#trees hels stuff

[lindentree]

Something something about the helscape and how it's the opposite of the Overworld

and the universe said I hate you and the universe said you have failed the game and the universe said everything you need is beyond you and the universe said you are weaker than you know and the universe said you are the heartless sun and the universe said you are the soulless night and the universe said the darkness you fight has become you and the universe said the light you seek is beyond you and the universe said you are alone and the universe said you are separate from every other thing and the universe said you are the universe scouring at itself, ripping your worthless life out, throwing you away and the universe said I hate you because you are hate.

[pastlivesandpurplepuppets]

IN PART 7 OF THE SERIES (TITLED “THE BREAKING POINT”], IT shows Sergeant Bill Guarnere and Edward “Babe” Heffron in a foxhole, wondering if I was about to take a step off the deep end.

“You’ve seen him,” Heffron says. “He’s all wound up like a spring.”

“He’s fine,” Guarnere says. “It wasn’t getting shot [in Holland] that got him, it was being in that hospital. I been there—okay? It ain’t pretty. Besides, once he was up and moving around, he was his old self again. I’m telling ya, Buck Compton’s fine.”

In real life, the events surrounding this time of the war are perfectly clear in my mind. This is what I remember:

One day in early January the anticipation we had been feeling for so long was shattered. Very suddenly, broad daylight, really bad shelling started coming in—big, heavy stuff. Ka-Boom! Ka-Boom! Ka-Boom! Ka-Boom! Landing on us was the most shocking display of firepower I had ever seen. It was absolutely merciless. I yelled to the guys—Incoming! Find cover!—something like that. Shrapnel flew and shredded every which way. Bursts of dirt and snow exploded all over. You could feel the ground bounce. You could taste gunpowder in your mouth. It was all very close. Thirlkeld was only a few feet from me. What he was doing aboveground for so long, I never knew, but he didn’t make it—we had been in the woods for so long you got used to the lulls. The shelling blasted away tree branches; huge limbs fell with thuds all around us. I could hear someone yelling, “I’m hit! I’m hit!” For some time, all was complete chaos.

The shelling stopped almost as suddenly as it began.

I think I was the first out of my foxhole, because I remember being the first to scream at what I saw. “Medic!” I hollered for all I was worth. “Medic!” Nobody seemed to be within shouting distance. I have a hard time explaining today how narrowed the focus is of anybody in my position. A platoon leader is down pretty low on the officer scale. Most of the time, no matter where we were, I was unaware of the bigger picture. My focus was a ditch or a road—just the fifty-yard stretch of land around me.

When I got up to survey what had happened, I couldn’t believe how my fifty yards had been ravaged. It looked like slaughter alley— huge trees blown down, ground ripped up, a whole bunch of guys lying all over the place, some motionless, some gasping, unintelligible words coming out of their mouths. It’s a terrible thing to see your guys like that. Death was everywhere. These were the first heavy losses we’d taken at Bastogne.

In the series it shows me coming out of my foxhole to survey the damage. I scream for a medic, then drop my helmet and just stand motionless. In the next scene there’s a fury of activity around me while I’m sitting on a fallen tree with my head in my hands. Then it shows me lying on a cot in a field hospital. I’m in the fetal position in tears with Malarkey next to me, trying to read me a letter from back home to cheer me up.

I appreciate the series for doing that (even though all but one of those scenes were fictionalized) because it shows the progression of a soldier who suffered from combat stress reaction, commonly known as shell shock. Truly, there were men in World War II—in any war— who are so affected by the horror of their experiences that they break under pressure. But although I was affected by the horrors of Bastogne, I do not believe I was clinically shell shocked, as the series portrays me. In real life, while I was hollering for the medic, trying to figure out what to do, I remember two distinct thoughts:

How are we going to help the wounded guys? We were so alone out there. Company headquarters, battalion headquarters—they were all far away.

My second thought was: Maybe this is the time the Germans are really going to get us all. They’ve been softening us up. Now, this is it. With all these guys wounded, what the hell are we going to do to fight back?

Truly, it was an impossible sight to take in—to know what to do, to know how to help. I had seen men die before. I had seen men get wounded before. But this was different. This was unprecedented gore.

More than a dozen of our guys lay bleeding in the snow. Guarnere and Toye, probably the two toughest guys in the unit, had both taken it bad. Toye had gotten hit first. I guess Guarnere had crawled out of his foxhole after him, trying to drag him to safety. In the process, Guarnere had taken one as well. Both were missing legs. Our medic, Eugene Roe, got to Toye first and tied a bandage around what was left. He gave him a large hit of morphine, then went to Guarnere to do the same. Toye had only recently returned to our unit from an aid station where he got his arm patched up. He and Bill were good friends of mine. Deep red smears were all over the ground.

Dick Winters wrote in his book (not critically of me) that I suffered a serious mental trauma after the shelling and simply “walked off the line.” He was at battalion headquarters at the time and not present in the area of my platoon, so his information came secondhand. I mean no criticism of him by clarifying the facts.

In truth, I did not “walk” off the line.

I ran.

~ Buck Compton

[shadowdaddies]

Heyyyy I feel like we’re besties at this point😭 could I request, yet again, an Azriel story. Maybe one where they’re best friends and they get into a serious argument and maybe it ends with a confession and the bond snaps into place but one of them panics and leaves. And ends up having a panic attack while the other one is super worried and is searching for them. When they find them they calm them down and have some cute fluff with like “look at me” or “breathe with Me” something cute idk and then it ends with smut of them finally being mated and it’s all sweet and stuff. (Maybe with some wing play because holy- that’s hot) THANK YOUUUU

hey bestie! love this request, it's been a hectic week to say the least so I'm catching up on requests but I've been so excited about this one. Love your prompts, hope you love this story as much as I do💜

Laid Bare

Azriel x Reader

Warnings: this is angst, fluff, and eventually smut below the cut, wing play, shadow play, p in v sex, minors dni

You followed Azriel through the door to the House of Wind, slamming it behind you as you yelled at him. The two of you never raised your voices at each other, but your emotions got the better of you as you held back tears, shaking with anger and fear for your mate. 

You had known that Azriel was your mate for a long time now, but you knew that he had so much he needed to work through, and you’d decided it would be better to be there for him as a friend while he worked through his trauma, without the added complication of the mating bond. 

Tonight, however, you had hit your limit with Azriel’s refusal to accept help and love from others. It wasn’t only you - Azriel had always kept even his brothers at an arm’s length, only opening up to Cass and Rhys when he deemed it necessary. While others were willing to accept his distance, the bond pulled you closer to him, and day-by-day your love and desire to be there for him grew. 

Azriel stopped in the kitchen, sipping on tea in his faux-stoic manner that drove you crazy as you stormed over to him. “What the Hel, Az? You put yourself in so much danger, so much unnecessary hurt, and for what? You think you’re a burden to people by letting them be there for you, but it’s a burden.... it really hurts me, Azriel, when you won’t let me be there for you. I love you, all I want to do for the rest of my life is love you, and I just wish you would let me.” 

The words poured out before you even realized what you were saying, tears streaming down your face as you dared to make eye contact with Azriel. The moment those hazel eyes locked with yours, Azriel dropped the cup from which he’d been drinking, his steely expression shattering into one of shock, and you knew what had happened. The mating bond snapped for him - at the worst time, when you were yelling at him over something that now felt so trivial. 

You began sobbing so hard you were shaking, hyperventilating as you began to panic. Before Azriel could say anything else, you winnowed away. You appeared on the outskirts of Velaris - a quiet place where the mountains met the sea - and vomited everything from your system. You heaved for breath, trying to ground yourself in your surroundings. You went to a nearby brook, splashing water on your face and cleansing your mouth with the fresh water. 

The sun had nearly set at this point, and you leaned against a tree as you took in the various shades of the sky, the bright Night Court stars already visible at dusk. Mind reeling with how to address the situation with Azriel, you didn’t hear him approach.

You startled at first, watching him carefully as he sat down to lean against the tree beside you. It was no surprise that he would know where to find you. Azriel let out a long sigh, staring down at his hands folded in his lap. “How long have you known about the bond?” he asked quietly. Chewing your lip, you murmured back, “Some time now, almost a year.” He nodded, taking a moment before he said anything.

He at last turned to you, taking one of your hands in his as he gave it a squeeze, as though he was finding his own strength through that touch. “You were right. Everything you said back there... I’ve always felt like a burden if I were to show weakness or ask for help. But you are always there for me, even when I don’t know what I need, you do.”

Azriel pulled you into his lap at this point, you straddling his hips as he wiped his thumb across your cheek, observing you as he confessed, “I love you, too, by the way. I have for a long time. If there’s anyone I trust, that I feel I can open up to, it’s you. I am damaged, and it will take time, but I want to love you, and be loved by you, if you’ll have me.”

You smiled, turning your face to kiss Azriel’s palm, holding it against your face. “Azriel, I have waited my entire life for you, and I would wait one hundred more lifetimes for you. We will grow and learn how to love and be loved together. That’s what this is.” At that, Azriel pulled you in, your lips barely brushing each other as he looked to you for consent. You smiled, throwing yourself into him as you kissed him how you’d been longing to for so long.

Azriel squeezed your backside, causing you to gasp so he could slip his tongue in your mouth. You ground against him, drawing a groan while you ran your hands through his inky black hair, tugging at the strands. When he thrust his tongue into your mouth next, you sucked on it, earning a surprised gasp and a groan from him as he gripped your hips, grinding his own against you.

You mewled at the contact, desperate for more from him. You pulled back, gasping as you opened your mouth to tell Azriel you needed more, only for him to say so first. A thought occurred to you as you noticed his desperation, and you leaned back, studying Azriel as you ran a finger down his chest. With as much confidence as you could muster, you tilted your head, giving Azriel a mischievous smile as you proposed your deal. “I’ll give you more tonight, Azriel, if you let me take care of you. I want to make love to you, how I’ve been waiting to for so long now.” 

At your words, Azriel’s cheeks blushed in that way that you loved as he nodded. You leaned forward, giving him a chaste kiss as you promised in a whisper, “we’ll take this slow - nothing you are uncomfortable with.” With that, you began removing his shirt, guiding him to lay down in the grass as you admired his body in what was now bright moonlight. You removed your own dress, now bare above him, feeling no shyness or shame in your body as your mate gazed at you in awe, running his hands along your sides, palming your breasts as he toyed with your nipples.

You let out a high-pitched moan at the contact, writhing against his touch as you struggled to maintain dominance in the situation. You forced yourself to look down at Azriel, feeling how your own appearance must mirror his own, pupils blown out, cheeks flushed, hair wild as you ravished each other under the stars. You leaned down, rolling your naked body against Azriel’s bare chest as you kissed down his neck to his collarbone, moving one hand to the side for support. 

Your finger accidentally touched the edge of his wing, causing Azriel to let out a hiss as he bucked wildly up into you. Immediately pulling back, you frantically searching Azriel’s face for discomfort. “I’m so sorry, Az. I didn’t mean to touch your wing without permission. Please tell me I didn’t hurt you.” 

To your surprise, Azriel laughed. It was a loud, joyous laugh like bells, louder than you’d ever heard from him. He looked up at you with a beautiful, full smile as he shook his head and grabbed your hand, guiding it back to his wing. You looked at him questioningly, “are you sure you are okay with this? You want me to touch your wings?” Azriel nodded, kissing your palm before guiding it back to his wing. “Yes, I want you. Only you. All of you.”

Your heart melted at his words, eyes never leaving his as you experimentally traced your fingers lightly across the veins of his wing, watching as he groaned and panted beneath you at your touch. “Fuck,” Az finally huffed out, “if you keep doing that, I’m going to finish in my pants.” You smirked, taking that as your cue to pull away, kissing down his chest and stomach, giving extra attention to each scar as you worshipped Azriel.

You were working your way down to the waistband of his pants when Azriel gracefully flipped you over, laid on your back against the grass with your hair splayed out. The two of you simply admired each other for a moment, memorizing the feeling of an intimacy you’d never felt before. You helped Azriel remove his pants, eager to have him inside of you, fully one with your mate.

He leaned down, kissing you sweetly as he pushed into you, your eyes rolling and back arching as he entered you, his large size a stretch for you. Azriel kissed all over your face and neck as he settled inside of you, only moving once you had given him permission. Every thrust hit a perfect spot within you, the sex like nothing you had felt before - it was apparent, Azriel was made for you, and you for him. 

You could sense that you were nearing your high, stomach tightening as you attempted to mumble to Az that you were close. He understood, licking his thumb before bringing it down to your clit, rubbing circles in tandem with shadows that appeared around your nipples. The sudden stimulation sent you barreling over the edge with a scream, Azriel following closely behind. 

He hung his head, resting his nose in your neck as the two of you caught your breath. After several moments, Azriel collapsed into the grass beside you, pulling you into his side as the two of you watched the night sky, laid bare to each other in every sense.

[thenyoumightaswellwrestleangels]

Do I owe you for it? (this sunlight that rains down on me?)

If I was born a blackthorn tree - series masterlist here

pairing: kirishima eijirou x reader (gender neutral, no use of y/n)

length: 1.3k

genre: stardew valley au !! fluff, comfort

warnings: carpenter kirishima, farmer reader, reader has a lot of prickly edges, but that's what it's abt you know, he's so nice, like sandpaper to wear down the sharp edges

a/n: this is beloved to me it's been a lil daydream of mine for a long while so I hope someone out there likes it

Spring is supposed to bring something new, you think. It's supposed to bring something bright and flourishing. But as you stand in front of the run-down farmhouse, the walls caving in and the paint chipped, not even the chirping birds of spring can bring forth the hope that they're made to sing.

"I thought it was fixed up?" you snap at the carpenter who stands next to you, towering over you enough to give you a patch of shade to stand in, a wall between you and the shimmering, golden dusk.

"It is," he replies cheerily, seemingly unfazed by the scowl on your face. "Look, the structure's solid. I know it doesn't look great, but… it's better on the inside. And I'll keep fixing it up for you. We're just getting started, you know." He bumps his hip affectionately into your side, an action that has you shooting a glare up to him. 

"How much do I owe you for the rest of it?" 

"Hm?" He blinks down at you, his head cocked to the side as his hair flutters against the breeze, strikingly red against the setting sun. "Don't worry about that for now. I'll have to take a look at the material costs, anyway. Just… get a good night's sleep, alright? Come by my workshop in the morning and we can hash out some of the details." The carpenter claps you on the back with that request, his palm warm against your rigid spine.

"Alright," you sigh. "Fine." When you move to pick up your suitcase, though, he's beaten you to it, slinging your dufflebag over his shoulder like it's nothing as he piles your luggage into his arms.

"What… are you doing?" Your voice maybe shouldn't be so suspicious - maybe shouldn't have so much bite in the face of kindness, but you find that you can't help it. You find that you always bare your teeth at the thought of something unknown.

"I'm bringing your stuff in for you. Come on - look at the size of me, look at the size of you. Let me help," he says in that warm, kind way of his, his words making you scowl and stomp your way to the front door. When you stand on the front porch and it creaks under your weight, though, you falter.

"Don't worry about that," he says easily as he follows you up onto the rickety wood. "I told you, everything's safe. Checked over everything, myself." 

You hesitate, of course, but the carpenter's boots stomp up onto the porch with a confidence that annoyingly puts you at ease, and you find yourself opening the front door for him so that he can haul your luggage into your new home.

"I know it's not much right now," he explains sheepishly as he puts down your dufflebag with a care that you're sure it doesn't deserve. "But it's a start, you know? These things take time, and -"

"Eijirou -" you interrupt him, and he straightens like a puppy hearing its name. "Thank you."

"Aw, well," he beams down at you, seemingly ignoring the way you grit your teeth through the gratitude. "That's sweet of you. Thanks."

"You can't thank me for thanking you," you huff, crossing your arms as you stare up at him in bewilderment.

"Well, I'm grateful, is all," he shrugs easily. "Now - I know it's not much yet, but you've got your bedroom through there and the kitchen's just over there. And, you know, when the time comes, it's easy to add on - god knows you got plenty of space out here for it. Oh, but just one thing…"

"What?" you ask suspiciously, narrowing your eyes at his sudden sheepish attitude.

"Don't go down to the cellar. Everything's fine down there, I swear! It's just… a bit of a mess still. I'll help you clean it up, I promise, it's just that I didn't have time to get it sorted before you got here."

You watch as Eijirou continues to ramble on, staring up at him as the light from the open door pours in, haloing him in the golden glow of dusk as he stands in the haze. It's sort of unfathomable, you think, for a near stranger to be so kind - for something unknown to feel so much like home.

"Eijirou?"

"And I'll get the kegs set back up so - yea?"

"…Why are you doing all this?" He blinks at you in bemusement at your words, looking down at you like he's not sure why you're asking such an obvious thing.

"Well, you asked me."

"I asked you to make sure the farmhouse was livable. That's what I paid you for. Why… why are you doing all this other shit?" You gesture around to the suitcase still in his grip, the new insulation that's clearly been put on the windows, the cellar door that's been blocked shut. Eijirou just beams down at you like he finally understands.

"You're my neighbour now, aren't you? We gotta look out for one another."

"Eijirou, you live on the other side of the valley."

"It's a small valley," he corrects. "It makes everyone close enough to be your neighbour around here. You'll get used to it."

"No, I… I'm really not sure I will," you say slowly, not bothering to hide the horror that flashes across your face at the thought of small-town neighbours showing up at your door at all hours of the day to help you. Eijirou just laughs like he can't get enough of you, like there's something good in you that he's found.

"It'll take some adjusting, I'm sure. But they're all good people -"

"The farm's so… separate from the rest of the town," you blurt out, pushing past his words. "I thought… I mean, I assumed -"

"That that would save you from it? No way, neighbour, there's no getting away from it," Eijirou replies cheerily. You look up at him a bit helplessly, and he laughs in that way that makes the sun shine a bit brighter outside. 

"Really, though," he continues on, a bit more sombre - a bit more sincere. "I don't mind helping you out. Back in the day, when this farm was up and running, it was a real asset to the town. It'd be nice to have that back again."

"Ah," you snap your fingers. "So that's it."

"No," he laughs, and the smile he sends your way makes something in you flutter just a bit. "It's not like that. It's just… it would be nice to see this place on its feet again. We have a good community here, and this farm was a part of it. It's missed, is all. I want to help it. I - I want to help… you." Eijirou might be blushing at his own words, might be craning his neck to look back out through the open front door and away from you, but you'd have to be ignoring the heat in your own cheeks to notice. 

"Right," you say quietly, and you find you have to clear your throat as it comes out a bit breathy. "Well… thank you. And I'll - I'll see you in the morning."

"Right!" Eijirou responds - a bit too loud, a bit too startled. "God, I'm sorry - you must be tired. I'll - I'll get out of your way. But, um… see you tomorrow."

"Yea," you offer weakly, watching as he slouches and ducks his head slightly to scamper off through the front door of your new home. "See you then… neighbour."

[ancha-aus]

RealAgeAU Drabble - Progress

I am here! And I made this drabble! @spotaus get in here! We got a new update :3

This one i had to take the time for haha Also I am fucking dying it is so hot and warm and everything is moist and i hate it and please end me i am not made for this heat. and as i am melting so his my sanity and mental health

anyway hahahah it is warm :') I dislike the heat.

First drabble Prev drabble Next drabble

And no beta or edits. I write these in one go and hope for the best lmao.

*------------------*

Dream watches as the bear walks through the stream. looking at the water and following movements Dream can't see.

The bear eventually gets to some mysterious perfect spot and stays put. it opens its mouth and waits.

For a moment. nothing happens.

Then the fish start to jump and rush and one ends right in the bear's mouth. The bear bites down and starts eating.

It is fascinating.

Nature in motion.

Dream continues to lay right there on top of the branches as he watches the bear continue hunting and eating. at ease with what it does and who it is.

His phone ringing ruins the silence and Dream curses as he grabs his phone quickly checking who is calling now. He sighs at the sight of the caller ID and answers it "Hey Core."

The child, is core still a child?, sounds frantic "Dream? Where have you been!?"

Drema hums as he leans against the tree, watching the wildlife again. Good to see the bear has dismissed the noise he made and it went about its day again "out and about. learning stuff."

core sighs "Dream... the people here need you and-"

Dream hums "No they don't. They can do their chores and tasks themselves. I told you and all of them this before." he is not going to fall into the same trap as always. cutting himself apart to please others. He needs to figure himself out first.

Core sighs loudly again "Dream... If you like it our not. You are still the guardian of positivity to them! They are nervous and you can relax them."

Dream sighs annoyed himself "No Core. I can't. Or at least, i don't want that role anymore. Correction. I never should ahve had that role. I already told you that what i did before was a mistake." he had explained this so many times already. Explained that he shouldn't have tried to stop what Nightamre had been doing.

Yet no one understood!

They kept demanding him to keep doing what he had been doing before.

It is exhausting.

Dream sighs loudly and cuts off whatever Core is saying "I am not coming back to the omega timeline. Let it rest Core and move on. That is what i am doing." and he hangs up the phone. He leans against the tree and calls the number he knows by soul.

one ring later and "Dream! How is your break going? Seen any cool things?" Blue sounds excited.

Dream smiles as he leans against the tree already feeling relaxed. Just hearing his friend and hearing him respect what dream wanted makes everything right. The need to complain disappears and he focuses on the good "Yeah it is pretty cool. I am in a large forest. Saw a bear catch a fish with its mouth." the bear moves towards the side to eat some of the fish it caught.

Blue groans "lucky!! I am stuck in another reset. Kid got stuck somewhere in hotland and my bro and I are trying to figure out a way to hel them progress quicker."

Dream chuckles "You and your brother gave up on acting as if you don't notice the save, loads and resets?"

Blue hums "Well... yeah! I know it is a large risk and a big show of trust... but my brother explained to me that knowing I was there for him? With him in the resets and that i truly understood how it felt? He said it gave him peace and hope. that he felt less alone. And that got me thinking... Maybe... maybe Chara would feel better if they knew they weren't alone? That they didn't need to figure it all out alone? Papy had been unsure but he ended up deciding to trust my opinion and decision..."

Dream hums and nods "how did that go?"

Blue is silent for a moment before answering "Well... we dropped hints first and tried to ease them into the idea... then they ended up having a panic attack and apologising over and over again. We just sat down with them and we spoke it all out. they ended up sleeping over at our place for a while and would ask us everything about how we experienced it. So... I think it helped... thanks by the way."

Dream blinks and laughs "Why thank me?"

Dream can hear the smile in Blue's voice "Because you gave me the idea of it all! You were the one to trust me and share your worries with me. and once you shared those pains you felt better. You explained how the powers and responsiblity got too much and painful... That is when i realised. If you, an actual adult and god already felt like that... how would a child feel with so much power and responsibility but no guidance?" Blue is silent for a moment before he speaks "I know we aren't... we arent suposed to mess with the past or what happened or the anomaly but... How can there be any change if we don't try? Be it for the better or worse? At least we won't be stuck in the same loop anymore."

a moment of silence and Drema speaks quietly "What if they end up deciding to use this for bad stuff? To betray that trust and beleive?" what if blue gets hurt?

Blue hums "That is their choice. My choice was to be willing to trust and help. To beleive in the better and do waht i needed to do to take a step in the right direction."

Dream stares down before chuckling "You are truly one of the few between all of us who is sane and has healthy mental health."

Blue laughs "I have struggles too Dream. everyone has! we all do waht we can to cope. talking about struggles... did something happen?"

Blue is too damn smart and knows him too damn well.

Dream sighs "Smething did but... I honestly don't want to talk about it." he chuckles and rubs his new outfit. a more neutral grey with just a few yellow accents "You already need to listen so much to my problems. I want to be there for you too!"

Blue hums unhappily "dream."

Dream sighs and folds immediantly "just... Core calling again."

an even unhappier hum "We need to get you a new cross-multiverse phone. with a new number that Core doesn't know."

Drema can't help but laugh "maybe we can go shopping later? When your loop calms down a bit?"

Blue cheers "Yes! That sounds great! Oh! Did you want to come over for dinner? Chara is going to be friends with alphys and stuff which leaves me free early!"

Dream smiles "gladly. be there in a bit!" blue replies with his own goodbye and Dream hangs up. feeling much lighter and better than before. he opens a portal and makes the multiverse jump.

--

dinner is amazing and Dream takes some time to catch up wiht both Stretch and Blue. enjoying hearing more about the updates about their universe and how tlaking with Chara has helped them all a lot!

Dream is just happy with Blue is getting closer to the happy ending he deserves. To finally be free and explore the surface world he longs for so badly. Dream is also happy that Stretch seems to be doing better mentally. Dream may not be close with Stretch like with Blue but he still likes the other skeleton! Stretch is nice and can be a true sweetheart. Stretch just has to battle depression and hopelessness at the same time.

Blue once asked Dream if he could heal that for Stretch. a desperate plea from a worried brother. Drema had tried but he couldn't. He had once again remembered that it have been the purple apples that could heal mental illnesses. and he did not have a connection to those. Dream never told Blue that and just told him that Dream could only heal the physical body. That mental health was something that needed other and special care and support of loved ones.

Etiher way. it is great to see both feeling better and happier!

They relax and enjoy their time when Dream's phone rings again.

Stretch shoots it a curious look "I thought you muted that?"

Dream groans and nods "i did." he always does. one check later and a frown "Core again."

Blue sighs and steals his phone. he answers it and speaks right away "One. It is rude to call people at dinner time. two. Learn to take no. three. Stop, you are starting to appear obsessed. solve your own problems. It isn't Dreams issue." and hangs up again before handing it back.

Dream stares dumbfounded but Stretch just chuckles "Careful Blue. YOur protective side is showing."

Blue huffs but doesn't appear embarresed at all "Well! They should learn to take no and solve their own problems instead of trying to make it Dream's issue!"

Dream rubs his cheek "I am not much better... I keep asking you for your help..."

Blue looks at him and shakes his skull "Dream that is different. You ask for help. You accept if I am busy. Core demands help and doesn't accept a no." Blue smiles "See the difference?"

Dream feels himself relax again as he happily takes another bite. He enver needed food but it is nice.

a whistle "impressive."

Drema turns quickly and stares "Reaper."

Reaper grins and waves "Hey Dream. Blue and..." he needs a moment "Stretch right?"

Stretch looks a tBlue.

Blue shrugs at his brother "aparently I, or we for that matter, don't know how to not mess with things and cause alternative worlds. it is a long story. also. Don't touch reaper. everything reaper touches dies."

Reaper nods "it is why i float. Anyway. I had a moment and figured i should check in on the whole god thing and had to tell you guys soemthing but well... dinner." he waves at the table and grins "I didn't mean to be rude but..."

Stretch shrugs as he continues eating "I don't mind. talk god stuff. I am gonna keep eating."

Blue smiles at Reaper "I agree! You can just tell us now.. want a plate?" he waves at the dinner served.

Reaper chuckles and waves it off "I don't need food."

Blue huffs "neither does Dream but it is still a nice experience!"

Dream nods as he eats another bite "very nice. also. Blue and Stretch with all the timeloops are good cooks." Blue is already getting a plate and fork ready for the other skeleton.

Reaper blinks but takes the plate thankfully and carefully. he joins in and hums happily "It is great." and continues eating.

It is nice. a little strange but nice. Dream hasn't felt this relaxed and happy in a long time.

Reaper eats antoher bite before starting to speak "Anyway. I came with a mission." he eats antoher bite.

Dream nods and knows where this is going "Is this about... my job?"

Reaper nods as he eats antoher bite "Pretty much. Got any idea on what you want to focus on as domain yet?"

Dream sighs and shakes his skull "I... I hadn't... I had... wanted to wait with picking... until i foudn Nightmare and could talk things out first." he had wanted to pick soemthing together with his twin. make sure they still matched...

Reaper blinks but grins "you dont need to worry! you two are twins after all. if one of you picks a domain the other will automatically lean towards something that matches." he shrugs "god and twin magic stuff."

Dream blinks and feels a bit better. Their magic will always match?! That is great! That is fantastic and-

No.

Dream shakes his skull "Then I really don't want to decide without him!"

Reaper looks confused "But you will match anyway?"

Dream feels himself shake "Like with positivity and negativity?! No! I am not going to pick anything that can cause that kind of mess and split again!" He isn't going to do that to nightmare again!

Wait...

What if he can pick something that is the negative of the match? That would mean Ngihtmare immediantly gets the positive side right? But it hardly ever has only one opposite! Happiness can be the opposite of both sadness and angry to just give an example!

Or people often say love and hate are opposites but then people say it is love and indifference!

There are too many options and he isn't going to do it!

Reaper frowns "Dream. You can't keep going around without somekind of purpose. You are already heavily leaning on Blue as it is."

Dream looks away embarresed while Blue just frowns "Wait how do you know that?"

Reaper raises a brow "Because you are starting to get a boon."

Blue blinks while Stretch frowns "A boon?"

Reaper nods "Yeah. Gods can give boons to mortals who helped them. The more help and support given generally the stronger the boon. Normally these are given on purpose but well... with Dream's magic slightly all over the place." he just waves in their direction.

Blue frowns "what happens if i get one of these?"

Reaper hums "it depends on the god, the boon and the person. YOu could just be kinda like a workshipper if you get a tiny one. High priest kinda deal is also possible. But... with how involved you are with helping Dream? Probably an acolyte. Very strong powers... and pretty much automatically an outcode if not you just surpass that straight to something between mortal and demigod. Acolytes are powerful blue."

Dream shoots blue an anxious look before staring at Reaper "How do i stop that?!"

Reaper shrugs "Now you know about it? And you know you could do it? It is less liekly you will accidentally do it. especially if you don't want to. Boons are suposed to be a thank you kinda deal after all."

Stretch shares a nervous look with Blue but blue pats his hand "I am okay bro." Blue looks at Dream anxious "Dream... You know I love helping you. Really! But... i don't want to be an acolyte or any boon okay? I am just happy to be able to be friends."

Dream grbas his shoulders and stares at him "Blue. I promise and swear! I will never actively give you one unless you ask me okay? And I will try my hardest and best to never accidentally give you one okay?"

He wills himself, his soul, and magic to get the message. Blue doesn't want a boon. Blue doens't want a title. Dream doesn't want to give Blue either of these. Dream does not want to force either a boon or title on blue.

Reaper puts his plate away and floats at a distance "Sorry for the whole... bad news situation. I just figured... fi you are going to keep dodging picking a domain you need to understand this possibility..." he waits a moment before his phone gives a ding. he frowns at it "Work demands me again. Give it some thought. think about your domain and keep an eye on yourself." and Reaper disappears as if he was never there.

Blue frowns at where Reaper left and gives him a reassuraning smile "Hey. If you don't want to give me one you won't give me one. I trust you to not do it on purpose. And we will just make sure I stay in my own universe more! Not tempt fate!"

Dream frowns as he rubs his arm "Maybe i just need to pick a domain... but i don't want to accidentally force nightmare into a role he doesn't want..." it wouldn't be fair.

Blue frowns but Stretch speaks up "makes sense. fuck knows i would never have willingly picked Blue to also rememebr the resets."

Blue shoots him a look but Dream looks a thim confused "But i thoguth it was helping you?"

Stretch nods "It is. it is nice to have his support and everything" he smiles a tblue sadly befor elooking down "But it is a lot. the resets are a lot. i didn't... i didn't want to force him to deal with that." he shoots blue a look "I didn't want to force you to experience the same thing that i saw as hell. I didn't want to do that to you."

Blue frowns and goes to his brother to give him a hug. Dream relaxes and smiles a bit. because Stretch understands. Stretch understands why Dream can't make this choice just yet. Blue understands as well and... and trusts him.

Dream nods to himself and focuses. He doesn't want to give blue a title or boon. He wants blue to just remain his best friend. he wants blue to get the choice. He wants blue to get his chance to pick his future. He wants Nightmare to get his chance to pick his future.

To make their own paths.

To progress and grow in the way they want.

Dream smiles at the two brothers "Thank you two. for being my friends. real friends." he doesn't have many. which makes the two all the more special. and if they want to remain exactly as they are then Dream wants them to stay the way they are. because that truly gives them the chance to be and become who they want to be. instead of being what Dream wants.

Dream just hopes this will work. Because he also wants a chance to figure out who he truly is. And who he wants to be and what he wants. a chance to change and be. a chance to try and grow as a person.

Maybe that is all he ever really wanted.

*------------------*

Meanwhile Nightmare already figured his own domain out and is working on it. Also. No one tell Dream he already picked one. it just isn't as obvious. after all... Blue did mention that Dream helped him find a way to progress and move forwards :3

First drabble Prev drabble Next drabble

[lkfarrout]

Fifty (family fic)

No ships, just Stan being a father figure

Summary: Wendy finds herself in a tough situation and has to ask Stan for money

Warnings: light angst, mature themes (16+)

"Come in!"

With a shaky hand, Wendy slowly opened the door to Stan's office. Her boss was sat at his desk, fez off, a pen and calculator in hand. His frustration at the figures in front of him permeated the room.

"Wendy?" He barely glanced up at her before returning to his work, "Its your day off, kid. What do ya need?"

"Umm..." Wendy considered saying 'nevermind' and just walking out. But she didn't really have a choice. "...fifty dollars."

Stan started to laugh until he looked up and saw the tears welling in Wendy's eyes.

He rose to his feet and she continued, talking very quickly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Pines. You can take it out of my next paycheck, but I need it today. I didn't know who else to ask."

He came around and leaned on the edge of his desk, arms crossed. "What's it for?"

She just looked at the floor and rang her hat in her hands.

He moved closer and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, "Look, kid. Whatever you did, I'm sure I did worse at your age. D'ya owe someone money?" She shook her head.

"Then what's it for?"

"You can't tell my dad."

"Okay, I won't."

Wendy continued to avoid his gaze.

"What's it for, kid?"

Wendy sighed, "...plan B."

Stan took a step back and rubbed the back of his neck. "I see."

An awkward silence filled the room.

Stan continued with a light chuckle, "It's fifty bucks these days? Sweet moses, I'm gettin' old."

Wendy didn't laugh.

"Look, it'll be alright. Head out to the car, I'll give the twins an excuse and meet you out there, okay?"

Wendy muttered a thank you and quickly left the room.

---

A rock song played inaudibly on the radio and Wendy stared out the passenger window at the trees going by.

Stan gripped the wheel, trying to think of anything to say.

He stuttered as he began, "Kid, I-- look, I aint gonna pry you for details. But if I need to go knock some sense into some knucklehead kid, I will."

"It's fine."

"It was some knucklehead kid, right? Not, y'know... an adult?" Stan cringed at his own question, but damnit, if he was gonna let some creep take advantage of a young girl like Wendy.

Wendy nodded, "Yeah, just Robbie."

"So why the hell isn't he paying for this?" He'd meant it as a joke, but quickly realized how mean it sounded.

"Look, I aint mad about paying for it, I just. He needs to learn some responsibility."

"We were responsible. It just, broke. And neither of us had the money. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I'm... glad you told me."

Stan pulled the car into a parking spot.

"Stay here."

"It's okay, I can get it."

Stan insisted, "No, someone will recognize ya. I don't want you in any trouble."

He cracked the windows and shut the door with a click. Several minutes later, he returned and handed her a bag. "Hope that's the right stuff."

Wendy dug through it, surprised to find a bottle of water, a comic book, and a bar of chocolate in addition to the small cardboard box she expected.

She looked at Stan, who shrugged. "Figured you might need a little pick-me-up."

"Thanks, Mr. Pines. I'll work an extra day, or--"

He cut her off and waved his hand in the air, "Ah forget that, consider it free. It was... less expensive than I thought anyway." He looked away suspiciously before glancing back at her.

She punched him lightly in the arm, "You stole it?"

"No!" Stan protested, "I paid..."

She raised her eyebrows at him and he finished, "...for the water."

Stan laughed and Wendy smiled for the first time that morning. But her smile quickly dissipated with his next question.

"So, should I take you home?"

The look on her face was the only answer he needed. "Alright, you can hang at the shack today. But you'll have to put on a happy face for Dip and Mabel."

Wendy sighed, relieved, "Yeah, I will."

"I told the kids I was picking up lunch. How's pizza sound?"

---

They entered through the giftshop. Stan held the door open for Wendy with one hand, a pizza box in the other.

"Hey, uh, make sure you read that box real close and if you start to feel sick at all, let me know, okay?"

"I will, thanks." Wendy stayed behind like they'd discussed, and he continued toward the main part of the house before pausing.

"Oh, and use the phone in here to call Robbie. He should know that you got things worked out."

Wendy nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Guess who got pizza!"

The twins exclaimed happily and started to dig in.

Through a mouthful, Stan casually spoke. "Oh hey, save some for Wendy, I saw her walkin' over just a minute ago."

[jacethebeltsculptor]

Outer Wilds Expedition Log #4 #2

Alright, with the secrets of Giant's Deep laid bare and the Tower of Quantum Secrets dumped unceremoniously into a black hole, it's time to move on to Space Mexico and Space Saudi for some answers about Quantum Fuckery and the Nomai's overblown science project. I started this loop by blasting off to Ember Twin at mach speed, overshot it, and crashed into the sun again. Needed that- keeps me humble. After taking a much more demure and restrained route, I started by parking outside of Chert's camp and jumping off a cliff to see if I could get to the bottom of the lakebed cave in time. Turns out, I totally could, but I knew I was going to have a bad time once Cacti started teleporting around. I learned quick not to stand anywhere cacti-shaped, lest I put together an impromptu suffocating Sonic cosplay. Fortunately, I made it to the cave without getting crushed, and with literally just enough air to make it to the tree. Once I read the Nomai text, about how what's-his-dead disappeared when his flashlight died, it made the lightswitch on the quantum moon make a lot more sense- you'll teleport *with* a Quantum Object if you can't see it. That also explains how you're supposed to get out of this cave, since the passage was full of sand and I was expecting to have to meditate to death. Once I was free from Bummer Death Cave, tried to race to the Sunless City to see if I could make it to the High Energy Lab, but that was already buried, so I took off to Ash Twin to see if I could see anything cool from the towers. I learned, at some point, that the towers were designed to evoke the places they linked to, so my immediate instinct was to find the one linked to the sun station, since that's probably what's been blowing up our sun. Hopefully there's a big button labelled "off" that we can push. Although, God, I hope that doesn't turn the sun off... Unfortunately, the path to the teleporter was blocked by about twelve trillion cacti, and despite a valiant effort to float like a butterfly, I instead got stung like a bee and got gangbanged to death by needles. Still mulling over how to not get gangbanged to death by needles, I hit up the Sunless City to try and finally hit the High-Energy lab, which went pretty smoothly. This is around when I learned that my scout is actually a portable light source, since I hadn't really been using it until then. Maybe I shouldn't be giving flashlight guy quite so much shit. The actual trip wasn't too bad- I'm familiar enough with the invisible death farts now to fire off a scout whenever I see a branching path- but the High Energy Lab had some goddamn INTERESTING lore going on. So, it turns out that, with black hole and the teleporters, you actually exit slightly before you enter, which is how they've been sending stuff back in time. I also made a few attempts to pull the black hole core before the scout actually entered it, but the timing didn't seem to work, so I guess I'm not allowed to fuck around and find out with the fabric of reality out here in SPACE NORTH KOREA. God. After watching Ember Twin's descent into a woke fascist hand-holding Big Brother state, I decided to fuck off into the wilderness and become a Bramble Man. My first effort went decently well- I'd found the skeletons on Ember Twin, so when I saw a shitton of lights and fog, I knew what was up. I noticed that one of the lights was red instead of white, so I decided to start there. Turns out- bad idea! That was their nest. I knew these fuckers were blind, so I just cut the engines and drifted until I found a hole to exit from, which led me to the remains of the Nomai vessel. I was only able to get into like, two hallways and the control room, but I did find something neat- an interface for coordinates in the same style as the ones on Giant's Deep, and a broken warp core. Now, I know there were Warp Cores in the HEL and they were making them in the Black Hole Forge on Brittle Hollow- which I found forever ago and don't remember the path- so if my plan is to fix this ship, I'll hit up them up again soon.

[amber-laughs]

i’m halfway through sotr and i’m enjoying it! i love the idea that many different tributes tried to change things before katniss and that she only managed to do it (initially) by dumb luck and then due to being manipulated by the adults around her (and those adults being people that failed to do it before and paid a price so high they have nothing to lose so they spent years developing plans and waiting for a chance to make it happen)! i agree that a lot o stuff feels a little too heavy handed (haymitch and her dad being bffs, haymitch feeling compelled to protect every little kid who comes his way and especially louella and lou lou AND lou lou being from 11) but i don’t know man, i don’t think this was a cash grab, i’m having a good time, the themes are being slowly explored, the connection between characters that seem to have formed relationships in the original trilogy are happening….maybe the latter half of the book will suck, but for now i don’t see anything that bad. do you really think the book is that bad?

i did enjoy parts of it, for example the beetee stuff was so fun (obviously it was heartbreaking but you get what i mean) but for what it’s worth i can also acknowledge i’m not the target audience for this book! i completely agree with you that i really liked knowing that the 3rd Quarter Quell wasn’t the first time people tried rebelling against the games but i personally disagree with you about the second half of your sentence that it was just “dumb luck” bc now it doesn’t feel like that, it feels like she was divinely chosen by her bloodline as some sort of karmic covey punishment for Snow and, again personally, i HATE the trope of everybody knowing each other and having a connection so i really disliked Burdock Everdeen being Haymitch’s best friend but like i said i’m obviously not the target audience for this book because it was something 90% of the fans really wanted. was it a cash grab? i wouldn’t say that bc i don’t think she did it for the money. i think she genuinely wanted to tell the full story of how the rebellion started in district 12 but i think in doing so she took away what made the books special to me, that Katniss just wound up being the right person at the right time. she wasn’t special, she wasn’t the chosen one, she was just there and it was just the right time. but for what it’s worth teo of my closest friends absolutely love the book and like i said there were parts of it i did enjoy like i don’t think people are stupid or silly for liking it, just not what i was hoping for.

and like on a more nitpicky level a lot of it felt like suzanne making caricatures of her own work. the capitol fashion seemed much less an ostentatious show of wealth and much more silly in the effort to just have what has become “stereotypical hunger games fashion” like Effie wearing 4 hats at once? Also when Haymitch gets off the train in the Capitol he sees posters for the Games that say something like “no peace, no prosperity” and realizes that the Capitol citizens need convincing too. so why didn’t we see that? yes we have Plutarch but he doesn’t seem to be the average, yes we have Effie but she doesn’t seem to need convincing at all in any of the 4 books she appears in. the Capitolites seem to be much crueler and one dimensional than we’ve ever seen them even tho we’ve just gotten confirmation that even 40 years since the last book they’re still not entirely on board with the games, i would’ve liked to have seen that in the average citizen i think it would’ve made the world feel more grounded in reality like the original trilogy did when we got to see the humanity in Katniss’ prep team, Portia, Effie, Cinna, Cressida, and Castor. and while i loved Silka’s breakdown by the tree Panache from District 1 read like a one dimensional cartoon disney villain that i never felt in Cato or Marvel. he was 300 pounds. 300 pounds? isn’t the entire point of this series that the districts aren’t given enough food? like what the hell was that? and i know people “oh Career district” but District 4 is a career district but they’re one of the first to rebel so they obviously are experiencing some major hardships too. oh and “Careers” were something that Katniss specifically said they’re called in District 12 so unless i’m forgetting something i don’t know why that’s suddenly the universal term for them throughout all of Panem but like i said!! there were somethings in the book i enjoyed but the things i disliked really felt to me like they brought the original story and the worldbuilding down as a whole but i really really wanna be clear: i don’t think there’s anything wrong with liking the book. you should like the book! it’s there to be liked and entertained by i think i’m just a natural born hater lmao i’m really genuinely glad you’re enjoying it and i’m not trying to spoil the fun for anyone which is why i didn’t tag my posts bc i didn’t want to ruin the moment for everybody lol

[ichilemonwritruoo]

Ever Crisis Academy in a Bad Nutshell Part 2

On your way home from school you bump into Tifa. Tifa is very worried Cloud hasn't shown up for two days. She says Cloud was always kind and quiet but that he changed a while back. Turns out some gang jumped them by the river side oh nooo and Cloudy wasn't strong enough to fight them off but then Zack came and sent everyone packing. Tifa was grateful but Cloud was gratefully filled with spite now wanting to become better than Zack-Senpai and prove he's strong too so he began obsessed with becoming brawler first class. Tifa wants Cloud to let it go and she thinks maybe you can hel convince him. She then goes home to the bakery and lo and behold Mr.Cloud himself pops out from behind the tree asking if she's gone. Yes he had been hiding from her. Blonde apologizes for skipping school for two days but says he's finally made up his mind about what he needs to do (aka fight Zack senpai lol). Ms Big Bad Aerith comes up to, she here admiring the flowers in the park now that Mr.Zack has outted her. She says she still needs to beat Cloud for stepping on her plants and that they will fight tomorrow. Cloud agrees but is secretly shaking in his boots LOL. The next day comes and viola Zack is skipping class once more. Tifa hears commotion on the roof and everyone heads up to see Aerith and Cloud preparing to fight. However Zack intervenes once more realizing the bigger problem is him. Aerith may be second class but he's the first class. Cloud says if he beats Aerith he gets to challenge Zack officially.

Cloud wins of course *trumpet sounds* and is ready to take on Zack. Tifa is begging him to stop and for you or Barret to intervene but Cloud finally drops the truth about what happened to him and Tifa and why he needs to beat Zack-Senpai. Tifa assures him he's still strong in her eyes and asks them not to fight but Zack agrees and they agree to meet at the same lakeside. Tifa begs Mr.B to intervene but Barret is like "nah sweetie...this is man stuff. they gotta do this we can't break the bro code". Did I mention Tifa really does NOT want Cloud to fight? Aerith tells her instead of trying to stop him to just support him especially since he's trying to prove himself. Tifa finally agrees.

Boom that evening it's time for the showdown. Barret shows up to referee but "WAIT YOU HAVE TO FIGHT ME FIRST JOIN THE BASEBALL TEAM". Barret loses of course haha but he shocks everyone saying he was the OG brawler back in his day (whhhhaaat). Cloud and Zack duke it out with poorly timed effects and *insert victory fanfare* Cloud collapses first and Zack right after. They were basically what and what but Zack came out on top. Cloud admits defeat but promises to surpass Zack-Senpai one day. Barret this time tells him to put that good swing to use and join the baseball team like he used to be. Zack jumps on the idea because he's tired of fighting for no reason and that's how he got held back just spending his days fighting so he wants something new up his sleeve. This sparks Cloud wanting to become first class BATTER and claim the title before Zack does. They both join the team. And to no one's surprise the girls join too and Aerith's rookies all agreeing they can have something to bring to the team. Barret cries tears of joy. Seventh High officially has a Baseball Team again. Cue meeting up for practice and Zack is like "so kid how do I swing a bat and get a good hit?" and Cloud is like "I dunno I just do" great advice!

Oh it's also your last day there as you were just training/interning so you will be leaving and everyone is going to miss you. BTW Aerith is cool with you now cause you apologized for stepping on her secret flowers. You say bye to everyone and Barret asks you to deliver a letter to Shinra High.

Guess who used to go to Shinra High? Haha YOU. You were friends with Glenn too. You deliver the letter. He's shocked to see you but also holy heck an official baseball challenge he's through the roof. Miniroth is there talking to Matt about cryptocurrency and geography what a nerrrdd. Angeal slides in between them to join the conversation even though he's mostly focused on farming. Lucia is kind of just there LOL she does comment how are they going to accept the challenge without a baseball team. Glenn says they all are officially on the team. Matt and Lucia protest. Angeal says it might be fun and that Seph is perfect at everything he does. Sephiroth shockingly goes along knowing Mr.Glenn is not going to take no for an answer. So now you leave and now they are going learn how to play baseball since apparently the team is barely there anymore.

There's this cool ending card and THE END ⚾

[lindentree]

Thinking about the helscape not having a sky. It's like the nether, so the closest they have is the cavernous netherrack ceilings. The only weather they have is ashy smog and the occasional rain in warped forests if you're lucky. All anyone knows about the sky is rumors passed down from the few people who have made it out and back again.

Imagine getting out. You'd heard of the sky, of course. Everyone had. You knew it was blue in the day, and black with white specks at night. You knew about the sun and the moon, about clouds and weather and storms.

What you see still completely stuns you.

You've seen blue before, in warped trees and the occasional lapis vein. This is completely different. It's so many different shades of blue at once, and so vast it goes on forever. Clouds float lazily across, fluffy white and welcoming. The sun is bright and warm, and you have to stop yourself from staring at it. It's all so vibrant you can hardly believe it's real.

Oh, and sunsets! The sky is pained with every color at once! Red to orange to yellow, a thin line of green, then blue to purple to black. The colors stretch for miles, and if you didn't know better, you would've thought it was one of those rainbows you had heard about. And as the sun sinks deeper, pinks and golds dance across the clouds and cast shadows above them. You stare and watch for hours, until the sky is completely dark.

The description of the night sky was the most lacking, you think. The stars - white dots was no where near a good enough comparison - dash all across the sky. If you look close enough, some are even different colors. Some make pictures, you remember vaguely. You don't know which ones. You make up your own, and it's endlessly fun. Where stars cluster closer, the sky turns different colors. Indigos and purples and navy blues. You wonder how such colors can even be made. It seems magical.

And as you sit and stare, you know that none of this was meant for you. This sky belongs to a loving universe, and to the people that it loves. You do not belong here. Your home is a hateful universe, where pain and death are ever looming. Where the closest thing you have to a sky is the far away ceiling and the closest thing to clouds are the ghasts that float by.

This sky will never be for you.

[ajay-loner]

tilek ajay-loners strangetown lore drop

@catadillo had inspired me to share what exactly has been happening in my strangetown, whos with who etc

this is how it looks right now, uh. im not into hood decorating much tbh :sob: i aplaud anyone who does that you astound me/pos. i also have mesa flats

i think all can be said about strangetown just by looking at the fucking Curious family tree.

chloe currently lives in a trailer park apartment lot thingy. she got pregnant from a random ass repairman npc and birth'd a little girl named Mary. but Mary is like the younger one, she was after Chloe gave birth to the twins named Cody and Colin. why'd i not tell you about them before mary you ask well because as you can see THE FATHER IS GUY FUCKING WRIGHTLEY. RIGHT AFTER COLLEGE. I DONT KNOW HOW THAT HAPPENED AND WHEN DID THEY WOOHOO BUT. ITS THERE??????? Also guy cheated on frances worthington rip that guy

she gave her kids to lola and kristen's care, who are both now Loste.

Lola and Kristen and the kids live a good lyf. Lola is a lawyer and Kristen is a doctor becayse for the life of me i cant get the sports career while job searching aqnd shes like level 8 by now.

Pascal gave birth to Tycho, who has no PT on his family tree idk why man. i suspect its because i have pt replacements. anyway pasnerv real and pascal then gave birth to Catharina. Catharina looks like pascal with nerv's colors. Then not a long time later they adopted Cadence. she's a sweet girl.

vidcund married erin and they had three kids - violet, aster and the third one i forgor his name :skull:. then they fucking DIVORCED and violet lives with vidcund and erin and the boys moved to mesa flats

lazlo married ajay and they went to a lot of vacations because lazlo kept getting correct chance cards and got promoted/bonuses like everyday until he got to lvl 9. they adopted a lil boy at the end of the last round and named him Galileo

smiths are very stable. jenny birthed 2 more kids named Jane and James.....................................................................yeah

now onto the insanity that are the beakers YES CIRCE DIED i will explain

so i got loki a counterfeiting machine and placed in nervous' old bedroom basement thing. he went too hard and it created a fire. circe, in a dumbass moment, went down the stairs right into the fire. their first son Moros was there too. they both died in that fire no matter how hard i tried man. their daughter Nyx was just a toddler, loki was also alien pregnant and fenrir the servo just got created. this was INSANE

then after some time fenrir started to flirt with loki helpppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp anyway i married them and made loki pregananant again to produce Atom and Ceres onto the world

the alien kid is named Hel btw shes like the only nice kid out of her siblings. nyx is circe 2.0 and im planning for her to be a cult leader just so i could get her to resurrect circe like that's her lifetime achievement

grrruunntttssss

crystal and buzz fell in love with each other while i was playing with others on community lot so

i got them together, crystal birthed twins named Opal and Rock then i killed buzz lol

rock is like. buzz 2.0

opal is really quiet and evil

tank is together with blair mace the teen townie, who i have lots of hcs for and stuff but im not gonna get into that rn

ripp lives in an apartment lot and is kinda vibing rn

becca is still in college togethre with Jill

these r like the rest of them that are in strangetown. theres more in mesa flats. maybe continued in part two.

[kittyt-hexxed]

Book Two of Hexed - The Fury of Zaun (Vi × POC!Reader) - Ch.21

Next Upload Date: December 29th

Act 2: Chapter Twenty-One - Piltover Gets Jinxed!

Warnings: Bombing, Animals set free, Collapsed building, Vi and Jinx meet for the first time, sister bonding, Jinx’s Birthday

Summary: It’s Jinx’s birthday and she’s celebrating in a way that lets Piltover know that she’s still there. Vi gets to see her sister again, and they have a moment.

The Rapids and the Grotto were buzzing with activity before the sun even rose. Both places were decorated for Jinx’s birthday and people were chatting excitedly. Preparations for the main event are in the process of being completed, with last-minute adjustments being made. Jinx was practically vibrating with excitement and bouncing up and down the place. One moment she was here and the next she was across the way talking off Ekko’s ear. This was her first birthday party in years. Not only is she spending it with people, but she gets to cause trouble in the process. The only person missing was Vi.

You sat perched in the tree, watching as everyone worked together to make the day possible. While it was Jinx’s birthday, it was also the first official move you’d be making towards the war. Jinx had wanted to do something fun so you came up with it. The party involved a couple of fun gadgets, fireworks, a bomb or two, and a target. You’d be using some stolen cameras to broadcast the event to the people of Zaun. Everything had been secured the week before and the hidden viewing rooms were all hooked up to the network. Piltover’s technological genius just so happened to be a Zaunite.

Jinx’s door opened and the blue-haired maniac came staggering out with a big device in her arms. Ekko emerged behind her with a duplicate of it in his arms. They were big rockets that would be launched from atop the Councilor’s Building. True to her theme, they were decorated like sharks with wide grins on their faces. While you were supplying Jinx with the means to cause a ruckus, you didn’t know how she was going to do it. And, you were excited about it. This was part of your plans where you weren’t obsessing over every detail. You get to sit back and watch it all happen.

Jinx notices you in the tree and waves you over. You stand up and jump off the branch, dropping down onto your hoverboard, and make your way to her. She has a huge grin on her face, not too unlike the ones she drew on the rockets.

“I’m officially nineteen today!” Jinx says, hopping in place.

“You are!” You throw an arm over her shoulders, “You’re getting to be old.”

“At least I’m not a grandma yet, like Sevika.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that.” Ekko chuckles, “She’ll turn you into one.” That makes the two of you flinch. You remember the screaming from the last person who cracked a joke like that.

“Right. Right.” Jinx nods slowly. The three of you walk to the main building and a large group of people greets you. They welcome you warmly as they finish connecting the big screen. You grin as it shows you and Jinx standing there.

“Finishing touches are almost done!” Someone in the back shouted, “Going live in ten seconds!”

That kicks up a frenzy in the room and Ekko ducks away to give someone the rocket in his hands. You and Jinx are guided to an empty area with cameras pointing at it. You eye the cameras a little apprehensive. They screamed “Made in Zaun” by the way they looked. You’ve only seen others in front of them. Being in front of them made you feel very out of place. This wasn’t technology Zaun possessed. This was exclusive to Piltover. To be around this stuff was a reminder that Zaun was finally making progress.

“Go ahead and speak, my Lady.” Lizette gives you a thumbs up. You nod at her and face the camera.

“Good morning, Zaun. Today we’re celebrating Jinx’s birthday in the only way it should be done for a demo specialist.” You smirk, feeling excited about what’s to come, “We’re blowing shit up. You got any words before we let you loose, Jinxy?”

“Helloooo, Zaun!” Jinx tosses the rocket to the left and someone frantically catches it, “I’ll be taking you all around Topside, so keep an eye on those screens!” She winks, “I hope you’re ready for Piltover’s Treasury to go BOOM!” She mimics an explosion with her hands and starts laughing. The grin on her face could only be described as deranged as everyone screamed their agreement in excitement. You and Ekko share a look before you turn your attention back to Jinx. It’s going to be a fun day.

~

Jinx could feel the wind blowing her braids around. She is standing atop the Councilor’s Building and looking out over Piltover. It gave her the best view of the city and she was thankful for the custom hoverboard Ekko had surprised her with so she didn’t have to scale the damn thing. She would have done it, but that didn’t mean she’d enjoy it.

Her target is to her left. It is one of the few notable buildings in the city. The Treasury. She didn’t even want to think about how much money there was made on the back of her city. The people in the mines who lost their lives trying to put food on their tables. The gangsters resorted to more dangerous jobs that would guarantee them a stay in the Hold. Even the Chem-Barons stopped being a point of stability and turned into corrupt bosses scraping for money themselves. And, Vi.

Jinx’s grip on her rocket launcher tightened. Thrown into Stillwater and taken from her before they could even be a family. Who is now forced to side with the people who took their parents from them. She grits her teeth but takes a deep breath to calm herself down. She takes a moment to collect herself, thinking about all of the fun things she’s about to do. Piltover is going to become her playground for the day.

“You look like you’re thinking too much.” Ekko’s voice sounds in her ear.

“Just thinking about the best way to do this.” She responds, her eyes scanning the city below her. “I don’t want to go to the Treasury immediately. I need a distraction.”

“You’ve always wanted to see the zoo, right? You should stop by.”

“Perfect idea!” Jinx grins, running and leaping off of the roof. Her feet hit the hoverboard and she can feel it humming as she travels. She drops down enough so people outside won’t be able to see her. The zoo would be closed by now. They tucked all of the animals away before the snowfall got too heavy. Since it snowed yesterday, the gates were locked and no one was inside.

That made Jinx feel excited as she dropped to the ground. She has the whole place to herself! ‘Since the people of Zaun are watching, I should make this fun for them, too!’ She thinks. She ran around the zoo as if she was a tourist. Reading the plaques they had placed by all the animals' enclosures and sneaking inside of them to get a peek. Her favorite had to be the rhino and she made a mental note to go back to it.

“Now that we’ve taken a tour, it’s time to decorate the place!” Jinx whips out her spray cans and crayons. She cackles as she graffitis the place, making little doodles everywhere without worrying about any Enforcers showing up. Once she was done with the building, she turned her attention to the animals.

“You know… I think they deserve a chance to roam free, don’t you?” Jinx tilts her head in the direction she knew the hidden camera was with a dark grin.

~

Vi let out a long exhale, watching her breath turn into mist in front of her. She had a love and hate for the winter months. Both she and her sister were born around this time. And, it was her mother’s favorite time of the year. They would leave the fissure to make snowmen until their fingers got so cold they struggled to move them. She could remember the first time she hit Powder with a snowball. Her little cheeks turned pink as she gave Vi a look of excitement. It was a lot of fun until they both fell sick. Yet, their mother continued to do it with them every year.

“You look sad.” Kevin says, his footfall pattern giving him away before he even spoke.

“How perceptive of you.” Vi says without looking at him.

“Oh, come on, Vi. You’re as cold as the weather!” Kevin groans, leaning against the railing next to her. “Warm up a bit, huh?”

“Why don’t you have a smoke?” Gina approaches and holds out the pack. She was alright for an Enforcer. She took the job because it was the only one that allowed her to spend most of her day at home with her kids. She usually takes the night shifts but switched over since her husband lost his job. “That usually warms me up on days like this.”

“I don’t smoke.” Vi shakes her head. That was a lie. She smoked her share of cigarettes when she was younger. She wasn’t a fan of them. She preferred the herb that Sevika had snuck her. It was a purple color and tasted like a smoked fruit. She had begged Sevika to smuggle her in a pack in return for a favor. It was a birthday present for when she turned fifteen. Sevika declined but made her swear to never tell Vander about it. She had a craving for them every once in a while for how relaxed they made her feel.

“You’re better than me.” Gina lights up one, “It’s a habit I picked up from University. Ten years later and I can’t crack it.”

“Don’t talk about classes,” Kevin sighs, “I’ve got a paper due in two days, so I’ll be working on that when I go home.”

“And, you, Vi?”

“What about me?”

“What are you going to do when you go home? I’ve got kids to watch over. Kevin’s got a paper. What about you?”

“It’s my little sister’s birthday.” Vi rubs the tattoo on her wrist, “I’m going to head down and find her so I can give her the gift I got her.”

“You have a sister?!” Kevin gasps, yelping in pain as Gina cuffs him over the head.

“Yeah. I just… don’t talk about her much.” Vi shrugs, “We haven’t talked in a while.”

“THE ANIMALS FROM THE ZOO ESCAPED! I REPEAT - THE ANIMALS FROM THE ZOO HAVE ESCAPED AND ARE FREE IN THE CITY!” Caitlyn’s voice shouts over the comms, “I NEED ALL UNITS WORKING ON CONTAINMENT NOW!”

“What? How’s that even possible?!” Gina furrows her brow.

“It’s not.” Vi says, watching a spray-painted rhino run past them. It was covered in the doodles she knew very well. “Someone released them.”

“SHERIFF IT’S JINX! SHE’S PAINTED ALL OVER THE ZOO WALLS!” Someone shouts on comms with the sound of a small explosion in the background, confirming Vi’s suspicions. But, it made her heart ache. She had planned on taking Powder to the zoo for her birthday before she got taken. It was the one thing she wanted to do for years. Weirdly, she was relieved she had a chance to see the animals even if she released them.

“FOCUS ON CONTAINMENT! WE’LL WORRY ABOUT HER ONCE THE PEOPLE ARE SAFE!” Comes Caitlyn’s response. Vi knew she wouldn’t be focusing on that at all. She was more concerned about her little sister running around Piltover unsupervised. Her releasing the

“You heard the Sheriff.” Gina starts walking towards the rhino, “Let’s get these animals back home.”

“Have fun with that!” Vi says before whirling around and sprinting away. The animals were the least of her worries. She knew the Enforcers would get them back in their pens in time. Her focus should be on her sister. If there was anything that Vi taught her as a kid, was that a distraction should last longer than needed. The amount of time that it would take for the Enforcers to wrangle those animals gives her sister more than enough space to do something. The real question is what is she trying to do?

Vi makes her way to a building she knows has walls that are easy to climb. She needed to get above the streets fast. Her fingers dig into the wall and she scales the side, using her foot to hook the roof and pull herself up. She takes a moment to scan the area, locating where the zoo is, and finds blue indicators filling the air. Caitlyn thought it was a good idea to have smoke signals so Enforcers could find each other when running through the streets.

“Wait.” Vi blinked, turning back to one of the smoke signals. It was a lighter shade of blue than the ones the Enforcers use. Close enough that at a glance you wouldn’t be able to tell, but with so many up, Vi had a comparison.

“Vi, come in.” Caitlyn’s voice comes through their private channel, “...Vi?!” With a huff, she takes her radio off and tosses it down. She took off running, staying above the buildings so she didn’t lose sight of smoke. She knew her sister loved playing games, so this had to be one of them! Releasing the animals would be a distraction but she’d have fun watching them get chased around. They used to do that with some of the creatures in the Undercity. Mylo had managed to get himself chased by an angry poro. They had laughed themselves silly to the point Powder fell off the crate she had been sitting on. Ekko picked it up and scratched it to calm it down. Mylo refused to join them on their adventures for a few weeks after that. Vi’s lips twitched at the memory.

She stopped at the building above the dissolving smoke and looked down. The street was covered in doodles with arrows pointing in one direction along with the words “come find me!” She couldn’t help but be impressed. Her sister must be moving quickly through the streets to be able to release the animals blocks away and still have time to do this. The Enforcers would have found this before the animals were released, so it had to be done after. ‘Alright sis, i’ll bite.’ Vi thinks, grinning as she drops down onto the street.

Vi followed the direction the arrows were leading her which was interestingly toward the center of the city. The next set of arrows was not as obvious as the first few sets. They progressively got more and more hard to spot, at least, for a Piltie. Vi knew where to look. How to spot the design on the windows, in the bricks, and even on a store sign. It made Vi’s eyes sting, being able to see how much her sister really did grow up. She was exactly what Vi had known she’d become. Well, not the murder part, but everything else… Vi came to a stop at the city square and looked around. Something glimmering caught her attention on the white marble of the water fountain. Her brow furrowed as she walked closer and some words slowly came into focus. ‘Look… up?’ Vi’s gaze went up and she saw the Treasury building standing in front of her. Clear as a cloudless day, scrawled on the building was Jinx’s signature monkey.

A loud sound had Vi turning her head to the right where the Councilor’s Building was. Her eyes widened as a group of rockets streaked across the sky leaving colorful smoke in their wake. She didn’t have to squint to see the unsettling shark-like grins decorating them. Vi couldn’t do anything but watch as they headed for the Treasury. A gasp left her lips as they struck, the loud sound of the explosion filling the air and making the citizens scream in a panic. She covered her face as the wind blew toward her and looked to see debris on the ground. The citizens ran past her, some knocking into her in their haste to get away from the area. She stood firm on her feet as they did, not moving an inch from her position.

Vi felt like she couldn’t breathe. Like someone was squeezing her throat and trying to suffocate her. Her little sister did this. She was dizzy with her thoughts. She felt proud. So proud that she wanted to laugh and embrace Powder in a hug so tight it’d leave bruises. At the same time, she knew she was mourning her. Mourning the little girl her sister had been before their family was torn apart. This wasn’t Jinx’s doing. This was Powder. Her little sister who tried to craft her own bombs and wanted to help fight if the Undercity went to war. A war that… seemed all the more likely.

“Enforcer!” Someone ran up to her, “Please! There are people trapped inside the building! Please, you have to help!” They started tugging on her arm and it snapped Vi out of her staring.

“Don’t worry,” Vi shook them off, “I’m on it!” She ran for the building. Thankfully, only the top of the building was destroyed. She charged up the gauntlets, feeling them vibrate against her arms as they began to hum. She brought her arm up and lunged forward, slamming her fist into the rubble in front of the door. The concrete crumbled to pieces and Vi staggered forward with the momentum. She caught herself before she could fall and inspected the room. Not only were people stuck in the building, but some of them were stuck under the rubble. Vi took the initiative and got to lifting the beams off of the people. She was the only one who could do so without a group of people. The gauntlets helped a lot, but she wished to take them off and do it on her own. She missed the feeling of her muscles straining, feeling them contract and stretch as she lifted something she shouldn’t be able to. But, she couldn’t. Not in Piltover.

“Hey, Enforcer!” Powder’s voice echoes in the lobby, making Vi’s head jerk up while she’s lifting a part of the upper floor. Standing on top of the teller’s desk, her braids blowing in the breeze and her revolver in hand was Powder. She was dressed differently than the last time she saw her. Her pants were mismatched with one leg being drastically short and the other down to her ankles. There was even a proper holster for her weapons. She looked like a real fighter now.

“Do you know if this is needed?!” Powder - no, Jinx - holds up a bag showing off all the money she had inside of it. She had to separate this young woman from her sister or she wouldn’t be into the fight at all.

“If you put it back, that’ll be one less charge against you!” Vi let go of the wall and it fell to the ground with a crash. “I’m gonna have to book you for blowing up the Treasury, though!”

“If you can catch me!” Jinx cackles, pointing her gun at Vi. That makes Vi’s eyebrows jump up. ‘Is she going to shoot me?!’ Jinx fires and Vi dodges out of the way. There’s a ping and hiss shortly followed by smoke covering Vi’s vision, but that doesn’t stop her. She kicks off of a column next to her, catching sight of Jinx running up the stairs, and makes her way after her. Vi didn’t really know what her plan was. She couldn’t let her sister get away, but she also couldn’t catch her. If anyone saw her let her sister get away, that would cause trouble for her up here. Too many questions and not enough answers.

So, Vi chased her through the building, dodging the smokescreen bullets and keeping pace. She knew her sister was an amazing shot, but Vi was too good at fighting. Powder wasn’t the first person with a gun that she’d fought before. Vi had even given Caitlyn a hard time during one of their routine practices. The Enforcers that watched them didn’t stop talking about it for weeks. Someone had told Vi they were relieved she was helping them out and not against them.

“Why don’t we take this outside?!” Jinx shouts, running straight for a window. She slipped through and closed it behind her and Vi couldn’t help the grin on her face. She didn’t slow her momentum at all, bringing her arms up to cover her face as she crashed through the window. It shattered, raining glass down below as she landed on the roof of the building next to her and pitched into a roll. Jinx laughed as she saw Vi, continuing to run and fire bullets that seemed to be endless.

���You can’t run forever!” Vi yelled to her.

“Then let’s make a deal!” Jinx came to a halt on the roof across from Vi, “If you catch me, I’ll let you everything you want to know! If you can’t catch me, we can do this again another day!”

“As if I’d make a deal with you!” Vi uses the power from the gauntlets to launch herself faster than Jinx could process. Jinx yelps and narrowly dodges Vi’s punch, causing her to hit the roof instead. Part of the roof crumbles inward, but Vi’s too focused to care. She takes advantage of Jinx’s hesitation and continues to attack her. Her sister narrowly dodges each punch, courtesy of Vi slowing her fists down before she hits her. It makes Vi laugh, earning her a surprised look from Jinx. She was enjoying herself.

“What happened to being a slug monster?” Vi teased her. Jinx froze for a moment before she started laughing as well.

“You’ll have to catch me first, crab!” The grin she gave Vi was thrilling.

Vi didn’t know what had gotten into her. She chased Jinx all over the city, destroying things in her fake fight as she tried to give her sister a chance. She ended up getting a few solid punches on her that made Vi wince, but Jinx seemed to love it. It wasn’t until Caitlyn had found them that Jinx decided to pull out her hidden advantage. Vi had to jump off the roof when her sister fired a firework at her! Jinx had gotten away and Caitlyn had dragged Vi into an alley to scold her.

She had half-listened. Her adrenaline from the fight kept her in good spirits and she was still thinking about it. Caitlyn got so frustrated that she dismissed Vi for the rest of the day. She didn’t even bother to complain and made her way back to the mansion in high spirits. After all, she had to get changed and grab her sister’s gifts before heading into the Undercity. Being dismissed early gave her more than enough time to do that.

Vi had glanced into the mirror before getting in the shower. The colored powder from the bullets had turned her hair the same shade of purple that their mother had. It made her heart ache, but she didn’t dwell on those thoughts. A hot shower got the dust and colored powder out of her hair and helped to relax her muscles. It was nice to be able to shower with hot water versus the cold water in the Undercity. But, thinking about that only made her sad. Especially now that the isthmus was in the winter months. It normally didn’t start snowing until November, but they believe that Jinx blowing up the Councilor’s Building with a hextech rocket might have had something to do with it.

“Ms.Vi?” A knock sounds at the door making Vi hurry up and put on her shirt. She makes her way to the door and opens it to reveal the head maid.

“Hello, Mary.” Vi greets the maid. Mary gives Vi a kind smile. She always snuck Vi extra cookies with her dinner and turned a blind eye when she passed her in the halls after curfew.

“You have a visitor waiting for you in the receiving room.” Mary takes a step back, “Tobias asked me to bring you over.” Vi blinks and glances down at herself. Leather pants and a white t-shirt. ‘That’ll have to do for whatever big wig it is.’ She shrugs.

“Lead the way.” Vi nods. Mary guides her through the mansion to a room near the front door. It wasn’t a room she’d been in before since no one had visited for her specifically. She had seen the Kirammans go in and out of there consistently along with the maids when they were bringing tea for whichever guest arrived.

Mary knocks on the door and waits for Tobias to call her into the room. With a wink, Mary opens the door and steps aside so Vi can go in. Laughter is the first thing that greets her before she can see who’s in the room with Tobias. Her sister had the front of her hair up in space buns while the back fell free. Her bangs were clipped back like she did when they were younger, and she was wearing a plain t-shirt and pants like Vi. It had none of the playfulness she’d seen before. Jinx’s playfulness

“Powder?!” Vi gasps, seeing her little sister sitting on the couch with a cup of tea.

“Vi!” Powder grins, jumping up from her seat to engulf Vi in a hug. It takes Vi a moment before she’s hugging her sister back tightly.

“What are you doing here? I-I was going to come down and see you!” Vi was startled, but excited.

“I wanted to see where you were staying! Besides, I didn’t know when you were going to be done with work.” Powder bounces on her heels, “I didn’t want to celebrate my birthday alone.”

“Powder was telling me all about her birthday traditions you with.” Tobias chuckles, putting his cup down, “Why don’t you hang out here? I can have the kitchen staff make you a cake and have dinner here!”

“I wouldn’t want to be an inconvenience.” Vi shakes her head, “Besides, the staff would be doing this last minute.”

“Nonsense!” Mary huffs, flicking Vi’s ear out of nowhere, “They will be more than happy to make something for you and your sister, Vi. You’re never an inconvenience to us.”

“Ah…” Vi smiles at the sincerity in Mary’s eyes, “Thank you. Why don’t we go to the kitchens and you can tell the staff what kind of cake you’d like?” She looks at her sister. Powder’s eyes light up and she nods enthusiastically. Powder grabs her hand and drags her through the hallways, rambling about what she’s doing in the Undercity to Mary and Tobias. Vi can’t help but feel a little hazy. This was Powder. Laughing happily, chatting away with people without a care in the world as long as her sister is by her side.

They spent the whole time in the kitchen while the staff made the cake to her sister’s liking. It was a blue velvet cake with a layer of cookie crunch covered in black and white frosting, sprinkles, and gold letters. The staff didn’t mind the extra work they had to go through to get it done. They were so happy that Vi and her sister were hanging out in the kitchens with them. They got to taste-test the batter and filling, and some of them made sandwiches for them to eat while they waited. Vi spent most of the time watching Powder be happy. It made her eyes sting as she watched her be so carefree once again.

Tobias had snuck out at some point, but more of the mansion’s staff had joined in on the fun. There was tea going around, cookies and biscuits popping out of nowhere as they held a little party of their own. They ended up cutting the cake as soon as it was done and Vi managed to smash her sister’s face in a slice. Powder ended up chasing her around the kitchen trying to do the same to her. The staff laughed at their antics, spending some time after the cake to wind down with a milkshake. Once they were done, they cleaned up the kitchen, boxed up the leftover cake for Powder and Mary took them back to Vi’s room.

“Why is this bef so sof?” Powder’s voice came out muffled as she lay face-down on Vi’s bed. Vi chuckled and sat down next to her after grabbing a box from behind the dresser. She reached out and brushed her hand over Powder’s head, getting her sister to turn and face her.

“I don’t know, but it was too soft for me. Mary had to make adjustments so I could sleep in it.” Vi’s eyes wandered over the luxury fabric. “If I’m honest, I still sleep on the couch.” She motioned to the couch on the other side of the room.

“What’s that?” Powder quickly sits up, eyeing the present in Vi’s hand.

“It’s for you… Happy Birthday, Pow.” Vi holds it out to her and Powder gingerly accepts it. She looks at Vi, silently asking for permission to open it and she nods. Powder rips into the wrapping paper, popping the box open to see what’s inside. Vi watches as her eyes widen, shining with unshed tears as she shakily reaches in to pull out what’s inside. It sparkled in the light, the golden hair clip glimmering like the lights of the Undercity. It was fashioned after a crow’s feather but the top was painted in various colors.

“Did you… Did you make this?” Powder’s questions, looking at Vi.

“Of course I did.” Vi gives a shaky smile, trying not to let any of her tears fall, “I figured you were too old to wear the ones I made you when we were kids.”

“So you don’t hate me after everything?”

“No! No, I could never hate you. I’ve missed you so much. I think about coming back to you every day, but I’ve been trying so hard to keep you safe.”

“Come home. You can keep me safe that way, too!”

“Pow, I’m so close. Please trust me on this.”

“I do. I just…” Powder bursts into tears, throwing herself into Vi’s arms, “I miss you!” Vi can’t help herself and starts crying, too. They hold each other as they cry, whispering “i miss you” to each other as if it’s the first time they’ve said it. This was the first time she’s seen her sister in months and it hurt her more than anything to know that she couldn’t go home yet.

“I promise you, Powder. I’ll be home soon. I’ve got to make sure you’re off their radar.”

“When you come home, can we go cause trouble together somewhere?”

“Sure thing.” Vi smiles. “Now, tell me everything.”

“About?”

“About what you’re really doing in the Undercity… Oh, and I shouldn’t say this but… I had fun today.” Powder grins at Vi’s words.

“I knew you would!”

[maple-sheep]

An A/B/O series that my GF is making.

She wants to make Hermitcrat a/b/o fics, below the cut is what the hermits are(plus a few headcannons she has), she will take requests but if you want to request something go to her blog for that > @hazel-lamb. It will mostly be smut,

Hermits:

Xisuma, Beta, Void demon.

EX, Beta, Void demon.

SmallishBeans, Omega, Tanuki-human hybrid.

Skizz, Beta, Angel.

Bdubs, Omega, Human.

Cub, Beta, Vex.

Docm, Alpha, Creeper-goat hybrid with robotic parts.

Etho, Alpha, Arctic fox-human hybrid.

False, Alpha, Golden egale avian.

Gemini, Omega, Deer-human hybrid.

Scar, Alpha, Cat-Tree elf hybrid.

Grian, Omega, Parrot avian.

Hypno, Beta, Human.

Jevin, Beta, Blue slime.

Impulse, Alpha, Dragon-human hybrid.

Iskall, Beta, Human.

Joe, Omega, Human.

Keralis, Alpha, Human-somthing? hybrid.

Mumbo, Alpha, White rabbit-human hybrid.

Pearl, Beta, Lunar moth-human hybrid.

Ren, Omega, Wolf-human hybrid.

Stress, Omega, Butterfly-human hybrid.

Tango, Alpha, Blaze-human hybrid.

Beef, Alpha, Human

Wels, Beta, Red tailed hawk avian.

Hels, Alpha, Red tailed hawk avian.

Xb, Beta, Human

Zedaph, Omega, Sheep-human hybrid.

Cleo, Alpha, Zombie.

Her headcannons:

The hermits won't hurt each other on purpose, so they won't rape each other.

A few of them are mates with each other but they are an open server and don't mind sharing their mates with each other.

Like 2 or 3 of them have trauma with stuff to do with their mating cycles and going into heat.

Almost all of them have something wrong with them or something from the past they recovered from, like cutting or self-hatred.

Ex is Xisuma's brother, but Hels is a clone of Wels.

If you give her a request keep these in mind.

[ofduskanddreams]

Chapter 8: Interlude

Summary: After nearly 40k words of Azriel, I think it's about time we saw things from Eris's point of view and got some Azris on screen :)

✦ READ ON AO3 ✦ enjoy the excerpt* below ✦

“Okay Vanserra, what’s wrong at home?” Declan Emmet, the Fae Aux’s resident cyber genius, asked. He was leaning against the doorframe of the armory, the bright white firstlights overhead painting him with sharp contrasts.

Eris opened his mouth, prepared to speak, but Dec rushed to add, “And don’t say ‘nothing’ because this is the fifth night in a row you’ve stayed late.” 

Scowling, Eris replied, “I wasn’t going to say ‘nothing.’ I was going to explain that it isn’t something I can talk to you about right now.”

[. . .]

“Okay, so you can’t talk to me about it, but is there anything I can do to help?” Declan asked. “Do you want to grab a drink or some late dinner?”

Eris shook his head. “No, I’m alright. I’ll head out of here soon.” 

He knew Dec was trying to help, but Eris simply wanted to exhaust himself during the day so that he could manage to sleep through the night in an empty apartment. The lack of his pack nearby made it difficult for his body and mind to settle.

Declan left with a pitying glance, and Eris finished cleaning his weapons in peace. 

It was dark by the time he left the Aux Center and began the twenty-minute walk back to the apartment. The warmth of the day lingered in the air despite the lack of sunlight. The smells of the city mingled with those of the blooming shrubs and trees liberally scattered throughout FiRo. Cassian’s allergies, Eris thought, must be giving him Hel.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and blinked in surprise at the name on the screen. He cleared his throat and answered, “Good evening, Azriel.”

✦ READ THE WHOLE THING HERE ✦

*the excerpt has been altered for this post. [. . .] <- marks where text has been cut.

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[twoidiotwriters1]

Almighty (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: I forgot to queue this i apologize -Danny Words: 2,122 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Your Needs, My Needs' -by Noah Kahan

XIII: Can't Blame a Bitch for Trying

"They won't," Lily places a firm hand on Ara's shoulder. "They're underestimating Ara's power. To get her they would need her to—"

"Wait, wait, which oracles are we looking for, exactly?" Ara interrupts feeling lightheaded. "We have to find all of them?"

"Well, one was the Sybil of Cumae. You know, she wrote the Sibylline Books—those prophecies that Ella the harpy memorized."

"A harpy..." Meg frowns. "Like those chicken ladies who clean up after lunch?"

"Ella is a very special harpy, Meg," Chiron explains. "Years ago, she somehow came across a copy of the prophetic books, which we thought were burned before the Fall of Rome. Right now, our friends at Camp Jupiter are trying to reconstruct them based on Ella's recollections."

"And the other three Oracles?" Rachels demands. "I'm sure none of them was a beautiful young priestess whom you praised for her... what was it? ...'scintillating conversation'?"

"Rachel, come on, that's what you decided to get hung up on?" 

"How would you feel if there were another four children of Olympus walking the earth?"

"I'd be ecstatic," Ara retorts. "Let's hang out and make a schedule, I want Sundays."

"Ahem!" Apollo continues with a scowl. "There was an Oracle at Erythaea, and another at the Cave of Trophonius..."

"Goodness," Chiron says in a nostalgic voice. "I'd forgotten about those two."

"And the fifth," Apollo sighs, "was the Grove of Dodona."

"A grove," Meg straightens in her spot. "Like trees."

"Yes, Meg, like trees. Groves are typically composed of trees, rather than, say, Fudgsicles. Dodona was a stand of sacred oaks planted by the Mother Goddess in the first days of the world. They were ancient even when the Olympians were born."

"The Mother Goddess?" Rachel crosses her arms. "Please tell me you don't mean Gaea."

"No, thankfully. I mean Rhea, Queen of the Titans, the mother of the first generation of Olympian gods. Her sacred trees could actually speak. Sometimes they issued prophecies."

"The voices in the woods," Meg points out.

"Exactly. I believe the Grove of Dodona has regrown itself here in the woods at camp. In my dreams, I saw a crowned woman imploring me to find her Oracle. I believe it was Rhea, though I still don't understand why she was wearing a peace symbol or using the term dig it."

"A peace symbol?" Chiron frowns.

"A large brass one."

Rachel hums. "If Rhea is a Titan, isn't she evil?"

"Not all Titans were bad," Apollo argues. "Rhea was a gentle soul. She sided with the gods in their first great war. I think she wants us to succeed. She doesn't want her grove in the hands of our enemies." 

"My friend, Rhea has not been seen for millennia—"

"That's not true," Ara frowns. "Zeus had her over for brunch last year, around August."

"I meant in relation to humans," Chiron specifies. 

"But then how come her trees are regrowing?" Lily points out. "If no one is paying her any mind?"

"Many things from the old days have survived or regenerated," Apollo recalls. "The Labyrinth has rebuilt itself. Why couldn't a grove of sacred trees spring up again right here in this valley?"

"Because the things that tend to regrow around here are either summoned or controlled by us," Ara says. "So if Rhea didn't cause this, then the oracles went berserk the moment you vanished, and they're all gaining the strength you lost."

"But then I would be working nonstop," Rachel pouts. "And I feel no new strength coming."

"This is all weird." Meg sinks on her seat. "So if the tree voices are sacred and stuff, why are they making people get lost?"

"For once, you ask a good question." Apollo taunts her. "In the old days, the priests of Dodona would take care of the trees, pruning them, watering them, and channeling their voices by hanging wind chimes in their branches."

"How would that help?"

"I don't know. I'm not a tree priest. But with proper care, these trees could divine the future." 

"And without proper care?" Rachel asks hesitantly.

"The voices were unfocused. A wild choir of disharmony." 

"Insane trees," Ara runs a hand over her face. "Insane trees are taking our campers."

Apollo scowls. "Untended, the grove could most definitely drive mortals to madness, yes. Have you always been this—"

"Smart?"

"Close! I was thinking snappy and sarcastic."

"So our missing campers are wandering in the trees," Chiron intervenes once again, "perhaps already insane from the voices."

"Or they're dead," Meg suggests.

"No." Apollo says promptly. "No, they are still alive. The Beast is using them, trying to bait me."

"How can you be sure?" Rachel presses. "And why? If Python already controls Delphi, why are these other Oracles so important?"

"The more you have of a thing, it gives you an advantage over others," Ara reasons. "If these guys have been working on each war we've fought, they're tired of losing. Owning the oracles means they own the future."

Apollo stares at her pouting. "Fine, you are smart. Without a way to see and direct our fates, we will wither and die—gods and mortals alike, anyone who opposes the Triumvirate."

Meg takes off her shoes and hangs upside down from her seat just like Ara does at home. "They're strangling our taproots."

Ara holds back a smile. "You're also really smart, tiny."

"As for why the Grove of Dodona is so important," Apollo gets grumpier. "Python mentioned that it was the one Oracle he could not control. I don't understand exactly why—perhaps because Dodona is the only Oracle that has no connection with me. Its power comes from Rhea. So if the grove is working, and it is free of Python's influence, and it is here at Camp Half-Blood—"

"It could provide us with prophecies." Chiron seems excited. "It could give us a chance against our enemies."

"Of course, we'd rather have our beloved Oracle of Delphi working again. And we will, eventually. But for now, the Grove of Dodona could be our best hope." Apollo nods.

"Aren't prophecies all twisted and mysterious and murky, and people die trying to escape them?" Meg asks.

Ara shakes her head. "I had a curse, and two years ago I got a prophecy. Curse is gone now, all thanks to it."

"Besides, the Grove of Dodona is a benevolent force," Apollo adds. "It has helped heroes before. The masthead of the original Argo, for instance, was carved from a branch of the sacred trees. It could speak to the Argonauts and give them guidance."

"Would've been nice to have on ours..." Ara grumbles.

"You had a ship?" Meg asks in awe. 

"I'll tell you about it later."

Chiron hums. "That's why our mysterious Beast wants the grove burned." 

"Apparently," Apollo shrugs. "And that's why we have to save it."

Meg slips sideways and kicks the table, spilling their food over their feet. "Oops."

Ara crouches to pick up the stuff. "Sit up, Meg. Put on your shoes."

While the girl obeys and Ara cleans up, Chiron continues. "Apollo... If you are right about Dodona, how do we proceed? We are already shorthanded. If we send search teams into the woods, we have no guarantee they'll come back."

Meg sits up. "We'll go. Apollo, the General, and me."

By General, Ara realizes she's talking about her. "Oh. Yeah, I think that's right."

"We—we will?" Apollo stammers.

"You said you gotta do a bunch of trials or whatever to prove you're worthy, right? This'll be the first one."

Ara smiles, pleased about dragging a god to a demigod quest. "Meg is a daughter of Demeter, so the forest is probably not that dangerous to her. I'm the daughter of Olympus but I have no, er, gardening blessings. I have Dionysus's, though, so maybe that'll keep me from going insane."

"I'll go too," Lily says.

"Absolutely not," Ara frowns. "We can't leave camp without a demigod in charge, you know that."

"Nico can stay!"

Ara stares at her pointedly. "Nico's not cut out for it. You have experience with this."

"No," Lily says gravely. "There is safety in numbers, Ara."

"There is tragedy in them too," she states. "Michael understood it way better than us. Someone has to stay, to make sure things run the right course. Chiron?"

"She's right," their mentor concedes. "Ara has experience fighting unaided and camp needs you, Lily. I'd go as far as to say Ara, you, and Nico are our triumvirate, which can work if one of you is gone, but not if we're missing most of it."

"And Olympus can work without the sun god," Ara looks at Apollo. "But not without prophecies."

Rachel holds his hand imploringly. "Apollo, you have to try. If we can get a glimpse of the future... well, it may be the only way to get things back to normal... I'd like to have a future again."

Chiron sighs. "What do you need from us, Ara? You can't take Lily, but anything else..."

"You two," Ara points at Apollo and Meg. "Get some sleep, I'll wake you once I've got everything. I'll pack."

"What about you?" Meg asks.

"I'm not tired," Ara shrugs. "I haven't used any of my blessings at all, so my battery is full, don't worry about me."

Chiron rises, Ara and Lily quickly joining him. "This evening, then. Rest and prepare, my heroes. I fear you will need all your strength and wits for what comes next." 

"Anything you'd like to say before I go?" 

Ara questions as they walk out of the Big House carrying three medium-size backpacks. Hers used to belong to Mike, but Lily took it from the bridge and has been using it since. They switched bags so Lily is currently holding her Octopus. It's their way of blessing each other.

Lily shrugs. "Would it make a difference?"

"It would make you feel lighter opposite to, you know, waiting for the eulogy."

"Dude, can you not?" Lily scowls. "I am not happy about this arrangement."

"I know."

After a few moments of walking in silence, Lily continues. "They might try to get you using Leo."

"I'm aware."

"Don't allow that."

"I have priorities, believe it or not," Ara pushes her hair back each time it falls over her eyes. "Campers first."

Lily glances at her unconvinced. "Are you taking Pollo with you?" 

"Should I?"

"It would be wise."

"Then I'm taking him."

They reach the edge of the forest, where everyone else is waiting. "Good luck, Queen B."

"You can do better than that," Ara retorts playfully.

"How about this?" Nico speaks behind them. "If you let yourself die, I'm telling Leo you called him your ex-boyfriend."

"What?" Ara exclaims. "I never said that!"

Nico smirks. "You'd need to be here to tell him that, right?"

Ara scowls. "Ass."

He places the purple cloak on her shoulders. "Break a leg."

"You see this rain?" Ara looks over her shoulder at Apollo. "That's daddy saying he's having a great time watching you suffer and I'm getting caught in it."

"Don't ever call him my daddy," Apollo grumbles in a foul mood.

"The campers were so generous to you, and you don't deserve it," Ara keeps going. "Harley made that ukulele and Paolo gave you his good-luck bandana. That is some top-tier gift-giving. All goes to the god that's responsible for the losses of last year."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Apollos presses both hands over his ears. "I know you hate me for what happened to Michael!"

Ara whirls around. "What?"

"I knew there was something about you and my cabin that I couldn't quite place," Apollo squints, walking up to her until they're face to face. "And after you mentioned Michael at Rachel's cave I remembered. He promised to make you a daughter of Olympus, and you think I killed him."

"Well, the fates and you love working together, and from what I've seen, you have no issue throwing demigods to active fires. Especially, if they're your kids."

"I didn't kill Michael! He wasn't as flashy as I would've liked, and he didn't like music much unless it was for healing, but I would never—"

"Never?" Ara steps closer. "Never?"

Apollo hesitates, knowing that's not entirely true. "H-He chose his fate."

"There is no choosing with gods," Ara glares at him. "Only illusions of free will. Meg, don't stay behind!"

The girl runs up to stand next to her and sticks her tongue out at Apollo, not following the conversation but understanding that he made Ara mad, and that's enough to be angry at him in solidarity. 

"You don't get to talk about him," Ara warns Apollo quietly so Meg can't hear. "His memory, what I did and didn't do, haunted me for a whole year. Only I know what Mike and I had, only I know why I'll always be angry about his death, not you. Don't ever talk about Michael, you didn't know him."

Ara knows there's no use in snapping at Apollo, but he's an outlet, an opportunity to make a small fraction of Olympus feel at least a particle of all the guilt and frustration she's felt in her shortcomings.

Apollo stands there in anger, then thunder strikes and he jumps, running to catch up with them.

Next Chapter –>

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[laymedowntorest]

Some asks! If u wanna :]

Would any of your ocs celebrate christmas/xmas or a similar holiday?

If yes to the first, how and when would they begin celebrating? Would they decorate a tree, hang stockings, not really do anything in particular, etc?

How tolerant are they to the cold? Do they hate/love/feel neutral about it?

Do any of them like cocoa? Other popular winter drinks?

Do any of them like to sled? Hike in snow? Build snowmen/snowcastles/other snow stuff?

Would any of them spend a week in a cabin in snowy wildnerness if they could?

Chewing on these I love oc asks lmao

Would any of your ocs celebrate christmas/xmas or a similar holiday?

So Imma say yes in general as I'm someone who grew up in a non-religious environment but celebrated easter, christmas, ect ect. It's fun so I imagine my ocs do too, for that reason. Maybe one or two religiously.

That said I'd say some arent as into it. Luther for example will buy stuff for friends but if you left him alone he'd probably do nothing else lmao. He appreciates the gathering and drinking but he knows those can be done outside of xmas. Enyo might not do much either.

If yes to the first, how and when would they begin celebrating? Would they decorate a tree, hang stockings, not really do anything in particular, etc?

The one who goes all out is Hel and she puts up everything 1st of December. Everyone else is more controlled, Luther would have like nothing lmao

How tolerant are they to the cold? Do they hate/love/feel neutral about it?

Neutral would be Teu; they love snow but they cant feel much of the cold anymore. Ronnie too; loves it but doesnt love that he's typically stranded due to his bike lmao

I think the only one who'd hate it is Enyo lmao

Do any of them like cocoa? Other popular winter drinks?

I've had a weird headcanon that Hel makes a really nice mulled wine lmao. Teu and Ronnie lovvee a good hot chocolate.

Do any of them like to sled? Hike in snow? Build snowmen/snowcastles/other snow stuff?

Teu 100% snowboarding. I think they'd all sled and have snowball fights. Just Teu and Luther are the ones to watchout for lmao since they'd hit snowballs at snow above you in the trees so you just get covered. They have no mercy-

Hel I can see making snowmen and whenever Luther tries to make a snow angel it becomes a snow demon and he doesnt have a clue why

Would any of them spend a week in a cabin in snowy wildnerness if they could?

Teu's dreaaammmm Ronnie would with friends.