turn to pick when and where we go next," Logan responds.

"You guys are a mess but sounds like it all went well. Remus didn't scare you off." Roman ask Logan walking up to them.

"Not at all. I enjoyed his company and look forward to spending more time with him," Logan answers smiling at Remus. "Ok, gross," Roman jokes.

"Dad texted saying that he has to leave soon and we need to get home to Virgil and Patton," Roman tells Remus.

"Gotcha," Remus says.

”Do you need us to drop you off, Logan?" Remus asks. 

”Nope, I drove here and just parked farther away. I will be needing my hand back," Logan laughs holding up his hand in Remus' and then tugging Remus to him for a hug.

Remus lets go and returns the hug. Logan steps away and says bye, leaving a speechless blushing Remus and laughing Roman.

@intrulogicalweek

[brandstifter-sys]

I'm Here, You're Safe

@dukexietyweek Day 5 - Horror

Word Count: 4307 (Ao3)

Rating: T+

Characters: Roman, Remus, Virgil

Pairing: Dukexiety

Warnings: Major Character Death, abuse mention, religious abuse mention, gore, body horror, spiders, cannibalism (sorta), spider!Virgil, transformation, sex mention

Please heed the warnings.

Remus would rather be anywhere than the place he grew up, but his brother needs his help clearing the old house out after their mother passed away. The horrors in his head have to be worse than reality, don't they?

---

Sometimes Remus wondered if he was cursed. Sometimes he wondered if the monster under the bed was real. At least one monster was out of his life forever. 

Remus really did not want to come here. The old dingy house was so far removed from civilization, surrounded by trees. He could still see the tire hanging from the large oak in front of the porch, and he could see a black SUV parked beside it. 

So Roman got here first. At least he wouldn't have anything nice to say about her either. Remus decided that maybe this wouldn't be so bad. 

He parked his old truck next to Roman’s car and got out, expecting the noise would summon his brother. 

When Roman didn't come running to scold him, Remus figured he was lost in old memories. That was something Remus couldn't bring himself to do. 

He wanted to jump back in his truck and leave the bitter past behind. His mother was dead and she could rot, just like this house. 

He loathed the creak of the old steps as he approached the weathered old door. The last time he heard that sound he was running for his life. The last time he was ready to kill. 

But any negative feelings faded when he reached for the handle. There was a jumping spider sitting on it, staring at him. 

“Hey little lady,” he chuckled softly, “Pardon me, I need to get inside.” He grabbed the handle carefully and turned it, but the spider didn't move. And she didn't move when he stepped inside and released the handle.

“Thank you, sweetie!” he giggled and waved to the spider before closing the door. His real challenge was just beginning. 

The hall was similar to the day he ran away. The hardwood was a little worse for wear and the staircase to his right was covered in cobwebs, but the fake plant and umbrella can were still there. The old walking stick was still in the corner, and it still had brown dried blood on it. His blood.

And then there was the door under the stairs that led to the basement. Remus' blood ran cold as he stared at it. The cruelty of hell couldn't compare to the memories that basement held. His usually disquiet mind screamed at him, flashing glimpses into his past right before his eyes. 

“I'm here, you're safe now” words meant to soothe him after breaching the surface in tears

“There you are!” Roman's irate voice cut through his fog. He was in the archway that led to the den, hair out of place and eyes red from exhaustion. 

“I called and told you there was a tractor in front of me. Or maybe you wanted me to run over old Billy Bob Joe Bob,” Remus scoffed. Check your voicemail before you get pissy.” 

Roman sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew better than anyone that it was a miracle Remus even agreed to help. 

“Fine. I already sorted through the china and knickknacks and gathered the documents in the safe,” Roman said with a yawn, “We still have to clear the basement and move the majority of the furniture to your truck.” 

“It's a lot of work for this dump,” Remus commented and stretched his arms above his head. 

“And you only have to deal with it for one day,” Roman huffed.

“Did you find a motel around here?” Remus pouted. The drive here was not an easy one. 

“My bed is still upstairs. It's the only room I cleared of spiders. They're everywhere!” Roman said with a shudder. 

“That's why you need me—to clear the basement, isn't it?” Remus pouted. That was the last place he wanted to go. 

Roman said nothing and returned to the den. That was certainly one of the reasons he needed Remus there. He also needed Remus' truck, his old little piece of shit truck. They had to remove some furniture. 

Remus relented and followed him further inside. His skin crawled when he saw how little had changed. Sure, everything was covered in webs and dust, but that was the only stuff he didn't remember. The old TV was still standing on a stand. The crosses and religious pictures still hung on the wall behind it. The old armchair was still positioned right in front of it. He almost didn't want to get a closer look at that chair. 

“It's odd,” Roman said from the kitchen, “She died in that chair at least three years ago but it looks rather pristine.” 

“That's really weird,” Remus agreed and peeked at the seat of the chair. There were no stains, only dust. It didn't even smell like a body rotted away in it. The only thing that stood out was a large orb weaver spider crawling on the arm. 

“We're throwing it out regardless. Who would want to sit on that?” Roman scoffed, “This is disgusting work.” 

Remus stepped into the kitchen and saw that Roman was throwing away old food from the cabinets. He was scowling at the unopened cans, reading the expiration dates and then throwing them in a large black trash bag. 

“So what do you want me to do now?” Remus asked and sat on the kitchen table. 

“You can clear the fridge or start in the basement—go through the boxes and see if there's anything of value,” Roman said and grabbed an open cereal box, “Albums, antiques, anything like—

Dear Zeus!” 

Remus jolted when Roman threw the box across the room, letting it skid across the floor to the back door. 

“What the hell?” Remus snapped. 

And then he saw exactly what scared Roman. A large wolf spider crawled out of the cereal box. She had a ton of spiderlings on her back and she was trying to get away. 

Roman grabbed a can and held it, ready to attack. 

“Put that down—she won't hurt you,” Remus scoffed and got up. He knelt by the spider and held out his hand. He was pleasantly surprised when she crawled onto his palm. 

“How can you stand to touch that thing?!” Roman yelped and inched away from him. 

“Easily. It's like holding a hamster,” Remus responded and stepped out the back door. He set the spider down on the porch. 

“You take care, Momma, keep yourself safe,” he said softly and went back inside. 

“This house is infested!” Roman complained and slumped against the counter pathetically. Remus rolled his eyes and grabbed a trash bag. He was going to deal with the fridge. 

“It's not so bad, and they're easy to relocate,” Remus said and braced himself. Whatever was left in the fridge would be fouler than a few leggy babies. 

He expected the rancid stench of rotting meat, the sour odor of curdled milk and yogurt. There would be mold and mildew, maggots and rotting vegetables. 

He should have grabbed some gloves and a mask, but he couldn't bring himself to care when he wrapped his fingers around the handle. 

EEEEK! 

Roman screeched when Remus flung the door open and hundreds—no thousands—of spiders poured out of the refrigerator. 

“Looks like no food went to waste!” Remus beamed as the spiders scurried across the floor and up his leg. 

“How are you so calm around these beasts!?” Roman panted, clutching his heart. 

“Because they're harmless. They might look creepy crawly but they're doing their own thing,” Remus countered and peeked in the fridge. It was completely empty, save for a ton of webs, a bottle of hot sauce and a couple styrofoam meat packages. Clearly the spiders had their fill! 

“Get down from there,” Remus scoffed and grabbed everything from the fridge. He promptly tossed the garbage in Roman's trash bag and dusted off his hands. 

“You and your spiders!” Roman huffed and got his feet on the floor, “They’re menaces, just like you.” 

“You wound me, dear brother!” Remus laughed and went back to double check the fridge. He didn't want to remind Roman that he was worse than just a menace growing up. Their mother was one of those fire and brimstone types, and he was the epitome of sinful. 

“Oh please, I could never land a hit on you. Besides, I left your old room as it is, so you can roll around in all your spiders.” 

“You cleared your room?” Remus paused and glanced back at him. Roman was throwing away old cans and boxes, acting like he was focused on his task. 

“As I told you before, yes. I used up all my hairspray and accidentally set the curtains on fire. But I was able to get a few hours of rest,” Roman said flatly. Remus shuddered at the idea. He knew what it felt like to burn.

His back was still scarred, just like his psyche. 

Fire...

“That's fucked up, and that's coming from me!” Remus said and closed the empty fridge with shaking hands. He still had a few spiders crawling on his leg, tickling him, keeping him from slipping into dark memories. It wasn't working.

“I would be more merciful if it were just one or two, but they were quite literally everywhere. I had to do it if I wanted to sleep.” 

“The old bag of bones thought she had to do so many things, and she didn't!” Remus snapped and slammed his fist against the fridge. Roman was taken aback. 

“Remus,” Roman said gently, “perhaps you should take a few minutes outside. I don't know the full extent of what happened to you here, but I can see it's bothering you.” 

“Of course you don't! You're Mommy's little angel. If you want to know what fucked up shit happened look in the basement. We both know you never went down there!” Remus snarled and grabbed at his hair. 

“Remus—” Roman hesitated. Remus was shaking, his knees knocking together. He had tears running down his cheeks.

“If you want to burn the spiders, burn the whole house down with them!” Remus huffed and stormed out the back door. 

Roman was left with a slack jaw. He never really paid attention to the times when he would be allowed out while Remus was grounded. He knew that their mother was fond of corporal punishment. How much worse could it have been than the spankings he knew about? Surely Remus was just more sensitive to them than him.

Curiosity clawed at the back of his mind, like a feral cat trying to escape a bath. It ate away at him. He knew he was a horrible brother to Remus, tattling on him, pushing him away when he was desperate and lonely, never once covering for him when he snuck out for the most innocuous things. 

What was in that basement? What horrors were hidden below? 

He couldn't concentrate. Roman was throwing everything in the trash without checking the dates anymore. 

He needed to know. 

Roman finally tied the trash bag closed and sighed, glad that task was done. He could always go out and check on Remus, but those words echoed in his skull. 

Look in the basement 

Roman stepped out of the kitchen and made his way to the staircase. He was almost afraid of what he would find. If it wasn't the horror Remus implied, it would be spiders. So many spiders. 

But when he approached the door, Roman was surprised to find that there were no spiders crawling on it despite the vast number of webs nearby.

He took a deep breath and pushed his unease aside. He would have to go down there anyway, he might as well scope out the area. 

He opened the door slowly, expecting the spiders to be on the other side. He was both relieved and unnerved when none jumped out at him. 

With a flick of the light switch he steeled his nerves and made his descent. 

-

Meanwhile, Remus was at the edge of the woods, leaning on an old tree and trying to calm his head. 

Sinners must be penitent. They must disown their pride. 

He could still hear her voice, so calm and patronizing. His back burned with the ghost of the rod. He ached as if he were trapped in that small space again. He shivered as if his clothes were gone. 

“I'm glad that bitch is dead,” he muttered to himself and dried his eyes, “And after this I never have to see that whiny bastard again.” 

Remus couldn't believe that he agreed to help Roman. After years of claiming Remus was exaggerating, ignoring him, pushing him away, Roman had no right to ask for his help. He just had to play the brother card. If Roman actually cared about him, Remus wouldn't be so reluctant. No one here ever seemed to have cared.

No one who was real. Remus could still remember one person, an imaginary friend or a hallucination, and that person cared. Remus almost wished they were real, that Virgil was a real person who he didn't have to name. He missed hearing them comforting him from under his bed. He missed the way they would sing him to sleep and listen to him. 

He laughed to himself at some of their conversations. They had always shown interest in his ramblings about spiders and bugs, ocean oddities, and horror movies that he had watched at a friend's house. He even remembered telling them that he had a crush on them, even though they were just a voice in his head. 

“I'm here, you're safe now…” 

And he believed Virgil every time. At least until he didn't come back. 

---

Roman made his way to the bottom of the stairs. The dim light made everything seem so sinister. The unfinished walls and boiler were covered in cobwebs, and the ceiling was white with a full blanket of spidery weaving. At least the light was untouched. 

He could feel eyes boring into him. Stalking him from the shadows. He felt like a deer in the fields, hunted. 

But then he noticed it, standing next to the boiler. It was old and rusty. Or maybe that brown stuff wasn't rust. He could hardly believe his eyes. 

A cage meant for a large dog. It was sitting there, as if it had been there for years. 

On top of that cage was a bible, a branding iron, and a leather belt. And leaning against the wall was a thin cane. 

Roman’s heart sank. How many times did he put Remus through hell inadvertently? How many times did he think it was justified to get his brother in trouble? 

The hair stood on the back of his neck. The odd feeling that he was being watched was stronger. He could taste the venom in that gaze. 

It was too quiet...

He could hear his pulse thundering in his ears. 

Roman couldn't move his feet, locked in place and staring at the instruments his mother used to “purify” his brother. 

The walls seemed to move around him, webs shifting and swaying. There had to be hundreds of spiders hiding in their mesh. 

It was time to leave.

It had been time to leave for a while. 

It was too late. 

Roman screamed as something heavy fell on him, pounced on his shoulders. 

He hit the ground with a weight on his back, pinning him down. 

A searing pain ripped through his shoulders, like knives were piercing his flesh. His eyes welled with tears as an agonizing cry tore from his throat. 

And then the world faded to black. 

---

After two hours of calming down, Remus was ready to face the house again, as opposed to the woods at night. He would tell Roman what he could about his experience, move some old furniture, and then leave. He was exhausted but he didn't care, he needed to get away from this place. 

His body was heavy with fatigue as he trudged through the grass to the old building. The only thing that he could think of to keep him from spiraling as he neared was his imaginary friend. With any luck he would be able to hear them again. 

Remus entered through the back door into the kitchen. The lights weren't on but it looked like the trash was ready to go to the dump. 

Still, he couldn't shake the odd feeling that something was wrong. 

Roman would have come running to check on him, or to demand his help. Maybe he was on the second floor and didn't hear Remus come in. 

It was just so quiet…

...

Too quiet…

Remus chalked up all of the discomfort to his trauma and his mental health tanking. 

As he moved through the kitchen to the den, he failed to notice the spiders following him. He failed to notice that they weren't scattered across the furniture or in their webs. 

What he did notice made his heart stop. 

The basement door was open. The light was on. 

Roman actually went down there. 

He would have to go down there if he wanted to find Roman. He didn't. He didn't want to hear any apologies or alleviate any guilt. He only wanted to leave. But to do that, he needed to get the unsalvageable furniture in his truck, and he needed help with that. 

Remus' hands trembled as he reached for the handrail. His heart rate spiked as he slowly descended the stairs. 

Nothing bad would happen to him. 

She was dead.

Roman wouldn't have the guts to try anything. 

He could destroy this place. 

Remus glanced around the room. There were more spider webs than he remembered, so many more. They were like curtains on the walls. He avoided looking at the old cage for his own sanity, but scanned for any sign of Roman. 

But there was nothing. 

“Roman?” Remus called out, half expecting that Roman ran away as soon as he saw a spider. 

That's when his eyes landed on the cage. 

There was a large bundle of webs next to it. Large enough to encompass a person. 

Remus inched closer to confirm his worst suspicion. 

Roman’s head stuck out of one end of the bundle. But it was emaciated, skin taut and suctioned to his skull. His lips were thin and pulled back to reveal his teeth. 

His eyes were gone. The empty sockets were like voids. There was no blood or fluid, just deep holes in his skull. 

Remus should have been more concerned about finding his brother like this, and he would have to take it up with his therapist later, because he felt nothing. No anger or sadness, no joy, no fear. Emotional exhaustion couldn't be the only explanation. 

He could hear skittering overheard. 

Whatever did this to Roman was still there.

And he was fine with being next. 

Thud 

Remus knew something was behind him, something big. Probably the same thing that killed Roman. 

“It's been a while,” Remus chuckled and turned around, “And the one time I come back is the one time I won't leave.” 

He was not at all horrified by the giant spider standing in front of him. It was the size of a wolf, fuzzy and black, and its eyes shone with understanding. Its fangs were bright purple and stained with red, but it made no move to attack. 

“Oh, you're pretty!” Remus noted with a small smile. If he was dessert, he would be happy to feed a beautiful creature like this. 

The spider inched away from him and reared back on its hind legs. 

Remus was in awe as the creature quaked and bulged, its exoskeleton cracking. Its first and last pairs of leggings expanded and shortened, cracking as they took on a human shape. It kept morphing its entire body, stretching and shrinking just so, and turning Remus on in the process.

“Okay, I retract my statement,” Remus gawked. The person standing in front of him had four spider limbs coming out of his back, deathly pale skin, and gorgeous shaggy hair. His human eyes were purple and full of mixed emotions, while the four just below them were beady and black. The only shame was, that this person was fully clothed in jeans, a tee, and hoodie.

“You're fucking hot!” Remus gasped. 

“What?!” the spidery man yelped. Remus knew that voice. He knew that voice better than anyone. 

“Virgil?” Remus asked as his face split into a grin. 

“You remember,” Virgil muttered. 

“Of course I remember! You're the only person who believed me and you comforted me! Ooh—are you saving me for dessert? I'm a tasty snack!” Remus gushed and clapped his hands. 

“What the fuck? No! You haven't done anything to warrant that,” Virgil bristled, “He killed my children. I grew up watching him ignoring the horrors you went through and what he didn’t do.” 

“Your children?” Remus pouted, “The spiders? But they're all different species.” 

“Do you really think I can create spiders without a mate?” Virgil scoffed, “I'm their guardian, a sort of spirit type thing.” 

“So I have a bestie who's a spirit and I have a heart boner for a spirit?” Remus gasped and bounced on his heels. 

“I’m not a spirit, I’m not sure what I am—wait. You do?” 

“Yeah! You're the only thing I missed when I ran away,” Remus giggled, “I hated leaving you behind.” 

Virgil was blushing, backing into the wall shyly. Remus couldn't handle the fact that the terrifying monster was so cute and flustered. 

Remus bopped up to him and pressed against his chest. 

“I want to be all yours, even if that means we fuck and I become dinner for your children,” he purred and stared up at Virgil. 

“I killed your entire family and ate them,” Virgil muttered, “And you actually want—?” 

“I do! I would become a little leggy baby if I could, if it meant I could stay with you!” 

“What if you could be like me?” 

“A sexy spider spirit thing? I would kill for that!” Remus beamed. 

Virgil ran a hand down his cheek and cupped his chin. Remus was in awe, staring into his six eyes. 

“That's something I can do,” Virgil said and leaned down. Remus vibrated with excitement. 

The second their lips met, Remus melted into Virgil’s chest. Virgil wrapped all of his arms around Remus and held him close. 

Remus moaned softly when Virgil took his lower lip between his teeth. This was too good to be true. 

And then a searing pain shot through his gums. Remus cried out, but Virgil didn't pull away, he held Remus tighter. 

Remus' legs quaked and his blood boiled. All of his muscles burned and turned to goo. He could feel himself peeling away from his skeleton while his skin tore open to make way for chitinous plates to take over. 

Virgil retracted his fangs and gently laid Remus on the cold cement ground. The cold ground felt heavenly against him. 

“The pain will go away soon,” Virgil said softly and stroked his hair, “I’m here, you're safe.” 

Remus could have sobbed at those words. They were so comforting, enough to numb the pain. 

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't cry. He couldn't see. He could feel his flesh peeling off his skeleton, his brain and spinal cord liquefying and seeping out of their boney prisons. 

“It's almost over, Remus,” Virgil said softly, “You're holding up so well.” 

Remus writhed and contorted. He couldn't scream when two new pairs of limbs erupted from his torso. And then his mouth sealed shut and two more limbs sprouted from his face.

And then the pain stopped. His vision came back, although much different than before. Virgil was kneeling beside him, smiling at him. 

“You’re cuter like this,” Virgil hummed and helped Remus stand on his eight legs. Remus chirped and wiggled his abdomen, unable to speak. He wanted to speak.

“You’re too weak to transform,” Virgil said, completely understanding him, “You need to eat.” 

Remus was hungry. There had to be food somewhere. He could smell fresh meat. 

Virgil stood and let him scurry about. Remus would find food. 

There was a large lump of webs on the ground. The source of the smell. 

He didn’t have a second thought before he jammed his chelicerae into the lump and liquefied the flesh. It didn’t occur to him what was in that web bundle, only that it was sustenance. 

By the time he was sated, the skin on Roman’s skull had melted off. 

With a little bit of willpower, Remus reared back on his last two sets of legs and morphed into a humanoid similar to Virgil. He was grinning and clapping like an excited child. 

Virgil pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek. 

“I’m here, you’re safe now, and we can leave this shithole behind, together.”

“Can we burn it to the ground and cuddle?” Remus asked and glanced at the floor. The pair of skeletons on the ground should have been terrifying. One of them was his! He ate his own brother! He should have been disgusted. But all he could feel was elation. 

“Let me get everyone out first, and then we can,” Virgil hummed, “I wanted to watch you destroy this place and the people in it for years. Revenge is sweeter when you do it yourself.” 

Remus giggled and kissed him again, just a quick little thing to make his spider blush. 

“You’re sweeter than any revenge. Let’s clear out the babies so we can cuddle by the fire,” he hummed. Virgil scooped him up and smiled softly. 

“You want to do more than that.” 

“You know it!” Remus laughed. He was thrilled that he could find happiness in the worst place in his world. And he had just the spider to keep it there.

[olympeline]

A few more headcanons for my National Animals AU. This time let’s talk about some mainland European nation-people to go with my British Isles bros post:

Germany: dog

Germany’s national animal is a black eagle - kinda, it’s the one on their coat of arms - but ehhh, any kind of bird doesn’t fit Ludwig in my mind. A dog does, though. I can definitely see him as some kind of giant, scary looking canine like a German shepherd or a rottweiler. One that appears intimidating but is soft on the inside. These dogs were bred to be hard workers too, just like Ludwig is. As for what he was in his days as Holy Rome…IDK. Their symbol was, again, a black eagle. Maybe Holy Rome was a black eagle chick who never got to fly. What do you guys think? And yeah, I know “Germany is Holy Rome” is very canonically dubious at this point, but I don’t care. I still like it

Italy (North and South): Italian wolves

They get it from their grandpa! It’s Romulus and Remus all over again. Feli and Lovi were a pair of fluffy little wolf pups for a very long time. Grandpa Rome himself started as a wolf, but I’m on the fence if he stayed that way until he died. Or if he became an eagle - the standard of Rome - as the Empire expanded. Wolves were very feared in Europe and that fits with everyone being scared of the descendants of the infamous Roma…until they meet Feli and Lovi and realise they are a pair of Moon Moons. 😂

France: ??? → lion → horse

I’ve already talked about why Francis would be a lion that became a horse, so let’s focus on what he would have been before. When he was a babby nation pre-French unification. I’m thinking either a fox cub or a young hare. To match with Arthur’s rabbit because I love these two always being connected in some way, hehe. Red fox pups are bluish grey before they mature and blue is Francis’s colour. He became a lion and cast off his fox form before it grew big enough that he would have had to wear a red coat. Yay, Anglo-French rivalry symbolism! Francis is also sleek, cunning, and pretty like a fox. But hares are sleek and pretty too. IDK, but I can imagine a rabbit looking at a hare and having the “god i wish that were me” meme reaction, you know? Hares just seem cooler in general. Arthur looked up to Francis and was jealous of him when they were kids, even if he would never admit it. 😆 The young nations being prey animals when they were conquered by Rome is good too. Yay, more symbolism! So hmm, not sure which is better. Do you guys prefer a fox or a hare for Francy-pants? Tell me in the replies if you like. Either way, he’s one of the nation-people who’s been through the most dramatic transformations over his lifetime.

Spain: ??? → black (fighting) bull

Ey! Toro! Toro! Not much needs to be said here. The toro bravo image is so married to Spanish culture, I can just leave it as is. I don’t know if Antonio would have been something else before, or if he was always a little calf that grew up. My knowledge of Spanish history is full of holes, sadly. I know there’s a lot with Carthage and Rome and the Punic Wars and that Spain was a Roman colony. Then various invasions, religious wars, the reconquista, all leading up to eventual unification. But it’s all too surface level to make headcanons for this AU. If any of you guys have ideas about how Antonio’s history might translate to pre-bull animal form(s) - or if you think he should have any at all - please tell me below! I’m really interested.

Russia: Eurasian brown bear

Another one where not much needs to be said. Russia is a huge, historically feared country with an incredibly tough climate. So Ivan would be a huge, feared animal that could survive the ice and snow of Northern Eurasia’s winters. Also, bears are solitary and blah, blah “friendless Ivan wants companions but they don’t want him” etc. You know the story. Bears were once so feared and hated in some parts of Europe that people refused to even say their name aloud in case it summoned one. They’re also tall af on their hind legs, eat a lot and get chubby, and love sweet things. Ivan was on easy mode for this post, lol.

(This AU is addictive. I think I need an intervention at this point ffff 🫣)

[i-speak-for-the-universe]

(READ TAGSSS… pls) Dropping another chapter bc late night motivation got me in a choke hold last night (Logicality Siren AU fic)

Patton woke up on sun-warmed sand, him flipping onto his stomach to cough up non-existent water, all he could remember before being thrown overboard was the hurtful chant’s overwhelming his ears.

He was still thoroughly confused, dazed by the quickly warming mid-afternoon summer sun into another spell of unconsciousness.

He wasn’t expecting to wake up for the second time, already anticipating himself in some type of afterlife until someone shook him, jolting him into complete consciousness.

He yelped, a name almost coming to his lips before it disappeared on his tongue, leaving him panting in the oddly empty air.

“Oh thank the gods, he’s alive.” A relieved voice spoke, followed by a rougher, more scruffy and teasing one. “Ugh, boo! No fun!”

“Remus!” The first voice scorned, Patton blinking as his eyes adjusted to the wonkily distributed candle and lantern light. “Hello? Are you there?” Patton heard words being spoken to him, a hand waving an inch or so away from his face.

He swallowed, getting his breathing under control before answering. “Y-yeah. Where… Where am I?” He asked shakily, giving himself a shake before rubbing his nose bridge, realizing his glasses weren’t there and quickly checking for his conch shell, which was luckily still secure around his neck.

One of the voices snorted, the one Patton assumed was Remus. “Somewhere safer than out their baking on the beach like a human gingersnap.” Patton turned to look at Remus as he spoke.

Remus was tall, his head covered in a mass of long and thick dark brown curls. He had emerald green eyes and a scraggly (yet it was obviously styled to look that way) dark brown mustache. He was wearing black leather pants, boots, and fingerless gloves, covering his chest with a black-dyed deer hide tunic.

“Yes, my brother is at least somewhat right.” So the two were brothers. “This is our humble abode, and we have brought you her in the hope that you are not dead.” The other voice explained, Patton turning to look at that brother.

“And, my apologies, we have not yet introduced ourselves. I am Roman,” Roman put a hand to his chest respectfully. “And that,” He gestured to Remus. “Is my twin brother, Remus.” Remus mimicked the hand-to-chest gesture his brother did, there seeming to be at least an ounce of respect in the man.

Patton took a second to examine Roman before introducing himself in turn. Roman was an inch or two shorter than Remus, straighter and lighter brown hair cut shorter on his head, eyes a shade of brown that sparked a deep red at some angles.

He was wearing brown leather pants and boots, the boots stained darker than his pants. His shirt was an off-white cotton and he seemed to have a leather quiver strapped to his back.

“Oh, it’s alright, I’m Patton by the way!” Patton finally introduced himself, offering a hand for both of the twins to shake.

“Don’t worry, we’ll show you around our small beachside town after we get you something to eat.” Roman said after shaking his hand, smiling confidently as he spoke. “I’m sure you’ll make friends fast, you seem to be a good fellow.”

Roman helped Patton get off of the small bed he woke up on as Remus scurried off to get Patton a change of clothes. Once changed into simple horse leather pants and an off-white and blue striped shirt (though everything was slightly baggy considering the twins both had slightly larger statures than him), he was happy to eat nearly anything set in front of him.

Thankfully, what was set in front of him was a simple spaghetti, though obviously made by Roman due to the twin’s comment on his brother’s inability to not set fire to something when cooking over the three’s meal. The two feuded for the rest of the meal even after they both finished.

Eventually, the argument defused, leading Remus to comment on what to do. “Oo! Ro-bro, we should show Patton around the city!”

While Roman agreed and the twins started deciding where to take Patton, he was internally struggling. He literally just washed up to this town no more than a day ago and now they want to show him the town already?

He was on the fence but it was clear they weren’t going today, so the twins set Patton up with a cot and other sleeping materials before explaining where they would be going tomorrow.

The twins went upstairs to bed, leaving Patton downstairs with just a little lantern and a teddy he was given to snuggle for the night to keep him company.

Something just felt… wrong. The twins were very hospitable, don’t get him wrong, but he just felt like there was an inexplainable gap in his memory that he just couldn’t piece together.

Well, there wasn’t much he could do right now. So, he simply brushed it off the best he could, blowing out the lantern before settling down for bed.

[tssdresses]

Sanders Sides Animatic Ideas | Inside | Goodbye

Main: Thomas, Logan Background Characters: Roman, Patton, Virgil, Janus, Remus

White/black text (depending on light/dark mode) are lyrics not explicitly said by anyone, unless otherwise specified. Pink is Thomas, blue is Logan, purple is Virgil, red is Roman, green is Remus. Janus gets orange for this one, and Patton has one line in white/black marked in notes as him.

Um, possible, uh, ending song that is not finished yet Test, take one

Logan sits down next to Thomas. 

Lyric isn't explicitly said by anyone.

So long, goodbye I'll see you when I see you You can pick the street I'll meet you on the other side

Thomas gives Logan affection in the form of a hand on his shoulder. Logan goes straight into a hug.

Thomas could be saying these lines, otherwise it's just background.

So long, goodbye Do I really have to finish? Do returns always diminish? Did I say that right?

Logan pulls back to say these lines. 

Does anybody want to joke When no one's laughing in the background? So this is how it ends I promise to never go outside again

Thomas reaffirms that Logan isn’t a joke and that he’s important. 

The lyric "So, this is how it ends," refers to Thomas saying Logan being ignored ends here.

So long, bye! I'm slowly losing power Has it only been an hour?

Logan starts talking about how he’s been feeling neglected and ignored. 

No, that can't be right

Thomas feels guilty. 

So long, goodbye Hey, here's a fun idea How 'bout I sit on the couch And I watch you next time?

Thomas says that he’ll listen to Logan.

I wanna hear you tell a joke When no one's laughing in the background

Logan expresses that Thomas can’t really understand. 

So this is how it ends I promise to never go outside again

Thomas touches foreheads with Logan and Logan leans into it. The message is a form of “I promise to earn your trust back,” from Thomas to Logan. 

Am I going crazy? Would I even know?

Cut to elsewhere: Virgil pulling his hair, looking panicked.

Am I right back where I started fourteen years ago?

Next cut: Roman has one hand fisted in his sash over his heart and is looking at the other, which reaches up and out.

Wanna guess the ending? If it ever does

Next cut: Remus says “Wanna guess the ending?” While making a little “jump-scare” motion with his hands, which then turns into a shrug motion on “If it ever does.”

I swear to God that all I've ever wanted was A little bit of everything, all of the time

These are Patton's lyrics, damn there being only one blue.

Next cut: Patton reaches out desperately towards the camera (towards Janus). 

A bit of everything, all of the time Apathy's a tragedy, and boredom is a crime

Spin transition to see Janus in the same space as Patton.

Janus takes Patton’s hand while saying “A bit of everything, all of the time,” before saying “Apathy’s a tragedy and boredom is a crime~”

I'm finished playing, and I'm staying inside

Back to Thomas with Logan. 

If I wake up in a house that's full of smoke I'll panic, so call me up and tell me a joke

Logan whispers this to Thomas.

When I'm fully irrelevant and totally broken, damn it Call me up and tell me a joke

Logan gets louder.

Oh, shit, you're really joking at a time like this?

Logan looks at the viewer while saying this one.

Well, well, look who's inside again

Thomas gives Logan a hug.

We're back to no specific lines for people, just background noise.

Went out to look for a reason to hide again

Remus joins in 

Well, well, buddy, you found it

Roman and Virgil join

Now come out with your hands up

Patton and Janus join

We've got you surrounded

Group hug :D

TOC All Eyes On Me | Any Day Now

[pacisandpuzzles]

THE SIDES (+ extra) & THEIR PACIS ! (headcanons)

Not all of these will have images! Some of them will if I can find an example of what I am imagining :)

Under cut because it got super long!! -_-;

Roman - obviously, very disney themed or prince themed. He'd prefer red pacifiers, because it's his colour !!!, but will make an exception if it's a character he likes.

The 1st 1 is a Queen of Hearts themed paci, but I think Roman would love all the red details and especially the little crown. I also think Roman loves lilo & stitch (more than usual when he's regressing) & would have a blue paci if it means he can have stitch on his paci.

(Also I think stitch reminds him of his brother Remus and he loves his brother! Even if big him denies it)

(1 & 3 - bellesbinkies on IG, 2 - kittycat.crafts)

Orange - we haven't met him, but I think he loves orange juice and probably has a paci covered in oranges. (Big him is so upset everyone keeps comparing him to an orange and gets even more upset that little him loves oranges).

Janus - has to have a snake on it. If it doesn't have a snake on it he cries and cries and cries until Roman/whoever summons a new one/adds one. Unfortunately, I cannot find a paci that has snakes on it :(

It can be any colour and decorated any way, but it has to have a snake (or multiple, preferably). He also loves when his pacis are the colour of his caregiver(s)!!

I did find this one by bellesbinkies & I think it's right up his alley anyway :3 just imagine there's a snake on it, or janus will wail.

( 1 - bellesbinkies )

Remus - bright green and covered in as many charms and jewels as he can put on it. Once it becomes unusable and he starts all over with a new one!! I think he has a gir from invader zim center piece or a skelanimal (most likely lolita the dolphin).

He also 100% somehow chews through the all rubber pieces of his binkie . No one knows how he does it.

Patton - FROGS !!! He most likely owns like 20 pacis and theyre all different. One has a frog centerpiece and another one has a dog and another one has a rabbit and another one has a cat— he needs a million (even if logan tells him its impossible to own a million). He likes to switch out through out the day, he doesn't want any paci feeling unloved !!!

I bet he also loves pacis with shakers!

Logan - probably has around 3 or 4 pacis that he switches through, but his most used is something that looks like the one below. He also has his CG (or himself) glue on little letters that spells out "little star" :)

The rest of his pacis are dark blue with various themes, like doctor who and ocean animals! He has a bingo paci too (He loves bluey!)

Virgil - i found this one and this is SO virgil. He probably goes all out for his binkies !! He wants his binkie to be "spoopy", but not super scary or else he gets really scared (remus once tried gifting him one that was just a little too much for baby virgil & he couldnt sleep alone for weeks).

He uses one paci at a time, usually for months, but once he gets tired of it, he will swap it out.

EXTRA !!

C!Thomas - has a steven universe paci. It's red with a yellow shaker full of little stars (like steven's shirt)

Emile Picani - a snoopy paci that's black and white with little charms

Remy/Sleep - all black paci, covered in little "z"s with the words "sleepy baby" on it.

[ryoko1232]

I said that since i didn't finish my fictober storys id give yall some fic that i have yet and probably never will finish so...

I am Myself!

Relationships - plantonic creativity twins

Status- far from finished

Tags - superheroes

I remember this was based off of some story from reddit but i can't remember its been a while since I've touched this

“Ow!” “Ugh- Watch it dork-!” Roman took a step back as he looked at him, “You- … What the fuck-?” the other man looked around, expecting it to be some sort of prank. They looked identical. “Are you some kind lf skin walker? if so, you forgot my mustache” the man on the floor said as he got up. “I am Roman Prince, and I would never grow a mustache, it wouldn't fit me and since it looks like I'm looking in a mirror it also doesn't fit you” the boy said looking down at the other, “huh, my initials are also ‘RP’, Remus Pandora. Can't belive my long lost twin was a spoiled brat” He said looking the other up and down, the other gasped in offense.

Nothing particularly wrong with what the other was wearing, it was really just up to their perspective tastes and style. Roman was croquette, with light mostly red though, and he had lots of gold jewelry. Remus on the other hand looked like a highlighter puked on him, no offense. He has a bright green tank top, black baggy pants, and very colorful accessories.

“Better then having no style at all!” Roman said and quickly left, they had a few classes together, it was miserable. Teachers would confuse them for each other, people were asking questions, and they certainly didn't have any answers. Once they got home they ask their parents about it. “Oh… oh no… Ro, you might want to sit down sweetie” Roman sat down as his mom continued, “well… We adopted you, we were unable to have kids so we gotten you, and well we were supposed to adopt both of you… but some one was quicker then we were” Roman was too stund to speak.”We were waiting to tell you later, but it seems the world is too small for that” this was shocking for Roman, his life had shifted after that meeting, he still basket in the light, but Remus would always do something and having the same face is a problem when people are other to get the other person.

Roman finally got his powers, moving stuff by singing, Remus got his powers the day after, summoning tentacles. “Pfft what the fuck?” one of Roman’s friends said, well they're not close but they're still in the sam friend group. “Eww! That so gross!” The girl said laughing while the others joined her, Roman didn't, he never liked Remus but he would never bully him. Remus just scoffs and continue training, as Roman makes the group leave with the excuse of wanting a snack. They avoided each ther all throughout highschool, and people stopped comparing them as much.

That was years ago, right now Roman is being sent to prison, cause he was accused of being ‘The Duke’ and its just offensive in Roman’s opinion. They barely look anything alike, and Roman would never out in something Remus wears.(he wears his normal outfit but with the batman mask over his eyes and a mask covering his lower face) “It’s over Duke!” the agent says as Roman just sighs