#other ... they'd BOTH kill themselves for you if asked ...

[rhettrosunsets]

Wildflowers And Refuge - Petals And Promises Series|Boblena X Fem!Reader

Pairing: Robert Reynolds X Fem!Floral Powered Reader X Yelena Belova (Boblena X Reader)

Category: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluffy Ending.

Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission. Bob and Yelena promised you that it'd be so easy that they'd be back for dinner and before you had the chance to worry about them, leaving you with a forehead kiss and a promise. Except, that didn't happen, and you know somethings not right. When you go to look for your partners it leads you to somewhere that brings back un-welcomed memories, but Bob and Yelena are there to pick up the pieces just like how you did for them.

The one where reader gets to save Bob And Yelena for a change

Masterlist

Read More Of The Petals And Protection Series Here!

Warnings: Canon Marvel Violence!! Reader experiences PTSD and disassociates. Mention of blood, bruises and cuts. Mention of needles, mention of IV, mentions of reader's mental state, readers over-thinking and worrying, reader has a similar origin to Bob's, Reader is described as pale in flashbacks when talking about the lab, mentions of reader being abandoned and left for dead, memories of reader being alone in the lab. Long story short: Reader is going THROUGH it and Bob and Yelena don't play about their girlfriend.

The mission was supposed to be simple. In and out, just like that. a Quick intel grab at an old lab and nothing more, back to the Tower before dinner.

Bob and Yelena had both assured you of that before they left, with kisses to your forehead and pinky promises that they’d be home before you missed them. You believed them too, you didn't have a reason not too.

Yelena was a heavily trained RedRoom assassin who has killed more people than any of you ever care to think about, while Bob quite literally has powers so powerful you don't even know how to express it, even if he doesn't use them due to reason's you three prefer to leave unsaid. To put it short, your partners were complete badasses who did this sort of thing regularly, and outside of the mental toll and some pretty gnarly injuries sometimes, they were always okay.

They always came back.

But this time, they didn't. The others tried to tell you to wait, that Yelena and Bob could handle themselves, that maybe the comms were just glitching, that you were overreacting and that they would be home soon.

But you weren’t, You could feel it in your soul that something was truly wrong.

It felt like silence, not the kind of silence that felt like home when Yelena, Bob and you would curl up on the couch in the early mornings and listen to the birds sing, no, it felt that awful kind of silence you remembered from your time in the lab, where there was nothing for miles except the sounds of you crying out for help. You just knew, and you could feel it in the way that the plant’s were freaking out, vines wrapping around your wrists tightly when you walked by your plants on the windowsill, the same plant's Yelena and Bob help take care of when you aren't at the tower. You knew you had to do something, they had saved you once, and now, whether they like it or not, you’re going to go and save them.

So you went looking. You didn’t ask for permission, you didn’t wait, you didn’t even tell the rest of the team you were leaving, you just couldn’t. You didn’t want to waste anymore time arguing with the team about if they were okay or not, you just wanted to get to your partners as fast as you could. That awful tightness in your chest, the one that always came before something terrible was suffocating you from the inside, It felt like something was trying to claw through your chest, like a horrible ache that wouldn’t disappear until you saw Bob and Yelena alive.

You follow the pull, the roots seemingly knowing where you lead you as you drag yourself through rugged terrain. The roots tug you to an abandoned building tucked in the mountains, crumbling and rusted. Your chest clinches, as you curl into yourself inadvertently, the place was so painfully familiar it made you physically sick.

It looked just like the place you’d been left in, the same cold concrete, the same metal doors that croaked and sounded like a laugh as you opened them, the same stillness that became the reason why you hated silence for so long and had to have Bob and Yelena speak to you to get you to sleep most nights when you first started dating.

You almost turned back, your body almost collapsing on the forest floor as you stare at the building in front of you, your breathing labored and uneven. But you pushed through, because Bob and Yelena had saved your life in a building exactly like this, they had cared for you, and they showed you what true love felt like, and now? Now it was your turn.

The hallways were tight, the air an extreme chill that bites your exposed skin with every step. Your breath came in short, panicked gasps as the sound of your boots echoed off the walls. The same boots Yelena insisted you had in case something had ever gone wrong, and saying that if anything she could get you to match with her one of these days, and get you out of your normal wardrobe of oversized sweaters, and soft colors. Something that at the time had made both you and Bob laugh. But here you were, wearing all black, and wearing those exact boots.

The trauma crept in fast and got worse the further you walked. You saw flashes of yourself here, you remembered the way your body ached as you laid curled on the floor, your chest heaving as you sobbed, wondering if anyone would ever find you. You see yourself pale, bleeding and forgotten from society, abandoned and left to rot like you were nothing. And despite your mind telling you too, you didn’t stop, because they were here. Your partners, Bob who held you so gently, and praised you for the smallest of things, but never treated you like you were going to break. And Yelena, who always made sure you were their priority, giving you the love and care you were so devoid of for so long.

Your partners, who learned how to make special blends of tea just so they could bring it to you on the mornings where the day seemed too hard to approach. Your partners who would grab fuzzy blankets when they saw them at the store, not caring that you already had a whole collection at this point, always declaring that if it made you happy, then they were going to spoil you. Your partners, who you loved, more than anything in this world. They where here, and you weren't stopping until you were back in the tower under piles of fuzzy blankets with them.

When you pushed open the last door at the end of the hallway, your breath hitched in your throat, tears immediately welling in your eyes. There sat Bob and Yelena, they were alive. Bound to chairs, bloodied, and gagged, but they were alive. Their eyes flew open when they saw you, immediately beginning to thrash in their holds as they obviously had expected the rest of their team, and not their girlfriend who has never gone out on a mission in her life.

Yelena instantly, shook her head no, as if to scream at you “What are you doing here??”

Bob’s voice cracked behind the gag, as he managed to croak out. “Baby, it’s not safe, you need to leave, now.” You were already running over to them, immediately untying their holds, ignoring the shaking in your knees, as you freed them from their holds, wincing as the rope slid against your hands. “You’re okay" you choked out. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” More so telling yourself, than them.

Bob surged forward as soon as his wrists were free, grabbing your face in his hands, as he looked you directly in your eyes “Why would you come here?” he said, panic flashing through his eyes as he scanned you, looking for any injuries. “This place! it’s like the one you-”

“I know” you whispered, cutting him off, your vision swimming with tears, wether from relief or from the feeling of being somewhere so eerily similar to the lab you had once been left for dead in, you didn't know. Yelena pulled you into her arms as soon as she managed to stand up, her hand clutching your back and head, pulling you impossibly close to her. “You shouldn’t be here, Darling. Where's the rest of the team?!” she asked fiercely, one hand cradling the back of your head, the other clutching your waist like she was trying to hold you together. “It’s too much, it’s too much for you, darling. We never wanted you to see some place like this again.” she muttered out, her eyes scanning your features just like Bob had.

“I had to!” you said crying out as you buried your face in her shoulder. “I couldn’t lose you two.” They didn’t argue after that, they just held you between them, whispering soft words to you as the three of you left the building.

Back at the Tower, it hits you harder than you expected. You assumed it was going to bring back bad memories, but you didn’t know the extent of what you might feel.

When you walk into the med-bay, the walls are too white, you flinch when a nurse snaps a rubber band around a saline line, and you keep seeing those rusted metal doors, that concrete floor in the back of your mind.

And then, as if you brain wasn't being cruel enough, you see the way Bob and Yelena's bodies looked tied to those chairs, and the fear in their eyes when they saw you enter that dark room.

And suddenly, it’s like you’re there again, laying In that old lab, left for dead, abandoned and alone. Your breathing goes shallow, your chest caves inward, and you know you’re about to have a panic attack.

Bob is the first to notice, he doesn’t say anything at first, just walks over to where you're leaning on the wall waiting for Yelena to finish getting checked over, and cups your face in his hands. He softly says your name, trying to bring you back to them. You flinch, not at him, never at him. But at the way your name feels being said back to you, you feel like your body isn’t your own again, like you’re just a test subject, a failure, like you aren’t good enough.

His heart shatters as he sees the lost gaze in your eyes, the one telling him that you are far away in your head, too far to be listening to his words and feeling his touch. “Hey,” he murmurs, guiding you with a firm hand on your low back to sit down out of the med-bay, and instead on the couch where your collection of abandoned fuzzy blankets and books are. “You’re safe sweet-girl, you’re home. We’re not there anymore, they can never hurt you or us again baby.” he whispers softly as he rubs your cheeks with his thumbs as he's crouched in front of you.

He hear's Yelena walk out of the med-bay and into the living room where you two are sitting, but he keeps his focus and gaze on you, trying to get you to come back to reality and get out of that dark place in your head.

Yelena walks over quietly, trying to be as gentle as she can while all bruised up and her joints still aching. She crouches in front of you, her hands warm on your knees, drawing gentle shapes helping to ground you more. “You should've never had to come after us like that Darling” she says quietly, like it pains her to say it, “We should’ve been more careful."

“You weren’t supposed to see that place, sweet-girl” Bob says, as he sits on the couch and pulls you into his side “Not when you’ve already had to live it.”

You shake your head slowly, as you begin to ground yourself, slowly coming back to your partners as you mutter a soft “You’re the only reason I got out of the first one, I had to come get you guys. I didn't want to be left alone again, I need you two.”

They pull you into their arms again, keeping you as close to both of them as they can, it feels familiar, it feels safe, and it feels like you’re loved.

Yelena murmurs something in Russian into your hair, probably some gentle praise that you can’t quite make out in your current state, while Bob presses a gentle kiss to your temple and whispers softly into your ear “You’re not alone baby, not now, not ever again.” And as the panic begins to fades and your breathing evens, you realize, you're in their arms, and you're home.

[oralvanish]

okay but on top of your davekat post; dave experiences a lot of societal and abusive conditioning too which leads to him being super comphet emotionally constipated dude at first until time passes and he grows, same with karkat but according to his own cultural values. imagine being stuck on a rock for 3 years with your mirror and both accepting each other as you are regardless. either boy could have left each other way the fuck alone yet they got CLOSER during their years together after a clearly rocky start due to working on themselves after being confronted with by each others existence. a huge lesson in self love fr

YOU GET ME.

i think it's really notable how well dave reflects karkat's feelings of like. brokenness. i'm a huge sucker for when davekat fans point out dave's red eyes and him always hiding behind those shades. the colour red with davekat (and terezi but i think she should be allowed to kill both of them with a brick) is really poetic as a symbol of this to me.

to me i think karkat and dave work SO WELL because on some level they embrace the parts they HATE about themselves in eachother. they kind of teach themselves to love the things that they find disgusting when they do it.

like i think they're drastically different people who have been conditioned and hurt in similar ways. karkat being like, moody, LOUD and maternal even while dave is awkward at expressing himself, etc etc . but like, the ways they were forced into these awful and uncomfortable positions by the societies they live in gives them way more common ground than they'd ever expect or admit initially. Which is why they're so damn interesting to think about.

thank you anon [you also have the privilege of being the first person to ask me anything on this account so let it be known my first ask was answered with Davekat

[allgremlinyaps]

"superman is overrated" "no batman is overrated" they both are. and with your help, we can finally kill them ! by signing up for just a small monthly donation to me, Lex Luthor,

[drmaddict]

It would be a little unconventional

Summary: Aegon and (Y/n) just married. No one has seen them in the last four days. But that doesn't change the fact that half the castle can hear what they're doing.

Word count: 1.309

Autors note: a bit subby Aegon, anal fingering, well... smut as you may have guessed

"How long has it been since anyone's seen them?", Daemon asked the group, bored.

Rhaenyra smirked. Alicent killed her wine goblet with a look. Jaecerys surprisingly joined Alicent and cut his flesh with more force than necessary.

"Daemon." Rhaenyra rebuked him, still smirking.

He was not impressed. "When was the last time you saw them?", he asked her directly.

She rolled her eyes. "At the wedding.", she replied curtly.

"Which was four days ago.", he added just as curtly.

"Princess, perhaps you should-"

The door to the dining room opened. All eyes shot to (y/n) like moths to a flame.

"Is that your night gown?" Jaecerys asked his sister in shock.

"Yes.", (Y/n) said curtly and immediately grabbed various dishes from the table. She threw a handful of bread rolls onto the plate of fruit, which she simply took and immediately reached for a carafe of wine.

"You can't walk around-"

(Y/n) immediately interrupted her brother. "I'm already off again. Just relax. By the gods."

"Where's Aegon?", asked Alicent.

(Y/n) smiled. "He's asleep."

"At such an early hour?"

"He was tired." (Y/n) shrugged and pressed the carafe of wine into the hand of the member of the Kingsguard who had been following her until just now.

"Long night?", Daemon grinned.

(Y/n) grinned. "It seemed rather short lived to me."

Jaecery's glass shattered in his hand, his grip was so firm.

With that, (Y/n) simply turned round again and motioned to the man from the Kingsguard to follow her. He complied, overwhelmed.

Aemond watched with satisfaction as Jaecerys and Lucerys shoved their food back into themselves with an angry look. "Be glad you can't hear them.", he said to his nephews, sounding bored. "Whorehouses sound more chaste than those two."

Jaecerys leapt across the table towards him.

"Aegon?" she whispered, jerking his shoulder slightly.

"Ngh.", he sighed and curled up, pulling the blanket tighter around him.

"I got something to eat."

A snore was her reply.

She sighed. Had she overdone it? Was it too much for him? He liked sex. She knew that. She liked sex. They had sex. A lot of sex... Mainly because of her. And she wanted to do it again. Was she overwhelming him? Him? Aegon II Targaryen, who had spent his entire adolescence shagging his way through every brothel he could find?

She looked at his sleeping face. How could he look so innocent after what they'd both been doing for the last four days?

She poured herself a cup of wine and sat down in the armchair in the room.

The last few days had been wonderful and exciting. They had tried each other out before the wedding, but had always been careful not to risk pregnancy. They hadn't gone all the way. They also had to meet in secret. They had to be quiet. But now. Now they weren't holding back. And by the gods she would do anything to hear the sounds he was making. Those little sighs. The whimpers. The high clear moans when he was about to come. His eyes. Watery and so big as they looked up at her. He didn't want to believe that she had already read a thing or two.

That she wasn't completely ignorant. She was sure he wouldn't question her creativity again.

She sipped her wine and gazed into the fire of the flickering fireplace.

But perhaps she was really overdoing it. Everyone always made fun of how much lust Aegon had indulged in over the years. But she understood. Would people make fun of her too?

She heard the blanket rustle. She turned her face towards the bed. Aegon sat up, his face scrunched up. He rubbed his eyes. His hair was sticking up wildly from his head. Irritated, he looked around, then his gaze landed on her. "What are you doing?", he asked, pouting slightly and still sounding sleepy.

She looked at her glass. "I'm drinking wine." ,she explained simply.

Aegon pouted more. "What are you doing in that armchair? Come here!", he whined.

She grinned awkwardly. "I just thought you might want a break.", she mumbled.

Aegon furrowed his eyebrows in irritation. "From what?"

"Well..." she pointed vaguely at the bed. "From me-"

"If I want a break from fucking my wife, or letting her fuck me,", he winked at her, "I'll let you know."

She smiled awkwardly. "It's not too much?"

He shook his head with a smile. "If anything, I've got a few books and we'll try everything I found in there."

She grinned. Playfully, she stood up. "Anything you want to start with?"

Aegon smiled. "It would be a little unconventional.", he purred.

He gripped her hips as she settled on his lap.

"Tell me about it.", she whispered and kissed his neck softly.

His breath trembled. "There's a contraption. A harness and... hmmm... and a fake phallus. You could take me with that. Fuck me."

"And that's good for you?"

"I never come harder."

"Explain it to me.", she sighed against his neck.

Aegon reached out to take her hand. Without hesitation, he took two of her fingers in his mouth. One would almost think, he wanted to blow her fingers, licking over her tender skin with such fervour.

"Fuck.", she sighed. His eyes were glassy and so wonderfully veiled.

Aegon released her fingers and lay on his back. She moved beneath him. He quickly shoved one of the pillows under his bum and spread his legs. "And now-", he placed her fingers at his opening. His breathing was shaky. "Start with one finger. Push upwards. There... fuck... there's a point... Ha."

He dropped his head powerlessly into the pillows as she slowly slid her finger inside him. "Like this?"

"Yes! Fuck yes!"

She pressed in further. Watched his face. The crease between his eyebrows. The closed eyes. The slightly open mouth.

"Add the second one. But slowly."

She complied with his request. "Does it hurt?"

He shook his head. "It only stings at first. It's better with oil."

She grinned. "Do you do that to yourself?", she whispered against his ear.

He grinned. "As often as I can."

She grinned. "You like it?"

He nodded quickly. "Move your fingers. Like you're fucking me."

She withdrew her fingers and pushed them back in. Aegon sighed happily.

"You were talking about a point."

He nodded. "Further in. That's right. Press your fingertips upwards. A little to the right. Ah, right there! Oh fuck. Fuck!"

She drew little circles over the spongy spot. "Like this?"

Aegon groaned, whimpering. "Yes.", he whimpered. "Faster. Please. AH!"

She complied with his request. She started kissing his neck again. Caressed his skin. "Can you come just like that?"

Aegon simply nodded. Unable to speak. The sight made her feel the heat between her legs. She felt the wetness. He lay decadently in front of her and she savoured the sight of him.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Aegon's semen shot all over his chest and down to his chin. Even (Y/n's) cheek was not spared.

His body tensed. It felt like his insides wanted to break her fingers.

He drove his ass towards her fingers like a madman. Much longer than usual, he floated in ecstasy before his body collapsed.

He lay there, beaten and unable to move.

"Holy mother.", he sighed.

(Y/n) giggled. She kissed his cheeks. She playfully rubbed her nose against the shell of his ear. "I don't think I've ever been so wet.", she whispered.

Aegon's body trembled. He smiled slightly.

"I can't move a muscle, but... If you want a repeat of last night...", he grinned mischievously at her.

She bit her lip. She positioned her thighs next to his head.

"But tell me if I get too heavy.", she smirked.

"I'd die a happy man," he grinned.

[the-modern-typewriter]

In a recent post you said most of us weren't here for vampires but I beg to differ; your vampire snippets are literally enthralling. If you're in the mood to write another one, here's an excuse for you to do so (pls they're so good-), preferably with an enemies to lover vibe? Who doesn't love a little dramatic tension, right? Thank you!~

"Don't turn around."

The human paused, heart slamming in their chest at the voice. The hall of mirrors was eerie around them, all shadows and neon and flashing lights and distorted glass that offered them no sign of the vampire behind them. After a beat, the hunter kept walking, gaze trained to the wall of mirrors lining the left.

Somewhere, in the distance, they could hear screaming. It was difficult to tell if the sounds were horror or delight.

"What happens if I turn around?" the human asked.

"I'll have to kill you, and neither of us wants that."

"I'm a hunter. I'm pretty sure we both want that fight. Kinda how it goes, you know?"

Yet, the hunter didn't turn around. They had a weapon on them, of course, because they always had a weapon on them. But they hadn't come to the fairground to wage battle against terrible evil. The night was supposed to have been a fun one, candy-floss sticky and sweet with first kisses. A stupid lump wedged in their throat. They hastily wiped the remnant tears from their eyes.

They felt the vampire move next to them, though they heard no steps and felt no breath. Only the slight emanating chill of the undead. Despite themselves, despite knowing better, they searched the glass for any sign. There was nothing.

"What do you want?" the hunter demanded.

"What do you want, coming here?"

"I didn't know this was vampire territory."

"I suppose you are just a baby hunter. How old are? Sixteen?"

"Seventeen," the hunter snapped.

The vampire chuckled. "Seventeen," they echoed. Musing. There was something in their voice that the hunter couldn't quite read.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

The hunter rolled their eyes. They supposed they should have been terrified - on any other day they would have been. They hadn't technically done their first solo hunt yet and even one vampire was not a creature to be taken lightly. Everything in their head was too loud for terror. Too raw.

"Is it the girl you liked, or the boy?" the vampire asked.

"Excuse me?"

"The boy and the girl who were kissing here, not long ago. That you saw. I saw you see them. You looked like you'd been staked through the heart. Which is the one you liked?"

The hunter whirled, furious. They caught a blur of movement before an icy hand clamped over their eyes, slamming them back against the glass hard enough to knock the breath out of them. They were surprised the mirror didn't shatter. Their head throbbed and a low whine of pain slipped free of their throat. The vampire caught their wrist before they'd finished reaching for a weapon, grinding that into the glass behind them too.

"I said," the vampire's lips pressed against their ear, voice a sudden lethal hiss, "don't turn around."

"And I don't take orders from vampires!"

"Touchy subject, was it?" The vampire's grip tightened hard enough to hurt.

"If you're going to kill me, just kill me!"

The vampire was silent, at that. They did not retreat, but their grip eased enough to be only iron instead of something painful. Their body felt hard and lean and strong against the hunter's. Dangerous and gorgeous. Nothing like the gentle wholesomeness of-

"The boy," the hunter said. "Eddie."

"Eddie. And you are?"

"Fuck off, leech."

"You're hot," the vampire said. "Eddie's an idiot."

It startled the hunter enough that the venom died on their tongue and their mouth dried. They'd expected - well, anything but that perhaps. They would have gaped at the vampire if they could see past the press of darkness over their eyes. They were sure their jaw dropped.

Hot. A vampire had just called them hot. Maybe they had concussion. A shiver ran down their spine.

"Want me to kill her for you?" the vampire asked, conspiratorial. "Bet I could make it look like an accident."

"No! She's my friend."

"Some friend. Want me to kiss you?"

The hunter - the hunter had absolutely no idea what to say to that. Well. They knew what they were supposed to say. No. Nada. Absolutely not. Vampires were vampires, and the only acceptable way to deal with them was to stake them.

The vampire chuckled again, presumably at their expression. They pressed a kiss to the hunter's throat, above their jugular. The hunter's breath hitched anew.

"God, you're so angry and so hurt," the vampire said. "I want to eat your heart. You're gorgeous. You can cry again if you like, I won't mind. I won't judge."

Vampires, their parents always said, craved life. It was why they were found so often in bars, or fairgrounds, or the other high points of the night. It wasn't just hunting. They were drawn to the sound, and the vibrancy, like ravenous ghosts clawing at the wounds of the world.

Somehow, it made the hunter feel less pathetic. For all those chuckles, it felt a bit like power. They could only imagine what their parents would say to that. No doubt they would berate the hunter for their unforgivable stupidity, because vampires killed hunters and hunters killed vampires and if the fairground was actually a travelling coven then -

"Do you want to kiss me?" the hunter asked.

"Yeah."

"That's embarrassing for you."

The vampire scoffed.

"And crying alone in a funhouse over some boy who doesn't even know vampires exist is cool?"

"I thought you weren't judging."

"Vampires are all shameless liars. Didn't your parents teach you that?"

Despite themselves, the hunter snorted.

"It's because you're not normal," the vampire said, in a different voice. Quieter. Suddenly serious. "Not like them. Can't do the things they do, because you're too busy stuck trying to slaughter the likes of me. Eddie's normal. Safe."

The hunter swallowed.

"Yeah."

"Yeah," the vampire echoed once more.

The vampire kissed them then, or maybe it was the hunter that started it, but it was clumsy and shockingly gentle and good and definitely the dumbest thing that the hunter had ever done. But they weren't thinking about Eddie anymore. It was impossible to think about Eddie with that cold perfect mouth and the adrenaline searing heat through the hunter's body. Every instinct in their body screamed danger and it was the most glorious distraction from heartbreak.

Their body arched against the glass, pressing foolishly closer.

They were left panting.

Then the vampire kissed them again, and it was a little less clumsy, more claiming, like the vampire was learning how to do it. Like maybe they'd never kissed anyone either. Like maybe they really were seventeen, and had thought their life would all work out differently.

"Next time," the vampire said, and nipped their lip just enough to draw blood. "Don't turn around. I've gotta go."

They shoved the hunter away, and - the hunter wasn't sure if they were left alone with the empty reflections, because they didn't turn. They looked at themselves, all dark eyes and hurt and confusion, in the glass.

All hunger.

They smiled, wiping their own blood from their lip.

They did look hot, actually.

For at least a moment, they walked out of the hall of mirrors feeling better than before.

[villainousauthor]

Hero tries to adjust themselves painlessly as the monitors and machines around them beep incessantly. They wince as burning heat shoots up their leg, climbing up their spine and making their stomach lurch. The nurse will have to increase their drip.

The mechanical sounds, the obnoxious overhead lights, and the sterile smell of the hospital were slowly driving Hero to insanity. If they thought they could so much as stand, they'd have already broken out due to boredom alone.

Contemplating their current dreariness, they almost don't hear the door creak open. Hero's eyes flick up, and find the gaze of the person who put them in this hospital bed looking back.

Villain enters the room wearily, closing the door with a quiet click. They don't say a word, approaching Hero slowly, carefully. Like Hero is a dangerous thing, a cornered animal, instead of bedbound and doped up patient.

They stand at the edge of the bed, looking down at their nemesis for a long moment, before Hero finally breaks the silence.

"Come to gloat?" They rasp out.

Villain flinches ever so slightly at the sound of their voice. Their face contorts for a second, gone before Hero can blink.

"Don't be ridiculous." They finally say, carefully sitting themselves down at the foot of the bed, being careful of Hero's leg.

"How'd you manage to sneak in? I'm pretty sure my sidekick has been standing guard day and night." Hero asks, eyes meeting Villain's.

Villain sighs, exasperated. "Your sidekick did catch me. We spoke, actually." They begin to run their fingers over the soft cotton of the hospital blanket as they speak.

Blinking in surprise, Hero watches Villain's movements as they respond. "She didn't kick your ass? What did she say?"

A snort escapes Villain. "She warned me." Their fingers trail closer to Hero. "She said we need to figure out if we're enemies or not, before one of us ends up dead."

"A little dramatic." Hero says, hand catching Villain's. They loop their fingers around each other, as Villain is careful not to disturb their IV. "Though I have to admit, she gave me a similar speech when I woke up."

Leaning closer, Villain meets their eyes, raising a brow. "Do you think she might be right?" Their voice is something contemplative. "How long has this gone on for?"

Hero frowns. They feel their hackles rise in the urge to defend, deflect. "Don't tell me you have an issue with our relationship now. What, is the foreplay too intense for you?"

Their hand is let go, the florescent light above blocked. Arms are suddenly boxing Hero in against the bed, Villain angled over them. Despite moving closer with a quick suddenness, they remain careful of Hero's injuries.

"You almost died." They begin slowly. "Your injuries could have killed you. I could have killed you." Their lips form a thin line, a crease begins between their brows. Hero can feel the warmth of their body, the breath fanning across their cheek. Despite the pain they're in and the drugs in their system making them sluggish, Hero feels a familiar heat in their belly at the proximity.

Grabbing Villain with one uninjuried arm, Hero pulls them down onto of them.

"You loved every second of it." They say quietly. "This stopped being about right or wrong a long time ago." They trail their hand down Villain's neck, their back. "You and I both know, nothing quite gets you going like our fights, and we also both know I'm the same way."

Villain feels a pleasant shudder travel down their back, despite their guilt. They brace themselves above Hero, careful not to jostle them.

"I don't want to lose you. She was right, we need to figure out what exactly we are to each other."

Hero sighs. Their hand tightens in Villain's shirt. "I'm here now. I'm alive." Their fingers begin to dance lower. "We can figure the rest out later." Their flirtatious and light tone informs Villain that they have no plan to revisit this topic later.

Hero angles their head up just enough that their lips brush the side of Villain's mouth.

A sigh escapes them. "You really are trying this now, in the hospital?" Villain says, but they feel their will slowly being plucked away.

"We've been bolder than this." Hero's free hand travels back up, cupping the back of their nemesis' neck. "No cameras, either."

Villain almost wants to roll their eyes to the back of their skull, but they can't deny the want in their chest currently. "You're injured."

"I trust you can be careful." Hero smirks, knowing the effect they're having on them.

"You're ridiculous." Villain huffs, but they're already leaning closer, pressing Hero gently against the pillow. They make sure to keep their weight off of Hero's injured limbs as they press a deep kiss against their lips.

Hero lets out a soft, desperate noise, and Villain knows this won't be the last time either of them are in this hospital, nor will it be the last time in each other's arms.

[azrielbrainrot]

Silent Voices Speak

Pairing: Azriel x F!Reader

Description: Both you and Azriel find yourselves with some sleep related problems. Who would have thought you could be each other's remedy?

Warnings: barely any angst

Word Count: 3400

Notes: I can't believe it took me so long to write a new story in the healer!reader universe, they're my first babies. Hope you enjoy!

Healer!Reader Universe Masterlist

The killings hadn't stopped. The, by now, tripled security slowed them down and allowed the Inner Circle to be made aware of any disturbances quicker, and the bodies hadn't been found by any innocent civilians since then either, thankfully saving a lot of fae from having to witness such gruesome sights, but the killings hadn't stopped.

Your research has given you some clues as to the motives behind the murders, though you still can't fully understand the ritual behind them. None of the information you've gathered has helped in stopping them from happening or finding the people responsible for them. Amren has traveled to the Day Court and is now searching the High Lord's extensive libraries to try and find more information on a lead she got but, for now, there wasn't enough to make anyone feel safer.

The streets of Velaris felt lifeless, bars and restaurants closing earlier than usual given the unofficial curfew every fae seemed to have set for themselves. The City of Dreamers, heart of the Night Court, was scared of the dark. Apart from the killings, that was what weighed the heaviest on the Inner Circle's minds.

Feyre and Rhysand had been forthcoming with information, letting the public know they were actively searching for the killers and sharing some of the details as a means to stop the rumors that kept going around that were only exaggerating the already awful murders the more they spread. Of course, they'd been careful not to reveal any of the more gruesome details, or the fact that everything pointed to the murders actually being sacrifices to what could be an old God or even worse.

Those had been the details keeping you up at night as you were now, sipping on chamomile tea in hopes of relaxing your body enough to get some sleep without any unwanted thoughts filtering through and spoiling it once again. You wanted to help as much as you could, and weren't considering talking to Rhys and backing down as Azriel had suggested multiple times, but you weren't used to witnessing this much cruelty, not like this.

When you'd been stationed as a healer during the war, you saw a lot of awful things, some of them you won't ever forget, but this felt different. Everything about these killings and the motives behind them had set off every alarm in your body.

The cup was empty before you realized, bringing it up to your mouth only to be met with nothing. You let out a sigh and look over to the comfortable bed, knowing you had to at least lay down and try to fall asleep, no matter how frustrating it was to toss and turn for hours on end or get woken up by terrifying dreams. At least this bed was a lot more comfortable than the one you had at home, it almost made you want to ask Rhysand where he got it from although you probably would never be able to afford it.

You're not entirely sure what brought it on but, after coming back from yet another fruitless mission, Azriel asked you to stay in the townhouse with him. You tried to decline, not entirely comfortable with staying at the High Lord's house indefinitely. You've spent some nights up in the House of Wind when you were helping with research, but this was different. You didn't want to take advantage of Rhysand and Feyre's kindness, but Azriel insisted, a tormented look you weren't used to seeing painted in the shadowsinger's face, and so you ended up accepting.

Just remembering your talk that night made you feel hopeless, wanting nothing more than to make him feel better and take some of the unbearable weight off his shoulders somehow.

“I'm not sure this is necessary,” you try to reason with him, “There haven't been any attacks in the city, with so many eyes on the streets it would be impossible.”

“It also seemed impossible for them to be able to hide for so long but even my shadows are blind to them.”

“I can't stay at my High Lord and Lady's home."

“I can't sleep not knowing you're safe,” the admission feels heavy between you, prompting you to study his face carefully, taking note of the fear and desperation behind his request. “I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to you.”

“Azriel…”

You don't know what to say, not sure what this means for the two of you.

“Please.”

But with that little word he convinced you, not caring if it was Rhysand's house you were going to sleep in, or anyone else's, as long as it made Azriel feel at least a bit more at ease.

Your relationship has been changing ever since that fateful night when he kissed your cheek goodnight. It's a silly thought even now, that something so inconsequential as a peck to the cheek would end up meaning so much for the two of you.

Ever since that day your talks have gotten longer and more frequent, Azriel has also flown you to and from work a few times, has taken you on multiple outings that you can only classify as dates at this point. But things hadn't gotten further than that and more chaste kisses on the cheek.

The timing wasn't right. Not with everything that has been happening and the troubles filling both of your minds, the long hours Azriel had been putting his body through trying to find even the smallest clue about these murders, and your assistance in any research the Inner Circle needs as well as providing mental and physical aid to a terrified city.

Your feelings for him were impossible to deny - even though you've certainly tried to when everyone else asks about him, especially your High Lady, who you've come to learn is an avid busybody, - and you were more than confident that he cared for you just as much, but the timing wasn't right, and so you've been stuck between acting like friends and so much more.

You were still thinking about the shadowsinger when your head hit the pillow, making yourself comfortable and letting your thoughts wander around warm hazel eyes and shy smiles, hopefully lulling you into a peaceful sleep at last.

Rushed murmurs and harsh breaths take you away from the soft grasp of sleep. You try to ignore them at first but as the words grow louder, you try to decipher them confused. A flurry of shadows filters into your room, flying over you when you open your eyes to try and ascertain the situation. You can barely see them with the low lights the moon rays covered by dark curtains provide, but it almost feels like they're tugging at you, urging you to get up.

The thought that Azriel could be in danger makes you leap out of bed, foregoing your robe or slippers as you follow the frantic shadows to his room next to yours. Only hesitating at the door for a moment, knuckles raised against the intricately designed wood as you considered knocking before barging into his room unannounced, but another string of groans and panicked breathing assault your ears, prompting you to open the door.

Your eyes land on the shadowsinger immediately as he lay restless on his bed, blinking a few times as you adjusted to the dim lighting, his room being even darker than yours. A small sigh of relief escapes you when you find him unharmed, although you soon realize that the noises you heard were the result of what appears to be a particularly consuming and terrifying nightmare.

He had struggled so much in his sleep that the sheets were completely thrown off, laying by his feet as his body tossed and turned uninterrupted. A light sheen of sweat covered him, telling you he'd been at this for a while. There was a familiar glint of blue on his nightstand, as Truth Teller and two of his siphons lay close by. You tried not to linger on the fact that he didn't appear to be wearing anything else aside from underwear for too long.

Some of the shadows that swirled around the room meet the ones that had brought you here, moving over you once more as if asking you to save their singer. You wanted to help them, but you're not entirely sure if you should be seeing him like this, if he'd want you to see him so vulnerable.

Aside from that, waking up someone when they were so immersed in a dream, especially a nightmare, could be dangerous and bring more harm than good. Still, you couldn't leave him like this and go back to your room, so you decide to try and call his name softly, hoping the noise or familiarity will be enough to help him wake up in a more organic way.

“Azriel?”

You hesitate in the doorway, feeling like you were already invading his space, but as another weak cry escapes him your body moves on its own. You're at the edge of the bed before you even notice, repeating his name and shaking him softly so as not to startle him too much.

The pain was evident on his face. You didn't know what he was dreaming of but you knew you had to pull him out of there fast. You've never seen him so distressed. Watching him like this felt like a chain was tightening around your heart and lungs, making it hard for you to breathe or think.

At a slightly harder push, his eyes open, one scarred hand moving to grab your wrist, stopping you from touching him as the other went to the nightstand, finding the hilt of his dagger. His hazel eyes were open wide, clearly disoriented by not only the nightmare but also having someone in his room. You expected nothing less from the Spymaster, of course he couldn't be so easily caught off guard even in his own room, but the tight grip was becoming too much, and you knew it was bruising, not being able to stop yourself from cringing softly at the pain.

As he understands the situation, wide eyes blinking multiple times as the waking world comes into focus, he drops your wrist and pulls away from you, sitting up and almost bumping his head against the headboard in his rush.

Neither of you moves or speaks for a moment, his heavy breathing the only thing that can be heard in the dark room. You wanted to turn the faelights on, to properly check on him, but Azriel always prefered the dark, feeling much more at ease surrounded by it. In fact, his shadows had hurried to him as soon as he woke up.

When his wide gaze settles into a frown, hazel eyes dropping to your wrist, you decide to speak up. You know that look and this was not the time for any other worries that might be growing in his mind, certainly none that concerned you.

“Azriel,” you whisper, not wanting to startle him, “Are you okay?”

“Did I hurt you?”

“No-”

“I shouldn't have hurt you,” he says, more to himself than to you, haunted eyes never straying from your wrist. You had only wanted to help, but now it feels like you made it worse by coming here.

“No, it's my fault. I know better than to wake someone up from a nightmare,” you swallow, throat suddenly dry, “but it looked like you were in pain and I couldn't leave you like this.”

He seemed unwilling to listen to you, a small, almost imperceptible shake of his head the only answer he gave you as you told him it wasn't his fault. Azriel is always too aware of himself, never allows himself any mistakes, as if he thinks he has to prove himself worthy of the life he leads. You don't even want to know what's going through his head now that he's convinced himself he hurt someone he cares about.

You let out a sigh when it was clear he wasn't going to say anything or acknowledge you further, you could almost see him receding into his own mind, getting consumed by his betraying thoughts. If you had listened to your training, you might not have ended up in this situation.

Slowly and very carefully, you move closer to him, giving him time to push you away or stop you if he wanted to. You only stop when your bare knee brushes his thigh, the warmth of his skin spreading through yours. Reaching for his hand, you interlock your fingers and squeeze softly, his eyes finally meeting yours.

“I shouldn't have grabbed you like that.” The pain was evident in his face, and it hurt you far more to think he was beating himself up than your wrist ever did. “I'm sorry.”

“There's no reason to be sorry,” you smile up at him, trying your best to soothe him, “You were disoriented and moved to protect yourself, that's all.”

He still looks unwilling to let go of his guilt, but you can see him settling back into himself, his usual calm expression falling over his beautiful face. He lets go of your hand in favor of cradling your wrist, carefully inspecting it as if he was looking at a broken bone and not at a bruise that would be completely healed within the hour. Caressing the soft skin with his thumb lightly, the scarred skin and affection behind the movement causing goosebumps to erupt.

“You didn't answer my question. Are you alright?”

Azriel looks up at you then, a conflicted look falling over his face once more. It seems he had been too focused on your wrist to remember the nightmare, and the fact that you'd seen him like that. You're almost positive he hates the fact that you've seen him like that even more than whatever haunted his nightmares. He's always been an extremely private person, so you can't even imagine what it feels like for him to be seen in such a vulnerable light by someone he barely knows.

“Did I wake you?”

“No,” the expression on his face telling you he doesn't believe it, “You didn't. I've been finding it hard to sleep with everything that has been going on.”

“You're safe here.”

“I know, I've just had too much on my mind.” It feels like you're doing this wrong, you're the one that should be worried about him, not the other way around. “Your shadows came into my room and I heard movement so I came to check on you.”

Disapprovement flashes in his eyes, directed at his shadows of course. You'd find it adorable how he treats his shadows like misbehaving children if it weren't for the situation. Hopefully he won't be too harsh on them, you can almost feel the lecture coming. You're not entirely sure how much they can feel, if they can at all, but they had done good in going to find you, even if Azriel reprimanded them for it.

“I didn't know they could do that without you being conscious. They were very helpful,” you smile down at the dark wisps stationed over his shoulders. He clearly didn't agree with you, a soft scoff escaping his lips, but you hope this is enough for them to know they can come to find you in this type of situation from now on. You don't want Azriel to suffer on his own when you're there for him.

“Thank you,” you look up at him in surprise, “You didn't have to come. It was only a nightmare.”

It's not as surprising that he doesn't want to tell you what the nightmare was about, or even change the subject. If he wants to pretend this never happened come morning, you're more than welcome to oblige, as long as he feels better and knows you're always ready to lend a helping hand.

“You can come to me for anything, Azriel,” your hand finds his once again, thumb caressing the scarred skin on the back of his hand. “I'll always be here for you.”

He holds your gaze in an intense stare, the swirl of emotions written in his eyes becoming almost too much to bear, and still you're unable to break away from the all-consuming hazel. It seems like the world stops around you for a moment, and there's only you and him.

As your surroundings return slowly, you suddenly become too aware of the position you're in, of what it would look like if someone walked in. They would find you sitting on his bed, right next to him, lost in his eyes, hands clasped together between you, disheveled hair and half lidded eyes. The lack of clothing only added to the sight, you had never been so conscious of how short and thin the nightgown you wore to sleep was. You can only be grateful that Azriel doesn't sleep completely naked, though his underwear barely leaves anything to the imagination, and your imagination is desperate to run wild.

Heat rushes to your cheeks as the thought settles in your mind, clearing your throat softly to try and break yourself out of those thoughts. Looking up at the suddenly captivating pattern painted on his dark navy walls when his gaze becomes too much. You could swear you saw the corner of his lip rise as he likely noticed the effect he had on you. This was a good thing, it was like the Azriel you're used to, but you needed to get back on track.

“Do you think you can go back to sleep?” You try to untangle your fingers from his but he holds onto your hand, unwilling to let go of you just yet. “I can get you some tea to help you relax if you can't, or maybe we could go for a walk instead?”

Tiring him out could be a good idea, although his body is probably beyond exhausted from the long hours he's been putting himself through. Maybe tea was the best option.

“Can you stay with me?”

His words cut through your racing thoughts, your lips parting in surprise. You had half expected him to kick you out of his bedroom when he came to, inviting you into his bed was the last thing you would have seen coming.

“What?”

“I think I can sleep if you stay,” he whispers, “but if you don't feel comfortable-”

“I don't mind staying,” you rush to assure him with burning cheeks, thankfully matching his own, “You just caught me off guard that's all.”

Azriel offers you a tired smile and, with a wave of his hand, fixes the sheets, moving to the middle of the bed so you have enough room to settle next to him. Your movements are painfully awkward as you lay down next to him, all too aware of every inch of your body, heart beating out of your chest.

While you're in the middle of deciding how to safely position your hands, stiff body frozen in place, he takes matters into his own hands, an achingly fond smile playing at his lips, his hand falling to the small of your back and pulling you in closer to his body, his scent enveloping you.

Azriel closes his eyes, breathing out a soft, “relax.” Your hand finds his chest, body slowly but surely melting into him as you do as he says and will your mind to stop wandering. Letting the soft beats of his heart calm yours, you decide to listen to your body, and fall into him, arm wrapping around his waist as you inch even closer, your chest finding his, tangling your legs until you can't know where you end and he begins. His grip on you tightens as a satisfied sigh escapes him, one heavy wing falling over your body, until you're impossibly close.

Your face now only a breath away from his, your nose bumping into his chin as he drops a soft kiss to your forehead and nuzzles into you, breathing you in. You almost catch yourself purring as you lay in his arms, completely surrounded by Azriel.

Tangled up in each other's warmths, sleep found you both easily, finally allowing you a few peaceful hours of sleep after the grueling weeks you've endured.

[thevoidstaredback]

Part 6

Danny hates it here. There's pollution from almost everything that creates pollution blocking out the sky at all times, the buildings that aren't condemned are only feeding the rich while stealing from the poor, an entire twenty-four block are has been given up on by mostly everyone, the local vigilantes won't kill the recurring problems like the cockroaches they are, and it's so overly gloomy that you'd think no one could ever be happy here.

He's said it all before, and he will plant his unmarked grave on this hill.

The words Jason had used to describe the burger place he'd (he asked his pronouns on the way into town via car stolen from Bruce Wayne) taken him to was exactly how he described it. The building was straight outta the early 80's, heath code violations and all, the parking lot gave off Denny's vibes, and the uniforms were literally Halloween costumes.

Also, 'Bat Burger'? What a stupid name.

"Don't diss the Bat Burger," Jason scolded out of nowhere, "It's the best worst burger in the country."

"How the hell did you know what I was thinking?" Danny demanded.

"It's a Gothamite thing."

Danny looked at his food. "Uh huh." There must be something in the food.

"C'mon, kid," Jason pushed the newly arrived tray of two Bat Burgers with Jokerized fries and large drinks, "Eat up!"

Danny looked down at the food that'd been pushed to him. It didn't look like it'd been tampered with, but it rarely does. Well, other than the fries. The salt on those things were purple and green, making look like they'd covered the potato strips in ugly glitter.

Jason grabbed one of the fries from Danny's box, ripping off a piece of lettuce from his burger, too, and ate them quickly. "It's not gonna hurt you, kid. Eat up."

He was still skeptical, but he can appreciate him showing him the food's okay. He picked up the burger and took a bite.

It tasted somehow both worse and better than a McDonald's cheese burger with nothing on it.

"How the hell did they manage that?" Jason laughed at him. "I'm serious! How have they managed to make it taste like that!"

It took a few minutes before Jason's laughter died down. When he finally calmed himself, whipping a tear from his eye, he motioned to the fries. "You gotta try those next."

Danny glared at him as he picked up and ate one of the fries. After a moment he said, "That is one of the best fries I've ever had, and I've had Nasty Burger food."

Chuckling, Jason asked, "What kind of name is 'Nasty Burger'?"

"It's only the best burger place in the whole Midwest!"

"The name says otherwise,"

Danny shrugged, eating a few more fries. "It used to be called 'Tasty Burger', but someone painted over the 'T' and no one though to fix it, so,"

Jason picked up his burger. "That's fair."

They finished their lunch with sporadic conversation shared between them. Comparing burger places, joking about their lives after dying, even throwing in mentions of what powers they did or didn't gain after coming back.

"Anger issues?" Danny scoffed, "Loser."

"Watch it, ghost boy," Jason smirked, "I got some magic swords, too."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "So? I have the icy winds of the underworld at my disposal."

"That isn't just normal ice?"

"Nope. Normal ice can melt and be melted by an outside source. My ice instills the fear of death in people as it slowly creeps up on them, freezing them to death from the inside out."

The building grew cold suddenly, making both Danny's and Jason's breath visible. Ice crept up the window panes, frosting them over and blocking their sight.

"Neat trick," Jason whistled, sitting up straighter. "Please tell me this is your doing."

Danny shook his head. "My ice has green in it. Like mint."

They both tried to stand, spurred into action. However, they found themselves frozen to their seats. Everyone else in the building having been frozen completely, though Danny could tell they were all still alive. For however long, he wasn't entirely sure. Optimistically, they had ninety minutes. But something told Danny they'd have barely twenty.

"What an interesting power you have," Mr. Freeze said was he walked from behind the counter. The Riddler was with him. "Mind if I borrow it for a while?"

Danny looked at Jason, panicking a bit. How could he have let his guard down?! Then, without feeling the cold that could never compare to the temperatures of the Far Frozen at it's warmest, his world went blue.

Part 8

[mellosdrawings]

May I ask what you like about Jamilkal?

Oh my gods ok Imma try not to infodump but also stay clear while I'm rambling.

So, mostly I'm a "platonic soulmates KaliJami" believer. It's less about romance or lust or whatever else and more about them just... gravitating around each other in a way that simply cannot be described with the words we usually associate with love.

Especially since you gotta add the hatred/hurt aspect to it all. The power imbalance. The fucked up situation they're both in. The traumas they've both gone through.

They love each other. They hate each other. They need each other. They keep sabotaging each other. They can't imagine their lives away from the other. They drag each other down and themselves all the time. They care so much for each other. They keep hurting each other.

It's all about tragedy. There is no way for them to heal and get a better relationship but by being separated. But they could never willingly part ways from each other. They'd need to be forcefully pulled apart, and even then they'd probably fight tooth and nail to get back to the other. Even when they're apart they can't stop thinking about each other. The other is seared in their DNA at this point, it'd be like cutting a limb to force them away from each other.

You might think "yeah but Jamil tried to kill Kalim." While he was overblotting, yes. As did all the overblotters, whether or not they loved the people they were attempting to hurt or not. But Jamil, while he did try to ruin Kalim's reputation and have him leave the school, never intended on hurting him. He could have done so much worse, Kalim and his family have so much faith in him, and the only thing he did was trying to get Kalim fired. He would have ended back under the Asim service as soon as school was done. He never meant to get rid of him forever, just push him away long enough so he could find himself.

Which he couldn't. Because fate simply refuses to leave them separated. Because Kalim or his father insisted they stayed together. And now you might think that Kalim is the one pushing this relationship, but have you heard just how much Jamil refers to Kalim? Kalim can live without Jamil, but damn is Jamil obsessed with Kalim. To an unhealthy extent.

Yes it's because of his upbringing. Yes it's because he fears for his and his family's sake. Yes it's because he's an overbearing mom friend. Doesn't change the fact that he has Kalim under his skin 24/7.

The point isn't that it's healthy. They could never be healthy together, no matter how much they try to change their dynamic. Jamil stifles Kalim's growth by being overbearing. Kalim stifles Jamil's growth by constantly relying on him. They feed off each other. Their flaws feed off each other. They just keep making each other worse.

And that's just such an interesting dynamic to explore. They're made for each other but they can't be together. Their story can only end well if they separate. It's as tragic as you could make.

So yeah. That's why I love KaliJami. They're a tragedy. They gonna burn together and they're gonna do it clinging to each other.

And boy, if that ain't love.

[mxtxfanatic]

Nie Huaisang: By Any Means Necessary?

I had actually begun to write this meta back when I did my mdzs re-read a few years ago, but it never came to fruition. Thankfully, this mxtx interview inspired me to pick it back up again!

A lot of fandom argues that Nie Huaisang is a morally gray character, usually to promote the idea that he is "just as bad" as the actual villains of the novel because he "doesn't care about other people's lives." I agree with the moral ambiguity of his character but not the idea that he is willing to achieve his goals by any means necessary, including recklessly throwing away the lives of others for a slim chance of gain. If you look at Nie Huaisang's actions and the sequence in which events played out, you would see this is not the case.

Yes Nie Huaisang released the arm at Mo Manor, but he released the arm way after the Lan disciples had shown up, as they appeared during the day and the arm only started rampaging that night. This is also after Wei Wuxian had already broken out of the shed (that he did not clean up) and publicly showed out in front of the whole spectating village. This means the arm was only released into the household after there was confirmation that Mo Xuanyu had completed the ritual:

Lan SiZhui, “This hand was coming for us.” Wei WuXian smiled, “How do you know?” Lan SiZhui, “Spirit-attraction flags of different levels are drawn in different ways and have different amounts of power. The spirit-attraction flags we drew at Mo Village had a range of only twenty-five hundred meters in circumference. Yet, this ghost hand has a strong killing intent, feeding on human flesh and bone. If it had been within that range in the beginning, with its level of malice, Mo Village would have been a river of blood since long ago. However, it appeared after we arrived... This means that it must have been set there purposely at that time, by someone with ill intentions.”

—Chapt. 19: Contentment, exr

Nie Huaisang shows up to the Sabre Hall after Jin Ling blasts his way through, but seeing as Jing Ling wasn't supposed to go there to begin with, it's doubtful that he had anything to do with this fluke. The next major event is Yi City, in which a "huntsman" points the juniors to Yi City after they'd spent days being harassed by dead cats nailed to their doors. Yes he leads them there but only after wangxian had entered Yi City, themselves:

Wei WuXian, “How long have you been here for?” Lan SiZhui, “Around fifteen minutes.” “Fifteen minutes?” Wei WuXian asked, “HanGuang-Jun, how long have we been here for?” Lan WangJi’s voice sounded from behind the hazy fog, “Around thirty minutes.” “Look, “Wei WuXian continued, “We’ve been here for longer than you did. How is it possible that you ended up in front of us, and only ran into us after you turned around?”

—Chapt. 34: Grasses, exr

Yes Nie Huaisang very likely knew that the second siege was a trap and doesn't warn anyone beforehand, but he also shows up and is the only voice of authority speaking on behalf of Wei Wuxian, saving lives:

Still hesitating, the continued their hard fight with the fierce corpses. Others were able to manage for a while with their spiritual powers stripped away, but Nie HuaiSang couldn’t. Everyone knew that he was both timid and untalented. He wasn’t ambitious either, and didn’t work hard as a cultivator. He was caught off-guard by the sudden change of events and didn���t receive any wounds only from his personal guards’ protection. Seeing that the corpses grew larger and larger in number with no end in sight, he hurried, “Are you all going to go in or not? If you don’t, I’ll go in first. Excuse my absence. Quick, quick, quick—everyone, come in!” Before he even finished speaking, Nie HuaiSang led the QingheNie Sect’s disciples into the Demon-Slaughtering Cave with quick decisiveness. He really was as anxious as a dog that had lost its owner, as scared as a fish that had escaped the net. Others were immediately shocked speechless by his straightforwardness. ... Right now, having lost his spiritual powers and spent half the day fighting, Jiang Cheng was exhausted, and somehow successfully pulled into the cave by Jin Ling. The Jiang Sect’s cultivators hurried to follow their leader too. At the same time, Nie HuaiSang’s beaming voice echoed from within the empty cave, “Everyone, come in! It’s quite big inside! Could a senior come in and help mend the array on the ground? I can’t! I don’t know how to mend it!” Hearing his last sentence, three large words appeared in everyone’s mind, “Good-for-nothing!” Lan WangJi’s fingers didn’t leave the strings of his guqin as he looked up, “Uncle!” In the first place, Lan QiRen didn’t want to go inside the Cave. He’d rather battle here outside until his last moment. Yet, right now, he wasn’t alone. He was responsible for many Lan Sect cultivators and the Jin Sect cultivators who’d been left to his command. The main force of the battle wasn’t him, either. He didn’t want to ignore the lives of these disciples, willing to catch any hope that there was. He didn’t look at Lan WangJi, raising his sword and ordering, “Proceed with caution!” Until now, the LanlingJin Sect, the GusuLan Sect, the QingheNie Sect, and the YunmengJiang Sect had all gone inside already. With them in the lead, the rest of the people immediately decided not to continue the struggle either. If there really was some beast or demon within the cave, there were four tall pillars blocking it for them. They hastened inside as well. In the end, the MolingSu Sect’s people were the only ones who hadn’t moved.

—Chapt. 79: Loyalty

Yes Nie Huaisang orchestrated the incest reveal against Jin Guangyao, but given that he already had Bicao in his pocket, there was no reason to have told Qin Su ahead of time about her sham marriage unless it was to give her a courtesy warning before making the information public. Qin Su is given a letter in private and allowed to make her own deductions, but it would not have been possible to predict that Qin Su would 1) immediately confront Jin Guangyao and 2) be immediately manipulated into killing herself before a crowd of witnesses less than an hour later. To say that he manipulated her death is nonsensical. Following this same thread, bringing Sisi and Bicao before the cultivation clans could have very well backfired had they been brought before an audience while Jin Guangyao was still in power, such as during the aforementioned cultivation conference where Qin Su is murdered. Instead, he waits until Jin Guangyao's reputation and credibility is tarnished beyond recovery to let them give their testimonies, compensating Bicao for hers and freeing Sisi from imprisonment for hers. On top of which, because their testimonies were so damning, the women, themselves, would be effectively untouchable for as long as Jin Guangyao and his faction remained unaccounted for, if only because the rest of the cultivation world are petty and wouldn't let evidence this damning against a man who tried to wipe out their clans be destroyed.

And then at Guanyin Temple, he is the only one not caught up enough in the drama that is Jin Guangyao's sob stories to forget to keep the child!!!! out of the mass murderer's reach:

Suddenly, Jin Ling screamed, “Why?!” He stood up from beside Jiang Cheng. Eyes red, he rushed toward Jin GuangYao as he shouted, “Why did you have to do this?!” Nie HuaiSang hurried to pull back Jin Ling, who seemed as though he wanted to fight with Jin GuangYao.

—Chapt. 106: Hatred, exr

On the one hand, Nie Huaisang could possibly be blamed for Mo Xuanyu's death as he is the one who planted the idea of the ritual in the man's mind, but he neither forced the other man to go through with it nor killed him, himself. Whether or not the man went through with the ritual or the ritual failed, Nie Huaisang had a contingency plan (the fact that the juniors were nighthunting with Hanguang-jun) as he seems to with a lot of these schemes. Even the juniors during the Yi City arc said that they hadn't been directly led to Yi City but only led around in circles for days until finally ending up in the city "coincidentally" after wangxian had already entered—as if their harasser was waiting for the main duo to find their way to the city first. If wangxian never went, then the person could have simply vanished and let the juniors get back to what they were doing with just a little more paranoia as a souvenir for the adventure.

On the other hand, Nie Huaisang wasn't at all the one who made Jin Guangyao hide away Xue Yang's continued existence and crimes, nor kidnap the juniors, nor plan to massacre all the cultivation clans together, nor kill Qin Su, nor take Jin Ling hostage. Blaming him for the fact that the villain of the story's instinctual reaction to facing adversity is to commit more villainy is nonsensical. While Nie Huaisang's actions were risky, at least it was a risk that he planned contingencies for and put his own life on the line to see through. Other than Yi City, there is not a single incident he was involved in that he didn't physically involve himself in. He was at the Sabre Hall, the siege, and Guanyin Temple where there was no logical reason for him to be and where an underling probably would have done just as well a job. Being at Guanyin Temple can be explained by him wanting to see the his schemes finally come to fruition, but that does not explain the other two instances. While he surely wanted to ensure that his plans went right, he also clearly wanted to minimize as much of the deaths as possible.

The difference between Jin Guangyao and Nie Huaisang as hidden schemers is that while Jin Guangyao is a "by any means necessary" type of snake in the grass, Nie Huaisang is undeniably a tactician who prioritizes minimizing losses.

[ooooo-mcyt]

So like, that scene in Double Life is insane. I don't have the words to analyze it yet so I'm jut going to describe it how I read it because I'm gnawing on it. I cannot believe I forgot this scene ever happened (or somehow skipped it in my earlier watchthroughs of both povs??)

Scott and Pearl had been really getting along all episode, like, they didn't argue much at all, they laughed together frequently, they worried about each other, on multiple occasions they called themselves a team without flinching. When Pearl wanted to go get her stuff, Scott volunteered to go with her, and actually asked Cleo and Martyn to stay back, and the whole time Scott and Pearl are in the tower and antagonizing the red names they really feel like a team.

And then they die. And they recoup in the bunker.

And Pearl..noticed, while they were being chased, that everyone was after Scott, not her. That they had something against Scott, not her. And.."They weren't going after me that entire time, I just feel like..maybe I should take the bigger team here, y'know? I mean you're a great partner and all, but.."

Scott is. Taken off guard. He sounds hurt, for a moment, and if he wasn't taken by surprise, he wouldn't have let himself sound hurt. "Are you gonna ditch me after this?!" Scott asks, and Pearl sounds almost ashamed as she tells him he deserves it; "Scott, come on, look how big that group is! It's just..look, don't make me feel bad, okay? It's my time to ditch you after the first episode, think of it as karma!"

This launches into maybe the most fascinating argument they've ever had about the breakdown of their relationship in episode one.

Scott snaps that from his perspective, this is all Pearl coming "full circle"! After all, she started the season by abandoning him, and now she's doing it again!

Pearl insists she didn't abandon Scott, that Scott abandoned her, and Pearl can't be blamed for spending the episode with Martyn- Scott spent it with Cleo, they both just went to the first person they found!

Scott points out that he and Cleo actually met the other soulmate pairs, they were looking for their soulmates, they knew Pearl and Martyn were their soulmates from almost as soon as they met up because they'd been looking!

Pearl argues that she and Martyn did look, they made that minigame to find their soulmates!

Scott reminds Pearl that they did that at the very end of the episode, after everyone else was "loved and doved up", after Scott and Cleo had ample time to know noone was looking for them!

And then Pearl changes her argument, she tells Scott that Martyn would have died in the nether without her, and that Cleo would have died too, so Scott should be appreciative, really, that Pearl basically saved Cleo! Which..certainly must not have felt like the most coherent argument to either of them.

It's at that point that Scott seems to give up. "Right." he replies, dully, after a very long moment of silence, before adding, as if on instinct, "Lets get out of here". And Pearl challenges him, "Lets?", because wasn't the whole premise that Pearl wasn't going to stick with him?

As they climb out of the bunker, Pearl seems to feel compelled- and it feels like guilt, to me- to talk again. She tells Scott that this is good for both of them, really, that Pearl's keeping them both alive. It's not..ditching him, it's a tactical split-up. Of course, it's hard to believe that when this argument came second to "I am ditching you and you deserve it". Maybe he's not thinking about it, or maybe he notices how frantic Pearl sounds to come up with something she can believe. Either way he doesn't mention the subtle backtracking.

Pearl asks why Scott is staying with the yellows. Scott replies- and he sounds..tired? For lack of a better word? And almost a little pained?- that he can't kill Cleo, he can't do it. Pearl argues that Scott doesn't have to kill Cleo, but I'm sure she knows that's semantics. Scott tells her that he can't help anyone kill Cleo either.

Pearl repeats that this is a strategic advantage, really. Scott is quiet for a long time. Uncharacteristically quiet when he says "Okay."

Pearl promises not to kill Cleo herself, but.."If I'm with the red team, I can't say I'm not gonna help them- Cleo's still on their yellow life, Scott, come on! They're fine!" Pearl laughs. It doesn't sound like a happy laugh. Scott doesn't reply to her statement directly, instead regaining some composure to tell Pearl that "The moments we got to be together, Pearl, were nice while they lasted", a sentiment Pearl echos.

"Tilly next time", Pearl jokes, laughing. It's too forced, and Scott doesn't give much of a laugh in return either. "I appreciate you." Pearl stops to say before she leaves, and Scott returns with "Tilly death do us part", a play on the pun Pearl made before, the same words Scott would say before blowing himself up to give Pearl the win she deserved more.

GUYS THIS SCENE IMPACTED ME IN A WAY NO OTHER LIFE SERIES SCENE HAS BEFORE THIS SCENE WILL NEVER LEAVE MY HEAD WHAT. This is why we need regular rewatches, people, otherwise we somehow forget incredibly deeply impactful characterization moments for our favorite characters???

[soaps-mohawk]

In light of the other anon’s recent ask about omega x omega, If reader’s heat starts and they allow both Simon and Price would there be a possibility they’d fight/get territorial over her? Or would it be more of a “They’re marked by Price so it’s not my place”?

Oh absolutely they'd fight. Depending on who got to the reader first, they'd immediately become territorial and any other alpha that entered the space would immediately be seen as a threat. So in this example, if Simon got to the reader first and Price tried to enter the room or get close to the reader, Simon would immediately get defensive despite the fact the reader is Price's claimed omega.

The pheromones put off by omegas in heat drive them quite literally insane. They lose all rational thought and will attack other alphas, even if they're packmates, because once the other alpha catchesa whiff of those omega pheromones, they will try to take the omega from the other alpha. That's why Simon and Johnny stayed as far away from the reader's room as they could, and even Kyle was a bit hesitant entering the reader's room at first. Thankfully alphas don't typically get defensive when betas are around during heats, unless of course that beta does anything that might be perceived as a threat towards the alpha or the omega. Betas aren't affected by omega pheromones, so there's no instinctual need to protect the omega from them.

And yes, it does happen in poorly structured packs where mistreatment is common. Good alphas will take precautions, like Price and Simon did, but that's not always the case. Often if a territorial fight happens, the omega gets caught in the middle and can be accidentally killed since their instinct to escape and protect themselves from the alphas is completely gone during their heats.

Simon would not encroach on that space knowingly. He's going to take proper precautions and keep himself as far away from the omega's nest as possible. The 141 are a very structured and knowledgeable pack, so accidental heats would not even be a possible threat either. They keep track of the reader's heats, and they have Dr. Keller to help with that as well. Plus, you know the betas would risk themselves to protect the reader if something like that ever happened, but it's very, very unlikely it would.

[jelloapocalypse]

What criteria/sorts of games are you looking for when asking for Fully Voiced suggestions? In general I know you want games that have a lot of dialogue and don't have a full English dub already, but are there any other aspects that you use to decide if a game would be a good fit or not?

Game doesn't suck (Danganronpa bypassed this clause for charity reasons)

Dialogue is actually good and fun to read, like in Of the Devil or Night in the Woods. Reading for Naegi in DR almost killed me. It was so boring.

No pre-existing VA work. If it's already voiced, we do not need to voice it.

Game is actually playable and can be emulated or purchased for streaming in a relatively easy way.

Game is not insanely short. Outside of special instances like Serre, I do not want to be doing one-sitting sessions.

Game is not insanely long. We are not doing a 700-part read-through of Umineko.

Can't be a game any of the pro VAs in our circle like Arim or Vixen actually worked on. This can get them in trouble.

Most dialogue must be spoken by recurring major cast members. I do not want to play a Pokemon game where every time we interact with an NPC there's a five second pause of "Uh... who wants this guy?" Every actor should be voicing at least once person every few minutes.

Dialogue must be frequent and appear at regular intervals. If a game has hours-long stretches of gameplay between major chunks of dialogue, we will not do it. That's way too much sitting around for the cast. You might notice I purposefully brush past unvoiced side content in order to get to more dialogue faster, like how I tend to skip puzzles in the Professor Layton games that I think might take me a long time even though if I were playing the game on my own I would do all of them. The Fire Emblem games we played were already pushing it but those are special exceptions because I knew the games very well.

Game is not a game someone else in my friendgroup has streamed before. Several of my friends run their own Twitch channels. Chula and Savvy both read games on-stream with their friends. I have a much larger following and I think it's rude of me to play a game they've already played or they're thinking of playing because that's taking away their potential audience who might watch them cover something instead.

Past that, I look for a mix of other elements.

Casting is one. I wanted to do Night in the Woods with Yam-Oz-Dani specifically because I thought they'd make an incredible Bea-Mae-Gregg. Will was a bonus. Ghost Trick is a great game that I thought Dani and Arim would absolutely rock as Lynne and Sissel.

I think it's good to have at least one player familiar with the game so we can cast things in advance. Chula, Vixen, and Arim cast Danganronpa because they'd already played it. It's important to spread the cast evenly. You don't want anyone talking to themselves for long stretches (i.e. if Vixen played both Makoto and Kyoko that'd be awful) and you don't want anyone gone for hours (me in the Of the Devil streams.)

[midnight-mourning]

Sharing Isn't Caring

💘💘Midnight's DCA Valentine's Day 13💘💘

Hello! Finally finishing these up, bit of a busy weekend and this one in particular got VERY long lol, that being said hope you enjoy!

Prompt: i really liked that one promptober you made about the reader having robophobia ( cause sun killed a few workers and has been avoiding him ever since, scary ass animatronic) is it possible to have a prompt where yn is doing better, has work besties. Aside from the constant threat of being brutally murdered by a friendly animatronic, theyre work life is chill. Its around valintines day where y/n has made friends with the cute new girl. Both have platonic feelings for each other while also being flirty (satire, gotta kiss the homies goodnight) with each other, kissing cheeks, hold hands, other friendly touches. However this does not go unnoticed by our favorite daycare attendants. They too try to be playfully flirty and touches yn any chance they get. However envy gets the better of them when they want to be yn's valentine...

Word Count: 3475

Content warning: non-graphic mentions of death, dying, violence, etc.

Read here if you prefer ao3!

💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌

"Good morning!" A voice greets as you walk into the break room. 

You look up from your phone, small, tired smile on your features. "Ah, morning Jaz."

"You sleep alright?" She asks, taking a sip of her coffee. "You look exhausted."

You wince, a reminder of your nightmare last night coming forth. 

Running, running, running, tripping, falling. Claws sinking in, a scream ripped from your throat, cruel laughter ringing in your mind as it happens and being able to do nothing to stop it—

You shake your head. It was just a dream. They hadn't figured you out. At this point, you don't know if they ever would. Lucky, you'd been so, very lucky so far that they were solely focused on being your friend. Not a bit of suspicion in either of them as to what you knew. 

You hoped to god it'd stay that way, too.

Several months have passed, and you haven't beared witness to anything quite so terrifying since. Though, you'd made sure you wouldn't. You never let yourself get caught up in the evening hours, and you never let yourself be alone with either Sun or Moon. 

Save for the few times they'd managed to make such a scenario happen themselves, however.

Sun had meant it when he said he'd cure your 'robophobia'. They were sure trying their hardest, at least. 

Chatting with you every time you came to drop off a delivery or supplies, dragging you along to partake in some on days they were—suspiciously—lacking a helper. Sun particularly like to play hide and seek or house, whereas Moon wouldn't let you leave until you took a nap. 

Both made it their mission to be as up close and personal as they could too. Touches lingering just a tad too long, cornering you in one way or another, tones playful, cheeky. To an outsider it would seem like harmless fun, but to you, all it did was make you keep your guard up more. Which in turn, only made them try that much harder. 

It was a vicious cycle, but after the incident that occurred a little or a month ago, you could at least say—for now—that your chances of dying were significantly lower than you'd have thought otherwise. 

You'd forgotten your keys. Or maybe lost them, you still weren't entirely sure. You'd gone through every inch of the Plex where you'd been working that day, without a sign of them. There was only one place you hadn't checked, and it scared you to your core. 

You had debated whether to knock on the doors or not. Ultimately deciding that you'd rather take your chances slipping in and out unnoticed then actively invite the devil to your doorstep. Or you to the devil's, you realize there's little point to figuring it out much further. 

The speakers play the usual tune, the space is empty as can be as you peek inside. 

A quick glance around and you spy your keys on the desk. It takes everything in you to not make a beeline for them, instead walking calmly over and picking them up. You're about to turn back around when—

*Thump!*

Directly. Behind you. 

"Hello Sunshine! What brings you here so late? Did you stop by just to see little ol' me?" Again, that cheeky voice that perhaps only you can hear the sinister undertones of.

You suppress the scream and the shiver you want to let out. Instead, you turn around with a small, forced, smile. "H-hi Sun! I was just um, looking for my keys. And what do you know, they were in here all along!" You lift them up, making yourself laugh to keep your nerves in check. "I'll get out of your hair now."

"Silly, silly, I don't have any hair! And besides,"—a hand to your wrist, tone dropping just a tad—"You just got here. Would be a shame to leave so soon, hm?"

You start to falter. "I—"

"So come on then! You look ready to fall apart at the seams, and I can't have that happening to my favorite little assistant!" Sun shifts his grip to your hand, pulling you further along into the Daycare. "Don't you worry, I have just the thing to ease that tension."

He pulls you over a set of beanbags, he guides you to sit down in one, while he does in the other. Before you can blink, there's a coloring book and crayons in your lap. 

"Coloring is always soothing for the soul!" He states, finger pointing up in an affirming manner, then gets to work on his own book. 

There's only one thought in your head at that moment; you're going to die here. 

But, you're not quick enough to make a break for the door, so you have no choice but to accept your fate. Shaky hands gripping crayons in an attempt to distract yourself from your impending doom. 

As you go along, Sun pesters you constantly with conversation and questions. It confuses you, does he just like playing with his food or what? 

You answer best you can, but all the air leaves your lungs when he pops a question you were more than simply fearing. 

"—since we're such good friends, right?"

You freeze, and curse yourself for it, mouth feeling like glue as you tumble out a stuttered response. "Y-yeah. We're friends."

"Best friends?" Sun presses, leaning in close, you're waiting for him to take hold of you and slam your face into the mats just like—

"A-ah. Um, I don't know, I-I guess so? Sorry, I've um, not really had a best friend before..."

You were so screwed. 

Yet, Sun doesn't miss a beat, words a light as ever as he pouts. "Oh, well that won't do. I'll just have to keep trying until you feel completely confident in the notion that we are!"

And you were still standing the next morning. You don't know if it was a fluke, or what, but it certainly didn't seem that way. You'd take what you could get, though, and double, triple checked that you had all your belongings in their proper places from then on. 

Jaz clears her throat. Right. Back to the present. 

She'd been a nice change of pace over the last month or so. A fresh face to help you with things or pass in the hall. You were the same age, and related to each other a lot. It was… nice. To have someone to talk to, even if she couldn't know even the beginning of what you'd witnessed. 

But, you could tell her little things, insignificant, things that nobody could pick up on. 

"I had a nightmare, is all. I'll be alright." You sit down in the chair beside her, sighing. 

She tsks. "You seem to have a lot of those."

"It's not a willing participation, I assure you." You're rubbing your eyes when you spy a steaming mug being held in front of you. "Oh, you didn't have to do that."

A shrug. "Wanted to. Now drink up, I heard from Gary that we've got a lot of inventory to move today."

"Going to be a great morning then." You mutter into your cup as she snickers. 

Work had in general been a lot easier with the additional help, and just in general because of your new friend. She made you laugh, cheered you up on your rougher days, and was just in general a light in your life as of late. Not to mention, she'd inadvertently managed to help you overcome your fear of being touched you'd developed from witnessing the Attendants' actions. 

It was simple things, like touches to your shoulder and arm. Holding your hand and dancing around at the end of the work day, jokingly flirting and cheek kisses and the likes. No double meaning or the likes either, Jaz was just like that with everyone, you'd soon found. It eased you in a way you couldn't describe. You could relax around her and it felt like you'd gotten a bit of normalcy back into your day to day. 

Not to mention, through getting to know Jazz you'd gotten a bit more confidence in talking to others at work, and now had several coworkers you'd consider friends both in and outside of work. Things were… weird beyond that, but at least for the moment they were going alright. 

"So then I finally just told him, 'boy if you don't get your act together, she's going to leave you' and do you know what he said?" 

You snicker, adjusting the boxes in your arms. "What?"

"'But that's so much work'" She exaggerates the tone, with an extended groan and you let out a shocked laugh. "Like? Excuse me? You can't be serious right now."

You're still laughing hard as she pushes the roll cart through the Daycare doors. "That's insane. Does he just not care or is he stupid?"

"Between you and me,"—she leans in, voice low—"I think it's both. Fu-freakin' moron."

You giggle, about to give a quip in response when a loud voice interrupts.

"Good morning Starshine! Oh, and hello Jaz!" Sun stands just to your left, you don't know how you didn't hear him. "I didn't know you knew each other!"

Jaz lets go of the cart, arm wrapping around your shoulder. "Sure do! We're stuck being storage monkeys together. They've been a big help in showing me the ropes."

"As if you needed help, it's pretty straightforward." You set down the boxes in your arms finally. 

You glance over and see Jaz put her hand to her chest, feigning misery. "Oh, but if it weren't for you, i'd be completely and utterly lost! I don't know what I'd do without you, my best friend." She makes kissing noises at you as you laugh, gagging. 

"Knock it off." You swat at her lightly, then you look up to Sun. "If you just tell us where you want everything, we'll move it, Sun. Stop it!" You shove Jaz away as she pretends to try and kiss you cheek again. 

There's a snap then, drawing your attention to the attendant, you see the marker he'd been holding is broken in half, movements stiff as he glances down to look at it. 

"Oh. What a shame. Follow me, I'll show you exactly where to put everything." He turns, steps precise as he marches across the Daycare. 

While you pick up on the shift, Jaz doesn't seem to, simply taking hold of the cart again and following after him. You debate for a moment, and against your better judgement, swipe a wet wipe from the desk. The supply closet is tucked away in a hallway lacking light. So much so that it's Moon who finishes leading you. 

While Jaz starts to unload things in the closet, Moon waits at the doorway, attentive, unyielding in his gaze.

You clear your throat. "Um, need some help with that?"

His faceplate snaps to look at you and you swallow. It clicks to the side a few times as he examines you.

You nod to his hand, which you've no doubt is stained a deep purple by now. "I meant with the um, marker."

"Ah, thank you, Star." Moon snickers, opening his hand for you to wipe it off. 

You take his hand in both your own, wiping off where the marker has changed the color. It's a bit harder to do in this low light, but you manage. 

You don't expect Moon to speak up again. "Best friends?"

It takes a moment to click to you. "Ah. Yeah. We are."

Moon makes a noise then, grating, you can't make sense of it. So, you just ignore it and finish cleaning him up before going to help Jaz. Had you paid closer attention, you'd have noticed how tightly his hand grips the doorway, making it creak under the pressure. 

After that day, you notice that both Sun and Moon have somehow become more clingy. 

It wasn't just short conversations and little activities anymore. It was full blown discussions and non-stop things to do. Anytime you tried to protest that you were far too busy to spend so much time with them, they simply argued that nobody would say a thing. Which, they were right, your manager didn't seem to care in the slightest. 

Those touches from before were ramped up, in that there was more hand-holding, more hugs, more everything, that you'd let them get by with, that is. All of their previous efforts from before felt ramped up, and you had no idea as to why. Not to mention that they appeared to be more flirty as well.

And then came February. 

Right from the start of the month, something was different with them, you could tell instantly. And you soon found out what. 

When you came in to drop off supplies or such, there'd be little notes or doodles waiting for you. You'd find their comments going from less friendly to having a more flirtatious connotation. And all of it only got worse the closer you got to Valentine's Day. 

"Sunshine, come dance with me!" Sun would say, dragging you with him to spin through several songs. Hand on your hip and words soft as he gave you compliment after compliment.

Moon would do similar, asking you to sit with him and read the children stories at naptime, watching over your shoulder and softly singing your praises. Or even better, acting out the stories with you, especially enjoying the more romantic fairy tales in particular. 

And the thing was, much like their attempts at friendship, all this doting felt genuine. 

It confused you beyond belief, besides the fact that it concerned you deeply. You were already struggling enough with this 'friendship' you'd been cornered into with the murder robots, the fact that they were acting as if they were romantically interested was only making things worse. 

The morning of Valentine's you were a ball of nerves. You were hoping—praying, really—that they wouldn't try anything, though you knew the unlikelihood of that happening. At this point, your feelings were so confusing, twisted. You thought they'd approached you because they knew you knew what they'd done. And yet, countlessly time and time again you'd been—seemingly—proven wrong. 

"You alright over there, Sunshine?" 

You jolt at the nickname, sending a scowl Jaz's way. "Not cute."

"I think it suits you well." She snickers, checking her phone. "What's on the agenda for today, boss?"

You tsk. "Not your boss. And I have no idea, I haven't checked yet." You rub your face, pulling up your schedule, only to find it's blank. You sit up, muttering. "That can't be right..."

"Something wrong?"

You try refreshing the page, no luck. "Yeah, my schedule's empty. See if you can pull up yours."

After a moment, Jaz holds up her phone, her own schedule showing up without issue. 

You both share a confused look. 

"Dude, did you get fired?"

You feel flustered fear build up in you then. "Better not of. They have no reason to get rid of me."

It's then that you notice an email in your inbox. Clicking on it, you see it's from your manager, telling you to see him in his office about a 'change of location'.

"I don't remember you saying anything about wanting to transfer." Jaz comments as you stand up. 

You shake your head, grabbing your jacket. "I didn't."

On your way to your manager's office, passing by the Daycare, you hear a low whistle calling out to you. 

You turn, it's dark, the only light is glowing red eyes on the top of the wall. Knowing you don't have much a choice, you walk over. 

"Hi, Moon." You say, unsure. "How's um, naptime?"

He twists, hanging upside down from the wall. "Boring. No one to talk to."

"Well what about Jean—" You cut yourself off, words dying in your throat with realization. 

Moon doesn't catch it, instead snickering to himself. "Sick."

Something in your gut tells you that's not in the slightest bit the truth. 

"Ah. Gotcha. Well, I should get going now." You wave and turn around. "See you later."

*Thump!*

A hand resting on your shoulder, and the sudden up close and personal presence behind you startles you, to say the least. 

"Wait. Have something for you."

You swallow the urge to run away. "Oh?"

"Mmhmm." Moon hums, right beside your ear. "Close your eyes."

You do, it's not as if there's a scenario where you don't. 

A pause. You're half-expecting something terrible, be it something grotesque or even something as cruel as your own end—

"Open."

Flowers. It's flowers. 

Origami flowers, at that. You're impressed by the intricacy of the folding, they're delicate, precise. Something that would have taken even the most skilled of individuals genuine time and care to make. 

And you're being presented a massive bouquet of them.

"Wow..." You trail off, consumed with genuine awe. "I, for me?"

Moon snickers, faceplate spinning once. "Happy Valentine's, Little Star."

Right, Valentine's. You'd entirely forgotten for a moment. 

While you're in your daze, Moon plucks a flower from the bouquet and tucks it behind your ear. He then sets the bouquet into your arms with a gentle pat, then hops back up on the ledge. 

"See you later~" Another giggle, and he's gone, leaving you dumbfounded. 

Your boss hardly glances up at you when you step into his office. "Ah, finally. Sit down, let's make this quick."

You sit down, still not quite thinking clearly as a stack of papers is tossed in front of you. 

"Sign these, and then I'll switch you over to the Daycare in the system. Their liability and the likes since you're working one-on-one with the Attendant. Fionna will be in charge of you from now on, paychecks, etc. Think she lets the robot pick the schedules, for whatever reason. Any questions?" He finally looks at you then, raising a brow. "Quite the bouquet you got there. Do I need to get you a relationship form from HR too?"

You shake your head. "I, no. No, not at all. I, why am I being transferred?"

"Well, you asked." Your manager states plainly, then shrugs. "And you got a couple good recommendations so I figured 'eh, whatever'. You can start today once you're done here. Or take the day off, I don't care, not my problem."

You just sit there a moment, taking it all in. 

'You asked.'

You, asked.

You know a sign when you see it. And you know when an alarm bell is blaring in your head, it's best not to ignore it. 

But when you've got a gun to the back of your head, that's much harder to ignore. 

You pick up the pen, and sign. 

Your steps are heavy as you walk back to the Daycare. Jaz has texted you a couple times, your like a zombie as you type by brief responses. You don't know what to think. Should you be relieved, or counting your days? 

They wouldn't have put in this much effort if they weren't genuine. Surely they weren't running this long of a con. But then that meant they were genuine. The killer robots were infatuated with you. 

You don't know which is worse, you don't know which is worse, you don't know which is worse—

"Hello Sunbeam! I'm so happy to see you!" 

You look up, Sun stands before you, rays spinning gleefully. You didn't even realize you'd walked into the Daycare. 

He claps his hands. "Oh! We're going to have so much fun, fun, fun! We get to spend all day long together! Just you and me! And well, the children too. But still, isn't it great?"

"I, um sure. I guess so." You mumble out. 

The slight twitch to his rays doesn't go unnoticed by you. The slightest of shifts in his tone as he glares down at you.

"Come now, friend. Aren't you excited? After all,"—He suddenly bends to your height, leaving you face-to-face and inches apart—"Aren't we best. friends?"

You struggle to maintain eye contact, focusing slipping to the bundle in your arms as you try to think up a way to respond. 

A low chuckle interrupts your racing thoughts. "Ah, but maybe that's not enough for you either?"

"I, um." It is a miracle you've lasted this long with how you're fumbling over your words.

Sun's hands cup your cheeks, tone still a hum. "Love, all you had to do was say so. In fact, we wish you'd done so sooner." His smile presses to your forehead. "Not to worry, we're more than happy to make up for lost time."

You can only stare up at him with smothered horror as his thumb strokes your cheek.

"And now, there's nothing that's going to get in the way of that."

💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌

Thank you @pip-plz for the request!! As you can see I had a lot of fun brining these two back lol

My writing Masterpost

DCA Valentine's Masterpost

Tag list (if you would like added, simply say so!):

@machopeach @beemyhuneybee @fishm0ther @deviouscrackers @elsajoyagent8 @luckyyyduckyyy @zenkaiankoku @jogimote @local-shrub @milosmantis @robinette-green @everlightreader @sinister-sincerely @starredeclipse @dangerva @juukai @crystalmagpie447 @mothgutz236 @lizyxml @divinit3a @amarynthian-chronicles @crystalfay @that-one-unknown-artist @rosescarletful @buzzybee3

[strwberri-milk]

Hello! I hope you’re having a great day!

Could I request LADS men with a reader who isn’t exactly ‘accepting’ of their line of work? I mean, I guess besides Sylus and Caleb, all of them have decent jobs that don’t require doing something ‘unethical’, so writing only those two will do. Maybe because of ideals, morale, and worry, they happen to harbor a hidden dislike towards their work. They don’t express this outright— only small hints, such as a frown when the men tell them they’re off on duty or something, which leads them to piece it together themselves. Of course, they still love them despite their jobs, but are still not so accepting of it.

hmm see i was thinking about this as a request but id like it to be more of a discussion!! so this is. more informal but definitely is discussing this request lolol

i totally get where youre coming from - if you were realistically going to date Sylus and Caleb you'd have to be fully aware of the factt hat what he does isn't really ethical and at times, asks him to make the decision of whether or not someone lives

an idealistic part of me wants to say that they'd quite their jobs for you and move to the country side and streoeptypical otome tropes would probably have them do that - true love prevails after all the these games are usually wish fulfillment so you can do literally anything and everything you want to them.

i feel like sylus would be more likely to either quite or somehow make his job more remote? he'd be okay with not killing people and just teaching them a lesson through other means - whether that be through just roughing them up (which you still probably wouldn't like if this is a problem) or through sabotage and blackmail (because i see both sylus and rafayel being intel KINGS they know anything and everything they want to know!)

if youre considering yourself as MC, then caleb would never leave his job. he doesnt care what you think of him - just that you are safe. its heavily implied/outright said that caleb is the only thing thats keeping you safe from the people who want to hurt you. he'll brush off any comments you make but if it gets to a point where he feels annoyed he might be prone to making a passive aggressive comment but he'll apologise wordlessly by buying you something or by saying things like "you know i'm doing this for you right"

(rafayel would honestly do the same since he does a bunch of underhanded work in private. the difference between him and caleb is he keeps that part of his life VERY far removed from you because i think he looks at you as this pure, perfect being and has a habit of idealising you thanks to both the bond + the way the lemurians love. not to say that he has you on like, some madonna whore complex but more so he worries that he could dirty you and he would hate himself if he ever did)

if you dont think of yourself as MC i feel like calebs whole story kinda falls apart/would requiure me to have knowledge of your own personal mc and how the interaction with caleb works. if youre just like, an average joe living your life he wouldn't be anything more than a pilot perhaps? no need to be involved in experiments but he might not even be alive because perhaps he's only here bc of those experiements maybe its a paradox maybe im just making things up BUT if he doesnt need to protect you from EVER (which i think is what hes protecting you on pleaes give me grace i play enough to get a grasp of his characrter/backstory but its been a hot minute since ive looked at it)

[anim-ttrpgs]

Sorry if it's a silly question, as I'm still reading the book and haven't gotten to the full scope of the Narrator's job yet, but how 'long' are Eureka! games designed to go on for in-world wise - and more importantly, how alive are Investigators supposed to stay, generally? For context: I'd like to do multiple smaller investigations that are part of a larger conspiracy, individual mysteries that may fail or succeed at being uncovered, that give out pieces of what's actually going on. And, because progression (level-ups, new toys/weapons, etc.) are a big part of what appeals to my players, I think they'd prefer to keep their characters relatively alive to enjoy the benefits, and not replace them through multiple investigations. Is Eureka! able to be played like that? A broader campaign with "meta"/character progression for not being brash and getting yourself killed?

Like most TTRPGs they are billed as “highly lethal,” the truth is that Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is really more “potentially lethal.”

Every character has 5 Penetrative HP and they die instantly if this hits 0, and any bullet deals 4 Penetrative Damage. The most common handguns in Eureka are capable of firing up to 4 bullets in a single action, so yeah, PCs can die pretty easily. They can also kill pretty easily, and it is up to them, not the GM, to make sure they don’t get killed.

Despite this, having played Eureka myself about... 15 times maybe? I have never once personally seen a PC death.

A good number of PCs have died in other people’s Eureka games that I know of, but off the top of my head it feels like around a third of those were killed by other PCs.

The thing is, when the players know the game is lethal, and the PCs know what they’re doing is dangerous, they both tend to be very careful, and a good lethal game will provide lots or mechanics that allow PCs to mitigate the danger. For instance, Eureka is primarily about investigation. The chances that the PCs will get involved in a shootout in any given session is very slim. Most Eureka adventures end up having between 0 and 2 instances of violent danger across the entire adventure. Additionally, that combat is mechanically deep. It is this depth that allows the PCs to make smart and informed decisions that make them less likely to die. For instance, cover mechanics and incremental range penalties that make those 4 bullets each a lot less likely to hit.

As for in-world length, that really depends of course, but we find that many of the game’s mechanics are best suited for adventures that last about 2-14 in-game days. The stuff that characters do in Eureka is usually a short, but extraordinary period of their lives.

That doesn’t mean that they can’t return for another aventure later, it just means that if you’re going to try to run a real big mystery, running it as several smaller mysteries is definitely the best way to do it. Just make absolutely sure that no one of those smaller mysteries needs to be solved or completed a certain way, or in fact needs to be be completed or solved at all, for anything about the larger mystery to work. In Eureka, success is never a guarantee.

This is a good thing, because it means that accomplishments are real, but also, Eureka is deliberately set up so that there’s entertainment value in seeing the PCs involve themselves in and be affected by the mystery, regardless of if they succeed or not, or even if they survive.

Another thing that you as GM I’ll need to do to run this kind of campaign is to make sure you know ALL the facts of the mystery before it starts. This is not something you can make up as you go along. This doesn’t mean coming up with the plot or how the PCs will solve the mystery, in fact you as GM shouldn’t interfere with that all, but you need to know exactly what the bad guys have done, are doing, and will do, and what evidence their doing has left behind. This means you’ll be prepared for whatever the PCs start snooping about, and if they do ask a question you didn’t anticipate, you’ll be able to answer from a place of knowledge informed by the existing facts you did write, rather than making something up completely.