#An idea originally had back for the 'shadow' prompt but got moved to here as it also worked c:

[runefactorynonsense]

Spooktober - Day 28 - Hollow

No, you are not fine-

[reidsaurora]

"Overnight" ~ S. Reid

Summary: When Spencer offers to clear out a drawer for Y/N in his dresser, it has him explaining some things he'd been hiding from her.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x GN!Reader (i think? i don't remember using pronouns in this lol)

Word Count: 814 why is she so short

Content Warning: allusions to sex but nothing in detail, mild mentions of nudity i guess, this whole fic is basically aftercare lol, lmk if i missed anything!

Genre: Fluff, what else did you expect out of me?

Extra Notes: i truly meant for this to be posted on time, i'm so sorry guys

Based On the Prompt: "The Things In That Drawer" from this year's @domaystic prompts

Originally Written: 05/08/2023

Beta Read By: @dungeons-are-too-cold (i love you literally so much)

Criminal Minds masterlist can be found here!

Nothing could get Spencer Reid in a sappy mood like a night of slow, passionate sex. Something about moments like these—the way he showered you in kisses, the sweet compliments he'd give you, the love he'd show you—just felt right. Like his embrace was exactly where you needed to be.

Spencer's hand settled on the soft skin of your hip, drawing various shapes with his fingertips. Your head rested against his chest, your hand moving up to his tummy. He placed a soft kiss on your hair, the scruff of his five-o'clock shadow scratching against your forehead lightly. "I love nights like this," he told you.

You craned your head to face him, kissing his cheek. "I do too. I just hate that it always ends so quickly," you said, thinking about the work nights where you had to head home early, not quite ready for the night to end but knowing that you needed to go home for a change of clothes.

"You know," he said, pausing to flip the two of you over, his body hovering over you, "I could always clear a couple drawers out for you."

Your eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. You'd been hinting at the idea for a while, lamenting about needing fresh panties or complaining about missing your skincare regimen. But Spencer hadn't seemed quite ready to take that step yet, so you didn't pressure him.

"Wait, are you serious?"

He nodded, bending down to kiss you on the lips this time. "I'll even let you pick out which one you want."

You practically pushed him into the floor as you jumped up. Spencer chuckled as you ran over to the dresser, pulling his boxers back on.

You pulled out the second drawer, where you knew his tee shirts were, grabbed one of his giant ones and tossed it on. "Any of them?"

"Mhm," he hummed, walking over and settling his hands on your waist. "Whichever one you want."

You considered it, eventually deciding on the bottom drawer. "What about-"

"Wait, Y/N, don't-" he shouted, reaching out to stop your hand.

He was too late, though. You pulled open the drawer, revealing an entire drawer of nerdy memorabilia. The lightsaber was the first thing that caught your eye, followed by a sonic screwdriver, and a couple geeky Pop Figures, among other things.

"You have a lightsaber," you examined.

Spencer scratched awkwardly at his neck. "Yeah, I guess I do."

You grabbed the lightsaber from the drawer, your face lighting up as you turned it on. "You have a lightsaber!"

He chuckled as you poked him in the ribs with the lightsaber. "You're having too much fun with this."

You set the lightsaber down on top of the dresser, turning back to the drawer. Next, you pulled out the infamous Jason Voorhees mask, holding it in front of your face. "Please tell me you've scared your coworkers with this."

Spencer let out another chuckle, taking the mask from your hands. "I got Morgan with it one time. He nearly choked on his coffee."

You continued snooping through the drawers, sifting through Polaroids of Spencer and his friend Penelope at various conventions, some D.C. comics, and a couple signed posters. Your heart nearly flipped when you spotted a picture of him dressed as the Joker. "Who did your face paint?"

"You're loving this, aren't you?"

A squeal escaped your lips as you threw your arms over his shoulders. "Spence, this is adorable! Why would you hide this from me?"

He sighed, somewhere between relieved and exasperated. "I didn't want you to think I was weird. I mean, I'm a grown man and I have a collection of legos and Batman comics?"

"Spencer, I think it's cute that you have something you love so much. You don't have to be afraid to show how much you love and support it."

He bent forward to kiss you again, pulling your body flush against his. "You really mean that?"

"I mean, any man that has the balls to wear makeup like that in public is sexy in my book," you kidded.

Spencer diverted your attention back to the drawer, pointing his chin toward the dresser. "Is that really the drawer you want?"

"Does it come with all the nerdy memorabilia?" you teased, poking his chest.

"In your dreams. I spent good money on those things." He rolled his eyes, leading you to the bathroom. His hands were warm and big on your bare skin, the feeling absolutely heavenly. He placed a trail of kisses along your shoulder up to your head before hooking his chin over your shoulder.

You lifted your head to face him, kissing his jaw. "Hey, does this mean we can go as the Joker and Harley Quinn for Halloween?"

"You know what? I think that might just be something out of my dreams."

-> taglist: @lowsodiumfreaks67 @drayshadow @alexxavicry @nomajdetective @kbakery @leigh70 @darkloverfox @sammyrenae68 @cherrycandle @asgardprincess97 @gh0stgurl @esposadomd @randomwriter1021 @eddieharrington @lunar-affection @givemeth @lavhoes @rhyanishere @cat-lockwood @danielle143 @marsmallow433 @handsupforamiracle @topguncultleader @mente-sindescanso @reverieofmgg @spencer-reids-adventures @ah-blossom @encyclo-reid-ia @reidselle @thevisionthedream @dungeons-are-too-cold @wwwonzeee @louderfortheback @reidsbookclub @annahalstead5021 @cwritesforfun @soapiebear @maelartasch @buckyyyismahhlife @cynbx @hellooitsrose

[officialrocketjumper]

HOWDY EVERYONE- so excited to FINALLY be able to show off my piece for this year's Bumbleby Big Bang!

Unfortunately no accompanying story as of yet- but I really hope you guys get to read it someday! The premise involves Yang cursed to be trapped inside a sword, which was an idea I KNEW I had to make move.

Details and development stuff under the cut!

Lots of fun collaboration with the author, Celeste! We worked together to find the look-of-picture, Blake's outfit, how the Grimm look, the style of the sword, the whole shabang! I'm really happy with how it all turned out!

When I first saw all the prompts, even before claims opened, I got to work on a handful of exploration pieces based on some of the summaries, to decide which of the stories I was interested in would be the best fit. Here's the initial idea for this one I put together over a lunch break:

After showing Celeste, we got to work finding the look we wanted! Went back and forth a bit and found this great look for Blake! Also shoutout to Pinterest boards for visdev inspiration I love you Pinterest boards.

Just about everything stayed to final anim, with the simplification of getting rid of that purple cloth hanging from her belt, (since I already had the rope ends to think about working with), and the light purple strap across the chest, since leaving it out would simplify the linework on her chest.

The sword also went through a bit of change! Celeste had the idea of Yang making the sword catch on fire, which I LOVED. I went with a split design so we can see the fire more clearly start from the hilt and grow to cover the whole blade.

And from there we brainstormed animation ideas! I went all over Youtube for video reference of sword work (that would be complex enough to be interesting, but short enough to be manageable). I found something we liked from Motion Actor Inc., a channel I've used LOTS for both personal and professional work (I work in 3D Animation, for those who don't know). I edited this together, to see the action from multiple places at once, which gave me the idea for that camera move that's in the final anim!

Now for the fun part! Make that badboy MOVE. For the cam turn, the first frame she's in the air I'm referencing the top left video, and the frame she lands I'm referencing the bottom left one. While she's airborne I'm just inbetweening that! No reference for the Grimm, just wanted it responding to her attacks, but I end up tweaking the roughs later on to make the block feel stronger.

Then from there we had to actually figure out Grimm designs! Nimona had just released, and Celeste and I loved it, so she asked if I could take some inspiration from Nimona's shadow form! GLADLY. Here's what I came up with!

I was going between how the movies and comic designed Nimona, really loving the almost liquid shadow of the movie, but also how the comics had this broken up/held together rougher form. Celeste liked the second to last one the best! The original plan was to have it leave a wispy shadow trail like the concept art, but to simplify the animation we left it solid instead!

Next up is tiedown! Basically just getting the roughs more on-model, so the lineart comes out nice and clean. I've also transferred the new Grimm design to the base from earlier, and fire's also outlined orange so it reads clearer. (SPOILER- if you look REAL close here, you can see Yang visible in the fire! I liked the idea of Blake's slash also doubling as Yang throwing a punch. The idea is in the concept art earlier but now it's working with the action.)

Next step- final look of picture!! I asked Celeste for sources of inspiration to draw from when thinking about environment design, and we got Nimona, She-Ra, and Owl House! Used each of those as springboards for shading style, colour palettes, and how the fire would look!

From there, we kept the straight trees/bush/lake/foreground greenery from the first one, the blues from the second, and the fire from the third!

Once I had this frame, it was a matter of working backwards and making the background work pre-camera turn (which was ABSOLUTELY the most challenging part of this process). Learned a lot doing this! Procreate isn't quite equipped to make something like this efficient, but I'm pleased to say that Dreams would make something like this easier in the future (keyframing objects instead of hand-drawing/spacing duplicates by hand, for example).

From then on it was just colouring the lineart, adding shading, and finishing up the background! Beginning-to-end this whole process was beginning of July to end of October!

I had an absolute BLAST putting all this together. Here's to next year where I find a way to do something even more ridiculously complicated!! It's fun!!!

[hermit-lover]

Hey hey!! Ur hermits x raccoon reader was so good ^^ could u do a Tango x raccoon reader who brings him shiny things and little trinkets they think hed like and Tango has a full shulker box in his ender chest filled with things given by the reader

Love ur work stay hydrated <33

Trinkets!

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

Character: Tango x Raccoon!Reader

Type: Blurb (~1.3k)

Theme: Fluff, Romantic

Summary: Decked out's secretes are ever alluring, combined with the irresistible game master, you cant help but want to slink around.

TW: Brief panic.

A/N: Glad you liked it! I'm always down for some good ol raccoon shenanigans. Kinda strayed from the prompt, but I had fun, sorry!

Its been a small while since you've joined Hermitcraft, and despite your original apprehension as to how well you'll get along, you've fit in perfectly.

The group welcomed your absentminded chaoticness, and eagerly joined in shenanigans.

Yet, above all shone one hermit- who was quite literally a hermit this season. His shiny glowing eyes and welcoming personality, combined with apt for the strange and wonderful, made him so alluring. And that wasn't even touching on his project!

Yes, his project- the sprawling grounds of complex spaghetti redstone and brilliantly decorated caves that wove intricately through the large hole.

Decked out.

It wasn't finished yet- but that wouldn't stop you from trying to explore it! The cold breeze that emanated from the space ruffles your ears and tail, chilling them in the familiar way. You tuck your pickaxe away, sending it into your inventory with a flash of pixels. It was exhilarating breaking in- the pounding of your heart combined with the shaky excited sparks through your limbs only served to drive you further. Maybe this time you'll be able to fully explore the card sorter!

Skittering along a wool line of redstone, you dodge and weave around frankly unsafe contraptions. The glittering messes draw you in, with the promise of secrets and treasures. Whispers of grand prizes and knowledge no ones has keeps you moving. Once at the end of this line, you can see the card sorter, the splay of observers and hoppers making your tail twitch in excitement. Making redstone was fun, but exploring someone else's? especially when not allowed? that was the best.

Eyeing your route down, you begin to slink. Off of the white wool, and down onto a yellow line, then onto an observer, which leads you to a blue line- then you can just put your foot on this extended piston-

CLUNK

Your foot meets nothing but air.

With a screech you plummet- open air surrounds you- your heartbeat fills your head- Eyes screwed shut.

You prepare for respawn.

"OOF- gotcha!"

....You're not dead?

At that realization you open your eyes, ears still pinned back in fear.

A grinning face greets you. Pointed teeth gleaming in the shadowed lighting, dimly glowing blue eyes squinting from the effort. Above that- flickering blue flames leech of his head, calm, content. His presence instantly calms you. Tango.

Going boneless in his arms- he briefly struggles to maintain grip- you sigh.

"I thought I was about to litter my items all over decked out!" You laugh, adrenaline wearing off.

"pft I cant have that! All deathifications must be done inside the dungeon- When the game is actually finished." His tone isn't lost on you, while it was obvious he isn't actually upset, he's scolded you plenty of times for your premature interest in his death game. You crack a guilty smile, trying your best puppy dog eyes.

"Oh i'm sorry- I had no idea! I was just mining and then-"

"Mhm, toootttally." He interrupts, rolling his pupilless eyes. You gasp in offense.

"Hey!- At least let me finish my excuse!"

"I can do whatever I want- I caught you after all." His logic is....sound. He did keep you from losing your levels and well- your head. You sigh, crossing your arms and pouting.

"Fine."

He grins again, starting to walk back towards his storage system- and the exit. Panic fills you, you just got here! you didnt want to leave already, an excuse, you need an- AHA!

"Tannggoooo~" You drawl, leaning further into him, the strange chill that poured from his chest soothing to your warm face. Tango raises an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Yea?"

"Did I mention that I had something for you?"

He squints, debating whether or not it was a ploy.

"No...Is it something I should be concerned about?"

Now its your turn to grin.

"Maaayyybbeeee- do you want it?" You always had a gift for Tango, it was as though every shiny thing you saw reminded you of him, and called to be in his possession. You'd almost say your incessant gift giving was why he kept you around- but he clearly was fond of you too.

Tango huffed, depositing you into one of the plush chairs you pestered him to add into the storage room. It certainly did make it cozier, and he deserves somewhere nice to rest. You pop up, tilting your head. "Is that a no?-"

"I didnt say that-" Tango points an accusing finger at you, "But I still haven't forgotten!" You sigh, flopping over the back of the chair exaggeratedly.

"You give a guy someone else's robotic arm one time!-"

"Doc nearly skinned me!"

"You would make a good rug." You defend. Tango blinks at you a couple times, then sighs, smiling growing.

"Okay fine, i'll bite. What did you get me?"

You grin, wiggling your fingers to summon the blue shulker box you had shoved it into. Painstakingly, you place it down, and slooooowwwly reach for lid-

"Close your eyes~"

Tangos brows furrow in worry, but he obliges, glowing blue pools hidden behind his eyelids. You peel the top of the shulker off and grin inside- your best catch yet. Picking it up delicately, you stand, stepping towards Tango and reaching forwards.

"Open your hands."

He obeys, fingers splayed in curious confusion.

You take half a second to admire the treasure. Shining green surface so smooth and perfect, sturdy and rare. Then, you delicately place it in his hands, and skitter quickly backwards.

His eyes flutter open, brows still furrowed as he takes in the object. Then his face flashes in alarm.

"Oh no- You'll take this back to him this instant!" He thrusts it towards you, and you dodge out of the way. Plucking up the shulker.

"What you don't like it?" You pout, tilting your head and scuttling as he approaches.

"No!" Tango laughs, "Xisuma's glove isn't something you can gift!"

"But he didn't notice! and its shiny and cool!" You protest, unable to hold down the pleased grin splitting your features.

"He will notice! And he'll go looking for it!" Tango insists, trying to corner you, arms held out, flicking the green glove towards you. You weave backwards, matching his every step.

"Nuh uh!" You insist, childishly.

"Yea huh!" Tango replies, giggling. His pure laughter rings in your ears and clenches your heart. Heat rushes to your face- focus, you remind yourself.

Your back meets the wall, and you begin sliding along it, still avoiding taking back the glove. You continue the standoff for a couple seconds- then Tango lunges towards you.

His arms pin either side of you- halting you in your tracks. Pressed against the wall.

"Ha!" He gloats, grinning down at you, "gotcha."

Heat burns your face, your throat closes up, and your knees nearly buckle.

He is gorgeous.

Half lidded blue eyes focused on you, lips parted revealing his pointed fangs while he pants into your space. He seems unaffected, lucky bastard.

Then, a horrible idea.

Slowly, you lean forwards.

"Yep, you got me-" You begin, voice low.

He tenses slightly, breath hitching. For a split second you worry hes uncomfortable, but the sudden addition of deep blue on his face makes your heart soar. "But I haven't even given you the entire gift."

"You...haven't?" He's slightly breathless but manages to keep some suspicion. You nod slowly, now completely in his personal space. Your nose brushes his.

"Nope." You confirm, tilting your head slightly. "Would you like it?"

Theres a beat and you worry he's going to say no- but he nods once. You fight down your grin.

You close the gap- but miss his mouth and press a kiss to the side, just barely brushing lips.

Then, while hes recovering, you duck- weaving out of his arms and sprinting for the bubble elevator up.

"Bye Tango! Enjoy your gift!-" You call, cheeky grin ever present. He sputters.

"You!-" He rushes to the elevator, narrowly missing you as you step in. "I'll have my revenge!" He calls after you.

That's exactly what you were planning on.

[surplus-of-sarcasm]

★This is a prompt fill for @nuttynutcycle's amazing Prompt 404, full credit to her for this idea.

Original Prompt

"They sent you? After everything I did? That's hilarious." The villain laughed through bloodied lips."And I'm the sadistic one."

The hero didn't respond to the shell of their tormenter. They remembered the villain as vibrant, invincible: a showman of suffering. Not coated in dirt and bruises in a cell.

"After everything I did, I'm surprised you can even come near me." The villain said softly. Their gaze didn't waver. "Unless this is your way of asking for more."

A shudder ran through the hero and they tasted bile at the thought.

-continuation starts here-

TW: Implied past abuse, scars, choking, suicidal ideation

"Stop," Hero breathed out, looking everywhere but at their nemesis.

They let out a cold, shrill cackle, or at least, an attempt at one, throat so dry, it sounded more like a strangled cough. "Stop? Come on, you know me better than that, Hero," they purred, the voice grating against the crime-fighter's eardrums.

It had taken them so long to be able to stop hearing their once-torturer's voice ringing in their ears, its hold so mercilessly powerful on them, it had managed to escape their nightmares. For some time, the words 'auditory hallucinations' had seemed so fake, part of a poorly fabricated illusion.

They didn't even know how they were standing here, why they'd accepted. It's not like Superhero had forced them. But it was easier said than done. Nowhere near as terrifying as being face-to face with them. So much so that the bars between them seemed pointless, half-invisible to the hero.

"Come here to have a go at me too? I'm quite popular amongst some of the members of your agency, it's about time you of all people showed up here." The villain may have been smiling as they said it, tone laced with cold, indifferent amusement, but their eyes told a different tale, the look in them practically screaming broken and exhausted.

Hero wanted to retch at how disturbed they were by the criminal's state. "Fragile," they'd called them, back when they spent their days waking up to a boot pressed into their chest, continuously mocking their empathy as an attribute only possessed by the weak and foolish.

Right now, their old enemy was trying to hold on to whatever shreds of their pride they had left, by way of tormenting the crime-fighter, who by all other means had the upper hand here.

"No," the crime-stopper answered, appalled. In spite of the clear disgust in their tone, they weren't really sure if they'd meant it with all their being, as their gaze flitted over to an old, jagged scar, in an unappealing, dusty shade of pink on their left forearm, revealed as the sleeve of their somewhat baggy sweatshirt fell lower against their arm. They pulled it back again, a force of habit, worrying their bottom lip between their teeth.

The second they'd managed to escape, they hadn't wanted anything more than to rip them to shreds, to make them suffer what they'd done to them tenfold. The hero had scratched at the skin of their wrists and screamed their throat raw, even in the safety of their own bed, wishing to tear the villain's world apart, brick by brick as though it was a building.

Seeing them like this, it should've felt cathartic. It should've brought the hero some sort of twisted satisfaction that their tormentor was getting a taste of their own medicine, maybe even worse.

But all they felt was a cold, mind-numbing emptiness, a disturbance that settled at the pit of their stomach and twisted it into knots. If they searched hard enough, they'd swear that they even felt a pang of sympathy for the shadow of their once all-powerful tormentor.

"Of course not," Villain drawled lazily, staring at the crime-stopper with a chilling mix of amusement and contempt, horribly reminiscent of their past self. The criminal got up, stretching their limbs casually, moving as far as the chains would let them. They stared down at chipped, broken nails with an impossible amount of blood and dirt accumulated underneath them. Before, the villain had always looked immaculate, but instead of kohl underneath the cruel, icy blue eyes, there was an ugly trail of bruises and crusty blood mixed with dead skin.

But even looking like the personification of death, the villain still managed to be spiteful. "Nothing could make you lose that foolish weakness of yours, Hero. You'll always be a goddamn bleeding heart, too bloody nice and pathetic to deal any real damage. Don't you have any dignity?" they spat, and they sounded genuinely frustrated, their eyes narrowing, the most emotion they'd displayed since the crime-stopper had entered their cell.

Hero didn't know exactly when their hands had twisted the key into the lock, when they'd raced into the cell, slamming the villain into the wall with an audible thud, the force drawing a sharp gasp from their adversary's throat. They weren't sure when their fingers had clawed at the criminal's throat, keeping a vice-like grip on their neck, their nails digging deep into the already damaged skin. It was almost as though their rage had possessed them, coursing through their veins like poison, speeading heat through their body like wildfire.

"Oh, you think that it's hard for me to hurt you? You think that I haven't dreamed of the day where I put you through hell? Show you how it feels like? There were times when all I could think of was how much I wanted your blood on my hands, how much I wanted you dead!" they snarled.

For the first time, true, unabashed fear had flashed across Villain's features, eyes wide, their lip quivering as they choked in the hero's grip. But the bastard smiled at them, trying so desperately hard to be sharp and taunting. Instead, it was weak, full of pain, as every muscle of their face twitched and struggled to keep it up. Tears streamed down their face instead, and the hero slightly loosened their hold on their throat.

"Do it. Kill me how you've always wanted to, Hero." The villain's voice had only ever been smug, full of power and entirely lacking emotion. All it was now was soft and broken.

Whatever had taken over the hero faded as they removed their fingers from their neck, their mismatched eyes softening. They involuntarily winced at the bruises and bloodied scratches left on their neck.

Even through all their cruelty, the villain had been more merciful to the hero than the criminal's current tormentors were to them. They'd let the hero eat, not that they really had the apetite, gave them the basic rights of showering and clothes. Sometimes, they didn't even hurt the hero, usually when they felt they'd had enough. It was agitating to think of their once-captor's virtues, but the hero wasn't one to deny the truth.

Except here, the villain was clearly starved, their face gaunt, cheeks sunken, and the tatters they had for clothes hung loosely off their emaciated frame. Their body was covered in numerous scratches, deep and barely healing, some even clearly infected.

"I came here for closure. But now, I'm going to get you out of here." Maybe the villain deserved some sort of reckoning for what they did, but not like this. Not remorseless torture that left them wishing they were dead.

Villain's eyes widened as they held their breath as the hero began unlocking their chains. "This isn't legal," they murmured.

"Like I give a damn," the hero replied tersely. The villain had become so frail that they had to lean on the hero all the way.

Hero's eyes flitted over to Villain's cell one last time, contemplating again whether they should just let them rot and get their revenge, but their compassion overrid any of their darker thoughts. Empathy, they realised, was not a weakness. It is what separates man from monster. It stops us from falling into stupors fuelled by rage and bloodlust. It is the tool by which we hold power over our own emotions. It is a strength of priceless value, if only people would stop being so blissfully ignorant, hiding in the silky duvets of their own selfishness.

✨️Le Taglist: @larinzz @syberianjade @lateuplight @altu-interactions @enbious-prince @astr0-mj @thelazywitchphotographer @a-fucking-simp-00 @addictedsandwhichaki @justalittlecorrupted @quaggasus @theangstyclown @vernilliom @mothmancommitsarson @starssabove @kurai-hono-blog @talkingsperm @muffinrebel44 @sunnynwanda @annablogsposts @cardboardarsonist @itsmyworld23 @onlywhump @shr3ya @crotchgoblin69 @wtfevenisausername @pendarling @avloki-pal

Wanna be on the taglist? This'll take you there!

[maareyas]

Hey hey hey its been a hot minute, i hope life is treating you well? (It better - if not ill fight life for you in the ring)

I’m giving you the opportunity to info dump about anything. And i mean anything be it something to do with one of your aus (we love lore) or even about any interests you may have (i know you like the fun-guys, whats your favourite shroom👀?)

Sidenote i just thought of this when typing the shroom question, i really thought that during feb that you mightve dabbled with the funguary prompts. Idk i thought you’d really like those. Like pair up a shroom with a character or something and go wham with it. Idk where i was going with this… yeah

I JUST STRAIGHT UP FORGOT to answer this ask hhdhdhdg whoops. I lost whatever idea I had to ramble about so I'm going to use this as an excuse to ramble about my thought process thus far behind the merhog Shadow I'm working on

(I keep forgetting Funguary exists and my database of Fungi Knowledge is unfortunately not specific enough for me to parcipate ahfhjdjsjsj)

Anyways. With merhog designs, I tend to have a "speculative biology" approach to it, i.e the different merhog design elements make some sense in context. I think I mentioned before that designing Creatures and Robots scratch a similar itch in my brain; and this is why. You can tell a bunch about how a Creature moves, eats, and lives just based on their physical traits. Same goes for robots!

Of course, I'm still an artist first and foremost. So when it comes to creature design, I still put aesthetics and Vibes™️ first before realism XD

with that out of the way, here's the rambles about the In-Progress merhog shadow design. No images because I'm lazy ahdhdjs

My first thought with the merhog shadow design was that "I have to throw a little bit of Godzilla inspo in there". I've had Godzilla on the brain since I watched the new movie with Kong a few weeks ago lol. And bc I like bioluminescence way too much, he's gonna be a glowy boiiiii.

I'm thinking he does actually have atomic breath and can subsist off/absorb nuclear energy. In the hypothetical au this design is from, the ARK would be an underwater facility that was destroyed in a nuclear explosion of some sort. Shadow was the only survivor and he "haunts" the spot to this day.

Shadow's concept isn't as clear to me as Silver's was. Vaguely, I want him to be more reptile-adjacent as a callback to the Biolizard and the Black Arms. I feel like going full reptile would make him look too bulky and slow so I'm still working it out.

This is the current iteration of the design so far:

barely anything, but it's what I got XD

I like the idea of merhog Shadow having two huge front flippers that can sort of act like extra hands. the flippers were partially based by a winged Black Arms enemy I forgot the name of + humpback whale fins. the little bumps on the front side of the fins? they're for speed, like with actual humpbacks. The little claw is NOT biologically realistic at all, but it looks cool and im already planning to take inspo from godzilla anyways so. yeah.

In general I think I might just take a more fantastical approach to Shadow? It feels fitting with his canon origins being weird.

For his head, I decided to turn his quills into tentacles, specifically of the Vampire Squid. There are spikes underneath to protect the back of his head from roundhouse kicks (bc he's the only one allowed to do that lmao). I'm thinking he might also have a false eye pattern in the center of the tentacles? A deterrent to potential predators + as a callback to Doom's Eye.

His eye markings get a little change too. They can emit red light, just like Stoplight Loosejaw (yes that's a real fish name) which have organs underneath their eyes that emit red light to hunt prey with. I imagine merhog Shadow would also have its extremely messed up jaw configuration ✨ I don't know how I would draw it though ✨✨✨

As far as solid inspiration goes, that's what I have so far. I'm considering giving Shadow more whale-adjacent features. With how huge his front flippers are, I think it'd make sense that he'd be more of a power swimmer? aka he has a big tail that does most of the work propelling him forward, and the flippers are to reduce the energy cost while also increasing speed and maneuverability. It would be a close enough analog to his skating, maybe????

He doesn't sound very fast but then again, I imagine neither is merhog Silver lol

[vonuberwald]

I posted 295 times in 2022

54 posts created (18%)

241 posts reblogged (82%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@kj-likes-dogs

@a-driftamongopenstars

@hechizero-emplumado

@shotce

@hollyand-writes

I tagged 187 of my posts in 2022

Only 37% of my posts had no tags

#dragon age - 39 posts

#fanart - 24 posts

#dragon age 2 - 16 posts

#ffxiv - 13 posts

#my fanfiction - 10 posts

#fanfiction - 10 posts

#video - 10 posts

#dragon age origins - 9 posts

#dragon age inquisition - 9 posts

#da:i - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 126 characters

#happy holidays to you other sick fucks that have nothing else in their sad sorry lives except harassing people on the internet

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

In two days’ time, I will have a one-year-old. Which, last year, I didn’t think would be the case until the end of July, but she had other ideas 🐝👑

10 notes - Posted May 8, 2022

#4

Happy Friday! Super intrigued by "…to gain something." – for characters of your choice!

Isabela laughed as she danced out of Merrill's way, nimbly keeping the trinket just out of the other's reach. Merrill chuckled lightly, even as she tutted in exasperation as she made a swipe for it, only to be dodged, fingers brushing the strings of the leather pouch.

'You know my terms!' Isabela crowed, idly tossing the bag in the air, snatching it back just as the elven woman almost, almost, got it. Merrill giggled, almost overturning an unlit candlestick on a small table. After a quick fumble to catch and reset it, she looked around, but Isabela was no longer in the room, although it was a tiny house and the only place left was either the tiny washroom or... the bedroom.

Well, knowing Isabela...

With a wicked grin, Merrill padded over to the even smaller room, which she could see was now faintly lit. Pushing the door open slowly, she took in the sight of the self-proclaimed pirate queen, lounging seductively against the simple headboard, entirely nude, but for her necklaces hanging low over her breasts.

'My,' she said. 'And do your terms still stand?'

Bela smirked and held up two fingers. 'Double the previous asking price, and no less.' The smirk grew and the shadows from the meagre candlelight threw interesting shapes over her curves. Merrill shifted in the doorway, her insides clenching pleasantly.

'Alright,' she said slowly, walking slowly into the room and kneeling on the bed. She shed her clothes as she came, as naked as Bela by the time she was crawling on the mattress, her smaller frame covering the taller woman's. When they were face-to-face, Merrill perched lightly on Isabela's thighs and leaned forward.

'Alright,' she repeated, in little more than a whisper, and leaned forward until she pressed their lips together.

Once. Then, once again.

Double the asking price.

Merrill leaned back and smiled in anticipation.

'Hmm,' said Isabela, with a grin and nodded, reached behind her where she'd hidden the pouch and handing it over to the elf. Merrill tipped to her head to the side and appeared to think before she broke and giggled, taking the bag and putting it to one side.

'I've changed my mind!' she declared brightly and wrapped her arms around Isabela, snuggling closer. Jewellery clinked as they adjusted to a more comfortable position.

'Oh?'

Merrill nodded, stealing another kiss.

'Yup, I've decided two isn't enough!'

Isabela mock-sighed. 'Who's the pirate here anyway?'

****

Hope you don't mind some Merribela! Thanks for the prompt!

@dadrunkwriting

14 notes - Posted June 10, 2022

#3

Hi Von!

For the DADWC, The prompt '…out of necessity.' Any ship you choose.

Thank you!

Fenris took one look at the red-faced mage standing next to Hawke, who was looking just as apologetic. For some reason their focus was intense and entirely on him and it made him antsy, considering the last time... oh no.

'Oh, no,' he said out loud. Hawke instantly moved to make a placating gesture, Anders covering his face with his hands.

'I swear we covered every base this time,' he said, somewhat muffled. The glow of the pink charm on the palm of his left hand contradicted him, matching the one on Hawke's - and now Fenris' - hands.

'Well, clearly you didn't,' Fenris frowned. He sighed at Hawke, who was still looking sheepish. 'Let me guess,' he said. 'A 'True Love's Kiss''? And if we don't comply with the terms of the charm, there will be severe consequences?'

Hawke nodded. 'But,' he said, holding up a finger for emphasis, 'and this is important, just a kiss. We won't be looking for Anders' smalls in the bushes for three hours this time.'

Fenris looked back at Anders, who was peeking at him through his fingers hopefully and then over at Hawke again, who had reverted back to his cocky, grinning self.

'Fine,' he grumbled, 'But,' he continued over Hawke's whoop of triumph and Anders' relieved sigh, 'this is the last time, understand?'

Hawke grabbed Anders by the shoulders and shuffled him towards the elf. 'We get it, next time I'll make Carver and Merrill go.'

Fenris rolled his eyes, but pecked Anders on the lips obligingly, sighing again as the mage threw his arms around him and almost lifted him off the ground. He didn't believe Hawke for a second, but really, it wasn't as though this was exactly a chore. Besides, last time, he'd definitely appreciated the after effects, underwear search party not withstanding.

------

@dadrunkwriting

hope you like fenhanders!

19 notes - Posted February 25, 2022

#2

For DADWC, if it takes your fancy, the prompt 'where it doesn’t hurt', from your prompt list? Thank you

Carver groaned. He was pretty sure his ears weren't supposed to be ringing like that, even his bruises had bruises and now Bull was suggesting... what, exactly?

'Wait,' he said, holding a hand up as Bull offered him the short staff with which Cassandra had moments before been hitting the Iron Bull himself as hard as she could in the chest. She huffed, amused as Carver took the stick and stared between it and Bull like he'd never seen either before.

'Takes care of the fear and frustration like nothing else, boss,' Bull said encouragingly. Carver squinted at him.

'You're pulling my leg.' Bull grinned and shrugged, not letting up with that smirk, Maker damn him. Carver sighed.

'Fine,' he grumbled and took the staff and got into a ready stance, Bull visibly bracing himself and clenching his muscles, waiting.

The first strike took Bull a little higher than Carver had intended, the end catching his shoulder, but the qunari only grinned wider, the expression taking on a decidedly more leery edge.

'That's more like it, boss,' he said roughly. Carver heard Cassandra scoff and the sound of her boots crunching on the ground as she walked away was covered by the sound of the next strike as Carver looked right into Bull's eyes as he hit him, that insufferable...

'Yeah, that's it, Bull said, in a lower tone, meeting his eyes. Carver felt a shudder run through him, excitement overpowering the bemusement; he bit his lip to stop the low moan that almost escaped him and almost swore instead as the sharp reminder that he'd busted it open on a templar axe earlier.

Bull heard it for what it was anyway and the smirk deepened, his eyes more intent. Carver suppressed the second shiver so as to not give the smug bastard the satisfaction, but it was quickly becoming moot as his breeches were definitely tighter now.

'One more, boss,' he whispered. 'And then we'll be spread out on that nice big bed of yours until someone comes to tell us to keep the noise down.'

Carver set his teeth, because that sounded fucking amazing right now, but also a little bit because the stance was sort of pulling on some new stitches on his right arm. He moved through the pain, swung right back and let Bull have it.

A sound thwack and Bull went back a half-step. He bent over with a wheezing noise, but before Carver could move to him, he'd straightened, laughing.

'Great stuff, boss,' he said, rubbing his chest. Reaching out, he grabbed Carver's arm and pulled him in, discarding the staff. Leaning down, Bull pressed a kiss to his forehead, the only place that wasn't injured on him, and grinned.

'Now, I believe we had a meeting?'

Carver sighed and gave in.

'Fine,' he said, smiling a little. His bedroom was by far the better place to work out all the frustration he was feeling right now anyway.

****

A rare pair! Some Inquisitor!Carver/Bull, bc why tf not.

Thanks for the prompt!

@dadrunkwriting

25 notes - Posted March 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Them

37 notes - Posted February 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[clarktooncrossing]

HEY THERE PEOPLE OF TODAY AND ROBOTS OF TOMORROW! IT'S ME, CLARK! There is a madness deep in the dark catacombs of Castle Clarkenstein. For years these claustrophobic corridors have been the home of the ghoulish giraffe himself, watching as the world passes by. He prefers it this way. It gives him more time alone with the voices. The voices tell him many strange things. Yet they always come back to one: make more monsters! Everyday they tell him this. Everyday he is unable to comply. Hey, being a mad scientist on a budget means he can’t afford the fancy scientific equipment needed to breathe life into newborn abominations. Guy’s gotta afford pizza somehow. Luckily, he has discovered a way of sorts to please the voices. During all those years of watching, Dr. Clarkenstein noticed a particular pattern. Every night during October saw artists posting new pictures based on peculiar prompts. Many of them based on children of the night. While the spotted specter might not be able to craft new zombies, he can sure as heck sketch’m! As such, I provide this friendly warning to you all now: Be afraid. Few people can survive the horrors that are DUDELZ of the Damned!

By that I mean I decided to do my own take on Sketchtober this year just minus the prompts. Anybody gotta problem with that? Tough, cuz I already drew this crap so you might as well check it out.

All Hallow’s Eve has arrived in the Big Apple. For many it’s a time for tricks and treats. For the Knights of the Square Table, it means overtime. While a handful of their colleagues attended to other affairs, AH, 102, ZO-E, and LAS-E were out on patrol when they got the call from Greenwich Village. Much like the parade held there every year, Halloween served as a perfect excuse for some psycho to make their move. Our heroes arrived prepared for the worst of trouble. What they couldn’t predict was one of their own being turned against them. AH certainly couldn’t. While surveying the crowd in the hopes to find their foe, a strange fog overcame and overwhelmed the blind bot. It forced her down to the ground, crying out in pain as a mysterious force transformed her. Her fingers crept out into claws, her face sprouted into a snout, her figure became far bigger. By the time her friends arrived on the scene it was too late: the AH Wolf was born! Compelled by the mysterious force, she swatted her colleagues away under the assumption they were the real threat. Whatever was manipulating AH had turned her into a monster. One that required the rest of our heroes to drop their plans to help their pal. Now with the magical might of EMIL-E, the Knights of the Square Table must turn AH back to normal and figure out who's behind all of this before it’s too late. Can our heroes save the night?

Even if they can’t, this was yet another fun DUDEL to draw. It’s also an idea I’ve had locked away in my mind for the longest time. You can tell because I first drew this character variation back in 2016, back when I was still in CTI. I drew that along with an idea for another spoopy sketch we’ll be seeing later this week, but clearly it was in need of a much needed update. At the very least I knew I wanted to draw this fun take on a werewolf howling atop one of the Chrysler Building eagles, which seems like prime real estate for monster posing. Seriously, if that hasn’t been done in a movie yet then somebody has to make it happen! AH will keep it warm for you until you do. Otherwise there’s not much to say about the redesign, since I stayed fairly faithful to the original with a few tweaks here and there. Really the most interesting aspect of this piece was when I drew it. There was a full moon out a few nights ago and I took that as a sign that I just had to draw this. The following night got even stranger with the arrival of a Blood Moon. Not only was the moon full, but not like Sandy Claws it was huge and red! According to my friend @Void-Android this is what happens when Earth’s shadow is in the lunar eclipse phase. Either way it looked super cool and prompted me to complete this werewolf-based DUDEL that I hope you all enjoy!

MAY THE GLASSES BE WITH YOU!

[warmblanketwhump]

May I ask for 🤍?

absolutely! Shoutout to @novelbear for the amazing prompts that inspired this one - I just changed it a bit to make it more wintery. and yes, thundersnow is a real thing :)

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

🤍 - forehead kisses

Thundersnow was an entirely new experience for B. Originally being from a warmer climate, they had no idea that these types of climates even could coexist. But here they were, thunder crackling through the night as the wind howled and the snow fell, and they figured they might as well get ready for anything that could happen.

“Hey, A, do we have those extra candles, just in case-“ B’s trying to make preparations for a possible power outage, but they stop short as they enter the living room.

A's standing by the window, nervously chewing a fingernail. They don’t move or respond to B - their eyes are locked on the dark, shifting shadows outdoors.

"A, you alright?"

A flinches at the sound of B's voice. "Just don't like storms."

A huge crack of thunder comes exactly as the light’s flicker once, twice, then back on. In mere seconds, A’s flung themselves across the room and into B’s side, clawing at their clothes as they bury their head in B’s shoulder.

“Whoa, hey, you’re alright. See? Lights are still on.” A’s still gripping B’s waist, but they turn their scared eyes to the lamplight, then out to the flickering remnants of lightning. “We’re gonna be okay.”

In a moment, A sheepishly lets go and folds their arms, embarrassed by the outburst. “Sorry. I’m just a little on edge tonight.”

B gives their shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I'm gonna finish getting some stuff just in case the power goes out. You want to go light some candles? I'll be down in a second." A nods silently and goes to get the supplies, and B heads back upstairs to grab some blankets. They've just grabbed the last one when another deafening roll of thunder knocks the light out - this time, for good.

It's slow going down the stairs again with the blankets, but eventually B reaches the bottom of the stairs and reenters the living room. A must've only had the courage to light a single candle, which illuminates their trembling frame curled up on the couch, arms wrapped around their knees.

A crash of thunder immediately cracks the tenuous silence, and A lets out a sharp yelp and covers their ears, shrinking even smaller, and something in B’s chest cracks as they make their way to A's side, dropping all the blankets and pulling them into a hug.

"Hey, hey, you're alright. Come here. I've got you." A's shaking so hard their teeth are rattling, and they squeeze their eyes shut and bury their face into B's side.

"Why's it gotta be so loud?" A whimpers, tremors shaking their whole frame as they choke in panicked, wheezing breaths. B leans down and pulls a blanket up around A's shoulders, rubbing gentle circles on their back, pressing a kiss to their forehead as they rock them back and forth.

"Shhh...it's alright. You're alright." They shift A on their chest so they can hear the comforting rhythm of B's heartbeat. "Just breathe with me, okay?" A's panicked gasps eventually slow into a more regular cadence, but their body still tenses with every noise from outside, and B still sees the unshed tears threatening to spill over onto their cheeks.

With the power out, there's not much they can do to distract A or keep their minds off things. So B does the only thing they know to do - arranges all the blankets around them both to create a warm blanket nest, and starts telling stories. Some of them are old fairytales their parents used to tell them, while others are stupid stories of youthful exploits, the ones that tease a soft giggle out of A.

As the storm begins to wane, they transition into quiet lullabies from their childhood, gently stroking B's hair and rocking them from side to side like they're a little kid. After a while, they feel A's body fully relax, going limp and heavy in their arms. They look down to see that A's asleep, fingers curled into the one of the blankets, their other hand resting over B's heartbeat.

"Sleep well, A." B presses another soft kiss to A's forehead and holds them even tighter.

[devildomimagines]

Could u do another "I'm not (blank) enough" requests but instead of MC saying something negative it'd be the brothers saying they aren't enough at something?

This was an interesting request, thanks Anon! I'm sorry it took me a while to get through it but I really had to dig deep to figure out what these arrogant, all powerful demons could feel insecure about.

Here is my other piece Anon is referencing: "I'm Not _______ Enough."

I changed it up a bit from the original but I hope you like it! Also I got carried away and this got pretty long so the other brothers are under the cut lol.

"Am I _______ Enough?"

Belphegor

“Am I reliable enough?”

You had woken up from your nap to his words, and asked “What?” While wiping the sleep from your eyes.

“Can you depend on me?” He reworded the question but didn’t make eye contact.

“Belphie?” You guided his face to look at yours.

“Actually never mind,” he backed out of the conversation and the bed.

“Wait,” You sat up and pushed out of the bed too, already missing the warmth.

Once in front of him, you stated, “You’re reliable!”

His blush was slight but you caught it before he amended, “I know that I’m not always hanging off you like Mammon or Asmo-“

“That’s ok!” You interrupted, “Sorry,” you quickly apologized when he gave you a look.

“But I know that with your sin, it gets physically uncomfortable to be awake for long periods like how Beel gets after not getting enough food. I know if I ever needed you,” you took his hand, “you’d be there.”

He took a moment to let the scene sink in before squeezing your hand, giggling, and roughing up your hair, “That’s right, bed head,” He teased.

“Yours isn’t any better!” You moved to do the same to him but he dodged.

The two of you continued to play fight but didn’t let go of the other's hand. Belphie seemed lightened by your confirmation and you enjoyed the rare bout of playful activity with the youngest.

Beelzebub

“Am I warm enough?”

“Heck yeah! You’re like a space heater!”

He laughed, “Thanks, MC.” But his smile faded too quickly.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I misunderstand?” You went from sitting across from him to sitting next to him at the table, “Do you not want to be a space heater?”

That got him smiling again, “No, that’s not it, I guess I meant warm like friendly?”

“Well then it’s a resounding yes, you’re super friendly Beel!” You gave his back a rub and a pat for punctuation.

“Oh… ok,” he went back to his snack which you assumed he would but his response wasn’t sitting right with you.

“Do you not believe me?” You looked up at him with your best puppy dog pout.

Congrats, your cuteness made the Avatar of Gluttony choke! He coughed and pounded on his chest with a closed fist.

You offered your apology and he waved it off as he took some gulps of his drink.

“No I do believe you MC.” He started covering your hand on the table with his and before your hand was completely enveloped he stopped.

“What is it then?” You prodded.

“Just a teammate commented on how I made chills run down his spine with just my stare.”

“Ah, I think Asmo would know that as a resting b*tch face,” you scratched your chin sagely

He frowned, “I can’t do anything about that, that's just how my face is.”

“Exactly! So don’t stress it, he’s still your teammate and friend, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Beel mulled it over and you could practically see the weight of it rise off his shoulders as he sat up straighter and accepted it.

“There he is,” you thought as he exuded an easy confidence but your thoughts were disrupted when he pulled you into an embrace. He whispered near your ear, “Thanks.”

“Who could think this wasn’t warm?” You thought as you snuggled into his hold.

Asmodeus

“Am I attentive enough?”

“What brought that up?” You questioned looking up from your spot on his bed. It wasn’t like Asmo to show his insecurities.

“Just some gossip going around,” He tried to minimize the claims and continued fussing with his hair.

“Oh, well, you know how gossip gets, you just have to ignore it and it’ll go away,” you repeated the same advice he had given you when you first arrived in the Devildom and there were vicious rumors and tabloid articles written about the exchange program participants.

“But am I?!”

The hurt look on his face paired with the desperation in his question made it plainly obvious this meant more to him than he wanted to let on.

“Of course-”

Asmo cut you off, “MC, you have to be deadly honest right now.”

“You’re attentive Asmo,” You confirmed without a shadow of a doubt.

He chewed his lip and cheek debating the statement.

You got up from the bed and came to stand in front of Asmo. You cupped the cheek he was chewing on and he stopped.

With a small nudge you made him swivel to look back in the mirror, “What were the rumors saying?” Your own curiosity running wild, what could bring Asmo to this?

Surprisingly Asmo looked away from the reflection of you two to answer in a small voice, “That if I didn’t pay attention to you, they’d sweep in and take you for themselves.”

That stunned you for a second, you didn’t think it would involve you. “Well first of all, I don’t even know them, how are they going to even get close to me at this point?” 

Asmo considered this, you were always with him or one of his brothers.

“Second, you’re always paying attention to me, you probably know my facial expressions better than I do,” you laughed and he couldn’t help a small snort of his own.

“Third, even on days when you’re stressed, or excited about a new make-up launch and your energy is elsewhere, you always,” you squeezed his arm for emphasis, “ALWAYS check in on me.”

Asmo bit his lip once more but this time holding back a smile. He clearly couldn’t hold it back when he locked you in a hug and squealed your name.

Satan

“Am I patient enough?”

You knew this was something that he consciously worked on so you quickly confirmed, “Yes,” then turned the page of your book.

He was a little shocked at your quick resolution and not totally satisfied. He closed his book and asked, “There was never a time when you think I couldn’t have been more patient?”

“Well sure, but I think that about myself too.”

That was also surprising to Satan, “How? You’re even more patient than me.”

 “I’m only human,” You shrugged, as you closed your own book, recognizing this was going to be more of a discussion.

“And I’m only demon?” Satan returned sarcastically. He did not appreciate the turn of phrase.

“Sorry, I meant, I’m not perfect, no one is. You can’t hold yourself to an impossible standard because you’ll only be destined to be disappointed when you don’t live up to it.” You paused for the idea to settle with him.

He contemplated the sentiment.

“The way I see it,” you continued, “As long as you’re trying to do better then that’s what matters.”

Satan weighed that thought as well.

“And there is an even bigger secret with patience that not a lot of people know,” you baited.

Satan asked “And what’s that?” Hook, line, and sinker.

“I don’t know if you’re ready,” you taunted and reopened your book. If there was one thing you knew you could entice Satan with, it was some kind of hidden knowledge.

He moved across the room and closed your book in your hand for you.

You looked up at him looming over you with a sweet smile.

He smiled back at you, knowing you were playing with him. “And what’s that?” He repeated but you knew it was more of a command this time.

“Fine, I’ll share the secret with you so listen well.”

He started to nod before you caught his face in your hands. His eyebrows shot up to wordlessly question your action but didn’t break the silence, his proof he was listening.

“People don’t always realize that the most important part of patience is…” you paused and savored the interest in Satan’s eyes, “that you have to afford yourself the same patience you give to others.”

His brows furrowed trying to unravel the words in his mind. 

While he did so, you pulled his head down slightly so you could give him a quick kiss on the forehead. Then pat his cheek and released him. 

He took a step back, almost in a daze, you certainly gave him something to think about.

Leviathan

“Am I supportive enough?”

You looked up from the manga you were reading and Levi was staring down at the manga in his hand. His hands were holding the sides tightly as he waited for your response.

“How so?” You prompted.

“L-like this,” Levi pushed the manga towards you. You scanned the panels, the scene being depicted looked like it was one where the love interest was cheering on the main character while they were participating in a sports festival.

“Well you’re not like this,” you had to be honest and you could see he was already starting to sulk, “but you’re supportive in your own way.”

He tsked and took the manga back.

“Levi, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” you apologized.

“It’s fine,” Levi turned the page, “I know I’m a gross otaku shut in.”

“No, stop.” You closed the manga, you dug this hole so it was time to climb out.

He listened and looked over at you, annoyed.

“You’re supportive Levi. There are different ways to be supportive!”

He rolled his eyes, not believing you.

Alright this guy wants to play hardball, you could play with the best of them. “You always make sure that I’ve eaten and slept, even if you haven’t. For as long as we’ve had a pact, you’ve always come to my defense even though I know you hate confrontation. When I find a new show, game or book that I’m interested in, you always take the time to learn about it yourself so I can talk to someone about it.”

By the end, Levi’s face was red, his ears were red, you could swear his hands were even shaking a little bit.

“So sure, you’re not yelling your support from the roof of the House of Lamentation like that character,” you took one of his hands and his eyes darted between your face and your interlaced hands, “but I appreciate your quiet kind of support.”

Leviathan.exe has stopped working. It took a solid 5 minutes to regain his voice.

“M-M-MC!” he whined, “That’s so embarrassing!” He slumped down to hide his face but didn’t dare remove his hand from yours.

“Was it super effective?” You laughed at your joke.

He groaned from his drooped state but he squeezed your hand and you knew that it was.

Mammon

“Am I humble enough?”

At first, you have to bite your tongue to keep from outright laughing. 

Surely the demon who regards himself as “The Great Mammon” would see the irony in asking this.

But he was quiet and reflective, a stark contrast to his usual self.

You sat down next to him on the sofa in the living room, with a pat on his back you opted to offer what you thought he wanted to hear, “Sure you are buddy.”

“Are ya messing with me?” of all times for Mammon to be observant.

You were as bad a liar as he was so when you looked away and scratched your cheek instead of answering Mammon knew you were lying.

He sighed and his shoulders dropped as he caught his head in his hands.

“Well you don’t have to be humble!” You defended, feeling bad for your white lie earlier.

He peeked up at you and you took the opportunity to stand up in front of him, “You’re like the third strongest demon in all of Devildom! You should be proud of that!”

He rolled his eyes but you could see a shadow of a smile play on his lips.

“Not only are you strong but you’re very caring, not only to your brothers but to me too,” you suggested and on queue Mammon flushed.

“I’m not,” he tried to deny.

“Oh that’s not true. Remember when Belphie ruined that painting and you took the fall for it?”

His eyes opened wide in shock, “How did you-”

“Or that time when I was sick and you took such good care of me?” You added in a sing-song tone.

“Shuddup!” Mammon was now standing and placed a hand over your mouth as he looked around for his brothers. He looked back at you, “I got a reputation to uphold, y’know.”

After a muffled laugh, you pulled his hand away, “What I’m saying is you don’t have to be modest.”

“Yeah I guess when you put it that way,” He rubbed the back of his head considering.

“So what’s on the agenda for the day for The Great Mammon?”

He squinted his eyes at your teasing tone but smirked and grabbed your hand to drag you along. You went willingly with a snicker.

Lucifer

“Am I compassionate enough?”

He didn’t look up from the paperwork he was reviewing when he posed the question to you.

At first you tilted your head and wondered if he was even addressing you.

When he did finally look up, you knew he was waiting for your answer.

“Yeah, I think so?” You didn’t mean to phrase it as a question but were more concerned with how this even came up.

“You think so?” Lucifer repeated incredulously.

“Yes,” you reinforced, “where’s this coming from?” You were taking a risk in questioning Lucifer, there was probably a 50/50 chance he would actually answer. 

It was rare that he would even voice a question about his character.

He frowned and went back to his paperwork. You figured that was the end of the conversation, this being the 50% of the time that he would not answer. You went back to perusing his record collection to find something to play.

“Simeon mentioned how ruthless I’ve become.”

You looked back over at Lucifer. He looked more tired than he did just a moment ago. Simeon’s comment must have been wearing on him.

You picked a record you knew he liked and put it on before walking over to his desk.

He sighed, put down his pen and rubbed his eyes.

You leaned against the desk with your arms crossed and he faced you, the weariness even more apparent up close.

“Can I be honest with you?” you asked.

He grimaced, already thinking the worst but nodded.

“I think your ruthlessness comes from a compassionate place.”

From his one raised eyebrow, you could tell that wasn’t what he was expecting and he was waiting for your explanation.

“For example,” you began, “you care about your brothers, so when you punish them, it’s for their own good or to save them from a worse fate. You might not admit this one, but you’ve become sympathetic to Diavolo’s moods and disposition and so acting in accordance with how it will reflect on him and enforcing those standards has become second nature, hasn’t it?” He looked away.

You knew he wouldn’t answer that so you looked away yourself and continued, “You may have at first picked me as a candidate for the exchange program because of my connection to Lilith and housed me at the request of Diavolo,” you laughed at what you were about to say for the first time out loud, “but since getting to know me, I like to think that you’ve had a change of heart and genuinely care about my well-being despite those factors.”

There was a moment of silence and you felt your face heat up, nervous that maybe you overestimated your importance.

Before you could look back at him, he had stood up and enclosed you in a hug. You smiled, uncrossed your arms and hugged him back. 

He was humming along with the song so you made one more bold choice and started swaying in time with the rhythm. He chuckled, shifted to hold one of your hands, and properly led you in a dance around the room. 

You hoped his light footsteps were a reflection of how light his heart was feeling.

All signs of the weariness from moments ago were completely gone.

[milkmynk]

2Ha’s Confession Scene

Translation for a friend, spoilers under the cut.

>>> SPOILERS

>>> SPOILERS

>>> SPOILERS

(Shizun has a fear of heights, but he requested Mo Ran to teach him how to fly on a sword.)

Chu Wan Ning, seeing that he hadn't made a sound for some time, turned his head and prompted, "What's wrong?"

Mo Ran didn't reply, his head was spinning. He longed to possess him, to hold him, to kiss him.

Involuntarily, he moved closer.

And then, suddenly, he realized that after putting up the barrier [to help Shizun feel more secure], even though Chu Wan Ning had relaxed slightly, his lips were white and compressed into a tight line, and he looked very pale. His arms were folded against himself, his slender fingers unconsciously clutching his forearms, twisted in the cold fabric.

Even when he was afraid, Chu Wan Ning didn't grab onto someone else, only himself.

Mo Ran was stunned for a moment.

Then, the aggressive light in his eyes faded, shattering into a million twinkling fragments.

Extremely gentle.

Those lips that were about to rashly kiss him, slightly upturned, becoming a soft and wry smile.

Those arms that were about to abruptly embrace him, stopped, and after a moment, touched his chilled hand.

"You......" Chu Wan Ning was startled, a flush flooding into his pale face, but warned him in a low voice, "What are you doing."

He wanted to withdraw his hand, but Mo Ran was gripping it, and refused to let go. Chu Wan Ning felt like his frozen fingers had fallen into a large, extremely warm hand, tightly enclosing his palm all the way to his fingertips.

"Stop relying only on yourself," Mo Ran chided, "I'm here, you can rely on me."

If Chu Wan Ning had still been able to be calm before this, after hearing that, no matter how dense he was, how hesitant, he could not fail to detect the affection in it.

What's more, those jet-black eyes were watching him, gravely and seriously, gently and tenderly. In an instant, Chu Wan Ning's heartbeat became as agitated as a torrential storm, pattering against his soul.

He dared not to look at Mo Ran's eyes, and turned his face away violently, lowering his gaze.

Too hot.

Why was the air a hundred feet above ground, so hot.

He had always been haughty and composed, but at this moment it was as though he had suddenly stepped into a completely unfamiliar territory, his entire body stripped of all armor, his sharp claws blunted. In front of Mo Ran's sudden frankness, Chu Wan Ning's usual tactics seemed to become useless.

The man pried open his oyster shell heatedly, and with his straightforward gaze, looked upon the trembling flesh within. No matter whether it was the luminescent pearl, or that sweet flesh, were completely bared to his gaze.

This haughty and composed person, having lost his defenses, suddenly felt flustered and at a loss.

What should he do...

What should he say?

What...

He realized that his hand was still held within Mo Ran's, closely twined.

He didn't know what he should do, and was both agitated and nervous, his eyes had even turned slightly red, subconsciously he tried again to withdraw his fingers.

But he had only moved a little, when Mo Ran tightly held onto him.

The man's palm had a sheen of sweat, and was slightly damp.

"Don't pull away."

"......"

He was strong, both stubborn and insistent. He didn't know why, but Chu Wan Ning suddenly felt like in his words, there seemed to be some sorrow.

Mo Ran's gaze was heavy and fiery, after staring at him for some time, he said in a low, hoarse voice, "Chu Wan Ning......"

"...... What did you call me?"

"...... My mistake."

Chu Wan Ning's entire body was even more tense than before, his heart racing even more than when he was practicing his sword-riding. He was not used to this, completely not used to this.

He strove to regain his composure, struggling one final time before falling into this chasm.

He lowered his eyelids and said, "Mmm, if you know you made a mistake in your words, then you're not completely hope......"

Mo Ran's heart was very hot, and finally without thinking about it, it slipped from him. "Wan Ning."

... -less.

Chu Wan Ning hadn't managed to say that last syllable. 

When he heard that gentle, husky voice carrying a hint of a sigh, his mind was filled with buzzing, and blanked out for a moment.

That last word, could no longer be said.

Hopeless.

Hopeless--

They had floundered at the edge of the swamp of desire for so long, and finally couldn't resist stepping a foot in, sinking into it, henceforth being ensnared in it, seeping into their bones.

Mo Ran's voice was deep and hoarse, he watched him intently. "Wan Ning, actually, these few days I had something, I always wanted to ask you."

"......"

His heart burning madly, Mo Ran tightly gripped Chu Wan Ning's hand, his fingers trembling, "No, I won't ask you anymore."

Chu Wan Ning had just breathed a sigh of relief, when Mo Ran continued.

"I won't ask anymore, I only want to tell you."

Mo Ran went straight to the point, never turning back.

In a single breath, he used the entirety of his courage.

"I love you."

His heart shook wildly.

"I love you, not that of a disciple's for his master, it's... I'm too audacious, I..... I love you."

Chu Wan Ning closed his eyes, his fingertips enclosed in that person's boiling, damp heat, from trembling, they slowly, slowly stilled.

How could it be.

How could it be......

He definitely heard it wrong, he was so ugly, so fierce, so bad at talking, so uninteresting, he was a pathetic idiot with not a single good point to him. Who would love him?

"I love you."

Chu Wan Ning was dazed for very, very long, he really didn't know what he should say, his heart was in turmoil and completely at a loss. He even felt bitterness, he even felt fear, his mind was practically a blank. He wanted to, as usual, draw his sleeves and scold, "nonsense", "idiocy", he thought of many things, but they all got stuck in his throat.

After freezing for a long time, Chu Wan Ning finally, hoarsely, nonsensically, said, "...... I have a horrible temper."

"You're very good to me."

"I, I'm old."

"You look younger than me."

Chu Wan Ning was nearly agitated, at a loss and helpless. "I'm so ugly......"

It was Mo Ran's turn to be stunned, his eyes went wide as he stared at this extremely handsome man before him. He could not understand why someone as good-looking as him, would think so poorly of himself?

Chu Wan Ning, seeing that he didn't make a sound, became even more flustered internally. He lowered his head, "I'm not good-looking."

"......"

"Not as good-looking as you."

As he quietly murmured, suddenly a warm hand cupped his cheek. He heard Mo Ran sigh, even gentler than tonight's moon. "Are you willing to look into my eyes for a while?"

Chu Wan Ning said, "Your eyes......?"

Mo Ran's gaze was warm and tender, reflecting a white-clad man, and he said, "Do you see it? That is the best-looking man in the world."

Chu Wan Ning stared at him, even though his heart was like a violent storm, his cold face still did not show much emotion.

Mo Ran held his hand, it was sweaty. 

Again, he said quietly, "I love you."

Chu Wan Ning felt like he was pricked, his fingers trembled, after a moment, he lowered his head. "I love you" was like a sharp knife, stabbing into his heart and making his blood race hotly, there was no going back. Chu Wan Ning's eyes were red, perhaps he had really waited too long, he had no idea that he would have this kind of reaction from hearing these words. He was very agitated, almost to the point of crying, as he said, "I'm no good. I... I've never been liked by anyone before."

I've never been liked by anyone before.

There was never anyone who, because they have me, would feel happy, feel proud, feel blessed.

It had been thirty-two years.

Never been liked by anyone before.

When Mo Ran heard this, when he looked at this man who didn't even want to lift his head, he suddenly ached and ached. He ached till his heart felt like it was splitting apart, like his bones were crumbling to dust.

This was his precious treasure, yet it had been buried in dust for half a lifetime.

He ached till he didn't know what to say.

In the end, all he could do was stupidly grip Chu Wan Ning's hand tightly, and repeat endlessly, "There is someone. There is someone."

Someone loves you. I love you.

Someone wants you, someone wants you, so don't look down on yourself anymore, don't be so silly, making such a wonderful you sound like you're worthless. Stupid.

Stupid Chu Wan Ning.

I love you.

After very long, Mo Ran asked, “And what about you?”

“...... What?”

Mo Ran lowered his eyelids, his lashes shivering, “I… I’m so stupid, so inconsiderate, so unreliable, I�� I even did many unforgivable things.”

He paused for a moment, then continued in a small voice, “Will you like me?”

Chu Wan Ning had originally already lifted his face, but when he heard him say that, when he met those gentle black eyes, incredibly, he became flustered again. With a strength he didn’t know he had, he jerked his hand out of Mo Ran’s, and turned his face away.

He did not nod his head, nor did he shake it.

He did not confirm it, nor did he deny it.

But Mo Ran clearly saw Chu Wan Ning’s ears turn red, the flush spreading to his graceful neck.

“That pouch……”

[Some context here, Mo Ran found a pouch CWN carried on his person, that contained the locks of hair both of them had cut off during the ghost marriage god incident, that was a symbol of their “marriage”]

“Don’t say it.” Chu Wan Ning suddenly said dully, his entire face now fully red, “You’re not allowed to say it.”

Mo Ran gazed at Chu Wan Ning’s expression of unwillingness and embarrassment, of anger and disconcertment, light and shadow flowing in his eyes, entwined with moonlight.

He inched closer, reached out his hand again, and captured Chu Wan Ning’s fingertips.

Chu Wan Ning was quivering, Mo Ran’s fingers were also lightly trembling, he covered Chu Wan Ning’s slender fingers, and then-- One by one, overlapped them with his own, and in a fashion never before--

Their fingers entwined, one palm against the other.

Chu Wan Ning’s entire face was flushed, and he turned his face away even more.

But, this time, he did not pull himself free.

Hence, Mo Ran held Chu Wan Ning’s hand, and at last, finally, he understood, confirmed it nervously.

Chu Wan Ning...... also liked him.

He finally, found out.

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

To Chu Wan Ning, this was his first time entwining his fingers with Mo Ran’s, their palms overlapping.

He felt that it was enough, it was too much, thank goodness Mo Ran didn’t do anything more, or he probably would really leap down from a hundred feet in the air, and flee.

It was really fortunate.

But to Mo Ran, this was his god-knows what time he entwined his fingers with Chu Wan Ning’s, their palms overlapping.

He felt that it wasn’t enough, it was too little, but thank goodness he didn’t do anything more, otherwise after holding hands he would want to kiss him, and then demand even more, to thoroughly taste him.

It was really unfortunate.

But even so, Mo Ran could still detect that Chu Wan Ning seemed to be running away.

That day when they descended from the sword, Chu Wan Ning didn’t say a word, and turned to run. He ran for a couple of steps, felt like he was too hurried, and immediately slowed back down.

After he slowed down for a couple of steps, he heard Mo Ran following himself behind him, and spurred by his embarrassment and agitation, he began to run again.

“……”

Mo Ran watched him striding quickly, his heart tender and ticklish, hot and soft.

When he saw that Chu Wan Ning was striding, head down, straight towards a large tree, Mo Ran immediately warned, “Watch out---!”

“Bam!”

But he still hit the tree straight on.

He hurried over and asked, “Does it hurt? Let me see.”

Chu Wan Ning pressed his forehead wordlessly, and after a while, continued walking.

Mo Ran wanted to follow him, but heard him say, “Don’t follow me.”

“I… also need to go back and rest, right.”

“Stand there and let the wind blow at you for a while, come back after you’ve cooled down.”

Cool down?

Mo Ran smiled, how am I supposed to cool down?

After holding your hand, this night, my heart will always be hot.

But he still obediently stopped following. He stood under that cold moonlight, watched Chu Wan Ning walk away, and watched him until he disappeared behind the wall. Only then did he walk to that tree Chu Wan Ning had carelessly walked into. After being silent for a while, he pressed his forehead against the tree bark.

The bark was rough, he closed his eyes.

Chu Wan Ning……

Likes him.

Dancing flowers flowing like water, the lonely island seems like spring.

The brilliant moon glowing in the sky, the serene clouds shading the sun.

The tide surging wordlessly, the water and the sky of a colour.

No matter how wonderful the mortal world was, nothing could compare to those words, Chu Wan Ning likes him.

Even though his vocabulary was so poor, his talent so dim, at this moment his heart still swelled, poetry welling like a spring. Love could turn a simple, straightforward idiot like Mo Wei Yu into a poet, Chu Wan Ning likes him, Chu Wan Ning…… Chu Wan Ning likes him!

He ground his forehead against the tree bark, he wanted to calm down, wanted to restrain himself, wanted to “cool down”, wanted to……

It’s no use, he couldn’t do it.

He could no longer calm down, he couldn’t restrain himself, he couldn’t cool down, his closed eyes were trembling, his lashes drenched in gentleness and crazed joy. The corners of his mouth curled upwards, the dimples in his cheeks growing deeper and deeper, the sweetness in them overflowing.

Chu Wan Ning likes him.

Likes him.

It’s… It’s that person he was heads over heels in love with, it’s that most wonderful person in the world, it’s that person he wanted to hold in his embrace for the rest of his life, it’s Chu Wan Ning…… It’s Chu Wan Ning……

Unbelievably, the great ex-Taxian-jun, current Mo-zongshi, on this deserted, pristine beach, leaned against a large tree and with his eyes closed and head lowered, he laughed, his shoulders shaking.

Because Chu Wan Ning liked him, the wind he smelled was sweet, the sound of the waves in his ears was sweet.

Chu Wan Ning, likes him.

He laughed with his eyes closed, but as he laughed, suddenly, he began to cry.

Like a madman, his lips were stretched in a smile, but tears flowed from his eyes. It was so sweet, and yet his heart hurt so much.

Chu Wan Ning……

Likes him.

Ever since the Butterfly Town incident, he had secretly kept the pouch holding their twined locks of hair.

Likes him……

He suddenly wanted to know, when was it that Chu Wan Ning started standing behind himself, staying by him silently, waiting for him silently, waiting for him to turn his head, waiting for him to stretch out his hand, waiting for him to turn towards him.

How long had Chu Wan Ning waited?

This lifetime, the lifetime before.

All together, twenty years?

Even longer than twenty years.

He, Mo Wei Yu, had seen through the dust of the mortal world, and knew that the world’s most precious thing, was time.

With power and influence, you could be all-powerful, every kind of treasure or honeyed words would come to you without ceasing. But only time, once lost, could not be regained.

If a person was willing to redeem you with ten thousand taels, that was lust.

If a person was willing to redeem you with their beautiful future, that was love.

And if a person was willing to use twenty years, their best years, to redeem you, to wait for you.

Without a word, without asking for repayment, without asking for a result.

That was foolishness.

Really, really, it was too foolish.

Mo Ran’s throat was tight and sour, the bitterness climbing up his tongue, surging like the tide, and he thought---

Chu Wan Ning, you’re really…… too foolish.

Why? How?

What good deeds or attributes have I, Mo Wei Yu… That I could let you be like this to me.

You are the world’s best person, but me?

My hands are filled with blood, I’m better off dead, I’m reviled by thousands, I’m unworthy of reincarnation.

I bullied you, hated you, failed you, I killed you.

You don’t even know what I’ve done……

You don’t even know!!

Mo Ran hugged that tree, his sobs falling into the whistling ocean breeze. What has he done……

With Chu Wan Ning’s gaze on him, he chased another person’s back.

With Chu Wan Ning’s gaze on him, he stupidly waited for another to look at him.

In the Jincheng illusion, with his own mouth, he told Chu Wan Ning, Shimei, I like you.

He sliced Chu Wan Ning’s heart with a knife!

But, Chu Wan Ning?

He was as steadfast as a rock, an unmoving rock in the river current, even with his heart stabbed through, as though he were untouched, he continued taking care of him, tolerating him, accompanying him.

Until death.

…… Until death.

He laughed out loud, he wept, in the moonlight there was only himself, nobody could see him turn crazier and crazier.

Chu Wan Ning, in two lifetimes, in two lifetimes even until death, he didn’t let Mo Ran know of his feelings. The most humble thing this proud man had done in his entire life, was to fall for someone.

For that person, he did everything he could, but in that long wait, he clearly understood that that person’s eyes would never hold himself. Under the clear understanding that that person would never love him, he chose not to bother, he chose not to alarm that person, he chose not to give even a single bit of trouble to others.

He chose, to keep the last of his dignity.

In their past lifetime, till death, he only ever said a single sentence, it was I who treated you unjustly, I do not grudge you whether I live or die.

This lifetime, he confessed his love for him, yet such a wonderful person, such a proud person like Chu Wan Ning, said, “I’m no good. I’ve never been liked by anyone before.”

Taxian-jun…… Mo Wei Yu…… What…… have you been doing……

What have you been doing!!!

Was he blind, or stupid?

How could he be so blind, how could he fail him so.

[chadillacboseman]

Just reread the ask of Kung Lao and Liu Kang dealing with their s/o that had an abusive ex… reading it made my heart happy and hurt at the same time. Brought back some things.. could you do movie!Hanzo and Fujin doing the same?

I hope you are in an okay headspace after reading it! It was hard for me to write as well. Always make sure to check out my TWs in the tags :) I'll put everything that might possibly be triggering under the cut~

THE ORIGINAL PROMPT

--

Fujin watches your name appear on his cell phone when the device begins to vibrate across the table in front of him.

It had been a suggestion of yours, that he start carrying a phone. So that you could reach him "in case of emergencies", an idea he had scoffed at- if a wind god couldn't sense when his loved one was in danger, what good was he? You had laughed as you pressed the device into his hands- "Just humor me, Fujin."

Tonight, you were out with some friends, enjoying drinks at your favorite bar. It was unusual for you to call, you almost always took a cab home-

"Fujin-" your voice sounds frightened on the other end, "Can you please come get me?"

"Is something wrong?" he's already standing as he speaks.

"I ran into- into him here"

The wind god feels a stab of rage hit his chest like a bolt of lightning as he storms to the door, his hand already resting on his sword.

---

"Leave me alone- I have nothing to say to you," your voice shakes, but you stand firm against the outer wall of the building.

Your ex's face is screwed up in a half-smile, an expression you remember all too well from nights of screaming matches and painful blows.

"Come on, we left on bad terms," he's sneering like a jackal, "Let's talk."

You flinch reflexively when he takes a step forward and your arms raise in the familiar placative gesture you had so often performed in the past.

Another step forward. Your back is against the cold stone- you have nowhere else to go.

The gust of wind is sudden, with the force of an oncoming car, as it strikes your ex-boyfriend and sends him toppling to the pavement.

"What the fuck-"

Fujin erupts from the squall, tendrils of white wind bursting around his figure as he draws his sword.

"You would be wise to leave," his white eyes are trained on the crumpled figure before him, his face contorted in a snarl, "Before I take the breath from your lungs."

The man scrambles to his feet and disappears into the dark parking lot as Fujin runs to you and you collapse into his arms.

"How did you end up out here alone?" he smooths his hand through your hair as he speaks, "You could have been hurt."

"I was-" you swallow back a sob, "I was coming out to get into my cab. He was waiting-"

Fujin pulls you against his chest as you sob, "I will make sure he never speaks to you again."

You glance up at the wind god's face, full of fury like you've never seen before- the very air around him is mobile, almost electric.

"Fujin, it's alright- after that, I doubt he's coming back."

He looks down at you and touches his forehead softly to yours,

"If he does, I will tear him apart."

---

Hanzo watches you from across the room, his face painted with amusement as you dance with your friends. You're dressed in your evening's best, a shining beacon on the dancefloor among the other patrons.

The pyromancer simply observes from his spot in the shadows, uncomfortable in the clothes you picked out for him.

"It's hard to teach a 400-year-old dog new tricks," you had laughed as you pulled his dark hair into a half-up ponytail, "but you're doing well."

As long as you're having fun, he's glad.

Hanzo watches as your demeanor changes- you're looking at something, no, someone out of his line of sight.

You look tense, frightened, like a prey animal backed into a corner by a carnivore.

The pyromancer stands, reaching for a katana that isn't there, as he moves through the crowd, shoving patrons aside. When he breaks through the crowd, he sees a man speaking to you-

"What did he do to you?" Hanzo's voice is soft, his hand clutching yours. "Almost put me in the hospital, cut me off from my family- got a slap on the wrist."

"Get away from me-" you're snatching your hand from his and trying to back away.

He makes a move to follow and Hanzo steps between the two of you.

"And who's this?" your ex sneers, "A little old, aren't ya, buddy?"

Hanzo throws a punch before you can stop him, sparks arcing from his knuckles in the dimly lit bar. His fist strikes the man in the face, sending him crumpling to the floor in a heap.

The bouncers make a move toward Hanzo, pushing through the thronging crowd as the pyromancer wraps an arm around you.

"Ready?" he murmurs, and you nod in response.

The two of you disappear in a burst of flame and reappear in your living room, the scent of soot singing into your nostrils.

"That was reckless, Hanzo," you breathe, turning to face him.

"I know," his eyes are intense, full of something you can't place, "But he deserved it."

You lean into his chest and he wraps his arms around you, "Thank you, Hanzo."

He presses a kiss into the crown of your head,

"Next time, I'll have my katana."

[allthefilmsiveseenforfree]

Dear Evan Hansen

You may have seen some ~online discourse~ about the film Dear Evan Hansen, an adaptation of the 2016 Broadway musical, and you might have wondered what all the hubbub is about. I mean, it’s a feel good story about a senior in high school, Evan Hansen (Ben Platt), who has some pretty severe anxiety and depression. While trying to fulfill an assignment from his therapist to write a letter to himself, his letter gets picked up by another student, Connor (Colton Ryan) - and later that day, Connor kills himself. Connor’s grieving parents and sister Zoe (Amy Adams, Danny Pino, and Kaitlyn Dever) are desperate to learn more from the boy they think was Connor’s best friend - after all, Connor’s suicide note was a letter addressed to “Dear Evan Hansen.” And, as you can imagine, Evan tells them about the unfortunate mistake and sits with them in their grief as they struggle to pick up the pieces of their lives. 

Just kidding! He lies to them, repeatedly, elaborately, expansively for months, constructing an entire false friendship with Connor that never happened, and ingratiating himself into the wealthy nuclear family he never had, in large part because he wants to get into Zoe’s pants! THIS IS THE PROTAGONIST OF THE STORY. Oh, and it’s a musical so there is a lot of singing and crying and singing WHILE crying and sometimes crying and not singing at all. But the #inspiration, you guys. 

Things I liked:

Pretty much everything but the story and Ben Platt’s performance. The supporting cast is stacked, and all of them do a great job at elevating material scraped directly out of a diaper worn by someone who just chewed their way through a copy of the DSM-5. 

A couple of the songs are damn catchy - “Waving Through a Window” and “You Will Be Found” are standouts for a reason - and here’s the thing, Platt sings them well. But as you’ll discover, there’s a lot more to a movie musical than just singing your part. 

Stephen Chbosky, the man behind every deep thought I and a lot of people in my generation had in 2006 after he wrote The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is a pretty good director. I particularly enjoyed the fanvid-type cuts in “Waving Through a Window” in conjunction with the lyrics, and his use of interstitial shots to flashbacks (and sometimes flashforwards!) is a neat little bit of shorthand that I thought was used sparingly enough to be effective. 

Amy Fucking Adams. She’s holding on so hard, so desperately to the idea of who her son could have been, rather than the reality of who he was, and she is full of such deep pain that is masked by an almost endless supply of patience with Evan and relentless positivity. All this made me want was Enchanted 2 even worse than I already did. 

Super into everything Zoe wears - the costuming department did a great job, and now all I want to do is live in mom jeans and baggy sweaters.

Did I Cry? I teared up a couple of times because I’m not a completely heartless bastard and when Amy Adams offered Evan Connor’s college money, my heart broke for the lie Evan had thrust upon her, and Julianne Moore’s song got me good, because she’s just a single mom to Evan who is doing her goddamn best. 

Things I hated more than the time I dropped a frozen gallon container of fruit cocktail on my pinkie toe in my parents’ garage and it turned black and I thought it was gonna fall off:

Ben Platt is 28 years old. He originated the role of Evan Hansen on Broadway, so in many respects it makes sense that he plays the role in the movie, except for the one kinda sorta important thing where he looks like a wizened old crone standing amongst a sea of children doing his best twitching, cringing Hunchback of Notre Dame impression. If you want someone to convincingly play 20 years their junior, hire Paul Rudd. Otherwise, please don’t ask me to believe that this supposed 18-year-old has crow’s feet. 

And that twitching nervous energy is a huge part of the black hole at the center of this film - he’s playing to the cheap seats and walking through the halls of his high school like a wet chihuahua. It’s an excruciating acting choice to watch - he doesn’t just have anxiety, he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown seemingly every second of every day. Like honestly, where is only-mentioned-never-seen Dr. Sherman, because this young man’s meds are NOT WORKING DR. SHERMAN. 

There’s such a lack of self-awareness on behalf of the writing, directing, and performance by Platt. There’s one song, “Sincerely, Me,” that offers the only glimpse of commentary about what Evan is doing, by pointing out the malicious ridiculousness of him writing a series of fake emails as proof of his and Connor’s friendship. 

Also what high schoolers email this much?? I know this was written in probably 2014 or so, but has a bitch never heard of a text? Even a DM? This whole plot is constructed around the premise that high schoolers are just constantly, constantly emailing each other. 

Everything - and I mean EV-ER-Y-THING - about Evan’s relationship with Zoe is so creepy and disturbing that with a soundtrack change, this could easily be a horror movie. He attempts to get her to like him by describing to her all the things her brother noticed about her - oh wait, I’m sorry, all the things HE noticed about her while he was skulking in the shadows following her around for years, watching every move she made, and it ends with him singing repeatedly “I LOVE YOU” because following a girl around and never having a conversation with her or knowing her at all is love, right? This was clearly written by the same people who chose “Every Breath You Take” as their wedding song because Sting is hot and they never actually listened to the damn words. 

And it gets about 10 billion times worse when Zoe goes to Evan’s house alone, takes him up to his room, and sings “I don’t need reasons to want you” and that was the moment I was that person I hate in a movie theater and I pulled out my phone to Google who wrote the music and lyrics to the musical (we were in the back row of the theater no one was behind me THIS WAS AN OUTRAGE EMERGENCY) and of motherfucking course it was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, 2 men who heard about meeting an actual human woman from a friend one time but otherwise are unfamiliar with the concept. 

Lastly, enormous serial killer vibes from Evan sending unlabeled flash drives anonymously through the mail with no note in an attempt to right his wrongs. That’s not catharsis, that’s how the next installment in the Saw franchise starts, with Evan in a Billy the clown doll mask showing up on the screen and asking if you want to play a fucking game. 

Also, I know it’s not possible for the narrative to justify this in a way that could be satisfying based on Evan’s actions, but what is with this thing where single working-class mom Julianne Moore is turning down rich people’s money for Evan to go to college? Like, obviously we can’t have that happen in the movie but in real life, fuck your pride! Take those rich people’s money!

I also know how movies work but nothing annoys me more than a giant group of high schoolers all getting beeps and boops to indicate text notifications all at the same time because I don’t know a single person under the age of 55 who keeps their ringer on. That shit is on vibrate AT MOST, and I feel like that’s a millennial thing. 

The emotional climax of the film is obviously Evan’s WAY TOO LATE confession, but the idea that it’s prompted by Connor’s family suddenly getting a lot of internet hate is, frankly, laughable. If Sandy Hook taught me one thing, it is that no tragedy is immune from trolls who live only to cause other people devastating emotional pain on the internet. That shit starts day 1. Apparently no one involved in this production has ever been on Twitter?

Also it feels like there should have been a dog somewhere in this movie and there was no dog, so points off for that too. 

Perhaps Dear Evan Hansen isn’t nearly as deep as it aspires to be. Perhaps it’s a morality play, a simplistic message of “Don’t lie, kids, lying is bad!” Major studio movies wrap themselves up with a nice bow at the end so everyone can feel good about themselves and leave with a happy ending, but the moronic cruelty on display here makes that feat feel impossible. We’re left with Evan in an orchard, reading Connor’s favorite books and staring into the big blue sky with all the self-actualization he’s earned now as a lil treat. And if Evan Hansen looked like an actual 18-year-old, it would be a lot easier to extend more empathy to him and his not-fully-developed prefrontal cortex, but it’s a little harder with this fully-grown, weathered man who was old enough to remember seeing Liar Liar in theaters. 

Dear Evan Hansen, 

Get some actual help and a haircut and maybe you can grow up enough to have an actual healthy interaction with any other living person, ever.

Sincerely, 

Me

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[mosswillow]

Come back (Dark!Steve Rogers x Reader)

Word count: 2.3k

Warnings: Dark! 18+, stalking, cults, kidnapping, blood, drugging, bondage.

Summary: Your father's death brings you back to your childhood home and the cult you grew up in. You just need a few days to pack things up before selling the place and leaving forever.

A/N This is for @tansypoisoning​ spooky challenge. I picked the words nostalgia and ritual as a prompt. It’s supposed to have a horror element. I was going for more of a suspenseful/creepy vibe.

It’s been eight years since you left. You walked away and never looked back, at least not until you got the call that your father had passed away in his sleep. His only possession, the small cabin you grew up in, was willed to you. So now you stand outside the cabin, suitcase in hand, taking deep breaths before opening the door and walking in. You look around the one room cabin, taking it all in. you’re surprised to feel nostalgia creep into your bones. A blanket on the couch reminds you of forts you used to build. The smell of the forest brings back memories of climbing trees and picking wild fruit. You notice a knife sitting on the kitchen counter and imagine your father whittling figures out of wood. You look back on your childhood with mixed emotions. It was a cult, plain and simple. Leaving was the hardest thing you ever did but it was necessary. You feel happy and free now. You’ve made new friends and family. You’ve gotten an education, a job. You’ve fallen in and out of love multiple times. You’ve lived life to the fullest. So looking around now and feeling loss is both unexpected and unwelcome.

“Y/N?”

A voice brings you out of your head. You look over to see a mountain of a man standing in the doorway. The last time you saw him was right before you left. The cult had told you that you and him were chosen to marry. It’s not that you hadn’t liked Steve or anything, you just couldn’t do it. You had made friends in the city who had helped you get out. They introduced you to the internet and taught you that there’s more to the world than the little community in the woods. You were to marry him as soon as you turned eighteen but instead you left without a word.

Steve stares at you with an intensity you’ve never seen before. His eyes travel down your body, stopping at your breasts for a few seconds. You cover them by crossing your arms and force yourself not to step back. You don’t owe him anything and shouldn’t feel intimidated by his presence.

“You look good Steve.”

“So do you.”

The two of you stand in silence for several moments longer than is comfortable.

“What are you doing here Steve?”

“Come back Y/N.”

Steve cuts in without interlude, his voice strong and commanding. You close your eyes and brace yourself. He’s always been like this, all of the men you grew up with had the same attitude, Stubborn and assertive. You had hoped you wouldn’t see Steve because you knew exactly what his reaction would be, that he would aggressively try to make you stay.

People in the cult can’t remarry. They have the belief that soulmates exist and once yours is picked that’s it. When you left you were condemning Steve to a lifetime alone. The price of your freedom was Steve's. He would not be allowed to rise in the cult without being married, would never have children or have what the cult deems is a fulfilled life. You remind yourself again that you don’t owe Steve anything. He can leave just like you did.  

“No.”

you make your voice sound as strong as you can. you were taught from childhood that women are supposed to be submissive and docile. It comes back now in full force, pushing you down like an invisible hand. You’re a boss now, having worked hard to create the life you have. You’re strong and confident but here, under the watch of Steve's cold blue eyes you feel like a child.

A look of apathy moves across Steve's face before his expression lands in a controlled smile.  Your body language wavers and you take a step back. Steve smirks at you, leaning against the doorframe.

“How long are you staying?”

“Just a few days, I’m just going through some stuff before I sell the place.”

Steve nods and places his hand on his chin, scratching the stubble that surrounds his jaw.

“Stay safe Y/N”

With that he leaves, shutting the door softly behind him. You walk to the window and look out to see a group of cult members dressed in white cloaks surrounding the cabin, half hidden in the woods. They just stand there, unmoving like zombies. You shudder and close the blinds, locking the door quickly. You need to get out of this place as soon as possible.

---

That evening you hear a knock on your door. You walk to the window and peak out. Nobody is there. You open your door and find a dead rat. A steak knife punctures through the eyeball into its head. You gasp and close the door quickly, locking it and stepping back. You check every window to make sure they’re all locked and look out at the woods only to see darkness.

After the sun rises you open your door and run to your car. It won’t start. You curse, returning to the cabin and grabbing your cell phone. There’s no reception and you curse again. You had reception yesterday. A knock makes you jump and you see Steve in the doorway, eyebrows knitted in concern. You could have sworn you had locked the door when you came back in.

“You ok doll?”

You always hated when he called you that.

“My car won’t start and my phone doesn’t have reception.”

“You want a ride to town?”

You eye Steve wearily.

“Do you think I’m going to kidnap you or something? I could do that right now if that’s what I wanted to do.”

He looks at you like he might pounce at any second. You can tell that’s exactly what he wants to do and the thought of him kidnapping you makes you want to lock yourself away. You’re in a tight spot though and don’t know what else to do.

“Ok, thanks Steve.”

You get in Steve’s truck and he drives you to a mechanic. He puts his right arm on the back of your seat casually, brushing his hand over your hair. the action is purposeful and you both know it.

“Did the cult, uh, leave a dead rat on my doorstep?”

Steve scrunches his face in disgust.

“Um, no we didn’t.”

You look out the window, not totally convinced Steve is telling the truth but also not sure that he’s lying. You never experienced any of the cults rituals as only married adults were allowed to do them. You have no idea if the dead rat is a cult thing or not but can’t really think of any other reason for the events of the evening prior.

You park at the mechanics and get out. It looks the same as when you were a kid. you remember running around playing hide and seek with other children in the woods nearby, coming over for a soda after an afternoon of playing.

“Y/N, long time no see.”

You smile sweetly at the mechanic, Mr. Stark.

“My car isn’t starting and I need to leave tonight.”

“Soonest I can come look at it is tomorrow sweetheart.”

You shift uncomfortably on your feet but nod. One more night won’t hurt. Steve drives you back to your cabin and walks you to the door. He leans over, placing his shoulder beside the door and looking at you. You refuse to make eye contact and unlock the door, opening it and walking in.

“Thanks for the ride.” you say, shutting the door and locking it.

“I’ll see you later.” Steve yells through the door. You hear him whistling as he walks to his truck and you watch though the window as he drives away.

---

That evening you sit at the kitchen table, hugging your knees and biting your nails. As soon as you hear any noise you stand up and open the front door confidently.

“Go away!” You yell to the empty yard.

You slam the door and lock it, moving to the window to look out. Shadows move through the woods but you can’t make out any defined shapes.

You find a baseball bat in the closet and check all of the doors and windows once more before getting in bed. You fall asleep cuddling the bat.

Half way through the night you hear whispering outside your window. It doesn’t sound like talking, more like chanting. You clutch onto the bat and sit up in bed waiting. There’s rustling outside and then suddenly banging on all sides of the cabin. You cry, holding onto the bat for dear life like it can save you. The banging stops as suddenly as it started and the cabin becomes eerily quiet. You run to the window and pull the curtain back but nothing’s there. The rest of the night is spent awake and shaking. You’re not sure if they’re just trying to scare you or do something more nefarious. You’re not going to wait to find out. Tomorrow you’re leaving and never coming back, if you stay here any longer you may never leave again.

---

Mr. Stark drives up around noon and you meet him outside. He takes a look at your car and you sit on the porch watching.

“I need to order a special part.” He yells and you walk to him.

“I can’t stay here any longer.”

“It’ll be in tomorrow and I’ll come as soon as I can.”

You’re stuck. Panic starts rising in you but you push it down. One more night. As soon as your car is fixed you’re getting in and leaving. You don’t care anymore about finishing work on the cabin. You’ll sell it as it, heck give it away. You’re sure the cult will take it.

Mr. Stark gets in his truck and drives away. You spend the rest of the evening working in the cabin, sorting and boxing things. You’re just trying to pass time by at this point and not actually trying to finish everything you originally wanted to.

You check all of the windows and doors obsessively. They’re always locked but that voice in your head tells you to check again and again. As the sun sets, your anxiety rises, finally falling asleep out of pure exhaustion.

“Y/N”

You jolt awake to find Steve standing over your bed.

“What the fuck are you doing here Steve?”

“I won’t tolerate that language once we’re married.”

“Get out!”

“It’s our wedding night Doll.”

Steve reaches out to grab your arm and you pull away, falling out of the bed and scrambling up. Steve looks like a monster in the dark. His tall frame blocks the light coming from the window, blurring most of his features. The only thing you see aside from his outline are his eyes. They glow in the dark, ethereal and terrifying. You run past him and out the door. The woods are familiar, having played in them all growing up and you take a well worn path. You hear Steve calling after you.

“You can’t fight this. We’re soulmates.”

You keep running and crouch down behind a fallen tree. You peak your head over to look back toward the house and see a white figure walking towards you. You stand again and run only to see another ghost like person. Every time you turn in another direction someone is there, walking slowly towards you. You’re surrounded and soon you’re standing in the middle of a circle of people, dressed in white cloaks. You kneel down, tears streaming down your face. Steve breaks the circle and walks toward you, needle in his hand. He sticks it into you and your eye’s flutter before closing.

---

When you wake up you’re strapped to a large stone slab. Memories come back of being told over and over never to touch it, never come near it. It feels wrong to be strapped onto it now and you wiggle trying to get away.  you look down and see that you’re wearing matching clothing to everyone else. How long have you been out? It’s dark outside so you assume it’s the same night. Everything is fuzzy and you look around at the people’s unintelligible faces.

“Steve, do you promise to love, to care for, and to control Y/N” You recognize the voice as an elder of the cult.

“I do.” Steve speaks clearly and you perceive a hint of pride in his speech, like he knows he’s won.

The elder brings a knife to your hand, making a small cut, doing the same to Steve. Your head becomes more and more clear and you pull on the restraints.

“You may kiss your bride.”

“No!” You yell before Steve’s lips cover yours.

When he finally pulls away you yell at him again.

“Leave me the fuck alone Steve, you have no right.”

Steve ignores your cries, undoing your restraints. You try to fight against him but he leans over and whispers in your ear.

“It’s done Y/N, your mine. Do you really want me to punish you now in front of all these people? You know I will.”

You still long enough for him to carry you to his cabin. You’ve never been here before, have never wanted to be here.  He sets you on the bed and you back into the headboard.

“Let me go Steve.”

“It’s done now Doll, you can’t leave ever. I own you.”

“You don’t own me Steve, none of it is real. It’s a cult. I’ll run away the first moment I can.”

Steve's eyes darken and he stalks toward you. You roll off the bed and try to run making it out the door but  fall as soon as you hit the treeline. It feels like something is stabbing your chest and you cry out in pain. Steve slowly walks toward you, letting out a displeased sigh before picking you up. The pain disappears as soon as you’re in his arms.

“It’s ok doll, You’ve just gotten false teachings in your head but you’ve been brought back to me like it’s always meant to be. I’m here to help you learn your place. Soon you won’t even be thinking about leaving.”

“This can’t be happening.”

Steve gives you a look of pure joy.

“Oh, trust me it is.”

[candreloup]

Whooeeee this is a long one! Also, it's so late at night... Sorry for the late post again! Finally cracked that writer's block too with this one, so that's good! (Side story- I literally leaped out of my bed and knocked over my trombone to write the second and third paragraph haha) Oh, and the idea/prompt for this one is from an irl contributor in my family who I asked for ideas! The original prompt was a sad hero whose only purpose in life is fighting the villain. Anyways, on to the story!

The room was dark. A light shone through the cracks in the door, barely shading in the dark shadows of furniture. It was deadly silent, the air thick and filled with the smell of sweat and tears. Everything felt unnaturally still, full of a menacing quiet. The only sound was the soft breathing in the corner of the room, from the curled body on the small twin bed overcast by shadows. Soon, the breathing became ragged, the small figure thrashing in their blankets as sweat dripped from their face and mingling with tears onto the pillow.

Hero jolted upright, clutching at their chest. Nightmare. They frantically tried to untangle themselves from the blankets, drowning in darkness and air. The covers seemed like liquid, trapping Hero within their restricting grasp and caging them like a bird. It made Hero panic even more, struggling and pulling at their throat in an attempt to free the air trapped there. The room filled with the sharp sound of choking gasps and the clatter of limbs against walls and furniture.

Hero stumbled out of their bed, tripping over blankets and objects scattered around the room. They reached for the table, clawing at the mahogany and pulling open the drawers in a panic. Everything clattered, filling their ears with a deafening cacophony overshadowed only by the sound of their own heartbeat. It consumed their mind, overtaking it with desperation and panic. They couldn’t think, couldn’t see- the pitch black covered everything like a suffocating blanket of claustrophobia. Hero stopped their frantic search through the drawers to grab at the light switch on the lamp, nearly pulling it down as it crashed against the headboard loudly. The floor had objects littering the floor- a piece of jewelry missing its mate here, a scrap of a long-forgotten picture there. Everything came out as Hero frantically tried to find the tiny orange container, feeling their own throat close up as they searched longer and longer. It felt like forever before they found it, prying open the lid with shaky fingers and scattering the pills onto their hand. Not bothering to count them, Hero threw their hand over their mouth and leaned back, collapsing onto the floor and waiting for them to take effect.

As the world dimmed and their mind slowed, Hero could feel the cold wooden floorboards soaking up their heat and the soft sound of their heartbeat slowing before everything faded out.

“Well, you look like shit.” Villain said, staring at Hero’s haggard face. “Long night?”

Hero grinned at Villain. “Not long enough.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” Hero leaned on the door, closing their eyes slowly before getting up and walking towards Villain. Villain was about to laugh at their feeble attempts at attacking when Hero suddenly lunged towards Villain.

“We’re really going to do this now? You look like death right now. You know that, right?”

Hero smiled, their eyes still a flat black color. “No shit.” And swung.

Villain stroked Hero’s hair softly, staring at their prone form on the bed. It was laughable, their feeble attempts at attacking. It felt cruel, countering- like taking candy from a baby. Villain stared down at Hero’s face, the normally harsh edges and angles softened by sleep. The dark circles under their eyes were even clearer now that they were relaxed. They’d collapsed only a short while ago, falling to the floor when Villain had used their weakest attack. Damn. It was kind of disappointing- the fights they'd used to have had been full of struggle and fire, each party almost exactly equal in ability. But now... Now, it was so easy it was sad.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Villain looked down again, at the hero so completely at their mercy. It would be so easy. Just put their hands around Hero's neck, a few minutes perhaps of struggling and it would be over. No. Villain could imagine Hero's face, their look of betrayal and hurt stabbing Villain in the heart like nothing else could.

At that moment, Hero groaned, shifting slightly. Villain jumped out of their thoughts, gripping Hero's shoulders and pinning them down to the couch to stop the inevitable struggle. But to Villain's surprise, Hero didn't struggle. They started to move, struggling and thrashing- but their eyes were closed.

"No- No..." Hero murmured, tears leaking out of the corners of their eyes. It shocked Villain, this strange show of emotion. Made them pause, think about Hero's recent behavior.

"Long night?"

"Not enough."

Oh. Villain looked down at Hero again, teardrops quickly turning into streams that ran down their cheeks and dripped onto the pillow in an unsteady rhythm.

"No... Run... run, go-" Hero was muttering again, rolling and clutching at their chest, pulling at their clothes and skin, clutching their neck desperately. They reached up to their shoulders, struggling to pull Villain's hand off their shoulder. "He's coming... He's coming, run-"

Villain lifted their hands off of Hero's shoulder, softly stroking Hero's head.

"Shhhhhh." Hero whimpered, grabbing at Villain's hand again. "You're fine," Villain whispered, slowly brushing their fingers through Hero's hair and quieting them. Hero leaned into the touch, still making small sounds of fear intermittently. The sounds died down slowly and Hero's face seemed to relax, their expression of terror melting slowly into one of peaceful neutrality. Villain kept murmuring to Hero, quietly running their fingers through Hero's hair. "It's okay."

Hero woke up slowly, taking their sweet time and relishing the blissful remnants of a all-too rare rest. God, they hadn't felt this rested since... since before they could stretch their crumbling memory. For the past years, all they could remember, all they could see was fighting and nightmares. The only thing that kept them going was the Villain's threats and challenges, the imminent danger they kept on Hero's back and the rush of the fight. It flooded their mind, consumed them and pushed off the nightmares. Fighting and clawing and grasping at life let Hero live, let them keep going from day to day and keep pushing. There was nothing else, no one else. Just Villain and their battles. But lately, Villain hadn't been fighting back. The nightmares got worse, the panic attacks more and more frequent. Hero could feel their throat constrict, feel their body shut down every second they were awake.

For some reason, though, not today. Not today, not now- for the first time in what felt like years Hero had finally gotten a good rest. Why? As Hero opened their eyes, they felt the warmth of another body next to them. The first thing to register was that signature black hair, so dark that it seemed to suck the light out of the very air next to it. Villain.

They were sleeping, sleeping- Guard down, relaxed and resting next to Hero. Hero, of all people. What...?

Hero could feel their throat constricting. They knew why Villain was sleeping near them. The memory of their blackout, the sensation of dropping into a forced sleep- it was clear, but tucked away in a corner of Hero's mind they really didn't want to explore.

The breaths came faster, slower, faster, filling their chest with a sort of panic that sank to the bottom of their stomach and snaked into a twisted feeling of dread. Villain was, quite clearly, pitying Hero. The villain pities the hero. How sad.

Hero shook their head, gripping it with their hands and squeezing- trying something, anything, to try and crush those thoughts out of existence. Look at you. Such a failure. This is why-

No. No. It wasn't why. That wasn't the reason. Hero knew the reason, knew why, and yet- And yet. And yet. Pathetic. Excuses. Failure. Stupid. Idiot. Weak. Faster and faster and faster.

Pathetic. Failure. Stupid. Weak. Pathetic. Idiot. Disappointment. Failure. Pathetic pathetic pathetic pathetic-

Hero felt a hand on their shoulder. A voice, so familiar to Hero's ears but so unfamiliar in its tone. A sort of gentility, a tone of pity filled it.

Pathetic.

No. But Hero couldn't block out the voices, couldn't ignore the fact that their own voice felt like it was strangling them. So they pushed it out, pushed it towards the only other person that Hero could pour the bottled up hate and malice onto. Villain.

"Get off me."

Villain had a half-smile, a sort of confused grin, stuck to their face like plaster.

"What?"

"Don't touch me."

The smile was fading now, disappearing and transforming into that cruel anger Hero knew so well. Strangely, though, through that mask Hero swore they could see a glimpse of hurt. No.

"Wh-"

"You heard me. Are your ears broken? Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me."

"Hero, what's-"

"You're pathetic." The voice slithered out of Hero's mouth, out of their brain, consuming the silence in the room and growing into a hate filled tornado of resentment and rage. "Just like me. Look at us. A couple of fools. You, a villain? Ha! Pathetic. So weak, so stupid." Hero started to cry, tears dripping down their face as they spat hateful words at Villain, angry words full of venom and intentionally misdirected gall. "I'm just like him. So are you. Broken. Pathetic. Pathetic. Pathe-" Villain clamped a hand over Hero's mouth. Hero just sat, tears dripping down and dampening Villain's skin. A small voice slipped out between Villain's fingers.

"What else do I have to live for?"

Villain's eyes widened, staring at Hero's twisted face.

"Tell me, Villain. What else is there? I'm nothing. I'm just a failure who happened to catch your attention." Hero laughed bitterly. "God knows why."

Villain shook their head slowly. "There's a reason I chose you. You... You're different. You have purpose. You have a reason."

Hero shook with more silent sobs. "No, I don't."

Villain pulled their hand away, shaking slightly. "You have a reason."

"NO, I DON'T!" Hero screamed, wanting to hit something, hurt something. "EVEN YOU PITY ME. THERE'S NOTHING ELSE. NOTHING!" Hero gasped, struggling for air, struggling to breathe through the tears and the hiccupping sobs that shook their body. "WHAT OTHER PURPOSE DO I SERVE? THERE'S NOTHING."

Villain just pulled Hero closer, holding them tightly to their chest. "You're worth something. You're worth something."

Hero's voice quieted, hoarse and cracking with sorrow, muffled as Hero cried into Villain's shirt, "To who?"

Villain listened to Hero's cries, to their wailing and feeling the tears drip through their shirt. Before answering gently, "To me."

[ladydevoir]

If you're taking requests, what if Ruby went to find Blake in vol 3 instead of Adam?

Blake stood on the branch of the tree, gazing out towards the forest. She had heard rumours about how the initiation at Beacon went but being part of it was a much different affair. Flung into a Grimm infested forest, matched with the first person you meet, it seemed far from what she would have thought an ideal way to be partners with someone would be. But Beacon was considered the finest of the four academies, so was there merit to this method? Letting fate decide for you? Blake shook her head, she wasn’t fond of the idea of not being in control of her fate, which is why she was in the tree. Stalking out the best choice to be her partner. She was not going to leave it up to chance, she was going to decide for herself. As she thought of potential partners, a certain girl filtered into her mind, their meeting the day before, during the day, and the evening, and her words that had stuck in her mind since their meeting. “Well thats why we’re here. To make it better.” She smiled to herself, remembering how she once held such a belief, wanting to make things better. The realities of the world, and the harshness of those she had followed, his harshness, had worn her down. Maybe, Blake thought, hopefully, it wont break that girl down as it had her. Refocusing herself, she sifted through the other students in her mind, and she felt like she had a target in mind. Pyrrha. Pyrrha was well known for her skill, everyone else was an unknown. Her mind set, she scanned around in the hopes of finding the red-headed girl, before the ears under her bow twitched, hearing a cry from nearby. “No! Birdy!” As she reactively turned to the source of the noise, something large flew past her, she barely had time to make it out before she felt a strong pull at her back, pulling her from the tree, and her weapon from her back, as whatever flew past soon hit the ground, Blake, having landed and rushed through the bushes, peeking out from cover to see the figure, before hearing a familiar voice. “O-ow, that was rougher than I wanted...wait...whos weapon is this?” Blake let out a sigh of relief, grateful it wasnt a grimm that had disarmed her. Stepping out from the bushes, she stepped towards the figure, holding the ribbon of her weapon in her hand, clearly distracted somewhat by it. She cleared her throat. “I believe that belongs to me?” The girl looked up, her eyes widening as she quickly stood up, stammering out an apology. “Oh brothers im so sorry I didnt mean to take this my landing strategy got cut off by a bird and I was just trying to grab hold of a branch and I guess I grabbed this by mistake and im so sorry and-” Blake quickly put her hand on the girl’s shoulder, giving her a gentle shake. “Hey, its ok, breathe please.” The girl took a deep breath, handing back her weapon as the two stood in silence. “Sooo, I guess that we’re partners now, huh?” Blake blinked as she registered what was said. “Oh, right, I guess we are.” This was definitely not how she has planned for this to go, but there was no turning back now. “Uh, Ruby, wasnt it?” “Yep, and you’re Blake, right? I did get the name right?” Blake nodded in response. “So Blake, uh, do you know which way to go?” Blake took a few steps forward, looking up at the skyline, the position of the sun, and pointed to the left of them. “The center of the forest should be that way, it shouldnt take us too long to get there from here, we just need to be ready for-” As if on que, the bushes all around them started rustling, as the two girls moved back to back, Blake unsheathed her weapon, and the whirring and clanking of gears and parts confirmed for her that Ruby had done the same. Before long they were surrounded by beowolves, all ready to pounce. “Ready to take them down, Partner?” Ruby chirped, Blake couldnt help but smile softly at the girl’s clear enthusiasm. Maybe leaving things to chance wasnt always a bad idea. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- How much things had gone downhill since that day. Blake looked up as the man she had once followed stood before her, tormenting her as the building burned around them, Vale going up in flames, Grimm, White Fang and Atlas mechs causing total chaos everywhere. And here she was, face to face with the man she had run away from. With no one around to help her. In her mind, that dark voice she had learned to suppress rang out. “You knew you couldnt run forever. You knew he would find you. You brought all this to Vale by being here.” She tried to silence the voice, but to no avail. She could barely hear Adam over the voice, as he raised his blade, that voice was all she heard. Until the loud ringing of a rifle round clanging against a blade shattered through the noise in her head. Looking up, she saw Adam, back to her, looking at a figure outside the building. A figure she recognised immediately. Her weapon ringing out as shot after shot was fired at Adam, causing the faunus to move out the way, as the girl was by her side in an instant. “Get away from Blake.” The tone of her voice sent a shiver through Blake as she looked up at Ruby. The usual energetic expression replaced by one of complete seriousness, almost stone-faced, but the eyes, the eyes were filled with fire, and her voice, she had never heard Ruby’s voice sound like that before. Adam merely snickered, readying his blade. “Fine then. I hope you’re watching Blake. I promise you, im going to kill everything you love most. Starting with her.” The two were swift, clashing and constantly moving. Blake looked on in horror, her body frozen as she watched her partner battle the monster she had spent years serving. She tried to scream for Ruby to run, to leave her, but her voice was caught in her throat. She could only watch on, hoping Ruby would be safe. What happened next would forever be burned into Blake’s mind. As Adam made his slash upwards, Ruby had tried to step back, only to hit the wall, unable to fully dodge the attack as the tip of the blade slashed across her face. Her scream would haunt Blake as she watched Ruby fall to her knees, her hands clutching over her left eye, the blood dripping from between her fingers, as Adam stepped closer, raising his blade. Her body finally moving as she dived towards Ruby, grabbing the girl just in time to vanish with her, leaving Adam’s blade embedded in an icy shadow of herself, as she pulled Ruby as fast as she could towards the docks where the others were. Holding Ruby’s right arm over her shoulder with her hand in hers as Ruby held her face with her left, sobbing as she struggled to move with Blake, Blake shakily repeating herself. “Im sorry, im so sorry Ruby, Im sorry, im sorry.” A gentle squeeze in her hand made her focus on Ruby, as she let out a weak murmur between sobs. “Its ok, i-its not your fault, Blake…” --------------------------------------------------------------- OK SO This was meant to be so much longer. Originally I planned to make this into a small Patnerswap Ladybug prompt, showing various scenes from V1-V3 but with Ruby taking Yang's place and how different those scenes would be, but I just kept having more and more ideas so now im taking those other idea's and Im gonna eventually make a bunch of little short fics for them instead. Otherwise you'd never get this prompt finished. But yeah, I hope you enjoy it~