#why would anyone be scared of a boop noodle

[creepy-crawley-crowley]

The Glasses ~ Crowley X Reader

Sah dude. Hi. Hello. Greetings and Salutations, I am your local Crowley dealer, and this is your first delivery. Reblogs are greatly appreciated, as are requests. Send some in, please. Anyway.

I tried to keep this gender neutral too!

Warnings: Angst, kinda, and out of character characters lmao

Crowley liked to think that he was a tough guy, a heartless demon with a soft spot for two people. One, an Angel, and the other, a human with a soft spot for snakes. It just so happened that Crowley was very snakelike.

Said human actually had a snake, too, a White Lipped Python. (Crowley would never admit it, but he was jealous) The snake was, in fact, called Slither. Slither! Who called a snake Slither!

But that's besides the point.

Crowley was heading to Y/N's house, to reveal what he really was. He drove in his black Bentley, 'Somebody To Love' by Queen blasting as loudly as it could, and he pulled up outside, and wasn't surprised to find Y/N tending to the garden that resided outside their house.

Upon hearing the Bentley, Y/N turned around, hair slightly messier than usual, and smiled.

"Crowley! I wasn't expecting to see you here, what are you up too?" Y/N asked happily, wandering to the car. Crowley smiled slightly, adjusting his glasses.

"Come on, get in. I'm taking you on a trip." Crowley watched as Y/N got in, slightly confused. They sat next to him, and raised an eyebrow, shutting the door.

Crowley hit the pedal, and off they went.

They stopped near a small cottage, in the countryside, where Crowley and Aziraphale had decided to retreat to after the whole Armageddidn't situation. Not that Y/N knew about that. Crowley got out, and Y/N followed, and they both walked up to a field, and Y/N smiled slightly upon seeing a picnic set up.

"Crow, what are you up too?" Y/N asked, chuckling. Crowley looked at the ground, and smiled softly, a rare thing from him.

"It's a picnic." He stated, sitting down, and patting the spot next to him. Y/N sat, and picked up an apple. Crowley chuckled. Ironic. "I need to tell you something." He mumbled, mood suddenly switching. Y/N sensed the mood change instantly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing serious, don't worry. I just...need to tell you something." Crowley looked at Y/N from behind his glasses. "I'm gonna...I'm gonna take my glasses off. Promise me you won't run." He sounded weak...desperate...human.

"I promise." Y/N held out a pinky, and Crowley blankly stared at it. Y/N smiled faintly. "It's a pinky promise...never mind. But, I promise."

Crowley nodded, and his hands came up, ready to take off the darned shades, ready to let Y/N know who, and what he truly was, ready for Y/N to scream, and run to Aziraphale. Nobody could ever be scared of him, after all.

But he couldn't. His hands shook wildly, like his plants, as they grasped his glasses. Y/N watched patiently, their eyes observant. Taking in detail. And still, Crowley struggled on.

"Crowley...can I?" Y/N asked quietly, gesturing to his glasses. Crowley froze, surprised, and then blinked slowly. He then nodded, and up came Y/N's hands, they gently rose, and their fingers rested on the frame for a moment, and Crowley's breathing became quick and heavy.

He almost felt...scared.

Before he could stop it, a strangled noise came from his throat and he flinched backwards, eyes shut tightly even though his glasses hadn't come off. Y/N frowned.

"You don't have to, Crowley, it's okay." Y/N said gently, but Crowley shook his head, keep going, please, keep going. Y/N understood what he meant, and sighed, attempting to remove the glasses again, moving slowly, cautiously, and gradually, little by little, off came the glasses.

But the eyes stayed shut. And that was okay, Y/N wasn't angry, how could they be? If Crowley needed a moment then he would get that moment.

Crowley's eyes opened, and Y/N gasped softly, but didn't scream. Didn't run. Didn't cry. Y/N did the opposite.

"Crowley. Look at me, please." Y/N said ever so softly. "Crowley, please don't be scared." Gentle hands cupped his cheeks, and Crowley unintentionally leant into the soft touch. "What are you, Crowley?" Crowley almost whimpered at the question. He'd never felt so vulnerable.

"I'm a Demon." Crowley whispered, and Y/N nodded. "No, seriously, I'm a Demon. I-I have wings, and I can do things." Crowley added, and Y/N merely nodded.

"Okay. That's okay."

Crowley frowned, bringing his wings out. "I'm serious." He repeated, and Y/N tilted their head to one side.

"Okay. Can...can I touch them?" Y/N asked, and much to their surprise, Crowley nodded.

Now, Crowley had never been fond of physical contact. One could even say he'd never been touched, which was not true, he'd been touched a few times. But maybe that person meant something else, who knows?

So when careful fingers touched the top of Crowley's wings, he flinched away. Y/N was patient, and waited for Crowley to relax again, before gently running a careful finger over sleek feathers.

Crowley decided that felt nice. He'd certainly get Y/N to do that more.

Y/N settled for some gentle petting, and Crowley smiled softly. Y/N's fingers were a lot more skilled that he'd imagined (not that he'd admit to that) and Crowley found himself leaning back, and heard Y/M's soft laugh as their hands moved to the feathers closer to his back.

That's when Crowley made a fool of himself, and made a noise that could only be described as a moan. He froze, and Y/N froze too, and for a few moments they were still, before Y/N smirked.

Crowley, for the second time today, felt scared.

But this was a different type of scared.

"Okay, I can explain." Crowley started, but Y/N held a hand up, smirk still present, and Crowley gulped, his gold serpentine eyes unblinking as he watched Y/N.

"I'm never ever going to let that go...ever...and I will use it to my advantage." Y/N chuckled, and Crowley groaned.

"Whatever, just...do it again."

"Why?"

"Because it felt nice, do you realise how inaccessible that area of my wings is? They rarely get touched anyway, so, as ironic as it sounds, that felt heavenly. Now do it again." Crowley explained quickly.

Y/N sighed, and began running their fingers through the soft feathers again, and Crowley, once again, leant back, trying to get more.

It was then that Y/N realised that Crowley literally craved affection. And so, they hugged him.

Crowley's initial reaction was to jump away and spin around, startled, but he soon realised what was happening, and sat back down, facing Y/N, and he returned the hug.

Crowley wasn't as tough as he said he was, obviously.

Slender arms snaked around Y/N's body, and Crowley nuzzled into Y/N's neck, and even wrapped his wings around them. Y/N gently played with Crowley's hair as they hugged.

From then on, Crowley seemed a little nicer.

[creepy-crawley-crowley]

My tags are exposing me

To all the Tumblr users who tend to use tags very liberally:

Let’s play a game. Type the following words into your tags box, then post the first automatic tag that comes up. you, also, what, when, why, how, look, because, never

[starsfic]

The Fox Prince

Summary: Red Son refuses to help Jade Face Princess. Three days later, while looking for him, Xiaotian and Xiaojiao find a surprisingly tame fox.

-_-

Loud laughter echoed through the streets.

And Red Son was running for his life.

“Aw, little kit, leaving so soon?” The fox spirit known as Jade Face Princess cooed. He had no idea where she was. All he knew was that she had been lying in wait for him while he was going to the grocery store late this evening. She had requested that he help her take advantage of his parents’ currently strained marriage and win his father over again.

Red had refused, of course. His relationship with his mother might also be strained, but he wasn’t going to help his father be unfaithful. An argument had broken out. And he was now running for his life through the barely lit streets, trying to stay at least one step ahead.

He wasn’t sure what the princess would do to him if she caught him but he did not want to find out.

The prince turned down a corner alley, finding a dead end. Before he could take the chance to summon his flames and transport back to the family penthouse he and his father were living in, something tackled him. He grunted as he face-planted into the sidewalk, glancing back. One of Jade Face’s handmaids grinned down at him, her delicate features hiding surprising strength. “Get-” Flames roared at his fingers. “OFF!”

The handmaid was sent flying with his punch and he scrambled out of the alley, running down the street. Why was this section of the city so empty?! He had long since left the groceries but that wasn’t helping his speed. “Now, that was rude.” the princess scolded, somewhere overhead.

Before Red could muster a response to tell her to fuck off, more weight suddenly tackled him. More of her handmaids held him down to the sidewalk. Despite all his struggles to try to kick or punch them off, their surprising strength kept him down. A sweet chuckle distracted him from his squirming.

Jade green and orange robes landed on the concrete in front of him. Delicate slippers silently stepped towards him, the swish of her tail being the only sound she gave off. One of the handmaids gripped his ponytail with a yank, forcing him to look up into the dark eyes of Jade Face. The fox spirit hummed as she considered him, her ears twitching playfully.

No doubt she already had a ‘punishment’ in mind. She was just trying to scare him.

...

It was working.

“Since you’ve been so rude to my servants and I,” Magic formed at her fingertips as she knelt down, gripping his face. “I think I’ll turn you into something your mother will never love.” She reached down with her other hand and booped his nose. Red grunted as the spell warped around him and he was released, rubbing at his face. He looked up at the princess, already working on- No flames. No flames came to his fingers, no matter how hard he tried. Panicked, he looked up at the princess.

Was she bigger?

"Sweet dreams, kit."

Before he could muster a response, suddenly every inch of him ached in a sudden, sharp pain.

And then everything went dark.

-_-

Red Son had been missing for three days.

And this was the first time Xiaotian and Xiaojiao had heard about it. 

DBK had shown up at the noodle shop, nervously admitting that he had no idea where his son was and was hoping if they knew. Xiaotian had told him that, no, they didn’t. But they would look for him. Which was what they were doing now.

The two met at an intersection. “Any sign of him?” Xiaojiao asked, pulling off her helmet. Xiaotian shook his head as his feet hit the sidewalk. “Where could Red be? You don’t think his mother grabbed him, do you?”

“I hope not,” DBK said his relationship with Iron Fan was currently strained and despite having some form of love for her son, Red had clearly developed a bad mental state thanks to her. “But it’s possible.”

Something brushed against his ankle. Xiaotian and Xiaojiao looked down in confusion.

A fox was staring up at them. Normally, Xiaotian would’ve thought it was just some random wild fox, but it was just...sitting there. Staring at them. Its fur, a deep scarlet color, was additionally too sleek and clean. The kicker was the fact that it was wearing a gold collar with a jade gem in the center of it.

“Uh...hi.” Xiaotian tried. The fox cocked its head. “Do you know of anyone with a pet fox?” He asked Xiaojiao, who shrugged. He knelt and the fox allowed him to check the collar. “No tags. Well, we didn’t find Red Son…” He picked up the fox. “But we did find this lost pet-”

That was when the fox started screaming.

Xiaotian yelped, dropping the fox. The fox immediately went quiet, looking abashed as it landed on its feet. He shared a confused glance with Xiaojiao, who smiled. “Let me try.” She knelt, reaching for the fox. “Come here, you little cutie-”

The minute she touched it, it started screaming.

Xiaojiao yanked her hands away. “Okay. No touching. I get it.” She stood, glancing at her motorcycle. “Uh...wanna hop on?” The fox snapped out of its abashed state and gracefully padded over to the motorcycle. With a hop, it got on. “Yeah, definitely a pet.”

Xiaotian settled behind the fox as Xiaojiao sat in front. “We can try and figure out who this belongs to and where’s Red back at the shop,” Xiaotian said, pulling on his helmet.

For some reason, the fox didn’t look happy with this plan.

[ineffably-good]

Changes (2/3)

Summary: In which a small, pet snake is determined to be faking his death, an angel's sleep is rudely disrupted, and Frederick makes peace with what he now knows about Crowley. 

Chapter one is here

..............................

Chapter 2

“What’s wrong with him?” Aziraphale shrieked as Frederick went limp in his hands. “Did he faint? Did he have a heart attack? Oh, Crowley, is he dead?”

Crowley shifted back to human form, shaking his head clear from the unpleasantly quick transition, and knelt over to peer at the motionless snake. He picked him up and laid him on the coffee table where he could take a closer look. The angel, near hysterics, snapped and called down a beam of heavenly light to illuminate the snake more clearly.

“No, I don’t think so,” the demon said after a moment. “He looks dead, but I feel like he’s breathing.”

“We broke him! We are the worst pet parents ever!” Aziraphale sobbed, clearly beginning to panic. His breath got faster and faster and he began to look unusually, frighteningly pale.

“Angel!” Crowley growled, putting some demonic anger into his voice in order to firmly get Aziraphale’s attention. He took an insistent hold of his shoulders and kept his voice forceful. “Calm. Down. You are NOT going to faint on me, are you? Because so help me, if you leave me with two unconscious drama queens, I am NOT going to handle it well!”

It had the desired effect, he noted – Aziraphale looked startled, then embarrassed, and then attempted to settle down a little. He didn’t seem to trust himself to speak, but instead waved his hand in a sorry-please-go-ahead fashion and stared at Frederick, clearly trying to still his wobbling lower lip.

“We did <i>not</i> break him,” Crowley said consolingly, laying a hand on Aziraphale’s knee. “I think he’s just being a little dramatic.”

Aziraphale frowned for a moment. “You mean…”

“Some snakes play dead when they face a big, overwhelming threat,” Crowley said. “Makes predators think they’ve been poisoned or something, so they won’t eat them. In this case, makes their owners feel bad. Either way, it’s a win for the snake.”

Aziraphale took a deep and calming breath and looked at Frederick consideringly. “He’s just scared,” he breathed, wonderingly. “I think I read about that in one of the snake books…”

“Fred, my friend,” Crowley cooed softly. “I’m <i>not</i> going to eat you. Also, I know damn well you’re not dead.”

Frederick resolutely ignored them both and continued to do his best corpse impression.

“He won’t,�� Aziraphale confirmed helpfully, “eat you, that is. I promise. He barely eats anything.”

Crowley rolled his eyes at this super helpful interjection.

Read the rest on AO3 or continue by clicking below!

“I wouldn’t eat you even if I <i>did</i> eat. It’s just that when I was made, I was made a serpent in form, and something else on the inside” Crowley said. “Actually, I’m THE serpent. The first one in all the world.” He touched Frederick gently on his belly scales and petted him. “You were made in my image, so to speak.”

Frederick moved a tiny fraction of an inch.

“Think of me as your big brother,” Crowley said. “At least, when I’m in that form. We can--” he scrambled for words, “--hang out. Do snake things.”

Aziraphale gave him a dubious look. Really? Hang out?

Crowley mimed a shrug. What? I’m trying.

Frederick lifted his head a half centimeter before flopping back down with his best dramatic shiver, but he snuck an appraising look at Crowley as he did so.

“Oh, you melodramatic, manipulative little noodle,” Aziraphale said in intense relief, picking him up and holding him to his chest. “You’re fine. You know no one here is going to eat you.”

Frederick sighed and slithered a tongue out, tentatively.

I MIGHT FEEL BETTER IF SOMEONE WOULD GIVE ME A MOUSICLE, he thought.

Crowley again frowned for a moment, then shook his head and hopped up to his feet. He headed back to the kitchen. “Let’s give him a mouse and let him take it out on something smaller than him. He just needs time to think it over.”

Frederick hissed in relief as they placed him back in his cage and began to work on swallowing his treat. At least he was bigger than <i>one</i> creature in this strange place.

 ..

<i>Do I have wings?</i> Frederick thought later that night. That would certainly even the playing field a little bit. If the huge snake had wings some of the time, he didn’t see why he shouldn’t be able to manifest some too. He curled up and concentrated as powerfully as he could, wriggling his back a little bit, and tried his hardest to make some big, black and red wings unfold out of his back. To his disappointment, nothing happened. No pop, no poof, no whoomph of air.

He curled around and investigated his back. Just scales. Scales from tip to tail.

Apparently, he thought disconcertedly, the fluffy one could be fluffy or could be a bird, the pointy one could be his usual pointy self or a bird <i>or</i> a snake, which just seemed a little excessive and show-off-y now that he thought about it, and he, well he was just – just a small, black snake with no special powers.

This hardly seemed fair.

He settled down to sulk about it until morning.

 **

Crowley laid in bed that night unable to drift off. He turned to Aziraphale, who had gotten rather noticeably better at this sleeping thing all of a sudden, and reached over to gently fluff his pillow. Then he fluffed it a little harder. Then, when that failed to work, he pulled it out from underneath the angel entirely.

“Wha-?” said Aziraphale, coming to rather quickly.

“Oh?” Crowley said, the picture of innocence. “You’re up? Oh good.”

Aziraphale frowned at him, not fooled in the least. “You needed something?” he said flatly.

“I was just wondering,” Crowley said, aware that he was about to sound a little crazy, “if you ever get the feeling that Frederick is trying to tell you something.”

Aziraphale blinked. “Well certainly, my dear. He communicates quite well with his coils and his posture and the state of his fangs and all the various noises and facial expressions he makes –”

“No, no,” Crowley said, “that’s not what I mean at all. I mean, I feel like he’s actually talking to me sometimes.”

“Crowley,” Aziraphale said firmly, “you’ve been watching too much Harry Potter. Go to sleep. There’s no such thing as parseltongue.”

Crowley swatted Aziraphale’s arm semi-gently. “Very funny. But I’m serious. I’m starting to hear words sometimes when he looks at me.”

“Such as?”

“Well, today I had the strongest sensation that someone said ‘oh for fuck’s sake’ when you first told him I needed to show him something.”

Aziraphale made a sound that was halfway between a snort and a laugh. “You must be imagining it! Besides, Frederick wouldn’t curse.”

Crowley fixed Aziraphale with a flat, disbelieving look. “Have you <i>met</i> him?”

“All right, point conceded,” the angel said. “He is rather a grump. But honestly, is that possible?”

“I’m not sure,” Crowley said. “But it happened a couple times today.”

Aziraphale pulled Crowley into a loose hug. “We can experiment tomorrow and see. For now, will you please just go to sleep?”

Crowley let himself be lulled into the night, at least for a while.

++

Crowley woke up early the next morning – well early for a demon, which was near lunch time for most of the rest of London. Nonetheless, it was early enough to feel almost virtuous, a thought that made him consider diving back under the covers for another hour or two. He managed to fight it off. He slithered into his clothes and headed down the stairs to see what mischief he could cause.

Aziraphale was out, to his chagrin, but had left a note on the desk that he was attending to some business in Notting Hill and would be back after lunch. Crowley, with nothing better to do, pulled an armchair over into a sunny spot. He then gathered up Frederick’s reed basket, in which he was currently snoring, and sat down with the basket in his lap.

“Oi, snake,” he said softly, “wake up.”

Frederick roused himself with a hiss of surprise and then looked up at Crowley with a bit of alarm in his eyes. Sure, he was person-sized right now, but would he stay that way? He still wasn’t one hundred percent sure what he thought about all of this. His emotions were at war between worried and impressed, between fearful and intensely jealous. He stared at Crowley and kept his mind blank, flickering his tongue out nonchalantly to cover for his nerves.

Crowley leaned down and fixed him with a gaze. “We okay, then, buddy? Still friends?”

Frederick took a long moment to consider the pros and cons of various answers to that question. If he refused to be okay with Crowley, he’d probably get lots of extra attention from the fluffy one for a while. It would be lovely to be coddled and pampered and overindulged for a few weeks. Plus, it was always enjoyable to lord it over the pointy guy when <i>he</i> was the one being petted and fussed over by Aziraphale. That was tempting, to be sure.

However, if he made peace, he could gain the unique opportunity to hang out with a really, REALLY big snake. And, given certain assurances that no one was going to be eating anyone else, that could be pretty interesting. He could learn some things he didn’t know right now, like how to better bring down the next bird he tussled with, and what to do about the fact that his scales itched sometimes, and what it meant to be venomous versus poisonous. (Was he either? Frederick had no idea, so he blithely assumed he was both.) Plus, the pointy one obviously had some magical powers, after all, and who knew if he couldn’t fulfill Frederick’s fondest wish, if he so chose – for wings of his own? It was possible.  

Frederick steeled himself to act nicely for a moment. He uncoiled to the top rim of the basket, made eye contact with Crowley, and booped his hand with his forehead in a conciliatory manner.

“All right, Frederick, good decision!” Crowley said, looking pleased. “Because you and I have a <i>lot</i> to talk about.”

++

When Aziraphale came home two hours later, he was startled to find not one but two snakes in his bookshop, curled up together by the right-hand shop window, angled exactly right to bring the sun directly down onto them, bathing their scales in a soft, golden glow. Crowley was pooled up in various loops on the armchair with a few hanging off of it down to the ground, and curled up in the midst of the pile was Frederick, happily snoring away with his head coiled over part of Crowley’s back and his eyes gently unfocused.

“Well I see you two made up,” Aziraphale said wryly, just to cover the way that his heart was almost bursting at the sight.

Crowley-the-snake focused his gaze on him and hissed quietly. “S-s-s-s-sh,” he said. “He’s s-s-s-s-s-leeping.”

“I can see that,” Aziraphale said, fondly. “You two are adorable.”

“Not adorable. We’re s-s-s-snakes.”

“Ah, well,” Aziraphale said, “we’re going to have to disagree on that one.”

He leaned down and laid a kiss on the top of Crowley’s coils, cast one more fond look at his little Frederick happily snoring away with his new friend, and went off to put his things away.

“No pictures-s-s-s-s,” Crowley called after him. “I mean it.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Aziraphale replied airly, with absolutely no intention of adhering to that particular edict. This was, of course, too good to miss. He just needed to wait until they both settled back down again.

Whole work (and a lot more, including Frederick’s origin story, available on AO3!

[sephythespooky]

Flower Child

(bringing valentine home from Goggle’s point of view)

Floret bitty from @gaiasteapot​

Twister bitty from @selkiesbittybonanza​

mythbitties from @mythical-adoptions​

Chain lamia bitties from @vex-bittys​

Puppy papri by @nyehtish​

Sunlust lamia by @bitti-tarts

Moonjelly naga bitty from @dumplingsspookysweeties​ (aka me!) )

I liked the idea of being a helper. Not being able to see wasn’t fun, even if I only half know what that’s like. It let me bond a bit with Virgil, that first little while, both of us missing sockets.

But Valentine couldn’t see at all, so I could help them. I kept their bitty carrier secure in my coils all the way home.

“What sort of bitties are at home?” they asked as we got in the car. It took a lot of effort, at least it felt like it from the tone in their voice.

“Well, we have a lot of myth bitties at home, and quite a few snakes if you include Goggles. And then there are the puppies.” Sephy giggled about them. I knew she was in love with the big bones, and it made me happy to think about it. Made me feel more secure that our family wouldn’t fall apart.

“Puppies?” Val seemed to be confused.

“really tall skeletons with some dog features and tendencies,” I explain. the little rose leans against my scales and hums, acknowledging they heard me. “Sweet Bun is the housekeeper in the family. He’s the cook, the cleaner, and very nice. Then we have Goldie, who’s more of a lazybones, but he’s the protector kinda guy. And last is Gracey, who’s the newest pup. He’s shy and quiet, but he’s gentle to us and very enthusiastic about everybody being happy.”

Valentine seemed satisfied for a while, their fingers smoothing my scales with interest. But then they asked, “what about the myth bitties?”

“We have Dante, a Dietyrus who is very energetic but sweet,” Sephy lists off, counting on her fingers as we sit at a red light, “his Harbinger, Virgil, and their little brother, Orpheus, the Faerie. Then we have Adonis and Morpheus. Adonis is an Eastern Red, a dragon-”

“FIRE?!” Valentine yelped and crouched down in their box.

“hey, no, it’s okay,” I tried to purr to calm them. I could feel the little pings of panic from their soul, “donny never blows fire. even when he was super mad at dante once, he never used his fire. and even if he wanted to, he’d have to get through all of me first.” Poor little flower.

Sephy felt bad about it, too, I could see it in her face, “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Goggles is right, Donny’s just a lazy noodle, and he’s really sweet, especially to his brothers and mate....”

“Wh-what are they?” the stammer showed they were still scared, but Valentine at least peeked their petals over the edge of my coils again.

“Morpheus is his first brother, and he’s a Lucirazz. Then we have a Dealer, Jubilee. He’s one of the sweeter red suits, a diamond, so he’ll be nice if you ask him to. And Donny’s mate is Amethyst, a Sunlust lamia bitty.”

I purr. Amethyst has been really good for our household. He made Donny happy, he helps me and Gracey and Sephy with our anxiety, and he love love loves the fact that we all like to cuddle...except Virgil, but I’m pretty sure he’s what Sephy calls a ‘tsundere’, like those cute cactus pictures she puts on her phone.

Valentine nods, “Anybody else?”

“Mmhm,” She’s turning into our apartment complex now, “I have a Chain lamia named Georgio, and I just found out yesterday that he and Wagner, his Vampyrus mate, are going to have a clutch of eggs soon.”

A soft gasp made me look down. Valentine looked nervous, “Babies?”

“Yes, babies.” Sephy slowly pulled into our spot at the end of the line. “And last we have Denim. He’s a Moonjelly naga, a classic sans type snake. He likes to boop people on the nose, but we told him to leave you be until you say it’s okay.”

Valentine has popped back up to full height, and I hold them tight while Sephy picks us up from the passenger seat. “Are the babies here yet?”

“not yet, rosey,” I explain. “Georgio and Wagner just barely told Sephy about it, and Georgio’s got his soul bond with Sephy. He’ll be kind of protective for a while until the babies are hatched and kinda big. So there’s no need to fret”

They ease a bit, and nodded again. “Okay. And they know I can’t see?”

“yep,” We’re going up the stairs so Sephy’s concentrating. She’s scared of twisting her ankle again like a few months ago, so I don’t blame her for being quiet. “usually when we take someone in from a center, we’ve all agreed they’d fit in well with us. only gracey and denim were surprise members of the family.”

They seem to relax for the most part, and Sephy gets them out of their carrier and opens the door.

“WELCOME HOME!” Sweet Bun’s voice greets us as always, and I feel Valentine jump at the sudden sound.

“Sweet Bun, remember-”

“Oh!” His voice is much softer now as he comes out of the laundry area and gives Sephy a hug. “Sorry, I forgot for a moment. Hello, little flower friend. It’s nice to meet you.”

Valentine reached out, and Sweet Bun put his finger into their hands. The pups were all at full height now, so he was over half a foot taller than Sephy now. It made me feel good that we had three tall guys here to help if something ever happened to Sephy. I know I couldn’t lift a whole human in my tiny arms.

“I do have to go organize the others, little friend. I’ll be back in a moment.” When he was let go, Sweet Bun zipped from room to room, gathering people as Sephy sat on the sofa after closing the door.

“Okay, Valentine. That was Sweet Bun. Are you okay so far?”

They say slowly, “I think so? It will take a little bit to get used to his big voice, but his small voice is good for now. Does anyone else have a big voice like that?”

“nope.” I don’t think so, anyway. Sweet Bun is the loudest of all of us. “Orpheus, we call him Fi for short, is a little loud and so is Morpheus, but they’re all way softer than Sweet Bun’s normal voice.”

“um?” I look down and Denim is there. He’s quiet, mostly, but he’s talking right now. And he actually wears shirts now. Sometimes.

“Valentine, Denim is here.” Sephy says, and their vines reach out.

“Hi, Denim.” Valentine is happy, so I’m happy.

Denim slithers closer and lets Valentine feel his face, “hi. i won’t boop you. um...what’s your name?” His voice is very very soft and I’m kind of surprised to hear it. He’s barely said a word to anyone since he came here.

“I’m Valentine. Thank you for not booping me, and I appreciate you talking softly.” Yes good. Everybody’s doing well so far.

Denim hums and nuzzles into Valentine’s hands, then backs away, “talk to you later,” and he’s off to wherever he likes to hide.

Amethyst slides up next, and I greet him. “hey, mey. meet valentine.”

“Hello, sweetheart,” Mey purrs and leans his face against my coil so Val can feel him.

“Oh. You smell nice.” Val mentions, and Mey starts to purr.

“Thank you. You smell and look fantastic, darling. Welcome home.” I had a feeling Mey would probably try to help Valentine out, too, and I didn’t mind.

“Goggles said that...that the dragon is your mate. He won’t burn me, right?” Aww, they were still worried about Donny hurting them. Poor Val.

“Oh no, he would never.” Amethyst cooed and gently kissed some of Val’s petals, earning a shy squeak, “Adonis is a tender soul who loves peace and family. And you are our family now, Valentine.”

“O-okay,” Val was blushing. and I knew things would be good. Mey could keep anybody calm.

Fi and Morpheus zoomed in, “I’M COMING, GOGGLES!” called Morpheus and Val shifted to face them as the two landed.

Fi squeaked and held out his hand, “HI! YOU’RE THE NEW FRIEND, RIGHT?”

By now, Sweet Bun was back and sat on the far end of the sofa, clearing his throat to announce his presence. Val reached out and found Fi’s hand, “O-oh, hi. Um, what is your name?”

“HE’S FI AND I’M MORPHEUS THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE!” Oh dear, M is being....well, himself. The more he grows up, the more (falsely) cocky he gets. I worry about him.

“Oh. Why are you terrible? Morpheus?” Val reached out their other hand and Morpheus seemed to realize his posing was useless and calmed down.

“BECAUSE I’M ME. AND BECAUSE IF I’M GREAT AND TERRIBLE I CAN PROTECT YOU AND FI.”

“AND I’M NOT TERRIBLE BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO BE SCARY.” Fi answered a question no one asked. As usual for the cutie. “WE’LL HELP RAISE THE BLINDS FOR YOU TO GET SUNSHINE.”

Sephy chuckled, “That’s very kind of you, boys.”

Val hummed as he examined the two hands he was given. Fi’s wings were fluttering, and I said softly, “hey, fi, you’re awfully breezy today.”

He puffed up his cheeks and huffed, but Morpheus growled at me. Hah, cute. I love these two kids.

“Oh?” Val turned to me. “Was that a pun?”

“yeah,” I hum, “Fi was flapping his wings to make those little gusts.”

“Wings...” Val seems pleased with the idea.

“Um, if you’re ready for the others, Valentine,” Sweet Bun says gently, “they’re here. But at your pace, of course.”

Nodding, they let go of Fi and Morpheus, “it’s nice to meet both of you.”

They giggle and fly away, off to play more games.

Dante whines and puts his head on Sephy’s knee. I realize he can’t directly communicate with Val because he can’t speak. “virgil? would you mind translating for your bro?”

“It is my solemn duty and only joy,” Virgil huffs and appears on Dante’s head. “Valentine, you are in the presence of the great diety known as Dante, and I am Virgil, translator and brother of Orpheus.”

There are several groans and coos from Dante, and he signs while he makes them, for the benefit of the rest of the family (and so they can correct Virgil if he tries to twist the words).

“My god wishes you to know he is also blind, traditionally speaking, and can only sense the world through his amazing extra senses.” Val reached out their vines and was gently analyzing Dante’s face while Virgil talked. “Welcome to our divinely cultivated family.”

Val’s vines slip over Virgil, too, who is surprisingly patient with them. “Hello, Dante, Virgil. Thank you.” When the vines withdraw, so does Dante’s head.

Sephy says softly, “Are you doing okay, Valentine?”

“Um, yes? I could use some water, though.” She sets us on the cushions and goes to get some.

Sweet Bun pushes Goldie and Gracey forward, “Valentine, these two about to give you their fingers are Goldie and Gracey. Please present yourselves to our new tiny friend!”

Goldie’s soft, warm voice is always calming. If I had to pick someone to be in charge other than Sephy, Goldie wins. He loves us and is strong enough to protect us.

“hey, valentine. i’m goldie. it’s good to have you safe at home.”

Val shook his finger, then Gracey offered his whole hand to the searching vines.

“m’gracey...you’re a nice, soft little fella...that’s good.” This made Val hum happily. They liked being praised.

A soft purr reached Valentine’s attention, and they turned their head down to it.

“Georgio~” Sephy cooed as she picked up the mini chain. Here was our brave and gentle founder. I guessed Wagner and Starlight were back in the nest boxes.

“heya. felt how happy everybody was and thought i’d join for a minute.” He sounded sleepy. He probably was, if I had to guess.

“geo,” Goldie said softly, “check out our cute new pal.”

“ooh.” He turned and Val followed his movements with their head. “hey there, flower baby. i’m georgio, sephy’s chain. i’m a lamia, so snakey sounds are gonna happen. when they wake up tonight, you can meet starlight and my mate, wagner. they’re sleeping in the closet, but uh...don’t go there.”

“i...i don’t plan to.” Val answers shyly. Georgio purred some more and flopped on Sephy’s hand as it came closer.

“valentine, we’ll set you in the sun for a while now, okay?” I ask, figuring introductions were over.

“Oh. Okay.” they cuddle up to me as I set them against my back, heading to the windowsill. I figure I’ll let them sun and take a nap myself.

All in all, a good day.

[forsaken-city-rp]

Welcome to the Forsaken City!

We’re glad to see that you have arrived safely within the city limits.  You have three days to make your facebook and add the admins Z.Tao, Seunghyun, and Forsaken.  But be careful, the sun is rising quickly, and hunters are always on the move.

NAME, STAGE NAME, AND GROUP:  Kim Woosung, Sammy, The Rose

AGE:  Over 1000; appears around 21 years old

SPECIES:  Nøkk/Nixie/Näcken

LIT RP SAMPLE: It wasn’t that Woosung was out of food.  That wasn’t the problem.  It was just that it was way past three in the morning, he’d just crashed down from a several-hour-long lyric writing binge that had directly followed a full of day of teaching and an evening singing gig (and a make out session behind the club but that wasn’t important), and right now all he wanted was this one specific kind of cheap, salty yet somehow still painfully-spicy ramen, found only at this one nasty little convenience store a few blocks away, possibly followed by a bag of knockoff gummy candy and maybe some chips if he felt like really going crazy and treating himself right.   It was that kind of craving that can only ever really hit in the middle of the night, when it’s cold or otherwise unpleasant out, and the distance is too long to walk but too short to drive, and it only ever really happens to young adults who fully know it is within their personal capabilities to go and get the object(s) of their sudden desire, while also being fully aware that it’s stupid, late at night, their fridges have other shit in them if they were really threat hungry, they have shit to do in the morning, and whatever it is they want is most definitely not worth the ultimate effort or cost.  Or carbs.  Thankfully, however, Woosung had absolutely no need to worry about caloric sins, nor did he need sleep, and money was certainly not an issue after, not to mention that a nice hike across the district definitely wouldn’t kill him.  The fact that it was raining also really sweetened the deal.  So after a very brief internal debate (not about whether or not he was going, he was for sure going, but on if he should bother putting on real people clothes or not), he grabbed his shoes, pulled a coat on over his comfy but definitely not weather appropriate lounge-wear, and ventured out into the dark and unforgiving night.  No one was gonna see him, anyway, and even if they did, it’s not like they wouldn’t like what they saw.  

The streets of Seoul, at least those near his apartment building, were decently quiet at such an hour, half-illuminated by dimming lights and colorful signs, and the way the rain hit the pavement under such synthetic glow made each drop shine like a falling star.  A fake rainbow hued, halogen and electric-waste lit star, but a star nonetheless.  He couldn’t see the moon, not through the storm clouds, but that was perfectly alright, he knew it there, watching him through the haze, he could feel the echoes of its tidal pull ever so slightly lifting the hair on the back of his neck, sending a shiver down his spine.  It wasn’t unpleasant though.  Just a reminder, neither here nor there in its importance.  He hadn’t bothered with an umbrella, but why would he?  The water was cool against his skin, his coat just enough to keep the bite of the wind out, and he liked how the rain felt as it ran down his face, clinging to his lashes, beading up at and falling over his lips.  He would have really taken his time and enjoyed the walk, if he wasn’t so hellbent on getting a hot and heaping mouthful of stale, tongue-burning noodles into his mouth as quickly as possible.  After all, this was his current favorite guilty-habit snack, which meant he’d come this way countless times before and would undoubtedly come that way countless times again before he found a new craving.  Like those Ikea cinnamon buns he’d been obsessed with a few months ago.  Or those sour candy children he’d gotten hooked on last time he’d stopped home in California (big mistake, traveling half the world for a bag of neon colored sugar blobs was really way too much work).  Regardless, the way was well known to him, so he was free to zone out and let music run through his thoughts, piecing words to melodies and humming new tunes beneath his breath, all without slowing his determined, slightly rushed pace.

There was a scuffle and a bang behind him after a solid ten minutes of walking, breaking him from his trance and making him jump, a perfectly manicured hand with fucked up pointer and thumb nails (guitar pics and nail polish do not get along) coming up to clutch his heart.  He whipped back, though when he turned around, it was only to find a small hoard of stray cats following after him, a metal trash-can lid lying in the middle of the road, no doubt disturbed by one of his audience members jumping out to join the fray.  Oh.  Right.  He must’ve gotten a little loud with his singing. Not that he minded having a crowd, but it certainly hadn’t been his intention to lure anyone, or anything, in to him.  Especially not cats.  He liked them fine and all, they could be cute and he’d never met an animal that didn’t like him, but they always kinda weirded him out.  And made him sneeze.  Okay so mostly it was the sneezing.  Still, cats were kinda weird.  Kneeling down, he stroked their wet little heads and booped a few on their cold little noses with a delicate finger, letting them nuzzle and lick at his skin, before he politely told them to go fuck off and find shelter before the storm got worse.  Of course they all listened, and he watched the last of them vanish into the alleyways and dark corners, before he got up and continued on his way, only now very mindfully silent.  He needed that goddamn ramen and getting held up because someone got a little caught up in listening to his voice would really be a major waste of time, not to mention a pain to deal with.  At least the cats had been easy to handle.  Cats didn’t tend to get violent when they were told no.



Continuing on his way, Woosung made sure to keep his mouth shut, though that didn’t stop him thinking about the lyrics he’d been writing earlier, back when he’d been curled up on his sofa beneath a thick, warm blanket, in his nice, cozy apartment, with a cup of coffee and a heart rate not threatening to yeet itself into the thousands because of the minor cardiac arrest those cats had given him.  Enhanced hearing really did make any loud noise that came out of dead silence seem so much more severe.  And he’d always been weak for jump-scares.  Shaking his head, he picked up the pace, both for want of the ramen and a desire to get away from the place he’d been ambushed by little allergy beasts with good music taste.  The rain was falling a little harder now, thunder rolling lazily in the distance, and he could practically feel the electricity in the air as it danced with the water running across his skin.  It was a little cold; what could he say, he was from California?  It was always warmer there, breeze tinged with heat, summer lingering even when winter came.  But even still, he liked the chill, the way it traveled through his bones.  All weather was good weather, from languid spring showers to blizzard-and-death hailstorms, days with cloudless skies and bright sunlight to dark, overcast ones, when night was hardly discernible from what had come before.  He wasn’t warm nor was he cold blooded, he just /was/, like water, adapting to what was around him, taking on the temperature of whatever was beyond him and just going with it.  Though that didn’t mean that he didn’t A) really want some hot noodles and something hotter to drink or B) wouldn’t appreciate being back under a nice pile of blankets and sweaters.  Maybe he really should have put more clothes on but he’d been so comfy.  And getting dressed-dressed was so much work.



Turning a corner, he could see the hazy light of the convenience store sign in the distance, about a block away, a smile drifting across his features, he made it about three more steps forward before he heard yet another unpleasant sound—this one being the unmistakable click of a gun’s safety being flicked off.  Welp.  That was certainly far less innocent than a cat knocking over a trashcan.  Pausing, he forced the smile to remain on his sweet lips as he turned to face whomever was approaching him guns drawn, apparently.  There were two men speedily heading towards him, one with a pistol already shakily aimed at his head, the other apparently still fiddling with his own, like he’d ben surprised they’d actually managed to find someone (or something) to pursue, like their hunt being genuinely prosperous was a new and unnatural experience.  Ah, nothing like young, unexperienced humans who had no idea what they were dealing with and likely thought they’d already won.  Fuck they’d probably seen his shit with the cats and followed him.  Just his fucking luck.  At least they didn’t seem to have the brains to know they should’ve shot before he had a chance to open his mouth.  They also didn’t seem to have gotten the memo that the bullets, brass, wouldn’t leave more than so much as a scratch in the morning.  Iron and steel were the only ways to go.  Pity they didn’t know.  Eying the weapons with mock concern and fear, he tilted his head and schooled his expression into one of total innocence and confusion.  “I’m sorry, is there a problem?” He asked, voice soft and lovely, wavering ever so softly, like he was afraid of whatever they thought they could do to him.  He could feel their emotions shift, from adrenaline-laden conviction and confidence to hesitance, concern. 



Idiots.



“You don’t want to shoot me, baby,” he told the nearest one, eyes flashing molten gold, reflecting the light, ruby lips pulling back over sharp teeth that flashed dangerously as his glamour faltered from the use of his voice, his true voice.  He slipped closer to him, holding out his hand, which the man took, his eyes glassy as he nodded, entranced.  Not that he really wanted a hunter to touch him, but it always got easier to make men listen the closer they were, the more they felt like he was theirs, the more of him they could pretend, if only for a moment, to own.  Especially if he wasn’t going to sing; speaking was less powerful.  And especially if he was going to make them do something particularly against their will.  “You want to shoot your friend.”  He purred out the words, though ever-light, gentle.  And of course, that worked, as within but a few moments the other hunter was hitting the ground, a hole placed squarely between his temples.  He didn’t seem to realize what he’d done, continuing to stare all doe-y and dumb at the creature before him.  Fuck he hated hunters.  All his life he'd watched them kill and hurt and ruin whatever was in their path, regardless of how undeserving.  Woosung was a creature of mercy, a protecter just as much as a predator, he wasn’t keen on killing for the fun of it or simply because he could, but when it came to hunters, his moral ambivalence and tendency to remain grey threw itself out the window.  No, these bastards deserved it.  “And now you want to shoot yourself.” He told him, smiling as he caressed the man’s cheek, smiling even still as he watched him nod and pull the gun on himself, aim it at his own heart and pull the trigger.  He watched the body fall, twitch for a few minutes before going still.  How very anticlimactic.  

Stepping over the mess, he leveled his gaze once more on the gas station and store in the distance, grinned to himself at the thought of what awaited him, and walked on.



The nøkk was gonna get his fucking ramen.