#attacked by coming to tell me in the middle of the room. they're out here like he cursed and committed violent acts where are you

[theinfinitedivides]

watching Seok Jin's TDP's Q&A rn and the amount of proposals coming in for this man from every direction i'm cryingggggg

[villalunae]

im in such a utena mood right now i think anthy would not use nuclear war codes if she had them but would instead drop hints of incoming nuclear winter to nanami by messing with the plants in the birdcage and mentioning dead roses are often considered an omen of war (lie) so that nanami attempts to discredit her by looking up omens of war through a book miki lended her and instead finding out that all the crazy shit happening to her in the last few days (kangaroo showing up on campus was actually a political refugee, tsuwabuki prepping her cheat sheet for an upcoming test on the ramificiations of nagasaki and hiroshima, students gathering about television sets that before she can see what terrible news theyre watching someone says "turn something nice on instead!" and she only sees shopping channels marketing items like gas masks, bomb shelters, and canned foods) has actually been subtle hints and omens that they're approaching world war three and nanami ends up going to touga asking if theyre gonna make it and if japan can withstand another genocidal war crime against humanity and touga somehow reads this as her telling him her dream job is to be a stripper and tells her "silly little sister. all women are inferior to men already bc of eve's fatal sin. dont degrade yourself further than you already have" and shes like "what do you mean degrade myself further than i already have" and hes like "dont worry about it youre perfect to me. like a 9.5/10. or an 8/10. maybe a 6. definitely not any lower than a 3" and after hearing that she goes to bed upset and confused because not only is her brother not taking nuclear war seriously he also once again made her feel infantilized and small and then after hearing a loud boom in the distance she thinks nuclear war is starting and starts freaking out and thinks "my brother must have been speaking in a code! he was trying to make me feel nostalgic about my childhood to comfort me before the upcoming attack! now that nuclear war is starting i should take shelter but we dont have a bomb shelter here but ohtori has a bunch of students! it probably does!" running to ohtori and trying to think of the oldest building on campus and goes to utena and anthy's door banging on it in the middle of the night and utena gets up in her jammies like "what?" and nanamis like "QUICK we all have to GET UNDERGROUND wheres your NEAREST BOMB SHELTER" and anthy comes in behind utena like miss nanami what are you talking about? :) and utena is like yeah seriously thats so weird. i guess you can come inside . we couldnt sleep anyway because -- and then nanami sees on the floor of their room a bunch of scattered papers with a big red button in a briefcase and nanami points at anthy and is like "IT WAS YOU THAT LAUNCHED THE NUKE??????" and anthy says "oh this? this button is enrichment for my pet parrot! ive named her nanami. nanami press the button" and nanami the parrot presses the button and theres a loud boom and nanami (not the parrot) is like but what was that?!?! i heard it from my house!!!! and utena is like "oh! you must be talking about the firework display! the button is rigged up to some fireworks we got for the upcoming spring festival and we were actually up late tonight trying to get the display to work! we messed up pretty bad and most of the fireworks went off at once though haha." nanami the parrot keeps pressing the button in the bg and anthy is like "aww i guess that was the last firework left!" and nanami is like b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-but what about the kangaroo? and the test on nagasaki and hiroshima?? and the shopping channels advertising gas masks and bomb shelters and canned food??? and utena says "oh the kangaroo was a political refugee from australia its boxing career went down the hill after it killed steve durwin in a freak accident. all schools are doing history tests on world war two this time in the semester!" and anthy says "yes and because theres no clear threat of nuclear winter anymore all the old holdovers from wwii are being sold at discounted prices :)"

as nanami leaves the house feeling much better but also stupider she gets traumatized one last time by another firework going off and utena yells out the window "sorry nanami! guess there was one more loaded in there!" the firework design is chuchus face and he has been mysteriously absent this whole time. we see him in the sex car with that cat thing from madoka driving

[volturissideslut]

this is for cedric diggory, of him chuckling or smirking whenever he notices reader's being too shy when it comes to meeting his eyes or everytime he pulls her into his arms, just those little couple things and interaction, but reader is really shy and soft and gentle and rarely raise their voice, which is very different from how confident they look upon, and cedric can't help but think reader's precious every time they're together. prefer gryffindor reader, cos i like the opposite dynamic of bold versus shy😖

𝕮𝖊𝖉𝖗𝖎𝖈 𝕯𝖎𝖌𝖌𝖔𝖗𝖞

You could feel Cedric's longing gaze burning into your side. Of was that burning feeling your face, from how red it was making you? Either way, the middle of a transfiguration class with McGonagall was no place for his lovey dovey looks. She had already separated you once because of his flirting and how much it distracts you, for Merlin sake!

Still, your hand trembled as you dropped your quill, bringing it up to readjust your red and gold tie. His gaze still boar into you. Was it getting hot in here? And why won't you stop tingling? You could barely hear poor old McGonagall over the booming of your heart in your ears.

But you couldn't hold it back anymore. Curiosity about why he was looking at you got to the better of you. Maybe there was just a spot of ink on your face and he was trying to tell you. If so, it's rude of you to ignore him and that's the last thing you want.

Turning your head to face him, you mouthed across the room 'are you okay?'

"You're just too gorgeous for me to ignore, love" he didn't even bother to mouth, going straight ahead and saying it out fucking loud.

And, as if that wasn't already bad enough, he winked.

Was he trying to give you a heart attack? Thank Godrick the class was getting dismissed, and everyone was too happy about that to care about the interaction between the two of you. Still, it didn't stop you from getting too flustered to cope for a moment, freezing for a moment only to scramble to messily pack up the next with Cedric's laughter in the background.

"Im sorry, love" he says as he walks oner, leaning down to kiss your forehead. Though, if the proud grin on his fave and the tone of his voice is any indication, he's not sorry at all. Not one bit.

[seventeenlovesthree]

@digimonadventureweek Day 6, March 6th - Favourite episode: #31 - "Raremon! Surprise Attack on Tokyo Bay"

I have once made a list of my "Top 16 favourite Digimon Adventure episodes" and no matter what I do, I always come back to this one. Not only is this one of the episodes my dad had recorded for me when I was a kid because I couldn't watch it when it first aired on TV, but it also basically contains everything that I love about Digimon Adventure as a whole. It also justifies a lot of my biases and headcanons in the process, but that's just a side note.

This is the closest we've ever gotten to a "slice of life" anime that includes the original cast, as it contains several of its typical elements while focusing on and mirroring primarily Taichi's and Koushirou's experiences on their first evening back home in the real world. I could have taken approximately 100 screenshots of it, because the storytelling and pacing are just so marvelous to me:

Even though it definitely IS a slice-of-life-ish episode, it doesn't lose the main plot at all, but intertwines it perfectly into the story: The kids are looking for the eighth child and Taichi, rightfully, suspects Hikari, since she had been with him during the Hikarigaoka incident. Thus he and Koromon ask her if she owns a Digivice already, which she denies. The viewer can tell that she does own one, it was just stolen and played with by their housecat Meeko/Miko - and she is the reason we're gonna get an action-packed chase scene later down the line of the episode...

Then there's the secondary plot - I refuse to call it B plot, because it is so in the forefront of everything that happens. As mentioned, it's all about Taichi and Koushirou reuniting with their families and trying their best to hide their Digimon from them. They're both having rather warm, heartfelt and happy moments that feel light-hearted (and even a bit comedic) on surface level. The difference here is that Koushirou's personal backstory is also given more space to bloom; while both Taichi's mother, Yuuko, and Koushirou's mother, Kae, sense that something about their sons is off, the latter seems to be ridden by melancholy and guilt about it. Koushirou has been acting nothing but polite and grateful towards her, but she feels like this is not how he should be like, that he is hiding something - which, as her husband, Masami, puts it, "is nothing we can blame him for, since we're hiding something from him as well".

It's the first time the viewer actually hears that Koushirou was adopted - we have seen him having flashbacks and getting somewhat distraught and sad about something, but we didn't know what it was. One can tell that he means it when he tells his mother that he's grateful - we see it when he keeps smiling happily to Tentomon about everything -, but there is that barrier. He IS hiding something from them - and we know it's not just Tentomon, even if that is perfectly mirrored with Taichi hiding Koromon as well -, but she cannot grasp what it is. And he is burdening himself with it, everything: Caring for and hiding his partner, sneaking out of his room to deal with a rampaging Digimon in the middle of the night while (potentially) chasing the eighth child around town - on his own, because the others are already fast asleep -, having a one-on-one fight with an evil Digimon and almost gets impaled, while also trying to reassure his parents that everything is alright. A lot to bear for a 10-year-old, huh...

And why was he prompted to act in the first place? Not only because he was notified of Raremon being a threat, but also because the Yagami cat went on a stroll with the eighth child's Digivice and lost it several times over.

This episode simply has it all: It has a sense of happiness and peacefulness, it has comedic elements, it has a suspenseful fight and chase scene; the main plot and character development are perfectly intertwined and even though there is so much going on, it doesn't feel rushed, bloated or like anything shouldn't be there. The characters are pretty unreliable narrators while the viewer can see everything that happens - nothing gets resolved in this episode, it consists of a repeated "Almost!", but that is fine, because it contextualizes everything that will happen from now on.

It also tells us so much about the Yagami and Izumi family dynamics, including the fact that the mothers are very familiar with the fact that their sons are close friends who call each other at very odd times...

The adoption topic is rather heavy, not downplayed and presented in a light that makes you hope that all of this will eventually resolve.

It's just very dear to my heart and I would absolutely love a whole anime that deals with all of the kids and their backstories similarly, giving them all temporary main-character status.

[the-words-we-sung]

Thoughts and pictures - S3E1

So after digesting my first watch a little bit, I'm starting my rewatch of this season and I'll share a few thoughts and reactions (and screenshots) because I can't keep it all to myself 😱

I was happy that we dived directly into the (sort of) trial and confrontation between Wilhelm, Simon and August. I do wonder how much time passed between the speech and this scene though. It sets the tone for the entire season for Wilhelm: he's gonna be alone, with no support whatsoever from his parents. He enters the room alone, his parents arrive after him and his mother doesn't even look at him... Simon arrives with his mother and August with his stepdad. But Wilhelm has to deal with the situation alone (aka how to get incredibly mad at Kristina barely 5min into the season 😤)

Simon looks so pretty and so sad. (And how did Omar manage to look even younger this season??) He wants to be done with this whole thing. Also I checked but 1.2 millions kronor is not as much as I thought it would be (it's apparently around 107 000€, which is not bad, but I was expecting more)

I see what you did there Simon 😏 (Can someone gif this scene and put it in parallel with Wilhelm seeing Simon's room for the first time and saying "cozy" in season 1? :p)

The boys coming back to the meeting: very smooth. Nobody knows what you were doing. Nop. Not at all. (We can see Linda kinda smirking when Simon sits back whereas Kristina looks like she just ate a very sour lemon). Wilhelm arranging his hair and Simon smiling at him: they might be in the middle of an important meeting and at the Palace but they're still 2 teenage boys in love (and I love them for that 💜)

Rickard looked and sounded like such an idiot in the previous seasons that I didn't expect him to actually be competent! But I guess we were mostly seeing him through August's eyes... I know Rickard said he was the best lawyer in the country but I have to admit that I thought he was just bragging ^^' Also: August is such an asshole. Did he really need to rile up Wilhelm like that? He's got quite the confidence to attack him and tell him how he just fuck things up on his own, in front of everyone like that, including the queen. Who, again, is not defending her son!! She tells them to shut up but she says nothing to August for talking like that to her son 😠

(They look like they've been called to the principal office). Kristina doesn't look at them immediately, she looks at Erik's picture on her desk first. Then she looks at August. And then finally at Wilhelm. She is so awful to him this season... Right from the start. And then she breaks down crying for Erik.

While Wilhelm holds her. I wasn't expecting to see her grieve so much this season. We didn't see that at all in season 2. Is it because she repressed all of her emotions too much? I hate that she breaks down like that just after Wilhelm publicly coming out. How can she not be there for him. I get that it must be hard to lose a son, but she still has a very alive one, who needs her.

Kristina is not getting redeemed in this season but Linda kinda is! I was super happy to see her get in mama bear's mode at the trial ^^ It was about time!! But here: I'm sorry Linda but it's not your son's role to keep you updated about what's going on in your house! You're the mother! Stop putting everything on this kid's shoulders!! Maybe he never tells you but do you ever ask??

Simon being truly angry at Sara is so good. I am so happy so he's able to feel that way and to not feel like he has to repress it, to forgive her, to help her. She did something truly bad and he's allowed to be mad. Also look at his angry lil' face 💜

In things that made me laugh: Wilhelm's reaction and face to learning that Simon is grounded all semester xD He was talking all smoothly/flirty and then his tone changes so dramatically when he realizes he won't be able to get his boyfriend in his bed very soon! Horny boy is horny (and frustrated :p)

This faaaaaace ☹

I'm happy to see that Simon still has Ayub and Rosh here to support him. I wish they would have told him that replying to comments online was a bad idea though. You know the saying kids: don't feed the trolls!!

Wilhelm looks like such a normal teenager when he gets back to his room. First time we see him so carefree. It breaks my heart to know that on the other side Simon is so unwell already.

Wilhelm waking up happy and smiling. And being just a teenager (for the first time in a very long time): thinking about his boyfriend, redrawing the heart on his hand. It's such teenager things!! My boy just wants to have a normal life... (And then he's immediately reminded that he's actually not just a regular teenager with Farima's text).

Simon's worried face when he asks about Wilhelm's initiation. You can see he's truly horrified at the idea that he might have gone through what's been described in the article.

And then it starts: the piling up of everything on Wilhelm's shoulders. First his mother looking really unwell and breaking down (even though she hasn't been said to be officially ill yet), and now the negative impact of his speech on the school... Which Vincent takes great pleasure in reminding him about.

This first episode is really good at setting things in motion. We see already the beginning of what's gonna go down during this season: Simon not feeling well, dealing with online hatred, struggling with his new place next to Wilhelm in the spotlight. And Wilhelm trying to finally live a carefree life at school with his boyfriend now that he's officially out but slowly getting crushed under the pressure of his role as Crown Prince and the increasingly obvious lack of support from his parents.

[book-place]

For the Taylor swift lyrics prompts maybe can u do #13 and #6 with the batfamily? But pls make it mostly Damian lol

I'm pretty sure 13 is "I won't let anything bad happen to you" or smth and 6 is "sneaking in/tapping at your window in the middle of the night"?

So maybe they're injured and they promise to protect them...?

Oh and Damian n reader are long time friends!!

And congrats on 2k likes!!

[Celebration]

Thank you so much!! <33

Never Grow Up

6. “Sneakin’ out late, tapping on your window.”

14. “I won’t let nobody hurt you.”

A gentle rhythmic-like tapping on your window made your head turn up in confusion. It was well into the early hours of the night, but even then, you didn’t know of anyone that would try to reach you by going to your window.

Carefully, you gracefully slipped out of your bed and peered up at your window, limbs relaxing automatically when you saw Damian crouched on the fire escape.

You slid your window open, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as you looked upon your long-time best friend, “Damian?” You asked in a soft voice in hope of not waking your family in the next room, “What’re you doing here?”

The boy slid into your room with ease, standing before you with his arms crossed over his chest. You knew him long enough to be able to tell by his stance alone that he was worried and on edge.

“I have come to check on you.” He stated matter-of- factly, “You had a large wound in the side of your arm the last time I saw you, and you left before I had the chance to question you about it.”

His eyes narrowed in an accusative manner, and you couldn’t help the small pool of guilt that found its way into the pit of your stomach.

You, along with Damian and his family, were Gothams very own vigilantes, going out every night in order to keep the city safe. The two of you worked together almost constantly, and having each others back the way you did, it was rare for one of you to get injured to the extreme that you had that night.

Flinching a little bit at his hard look you knew was meant to mask anxiety about the situation, you crossed your arms over your stomach, taking special care not to move your injured one the wrong way.

“I didn’t want you to worry,” You told him honestly, “And I had it under control.” The second part might have been a little less than honest.

“Tsk.” He scoffed, rolling his eyes slightly, “It did not appear that way to me.”

A sign left your nose, “I stitched myself up just fine, Dami,” You informed him, “There was nothing to worry about.”

In full truth, you were honestly embarrassed about the whole thing. You and your best friend always fought side by side- within each others eye sights at least- so that you could be close by if things went south. This night though, you had accidentally wandered off and been taken by surprise, attacked from behind in a way that was near impossible to fight off, leaving you with a gash in your arm.

“I didn’t know where you were.” There it was, the first crack in his mask, a small ripple in his cold facade, “All of a sudden I couldn’t see you, but I managed to catch a brief glimpse at you, covered in blood before you ran away.”

You softened. Had the roles been reversed, you not only would have been beyond scared and upset about the whole ordeal, but you also would have been guilty and angry. Guilty that you couldn’t stop it and angry at those who did it. And you knew Damian well enough to know that he was feeling all of the above.

“I’m sorry I left.” You told him softly, “I really didn’t mean to.”

Damian’s eyes raked over you, studying you for a moment, “We need to take extra care to stay together.” He finally said, “That way, I can make sure that no further harm comes to you.”

You smiled softly, “I’d have it no other way.”

The Superior Robin ❤️- @ineedmorefanfics2 @sambucky8 @spidyyparker @i-writes-things @ladyagagaslefttoe @xbergiex

[lostbetweenvampiresandmusic]

Changes chapter 4

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Max was usually a deep sleeper. The second the sun came up, he was out of it. Maybe it was because he knew he was protected, thank to Thorn. Or, because he knew no one suspected him of being a vampire. Hardly anything could wake him - once in his younger years, he had even slept through the sun burning his leg. No, he didn't wake easily once asleep. Another benefit to that was that he never dealt with nightmares. The last time he had one of them, he had been human - which had been almost five hundred years ago.

So, when he woke up in the middle of the day, plagued by horrifying images, he couldn't help but wonder what had changed. He laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling - noting in the back of his mind that he would have to fix it in the coming years if he wanted to continue living here. The tiny cracks he saw now would only grow bigger and larger, and with the chance of an earthquake hitting... no, he had to fix that some time in the near future. He sighed as he closed his eyes. He kept seeing the same things over and over, no matter how much he tried to distract himself from it by looking at the cracks in his walls.

Bright lights, flashing before his eyes. Voices telling someone they're going to be fine. A girl, barely alive, laying on a metal table. A small cell, a metal cod, no windows or light whatsoever. Fights, blood flowing everywhere, bones cracking, metal pipes being forced through bodies - through their body. Being bitten, again and again, being forced to feed and then throw up - just so they'd be more vicious in the next fight. Them - the someone who went through all of this - not wanting to fight anymore, refusing to do so - and only getting hurt worse because of that. A voice, their sire, commanding them to fight. Commanding them to be silent, to never speak -

Max sat up, finally realising what he was seeing. Julie. She'd been through this. These were her memories. This was - he sighed as dread filled him. This was not just a matter of a bad change. This was torture. Someone out there was doing this to humans and to newborn vampires and why? Anger burned inside him as he thought of what she'd been through. No more. She would never face anything like that again. He'd make sure of that. She was his to protect now, and that's exactly what he would do.

Max hurried outside of his room, very grateful now that he made the entire upper floor of his house sunproof. He ran towards Julie's room, opening the door. The girl was twisting and turning on her bed, silent tears streaming down her face.

"Julie? You have to wake up, dear."

Max stayed a bit away from the bed, not wanting to scare her and elicit an attack from her. Julie didn't respond. Instead, it seemed as if her nightmare got a stronger hold on her.

"Julie!" Max gently shook her, stepping back as she fearfully opened her eyes. She crawled away from him, curling up in the middle of the bed. "You're alright, dear. It was just a nightmare. You're not going back there. Ever."

Fearfully, she looked at him, sniffling softly. How did he know? What had he seen? Why did she suddenly have dreams of that place? How could he promise her that, not knowing who did this to her?

"You were dreaming so vividly that you projected them. It happens sometimes."

Quietly, Julie nodded, curling up in herself. That made sense, in a weird way. She didn't know why she had just accepted that answer. Projecting dreams wasn't something someone could do, right? But now, it seemed like the only logical option. Still, to think that he'd seen what she'd been through? She bit her lip, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

"If you want to tell me about what happened to you, or even just about the dream, we'll find a way for you to do so, alright?"

She nodded, staring at her wall, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. The fact that he knew, horrified her - the fact that she didn't horrified her even more. She could hardly remember what actually happened, only remembering flashes. But to see him so worried, so carrying - to let her know that they'd find a way for her to talk about it if she wanted? It was enough for her to fully start crying.

"You're safe here. None of those people will find you here."

Max looked up as he heard Thorn walk up the stairs and stepping into the room. The dog walked up to Julie, gently pushing his nose against her hand. She gave the dog a weak smile, brushing her fingers through his fur.

"Would you feel better if Thorn stayed with you tonight?"

She nodded, making space on the bed for the hellhound. Thorn looked very satisfied as he jumped on the bed, curling up against the young vampire.

"Will you be able to fall asleep again?"

Julie shrugged. In all honesty, she didn't know. But not being alone, and having Thorn there made her feel a bit more secure. Max nodded, giving her a small smile.

"You're safe here, remember that. If you need me, I'll be in my room."

With those words, Max left the young vampire behind. She didn't know him well enough - nor did she trust him enough - for him to stay with her to console her. It was logical, and he hadn't expected anything else. Still, he was glad Thorn had taken up that duty, knowing that the hellhound would protect the girl.

Max was wide awake now. Not only did he not want to go back to sleep on the off chance that Julie did want to talk to him about her past, he was certain that the images hed seen would render it impossible for him to fall asleep. He was stuck with one question. He needed to know who was behind all of this. He needed to make sure that Jukie was save, and that this would never happen again - not to her or to any other human.

There was only one person in town who could answer that question for him. He picked up his phone, dialled the number, and waited for the phone to ring. It took a moment, but when the phone on the other side was picked up, the voice of an old woman came through.

"Johnson residence."

It was a couple of hours later when Julie awoke, a heavy weight laying on top of her legs. With a slight hint of confusion, she looked down, seeing that it was Thorn. She smiled at the dog, tiredly rubbing her eyes. She hadn't had a nightmare since coming here two days ago, but now it seemed like they came back worse than ever before. She stretched, got out of bed, and walked towards the bathroom. She brushed her teeth, no longer wondering why she had no reflection. It was not something she could change, and she wasn't sure if she would like the answer. Maybe, she thought as she spit the toothpaste into the basin, maybe it was a vampire thing - whatever that would mean.

She walked back into her bedroom, picking up the same dress she'd worn in the past few days. She didn't have anything else, and it was beginning to bother her. She had washed it in the bathtub the night before before going to sleep, and it seemed perfectly dry now. For that she was grateful, but she did keep in mind that she would have to ask Max at some point if she could get some more clothes. She put it on, quickly brushing her hair, before going downstairs. She felt different, like there was more energy inside her. Part of her was starving, hungry for - and this shocked her - blood. But, she felt stronger and healthier than she had done in the days prior.

As she walked down the stairs, Thorn followed her, his tail lazily wagging behind him as she brushed her fingers through his fur. The dog gave her a kind look, before running outside. Julie stepped into the kitchen, being greeted by Max. He looked tired, and she rightfully assumed he hadn't slept since she had woken him up with her nightmare. She shot him an apologetic look, which he waved away.

"Did you sleep after your nightmare?" Max asked as he gave her a cup of blood. Julie smiled thankfully before nodding. Thorn had helped.

"I'm glad. Do you remember what you dreamt about?"

Julie shook her head. She remembered flashes and emotions, but no more than that. She didn't want to remember more either.

"I saw what you dreamt, and I might have found a way to help you. It should work, in theory. A friend of mine is looking into the details. "

She gave him a curious look as she sipped her blood, still not comfortable with the idea that she liked the red liquid.

"Your sire forced you to be quiet, no matter what. We can't change anything about your sire. But if you get a new one -" Max trailed off, seeing Jullie nod. He wrongly assumed that it was in understanding. "The process is probably going to be painful, but it will change who your sire is."

Julie frowned. She understood what he meant with changing the control - that much was clear, but still. What was a sire?

"If we do it, I can become your sire. It would also mean that any command your previous sire gave you, would cease to exist."

Now, that was a promising thought. Julie wasn't much of a talker anyway, but sometimes she did miss it. She had loved to sing and to get that back? That would be great.

"Oh dear -" Max sighed, looking at her. "A sire is the one who changed you into a vampire. Do you know about vampires?"

Julie shrugged. She knew about the whole blood drinking thing, but that was pretty much it.

"Okay. Then I think we need to establish some rules, just so you won't get hurt."

Max talked for what felt like hours, explaining the ins and outs of vampirism. How she could fly. How she would burn in sunlight, how holy water would hurt her, and the only thing that could really permanently harm her was a wooden stake. He told her that she'd have no reflection but got immortality in return. And all she had to do to keep it that way was drink blood.

She sighed as she took it all in. It was all a bit much. It was scary. It was different. Someone out there forced this upon her, and she couldn't even yell or scream about all that had happened to her. Someone forced her to become a killer, to never see the light of day again, to never grow any older. She had had no choice. She had been a pawn in someone else's game. The one who did this to her had taken everything, and she couldn't do a single thing about it. She didn't know what frustrated her most. Maybe it was the lack of choice and control, or the fact that she couldn't yell or scream about it. Fact was, it was a bit much. Her being a vampire? It sounded like a horrible joke. So, when Max was done talking, she left the kitchen and went up to her room. Once there, she sunk to the ground, silent tears flowing heavily down her cheeks.

Julie didn't pay attention to the rest of the house. She didn't hear Max leaving, nor did she hear that about forty minutes after he left, the door to the house opened with a click. How the one that opened the door made its way up the stairs to her bedroom door. So when that person knocked, she was ready to jump out of her skin.

Startled, she opened the door, seeing David and another guy standing in front of it. Julie quickly wiped her tears away, knowing it was futile. They had already seen them.

"Max told you, hm?"

Julie nodded, stepping aside so the boys could enter her room.

"The first few weeks are the hardest." The boy she hadn't met yet turned to her. "As bad as it sounds, it will get better."

She shrugged, not sure if she believed him. Then again, he was a vampire as well and had been longer than she had.

"Dwayne and I figured you could use some company."

Julie nodded, a soft, thankful smile on her face. Max must have run into them and asked them to check in on her. It was sweet.

"He also mentioned that he had some business to take care of. If you want you can stay with us. Otherwise, you'll be here alone today."

Julie froze, not truly opposed to the idea of hanging out with Max's sons, but also not wanting them to find out how terrible her nightmares were. She had seen them, she knew they were cool. And she - she was just dealing with turning and being okay with feeding. And then the nightmares. What would they think of her? Max had been shocked. She knew it was insecurities that caused her to feel opposed to the idea, but still - why would they hang out with her?

"Paul and Marko would also like to see you again."

It was Dwayne who said that, in a way that made Julie feel as if he saw right through her. She bit her lip. Maybe she should just go along.

"You'll be fine, kid. We don't bite."

David looked at her with a teasing grin as he said this, causing her to roll her eyes before nodding. She put her shoes on, ready to go - but David stopped her.

"You can pack some stuff if you want."

Julie looked at him with a raised eyebrow and then at the room. It was pretty bare. So was her wardrobe, with her dress being the only actual item she had. He nodded, a sigh escaping him.

"We'll go and get you some stuff." Well, David thought, Paul and Marko can go with you and get you some stuff. He was in no mood to enter a clothing store or come near one tonight.

As they arrived at the boardwalk, Julie being seated behind Dwayne, they were greeted by Marko and Paul. Paul immediately helped her off, grinning as he pulled her into a side hug. "So, I heard that you need some more clothes, hm?"

Julie nodded, a small smile on her face. She began to wonder how he knew - but then she remember Max telling her that the boys and him could talk through a mindlink. Paul guided her through the crowds, being closely followed by Marko, as he took her to a small clothing store that had plenty of different dresses, skirts, shirts, and pants. As they entered, Julie looked around with uncertainty.

"Just pick what you think you'll like, alright?" Marko stood next to her, "we've got all night."

She smiled shyly, looking around. She found a nice black shirt and a pair of dark green ribvelvet trousers that she loved. She motioned towards the boys that she'd go to the dressing room to try it on. She liked both items, she decided as she looked in the mirror. They were pretty, and she looked good in it. As she stepped out to show the boys, they each held some more clothes in their hands. More shirts and trousers, but also a couple of dresses.

"You look good!" Paul grinned, causing her to return it. Her grin said everything she couldn't: Yes, I absolutely do.

The boys took her picks from her, handing her the clothes they'd gathered.

"Just see what you like," Paul nodded, sitting down on the couch across from the dressing rooms, his feet leaning on a display front of it. Marko gave her an encouraging nod, before falling down on the couch next to Paul.

As she tried their suggestions on, especially liking the soft pink dress they found and the jeans with a bold stitching pattern, she realised how much this would all cost. She looked at the pricetags, feeling shocked when she saw each item was more than a thirty dollars. It was a lot, and it was absolutely way to expensive. As she stepped out, deciding she liked all the clothes, she began to sort them in two piles. Keep and not keep. It would simply be to expensive otherwise, right? She could never imagine buying something that costly.

As she laid her third item on the not keep pile, Marko stopped her. "You know you can have everything right?"

She looked at him with shock before shaking her head. As she looked at the price tag, she turned to look at him and shook her head. He had to be lying.

"Well, you can. You need more stuff than just this dress."

She thought for a moment before putting everything on her to keep pile. She looked at Marko one last time to check, and when he nodded, she couldn't help but give him a quick hug. As the boys paid, she was very pleased to carry the bags.

They regrouped at their bikes, David putting a small package away underneath his seat. As if they were an oiled machine, the boys got on their bikes, David helping Julie get on the back of his. They drove off, racing down the beach until they found a small bonfire party. Five people. Enough for all of them. Julie didn't want to think about it, knowing she'd have to kill again. She knew she had to. She just didn't like it.

"First pick!" Paul called as he parked his bike, causing Marko and Dwayne to groan.

"That's unfair. You had it last time," Dwayne pointed out, causing Paul to sigh.

"I have preferences, you know that."

"How about we let Julie pick first?" David said, causing the others to shut up.

"Yeah, that's fair." Paul nodded, taking Julie's hand and taking her up the hill. "Just pick which one you'd like."

Julie looked at him and the rest of the boys. Something about the people at the bonfire smelt off. A sickly sweet smell came off of them, as if they'd make her ill. Besides, she didn't like this way of hunting. It felt too much like a sport, like it was all a game to them. But, it was mainly the smell that caused her to freeze.

"Well?" David looked at her, frowning as she shook her head. He didn't press any further for now, but he did give her a stern look. "I don't care how much Max frightened you this morning by telling you what you are. You will feed tonight."

Julie nodded. She would. She had to, Max made that very clear. Not feeding would endanger herself, but also him and the boys - and consequently the whole town. She didn't want that. But she couldn't feed from these people. Something was wrong with them. They smelled horribly.

As the boys flew forward, that sickly smell filled the air. Julie wondered why they weren't bothered by it, but the boys seemed to enjoy their feast. It was horrible to look at, the fear those people felt as they realised this was it. But, she knew this was the easiest way to hunt.

She sunk down to the ground, sitting on the sand, waiting for the boys to finish, when she smelt something delicious. It was sweet, flowery. Julie grinned, instinct taking over as she jumped up, looking at the source of the smell. A young woman who was about to walk straight into the vampires' murder party. Before Julie knew what she was doing, she jumped towards the woman, biting down as hard as she could.

Hot, sweet blood filled her mouth as she took grateful swallows. It tasted delicious, and the hunger inside her stopped nagging her. She drank until she heard the heartbeat stop, and with a satisified smile she let the body hit the sand. Out of breath, but her hunger definitely satisfied, she looked up, noticing that it was just David who was looking at her. The others had probably already left.

"Did you have enough?"

Julie nodded.

"Good. I'm glad you fed."

She nodded again with a look that said 'yeah, me too.'

"Let's go home. Day's breaking soon."

He led her to his bike, helping her get on the back. As they drove off, Julie noticed the sky tuning a dark orange. They had to hurry.

Next chapter >

[red-steampunk]

Things the five MCs 5 not allowed to do:

MC1-(Summoners) from Shiro & Toji

1- A stunned moment of silence means "My God, what have you done?" Not "please continue."

2- You're not allowed to skip class and meet up with Tetsuox to beat up weaker delinquents who are on both of your Guilds turf.

3- Stop "accidentally" spilling food all over Marduk, just because you think his dragon eating him is funny. Nobody wants to see that. lt's gross and awkward.

4- All though Surtr & Bablon both appreciate the somewhat kind gesture, please stop beating anyone who deliberately calls Bablon by her other "name."

5- Stop flirting with Jugo when he's in the middle of practice or egging on Orochi to rip Jugo's clothes off during practice.

6- Stop waking up Shennong in the middle of the night for breast milk. He's poisonous, you little gremlin.

7- Just like Ryota, you're not allowed to cook anything inside of the kitchen without supervision. Choji still refuses to speak to you after you created that abomination.

8- You're no longer allowed to play unwinnable games or play Mario Kart with Ahura Mazda. You knew what you were doing with that Blue Shell.

9- A lot of the outfits in Tokyo are "very revealing" were asking you nicely to stop referring it to a "pussy out" look.

10- You're no longer allowed to make an Only Fans for extra Guild money. Bribing the staff won't work again.

---

MC2-(Missionaries) from Jacob & Maria

1- Whenever you're gaming with Tsathoggua and the others again, please refrain from saying, "How about I f*ck you're dad and give him a son he'll actually love" to sexist individuals. We got a ton of angry calls from parents across Tokyo from your live streams with Tindalos.

2- Stop telling Temujin that you'd rather get knocked up by Ulaan. Temujin wouldn't leave the property because he was angry looking for you in a fit of rage. Quit giving Maria grey hairs. No one wants him here.

3- Whenever you're having your girls' night, avoid going to places that are usually filled with rude men from now on. We'd appreciate it if you,Hekate,Ellie,Melusine and etc. Would stop looking for fights.

4- Stop calling Hati a simp, he apologized for being manipulated by Nyarl.

5- Stop trying to hook up Nyarl and Zabaniyya. Nyarl doesn't mind, but Zab most certainly does.

6- Stop calling Tezcatlopica, Balor's bottom bitch. I don't care how funny you and Tanetomo think it is.

7- Stop pretending to drown, just so you can either Makara or Gurangatch perform CPR on you. They're both worried about losing you forever. And I know you didn't enjoy it when Fuxi did it that one time instead, maybe that'll teach you a lesson on pretending to drown is bad, m'kay.

8- Stop taking naps on Arsalan, I know he doesn't mind, but I hate having to wash your clothes more than I should because they're covered in oil.

9- Stop letting Ellie drink your blood. I don't care how much you both enjoy it. The angels didn't like seeing that. They think it's gross.

10- I know about you and Azazel search history. Please delete that, and I mean ALL of it. I'll give you three Tickets if you do.

---

MC3-(Berserkers) from Snow.

1- I'd appreciate it if you didn't always clothesline people who either accidentally or deliberately speak inappropriately in front of Echo.

2- Please be careful whenever you're complimenting or flirting with with Cthuga again. You caused him to create a massive forest fire near Chernobog's Moutain, and you're both lucky the authorities haven't found out about it yet, thanks to Claude covering for you.

3- Garmr is not your personal attack dog, and he's not allowed to sleep in your room anymore. His howling is too much, especially at night.

4- No, I won't tell you where the milk from came from. It's a secret.

5- Stop giving Claude dumb ideas for events. Please come to me first for any ideas you have in mind from now.

6- Just because you can doesn't mean you should. And just because you should doesn't mean you can.

7- No ice cream sandwiches inside of the toasters. I don't care if you and Bathym managed to get Ikutoshi to laugh because of the result of it. It wasn't worth it.

8- Asking Belphegor to "clean out your pipes" is right out, when his shift is over. You stop that. Let him rest.

9- Stop calling yourself Tokyo's Hottest Himbo. Echo won't stop repeating it.

10- If you,Bathym, and Cthugha would find somewhere to smoke a "joint," then I'd stop dousing you with water. We don't need you stinking up the place. Maybe that'll teach you that doing drugs is bad, m'kay?

---

MC4- (Tycoons) from Gyumao

1- Even though I appreciate you as my business partner. Please stop complimenting the employees so frequently. They're fishing for your favoritism now.

2- Shino and Choji aren't allowed to get special treatment from me. I know you love them a lot, but I have Barguest and Snow. I need to treat them like that. When you start your own business, then you can spoil them. Other than that, refrain from asking.

3- I appreciate you calling me your dad, but please don't call me "Big Daddy" it's embarrassing, especially in front of our employees.

4- Please stop joining in the fights with the other head Tycoons. Stuff around here is expensive.

5- Licht isn't allowed to paint you naked anymore, thanks to a certain fight breaking out at the museum because everyone wanted to steal that painting of you.

6- We're allowing you to keep all that money you won, but you're not allowed to use anything at the Casino anymore. Your luck at the slot machines and gambling is unnatural, and we don't want to make others think you're cheating.

7- Stop sleeping around with your besties at the same time, you're all loud as hell, Bohemio and Sanzo are rubbing off on you.

8- Unless you actually plan on adopting them, stop referring the 8 Dog Warriors as my grandchildren. I already had Yoshito,Yasuyori, and Mussashi call me gramps. I don't like feeling old.

9- No, we are not doing a Maid Café, Melusine thinks it's degrading. And it doesn't matter what the other maids think because they'll just blindly agree with you.

10- No, you can't suck on my breath for milk just because you're too lazy to go downstairs and get some milk in the fridge. And stop asking Barguest if either my milk or Snow's milk tastes better. It's inappropriate... It's his.

10- Stop calling Korpokkur and Micheal a "lying little abortions" I can't risk having my business partner get canceled for insulting ageless children.

---

MC5- (Outlaws) from Gyobu

1- Even though we know Ryota is completely harmless and means well. Please let us know when he's coming over, Tetsuya still gets upset when you invite him over.

2- I know how much you hate Fuxi and the World Reps in general compared to your siblings. But please stop calling the Cops on our turf to arrest him because he broke into your room. We can handle it ourselves. We're meant to help you.

3- Please don't ever point out how all of the Outlaws have friends outside of the Guild who frequently visit unannounced. Tetsuya clearly didn't appreciate that being pointed out to him.

4- Marchiosias doesn't want Ellie following you to the Gurus Guild because he's very adamant about it, too. So please carefully watch your surroundings. She has a habit of following you. Same with the Summoners Guild.

5- You're not allowed to sneak over at the Warmonger's base to leave multiple cardboard cutouts of Yoshitune surrounding Yoritomo, just so he can suffer from a massive panic attack... again.

6- You deserve getting punched in the face for calling Suzuka a tsundere. She's your friend who asks to be treated with respect, please treat her accordingly.

7- Please stop making passive-aggressive comments to rude customers. We still appreciate you making everyone laugh because of it, but we don't need bad reviews.

8- Tsukuyomi appreciates you being his brother, stop coming up with fancy names for him. They're dumb regardless of what he thinks. You can still call him "Moon Man"

9- Just because Tetsuox calls you boss doesn't mean you should pay him, he already has a job.

10- Stop calling me your dad just because I'm dating Marchiosias. I already have 808 kids plus his child. I'm not sure I'm ready for a trouble magnet like you.

---

All Five from Mr. Mononobe

1- Please calm down and stop being extremely hostile towards Christine, I don't prefer her over you five. Same with Kirito.

2- No, I'm not paying for any of future weddings. You guys have an alarming number of people you're dating. Especially MC2 and MC4.

3- I appreciate you guys treating Furufumi as a seventh sibling, but maybe hang out with one or two at a time. He's still not comfortable hanging out with all of you at once.

4- Even though they deserve it, stop manipulating and gaslighting the Worlds Reps by using any information you have of the Exiles. I don't care if Micheal,Tez or Perun deserve it.

5- I swear, if I get another noise complaint from you're respective neighbors, because you five don't know how to keep your legs closed.

6- No, I won't ever make duplicates of Lil' Salomon. I know you love him. He does appreciate that you guys like him that much.

7- Hearing anyone make a racist comment directed to any of your friends isn't an excuse to jump them at once.

8- I'm not abusing my power to eliminate all of the World Reps at once, I have rules against me for that.

9- Stop trying to get me another romantic partner. Chernobog is great as is, I'm not you five. I have standards.

10- Once you five do finally graduate, then I'll allow you to drink with me. Just don't let anyone else know. Other than that, stop asking asking to go to the bar with me and the other teachers.

[sewinrat]

If you were one of Luther's Cat:

Obviously you're not a normal cat. No gender mentioned dw;

While Nyon has those floppy cat ears and Nyen has like a cat hat, you have a beret with cat ears. Do with that information as you will, but either way no one knows if it can come off.

You eat poison once. It was an accident. Trouble likes to linger around you but they can get worse as years went by.

You were the middle cat. What I meant by that is, both in role and personality. You were not as mean as Nyen can be but you were also not as nice as Nyon is.(Unless of course you have a different opinion.) Remember the tier list they had in Vol 1. Lucid 5? Yea, you're placed either in Dime, Ace or something else like Hearts/Diamonds but never higher than that in tier 4. Close to Tier 3 actually but Nyen can be petty.

Danger Level: MODERATE

You are often found around the kitchen or the living room. Any other parts of the house you might be seen is because you have to go there under an order or for other reason. Once, Sebastian found you somewhere in a hallway sitting on the floor terrifyingly staring at the wall.

Unlike Nyen, when it comes to vacuums, you're one of those that chill on it. Just pop hide your limbs, be a bun and sit on top of it. If this ever happens, Nyen usually respects you more than he does when you're off it. It doesn't last long tho.

Of course since you're Luther's cat, you are loyal to him. It's inevitable especially in the ivory house. Luther's house. Maybe when you were a regular human, you would've accidentally met him in Michigan. You lost everything before so why must you worry about your human life when you can be a cat while gaining inhuman traits from Luther. Don't mind whatever happens within the house, you can do anything under his permission.

Ranfren Characters thoughts on You;

Randal: "Yeahh I don't care much about them.. However they're my favourite out of big brother's cats! They're willing to play with me unlike the other two! It's fun since Sebastian don't play my games. I would call them my friend if it weren't for the fact that they're big brother's... And also the fact they can act like him." In short, he would see you as his friend but non friend.

Sebastian: "O-oh.. Who are you? Uh uhm.. okay? I guess they're fine. They're not as crazy as that other one.. but they still make me uncomfortable.. especially when they stare at the wall for no reason. I just hope they won't try to kill me.." He's afraid but he's fine. He can tolerate.

Nyen: "Oh them? I guess they're okay. They're boring to me but they are terrifying when they're on the damn vacuum. *shivers* eugh.. thinking about it makes me sick. Don't tell them that or else I would have to suffer their smug smile for a while." He doesn't care much. Don't try to snitch on him.

Nyon: "... They're okay." He's too quiet on the matter but don't worry, he likes you. You're not mean as Nyen. If anything, you also amuse him randomly. Especially when he saw you intimidating Nyen one time.

Luther: "Ah yes, one of my lovely cats. Out of the other two, as a kitten, they act so good. Better than the two. However, I love them all equally. As they grew older, it seems that trouble stirs around them more but it's fine. It's not as troublesome as some of the things Randal puts himself into. Now, while you are here, come have tea or please leave." His opinion has not changed. He loves you just as much as he loves his family.

Bonus! Ratman Robert: "How the hell did you get here? Whatever, you don't look like one of them. The middle cat? No comment. I don't know if I should be afraid that they seem to be plotting something or grateful they don't attack us when they see us. I would like it better if they don't stare at the wall. It's uncomfortable to feel their eyes on me." He's scared. But he would offer you food that he has as peace offering one day. Don't eat him.

[izels-writing]

l. evans — but daddy i love her! [2/2]

Pairing: lily evans x fem!reader

Summary: you finally confess how much you love lily.

Warnings: suggestive language, homophobia, religious homophobia, use of ‘homo’, forced to come out, had to use specific names for cousins sorry😔, panic attack, (let me know if i miss any warnings!)

PART ONE, PART TWO

being sneaky and secretive in a house with no privacy was incredibly difficult. more so when you were trying to hide the true nature of you and lily's relationship. the good part about lily being a girl and a presumed friend, your parents allowed the door to be closed. after all, it hadn't crossed their minds that you and lily would be doing anything of that nature with each other.

lily straddled your hips, pushing her chest to yours as she dipped down to kiss you roughly. her body meshed with yours and it took every power of your being not to flip your positions and push this further. your hands slid down her back, resting on his hips as she slid her hands in your hair. your lips were locked passionately, yet still on alert of anyone who may walk in.

your brother and sister were in their respective rooms, your parents being downstairs. while they had to keep their doors open with their respective partners, you did not. granted, they didn't know lily was your girlfriend.

you both heard footsteps and you threw lily off, sitting up and fixing your hair as lily slid onto the floor. she hit the floor with a loud thump, both of you bursting into fits of laughter to conceal the suspicious noise.

as lily stood up, she rubbed her hip and frowned. "ow.." she muttered, sitting back up on the bed.

"i'm sorry, love," you muttered. you kissed your fingers before pressing them on her hip comfortingly. "i didn't think you'd fall,"

"it's okay," she mumbled, sitting across from you on the bed. she smoothed out her hair and wiped the smeared lipgloss on her face. you quickly did the same.

it was a two days before christmas, and since both you and lily had done your shopping, your days had been spend indoors—specifically in your room. your mother's side of the family was coming in today, something you weren't too excited about.

you and lily both came from working class families. you were by no means comfortable, but you were not so impoverished that you could consider yourselves lower class. it was just the hand you'd both been dealt. however, your mothers side of the family was more than well-off. they were upper middle class—and they all loved to rub it in your faces every time they came to visit.

whether it was your cousins new balenciaga bag or your aunt's new gucci shoes, they always found some way to work it into a conversation. it never made you feel bad, you could care less about that stuff. but your mother always felt terrible not being able to say she owned designer things.

you glanced at the time and groaned, throwing yourself back on your bed. they'd all be here in two hours. and you could wait.

lily laid beside you on her side, her head resting on her palm. she pushed your hair out of your face, caressing your cheek for a second. "c'mon, they can't be that bad," she muttered.

"lily, they're so terrible," you groaned. "it's like they're the royal family without any status,"

lily giggled, kissing your face gently, moving to your jaw slowly. "well, at least you have me, right? we can deal with them together,"

you turned to her and smiled. "yeah, that is a plus to all of this. i just hope they don't notice the way we are with each other," you frowned. "my cousins do not like me, they find anything they can to tell on me to my parents,"

lily chuckled. "noted. now come on, you said we have two hours right?" she smirked.

you laughed. "yes, but we only need one," you replied, before sitting up and engulfing her in a rough kiss.

——

two hours later, the calvary had arrived. you threw on your best outfit—a mini burgundy pencil skirt with a black v-neck long-sleeve. it wasn't fashionable, like your sisters or your mothers dresses, but it was your most comfortable outfit while still being nice. lily wore a sage green dress, it fitting close to her body. this was different from the dress she'd be wearing at the christmas dinner in two days, in that it was your second favorite dress on her and very tight to her body.

you came up behind her as she fixed her hair in the mirror, kissing her shoulder gently. she smiled, turning to kiss you softly.

"mm, not being able to kiss you these next few days is gonna be hell," lily groaned, laying her head on your shoulder.

you rolled your eyes playfully. "yes, the torture,"

lily scoffed. "shut up, you know you'll miss it too,"

you smiled. "i will, but after the 26th, we'll have free reign again," you promised. she sighed and nodded.

you heard the front door open and you sighed, ignoring lily's amused chuckle as you mentally prepared yourself as they stumbled inside. you motioned for lily to follow you as you both exited your room and made your way downstairs.

"y/n! come say hi to your aunt and uncle and your cousins, dear," your mother smiled, putting on the most enthusiastic tone she could. "lily, you as well! come!"

"i already did," lily muttered under her breath. you held your laughter, a huge smile spreading across your face to refrain from bursting out in laughter. she smirked at you subtly.

one by one, you introduced lily to your maternal side of the family. the last two were your cousins alex and taylor—who were a year older and younger than you respectively.

"lily, this is taylor and alex," you said, holding back your scowl as they both eyed lily. whether alex's gaze was flirty or not, you didn't like it.

"it's nice to meet you both," lily said, extending her hand. alex took it enthusiastically, checking her out. taylor nodded and muttered, "same,"

"anyway, let's go," you scoffed. you didn't want to spend another second with those two if it wasn't necessary.

"oh, y/n, dear! why don't you show alex and taylor up to your room? maybe you guys can hang loose?" your father said.

"oh my god, dad, no one says that anymore!" you scoffed. you motioned for the three to follow you, trying your hardest not to glare at your parents—who at the end of the day were just trying to make your family feel welcome.

"so lily, how do you know y/n?" alex asked the redhead. lily, oblivious to his obvious crush, smiled and looked at you before turning to him and replying, "we're best friends from school,"

"so, do you not have a family of your own to spend christmas with?" taylor sneered.

"shut it, taylor," you spat. "ignore her, lils, her mother drank too much when she was pregnant with her,"

taylor rolled her eyes. "whatever, you twat,"

"uhm, anyway, do you have a boyfriend, lily?" alex asked, eying up lily with a smirk.

lily then suddenly caught what you had noticed in the beginning. she paused and glanced at you before turning to alex and nodded, "i do, as a matter of fact,"

"leave her alone, alex," you scowled, pushing the door open to your room as the four of you piled in. "you guys can sit on the floor,"

"y/n," lily mumbled at you in warning. you huffed, "or the bed if you want i suppose," you added in response.

"whatever," taylor and alex mumbled, taking space on your bed as you and lily sat in the bean bag chairs on your floor. you sat by lily, beginning a conversation with her as alex and taylor did the same with each other.

——

christmas dinner soon came by and you couldn't be anymore uncomfortable. the awkward lapses of silence in your room was enough but now an entire dinner with people you disliked? it was crazy.

"and then we went to buy wagyu and they told us they were out! i mean can you believe it? we had to fire her immediately," your aunt scoffed.

your mother nodded, listening to her story but it was clear what she actually thought based off of her tight hold on her fork.

"your house is very quaint," your uncle told your father, who looked uninterested. "have you ever thought of upgrading into a nicer, roomier place?"

your house wasn't even that small. it was definitely slightly above average—they just had a eight room home so it seemed anything less was small to them.

"no, the means haven't come by for it," your father answered politely.

you uncle chuckled. "well, that's why you have to find the means,"

"oh my god," you muttered to lily, wanting more than nothing to leave them all downstairs and go into your room with lily.

"it's okay," lily muttered, going to teach for your hand under the table. but she hesitated and decided against it.

"so, my lovely y/n, how are you doing at hogwarts?" your aunt asked, smiling at you. "what grade or whatever are you in now? i mean how does that work?"

though her tone was nice, you knew she was judging.

"lily and i are both in our sixth year, same as a normal school," you replied firmly. "we've both got straight o's,"

"and what does that mean? i'm not familiar with that stuff," she laughed snobbishly.

"it's like having first class honours, in all subjects," lily explained politely with a smile.

"oh...excellent! my taylor and alex as well! except they learn the important stuff like algebra and literature," she concluded with a smug smile.

"that's great! i personally love shakespeare! have either of you read it?" lily asked both of your cousins.

"what's that?" taylor sneered.

"oh...well, i guess not all the important stuff, huh?" lily replied kindly. you smirked, noticing your aunts slightly infuriated face. merlin, you could kiss her.

your parents muffled their own snicker, while your brother and sister didn't try at all to hide it. even your uncle let out a cough to hide his laughter.

“anyway, do you two young ladies have boyfriends? my taylor just got a boyfriend and they’re just the cutest together,” your aunt bragged.

“yes, i do,” lily answered politely, glancing at you subtly. you shook your head, “no boyfriend for me,” you answered.

“really? what’s your boyfriend like, lily?” your sister asked curiously. “y/n never mentioned it before, i mean she talks about you all the time,”

you and your siblings were close, but given they were closer in age to each other than to you, you had never really told them either. you knew they wouldn’t tell your parents but you were still cautious.

“his names…jay, he’s very kind and funny and sweet and bea—handsome,” lily exclaimed. both of you prayed no one had caught the slip up.

your mother smiled. “he sounds wonderful, dear,”

“well, y/n knows not to date until she finds the right man,” you father joked. “he’s got to be the exact person lily’s describing, isn’t that right, love?”

he looked at you expectantly. you swallowed nervously and nodded, “of course, dad,” you laughed nervously. thankfully, it wasn’t out of the ordinary, given you always acted like this about your love life.

“i’m excited for you, when you do,” your brother answered sincerely. “maybe we’ll finally get you off our hands, i won’t have to buy you anything anymore—your husband’ll be in charge of that,” he laughed.

“as much as i want her to be happy, i’ll be upset when my girls gets married, but i trust they’ll find good men to make them happy—i know you understand,” your father said, looking at your uncle. he nodded solemnly.

“when my taylor gets married, i’m not sure i’ll be able to handle it,” he chuckled.

your heart sunk and your face paled as your father talked. he had a whole life set out for you. how could you go and break his heart? you wanted nothing more than to scream it from the rooftops — ‘i’m gay and in love with lily evans!’ but like always, nothing came out. it was selfish of you to hurt your father this way.

a part of you begun to panic inside, the air leaving your lungs. you were familiar with this feeling. you were going to have a panic attack.

right now.

“excuse me, i’m not feeling too well,” you mumbled. you stood from your chair and dashed upstairs, hearing lily explain that she was going to go check on you. your family paid no mind and resumed their conversation, thankfully so.

as you and lily entered your room, you shut the door behind you—curling up on your bed. tears rushed to your eyes as your heart begun to race and for a moment, you were sure you were about to pass out.

“baby, what’s wrong?” lily asked softly, sitting in front of you, brushing the hair out of your face.

“what am i doing, lily? i wanted to tell him, tell him about you and how i love you,” you rasped out. “but you heard him…it’ll break his heart,”

“i can never tell him,” you breathed out. your breathing quickened and thankfully, lily and you experienced these panic attacks so often about each other that you knew how to calm each other. and thankfully, you and lily knew it didn’t mean the other wanted to break up.

“yes, you can, love. it’ll take time, but one day you’ll be able to tell him,” she said gently. “believe me, i understand. but we can go at our own pace,”

tears streamed down your face. “what if they throw me out? what if i never see them again?” you sobbed quietly. “i love them, i would never want to hurt them,”

lily sighed, sitting beside you and pulling you close. when she held you, touched you even, you felt calmer—always, no matter what. it was her lily evans magic. you began to slow your breathing.

“you won’t hurt them, they love you and eventually, they’ll want you to be happy,” lily whispered. “and happy is being yourself and loving who you love,”

“happy is with you,” you smiled softly.

she grinned. “i was hoping you’d think the same,” she chuckled, kissing your cheek.

“i’m telling them in two days,” you decided suddenly. “i can’t keep living like this, hiding, pushing myself into panic attacks. i just can’t…”

“and i’ll be here for you,” lily mumbled, kissing your head. “every step of the way,”

“thank you.” you said sincerely, bring her lips to yours.

a gasp broke you two apart and you both turned to the door. taylor stood there, eyes wide and mouth hung open.

“you’re…you’re…” taylor stumbled.

“taylor,” you said warningly. “please just listen,” you stood suddenly. she backed up slightly.

“please, don’t say anything,” you pleaded.

she looked at you disgusted. .

“i will, i will, just please don’t say anything,” you pleaded. “i’m begging you,”

she left suddenly, darting down the stairs. you and lily looked at each other wide-eyed, before following after her quickly.

“aunt m/n! uncle d/n!” you heard her shout.

“what is it, honey?” your mother asked.

you and lily rushed into the kitchen, staring taylor down. she glared at you before turning to the entire family table.

“lily and y/n! they’re…they’re…they’re homos, i just saw them kiss!” taylor exclaimed.

all eyes fell on the both of you. your face paled and lily looked horrified, you imagined you did too. you swallowed thickly.

“y/n, is this true?” your mother asked firmly.

you looked at lily, before suddenly grabbing her hand. “lily and i are dating, and we have been for two years now,” you confessed, despite the bile rising in your throat from your nerves.

lily squeezed your hand, looking at your admirably.

your father stood, hands shaking. you cowered under his gaze, but stood your ground. you narrowed your eyes as you noticed your aunt and uncles smirks, like they were somehow better because their kids weren’t gay.

“well, it seems you have things to discuss,” your aunt said. “we’ll be leaving now, we’ll see you on the 25th,” she muttered. quickly, your aunt and uncle, along with taylor and alex made their way out of your home, whispering god-knows-what as they left.

the door shut and the house was silent.

“lily, get your things, b/n will drive you home,” you father spat. “y/n, go to your room,”

“dad, she has nowhere to go,” you pleaded.

“i don’t care! she comes into my home, poisons my daughter?! you’re sinning, y/n!” your father spat.

“no, i’m not! please!” you pleaded.

“she’s poisoning you, y/n. this isn’t who you are, this isn’t what you are,” he spat.

he walked toward lily, pushing your hands away, towering over your girlfriend. “you need to leave,”

lily swallowed and nodded. “yes, sir,”

“no, you’re staying!” you exclaimed, getting between the two. “daddy, you can’t do this!”

“dad, stop,” you sister said sternly. he didn’t bat an eye at her. “lily has nowhere to go, her parents aren’t in the county,”

“they’re sinning, s/n! i could care less!” you father spat. “she has no business being in my house!”

“love, stop,” your mother tried. as disappointed as she looked in you, she hated the way your father could be.

“i said pack you bags!” he yelled at lily, eyes fired up as he glared at lily.

“but daddy i love her!” you confessed, voice raspy, tears streaming down your face.

“she makes me happy. she makes me laugh, she holds my hand when i’m scared, she helps me study, she’s beautiful and smart, she makes me brave,” you continued. “i’ve never felt this way with anyone before! please!” you pleaded, staring into his eyes pitifully.

he made eye contact with you, and suddenly, his eyes softened. nonetheless, his stony demeanor continued.

“dad…” your brother said.

“please, you can’t throw her out,” you said, holding lily’s hand as she stood behind you. “i love her. so much. you can’t do this to me,”

he stepped back. surveying you both.

“it’s a sin,” he repeated again.

“a sin i’m willing to commit if it means i get to be happy with her,” you replied.

your mother, the ever hopeless romantic, smiled softly at you two. her entire demeanor had changed when she heard your confession. “honey, let her stay,” she told your father.

he looked at your mother and his gaze softened even more.

“fine, she can stay. but she won’t be staying in your room and no weird business either, you two will not be alone at all,” he said sternly.

“okay, okay, that’s fine,” you breathed out.

“lily, move your stuff downstairs, you can sleep in the guest bedroom,” he said.

“of course,” she said politely. she quickly left to collect her stuff.

“thank you,” you told your father. “i love you,”

he said nothing back.

——

you sat on your bed, staring at the wall blankly. it was already much more lonely in your room without lily. not that you could sneak down to see her, your parents kept their door open so he could watch you in case you did try.

a knock was heard at your door, you replied a short, “come in,”

you brother and sister walked in, sitting across you at the foot of your bed.

“if you’re here to lecture me, save it,” you said. “mum already did,”

your sister laughed. “i’m not mum, i just came in here to say it’s okay, he’ll get over it,”

“yeah, remember how much he hated s/n’s fiancé? he got over it,” your brother shrugged.

“i don’t think it’s the same,” you chuckled.

“but it can be,” your sister shrugged. “give them time, they’ll come to terms,”

“and if they don’t,” your brother added. “you have us,”

you smiled, a small tear streaming down your face. “thanks,”

“of course, besides i had my time to come to terms,” your sister shrugged.

“you knew?” you asked.

“you look at her the way he looks at his girlfriend,” you sister grinned, pointing at your boyfriend. “nothing gets past me, twat,” your sister chuckled.

“shut up,” you chuckled.

“someone’s in loveeee,” your brother teased.

“i’m just surprised she’s so well-rounded and not concussed,” your sister taunted. “i was sure whoever agreed to be with you would have to be a little out of it,”

you glared playfully at her.

“i know, wonder if she knows about your audrey hepburn phase?” you brother asked smugly.

“do not!” you warned.

“i already did,” he grinned.

you rolled your eyes.

——

“how was break?” mary asked you and lily.

lily smiled, looking at you expectantly. you smiled at mary, “i told my parents,”

“congrats!” peter exclaimed.

“how’d they take it?” remus asked.

“not well, at first,” you admitted. “but after the first three days, my dad stopped glaring at me when me and lily would talk to each other,”

“hey, it’s a start,” marlene said.

you and lily nodded in agreement.

“i’m just glad i don’t have to hide her anymore,” you smiled, turning to lily to kiss her softly. “she’s too pretty to hide,”

“ugh, you two are gross,” dorcas scoffed.

“says you,” you replied, gesturing to the fact that dorcas was sitting in marlene’s lap.

“shut up,” dorcas laughed.

bonus;

as the piano played, you smiled down the aisle as your future wife—lily evans l/n. she looked beautiful in her white, tight gown. her hair was pulled back into a half-up and half-down hairdo with beautiful, light makeup.

you and your father linked arms, after he had smoothed out your own dress. it was slightly longer than lily’s, but just as beautiful.

you two began to walk down the aisle, careful of tripping or stumbling. he, surprisingly, held the brightest and biggest smile on his face as he looked at you.

both of your parents had officially come around a while back, and you couldn’t be happier.

as you reached the end of the aisle, he pulled you into a tight hug, kissing your head. “i’m proud of you, and i love you,”

“i love you too, daddy,” you smiled, tears brimming your eyes. you blinked them back as to not ruin your makeup.

he handed you off to lily, a bright smile on his face as he kissed lily’s hand intertwined with yours.

“take care of my little girl,” he told her sincerely.

“always,” lily smiled, tears brimming her eyes as well. “thank you,”

he quickly returned to his seat, wiping his eyes before anyone could catch the tears filling his eyes. unluckily for him, you and lily had already noticed.

you smiled at her and she returned the gesture, both of you joining your hands—tears filling both of your eyes.

“welcome all, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of these two lovely ladies,” marlene smiled.

you and lily looked happily at your two kids in the front row, one sitting in his seat patiently, while the littlest babbled in james’ lap.

you turned to each other again.

you couldn’t be happier.

[mouseymilkovich]

Alibi | One Shot | Mandy Milkovich x fem reader

"I just killed a man, she's my alibi."

Summary: Mandy's gotten herself into trouble, but being her best friend, you're more than willing to cover for her... no matter what she's done. Being in love with your best friend can make one do crazy things. | Inspiration ; "Alibi" by Sevdaliza, Pabllo Vittar, & Yseult

CW: reader kinda doesn't like Lip (I'm so sorry💔), blood, mentions of a heart attack, stalking (not the fun/kinky kind), police interrogation, Mandy may have almost killed someone, implied stabbing, one sided longing, brief mention of Terry (not graphic)

Word Count: 1k

TEXTING: pink = reader, green = Ian

It wasn't unlike Mandy to show up at your house in the middle of the night, but you panicked when she came into your room with blood on her face.

"M-Mandy? What the hell happened? Are you okay?" You ask with a wince as you grabbed an old shirt off your floor. It was your hair dye shirt, you didn't care if Mandy got blood on it.

She seemed shaky as you helped clean her up. "I think I did something... worse than just self defense."

You raised your eyebrows in surprise. Milkoviches were never afraid of much, you knew that as well as anybody else in the south side - your parents weren't exactly happy that you were best friends with Mandy. They probably would've been striken down with double heart attacks if they knew you had feelings for her too. This was a night you were glad they weren't around - there was no way they wouldn't have freaked out about... well, all of this.

Suddenly, your phone rang. You glanced at Mandy, then answered. "Hello?"

It was Mickey's voice on the other end of the phone. "Mandy with you?"

Your heart rate rose. You knew it had something to do with what happened, something to do with why she was covered in blood. But you would do just about anything for her. "Yeah. She's been with me all night."

Mickey got the hint, as you heard his voice a little further from the phone. "She's been at her best friend's house all fuckin' night, officer. Don't know what else to tell you. She practically lives there half the time."

You held a deep breath, almost worried the cops would hear your heavy breathing over the phone. The second the cops were out of Mickey's earshot, be spoke to you again.

"They're comin' to your house." He warned.

After that, you helped Mandy out of her clothes and she changed into some of yours, on the off chance there was blood on her clothes that either of you may have missed. Then, as if on cue, there was a knock at your door.

You answered, looking at the two officers that stood menacingly in front of you. Mandy came down behind you. "Hi, officer. Can I help you?"

"Miss, has Mandy Milkovich been with you all night? A witness reported her fleeing a crime scene."

You nodded, keeping your poker face. "She's been here all night. We've just been watching movies."

The cops pestered both you and Mandy but you stood your ground. They told you a man had been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, you kept your alibi for Mandy strong though. You knew Mandy, you knew she didn't do anything without reason.

After they finally left, you both went back up to your room. You made sure your bedroom window was closed, and your door.

"Okay... so what actually happened?" You asked her quietly.

"I... this fucking guy was following me... then he started yelling shit at me. When he caught up to me, I kinda... panicked. He tried to grab me, so I grabbed my shiv."

You nodded in understanding, gently grabbing Mandy's hands. "You know I'm never gonna let anything happen to you, right?"

She gave you a grateful smile. You had every urge to just hold her close and kiss her in this moment - but she had a boyfriend. Lip was her boyfriend. Then again... why did she come right to you, and not to him?

"I love you a lot. I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes..." Mandy muttered, breaking you from your thoughts.

"I love you too... and you'll never have to know, cus you're stuck with me." You replied, brushing some hair from her face.

She smiled again, and gave you a tight hug. You lingered in the hug, thinking to yourself about how being in love with your best friend can make one do crazy things. Then again, you knew she'd do the same for you, even if she didn't also have the same feelings for you.

"You wanna get some sleep? You must be exhausted." You suggested, eyes soft as you gazed at her.

"Yeah... sleeping sounds nice." She said softly.

Both of you climbed into your bed, curling up and cuddling together. You wrapped your arms tightly around Mandy, you wanted to keep her safe... even if she was the tougher one of the two of you.

Mandy fell asleep, you didn't quite yet. You stared up at the ceiling, holding your best friend in your arms. The question lingered in your mind, why did she always run to you instead of Lip? Was she afraid he'd judge her? Did he already judge her? Or was it just cus she knew you wouldn't, no matter what?

You'd been friends since you were pretty young... you knew everything. You knew the horrific things Terry had put her through, you knew why she acted the way she did, why she had her guard up 99% of the time. You had to wonder, did he know all of this too? Ian probably did, but Ian was part of your little trio. So you decided to send him a text message.

does lip treat mandy ok???

uhhh i guess most of the time. you know he can be a dick. why?

something happened tonight, she's here with me rn

is she okay? do you wanna talk about it?

she is now, i was just overthinking ig. not really my shit to talk about though

you know lip can fly off the handle sometimes. i wouldn't read too much into it

right... night ian

night

Your eyes scanned over the messages again, him telling you not to read too much into it... but, of course, that was what you did best.

For now, though, you decided that what mattered most was just comforting Mandy. So you got comfortable, your arms still around her, and you closed your eyes.

Being in love with your best friend was exhausting.

[vickyvicarious]

Mina today like 😒🙄 anyway as I was saying, I could feel my husband who is Jonathan...

Oh man, imagine how offended she will feel when she eventually reads Van Helsing's memorandum and sees what he thought she was talking about. I don't think she noticed before, especially given how hilariously matter-of-fact she is about sensing Jonathan in this entry. But I can easily see her scoffing and kind of just tossing the memorandum down on the table in disgust at that part. Maybe leaving the room to go give Jonathan a kiss (in front of Van Helsing for extra measure) just because.

About her being so matter-of-fact today... It's funny actually, because when she's had premonitions about his condition despite physical separation in the past (thinking he's not on the water in Whitby, her fear to think of him/certainty he's not in danger soon after they part when hunting Dracula) she sounds a bit uncertain. But on November 5 (since both today and yesterday's entries occurred on that day), perhaps as she feels his presence getting closer, she drops any self-doubt or logical justifying in favor of utmost certainty.

"Let us go to meet my husband who is, I know, coming towards us."

"It was late in the afternoon when the Professor and I took our way towards the east whence I knew Jonathan was coming."

"The two men might be Dr. Seward and Mr. Morris. I knew at all events that neither of them was Jonathan. At the same time I knew that Jonathan was not far off; looking around I saw on the north side of the coming party two other men, riding at break-neck speed. One of them I knew was Jonathan, and the other I took, of course, to be Lord Godalming."

Look at all that knowing! She's not admitting any possibility of doubt at all. It's her husband (who, yes Professor, is of course Jonathan) who she senses and she knows exactly where he's coming from and which one is him. Sure, I guess you could say that she knows he's coming because they're all coming according to the plan, and she could recognize her husband even at such a distance because she knows him so well. But that doesn't really explain her certainty that Jonathan is close even before she sees him, or her consistent focus on only mentioning Jonathan when everyone else is coming towards them too.

And while it's a little less certain, there's even a moment in the middle of the battle where she seems to know he is safe (unlike Quincey sadly):

I should have felt terrible fear at seeing Jonathan in such danger, but that the ardour of battle must have been upon me as well as the rest of them; I felt no fear, but only a wild, surging desire to do something.

She says this just before Jonathan's approach sends the men cowering before him. In my mind it fits well with her certainty that he's in no danger when traveling on the ship, even though as far as they know he might have caught up to Dracula on the river and been in trouble. (In fact, after she says that he has a restful sleep.) It doesn't feel like too far a leap to say that Mina is so tuned in to Jonathan here that she can tell nothing will be happening to him.

If we harken back to early Whitby entries, where Mina woke when Lucy was in danger and felt deep worry about Jonathan, I think it's a lot easier to read as just her being a light sleeper and knowing her friend/husband well enough to tell if someone's off about their behavior or letters. But there's also a possible reading that she has always been a little bit psychic. Maybe she's only really tapped into that power since her attacks, when she was actively trying to use mental powers against Dracula, but at least some of it can be seen as inherently her own, which she's learned to use/trust/strengthen over the course of the book.

(Also, about that last quote - here's a fun theory. Maybe Mina does "do something" here. Maybe she psychically aids Jonathan somehow, helps him bring out the full pissed-off-vampire vibes to stare people down till they literally cannot stand in his way. That could be kind of fun, regardless of whether you assume Jonathan already is supernatural enough himself to do so and she's just helping him make use of it, or if you think she's loaning him some vampyness. ...Actually, I feel like the wafer circle around her should stop her doing any such thing via vampiric methods, so then it would have to be Mina using her normal psychic powers to bring out the full force of Jonathan's Supernatural Weirdness stolen from Dracula in order to protect him. Dunno that I believe it really but it's a cool idea I think.)

[romanestuffsposts]

I wanna be tickled by Stucky so badly...

Hi there love! 💜

You just have to ask sweetie... Here you go!

Enjoy <33

****

Warnings : teasing, playful time, tickle time, tickle attacks, laughters, giggles, pet names,

Pairings : Daddies!Stucky ; Daddy!Bucky x Papa!Steve x Little!Reader

Summary : nothing is better than a good laugh to brighten your day

****

Steve is happy to finally be home. It wasn't his longest day of the week but he was exhausted from his previous days at work so even just doing the grocery was too much today.

He's happy to hear the front door closing behing him, meaning he's home.

He puts the bags on the ground and get out of his shoes and hung his coat on the wall. He goes to grab the bags back but stop when he hears giggles from the living room.

He opens his ears more and hears voices added to the laughters. He smiles at himself, knowing who is laughing.

When he enters the living room, he immediately spots Bucky on the couch. But the giggles don't come from him tho... He tilts his head to the side and spot you on your Daddy's laps, your back against his thighs and the back of your legs against his chest.

"what's wrong, little one ?" your Daddy taunts as he grins down at you "tell me what's wrong so I can help you"

Steve frowns with a smile when he hears you laughing harder. He takes a step forward and sees Bucky's fingers playing with your ribs. Your eyes are closed shut but your mouth is wide open as laughters run out of your throat.

"it's sad that Papa isn't here to help me, mh ?" Bucky teases, knowing Steve is standing right behind him because he sees him through the black screen of the tv.

You kick your feet as you squirm more on his laps. The inside of your knees are against his shoulders and so hanging in the air as he keeps playing with your poor ribs.

Wanting to relax his nerve from his day- and week- and because he just love playing with you and hearing your cute little giggles, squeaks and laughters, he decides to make his way toward the back of the couch, behind Bucky and so right in front of your naked feet that can't stop shaking and curling from the tickles on your upper body.

Without annoncing that he's there, near a very senstitive spot of yours, he grabs one of your ankle and start to lightly spidering the tips of his fingers along your sole.

You scream as you feel the new sensation on your foot. Bucky and Steve laugh at your new reaction and absolutely love it, they find it so so cute. Those kind of sounds brighten their days even when they're the darker of the week.

"does that tickle, babydoll ?" your Daddy teases, as he starts to poke your side with two of his fingers. You trash around on your Daddy's laps while being tortured by two sets of devilish hands. "i bet it does" he smirks

"coochie coochie cooooo" Your Papa teases as he takes his time to tickle each one of your little toes as he has a hard time keeping them in grip.

"why can't you just stay still ?" your Daddy playfully groans as he shakes his claws in the middle of your belly.

"it's harder because of that" Your Papa adds as he switches his attack on your other foot.

"soo-o m-meeean-n" you laugh as tears fall down your temple from the laughter.

You Papa laughs as he destroy your foot "that's because we are" he teases making Bucky laughs.

"Why are we tickling her in the first place ?" Steve asks as he just realised he had no clue on why Bucky started, even tho he doesn't complain at all.

"Because it's fun! And because we can do this all day" Bucky smirks as his mouth fall on your exposed belly.

[fanonical]

As someone who has only played portal

Instead of lore from half life expanding on portal what portal lore expands half life's story?

ooh great question!

so first of all, Portal 1 establishes that Aperture Science is the industry rival to Black Mesa, the weapons/research company that the protagonist of Half-Life works for. we know this because some time after Chell breaks free from the test rooms, she comes across an office room with a projector that has a bunch of slides about how poorly they're performing against Black Mesa

so, Black Mesa isn't the only super-mega scifi technology company operating in the US right now -- and actually, one of the things Black Mesa was researching was teleportation and portal technology! their study into this, in fact, part of what caused the "Black Mesa Incident" which let a bunch of nasty extradimensional fauna & eventually an invading alien empire into our world through portals.

interestingly, it seems Aperture Science mastered safe portal technology far before the Black Mesa Incident (which happened in the late 90s/early 2000s), because the old Aperture section in Portal 2 (after "The Fall") shows their tests using portals all the way back to the 50s. so whilst Aperture was terribly managed & performed horribly against their lead competitor, some of the tech was actually really impressive and especially far ahead of their time.

secondly, Half-Life 2 Episode Two alludes to an Aperture Science project -- a mysterious research ship called The Borealis, supposedly carrying some kind of technology and/or super-weapon that could totally turn the tide in the revolution against the Combine occupation of Earth. The ship went missing suddenly years ago, maybe because this technology went wrong, and nobody knew what happened to it other than it fully disappeared taking part of the dry dock with it. It is seemingly found in Episode Two by the resistance -- in the middle of the fucking arctic.

so we know a couple things from this: one, the Combine even with their vastly superior power & technology are afraid of whatever is on this ship getting into the hands of the resistance, and two, that they ALSO want the technology for themselves, and it could turn the war in THEIR favour too -- from this we can deduce it's some kind of long range portal/teleportation technology, possibly between dimensions, which would enable a full force scale attack from the Combine (who, so far, have invaded opportunistically through the Black Mesa Incident's portal storm).

i know all of this is from Half-Life and you asked the reverse, bear with me, it links back around here: you can VISIT this dry dock that supposedly held the Borealis, in Portal 2! like it's a hidden room in one of the old Aperture levels, look!

the ship is gone, but a lifering reading BOREALIS remains to let us know what was going on here.

another thing is that in the boss battle in Portal 1, if you listen carefully to all of GLaDOS' bonus dialogue, she actually makes a couple of references to what's going on in the world outside Aperture:

transcript:

Are you trying to escape? [manic electronic giggle] Things have changed since the last time you left the building. What's going on out there will make you wish you were back in here. I have an infinite capacity for knowledge, and even I'm not sure what's going on outside. All I know is I'm the only thing standing between us and them. Well, I was. Unless you have a plan for building some supercomputer parts in a big hurry, this place isn't going to be safe much longer.

transcript end.

this is interesting, because whilst she could be lying, we do know there's a lot of truth to some of the things she's describing. there HAS been a lot of change, there IS a terribly terrifying force out there, and they ARE interested in Aperture Science, so, she's actually probably telling the truth here. we never see any headcrab zombies or fascist militia in Portal or Portal 2, so it seems like GLaDOS is doing a damn good job keeping them out. that being said, it seems that by Half-Life 2 (which is probably set between Portal 1 and 2) there might not be many people in America left, seemingly they were all moved from there to repurposed eastern european cities after some kind of cataclysm in the seven hour war. so maybe the Combine don't have much of a presence in america by Portal 2, because they no longer have any people (that they know of) to control in north america. but Half-Life Alyx implies there might not even be an America left so??? who knows.

the other things we learn are mostly that, for a while, Aperture Science was performing second best after Black Mesa but that dropped off closer and closer to the 80s & 90s as Cave Johnson lost control of his goddamn shitty company. he also has an incredibly low opinion of them, probably because they are much better respected than him.

interestingly, in the Portal 2 DLC (the community-made levels one, not the art therapy one) we get to see a bunch of alternate universe versions of Aperture Science (the premise is Aperture is stealing test chambers from alternate versions of themselves, and thus you hear narration from alternate Cave Johnsons who didn't die and kept running Aperture for many years. it's very fun). one of these alternate Caves mentions buying out Black Mesa, merging it with Aperture Science, and immediately ending their testing into exotic materials because he thinks it's just begging to cause a resonance cascade. and he's right! that's exactly what does happen in Half-Life 1, so interestingly, he actually is the sole person to prevent the Combine invasion in that universe.

that's basically all i got! that's all the ways Portal and Portal 2 makes commentary & reference to Half-Life i think???

[most-sane-tsukasa-fan]

𝕱𝖚𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕱𝖑𝖆𝖒𝖊

CW: OOC, Mentions of violence, Slight gore, Yandere themse, Half-demon!reader

Raised in a uptight superstitious village, [Name] is no stranger to being treated like an animal. They were feared and threatened by the villagers that they would get burned and stoned if they ever come back. No village accepts a half-blood like them, especially a blood that's cursed.

Name wonders in the middle of nowhere and beg for people to take them in ever since the day they were banished from their own home.

As the world have treated them in such an inhumane and merciless way, they thought they would do the same for the world, resorting in violence and theft just to get what they need, what they have been begging for... untill someone gave them the comfortable home they've been waiting for, a roof over their head that isn't something they gained from cutting off people's heads...

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Tsukasa, a fine young gentleman, the young lad took the half-blood to his own home where a big shrine sits beside it atop a mountain. He found them passed out in the middle of the forest one night and decided to take the poor soul into a comfortable place, despite sensing something dangerous about them.

He sets their unconscious body down carefully on a soft mattress, the room is quite big and offers more than enough comfort for the visitor. Tsukasa lights the lanterns on the walls of the room for light and to make the room warmer.

The sudden aroma of candles and unfamiliar scent of someone woke up [Name], out of instinct they jumped at Tsukasa to attack but Tsukasa was quick to dodge

"Ah-ah! That's not how you treat your host

We have not exchanged names yet this is how you're treating me!?"

The young man exclaimed as if he's scolding a dog, a few beads of sweat rolls down his chin as the demon he saved tried to attack him. After a second of recomposing himself, he clears his throat to start talking again.

"Ahem, my apologies, I have lost myself there

No matter, I am Tenma Tsukasa, one of the last surviving dragons out there and you shall treat me with respect!"

[Name] just looks at Tsukasa with a doubtful expression before snickering at him, thinking he is merely talking nonsense.

"Oh yeah? Do you know what I am, 'dragon'?"

[Name] says cockily, although Tsukasa only shook his head with a bewildered and curious expression.

They were about to boast it out although something stopped them... will Tsukasa still let them stay if they tell him what they are? Then again Tsukasa did say something stupid as telling them he's a so-called 'dragon' but... would it be good to tell him they're a half-demon?

"Then... you don't need to know"

[Name] dismisses, deciding not to say and see where this will go if he did not say, after all it could only cause trouble for him if he lets it out.

"Wait wha-"

"Lizard, I'm hungry"

[Name] cuts Tsukasa off before he could even speak to ask, earning a groan and an annoyed look from the boy at that nickname they gave him.

"Do not call me such a name!"

He exclaimed angrily but still went to the kitchen to serve some food for his guest. His sulky and comedically prideful attitude earns a chuckle from [Name], it's been a while they ever did even cracked a small smile on their lips.

A part of [Name] wanted to just leave Tsukasa, having second thoughts if they should trust him but... who are they going to trust? Who will be there with them?

Questions spiral around their head but it didn't take long for Tsukasa to come back with the leftover food.

"Here, the only food left are the ones people offer on the shrine

Go ahead, take your fill"

Tsukasa placed the bowl of what seems to be bread and diced fruits, it may not be much but [Name] hasn't had a proper food in weeks. They did not even hesitate to chow the bread down, it never tasted this good before but that's just the effect of having to eat on the wasted food on the ground.

Tsukasa's expression softens in sympathy, he pities them honestly. He watched as they enjoy each bite of a simple bread, snapping from his thoughts when he realized he forgot about their introduction.

"Right, what is your name?"

"... [Name]"

[Name] visibly hesitated at first, yet they felt comfortable enough now to mention their name while munching on the food, muffling them a bit as they speak.

"Hey, don't speak when your mouth is full"

Tsukasa softly scolds them, though he doesn't care much about it, after all he understands their hunger...

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Time has passed and [Name] has spent all of that with Tsukasa. Days turned into week, weeks turned into months, each waking second [Name] waits for the time when Tsukasa will either ask them out or just kick them out himself... yet he never did.

He encouraged them staying, he took care of them back to health. Tsukasa has served them food, gave them a roof over their head, their own space in his own home, even bathed them despite the two of them being flustered about it, though Tsukasa is the one that insisted cleaning [Name] as he does it more 'properly'.

The more time they spent with each other, the more [Name] realized... Tsukasa is all they ever wanted. Someone to trust, someone to be with... someone who they care for and someone who possibly care for them the same way.

Tsukasa has not been awful, he never was, his words are true but never hurts like the words [Name] is accustomed to... They wonder when can they be that truthful and tell Tsukasa about their half-blood.

They couldn't believe they would be thinking of Tsukasa this much... in all honesty Tsukasa has made them the happiest they've ever been in-

"Hey! Are you listening?"

[Name] was snapped out of their thoughts when Tsukasa dragged them back to reality with that loud voice of his. They blinked a couple of times before waking themselves back to awareness to answer

"Yeah yeah, what was that again Lizard?

"I told you not to call me that! *sigh* that's besides the point

I'll be leaving to town as I said, I need to get food for us"

[Name] nods and hums in acknowledgement and Tsukasa grabbed his empty bag that he'll put the groceries in. All of a sudden, [Name] had this guy feeling in them that kicked them, grabbing Tsukasa by the wrist.

Tsukasa only stared back at them confused.

"Uhm... come back early"

They said, it is the only thing they could think of to say. Tsukasa chuckled at that, feeling his ego boost a bit knowing [Name] is concerned for him.

"Awh, you miss me before I even leave

Don't worry, I'll come back to you as quick as possible!"

Tsukasa says, his tone a bit teasing and [Name] could only mutter a quiet and flustered "shut up". Tsukasa giggles, he was about to leave but stopped himself.

He hesitantly gave [Name] a faint kiss on their forehead before saying a hurried "good bye" and immediately left before [Name] could even react.

[Name] stood there just out of the front door... dumbfounded and caught off guard by Tsukasa's sudden boldness. They touched the part of their forehead that he kissed, their lips unconsciously tug up into a faint smile...

Unbeknownst to the two... someone isn't so far, watching them at the time...

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While Tsukasa is walking through the woods to get back home, the forest is already dark despite it not being so late in the night. No light seeps through the trees, not even one person on sight... or at least that's what Tsukasa thinks.

He walks and walks, he already knows the forest like the back of his hand and he's extra careful if there's any wild lives wandering around.

Tsukasa was focused on getting back home quickly to [Name] that he didn't feel the presence behind him

"One must not live, if they engage with a cursed blood..."

The strange person, a villager from [Name]'s old home, mutters as they ready their blade. The person puts the edge of the blade against Tsukasa's nape but they didn't even get to penetrate it through his neck when suddenly...

Tsukasa wasn't even nervous when he felt something as sharp as a sword put right against him, but he was surprised when that feeling of a blade is gone now. He turned to face what's behind him but... there's nothing.

A bit bewildered and annoyed, he just continues with his journey back home...

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It wasn't that long of a walk, he was so excited to see [Name] again that he ran up the mountain to the minka he and [Name] are living together in.

Expecting to see [Name] waiting for him eagerly there, he was instead greeted by... blood, lots of blood all over the floor, and that trail of blood leads to [Name] who is eating a whole human, tearing its flesh one by one.

As soon as the sliding doors opened, [Name] froze in place as they look up at Tsukasa in shock, they couldn't see his expression but only his silhouette as it is so dark. Their horns that they were hiding all this time are now out and even their black wings that looks like it was skinned.

They sat there, too afraid to defend themselves as they were caught red handed... what would happen now? would Tsukasa tell? would he abandon them? would he be scared?

"Tsukasa... it's not-"

"What are you?"

They were cut off by the boy, although it's understandable for him to ask that, he's oddly calm in this situation... they're almost hesitant to say.

"A... demon

But I didn't want you to know, I just did what I did since it tried to hurt you and-"

Tsukasa walks up to them, for some reason the closer he gets the more... unfamiliar his silhouette becomes. Once he was close enough to the point he's just in front of [Name], he kneels down at their level and cups their cheek, their faces are so close to each other that they could feel each other's hot breaths.

"Do you think I would tell you about what I am if I didn't know?"

[Name] was confused at first, until they put two and two together, realizing that Tsukasa never lied... all this time he thought Tsukasa was a normal young man, and there it is... they could see it now even in the dark, his horns and long dragon tail.

They couldn't move, absolutely enchanted and all their focus is how close they are right now with Tsukasa, completely forgetting and abandoning about the body he brought here for his meal.

They couldn't help but smile, their eyes so lovesick as they gaze at Tsukasa.

Tsukasa smirks at how entranced they seem, responding to their lovesick gaze by leaning in, both their lips meeting and locking in each other. Their mouths were soft, it's like a new experience for the two... it's romantically messed up.

But that's what love is right? It just drives them crazy, it makes the blood in your body heat up like it's fueling with flames♡

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A/N: Sorry it's kinda bad, I lost my writing skills 😭

[kissorkill16]

A New Member And Investigation: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: Nicky introduces someone new to the Inventor's Club/Rescue Squad.

Nicky walked in the door to Mr. Murtaugh's classroom, glad to see that everyone was already there.

"Nicky!", Trinity squealed as she ran right to him, wrapping his arms around him and crying into his shoulder. "Ivan is missing! We went out last night to find some more information on Crowface, now he's not picking up his phone! Have you seen him?Please tell me you've seen him."

Nicky shook his head.

"I'm sorry, no. I was in the woods."

Maritza's eyebrows fumbled in confusion. "What were you doing in the woods?", she asked.

"I was also trying to find more information on Crowface. Not only does he have teleportation powers, but he also has mind control powers. Last night, we were there, and they had demon red eyes."

"Woah, creepy. But on the other hand, it could also just be a -", Enzo was interrupted by Delroy putting his hand up.

"Hold up. Nick, what do you mean we?", he asked.

Nicky gestured the person waiting near the door to come in, and everyone was surprised to see that it was Finch. She smiled and waved nervously.

"Why the hell is she here?", Maritza asked, her voice stern.

"Because I want to introduce her as a new member of our group. She's the one who gave me the information about the animals, and she saved me from a rabid fox with her slingshot.", Nicky replied.

Trinity took a deep breath.

"So let me get this straight.", she started off. "You and Finch, the girl who's bullied you from the moment you got to this school, the girl who took a picture of your mental breakdown, went into the woods alone together, and somehow made it out alive?"

"Trinity, that's not -"

"He's telling the truth, guys! I promise it's not a trick, we really did see something abnormal -"

"Shut up.", said Delroy. "Listen, Nick. I don't really care about you, but you are way too forgiving, man. This bitch -"

Before Delroy could say any more, Finch ran out of the room. Nicky ran after her, not caring that Trinity was calling after him.

Nicky found Finch curled up next to a water fountain with her face in her knees. He sat down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Finch, I'm really sorry for what happened back there.", he said. "But I'm sure they believe you about the -"

"It's not that.", she interrupted. "It's not about the information, it's the fact that I bullied you for so long. They're right to hate me, even after I was threatened to apologize. Everyone is seriously defending you now, even Delroy. Freaking Delroy!", she said.

Nicky sighed. "Look, I know what they said was hurtful, but they still had no right. And if Delroy is right about one thing, it's that I'm the forgiving type. Although I haven't completely forgiven you for what you've done, I'm willing to give you a chance."

Finch smiled at him, then got up and dusted herself off. Nicky held her hand, "Now let's go back in there and tell them what we know."

The two went back into the room, and everyone was still displeased at having her there.

"Look, just hear us out, okay? Especially her.", said Nicky, pointing to Finch.

Everyone shared a look, then they nodded.

"Crowface has been mind controlling the animals in the woods. Trinity, Delroy, remember when the crows charged at us in the woods when we chased after him? Well with Finch and I, we were able to get a closer look, and they all had red eyes.", he said.

"It's gotta be a mind control thing, because there's no way the ravens would just attack out of the blue. Unless you mess with them too much.", said Finch.

Enzo nodded along. "That's actually really freaky. But we're actually in the middle of a massive case at the moment. Do you happen to know anyone who could be him? Or her? Did it have any characteristics that match with anyone else's?"

Nicky's eyes furrowed in confusion. "Okay, first of all, the thing was wearing a cloak. Second of all, I don't think Crowface is a person in a costume. Maybe he's just an extraterrestrial being with supernatural powers."

Delroy scoffed in annoyance, "Well if it's not a damn costume, then why the hell does it look like one?", he grumbled, then he shook himself off and turned to a more agreeable attitude. "You know, while you two were in the woods, we've been investigating everywhere else in Raven Brooks. I've been near the bakery, Enzo's been at the Town Hall, Trinity's been at the school with Ivan, and Maritza's been at the Taxidermist's."

Finch's head snapped up in shock. "Wait a minute, both Trinity and Ivan have been here at the school?", she asked.

"Yes!", Trinity exclaimed. "And now he's nowhere to be found! We've looked everywhere for him, and the last place we've all heard he's been is Mr. Murtaugh's classroom."

"He said he thinks Mr. Murtaugh is Crowface.", said Maritza.

"It's because he got a B+ on his last assignment.", said Enzo.

Nicky pressed at his temple. "Look, that doesn't mean it's him -"

"That's what I tried to tell him!", Enzo snapped.

Nicky paused for a moment before continuing. "Crowface isn't a person in a costume. No normal person could make animals charge at you on command, and no normal person could disappear in the blink of an eye."

"What're you kids up to?"

All of the kids nearly jumped out of their skins when they saw Mr. Murtaugh peeking through the door, that same creepy smile on his face. At this point, it was getting less scary and more annoying.

"Nothing, Mr. Murtaugh.", they all said, faces and voices blank.

However, the creepy teacher wasn't satisfied with that answer.

"You know, that's always your answer to my question. What're you kids up to? Come on now, dear kids. I'm your teacher, you can tell me anything. What're you kids really up to?", he asked again.

"None of your damn business!", said Delroy.

Mr. Murtaugh stepped back, hand on his chest. "Ooh, feisty. That's nice. Alright, I guess if you're not going to tell me, I guess I'll be out of your hair.", he said, disappearing out of the room.

Maritza was the first one to speak. "That guy might not be Crowface, but he's definitely fucking creepy as shit."

"Agreed.", said Trinity.

Then Finch had a thought. "What if he knows about Crowface, and how Ivan disappeared? I mean, he may not be the raven dude, but I bet he's someone working for him.", she said.

"What if no one is Crowface, but they're people working for him?", she said. "Either it's mind control, or they're doing this at their own free will."