bluejayboi

[bluejayboi]

TWST Headcanons (part #1?)

Apologies for the inactivity. Life has been busy! I'll try to get some more stories out at some point so enjoy these tidbits in the meantime :]

No TW's, just fluff

Since the Shroud brothers have fire for hair, they never needed nightlights growing up (the glow of their hair would provide enough light). Ortho would come to Idia’s room whenever he had a nightmare. Not only did he find comfort in being with his older brother but, since Idia has longer hair, his hair would cast more light and keep away the darkness that could make Ortho feel scared

This would be very useful if the power went out at NRC but it makes Idia’s and Ortho's stealth stats nearly nonexistent

Idia’s hair is similar to the Pokemon rapidash’s mane: If he really trusts a person (and he consents to them touching him) he can ‘will’ his hair to not burn them. But if he doesn’t trust the person or doesn’t agree to be touched, his hair will burn them like a regular fire would. The same goes for Ortho (I just want to pat my lil buddy’s head but I can’t if the fire isn’t magical in some way `^´)

Running your hands through their hair feels kind of like your hand is getting spritzed with mist (there’s no wetness, just the barely noticeable pressure/tingle of something touching your skin). Even when they let you touch their hair, it’ll still be quite hot (like bath water that’s just on the verge of being too hot or holding your hand really close to a space heater). This would be very useful if you ever get cold around Idia since you can just engulf yourself in his long hair (it’s like a heated blanket!!). Be warned though: if you do this, Idia's face and hair will turn beet red

Since their hair is magic, it won’t accidentally affect items like clothing, seats, or other physical objects that they interact with

Floyd and Kalim would end up trying to roast marshmallows off of Idia's flaming hair (others might try to join but these two would be the main instigators). Floyd would be doing it on purpose, knowing that it'll make Idia uncomfortable, and will specifically get the sunshine boy to make it worse for him (damn sadistic eel!!). Kalim won't realize that Idia's uncomfortable and will be trying to hand feed him s'mores

Ortho will get the same treatment among the freshmen gang but, unlike his brother, he’s absolutely thriving. The only issues he’d have with it is if anyone dropped marshmallow goop or melted chocolate onto his sensitive machinery (since he wouldn’t want his brother to have to clean it for him) and the fact that he can’t eat s’mores with this body (he’ll want you guys to describe the experience to him)

Battle bot nights at Ignihyde. They made sure to check with Ortho before starting it because they wanted to make sure it wouldn’t make him feel uncomfortable. Turns out, Ortho’s super into it! Sometimes a little too much to be honest. He can get a little bloodthirsty sometimes, a mischievous look glinting in his eyes while watching the bots wallop each other. He goes full “Emperor from Gladiator” mode, giving the go ahead for contestants to destroy their enemies bot. Idia loves how much Ortho is enjoying himself (lil guy is just vibing with the carnage <3) so he lets him take control of the event. Idia makes sure that there are rules in place that keep the bots from being too overpowered (no lasers, no technomantic magic, no deathrays, no sentient AI, etc.). He takes care of all the rules and technical stuff so that Ortho can just enjoy the event itself. Idia doesn’t usually compete (he knows his fellow dormmates wouldn’t stand much of a chance against him so he only joins occasionally and usually only makes comedic bots for it). They keep it simple but entertaining. It’s a great bonding activity for the Ignihyde students and it allows them to socialize over mutual interests. Idia will invite you to come watch if you seem interested.

What would probably end up happening: Pawsitively Hissterical (or pretty much any video from this channel)

Idia and Ortho take turns controlling the “housebot” and would be happy to teach you how to maneuver it if you’d like to join too

If some of his dorm members start questioning his skills and technological prowess, Idia might just have to make a serious bot in order to whoop their asses. This is also the same method that other dorm members use to settle arguments or disagreements (while Savannaclaw students duke it out through physical brawls, Ignyhyde guys tend to settle things through less hands-on means). They will also definitely resolve issues through video game tournaments, board/tabletop games, and other indirect means as well

One of the ways that Azul would show affection is by giving you food that he “can’t sell” at the Mostro Lounge. He claims that the food is getting close to its expiration date and/or that customers “just aren’t ordering it” (will absolutely pull the “oh no, the kitchen made the wrong item!! It would be a shame for it to go to waste!!” card when you visit). To clarify, the food is perfectly fine. Most of the time, it’s not even close to expiring. He just uses this excuse because he’s trying to get used to showing true kindness with no strings attached (he’s always scared that people will take advantage of him or pick on him like before so he’s always on edge about this stuff). He hides his true intentions, pretending that he’s just trying to prevent food waste by giving stuff to you. He’ll give you free drinks, snacks, meals, and ingredients. He knows that you don’t get the biggest allowance from Crowley and wants to make sure that you don’t go hungry. He also knows how ravenous Grim can get and he doesn’t want the little gremlin to eat you out of house and home

At some point you get tired of Leona calling you herbivore like it’s an insult and take matters into your own hands (happens sometime after Leona’s overblot to around the time you stay with him in Savannaclaw. You aren’t exactly close friends yet, being more akin to frenemies or friendly rivals)

“You do realize that being an herbivore isn’t a bad thing, right? Some of the toughest creatures to exist are actually herbivores. Hippos, rhinos, elephants, moose, hell even deer sometimes. And you know what separates us herbivores from you carnivores? Carnivores kill because they need to. Whether that means they need to eat, protect their territory, or whatever. Herbivores, on the other hand, we do it because we want to. Because you've pissed us off to the point where we'd rather risk death then put up with you anymore. And we’re not merciful about it. We don’t make your death swift and painless. We do what we gotta do to protect ourselves, regardless of what that means for the other party. Anything that proves itself to be a threat– hell, even an annoyance!– is dealt with mercilessly. So do try not to make yourself either, alright?” Your tone is sickeningly sweet and you have a sadistic grin on your face. This is one of the key moments where you really earned Leona’s respect. Ever since then, he stopped calling you “herbivore” like it was an insult and instead used it like an affectionate nickname (and he won't let anyone else use his nickname for you either)

One of Idia’s favorite candies is gummy worms (since Hades in the Hercules movie could be seen eating a worm out of his martini, I thought this would fit him). He has a soft spot for the “creepy” candies; jelly filled eye gummies, chocolate shaped like beetles, sugar skulls, etc.

Jade can absolutely use his Unique Magic more than once per person. He just lies about it to make people feel more at ease and trusting. (Maybe he can only use it on a single person once per day but it resets after midnight?)

Ruggie “volunteers” his time to help at the greenhouse. It gives him ample time to watch over Leona while also pilfering edible plants and stuff he can sell. Professor Crewel knows what Ruggie is doing but doesn’t stop him. He’s such a good worker that he pretty much makes up for it (plus they have a deal: Crewel gets a small cut of the profit, tells Ruggie what’s off limits, gives him tips on how to increase profit, and tells him where things can be sold. This is Crewel’s little revenge at dealing with Crowley’s hijinks)

Epel helped Sam work out a deal to get Appleton apples, baked goods, and wood carvings sold at “Mr. S’s Mystery Shop” on rare occasions. Sam has him cut in for a bit of the profit. Meemaw is so proud of Epel for being a little businessman

Azul is ambidextrous (octopuses/octopi have 9 brains: one in each tentacle and one in their main body. They can manipulate each of their tentacles individually. Following this logic, it would make sense for Azul to be able to use both hands with somewhat equal skill)

Dragon’s hoard treasure. Since Malleus treasures his friends, his hoard is going to consist of mementos, gifts, souvenirs, and other items that remind him of the people he cares about. He’s very sentimental. The receipt from the first time you both went out to eat? Kept. That selfie that you took together and sent to him? Printed and framed (he had to get Lilia to help him with this. He swears the printer is out to get him [may or may not have broken it out of frustration]). Even the smallest gift you give him will be kept. Tuck a dandelion behind his ear because you want to see the bright yellow contrast with his dark aesthetic? He’s either magically preserving that flower so it never wilts or pressing it and adding it to a scrapbook. He’s mainly got items from the Diasomnia gang and you but will keep pretty much any gift that he’s given (you and the Diasomnia boys always have a special spot in his stash tho)

Jamil and Ruggie absolutely have hangout days where they split their time between each other's dorms, help each other out with chores (since they know none of the other person’s dorm members are pulling their weight!!), and shit talk their housewardens and other people (Jamil loves to complain about Azul). Sometimes, they have more relaxing days where they just go somewhere where their dorm members won’t find them and share snacks and drinks

They will likely spend some time in the guest room at Ramshackle. Don’t worry, they’re great guests. They’ll help you clean, bring you snacks, and will listen if you want to rant about annoying people as well (they’d be overjoyed to have you join their gossip sesh)

Riddle had his first ever sugar rush on Halloween after his overblot. He’s slowly trying to work past the trauma that his mom put him through. Part of that includes him trying to work past the dietary restrictions that she forced on him (I swear this woman is an “almond mom”). He tries to keep a healthy balance between what he eats but his dormmates were able to persuade him to let loose for just one day. Trey made a bunch of sweets for the dorm, ranging from pastries to homemade candies. It took a lot of persuading from Trey and Cater (along with nagging and teasing support from Ace and Deuce) to get Riddle to stop holding back. Once the sugar rush kicks in, he’d be quite literally bouncing off the walls. He’s running around, candy clutched in his hands and a jovial grin on his face, as his dorm members are desperately running to catch up with him. Eventually they lose sight of him, go on a dorm wide search, and find him passed out (sugar crash hit him hard) in the hedgehog enclosure cuddling with the little spike balls. When he comes too, Riddle will be very embarrassed and will try to get people to not talk about it (Ace will never let him forget and will frequently get collared for this. Cater also snapped some photos that he may or may not have posted on Magicam already)

Speaking of Halloween, the guys at NRC would be the most competitive trick or treaters. Some of them may act like they’re too mature to go out in costumes asking for candy but even they’ll get into it if you drag persuade them into coming. It will become a competition, seeing if they can collect more than their friends (or rivals)

Ruggie is definitely the type of guy to see the “take one” sign and dump the whole bowl of candy in his bag

Floyd will get bored of trick or treating and will end up trying to scare people so much that they drop their bags of sweets. Jade, while not really caring about collecting the candy, would love to join just for the scaring

Jamil will never admit it but he gets cold easily (snake’s being cold blooded and all). He was taught from a young age that his discomfort is of no importance so he just gave up talking about it (his parents are assholes and would gaslight him to get him to act more like an emotionless being with no desire but to serve rather than an actual living being with wants and needs). He’s only truly comfortable with the temperature in Scarabia or the Scalding Sands (anything outside of that is a bit chilly for him). The moment he gets a bit of free time between classes, he loves to bask in the sunlight (he never really gets a chance to because he’s always running after Kalim)

If you ever invite him to a movie night in Ramshackle, make sure to provide lots of blankets. At first, he’ll just casually have the blankets over his legs or wrapped around his shoulders but, as he gets more comfortable (and knows that you won’t take pictures of him in this state), he will burrow into the blankets (it’s adorable but he will glare at you if you say as much)

[bluejayboi]

Regret Message

This is the 3rd and final part of my Story of Evil song series. Hope you enjoy~

Part 1: Daughter of Evil

Part 2: Servant of Evil

TW: Yandere themes, stockholm syndrome, execution, slight gore mention (severed head), and angst (I added a comfort ending though)

Songs to listen to while reading:

Regret message- Lizz Robinett, Mario GaGabriel, scezaria, tobimisa, m19 [kei] 

Everything had gone downhill quickly. The kingdom was in shambles. The people were on the verge of revolting. The ongoing war had not only weakened the kingdom's army but had also made countless enemies among other nations. Enemies were closing in at all sides.

You had been preparing for this day for a few months now. You gathered any riches you could that people wouldn’t notice were missing. You packed rations and supplies in a bag that you could easily access as well. You hid your supplies in a hard to reach spot in the royal stables. The moment the opportunity presented itself, you could make your escape. You’d take a horse, load up all your supplies on their back, and ride away from this all.

In the back of your mind, there was a nagging question; What would happen to the twins? Surely they would be able to handle things on their own. Right? And why should they feel bad for them at all? They had kidnapped you and held you against your will! You tried to bring yourself to hate the two of them. To not care what would happen to them. But you couldn’t. A part of you had grown to care for the two. Damn Stockholm syndrome! You couldn’t help it. So you packed some more supplies for the other two and hid them in the stables.

Eventually, the day came. Leading from the front of such a violent mob, dressed head to toe in red, was a noble dame in armor coming for the princess’ head. This woman led a frenzied crowd, made up of citizens from this kingdom and the kingdoms of Blue and Green. They were angry from the many years of suffering in vain, allowing themselves to be swallowed in a wild rage over their mistreatment. The soldiers were far too tired from the long and violent war they had fought in that they didn't have the energy to even hold a sword. The angry mob reached the palace. Servants and nobles alike fled to escape the people’s wrath. 

You had prepared for this, dressing yourself in servants clothes and draping a cloak around yourself. You rushed to Riliane’s side, knowing that Allen would be with her. You found her staring out the window, watching as the crowd charged into the palace grounds. You watched as Allen laid a cloak over her shoulders, which startled her out of her stupor. He pulled her into a tight hug and whispers “Come quickly change your clothing and go in my place. I will stay behind and wait as you make your escape.” Riliane wept in realization of what he meant, and Allen simply loosened the hug and wiped her tears away “It’ll be okay, I was born to live this day. Not a single soul will know that you got away. Except for one.” And he turns to you. You silently wept, knowing that he planned to sacrifice himself and that there was nothing you could do to persuade him to come with you. Wearing Riliane’s gown and letting his hair down, he looked just like her. Except for his expression. His eyes were so warm and his smile so comforting. He walked up to you and held your face, wiping your tears away, before pulling you into a hug. “Thank you…for everything you’ve done. But I must ask you for one more thing.” You simply nodded and hugged him tighter, knowing that any attempt to talk would simply lead to more tears. “Please…” he moved back to look you in the eyes “… take care of her for me.” Wiping your face with your sleeve and composing yourself, you simply mutter “I promise you… I’ll do what I can.” Allen breaks from the hug, giving you a kiss on the forehead and moving to do the same for Riliane. He starts to move towards the door, planning on meeting the crowd so you and Riliane have a chance to escape. You call out for him one last time. Clutching the prized jewelry, the one featuring the dove in flight, you pressed it into his palm and professed “Despite everything, I’m happy to have spent time with you. You are the brother I never had. May we meet again in another life.” Then you grabbed Riliane’s hand and led her away.

You brought her to the stables, quickly loading the packs of supplies on the back of a horse. You felt a tug on your sleeve as Riliane pointed at Josephine. You couldn’t take her, it would make things too obvious. But you wouldn’t let her risk losing another loved one in the chaos. So you opened the gate and let Josephine escape the stables. Then you helped Riliane onto the back of a horse and hopped on the back of another. You rode out of the palace together, the crowd being too preoccupied with breaking into the palace to pay any attention to either of you. You rode and rode, before reaching the place where you hid your savings. You used what you had to buy yourselves a room at an inn far enough away from the chaos, hiding the treasure and supplies where no one could find it.

You wanted to leave the kingdom as soon as possible, but Riliane refused. Word has reached her about Allen’s execution taking place at three that next day. She couldn’t just leave him to die alone. Despite doing everything in your power to convince her not to go, she refused to let her brother die without at least one person he loved by his side. You wanted to keep her from going, knowing that it wouldn’t be safe for either of you, but you couldn’t deny it either; it would feel wrong letting Allen die surrounded by people who hate him.

You donned yourselves in cloaks that hid your identities and made your way through the crowd, holding hands in order to not lose one another. You could see the guillotine looming high above. You could feel Riliane beside you freeze up. Squeezing her hand you patted it with your free hand. She gulped nervously and continued forward. You watched as Allen was led out, surrounded by guards and weighed down with chains. You both rushed through the crowd, forcing your way to the front where Allen could see you both. His head is forced into the lunette of the guillotine. Never laying eyes upon the people in the crowd, you watch as Allen stares at you both fondly. You notice a golden gleam in one hand and a clear bottle in the other

You and Riliane give him one final smile, hoping to show gratitude to his actions and give him some solace before the end

Whispering aloud their final sound, you hear a soft “Oh my, it’s tea time.” as he smiles at you both one last time

… The blade fell …

The bottle tinked against the cobblestones near Riliane’s feet. Tearing her gaze from the guillotine, she gently scooped up the bottle and wept. You watched as the golden jewelry slunk from Allen’s now limp hand.

You quickly pulled Riliane into a hug before escorting her away from the ghastly scene. You took her to a secluded alley where she could cry without raising suspicion and to keep her from seeing the executioners take her brother's head out of the basket. She’s seen enough. She doesn’t need to see that. She sobbed in your arms, cradling the bottle in her palms as her tears fell. You didn’t even notice as tears dripped from your own eyes.

You both rode out that night, taking all the possessions you had brought and moving as far from the kingdom as you could. You weren’t sure where to go, since you had never left the kingdom before, but Riliane recommended a spot: A town beside the sea. A place where she and her brother had visited so long ago.

She had one goal upon arriving at the town: She had to fulfill her brother’s wish. He had always fulfilled all of her’s. Now, it was up to her to fulfill one of his.

The two of you walked into the ocean, not caring about the salty waves lapping around your legs. As you waded further in, she told you the story of this place; “If you write a wish upon a paper and you place it into a glass bottle, and it’s washed away by the ocean, then someday there’s a chance it may just come true.”

Reaching a far enough spot out, you watch as she cradles the bottle close once more, pressing a kiss against the glass, before hurling it into the ocean. You both watch the bottle drift farther away, riding swiftly on the waves. It moved further and further away, gradually fading into the horizon. You reached down and grabbed Riliane’s hand, the two of you weeping as you watched the last part of Allen drift away.

You and Riliane ended up settling down in a nice cottage on the cliffside by that sea side town. You have a nice garden and enough access to seafood to keep you both well fed. Every evening, you both take a walk along the shore. You collect shells and sea glass to make crafts that you can sell for some extra cash and Riliane collects the bottles of people’s wishes and sends them back out to sea. You made a makeshift grave for Allen outside your home and Riliane planted a laburnum tree sapling over the grave. The cheerful yellow petals always reminded her of Allen’s cheery personality. For you, the tree is nice but not as impactful as the bird that often roosts on its branches and sings its lament; A pure white dove.

As time goes on, she opens up more about her past. She tells you about how she and Allen were separated. How they were forced to live separate lives before eventually being reunited, She laughs bittersweetly as she reminisces over the fun times they shared.

Riliane is no longer as possessive over you. All of her confidence and cockiness is gone. Her sin has taken everything she loves away from her. All except you. And she refuses to lose you. She does her best to shape up and be a better partner. She pulls her weight financially (doing what she can to make money by selling crafts and produce from the garden) and in the relationship (always having your back, willing to lend an ear and comfort you when you’re going through a rough patch, and actively working to overcome her past shortcomings). Despite not being as ‘yandere’ for you anymore, she’s still very dependent and clingy towards you. You are her rock. You saved her. You’ve helped her in more ways than she can list. You’ve always comforted her when she misses Allen. She loves you more than she ever did before. She couldn’t bear to lose you too.

Every year, on Allen’s birthday, the two of you go out to the ocean and each set a bottle out to sea. You never plan what wish you write on the inside but the two of you always end up matching; you hope that all three of you can be reunited in another life (under better circumstances than you had in this one).

Since I’m a sucker for a happy ending:

The sun shines gently over a field of wildflowers. The sound of a babbling brook is interrupted by the occasional splashes and euphoric giggles. Three figures can be seen frolicking about the meadow. Their flowing garments drenched in water and mud with flowers haphazardly woven into each other's hair. They wore crowns of flowers, the girl happy to bedeck her brother and her lover in the blooming circlets. They laughed and chatted, danced and sang. They told stories to one another of worlds that never were and of times that came before. They splashed each other in the stream and chased each other with handfuls of water. As night slowly creeps over the horizon, staining the sky in beautiful warm hues, the three link arms and make their way to a quaint cottage in the distance, still laughing as they go.

[bluejayboi]

Servant of Evil

This is part 2 of my Story of Evil song series. Enjoy~

Part 1: Daughter of Evil

Part 3: Regret Message

TW: Yandere themes, mental breakdown (of yandere), murder and violence (no explicit details)

Songs to listen to while reading:

Servant of Evil- Will Stetson, Lizz Robinett: English, Lizz Robinett: Japanese, Classical version, Boba and Ari

Everything had been starting to get better. Sure, it’s not perfect– you could never leave the confines of the palace, you had to put up with a petulant princess who demanded your time and attention, and the temper she showed when she got jealous was a force to be reckoned with– but it was at least manageable now. Riliane had taken steps to be kinder and more respectful to you. She was still entitled and threw fits when she didn’t get her way, but she never took things out on you and went out of her way to try to make you happy. So long as you treated her with basic kindness, she would dote on and cling to you. Allen was as respectful as ever, always making sure you were taken care of. While his first priority was serving his sister, you were a close second. He loved pampering you and always had an affectionate look in his eyes when he saw you.

You still fantasized about your freedom though. You spent great spans of time–mainly during the dull political meetings that you didn’t have to pay attention to– daydreaming about being able to run through fields of wildflowers, go wading through streams, and live a simpler life in a nice cottage in the woods– far away from all this mess. You knew it was probably impossible but you made plans regardless; You would snatch whatever treasures you could, steal a horse from the royal stables, ride away during night fall, fetch the money that you hid back when you were a worker at the palace instead of a glorified prisoner, and use both that and the stolen treasures to finance your escape and future life. You would travel far from here, carving a home for yourself wherever you ended up. You’d never have to worry about being kidnapped and held prisoner. You would be allowed to live your own life, free of these golden chains.

Things were running somewhat smoothly. The kingdom was doing well, despite unrest about the princess raising taxes ever higher. Your relationship with the twins had become bearable. It was all going well. Until the Prince in Blue and the Lady in Green came for a visit.

The two were visiting the kingdom for political discourse. Riliane had brought you to the discussions to show off her precious darling in front of the other royals. Unfortunately for her, the two seemed to express more interest in you than she was comfortable with. They were especially kind to you, even inviting you to come visit their kingdoms. As the three of you talked, Riliane grew more and more insecure. What if they tried to take you away? What if you ended up liking them more than her? What if you tried to leave her? Everything broke down when the Lady in Green gave you a kiss on the forehead when she was taking her leave.

Riliane was too overwhelmed in the moment to act. She just froze up, staring listlessly at the woman’s retreating form. Envy enveloped her as she started seeing green. It was as if she had gone numb. She ordered Allen to bring you back to your room. She fled to her own room, barricading herself in. No one knows exactly what happened behind those locked doors but the screams of anger, banging of furniture being toppled, and shattering of glass told them all they needed to know about the princess’ mental state. Once things calmed down in her room, she summoned her Minister. Her voice was low and cruel as she muttered “Go seek out the Kingdom Green. Destroy all of their land.” He nodded and left and she called in her brother next, ordering him to dispose of the Lady in Green. He left to do so with a heavy heart.

After her orders were given, she went to your room. You’d never seen the princess look this distressed and disheveled. Her hair was a mess, her gown was ripped, and her face was wet from tears and with makeup smudged across it from her trying to wipe the tears away. She threw herself on you, sobbing and desperately clinging to you like a scared child hugging a plush. She glued herself to your side for that night and the following days. She tried to compose herself and put on her usual confident air but she kept breaking, clinging to you pathetically with little sniffles that would lead to sobs if you didn’t comfort her. With her confident aura put on the backburner, she was actually honest about her feelings with you. She explained how insecure she was about you not loving her or loving someone more than her. She told you how scared she was of losing you, like she had lost her brother for so many years before they were reunited. She’s so distraught that she can’t even take care of herself, so you have to drag her to the bathroom to wash her makeup off. You get some servants to draw her a bath and get some food prepared. She’s still reluctant to leave you so you tell her that you’ll be right outside the bathroom door (or inside the bathroom with her if that doesn’t make you uncomfortable) and talk to her while she’s having her bath. The bath and food are enough to help stabilize her a bit but she still ended up crying herself to sleep as she’s hugged against you and with you trying to calm her down by running your fingers through her hair.

She did what she could to keep you in the dark about her actions. She knows you don’t like bloodshed and cruelty but they deserve it! That Lady in Green tried to take her precious lover! So why shouldn’t she and her kingdom pay the consequences for her actions?!

Despite doing her best to hide it, you ended up learning the truth. Houses were burned before people's eyes. Soldiers and innocents alike were murdered on sight, being left to die on the streets. And the princess wasn’t swayed in the least. When you try to confront her for what she’s done she simply smiles innocently and chimes “Oh my, it’s tea time!” before trying to serve you some brioche

The night Allen returned was horrible. The boy was clearly shaken by something. He had a far off look in his eyes. When his sister greeted him upon his return, he smiled and told her ‘it was done’. But once her back was turned, you could see his smile quiver and his eyes glaze over. You brought him to your room and asked him what was wrong. He tried to deny at first, giving you a smile that you could clearly tell was forced. You caught him off guard with a tight hug. Despite everything he had done, you had formed a bond with him. You felt like you both were in a similar boat. He was a victim of his sister too, forced to act against his morals for the sake of keeping her happy. Just because he was here willingly, doesn’t mean he wasn’t suffering from her actions. So you hugged him and rubbed his back, telling him that he can let it out and that you wouldn’t tell anyone what he says. You can feel him tense up in your hug before melting into your arms. You can feel warm tears drip onto your shoulders as he buries his head against you and grips onto you like a life raft. You can’t make out everything through his sobs but you can hear that he ‘loved her’, that he ‘didn’t want to hurt her’ and that he ‘had to’. You do your best to comfort him. After a while, he looks at the clock and thanks you before leaving your embrace. You ask if he’ll be okay and simply says that ‘Riliane will need her nightly tea’ while giving you a bittersweet smile.

Neither of you talk about what happened but you go out of your way to help each other. He goes above and beyond to pamper you (you didn’t think you could be any more spoiled but clearly that was wrong) and you force him to come to your room when Riliane isn’t taking up either of your time so you can talk or simply hug one another in silence.

[bluejayboi]

Daughter of Evil

This story is based on the Story of Evil series (No specific versions, just a hodge-podge of multiple). There are three songs in the trilogy, so I'm splitting this story into three sections. It’s based heavily on the plot of the songs but I deviated in a few ways. There aren’t as many quotes but there are some. Hope you all enjoy (＾▽＾)

Part 2: Servant of Evil

Part 3: Regret Message

TW: Yandere themes, kidnapping, and bratty yandere

Songs to listen to while reading:

Daughter of Evil- JubyPhonic, Kuraiinu, mothy  

Characters: Riliane (princess in the dress) and Allen (servant in the suit). Both characters are aged up to 19.

Once upon a time in a land so far away was an evil kingdom that no person dared to face. You have lived in this kingdom all your life. You had taken a job as a (butler/servant/maid) in Riliane’s castle. The job didn’t pay very well, but it gave you a roof over your head, enough meals for you to not go hungry, and enough money for you to live somewhat comfortably. You lived frugally, storing most of the money you earned in a hidden location on the outskirts of town. You always kept your head down, trying to avoid the attention of the tyrant Princess Riliane. She ruled with an iron fist. She had started ruling at the age of fourteen and never quite grew out of her immaturity and entitlement. You had heard the horror stories of what happened to other workers who had irked her and never wanted to meet that same fate. Unfortunately for you, her attention was unavoidable.

Something about you caught her eye. Maybe it was a particular attribute of yours that got her attention (an interesting hairstyle, exquisite eyes, a cute face, etc.). Maybe it was a certain talent you had (a beautiful singing voice, incredible artistry, a skilled craftsperson, an elaborate storyteller, etc.). Or maybe it was the way you acted (always gentle and kind to others, a strong force that people look up to, seemingly always calm and mysterious, etc.). Regardless of what it was, something about you caught her eye. She fell fast and she fell hard.

Being the greedy individual that she is, she wanted to possess you. She wanted to own you; add you to her collection of shiny baubles and prized possessions. She wanted to polish you up (she couldn’t let you go around looking like a peasant after all) and show you off. There wasn’t anything that this princess couldn’t have, so she sent the boy just like her, her right hand man, to fetch what she wanted.

She had her brother Allen get you for her; had him gather your few meaningful possessions from your servants quarters and escort you up to her room. Whether you go quietly or protest, the ending is the same; you’ll be locked up in her room and gawked at by the privileged princess.

In the beginning, you were like a glorified pet to her. She kept you in a gilded cage, keeping you locked up in some lush quarters right next to her own until the time came when she wanted to spend time with you (which was quite often). She would drag you along to various activities; forcing you to spend tea time with her, reading with her (with either you sitting on her lap or her sitting on yours), and more. She would give you trinkets and treats and other magnificent gifts in an attempt to buy your affections. She would bedeck you in silken outfits and glittering jewels and precious metals, claiming that no possession of hers is allowed to look anything less than magnificent.

One piece of jewelry that she gifted you stood out in particular. It may have been a brooch, a necklace, a pocket watch, or some other piece of finery. Regardless of what it was, the item was wrought of pure gold (since she loves the yellow hue of the metal) and with gems of your favorite color inlaid in it. There’s an image of a dove in flight decorating the metal. How you envied that bird. You longed to fly from this prison, to escape from this gilded cage you were locked in. Yet here you stayed.

Whenever you didn’t act the way she wanted you to, she would throw a tantrum. She would threaten you and the people you care about to get her way. And afterwards she would come crying to you about how she ‘hates being so mean to you’ but that she just wants you to love her back.

Riliane only lets herself and her brother see you at first. She’s incredibly jealous, worried that people might try to steal you away from her if they see how precious you are. She knew she could trust her brother with you though. 

Despite having a rocky start with him (due to him helping kidnap you), you and Allen actually form a pretty decent relationship. Despite his undying loyalty to his sister, he’s actually not that bad of a guy. He’s somewhat kind (despite his skewed morals), hardworking, and dotting. It’s nice to talk to him, since you don’t feel like you're walking on eggshells around him. He feels bad about keeping you here against your will but he refuses to let you go because you make his sister so happy. He cares a lot about you in a platonic way. You make his sister incredibly happy, so he loves you too. He sees you as a second sibling and a close friend. He’s able to trust you with things that he’s worried to bother his sister with. He goes out of his way to pamper you as a way to say sorry for keeping you here.

After a while, your resolve starts to break a bit. You give into the princess’ requests more easily, stop flinching at her touch, and she even sees you smiling more often. Riliane is overjoyed that you're accepting her more and begins to lighten up on you. She starts to treat you more like a partner than a pet. She respects your opinion much more than she did before but she’s still incredibly bratty and will pout or throw a fit if she has to compromise too much.

Riliane even eases up on her possessiveness a bit. She ‘allows’ you to make public appearances. Of course, you have to remain by her side the whole time. She loves ordering people to show you the proper respect that she feels you deserve, often chiming out “Now, kneel before us peasants��. And should anyone treat you in a way she doesn’t approve of, they will face a severe punishment. She once sent a man to receive thirty lashings for simply making eye contact and trying to talk to you. And if anyone so much as thinks of disrespecting or flirting with you, they’ll be dragged out of the palace in chains and sent to their execution. After all, anyone opposing her would be punished for their crime. And treating you in a way she didn’t approve of was a one way ticket to the chopping block.

She loves taking you out to show you off. She’ll get you all dolled up and dressed in the finest of clothes so that you can join her for tea time, sit in on her political meetings, or make an appearance before the kingdom. She also really enjoys taking you out horseback riding. She doesn’t let you ride on your own horse though. She expects you to ride on the back of Josephine, her prized horse, with her (it’s *totally* not so she has an excuse to have you hold onto her).

Riliane continues to buy you extravagant gifts. Anyone worthy of being her partner is obviously worthy of the finest things money could buy. She could buy the world no matter what the price may be, so simply ask her and she will get you whatever you want (in exchange for affection of course). If there wasn’t money for the tyrant left to spend, she would simply take it from her loyal subjects to no end. No request is too big for her to fulfill (unless you're asking for your freedom back)

She becomes a lot kinder with her affections too. Instead of forcing you to cuddle with her, she becomes more conscious of your boundaries and interests. She’ll look more into what you want. She’ll still be a brat about it, but she’s at least trying.

[bluejayboi]

Aishite Aishite Aishite- Soft yandere Vil: Part 2

Here's the second part of my Aishite Aishite Aishite story (I would recommend reading it first if you haven't already). I had some details I wanted to wrap up but they didn't fit in the story very well. I formatted them as headcanons for simplicity. Enjoy~

TW: Yandere themes, aftermath of attack and kidnapping, drugging (poison, love potion, and sleep potion), restraints, and possible injury

Vil feels their hands go slack against his own as they stop trying to pry off his grip. He feels them go limp beneath him and frantically checks their pulse to make sure he didn’t go too far (maybe puts his ear to their chest to listen for a heartbeat). He lets out a sigh of relief when he finds their pulse is still relatively steady.

He sees the red marks he’s left on their neck and feels guilt pool up in his gut. He’s marred their perfect form. He’s the cause of their pain. This is his fault.

Desperate to make up for the harshness he had shown them, he clutches them close for a momentary embrace before carefully picking them up in a bridal carry. He brings them to his room and gets them situated before returning to deal with the girl. He has a disturbingly giddy look on his face when poisoning her (and uses magic to clean everything up)

It’s a slow awakening for [Name]. They find themself in a soft, luxurious bed. The purple and white blankets pool around them and the pillows feel as soft as a cloud. This does little to comfort the aching pain in their neck. There was a strange pressure around it that they could only describe as feeling like soft fabric and a cold sensation. They move to reach for it but find that they can’t. Their wrists had been wrapped in silk and tied to the bed posts. The same was true for their ankles too, only those were simply tied together and not tied down to anything. They start squirming, trying to loosen their bonds and get out of this room. They remembered what had happened. They couldn’t stay here.

Still groggy from everything that had happened, they had completely overlooked the presence in the room. Sitting at the desk next to the bed was Vil, fretting over the contents of a first aid kit and random vials of potions. Hearing the rustling from his bed, Vil perks up and turns to them eagerly

He’s quick to explain the situation at hand: he had bandaged their wounds (since they had gotten a few scrapes and bruises from leaping over the desks) and used silk to secure an ice pack on their neck. He tries to offer potions for healing and pain relief but [Name]— being understandably mistrusting— refuses them. He explains that he had to tie them down to keep them from leaving but that he made sure to use the finest of silk for bindings to ensure that he didn't hurt them or mar their beautiful skin any further!

He’s desperately apologizing to them, promising that he never wanted to hurt them but that he had to or else they’d leave him. He promises to give them anything, do anything for them; just please, let him love them. Let him feel needed. Please don’t leave him.

It was nearly spring break when he first took them. He decided to plan around this: He would finish out the last few weeks of school, take [Name] home with him when the break starts, and then sometime into the break (long enough after [Name’s] disappearance that he wouldn’t be considered too suspicious) he would drop out of NRC, claiming that the college was just too time consuming and got in the way of his career. He does plan on continuing his education with private tutors (both to avoid suspicion and because he genuinely cares about bettering himself)

He would fervently apologize to [Name] because his plan involved him keeping them tied up in his room for a few weeks. They deserved far more than his meager room could provide. He wanted to give his precious bird the most exquisite gilded cage, but for now he’d have to settle with silken restraints keeping them bound– unable to escape him

He’d try to keep his actions a secret but his close friends will still suspect something. Rook always seems to be watching (and perhaps already knew about his actions) while Epel just sensed that something was off through his Senior’s actions.

Vil didn’t want to hurt his friends. Despite always acting so cold, he still cared about them. So he made some alterations to his plan; He knew that he would have to be away from his love for various stretches of time due to his career. But what if he could leave a trusted person, or better yet two people, with them to attend to their every need in his absence? After some consideration, he came to the conclusion that this would be the best course of action: preserving his bonds with his friends while securing their loyalty to him and his beloved.

He set to work brewing a potion. He needed to ensure that they’d go along with his plan. And what better way then brewing up a potion that would convince them to see things his way. He brews his own love potion, this one in particular being set to induce feelings of platonic love (he couldn’t have them trying to steal his role as [Name’s] lover after all). He would force them to consume more than enough of the potion to ensure that they were just as obsessed with them as he was. He would indoctrinate them with his ideals, teaching them to be protective and doting to his love. And just for an added safety net, he would give them a bit of the potion with its effects directed towards him, to ensure that their loyalty to him was unwavering (to make sure they didn't double cross him and take his beloved away)

He would prefer to sneak the potion to them but would settle with forcing it down their throats if he must. He’ll do what he must to keep his friends and his love with him

As he feeds them the potion (in whatever way he must), he mutters to himself: “None of you can stop it now” with a twisted smile on his face

[Name] tried to persuade either boy to help them escape but was forced to watch as the effects of the love potion claimed them both, just like it did Vil. They watch the obsession swirl in their now pink-flecked eyes as the two start fawning over them. All they can feel is the overwhelming dread at the fact that their opportunity to escape had just slipped through their fingers (probably for good)

Rook will be a worshiping yandere, hands down. He would be head over heels for them and just as delusional as Vil (probably more to be honest). He conforms with Vil’s delusions, feeding into and adding to them. He will be speaking French a whole lot, especially with his poems, songs, and declarations of love. He’ll be eccentric and eager with his affections. Lots of words of affirmation and physical affection. He’s very protective and will keep everyone other than Vil and Epel away from his dearest ami/amie*

Epel will be a more down-to-earth but overall doting yandere. He won’t be as delusional as the other two but he has his moments. He will absolutely use his boyish charms to garner more attention from his dear friend and will use them for manipulation if he has to. He’ll mainly use gift giving and quality time but he definitely has a soft spot for physical affection

After this part of his plan is complete, Vil often has either Epel, Rook, or both looking after [Name] while he’s busy. This will happen when they’re all still at school (taking turns between their classes) and he’ll bring them all to his home over the break. He wants them both to leave NRC with him and makes sure that things are set up for them (rooms in his home are prepared to match their preferences, personal tutors and/or trainers if they’re interested, and more)

Even with himself and the other two watching over them, he’d still be cautious when bringing [Name] home. He would make them take a sleeping potion. He doesn’t want to be as rough with them as when he first took them so he’d hide it

Vil untied one of their hands so that they could feed themself (after a great deal of complaints and resistance over him feeding them) and propped them up with pillows so they could somewhat sit upright. They had finished the exquisite food that he had served them (as much as they wanted to hate it– to hate the fact that he knew their favorite foods and was dotting on them like a lover would a sick, bedridden spouse– they had to admit they had taken a liking to this kind of cooking). Vil had left with the dirty dishes, leaving the boys to watch over them. Epel was sprawled across the sheets, trying to cuddle against them through the blankets. Rook had taken a seat on their other side and was gently taking a napkin to their lips to wipe up any remnants of the meal. Even if they tried to use their one free arm to fight back or untie the other restraints, they knew that Epel would just latch onto it like he was hugging a plushy. And they'd have to deal with Rook's mock exasperation and chiding too

Vil returned to the room holding a steaming mug of their favorite warm beverage. He tells them to take a sip and that he prepared it just for them, beaming with a proud closed-eye smile. There’s no choice really, he would just end up pouting and having a meltdown if they tried to refuse it (becoming a blubbering mess of tears and apologies and begs whenever they tried to resist in any way)

They take a sip of the beverage. Several flavors dance on their tongue (i.e. tea might have honey, hot chocolate might have cinnamon, it’s up to your preferences) along with a floral taste that carries hints of mint and rosemary. Did he put lavender in this?

It doesn’t take more than a few sips before [Name] feels grogginess start to overtake their senses. They can feel their thoughts slowing, dripping slow and thick like honey. They try to say something but it’s incoherent, their words coming out all slurred and quiet. They felt the mug being pulled from their loosening grasp before it could spill its contents onto the bed sheets. They were teetering on the brink of unconsciousness, their eyelids fluttering to remain open. Rook was softly caressing their hair, guiding their head down to the pillow. Epel had reached for their unbound hand and pressed it against his cheek as he gazed at them adoringly. Vil seemed to beam with pride over the situation as he gently cradled the mug in his hands. The last thing they saw before passing out was the soft smiles on all the boys’ faces. The last thing they heard were the soft coos, coaxing them to drift into slumber.

By the time they wake up, they’ll be in a new room with the three boys staring at them with big, proud smiles

Look up “extravagant fantasy bedroom” for inspiration over the room. Pick your favorite and let your imagination do the rest

No expense will be spared in ensuring the room is luxurious and comfortable. There’s a walk-in closet that’s larger than their dorm room back at NRC, an elegant bathroom that looked like it was plucked right out of a spa, and the room itself was huge. It felt like they were in a small apartment instead of a single bedroom. It’s stockpiled with various supplies (including self-care products, countless forms of entertainment, a flat screen TV that was wider than they were tall, materials for their hobbies, and so much more) so that they could have everything they need in the comfort of their gilded cage. Everything was shining and sparkling, both from being freshly cleaned and since a lot of it was made from precious metals and jewels.

Vil wanted to make sure this room was only the best for them. He doesn’t plan on letting them leave the walls of this room for the time being. Perhaps in the future he can trust them to wander the halls of his home, but for now he can’t risk them being tempted with the idea of escape.

Vil will continue his gift giving (he’s especially excited that they have no choice but to keep his gifts now) and both Rook and Epel will join in. It becomes a contest to see who can give them the best gifts (aka the gifts that make them the happiest). Vil will continue with his expensive gifts– like before– but he puts more emphasis on items used for entertainment (so they won’t get bored during their confinement), clothes (since he finally has the chance to dress them in a way that compliments their beauty) and self care products (he needs to make sure they stay radiant and healthy). Epel prefers giving homemade gifts over expensive ones (since he can only afford so much). He gives them wood carvings, home cooked food (lots of apples and apple-based recipes), flowers he’s collected, and other such things. Rook will want to give them the trophies of his hard work (usually things he’s gotten from his hunts so expect a lot of furs and such) but will also give them surprisingly insightful and thoughtful gifts (that leave them wondering just how long he’s been watching them and how well he knows them).

Whenever Vil has to leave for his job, he’ll leave the boys with a long list of things they have to do in order to keep [Name] healthy. No matter how well the boys do with following the rules he sets, he’s always worried that they’ll miss one little detail and something terrible will happen. He’ll call multiple times everyday just to ease his worries (and he’ll force Epel or Rook to put his love on the phone so he can hear their lovely voice). As soon as he gets back, he’ll rush straight to their room. He’ll latch onto them in an embrace and refuse to let go for a few hours, ranting about how torturous it was being away from them. The love potion makes him an addict for both their attention and presence. The longer he goes without them, the more pain he ends up being in– both physically and mentally. So when he gets back he glues himself to their side– desperate for any crumb of attention they’re willing to spare him.

[Name] gets certain privileges when it’s just them, Epel, and Rook. The boys want to pamper them in ways that Vil won’t allow so they take advantage of his absence. This is the only time [Name] can get fast food, takeout, or processed foods in general since Vil is always insisting on having his personal chefs whip up something healthier. Epel will absolutely smuggle them in the food that they want while Rook pretends to not notice (he has a deal with Epel that he won’t rat him out in exchange for things like extra time with [Name] or closer spots to [Name] on the couch). This is also the only time when they’re allowed to stay up late. Vil is determined to get them on a sound sleep schedule (always going on about the importance of circadian rhythms and beauty sleep), so he makes them go to sleep earlier than they usually would (he will give them small portions of sleeping potions in their dessert to make them go to sleep at a time he approves of). Sometimes Epel tries to help them break the bed time routine but that just ends up with him getting a dosage of sleeping potion too (which just leads to Vil and Rook gushing over how cute the two of them look passed out and cuddled up to one another with a long forgotten movie playing on the tv). Once Vil is gone, Epel loves getting to stay up late with [Name] watching movies, playing video games, eating snacks, and more. So long as they both include Rook in the fun, he’s fine keeping this a secret to Vil

The boys are also way more lenient than Vil is. They don’t enforce the same strict rules as Vil does, only requiring certain bare minimum maintenance (fast food is acceptable as long as they eat some vegetables as well, they don’t have to follow the long list of self care activities but they do have to at least moisturize, they can stay up late but have to go to sleep on time when Vil's coming back, etc.)

The boys might even take them out on little trips. Nothing too big or too far from the house. They’ll just take them to get some fresh air in the forest surrounding Vil’s lavish manor. Rook will stay on guard the whole time, scouting ahead to ensure no one is around with his bow at the ready. Epel is staying close to them, both to protect them and ensure that they don’t run away (not that they can with the shackle around their ankle keeping them chained to Epel, who has a cuff around his own ankle).

Escaping their room would be nearly impossible. Vil has installed numerous locks on the door, affixed ornate metal bars over the windows, and utilized magic in the security system in order to keep them in. And these are just the things that [Name] had found so far. There was bound to be more throughout the house. And there were also the boys that they had to worry about. As much as Vil didn’t want to break their trust by forcing them to take potions against their will, he would if he had to. He wouldn’t drug them with a love potion (since he wants to truly earn their love, not just drug them for it) but he would absolutely brew up some more sleeping potions if he must. He would also consider giving them potions that mimic the symptoms of an illness or cause extreme fatigue, since this would prevent escape, give him the excuse to take care of them, and force them to be more reliant on him (and would hopefully instill more trust and appreciation among them). Epel, despite looking tiny, is fairly strong and will latch onto them to prevent them escaping. Even if he can't drag them back to their room, he'll just hold onto them until the others arrive. He is also completely willing to use his unique magic on them. He’ll wrestle them into one of the glass coffins he summons if he has to. He’ll do what he must to get them to fall into that deep slumber that the coffins induce, should it simply cease their flight from him. Finally, there’s Rook. There’s literally no way to escape from him (given his hunter instincts and unique magic). He won’t want to shoot at his dear ami/amie* if he doesn’t have to. He’d prefer to give warning shots or simply stall their escape enough to let him catch them easily and without risk of them hurting themself. He’ll only shoot them if he absolutely has to. He’ll aim for a leg to stop them running and lower the likelihood of them sustaining an extremely severe or permanent injury. He’ll gingerly carry them back to the Schoenheit estate, being careful to not worsen their injury, and will have Vil and Epel tend to their wound. He’ll be especially soft in the following days in hopes of earning back some of the trust he’s lost.

All in all, there’s no way to escape these three. The potions have driven them into deep and unshakeable obsessions and they’d gladly burn the world to the ground so long as it would let them keep the one that they’ve come to love close

*Ami/amie: friend (masculine and feminine, respectively)

[bluejayboi]

Aishite Aishite Aishite- Soft yandere Vil

This story is based off of the song “Aishite Aishite Aishite” (no specific version of the song, just a compilation of them). I used a variety of quotes (some direct, others altered to fit dialogue) from the songs throughout the story so it should be a fun ‘search and find’ for anyone who’s familiar with any iteration of the song. I understand that the song is intended to be about Golden Child Syndrome but I, like many others, enjoy the yandere vibes that can be interpreted from it. This is a soft yandere Vil story so apologies if he’s not perfectly in character. I hope you all enjoy the story and happy Valentines Day •ᴗ• ♡

TW: Yandere themes, drugging (love potion and poison), violence and blood (not overly explicit), choking (to knock out, not kill), and kidnapping

Male covers of Aishite Aishite Aishite that you can listen to while reading (FYI I based the vibes, quotes, etc. off of the Will Stetson covers):

Will Stetson cover

Will Stetson rock cover

KumaKumataro cover

Chogakusei cover

Link to Part 2

The sound of a door slamming shut echoes through the hall, being punctuated with an exasperated sigh. Vil lets himself lean against the door he just closed as he mutters to himself; “What a wretched day. Of all the times that Headmage Crowley could have picked to invite prospective students and other guests to visit, why did he have to choose today?”

Valentine’s Day always tended to be a taxing experience for the young actor. It was no wonder he would garner this much attention from his hordes of admirers on this day in particular. True, he thrived off of the attention and compliments being served to him on a silver platter, but he could only turn down these plain potatoes so many times until it got exhausting. It was easier in previous years. Most of the NRC students had already learned to admire Vil like a priceless work of art; something that was unreachable and beautiful, that could be cherished but which the unworthy knew not to touch for fear of the consequences. But that foolish headmage had to invite swarms of newcomers into the halls of this college. Newcomers that hadn’t the time to learn the rules. They fawned over and swarmed him, vying desperately for his attention as they shouted their confessions and thrust flowers and chocolates and other gifts towards him. He had no interest in such desperate advances from the bland masses. It took everything in him to not sneer at them and tell them off for nearly sullying his uniform. He couldn’t even enjoy his lunch in peace without hiding out in some empty classroom like that loner Idia. Of course, the cafeteria and Mostro Lounge were out of the question– seeing as they were bound to be packed with guests– so he was reduced to camping out away from everyone just so he could eat in peace. He couldn’t even return to his dorm without risking being spotted and followed. So he resolved to stay in this empty classroom to eat and regain the strength needed to make it through the rest of this hellish day. Until the newcomers were finally forced to leave the campus.

Reaching into his bag, Vil pulls out the bento box that he had packed in preparation for the day’s chaos. Along with it, he pulled out a shining red apple. Strange. He didn’t remember packing that. It must have been a gift from Epel then. That boy did love his apples. Perhaps this was his way of wishing Vil good luck on this trying holiday. What a sweet boy. He’ll have to thank him when he gets back to the dorm.

Just as Vil started in on his meal, the door creaked open and a girl peeked in. He fixed her with a cold stare before continuing to eat his meal. He saw the way she looked at him, with obsession written in her eyes. She would obviously just follow him if he tried to leave so he might as well regain his energy before giving her the slip like the others. She tried to strike up a conversation but Vil didn’t even spare her a second glance. If he had been looking at her, he would have seen the desperate expression flash across her face before being replaced with an eager look as her eyes landed on the apple next to him. He places the empty bento box back in his bag as he feels someone plunk themselves in the seat next to him. Feeling a little bored, he decided to play along a bit. A little entertainment before he leaves her behind. 

Reaching for the apple, he asks the girl “Just what do you think you're doing?” in a cold voice.

She just stares at him for a few seconds, before a lovesick expression washes over her face: “I’m trying to get close to you, Vil! What else would I be doing? Why would I waste all that time following you just to watch from the sidelines?”

Vil simply sighs in response. This isn’t his first run in with overzealous fans. It stopped being worrisome a long time ago and had just become a hindrance.

“Well you’ve been allowed to bask in my presence for long enough. I will be taking my leave soon and you will not follow me. Understood?” He finishes his sentence with a sickly sweet, fake grin. The girl seems unfazed by his comment and simply watches with bated breath as he brings the apple up to his lips.

The red surface crunches beneath his teeth as the overly sweet taste floods across his tongue. This apple tasted … off. There were hints of certain flowery and fruity tastes, rose petals and strawberries being the most distinguished of them, mingling with the red apples natural flavor. An overpoweringly sweet artificial aftertaste coated his taste buds like tar. It was too sweet. Sickeningly sweet. He could feel his stomach roil after he made the mistake of swallowing it. A strange feeling started washing over him. It felt like a steady haze was covering him, a fog overtaking his brain and making it harder for him to think clearly. He could feel a tingling in his mind, reaching to hold his head in his hands as he shut his eyes. It didn’t exactly hurt but he could feel it overpowering him. He should be worried, this clearly wasn’t a normal response. The apple was probably drugged, a love potion seeming like the most plausible answer. But despite this distressing situation that he found himself in, he could feel a sense of acceptance washing over him, replacing the dread that had previously pooled in him.

“It’s okay Vil, just open your eyes. Just look at me, okay?” the girl cooed, a disturbingly wide smile spreading across her face. “I promise everything will be all better~ Just as soon as you look at me.”

Even in his potion-addled mind, Vil had enough sense to know that this was a bad situation he found himself in. He kept his eyes firmly closed, holding his hands over them even as she tried to wrench his wrists away.

The door to the room softly opened, an NRC student making their way into the room whilst carrying a large stack of papers in their arms. The papers completely blocked their view to the rest of the room, so they blindly maneuvered past desks to the teachers desk where they plopped the papers down with an unceremonious ‘thump’. Both Vil and the girl whipped their heads around at this noise. Vil opened his eyes to see the source of the sound, his muddled state making him temporarily forget what would happen to him upon laying eyes on someone. His hands had been pulled far enough off his eyes that he saw them for a split second. This was all it took.

The girl stared at the student with a deer-in-headlights look, frantic about being caught in the act; “Wha-What are you doing here?!”

The student jolts at this and whips around to look at the speaker, finding this unfamiliar girl manhandling one of their classmates.

“I was just delivering papers for Professor Crewel.” After overcoming their initial surprise, they were able to take in the scene more carefully. “Just what do you think you’re doing? You’re clearly making him uncomfortable, so back off.”

“No, he’s not uncomfortable!!" She stomps childishly, as if to enunciate her point. "He was just about to accept my confession before you interrupted us! Tell them Vil!” The girl turns to Vil with an eager expression before her eyes land on his face and her expression falls.

His hands had completely fallen from his eyes, allowing him to look at the student before him clearly. His purple irises seemed to shimmer with untold emotions, a soft pink ring encircling his pupils and giving him a barely noticeable case of centralized heterochromia. His mouth was slightly agape with his hand gently hovering in front of it. He looked stunned, as if he had just seen an ethereal being flutter down from the sky and land before him in this dreary classroom. He felt himself being overcome with emotions; warmth, devotion, adoration, and desire started brimming within him. He felt the blissful joy that spurs from a crush. This can’t be a crush! That sounds too informal, too juvenile. Calling this a mere ‘crush’ would be an insult to the depth of feelings he holds for them. This had to be love! There’s no other possibility! They’re perfect! So perfect! How could he have ever overlooked them! They had been by his side all this time. He had just been too blind to see.

“ … [Name] … ” A soft whisper escaped Vil as his lips twitched into the ghost of a smile.

“Are you sick or something? You’re all flushed! Come on, I’m taking you to the infirmary.” They grab Vil’s arm to help him out of his seat, quickly snatching his bag as well. They rush him out of there before the girl even has enough time to process the situation at hand. They kept turning back as they led Vil down the hallway, afraid that the girl would follow the two of them. 

Once making it a safe distance away, they released his arm that they were holding onto in order to steady and guide him through the halls. Vil noticed that the spot they had been touching felt unnaturally cold in their absence, causing him to tense up and look at them in confusion. The expression on their face had switched from the overly concerned facade that they had put on in front of the girl to a stoic, nearly frigid look.

“Looks like she fell for the ruse. I’m guessing that’s one of those ‘crazy fans’ that you keep complaining about. Steer clear from that one, alright? I won’t be there to save you next time. Dunno if you actually need to go to the nurse or not but I’m sure you can get there yourself. Here’s your bag.” They state, moving to hand him his pack. His eyes hover over them for a few seconds before he reaches out to grab the strap that they held out to him. His fingers gently press against their hand as he lingers against their touch. They break the contact quickly, swiping their hand away as if they’d been burned, and start walking away. “Good luck with the fans.”

“[Name], wait!” Vil panics as he sees them moving away from him.

They seem to deflate a bit as they turn back to him, muttering an annoyed “What?” in response.

“[Name]. I…well, frankly I don’t know how to put this. I-” For once, Vil felt utterly tongue tied. His mind had gone blank, the overwhelming emotions stifling any attempt to plan his next words. All his charisma and charm slipping from his mind, like water from a sieve, in the face of this blinding admiration.

“You don’t have to thank me or–”

“– I feel as if I’ve been pierced with Cupid’s arrow!” Vil blurts out, cutting [Name]’s sentence off short. The apathetic stare drops from their face and they look utterly shocked. “I have no other way to describe it! I feel as if a blindfold has been lifted from my eyes, allowing me to see the divine being that has been right in front of me all along! I was a fool to not realize this before; you are perfection incarnate! Your visage has brought light and vibrance to my once dull world. Simply being in your presence leaves me feeling light and giddy. [Name], I believe I have fallen in love with you!” Vil flashes an eager smile. Not his usual pristine grin that seemed merely a pose for a camera, but a smile that seemed genuinely kind and heartfelt.

[Name] was frozen in place for a few long seconds. It felt like time was dragging on at a painfully slow pace. They could feel a pang of hurt in their heart. But they pushed it aside for the moment. Swallowing thickly and taking a shaky breath, they look Vil directly in his eyes; “Did… did that girl hit you in the head or something? Wha-… are you okay? Do you need me to call someone?”

The smile on Vil’s face falls, being replaced with a look of worry. “No, I’m fine…really! I- I’ve never felt better! Just being with you has made everything better!” He tries to smile at them again but stops when he sees their expression. Their face had contorted into a look of scarcely contained, deadly calm rage. Their eyes fixed him with a sharp glare as they seethed through their gritted teeth.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me. Is this your idea of a joke? If it is, then you really are cruel. You think you have any right to be saying this after last year?” Letting out an exasperated huff, they continue, “To think; I try to help you, and this is the thanks I get?! You think it’s fun teasing me, huh? Can’t stand the fact that I’ve gotten over your little stunt? That I’m not falling over myself to kiss the very ground you walk upon. That I’m not worshiping you like you're perfect or something? You’d like that, wouldn’t you?! You know what; fuck you Vil. Just leave me alone.”

Vil looked as if he had just been punched in the gut. It felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest, thrown to the floor, and crushed beneath their shoe. He dashed after their retreating form, frantically spewing words that he desperately hoped would make the situation better.

“I-I’m so sorry for what happened then! I was blind– A fool!! How could I ever treat such a sublime being like that?! I promise I’ll fix it! I’ll make it up to you! I’ll do anything! Wait! Maybe you’re upset because I didn’t have anything prepared for you during my confession! I’ll fix this! You deserve everything! I’ll give it all to you!! Flowers and sweets! Perhaps you want cosmetics and jewelry? Or clothes? Or maybe a poem?! Even a simple card or note would have been enough to show that these feelings are more premeditated than a passing fancy! To prove that what I feel for you is genuine and not merely an impulse. How could I be so foolish to try to confess without a suitable gift to fit a person of your caliber?! [Name], wait, please!!”

Vil continues to bound after them, desperately trying to convince them to respond to him. To slow down and stop slamming doors in his face. To stop stomping their way back to their dorm. Hell, even them looking at him would be enough. Even if it was out of hatred, he needed their eyes to be on him. To feel acknowledged by them. To know that he still held a place in their world. Even if that role was one of the despised, he’d be happy to know that they cared enough to feel something for him. He could work with ‘Something’. He’d show them. As long as their eyes were on him, he could prove that he’s worthy of their love. That he can make up for the past. That he’s not the same heartless fool that had the gall to turn them down so mercilessly a mere year ago.

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The girl stood alone in the room. Picking up the apple that had fallen from Vil’s hands when the potion she made for him started kicking in, she stared at it and traced her thumb over the spot he had bitten. The flesh of the fruit was discolored, tinged a soft shade of pink instead of its usual off-white. She was seething. He had been taken from her. He was supposed to be hers! But they got in the way. She would fix this. She swore that she would. They wouldn’t get in her way again.

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They stepped out of their dorm and felt an uneven texture beneath their foot, along with hearing the sound of crinkling plastic. They didn’t even have to look down to know what it was at this point; another damn bouquet. They hadn’t even gotten any breakfast yet and they were already done with the day. Letting out an irritated huff, they scooped up the newest gifts and added them to the ever-growing pile that was now looming over them. 

It has only been a few weeks since the incident on Valentines and ever since Vil has been religiously sending them gifts. Every day, the gifts would be waiting for them outside their dorm. It didn’t matter if they had just gotten up or just got back from classes, the gifts would be there waiting for them. Every. Single. Day.

Some of the gifts were the common symbols of love that one would expect. Sweet treats like chocolate covered strawberries and heart-shaped confections, exquisite flower arrangements, and absolutely adorable plushie versions of their favorite creatures. Others could have been considered heartfelt- if not for the circumstances. Care baskets brimming with necessities and luxuries alike, beautiful bento boxes containing scrumptious healthy dishes, cosmetic goods meant to improve the users health as well as polish their appearance, and the highest quality supplies for their hobbies. Then there were the really extravagant gifts. The ones that would easily cost more than their whole dorm building and everything in it. Enough glittering jewelry to allow one to shimmer brighter than the stars in the night sky, name brand clothing that–alarmingly–were perfectly tailored to their size (they recoiled in disgust at how he could have gotten this information), trinkets and baubles made from precious metals and fine gems that served no purpose other than being aesthetically pleasing, and any other expensive item that they had even considered wanting.

And then there were the notes. So. Many. Notes. There were letters and poems. Sonnets and soliloquies. The font was always ornate and showy, likely having been penned out with a quill and ink, and some cards even appeared to have a spritz of his perfume in them, allowing the scent to waft out upon being opened. Each of which was flowery in language and insistent in the earnestness of his feelings. Some commented on how they had to take better care of themselves; how their sleep schedule was all over the place, that they were working themselves too hard, that they weren’t getting the proper nutrition, and so on. He rambled about how he could take much better care of them; that he could pamper them and handle everything so they could simply let their beauty shine without the stress of daily life getting in the way. He commented on how a person of their caliber deserved to be living in a mansion and not in some squalid dorm. He went on and on about all the things that he claimed they deserved, that he could provide them with should they simply allow themself to be his. As much as they wanted to toss the notes out, burn them with fire so they can’t be burned into their memory, they kept each and every one of them. There was no sentimentality to it. They would serve as evidence if they ever needed to get the teachers or law enforcement to intervene in the future, should it ever come to that.

The gifts, on the other hand, were a different story. They tried giving them back to Vil, telling him to return them and get his money back. He acted shocked at first, like he couldn’t understand that someone wouldn’t want the marvelous gifts that he had given them. But then he became insistent that they keep the gifts. He seemed to be laboring under the delusion that they didn’t want the gifts because they felt “unworthy” of them or that they were simply “unaccustomed” to being treated in the way that they deserved, to which he did everything in his power to reassure them that they are worth every penny spent and more. What he didn’t understand is that the sole reason they didn’t want his gifts is because it was him that gave it to them. No matter how much they insisted, he refused to take the items back. They ended up pilling it all up in their room, refusing to give him the satisfaction of using or partaking in anything he had given them. They’d sooner give it away, then use it themselves.

Worst of all was the source of all this himself. Every time they ran into Vil in person, he would try to dote on them. He was like a peacock, constantly preening and showing off in a desperate attempt to catch their attention. He always seemed to have some hairbrained scheme, ranging from messages written in rose petals to invitations for extravagant events, all with the end goal of getting them to love him back. He would present them with desperate acts of love, spewing his pathetic rambles of “Lovely results, don’t you agree? Lovely just like me! Aren’t I the fairest of all? Hey, hey– I’m perfect, aren’t I? Please, I’ve done so much for you. If you say no, I’ll cry!” and “I’m doing so well, have you heard? You see–You see! I'm perfect for you!”. They had taken to flat out ignoring him, hoping that he’d just move on when he finally took the hint that they weren’t interested. They tried to be polite at first but they were sick of it. They were sick of him. Was this just a game to him? What was wrong with him? Why was he like this all of a sudden? They just wanted this all to stop. They were tired.

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The sharp clacks of high heeled shoes can be heard heading out of a room used for Alchemy lessons. Vil practically waltzes down the hall, proudly admiring his work; These potions will surely help him win their heart! A few flasks contained shimmering, vibrant substances that he planned on integrating into his beauty routine. Surely a few cosmetic potions would help him look exquisite enough to catch their attention. A little something to make his hair silkier here and a bit of magical cologne there would surely be enough to garner him at least a few extra seconds of their gaze. He fantasizes about how they might react to seeing him after these new additions to his beauty regimen. Would they look at him with a dewy-eyed desire? Perhaps reluctant admiration would be more realistic? Maybe they would even seek him out to compliment him, thus giving him the pleasure of basking in their presence! He sighs dreamily as he safely pockets these concoctions in the inner pocket of his jacket. He then reaches to the pocket of his pants to remove a vial of viscous, lime green poison. With the dreamy look still glistening in his eyes, he continues his daydreaming. Swirling the liquid around the tube it’s contained in, he fantasizes about using it against anyone that might be foolish enough to try and steal his dearest away from him or, Sevens forbid, try to ruin their perfection by corrupting their mind or marring their body! He had no set target in mind upon the initial brewing of this poison, but he’d prefer to have it just in case. He didn’t plan on using it unless he felt it was absolutely necessary. He knew how much of a kind heart his dearest one possessed. They would almost certainly react unfavorably if they found out he had poisoned someone for them, even if said person was a threat. He would hate to give them any reason to despise him, especially given the reluctance they exhibited to his advances thus far. But he would rather be safe than sorry. He was sure that he would end up needing it at some point. What if some brainless oaf tried to taint their perfection? Or some jealous brute tried to hurt them because of the attention he was lavishing them with? Or, Vil seethes at the very thought, what if that insolent brat Neige LeBlanche tries to steal them from him- like he has so many of the things that he so rightfully deserved? No, he wouldn’t let them be taken from him! They meant more to him than any acting role– any prestige or popularity– ever could. He needed to keep them safe, keep their perfect self from being tainted by all the unworthy spuds that surround them. Only he comes close enough to perfection to truly appreciate them. Only he has earned the right to their attention.

“VIL!” A loud shriek from the other end of the hall, followed by a quick succession of heavy footfalls interrupted his thoughts. He swiftly pocketed the vial of poison and turned to glare at the interruption. His eyes fell upon the girl from a few weeks ago. The one who had practically thrown a tantrum after seeing Vil lavish his attention and care upon his dearest [Name] instead of her petulant self. His face twisted into a scowl of disgust as the girl closed the distance between the two of them.

“How could you do this to me, Vil?! I went through all that effort– gathering ingredients, learning how to make the damn thing, hiding it from teachers and classmates and everyone– all to make that love potion for you! And you don’t even fall for me?! No! That slut had to get in my way, didn’t they! Why couldn’t they have just minded their damn business and left us alone!” The girl fumed, jutting about with jagged motions. She was near inconsolable, desperately reaching out to grasp onto Vil’s arm, uniform– anything she could get her hands on. Only to be met with a harsh tug, as Vil pulled himself out of her grasp, and a scathing glare. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Vil’s voice was calm and cold, dripping with more venom than a snake’s fangs. He painstakingly brushes off his uniform and gloves, as if the mere touch of the girl was enough to bespeckle his pristine form with grime.

Not being blind to the intentions behind his actions, the girl simply grits her teeth and continues ranting; “It was supposed to be me! You should have looked at me first– you should have fallen in love with me! But that nuisance of a classmate of yours just HAD to get in the way! Why did someone as pathetic and worthless as th–ecck!”

Before she could finish her sentence, she found that one of Vil’s gloved hands had shot out and wrapped around her throat, leaving her to sputter and gasp for air.

“How dare you.” It started out as a murmur. A deadly whisper. His blonde locks parting to expose his purple eyes, dappled with pink, brimming like cauldrons with contents far deadlier than any poison he had ever brewed.

“How dare you try to sully their name with that foul mouth of yours! You are a loathsome piece of filth! What makes you think you could even be worthy of my attention?! What makes you think you could even come close to comparing to them?!” Despite the girl trying to pry his hands from her neck, his grip is unfaltering. He meets her resistance with only more hostility, pushing her and allowing her to fall and smack her head against the cold stone floor. As she tried to recover, she found a sharp heel digging into her stomach. Her desperate eyes met the cruel expression on Vil’s face.

“In a normal situation, I would have preferred to spare more of my attention to the muck on the bottom of my shoes than to the likes of you. But this isn’t a normal situation, now is it?” He presents the girl with a cold, closed eye smile. Any coherent words that the girl may have used to respond with are lost to yelps and whimpers as Vil’s heel presses further into her flesh, blood starting to pool and soak into her clothes. His smile drops upon the utterance of his next words, being replaced with a dead eyed stare; “You insulted them. My beloved. My dearest one. My most precious love! The most perfect person I have ever had the honor of laying my eyes upon! And you have the nerve to speak ill of such a sublime being.”

He cracks his knuckles and closes in on the girl, chuckling to himself as she desperately tries to distance herself from him. “You’ve certainly earned what is coming to you.”

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[Name] was making their way down the corridor, adjusting the straps of their pack and fantasizing about returning to their dorm room for some much needed downtime. Lessons had finished a couple of hours ago, but they and a few friends had met up for some studying before an important test. Vil had eagerly offered to tutor them on the subject but they immediately refused his offer. For the last few months, Schoenheit had been utterly insufferable. Refusing to leave them alone, he seemed to have devoted himself entirely to gaining their attention. He always wanted to spend time with them, both in and out of classes; offering unwanted advice about fashion and appearances along with offers for makeovers and self care days provided by him in his dorm room, as well as smothering them with attention, compliments, and gifts. They knew he liked them. It wasn’t hard to tell given the fact that they’ve had to turn down his confessions and actions numerous times already, but he just wouldn’t take the hint and leave them alone. What happened to him in the first place? He wasn’t always like this.

Once upon a time, it had been them who was pining for him. He was so regal, so sophisticated, so breathtakingly beautiful that they couldn’t help but fall for him. But they found out what the real Vil was like. They had tried asking him out, offering him flowers that they had grown, a hand drawn card, and a box of homemade chocolates. They knew they didn’t have enough money to buy anything that would even come close to the standard that Vil must experience as a famous actor, so they thought that handmade gifts would be better. Besides being more affordable, they also felt more genuine. They had put blood, sweat, and tears into making his gifts- quite literally since the flowers were a hassle to grow and often pricked them with their thorns. And how did he respond to their efforts? He laughed. He unleashed his barbed tongue, lashing them with his scathing words, and tossed the gifts in the nearest waste bin. It took time, and more tears than they wanted to admit, to get over this rejection but they had finally recovered. And now he wants back into their life? He tried to apologize and make up for the past. But it was too late for that. The damage had been done. Now, they wanted nothing more than to prove to him just how little they needed him. They didn’t need his gifts; often giving them to friends and classmates who had a greater need for them. They didn’t need his compliments. They had learned to love themself without the input from people like him. They especially didn’t need him to tutor them. They had their actual friends to help them with that.

Speaking of which, those friends had already parted a few minutes ago after some pleasant conversation and a chorus of ‘byes’. Ace and Deuce headed back for the Heartslabyul dorm, Epel for Pomefiore, Ruggie to Savanaclaw, and so on. They decided to close the distance between themselves and their dorm by passing through the hallways of the building they were in so they could exit out the other side. Any excuse to stay inside longer. To avoid the biting cold they knew awaited them outside these halls. Spring break was growing near yet it was still far too cold to be comfortable. They had their earbuds in listening to some upbeat music as a means to reward themself after all the work they had done while studying. They sauntered down the hallway, moving to the music, confident that no one else would be around to see them. As they made their way through halls and past classrooms, they thought they could hear some distant sounds over the music. They stopped their melody-fueled movements and removed an earbud. The sounds of a scuffle made itself clear as soon as their hearing was no longer muffled by the music. They quickly paused their song and stuffed their earbuds in their pocket. So what if they got tangled wires! Someone was in trouble!

Despite wanting to help, they still chose to be cautious. They made their way steadily, yet stealthily, to the source of the noise. The noise was close, just around the corner. They quickly pressed some buttons on their phone, drawing up the camera feature to peek around the corner without making their presence known. What they saw shocked them to their core. They saw Vil sitting in a mounted position atop another person. He was holding them down and beating them with his fist. They could barely make out any details about the person he was doing this to. There was too much blood. It pooled on the stone floor beneath the victim’s head, splattered on the walls, caked their face with a layer of dried-on grime that mingled with the fresh liquid– in the form of blood and tears– drawn out after each punch, and clung to the fabric of Vil’s gloves and clothes. They felt a queasiness pool in their gut at the squelchy ‘schmack’ sounds made after each hit, at the crimson being flung to all the surfaces in the vicinity of the violence. Vil suddenly stopped, letting his hands rest on either side of the person's head, staring down at their beaten form beneath him as he let out panting breaths.  

A quiet whimper filled the air as the person beneath Vil gained the strength to speak.

“Why, Vil … I loved you … I did this … for you … Made it … for you … All … for you …” She, since you could now tell by her voice that this person was likely a she, let out raspy breaths between each thing she said. She sputtered through the blood oozing out of her mouth to let out her small pleas for answers.

They nearly held their breath after this, trying to steady their breathing in the newfound quiet. They didn’t want Vil to know they were here. They thought the way he was acting recently was weird, but they never thought he'd go this far! They hoped he would be satisfied with the damage he had caused and just leave. Without him here, they could get her to the infirmary. Without him here, they could breathe easily again. Just please … let him leave. Their thoughts froze when they heard a shuddering chuckle. It started as a low laugh, quiet and breathy, before slowly rising in volume. They could see him shudder between giggles before throwing his head back as he let out a noise that could only be described as a cackle. A maniacal laugh that was punctuated by gasps for air. The sinister noise filled the hallway like a rolling fog, consuming anything within its vicinity in an aura of terror. They could feel the chills crawling up their spine, their knees turning to jello and threatening to give out beneath them, and goosebumps coating their skin in waves. They desperately clamped a hand over their mouth to prevent any involuntary noises of fear from escaping them– alerting this madman to their whereabouts.

And then, he spoke.

“You just don’t get it do you? What makes you think I would ever stoop low enough to even consider harboring feelings beyond contempt for a pathetic little thing such as yourself? You’re a fool to think I could ever love you. Even with the help of a love potion, you'd still be the detestable little fly that refuses to stop buzzing around me. I’ve read the letters you so obsessively sent to me. What a laugh!”

Vil’s voice takes on a tone of mocking imitation “ ‘A letter penned with charm and wit.’ What a baseless claim! Even with all the work you say you put into them, somehow the feelings never did fit, did they? To say ’I love you from afar’, as filthy a creature you are!” A jarring laugh cuts through the air as he continues with a quiet, cruel tone. “It’s not enough– You’re not enough. Just not enough… Only they are enough for me. They are perfection itself. They are everything I could ever need. And I will become everything they could ever want. And you… You tried to stand in my way.”

A small whimper echoes around the hall as Vil’s sharp, manicured nails dug into the girl's skin. His expression is hauntingly blank. Only his eyes reflect the sheer hatred that seethes forth from him.

“You want to keep us apart. You want to take me from them. Steal my time. My attention. My love! Steal it from the person who it rightfully belongs to. Who I want nothing more than to devote it to. All because you think that you alone are deserving of me? Don’t you get it?! My love for them is just too big, you filthy detestable pig!!”

As his yelling crescendos, he presses her shoulders further into the ground. Her pained noises seem to spur him on, as he continues with a sadistic grin. “And isn’t this so much more fun?! As you so needlessly keep repeating, ‘You did this all for me’ didn’t you? You pestered me like the bothersome little gnat you are, even going so far as drugging me just so I’d spare you a second glance. Such a shame that your plan didn’t work out the way you’d hoped.” Vil seemed to take on an air of fake pity before twisting into an expression of sheer smugness. “You should be thankful that I’m even sparing the time from my busy schedule to personally handle a pest like you. But I guess I should be more appreciative, shouldn’t I? If it hadn’t been for you drugging me with that love potion, I never would have come to the realization that I was in the presence of the perfect angel that is my lovely [Name]. I should reward you for that, should I not?” Reaching into his pocket, he gingerly removed a vial of lime green sludge and swirled it for the girl to see. “Don’t worry, this poison is relatively fast acting so you won’t have to wait very long for it to kick in. I can’t promise that it'll be painless though~”

They watched as Vil’s hand clamped around the girl's jaw, forcing her mouth open. Just as he was about to pop the cork off the bottle, they felt themself lurch into action. Pocketing their phone and tearing into their bag, they grab the first book that their fingers circle around.

Rounding the corner they hurl the book with all their might towards the man, while shouting at the top of their lungs: “Get away from her!”

Despite falling short of its target, the loud thump of the book along with their yell was enough to distract the man from spilling the poison down the girl’s throat. Both pairs of eyes flit over in their direction. Vil’s eyes, initially filled with bloodlust and rage at being interrupted from sealing the fate of this thorn in his side, quickly switches to panic as he recognizes the interrupter as the very person he was devoting this attack to.

“My love! This isn’t what it looks like, I-I…I swear!” He quickly stoppers the vial and puts it in his pocket, positioning himself in a way to better face them and raising his bloodied palms to them as if that would exemplify innocence. Their knuckles whitened around the strap of their pack as they readied another book to use as a projectile.

“I don’t want to hear it, Vil. Just– just get away from her!” They did everything in their power to appear as intimidating as they could. To push down the waves of fear coursing through them. To stop the shaking that would have otherwise wracked their body and seized their voice. They had to be strong. For their sake and the sake of that girl. Any sign of weakness from the prey could inspire the predator to strike.

“[Name] please, you have to understand. She was a threat to us–”

“There’s no ‘us’ Vil! There never has been— there never will be! I don’t care what you think she’s done! How could you do this to her– to anyone?! You’re sick! Just get back!”

Vil looked as if he had been struck. His eyes were hurt and pleading. They’d almost say he looked like a kicked puppy, if it wasn’t for all the blood staining him and the rest of this horrid scene. This distraction on Vil’s part was enough for the girl under him to point a bloodied, shaky finger at them. Her expression was desperate and pleading, but her eyes: Her eyes were vindictive. Her eyes were blaming.

“You…” She spoke with a wavering voice “...did this… You need to help me… It’s your fault after all! This would have never happened if you had ju–Mmph!”

Vil slapped his hand over the girl's mouth, slamming her head back against the ground. Within an instant, his hurt expression had been replaced with the cruel glare that he now directed at the girl. “You shut your filthy mouth! They have the kindness to try to spare you from the fate that you so rightfully deserve! To pardon you from all the misdeeds that you have so carelessly affronted them with– and in response to their boundless patience you only try to insult them more?! You’re even more despicable than I thought you could be.” His expression softened as he turned back to them, moving to stand up and approach. “Darling, don’t listen to her. None of the blame rests on your shoulders, I assure you. It’s all her fault.” He turns to glare at the girl as he says this before turning back with a look that could almost be considered soft. He advanced towards them slowly, as if he was approaching a skittish animal. “I know you're a kind soul. I know you don’t like innocent people getting hurt. But I can assure you, this one is not innocent. They’re not worthy of your kindness. I’m just doing this to protect you– to protect us! She would have gotten in our way. You have to believe me!…My–my love? My love, you’re shaking…”

Despite their best attempts to keep their fear from presenting itself, they couldn’t stop the quacks that wracked their entire body. They clenched onto their school bag like it was a lifeline, holding it in front of them like a shield. “You’re sick, Vil! You’re a– a monster! Stay…stay back! Stay away from me!!”

He took in the sight of their fear with a look of terror adorning his own face. He never wanted this. He wanted their attention to be on him– yes– but not in this way! He wanted their love! Their affection! Their adoration! He wanted them to care for him as he did them. He never wanted them to fear him– much less have to fear anything! How could he protect them from their fear if he was the source of it?

“Wait, [Name]! Please don’t be scared of me! I-I’m not going to hurt you- WAIT!” He shouts the final word as his nearing presence had finally become too much for them to bear.

They hurled the bag at him as hard as they could before sprinting down the hall. They were running on pure instinct, the adrenaline coursing through their system fueling their flight. Their thoughts were limited, focusing solely on getting away from Vil and getting help. They just had to make it out of this building and into a more populated area. Sharp clacking sounds followed behind them, along with shouts of “[Name], come back!” and “Please, [Name]!”. The sounds were getting closer and closer. They could see an exit in front of them. The door loomed ahead, like a beacon of light guiding them out of the darkness. It was Twenty feet away now. Fifteen feet away. Ten feet. Nine. Eight. Seven–

Just as they reached out, hoping to feel their fingers encircle the cold metal knob– to twist it beneath their grasp, to throw their weight against the door, to allow the biting cold of the outside world to wash over them– they instead felt slender fingers grasping around their bicep, yanking them back just far enough to leave them grasping at the air instead of the handle. Falling back a bit from the force of the tug, they felt something encircling them, effectively pinning their arms to their side. They could hear his gasps for breath, feel his chest as it rapidly rose and fell against their back. He was dragging them– nearly carrying them– into a nearby classroom. They kicked and writhed, fought and screamed. Throwing their head back in hopes of smacking against his nose and swinging their legs back to try to hit him in a spot they knew would stun him for just long enough to give them the upper hand. Fighting tooth and nail. Doing anything they could to escape the man holding them back from their freedom. From help. From safety. But he was stronger than them.

Damn his acting career for training him in ways to fight and defend himself! Damn his workout routine for ensuring that he was fit! Damn everything about him! Damn it all!

But it was too late.

Pushing open the door to the classroom, he pulled them inside. Twisting round, he slammed his back against the door– sealing it shut with his body weight. They could hear him panting, feel it tickling their ears and touseling their hair. The heave of his chest against their back rivaling their own frantic breaths. He gripped onto them like he was a drowning man holding onto a life preserver. They tried to wriggle from his arms but he would only hug them closer to himself, as if they’d vanish if he so much as loosened his grip.

Between heaving breaths, he panted out: “[Name]… Please…Please, just listen to me. I can explain.”

They froze in their struggle, faking compliance so they could bid time until he eventually lowered his guard. He took their stillness as a sign to continue.

“You have to understand; I wasn’t going to hurt you. I would never hurt you! There’s no need to run from me. I was just trying to protect you. She would have only gotten between us! If she had her way, she would have taken me from you! She was desperate– crazy even! She would have tried to hurt you, I know it! I couldn’t have that happen!!”

As much as they wanted to snap at him, yell back about how he’s in no position to be calling someone crazy, they chose to take the safe route. Being antagonistic would only make him more unhinged and dangerous than he already was. If they tried to talk to him calmly, maybe they could get him to loosen his grip enough to be able to escape his arms and put some distance between them. With a shaky voice, from both nerves and from trying to catch their breath, they respond; 

“Vil…Ple–Please let me go. You’re hurting me.” They reached up to his arms, softly placing their hands on them in a way that could be interpreted as a reassuring caress but which was actually their preparation to rip his arms away at a moment's notice. It took everything in them to not recoil in revulsion and terror when they felt him bury his face in the crook of their neck. They could feel something wet staining their shoulder as he seemed to convulse; Was he crying? They could feel his breath escape in gasps as each sob echoed from him.

“It’s agony…” he whispered “I just can’t bear being away from you. I can’t bear it when you look at me with such disdain and fear. I’m going insane, I love you so much! Why can’t you see, it’s hurting me my sweet! Please just make the pain go away!” He burrowed his face further against their shoulder as he wept.

“It’s… it’s okay. We can… we can fix this. That girl drugged you with a love potion, didn’t she? We can get you an antidote. I’m sure Professor Crewel should be able to get you one. Then you won’t be in pain anymore!” They ended off with an optimistic tone, hoping that he would just go along with the plan.

There was a long pause. Neither of them spoke. Neither even moved. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, loosening his arms ever so slightly. They could see his hands shaking, feeling him quivering like a leaf in a windstorm against them. They tried to soothe him, gently rubbing his arm to try to coax him into fully letting them go while whispering variations of “It’s okay” and “You’ll be okay”. They felt him tense up and fall still. What happened? Did they push too far too fast?

Any hope they had that this situation could still be fixed was dashed when they felt his crushing grip return even tighter than before.

“… no. No, I won’t lose you. I don’t care if this is because of some love potion, my feelings for you are real! It simply helped me see. That’s it! It helped me see that you’re the only one for me! You’re all I love. You’re all I need! I thought I wanted the eyes of this whole rotting world, but I know now! All I need is your eyes on me!” If they could only see his face, they’d see the desperately lovesick look painting his features. “Love me I beg– just love me I beg! Take it! All of me! Just let me be yours! And you’ll be mine! I’ll take your grief and bury the key! I’ll give you everything you could possibly want! All I ask is for you to be mine!”

They writhed in panic at the extent of his mania. “Vil, please! There’s still time! We can still fix this! We can still get you the potion! We can get the girl to a healer and–”

“–Why do you care about her?! Why do you care about any of them?! I’m the best— aren’t I? I am the best, in our class they attest, I’m a boy far above all the rest. I’m better than those two friends of yours! Those fools Ace and Deuce— what do they have that I don’t?! I won’t be bested by all of the rest— of this pitiful school, I’m the head! What do you want me to change? I will be better for you! I’m better than those two, better than all! But you still prefer them. What must I do to have you look only at me?!”

In a burst of emotion, they tore his arms off of them. Scrambling away, they cowered behind a row of desks to force some distance between them. Their plan to try to calm him being thrown out the window in the face of these overwhelming emotions. Terror. Resentment. Rage. It had all boiled up inside of them and bubbled over.

“Why do I prefer them? Why do I prefer them?! Why the hell do you think Vil?! Maybe it’s because they’re my friends! Because they never hurt me like you did! Because they never made me fear for my life! Or overwhelmed me with gifts in some desperate attempt to buy my love! Maybe it’s because I don’t fucking hate them!” They continued shifting away, trying to distance themself from him as they yelled.

Now that they had broken away from him, they got a good look at his face. Mascara-laced tears streaked down his cheeks. There were flecks of blood splattered across him in splotchy patches. His eyes were wide and wild, making the pink streaks in his irises all the more clear to see. The desperate looking expression was only accentuated by the words that came out of his mouth:

“Please [Name]… Please don’t get angry…” [Name] watched with bated breath as Vil moved towards them, leaving the door unguarded. “Please don’t get angry. Don’t leave and abandon me. Please never say you won’t stay. I’m drowning in pain whenever you look at me with such hatred. It’s a curse in the brain! Take it–please take it away!”

But it seems he’s far too late.

They threw themselves over the row of desks, propelling themselves towards the door. They felt the sharp pang of pain spread through them as their body slammed into the floor. They could already feel bruises blossoming as they pushed themselves up and jolted for the door. The cool metal of the handle twisted under their grip, allowing the wooden door to start creaking open.

But a force pushes it back into place. The door slams shut again. They wrench at the knob, desperately throwing their weight back to try to pry it open, before noticing the hands on either side of their head. Vil was pushing the door closed, pinning them against its surface while doing so. They cowered against the hard wood, desperately wishing it would just engulf them and let them pass through. Vil’s expression was completely unreadable. His head was down, letting his hair block any glimpses at his expression. Refusing to lift his head and look at them, Vil moves his hands to hold their shoulders. He slowly collapses to his knees, his hands trailing down their arms until he reached their hands. Taking them in his, he gingerly leads them to his face. Ever so gently, he presses his forehead against the hands that he clasped in his own, allowing himself to graze over their skin as he lifts his head. He presses his lips against their knuckles with a reverent devotion, eyes trailing up to look upon their face. They could see the obsession swirling in his eyes. The normally purple iris tinged with pink, as well as little white hearts dotting about where normal light reflections would be, and with tears spilling forth. They could feel his hot breath brush against their hands, the vile concoction of mascara-blackened tears mixed with the splatters of blood wetting their skin. Fueled by fear and disgust, they pry their now slick hands from his grasp. Without missing a beat, Vil’s arms snake around their thighs. Fingers intertwining themselves into the fabric of their clothes, he buries his face into the cloth. The tears and blood seep into the fabric. Low, barely audible murmurs spill from Vil’s lips. They sound like gibberish at first, before gaining enough clarity and volume to be coherent.

“…Love me … Just love me … Please love me…”

There was a ringing in their ears and a pain in their chest. It was all too much. The fear was overwhelming. Weeks of resentment had built up to this moment. Tears spilled from their eyes. They snapped.

“How could I ever love you! With everything you put me through! You hurt me! You hurt others! I’ll never love you! This isn’t healthy, Vil!! Just stop this, please!” With each word they utter, they feel him cower and quake. “Just stop it!! Please stop it! Please!” Their words trailed off in a series of sobs and hiccups. If they hadn’t been preoccupied with their own wracking sobs, they would have noticed that Vil had fallen still. It was like a switch had been flipped. His murmuring started back up again, far clearer and louder than before.

“ … Give me your love … give me your love … give me your love … More and more, just give me your love! Love me I say– Love me away! Until I’m not completely sane!” He tilts his head up to look at them, parting the blonde curtains before his eyes. The same swirls of obsession dance around, intermingling with a fiery determination. “Look only at me! Please, I’m begging you! I will become all you could ever need! Just look at me and me alone!” Flecks of what appeared to be guilt and desperation joined in with the frenzy of emotions swirling about his eyes. He caught hold of their hand again, pressing their palm against the spot right atop his heart. “People just…people just– they’re not enough! Only you're enough! You just don’t understand yet. But that’s okay! This is all just too much to take in at once! There’s nothing for you to worry about. I’ll help you! I’ll shower you with my love so that you’ll never be able to deny it! We can be happy together, I promise! I just know that you’re perfect for me. And I’m perfect for you~  I won’t give up on you! I won’t let you go. There’s no other way for me to do this . . . Sorry for what’s coming.”

Those final words sent a spike of dread into their gut. In a last ditch effort, they try to push Vil over and run. Their shove is enough to throw him off balance at least, as they move to the side to escape his range. They’re not fast enough however. His hand shoots out and grasps their ankle as they try to flee. The force yanking them back is enough to send them tumbling to the floor. Their kicks and scurries aren’t enough to ward him off as he throws himself over them and straddles their waist. Vil gently cradles their face in his hands, softly caressing their cheeks as they get a clear look at his wild, mournful eyes and the smile that could've been considered reassuring if not for the situation at hand. Then his hands slipped from their face to their throat. Fingers encircling their skin as he grasps tightly. He gently shushes their protests, promising that “Everything will be okay” and that they “just have to go to sleep for a bit”. They can feel their lungs crying out for air, little black speckles filling the edges of their vision. They scratch desperately at his hands but he doesn’t budge, his gloves likely providing him with some protection. Their mind is addled and gradually ceases functioning. With the last remaining scrap of air in their body, they choke out a desperate;

“…Vi– … Plea– …”

Vil’s hands loosen for a mere second. He looks at them with a pitying look as more tears well up in his eyes. He coos out “Oh, my dear [Name] …” before resuming his efforts.

“I’m sorry, my love. I never wanted to do this to you. I don’t want to hurt you. But I have to! You’d run if I didn’t! And I can’t lose you to anyone, not even yourself. I’m going to take good care of you. I promise! You will want for nothing. I will give you everything you could possibly want! I will pamper you and cherish you! I’ll do anything for you! Just go to sleep. Sleep, darling. And when you wake, I'll be there to take care of you~”

And so, with no other choice, they did just that.

[bluejayboi]

Masterpost

Welcome to my blog! Happy to have you here （‐＾▽＾‐）

Feel free to call me Blu, Jay, or any similar nicknames. I use he/they pronouns and I’m 21 years old

I post a variety of stories on this blog. I have a preference for writing yandere content but I will also post the occasional non-yandere, likely horror or soft content. I will try to put sufficient trigger warnings for my writing when it’s required. I will do romantic and platonic stories (I don't have confidence in writing NSFW content)

Since I’ll mainly be posting yandere stories, I just want to put it out there that yandere relationships are not healthy and should not be condoned or idolized. You should not try to replicate the behaviors that my characters or any other yandere characters in media do. It’s perfectly fine to take in media about yanderes but a clear division needs be made between fiction and reality.  If you or anyone you know is in a toxic relationship, I highly recommend seeking help from professionals

I will not write ped*philia, r*pe, incest, pregnancy, religion, and anything else that makes me uncomfortable. I will not be writing “character x character” or “character x oc” since this will mainly be a self insert story blog. I also will not be writing yandere characters that are sadistic and cruel to the person they’re obsessed with since I’m not a fan of that content

I usually write stories about original characters but I’m also willing to write about pre-existing characters and fandoms. Be warned: my knowledge of certain fandoms is very limited. Being a college student really limits the amount of time I have to take in media. The link to what I write for is below.

Feel free to reach out to me if you’d like to request any stories. Comments and interaction would be very much appreciated (only if they are respectful)

My posting schedule will be very eclectic and random so be warned. Don't expect frequent updates. I'm like a crow or stray cat: I will show up randomly, leave something as a gift, and then disappear for a while.

I’m still getting accustomed to posting on Tumblr so I’m learning as I go. Please pardon the mistakes that I’ll inevitably make :p

Links:

What I write for

[bluejayboi]

What I write for:

(Please feel free to reach out and ask if something isn't on the list)

What I’ve watched and have a relatively firm grasp on:

A plethora of songs that give off “yandere” vibes (I love writing stories based on songs)

Animes

Overlord

Demon Slayer

Black Butler (manga and anime) (platonic for the underage characters)

Quintessential Quintuplets

Junji Ito

Ouran High School Host Club

Death Note

Future Diary

Monster Musume

Interspecies Reviewers

Delicious in Dungeon

Video games

Twisted Wonderland

Pokemon (Black and White for humans and any game for Pokemon) (only platonic for Pokémon)

Resident Evil 7 and 8 (mainly platonic)

Little Nightmares (platonic only)

Doki Doki Literature Club

Helltaker

Homegrown Pet

Bonnie’s Bakery

John Doe

House Hunted

My Lovely Daughter (only platonic)

Movies

Coraline (platonic only)

Addams Family (1991 and 1993 films) (mainly platonic)

The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (mainly platonic)

The Boy (1st movie only)

Van Helsing (2004 movie) (mainly platonic)

What We Do in the Shadows

TV shows

Hannibal (platonic only)

What We Do in the Shadows

Arbitrary

Helluva Boss (mainly platonic)

Dimension 20: Fantasy High, The Unsleeping City, and Escape from the Bloodkeep (mainly platonic for all)

Fairy tale concepts, mythical creatures, monsters, and cryptids

All non-humanoid creatures (sea serpents, dragons, etc.) will only be platonic (sorry to all hardcore monster fuckers but I'm just not into that)

Humanoid creatures (vampires, driders, robots/AI, etc.) can be romantic or platonic

Furries are welcome :)

What I haven’t watched in completion/at all but am somewhat familiar with (may be shakier with canon plot and characterization):

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Pokemon (anything other than BW)

DC (Mainly Suicide Squad, a few Batman movies, and parts of Gotham)

Soul Eater

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

💙🔹🩵🔹💙🔹🩵🔹💙🔹🩵🔹💙🔹🩵🔹💙🔹🩵🔹💙🔹🩵🔹💙

Mainly platonic: I prefer writing platonic for these because I have more ideas for it but I’ll still write romantic if it’s requested or an idea strikes

Only platonic: I can’t think of the characters in any way other than platonically so I would not be able to write them romantically. Some of these stories also include characters who are minors so I will not be writing them in a romantic sense

[bluejayboi]

Ghost of the Past

This is my first post on this site. I hope you all enjoy :)

I never thought I’d feel this much dread at the mere notion of falling asleep. I did, as a child, feel a bit wary of my room at night but that was nothing compared to this. Back then, my imagination would play tricks on me, convincing me that the shadows of my lamp were actually a figure standing at the foot of my bed or some monstrous creature crawling across the floor. But back then, I could simply turn on the light and chase away the monsters. I never had to worry about my dreams returning me to that place. To that sloppily marked grave hidden among the trees in that dark forest. I would never have to worry about waking up in the middle of the night completely paralyzed and seeing him, lurking in the shadows. Creeping closer and closer; terribly, painfully slow, until he was right next to my bed. I can still remember the smell. That terrible, putrid smell that reeked of death! He would lean in close, close enough for me to see that sickeningly wide grin on his rotting face, and whisper in my ear; “Remember”. He would always tell me to remember. Remember what I did that night. Remember what I did to him. Then he disappears, fading out of existence as if he was never even there in the first place. All that remains from his visit being his rancid stench and the buzz of flies that once circled his foul head. I can never seem to remember what he wants me to. All I seem to remember are those terrible dreams. Of being trapped in a battered and broken coffin that rests snugly in a hole, too deep for me to climb out of. Listening as each shovelful of soil thuds against the disintegrating wood, adding to the ever growing mound. No matter how hard I tried to scream, to alert someone to my plight and escape my grotesque prison, I couldn’t. I was forced to sit and wait, in terror, as I was slowly buried alive. I tried clawing my way out and beating the wood with my fists but I only succeeded in bloodying my knuckles, tearing my nails, and skewering myself with splinters. As each mound of dirt was piled on, the air grew thinner and thinner. Each breath was harder than the last. I’d gasp desperately for air, like a fish out of water, as my lungs burned as if they had been set ablaze. Just as I felt I might finally pass (whether away completely or simply into the realm of unconsciousness I never can tell) I’d awaken in my bed, short of breath and gasping for air. There was another though. I was walking through a forest, one that looked strikingly similar to the woods just past the gate surrounding my yard. As I walked further, the forest seemed to gradually shift. The trees grew more gnarled and wild and the sky darkened until it gave the illusion of twilight. Plants withered, birds fell silent, and the rustling of any woodland creatures halted. The forest became utterly devoid of life. Despite this terrifying display I continued walking deeper into the belly of the beast. I couldn’t stop myself. I felt compelled to continue my march onward. Whether out of curiosity or the need for resolution, I could never tell. The forest grew ghastlier still as I reached a small clearing in the trees. Near the center of the clearing was what looked like a sloppy grave. I know I shouldn’t have. Something in my gut wrenched and roiled like a slithering serpent. But I had to approach. For some reason, this scene felt familiar. It’s not the sort of familiarity that you feel upon recognizing a site from a movie or show. No. I have been here before. I could feel my stomach tying itself into a knot as some unknown emotion slammed into my head. I felt horrible. Had I done something wrong? I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking as I stepped closer to the grave. The soil appeared as if it had just been shoveled in recently. The grave marker was made of two sticks sloppily tied together with a shoelace and stuck into the ground haphazardly. Something wriggles in the soil. It looked like a worm, albeit a large one. I notice as a second one comes up. Then a third. Then a fourth and a fifth. The more they wriggle around the more dirt falls off of them and the better I can see them. That’s when the realization hit me; these aren’t worms. They’re fingers! Rotting and slimy. Skin barely hanging on, exposing the patches of muscle and bone beneath. The fingers jolt towards me, revealing the hand they’re connected to. Before I even had a chance to react, I felt the hand grasp my ankle. With a force I never thought capable, the hand starts tugging me into the soil of the grave. No matter how hard I dig my nails and hands into the soil, in a desperate attempt to drag myself away from the grave, I can’t escape its grasp. Even when I wake, I’m still convinced that I can feel that thing grasping at my ankle! I would very much like to write these off as mere dreams but I can’t. Not when I awake covered in dirt, with splinters and blood peppering my fingers. Or purple bruises around my ankle in the exact place where the hand was. Or such an extreme shortness of breath that I feel like a near drowned man who has just barely escaped his watery grave. I can’t take this anymore! These dreams- These hallucinations are going to drive me mad! If they haven’t already. I need to know what is going on! Maybe then I will find an end to this torment! I’ll start in the forest. I always see it in my dreams. The source of all this must lie within that shadowy thicket! As I stand before the entrance of the forest, with the mighty trees towering far above me, I hear something. Among the rustling of the leaves and the chirping of the birds I hear a voice, breathy and barely audible, coaxing me in; “Come find…the truth … Come find…me …”

I start my trek into the forest. The farther I go, the louder the whispers get. The farther I go, the more I hear. Not sounds that would commonly be found in the forest. Not birds chirping, for that had stopped many moments ago. Not the rustling of leaves, for the wind had long since ceased. Other noises guided me forward. It started with merriment, with the clinking of bottles and two friends laughing. The laughter soon quieted before being replaced with angry mutters and yells. The sounds of a scuffle fill the forest as I start running, desperately, to the source of the noise. A deafening shatter can be heard permeating the forest before a deathly still silence grips me. For too long, the forest is gripped by an uncomfortable silence. This mirage of solitude is broken by soft whimpers, barely coherent apologies and pleas taking rise before falling back into the desperate murmurs. The faint sounds of something heavy being dragged across the forest floor lead me further down my path. I keep following even when the sound shifts from dragging to digging. I run, despite the ache in my legs and the burning sensation in my lungs. I run for what feels like hours before collapsing onto the soil. As I struggle to catch my breath and figure out where I am, I see something moving through the trees. I get up, on shaky legs, and follow it. It looks almost human. It looks like him. I keep following it even after it escapes my view. I keep stumbling in the direction I last saw it until I make it to a clearing, one which I recognize from my dreams. Everything is the same as it was from my dream except for the grave. It was empty. It seems that the same feelings from my dream are gripping me even here. Familiarity, fear, sadness, and what else? I walk closer to the grave, common sense forgotten after the deluge of foreign emotions hit me. What else am I feeling? Why don’t I know? Just as I stand at the base of the hole I hear a ghastly voice whisper in my ear; “Guilt, perhaps?”

I feel a ripple across my body as my hair stands on end. Goosebumps coat my skin in waves as I feel a clammy breath brush past my ear. I turn slowly, almost impossibly slow, and am met with a nauseating, horrifying visage. This creature that had been plaguing me all this time. Him. His flesh had long since started to rot and peel away. There were patches in the process of peeling off. I felt a wave of revolution rise in me as a chunk of its cheek sloughed off and made a soft “plat” as it hit the soil. Maggots and worms were crawling over, around, and through him. Flies buzzed around him and feasted on his flesh. Dried, nearly black blood decorated his head, hair, and clothes. Shards of glass could be seen poking out from his blood-clumped hair and across the side of his face. He was gaunt and pale, nearly skeletal, and his eyes looked like they were about to fall inwards upon themselves. The stench of death filled my nose as I gagged. I wanted to run but I was frozen in absolute terror. I heard a low, guttural groan as his raspy voice came out barely louder than a whisper; “Why did you…kill…me? … It hurt … I was…scared…alone… trapped…in my grave.” His scratchy voice slowly grew louder. His rotten face contorted into a look of rage. Flecks of spittle and a rotten tooth fly forth as he lets out a groaning yell “Be…cause of you! …You did this…to me! You…You…” 

His glare seemed to take on a cruel sheen. His once gaunt frown contorting into an inhumanly wide grin as the skin of his cheeks give way to expose his rotting molars. “…will know…how it feels…”

He slumped forward towards me. I can’t move! I feel his gaunt, nearly skeletal hands grip onto my shoulders as he falls forward, pushing us both into the open grave. I can only watch in terror as his eyes finally roll back into his skull. His jaw unhinges like a snake, allowing for all manner of bugs and vermin to crawl forth from the depths of his throat. The sound of insects scuttling and crawling over us were only interrupted by one noise; The most blood-curdling, guttural scream that I’ve ever heard. If I was not so lost in my own fear I would have realized that the sound was emitted from my mouth. Insects crawled over me, weaseling their way into any crevice they could find; Tunneling down my nose, through my ears, into my throat. Soil intermingled with the tears pouring down my face, making miniscule muddy patches as soil started to enclose upon us both. The mix of soil and vermin eventually gagged and muted the remainder of the screams. Just before the light was blotted out by the encroaching darkness, I looked upon the face of the creature that sealed my fate; the horrifying Cheshire grin still forming trenches through his cheeks.

Two figures in police uniforms could be seen walking through the forest. “Someone reported hearin’ screams from ‘round here.” An exhausted looking officer mutters to their jittery partner between puffs of a cigarette “It was probably just an animal or some kids fooling around or somethin’ but the Boss wants us to check it out anyway. Why’d I ‘ave to get stuck on this job?” They release a perturbed sigh as their partner shakily points to a small clearing “What is it rookie?”.

“I thi- Think it’s a grave.” The fresh-from-the-academy officer stutters, looking to the senior officer for guidance.

The officer lets a small “hm” as they take in the scene that lays before them. “Seems like the soil is pretty fresh. We should probably get the forensics team to come check it out.”

A small “kssht” and the static of a walkie can be heard as instructions and orders are transmitted to a person on the other end. For a time they would remain blissfully unaware of just how close they were to the source of the disturbance they had been sent to investigate. Unaware of the horror that was buried mere feet below where they stand. Hidden beneath the soil, two bodies would eventually be found. One which had been left to rot for months, having clearly undergone countless stages of decomposition. What was left of their face seemed to be expressing a content, almost peaceful look. The other body was fresher. While still clearly dead, this body looked as if it had just found its way into the grave recently. A look of unadulterated terror plastered on its face for as long as the skin may hold.