#Glass Eye Pix

[gbhbl]

Horror Movie Review: The Innkeepers (2011)

During its last weekend of operations, two employees at the Yankee Pedlar Inn attempt to document the alleged supernatural activity in the building.

The Innkeepers is horror movie that written & directed by Ti West, releasing in 2011. The film follows two employees at the Yankee Pedlar Inn who, during its last weekend of operations, attempt to document the alleged supernatural activity in the building. Claire and Luke are the only employees working at the once grand hotel in its final week of operation. Both are ghost hunting enthusiasts…

[xo-faded-33]

I always hate wearing my glasses but I thought these were cute 😭

[conflitdecanard]

Gobtober 2022 part 2 !

Prompt list of gobtober 2022

Day 11: Mechanical

Day 12: Guard

Day 13: Tiny

Day 14: Mystical

Day 15: Goblin in cosplay

Day 16: Bandit

Day 17: Monstrous

Day 18: Obsessed with fire

Day 19: Barmaid/Barman

Day 20: Cave Goblin

[dollfaced-erin]

Ngl the sugar daddy jing yuan reader fic lowkey intrigues me, like why did Jing Yuan resort to something as finding a sugar baby? Was he stressed over something as well? A relationship problem? Was he that lonely?? I feel it would be nice to explore!

i love this request. it took me a while to find the right songs and good scenarios, but i got you covered, bby ! I MIGHT NAME THIS SERIES THO ! it's a WIP obv unless until i finish the main storyline and will take longer time to accommodate to unlike the main story (and that one already takes an eternity) do enjoy the treat !

Taglist : -

@rebeccawinters , @nayukiyukihira , @pix-stuff , @fluffy-koalala , @swivy123 , @starxao , @kaoyamamegami , @kimura-uzuri , @rsvye , @seikouryuu , @just-here-reading , @matsulovesyou, @sincerely-aaronette , @prettyliliy , @chibiduck , @hermosacolibri , @la-diablas-thingz , @farelady-fate , @everi-eve , @shadowfoxey , @helloyuki , @immahuman , @samptlay , @boomie-123 , @airentia , @eden-absorbed

𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖊 ! : ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴ ᴀᴜ , ᴊɪɴɢ ʏᴜᴀɴ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ , ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏʀʀᴇʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴅʀᴀɢᴏɴ'ꜱ ᴄʀᴀᴅʟᴇ

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖌𝖊𝖗 𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 ! :

ˢᵗʳᵉˢˢ , ᵃⁿˣⁱᵉᵗʸ , ᵐᵉⁿᵗⁱᵒⁿˢ ᵒᶠ ˢᵉˡᶠ ʰᵃʳᵐ , ᶜᵒᵐᶠᵒʳᵗ ᵃⁿᵍˢᵗ, EXTRA LONG.

Another day...another report.

Scratch that. There were hundreds of reports on his desk as is. And they were piling as time grew on. Not like it would ever stop. They just kept adding up, accumulating like the spam emails in his iMac monitor before him.

And his secretary was of no help either. Sure, she did her work mighty fine ! Being on time, punctual, taking all the calls and planning his meeting and fixing up his schedule. But that makes him feel more annoyed than ever.

She's just too punctual. And she expects him to be like that too.

She was always rushing him to do his work, always nagging him on and on to pay attention to the business proposals, to look over the reports, remind him again and again that he had lunch with the Lead Researcher from that growing Space Research Centre built under the name of one of the most well-known geniuses known to mankind.

Herta's Space Research Centre...and her Lead Researcher who was currently managing the Centre on her own... Asta...

What time was the meeting again...?

"Remember ! You have a meeting with Lady Asta from the research center at 2pm this afternoon ! Don't be late ! It's a crucial investment !" He heard Fu Xuan's voice ring in his mind.

Oh...2pm. He had time before that.

He sighed in his chair, leaning back into his leather chair as he ran a hand through his messy silver hair. Lazy golden eyes glanced at the time showed on the standby mode on his monitor...

"1 : 45..." he read aloud, his voice carrying his lazy tone through the silent room.

He thought about it.

1 : 45 ?!?!

He never bolted out of his seat faster than he ever had before.

"Hahaha !" The man laughed as Jing Yuan retold the tale of the earlier day. A hand landed on his back, slapping it playfully as his friend found humor in his troubles.

"Don't laugh, asshole." Jing Yuan said, a frown of frustration on his lips. But it slowly curled up into one of amusement seeing his friend like this.

"You're really finding my concerns entertaining, don't you ?"

"Sorry, sorry. My bad." The man said, raising his cup of alcoholic beverage to his lips, sipping it elegantly.

"But then, what happened ? You rushed out of your building to the meeting place. Did you see Lady Asta ?" Blade asked, looking at his friend with a smirk on his lips.

"Oh, you bet. I found her as soon as I got there. But fortunately for me, she had just arrived herself. So, I wasn't too late, nor did I make her wait." Jing Yuan said with a relieved sigh.

The two were meeting up in quite the high-class bar. Somewhere that had classical music playing, dim lighting, expensive drinks of the finest quality, quiet chatter and the clinking of glasses and extravagant attire. It wasn't your average bar. Heck, there were barely any ruthless drunkards in places like this, those who caused ruckus when they drank too much.

"But Fu Xuan, that girl..." he pondered, shaking his head at the mention of his secretary. "She really needs to learn how to loosen up and stop asking me day after day when will I hand my company over to her."

"Oh ? She's blatantly asking you to make her the heir to the corporation ? Very...brazen, of her." Blade said with a furrow of his brows and nodded his head.

"It doesn't get any easier, Blade. Believe me." Jing Yuan sighed.

It was just another day in his life. He was the CEO of one of the top companies in the country, or even the world ! The Xianzhou Alliance was branched into 6 franchises under one brand, though usually known individually. Fanghu, Luofu, Zhuming, Xuling, Yaoqing, and Yuque.

And Jing Yuan just happened to be the CEO of the Luofu branch, also being the youngest and one of longest reigning ones at that. Not only that, he was known for his good looks, his intellect and gentlemanly manners.

Blade just happened to be his friend from college and was the main mechanical engineers for the bigger productions of the company, building his name to be known far and wide for a man as young as him. He was known as Yingxing, formerly. A nerdy young man that loved art.

But after a certain incident, he dyed his hair black and changed his alias to Blade before joining a group of debt collectors that made quite the name for themselves.

The Stellaron Hunters.

Jing Yuan sighed, raising a hand at the bartender for another glass of bourbon. He needed a little more liquor to forget the tension that night.

"So, of course the meeting didn't end there, right ? I heard that Herta was planning on opening a university to give opportunities to more...brilliant minds. Perhaps they wanted to collaborate with the Intelligentsia Guild ? Heard they too opened up a new university recently." Blade asked, pouring another glass of Koshu sake for himself.

He wasn't too much of a fan of the harder liquors. He loved to savor his drinks and take his time relishing in the bitter taste. Like the little things around him. He loved to watch drama unfold, especially if he wasn't involved in it.

Even better if he was the cause behind it.

But he wouldn't do that to Jing Yuan. His dude needed a break. Especially since they have known each other for a couple of years now.

"Yeah." Jing Yuan said, nodding his head at his friend. "I suppose you could put it that way. Lady Asta wanted to meet up to ask about the funding for the research in the space station. Now that you mention it, I think she also said something about investing for the university ?"

"I don't know anymore, Blade..." Jing Yuan sighed, hand over his eyes. "After that meeting i came back to more papers and reports. Then tomorrow, the meetings and the negotiations...the business proposals, photoshoots and interviews and not to mention the stalkers recently. Fu Xuan is literally gonna snag my ass one day if she really thinks I'm as incompetent as I look, I swear to the Aeons..."

He let out a tired chuckle, leaning over and setting his elbow on the table. His friend looked at him worriedly, knowing that it might not sound like much, but for Jing Yuan to openly admit his problems like this...

"Why don't you ask her to loosen up your schedule ?" Blade asked him softly, a hand on Jing Yuan's back.

"And listen to her lecture me about time management ? I'd save at the very least 2 hours of my time reading reports." He chuckled dryly, shaking his head and pulled his hand away from his eyes.

"That's not gonna work, Blade. She'll say I have nothing better to do in my time anyway...I go home with those uncompleted documents but I still have to keep thinking how I'm going to arrange my thoughts for tomorrow."

Then they heard a small commotion. There was a man slamming his hand onto the table, and a young lady before him. She looked firm and resolute, not even flinching as the man before her expressed his distaste and anger to her.

"For the last time, I'm saying no. I told you, I don't have the money for it !" The young lady said calmly, her hands spread in front of her to exaggerate her point.

"You brought me here, and then expect me to sign up for Herta's Space Research school to study biotechnology under Madam Ruan Mei ? Do you have any idea how crazy the fees will be ?" The girl asked again, folding her arms over her chest as she merely glared at the man that stood in anger before her.

"Plus you know that I'm already struggling with fees in the Yaoqing Academy is already crazy enough. And that's with scholarship. I'd then have to pay Yaoqing for stopping halfway and my scholarship, then pay the registration fees of Herta's school."

"Imagine having to go to some prestigious, preppy place filled with studying, that I don't even have time to go work to buy myself dinner." The lady stressed with a shake of her head.

"But this is your opportunity !"

"I...I cant afford it..." she admitted softly.

Jing Yuan's gaze softened as he looked at this troubled lady. He wished he could help, watching her being pressured like this. But he wasn't a charity... if he helped her, many more would come to him for the same reason...

But it was a waste that a beautiful young lady like her didn't get the opportunity she deserved. She looked like she was well-versed in studying, and going to Herta's university would secure her a bright future working with the Intelligentsia Guild, or Herta's Space Station or the research facility, or even the IPC !

"I cant keep dating someone who doesn't have standards, (Y/n). My family will look down on me ! And I'm always paying for you when we go on dates, you never spend for me !" The man said with anger present in his tone. Then the young lady before him bit her bottom lip, her eyes trailing off somewhere else.

"Wh-what did you expect from dating me ? You know I'm poor. I work part time at a cafe, juggling assignments, bills and chores. I...I cant always have the luxury of spoiling you ! And you yourself wanted to go on dates, promising me that you'll handle the bill." The lady said, tears in her bright eyes.

"Or not you'll never go on dates with me !" The boyfriend exclaimed, making the girl, (Y/n), feel even guiltier.

Then he slammed his hand again on the table. "Enough ! We're over. I cant keep dating a leech who'd do nothing to improve her life even when there's a path !"

Then the man stormed off, leaving the lady alone and humiliated in the middle of the expensive bar with all eyes on her. She didn't care about that, she was mainly troubled on the fact that she'd have to cover the bills herself...

'How interesting...' Jing Yuan thought to himself as he looked at the pitiful lover.

She was a beautiful young lady, perhaps around 22 years old ? She seemed pretty young. Perhaps she's in the middle of pursuing a degree ? To change majors means she must be pretty early into the registration. Foundation, perhaps...

She looked very ordinary, unlike the others in this bar. She had beautiful (h/c) hair, the brightest (e/c) eyes that shone under the warm lights of the bar. But she looked tired. She was broke. Wallet, and heart.

Jing Yuan couldn't hold back anymore. He didn't like seeing a young woman as innocent as hardworking as her getting dumped just because she didn't have the money. What kind of asshole does that, anyway ?!

Jing Yuan got up from his place, ignoring Blade's voice of questions as he walked over to the young woman who sat alone.

"(Y/n), right ?" Jing Yuan asked, and she looked up, those bright (e/c) eyes, glistening with tears as she sadly looked into his warm honey eyes.

(Y/n) seemed startled and quickly wiped her eyes. "Yes, th-that's me." She said, nodding her head.

"See, I don't do this often, but..." Jing Yuan started as he sat before her. "I'm quite certain the entire establishment heard what happened between you and...well...your...ex lover...?"

He grimaced a little at the word 'ex', knowing it must still be a touchy subject for her. But she didn't seem to mind and just nodded her head.

"Yeah, I saw this coming, obviously." (Y/n) said with a light chuckle. "I knew we weren't going to work out. But he was persistent, constantly egging me on and on to date him, that one day I just said yes."

"Well, it seems like you're going through a rough patch, and I know you just want to head home and sleep it off. So, I want to help you out." Jing Yuan said, taking the bill on the table and reading out the receipt list.

"Let me pay for tonight."

(Y/n)'s eyes widened as she looked at him, blinking owlishly as she heard his offer. This...this random man was willing to pay for the receipt ? The orders she didn't even indulge in ? She felt guilt eating away at her stomach, making her fidget in her seat.

But what choice did she have...?

That's right. She didn't.

So she nodded her head.

"Wow, didn't know you could be quite the gentleman, oh CEO Jing Yuan." Blade said as his friend came back after seeing off the woman named (Y/n).

Jing Yuan nodded his head, feeling a light blush dust his cheeks from the teasing manner of his friend. But he brushed it aside quickly, composing himself to wish away the blush as quickly as it came.

"I just couldn't leave her there. It would be quite...distasteful." Jing Yuan said, taking his seat back next to Blade.

"Mm...but she was quite the catch, wasn't she ? Too bad she ended up with a sorry excuse as a boyfriend as him." Blade said with a laugh, his Adam's apple bobbing as his voice rumbled.

"She was indeed beautiful, yes." Jing Yuan said softly, nodding his head as he reminded himself of the young woman. "It was funny how she didn't even recognize who I am. Most young women would."

He caught Blade smirking at him at which he quickly composed himself with a fake smug smile back on his lips.

"Anyway..." Jing Yuan said, looking at Blade with raised eyebrows. "How are things with you and...Dan Jia ?"

Blade immediately was caught off guard with the question, his pale face dusted with a red blush that went all the way up to his ears. Dan Jia was one of the heirs to a multi-billion organization that was partnered with the Xianzhou Alliance, more known towards their love of arts and entertainment.

And Dan Jia was the woman that had loved him before and after his change. The only person who understood and still stood by him no matter, and it wasn't like any one could oppose her, anyway.

"A-ahem...Dan Jia and I..." Blade stuttered, turning away for a moment as he slowly sipped at his drink.

"We...got engaged." The male said and Jing Yuan glared at him.

"And you didn't even tell me ?" "I was going to when you were in a more chill mood ! Don't blame me trying to be considerate of your feelings !"

Then Blade got an idea. He smiled widely, looking at his friend before uncharacteristically clapping his hands, something he did when he had a mind-blowing revolutionary thought. Usually it meant good news for the company, or friends, so Jing Yuan was very intrigued to hear.

"How about you find a lover ?" Blade asked with a pat on Jing Yuan's back.

Jing Yuan had never heard a solution so stupid from this former engineer before. He sighed, and slapped a hand onto his forehead.

"No no, hear me out for real here." Blade said, trying to pull back Jing Yuan's interest. "If Fu Xuan says that you have nothing to do in your free time, find someone that can act as something to fill in time you need. You cant put hobbies, because hobbies are meant to be something to be done in your free time."

"But what if you had a commitment ?"

Then Jing Yuan looked at Blade like he made the best idea ever. That actually made so much sense ! But...

"What if I get even more stressed from it ?" Jing Yuan asked, looking at Blade.

"Based on the trends right now, students are more frequently found on dating sites, and you could start from there. Give Fu Xuan some reasons to throw her off the scent and make sure she doesn't schedule every second you manage to breathe in the aircon of your private office." Blade explained again, his hands making and tracing gestures onto the surface of the bar top.

'Students, huh...? Perhaps...he might even...' Jing Yuan wondered.

"You mean, be a sugar daddy ?" Jing Yuan asked with a raise of his eyebrow, and his friend laughed.

"Not necessarily." Blade said. "Give it a feel, take on a few blind dates. You have nothing to lose. If it doesn't work out, tell it straight, then proceed to leave."

"You know how happy I am with Dan Jia. Perhaps it's also time for you to find someone too, Jing Yuan."

So he followed the advice of his friend. Blade was right, he didn't have much to lose if he played his cards right and used his professionalism right.

He downloaded the dating app. And to make things look a little easier to filter the horny, money-hungry women who never left a shred of decency on their profiles, he put on the status of 'CEO. In need of a sugar baby, willing to spend time with me.'

He kept swiping left, left and left. The ones he swiped right on were also just as unsavory, so he kept searching. Until he saw this one account he felt drawn to.

And swiped right.

After a bit of talking, they decided to meet up at a student friendly cafe as to not pressure her. He was feeling quite peppy about it, a light blush of happiness on his cheeks as his feet tapped impatiently on the wooden floors of the cozy cafe.

He made sure to dress casually, a mere dark grey sweater and a pair of white slacks. His hair was still in it's usual messy style, but he tried to make himself look a little presentable, tying it up into a ponytail. It was still messy, but he tried.

He was meeting up with a young lady who was a student in need of help for her tuition loans and apartment bills she couldn't handle on her own. But though she reached out to him, she was often times hesitant to find a 'sugar daddy'.

His heart was pounding in his chest. He never felt this excited before. It had been long since they started talking and she was finally comfortable with meeting him after so many times of denying.

Then he saw her. The girl he was waiting for, shyly enter the cafe with reddened cheeks as she tucked back her (h/c) hair that fell over her face from lowering her gaze so much.

"M-Mr. Jing Yuan..." She greeted as she pulled the seat before him.

"Miss (Y/n). What a pleasure."

He had been searching for her all this while, and he finally found her.

[viridis-mundo]

City with no name, person with no history

A thousand years ago, Pix voluntarily went into the desert and never returned. A thousand years later, it still has consequences. A short look at friendships that span lives.

"You’ve been spending a lot of time here lately," Pix smiles, there is no claim, no hint of suspicion. The smile is soft, he is simply observing the fact. The sky is blue, the grass is green, the ancient city that Pix is working so hard on has no name. Fwhip has been spending a lot here lately.

It is the middle of summer, and the sun stands high and shines for a long time, making its way even underground to the goblins. Gobland is cooler than the surface, but everyone still works a little slower and a little lazier than usual. Fwhip decided to stop construction during the heat wave. However, when your hands are not busy with materials, it turns out, that he has too much free time.

"Are you against it?" almost escapes Fwhip, but something inside him is suddenly afraid - what if he really is against it? What if suddenly Pix will say that he is tired of the company and overall the goblin is getting under his feet? What if he suddenly leaves? Which is honestly hilarious. Pix may disappear for a day or two or even a week, but everyone knows that this man has simply buried himself again in some ancient hole and sighs in admiration over half-broken vases.

"Someone should make you warm up, old man, otherwise you’ll wither away like your precious artifacts," Fwhip grins, kindly, of course, and Pix laughs too, a little muffled, as if from afar. Fwhip is again overwhelmed by the feeling that Pix is going to disappear right now. Pix has always been... Fwhip doesn't want to use the word "weird" because it implies that everyone else was normal (which they weren't), but there was always something ELSE about Pix's presence. He will tell you a fact and then add something ELSE that he shouldn't know, he will ask you a question, but there is something ELSE in the question, but you don't know for sure what it is, you will say the answer and he will hear something ELSE, incomprehensible to you. And then he will smile again and for some reason, you will feel sad.

"As if I don’t have enough warming up without you, little children," he is only like maybe eight years older than Fwhip, but Pix again looks into the distance, at the restored castle, and in his eyes is the regret of an immortal. Fwhip resists the urge to grab Pix by the sandy (it's blue-gray) shirt, like a really small child afraid of losing a parent at the festival. "I do need some fresh air from time to time," Fwhip adds more quietly, still hoping to keep his voice light-hearted, but, judging by Pix’s look, failing catastrophically. Pix looks at him closely, but not as intensely as, for example, Scott, with his magic eye, or Gem, with the carefree attitude of a princess, but with hawk's sight. Pix’s gaze is soothing, like a heavy blanket after a nervous day, like a mug of warm milk before bed, like the quiet dance of stars in the night sky. And just as centuries ago, people looked at the sky and looked for constellations, so Pix is always looking for something in someone else’s soul. With the precision of an archaeologist, he unearths long-forgotten (or buried) emotions, and Fwhip has always taken this as a challenge.

I have nothing to hide! Here I am!

But today, under Pix's magnifying glass, something too forgotten turned out to be, something that Fwhip was not ready to face. This something had a taste of redstone, gunpowder, and for some reason sand. The sand got into his teeth, into his nose, into his eyes, and that’s probably why Fwhip found that his eyes were watering. He nuzzles his nose into Pix’s shirt (it’s blue-gray), and he smells of copper - he was working on the copper aging machine underground. And this smell also calms, but for some reason, the tears keep flowing and flowing.

"I’m not going anywhere," Pix says quietly, hugging Fwhip back. And there is no consolation in the voice, only a promise, as if he was going somewhere, but changed his mind. And Fwhip believes, he nods his head, as if agreeing with the decision, and holds Pix even tighter.

A thousand years ago, these same hands could not find a sand shirt to hug and cry into. A thousand years ago, Fwhip stood alone in the middle of a desert that stretched for thousands of miles around him and wept alone. A thousand years ago, Pix voluntarily disappeared into the desert. A thousand years ago his friend did not return.

"I'm here," Pix says again as Fwhip calms down under the setting sun. The night embraced friends.

[buildheight]

“Right,” Gem says, keeping her voice steady like a hand of cards to her chest. “What do you know, then?”

It’s not so much a question as it is a threat, and Pix answers in kind. “I think we’re both aware of what’s going on here.” 

It’s a bluff. Gem darts her eyes back at the group in the courtyard, then to Pix again, who gives her a bemused smirk. “Okay,” she says. “Just… don’t mess this up for me.”

“I certainly have no intention of the sort,” Pix says. A cloud passes over the sun, casting a long shadow.

==

This Scott smells very distinctly like llama. It’s not an unwelcome thing. Gem observes the way he talks sweetly to his herd and moves his hands through their coats. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen another Scott act like this. His clothes are garish and, by all standards, mismatched, and his hands are stained with an ever changing array of dyes. He very calmly and confidently attaches the saddle to the llama he’s working with, and it seems soothed by his presence.

“Sorry about that,” he says with a grin that reaches his eyes. “What colors were you looking for?”

==

The rift glows ominously, and pulses with a sick purple energy. Gem can’t keep her eyes off it.

“What’d’you reckon, then?” A voice pipes up from behind her. She bristles.

“No idea,” she says, smiling, then turning around. In that order.

“Bit weird, if you ask me,” Joel says. Gem can’t help but think of a bird puffing out its feathers to seem bigger.

“I don’t know anything about magic, really,” she lies. 

Joel gives her a blank look with those familiar glass eyes. To her credit, her smile doesn’t twitch. “Right then.” He shrugs. “Not much of a conversationalist.”

==

“I’m sure there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Gem says, running her fingers through her hair, watching the way the strands catch the moonlight.

False doesn’t turn to look at her, but her movements do slow. It’s enough of an answer.

“I’m not just saying it,” Gem insists, but something in the way False reaches up to her hair to mirror Gem’s movements makes her stomach flip.

“I think I need a haircut,” False says instead, voice no louder than a whisper. 

Gem moves to close the shutters, not looking at the moon. “That would be nice,” she whispers back.

==

Gem watches as Sausage orbits around Pearl. The Hermits, to their credit, have been very accommodating. They don’t ask too many questions. The dry heat of the Nether Roof is a good excuse for why her palms are sweating.

Pix, to her chagrin, seems bemused.

“Don’t say anything,” she says, hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Pix does a convincing approximation of a cough into his hand.

Gem watches as Sausage enters course for collision. It takes her every ounce of strength to turn away when he puts his hand on Pearl’s shoulder. She catches Joel’s eye instead.

==

“He’s a bit pants, isn’t he?” Jimmy whispers loudly. Oli was too loud in his crooning to notice the crowd ignoring him.

“Yeah,” she admits.

“I think it’s nice,” the Old Sheriff says. “He’s trying to recapture his glory years. Good reminder to us all that the past is left dead.” He spits a glob of something mysteriously dusty onto the floor.

“That’s nice?” Jimmy scoffs.

“You’ll get it one day, buddy,” Joel says, and pats Jimmy on the back.

“Darn tootin’,” the Old Sheriff agrees.

Gem feels the words stick in her throat. Someone throws a rock at Oli.

==

“I’m not sure I need something super new,” Katherine says, holding up two nearly identical pink dresses in the mirror. One is a bit shorter than the other, but they’re both lavishly embellished. It’s like playing dress-up. Spending time with Katherine is easy, if nothing else. She’s so very… Katherine. Watching her flutter around the room is a good comfortable feeling. “What do you think?”

“Left one?” Gem offers. “I like the matte fabric.”

“I’m going with this one. I like the shiny silk.”

“Good choice,” Gem says. “Go with what your heart says.”

Katherine laughs, and Gem laughs, too.

==

“Have you known?” Sausage says one night, sitting up on the roof of his tavern, watching the stars. “This whole time?”

Gem doesn’t answer right away. The cool night air feels so good on her face. There’s no need to say out loud what Sausage already knows.

“I just have one question,” he says next. It’s so quiet, so honest. Gem can hardly match the Sausage she knew with the one sitting next to her. “Why leave me there?”

It’s a question Gem has answered to herself a million times over in the mirror. Tonight she confesses. “I was scared.”

==

By the time Gem packs her bags, Pix and Joel have already gone.

“It’s just time,” she says to herself. She’s not sure who she’s justifying herself to. Sausage seems perfectly content to let her go. There’s nothing keeping her here. 

The flight to the Rift is shorter than she anticipated. The sun setting over the Great Bridge casts a long shadow over the land, and she watches as lights flicker on in homes dotted across the valley. The corpse of Grumbot is the only thing left to wave her goodbye.

Perhaps, she thinks, people don’t need the past anymore.

[meidnightrain]

NEW ROMANTICS - beidou

summary: after a breakup, a night out with your drinking buddy and crux captain makes you realise maybe life isn’t as cruel as you thought

warnings: reader is gn, featuring ningguang

notes: day 16 and the last day for the main tracks! i tried to end it off strong for this one before i’d move on to the angstier ones to come so i hope this uplifts your spirits!

taglist (open): @staretes , @rynnlvrs , @sentifua , @i-probably-sleep-too-much , @reilly34 , @qqingque , @akutasoda , @mhiieee , @starryshinyskies , @kazemiya , @pix-stuff , @inscaraithrust

drinking your heart out with beidou wasn’t an uncommon experience for the both of you. the captain could handle her liquor fairly well and well, drinking was a good way to get over a breakup, wasn’t it?

but the mug of beer in your hand stayed full through the entire night, there was something about beidou that you’ve never seen about. not that she was gorgeous or that she could come off as boisterous, you’d established that upon your first encounter.

“we’re all just bored, we’re all so tired of everything.” you had murmured, a thoughtful look crossing your face. was it because that when you were both young, you’d feel this urge to try something new all the time? you’d wait for boats that weren’t coming, show off your different scarlet letters and compare which one was better.

you were young, but you were on the road to ruin. no matter how hard you’d try to play dumb, you knew what exactly you were doing and the consequences of your actions whether it be good or bad. and when you’d cry tears of mascara in the bathroom at every challenge that life had thrown at you, you’d bounce back stronger.

“honey, life is just a classroom. you learn every step of the way. heartbreak is a part of the experience,” drawled ningguang, a smirk on her lips as she twirled pieces of jade in between her gold covered fingernails.

“you know, i could build a classroom out of all the bricks they throw at me. ningguang included but it’s more of taxes than bricks.” the pirate captain laughed heartily, slamming the bottom of her mug on the table, ningguang rolling her eyes at beidou’s words.

“every day is like a battle, but every night with the both of you is like a dream.” you nodded along to the captain’s words, following what she was trying to say.

living it out in the big city of liyue harbor with nothing but your heart in your hands and a dream, the lights and noise could be blinding at times. you’d wait finding love out, it was all in the timing anyway. it was like playing poker in a way, they’d never it in your face but you were about to play your ace. every heartbreak meant to break you down could never tarnish your wild youth.

“think about it, do you need love? or is all you want danger?” beidou continued, taking your full cup and swapping it for her empty one. it looked like she was doing all the drinking today.

she was right. you’d team up and switch sides like a record changer. the rumors that people would spew out of their mouths like poison would be terrible and cruel but then again, most of them were true. you wanted to feel young and free, not tied down by any chains.

wasn’t it weird that such things that could make you rethink what you’ve gone through, would be said by a half-drunk beidou? you were about to reply until she suddenly grabbed your hand, much to your shock and amusement of ningguang.

now seeing life in a new light, the rose tinted glasses you had now were off and you could see the bright lights illuminating the city at night from the view of the jade chamber. and all you could see was beidou’s flushed face in front of yours, taking your hand and leading you into a dance to the background music that was playing faintly, you being louder than the melodies of the song. hear nothing but the roar of your hearts and the amused chuckle from ningguang as she nursed her glass of wine.

you were young and you should be celebrating every moment you had. heartbreak is the national anthem and you’d sing it proudly cause you were both too busy dancing to knocked off your feet by whatever was thrown at you with the intent to get you down. right now, you’d enjoy life, make memories and dance like no one was watching.

because the best people in life like your friends, was free.

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[colorfulstudentmuffinmaker]

I'm on an Empires Hermes brainrot, so here's some of my headcanons on the relationships of the the other Emperors have with the Child of Thunder. (they/them/their for Hermes)

Gem

Gem isn't too fond of children, but she is smitten with this one

Hermes loves her wings and is careful when she allows to touch them.

When she has the time, she'll regale them with stories of wonder, light and kingdoms of faraway lands and times as she flutters around with a faint glow.

They call her their Fairy Godmother due to this.

fWhip

He is endearingly called "Scrunkle fWhip", like how Mabel and Dipper call Stan their "Grunkle"

Of course our good ol' uncle scrunkle is smitten with the child as well.

He once built them an incredibly elaborate and fun rollercoaster which Hermes thoroughly enjoyed.

Hermes loves Snort.

Lizzie

Lizzie is sort of a... strange aunt figure to dear Hermes.

She drops by, tells them how cod and salmon are dangerous, and leaves all cat burglar-like.

For their birthday, she gives them some yarn. Which Hermes, the dear, bless them, graciously accepts.

On her part, because she knows it's a troll of a gift, she amasses enough willpower to use the yarn and not play with it and turn it into a nice cat sweater. (with some help from Katherine)

Scott

Scott is the type of friend that'll regale a child with the story of how their parents met.

Except he tells Hermes how they were magically brought into existence.

One story is Joel got, ahem, dizzy, after drinking so much... grape juice. He saw Sausage suddenly and through drunken god magic spawned the dear child.

Another one is Sausage took a bath at the Lore Fountain for the lolz, and when Joel did some lore there, Hermes was made. A gross one admittedly.

Hermes' favorite is when Joel and Sausage first met at spawn, they instantly felt something between them. Not an attraction per se, just... Something. And that something brought about Hermes.

Jimmy

Our toy sheriff tends to give the best hugs, that's what Hermes thinks. That's what makes him their godfather. (insert Codfather reference here)

They don't know why exactly, but Jimmy just sort of feels like, that's what he was made for, to bring comfort to a child.

Jim also teaches Hermes to respect the law, of course.

Jim gives them an honorary deputy badge because of how much Hermes respects the law.

Pix

Pix loves the little tyke.

Hermes tends to get involved and help out with lore preservation and pranking, helping place glass and such.

Especially the calcite prank.

Hermes loves the Emerald Fountain and always asks one of their dads to take them their when they find emerald ore.

Katherine

Katherine, with Joel and Sausage's express permission, takes Hermes monster hunting with her in Glimmer Grove.

She says it'll be good practice for their god powers.

It is.

Hermes is a natural, vaporizing mobs left and right.

They also love watching Katherine transform. They have stars in their eyes a la Steven Universe.

Joey

Pirate Joe doesn't get to see Hermes often.

But he always brings the best gifts.

Pirate hats, treasure chests, prismarine.

Joey, Sausage, and Hermes once got to sail across the Ocean, with Hermes getting a chance to steer, with Joey's guidance.

Joel helped them escape a fight with Skeletrons by sending winds their way.

Shelby

Shelby always speaks with Hermes through telepathy nowadays, which they greatly appreciate.

She tends to send them funky potions, that are mostly harmless.

They mostly turn the stripe in their hair different colors.

Shelby doesn't try much magic around them in fear of messing stuff up and hurting them.

False

False is super awkward around Hermes, since she and children don't mesh well, but she tries to be cool, and failing

However, she did send them a wind up toy of an iron golem, that Hermes loves.

[valoisfulcanellideux]

Transcribed highlights from Pix and Zloy's "Chicken Block" series [Ep.1 & Ep.2]

Since I've been re-watching this hilarious series, I thought I'd transcribe some of the highlights, because these two are just so damn good together. Funny stuff from episodes 1 and 2 can be found behind the cut.

Ep.1

Zloy: [sings, to the melody of the 'Transformers' theme] "Log chicken. Chicken who's a log."

-

Zloy: "I'll need you to surround me in a pen with them [the chickens]. Don't worry, I'll blend in." [looks like this, so yeah... he will]

-

Pix: "I like the fact that you've just committed to your life in this new chicken commune now." Zloy: "Look, I have a boat. I can escape whenever I want." Pix: "That sounds like what somebody with Stockholm Syndrome would say." Zloy: "This is the prison of my own making!"

-

Zloy: "Hey! Hey, look! It's our first log that was pooped by a chicken!" Pix: "Nice! Can we call them organic now? Is that what we're allowed to—" Zloy: "Pixlriffs, ALL logs are organic." Pix: [laughs] "Responsibly farmed!" Zloy: "Show me… show me a single log that would not be an organic one." [giggles] Pix: "I wanna make some kind of, like, pithy remark about fossilised wood at this point, but I dunno." Zloy: "Fossilised wood would also be organic! Because guess what? It was still grown as wood. In a tree." Pix: [laughs] "This is a fair point. I concede."

-

Pix: "I can't tell if these logs inside this enclosure were pooped out by a chicken, or if they are just… logs that fell from this tree." Zloy: "I wanna say it's probably a community effort."

-

Zloy: "Oh! There's a skeleton! There's a skeleton! There's a skeleton! And it—" Pix: "Oh no…" [skeleton self-yeets off the one-block-wide bridge from the mob-spawning platform] Pix: [loses it] Zloy: "DID YOU SEE THAT?!" Pix: [loses it some more] "It just went! It was like 'Nope! Can't be bothered with you!' It saw you riding a chicken towards it, crown upon your head, glasses on your face, and decided, 'I'm not gonna mess with that guy'."

-

Pix: "One other thing I will always appreciate about Bedrock Edition over Java is the fact that the sky darkens around you when you're looking directly at the sun, because of how bright the sun should be. It's, like, the one lighting effect that actually makes sense in this version of the game." Zloy: "Also, the eyes don't start bleeding, but that's an… entirely different thing." Pix: "Yes. That's an add-on that I imagine people could make." Zloy: "You look up and there's the Rick and Morty sun, screaming."

-

Zloy: [to stream chat, as he looks at the assorted chickens] "Okay. Anyone want to give me a breeding pair?" [pause] Zloy: "Anyone who says 'Zloy and Pixlriffs' will be banned from every single channel on Twitch."

-

[Pix goes out toward the mob spawning platform with a sword] Zloy: "You don't have to wait between the swings." Pix: "I know, I know." Zloy: [giggles] "Hehe. Silly Java players! Hehehe!"

-

Ep.2

Pix: "I have coal!" Zloy: "YAY! Pix: "I have coal. Can make torch. Will make torch now."

-

Pix: [having farmed a bunch of wood] "The log chicken just gave me another log, as if to say, 'Why are you even bothering?' [addresses the chicken] I'm bothering 'cause you're not productive." Zloy: "Pick up the speed. Clench your… whatever muscles you're using." Pix: "Tighten your buttcheeks!" Zloy: "Yep. Push, lady. [pause] Don't actually push ladies."

-

Pix: "There is now a zombie with a gold hat who seems to be… okay, there are two of them; they seemed to have claimed the ship." Zloy: "They boarded the ship!" Pix: "We've been boarded." Zloy: "Oh noes." Pix: [grabs a sword] "I'm gonna go and defend us. I have lost the ability to sprint, though, so I'm not exactly charging into battle, but…" [walks toward the zombies] "GET OFF MY SHIP, YOU DINGUS!" Zloy: [giggles] Pix: "Oh hey, he dropped his hat! Yay! I have armour." Zloy: "You have a crown." Pix: "You have your crown, I have my crown." Zloy: "The matching attire." Pix: "It gives me Fire Protection 1, as if that's even an issue." Zloy: "MINE GIVES ME DIGNITY, DARN IT!" Pix: "I have no dignity."

-

Zloy: "Hey look! A spider." Pix: [laughs] "It's a string chicken." [they both laugh] Pix: "After a while everything on this map just becomes a chicken to me."

-

Pix: "I spawned with you in the cauldron. Which looks even more soupy now that it's filled with rainwater." Zloy: "Exactly! We're gonna be delicious!"

-

Pix: "Every time the honey dripping sound happens, I just feel like it's slime. I'm like, has a slime just spawned? Nope. It's just the scarecrow dripping."

-

Zloy: "I have, like, twenty dirt. Place it responsibly."

-

Pix: "Oh, a zombie villager! Haha, yeah!" Zloy: "WHAT? No way!" Pix: "Let's see what we can do about him." Zloy: "I mean, we have a boat." Pix: "Yeah, that is true. That is true." Zloy: "I already decided that his name is gonna be Grephew. Which is a very bad idea, because I can see there's another zombie inside of him. He probably will not survive." [Pix creeps out toward the zombie villager, who self-yeets off the bridge. Pix runs back again] Pix: "There's a tiny one! There's a tiny one behind him! He has a son! There was a child!" Zloy: "Grephew Junior! Yaaaaay! I… don't want to go near him. Okay, Grephew, son of a gun, you're making me do this. Here are full blocks to preserve you." Pix: "Oh man. It's super creepy that baby zombie villagers have the same sound as regular zombie villagers. It's like a child with an unnaturally deep voice." Zloy: "They just have a very deep voice, okay?"

-

[Zloy builds a shelter around Grephew, out of oak fences with an oak plank roof] Pix: [laughs] "He has a freaking abandoned mineshaft over the top of him now."

-

Zloy: "A skeleton on this platform. So… potentially bones. And I apologise, but also potentially getting boned, so…" Pix: "Yeaaah… 'bout that… I'm fine taking the risk. I have fire protection on my helmet." [I'm struggling to resist the innuendo on that one…] Zloy: "I also am fine with you taking the risk."

-

Zloy: [musing] "So, mycelium would be… a log and dirt, all right." Pix: "Consult the notes!" Zloy: "I have them on my lap. The entire whiteboard. It's not a big whiteboard. But it does obstruct my view so I don't see the keyboard and my own teacup. So there's a disaster waiting to happen." Zloy: [laughs; probably at a suggestion from stream chat] "Consult the book of armaments! Oh my god." Pix: [laughs] "Hold thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. Four shalt thou not count. Neither countest thou two. Unless, in counting two, thou proceedest to three." Zloy: "Are you still speaking English?" Pix: [laughs] "I'm just quoting Monty Python. Which is probably the most English you can speak." Zloy: "Are you still speaking English, or have you transcended into communicating only in Monty Python quotes?" Pix: "It's touch and go." Zloy: "Yeah."

-

Zloy: "This is the Grephew Island." Pix: "The Grefuge." Zloy: [cracks up] Pix: [laughs] "I'm sorry!" Zloy: [giggling] "That's going into the episode title. Like, you're ruining my SEO, but that's gonna be the episode title."

-

Pix: "We have four apples in the chest now. Which is nice. I'm still not eating any of them, because I enjoy chat freaking out about the fact that I have no health left." Zloy: "There is no reason to eat. Just DIE!" [they have Keep Inventory on] [long, awkward pause] Zloy: "There is so much political commentary in that one phrase I just said..."

-

Pix: [peers across at the spawning platform] "I keep looking at stuff over there and thinking, 'Is that a skeletal chicken?' and it turns out it's just, like, a sapling and I can't really see. Oh, yeah… ENHANCE!" Zloy: [laughs] "Crying out loud, I was waiting for you to remember that one. What do your elf eyes see, Pixlriffs?"

-

[Zloy is about to boat a chicken along a one-block-wide bridge] Pix: "Do you need a bit more space on the platform, or is that enough?" Zloy: "No, no. But I would appresh you taking out the spooder [spider]. I dragged a shulker this way, through the End, over the void, for thousands of blocks. [whispers] I think I can manage with a chicken. [pause] Mostly because the chicken is not actively trying to kill me."

-

Pix: "Oh my god! Phantoms have started to spawn, and they're skinless chickens!" Zloy: "WHAT?! NO!" Pix: "I DID NOT EXPECT THIS!" [both start laughing] Pix: "Yes! Oh, this map is good. This map is so good!"

-

[they kill a chicken-phantom] Pix: "Oh, it dropped feathers! What?" Zloy: "IT DROPPED RAW CHICKEN!" Pix: [absolutely loses it] "So phantoms are actually chickens?! What?! Oh, that's so good." Zloy: "They're regular chickens that came for vengeance!" Pix: [cracks up] "That's incredible." Zloy: "I just realised that they're gonna burn in the daylight and drop cooked chicken." Pix: "I mean, in theory. They could not do." Zloy: "Yeah, they couldn't." Pix: "But yeah, if they drop cooked chicken, that's like… actual genius." Pix: "Look at it dive. Look at it dive, like a graceful swa— [chicken-phantom bursts into flames] Nope, it is burning. Yes!" Zloy: [cracks up] Pix: "Self-cooking chicken!" Zloy: "Yes! We finally found the Kentucky Fried one!"

[nanda-writes]

College girl sells soul to pay rent (not clickbait)

“So… your last wish is to make a deal with the devil?”

The ghostly woman nodded.

“It won't be possible, look, you need a physical body to perform this type of ritual,” said the medium “and I can't do it for you, because if I did, it would be my soul on sale.”

What if I possess you?

The spirit's voice echoed, the candles in the small clamped room in which the medium worked began to shake, transforming the trinkets scattered around the room into frightening dancing images. This could work… in theory.

“Not going to happen. Possessions are expressly prohibited on University internships. And honestly?” she added “I wouldn't endanger myself for a job that’s not even paid.”

I can pay.

The human raised one of her eyebrows. The candle flames flickered intensely, the ghost was desperate.

“Pay? Sorry, but we don't accept drachmas or whatever currency ghosts use, only cash or pix.”

She was joking, of course. What she didn't expect was the disembodied woman's response.

What's the key?

“Excuse me?”

Your pix, what is the key?

It wouldn't be possible that...?

Is ten thousand enough? Half now, half later.

It's worth a try, isn't it?

The medium shared her key. A few minutes later, she received the following message:

“Bank: Your pix has been received! Vellota ltd. sent you 5.000 reais”

Along with several confused emails by Grandma Vellota.

Looks like someone wouldn't have to worry about rent for a long time.

Kethelyn Correia — 21 years old, necromancy student at the Brazilian Federal University of Mystic Arts — is a medium in desperate need of additional hours for college and money. Kethelyn accepted the first internship that came her way without hesitating, realizing too late it was an unpaid one. Fuck it, we ball.

After months of late rent, days and nights on ramen noodles and various odd jobs to try to survive, selling a soul to the devil didn't seem like a bad idea. Anything was better than going back to her parents' house.

And that's how she ended up, three days later, on Carlos' — a college friend, master's student in demonology and ex-boyfriend — terrace at 2:30am on a Wednesday.

It was a nice evening, the sea nearby brought them a salty breeze, refreshing the warm summer night. The street lights were very close, illuminating the terrace together with the candles, revealing the unceremoniously dragged mess at the corners of the terrace. Carlos said they needed as much space as possible, the chalk circle in the middle of the terrace was the only clean space there.

“Okay, everything’s ready” said Carlos “candles lit, circles drawn, incense burning. Has she memorized the chants?”

Kethelyn nodded, they had practiced on this part together.

Carlos blew out the last match, looking around nervously. His eyes looked big behind the thick glasses he wore, his curly hair dancing with the breeze.

“Great, but seriously, this ghost couldn't have chosen a simpler invocation? Why go full catholic? There’s so many easier options…”

“Her name is Alice, I don't know about the choice for the ritual, but… thank you. Seriously. You didn't need to do all that.”

Kethelyn was being sincere. When she asked for her help, she expected at most a borrowed grimoire and some tips on how to not die.

“No problem, ha,” he replied, hands on his nape “it's the least I can do after that mistake I made.”

The “mistake” in question was the trigger for the end of their relationship. He cheated.

He cheated in a game of uno, shuffling the cards in a way that gave his friend — some 19 year old snake kid he befriended while traveling abroad — the advantage, causing Kethelyn to lose a bet.

“Ah, yes” She sighed, Alice's spirit approached floating upside down.

Hm? Share the tea, sis.

“Mind your own business.”

Rude.

“She’s here?” Carlos asked, shaking hands making the sign of the cross.

“I still can't believe that you work with literal demons, but are afraid of ghosts.” She laughed, “obviously she’s here, she's the one who's going to make the pact, duh.”

“Oh, my saint” Carlos sighed, repeating the sign “You how much of a bad idea this is, don't you?” he spoke gravely “After all, why does she want this? She's already dead!”

“It's quite a story…”

***

Alice Vellota was a young lady from a rich family, you see, her parents were rich, her grandparents were rich, her great-grandparents were rich and so on.

Alice had everything she could want, except the person she loved.

Coming from an extremely Catholic family, it is not surprising that her love for Maria Eduarda, a college friend, was a big scandal. Her parents threatened to disown her if she pursued her love, all empty threats of course. Fortunately, nothing can stop lesbians in love, not homophobic parents, not even death.

But when Maria Eduarda suddenly passed away, Alice was devastated. Her only consolation was the possibility of meeting in the afterlife. She knew Maria Eduarda would be somewhere in hell — she was a Satanist after all — she hadn't gone to heaven! But, she thought, hell is huge... how can I find her among so many people? So, she decided to solve this problem in the most logical way possible, selling her soul.

I'm already going to hell, at least I can ask to be close to her.

The plan was perfect. She home alone and everything was set, she just had to sing the chants and…

A window broke next to her and figures started to circulate around the apartment with loud wailing sounds. It was just the neighborhood kids playing football, but the scare was too much for Alice, she had a heart attack, dying before even starting the ritual.

***

“So, here's the problem. She's supposed to be in heaven now. “Kethelyn explained “technically she didn't make any pact, but the desire to join her girlfriend keeps her on this plane.”

“Why didn't you try… I don't know” Carlos shrugged “convincing her not to go to hell?”

“I tried, believe me.” Kethelyn's eyes were dead-serious “she's as stubborn as a mule.”

“Oh my saint, give me strength…”

“If everything is ready, let's begin.” The necromancer looked at Alice's ghost and signaled her to come “Get in loser, we’re summoning the devil.”

Suddenly, the coastal breeze refreshing the dawn stopped, the candle flames flickered without wind, Kethelyn bent over her stomach, the lights from the nearby street lights went mad. Carlos looked apprehensive when suddenly everything just… stopped.

The breeze, candles and the street lights returned to normal, only Kethelyn remained in the same position.

“Kethelyn? Are you okay?” Carlos asked worriedly. He was about to touch her on the shoulder when she straightened herself on a whim, her curly hair covering half her face, a smile weirdly wide creeping through her face.

“Boo” the ghost mocked him in the deep voice of the possessed, “still afraid, scaredy cat?”

Kethelyn saw everything in third perspective, she saw her mocking smile and Carlos' pale face. It was a funny feeling floating around, was that how her customers felt all the time?

She wanted to tell them both to start straight away, but she had difficulty vocalizing her thoughts, she didn't have a mouth after all. How did Alice do it? In any case, she didn't need to do anything. She saw her body go to the center of the circle, Carlos raised the barrier and sat on top of an old freezer away from the circle, she — or rather — Alice started singing the memorized chants.

As electrifying as a ritual to summon the bad thing itself may seem, it's pretty boring when you're just a spectator. Kethelyn spent the next 15 minutes bored to death — hah! — she passed her time enjoying her choice of outfit for the night, a pair of pink cargo pants and a matching tight crop top — what? You have to look stylish when you're going to meet someone famous, even if it's the devil.

Suddenly, a strong smell of sulfur filled the air and an unnatural fog began to rise inside the terrace. From within the fog lights glowed like flames.

There he was.

***

Kethelyn had a lot of expectations about the devil, but she wasn’t expecting that. A white man, bald, wearing a polo shirt and the most hideous goatee. Hadn't Lucifer been the most beautiful angel in heaven? What a glow down.

Disappointing.

The Demon stood still for a while, staring. All the corporeal beings present froze. He might have an ordinary appearance, but his aura certainly matched his fame.

“…So?” The Evil One broke the silence “What do you want, mortal?”

Kethelyn saw her body swallow hard, her hands shake. Alice finally took courage and said:

“I wan…” she hesitated “I want to have a reserved place, for me Alice Vellota and my girlfriend Maria Eduarda Almeida, in hell. A place where we can be together.”

The Fallen Angel raised an eyebrow.

“I want so that the moment this soul of mine leaves this body,” Alice kept going, more confident this time “I go straight to hell and meet her.”

Sathanas began to laugh.

“In so many centuries of work” his laugh was strondous “this is the first time I've seen someone who wants to go to hell!”

He continued laughing for a few more minutes, bending over himself and slapping his knees.

“So…” Alice was distressed “you accept the deal?”

“Ah, that, err…” Old Harry wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “No.”

“Why?!”

“Sweetheart, do you think I'm stupid?” He said in a fake-offended voice. “I know that the soul inside this body died a long time ago.”

He laughed mockingly.

“I am the devil” he stretched the last word as if he was RuPaul “having the courage to lie in the face of the father of lies?” he clapped his hands sarcastically “You’re a real one, baby.”

Kethelyn could see her shaking, Alice must have been desperate.

“To tell you the truth,” The enemy continued, looking at Alice again “your soul is worthless to me. But hers…” Kethelyn didn't have a body at the moment, but she felt her soul shiver the moment Satan made eye contact with her, grinning. “Oh, her soul is very precious”

Why did she think he wouldn't be able to see her? He was the devil!

Carlos, who was just watching, felt chills when he saw The Old One pointing into thin air, he did not need to see her to know.

The devil wanted Kethelyn.

***

The Serpent made Kethelyn and Alice switch places, the sale of a soul should not be done by third parties, and Old Nick was more than willing to buy Kethelyn's.

“Not gonna happen.” Kethelyn denied the moment she got her body back.

“Come on, dear” insisted the prince of darkness with the warm gentleness of a salesman. “There must be something you want, do you want me to help you summon more souls for your studies? I can make all the sinners in hell available to you! You want money? Fame? I can do it in the blink of an eye! I have great references, artists loved me in the 90’s. Just tell me your price.”

“Can you help me get my degree while keeping my mental health?

“Unfortunately, reality-bending miracles are my father’s department.”

“Then no,” Kethelyn was determined “I know what you want me for. I will not send innocent souls to your domain. I may work with spirits, but I still have decency.”

Beelzebub took a deep breath.

“Well, I wasn't called here for nothing.” His facade fell, the warm voice gave way to a cold, cruel tone. “Either you give up your soul, and stay alive for another nine years... or you both come with me to hell, now.”

That was the last straw. Carlos ran through the old furniture and Nick Nacks squashed on the terrace to get the holy water and his other emergency supplies. If he had to fight the devil, so be it, but he wouldn't let him take her friend.

However, before he could invade the barrier, Carlos heard a yelp:

“Wait!”

It was Kethelyn.

“Lucifer Morningstar, I challenge you to a duel!”

Carlos wanted to tear out his own eyes, Lucifer grinned.

“And what are your terms, mortal?”

“If I win, you leave me alone and fulfill Alice's wish.”

“What if you lose?”

“...You can have my soul, as long as you fulfill her wish anyway.” She looked in the direction of Alice's ghost. “I know that fulfilling her wish is no big deal for you.”

From outside the barrier, Carlos was jumping, shaking his head, making an ‘’x’ with his arms, and mouthing ‘nooooooo’'. Kethelyn might be crazy, but she wasn’t suicidal, was she?

Was she?!

Lucifer pretended to think really hard.

“Okay, I accept your terms.” he smiled “And what do you challenge me to, little girl?”

Kethelyn smirked.

“Uno.”

Carlos was banging his head on the support pole of the terrace, and Alice — if she had eyes — would have them wide open in shock. They both thought the same thing:

She wants to kill herself!

***

“I'm sorry I didn't notice you before, Carlinhos!” Lucifer patted an inconsolable Carlos on the back.

The barrier had been broken, but Lucifer could not and did not want to attack any of them until the end of the challenge.

“It’s okay, Mr. Capiroto… it’s okay” Carlos repeated defeatedly. The two had met before, college projects can take you to unusual places, huh?

“So” Lucifer looked at Kethelyn “how does this… uno thing work?”

Kethelyn and Carlos looked at each other.

If the devil doesn't know how to play uno... they have a chance!

Carlos' eyes shone. Kethelyn looked at him smugly as if she had predicted this from the beginning — although it wasn't the case.

The humans took turns explaining to the prince of hell the rules of the esteemed — and supposedly — human card game, even Alice tried to help, mentioning observations and details the couple missed.

***

The clock was already striking at 3 am when the game actually started. Carlos raised another barrier for the participants. This particular barrier prevented either of them from cheating, a necessary measure for those playing with the devil.

The house rules say that the deck must be shuffled facing away from the players by someone who is not participating. As the only corporeal being left, Carlos had to take the dealer's role.

Kethelyn and Lucifer sat at the table found by Carlos somewhere in the mess. They both held their 7 cards from the uno deck, the starting card was in the center of the table, draw deck on the side. Carlos took a coin out of his pocket to decide who would start; Heads to Lucifer, Tails to Kethelyn.

The coin was tossed. Seconds of tension dragged on like hours. The coin fell into Carlos' hand. He opened his palm:

Heads.

***

It begins, Kethelyn's cards had nothing special, just a +2 red card as a special card and a predominance of reds, leaving with only one card for each other color.

The initial card, taken from the draw deck, was a green 3.

Lucifer started his attack, immediately launching a +2 green card. Kethelyn was unfazed, launching her red +2 card, doubling the attack and reversing the damage. Kethelyn, however, did not expect Lucifer to have a trick up his sleeve, as he placed another card in the pile.

+4.

Kethelyn had no way to counterattack this time, the medium let out a frustrated sigh as she picked up her eight cards: three red, three green, one blue and a special card, a red reverse.

“Color?” asked the medium.

“Yellow.”

Kethelyn nodded and threw three cards of number 7 into the pile, the bottom one yellow, the top one red.

Lucifer had no choice but to draw and place the same color.

Kethelyn places her red reverse card — drawn from the batch she just took — and then two number 4 cards, red and green.

Lucifer draws again and soon passes.

Neither red nor green cards… maybe the advantage is coming back to me. Kethelyn thought.

Kethelyn places her card again, this time two cards numbered 0, green and red, respectively. But the card Lucifer had just drawn was also red, so he places it in the pile combined with another card, changing the game's color to blue.

The game continues with blue cards until the devil places a card numbered 2, where Kethelyn manages to change the game's color to red again. Lucifer draws, and passes. But just one round later, he uses the same trick on Kethelyn, this time changing the color to green, Kethelyn places a card, Lucifer draws and places.

It's number 1, green.

Kethelyn ponders, she has three cards at the moment, the numbers 1 and 6 in red and the number 9 in green. She could try to change the color to red, she knows that her opponent doesn't have any red cards, but it would certainly inconvenience her later. She knows that Lucifer doesn't have any green cards either, and getting rid of the green card would avoid inconvenience, so that was the most obvious option, right?

Kethelyn wasted no time, playing card 9.

Lucifer smiled demonically.

— Uno! — he exclaimed, throwing the yellow card 9 on the table.

Kethelyn wanted to bang her head on the table, how had she not realized he only had two cards? What will she do now? She doesn't have another 9 card and much less yellow cards, she doesn't know the number or color of the last card, if it isn't a special card! She can't lose this game.

I can’t… I can’t…

The necromancer's hands shook as she tried to pull the next card from the deck, so much that the entire deck slid off the table.

Carlos approached it with an intense look, he looked Kethelyn in the eyes, silently asking her to trust him. Kethelyn didn't understand, but trust she did.

Carlos picked up the cards from the floor and explained that he would have to shuffle everything again.

Wait, will he…?

The game of Uno that Kethelyn lost last time was changed after Carlos shuffled the game, he knew many card tricks, including how to manipulate a deck without looking suspicious, and would never hesitate to cheat his way to uno.

But how? The barrier would prevent…

Kethelyn realized.

Carlos was outside the barrier.

The barrier unables Kethelyn and Lucifer to cheat, but that didn't count the Croupier.

When Carlos put the deck back, Kethelyn's hands were stable, she pulled out the top card...

A +4.

Kethelyn almost cried with joy as she threw the card on the table.

Lucifer drew his cards resignedly and asked the color:

“Red.” Kethelyn felt triumphant.

Lucifer played his card and Kethelyn followed without any problems, this time she was the one shouting Uno.

She placed the red 6 card. The only card left in her hand was the red number 1.

But instead of passing, the devil placed a new card on the pile.

A yellow 6.

Kethelyn felt a growing despair. She still had a chance, but it was frustrating. She was so close…

The human pulled a card from the deck and almost cried with joy for the second time that day.

It was number 1 in yellow.

Kethelyn could hardly believe her luck.

“I won!” Kethelyn announced, throwing the letter into the pile and standing up. “I won!”

Lucifer sighed mockingly.

“It seems so” he replied, and added, narrowing his eyes “this time.”

Lucifer stood up, assuming a relaxed posture as he looked in Alice's direction.

“Are you coming or not?”

The spirit looked dazed, her form flickering like candlelight.

“Already?”

“Isn't that what you wanted? No going back now.”

“Yes, yes” Alice alternated her gaze between Lucifer and Kethelyn “I just need to do one thing first, quick.”

“You know you can't run away, right?”

“I know!” She yelled before disappearing.

Lucifer looked at Kethelyn and Carlos.

“Don't think it's over yet, kids.” He gave another devilish smile. “I have as many tricks up my sleeve as you.”

Alice returned before the humans could respond.

“Let's go!” she exclaimed.

“Yes, let's go.”

Lucifer looked at the couple one last time, and pointed his two fingers first at himself, then at them in an “I'm watching you” sign, and disappeared into the darkness.

Before Kethelyn could open her mouth, a notification.

Bank: your pix has been received! Vellota ltd. sent you R$5,000.

Carlos looked at the cellphone screen clearly impressed.

“You know,” he broke the silence. “I kind of saved your life just now, so, I don't know... you could buy me a burger? As a thank you.”

Kethelyn smirked.

“Yeah, I guess we're even now, huh? I don’t know if there’s a burger place open at this hour, how about an açaí?

“Deal.”

They laughed.

Kethelyn wouldn't have to worry about rent for a long time.

[blocksruinedme]

Hermicraft/Empires Rift Lore, Oct 9-17

tl;dr: Grian pushed a mysterious button in front of his weird rift that was likely(?) put there by an AU version of his robot son from a previous season, and now emperors are throwing foxes, eggs, and a tiny Jimmy onto Hermitcraft, watch the Hermitcraft charity livestream on sunday october 23 because it would be bizarre if emperors aren't going to the charity games. (Joel, don't kill the horses!)

Want more evidence? Here's video, then text.

People

Gem is in both Hermitcraft and Empires and I’ve seen no suggestion something is weird

False is in both HC & Empires, and her Empires character woke up there with no memory and *lore* and *stuff* is going on for real

Pearl is in Hermitcraft and was in Empires season 1, there’s all this lore, there’s cathedrals she’s a saint, she’s a goddess, she lives above afterlife smp in her HC s8 megabase and sent Oli from Afterlife to Empires to be a youtuber isekai protagonist? idk there’s a lot.

Sausage is having flashbacks to previous lives and is very entangled with Pearl, who was a close friend in empires s1 and now he worships her i guess

Recent events

Grian has a strange rift in his base - it’s like purple glass but not an actual portal. 

He also has Grumbot Prime, a version of his and Mumbo Jumbo’s abandoned political strategist super computer son Grumbot, who (canonically!) comes from an AU where Mumbo won the mayoral election in season 7. He sometimes says creepy things like “My Grian was sorry too.” 

These clips!

Oct 9: Grian finds a button in front of the rift that says “Begin?”. Grumbot tells him to push it via… don’t worry about it, he just does. Grian thinks someone else made grumbot say it. Grian tries to not push the button. He pushes the button.

Oct 11: Lizzie finds a new weird rift on Empires and sends Gary, a Fox-skinned-villager, to investigate.

Oct 12: Pixlriffs throws some eggs at the rift, and hears phantom clucking.

Oct 12: Joey finds the rift and leaves.

Oct 13: Fwhip finds the rift, hears a faint explosion, and leaves. He later returns with Lizzie to send his own explorer Sniff, Explorer of the Deep, in after Gary.

Oct 13: Joel tosses a Jimmy toy through the rift because there’s literally nothing else he could do, The Lore Commands It.

Oct 15: Scott thinks he hears a skeleton, then finds and rejects the rift.  

[Note: as emperors visit the rift it is getting louder and eerier]

Oct 15: Back on Hermitcraft, False goes to talk to Grumbot, finds the rift is now an actual nether portal, starts freaking out. She gets a zap when she goes too close, and then flies away, saying she’s done with grumbot, he’s been doing his own experiments, he’s obviously lt no better than the other one, have to keep an eye on him, doesn’t he know what happened last time. WHAT????? I haven’t watched a lot of s7 but I asked around and that doesn’t seem to line up with anything that happened in this timeline!!!! Where are you from, where is e!False from, what??

Oct 16: e!Gem visits the rift and leaves

Oct 16: Oli is going to have a festival, on the bridge right next to the rift, in one week, which happens to be the date of the Hermicraft charity stream that is going to have non-hermit special guests! What a random coincidence! While on the bridge, Sausage thinks he hears arrows, and goes to the rift, which is very loud. He pokes around and says “Santa Perla, what is this?”, throws a sunflower at the rift (sunflowers are e!Pearl’s motif), blacks out, comes to in the water in front of the empires rift, and goes home.  

Oct 17: Back around to Grian again! He is aware that his rift is now a nether portal and annoyed about spawns. He tries to go through and minecraft crashes, ha ha buggy portal super regular. There is a fox just hanging around in his base in the background, he never comments. There’s also a floating feather and a pig. Did Lizzie and fWhip’s explorers turn into a regular fox and a regular pig in vanilla hermitcraft? Did the fox then eat Pix’s chickens? WHERE’S JIMMY. 

Then Grian shoots some fricking TNT through the portal, because why not. This is presumably what fWhip heard. Scott thought he heard skeletons and Sausage thought he heard arrows SO we’ll see I guess!!! 

I'm really new in town, but I'm really digging this fandom and finding other people pouring over screenshots and such, I could never have done this in a vacuum!

[confusion-doodle]

obsessed with, dimension hopping, high tech archeologst, pix going to each empire and explaining his hologram skulk sensing tech in a way each empire can handle, magical eyes, magical glasses, magical music, godly gifts, so they are comfortable with his high tech in their medival fantasy land

[inaris-mage-of-storms]

(Content warning for swearing, blood, injury, and violence.)

Jimmy wasn't at the meeting.

Scott cast a worried glance around the gathered circle and up the road, hoping maybe he had just overlooked him, or that he was running late. Empty seats weren't unusual. The group meetings almost never had full attendance, especially these days. But Jimmy had never missed a single one since the very first time Pix had invited him, not without providing a solid reason in advance.

"Has anyone heard from the sheriff?" asked Scott. Head-shakes and dismissive shoulder shrugs were his only answer.

"Maybe he finally realized he doesn't belong here." There was a cruel smirk on Sausage's lips, and Scott shuddered at the feeling of wrong wrong he's all wrong something isn't right this isn't him that crawled up his back every time he looked at Sausage lately.

Shelby's laugh was harsh. A tendril of sculk curled against her hair like the tail of a velvet ribbon. "Maybe we'll have a peaceful, quiet afternoon for once."

"It is nice not having to listen to him screaming baseless accusations and getting mad at every little joke," said Lizzie. "I'm surprised he showed up as long as he did, to be honest."

"He's still one of us," snapped Scott. "Regardless of whatever disputes - "

"Is he, though?" asked Fwhip, curling his tail thoughtfully. "Does he really belong in a gathering of kings and princesses and gods?"

"Do you?" spoke up False in a quiet voice, and Scott shot her a grateful look. "Do half of us fit into this little consortium, if that's the criteria?"

"The criteria is power," said Fwhip. "Leadership. Someone who's been trusted to look after the people who gather around them. Jimmy doesn't have leadership qualities, he has an inferiority complex and a child's temper!"

"He has been a little out of control lately," said Gem.

"All right, that's enough," said Pix, stepping forward and holding up a hand. "Whether or not Jimmy belongs here is not on the agenda for today. Has anyone heard from him recently?" No one answered, and Pix sighed. "Very well. Joel, Joey, Oli, and Katherine have all sent their apologies in advance for being unable to be here today. Now, the first order of business is…"

Scott barely listened as the meeting progressed. It took all of his self-control to stay in his seat, between his concern for Jimmy and his urge to get away from the creepy magic that emanated from Sausage and Shelby. Armor now, escape plan later, he reminded himself every time he caught himself eyeing the exits for too long. Focus. Don't show your vulnerability. That was an especially important reminder right now, he thought, given the way Sausage looked directly at him every time he teetered on the edge of bolting.

When the meeting concluded Fwhip stepped toward Scott, clearly intent on speaking with him. Scott met his eyes, then very deliberately turned his back on him and strode away. He checked the straps on his wings before unfurling them, and after a brief glance to check for any wear or damages he headed straight for Tumble Town.

Scott hadn't been to the mesa for some time, and while he had heard rumors of the dwindling population, he was unprepared for the sight that greeted him. Tumble Town was eerily quiet, and as Scott glided down from the sky he realized why: it was empty. Not a single building showed any signs of life. No one peered out any windows or walked the streets. Houses and storefronts were shuttered, and crop fields were overrun with weeds.

He landed next to the sheriff's office and had one foot on the porch when the sound of shattering glass from the saloon broke the silence. He jumped and spun around as the sound repeated, and as he hurried over he could see Jimmy through one of the broken windows. The empty bottle that had sailed through it lay broken on the ground, and a wooden chair followed, knocking more glass out of the frame and splintering when it landed.

Scott pushed open the swinging doors just as Jimmy turned and scowled at the tall liquor cabinet against the wall. The sheriff studied his reflection in the glass door, chest heaving, and for a moment Scott thought maybe Jimmy had calmed down. He opened his mouth to speak, but before Jimmy's name could cross his lips, Jimmy screamed in rage and sent his fist through the face that stared back at him.

Whiskey and blood dripped onto the floor, and Jimmy let his hand fall to his side, staring dumbly at the overturned bottles inside the wrecked cabinet. Scott stood frozen in place, taken aback by the outburst.

"Jimmy?" he called out hesitantly, unsure of what he should do.

"Hm? Oh, hello, Scott." Jimmy's voice was far too calm and steady. It frightened him. "If you've come for business, I'm afraid we won't be able to conduct any today. All of our resources are a little, er, behind on production." He laughed, as if at some private joke. "Unless you're here for terracotta. Take it, however much you need, from wherever you want. Might as well."

Scott stepped a little closer, keeping his movements slow and easy to read. "I came to see if you were okay. You weren't at the meeting today." He spoke softly, as if he were trying to approach a wounded animal. He was, he supposed. Jimmy made no indication he was aware of the lacerations on his hand and arm, but it had to be stinging.

Jimmy turned to look at him, and Scott paused his approach as something dark flickered across the sheriff's face. "The meeting?" He tilted his head. "Oh. Right. I won't be attending those anymore."

"Why not?" He had a small first-aid kit tucked in his bag somewhere, he was sure. He moved a hand down slowly, feeling around for it. Jimmy paid him no mind, his eyes still on Scott's face but not really looking at him.

"Don't have a reason to." If Scott were to only go by Jimmy's voice, he wouldn't have thought anything was wrong. It didn't match the disheveled sight before him. "It's a gathering of regional leaders. The only thing I have left to lead is sand and tumbleweed."

"You're still one of us," said Scott. "You're still our friend."

Jimmy laughed.

He threw his head back and laughed as if Scott had told him the funniest joke he'd heard in his life. He laughed until he had tears in his eyes, and he wiped them away with his uninjured hand. Scott's eyes traveled over Jimmy's chest. His shirt hung open, a different injury on display. The gash across his chest was mostly healed, but the edges were still red and angry. Scott's own anger stirred at the sight, and part of him wished he'd confronted Gem about it at the meeting.

Jimmy's peals of laughter died down into chuckles. "What a sweet thing to say," he said when he calmed down. "And what a load of shit." He stepped forward, glass crunching under his boots. His smile was terse and venomous, and if it were anyone else approaching him like that Scott might have turned and fled. Jimmy came to a stop in front of him and leaned in. There were bags under his eyes and dirt smeared across his cheek. The hair under his hat was limp and oily. Scott wondered how long it had been since he'd slept.

"Why are you really here, Scott?" The calm, almost cheerful tone he'd been speaking in finally slipped into something bitter and full of grief. "I don't have anything left to take. All the jokes have already been made a hundred times over. What more could you possibly do?"

Scott could feel his heart crumbling at the pain that radiated off Jimmy in waves. He wanted to pull him close and bundle him away from the world and everything in it that had ever hurt him. He wanted to whisper reassurances in his ear that everything would be all right. He wanted to kneel before him and beg forgiveness for his own part in Jimmy's heartache. He wanted -

It took an explosion to shatter the tension between them. The building shuddered, and Scott stumbled into Jimmy as dust rained down on them from the rafters. A second explosion sounded, and Jimmy wrapped his arms around Scott instinctively, pulling him close and covering his head.

"Oh sheriff!" Fwhip's voice was far too cheerful as it rang out across Tumble Town. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Jimmy snarled in anger and shoved Scott away from him, stomping out of the saloon. Scott followed on his heels. "Fwhip, what the fuck!" screamed Jimmy. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"There you are! Thought I'd have to do this one next to get your attention." Fwhip grinned down at them from the roof of the jail and waved a stick of dynamite at them. Lizzie sat next to him, her hand on top of one of the bundles of TNT that surrounded them. Smoke rose lazily from the remains of the bank.

Jimmy's eyes snapped from the dynamite in Fwhip's hand to the office door below, fear flickering across his features. "Norman's not in there," Scott murmured to him, and glanced behind him to confirm the glow he thought he'd seen a moment earlier. "He's in the bushes behind us."

Jimmy relaxed ever so slightly at the reassurance and glared up at Fwhip. "Well, you've got it," he spat. "What do you want?"

Fwhip hummed and tapped his chin. "You know, I didn't actually think that far ahead!" He threw the dynamite from one hand to the other before setting it aside and leaning forward to look at them better. "I assumed you'd be hiding somewhere with your tail tucked, and we'd level this place and go home."

"I'm just here for a little fun, myself," said Lizzie. "We have so much extra gunpowder lying around, and an unpopulated area is the perfect place to do a little product testing."

"It really is," agreed Fwhip. "Hi Scott! You're on the wrong side of the street, buddy. Come over here where it's safe."

"I'm exactly where I want to be," said Scott, peering up at them and using one hand to shield his eyes from the hot sun. "Why don't you go do your product testing elsewhere?"

Fwhip clicked his tongue. "I was afraid you might say that." He jumped down and sauntered over to them, and Scott stepped forward to put himself between Fwhip and Jimmy. Lizzie watched them closely, running her fingers over a flint and steel.

"I mean it when I say you're on the wrong side," continued Fwhip. "Something's coming, something big. You can feel it too, right?" He was still smiling, but Scott could see the fear and uncertainty in his eyes. "Whatever is coming for us, allies are going to be important. Friends are going to be important."

"I know," said Scott. "And we've been friends for a long time, haven't we?" Fwhip's smile softened at Scott's words, then vanished as Scott stepped away from him to stand firmly at Jimmy's side. "But I meant it too. I'm exactly where I want to be."

Fwhip laughed, dumbfounded. "You're a fool. I never took you for a fool before, Scott." He narrowed his eyes at Jimmy. "And all over this sorry excuse for a man. Amazing."

It was Jimmy's turn to step forward, placing himself in front of Scott even though he had no reason to believe Fwhip would ever hurt Scott. "Go home, Fwhip," he said tiredly. "I'm not a threat to you anymore. Just leave."

"Funny, saying you're not a threat when you've got a hand on your sword," said Fwhip, eyes moving to where Jimmy's hand clenched the hilt.

"I don't want to fight you," said Jimmy. "But I will, if that's what it takes to make you leave Tumble Town alone."

Fwhip laughed and moved back over to the jail, catching his mace as Lizzie tossed it down to him. "You wanna dance, little man?" he taunted, twirling the weapon with ease before gripping it firmly. "Let's go, then!"

Jimmy drew his sword and launched himself at Fwhip, but his movements were slower and clumsier than usual and the goblin sidestepped him easily. Jimmy cried out and dropped to his knees as the mace slammed into the back of his leg, and Scott winced at the blood and bruising visible through the fresh rips in Jimmy's jeans. Jimmy gritted his teeth and forced himself up, barely avoiding a blow to the shoulder, and whirled around to slash at Fwhip in return. His blade clashed against the head of the mace, sending a shower of sparks into the sand.

Scott caught a glimpse of movement near the ground. Norman slunk from bush to bush, and the glow that only Scott could see increased in intensity at the same time as some of the smaller wounds on Jimmy began closing up. But even with his deputy's help, Jimmy's strength was fading against the ferocity of his opponent, and new wounds were being inflicted faster than Norman could heal them.

"Norman!" yelled Scott in desperation. "Go get someone! Pix, maybe, I don't know!"

For a moment he thought Norman was going to ignore him, but when Jimmy moved out of his range again the cat let out a worried yowl before turning and darting away from the fight. Norman was fast, but Scott knew he wouldn't be back with anyone in time to stop the fight before it turned deadly. What he would need Pix's help for was the aftermath. Stopping the fight was up to him.

When Fwhip and Jimmy broke apart again, Scott drew his own sword and darted between them just in time to deflect Fwhip's swing to the side. He gritted his teeth, feeling the impact travel through the blade and up his arm. "That's enough!"

Fwhip's eyes widened and he took a step back, lowering his weapon. "Scott, what are you doing?" he cried out. "I could have hurt you!"

Scott pointed his sword directly at Fwhip. Behind him, Jimmy gasped for air. The smell of blood overwhelmed the smell of hot sand and gunpowder that permeated the town, and Scott resisted the urge to turn and tend to Jimmy's wounds right then and there. Fwhip stared at him from the other end of his blade.

Scott took a deep breath and fixed Fwhip with a steady gaze. "All alliances, treaties, trade deals, and other agreements between Chromia and Gobland are canceled effective immediately," he said sharply. "Likewise for Animalia."

"You're making a mistake, Scott," called Lizzie.

"You're not – you're not serious, are you?" said Fwhip. "Tell me you're joking." Scott didn't move, and Fwhip laughed in disbelief. "Scott, I'm your friend. Your oldest friend. Your first alliance."

"You are," said Scott softly. "And I've been grateful for your companionship, Fwhip. You've been a brother to me for many years."

"Then stop this nonsense," Fwhip pleaded, pinning his ears back. He let his mace drop to the ground and put his hands up in surrender. "Look, I'm done. I've made my point. Why don't you come to Gobland and we can talk about this?"

Scott looked at him sadly, but his mind was made up, and he continued his official declaration. "Sheriff Jimmy of Tumble Town is under my personal protection as the King of Chromia," he said. "From this moment on, any further hostilities against him, his citizens, or his territory will be taken as an act of war against Chromia."

"Don't," said Fwhip. "Please. Don't choose him over me."

Scott pressed the tip of his sword against Fwhip's throat. "Any hostility against Jimmy will be taken as an act of war against me," he repeated. "And Chromia will respond accordingly."

Fwhip's shoulders sagged, and Scott lowered his sword. "Has it really come to this?" asked Fwhip.

"It has," said Scott. "And I'm sorry it has. But you've made your choice, and I've made mine."

"So you have," said Fwhip quietly. "Goodbye, Scott."

Scott watched Fwhip and Lizzie depart, then sheathed his sword and turned to see Jimmy leaning heavily against the nearest fence, face pale and eyes unfocused. Scott sucked in a sharp breath at the injuries that littered his body. His first-aid kit would be useless. He was going to need proper supplies, and potions, and -

"You shouldn't have done that," said Jimmy unsteadily.

Scott furrowed his brow. "Of course I should have," he said. "I think he might have really killed you if I didn't step in." Oh gods. Fwhip might have actually killed him, he realized, a cold shiver running down his spine at the thought. All it would have taken was one missed parry, one inopportune blow to Jimmy's head or torso, and he could have been -

"Yeah. Might have." Jimmy shrugged, then winced at the movement. "Doesn't matter. I meant your alliance. You just burned two bridges for nothing."

"I didn't burn them for nothing," said Scott. "I burned them for you."

Jimmy managed a broken smile. "Yeah. Like I said. For nothing." He looked at the empty houses around them. "Don't you see? It's all gone. Everything is gone. All the people I swore to protect have either moved on or been buried under the damned clay." He kicked the toe of his boot against a swath of exposed terracotta. The movement threw him off balance, and he gripped the fence until his knuckles turned white. "I failed, Scott. I failed!" There were no tears in his eyes, but the haunted and hollow look he gave Scott was far worse. "I failed," he repeated dully. "I'm alone."

Scott stepped toward him and carefully, cautiously, cradled Jimmy's face in his hands. "You aren't alone," he said firmly, and swiped his thumb over a drop of blood on Jimmy's cheek. He meant to wipe it away, but it only smeared. "I'm right here, Jimmy. And I will die before I ever walk away from you again."

Jimmy stared at him with wide eyes, processing his words. "You know, I almost think you might mean that," he said slowly.

"I do," said Scott. "I've never meant anything more in my life. You are not alone."

"Oh," was all Jimmy managed to say. He pulled away from Scott's hold, lifting a hand to run it through his hair, then stopped and stared at the lacerations that had re-opened during the fight as if only just realizing he was injured at all. "Huh." He looked down at himself. "That's...quite a lot of blood, actually," he said weakly. "Scott, can you do me a favor?"

"Anything," said Scott.

Jimmy ran his fingers over his swollen arm and winced. "Can you feed Norman tonight? He gets rather upset if he has to fend for himself too many days in a row, and I have a feeling I'm going to be out of commission for a while."

Scott almost laughed at the absurdity of Norman's dinner being Jimmy's biggest concern at the moment. "Sure. I'll make sure he's taken care of."

Jimmy smiled. "Great. Appreciate it." His knees buckled and his eyes fluttered shut, and he crumpled forward into Scott's arms as he passed out.

Prev | series masterpost | Next

[nightraiderwrites]

We call it home, temporary as it may be.

The Plains Roommates have a simple home, within walls that sit next to the flower valley. Though unintentional, they had formed a group shortly after the deaths of three of their companions.

The walls that surround their home are tall, made of stone. Traps, redstone and not, fill the space between the wall. Built by Tango and False as safety measures, they keep the Roommates safe.

The house itself is three stories tall, built with wood and stone. The hands that built it carved little details into the rock, small inscriptions and eagles and flowers and bees.

When you walk in, there is a large dining table, right in the middle of the ground floor. What it has on top will vary depending who's in the house.

False always has some clockwork project, hands moving on muscle memory. Little copper gears litter her side of the table, and a half finished clock sits on her chair.

Tango likes sitting there in the mornings, chatting with the rest about their plans for the day. He sits to right of False, and Gem on his right. Pearl sits on False's left. Pix sits wherever there's room on the rare mornings he wakes up at the same time as them.

The mornings are quiet. The others will sit and help False practice writing, or letters, or reading. Pearl will have a cup of coffee, but never finishes it, leaving it for the night. The dishes in the sink are always clean.

Pix starts a book to help with the reading issue, and Tango and Gem and Pearl all fill it wit stories from their world. False makes her way through it slowly, sitting with them in the evenings to haltingly read words that swim before her eyes.

Downstairs, Tango has his bedroom. It's a little cold, but he makes it so he has room for his things. His bed is in the corner, barely used, and his cloak hangs on the wall.

Upstairs, the others have their bedrooms. While False sleeps in the rafters, Pearl's room is decorated neatly, little carvings and painting littering the surfaces. Her shovel has a special place, and the red cloak hangs behind the door.

Gem's room is a little more bare, the roof made of glass so she can bask in the Sun's rays whenever she is in there. Her shelves have whatever she feels like.

Pix's room is, inexplicably, full of books. Wall to wall, there are bookshelves upon bookshelves full of books and archeology tools. He's taken to writing and documenting things every night, hoping he isn't the one to be killed.

All of this, together, is what they call home, even if it will only last for a little bit.

-

Cleo comes, bodies dead behind them in the snow, to burn every base to the ground.

When she comes into the Plainers' house, there are four things that burn:

1. The Christmas tree Pix had bought in after Lizzie had died, as a way to try and cheer them up.

2. An origami eagle in the rafters, a gift from god.

3. Handwriting sheets, completed in shaky handwriting, tucked in a book filled with passages in four different styles. It's sat next to a cup of half finished coffee. A recipe book for soup is in the same pile.

4. An almost finished clock, sitting next to a communicator with an unlistened to voice message.

□

Haha, hi there! This is based on a game of mafia my friends and I played.

[dollfaced-erin]

𝔻𝕣𝕒𝕘𝕠𝕟'𝕤 ℂ𝕣𝕒𝕕𝕝𝕖 (Blade x F!Reader x Jing Yuan)

PART 7

PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4 , PART 5 , PART 6

Taglist : -

@rebeccawinters , @nayukiyukihira , @pix-stuff , @fluffy-koalala , @swivy123 , @starxao , @kaoyamamegami , @kimura-uzuri , @rsvye , @seikouryuu , @just-here-reading , @matsulovesyou, @sincerely-aaronette , @prettyliliy, @chibiduck

To anon who posted about reader being injured from battle, i'm sorry but you'll have to wait a little longer until i find out what the heck is going on with my tumblr.

Authour's note :

And i'm really sorry for being gone for quite a long time. I was feeling under the weather and i had a lot of things on my plate recently ! But now that i'm okay now, i'm bringing you a new chapter !! I MEAN, HAVE YALL SEEN THE NEW KAFKA COMPANION QUEST ?!?!? ITS SO GOOD AND I ONLY SAW SNIPPETS OF IT HELPPPPP (Obviously there will be a chapter dedicated to the companion mission hheheheheh)

"You are a star that fled home, aren't you...? An outworlder, some would say." a tender feminine voice voiced out.

A masculine hum resounded from behind the female. "Yes. That's right." he said, his coarse and calloused hands caressing her beautiful soft hair with a resin comb in his hands.

"Do you suppose I would've had a different name should I be born in your homeland ?" the innocent female voice asked back, the horned lady turned around to meet tender red eyes.

"I suppose that may be the case. But why change your name ? Dan Jia is a perfectly beautiful name." the male asked back, his hands stopping from running them through those beautiful locks.

"But I suppose...if you want another name, your name would be..."

"(Y/n)..." the tender voice whispered.

And everything warped from her eyes, as if someone had wiped away the drawing of a beautiful scenery before her. And in its place, was a storming day, where left and right was surrounded by lifeless bodies of knights and Mara-struck soldiers.

She ran and ran and ran, gripping a crystal fan tight in her hold. (Y/n) didn't know where she was headed. Her heart was thumping, her head was pounding, but she never stopped running.

She just followed her heart, letting it bring her to wherever she was heading in this dream. It seems that she knew she was supposed to run somewhere, but where...?

No matter...keep running.

And in the distance, was a puff of smoke. It was puffing up in the sky, contaminating the air with its burnt smell, accompanied by the musty smell of rain.

The rain was hindering her sight, but she kept pushing on.

Snippets of pictures came to her mind. Everything was just...happening too fast. She barely remembered anything. It was...so blurry. But she could feel everything.

A body of a man lied lifeless on the ground, being held by another man tenderly in his arms, his back facing her.

Even her current self knew who that was, lying in the embrace of the Imbibator Lunae.

The dragon's fangs bared in her heart the moment she saw the limp body of the one she loved. The one she was about to tie herself to. The one she promised that no matter what, they would be together, for as long as his short life promised them.

The claws dug into her heart, as it teared at her inside out with fury and pain. She had never felt such powerful emotion running through her veins. She had never been this overwhelmed.

She remembered she saw herself swinging her fan. With fury running through her veins, she kept attacking, enemies were being frozen, then broken to the ground like broken glass and sharp icicles.

She couldn't remember much after that. And before long, she was holding the body of her fallen beloved in her arms. And as she still felt the pain in her lower back, it was nothing compared to the searing rage that was bubbling from her chest as it formed tears in her eyes.

"The elixir....it failed, sister." the Imbibator Lunae woefully whispered out. And despite the heavy rain that showered, his voice was as clear as day.

Memories resurfaced in her mind. Dan Jia was looking through the archives with the fallen, and stumbled across a scroll. A scroll of forbidden knowledge. That scroll had indeed gone missing a few days later, and she was heavily penalized for it.

And it all made sense to her.

They had taken it, now knowing its position when the young lady had accidentally pulled it.

"Please Dan Feng ! You must do it. We cant leave him to die ! Not like this ! Please, take my bone marrow !" a familiar female voice sobbed, holding the body close to herself.

"We cant leave him to die. Not when it was our fault to begin with !"

Right. They were both held accountable for what has transpired. This all happened because she showed her lover where it was, although he was forbidden from ever stepping into the archives.

She should've protected the scroll with her life should she known what were the two planning to do today.

The guilt of Dan Jia was so strong, even (Y/n) could feel it, herself crumbling to her knees and sobbing at the memory.

"I..." he whispered. He looked sorrowfully at the body of the man before them, growing lifeless as they spoke. Then he nodded.

"I understand. For you, I shall endure all punishments." Dan Feng replied, daring not to look at his sister who was weeping over the loss of her lover. For it was partially his fault for lending the man two hours to scour through the archives, to search for the remedy of death.

"Please...when I reincarnate, give me this jade pendant. It shall remind me of who I was and who to find..." she said, taking off a single jade pendant from her belt, and handing it to him.

Her memory began to blur even more, static filling her ears, and it was as if she was looking at an old screen...

Dan Feng took the pendant from her. And all she remembered then...was the teal eyes of her brother, the smell of the rain, the grey skies...

And the burning pain that ripped through her back without warning.

And the searing sensation that tore through her chest.

Her body fell, eyes beginning to blur even more.

Dan Feng stood above her, those teal eyes...colder than the ice she could ever dream of conjuring. And in his hand...was a chunk of white bone and a beating heart.

Though she had no power left, no energy left, no will left...

Those sweet words from her brother...wasn't meant for her. But for the lover that rest in between them.

(Y/n) screamed as loudly as she could, though nothing came from her lips.

"(Y/n) !"

(Y/n)'s eyes snapped open, her heart beating like crazy. Her forehead was sweating as her chest heaved up and down.

Warm and concerned honey colored eyes gazed into her own, worry swimming in them as the bearer leaned over her laying body, hands holding her down by her shoulders. Then one of the hands moved and cupped her cheek, taking in how cold she was at the moment.

"J-Jing Yuan..."

"Are you alright...?" the lion quickly interrupted, as he slowly pulled (Y/n)'s hand, letting her sit upright, trying to let her get more oxygen to calm down.

(Y/n)'s head was swimming with horror and realization. What she had just witnessed...was too vivid to be a dream. Too familiar to be a gore fantasia.

Those were her memories. Memories of her past. Before she called herself (Y/n).

"You were screaming in your sleep. I tried to wake you up, and you finally opened your eyes, (Y/n)..." Jing Yuan softly whispered, his hand holding her dainty own as another hand rubbed her back.

"(Y/n)..." the warm voice of her memories called out before the nightmare begun. That deep voice. The voice of the beloved swordsmith.

Her eyes filled themselves with uncontrollable tears, biting down her lip as she relived those horrible...horrible memories.

The man in the alley...and her beloved in her dreams...

Were the same person, had she not realized sooner.

Was that why she had a strong sense of longing...?

(Y/n) bent down, putting her face in her hands as she began to sob. Everything was beginning to feel too much for her. Everything was coming back too fast to her, and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

Jing Yuan was a little surprised at her sudden breakdown. But who was he to complain...? Who was he to say anything when he didn't understand what was going on ? He could only rub her back soothingly as he put his lips close to her ear.

"(Y/n)...what happened...? What did you see...?" he spoke, as (Y/n) nodded, wiping away her tears.

"I saw...everything. Snippets of my past...my death..." (Y/n) said, looking up at Jing Yuan.

"It hurts...it hurts so much...how could...how could he pull out my heart ?"

Her back hurt, but her chest even more. It was as if what she had just seen in her dreams, had just relived that moment.

"(Y/n)...princess..." Jing Yuan softly said, as (Y/n) looked at him with those pained and traumatized (e/c) eyes. With only that description, he knew exactly what she saw.

He raised a hand, and caressed her silky (h/c) hair. He was conflicted, unknowing what to do in this situation, for what he had hoped to avoid for the most came back to her in times where she wasn't ready.

"I...I thought I was punished...?" (Y/n) asked, her hoarse voice scratching through her throat as she talked. Jing Yuan moved his hand to cup her cheek, wiping away those broken crystal tears that ran down (Y/n)'s face without her controlling them.

Jing Yuan didn't know how to explain this. But he thought that it was only right she knew bits and bits of herself. When the time was right, he was sure that he would tell her everything. But now...? The dragon girl before him was bawling her eyes out, having seeing horrific things, feeling them.

"Your punishment...was your unlimited sleep and losing your privilege as a former High Elder for losing the heart. You were gravelly injured when I found you. Even after we returned you to the shell...you never woke up. It was odd, really." Jing Yuan said, his voice soft as to comfort her.

"Honestly we didn't know when you would wake up, since it seems that your power was abruptly taken away from you. Your body couldn't handle it, and you fell into a deep sleep. Even when you hatched after years of resting here, you...were still this size. Though you no longer had the injuries you once sustained, and it seemed that the egg just...healed you." Jing Yuan replied.

"That's enough for now, princess. It's all in the past now. We can talk later in the morning. Can you sleep ?" Jing Yuan kindly asked with a smile.

(Y/n) shook her head, as she gripped the sheets that covered her lower body. She looked like a little child, really. With how she was pouting, trying to recollect herself that everything that happened was just in the past.

Jing Yuan couldn't help but chuckle as he saw (Y/n) like that. He lifted his hand, and pet her hair soothingly. "I know just the thing that might help you."

The general walked down the hallways of his large estate, tenderly holding (Y/n)'s hand. He was still a little tired, and the darkness of the hallway was more than enough to rouse his sleepiness. He was called the dozing general for nothing.

Turning around a corner, he brought her to a room. And as he opened it, it was a large and spacious bedroom. It was tidy, minus the disheveled sheets, the clothes strewn across the ground, and the number of scrolls that littered one small table in the corner of the room. A glaive was set high on the wall, his personal choice of weapon for years he passed through.

It was his personal bedroom.

"Come in, princess." Jing Yuan said, comfortingly, pulling her hand in. As he shut the doors behind him, (Y/n) was standing there, admiring the deco of his room.

"A-are you sure it's alright for me to be here...? Wouldn't anyone be...suspicious...?" (Y/n) timidly asked, her hands together as she looked at her long-time friend behind her.

She regretted, as a furious blush crept up her cheeks by the sight behind her.

She had never realized this before since she was in a state of shock and trauma, but she never really took in the appearance of her friend. He was wearing a loose silk robe with a simple red belt around his waist, tied loosely with a bow by his side. Though it was beautiful, fitting his muscular form perfectly, running over his toned muscles like water, the fact that it was just a loose robe with such little security, meant that his chest was wide open for her to see.

He stood there, with a knowing smirk on his face as (Y/n) was watching him stand there in all his half-naked glory. There wasn't anything for him to hide, rather there was much for him to show. That toned six pack he usually hid behind his attire was there right open for her precious innocent eyes to feast on.

"J-Jing Yuan ! Have some decency !" (Y/n) exclaimed, facing front immediately, a hand over her eyes to cover her from the quite revealing sight she was just exposed to.

Jing Yuan merely let out a hearty laugh, as he got closer to her petite form. His large hand went to her hair, admiring the silky strands that hung from his calloused fingers with a soft gaze in his golden eyes before he leaned in to her ear.

"Not to worry, princess. You shouldn't be ashamed to see something I wasn't meaning to hide~" he purred deeply into her ear, laughing again as he saw her face grow redder by the minute, up to the point where the tips of her ears had turned red.

"No no, I didn't mean to do that." he said, walking away from his flustered companion and walked to the corner of his room, where there were clear sliding doors.

Jing Yuan opened the door, revealing the view of a beautiful and spacious oriental garden, enclosed by the other walls of the estate. It was hard to see, but with the light provided by the moonlight, she could see all the plants and pathways that were manicured and shaped to form this traditional art. Small lion statues were placed around, along with little bridges that crossed over small streams.

"Mimi~!" Jing Yuan called out from his door. (Y/n) was on the floor, seated on the matted floorings of Jing Yuan's room, admiring the garden before her. That was before her (e/c) eyes were met with shining sapphire eyes with slits.

"A...lion...?" (Y/n) asked, eyes blown wide by the majestic creature that appeared before her. Jing Yuan laughed as the beast came to the wood platform, moving aside to let her in.

The lion, of Mimi as Jing Yuan called, pranced right in, as it was a norm for her to appear in her master's room. She looked curiously at the woman who sat close to her master's feet, slowly approaching the woman in a curious way.

"Hold your hand out to her like you would a kitten, (Y/n). Don't worry, Mimi never bites." Jing Yuan said, smiling warmly at the interaction between his companion and the beautiful dragon lady.

So (Y/n) did as she was told, holding her hand out to the majestic creature. Mimi tilted her head slightly as she approached the woman that had no fear towards her, her muzzled close to the small hand. It was so small, it was smaller than Mimi's face.

Mimi took one sniff with her black nose before she pounced on the dragon lady. (Y/n) yelped loudly as the lion leapt on her, her tail whipping in the air affectionately as she pushed (Y/n) to the ground, purring like a cat.

"It seems that she likes you !" Jing Yuan said heartily, sitting on the ground next to (Y/n) who was laughing and running her hands through Mimi's majestic snow mane. Mimi loved (Y/n) so, rubbing her large face against (Y/n)'s face, like a companion that had long last seen their master.

"I brought you here to play with her, if you couldn't sleep. So, spend the night here. I'm sure no one would mind, knowing who you are." Jing Yuan said, as he stroked Mimi's back.

"Are you sure ?" (Y/n) asked, looking at Jing Yuan from the floor, her beautiful strands of (h/c) hair, disheveled on the floor, shining silver beneath the moonlight like the most precious silks. He picked up a few strands from those beautiful locks gently in his hands, leaning down to kiss them.

"I'm sure. You have nothing to worry about. When your on these grounds, you shall be safe from all harm." Jing Yuan whispered, as (Y/n) began to get distracted when Mimi demanded more attention from her by resting her entire bodyweight on (Y/n).

"I promise you, my princess. So do not worry, and play and laugh to your hearts content. Sleep so soundly and sing so cheerfully, as if you have no other care in this world."

Jing Yuan smiled as he watched his princess laugh so melodiously as she played so carefreely with his feline. He had never seen her smile so freely, so enchantingly as she bathed beneath the pale moonlight.

He would do anything to protect that smile on (Y/n)'s face.

"You look troubled, Bladie. Are you sure seeing her once is enough...?" the voice of a beautiful woman rang through the deserted docks.

The man who was previously looking at the moon turned to look at his companion, who had unexpectedly awakened from her slumber as he stayed up.

"Being able to hug her once...was more than enough for me, Kafka." Blade quietly responded, surprisingly calm even after seeing someone so closely related to his past.

"Are you alright ? No feeling of the Mara stirring up in you ?" the woman asked, as she sat next to her companion who held something in his hands in his lap as he sat crossed legged on the ground.

"Surprisingly, no. Seeing her makes me calm. Honestly, I never thought I'd be able to see her, ever again. Not after how I saw her..." he responded quietly, trailing off as he refused to say it. Then, he unfolded his fingers from their tight grasp. And there, was a pair of beautiful glass earrings.

"If its stirring up again, what are the chances of it calming down once you see her ?" Kafka asked, taking a simple guess as she glanced at her partner in crime.

"She has always been...calm. Jia. In the native language of Xianzhou, it means home." Blade said, looking down at the earrings he once made for a beloved once. He turned up, looking at the moon, the same moon he knew she was sleeping peacefully under.

"And that's what she has always been. My home."

[theconstellationprincess]

House and Home

Chapter 6: Sting

TW: Non-graphic injury description, let me know if I need to add any!

-

Pix hummed as he drank his coffee. He had taken it onto the porch, watching as the sun made is ascent over the hills surrounding their hidden house. He contemplated the events of the past few days, truly so much had happened in such a short period of time. He jumped and dropped his coffee as someone grabbed his shoulders suddenly.

"Fwhip!" Pix gasped, clutching at his heart as he turned around to face his friend. "You gave me a heart attack." Fwhip chuckled, looking at the puddle of coffee slowly absorbing into the deck and the shards of ceramic.

"Sorry," Fwhip apologised, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't mean to scare you- Well I did, but not that bad." Pix gave a fond sigh and shook his head.

"It's fine, just don't tell the others okay?" They both laughed and Pix crouched down to start collecting the remains of the coffee mug. He'd have to let Katherine know it had broken, but he would force Fwhip to come along with him for that. He hissed as his focus slipped and one of the glass shards pierced his palm, dragging down as he dropped it suddenly.

"Are you okay?" Fwhip asked, gently grabbing Pix's hand and pulling it towards his face. He wiped at the cut with his sleeve, frowning curiously at it. "It's pretty long, but it doesn't look too deep." Pix nodded, feeling light headed. He was not the biggest fan of blood, his or not. Fwhip let go of his hand and Pix stood up, staring at the cut with a frown. It didn't hurt, really, but it stung and he'd had a rough couple of days, or that was what he told himself when he found his eyes welling up with tears.

He quickly wiped at his eyes, but Fwhip caught notice, and gave him a curious look. "You alright, buddy?"

Ah. Oh. Pix inhaled shakily, shoving down the pesky small feelings that threatened to overtake his brain. Pet names, he wasn't used to hearing them so casually and they made his head go fuzzy. "Fine," Pix replied squeakily. He cleared his throat, "I'm good, Fwhip, honestly. I just need to disinfect this and get it wrapped up." Even the thought of it, having to rinse the cut and seeing the blood was enough to send his hands shaking, or was that the anxiety about Fwhip knowing his secret?

"Come on, I'll help you. It's my fault after all." Pix shot his eyes towards his friend, searching for he doesn't know what in his gaze, but there was nothing but kindness. Pix swallowed, but nodded. He tossed on a smirk, playfully complaining that of course Fwhip had to help, he had caused so much damage that honestly, he should do whatever Pix says until the end of time.

-

They made their way inside, almost no one else was awake yet so it was a short, unobstructed walk to the bathroom. Fwhip patted the counter a few times, giving a Pix a look he couldn't decipher before ducking into the cabinets under the sink to search for the first aid kit.

After a moment of hesitation, Pix jumped up onto the counter, inhaling and exhaling sharply when he accidentally looked at his hand again. It was still bleeding, but not as much. Fwhip popped back up, holding the kit. He gave Pix a small smile as he opened it up and pulled a few things out.

"I'm going to rinse it with water from the sink first, and then disinfect it, before bandaging it. Does that sound okay?" Fwhip asked gently, reaching towards his hand. Pix thrust the offending appendage towards him, breathing shakily as he nodded.

Fwhip narrated what he was doing in a soft voice, telling Pix what to expect. He murmured soft words as he disinfected it, apologising soothingly and stroking the top of Pix's hand with his thumb. Katherine had apparently expected some injuries, because there were several types of bandages with different designs. Fwhip let him pick, and praised his choice of a steampunk design, making Pix blush. He swung his legs as Fwhip taped the bandage onto his hand, and couldn't help but laugh when he pressed a gentle kiss to the bandage.

"All better," Fwhip told him with a soft smile, Pix beamed back.

"All better," He parroted, legs still swinging off the bathroom counter. Somewhere, in the back of his head, alarm bells were going off and his brain was shouting at him to stop and think and act his age, but Fwhip was offering him a hand off the counter and Pix was taking it and not letting go, even once his feet were back on the floor.

Noise sounded from the hallway outside, and the fragile sense of peace was instantly shattered. Pix released Fwhip's hand like it had burned him, and gripped his wrist with his other hand so he didn't reach back out. "Thank you, really," Pix said, trying to keep his sudden panic out of his voice, "I need to, um, write a letter. To my advisers. You know how it is," Pix laughed, a touch hysterically, and darted out of the bathroom and back to his room, leaning against the door once it had been pulled shut behind him.

His heart was pounding in his ears as he realised what had just happened. What he had done. He needed to calm down, he knew that, but it was hard when he was staring at the bandage on his hand with a cog pattern, the bandage that had been softly placed on a cut by gentle hands with soft words because he had regressed in front of Fwhip again-

There was a knock on his door, jolting him out of his thoughts. "Pix, can we talk about this?" Fwhip asked through the door, he was being quiet, which was good, but he wanted to chat, which was... less good.

Pix inhaled and exhaled slowly a few times, and wiped his face clean of tears. He opened the door, plastering on a fake smile as he allowed Fwhip to enter. He closed the door softly, and had to stop himself from immediately bursting into tears when he turned to face Fwhip and his face was so soft and welcoming and-

"Can I hug you?" Fwhip asked, and Pix was nodding before he could stop himself, and then he was being hugged and crying into Fwhip's shoulder because Fwhip knew and no one was supposed to know- and Pix really shouldn't be regressed right now because it was almost time for the morning activity Katherine had planned- "Shh, " Fwhip shushed quietly, "I can hear you thinking."

"Sorry," Pix said, wincing as his voice came out high pitched and wobbly. "Sorry," He said again, but his voice did not change. "I'm sorry I'm sorry 'm sorry-" he repeated, muffling his voice into Fwhip's shoulder. Fwhip rubbed his back, shushing his muffled apologies.

"Oh Pix, you have nothing to be sorry for," Fwhip soothed, "It's okay to be small." Pix whimpered, but stopped apologising, standing wrapped in Fwhip's arms as he slowly calmed down. Eventually, he pulled away and Fwhip let go easily, looking at him with worry.

Pix blinked at him, fiddling with the edges of his jacket. He looked towards the closet, he had brought his larger sized one along with him. He wanted it. Fwhip was looking at his expectantly, and Pix blinked. He missed what was said, but before he could panic, Fwhip asked the question again.

"Can you tell me how old you are?" Pix shrugged, holding up 1 then 2 fingers. He was small enough that he was okay with being small, a rare occurrence. "Ah, we have a baby Pix do we?" Fwhip teased gently, "Where's your blanket bud?" Fwhip asked, and Pix froze, looking at his bed which was quite evidently missing the large duvet.

"Dunno," Pix said, which was true. He didn't know where it had ended up after dropping it down the laundry chute. Fwhip gave him a look, but Pix ignored it in favour of grabbing the little box from its hiding space and pulling out his pacifier to shove in his mouth. It was instantaneous, the relief it gave him. Ignoring the lack of a blanket, Pix flopped onto his bed with a soft sigh, staring at Fwhip with slightly wet eyes until he came over and sat next to him. Fwhip rubbed his back and told him a story, something nonsensical that Pix couldn't follow but just the sound of his voice was nice.

He could see why some people liked having a caregiver.

-

They sat like that for a while, Pix falling deeper into his regression as the minutes ticked by. He felt so safe here, laying next to Fwhip, so it didn't bother him much when there was a soft knock on his door, though he did turn his face to hide in Fwhip's side when the door opened.

He listened, not really processing, as Fwhip chatted with the person. The hand on his back stilled, but quickly started when he whined quietly. Fwhip and the other person laughed. Pix knew that laugh! He pulled his face from its hiding space and looked towards Joel with sleepy eyes.

"Hi Pix," Joel greeted, a bit awkwardly. Pix squirmed out of Fwhips side and shuffled over to the end of the bed, making grabby hands at Joel, who obliged and came over. Pix grabbed his hand and pulled him, making Joel stumble. Fwhip laughed as Pix continued to tug on Joel until he was laying between him and Fwhip.

"I was sent up here to get you, not join in." Joel told Fwhip, fondly exasperated as Pix fiddled with the buttons of his shirt. "I didn't know he regressed," Joel continued, much quieter. Fwhip sighed.

"I've known for a little while, but I've never taken care of him. He's scared, I think." Joel furrowed his brow a bit, confused.

"What's he scared of?" He asked, looking at Pix, who had moved on from the buttons to the fabric itself, poking at it curiously. "Most of us regress, no one's gonna judge 'im for it." Fwhip sighed again, it was a sad sound.

"Pixandria isn't as... accepting of age regression as the other empires." Fwhip explains quietly, watching Pix with a sad look. "It's something Pix is trying to undo, but it's been difficult. His advisers are... not the best."

Joel made a sympathetic sound, looking at Pix with a new understanding. He couldn't count how many times Pix had looked after him, or helped him look after Jimmy or Lizzie or both of them, so he was glad for a chance to repay at least some of that.

Footsteps sounded from outside the still open door, and the three of them looked up to see Scott standing there. He looked at Fwhip, then Joel, before his eyes settled on Pix and an understanding look washed over his face. He gave them a gentle smile.

"Katherine wants to start the activity now." Scott told them, "We're discussing secrets, I think. How old is he?'

"Baby," Fwhip and Joel said at the same time, both laughing slightly as they looked at each other. Scott nodded, a contemplative look on his face.

"Katherine isn't going to let all of you sit out, so we can bring him downstairs to keep an eye on him while everyone else does the activity?" Joel suggested, and Fwhip and Scott agreed.

Pix didn't seem to mind Joel or Scott being here, in fact he'd seemed rather ecstatic about Joel's presence, so surely he wouldn't mind paying everyone else a visit?

-

Hope you enjoyed! @little-froglight

Sorry for the time between updates, I've been really sick :(( but doing better now!