#Most of the poor victims here are my other OCs

[vegetablewithapencil49]

ALLOI

Heyya there here's my OC named ALLOI.

Intelligent Overtaking Living Lead Amalgamation. (reverse acronym yes)

This design is so fricking ugly and they're going to be redesigned into something that actually fits them. >:(

ALLOI is basically a robot that has the ability to "steal" the main skills or abilities of other robots by attaching the victim's parts or their CPU onto them. They do so via using a sharp tongue to grab the thing and connect it automatically via a barrage of wires stored internally in a secure part of their body.

ALLOI used to be some human but then decided to participate in a project for brain uploading and then became this anomalous thing. In actuality though, that was a made-up reason made by the staff. The project wasn't meant to initiate commercially safe brain uploading. ALLOI was the only participant, as the project is centered around them for unknown reasons.

This character was made for a crappost by the way

[lightlycareless]

I have a silly idea 🤭🤭 you don't have to write it if you don't want to. Ok so here's the idea:

Naoaki loves bringing food to y/n. One day, naoaki got special edition mochi from the store and decided to give it to y/n. But y/n refused and wanted to share it with him bc she just wants to show her gratitude to him.

The next day bam! They exchanged bodies. Naoaki is trapped inside y/n's body and y/n is trapped inside naoaki's body.

But before naoaki wants to meet y/n, naoya suddenly enters the room and acting lovey dovey which made naoaki want to puke 💀 (naoya didn't know about this whole body swapped thing bc he thought y/n, who is naoaki is joking) At the same time, naoaki can see the truth side of his younger brother being vulnerable which he didn't get to see before bc of their complicated relationship.

While y/n is sad bc whenever she wants to approach naoya, telling him about the body swapped. Naoya immediately glare and ignore her (bc he thought it was naoaki 😭😭) poor y/n

After a few hours, the effect is gone and y/n didn't know if she wants to tell naoya about this bc 1. Naoya might be frustrated that naoaki can see y/n's naked boy 2. Y/n can feel and touch naoaki's dick which will make naoya jealous.

Well this is just a silly idea. Hope u will like it 🫶🤭

Hello!! So good to see you again ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Thank you so much for this ask!!! I get so happy whenever I see (essentially) my oc's in my inbox 🥺❤️❤️❤️

Anyways, it took me a while, but here it is!! Also, I don't know what's up with me, like I read the asks and get the idea but then I end up taking some creative liberties??? Uhgggh :( But I still hope it's to your liking!!—it still has the same essence ehehe and I also had fun writing it + the little extras at the end :)

now onto the warnings: Naoaki is a victim here of course hahaha. outside of that, some mentions of nsfw activities 😏

Happy reading!

It was never explicitly stipulated, but there was a silent agreement that Naoaki was never to approach you, unless your husband, Naoya was present.

The reason behind it was simple: he didn’t like his relatives being around you. A statement you agreed to, to some extent, except for his siblings; for most of them had been rather amicable to you since your arrival.

Naohiko is perhaps the only one to not fit such description, solely because of his “brutally honest” personality, which was more often than not, just plain rude. But even then, he had his moments, particularly those where Hitomi would put a stop to his “offensive” tirade, and he’d be surprisingly… submissive to it—who would’ve guessed?

From there, Naofumi must be the calmest of the bunch, unfortunately, he’s the one you least see. It’s quite a shame, but understandable, for he was very shy and wasn’t very fond of socializing with others outside of his circle. But any time you get to talk to him he’s always very nice, and if you’re lucky enough, he even lets you taste a bit of his incredible skills as a cook!

The rest you’d see around the estate, sometimes—not that often. They also tended to keep to themselves, which you undoubtedly knew was work of Naoya’s merit.

It was upsetting to know that your husband didn’t want you to ponder more into this side of his personal side, as well as their seeming compliance to it…

But your sadness wouldn’t last long when you’d come to meet the oldest of his brothers, the one you were personally fondest of, and came to appreciate not only as an in-law, but as a friend: Naoaki.

Your time with him is often very limited, if not non-existent thanks to his demand as a sorcerer. However, it was still a bit lesser than your husband’s, so you got to see him more than Naoya.

And his visits were certainly ones you always looked forward to, for he’d always tell you in great detail all the exciting things he’d got to see on his missions, as well as bring you gifts from the places he was deployed to.

Not to diminish Naoya’s storytelling, you loved hearing about his work too, but rather… you preferred to do something a bit more intimate with him whenever you got the chance to see him again—before he leaves you again, returning God knows when…

Today was one of those days. One where Naoaki would come back after a tedious mission, intending to tell you all about it while bringing you a local sensation, coincidentally, your favorite: mochi.

“Oh, Naoaki—you didn’t have to!” You fret as he hands you the gift. And while your words conflicted with your true sentiments, wanting nothing but gobble them up as soon as possible, you didn’t want to be perceived as abusive.

“I know.” He says with a smile, taking down a seat next to you by the engawa. “But I couldn’t go there and not get you something. And not to brag, but they’re from the highest rated place there.”

“Gee, talk about pressure!” you chuckle. “Well, I just hope you didn’t spend that much on them.”

“Would it be too bad?” Naoaki asks.

“Only if they don’t taste good, I guess.” You jest, he laughs. “Thank you, Naoaki. You’re always too kind to me.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

“Would you like to try some?” you offer; but by the way Naoaki reacts, one would’ve thought you’d spoken the most outrageous idea.

“I can’t—I shouldn’t.” Naoaki responds, shaking his head. “They’re for you.”

“Ah, but it wouldn’t be nice of me for you to get something so popular and not let you try them—at least one, come on.” You say, urging him by opening the box and moving it near him. “A little bite?”

Your bright grin was the reason that eventually convinced Naoaki to accept your offer, hovering his hand over the box to pick the one he considered more appetizing, you do the same soon after.

“Cheers!” you say, subsequently moving the mochi to your lips and eating it whole in just one bite; swiftly relishing its chewy and sweet taste of your favorite filling—taro—with a smile that lets him know his gift was a total success, as usual.

Naoaki always tried his best to bring you gifts that were tasty if he couldn’t find your favorite as a bare minimum—and while some were better than others, you could never recall a moment you didn’t like what he got you.

But this… this had to be the tastiest one he’s ever given you.

No, you even dare to say, your whole life!

It was just so good you couldn’t stop at one, quickly reaching out to grab for another one and shoving it into your mouth, doing the same again, and again, and again, to the point where you finished the entire box! Except those that Naoaki grabbed, of course, for he too seemed to have fallen victim to its addicting flavor—and he didn’t even like sweets that much!

“Ah, that really hit the spot.” You’d groan, placing your hand over your stomach and contemplating the fact it’s been years since you’ve done something like this—as well as the coming repercussions. “But I think I just ruined my appetite.”

“Oh yeah, I think should’ve waited for after dinner.” Naoaki agrees, feeling the same way as you, if not a bit less, as he takes a deep breath—any hunger that he had coming back from the mission was swiftly replaced with sweets. Probably not the best decision to make, but he does not regret it, not one bit.

“That would’ve been a good idea.” You breathily chuckle through the discomfort of your full stomach.

“Maybe next time.” He suggests while looking at you. “I don’t usually eat sweets but I gotta say, these were pretty good—I’ll definitely buy more if I ever find myself on that area again.”

“I’ll pay you to bring me more.” You counter, enthusiasm making him chuckle. “I want Naoya to try some too.”

The way you fondly reminisce about your husband fills Naoaki with an unspoken sentiment that quickly erases the amusement out of his face, as well as prompting him to cut his visit short.

“I’ll be sure to bring more next time.” Is all that he says before standing up, your eyes darting at him immediately after, as if disappointed he’s already leaving—yet unsurprised. “Well, I’m glad they were to your liking. I would’ve loved to stay a bit longer, but I still have some things to do, like resting, since, you know, I just got back from a mission.”

“Oh, yes, of course.” You blink, remorseful for entertaining him more than necessary. “I didn’t mean to grab much of your time, but still, thank you so much for the mochi. You really didn’t have to.”

“Always my pleasure, Y/N.” he smiles before yawning—you could see it in his eyes now, he’s exhausted. Your regret grows a bit. “Well, see you around.”

“See you around.” You respond, waving him goodbye. A few seconds later, he disappears into the halls.

It’s not that you were avoiding it, but at his mention of “responsibilities” you end up feeling a bit… well, stressed; the aftermath of someone that had been procrastinating doing what they need to do in favor of literally anything else.

However, you don’t feel you should be judged too harshly. It’s tedious to work around the estate doing the same boring things… but you agreed to them because you wanted to support Naoya whenever you could, besides, you knew very well what you were getting into when you agreed to marry him.

But a nap sure does sound amazing right now…

Well, you’re already behind in some things, you were sure that a few more instances of delay wouldn’t do anyone harm, besides, Naoya is set to return later today or tomorrow, did anyone really expect you to care about that when your husband was coming back home?!

So, after cleaning up and throwing away the mochi box, you head to your shared room, quickly fixing the futon before laying down and resting your head against the pillow. You then yawn, eyes slowly begin to blink as you place a blanket over you—just what you needed for ultimate coziness.

As you close your eyes, the last thought that crosses your mind is the promise to get back to work as soon as you wake up, alongside the hope that when you wake up, your husband would finally be back in your arms…

The promise of a nap frequently entailed getting a well-deserved rest after a midday full of activities, recharge a bit before continuing with the routine, perhaps even make up for last night’s endeavors…

Or at least that’s what you expected to be graced with, instead of the notion that you’ve woken up feeling worse than when you laid down.

It almost felt as if you’d spent this whole time running instead of resting, alongside an alarming heaviness on your chest that just made you want to lay back onto the futon and not move for the rest of the day.

But of course, your drowsiness did not compare to the weight of your duties, alongside the burning curiosity to see if your husband had already returned home, eventually motivating you to push yourself up from the futon, yawning as you give your body one last stretch before heading out the door.

The first thing that you notice is how dark it is, anxiously wondering just how long you spent asleep, for this proved far different than just a quick nap —but that, of course, was nothing compared to your husband…

Luckily for you, the best way to figure out his whereabouts was by simply asking around; anyone among the staff members ought to know if the heir was back!

If it weren’t for the fact that whenever you spoke to them, they’d look back at you as if they’d seen a ghost: giving you short answers, none of them offering much help, before swiftly exiting your sight.

Although disappointed that no one seemed to know much of your husband, you were more skeptical, if not hurt, by their behavior towards you—so… vastly different from the warm and talkative way they often referred to you; it’s as if you’re back to being the newly arrived Y/N that didn’t particularly fit with the Zen’in (you still don’t, but it’s been an improvement since then.)

Well, there’s still one last person you can check on; the one that has always been amicable to you since your first day here!

Except for today, it seems.

“And why do you want to know that?” Mariya would respond with a look on her face that lets you know this was not one of her usual jests, nor intended to be taken as one.

It’s always the tone, after all, rather than what’s being said.

“Because… I mean… How do I even begin to explain that, Mariya?” you chuckle nervously.  “We’re mar—"

“Well, I do; and you know what else I know? That you’d do good in leaving them alone.”

“Excuse me?” you frown, offended—she’s never spoken to you like this!  What is going on?!

“Acting the fool doesn’t suit you, Naoaki. I know exactly what you’re plotting.” She says, and if you were already confused, now you’re dumbfounded. “The two are very happy right now, and they certainly don’t need any issues coming from you.”

“Mariya, I— I really don’t know what you’re talking about. Naoaki is not even here—"

“Is this a joke? Because it’s not funny.” She scoffs. “I suggest you leave before I do something I’ll regret.”

No. Of course not. This wasn’t meant to be a joke or anything of the sorts. You genuinely don’t understand what she’s talking about, literally referring to you as Naoaki and not yourself.

But then, the reaction of the staff, alongside Mariya’s… it couldn’t be pure coincidence. It… shouldn’t be.

So, you rushed towards the restroom, the nearest place you knew to have a mirror, to seek answers—effectively finding the the truth staring back at you, through the visage of someone you least expected, or perhaps wanted, which only gave their reactions a much-needed understanding.

The reason why they treated you differently, why Mariya openly refuted you… was because you were Naoaki.

Or more like in Naoaki’s body.

A statement that barely answered one of the many doubts that arose immediately after this revelation, further igniting you with anxiety as you scurried once more out of the restroom and towards your bedroom, with only one question in mind:

If you were in his body, then…

Who was in yours?

You’d always wondered what it would be like to see your body outside of a reflection or a picture, if you’d be able to recognize it at all since many theorized otherwise, or if you’d be in for a surprise…

Well, you could now describe with certainty what it felt like:

Eerie. Nothing short of frightening; To stare at yourself right in the eye, and yet, not recognize you, as if it were a completely different person.

But it’s not.

It’s you, with your eyes, your face, your body—there’s no denying that.

Yet, the question remains, who is the one staring at you?

“Y/N” You hear her say. And suddenly, it all made sense.

“Nao…aki?” you breathe as she begins to make her way towards you. “What happened? Why are you—what’s going on?”

“I don’t know, I just took a nap and woke up like this!” He frets, you immediately pinching his skin as if to check it wasn’t a dream, Naoaki twisting his lips out of fear.

“Careful Y/N, that’s still my body!”

“…This isn’t a dream, is it?” He presses his lips together before shaking his head. You cry. “No! This—this can’t be!! How did this even happen? Was it a curse? Did you get attacked by something before coming back?!”

“No, I wish it was, at least that way I could disperse the technique…”

“But you couldn’t… right?” You fearfully ask, he nods. “Ohh, what are we going to do Naoaki?? I can’t—we can’t stay like this forever! You have your things, I have mine, but most importantly, Naoya is going to come back anytime soon and he—”

“Ah, Y/N!” Suddenly, another presence joins in, with a familiar tone that immediately freezes the two on the spot, before slowly turning to their direction, screeching on the inside when seeing her. “…and Naoaki.”

“Ma—Mariya”  you stammer, blood cold. “What—what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to talk with my lady.” Mariya responds with a frown. Right, to her, this was Naoaki questioning her—and they never got along. “If that isn’t too much to ask.”

“No, of course not.” You add, quickly glancing over to… you, Naoaki doing the same. His eyes said it all. “I…”

“In private.” Mariya adds.

“Can—can you give me a moment?” You say, now looking at Mariya. She immediately raises an eyebrow, skeptical, before giving you what is to be the second most shocking statement of the day.

“I think my lady would want to know that Naoya-sama is back” She says, and you do your best to not pass out that very moment.

“Wha—what?” You breathe. What you once desperately longed for, now couldn’t arrive at the worse timing!!

“Yes, your brother. He’s back—and it would be wise if you let my lady see her husband as soon as possible.” Mariya persists, and if Naoaki’s anxiety was already over the roof… now is beyond the stars. She then walks over to “you”, grabbing your arm and intending to pull you away from “Naoaki.” “Now, if you excuse us—neither of us wants to keep him waiting.”

“No, Mariya—wait. Give me a moment with her—I mean, him.” Naoaki suddenly says, and this, while surprising to Mariya, is enough for her to let him go.

“Is everything alright, Y/N?” she asks, almost offended for Naoya; you’d never wanted to waste time in welcoming your husband…

“Yes, of course. Everything is splendid!” Naoaki says nervously, but reality couldn’t be any further from that. Mariya squints her eyes. “He was just telling me something so interesting, it wouldn’t be bad for me to want to hear the end of it, can it?”

“… I guess not.” But in the end, Mariya would always trust your judgement above anything else, so she leaves the two alone to continue talking, or more like fretting, on what to do now that Naoya was finally back.

“Please don’t ask me to do this.” Naoaki begs. “Anything but this, Y/N.”

“It’s not like I want to either, Naoaki!” You whine; truly, all that you desired to do was run towards your husband and give him all the kisses in the world!

But… you couldn’t—and it pained you much more than you could’ve ever imagined.

“We can’t let him know.”

“Why not?” Naoaki frowns. “Surely even in his stubbornness he’ll understand—”

“Because I don’t want to stress him anymore.” You murmur. “Naoya has been nothing but piled up with mission after mission, do you think he’ll want to come home to another problem?!”

Naoaki thinks you’re giving his brother too much credit, labeling him capable of caring for anything beyond his own interest…

“Please, Naoaki… don’t tell anyone of this.”

“And what are we supposed to do then? Live out the rest of our lives like this?”

“No—of course not. We’ll… look for a solution.” You suggest. If only it were that easy. “Until then, just play along.”

“Play along?” he asks. “How—surely you don’t expect me to…”

“No, just—just tell Naoya that you’re tired, and he’ll understand it!”

“My brother—understand.” That’s perhaps the craziest thing he’s heard all that day, and he’s switched bodies with you!

“He’s… not as bad as you think.” You insist. “He must be tired too, I don’t think he’s going to do much after coming back from a long mission, you know?”

Oh, if only you were right.

In fact, not only were you completely wrong, but fate seemed to make it it’s personal mission to rub it in his face the moment he met up with Mariya, who’d first voice her distaste for Naoaki before tormenting him with Naoya’s return.

“But you don’t have to worry about my feelings, not when your dear husband is back! And something tells me that he missed you very, very much…”

“Wha—what do you mean by that, Mariya?” Naoaki trembles, feeling seconds away from throwing your plan out the window and leaving the estate all together—if he doesn’t puke first.

“Aw, come on—like you don’t know what I mean!” She chuckles, gently elbowing you. “He brought you thousands of gifts again, they’re blocking the whole entrance! I feel bad for the servant that has to move them all to your bedroom…”

“Oh.” Naoaki frowns.

He never thought Naoya had it in him to do such gesture and in such size… but seems he does as evident by the commotion harboring by the entrance, where a group of servants were taking out countless boxes and bags from the trunk of Naoya’s car and placing them by the engawa, while Naoya angrily ordered them to be careful, for their worth was much higher than their yearly paycheck.

Only stopping when he sees “you.”

Eyes softening and a bright grin on his face, Naoya drops everything on the spot before rushing over to your side, quickly wrapping his arms around you and pulling you close to him, lips intending to plant a kiss on yours and just about everywhere he can get, but Naoaki quickly evades him by offering your cheek instead—if your husband noticed such action, he didn’t mention, seems he was far happier to be back.

And needier.

“Good luck!” Mariya whispers to Naoaki before bowing to Naoya and retreating, effectively leaving “you” to your husband’s will.

“I missed you, my love…” Naoya begins, his hands snaking down to your waist and tugging you closer—if that was even possible. “Did you miss me too, kitten?”

“Ki—kitten?!” Naoaki gasps, doing his best to push Naoya away, failing to do so with your strength; oh, how he wishes he was back in his body!

Naoya chuckles.

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to come back” he chuckles. “Specially with all those things you sent me…”

“Wha—what things?!”

“The ones you wanted me to do to you…” he breathes. “I’ll never forget how eager you sounded…”

Naoaki wants the earth to split open and swallow him whole.

“Well, it’s—it’s good you’re back at the estate! But I’m tired and I’d like to—" Naoaki tries to save himself by using the excuse you told him would work, but it doesn’t, immediately backfiring on him.

“Are you—are you pregnant?” Naoya gasps, in a way Naoaki can’t describe as nothing less than hopeful, if not excited for the prospect of having a family with you.

Notions that make Naoaki freeze and confused, eyes widening as he realizes that one, the two were trying to get pregnant— And two…

Naoya wanted a family?

Yet again, the image he had of Naoya are slowly changing…

Although in the worst timing possible.

“No, not yet.” Naoaki responds, playing along. He expects to be commended for this act. “But I’m still tired, work here has been… busy.”

“I see.” Naoya responds, a bit disillusioned, but not yet ready to give up, given the way his hand slides further down your waist, dangerously close to an area Naoaki does not want to have touched by him. “But we can still try, can’t we? Perhaps a little tonigh—”

“I said—I’m tired!” How Naoaki managed to push him away is something he’ll never know; but not that it matters much, for all he cared about now is facing the consequences of his outburst, something that shouldn’t have occurred in the first place since you reassured him Naoya would be nothing but understanding of your exhaustion, but now that he went ahead to assure his sanity, he might’ve just ruined the whole plan.

“Y/N?” Naoya asks, concern on his voice as he takes a step away from you, trying to get a better look of your face—he notices there’s something off about “you” but… he can’t put a word to it. “Are you… ok?”

“I’m just… tired.” Naoaki repeats. Still confused, greatly confused, because this whole interaction is nothing short of odd, and overwhelming.

“I’m sorry.” Naoya suddenly says, and this makes Naoaki even more baffled. His brother? Apologizing?! Truly, hell has frozen over. Are you sure it had only been you and Naoaki switching bodies? “…Well, I’m still happy to see you again, my love. I shall let you rest while I go finish other things, and then I’ll see you in our room, ok?”

“Ok.” Is all that Naoaki says before rushing over to see you again, having been eagerly waiting for him in some unaccounted empty room, jumping to ask him how every went down as soon as he entered, before going silent when Naoaki darted you a piercing cold stare that lets you know this situation will only worsen, unless they find a solution quickly.

“Don’t ever make me do that again.”

Naoaki and you tried your best to act as if nothing had changed, as normal as possible to avoid suspicion from those around them.

And at first it worked, Naoaki somehow managed to avoid Naoya throughout most of the day, throwing excuses at him that would take advantage of his seeming adoration for you (which Naoaki had yet to believe…) which he always accepted—he still wonders how your husband hasn’t noticed they haven’t even slept in the same room anymore, but in all honesty, as long as it keeps working, he doesn’t care.

But your staff… those were not as lenient as you would’ve wanted. While Naoya was afraid of doing anything to might slightly upset you, Mariya and the rest were not as careful when voicing their skepticism whenever “you” did something out of the norm, which eventually lead to get really creative with his excuses; he’s still surprised he even got it in him to say the things he did!

As for you… well, it wasn’t any easy either, considering that most of the people you were forced to hang around with were those you didn’t normally do so, such as his brothers, or the staff… but thankfully, his status amongst the clan often meant that whatever you said, they’d take as law, so there wasn’t much to justify there.

Unless talking about duties.

Both should’ve known that doing each other’s job would also be part of this “deception”, but as much as you tried to prepare the other, something still managed to pop up that almost places the plan in jeopardy.

“Come on, show me!” Naohiko insisted, an example of those highly tense moments. “You know, that thing that you do when using your technique.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” You’d try to avoid him, laughing nervously. “I don’t do anything special with my technique!”

“Don’t try to be humble, is unbefitting of you.”

“I really don’t know what you mean! Hahahaha!”

“Great, now you’re acting like that prick Naoya.”

“Hey! He’s not a prick!”

Naohiko raises an eyebrow.

“What are you now, saint Naoaki?

“No, of course not.” You rush to save yourself; whatever you could without appearing even more suspicious… When will this all end?

“You’re right though, Naoya isn’t a prick—he’s an asshole.”

… Guess you now knew why Naoya didn’t want you around his brothers.

But all these efforts would mean nothing the moment Mariya grew too skeptical of “your” behavior; the tipping point being the day she asked you what flowers you’d like for the new garden since the old ones are slowly withering away.

A common question with an even more predictable answer….

“I don’t know, any should be fine.”

Or not.

And that, alongside the fact you and Naoaki had been sighted spending more and more time together, while avoiding the rest… is what finally leads Naoya to confront the two.

“I tried my best to give you the benefit of the doubt, believe that maybe I was imagining things because I was tired after a long mission; but there’s no denying it now.” Naoya cited you, alongside Naoaki and your staff, to what you considered an emergency meeting to discuss the elephant in the room. “My wife keeps avoiding me with all kinds of excuses: first, she’s tired. Then, she’s sick. And now, she doesn’t even sleep in the same room as me anymore!

And I believed it, I really did, until her staff saw the two of you together, quite frequently actually; to the point it made me believe there was something else going on.”

“What are you implying… Naoya?” You ask, although you know the answer very well. Maybe you just hoped it was something else.

However, far from upsetting you…

It irritated you. Because this was the last thing that you wanted to deal with, on top of everything else!

“Y/N… Are you cheating on me with Naoaki?”

“And why would I do that?!” you breathe.

“I’m not talking to you, brother!” He snaps at “Naoaki” you frown.

Right. This goddamn hindrance again.

“Then don’t accuse me of things I haven’t done!” Naoaki retorts; you can hear your same desperation on his voice—because truly, of all things he could’ve concluded, this is what he decided to go for…

“What am I supposed to think after you’ve been avoiding me? Hanging around with my brother, of all people?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Naoaki responds.

“You know well, I’ve told you before!”

“Naoya…” you say; because even if taken aback by his incredulous idea, it still hurt to know he’d think you capable of such thing.

Perhaps it was best to tell the truth for once and for all.

“This isn’t what it looks like.” You continue.

“Well then, Naoaki, what does this look like?”

You then glance over to Naoaki, as if seeking reassurance while giving him a look that tells him exactly what you plan to do.

He hesitates, mainly because of what seemed to be Naoya’s reaction up to that point, but he won’t deny that he’d do anything to stop this madness from growing even bigger than it already has, thus, after a few seconds of this silent exchange, he nods, and you begin.

“…I—I’m not really Naoaki.” You say, statement that immediately makes Naoya laugh and your ladies scoffing—as if you weren’t already embarrassed, or irked…

This really isn’t off to a great beginning.

“Now that’s an excuse if I’ve ever heard one!” Naoya laughs.

“No! Listen to me, Naoya!” you interject, beyond frustrated at this point. “It’s not an excuse, it’s the truth!”

“Amuse me, then.”

“…Naoaki and I… we switched bodies.” You bluntly declare. “I—I don’t know how or why it happened, we just… woke up one day and I was him and he was me; and we’ve been trying to—trying to figure out everything, how to reverse it but we just… haven’t…”

“Do you really expect me to believe that? That you somehow switched bodies?” Naoya frowns. “That’s the most ingenious excuse—"

“…I can prove it.” You interject, Naoya raises his eyebrows. Perhaps telling him something only you and he knows would do trick. So, you make your way over to him, reaching for his ear and whispering to him details of your honeymoon you were absolutely certain he’d take as proof of your identity and leave this case to rest…

If, of course, he wasn’t as skeptical as he continued to be.

“I can’t believe you.” Naoya gasps, taking a step away before glancing over to “you” “I can’t believe you’d tell Naoaki of our honeymoon.”

“No, Naoya! That’s not what it is! It’s me, it’s Y/N—” you gasp, angry at this point. “Oh, I always hate it when you’re this stubborn!”

And that seemed to be the end of it; or more like the beginning of it all, believing you were not only sentenced to live out the rest of your life in Naoaki’s body (or until the effects of this distasteful act dissipated, God knows when that will be) but also suffering the great dent this happening struck onto your marriage.

You wanted to scream.

You wanted to yell, kick, punch—everything, yet nothing at the same time. Feeling powerless, foolish, and infuriated that nothing had gone your way since this started.

It seemed to be a punishment for something you had yet to be held accountable for, but that will be something to ponder on about later after you got away from everything and cooled down.

So, careless of the gasps demanding you stay, you begin to make your way towards the door, placing your hand over the edge and more than ready to just get the hell away from everyone—

But just as you were to step out the room, you hear Naoya murmur something underneath his breath, something that causes you to turn around and scowl, deep in disbelief (and pain) that he still had more to belittle you with!

“What is it now?!” you gasp.

“I can’t believe it.” Naoya says—yet, his words don’t have that same burning anger as before, nor mocking nature…

“What now? Haven’t you had enough of making fun of me?!” you lament.

“No fucking way…” He continues. “This… can’t be true.”

“Fine, keep thinking I told Naoaki about—”

“It is you.”

“How—what?!” now you’re confused. “Why should I think you—believe me?”

Want to know what gave it away for Naoya to unexpectedly trust your words?

It wasn’t anything outrageous, nor “other-worldly” as it seemed. Really, it all came down to one simple thing, the same one he always teases you about, or in this case, the one he never liked to see, for it always made him feel guilty, rushing to do everything in his power to make you happy:

Your pout.

Naoya could recognize that look anywhere, from a picture to your voice, even from a thousand miles…

And now, in his brother’s body.

Because there’s only one person that would have that same pouty look on their face, the one that is made seconds before you wanted to cry, or when you’re tired of Naoya’s relentless teasing.

You.

Who would’ve known that’s all it took for him to believe you?

“Naoya—what?” Mariya blinks, fearfully placing the pieces together. “Don’t tell me this—is she…. He…”

“I wasn’t lying…” you say, and this makes your ladies gasp.

“When did this happen?” Naoya continues, making his way over to you. “How—how?”

“I wish I knew.” Naoaki adds. “It’s been nothing but a continuous nightmare ever since it happened.”

“Wait, does that mean… the day I returned… you…” Your husband frightfully begins, the implications worse than anything he’d ever imagined—

But Haruko being the only one to openly state them.

“ALL THIS TIME I’VE BEEN SERVING NAOAKI?!” she yells before suddenly fainting, her sister quick to catch her body while Mariya rushes out the room in search of anything that could help her recover swiftly—perhaps her own way to deal with the shocking revelation.

“So whenever we… were together…”

“Don’t say it.” You say, scowling out of disgust. “We don’t have to.”

Naoya suddenly turns to face Naoaki.

“You better not have done anything weird with her body!”

“Why me? Ask your wife, since you two are nothing but perverts…”

“Naoaki!” you gasp, flustered.

“Did you do anything, Y/N?” Naoya asks, slowly turning over to see you—it’s subtle, but still there. Your husband is jealous.

… it’s a bit cute, alright.

“No, of course not.” You breathe. “Although I have to admit… certain things were very difficult to do.”

“Like what, Y/N?” he insists, you shake your head.

“… please don’t make me say it.”

“Well then, I won’t” Naoya responds—for now. “But then… how did this happen?”

“As we’re telling you, we don’t know.” Naoaki continues. “It happened right after I came back from a mission.”

“Backtrack your steps, what did you do as soon as you got here?” Naoya asks; he’s going to get to the bottom of this, whatever it takes.

Naoaki knew he wouldn’t like it, but honestly, he doesn’t care anymore; he wants to get out of this situation as soon as possible.

“I met up with Y/N to give her some mochi I brought—we both ate the whole box and then I started feeling sleepy.”

“Me too.” You add. “It was so sudden too, I mean, sure I ate allot but I wasn’t that tired before—”

And then, as if it were the most obvious thing, it all clicks.

“The mochi!” you and Naoaki gasp in unison.

Why it never occurred to either, that’s something they don’t even know themselves; perhaps because they never considered something so small and delicious could offer such a big threat, but now that it was brought forward, it wouldn’t take long for Naoya to begin his investigation, trailing down the store Naoaki brought the mochi from and soon finding out that indeed they were tampered with.

According to the vendor, he immediately recognized Naoaki as member of the prestigious Zen’in clan, and wanting to cause some havoc, perhaps get some monetary gain out of it (knowing well they’d come to him in due time) decided to give him mochi imbued with his cursed technique and let everything else fall in place.

But of course, Naoya wasn’t one to easily fall into demands of others, so after enough… persuasion, the man quickly worked to reverse his technique, creating an antidote mixed with the victim’s cursed energy and to be taken the same way the mochi were.

Preparations for the whole ordeal afterwards were quick, to the point where you and Naoaki ironically wondered why they hadn’t considered telling Naoya in the first place, although the latter was far more intrigued by the way his brother handled the situation.

While skepticism was certainly on the table, the one thing Naoaki did not expect was the kindness in which Naoya treated you. There were aspects of the nature he knew of in his interactions with you, but they were always with some level of… adoration, softness, as if he were truly overwhelmed for you and not for the hindrances this might present towards him.

Even if he desperately wanted to be with you like that. And given the way you sulked around the estate, you too desired so.

Certainly… the two showed to be far more than what he initially perceived, from a relationship he thought made of interest, with Naoya being the domineering one… Naoaki found out that there were actual feelings in between—love, he might dare to say, from both sides.

Maybe he did wrong in judging him so harshly. Maybe not. Who knows.

All that he knows is that after the antidote worked, things began to fall back into place at the estate, you going back to your usual responsibilities, and him his—travelling off to somewhere he hadn’t even heard of, getting you souvenirs along the way, which now made him feel silly compared to the amount of gifts Naoya would get you in turn.

… Well, maybe not everything went back to normal.

“What’s this?” Naoya says, looking down at the bag Naoaki handed to him.

“Just something I got on the last place I was deployed to.”

“Uh… that’s nice, I guess.” He says, not really interested. Yet.

“It’s for you.”

“Me?” He frowns. “Why?”

“I don’t know—maybe I had a change of heart.” Is all that he says before he turns around and leaves your husband alone.

Later on, Naoya tells you of this occurrence, voicing how confused this whole subject made him. You wondered if he did anything to him while he was… “switched.”

He denies so, before making you promise him to never bring up the matter again. You oblige with a laugh.

Extra 1:

This succession is one that would mostly be kept as a secret amongst those involved, for the sake of saving everyone explanations to give.

However, there were those that remained skeptical, such as Haruko, who would occasionally prod at you, just to check if you were truly yourself again, to which you’d respond by teasing her, scaring her with the idea that you were still Naoaki and oh the things that you’ll do in this body!

“Bet you’re happy you’re back, isn’t it?” Hitomi would tease back, one of the many ways she’d defend her sister, when not laughing along, of course. “You and Naoya sure did lots of “catching up” when that happened…. perverts”

“Hey that’s—” you stammer, before turning bright red. “That’s not true…”

But you didn’t fool anyone; in fact, as soon as you were back in your body, you and Naoya did all of the things you wanted to do as soon as he was back—and probably even more, to the point where your staff had to intervene, asking Naoya to leave you alone for bit because you still had other things to tend to.

“I’m just making sure my beloved wife is truly back to her usual self.” Naoya would say. “In all ways, not just physical”

They all knew better than to insist, more so because the next time they do, they might see something they wouldn’t want to, probably scar them for life too—yet they couldn’t deny their happiness to see the two back together again. After seeing how desolate you were without him, and him without you, it was a well-deserved break.

“Gross.” Hitomi would cringe, before laughing once more.

Extra 2:

“Naoya.” You murmur, snuggling close to him. It was the last night he’d be at the estate before he went, yet again, onto another mission. This time promises to be shorter than the others, but it still doesn’t mean you’re any happy for it.

“Yes, my love?”

“I was thinking…”

“That’s a dangerous thing to do.”

You pout, Naoya chuckles, kissing the top of your head as he wraps his arms around you.

“Anyways… I was thinking about that thing that happened to us…”

“The… body switching thing?”

“Yeah, and it came to me something I didn’t even consider.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, you know how they say soulmates can find each other no matter what they look like, right?”

“Right…” Naoya says; getting a mixture of feelings, first, guilty that this theory wasn’t applicable to him anymore. He should’ve recognized you the moment he saw you! And yet…

Secondly, because something in his mind told him you were planning something… unexpected—but what? And does he even want to know?

Maybe.

“So, I was just wondering… would you still love me if I was a worm?”

“What the—what the fuck?” he exclaims, laughing nervously. “Where did this come from??”

“Oh, come on!” you chuckle. “I’d love you, I’d have you in a nice little tank or whatever it’s called, decorated with all kinds of plants, homegrown so they won’t have anything weird in them, so you can eat to your hearts delight, as well as put you your anime shows so you wouldn’t get bored!”

“You’re weird…” he laughs.

“I’d probably take you out on a walk too, have like a small box I can carry so we can go around the city, let you out in the park, all that stuff” you continue, completely invested in the idea. “Sounds nice, right?”

“But if I were a worm… then I wouldn’t be able to fuck you the way you love so much—although I think I can manage if I really get in—”

“Eww!! No! Stop it! Nope! Don’t be weird about it!” you whine, fidgeting against him in efforts to get away from his uncalled suggestions, but he just laughs, holding you in place while snaking one of his hands down to your ass and firmly squeezing it. “Don’t—don’t touch me after saying something so gross!’

“Hey, you started it! I was just following you along.”

“It was just a joke!” You whine, he continues to laugh, peppering kisses on your face until you eventually accept your fate and stop fighting him.

He continues doing the same, eventually quieting down to complete silence. After a few seconds of cuddling together, your husband speaks up again.

“Even if you were a rock, I’d always love you.” Naoya admits.

“…Would I be a cute rock?”

“The hottest rock.” He kisses you once again, you roll your eyes at his lewdness, as if you weren’t expecting to do that one last time before he left, before laughing and kissing him. “I love you.”

😏 I guess that's my take on how Naoya would answer the worm question, not that anybody asked but hey, it is what it is hahaha

Also, this was all for laughing sake's, Y/N would immediately tell Naoya about the whole thing 😂 she'd be persistent cause she aint about missing her wifely duties!! But outside of that, Naoya was very, veryyyyy jealous when he heard about the whole thing—want to know what he worried for the most though? Y/N thinking Naoaki's dick was bigger or something hahahah oof rest assured, she likes his better :)

Anyways, this was certainly very, very different from other asks I've got to answer! I really liked trying something new :> I know I deviated a bit from your idea, but I still hope you were able to enjoy it!! It's just what came to me at the moment 🤔 hehe.

Once again, thank you so much for this 🥺❤️ Take care and hope to see you soon!!

[slashthrashandcrash]

You should spill your thoughts more on the vibes of slasher x final girl; it’s giving me something to chew on for my own Danny/OC fic haha

I’m rabid about the idea that they just upturn everything—a disgusting happy little accident that turns what they thought was important to them upside down and now it’s trying to decide if it’s wed, bed or behead?

*SLAMS HANDS ON TABLE* OKAY SO HEAR ME OUT--

I've said it before in an absolute word vomit here but I'll say it again: I love a Slasher that is so utterly out of their depth when it comes to experiencing genuine human connection that they're forced to rely on their homicidal instincts/habits for comfort.

Obsession at first sight is always a classic, but something that's also peak is a Slasher falling head over heels without even realizing it. They've begun stalking their Final Girl, as they do with all their victims, learning her routines, who could be potential victims by proxy, tease her with close encounters -- the whole shebang. They never realize that they've almost started watching her...without an ulterior motive? There's no reason they need to know what her favorite flowers are or how she likes her coffee or what she wears to bed, but they do anyways.

And then that moment when they finally, finally have her cornered and in their grasp, the end of a well drawn out hunt, they find that they suddenly can't go through with it. It's a very inopportune realization to have. All the work they've put in stalking and harassing her, picking off the people closest to her one by one, it comes to a screeching halt in their mind. She's trembling. She's frightened. She's bloodied and teary eyed and begging so sweetly when she's not fighting for her life. Of course, it's every Slasher's favorite sight to behold, the prize to be won! Yet there's something different about it this time...not regret, per se, not mercy.

They want her like this all the time. They don't want this moment to end with a blade to her throat like every other victim before her. And just as much as they love to see her petrified under them, they also want to see more of the times she's smiled and laughed and bat her pretty little lashes (all candid moments they witnessed from afar, mind you). They want her, just her. But they want her alive.

It's this moment of confusion and inner turmoil that allows the poor Final Girl to slip out of their grip and escape to the sequel, and the Slasher spends an embarrassing long time processing this new development. They've never experienced such a whiplash before. It felt like bloodlust, but not quite. They still felt the same type excitement when she shivered and pleaded for her life, watching her struggling and feeling her heartbeat again them. Killing her though? Not an option. In that moment, she became the most addictive feeling and they'll be damned if they let her get away again. She's better than any drug. She's all the fun and none of the mess, although does she still look damn good in the resulting mess regardless.

There is a hierarchy of needs and she is at the very top. They need to touch her, feel her squirm, hear those lovely little whimpers, taste her fear -- at the same time, they want to know what it feels like to have her lean against them, flash them that soft smile she gives everyone else who don't deserve it, kiss their cheek and promise she'll never ever leave them. They legit feel like they're on a high when she's around them and withdrawal symptoms are a real bitch. If they can just find a way to keep her by their side, they'd be set for life between the rush of a killing spree and the addictive effects of her fear/love...

[sanjoongie]

Love will Find you when you're not Looking

🌳Apart of the ghibli collab held by @daesukiii 🌳Genre: romance, angst 🌳Trope/Au: love triangle, established relationship, s2l, fantasy au 🌳Pairing: San x Nari (OC) x Seonghwa 🌳Fandom: Ateez 🌳Movie: My Neighbor Totoro 🌳Warnings: mentions of illness, death, heartbreak, cheating! 🌳Word Count: 7,060 🌳Rating: 18+ MDNI 🌳Summary: moving into the countryside had two purposes: one, to put Seonghwa in a state-of-the-art facility to see if there's a chance he might survive this illness, and two, so that you could enjoy your life while being without Seonghwa. What you never pegged was how magical the forest was surrounding your new home and finding comfort within it. 🌳A/N: Mathieu is the youngest, four years old boy, and Seongnam is eight (first born, means south star, after hwa's nickname for Nari, which is northern star) 🌳Dedication: @mejuii & @downtoamagicalland who wept when i first told them of my plans for this story and wept after they read it too 💔 i'm sorry i broke your hearts, my beta readers

“Seongnam, please watch your brother!” I called out as the two raced out of the moving van and tore across the wild grass that was now my new yard.

“Okay Mama!” Seongnam, my eldest, called out. “Mathieu, stay by me, okay?”

“‘Kay!” Mathieu, my four year old, echoed back.

I let myself watch them as they zoomed around for a moment before turning to the moving van. There was a lot of stuff to move and it was only day one.

I had moved to the countryside to remain closer to my husband, Seonghwa. He had always had a delicate disposition when I had met him but it seemed to only get worse once we got older and began a family. Eventually, when Seonghwa became bedridden, the city doctors recommended a state of the art facility that was located in the middle of nowhere. I wrote for a living so it was nothing for me to move my life for Seonghwa, but I worried about the kids. Seongnam had some best friends already and I loathed to pull him from his life in the city, but he insisted he wanted to be wherever his Papa was, so here we were, moving into a fixer-upper with the intentions of staying within biking distance of his father.

Mathieu squealed in fear as Seongnam lifted up a log, revealing creepy-crawlies, and it made my own fear zip through me. I dropped a dresser I had been attempting to pull onto the built-in dolly on the moving truck and moved outside of the van. 

“Park Seongnam, stop torturing your poor brother!” I shouted.

“Yes, Mama,” Seongnam said dutifully but stuck his tongue out at his scaredy cat brother. 

I sighed. Seongnam promised me he was going to try to take care of his brother, who was still very sensitive to his father being ‘in that sick place’ but Seongnam had too much of my teasing nature in him and Mathieu was also too much me in being the perfect victim. It was going to be a mess keeping those two from aggravating each other this summer. 

The boys zoomed around the house, searching every nook and cranny for old folklore creatures. They claimed they found soot sprites and one of the grannies from the small community in these hills even confirmed it to them, leaving them wide eyes about tales of the small creatures in our house and in the forest.

"You would beware of the forest spirit the most, however," Granny wagged a finger at me, "many a maiden have fallen to his charms. As kind and warm as his heart may be, he is still a forest spirit."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't have to worry about me, Granny. With these two gremlins, I have enough to worry about."

"Gremlin!" Mathieu cackled at the new fun word to say.

Seongnam began to growl, crouching and forming claws from his fingers. He chased Mathieu around the house, while Granny instructed me how best to heat up all the welcome dishes she brought with her. And through all this, I just wished Seonghwa was here.

Seonghwa always used to be able to put the boys to bed best. He would gather them in his arms, one on each side of him, and he would lay in Seongnam's single bed. His feet would awkwardly lie off the bed but his eyes would remain on me. 

"Tell us a story, Mama," he would say, eyes full of hearts instead of stars.

Our boys would fall asleep to the sound of their father's even breathing but Seonghwa always listened to every last word until I said "The End."

Each boy would get a kiss on the forehead, Mathieu tucked into his big boy bed, and we would continue the evening. It used to be that Seonghwa would say "One more time, I think we can get a little girl." But then Seonghwa couldn't make it through a single story without coughing and his sleep included an oxygen mask. I loved Seonghwa but I missed him so much.

"Boys, please, I've a new story to tell you," I pleaded, currently having a hard time without Seonghwa.

Mathieu frog hopped over his brother who was crouched putting Legos together on the floor. "New story?"

I nodded my head. "Remember the spirit Granny warned me about earlier?"

Seongnam laid on his bed, with his brother dutifully beside him, and they both watched me with the same eyes their father stared at me as I weaved a tale for their bedtime…

Once upon a time there was a maiden and she had to travel to far away lands because her father was sick--

“Do even princesses have sick father’s too, Mama?” Seongnam interrupted me.

Mathieu had the beginnings of a pout on his adorable lips. Seongnam looked like he needed to relate to someone; that he wasn’t alone in the world with a sick papa.

I tickled Mathieu to get a big grin from him and I leaned in to kiss Seongnam’s nose. “Yes, my star, even princesses have sick fathers.”

The princess was very lonely, stuck in a castle all by herself, with her father sick in a tall tower that was guarded by a powerful wizard. But the castle was surrounded by a magical forest, so she spent her days picking flowers--

“Mama,” Seongnam interrupted me again, Mathieu blew a raspberry. 

I narrowed my eyes down at my boys, giving them the best Mama Glare I knew. Seongnam stayed strong, however. 

“Why does the princess pick flowers? What did they ever do to her?”

I had to laugh. “Do you want to hear the story or not Park Seongnam?!” I demanded, putting my hands on my hips.

A small smile, a ghost of his father’s, pulled at Seongnam’s lips. “Sorry, Mama.”

--she spent her days picking up acorns and pinecones, hoping to recreate some of the magical forest within the walls of the castle. For the princess knew that soon she would be caught playing in the forest and that was not allowed.

The magical forest was neither good nor evil, it simply was. There were happy fairies but there were also dangers in the magical forest that even a princess could not defeat. So every day, the princess made sure she was back home before sunset; before it became dark in the magical forest.

Mathieu clung to his older brother, burying his face into his older brother’s airplane pattern pjs. Seongnam hugged his brother back, ‘too big’ to admit that he might be scared as well.

Luckily enough for the princess, the forest enjoyed her company. She bowed to the deer and said good morning to the bunnies. So the forest sent out a messenger, for it could see that the princess was indeed very lonely.

The forest spirit was a big but fluffy creature, with gray fur and white spots. The forest spirit loved to sleep in the sun, having found the perfect burrow in the hollow of a tree. The forest awoke the spirit with a great shaking of the tree’s branches and the spirit yawned loudly. 

The noise scared the princess, who had been below the tree, collecting acorns. But, she was a brave and curious princess, so she followed a hole into the tree and found the spirit. 

“Did the spirit eat her?” Seongnam demanded. Mathieu squealed as his brother grabbed his arm and pretended to nom on him. 

“You sir, are a troublemaker,” I scolded my eldest.

I scooped Mathieu up into my arms and cradled him to my chest. “The forest spirit does not eat princesses,” I assured my youngest. 

Mathieu nodded like he knew better this entire time and continued to listen to my story.

The princess climbed upon the forest spirit because he was larger than a bear but much more cuddly. She curled up and napped with the forest spirit, who was very happy to go back to sleep. 

She slept and she slept. And she slept and she slept. And when she woke up, she found that so much time had passed. The castle had been looking for her far and wide and thought she disappeared! But the forest was looking to help the princess who sought comfort in it. So by the time the princess woke up, her father was healed! 

By the time I finished my story, Mathieu was sound asleep, sucking his thumb. Seongnam looked like he had half a foot in sleepland and half a foot in the waking land. 

“Mama?” Seongnam inquired sleepily as I tucked Mathieu in.

“Yes baby?” I answered absentmindedly, gently tugging Mathieu’s thumb out of his mouth.

“I wish I could sleep and wake up and Papa was better.”

My heart dropped into my stomach. I had wanted to give my children hope with that story but it seemed like Seongnam had my logic. I turned to my first born and sat on his bed. “Well, Seongnam, in a way, it’s kinda true. One day, we will wake up and go visit your father and the doctors will tell us he’s well enough to come home.”

“Promise?” Seongnam asked, rubbing his eyes.

“On a shooting star, let it go far,” I added our family’s extra mantra when we promised things.

“ ‘kay,” Seongnam replied, turning over and falling asleep.

Sleep did not come to me as easily as it did my sons, unfortunately. Nighttime was usually when I was free of my hoodlums and could write a bit but my mind and body was exhausted after the move. Instead, I grabbed a blanket and sat outside on the porch to look at the stars. Perhaps Seonghwa was also looking at the same stars I was. But I hope he was sleeping, just like our babies.

I pulled out my phone by instinct but there wasn’t any cell service in the remote area we lived in. Hell, the internet company wasn’t coming out for another week because it was satellite internet and they were already booked up. All I wanted to do was send a text message to my love to tell him I missed him. I didn’t want to be a single parent anymore.

“There’s a star in this sky around this time of year that we call the lonely star,” a voice comes out of nowhere, scaring me half to death. “I don’t see it in the sky though. Perhaps it’s you?”

I turned my head slowly and there was a dark haired man, hair sheared close to his head, with a gray shirt that had cut-outs on his massive shoulders. His smile pulled only half of his lips to the side, showing dimples. His dark eyes glowed merrily, clearly teasing. 

I tried to calm my beating heart. “Nope, I’m not a fallen star,” I stated. I moved to get up, scared for my children but the man sat down beside me.

“The babies are asleep. There is no danger to them,” He reassured me. 

I swallowed nervously. “Is there any danger to me?”

The man shook his head. “No,” he replied simply. 

“What brings you out here at the dead of night?” I couldn't help but say sarcastically.

“Your heart called out to me,” The man said, turning his head slightly. 

I scoffed and then brandished my hand with my wedding band to him. “Didn’t you hear that your new neighbor is married?”

The man cocked his head curiously and then examined my engagement ring on top of my marriage band. The diamond sparkled as he moved it and I held my breath. “Are you sure you’re not a fallen star and this is how you contain yourself until you can get back up into the sky?”

You’re my northern star. I always follow you to find my way home.

My throat suddenly became tight and my heart ached with love and loneliness. The man, as if responding to my own pain, put a hand to his heart. “See, your heart calls out to me even now.”

“How do you know?” I whispered into the night wind.

The man turned to me fully, half serious, half joking. “You’re the princess from the story from earlier. And I’m the forest spirit.”

I shook my head slowly. “How did you…that’s not possible!”

The man giggled musically. “The forest sent me because you were lonely. You all are.”

My heart hurt even more, thinking that my children were lonely because their father wasn’t here with us in this new place. “That’s not true.”

The man put a hand on my shoulder and I felt all the tension and loneliness melt away. Instead, I felt comfort and warmth. “Now it’s not true.”

My eyes felt heavy and before I could realize it, my head dropped and the last thing I remember was my body leaning into the stranger’s shoulder as he hummed a song under his breath. It sounded like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. 

I jolted awake the next morning when the door slammed open behind me. “Mama!” Mathieu yelled at me, “Why are you sleeping outside?”

I blinked rapidly, dazed and confused. What had happened? I came outside because I couldn't sleep and--

“There’s a star in this sky around this time of year that we call the lonely star.”

I shook my head. I had to have dreamt that. "Mama couldn't sleep, love," I replied, standing up with a groan.

"Mama, can I have eggs?" Mathieu asked politely, small hand clinging to my pant leg.

I smiled painfully. "Only if I can find the frying pan."

The morning was a bit of a mess. Mathieu  cried in frustration when I couldn't make his eggs the way Papa made them. Seongnam scolded his baby brother, saying he should grow up, which only made Mathieu cry harder. I yelled at Seongnam and then his lower lip began to quiver. 

"Come here, loves." I bent down and threw out my arms. Both of my boys came to me and we had a group hug and a small cry together.

Seongnam wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and then Mathieu wiped my cheeks adorably. 

"Now, Mama needs to unpack some more. We don't want the sneezies, so be big boys and find all the windows and throw them all open for your silly Mama, okay?"

Mathieu squealed and ran off to find the first window. Seongnam looked at me seriously for a moment and then bopped my nose with his forefinger. He had seen his father do that to me numerous times and for some odd reason it stopped me from sneezing.

I almost teared up again but kept it together for my oldest. "Thank you, Southern star."

Seongnam grinned at me. "Welcome, Northern Star."

"When you're done with the windows, go play outside with Mathieu, okay?" Seongnam nodded solemnly. "You can go into the forest but only as far as you can still see the house. No farther than that."

"Yes, Mama," Seongnam agreed and then he was gone.

I spent the day unpacking and cleaning our fix-me-up. I noted most of the repairs in a notebook, thinking I could do a lot myself minus the roof. Before I realized it, it was lunch time. I leaned out the kitchen window that looked to the forest and called out the boys' names. Soon, they were running out of the forest, squealing and giggling. 

"Mama!" Mathieu practically threw himself into my arms. "We made a new friend!"

"Did you say good morning to some bunnies like the princess?" I asked, burying my face into the crook of Mathieu’s neck.

"Noooooo," he giggled, pushing away my face. "It's the forest spirit like in your story!"

My stomach dipped and my hold on Mathieu tightened. Seongnam must have seen my face fall as well because he came and grabbed my hand. "What's wrong? Didn't you say the forest sent the spirit to the princess because she was lonely?"

My own story was starting to really bite me in the ass. "It was just a story, star."

Seongnam frowned. "No, it isn't. We met him today! He showed us the hollow and the view from the top of the tree!"

I shook my feeling of anxiety and played along with Seongnam. Clearly they really had latched onto my story. I had even dreamt of the story. They were my children after all, they'd be good at playing make believe. 

"Did you get a name for the forest spirit?" I inquired.

"San!" Mathieu declared, throwing his arms up in the air. "He throws me high in the air and I float on toys!"

"Well that does sound like a lot of fun," I agreed.

I settled Mathieu on my hip and started to pull out the ingredients for sandwiches. "Did you nap too? The forest spirit does love a good nap."

"No, San said he wasn't tired because he had a nap with you!" Seongnam answered while he sat at the table.

I tried not to falter at Seongnam’s words. I put Mathieu in his raised chair and started making sandwiches. I had to do something with my hands to stop them from shaking.

"Well, let's make sure the forest sent the same spirit to me as it did to you, huh? What if it's playing a trick on us? Your San, he had short, dark hair? A gray shirt with silly cut outs?"

"Yeah!" Seongnam nodded his head so quickly his glasses fell down the bridge of his nose. "And he had these." And my eldest proceeded to poke both of his cheeks.

Shit, this just got real.

That night, after a story about a car that spoke to its owner, I was outside on my porch quicker than if my ass had been on fire. 

"Forest spirit, who gave you permission to play with MY children?" I hissed into the darkness.

I was met with silence.

"Oh, so now you're playing shy, huh?!" I said, putting my hands on my hips.

“See, your heart calls out to me even now.”

Fine, two could play this game.

I thought of when I met Seonghwa. He had been staring at me in the library for over half an hour and it had been bothering me. So I gathered my bag and books and walked over to his desk and slammed a hand down in front of him, making him jump and yelp in fright.

"How am I supposed to read when I can feel your eyes boring into my back, just between my shoulder blades?" I whispered angrily.

"Actually," Seonghwa blinked up at me. "I was trying to figure out if the barrette under your bun was a shooting star."

I slapped my hand on my shooting star barrette. "Oh. I'm sorry," I apologized lamely.

Seonghwa smiled, crooked but kind. "That's interesting because my name actually means 'to be a star'."

"It doesn't mean anything, it just means I really like stars," I mumbled under my breath. I was embarrassed and I just wanted to get out of here now.

Seonghwa tilted his head flirtatiously. "Then you must like me too."

I sighed and curled a fist over my heart, back in the present. Seonghwa had been sick then but it barely affected him. If I had known… no. I loved Seonghwa fiercely and proudly and I wouldn't give up my sons for the world.

"Hello again, fallen star."

"San--"

San's eyes lit up with excitement. "So they did tell you about me!"

"I've never seen them so happy and glowing in a long time," I said wistfully.

"They just needed to have someone look at them and acknowledge that they are here," San said, nodding his head sagely.

I shook my head. "I don't understand this."

"You don't have to understand it." San leaned back against one of the porch pillars and it creaked.

I stared worriedly at the roof of the porch. "Am I gonna have to fix you too?"

San giggled, the melodic noise dancing through the air. "The house has good bones. It was built from the trees from the forest, freely given."

I pursed my lips. "I don't want more of your gifts."

San cocked his head curiously. "You couldn't sleep. I helped you."

"I'm not a forest spirit, I can't sleep outside without getting cold and stiff," I replied, rubbing a shoulder with one hand.

"You weren't cold!" San frowned, "I kept you warm."

I began to rub my eyebrow. "I don't need any more help."

“Then why did your heart call out to me?”

San’s gaze felt a little too heavy for my liking. “Because I wanted to yell at you.”

“For taking care of the little ones?” San blew a raspberry, “Humans are funny.”

My throat tightened and tears burned my eyes. San was right. I was just as bad as my children, lashing out when I didn’t know who I truly wanted to be angry at. I felt warm hands grasp my upper arm. 

“Do not cry, fallen star,” San reassured me.

I bent my neck so my head could lower. I didn’t want him to see my tears for some reason I could not fathom. “I’m not crying,” I sniffled.

San pulled me in for a hug and the dam broke. All the walls I had up, all the meticulously built support to stay strong for everyone in my life gave out and I began to sob into San’s chest. My face was buried there and his arms were around me and I wept for my life. I wept that I had to make promises I couldn't keep to my children. I wept for my sick husband. I wept that I was tired and sad and neglected--

With tears pouring down my face, San released me and tipped my head back with a finger under my chin. “You are beautiful,” he beamed down at me with such a radiant smile.

My shoulders still shook as my sobs wracked through my body. “I’m not,” I said stubbornly.

“Your heart is beautiful, therefore you are,” San insisted.

And just like that, my heart started beating out of my chest. San seemingly responded, grin only getting wider and bolder. He leaned in and I put a hand on his chest to halt him from getting too close. “Don’t.”

"I just want you to feel loved," San sighed, his warm breath flirting with my lips.

"My husband--"

"Your heart is sick, Nari."

"San, I can't!"

"Then let me."

His lips descended onto mine. He kissed me softly, he kissed me gently, and with kindness that made my heart melt. I was like fragile glass in his hands but he knew exactly how to handle me. His tongue touched my lips and my mouth opened up for him with a groan. It had been ages since I had been kissed this way. Since--

I pushed San firmly back, palms to chest and San let me break the kiss. "No."

San watched me with solemn eyes and said nothing until I reached my door. "You know, while I kissed you, your heart wasn't crying anymore."

The next day we made our first trip to Seonghwa's room at the hospice. I had a buggy attached to my bike and Seongnam had his own bike, training wheels taken off as the last service his father had performed for him.

The boys were so excited to see their father and to tell him about the move. I let them run into his room while the doctor snagged me for a talk. It seemed like the move to the hospice had put quite a lot of stress on Seonghwa’s body.

"Are you saying the move was bad for him?" I demanded incredulously.

The doctor shook his head. "Not at all. We are already seeing the change the air is having on his lungs. His heart, on the other hand--"

And then I heard the word San.

Seongnam was talking animatedly with his hands, that he took after me in regard to. Mathieu bounced on the bed, excited to blurt out his adventures with the forest spirit. And all I could think about was how I had kissed a man other than Seonghwa.

"Thank you, doctor, but I would like to see Seonghwa now." I nodded curtly and then pushed into the room.

“And how is my northern star?” Seonghwa smiled, his eyes twinkling like stars themselves.

“I’m fine, Hwa,” I murmured, pushing my hair behind my ear.

“Your hair is getting long,” He mentioned, rubbing a strand between his thumb and forefinger.

“Mama hates it Papa, but she says it’s for you,” Mathieu blurted out, not truly understanding what he was repeating.

Seonghwa’s smile grew and my cheeks became warm. “Is that so?”

I pulled Mathieu closer to me, avoiding eye contact. I started to absentmindedly comb his hair down. “Well, it’s not like the hairdresser is nearby anymore.”

“Did the doctor say you could come home now?’ Seongnam asked solemnly. 

“I’m sorry,” was all that Seonghwa could offer to his eldest son.

Mathieu bursted out crying at the announcement that Papa wasn’t coming home. Seongnam teared up too and I knew it was time to take them home. I ushered them out before they could exhaust Seonghwa; he needed all the energy he could muster to focus on healing. Except when I turned my head one last time to see Seonghwa, he was crying too. I had to remain strong for the males in my life and not shed a single tear.

The next following days were full of dark clouds, metaphorical and literal. The boys were either silent with their thoughts or burst out in anger. They fought with each other, Seongnam lashing out verbally while Mathieu usually responded physically. 

I had to start sleeping with Mathieu in my bed to keep them separated at night. I slept better, oddly enough, with Mathieu drooling on my stomach as I stroked his hair until he slept.

The day the rain actually started was the same day I left the kids off with the local granny at my house. They promised to behave and listen to Granny but I was still worried. I didn't have much of a choice. My editor demanded I meet her back in the city.

The train into the city came at an ungodly hour in the morning but my appointment with my editor wasn't until late afternoon. I didn't have any friends to meet up with, taking care of Seonghwa for the past couple years had made me out of the loop of their lives and caused it to be awkward. And even once I met up with my editor, she only had bad news.

"Your stories need a new main love interest, Nari," she said, slamming the top of her laptop down with finality.

"What?!" I asked, rubbing my eyebrow.

"It's always a gentle man, with a kind smile and growly voice. The readers need something new to sink their teeth into," My editor insisted.

"How about an infuriating man who insists that he knows your heart better than you do and kisses you because of that," I grumbled under my breath.

My editor's eyebrows shot into her fringe. "That's perfect, actually, are you working on something I don't know about?"

I opened my mouth and closed it. I had said that flippantly, thinking of San, I hadn't meant that seriously. "I was kidding!"

My editor gave me a look that said she didn't believe me. "Well, if you do work on something, let me know, before you even write a first draft. No use working it all out if it's just a copy and paste of the last one."

I was dismayed to see that the rain was still going strong as I made my way home. The grayness of the day suited the way the day had gone but I felt like I needed some sunshine to brighten up my day. Alas, that didn’t seem like it was going to happen. The rain and the wind picked up so suddenly that once I walked off the train, the wind pulled my umbrella into a dance amongst the sky and left me at the mercy of the rain. 

I rode my bike from the station, cursing the dark country roads. What was my editor thinking? A love interest like San? My readers would be outraged. They love my characters who always ask if they can kiss their beloved. They love the men who point up at a shooting star and then give a reason to put their arm around their beloved. They loved the love interests who kissed their pregnant wife's protruding belly, promising to be there for all of the unborn baby's life--

I squinted but the light coming from my bike was barely helping, and with the rain continuously and relentlessly whipping into my face and my glasses, I was bound for a crash. It happened almost instantly, my bike barreling into the ditch and sending me over the handlebars. I braced for impact and should have hit the ground hard, or a tree for that matter, but all I heard was an ‘oomph’. 

"That's not how you fly, fallen star."

"I wasn't trying to fly, San!" I cried out in frustration and anger.

"Could have fooled me," San chuckled.

I was cradled in the forest spirit's arms, one arm under my back and the other under my legs. "Put me down."

San jutted his chin out in the direction of my bike. "You're not getting home with that anymore."

My bike was a mangled mess, the chain broken and a wheel bent. How much could I have hurt myself if not for San catching me? What would have happened to Seongnam and Mathieu? Angry tears began to fall down my cheek. Why did life have to be so hard right now?

"I can help you get home," San murmured. 

"Are we going to float on toys?" I asked sarcastically, recalling what Mathieu had said.

"No." San began to climb out of the ditch, water running down his hair and down his face, eyes forward and determined. "Cat bus."

"Cat bus," I said with disbelief. "There are no buses around here, San," I deadpanned.

"Cat bus only reveals itself to people in need," San replied. 

"This is ridiculous," I muttered under my breath. 

San stood in the rain at the side of the road, without letting my feet touch the ground, like he expected something to pull around the corner--I jolted when two beams of light turned the corner of the road.

"Shut up," I whispered.

A bus in the shape of a cat with many legs ran to us. It had tiny rat's eyes as its red lights and it--it truly was a Cat Bus. San put us both on the bus and it ran across the hills and leapt over the forest and before I realized it, I was screaming. Not in fear, but in exhilaration. The speed raced through my veins and made me feel alive. 

San lifted me once more when we arrived at my fix-it-up house and only put me down as he said, "My princess, your castle."

"Were you listening at the window when I told them that story?!" I demanded.

San simply shook his head like I was the silly one. "Of course not. The wind carries your stories to me. But more importantly, your children believe that you're the princess in that story. They believe that I was sent here so that you're not so lonely now that Papa is sick. They don't even think of themselves when they play with me. They are always thinking of you."

"Thank you for today," I said instead.

"Your heart called for me and I answered," San said simply.

I entered my house, soaking wet and instantly scared to death as Granny shouted at me. "There you are!"

My heart fell to my stomach at the look of worry on Granny's face. "Are my boys okay?!"

"They're fine--but Seonghwa!"

My legs gave out on me. Here I was, having an unbelievable experience with San and my Seonghwa was suffering. "What?"

"The hospice sent someone an hour ago!" Granny held my hands between her own. "Seonghwa's heart is weak. They want you and the boys there, in case--"

"Oh, God."

We rushed to the hospice, Granny calling her son to bring us in his UTV. I had Mathieu on my lap and Seongnam clutched to my side the entire ride. I didn't say a word to either of them but I think they knew exactly what was happening. They didn't know what this truly meant but it was like we had all been bracing for impact, like I had been when I fell off my bike. I winced. I don't think San could save us from this. 

The nurses and the doctors rounded up the children and allowed me to go into Seonghwa's room first. 

"Hwa," I whimpered. 

He looked so fragile in his bed with all the wires attached to him and the machines beeping. He even had an oxygen mask over his face. And yet he still managed to smile at me. "How's my Northern Star?"

"Park Seonghwa," and then I started to cry. 

I lied on the bed and sobbed because I was terrified to even touch him. Seonghwa's fingers ghosted the top of my head, the most he could reach. "Don't cry, Nari. I love you."

"I love you too!" I sobbed. "You promised when I was carrying Seongnam that you would be with us forever."

"Nari." I sat up but it only made it worse. Seonghwa was crying, biting down on his bottom lip in an attempt to stop it from quivering. "I don't want to go either."

The tears wouldn't stop streaming down my face, and down my chin and down my neck. "You were supposed to get better."

"The doctor's tried their best," Seonghwa insisted, swallowing his tears. "The boys?"

"They…" I began to shake my head, "No, they can't see you like this, Hwa."

"Nari." I winced. Seonghwa rarely used his no-nonsense voice towards me. 

I wiped my tears away as quickly and as best as I could and turned to leave. I gathered up Mathieu in my arms and took Seongnam's hand wordlessly.

"Mama?" Mathieu said my name like he was terrified.

"We need to have a family meeting," I said.

"I don't want to have a family meeting," Seongnam whimpered.

"We have to," I insisted and then re-entered Seonghwa's room.

Seonghwa shakily pulled off his oxygen mask. I heard the nurse begin to protest but the doctor shushed her. "Come give Papa a kiss," Seonghwa held open his arms to take Mathieu first. 

"Papa," Mathieu whimpered. He gave a large smacking, wet kiss to Seonghwa's cheek. "Why do you look like a robot?"

Seonghwa smiled shakily. "Because they're turning me into one."

"Papa!" Seongnam really couldn't take his father's silliness, just like me. "Be serious."

Seonghwa patted the bed and Seongnam let go of my hand and went to his father. "I am serious, southern star."

Seonghwa was the one that told the bedtime story tonight. He spun a tale of a boy who was born with a heart that was too big and lungs that were too small. The boy had a long journey to find the wizard, and along the way he met two stars and a tiny cat. By the time the boy got a heart of diamond and lungs of steel, Seongnam and Mathieu were fast asleep. I didn't have the heart to move anyone but the nurse did insist on putting Seonghwa's oxygen mask back over his face. Eventually, they were all asleep and it was just me. 

The doctor made sure that I had all the legal precautions in place for when, not if, Seonghwa's heart finally gave out and that was all I could take for my very, horrible day. I fell asleep, head on the bed, bent over in a chair pulled up to Seonghwa's bed, holding Seonghwa's hand.

🌳🌳🌳

The funeral made me feel like I was the one that passed away. I felt numb. I felt like I was floating. Nothing seemed real. Seonghwa’s happy face was at the front of the church but he wasn't here any longer. Countless people gave me their sympathies and cried but I had no more tears. The last ones I shed were on Seonghwa’s deathbed.

Going home after it all was the worst part. Seonghwa had never seen our house and now he never would. The house would never know of Seonghwa playing with his sons. The house would never hear Seonghwa’s laughter after he embarrassed himself. This house would never hold any memories of my husband and my boys Papa. This truly was a new fresh start for us all.

Everything seemed to be more gray after Seonghwa passed. I was numb for so long, only raising my head above water to take care of the children but the rest of the time my mind was empty and void. I could think of nothing, because if I did, I would break and not be able to provide for my boys.

The boys were devastated for days, I barely heard them play or laugh. They simple went about their days like they were required but I missed the days of hearing them squeal with happiness when I bid them home from the forest for lunch.

Eventually, I had to stop simply raising my head out of the water but to pull my body out completely.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey," I shouted as I brought down a wooden spoon several times on a pot.

"Mama?" Mathieu rubbed his eyes with his chubby fists.

"Mama!" Seongnam groaned, pulling his blankets over his head.

"The princess is summoning her most championed knights. Her highness has decided that there will be an outing to pick mushrooms and berries and to take a picnic with the forest spirit!" I shouted, leaning over Seongnam's body and making Mathieu giggle.

"Wait, a picnic? In the forest?" Seongnam ripped his blankets off himself and stared up at me. My heart almost broke at how excited he was. 

"San?!" Mathieu screamed in glee and almost fell trying to get out of his bed.

"But first, the finest cooks in all the land have made bacon and eggs. We must consume the royal breakfast in order to leave the castle!" I declared.

After breakfast, I found a pink diaphanous scarf to dramatically throw over my shoulder. Mathieu acquired a bucket as his helm and Seongnam tied two sieves along his shoulders as his armor. My most trusted knights followed me into the forest as we sought out the forest spirit.

I thought about a time right before Seonghwa got very sick. Mathieu was around two, starting to learn how to walk and talk. Seonghwa had gotten sad that Mathieu didn't want to be held by his father as much anymore. So Seonghwa had declared that the floor was poisonous for the entire day and if anyone but an adult touched, they would hate their favorite food. Seongnam and I spent the entire day on our couch, snacking and watching movies. But Seonghwa spent the entire day dutifully carrying Mathieu everywhere his little heart desired. And when we all went to sleep that night, Seonghwa declared it the best day of his life.

"What do we have here?" San stepped out of the dappled forest shade.

Seongnam jumped in front of me, brandishing a stick he had found on the way and Mathieu mimicked him only with a tall flower he had found. "We are the princess' most trusted knights. Are you the fabled forest spirit?"

"Hmmm, depends on who is asking?" San pretended to think about it. "I know two boys who are my best friends. Are you the same knights?" San's eyes danced with amusement as he stared straight at me. 

"San!" Mathieu pushed back his bucket. "It's us!"

San crouched in front of Mathieu. "Oh, Matty! There you are!"

"San?" Seongnam solemnly said the forest spirit's name. 

"Is that you, Seongnam?" San exclaimed.

"Mama has never been to the Hollow." Seongnam's eyes slid to me, as if he felt guilty for never bringing me there.

San slapped his hands to his cheeks in shock. "You're right! How did this escape me?"

"Hollow! Hollow!" Mathieu chanted.

San put his hands under Mathieu’s arm and raised him to sit on his shoulders. San offered one hand to Seongnam, who clung to San's pinky and ring finger. San's other hand went to hold Mathieu’s leg to keep him in place on his shoulders. Seongnam looked up at San and there was hope and a smile on Seongnam's face. Mathieu was still chanting 'Hollow!' when he had been as quiet as a mouse for weeks.

At last San turned to look at me. "Aren't you coming, Princess?" San lifted his eyebrows in question.

I lifted my chin stubbornly and made a small 'hmph!' noise. "A princess leads, she does not follow!"

Mathieu giggled. "You don't know where it is, Mama!" Seongnam insisted, rolling his eyes, just like me.

I felt my heart burst. This moment felt normal. This felt real. I felt present and grounded and truly here. Something I haven't felt since…

"Come back, Fallen Star," San murmured.

"Mama?" Mathieu frowned.

"Mama isn't a fallen star!" Seongnam insisted stubbornly, "Papa always said, she's the northern star, she's how you find home!" 

"She does feel like home, doesn't she?" San tilted his head.

Mathieu clearly didn't understand what was going on so he started changing Hollow again and I knew we had to move on. "Knight Star, lead the way." I motioned towards Seongnam.

"Follow me everyone!" Seongnam shouted.

As we walked, the four of us along the forest path, I wondered if it was possible that life could perhaps be less hard right now. Perhaps my lonely heart, and my son's, had summoned San. Perhaps… perhaps I could go back to being a Northern star; not a lonely star nor a fallen one. Perhaps, I would find love when I wasn't looking for it.

Taglist: @hijirikaww @mingsolo @starlitmark @starillusion13 @flurrys-creativity @stardragongalaxy @k-pop-ology

[far-side-skies]

Crystal Headcanons - Curses

Curses in Atmos are part of a little-used branch of crystal magic, its teachings now unknown to many. Thousands of years ago though, they used to be much, much more common.

To cast a curse on someone, you need a crystal to store it in. It can be any crystal, but rare high-grade ones tend to accommodate stronger and more complicated curses. Once a suitable crystal has been acquired, pick your victim target and make a vow to cast your curse.

Example: I promise you a lifetime of poor harvests. No wheat or grain will ever satisfy your needs. Atone for the sins done to me and you may be released from this curse.

Strong curses take considerable amounts of willpower and internal energy as well as crystal energy in order to cast, and for inexperienced casters there is a high risk of it backfiring on the user. A backfiring curse uses the caster as a vessel, and may take anything from a few weeks to years to wear off.

Curse crystals become incredibly fragile as their matrices are rearranged in order to store the curse's magic. The most surefire way to break a curse is to break the crystal containing it, so knowledgable casters will take measures to prevent that, by either reinforcing the crystal, storing it somewhere safe, or giving it to the keeper of a Curse Library. Casters have the option of including a secondary condition to the vow to allow the target to break it by other means. This step is optional.

I came up with this lore a while back and while I've shared it on the Discord server, I have yet to properly do so here. I touched upon it briefly when posting about my character Stonebinder for the baltimore oriole bird OC challenge, but here's a full run-down on how they work for those curious.

[cursed-and-haunted]

id love to hear about your other wips! are they all horror too?

Not all of them are horror. But most of them contain some horror/thriller aspects

My biggest wip that has the most work done on it, the most worldbuilding and lore, the most ocs (50+) is a fantasy titled the Nine Realms that takes some inspiration from Norse/Germanic and Celtic myths. It follows several generations of one family from the dawn of humanity to its fall as this family climbs to the hight of nobility and then eventually falls into obscurity. There's Giants and Elves and Dwarves and prophets and shapeshifters and spirits and dead gods that lurk in the shadows and whisper strange things in your ear.

My second biggest wip is This Is The Way The World Ends. It's about superhumans in a world where superpowers have been normalized and are now a normal mundane thing. It follows a group of thieves who steal something very important from a mob boss in Las Vegas and have to deal with the consequences of that. A lot of weird shit happens too because superpowers are weird, at one point they kill god and it's like a normal Wednesday for them. This one is more humorous than the any of the other ones.

Then there's Cosmic a low sci-fi about a woman's suicide mission to get revenge and it takes place on a circus themed cruise space ship (you know how we have cruise ships its like that but in space and with clowns... and a woman trying to blow it up). This is the web weaving for it.

Things Behind The Sun is a sci-fi about cyborgs and androids. It's also about bodily autonomy and disability and how corporations crush the poor and disabled just for a profit. Typical cyberpunk tropes.

Heaven Must Be Burning is about a witch who makes a deal with the devil but feels like she was cheated so she travels through the nine circles of hell so she can kill the devil and then god. Not sure if this one is a horror but it does have a lot of creepy stuff in it.

Now for my horror wips:

Godlings is the horror prequel to This Is The Way The World Ends. It is the villain origin story of the Big Bad of TITWTWE. It's about 5 superhumans who go on a killing spree together and then one of them turns on the other 4 and starts hunting them down and killing them one by one until he is the only one left standing.

Darkside is a sci-fi horror about a group of scientists who go to an alien planet and one of them gets possessed infected by some alien disease that makes her homicidal and makes her body rapidly decay and she tries to kill everyone.

Meet Me In The Woods Tonight is about a small town with a lot of secrets. One of them being that there's a fucked up deer creature in the woods that eats people. My icon is inspired by this wip. My hometown is also the inspiration for the setting in this.

Another wip (whose tilte I can't decide on) is about a true crime writer who gets the chance to write a book about an infamous serial killer and the during the interviews the two become obsessed with each other to the point of murder.

Between The Walls is about a haunted house that's haunted by the ghost of a cannibal and the cannibal's victims. This one started out as a uquiz which you can still take here.

[gothghostiie]

Idk about you guys but I came into the Creepypasta scene during a very, very dark and turbulent time in my life. It was my only comfort within the psych ward and I frequently fantasized about Slenderman and the Proxies and everyone burning down the building and saving me and all the other patients. I related (and still relate) to most of them quite a lot. Jeff was just a kid who got bullied. Ben was a kid who drowned and couldn’t move on. Toby was a kid whose dad sucked ass. Masky and Hoodie were victims of circumstance and poor mental health. Clockwork was ostracized and abused. At some point most all of them were just… people. People with hopes and lives of their own until the world took that from them. And that resonated with me so damn hard.

it was such a comfort for me that I started to call myself a skeptic and wondered if some Creepypastas were real in any capacity (In a way I still believe some of them are- with so many stories, there has to be at least one that’s true). They made me realize that what happened to me and what was happening to me was wrong. It was wrong and cruel and I had every right to be angry about it, and through the violent retribution of my own OCs I acted out on my feelings. Honestly looking back it’s obvious I was venting really hard through them.

For one example, one of my main OCs was a girl named Killjoy who, through a botched surgery, had been disfigured and lost the ability to feel happiness. There was Mnemosyne, who was raised entirely in captivity and meant to be a glorified science experiment, so much so that she wasn’t even named. There was Lollipop, a homeless girl who was institutionalized against her parents’ wills and abused and groomed so thoroughly that the only way the one doctor who genuinely cared about her was able to get through to her was by ‘grooming’ her into healthy habits. And then there was Sentinel, my own Proxyverse OC whose parents had tried over and over for a boy but had been left with girls whom they murdered until they decided to raise one and sell her off. After she turned 15 they sold her into slavery and she remained the property of a mafia don until an attack on the household gave her the opportunity to kill him, escape, and find her way back to her parents whom she killed in retribution, only for the boy they’d finally had to find her and set the neighborhood on fire. Since I couldn’t kill my abusers, I lived through my characters, who could, and did.

Am I alone in this? Does anyone else feel this way?

oh darling

I want to say anything at all, but I'm genuinely speechless

I'm here for you

[xjulixred45x]

I'll try my best but if it's okay can I also ask for a soft yandere Yui komori with ema

Like say she escapes the sakamaki brothers

By the way she is an OC of mine you can find more information about her on my picture here on Tumblr

Oki Doki! Thanks for the Request!(and for doing my Request) so, lest do it now that i'm inspired!

(Normally I don't make requests for fandoms that aren't in the pinned post, but given the circumstances, I'll make an exception for you cutie✨)

Soft! Yandere! Yui Komori x Ema! Reader

This is going to be more of a Drabble, like Yui x Itadori, I hope you enjoy it.

In itself, a NORMAL Yandere Yui is very soft, whether due to her already passive and submissive nature or because of all the trauma she went through, she is not the type of yandere from whom you would expect aggression of any kind. She is more of the Stalker type, somewhat jealous and a little manipulative (she is very afraid of being the victim again, so she will do ANYTHING to avoid it).

Yeah, I know that in games he has certain behaviors that are VERY yandere, BUT THAT'S IN THE BAD ENDINGS, when his mental state deteriorates extremely. so that doesn't apply here.

NOW, if we passed that on to a Soft Yandere Yui, the result would be a Yui EVEN MORE soft in her unhealthy habits, not only trying to keep them a secret, but being SELF AWARE that she should get help, she does not achieve it solely for one reason, the poor view of mental health that Japan has in general. It is much easier for her to contain these bad thoughts than to have to deal with the stigma.

AND THEN, Ema comes. And it's a DISASTER(in a Good way).

First of all, fellow church members! Maybe that's exactly what they know about each other, Yui trying to get back to "normal" and meeting Ema, who gives her a kind of sense of security that she hasn't experienced in a long time, which quickly becomes an addiction and triggers her obsessive behavior.

Second, they both quickly empathize with the "absent father for x or y reason", although of course, Yui gets very angry when she sees how Ema's father was so careless with his daughter. Having had such a positive relationship with her father (even with his ups and downs) Yui loves him unconditionally and the feeling is mutual, so seeing that Ema's father is the complete opposite makes her angry.

Most likely, when she saw the burns on Ema's hands, Yui assumed the worst. She caught herself thinking of ways to kill Ema's father for mistreating her new Crush, I mean best friend (Cordelia, is that you?) until Ema tells her that it was just because she got burned learning to cook.

As for the brother thing...Yui doesn't take that shit. She's fighting so hard not to let her obsession get the worst of her, but it's SO hard when it reminds her SO much of what she went through...she'll still be very cut and dry with most of Ema's siblings, maybe not so much. with those who lost interest in her, but she is still VERY cautious... did I mention that she is paranoid?

CHANGE THE SUBJECT, cooking both together! and they go for everything! desserts, fine dining, soups, McDonald's, etc. You say it, they have done it. It would be especially nice if they made food for the people of the church 😊

I think the most toxic thing Yui would do to Ema (aside from following her without her knowing it) would probably be to use her PTSD to avoid any conflict, if Yui is being jealous, she excuses it with her trauma, so to speak. but, as I said, Yui is trying to contain herself, but now that she has Ema, she doesn't want these habits to last, she will do everything possible to make them a "normal" couple.

[lividcryptid]

Heyyyy so remember when I wanted to yap about my project moon ocs? Yeahhhhh here’s Psycho car!

Disclaimer: Anything that I write does not reflect my own views. They’re written this way for me to look at new perspectives, to explore toxic dynamics, and for me to improve writing. I do not condone any of their actions.

TW: Religious topics under Babylon, traditionalist views under Lady, sorry guys Lady hates men a lot;;;,

Rivers:

They/Them

Weapon: Scythe

Believes that people nowadays don’t value life due to technological advancements such as getting a prosthesis or K-Corp combatants always using HP bullets on the battle field. It’s disgraceful to the natural way of life. If you die on the battlefield, you should die for good

Decides that it’s their job to remind everyone how short life truly is

They so delusional to the point where they believe that they are a proxy for Death and that they are doing people a service

Hates that people are “cheating their way out of death” by using prosthesises

Tbh if they met Kromer, they would’ve joined Nagel und Hammer because of how their views align

Is the main reason why Psycho Car takes on so many assassination requests

Has an early 2000s club goer attitude

Lady:

She/Her

Weapon: Meat Cleaver (main), will use other cooking utensils as weapons

Has a victim complex

Believes that she is a poor sheep about to be sent to the slaughter house; thinks that everyone is out to bully her

No matter what you think, you will be punished for it

If you agree with her views, she’ll think you underestimating her strength as a woman and that you believe she’s too helpless to the point where you’ll kill her. She’ll instead kill you to “protect herself” even if you weren’t planning on attacking.

If you disagree with her views, she’ll think you’re bullying her. She’s just a poor woman who is in need of assistance and yet you deny her that. How dare you. She’ll kill you for that too.

Has very traditional views but tends to also contradict them due to her job (Ex: Women should always be pretty for her man (she’s scared of and hates men), women should always be prim and proper, always in the kitchen and take care of her fellow members, etc)

Refuses to be the driver of the car. Like. Ever. She doesn’t believe that the lady should drive the car and that it’s a man’s job

Oddly enough, she always targets the men first in assassination requests

Babylon:

Any pronouns

Weapon: Whip

They’re the reason Psycho car was even formed in the first place

It’s technically her own way of starting a cult or at least having a crew to help them gain followers

Believes that the gods do not exist at all and that humanity should place their faith onto them and tgem alone

The Babylon name refers back to the story of the Tower of Babel. Since the name means “Gate of God,” it gives him some kind of irony haha

Has a saying that goes “There is no god, so place your faith in me as if I were one.”

Babylon doesn’t really identify with any gender or wants to be perceived to be anything like that tbh

Is the main driver for the car because they actually have a license and is technically the most responsible (?)

Crow:

They/She

Weapon: Meteor Hammer

There’s not much to know about Crow’s life before joining the group. Their excuse is that no one asked, therefore there wasn’t a need for the past to be known.

The only person who has gotten close to figuring out Crow’s past was surprisingly Lady. She knows that they’re more alike than what meets the eye, especially with their views on men.

Crow took their new name because it’s somewhat ironic in a beautiful way. Crows are typically associated with death and are seen as the messengers for the other side. It doesn’t quite fit someone who is aware of their overwhelming beauty. Yet, it does. Despite the negative connotation, crows can also be seen as symbols of mystery, intelligence, and fate; they’re all traits Crow possess.

She’s the closest to Rivers due to their carefree, selfish attitude. It’s refreshing in a way compared to their old life where they lived for others.

Crow may appear reserved, but they’re not quiet. She’ll respond whenever she feels like it, which is pretty often. Though, their responses are very crude and blunt.

[the-kcm-muggleborn]

Kind For You

Fandom: Hogwarts Legacy

O/C: Sebastian Sallow x Edwart Thompson x Ominis Gaunt ✨️platonic✨️ (My OC)

Warnings: None:))

Word count: 1225

Chapter 3

Part 8

When Edwart stepped into the great hall the next day he heard Sebastian's loud voice so he decided to follow it until he heard his friends talking.

“Anything to do with the Dark Arts should be avoided. It's too risky.” Ominis said calmly.

“Anything to do with Salazar Slytherin is worth the risk. Please Ominis. You know what's at stake here.”

“I can't agree, and I already told you what I think of that. I'll not say a word more. I'm sorry.” 

“Hi, Ominis,” Edwart said gently. 

“Hello, Edwart. I was just on my way out.” Ominis smiled lightly.

“I won't give up.” Edwart heard Sebastian mumble.

Edwart took a few steps closer to Sebastian and said “What were you and Ominis talk about?”

“He's being ridiculous. Salazar Slytherin had a secret scriptorium here in Hogwarts. Ominis swears it was used for the Dark Arts, so he wants nothing to do with it. I reminded him that Anne needed a cure. This ‘scriptorium' could hold the answers we need.” Sebastian rambled 

Edwart looked at his friend with a surprised look. He wasn’t aware Sebastian was so persistent about this Dark Art topic.

“Well. I can understand why Ominis feels that way. He is right. Meddling in the Dark Arts is dangerous.”

“There's more to Dark Magic than people realise. The Gaunts know this better than most.” Sebastian argued.

“What do you mean?” Edwart asked, confused.

Sebastian looked embarrassed at his mention. “Perhaps I've spoken out of turn. Ominis's family history is personal to him.”

“I understand. You needn't tell me if you don't want to.” Edwart shook his head not to press through his curiosity was peaking out.

“If I were you I would be begging for more details.”

Edwart exhaled.

“It's not that I am not interested and you can certainly trust me if you want to tell me anything.” He stumbled across his words.

“Ominis learned Dark Magic from his parents. Are you familiar with the Cruciatus Curse?”

Edwart rubbed his neck sheepishly. He heard about them all around but was too embarrassed to ask about it. They seem serious enough to know not to ask. Hearing Sebastian throw it around like a common spell made Edwart uneasy.

“I- I'm afraid no.” 

“It's known as the torture curse- Crucio. It inflicts an excruciating pain on the victim. Apparently. his parents and his older siblings had no qualms about casting it on Muggles for sport.”

“On muggles?” Edwart thought. 

Sebastian continued unbothered.

“Ominis described the sound of the victims' cries as horrific. So, the first time he was asked to cast it himself as a child, he couldn't bring himself to do it. As punishment, his family cast it on him. The anguish was so bad, that when asked to cast it again, he relented.”

Edwart was listening closely to every word said by Sebastian and couldn't believe how bad he thought his life was before Hogwarts when Ominis was dealing with this. Edwart felt utterly stupid. But this wasn't about him…

“I have repeatedly assured Ominis he did what he had to, but he still hasn't forgiven himself.”

“Fuck. That's rough and horrible. Poor Ominis. He was only a child. He shouldn't blame himself.” 

“After that incident, the rift between Ominis and his family only grew. That is until I came along. Every moment he isn't at Hogwarts he's with us in Feldcroft.

Ominis trusts me. And, more often than not, he winds up listening to me.”

“I understand.. Must have been nice, you had each other,” Edwart spoke with a bit of sadness.

“That's why I'll remind him of that when I follow up about the scriptorium. I'll make Ominis understand. He'll change his mind.”

“Alright then. Just a heads up. I'll be gone tomorrow.”

“Oh? What have you got planned?” Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

“I have a Keeper’s trial with Fig. I'll be gone for the entire day most likely.”

“Oh. I understand. Will you keep us updated about your ability?” Sebastian asked.

“Of course. I just wanted to let you know so you and Ominis won't be worried. I have to go prepare.” Edwart said with a wide smile.

“Alright then. Watch for my owl. I'll have news soon enough.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you soon Sebastian.”

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

Edwart took a trip to Feldcroft to Rookwood Castle. The weather was nice but pretty windy so Edwart took his autumn coat with him as he flew to complete the second trial. 

“You were right.” Professor Fig stated with a grimace “The place is crawling with

Victor Rookwood's lot and Ranrok's Loyalists. I'm sure you'll agree that we need to find a way in other

than the front gate. No need to linger, let’s go.”

They've sneaked into the castle and to their surprise in the middle of goblin camp. Ranrok and Rookwood were arguing… about getting to Edwart and getting the power. Turned out that both of them were aware of the Keepers' existence as well as Charles Rookwood being one of them.

Edwart felt his blood boil at the nerve. They had no idea what they were meddling in. Professor Fig saw his young friend's frustration and had to calm him down. 

“So. unless you want another demonstration of my power” Ranrok threatened. “a power that you one day hope to wield - bring me the child.” 

And with that, both of them walked away.

Edwart and Professor Fig were sneaking around well enough as they reached the basement. 

“Looks like the goblins were digging. But this repository is empty…” Fig said thoughtfully. “Let's find that Portree.”

They've found it in the basement where Professor Rookwood was awaiting in his frame. He was informed of the Goblin trouble.

“This makes no sense. How did - ? No matter now.” Professor Rookwood said We shall discuss this later. Right now, you must complete the next trial. The power you stand to wield must first be fully

understood. The trials will ensure that. I shall reveal the path. Professor Fig must leave you now.”

“Good luck my young friend. And please be careful and stay sharp.” Professor Fig touched Edwart’s shoulder in a worried manner as he disappeared. 

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

The trial took a hot moment. These puzzles were exasperating and the adversaries were a decent challenge.

but he finally made it to the pensive. He returned to the map chamber to meet a former headmistress and another keeper Niamh Fitzgerald who was already preparing a new trial. This one was supposed to be a different one.

“Hopefully you will soon hear from Lodgok. as well.” Professor Fig spoke “and we shall learn how he fared with the helmet you retrieved. Well done today. as always. We shall speak again soon.” He smiled proudly.

“Thank you, Professor.” Edwart returned the small smile. 

<Part 7

MASTERLIST

- - - - - - - - - AUTOR'S NOTES- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thank you so much for reading Part 8, THE last part! The last trial! and the beginning of the SCRIPTORIUM quest next! Draw your conclusion;) I try to keep the trial's description as short as possible. I hope you enjoyed it! Angry Eddie photo, lol. Thanks for reading:) next chapter coming in JUNE! Can you believe that? I certainly can't - buuuut there is smh special! Coming soon

[newts-and-sharks]

Ok, here is the Ophiuchi Fleet/Crew! My alien oc’s for @maudiemoods alien au!

Rasal is the positive and cheerful person of the group, his power basically being a flash bomb, but he can control the brightness, so he can either be a homing beacon, distress signal, a night light, or a living glow stick. He is a little dumb, but he has a good heart and would do just about anything for his crew. He has poor patience and terrible memory, but luckily Sabik is there to help him out. Rasal is quick to form attachments to people and gets very sad about leaving a planet and all the friends that he had made. At least he’s got his crew with him though! That is his main comfort, knowing that his crew will never leave him behind. However, this also makes him grow a hero complex, always going out of his way and even endangering himself to save his crew mates. He would never forgive himself if one of his crew mates died under his watch, whether he could have prevented it or not. But at the end of the day, as long as his crew is safe, he will be the happiest creature in the entire universe.

Sabik is the most manipulative of the group. He has no qualms about lying to get his way and does what he has to to survive. However, they would never do anything that wasn’t in the best interest for their crew. He grew up on the streets and still likes to partake in a little shop lifting here and there, but he mostly steals stuff for Omi in hopes to impress her. They are an excellent strategist and can has the second best poker face on the ship, but he also has a slight anger issue and is terrible at intimacy or anything touchy-feely or emotional. Sabi’s power is the Siren Call, basically verbal Hypnosis. Even a whisper can convince someone to do as they ask, but he prefers not to use this. Mainly for the fun and challenge, but he also hates using his power due to the intense headaches and temporary voice loss.

Cebal is the gentle giant of the crew. He is unusually big and bulky, but don’t ask him about it. He is a selective mute and has his own collection of terrariums in his ship quarters. He cares deeply about all life on all planets, and likes to collect tiny trinkets from all the planets they visit. He is kind and gentle in everything they do and finds it difficult to harm others, even when the crew is in danger. His power is controlling plant life, which admittedly you wouldn’t guess by looking at them. They mainly just grow flowers to decorate the ship and give as gifts to everyone. They have severe social anxiety, and he’s the most introverted of them all, rivaled only by Nu.

Marfik is the prankster of the ship. She has boundless energy and is the most active of them all, always scouting ahead and finding places to settle down when they explore a planet. Their power is unnatural speed, and they love to use it to trick the others. They know just how to cheer up the others, always getting to make them laugh and smile. They even got Nu to smile one time, but it might’ve been a trick of the light. She has a very very high metabolism so they’re always hungry despite not needing to eat for several days. Sometimes they ask Cebal to grow fruit from other planets just so they can eat it and stave off the hunger. Their favorite prank victim is Sabik, mainly just because it’s easy to get him riled up. The reason their nickname is Murphy is because everyone started calling them Marfi, and eventually it just blended into Murfi/Murphy.

Omi is tired 24/7. No nonsense, and all common sense. She is a bit stressed out about everything, but uses her studies to block out any negative or unwanted feelings that arise. She is the brain cell holder of the ship and 95% of everyone’s self control. She has the best poker face, and has become apathetic to most things. Sometimes Sabik gives her gifts that he says he bought, but she knows they are stolen. She has, however, grown a soft spot for him. Her power is telekinesis, but she uses it sparingly. Her power gives her major headaches, but she will do what she must to help the crew. She has grown up with the mindset that if she can’t be of use to someone, then she was useless over all and unwanted. She cares about her crew mates and wants to be wanted and useful to them, so she has a habit of over exerting herself for them.

Nu is…Nu. They crawl around the ship and fix any damage from the journey, Murphy’s pranks, Sabi’ temper, or Attacks from other ships. Most of the time, they can’t be found on purpose. You either find them on accident, or when they want to be found. Sometimes the crew finds them crawling in the vents, or in a dark corner of the ship while repairing something only to have them spin their head at a 180 angle and stare right into their eyes. On the rare occasion, they can be found ravaging the fridge at the dead of sleeping hours for their rations. Despite their cryptid and creepy behavior, they actually really care about their crew mates, which is why they work so hard to make sure nothing is wrong with the ship. Their power is being able to walk on any surface. They use this power to walk on the wall or ceilings, and also stick to the side of the ship when doing external repairs. They sometimes help Murphy out with pranks to spook other crew mates. Their best friend is Cebal, sometimes just sitting next to him and reading a book in comfortable silence as he takes care of his terrariums.

[streets-in-paradise]

Relaxing Amazement - Andy Barclay x (Fem) Reader

Requested by @yesiscandyskiller​ 

​“ How about Reader x Andy relaxing at home after canceling some stressful plans, which is a relief with them both dealing with anxiety.”

( This is one of the first Andy requests i ever got and I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as i did writing it. I’m negecting some obligations just because I couldn’t stop writing and I’m happy about it lol. It was going to be longer, I had more ideas in mind, but had to stop here to not get too behind with my things. If i find time to keep going later I may drop a continuation.) 

Masterlist

Warnings: No proofreading, flirting and some sexy teasing (not smut, just teasing), happy couple being fluffy and silly when in love.  

Summary: You surprise Andy with the late hour cancelation of a stressfull plan that was occupying your minds too intensely. Seeking for some home relax instead, you start to fool arround with your boyfriend just for a chance to see him smile again. 

Notes: I try to do my best to avoid physical descriptions, but there may be accidental implications of the reader being plus sized that are there just because I took my body as reference when writing. It’s not important to the plot, just happened because i was too self inmersed in the writting. However, this is written in a way that makes it easy to be ignored. 

Tags: @losersclubisms​ ( I wrote this under the influence of the high left on me by your Andy x OC fic, part of how this turned out is your fault.) ​

That cursed family gathering was on your minds all week. It wasn’t like you hated all your extended family, but the environment it was able to create was not the best for yours or your boyfriend’s mental health. Meeting your parents has been hard for Andy, introducing him to a lot of new relatives all at once was going to be a nightmare to both of you. Your godmother was coming and you knew she had a tendency of being very critical of everything in your life, negatively comparing you since childhood to her own daughter. The man who stole your heart was not going to be an exception, she would make him a victim of her sharp tongue and its prideful commentary about her son in law. 

Despite being the most wonderful man you ever meet, Andy was deeply misunderstood by the outside world unaware of Chucky’s existence. People would be asking tons of questions and there was no way for him to answer without sounding like a weirdo, his strong awareness of that was worrying him to the core and you felt terrible because of the new distress brought to him. For so, you have been rehearsing together an entire set of lies that you would follow for them into a coherent made up story of how you meet and what was he doing with his life. The planning was becoming increasingly stressful because the overthinking was mutual. You would sometimes get lost together on minuscule details that didn’t really matter under a ‘ but what if they ask about that?’ paranoia that would end up angering you and frustrating you. As the days would pass you would realize it was not even worthy, most of the people that were going to be present were the distant family that wasn’t really part of your life because you would only see them once or twice a year. 

The final resolution you took was canceling the plans, using your creative liar's will to create a pretext to stay at home, but you didn’t tell Andy immediately because you wanted to surprise him. The hellish week you made him spend worrying about that social situation was worth a good compensation. Some relaxing amazement was going to suit him wonderfully, so you invented an excuse to get him out of the house for a while meanwhile you did the canceling call. Your poor tormented boyfriend forgot the house keys when he rushed out, stressed over doing everything good, so you had to open the door for him on the return. 

Andy’s burnout was such that he began to ramble out loud across the other side of the door. 

“... The bakery was about to close, they didn’t have much and I couldn’t find what you wanted so had to improvise the choice with what they had at this hour.” He lamented, trying to remind himself to decelerate his breathing. “ That’s my luck, my shitty luck! “ 

You felt so sorry for the little trick you pulled on him, but it was needed so the surprise would be better. 

“ Calm down, honey. It 's alright.” 

Hearing your tranquilizing voice was like a call back to earth, but he wasn’t ready for the pleasant confusion he had at the sight of you. Careless about everything, you were in a casual indoor look. He found you dressed in just a tight fitting tank top, old enough that your belly button was peeking out despite the fabric should be covering it, and very revealing jean shorts. 

His mind got circumstantially blurry because he found it sexy. 

“ Babe, shouldn’t you be getting all dolled up to leave?” Andy asked, so distracted that he ignored the awful phrasing for an instant. “ … Fuck, pun unintended.” 

You smirked as his eyes were feasting in your image. 

“ That one is not that bad.” You added, allowing him to follow you inside in that state of visual trance. “ I would love to be your Barbie doll, they come in all shapes and sizes now.” 

Andy felt that tease to the deepest core of his being, seriously wondering how you made it work. 

“ Seriously? Do you wanna be the one doll that is truly gonna be the death of me?” 

“ I want to fill you with love for being such a wonderful boyfriend, so patient with all the shit that has been going on this week.” 

He was about to reply, but ended up delayed because he was staring from a different angle. 

“ The pressure is killing me, not gonna lie.” 

You chuckled to the confession and, while following your trace, he noticed that the door of your shared bedroom was closed. You may be up to something, but things weren’t clear for him at that point.

“ No more games, pretty doll. You know we don’t have time.” 

Your sweet but slightly devilish giggling to that affirmation was driving him insane. 

“ Who says we don’t? I called with my best impersonation of a flu voice and got us out.” Was the mischievous confession that you purred with pride. “ I’m all yours to play.” 

The relief he felt was great as the distraction you were providing. 

“ How the fuck can you make that sound so good? My brain is wired to hate it, but you take it and it works.. It freaking works!” 

“ I was just following your lead.” You innocently declared, getting closer before you could start a little game of ‘ who is more desperate to caress who?’ “ About our plans and what we were supposed to do, I just canceled because it was driving us mad. I would rather stay comfy at home with you, try to relax. We need some of that.” 

“ Hell, we do.” Andy purred with satisfaction, sneaking his hands to the sides of your hips. “ How do you want to start?” 

“ Not with what you are thinking of.” You teased him, enjoying a bit of the short groan that answer got from him. “ We’ll get to that, but first I want to romance you.” 

He chuckled under his breath and you took it away with a kiss, only to later deliver one last naughty mock. 

“ You know? If you ever wanna try turning all that wrong into something that feels good, let me know. I’m here for you… and I have a pink Barbie shirt. With pink panties to match I can be your pretty doll.” 

Andy looked amazed, but not by the reasons you thought. 

“ Is there a limit to what you would do for me? How much weirdness are you up to allow just so I would be happy?” 

The challenging light in your eyes spoke for you, but you still felt the need to talk.

“ Do you really wanna find out?” 

Grabbing him by the shirt, you stamped another kiss on his lips and proceeded to allow your dorkiness escalate singing your answer in whispers close to his ear. 

“ Oh, pretty baby. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do.” 

He bursted into laughter, unable to do anything else. 

“ ‘Baby One More Time’ ? Is that your definition of romance?” 

“ I made you laugh and that’s all I care about. I can humiliate myself even more to get that.” You defended yourself. “ Besides, Britney works just fine sometimes. Think about it: everyone in the 90’s was convinced that she was a living Barbie AND my love for you is so strong that it turns me into a teen girl who just got a crush that no other can compare to.” 

Andy was smiling, his cheeks had an adorable shade of pink that was nothing but growing blush. 

“ Really? Do you still get excited like that when you see me?” 

“ If everyone would love you like I do, you would have been elected President of the United States.” 

He kissed you that time, happily overwhelmed by your love and totally living for it. Not like he could have possibly imagined the start of the rest of the night was going to be you performing a bubblegum pop song, moving around your living room and singing the lyrics out loud. The only context in which Andy could have seen himself joining such dorky shit was drunk at a karaoke, yet there he was, melting a little bit to your ‘ oh, pretty baby. The reason I breath is you’ 

If Freddy Krueger could have sent Chucky a nightmare to fight in, the scene you were creating was pretty close to how the start of it could be like. Andy Barclay enjoying life, being loved by someone who was showing their affection in the cheesiest way. It would be painfull to watch by his criteria of how fluffy dumb it was and, to make it even worse, there was some Britney on it. 

A sober but unaware Andy Barclay, as blissfully unaware as you, was singing along to the chorus of Baby One More Time in a dorky duet and that was all on you. He didn’t mind being silly, he would never refuse any of your efforts to bring a smile out of him. 

He may have not been drunk on booze, but you had your ways to get him drunk on happiness. 

[romanarose]

Seattle: Chapter 5

Marc Spector X fem! OC

Seattle Masterlist

Part 4 : Part 6

Summary: Rebecca and Marc travel back to Chicago for a funeral, Rebecca and Marc face people from their past, together.

Warnings: References to domestic violence, sexual assault via condom tampering, references to child abuse, shown child abuse (aggressive behavior/manhandling/pain inflicted on teenagers), mentions of miscarriage, inflicting miscarriage, siblings being siblings, victim blaming, Marc and Rebecca are in a bit of a fight, Rebecca got some anger she gotta work on.

Not proof read, this literally took me hours I'm so tired of looking at it

This picture is just so cute asdfgjkl look how mad he is, he’s pouting watching the others fight knowing he’s not supposed to intervene

A/N got my groove back, last chapter sucked ass, this is much better. the flashbacks have tie in with the present, top tier

**********

“Mac, I told you 1000 times you didn’t have to come”

It had been nearly two months at this point. Two months of divorce paper work and filing complaints with the court, getting medical and police records. Jack’s calls and texts to Becca had become none-stop, to the point where the courts ordered all phone communication to go through Matty. No protection or restraining order was granted, however the judge seemed to think Jack “wasn’t an immediate threat”. It still seemed like Rebecca would be granted the divorce and a settlement, Matt and Foggy were good at their job, but the male judge still seemed to take things easy on Jack, despite the overwhelming evidence.

“Oh, yeah, sure, and leave you to deal with him alone? Yeah Beccs, I’m definitely gonna do that” Marc rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “And I told you, that you don’t have to go in the first place.” After several decade of drinking and poor health, Rebecca’s dad died of a heart attack. Marc knew better than most that this does not bring the relief that many might think, but it doesn’t bring the sorrow you’d expect from the death of a parent. It brings both, and it’s confusing as hell. He tried to tell her she didn’t have to go to the funeral or the shiva, but she insisted she had too. Rebecca had lost years to Jack, years of traditions and faith, Marc assumed this was part of her reclaiming it.

Problem was, Jack was going too. Asa invited him. Rebecca refused to tell Asa the brunt of what happened, Marc figured this was out of pride, or embarrassment, but either way, Asa had taken Jack's side in the divorce, as had much of the family. Still, for whatever reason, Rebecca had decided it was her duty to go and help. She had already insta-carted groceries she’d need to feed the family after services. Rebecca wasn’t observing the complete shiva, no she couldn’t take her family that long. Funeral was the evening of their flight, which left at 6 in the fucking morning, then one day of shiva with everyone, Sunday, they’d get lunch with Elias, and her and Marc might spend some time at their old stomping grounds, then head home monday in time for Steven to teach his evening class, and Rebecca would finish out the shiva in her own way. ‘In and out’ she had said, like it was a fucking heist. Somehow, this was more intimidating than any mission he had been on before. Chicago, his dad, her dad, Jack, Asa… it was all overwhelming. Hey mate, I’ll be here, yeah? I can fake your accent pretty well. Maybe not for dad, but enough to get by with the shiva, so it’s too much, let me take over, yeah?

I’ll be fine, Steven, thanks

Marc.

He sighed. Yeah, okay, I’ll let you take the body if I need it.

And just talk to her. She understands. She loves you.

I need to be here for her

I know, but she’s still embarrassed. Allowing her to help you, will help her too. She wants to repay you

She doesn’t have too-

I know, but she wanted to.

“I know you don’t want to come. I can handle Jack and Asa by myself” She insisted, breaking Marc out of his thoughts.

Marc scoffs, they’ve had this argument 100 the last few days since Asa called to tell her her dad passed. “Yeah, right, and leave you to get back together with Jack” He rolled his eyes as he kept walking straight ahead. When he didn’t hear her voice telling him to fuck off, like she had several times since they had been… are they fighting? He turned around to find her glaring at him, arms crossed. He sighs, the bustle of the airport terminal suddenly very loud. “What?”

“That was a dick thing to say” she pointed at him. “And you fucking know it.” Behind her anger was genuine hurt, and Marc didn’t like to see her hurt.

“I’m sorry.”

She softened, but was still on edge. “It’s fine Marc, just… if you’re coming with me, you need to try and behave, or I will not hesitate to kick you out of the shiva.” She was dead serious as she continued walking to their flight. Fuck, Marc needed coffee. He turned to the Starbucks and got in line with Rebecca.

“I know you will, baby” He smirked a bit. “You might be the most terrifying girl I’ve dated.”

“Am I really scarier than Layla?” She asked, smiling at him, then ordering for both of them.

“Hm” he pretended to think it over. “You both have crazy eyes, let's call it a tie”

Marc Elias Spector had been in a lot of situations in his life. Recently, meaning last week, he had agreed to being the avatar for an Egyptian god, because it was slightly better than death. Slightly. But as he sat in Rebecca’s living room with her and her fiance, he wondered if it was too late to choose the other alternative. 

Jack didn’t like him. That was okay, he didn’t like Jack. He seemed arrogant, smug, harsh. But the worst part is, Rebecca was nervous. When was the last time he saw Becca nervous? She wasn’t even nervous around her dad. But she was nervous around Jack. She got him food and whiskey and whatever he wanted, and Marc couldn’t quite put his finger on how this felt wrong to him. Rebecca was a caretaker, she took care of Asa, she took care of Marc, and she even took care of her dad in the early years. But this… this felt like serving. This felt like watching Rebecca waitress as he waited for her shift to end.

“So Marc,” Jack starts “Becky tells me you work in Cairo, helping with expeditions?” So that's what she told him. Marc eased a bit, a swell of pride in his chest. Marc and Rebecca didn’t have secrets. Jack and her did.

“Yeah” He nods along with her lie seamlessly. “For now anyway. I tend to go where life takes me”

“Is that why you’re here? Work is too unstable, you need somewhere to crash?” It wasn’t so much what Jack said, but how he said it. He was condescending. Pretty rich boy who had everything laid out for him, felt superior to Marc. Did he know Rebecca’s struggles with housing? Did he make her feel bad for it? Or did she keep that part of her life from him? Was she ashamed of her time homeless, or was she ashamed of Marc?”

Marc felt himself flaring with anger, but he looked at Becca, sitting so far away on the other side of the couch. She could feel the tension. For her, he’d play nice. “Nope” He smiled as best he could. “Just wanted to be here for the wedding” he lied through his teeth.

“I bet you do” Jack smiled. Marc smiled. Becca smiled. Marc swore he saw her mouth ‘fuck’

Silence persisted.

Being in Chicago was not one of Marc’s favorite places to be, but it wasn’t one of the worst. Chicago is a major city, the various bullshit odd jobs he worked would bring him there from time to time, and he got used to being in the vicinity, seeing old sights and the familiar culture. This would be slightly more difficult, as Rebecca’s family was in the same neighborhood as his, but as long as he avoided the surrounding streets to his house, he’d be okay. Rebecca would never ask him to enter that area. She didn’t even ask him to come, honestly. Marc was already going to go, of course, but when he found out Jack was attending the services, he wasn’t going to leave Rebecca alone for a second

This had been… tense, the last few days. There had been times the last two months that they bickered, even fought, but it wasn’t bad. She was hurting, she was suffering. She always apologized, even when she didn’t really need to. That was a byproduct of Jack too. Rebecca was proud, always admitting when she was wong, but never when she wasn’t. Marc allowed her to apologize, picking his battles. She was starting to look more like herself again; color coming back in her face, the chemicals fading out of her hair, allowing it to curl again. She even cut it off again and dyed it closer to her natural color again. She was also acting more like herself, the bickering was evidence of that. But the last few days were different. Marc found himself with a bunch of feelings he couldn’t really discern, an anger in him he didn’t feel comfortable with, an anger that seemed to center around her, and he couldn’t place why. 

So he had been distancing himself, not wanting to take his anger out of her in any way, allowing Steven to take the body a majority of the time. Rebecca noticed, but didn’t say anything. He assumed she figured it had to do with going back to Chicago, but there was something else.

When they arrived at Rebecca’s childhood home, he felt the nervousness he often did in their childhood while standing at this very doorstep. Some things never change. 

“Marc.” Carl was standing in the doorway. Maybe it’s the memory being distorted by the haze of the past, or maybe he really was towering over Marc. Carl was always tall, that’s where Becca got it. By the end of puberty, Rebecca was an inch taller than Marc, sanding at 5’10. Marc was always on the shorter side, but at 14 he had barely started his growth spurt. Embarrassingly, people thought Rebecca was his older sister in more than one situation. Right now, Marc wished he was taller, stronger, braver. He wanted to fight for her, stand up to her dad, stand up to his mom… but right now, they were both pretty helpless. The most they could do was be there for each other, and protect each other in school. Rebecca’s grades were significantly better, she helped Marc with school so he could avoid getting whipped when grades came in. Likewise, although they never told people they were dating, Marc’s protective grasp on her shoulders out in public and the way they were attached at the hip generally kept her safe from men at school. At 14, he wasn’t exactly the strongest in the high school, but he had absolutely thrown punches for her before. And for other reasons. And for no reason. Point being, although he wasn’t strong, he was known for being a bit crazy. Psycho was thrown around a lot.

“Hello, Mr. Levi” Marc tried his best to be polite. He had seen what Carl had done to Rebecca, and always tried to avoid that, although he suspected he wouldn’t dare, considering his dad's position in the temple. Marc had always told Rebecca he’d talk to his dad for her, get Rebecca and Asa help, but Rebecca had the martyr complex of a catholic. She rationed that Carl only hurt her, not Asa, and being sent to foster care would absolutely hurt him. It wasn’t Marc’s place to make that choice for her, so he minded his business. “Is Becca home?”

Carl looked at him for a moment, considering the boy. “Yeah, she’s in her room, but I think we should have a talk first.” The tone he used was strangely calm, the tone Wendy used before she hurt Marc, it sent a shiver down his spine, but he was in no position to argue, stepping inside the hallway at Carl’s motioning. “What’s going on with you guys.”

Marc had wondered how long until this conversation happened. Elias and Wendy both teased Marc about her, one more gently than the other, but neither malicious. Wendy mostly referred to her as Marc’s “little girlfriend” on good days, or “That Levi girl” on bad ones. His dad hadn’t exactly given him “the sex talk”, school’s lackluster sex ed had covered most of what Marc knew. Not having friends that weren’t Rebecca really cut into his knowledge on the subject, and his dad certainly didn’t have any hidden porno mags to find, so the barebones basics of public education had to due on the mechanical end. What Elias did give him was a very basic, but very straightforward (and very humiliating) talk on consent. Of course, that wasn’t the word he used, but that was the theme of one of the few talks his dad had given him in regards to being a man, and it had happened after Elias asked what his relationship with Rebecca was last year. With a blushing Marc desperately trying to escape the conversation, insisting they were just friends, Elias told him all that he really needed to know about sex. Make sure sh’s comfortable, make sure she actually wants it. Don’t force, don’t beg, don’t bargain for it. Make sure she’s enjoying herself, and stop if she’s not. Years latter, although Marc could write a book on his dads mistakes, he would always respect his dad for not giving the simple “don’t do it”. Marc had barely ever thought about kids, Layla didn’t want them, and he wasn’t really sure he could do it right, but he knew if he ever did, this was one talk he’d pass down to his son. 

He had a feeling this is not where Carl was going.

Asa opened the door. “Hey Becca” He greeted his sister with a warm hug, and it seemed like the grief may have swept away some tension, at least for now. “Marc” he extended a hand, which Marc shook. “Thanks for coming, it’s nice to see you again.” He sounded sincere, at least.

“You too Asa. I’m sorry for your loss”

Asa smirked, and looked a little more like the preteen Marc knew way back. “No, you’re not, but it’s fine, please, come in.”

Rebecca went right to work with the groceries that were delivered, prepping for the gathering after the funeral. People from the temple would probably drop by, offer condolences, and maybe stop to chat to see what the gossip was on Asa and Rebecca’s lives, but no one really liked Carl, and their family wasn’t that big. Marc could tell she was nervous. Jack was literally only going to be there to piss torment Rebecca and piss off Marc. Men like Jack usually separated their partners from their family, Jack’s method was a bit different. Jack was big on portraying perfection, abusive families and sibling tensions wouldn’t do. Rebecca was forced back into a relationship with her dad and brother. She wasn’t upset about seeing Asa, she counted that as a blessing, but Jack was in total control, stepping into the role Marc occupied before, hence Asa taking Jack’s side in the divorce. They still played video games online regularly, despite not talking to Rebecca since she left, until he called to let her know their dad had a heart attack.

Services went as expected, a jewish funeral despite Carl’s lack of participation in the faith. When he felt Rebecca’s hand squeeze Marc’s hard, he knew that meant she spotted Jack. She remained strong, always so strong, his pillar, his rock. He would be that for her.

Marc didn’t leave her side for a second. She spent most of her time in the kitchen prepping and plating and cooking, not exactly eager to be in the room with her family who all just adored Jack. He watched her angrily cut a cucumber with the aggression of a butcher. “You doing okay Beccs? We can-”

She slammed the knife on the cutting board, and Marc was thankful she couldn’t see him startle. “Marc Spector, suggest we leave again and I’m kicking you out.” She stared at the wall ahead of her. 

“Beccs-”

She turned to him. “Don’t ‘Beccs’ me, Marc, you don’t want to be here, so just go, go back to the hotel, or go back to New York, I don’t fucking care, I’ll deal with this myself.”

He groaned. “Of course I don’t want to be here Rebecca! Nothing good happened her, not in this house, not in this city, nothing, being here brings back bad memories I try my damnest to forget, and I don’t understand why you insist on being here!”

“He’s my dad”

Marc threw up his hands. “I get it, Rebecca! I get it, you’re morally superior to me, you go to your dads funeral, you forgive him after everything he did to you, you forgive Jack, again and again, you’re better than me, I get it”

Marc… mate…

Rebecca stared at him, and Marc braced for a fight, for her to yell at him and for them to bicker like they had been, but instead her face just softened. “Is that why you’ve been so upset this week?”

“Yes” He practically whined out, feeling relief at being able to pinpoint the source of his anger. 

“Honey…” She took his hand. “I’m not blaming you for not going to your mom's shiva… I don’t think I’m better than you. Our lives were very, very different, your relationship with Wendy was very different. You hadn’t even talked to her for, what? A decade? You did what you could, and I don’t blame you for the choices you made. My dad and I… things were more complicated, there was good and bad”

Marc closed his eyes, shaking his head. “There was good with us to, it’s just… it’s hard to separate it from the rest”

Rebecca wrapped her hands around his waist, drawing the man she loved in for a hug, relieved to know where the tension that had surrounded them came from. “Marc, honey, I know. These things will always be complicated. We have to deal with them in our own way. For me, this is closure. Laying it all to rest. For you, it would be letting her win.” She kissed his forehead softly. “I’m so proud of you, I’ve always been so fucking proud of you. You’ve come so far, despite everything, and you’ve done so much of it alone.”

He shook his head as he nestled into her neck, smelling her. “No, not alone. I had you, I had Layla, I had Steven, even if he didn’t know it.”

“Baby, you shouldered so much alone, don’t mitigate how far you’ve come, how strong you are, I’m so, so proud”

They stayed like that for a moment, so lost in the embrace that they didn’t notice anyone enter the room. 

“I expected as much”

Jack

Marc felt felt her rip on his tighten, and he turned her away from where the voice was, putting his body between them.

“What. Is. Going on with you guys?” Carl repeated, when Marc was too scared to answer.

“Nothing sir” He managed to get out, trying not to shake, trying to stand tall and brave.

“You guys aren’t fucking?” 

Looking back, Marc couldn’t fathom every saying that to a 14 year old his daughter was friends with, but Carl had no tact.

“No sir, we’re friends”

Carl laughed at that, putting a hand on Marc’s shoulder. “That’s what they always say”

Wincing at the touch, he put his brave face back on, refusing to back down. “We’re not-ah!” Carl’s grip on his shoulder squeezed down painfully tight, digging into his skill, and all Marc’s mustered bravado dissipated.

“I honestly don’t care, but I ain’t raising another kid”

If Marc was less terrified, he’d laugh at that. Becca raised herself and Asa.

Carl continued. “You get her pregnant, I will kill both of you.” He shoved Marc into a side table, causing Marc to fall down into it, the commission drawing Becca out of her room at the end of the hall.

When she saw Marc on the floor, she quickly ran to him, but was stopped when her dad clamped a hand over her mouth, shoving her against the wall. “I’ll tell you what I told your little boyfriend. You can be a whore all you want, but you get knocked up, you’re both dead. Understood?”

Unable to speak with the hand over her, she simply glared at him, unwilling to give in.

His hold on her face began bruising, making Rebecca yelp. “Is that clear? Or do I have to ask Marc?” 

She glanced over to where Marc was frozen on the floor. She didn’t want him hurt. Rebecca swallowed her pride and nodded. Carl let go, and walked away, mumbling obscenities about Rebecca she didn’t even hear, she was quickly at Marc’s side. “C’mon, let’s go to the library, start on that paper”

“I’m sorry” He muttered as he stood up, shaking from the interaction. 

She helped him stand. “For what?”

“For no stopping him, I wanted to… but I just… I froze” Marc looked down, embarrassed, his masculinity already at a low point, this did not help.

“Marc” She steadied him, forcing him to look her in the eye. “It is not your job to protect me. I can handle myself”

“I know”

But Marc felt like it was his job to protect her, ever since that first act of kindness she shared with him, and he continued to feel that way for the next 2 decades together. As they exited the house, Marc heard steps and turned around, catching Asa watching them leave with a look in his eyes Marc couldn’t read.

Jack was munching on a latke. “Good stuff. You always did like your food.” He punctuated the comment with a glance to her stomach.

Rebecca held Marc back by his shirt. “Jack, let’s not do this”

Asa entered the room. “Do what?” He frowned at Marc, who was clearly postering, gearing up for a fight.

Jack answered. “Rebecca is holding Marc back from fighting me” It wasn’t a lie, but a bit dramatic.

Asa scrubbed his face with his hands. “Fucking hell you two, this is why I didn’t want you to come. It’s always dramatics with you two!”

Marc scoffed. “Dramatics? Asa, you invited your sister's ex-husband-”

“We’re still married,” Jack reminded them.

Marc ignored him. “To your dad shiva, that’s insane! Do you have any idea what he did to her?”

Asa crossed his arms. “I know all about the divorce, Spector, that’s half the reason dad had the heart attack!”

“You’re blaming me for that?”

“YES!” Asa shouted. “It’s always you Marc! Ever since I can remember you’ve caused her problems! Jesus, the amount of time he kicked her stomach because he thought you knocked her up-”

Marc didn’t know that, but when he turned to Rebecca, the guilty look on her face confirmed she had never intended on him finding out.

Jack was smirking, allowing the scene to play out.

Asa continued. “All this time, you constantly fucked her life up, constantly got in the way of things, leading her on, then she finally moves on from you, gets married, and you can’t even let her have that?”

Marc felt like he could burst out of his skin. The suit he had rented was stiff and uncomfortable, the church was way too much. Too hot, too noisy, to crowded. Everything was happening at once. Were christian churches always like this?  He picked at a scab on his arm, cracked his knuckles, and tore at his nails, trying to find something for his fingers to do to calm him, but Christ, when was this supposed to start? He checked his watch. 10 minuets ago. He supposed it was normal for weddings to start late, all the girls needing their hair and make up done, the guys running off to grab one thing or another, everyone probably drunk by this point. Did baptists drink? Yeah, yeah, they did, it was in the services. Wait, no, that was the catholics. Were baptists the ones that did the speaking in tongues? Or was that pentecostals? Or Calvinists? No, Calvinists were the ones with the really bleak outlook. Was Calvinism a religion or a philosophy? Which one was the 19 Kids and Counting people?

Marc was interrupted from his strange thought process by a hand on his shoulder. “Marc?”

It was Asa, all dressed up for his role as a groomsman. Damn, he hadn’t seen the kid in a long time, he really grew up. 

“Hey man” Marc stood up, shaking the hand of the boy he had thought of as a little brother for much of his early life, but who had become a stranger. “Good to see you.”

He nodded, not impressed. “She’s asking for you”

“Who?”

“Who the fuck else do you know here?”

Rude, but the point was made. 

Marc frowned. “Why?”

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Asa practically dragged Marc out of the pew. “I don’t know, but she won’t walk until you talk to her”

Asa dragged him to the door to where Rebecca was, through a sea of bridesmaids and a wedding party he didn’t recognize a face of. Must all be Jack’s friends. 

Marc went to open the door, but Asa stopped him. “Marc, listen. I know we haven't gotten along the last few years, but I need you to do this for me” he was serious, earnest, but Marc was wary, nodding for Asa to continue with his request. “Let her have this” He must have seen the confusion in Marc’s face. “Whatever it is you two have had, it needs to end. At least in the form it’s been in. She cannot keep waiting for you to pop in and out of her life. She needs a new start, and this is it. Jack is good for her, keeps her focused, takes care of her. She has a good life with him. I don’t know what she needs you for but.” Asa closed his eyes and sighed before opening them. “But don’t get in the way of her happiness, Spector. Please, man to man” There was a pleading look in Asa’s eyes.

Marc wondered if Asa was right, had Marc gotten in the way of Rebecca’s life? ‘Whatever it is you two have had’ what did Asa think they had? Did Rebecca say something? Did she have the same feelings Marc felt?

Asa took his hand off the handle, and Marc entered the room. Rebecca was pacing the floor, turning when she heard it open.

Marc watched Asa’s face for a while. The little boy he had helped raise had changed a lot over the years, for better or for worse, but even after everything, even after all the fights he had witnessed Becca get in over the years, he cared deeply for his sister, his mind had just been skewed and manipulated by their dad and Jack, not unlike Rebecca. Marc was about to let him have this, to back down like Becca’s touch requested of him, when she spoke.

“You think Marc is the reason all this happened?”

All three men turned to her.

“Marc has done nothing but try to protect me since he was 9 years old, Asa. You are too young to remember a time before him, but dad was always like that! And Jack? Jack and I aren’t getting a divorce because of Marc, we’re getting a divorce because he beat the shit out of me!”

Asa’s brow furrowed in confusion, glancing at Jack with suspicion.

“This” She motioned to the pink scar on her face. “I didn’t trip and spill coffee, Jack threw tea at me!”

Marc watched as Rebecca laid it open for Asa, finally letting her brother in on the secrets she’d been keeping. 

Jack tried to deny it, but she talked over him, only booking at her brother as she stepped forward. “Dad attempted to make me miscarry an imaginary baby, but he,” she pointed at Jack “He purposely got me pregnant, which I did not agree too, and then beat me so bad I bruised my rips and actually miscarried.”

Asa believed her, turning to Jack. “What the actual fuck man?”

Jack stayed cool, calm, attempting to talk his way out of it. “I didn’t do shit, c’mon Asa, you know me.”

Asa looked to Rebecca.

She looked at him gently, eyes filled with a sadness he rarely saw in her. “Asa, I wouldn’t lie to you, not about this”

Asa wanted to believe Jack. It was easier to believe Jack, to believe their dad, to hate Marc and blame him for Rebecca’s choices, but when he looked at them… All he could see was the ever-honest, painfully honest face of the woman who raised him, and the friend who had been there when his dad wasn’t. “Jack, get the fuck out.”

“Asa-”

“GET OUT!” Asa shouted, placing himself between Jack and his sister.

Jack turned to Rebecca “This isn’t over, I’m dragging this divorce out as long as possible, and I’ll bleed you dry while doing it”

Marc stepped back up. “Leave without making a scene, or I swear to god-”

Jack turned to Marc “I will fucking kill you” Before leaving.

Asa started to go after him for that threat, but Marc caught his shoulder. Asa turned quickly into Marc, taking him in an embrace. “I’m sorry” he muttered, apologizing for the last 20 years of near-silence and anger

Rebecca joined their hug. “Oh Ace, it’s okay”

Marc held him in a hug, relieved to have both the people he grew up with in his arms, safe, out of Jack and Carl’s grasp.

“Becc, I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”

“It’s okay, you didn’t know” She pulled back, brushing a dark curl that wasn’t unlike Marc’s out of his face. “Let’s get through day one of the shiva, we can talk more after people leave, okay?”

Feeling more like a baby brother than he had in years, Asa nodded.

She was stunning, something straight out of a wedding magazine. Extensions in her hair that was half up, the rest in loose curls that cascaded from a tiara. The dress had to be designer, an a-line off the shoulder, low neckline and floral and lace detailing, something she looked beautiful in, but so distinctly not her.

Her face lit up when she saw him. ‘Marc! HI!” She stayed away from him, instead of rushing to take his hand like she used to. Marc supposed this was more appropriate, seeing as she was always married.

“Hey, metukah, what’s going on?”

She wrung her hand nervously.  Since when was her nervous? “I’m just… just anxious, thats all. Big day” A slight chuckle. She was hiding something.

“Are you… are you having second thoughts?”

Her face faltered. “Well, not exactly… just… thoughts in general…”

He paused. This could be it. He could tell her. Two decades after meeting, 15 or so years after they gave their bodies to each other that night, he could do it. He could tell her loved her. He could take her away. “Becca.. Do you want to go?”

She hesitated. “I… I don’t know…”

“Is something wrong with him? Did Jack do anything?” 

Rebecca shook her head. She wasn’t lying. He knew when she was lying, which was rare. “I’m just nervous”

“Why did you want to talk to me?” Give me something, he thought something that says you love me.

“You’re my best friend”

Was he? They had spoken less and less since she started seeing Jack… 

He could tell her. He should tell her.

I love you I love you I love you

Are you sure you want her in this right now?

A chill ran through Marc’s spin with that ever more familiar voice in his head, he didn't dare look to the side. He knew who was standing there, a grim reminder of who he had become. 

Marc didn’t have a stable job, a steady incoming, consistent housing. 

He was the avatar for a god

He was a killer

He couldn’t provide anything for her. He never had been able to give her what she deserves, what Jack can. With Jack, she’ll never have to worry about living on the streets or when she’s going to eat. Jack’s never killed.

Marc thought through the faces of everyone he killed, every death he was responsible for.

She deserved better than what he could offer her.

“Rebecca, honey, it’s just jitters, that’s all” It killed him to say it. “He’ll take care of you, you’ll be happy.” Marc had to fight back the anger at himself, the frustration he felt, the tears of helplessness. This wasn’t his life. He couldn’t give her anything. This was the life she deserved. Pretty things, safety, security. He approached her, taking both her hands in his. “Rebecca, you make a beautiful bride”

She nodded, taking in the sight of him, and for a moment he could almost imagine he was at the alter with her, that it was him she was marrying… he let go on her hands before the fantasy took over. 

When the night ended and guests left, Marc, Becca and Asa sat in the living room like they had done countless times throughout the years, catching up, reminiscing, hashing over old beefs and memories. Marc sensed a change, a change for the better.

They were a family again.

***************

I HOPE YOU LIKED IT!!!!

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likes are beautiful, reblogs help a lot, and comments mean the world! I love you all!

I need to make a masterlist but I cant make headers or moodboards for shit so if anyone wants to make something I'll give you credit XD

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[lesmond-sycamore]

okay so here's my au-meets-canon au thing but just the first au which is a grab bag of modern + age swap-ish + other stuff and not the meeting canon part yet also the alt text has explanations of the images

just some general stuff:

- the tritons were in london when the flat with clive's parents caught on fire due to faulty wiring (not due to time-travel shenanigans, thankfully) and thought he looked exactly what his then-3 year old son would look like when he got older and adopted him

- turns out clive had a lot of trauma and behavioral issues and so the tritons moved to misthallery thinking that the small, quiet town would be good for him

- it helped a lot, but he still needed like. a lot of therapy as well. most of it occurred when he was 15-17 after yelling at poor 5 year old luke.

- with the age difference of 10 years, he and luke were not the biggest fans of each other at first, but after half a year luke became his shadow and followed him EVERYWHERE. they became inseparable

- clive didn't move out until he was 22 and decided to go to college to get journalism and communications degrees. there is where he met his boyfriend/husband (who is just an oc and isn't integral to the story)

- clive then went on to work for the london times and later created an independent news website stationed in london that covers politics in the uk and other countries

- luke moved out at 19 to pursue a veterinary degree that specializes in exotic pets bc he was upset that there isn't enough support for rodents/reptiles/"ugly" pets

- luke has also been dating someone from misthallery since they were 15 (he also dated someone else before they unfortunately passed.) also not integral to the story but bonus points if you can guess who

- clark received a call from an adoption agency that his acquaintance leon bronev and his wife rachel were unfortunally victims of a break in/robbery/murder after leon tried to fight back (targent doesn't fuck around this time) while the boys were at school

- clark wanted to take them in, but realized that he wasn't fit to be a parent anymore now that his life had gotten busier as misthallery continued to grow and didn't want brenda to be forced raising 2 children for 6/12 more years as well as uproot them from london where they already had friends that would most likely be their biggest support system at the time

- clark then asked if clive was interested since he had his life together, and clive said no because of the fact he would only be able to take care of one and didn't want to separate them. besides that, he was very interested in doing so bc he had personal experience being an adopted child

- luke then suggested that he could adopt the other one and so they wouldn't be far apart (luke and clive literally in the same apartment complex, albeit on different floors) and if luke had any issues, they could go to clive and vice-versa

- they met hersh and theo and explained the situation to them so they would know what's going on. after some time of hanging out with them, the boys just kinda gravitated to the silblings (hershel gravitated to clive because of his interests in robotics and gundam and theodore gravitated to luke because of his personality and love of toy cars/trains)

- now they live in their respective apartments and visit so frequently that it's practically the same as owning 2 houses so they're always at one or the other

- clive also taught hershel about dnd bc of his interest for it after clive's group had a session at his house and now it's one of his special interests (because everyone in layton is autistic don't @ me) and although he's a stickler for the rules, he has a lot of fun with improv

- theo is like. feral as a 6 year old can be (think bluey if you watch that) as hell bc without the laytons, theo is left unchecked with his chaotic-good personality and also his audhd (again, don't @ me) especially since luke is also very much the same

uh some bonus stuff:

- luke owns 4 rats and a cat (he is a responsible owner and the rats have a room dedicated to them so don't worry)

- clive owns 2 dogs (I need suggestions because I'm not a dog person lmao)

- as pictured above, theo LOVES hot chips for some fucking reason. he also has a huge sweet tooth and fakes getting hurt to get the "magical chocolate"

- theo also plays a lot with a boy obsessed with digging stuff up in the playground and a girl who talks a lot about dr. who in ms. reinhold's class

- hersh has a friend who beats up people who bully him for being quiet and "weird," much to his displeasure about violence. despite that, he's grateful that the bullying has gone down, but it is still causing him some self-esteem issues (he hasn't told clive about it) (NOT A SHIP. I REPEAT, NOT A SHIP. /srs)

- hershel also likes wearing skirts and has a collection of medium to long skirts and is very picky about staying in the autumn colour range bc appearance is important. (that's also why he wears glasses. they're not real but he likes how they frame his face)

- luke is an anxious mess and hasn't gone to therapy like clive has and has done a pretty good job of hiding it so far (except from theo bc they live together and luke worries about him a lot), but if something absolutely crazy happens they're gonna snap (I wonder what that could be. weird.)

- uh clive uses he/him, luke uses he/they, hershel has been trying out they/them along with he/him, and theo doesn't care what people use for him because he is 6 (clive and luke are supportive (obviously), so it doesn't matter anyway) (I used he/him for herhsel and theo for simplicity here)

if anyone's interested I can talk more about it (but maybe also if no one is interested because autism go brrrr)

[mateidontevenknow]

ONESHOT ALERT

Fandom: WWE (the judgment day)

Ship: Rhea Ripley x Finn Balor x Damian Priest x OC (Fem)

The new member of The Judgment Day, Pt. 1

The Judgment Day was the most feared group in New York. A group of gang leaders banded together. A man called Edge realized their potential and attempted to become their leader, but Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest did not allow that, killing their founder. Later the duo became a trio as Finn Balor was invited to join. It was perfect.

Finn ran nightclubs all over the city while making money and collecting phone numbers. Damian had every law firm in the city wrapped around his finger as he transported drugs into the country. Rhea was a hired assassin while running half of the Black market. They were unstoppable.

Until now. Slowly, I've been making progress. I've stopped half of the drug trade, I've saved some of Rhea's victims and I even managed to rob Finn of half his fortune by hacking into JPMorgan Chase's systems. And the best part, is they don't know who I am.

Although my last project might've blown my cover. I'm an IT student with a degree in anatomy, and I specialize in human anatomy in combination with technology. My plan was to plant chips in the brains of two of Finn's men. With those, I could constantly know what he was up to. But my plan failed, Finn realized that something was off and Rhea killed the two men, finding my emblem on the pieces of tech. They now know my name, Elzette.

But I will tackle that disaster in the morning because I feel like I might die if I keep my eyes open for another second.

~

Rhea, Finn and Damian stood in Finn's condo, overlooking the city.

"We finally found the little weasel, Rhea can just go kill her."

"No Damian, it might be a trap, we know this girl is smart."

"A trap I can't get out of? Please..."

"That arrogance might cost you."

"Fine Finn, I'll take Dom with me."

"Ok, also do we want to kill her right away?"

"Honestly Rhea, I think a kidnapping might be better, we might even be able to get my money back."

"Sure, I can do that but I'm going to need some chloroform. If you can get that for me, I might even be able to do it tonight. I don't want to give her time to run."

Finn walked to his desk. He pulled open his drawer and grabbed a jar. He tossed it to Rhea.

"Well then, I'll bring her here. See you boys in a bit."

Rhea kissed both of them on the cheek before walking into the elevator. Waving at them as she dropped out of view.

Rhea decided that Dom wasn't really necessary. So she packed a few knives into her pockets and loaded her guns. In less than 30 minutes she had arrived in the right neighborhood. The apartment building was only a few plots down. She parked her car in an alleyway and found a small gap in between to buildings. She used that to climb up onto the roof. She jumped onto the next roof and next until she was stood on the right building.

She used a gutter to climbed down onto the girl's balcony. The curtains were still open. It didn't really matter if her victim saw her, she was doomed either way.

She was pleased to find the door was still unlocked. She entered the dark apartment, to find her victim asleep. She smiled at the woman on the bed, in only a sports bra and some shorts. She was gorgeous, but Rhea didn't dwell on that.

Instead she tied a rag around the woman's face, it was doused in chloroform. The woman had no reaction to it, so Rhea left it there. She picked the her up and carried the poor girl out to her car, deciding to tie her up there.

Rhea lay her down on the back seats, before opening the trunk to grab her black duffle bag. It had some rope in it.

For the first time, she appreciated the woman. Elzette was her name. With hair the color of blood styled to frame her face perfectly, she looked stunning. Shadows circled her eyes, showing a blatant lack of sleep, but Rhea could fix that.

She had two scars next to her eye, crossing each other perfectly. They worked together with her eyebrow, trapping her left eye in a box. Somehow, she made it look graceful. Judging by her figure, she was no stranger to the gym. She looked to be about 5'5.

~

I woke up to a large hand gently caressing my cheek, I leaned into the touch almost automatically.

"You were right, Rhea. She's cute."

"Agreed."

My eyes opened slowly, one at a time. And only when I saw Finn Balor crouched down in front of me did I realize my predicament. I was tied to a chair in a room with Rhea Ripley, Finn Balor and Damian Priest. Three people who want me dead. Three stunningly attractive people who want me dead.

"Pretty eyes as well."

Finn's hand moved upwards as he pulled at my skin. He raised my eyebrow to get a better look at my eye, his thumb resting right beneath it. I pulled away from him.

"Aww, you looked so comfortable ten seconds ago, what happened?"

I looked down at my lap, refusing to respond as my face turned red. Damian walked past me. He leaned his forearms on the back of the wooden chair before ducking down to talk to me.

"Don't look so sad. If you play our game, we'll untie you."

"And then you'll kill me."

Rhea cut in from the other side of the room.

"We wouldn’t kill a pretty face like yours."

I still didn't buy it, but I might as well try speeding up the process.

"How does this game work?"

"Don't worry about that, love."

Then I felt Damian's hands on my shoulders. He leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"Just play along."

"Wha-"

I was cut off as Damian's hands started moving, massaging my shoulders. I moaned softly. It felt good, too good.

"You've given me something."

"Painkillers. I had you tied up for about 22 hours. It could not have been comfortable."

"Poison."

Rhea grinned as she repeated herself.

"Painkillers."

"Aphrodisiacs."

"Maybe a little."

"Why?"

Damian pulled his hands away and as much as I hate to admit it; The aphrodisiacs weren't the only reason I missed his hands.

Rhea walked towards me before wrapping a blindfold around my head.

"You see, El." This woman dares to call me by a nickname. "There is something to be said about pain," I gasped as I felt a cold blade on my thigh. It made a thin cut, barely deep enough to draw blood. " and pleasure." I felt a hand in my hair, gently drawing circles on my nape. Ok, yeah pleasure, lots of it.

"Any moron can inflict pain and yes, it can be useful under the correct circumstances. Pleasure, on the other hand, is a valuable tool only the skilled can use. It walks right next to Anticipation and Fear, all three leaving footprints in the sand." To be honest, fuck metaphors.

"And how is that relevant to me?"

"Well, we realized that you are too dangerous to kill."

"I would love to know what that means."

"That means that you are dangerous enough to become one of us. We just need to convince you and judging by the way you melted into Finn's touch and how Damian's hands affected you, your body is already convinced. And if you don't believe me, we'll be happy to prove it to you."

I felt Rhea's lips on mine and I couldn't help but kiss back. I sighed in defeat, muttering to myself.

"Not good."

A hand in my hair, pulled my head back, exposing my skin to the other two vultures in the room. I felt Finn lowering himself onto my lap, straddling me as he sucked at the plain skin above my collarbones. I moaned as he found the sweet spot on my neck.

A large, gentle hand grabbed my chin, turning my head to the side. A pair of lips smashed into mine, it was Damian's. I felt his stubble on my chin. I gasped as I felt Rhea's tongue leave a wet trail beneath my jaw. Damian took this opportunity to shove his tongue into my mouth. I moaned into the kiss as Finn sucked at my neck, probably leaving a few marks.

Then it stopped.

I felt Rhea's hand against the side of my neck. She pressed a kiss to the top of my head before she disappeared as well. I whined, missing the contact.

"No, please..."

No one replied.

~

They left me there. I couldn't see, my mouth was too dry to yell and I couldn't move at all. The cold set in, making my fingers go numb. I shivered every few minutes, desperate for a little bit of warmth. I didn't know how much time had passed but it was definitely more than an hour. I could feel the ropes digging into my skin. For the first time, it bothered me.

All I could do was wait.

And then I heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps, it only sounded like one person. I was overjoyed. Was this Stockholm Syndrome? Nah, I knew they were hot long before they kidnapped me.

Then I felt hands on my arms, gently rubbing some warmth into my skin. It felt nice, comforting in a way. Soothing like the rich sound of Damian's voice.

"Are you ready to join our ranks? Or do you need more persuasion?"

I only shook my head, not quite ready to give in.

"You refuse? Three hours ago you begged us not to leave you and here you are turning us away."

I don't know why he sounded so heartbroken, but it was enough to make me be honest with him.

"I-," I gulped, "I don't know."

"Fine, I’ll make it an easier decision. You join our ranks and recieve all the benefits that come with that or we hold you hostage until you eventually agree."

"You're not gonna kill me if I refuse?"

"No."

I let out a breathe of relief. That sounded genuine enough.

"What are those benefits you mentioned?"

"Protection, from those who want you dead. And that list is long."

I contemplated for a few seconds. He was right, that list is long and growing. I bit my lip, trying to weigh the pros against the cons.

I didn't want to admit it, but I needed this. Not for money, power or even protection. I needed it so I could feel as if I'm a part of something. I needed it so I wouldn't be as miserable and as lonely as I was before.

"I'll leave you to think it over."

He squeezed my shoulder before walking to the door. I panicked, not wanting to sit alone in the cold anymore.

"No, please don't leave."

He stopped dead in his tracks, watching as I tried to collect myself. My voice suddenly sounded watery.

"I'll join."

My head hung as he knelt in front of me. I shivered, the cold stinging my skin. He took the blindfold off, tilting my head so he could look me in the eye. My eyes were suddenly red.

"Why is this so difficult?"

"It's nothing. I'm just very good at making myself cry. It's fine."

He wiped the tear off my cheek with his thumb. I leaned into his touch and he stood up, revealing Rhea and Finn who were stood in the doorway.

I hung my head again not wanting to face them with teary eyes and a quivering lip. Finn took Damian's spot infront of me, both hands cupping my face. Rhea approached me with a knife, making me flinch as she brought it a little too close to my face. She started cutting the ropes that tied my arms to my sides while Damian untied my legs.

Finn kissed me softly, gently pressing his lips to mine. When he pulled away, another tear rolled down my cheek. This is my breaking point. I stared at the wall behind Finn with glass eyes as he wrapped his jacket around me. I let Damian lift me out of the chair.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me with ease, a hand under each of my thighs. He carried me out of the cold room and into an elevator. Rhea and Finn followed. Rhea pressed the button in the elevator for floor 6, the top floor.

I buried my face in Damian's chest, feeling a hand rub soothing circles into my back. I felt pathetic. I felt like a little girl again, unable to control my emotions and desperate for any kind of affection.

The elevator stopped and Damian carried me to a couch, putting me down as I let go of his neck. Rhea sat down on my right, letting me slump against her. Finn sat down on my left. Rhea lifted me up into her lap before Finn picked up my legs, making those go over his as he moved closer. Throwing an arm over Rhea's shoulders, he let her put her head on his shoulder. I leaned against Rhea with my head in the crook of her neck while I pulled Finn's jacket tighter around me.

Damian returned with a blanket and a box of tissues. He threw the blanket over the three of us before sitting on Rhea's right and put the box of tissues on the coffee table infront of the couch. He put his left arm on the backrest of the couch, using his other hand to rub my side.

It was warm, cozy even. Here I am, seeking safety and compassion from the people I sought to destroy. For months, I've schemed against them, trying to make their empire crumble. Yet, here I am, cuddled up against them, tears rolling down my face. Pathetic.

AN: This post was inspired by a series of another creator, igncrxntripley. Go show their account some love.

"If you want to talk about it, we'll listen. If you don't, that's fine too."

[linagram]

…You know, I think you’re really good at writing characters that are hard to truly hate. For example, Kei’s SUCH an asshole and I hate his guts, but also I’m wincing in sympathy and Eiji hasn’t even beaten the stuffing out of him yet. He’s fucked up, he was hurt and proceeded to hurt so many other people, and frankly I don’t think there’s any good way to deal with him.

The one I REALLY can’t stop thinking about is Riku: I’ve flipped my opinion on him twice now, and I’m still super undecided on him. On one hand, he’s charming and I really like him, and his apparent situation with his victim makes me feel bad for him. On the other hand… he killed somebody, and he doesn’t even feel bad. That’s probably not good! Back to the first hand, his potential guilty punishment made me feel SO BAD for voting him guilty, but voting him innocent might have made him pull a Mu, and I don’t know which result is worse. (Doesn’t help that I have no idea if character death is a risk here. I don’t want anybody to die!)

I’m also VERY concerned for Eiji: he seems to be headed towards a He Who Fights Monsters situation, and I like him a lot and don’t want to see him turn into his brother (or his parents, who I’m pretty sure were a lot like Kei). I want him to be better but I know he won’t be, because he just completely refuses to chill out, at least for now. (I think Kei might have been spot-on about Eiji mimicking him, if maybe unconsciously.)

Anyways, you have my heart in your hands and you’re squeezing it like a stress ball. I can’t wait to see how bad this gets. Have a nice day!

thank you so much omg this made me so happy 😭😭💖

i'm very glad to hear that you think i'm good at writing characters who are hard to hate! it means i'm doing my job well, hehe. i was very worried that a lot of my ocs will be too scary or even "evil" for milgram, since it's more about "morally gray" characters, but now that i understand and know my ocs better, i'm starting to feel sorry for them as well.

kei is a very interesting character for me to write, because it's clear that he had a dark past, no, actually, he was still committing crimes before he even came to milgram, but there's still like zero information about his murder (even compared to the more "mysterious" characters, like reina). sure, he will tell you everything about how he used to take photos of his "boss"'s poor victims and how much he enjoyed it, but nope, he won't tell you anything about his victim(s)! and also, i try my best not to make him too sympathetic, siince i want him to stay as someone who was (and still is) a horrible person who i still can't help but feel sorry for (and for good reasons). i still feel like there's a high chance of him being voted innocent in season 2.

riku is one of the most fun characters for me to write, that's for sure! he's very friendly and nice, and unlike kei, he actually gives off very warm vibes and he doesn't appear that suspicious at first. tbh i think riku is one of the characters who wouldn't get better no matter what verdict he gets, but also.. i don't think he will start acting as bad as muu after being voted innocent? that's for one of the other prisoners to do however, voting him innocent means basically saying that what he did was right and.. his crime wasn't pretty and the way he thinks about it is very bad, so yeah..

oh, eiji is going to change a lot as a character in season 2! you see, when you have two guards with very different opinions about the prisoners and one of them manages to "win" (seven innocent prisoners vs three guilty prisoners).. it actually does change the relationship between them and they start acting different as well. so who knows, maybe eiji will start thinking that he was wrong, but not in a "hey, maybe my punishments shouldn't be so brutal" way and more in a "oh, so you're saying i'm not allowed to be angry? i'm not allowed to want revenge?" way. you'll see what i mean in the "the end of the first trial" post. and yes, fun fact: sanada brothers actually act a lot like each other! it's not just about eiji acting like kei (even if it's not on purpose), but also about kei acting like eiji (his younger self, to be more exact), so.. do with that information what you will :)

(and about character death: eiji does think that everyone here deserves to die, but he won't actually kill anyone until the third trial. he hates murderers, sure, but he will follow the rules and he will try his best to be patient. it doesn't mean that they can't have a near-death experience or be extremely close to dying though.)