#(except those loud ass birds)

[yanderenightmare]

how is our little playboy bunny navigating all her apex predator clientele, I wonder

♡ AN: from the Promptlist

♡ TW: nsfw, noncon/dubcon, hyrbid au, sex club, sex worker reader dystopian laws, subjugation

♡ FEM reader

♡ P1: Playboy Bunny

A run-down of your usual clientele?

Your most regular visitors are wolves. They come in big packs of dozens at a time. Cops. Dirty cops. They usually book a private room so that they can be as rambunctious as they want, leaving their guns and badges out on the table just to remind you of who they are.

They like their drinks bitter, their cigars fat, their stakes rare, and usually wind up depriving you of your leotard sometime during the evening when making you sit on their blue laps, passing you around between them as if you were just another piece of meat for them to share.

They can get quite loud and heavyhanded and don’t tip very well, either. So, they’re not your favorite clients. Their fur is also rough and unkempt, and after catering to all their knots, you spend the entire night tossing and turning, trying to dispel all the cum they leave in your womb.

But you know, at least they’re straightforward.

The felines are harder to read. Dogs are dogs for the most part—except for foxes—but big cats differ greatly from one another. 

Lions mostly ignore you as they talk amongst themselves. Politicians, most of them. Congressmen, senators, and such. Their manes are always slicked back with gel, soft and smooth, all dressed in expensive suits steeped in cologne.

They keep you on their lap with a paw on your ass, sometimes squeezing your tail. They just want you to hold their drink and bring it up to their lips when they give you a bounce.

It’s honestly rare for them to do much else than ask you to fetch stuff like more ice or cigars. But sometimes one or two of them will have you join them someplace private. They’ll talk about the wife they have at home. Sharp-toothed and long-clawed and never in the mood to fuck anymore.

They volley with their praise, telling you how soft and sweet you are, such a good bunny rabbit for them, then switching it up with sneers, calling you a slutty little cotton-tail whore.

They scare you.

Jaguars and leopards are a bit different. Wallstreet brokers.

They’ll smooth-talk to you. Heavy on the compliments. Flirting with you and smiling when they make you blush or giggle nervously. They like that—selling it, making you want their touch.

Oh, and when they’ve gotten you really flushed and hooked, they’ll groom you. Using their sand-textured tongue to lap up all that sweet-smelling nervousness like you’re a desert. Kneading your soft parts like you’re their own personal stress-toy. 

But felines are great tippers, even those who don’t use you much. You think they see it as a status thing. 

Birds of prey are the same. They like to talk. Or, talk is a generous term. They’re vain creatures and will mostly ask for your opinion on their plumage and how you like their feathers—if they aren’t just the most magnificent wings you’ve ever seen in your life.

It took you a while to understand them—what type of money they were—but if the tattoos they keep on their skin are any tell, your guess is mafia.

Funny enough, they seem like one of the less dangerous types of clientele you have. They just like having fun for the most of it, always asking you to kiss their rings before they throw the dice. They’re all gambling habits and signed deals, trying to act as sophisticated as possible, even when they’ve all got freshly bloody knuckles on each visit.

But you’re a well-trained bunny, always sitting pretty and never ever asking a single stupid question that might get you in trouble.

Then there’s the hyenas, of course. They find work where they’re wanted. Candy men and loansharks, but mostly just muscle for the real mobsters.

They also come in packs and take a little too many party drugs. Always left drooling all over you, eyes blown wide and bloodshot, rutting as if they’re competing over who can do you fastest or who can do it the most times—you can’t tell—teeth bared as they sink their claws a little too deep into your flesh, almost hard enough to tear your coat and definitely enough to leave spots the boss won’t be pleased to see.

They’re bad with money and are often chased out and banned from coming again. But they have ways of earning their keep, and somehow, they’re always pardoned after a week or two and welcomed back with open arms.

And speaking of being begrudgingly welcomed. Foxes are usually considered runts—not true apex predators, but they're still allowed entry for dubious reasons.

They’re romantic, coming to the establishment in tailored suits and fresh haircuts. Yeah, they might come across as clean, but in truth, they’re scavengers who fight tooth and nail for their cut of the steak.

Blackmailers and extortionists who pawn themselves off as good-faith advisors, meanwhile running their own organization with private investigations going in every direction, always dealing in confidential information they’re not supposed to know.

They're not entirely accepted by the others but are seen for their value nonetheless, if not out of respect and fear.

A strange species, you'd say. They can play well with anyone, not just canines, making it their mission to secure a favor amongst all the big names. Silver-tongued yet sleazy all the same.

You never know what their agenda is—telling you they’ll take you away somewhere, lavish you with the lifestyle you deserve. But you know they’re just trying to get you to spill on your other clients. Surely you must have heard something interesting?

You just smile and play dumb like always—you’re just a bunny, after all, what were they expecting?

Then there are the reptiles—crocs, gators, and snakes. Lawyers, the lot of them. High-profile lawyers.

You have that in common, you suppose. All their clients are your clients, after all.

They like to boast about their winnings. Make you say, “Oh wow!” and “No way, really?”

Oh, and they love to strangle. They’re maybe the most eccentric species you serve—and the most taxing. They’ll slither their tongue in your ear, keeping their hand around your throat, feeling you kick and struggle beneath them, watching your eyes roll back as they nearly squeeze you free of life.

Somehow, they always know the exact moment to let go. And at that point, they’ve achieved their high. Paying double what they’re owed as if in shame before leaving.

Suppose some types enjoy playing with their food more than eating it.

Lastly, there’s the boss. Big Bear.

He calls himself a businessman, but he’s really just a glorified pimp.

He’s begun taking you off floor duty in favor of having you for himself. He’s always had favorites, you’re told. If you play your cards right, he might just add you to his personal harem.

You try your best to cater to him, but his grizzly cock makes your hips feel as if their dislocating each time you take him, not to mention the way he leaves you completely bedridden, feeling like the spoils of a hunt. 

But unfortunately for you, despite your incompetence, he seems to have taken a liking to you.

♡ FEM x M INSERT masterlist ♡ GN x M INSERT masterlist

[snowluvvie]

₊˚⊹ ♡ . rafe cameron x apple pie!reader

Rafe didn’t understand what everybody was always running their mouth about when they said shit like “you’ll meet a nice girl” “you’ll wanna settle down” because, in his experience, nice girls were atrociously boring and no one he ever wanted to be around. He was sure he’d shack up with some bitch and get married and pump out a couple kids because he had to, because that’s what he was supposed to do, but not because he loved someone so much he wanted to

That was, until he met you.

You, with your gentle beauty and the way your hair was always so close to perfect but never quite. The pleated skirts and the way you always smelled of cinnamon and, faintly, soil. Warm as a kitchen at dawn, quiet except for your laugh, which was loud enough to scare the birds out of the forest.

The thing about girls with rickety front porches and warm hands, though, is that you have to be on their best behavior around them—that’s what Barry said, at last: “Man, she’s not gonna want your coked-up ass. That typa chick wants a dude who builds a fuckin’ fence and shit. They don’t like rich dudes. Give it up.”

And unfortunately, Rafe was pretty sure he was right. You mostly kept your head down when you walked, and no matter how many things he leaned against, or how many times he casually smoked a cigarette near you, he just couldn’t get you to look his direction—and if you did, you didn’t grant a second glance to his crisp white shirts or his backwards hat.

His crowning last-stitch move was when he made a big show of helping his dear sister carry her bag when she was walking down the dock—it looked heavy, he wouldn’t want her hurting herself! She’s family, after all! Sarah had tried to wrestle the bag back and she flipped him off after he put it onto the boat for her, but it’d already had the desired effect… your eyes lingered on him for a moment. Family was important, after all. You were the kinda girl who cared about those things.

When the two of you started going out, he felt like his life was spinning out of control and simultaneously clicking into place. You had expectations for him, real ones. And a lot of the time when you said shit like “I’m making dinner tonight, don’t be late” or “wash your hands” Rafe wanted to tell you to go fuck yourself, because you weren’t his damn mother—except when he looked over at you and saw your face, that wide-eyed, imploring look you always gave him, the words died in his throat. What the hell was wrong with him?

He’d do something nice for you and you’d nudge his arm. “What, you sweet on me or somethin’?” He’d wonder who even talks like that, it’s weird. Then he’d find himself grabbing your pretty face and kissing you so hard you think he might break your nose.

Rafe was so, so well behaved with you. He kept it together so nice, all his unstable shit wrapped up into a neat little package tied with ribbon. He acted as a guy who smiled semi-often, and said thank you sometimes, and maintained eye contact with you when he was fucking you—all things that were new and unfamiliar to him. When you told him what time dinner was, he came over in time. He kissed your forehead and he meant it. For you, he did it all. Barry had been right. You wanted a well-behaved guy, and Rafe wanted to watch the way your smile took over your face when you were happy and the ecstatic look on your face when you came, so he was well-behaved.

That was, until he wasn’t.

He was supposed to come over at nine. You would’ve just gotten out of the shower (or maybe you’d still be in, if he got lucky) and you’d put your cute little plaid PJs on, and you’d climb on top of him and put your weight on his chest while the two of you watched some 90’s movie. The movie would get boring in act three and he’d watch you ride him, and then he’d cum on your stomach like a gentleman, and the two of you would fall asleep wrapped up in eachother.

Instead of that carefully constructed, lovely, dreamy evening—Rafe showed up at nearly three in the morning, covered in blood.

He knew you’d be asleep, he’d have time to wash his face and toss his shirt in the trash can out back before climbing into your bed with you. He didn’t wanna go home. He wanted to press kisses to your throat and apologize for being late, swear that it would never happen again and then make it up to you in the morning by making you cum over and over in your crisp red plaid bedsheets.

Instead, he found you sitting on a stool in your living room, head leaned against the wall, eyes heavy with sleep. Waiting for him. Rafe froze like a deer in headlights and waited for the inevitable, for you to call him a psychopath and beat him off the property with a broom.

You didn’t. You didn’t speak, just led him to the bathroom and wiped the blood from his face, carded your fingers through his hair. Threw his clothes into the rattling washing machine with a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide, and then let him crawl into bed with you anyway. The two of you were silent, and he slung an arm over you. You settled into the crook of his armpit and fell asleep with your face smushed against his bicep, and he felt something horrible and unfamiliar blooming in his chest.

You could never leave him, he decided. He wouldn’t allow it. He couldn’t survive that.

[j0hnpr1c3sm1ssus]

FICMAS - DAY 1 - MEAN GIRLS CHRISTMAS DANCE

Title: Jingle Bell Rock

Synopsis: You got tipsy, and you're in that short little slip dress

Warning: this is likely dubcon, it's smut and you're tipsy but not fully drunk (doesn't exactly change it) and I'd reckon Simon's had a drink or two, not enough to be pushed over the edge but enough to be thinking a little differently.

AN: This has spanking because it isn't a smut piece I wrote without it <3 anyways I hope it's good! :)

The local bar you like holds a Yearly Christmas Bash, filled with karaoke, dancing, Christmas themed drinks--it's all for a fundraiser that helps kids with cancer. You and your three other friends go to the Yearly Christmas Bash every year since it started, doing the same routine--the 'Jingle Bell Rock' dance they do in 'Mean Girls.'

Except this year, there's Simon, and last year he didn't mind but that's because you just started dating him. This year... Simon is overprotective, to say the least, and he's not the most supportive of you doing the dance. Regardless, you're going to do it, so like the man Simon is he's driving you to your friend's practices, hosting your friends when they're in your little apartment doing the dance, and watching you practice because he finds it extremely sexy because he needs to make sure you get home and stay safe.

Now? You're tipsy, in your little wine red Santa themed Christmas slip dress you wear for your little routine, and all over Simon. And Simon? He's tipsy, drinking a bourbon supplied by one of the other girls' boyfriends, in those He promises himself that he won't give in, that all those years in the military with the discipline of a god will kick in even after military retirement and he won't have the cabdriver pull over on the side of the rode and fuck you mindless set you straight. but... he's driving you back to your shared apartment for the night, to put you to bed, and the fact that this man is an ex-Lieutenant and driving is the only thing keeping him from throwing you into the backseat to have his way with you.

"C'mon... Si.." you slur out in a whine, a pout on your face, "'S Christmas time! Spread some joy to me... live a little!" And when your hand reaches the inside of his thigh and starts rubbing at the muscley flesh of his thigh and he just snaps. He starts to speed up, definitely speeding you down the highway to get your pretty ass home.

Once you're both in the parking lot you're over his shoulder, your heels clenched tightly in your hands, merely a grunt slipping from his lips. You're giggles and yelps and squirming only get a mere "Don' tease me an' ya won't be over my shoul'er, yeah?" He responds, patting your ass he lugs you off. He makes sure to keep a hand at the bottom of that disgustingly short dress so it doesn't fly up and expose you to any--rather they do or don't want to see it.

Then he's there, at your apartment door, and you're still a giggling, squirming mess. He lets out an annoyed grumble and unlocks the door, and as soon as you're safely inside, door closed, there's a loud slap to your ass.

"You'll be let down when I say you're done, now qui' your squirmin'," Simon grumbles, elliciting a louder giggle from you. You'd always loved how he tried to be menacing or threatening, the bad cop if you will, even if he has no good cop.

"Aww... you gonna spank me?" You taunt out in a slur, "Maybe I should squirm harder an' see what you do with that."

He damn near growls at that and he kicks off his shoes, walking--no, storming to your shared room.

He throws you on the bed and takes the heels out your hands, tossing them roughly near your closet. He crawls on top of you, caging you in with those massive forearms.

"Lovie..." he practically snarls out, "ya know wha' you're doin'... tantalisin' me an' touchin' my thigh while I drive your drunk arse home... ya dir'y bird.." he chides in that lovely, gravelly tone that you can just feel wetten your panties.

He leans in, noses touching, his forehead pressed to yours. You feel his tent pitched in those damn pants, pushing on your leg and you giggle again. It just... makes him feel so aggravated, he grabs your jaw.

"Dir'y li'le birdie... wha' did you think was gonna happen?" Simon asks in a taunting manner, moving to straddle your hips.

God does your brain just shut off as he pushes you down into that bed, "C'mon... spi' ou' what you wan'ed me to do to ya.." he pushes your jaw down a little further, you can't think straight enough to speak.

"Same thing the hard on you have for me suggests.." you giggle out and he just goes ham. He crashes down, lips on yours in such a sloppy manner, it's enough to make a pornstar blush. He tongue is running along your bottom lip and then pushes into your mouth and you kiss back, reaching up to grab Simon's face and keep him as close as possible.

He pulls back once he's sufficiently breathless and pushes his forehead against yours, letting out a low rumbley sound, "Damn you..." and then he pushes his back into kissing you, your hands grasping at his shirt.

He pulls back after a moment, "Alrigh', I'm takin' this shite off ya.." he grumbles, clearly unhappy seeing you in that tiny dress. He helps you to sit up, dragging you onto his lip, your hips straddling him as he unzips it tenderly, holding your hair back from the zipper.

Once the dress is off of you he's laying you back down, taking off his own shirt and patting his lap, positioning himself infront of the mirror.

"C'mon... ya know tha' we're aboutta do this.." he grumbles out, unzipping his pants and letting them drop to his knees. You crawl to him, straddling his hips, wrapping your arms around his neck.

He smirks and pulls you closer, "Open wide.." he mumbles, and you immediately oblige, sticking your tongue out a little.

He puts two fingers in your mouth, and you start to happily suck on them, looking up into his eyes with those eyes that he would kill armies for. You grind down on his lap, rutting your weeping cunt against his cock.

He lets out a guttural groan, leaning in to start kissing your neck, nibbling a trail down to your collarbone. You let you little slurping sounds, and after a good moment (and approximately two hickeys), he's throwing you down onto the bed, on your hands and knees.

Your panties are picked up by two fingers and bunched to the side. He plants a kiss on one ass cheek, and then bites down on the other in the way that makes your toes curl.

Then you feel his fingers you just sucked playing with your pussy, teasing your wet little slit, absolutely pummeling it with just two fingers. You're whining and moaning and mewling and whimpering, and all Simon's saying? "Good girl.." in a growl, or "c'mon.. needin' stretched fo' my cock, yeah?" over some particularly louder moans.

once he pulls his fingers out of your cunt, he licks them as you shimmy off your sopping panties. You shift to sitting on the edge of the bed infront of the mirror.

"Bra off, an' stan' up.. Need ya on my lap," he commands, and you do exactly as told.

He sits down and pulls his balls out of his boxers, his cock coming out along with that. You gawk for a moment before he grabs the base of his shaft.

"C'mon.. sit yer ass down," he grumbles out in a raspy tone, patting his lap with his free hand. You giggle and sit down, allowing him to ease his cock straight into your leaking cunt.

You moan out this cute little mewl, Simon holding you with an arm wrapped around your waist. The other hand is holding your face to make you stare in the mirror, forcing you to watch yourself with tears in your eyes from the sheer pleasure.

He bullies your cervix for so long you feel like you're gonna start seeing spots, orgasm after orgasm until finally he lets out this animal growl, holding you down on his cock, shooting his sticky ropes of cum into you, making you scream.

He holds you, stroking your hair as he gently pumps himself into you, trying to ride out his orgasm as best as possible.

When he's done with you, you're a fucking mess. He lays you into bed, covering you up, "I'll clean us both'p in the mornin', birdie."

He wraps his arms around you, holding you close to his chest as you mumble out a sweet little "Goodnight, Sim'n..."

[merelyafigment]

Hello, for the "make me write" I would love to see a snippet of 🖨 or because I am weak, 🐈! But only if you feel like it! Thank you!

[pops up months and months later, after you've possibly forgotten even sending this] HI. :D Thanks for the ask, given how incredibly bad I am at answering them! 💚 I appreciate it and it did help! (I'm just slow.)

I actually wrote the KittyMiggy bit due to this poke ages ago, but was trying to write something for The Huntsman and the Wolf (that's what these were). And that didn't happen until today (hence being shorter and rougher). It actually was long enough since 🐈 that I maybe forgot which exact bit I'd written. I did write a bit! I think it was the part where I give Chico his own deeply stupid Harley Quinn and her egg sandwich moment from Birds of Prey.

✨️The Huntsman and the Wolf Ch. 3: The supply closet of weirdness after Beecher's wife passes away 🖨✨️

Should he feel bad about using his horrific loss to step away from his duties? Probably. But really, he had so many other things to feel bad about, much worse things he'd done. It was Genevieve who'd suffered horrific loss, really, when he'd destroyed their lives. It was barely a drop in the bucket, seeing Miguel's earlier whispered time approach on the clock and asking for some time alone to compose himself, offering to head to the supply closet and quietly assemble some more file boxes they'd need eventually. Sister Pete understood, believing in Tobias despite him being quite a shitty person.

(Miguel was probably aware he was a shitty person, and seemed to like Tobias's vicious parts as much as the rest of him, really. Kept spending time with him, worried about him, even knowing all that. Could be his entire, shitty, life-devastating self around Miguel. Tobias didn't have to lie that much around Miguel anymore… except for certain confusing thoughts lately about Miguel himself that the man would most likely not want to know.)

*

I swear I'm writing more than that, and this will improve.

✨️The AU where Miguel is turned into a cat, escapes Oz, and sticks to Chico 🐈✨️

Had an egg sandwich from his favorite bodega in one hand, digging in happily, grease on his chin, taking the steps quick and agile.

Until his ass slowed, stopped, fist closing around keys to silence their jangle. Could tell that loud ass television wasn't coming from its occasional location – his neighbor who kept losing her hearing aids, took ages to replace because insurance always fought her and those fuckers were expensive. (What? They talked at the mailboxes.)

This was coming from his place, where he most definitely had not left his shit blaring like that.

He crept along keeping tight to the wall, peering to see that his apartment door wasn't busted in. Got closer, trying to stay quiet, the equally slippery creep of his hot sauce dripping down his hand went mostly ignored like his clutched sandwich.

Look – after his lonely-ass night shift, coming home in the new day's asscrack light, his egg sandwich was a brighter light for him than the watery smogged one in the sky. Wasn't letting it go unless he had to pull a trigger or throw a punch. Even then – had the hand with his keys, could use that one.

No amateur scratches or signs of a break in.

Those were definitely some cartoon noises coming from behind his door, though.

Shiiit, Chico regarded his beautiful, greasy egg sandwich mournfully. “Sorry, baby,” whispered as he set it on the floor. Maybe if he kept the wrap protecting– nope, the egg and bread slumped and touched the dingy hall. Lost cause.

He was going to shoot whoever the fuck was in his place, yeah. Hand was fucking free now, though, to pull his piece.

Except when he swung in after being so damn careful with quieting his keys, clicking his locks so slow, dropping them and sweeping the room with his gun in his empty, hot-sauced hand, raised at chest height because fuck them egg sandwich ruiners –

– was nobody there.

Well, besides the cat on the couch, body tense and tail swishing angrily at… didn't like the loud cartoons, apparently. Was that– was it stepping on the remote, like trying to pounce–

–volume didn't change but damn, somehow even the clanging, cheering game show was quieter than the cartoons had been, at least.

Cat looked to him, murder in its little predator eyes.

“What the fuck you looking at me for? Not my fault you turned on the tv and sat your furry butthole on the volume or something.”

*

...Kitty Miguel got bored being stuck in the apartment while Chico was at work (Chico is unaware he's not just a cat) and tried to turn on the television.

[chaifootsteps]

Do you think the scarlet macaws from Rio 2 would end up allowing Blu to stay in their neck of the woods instead? Though I don’t remember how the whole thing ended in canon, even if Felipe and the rest of the scarlet macaws helped with the whole “saving the forest” thing, we’ve already seen from Eduardo that things won’t stay all happy and cordial forever. I can imagine Felipe and the rest being a bunch of petty asses even after the fact, but if there’s one thing they hate more than every other Spix combined, it’s Eduardo himself. And when they see just how awfully he treats the one bird that’s been nothing but kind to him, well, that’s enough for them to make an exception to the whole “no Spixes on their turf” rule.

I just like the idea of, despite an incredibly bitter rivalry, not even Felipe and the rest would stand for Eduardo’s shit. I can imagine them approaching Blu and saying something along the lines of “You’re welcome in our territory, it’s pretty clear you’re not one of them,” which in the moment probably meant to sound more comforting than it did. But either way, they offer Blu a way around the “no food” and “always needs a guard” rule, as those don’t apply on Felipe’s land. Felipe would probably relish the look on Eduardo’s face when he realizes that the scarlet macaws have accepted Blu as an honorary part of their flock, all just to spite him.

Oh, they would totally allow Blu to stay in their neck of the woods. Even after the whole "saving the forest" thing happened, I doubt they'll ever be on completely chummy terms with Eduardo, or Eduardo with them. Finding out that Blu not only said "no thanks" to becoming a member of Eduardo's flock, but to his daughter? That's got to make their month.

I imagine they invite him over for a night of fermented fruit and shit talking Eduardo, making sure to loudly assure him that "We don't care if you eat our food." Blu's not quite naive enough to think it's purely because he helped save the grove, but as they all swap stories, first about Eduardo and then about life in general, Felipe's flock warms to him more and more. They like hearing about Minnesota, which blows their minds, and telling him stories about jungle life that affirm his decision to stay in the outpost.

(All of this probably culminates in another ugly fight with Jewel. He's never uttered a negative word about her, but as far as she's concerned, that's her dad and he may as well have.)

Eventually, Blu warms to their loud, rough friendship. The day they formally make him an honorary member of their flock, they take him out, dust him with red powder, and clap him on the back.

And when he eventually starts dating a Scarlet? They make such a big deal out of it, you can hear it from the river.

[newwayin]

name elio gore. nickname el, ellie ( if you're close enough ). age twenty - nine. date of birth april 29th 1995. gender cis - male. sexuality bisexual, male leaning. pronouns he / him. languages known english, spanish, asl + currently learning french. height 6'2, 188 cm. occupation piercer at devil's ink. face claim michael evans behling.

( + ) charming, cheerful, witty, modest, sympathetic, logical, creative, insightful, persuasive, methodical, independent, patient, compassionate. ( - ) tough, rowdy, sarcastic, compulsive, obnoxious, reactionary, insincere, disobedient, argumentative, deceptive.

hobbies posting his stuff on instagram, poetry, hiking. likes good food, spending time with friends, music. dislikes serious family politics, his fuck ass degree. quirks carries a "lucky" coin with him in his wallet a client once gave to him. strengths how true to himself he is, his independence. weaknesses family, it all leads back to family. aesthetics you're looking outside and the birds chirp like it's another saturday morning except it's still and you can't see your reflection in the mirror...  you worry if you ever exist;  you will peel an orange for your beloved,  for your family,  to show you care and that you're listening but little do they know it's molded on the other side that has made its way to the core, it's completely inedible;  so much laughter is your life,  sometimes it's loud and your stomach hurts or it comes out silently. only when you go up to wipe your tears away, a bit of your flesh comes off with it. it doesn't hurt,  you realize. inspirations jayce talis, league of legends / arcane. ichiban kasuga, yakuza: like a dragon. korra, legend of korra. dante, devil may cry; but also that one loud, confident person in high school that stood up for quiet / nerdy kids and made others stand on business + doesn't hesitate to smack stupid people.

THE STORY STARTS HERE ... u get bullet points for now tw for brief mentions of familial death and terminal illness.

born into five siblings, it's hard to make sure he stands out from the rest, especially when his ambitions are the same, yet vastly different from the rest. the environment is similar to eat or be eaten, despite fighting against those standards. everyone expects great things from him but also feels pity for him and his younger siblings, children that just happen to be apart of a family empire of media.

so he grows up defiant, rowdy, and loud, even getting into fights in school, anything to get attention from anyone. he thinks it works but it's right back to square one because of course they have better things to do than to coddle a child and give him exactly what he wants. he gets told that, when he gets older, there's no messing around or acting like a fool... his father expects the best, just like everyone else, even if some got some leniency. maybe, just maybe, he'll get a taste of what it's like to inherit a company, just like his grandfathers. he can't lie, it's extremely tempting and he would be set for life, but is it something he really wants to do? his elder brother and sister have a better chance of obtaining it, after all.

when he graduates high school, he sobers up and realizes how serious the scenario is and that's when time becomes a blur. it's almost immediately he goes straight into college, majoring with a graduate in finance to prove to his grandfather that he is serious about inheriting the business, not without minoring in social media marketing where he lives and studies out of state in california.

he'd like to think he cared about his grandparents but ( TW FOR FAMILIAL DEATH ) when his grandmother died, there wasn't much of anything, witnessing sunken eyes and a throat that could no longer support a confident, lovely voice. he thought that maybe he was just a little bit broken that he couldn't spare tears for a grievance. ( / TW FOR FAMILAL DEATH ) with not much contact with his siblings, he left once again.

while in college, he worked in a rather big, well known music business ( spotify nyehe ) in the finance branch while having contact with celebrities. one would say this is their greatest achievement when something great like this is expected? it's as they say, being in wealth has its perks.

after he graduates college, there's no hesitation when he there's news that ( TW FOR TERMINAL ILLNESS ) his grandfather becomes ill with no time to say when it'll come ( / TW FOR TERMINAL ILLNESS ). so he leaves his job where he works as a piercer, losing his business standings. he tells his family that this is just a side hustle, it's not a job he takes seriously but this is the most fun he's had in any job and even gets to manages the businesses instagram ( guess that degree in social media marketing does come in handy ). still, the hunger to take his grandfather's inheritance by the throat makes him parched and his stomach growling. it's a haunting and a desire all the same and he will play his siblings game to get it if he has to.

WITTLE FUN FACTS ........ headcanons as people say

has actually used his money to donate to several charities that surround supporting lgbtqia+ youth, hunger to the homeless, and wildlife conservation.

his favorite music genres are metal, r&b, breakcore, and that kind of music to chill and relax to ( which include those Nintendo Videos, like these ).

was one of those kids to be like 'want me to give you a piercing?' with a rusty safety pin. he might've gotten in trouble for doing that and getting his friends ear infected ... at school.

had that quickly shattered dream of being a video game streamer.

not really that close to his siblings, excluding his younger sister, and mainly just lives in his own little world.

almost went to college majoring computer science but switched them at the last minute.

definitely did those 'making meals in my college dorm' tiktoks.

got really into poetry from his love of music and finds it a good way to express his feelings and emotions. this is basically hidden from everyone. he occasionally does slam poetry at coffee shops when just writing them down isn't enough.

really adores ferrets and sharks.

was interested in tattoos and piercings for awhile and even vaguely studied to become one. he realizes he's better at piercing than tattooing. just doesn't have the gift for art and that's okay.

masks around his family to believe he's serious, hard - headed, and absolutely determined. whether they believe that or not doesn't bother him. he knows how to act "professional" when he needs to.

he's really not THAT good of a guy. he's compassionate to those that deserve it and doesn't see anything wrong with flaunting what he has to others that don't have the same luxuries he does when that person is being an asshole. it's all an act. everything is.

HOT - TO - GO CONNECTIONS

ignoring the typical go - to connections ( friendship, familial, and romance ) what about that close friend(s) that have been there since the beginning and he somehow manages to keep in contact with them all this time. his anchor but also his stress ball. no, i will not elaborate.

i know he's pissed off some people so give me those that cannot stand him / or his money but like... you wanna fuck me so bad it makes you look stupid.

clients that are his regulars, even bringing in coffee or snacks for the both of them. same place and time?

coworkers... i know you got some juicy gossip for him.

buddies from college or his old job. perhaps you only got close to him because you knew he came from money or he just had that nice approach about him.

crushes on him or on your muse *tucks hair*.

rich kid4rich kid. thank you.

past hook - ups / random sexual history.

just honestly everything and anything, idc give it to me.

[larixxz]

[𝕜𝕟𝕪 𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟𝕩𝕠𝕔] 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅”Goodnight..!” . . .

characters included: Genya Shinazugawa, Risa Hayashida.

(this might be a little short so sorry in advance😭🙏)

“CAW! CAW!”

The loud cries of a crow drew attention of some passers towards the animal and Risa Hayashida, the Dragon Hashira, while she was moving towards a town. She quickly offered the bird her arm as a place to rest and softly caressed his head.

Risa: “Long time no see, Naoki.” she smiled at the bird. “I see your wing is getting better now. You grew very beautiful feathers!” she remarked since the bird accidentally flew into a very dull, hard tree in the past week.

Naoki loves the attention received by her but stops himself from acting silly as he wants to be known as a very serious crow by the demon slayer ; “North-northwest! North-northwest! Your next mission is taking place in north-northwest! You are obligated, by the headquarters, to patrol the village Birakoshi this night!”

Risa: “Oh, I see. Is it far away from where we are right now?”

Naoki: “23 miles only!”

She chuckled at his “only” comment.

Risa: “Understood, big guy. I’m heading right over there!

Naoki: “Ke-ke-ke!” he softly cackled before flying up again. “Start running, start running! You won’t get in there if you keep the same pace!”

Risa rolled her eyes as she waved goodbye when the crow finally left her alone.

When it was time for Naoki to leave, she immediately adjusted herself to the new location. According to him, there were multiple complaints and announcements from villagers about demon’s night attacks to the Demon Slayer Corps but thankfully no one died, only some suffered minor injuries.

Risa: “23 miles, you say…”, she thought to herself, looking up at the bright sun. It was only 10 o’clock in the morning. “If I keep the pace, I should arrive around.. 4 o’clock!” she smiled to herself as she made her way there.

Except… it did not. The sun was slowly setting down when she reached the destination and all of the villagers were already preparing for the night. No problem, as soon as the moon shows up, the patrol will begun.

She remained at a distance, observing the little houses from afar and not making her presence known. If she would, maybe the opponent will realise and retire.

She has to be on guard, of every sound and every move.

After a while…

It appears that, in that particular night, another demon slayer just so happened to come across that area.

It was Genya.

Genya: “Crap, that bastard really got a grip on me! “he groaned to himself as he looked down at his injuries and wiped his foamy mouth. Currently, he is in his demon form.

“Whatever, at least I erased that demon’s ass out of this earth, hahah!”

“I’ll be a hashira, soon enough.”

However, even though his ability brings a great advantage such as regeneration, he also doesn’t want to be seen in this form so he quickly tries to find a shortcut to get out of there.

“Hm..?” Risa turn around for a second, hearing heavy thud of boots from afar. The trees were not helping her discovering the cause of those sounds, so standing up was the only solution. It couldn’t been an animal.

Risa: “Is that the demon that has attacked the villagers?!” she thought to herself, as she noticed a very predominant feature of this demon’s appearance: bright yellow highlights.

Risa did not had time to think- it has to be it! She needs to take that demon down or never. Her sword was quickly withdrawn out of it’s scabbard as she practically sprinted towards the opponent when, in reality, she mistook Genya for a demon.

He did not noticed or heard her until she stepped and snapped in half a small branch-

Genya: “Huh-“ his instincts made him turn his head around instantly; but seeing a blade 2 centimetres away from his face was not on his today’s list. His eyes widened and jumped away, confused by this encounter. “What the hell?!”

He took a better look at Risa and immediately recognised her, as he saw her multiple times at the Butterfly Mansion. The only question in mind that occured to him was; “Why?” Why was she attacking him?!

It did not helped when Risa began using her breathing techniques too. Everytime he tried to spoke up or notify her of the actual situation, she immediately shut him down with unnecessary thrusting kicks offered directly into his jaw.

Genya: “WHAT TH-“ Yet again, his sentence did not had the chance to finalize since she was already slamming him against the trees.

He hit his head a litte too hard, making his surroundings foggy but observed that the hashira was moving towards him closer and closer. He couldn’t utter a single word, only mutter gibberish.

Risa: “Save yourself the prayers. Demons like you will not need them in hell anyway.” she stated, grabbing him by the hair and raising the sword up, ready to slash his head.

“First form, Inferno Breath”

Risa: “Goodnight, demo-”

Genya: “I’M NOT A DEMON!” He finally shouted, making the hashira stop right at limit and nearly cutting the skin barrier of his neck.

“What?” She was a little confused and curious, as if she was demanding an explanation for his statement.

Genya: “I am not a demon!” he repeated himself, with his more concise, angry usual tone. “I’m a demon slayer, dammit!”

Risa took a better time examining his face features. Surely, he doesn’t look like your typical average demon but how can he explain his predominant physical traits?

Risa: “What’s your name?” she simply asked, slighty moving the blade from his neck in order to have a chance to explain himself but not completely take away her sword out of his sight.

Genya: “…” he was a little hesitant but still did so; “.. Genya Shinazugawa.”

Risa: “Huh.”

After hearing him pronounce his last name, her eyes widened up open. She quickly withdrew her blade into the sword’s case.

Risa: “……Is he.. Is he Shinazugawa’s sibling?” she asked herself as she finally began to see the obvious similarities between the siblings.

Her face expression completely changed into a horrified one, her jaw hitting the floor.

Risa: “Are you Shinazugawa’s brother!?” she frightfully asked, hoping it would a no answer but seeing him nod to her question made her really embarrassed.

She quickly helped him get up and checking him up for any injuries. “I am so, so sorry! It was a huge mistake!”

Genya: “…It’s fine.” his voice quickly became more softer and lower. He looked away the entire time Risa talked to him.

Seeing him not so resposive made her even more anxious and internally screaming; “He hates me now, I know it!”

In order to make herself feel less guilty about the whole situation, she brought Genya to the Butterfly Mansion in order to get his wounds healed. She insisted, despite him being his to bring him on her back since he suffered a major injury in his right leg.

By the time they arrived, his demon form already disappeared and looked normal.

Risa: “We arrived! I don’t know if Shinobu is still awake but she should be.” she smiled, staring at the building for a few seconds. “H-“

Before she could speak again, he quickly got off her back and entered the mansion , only muttering a quick “Thank you.” It made Risa smile a bit awkwardly but still waved back at him, saying one more thing before ending their conversation;

“Goodnight, Genya!”

(sorry for any grammatical mistakes, it’s currently 3am, i lack sleep and english is my second language but i will definitely check it again in the morning after i wake up😭)

also, if u reached here tysm for reading and take a moment to appreciate my art piece hahah

[ronearoundblindly]

take my whole life too???

from my WIP ask list:

Ope! This end of this snippet is gonna be highly edited before it reached the final draft, but let's all assume for a moment that we know what happens on the average honeymoon and that we also know Keeps and Sketch would be no exception to this. *winkwinknudgenudgeswoon*

This is from the second half of The Right Partner (Fools Rush In series) after Steve Rogers x lab tech!reader are married and out in a secluded vacation. 🤗 MINORS DNI. 18+ ONLY!

So many of your early dates were hikes. The long walks in the cold certainly helped quell the fire of attraction between you two. Those walks were times you understood why people exercise in place of sex…even if you don’t agree that it’s a better (or equivalent) option.

Steve always enjoyed those hikes, just as he enjoyed yesterday’s, but somehow he seems to stand taller today. His shoulders sit back, more relaxed. His stride is short and casual. He pauses more, looking around to see every bird as it takes flight in the thinning, burnished canopy, running a hand over various tree trunks and broken stumps before pocketing it again.

He’s smiling, and the smile remains for hours.

You aren’t moving quickly, so you’ve covered half the distance in the same time, but it’s no matter. You still end up tired when you’re ready to rest and turn back for the evening. It gets dark fairly early, but you should have plenty of light.

At your request to take a breather, Steve points to a long fallen log at about waist height. You’re about to jump up to sit when a hand stops you. A hand on your ass.

“Stevie,” you say lowly.

“Yes, Misses Rogers?” It’s clear from the gravel in his voice those words effect him as much as they effect you.

Suddenly your breathing is loud and heavy. His hand snakes down your thigh only to lift up the hem of your giant sweater and dance across the band of your thermal leggings.

He bends you over, tugging down the fabric to stare at your bared sex, hot enough to faintly steam in the chilly air. He’s blessed with vision good enough to see that. “Just enjoying the view.” And watches you pulse around nothing. 

The hand he kept buried in his pocket is still warm enough for him to use without shocking your skin. He teases your folds, coaxing out your arousal to lead his way. You can only withstand a minute of his dexterous fingers before you beg for his cock.

hoo boy, it's about to get nasty...

Thank you for asking!

[dchuntress]

okay dickroy and heldinah(? idk if that’s the ship name) for the ship asks :3

THANK YOU VIVI FOR THE ASK!!! WE ARE STARTING OFF STRONG HEH

heldinah: i ship it!

what made you ship it?:

i always adored their friendship in the birds of prey comics, but the show justice league: unlimited actually made me revisit them in a romantic angle and — i can see it!

they work and kick ass together often, dinah was one of the first few people helena developed a soft spot for and dinah was also one of the first few people who gave helena a chance. they both put in the effort for each other; dinah is patience with helena and does not expect her to change overnight, while helena is actively working on her issues and tries to come out of her comfort zone to be a better friend to dinah. helena cried when she thought dinah was dying in that one issue of bop, i forgot which one but it was the one involving the the reaper death lady?

another part that really made me love them is when dinah was leaving the birds of prey, and helena missed her so badly that she admitted that she was having dreams about her and dinah being childhood friends in a different world. honestly? they're so emotionally close, i appreciate it - that emotional healthiness is really important for these two i feel.

what are your favorite things about the ship?:

one of my favourite heldinah parts would be is when they were badly mimicking supervillains and heroes for fun, and dinah made helena laugh out loud with her silly impression of batman.

is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?:

well, i guess... i liked their chemistry in the birds of prey movie? despite all the inaccuracies, these two have helped make it pretty enjoyable for me.

dinah (as well as babs) would not have slutshamed helena in that issue of bop 1999. absolutely uncalled for.

dickroy: i don't ship it.

i am not against the ship!

really, i mean that i am very neutral about this ship, i actually spend an hour specifically seeking out dickroy stuff to actually try and understand their appeal. i have seen a couple of dickroy fanart in the past, and i think i just haven't seen anything that could convince me.

this isn't a hate or anti post i promise T_T i just like rambling

why don’t you ship it?:

i haven't seen anything about them — comics, fans, or ideas — that piqued my interest, i do love their friendship and teamwork, though. i also think it doesn't help that i love and adore dick, whereas i'm not that interested in roy, personally.

what would have made you like it?:

i'm not sure, honestly. i was actually very neutral about stephcass and timkon in the beginning, but after gradual exposure to their content on tumblr, i developed a soft spot for them! but again, i like those four characters separately on their own. maybe, to appreciate dickroy better, i'd have to like roy first?

despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?:

yes!

i think they have a very good foundation for a relationship, their friendship is admirable and they seem really nice for each other, i love healthy ships and which is why i love friends to lovers.

dick is good with kids and seems to get along with lian very well, so i appreciate this ship even more.

that one panel of helena in the outsiders saying something like "take care of your boy" to dick, where she's calling roy dick's boy helpppp. iconic. dickroy gives off the "everybody knows they're dating except them themselves" energy tbh which is so neat to me

[portellini]

Deastra X Heimdall - Song quote

"Love's gonna get you killed, but pride is gonna be the death of you and you and me. (and you and you and you and me) - PRIDE. , Kendrick Lamar

Message: No warnings, chill fic. Testing the waters with this one. Deastra is the OC I made for GOW x reader fics, I linked the character info sheet below.

//

Word Count: 1.8k ish

Vibes While Writing: ultimate sped-up playlist for actual hot ppl

//

-> Deastra / y/n character info if something is confusing: https://www.tumblr.com/tia-00l/736839705205817344/deastra-gow-oc?source=share

//

Heimdalls" POV

Again, she's waiting by the hallway, waiting for her "giant" brother to finish with the All-father, my father. Never does she move, and yet I'm still required to watch her even though any of these drunken dim-witted gods could handle her easily. But no, Father insists that I watch her, for the sake of keeping her out of the business he has with that weird boy. So, for another reckless and loud night in the Mess Hall, I pretend to read one of Bragi's many scriptures while endlessly watching this fake god, and my gaze never falters.

"Hail ye jerk!" Oh, what is it now? I hiss to myself. An Aesir who's drunk out of their mind approaches me. "Might I ask what made the All-Father's son such a pain in everyone's ass!" He starts to slug towards me, and I move out of the way while grabbing his face and throwing him in the other direction. The drunk bumps into more drunks and now they're all fighting each other. I scoff and look back to the fake god. "..." Oh shit, where did she go?

Deastra's POV

"And thanks to that lovely drunken Aesir, I smoothly escaped that puppy's gaze." Ever since we arrived in Asgard, I realized that I never fully explored this new realm. I stretch out my arms to the sky, Tonight is the night I fully explore. I look around and wonder where I am. "Oh shoot," I think to myself. I am a bit lost. This Asgardian city isn't too hard to navigate, but I can't help but find this place repetitive to look at. The only thing that really catches my attention is what's beyond those walls. So that is where I'll go. Except I don't know how to get back to the lift, I used my shadow jump a bit too much and ended up in a random shadow beside someone's house.

"KRAA!" A sound of birds catches my attention and I look up. I see a murder of crows resting on top of a house. "Maybe I should do the same as them," I say to myself. Without voicing another thought I shadow jump to the roof of that house disturbing the crows and they fly away. "Maybe I should've chosen another roof," I whisper while looking around for the wall's lift. I squat down and look through a circle made with my fingers. I find it aaannndd I need to get close to the Mess Hall again. That's going to be a problem for me, the poor pup probably noticed I'm gone already. Sigh, I hope the murder scattering wasn't too obvious.

"Oooh it was quite obvious, Sunshine." I look up and see Heimdall towering over me. "Oh shit, how nice to see you here." I grin at Heimdall and he replies with a neverending glare. His face shows slight confusion and annoyance, am I thinking of something weird? Well, I am happy to see him, I just realized I can get him to be my guide.

"Since you're here already-", "No" Heimdall hisses. "I didn't even finish what I was going to say!" "You didn't need to," Heimdall crosses his arms and his glare intensifies. I stand up and avert my gaze from his. I can't help but be nervous. Maybe I should make a run for the lift right now? Can he stop me? Probably. "Don't bother running, you won't make it." Heimdall cocks his head. "How do you know that?" I jokingly say still avoiding his gaze. Oh wait, he has foresight, wait, does he read minds or intent? I forget. I should be more attentive around here.

"Does half of your brain not work?" Heimdall suddenly spits. "Don't think I trust you or think of you as a docile being to the All-Father. It's just what you say is literally what you think, and there's no ill intent." Heimdall steps closer to me and leans towards me. "What really goes on in that brain of yours?" His hand grabs my jaw and makes me face him. Our eyes interlock and he glares into my eyes once more.

I grow uneasy, not from the lack of distance between us, but the lack of awareness I have of his abilities. How far can he see in my mind? He scoffs and pulls his hand from my face. He steps back and turns his back to me.

"Tell me, do you see yourself as the unwanted child in your family." Heimdall looks back at me with a stupid grin on his face. "With what I saw, I can certainly confirm it." I wince at his comment. Never have I doubted the bond I have with my family, but the thought of being unwanted is something I can't get rid of, no matter how silly it might be. Father and Atreus have grown closer throughout the years, and their bond is special. Never have they done anything to make me think ill of my position as their family, it's just a thought that intrudes my peace at times. I notice that Heimdall has turned back to me and his expression is filled with amusement. He sees deeper in my mind than I can realize, rather, he sees the layer of my thoughts that I choose to reject.

"Quit it," I say. "Haha, no, I don't think I will." His grin widens. "Kratos thinks of you as a constant reminder of his past. YOU were there with him in that other world." Heimdall draws closer to me again and bends down to meet my face with his. His eyes pierce mine. "And I suppose it doesn't help that his regrets with his old family resurface with your presence." Heimdall tilts his head, not breaking eye contact. "Your so-called father will never feel for you as deeply as he does for that boy, and you know that." Heimdall stands back to his full height and peers down at me.

I smile back at the god before me. Sure, what he said bothered me for a moment and I began to feel bad for myself again. But what he said was only things that I've thought before. To add, those are my thoughts, not the truth. "I will admit that revelation of yours did hurt to hear," I say while I place my hand on my chest. "But at least if how I felt was true, I wouldn't turn into this realm's greatest jerk." My smile widens and I shadow-jump to an open field that headed towards the lift up the wall. Heimdall most likely saw this coming as he arrived there shortly after I jumped.

"Oh please, what did you mean by that?" Heimdall coos. "I am the Herald of Ragnarok, I am the one he seeks council within nearly every situation!" He continues to spaz about the many feats that would make him feel that Odin loved him truly as his son. "Out of all my brothers, I am the most competent and smartest!" I started to dull out his voice in my head, which was something he noticed right away and did not like.

Heimdall's hand pulls my shoulder making me spin around and face him. I've been in his situation with Kratos when his revenge was his sole priority. I've been with Kratos when he regretted his actions and I did begin to remind him of all his pains. I was in Heimdall's position of having a father who had no true want for you. Although, after he granted my life once more, he gave me his blood and even Faye's as a way of becoming their child, he changed and I was no longer unwanted. Even with Atreus's birth, I was never treated any differently. So thinking I was unwanted in my family is only a pain from the past that still haunts me.

"You know nothing of my intent or the feelings my father has for me!" Heimdall's voice is seething with annoyance. Did he read my monologue just now? The god's face twists. "I do the All-Father's bidding because I must protect Asgard and him. I don't do this because I'm trying to gain his attention like a needy mutt." That's not at all what I thought, did that slip from his mind?

"I may not have the same ability to read intent and thoughts as you, but I can read people to an extent." This time I step closer to the Aesir god in front of me and rest my hands on my hips. "The twisted, disgusting, despicable, and ruthless feelings that old man has towards his sons are vile. He treated Atreus much better than he probably ever did to you and your brothers right?" Heimdall's eyes twitch. "I don't have any ill intent towards anyone here just yet, because the ones I do have issues with are dead, and I frankly don't want any more bloodshed. To be completely honest with you, I pity the hell out of you, and you probably hate that." Heimdall steps closer to me, his eyes dark. "Don't speak another word." I back off once he says this, I don't mean to anger the people of this realm, let alone Odin's most favored tool.

I'm sure this ass in front of me is capable of love. Except the only thing he does love is maybe that Gulltopr thing and Odin. His familial love for Odin will never be reciprocated. I hate how much I relate to this thing. I can't help to think about it either.

"Do not believe that we are similar in any way." He hisses. "Being tasked to watch you has proven to be a pain. You've only been here for one day and I have grown to feel sick of you." Heimdall turns towards the Mess Hall. "You are a rare truthful but infuriating being that I no longer want to deal with. I can truly see there is no actual threat to you being here, so I don't need to bother with you right now." Heimdall storms off. Before he leaves, I can't help but blurt one last thing.

"HEY!" I shout out.

Surprisingly he stops in his tracks. "Your love for Odin is gonna get you killed, but pride is gonna be the death of you and me." Heimdall turns his head to me, his face filled with annoyance. "And what do you mean by that?" My mind is blank, I don't know, I just said it. "No idea actually, don't dwell too much on it golden boy," I say to him with the intent of peacefully ending what feud we just had. I recall what I was doing, going to the wall. I begin to trek to the lift once more, forgetting about Heimdall who hasn't looked away from me. The gods of this realm are much more tolerable than the ones I knew in my previous existence. I genuinely hope to co-exist with these gods, even Heimdall.

//

Note: Do y'all like it if I color code who talks? Or only if I do it partially.

[codenamehazard]

.:Smack-Talk Smackdown:.

Chapter 22: Smack-Talk Smackdown

Hey guys!

I've been having this floating around in my head since the beginning of No Man's Land thanks to @rogueshadeaux and I talking about the crazy nonsense. So shoutout to her for handling my late night ramblefests!

Go read her story, InFAMOUS: Erosion! She's worked so hard on it and it's starting to get crazy!

Without further ado, let's jump in!

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

“Where the hell are you going?!”

My ringing ears pick up the pigeon’s shouting as I storm out of his trailer, god I already knew Dove was a pain in the ass but now I learn that this birdbrain not only has shit taste in music, he can’t carry a fucking tune!! Jesus Christ, for once I’m thankful for my god-damn tinnitus as I would much rather listen to the high pitched whining than Dove’s bubble gum hyperactive ear-murder!

“Out!” I growl. “I ain’t going to subjugate myself to your shitty ass bubble-candy bullshit or your god-awful singing a second more!” I can see Dove’s about to say something, but I quickly shut the door as hard as I can before walking off. Thank God the HEMTT has stopped for a pit-stop, I was about ready to knock the beansprout out.

I can see Pangolin prairie dogging out of the building that the Convoy stopped at to see what the commotion is, but he shrugs before going back to whatever he’s doing. I’m guessing games of musical trailers ain’t uncommon. Whatever. I walk to the trailer of someone I know for a fact has a much more palatable taste in music than the tone-deaf pigeon. Kestrel.

I don’t care if she’s going to throw a fit about me barging in, I’d rather deal with that dumbass bird’s smart mouth than birdbrain number 2’s god-awful music, both in choice and singing prowess… At least her music taste could sooth my throbbing eardrums.

I grab hold of the door and slide it open, prompting a loud and sharp yelp from inside. I’m greeted by a face of shock that quickly changes to one of annoyance. Kestrel’s eyes glows hot as she glares at me

“What in the actual fuck, Cole?!” I hear the bird squawk out as she stands up from whatever she was doing to walk towards me, intending on barring my entry, but I jump in and shut the door before she could stop me. “I thought you were bunking with Dove!”

“Well that was before I knew how much of a walking tinnitus agitator he was” I growl and I rub my ears to try and soothe the throbbing. “At least you have good taste in music, so the choice is obvious.” I can hear her groan in irritation, but I can tell by her face, she can’t really argue.

“Grrrr… Fine! You can stay!” She shouts as she spins a crank wrench. “Next time you decide to be a prick, knock… And if you plan on keeping your hands, DON’T. Touch. My shit!” Her voice snarls as I feel her eyes bore into the back of my head.

“Oh yes, of course your royal bitchiness.” I scoff and Kes rolls her eyes before throwing her hands up in the air, akin to how I’ve seen Nix do those years before. She walks back over to… Whatever she was working on.

“I mean it, MacGrath. I don’t care that you’re the Beast or how strong you are, you touch my shit and I will cut your hands off!” She warns before crouching down by what looks like a mangled mess of metal and scrap, but on closer inspection, I see what it is.

It was her bike, or rather what was left of it.

Well… That explains her foul mood.

I lean back on a wall that faces her and the door and I look around the place. It’s… An interesting set up. On one side of the trailer, she has a mini-forge set up with the kit and kaboodle needed to make weapons on the go… Hell, I can see what looks like containers full of scrap and ingots. Then there’s the other side set up more like a bedroom, except instead of a bed, she has a hammock. Huh… Not a bad idea. I look at the shelves and see various things… Legos, rocks, a gameboy… A… Jar of feathers? Hm…

I turn my attention back to the bird as I feel the HEMTT shift, must be back on the move again. I watch her work and notice that… She doesn’t have her tendrils out. Odd, but okay. None of my business. She’s elbows deep in the scrap and working away. Curiosity starts getting the better of me as I never really got a chance to see the bike in its full glory before she wrecked it.

“So, what’s it based on?” I question.

“The base bike was a Kawasaki KX.” She grunts simply as I watch her switch out the wrench for her hands, using her power as both welder and cutter. I continue to ask questions about the bike, but she starts getting short with me.

“Would you just shut the fuck up?” She snaps. “I’m trying to focus on fixing this and you’re not helping.” Oooooh, she’s still sore about the bike. I grin to myself as I see an opportunity to stir up trouble.

“It’s a shame you had to go and wreck it.” I sneer, earning me a heated glare.

“Excuse me? You wrecked it, not me.”

“I wasn’t the one driving it, little birdie.” I snicker. “You were the one who crashed it.”

"Yeah because there was a murderous electric spider monkey trying to cook my brain meat while we were going 80, what the hell else was I supposed to do?" She pulls back, bumping her head and swearing before turning around to glare at me, hands on her hips.

“Not crash it.”

“And let you kill me? Hard pass! I’m still holding you responsible!”  Sure… Whatever helps you sleep at night. “I oughta make you fix my bike since you’re the one who broke it!” The bird snarls as I smirk at her. She was the one who wiped out the bike, not me, but whatever. I look at the partially rebuilt menace of a machine before looking at Kestrel.

“Aight.” I chuckle. “Just don’t get pissy when I go and cut the break lines.” My grin grows as I watch the Gunsmith turned mechanic roll her eyes so hard, they would have rolled out of her head.

“Uh, did you forget who’s fixing the Amp, sparkplug?” She sneers as she twirls a crank wrench in her hand. Her body posture taking on a serious dose of attitude. “I kiiiiiinda can’t hold up my end of the bargain if I’m roadkill.”

“You survived that crash, I’m sure you’ll be fine with a brake failure.” I taunt with a smirk.

“Are you planning on juicing me up with some of that Beast power when that happens, hm? Because last time I checked, I’m re-enforced, not invincible!”

“Maybe if you beg.” 

“Fat fucking chance!!” She scoffs. Her little snip kicks off a competition of wit and will. Insults and snarks fly back and forth and without anyone to interfere, the smacktalk can escalate freely and without interruption

I can feel something inside stir as we put each-other through our verbal paces, something I wouldn’t dare say to her or anyone. There’s… A feeling of… Excitement? I hate to admit it but that’s what it feels like. I’m… Starting to really enjoy this little game that our rage has turned into and I can see it in her eyes and how her mouth struggles not to twist into a grin that she’s sharing the same sentiments.

I have to give it to her, the girl can fight and her audacity is still as astounding as it was when we first clashed. Not backing down, not even to The Beast. Not even taking that title or the power it has into consideration of how I could fuck her up in several different ways.

It’s… Almost humanizing. Definitely refreshing.

The arguing and shouting continues to escalate, it becomes a blur with how second nature it feels to me, the only thing that snaps me out of it was a sudden grapple at my shirt and a pull. Soon we’re embroiled in a grapple match as we try to knock the other over. Me trying to use my strength while she uses her agility to throw her metal enforced body around and make me fall. The thing that stopped us is the sound of a crackling loudspeaker and a voice.

“WILL YOU TWO PINING IDIOTS KEEP IT DOWN?!?!” Mako’s voice roars over the speaker as we stop and stare at it, still grappling one another. “IF I CAN HEAR YOUR FOREPLAY OVER THE HEMTT AND INUYASHA TURNED UP AT FULL BLAST, YOU’RE TOO FUCKING LOUD!!”

What the hell?! What in the name of God makes her think that we were?? We were fighting!!

“If you two don’t either knock it off or keep it down, I will come over there and I will kick BOTH OF YOUR ASSES!!!” The speaker turns off with a click and the two of us stare at each-other before pushing each-other away. Kes dusts herself off before glaring at me. I can see it in her eyes she wants to keep going, but with Mako’s threats sucking the wind from the sails we just settle at glaring at each-other before exchanging one last insult.

“Bitch.”

“Dick.”

We walk back to our respective sides of the trailer, her to her bike and me to the wall. When I see that Kes has her eyes focused on her project, a small smile slips onto my face. I hate to admit it to myself, but that was… Fun.

I’ll have to mess with her again soon.

[777hrtz]

15 18 51 57

15: Have any pets?

noo i dont but my sister has these loud ass birds only she n my mom like. EYE want a cat or a lil white dog 2 hate everybody but me & carry around w me as my lil purse dog … probably wont get one 4 a while but eventually…mayb. u never know. i just think it would b so cute

18: Are you scared of spiders?

if im outside…no thats theyre home im a guest in their house. if they r in MY house i WILL scream. sorry but u r not an honored guest here. the only exception is a daddy long legs cuz i know they dont mean any harm so i just pick thm up n put thm gently outside :) any other spider in my house is dying by shoe

51: Favourite food?

PIZZAAAAAAA 🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕i live 4 pizza i die 4 pizza she is my everything my bestest friend I love her so fucking much dude I love pizza

57: Do you believe in true love?

its like...a mayb like i dont believe in love at first sight i think thats a little ridiculous i think love is something tht u build but i do believe tht u can find love tht will last u 4ever u know wht im saying like lifelong friendship i think thts a kind of true love ... n i follow this account on instagram tht interviews couples in new york n asks thm how they met n wht they still love abt eachother n when i see those couples looking at eachother n talking 2 eachother i believe theyve found true love ... i think its out there but not everyone gets it or they do but its different thn mayb wht they want ...

[axl-ul]

The Flight of the Western Crane: Chapter One

(A reupload/repost of my fic/dark retellingof Journey to the West because the whole AO3 site, where I originally posted this, got taken down for now)

(General info about this fic/wip/retelling is here)

****

Hot air was burning lungs inside out as it maliciously escaped the nostrils of a chestnut horse. Sweat was dripping behind the collars of armed guards. It didn't matter whether they dragged their feet or drifted asleep on the backs of equally exhausted horses, the sun didn't plan on letting any living creature out of its claws.

Out of the blue, one of the soldiers blurted out. His whisper carried words difficult to listen to or to admit out loud. At the same time, they were exactly what the royal guard had been thinking all along. "Why do we have to go through this hell when the wedding can be easily held at our own capital? It isn't like their country's any bigger than ours. Their economy is even worse..."

"Shut up! You want the princess or even worse the witch to hear you?"

"So? They're both inside the carriage. The chance isn't big."

"But it still exists. And you know well how the foreigner..." the commander mistrustfully narrowed his eyes. "Listen, she's got a connection. Dangerous ones. Keep that in mind sealed shut. The same goes for your foul mouth."

"Her? I get that she has a strange air 'round herself. But all she can do is to complain about a broken nail or the fact she's got minimum attention now being out of her circles."

"Idiot! Lady Wolf Witch holds to her title tightly for a reason. Especially nowadays when the Princess refuses to leave her side."

"She came to our town to 'advise' and see what happened. Or rather what didn't. Nothing good ever came out of this whole situation. The King is plagued by a disease. The Queen is no more. Drowned? My ass! That 'divine' golden mane was supposed to bring prosperity. Yet the girl who still got some spare milk on her chin must marry into the..."

"I said shut up! If you speak up one more time there will be consequences. We are getting underpaid. But our duty is to protect the rulers. This dynasty's led us for centuries. And because the Princess doesn't want to speak without the advisor, so be it. They're both above us."

"Yes. But they're foolish to think this will go well..." his younger subordinate refused to let the commander go. He was furious, just like the rest of the party, of the citizens, of the country. There was no way he'd give up in their quiet, yet heated argument. Diseases, poverty and famine claimed the final price. Who was to judge both of them if not Heavens themselves? Nearly nobody. Except for two curious black eyes which sought for the safety behind a thick embroidered curtain. They quickly retracted when a shadow passed over them. When those two dots peeked out again a wave of relief washed over them. Only a pair of cranes. As noble as the girl looking at them, even these birds had to look for a new place to settle.

The girl returned to her seat. Her green robes hung on her creating an illusion of a porcelain doll. A decorative hairpin crowned her long black hair which would otherwise naughtily slither around the porcelain face. Properly adjusting herself she let out a deep sigh. A droplet slid down her cheek. If anybody happened to hit into her petite frame Mei would surely rumble on the inside. No crane but a whole mountain found its nest upon her young shoulders.

Something warm touched her fingers. A hand. It yanked the lost soul out of her own little world. Equally reassuring glance welcomed her and persuaded her to lean into a hug. The woman embraced the Princess of the Great Tiger Kingdom. The witch's humming was all too calming for Mei in the summer's heat.

"Everything will be fine, Princess. I promise."

"I saw cranes, Márgerdra."

"I know. I did, as well."

"They're beautiful."

"Just like you. No need for worries anymore. Now hush, little one." The monotone rhythm of the smooth voice weaved a fine cradle. Wheels repeatedly bumped on a rocky path. Horses neighed from time to time. Everything was slowly becoming peaceful. The world was a blurry mixture of sounds, smells and unclear colours.

Then, a mighty thud resonated from the outside wilderness. The wood slammed, weapons unsheathed and the warriors roared. The chaos devoured the group. With the royal guards being occupied, a good half of the cliff, where the carriage with Princess Mei and her loyal advisor Lady Wolf Witch was standing, trembled.

The sound of their cries is getting weaker as they're now falling down to the unknown waters.

****

"Shifu!!! My legs hurt so much!" A deep voice scared off feeding sparrows so much that the flapping of their small wings nearly broke a thin branch as they took off. Two feet stepped on a few feathers they left behind. They were massive and fatty. The wrappings around the calves barely covered the whole body part. After all, not only old age made its signature on the piece of cloth. The regular routine of it being removed, properly washed, being dried up by the sun and finally put on again made sure dark bristles forced through. 

Hooved feet shook once more before the pig demon collapsed on the grass under the tree. His pitiful lament prevented the flock from returning. Enormous belly jumped up and down while the stubble on a double chin trembled. Crocodile tears were on the verge of small sunken eyes. Both eyelids, red and swollen, shut hard. Zhu Bajie, occasionally labelled as Pigsy, filled his words with utter sorrow. Carefully crafted pleas must surely persuade his dearly Master to stop. Several hours of walking without taking a break were quickly getting on Bajie's nerves. To make it worse, his oldest brother promised to find some food. Yet, the brute was nowhere to be seen. At least, Pigsy can freely use it to his advantage, "Shifu, please, take a seat beside me. Rest well. Your legs must surely be in terrible condition. After all, you're so much more delicate than all three of us!" Suddenly, an unhappy snort made the demon jump out of his hide. Saliva dropped on his shoulder as he looked up. The pig's gaze met the grotesque face of the monk's dragon-horse.

"Don't intervene in our conversation, Bai Long Ma! You barely talk. So, you don't count." 

"Brother, you shouldn't be this disrespectful to our fellow disciple."

"I wasn't talking to you either, Ol' Sha. Better bring me...ergh, I mean, better bring our Shifu some water. He must be tired from all the travels. Right, Shifu?" a smile formed on a pig snout. 

While Bajie tried for it to remain as sincere as possible the sly glint in his eyes would give him away. Though their Master, the venerable monk Tang Sanzang, was so kind-hearted it was often easily blurred with naivety,"Wuneng, I appreciate how much you've learnt about kindness as I now see you fearing for my well-being. However, behave equally nicely to the others, as well. This world is filled with anger, hatred and spite more than enough. That's why we should spread compassion and sincerity. Tears you're shedding shouldn't be meant to appeal to our own ego. Instead, think of how Sha Wujing and Bai Long Ma do their best. Yet, you snapped at them. Ask yourself why." Sanzang's big eyes returned to his middle disciple. 

He uncomfortably shifted in his place. Listening to Shifu's another monologue about the world's state was anything but new to him. He learnt his lesson several times. But on a hot day like this it was the last thing on his mind. That's when he remembered the ace up his sleeve. "Shifu, you're right about me being extremely harsh towards my brothers. But you know how bad I am with my emotions when there's no food around. We've been walking constantly. Just take a look at your own ankles. And you've been riding a steed this whole time. Now what about me? What about Ol' Sha over there?!" He grabbed a slimy arm of by-passing Sandy. The river demon's puppy-like eyes shot a confused stare. "He's been carrying our luggage the whole time. Oh, how much your limbs must hurt, Little Brother! I pity you the way I've never done so! If only we had only a small bite for you. Just that to reward you for your persistence. That damned monkey never gives a dam..."

"Brother. Language," Sandy whispered when he noticed disapproval in Tang Sanzang's face.

"Thanks," Bajie petted the bald head, "He never thinks twice about us! The whole day he jumps around and chews on a straw." The former Heavenly General continued in his rambling with a sly glint in two small dark eyes. Both arms flew around. Fingers fenced through air. Spit dropped several inches from the snout. All this happened while a silhouette painted a shadow on the boar's wide back.

Once more Wujing wanted to warn his brother in a fearful tone, "Brother Bajie, don't disrespect Brother Monkey behind his back. Please."

The plea only fuelled Pigsy's willingness to take out his anger, "Brother who? He never refers to me as such. I'm always an 'Idiot'. Nothing more! Even after three years of fellow travelling. There's no way I'm calling that caveman a 'Brother'."

Pigsy almost didn't manage to finish the sentence when two burning coals awakened in the silhouette's skull. Immediately, an arm with blackened fingertips flashed right past Wujing's nose. It grabbed the demon by a large ear and tugged on it. The hand quickly came back to its owner with wailing Bajie in its grasp. The motion was so brisk, Friar Sand saw only a yellow-red smudge with a tint of dark brown. A deep but raspy voice followed the vibrant colours. The tone was menacing and snide at the same time as the person hissed, "No need for that, Brother Daizi. Fortunately for you, I forgot my stone tools back at my cave. So now I got only this watermelon to crush your dense head with. What do you reckon? We can at least test whether it's sweet enough." With last words on the tongue sharp teeth clicked dangerously close to the pig's ear. The sound and the thought of having his head damaged by anything sent shivers down his spine. Dark, almost black, nails dug deeper into flesh. In no manner he'd be ever able to escape the hairy limb. The only hope was his Master intervening. Venerable Sanzang of the Great Tang Dynasty in the East needed just a little push for that.

"Big Brother! You're finally back! And with an armful of fruits. Veggies too, I see. You're such a role model to us. Fighting off demons, subduing them. You scout the area. You fetch food and water. Never ever I've seen you let our dear Master lie on the rocky path," the disgraced general forced his honeyed mask back on. "Why is it then you say I called you a caveman? You're a hero! The Handsome Monkey King of Mount Huaguo. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven. If so, it was but a slip of my tongue. You see I haven't had much time to practise speech lately. What's more, your hands are youthful and mighty. Your Majesty certainly sees it's mashing my poor, poor ear. Why don't you loosen the grip slightly?"

"I don't know myself, Brother Bajie. I thought you might help me with giving a good reason," teeth shone while the oldest brother's lips parted in a malicious smile.

"Oh, dear Brother Wukong! My apologies. Truly! I didn't mean to. Not at all. I've been starving, thirsty, fatigued even. And I unrightfully took it out on you. But violence isn't an answer. As monks ought to spread kindness. What's more, people in this world need compassion and sincerity. Why don't you look at our collective misery? Shifu, please, tell him something! I'm doing all I can. But his stubbornness can go only so far!"

"Wukong, that's enough! It is not right that Wuneng disregarded you..."

"Disregarded?! Shifu, he was downright slandering me," thin fingers loosened. The voice became quieter. Surprise shone in dark amber eyes.

"Don't interrupt me, Wukong. You've been well off so far. Continue in your path. Forgive Wuneng. He made a mistake. But he's already realised what he did was wrong. Release him and reconcile."

Bajie broke free and ran up to Sanzang's feet, betrayal marking his ugly features, "Shifu, is that all?! No Headband Tightening Spell? He attacked me! You spoil him too much, Shifu. Please, he bullies me on a daily basis. You see it with your own eyes. 'Idiot this, idiot that.' He kicks me, he refuses me to have my share of meal. Yesterday evening, he even pushed me down the hill when I went to..."

"Wuneng, I see your suffering. Don't think I turn a blind eye to it. However, sometimes you say and act on purpose towards your oldest brother. Because I see both of you coming far from your..." the young monk's peaceful smile froze when he noticed his disciples trying to hide annoyance from what seemed to be another monologue. "I'll be glad if you could come to an agreement. Reconcile and move on. Life offers much more than fruitless bickering."

After facing each other, the disciples approached each other and with visible disgust shook hands. If that wasn't enough already, they had to hug themselves, rough remarks escaping their mouths. But Tang Sanzang's human ears couldn't possibly hear such petty words. Whether those were promises of burning the other one's hide or poisoning their food nobody felt like getting through another round of lecturing. One can go only so far. Gentle souls like the venerable monk are no exception.

Meanwhile two demons parted away, their youngest brother managed to set up a camp. Sitting in the cool shadow, they broke the silence several times. But after less than several words they'd give up and go to their separate places. So did the sun rays.

Air finally started moving. Clouds chased by it soon revealed the rising moon. Colours mixed on the sky painting a marvellous view. Crickets played their tunes. Grass moved like waves of the deepest sea. Nature brought the sweet aroma of the late summer's evening to travellers’ noses. Big shining moon, wild flowers, intoxicating smell of fruit and loud harmony of insects let them all swim in their own memories. Childhood in ancient monasteries. Star-like eyes of divine Chang'e, the Lady of the Moon. Tranquil flow of the river and fish chasing every wave. Little monkeys running around, playing with whatever they could find in the treetops of Mount Huaguo.

"Tiger or tug?" so-called 'caveman' smirked to himself, long tail wagging around. Weak moonlight outlined his slender figure on a branch. One leg over another and chewing on a straw he found earlier he let memories about his sweet home come back to him. The warm sun welcomingly kissed his forehead when he first emerged from the stone. The surprise when he first saw his hairy body on the water surface. He could feel his little monkeys playfully climbing over him and much more. His red cape's flailing around his feathered crown. He's clothed in pure gold and his magical power pole Ruyi Jingu Bang in his hand. Drinking, singing and laughing was he all the time. Stealing? Never, only a friendly borrowing from his dragon neighbour. Even more, he'd never dare to make himself unrightfully immortal - his hand must've slipped when he was holding all records of the Book of Life and Death. Whether the Jade Emperor indeed made a suggestion to add His Majesty among other significant deities for the Heavenly Peach Banquet was none of his business. After all, to them all he is just a mere stable boy, though they truly named him Bimawen, the Manager of Heavenly Stables. The monkey demon who was born from a stone atop of a divine mountain. The one who uncovered many mysteries of life and death. The one who had followed Patriarch Subhuti for many years. Yet, those who fly too high are usually met with the hardest falls. And so, for his arrogance he was unable to hear the merciless pounding of war drums of those who were once offended by the Monkey King of the Waterfall Curtain at Mount Huaguo, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong himself. The mightiest of all demons ranking as high as possible so none of the Heavenly Army was able to beat him. Not in a fair fight.

Although, look at this pitiful demon now. An old man in a lad's skin. He was no longer bringing joy where he came to. Only disgust and bitterness followed his steps after five hundred years of imprisonment under the Mountain of Five Elements. Now, here he's sitting in ragged clothing watching the monk sleeping on the ground. If anything happens to his young Master, he better be damned.

Though, there's a saying going around that no demon has a soul, Wukong cannot help himself but shake his head upon the thought of Sanzang getting hurt. The boy released him with the permission of Buddha three years ago. He saved him. Some disgraced demon, a parentless monkey. What he saw in the deviant on that fateful day would forever stay a mystery to Wukong. On the other hand, Wukong shouldn't poke his nose into this anymore. Asking for more trouble definitely isn't on his list. Only escorting the monk right to the lands of the Western Paradise.

Did Monkey King owe him? At the beginning, maybe yes. Until the monk pulled out the cursed headband. Did he think it was the right thing to do? Kind of, depends on the point of the view. Did he take a liking to his Master and brothers? Certainly. It was the only thing Wukong was sure of in recent days.

A flapping of large white-black wings pulled the monkey out of a labyrinth that had been building up in his mind.

"Cranes? This late in the evening?"

"Maybe something scared them off, Ol' Sha. Now shut it and give me the soup."

"Exactly, Bajie," Wukong landed lightly on his feet, "some beast made them get out. Wujing, put the fire out. Shifu, please, get slightly closer to this stone." As the young man did, his oldest disciple marked the ground with his magical staff. The circle shone brightly for a moment. Then the light died out. A powerful barrier was set up.

Although mouths opened to ask something, the fallen warlord paid no attention to them. He just loosened reins around the tree trunk so the white mount could run away. Just in case something, anything, happened. Only then he jumped back up to the place he occupied earlier.

"Good night."

"Wukong?" curious brown eyes shot up.

"Yes, Shifu?"

"So, at the crack of dawn we're setting out for..."

"Nowhere exactly. Wujing didn't locate any city or village on that darned map."

Sanzang furrowed his eyebrows, "Wukong, no cussing."

"Yes, Shifu." Wukong forced himself to ignore the Idiot's low giggle. Another silence followed. Wukong swore his group was beginning to finally fall asleep.

Suddenly, leaves and branches cracked under the big tree. "Big Brother, Shifu, we'll arrive there soon, right? To the West, I mean. Even if we're slightly lost..." Sha Wujing whispered. His bald head hung so low his red beard brushed against bluish skin.

"We're not lost, Sha Seng. Just because we're in the wilderness in the centre of nothing doesn't mean we don't know where we're going. Or where we came from. Now sleep."

"Why are we going in the same circle for the second day, then?" There was a genuine interest in Friar Sand's words. His puppy-like eyes combined with the long-awaited question and Sanzang's concerned face pierced through Wukong's spine and ribs. The monkey pouted. Little fists formed as he took a long and sharp breath. Soon, he decided to let go and just exhaled. The rush of blood in his ears disappeared as quickly as it came to be. They were all confused. He was no exception. The only difference was Wukong would never admit to that.

"Good night." his last words lazily slipped away from thin lips.

****

The golden heavenly wheel hadn't come out yet but the group of travellers was drowning in sweat. The humid climate allowed mosquitos to fly around freely without worries of being burnt by the harsh sunlight. Their never-ending poking severely decreased an already miserable mood. Pigsy's nonstop complaints didn't help either. However, once the buzzing stopped Bajie cheerfully yelled out, "Told you! Hold onto your breath and those little pieces of...well, those small innocent creatures will disappear." Alas, his happiness won't last long. In the heat of his small victory, Marshal Canopy didn't notice a small bee landing on his right ear. While he talked and danced the insect struck its noisy target. The brownish creature stung Zhu Bajie with all its raw power delivering a painful blow.

"ARGH!!!" The pig demon jumped up. His screech mixed with squealing and echoed throughout the whole grove.

"Wuneng!"

"Middle Brother!"

"Where's that bastard?! No bee could EVER deliver such pain!" crocodile tears poured down his face.

It didn't take long to hear someone chuckling. The cracking voice was coming from above their heads. There was a dark shadow hunching over in the nearby larch.

The fiendish eyes flared up in the morning mist. The scrawny monkey man briskly hung his torso upside down and faced his junior in unnervingly close proximity. "Well, here is your bastard, idiot. With your fruits and a fan so you can finally shut up about the..."

"Wukong!" the monk's vigorous voice cut the starting argument, "Stop that bullying of yours right now. Please."

"He was asking for trouble..."

"You attacked him."

"No, it was the bee."

"Big Brother, we clearly saw your tail on the insect," Wujing's voice cracked anxiously. His heart almost missed a beat when Monkey King snapped his head towards him, fury unleashing from his amber eyes. He was a dog that could bite and fight. There was no doubt about him not doing so. Wujing could do barely more than pull his head in between trembling shoulders and wait for the storm to simply pass by.

"Yes."

"No!"

"Brother! Why do you hate me so much?"

"So you can write something new into your lost diary, daizi!" Wukong withdrew a small notepad from behind his waist sash. The item flew across the air and landed right into Bajie's surprised face. "That's not mine."

"Must be! No-one's taking along such a trashy thing on a journey like this."

Sha Wujing raised his hand, hurt deeply carved into his expression, "It's mine, Big Bro..." Unfortunately, nobody seemed to notice or care about poor Sandy.

The pig demon opened the diary with suspiciously raised eyebrows. His gaze fell down on a little smudged but elegant handwriting, "First of all, Shifu, are we allowed to steal?"

"Of course not!"

"There you go, monkey! You're a liar and a thief. Not that you were any different back then..."

Bajie's remark hit the nerve. "Says a womaniser! You're drooling every time we go by some young girl or a woman."

"Both of you, stop it! Calm down. Wukong, breathe in. Don't let your emotions take over you," Sanzang's shaking voice only added to Monkey King's boiling blood.

"Or what? Will you recite the mantra, Shifu? Meanwhile this idiot will scream some nonsense?!"

"Shifu, look at how much you've spoiled him!"

"Me and spoiled? You always cry and complain. You barely do any work, lazy lard. You gorge everything. Everything! When there's a fight around, you rather run away, not even asking for help. And Shifu still tolerates you. But I'm still the bad guy..."

"Shifu!!!"

Voices gradually raised and created an absolute mess of unintelligible noises. Raspy and powerful yelling dominated. But it was soon replaced by screeching or trembling smooth tenor. It went back and forth, seemingly without an end. Wujing only patted the transformed Dragon Prince and stood away from the clamour. His fish-like eyes searched his surroundings. Yes, he wasn't as good in scouting as Wukong and the land certainly wasn't his speciality. But that doesn't mean he's not capable on his own.

Pines, rocks, some flowers, more pines and again more rocks. The fog always leaned towards the wet floor. Nothing indicated that nature was out of the ordinary, at first sight. However, the demon's eyes picked up something of an unusual colour for such a dull environment. Red.

Wujing's sight fell back to his fellow pilgrims. "They won't stop any soon, will they, Bai Long Ma?" With a simple question he parted with Dragon Prince Ao Lie and carefully approached his discovery.

Frogs woken up by self-invited guests were croaking and hurriedly jumping out of the youngest disciple's way. Sandy's heart was beating so fast it might have outrun Jade Emperor's celestial steeds if it had any legs. His palms were watery. Sweat streamed down his bare neck. He wasn't as brave as Wukong nor did he have Pigsy's sly spirit. He even lacked his Master's way of words or Lie's strong legs. Yet, he continued forward. He must protect their beloved Shifu and his seniors.

Branches cracked. Toads continued in their cries of help. Wind picked up slightly. It almost blew off his simple hat. Flat feet walked on the cold stone path soaked from the nearby stream. The sight of the small clearing was right in front of him - an enormous pile of rocks from a collapsed cliff, a corpse of a horse and a broken carriage. Its once golden and red parts were everywhere emerging from under the heavy stones or downright stuck into soft mud. When he fixed his eyes on those closer to water, he noticed a trail filled with blood. Lots of fresh blood. If it weren't enough his nose picked up on a strange smell. Unable to properly identify it, Wujing prepared his spade-like weapon. One never knows what dwells in the dark depths of the unknown.

As he was slowly closing the distance with the bigger part of the car, he whimpered, "Hello? Anyone ther-...?!" 

Sandy's legs nearly gave up when a warm hand clasped his mouth. Luckily, Friar Sand quickly recognised the dark brown fur tickling his nose. At that moment, the river demon realised that not only Wukong approached him unnoticed but Tang Sanzang and Zhu Bajie were also present.

"Quiet, Ol' Sha. There's a demon somewhere around," he sniffed like a hound, "it's hidden."

"What do you suggest, Brother Monkey?" Wujing managed to pull the hand lower.

"We better get out as quickly as possible. We can't afford to lose any more time or to risk Shifu's well-being."

"Weren't you a king? The strongest of all demons?" Thin fingers clenched hard. They pressed against Wujing's cheek. The pressure might sooner or later leave a bruise behind. Almost inaudible sucking of air made Wukong realise he was unconsciously hurting his junior. Though not a word slid away from his lips his eyelids covered big eyes.

"That was a long time ago," Wukong was too tired to cover up a deep shame in those words. Dragging his juniors and Master away from the place of the incident, he suppressed the flow of discomfort. Although the start of the day was more than terrible for him Wukong felt nothing like exposing his group any further. His sensitive nose was a great helper most of the time. Throughout his centuries long life he learnt to listen to his guts. Relying on instincts had never been a bad thing. 

Silently, Wukong took over Bai Long Ma's reins and made Sanzang mount him. For now, he made a small note to treat his little brother a bit gentler. Bajie too. If the idiot stops provoking. But Sanzang… Monkey mustn't let him down any further. It was no longer just about his deal with Bodhisattva Guanyin. At the end of the day, the group was all he had left...

****

The sudden light made the young woman blink as she opened her dusty eyes, "Márgerdra? Márgerdra?!"

Somebody slithered their arms around her from behind, "That's fine, Princess. I'm here."

"Thank goodness, Márgerdra. I thought for a second that I was... you were... that both of us..."

The blue-eyed woman wiped her tears away in a swift motion. She let the small head lie on her shoulder and shushed. The voice coming from soft lips was equally delicate, "Don't worry, Your Highness. We'll find our way back to the guards."

"What if they're...?" The word was a burning coal on her tongue. Disgusted, she only swallowed, not allowing it to escape.

"Then... We'll go on our own. We'll find help."

"You think so?" Unwillingly, untrust flashed through the young face.

"Of course. You are the Princess of the Great Tiger Kingdom. You're the hope of your people. Whatever happens you must stay..." Lady Wolf Witch cut herself. Alive. The sound resonated within all too loudly. "...well. You've come a great way. You must continue to lead, just like your forefathers and foremothers. If you don't, the only one who'll feel the biggest grief will be you. But you're strong. I've known about it since our first meeting. Remember that."

The sheer willpower woke up the true tiger spirit inside Mei. In a moment, she turned around and hugged her protector. Witch's eyes popped out. Although she'd just spoken about her strength the fragile looking frame undoubtedly caught her off guard.

"Thank you...for taking care of me. I'll make you proud. Just like I made Mother proud," Mei snuggled under Márgerdra's chin. Her chest was rising slowly. But when she exhaled her breath was weakly trembling. How strange.

One eye as blue as the morning sky while the other one was bathing in the deep ocean. They veiled in a watery curtain but those long lashes mercilessly swept the tear away. The advisor’s gaze settled on the girl yet Márgerdra wasn't looking anywhere. Everything became a void. A hollow vortex. She longed for something...someone to call out and reach out. Maybe...

"Márgerdra?" Mei gritted her teeth. Once the effects of bitter liquid on her lips wore out, she began to feel numb pain in her leg.

Not batting an eye, Wolf Witch started treating the limb once more, "I'm listening, Your Highness." 

"I hope it shall be just as beautiful as yours. No more malice or intrigues."

"What do you mean, Mei?"

"The palace. My soon-to-be. Everything. My new home."

Upon the last word reached Márgerdra's ears she smiled weakly. Melancholy landed in the nest of her distant gaze. She could feel cold hands stroking her hair. The memory of burnt incense filling her nose. The promise she heard so many times rekindled strange warmth. 

"Yes, home. Your Highness."

The flapping of a big crane flying to the sun let itself carry into distance.

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Taglist (let me know if you'd like to be added): @vanessaroades-author @rubywrite @aohendo @rbbess110 @jgmartin @outpost51

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List of chapters:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Epilogue

[dandelion-bride]

Chapter 4: Do You Wanna Die?

of The Inexplicably Barovian Themed Adventure

In which a God and a Vampire have a row chat, an Igor turns out to be a Nosy Gossip, and Zefira gets caught clung to her boyfriend's ass.

Taste under cut or read at AO3:

Astarion straps his armor and weapons on, and takes the alchemy bag in case of emergency. He pays the innkeeper for another night and inquires about any available hunting land. Zefira enjoys game, and venison in particular. If he takes down a deer, he'll just tell the kitchen he bled it out in the forest. No need to tell anyone whose mouth it was bled into.

After he’s ardently warned away from the northwest forest due to ghosts, he heads out and straight towards it. Once trees hide him from the road, he tests out Evening Glory's gift. The platinum brooch attaches magically to his body, either directly or over his clothes, wherever he places it, and stays put until he takes it off. He sets it on his palm, and holds his hand up. He can see through the hole in the amulet, through his hand, to the dense canopy and cloudy sky above.

“That's not unnerving at all,” he says out loud to no one in particular. He takes the broach off and stows it, loose, deep in his bag.

Astarion doesn’t want to tell Zefira that he already spoke to the Evening Glory once before, in a dream after he fell asleep glutted with his priestling’s blood. The cold beauty praised the love between the free vampire spawn and his mortal companion. She commanded him to free her, just before a suspiciously loud and obnoxious blue jay interrupted their conversation and Astarion lost his hold on the dream. Unsettled and confused, the vampire spawn put the proceedings in the back of his mind, and never mentioned them to his partner.

It's no wonder the Gods are looking at him now, he thinks to himself. He saved the Sword Coast from the Absolute Hoax—along with the other Prismbearers, but still! Some pathetic spawn in an alleyway was no prize; but a Hero of Baldur’s Gate, now that's something to brag over in the heavens, wasn’t it? Astarion will never listen to any God, Deity, Devil or Demon ever again.

A blue jay calls out in a nearby tree. Astarion draws his bow without a thought and shoots the bird. It isn’t there when the arrow flies past.

Well, at least Jergal is halfway decent, the vampire considers. Apparently the old chap isn’t usually a fan of vampires, but made an exception for the pale elf.¹ The Eternal Scribe also saved Fennec from death in the Temple of Bhaal, so for being a god of death, he’s surprisingly flexible. If Astarion has to help one god out with a quest, helping Jergal by killing the Dead Three is a decent deal.

According to Fennec, the Dead Three aren’t dead, but they aren't properly divine, either. They balance precariously in Ao’s disfavor, wielding enough power to grant spells and answer prayers, but trapped in physical incarnations on Toril. Fennec believes that, with the right preparation and plans, they can find and kill Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul in those physical incarnations. Fennec would use his connection to Jergal to return the divine portfolios back to the Seneschal. Then Fennec could retrieve his sister's soul from Bhaal’s domain, and as a bonus, his husband wouldn't have Bane trying to overwrite him as a puppeted avatar anymore. Astarion’s indifferent to Orin’s fate, and rather likes Gortash's suffering, but Fennec fought with him against Cazador, so Astarion will travel Toril to triangulate a few quasidivine targets for him. Besides, he is rather cute.

The same jay calls from another spot in the forest canopy. Astarion sends another arrow at it.

It’s much easier killing gods instead of serving them, the undead thinks. What did he get out of any deal with the Evening Glory? She doesn’t even want him, she wants a couple. Astarion’s only special to her because he’s whatever-it-is with Zefira. How wretched. If a God wants him, then that God had to want him! And they could bloody well speak to him, he knows they can do it!

In his path is a heavy oak stump, newly cut. The blue jay appears on it.

AO3

[romeocapults]

Morning dew covered freshly cut grass, fog floated on the horizon, and the loud bird chirping meant a good day. If it were anyone else, but Romeo had been up before the sun, listening to his father shout about his lack of improvement. "Ты бесполезен." Russian. Translation was 'You're useless', a much better insult than one's he has heard; this could mean Romeo was doing something right.

"Did you skip your morning coffee?" Tongue sharp, sleek response would earn him--Romeo had no time to react as a hand came in contact with his cheek. "Guessing that's a no." A smirk formed on his lips as he returned to his enchanting position.

The enchant required immense concentration; Romeo had one goal to control the mind of his father. Simple, except if his mind was filled with hatred, then the spell would mirror, essentially turning Romeo into a vegetable. Brain dead.

Fingers coiled, eyes closing as he cleared his mind, and unstable breath. "In nomine tenebris, mens tua in me confiteor, obsecro tibi, paratus ad servitium." A flicker of light, Romeo opened his eyes to catch his father's cold stare. It took three minutes, holding eye contact with his father until the enchantment was completed.

An enchantment like this one is required to be spoken twice. One in Latin, one in English. "In the name of darkness, I acknowledge your mind in me; I beseech you, prepared for servitude." Just as the words spilled out into the world, Romeo heard a disappointing scoff and realized this was another failure. The spell was decades old, only two enchanters in history were successful, yet none of them were around to tell the tale. Reasons for the failed enchantment could be many things, but in this case, Romeo was too weak to breach his father's mind.

"How are you not able to break my mind protection?" A tone all too familiar to Romeo. "It's called a mind protection enchant for a reason, Father." Sarcasm was a gift, one Romeo likes to say he received from the gods, but it never sat right with his father.

An omnipotent step forward, Romeo knew where this was headed. "You're tied with a little girl, people are talking about how pathetic you make this family look because you can't defeat her." Romeo's hands curled into fists, the whites of his knuckles exposed as his father spoke of Arabella. "Whose mother is considered a great enchantress. One of the most powerful there is around, but you refused to let her teach me." That day, his father made him repeat multiple chants for two days, ashamed for even asking to be taught by someone else.

"Capulets teach themselves." Romeo found his Russian accent hilarious when he spoke of family legacy, but he was still being sent to a school to be taught. It made no sense to him, and it made perfect sense to his father. "You're staying out here until you can learn to harness the power you need for enchantment."

"Father, I haven't had breakfast. Where do you expect this power to be harnessed from? My ass?" Romeo clenched his teeth as he felt the grip on his curly locks, wrist wrapping around for a better grip. "You will go without food until nightfall, Romeo. Tomorrow morning we will meet here again, and I expect you to be at full capacity." It was an order, one Romeo had to follow without any resistance or remarks.

"Yes, Father." A couple slaps against his cheek, another order for him to continue, and Romeo spent the rest of his day practicing for hours. Cursing everyone under his breath, Romeo would use this pent up frustration to try his new spell on a random peer tomorrow. It would end in celebration from his father, whether the kid was severely injured or not.

The approval Romeo needed to move on from this enchantment until the next one. He knew his father wanted a powerful son, one with no weakness, and one not afraid to bring harm to those unfortunate. He wanted a monster, and Romeo was well on his way.

[the-firebird69]

We do commend our son for getting stuff done and he put his trash cans away which is nice and he opens up the mail and pulled the letter out with the card and these people got in a big fight for doing it he doesn't know if any drywall he needs fixed so we are watching him smile people know what it is and they're going to town on these guys any other messing with the phone of BG at fisherman's village and they reminded our son that people can't tell who you are if you put a coat on there and for crying out loud they admitted doing it a long time ago and they're going to pay for it.

Several other things are happening

-these guys are getting severely beaten the secondary empire which is what it really is is hammering them flat and they are squealing from it a little and realling. We need to get on with what's going on here it is a huge battle

-at the 17th ring there's a big fight and there's a lot of people involved they are having a lot of problems out at the 17th ring meeting the warlock are getting flattened and they don't seem to have a chance and next few rounds are going to get pushed back they don't have people ready and they're running low and they're trying to round them now and they can't eventually they'll probably be at the 21st ring again encapsulating in prison and they're going to try to in prison our son and our son says you will pay with your lives if you try that for real Stan ignored if you want you'll be dead. And they're kind of cringing a little but they don't know the math even though when they were messing with him tons of theirs died and they lost companies and they lost fortunes and they're stupid these people don't know the math at all and the empire is having them do it and they are crashing once the fleet goes up they will definitely see it right now they're arrogant but this will break them and now the basis of the clones are going to be destroyed tomorrow morning they'll be gone all of it they're going to be out of commission tonight probably around 1:00 a.m. and by that time there won't be anything left for the most part and the morlok too around the same time. They'll be left in the city areas fighting over the same area and all of them fight each other and they're disgusting pigs and useless. Come to find out the clones plan on attacking the secondary empire and they will attack those bases and take ships and they will depower the criminals trying to apprehend our son and it's a flood system and it's a waste of time you're hurting yourselves but we don't want to go through it your asses for what you say you're morons and we're going to kill you all of you involved and you'll have no chance for survival the clones are going to face you down and stick their face right in yours and flip you the bird right to your nose and all this other horse s*** you say you're going to do to our son because you're so pissed off you act like animals and you sound like them this kind of talk and posturing is with nothing to you and you're going to find out the hard way and probably 10 or 20 minutes

Thor Freya

Olympus

This sucks you guys blow we can't do this with small I haven't told you the whole time you want to put them in prison you f****** piece of s*** Mike to and the rest of you I can't believe how dumb you are it says usually someone saying this is a prison guy and it doesn't do anything I'll say this you put him in prison everybody beats us up faster we saw it at O'Connor you guys are f****** nutcase

Bob marsh

Why isn't an oblique angle if people go directly after you Mike too they're going to go after you before you put me in prison it's so heinous to them

Zues Hera

And we're using it too we don't really want them in prison it's a waste of time oh was it bad enough for you we went to his s*** except pissing them off and we're getting injured and stuff because you're doing things that are sacrilegious we are too but holy s*** yet you're running around blabbing s*** having people blab it you mess up the max you're messing up the idiots it says I'm trying to cause chaos and weak in the top and ride but s*** put them in prison it rides everybody I get sucked in there too you a******

Tommy f

We're going over some stuff about you idiots that your mouth goes and your brain doesn't. Now it's going to be the other way around no you said they're both going to go and it's true pleasantly surprised that's what Mike too was when he got the call that their basrs tearing everything out and it was about 20 minutes ago and you're a f**** and a loser for doing what you did and what you're doing Mike tew. Your brothers and sisters and some stupid s*** put them in prison mack Daddy can't stand you we can't either.

Thor Freya

We can't stand you we can't stand you we can't stand you so f****** dumb some things you can't do you idiot but look now the empire is after you and you're not ready you're going to open another front and another front and go down like the school kid that you are you have no right running all this stuff and when run they Rudy is chastising you in the movie something with wicked this Way comes you can hardly stay awake hes saying so much stuff

I mean it Daniel you're an idiot you and your dumb cop uniform bring it wherever you go we got a nap on your f****** ass you're so dumb this s*** has put them in the prison we'll get something what he's saying is if you try and do that he's going to do gross and disgusting things to you and it's coming up tonight

Mac Daddy

Favorite few other things to mention we're going to publish now this is important

Olympus