#brick laying robots

[writers-potion]

I’ve seen your kiss scene and fight scene vocab posts and was wondering if you could do one about some things characters may do when they are nervous, or there is awkward tension — not necessarily romantic but just awkward.

Nervous Tension Vocab

Physical Reactions

have sweat beading/breaking out on one's forehead

have one's heart in one's mouth (or throat)

have one's heart pounding (or pulse racing)

butterflies in one's stomach

hand feeling clammy

knees bouncing

pacing back and forth

tearing up due to embarassment (wanting to cry)

Shift their weight from one foot to the other

Sway slightly where they are standing

Fidget with their hair, clothes, nails, or something they’re holding

Glance around the room or refuse to make eye contact with someone

Chew on their lips or nails

Hum quietly to themself

Tap their fingers on their arm, the wall, or a table

Wrap their arms around themself

Cross their arms or legs while seated

Pick at their lips or cover their mouth

Rub their own neck or shoulder

Sigh often

Sit with their knees up near their chest, or lay in the fetal position

Look stiff and uncomfortable

Check over their shoulder often, or glance around the room

Cough or clear their throat often

A pounding heartbeat, or the feeling that their heartbeat is in their head

Accelerated or heavy breathing

A tingling sensation in their fingers, hands, or legs

A rush of energy (which would suddenly leave them afterward, making them even more tired than usual)

Dizziness

Tightened muscles

Descriptors

fumbled

blushed

winced

fidgeted

cringed

stuttered

giggled

afluttered

agitated

robotic

hesitant

bothered

distracted

edgy

clumsily

awkwardly

distractedly

flustered

frantically

frayed

hypertense

nervy

jittery

jumpy

intimidated

paranoid

perturbed

rattled

queasiness

restive

restless

skittery

shudder

skittish

strung up

tenterhooks

tight

stressy

uneasy

unquiet

twitchy

unsettled

uptight

unrelaxed

Idioms

be at your wit's ends

be bricking it

be ill at ease

be on pins and needles

be under the gun

get in a sweat

have all the cares of the world on your shoulders

have kittens

like a cat on a hot tin roof

sweat bullets

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[trendywaifus]

who would let the world burn for you? cw: yandere themes, mentions of blood and dead bodies. angst. possible oocness. gn! reader.

I LET THE WORLD BURN, I LET THE WORLD BURN FOR YOU, THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS HAS TO END.

FIREFLY/SAM would gladly let the world burn if it guarantees your safety. you’re like an ever-lasting flame they can physically cradle in their hands; you give them hope, a purpose. what makes you think they’ll purposely snuff you out for a world—the universe who didn’t dare to show not an ounce of mercy to them?

sam gently holds you in their arms, green wings resembling flames behind their back. behind them is a vast sea of angry fire—burning buildings and corpses sam doesn’t bother to look back to as they walks away from the ruined civilization. “ sam. .” you weakly whisper, the mecha looks down. if it could frown as it scans the cuts and nasty bruises littered all over your body, they would.

“ i came here for you. “ sam says, their voice soft and full of worry reserved only for you, “ it wasn’t apart of the script but i couldn’t bear to stand by and let you do everything by yourself. i feared that you could’ve. .” a familiar feminine voice blends in with sam’s low robotic one as they trailed off.

they fall silent when your shaky hand reaches out to touch sam’s “ face “, soft orange flames sizzles out from their metal slits.

I LET THE WORLD BURN, JUST TO HEAR YOU CALLING OUT MY NAME, WATCHING IT ALL GO DOWN IN FLAMES

KAFKA would let the world burn to show you what she’s willing to do for you. she wants to see the look on your face when everything is in flames because of her.

“ k-kafka. .” you mutter, backing away in fear as she saunters closer to you, stepping over dead bodies with no regard. her velvet lips stretches into a grin, teeth baring as orange flames are reflected in her eyes, making her look menacing. “ there’s no need to look so fearful, ” she drawls, stretching her arms wide as she draws nearer and nearer. “ you know i wouldn’t dream of laying a finger on my precious doll. “

you backed up against a cracked brick wall, legs trembling as she finally in arms length. “ y-y-you, wh-wh—“ kafka chuckles, placing a gloved hand on your cheek, her pinkish purple hues stares into your own. “ use your words, darling. i’m listening. “

“ wh-why? “ you choked out, (e/c) eyes filled with tears. kafka hums, placing the other hand on your cheek, now cradling your face. “ why? it’s simple, really. you may think the reason why i’m doing this is to make you suffer or something cliche straight out of a boring hero vs villain flim. hmm, it’s none of that. “

she leans closer to your face until her lips brush against yours. “ it’s an act of love. all i did was make it dramatic, isn’t it ironic? “

I SHOULD’NT HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE, LOOK AT WHAT IT MADE ME BECOME

RUAN MEI never could understand the concept of love due to her trauma and just couldn’t emotionally grasp it. but you—you made the loose ends stretch and connect and she finally gets to have a taste of what it means to love. but soon after, things began to spiral out of control—specifically her emotions. it’s now always you, you, you on her mind. it’s frustrating because it’s making her think irrational, illogical things. so, will she let the world burn for you? yes—undoubtedly so.

ruan mei winds her slender arms around your waist, guiding you into her midst. her cool breath fans against your skin as she outlines your cheekbone with her lips. and she doesn’t stop there—no, she’s moving down to the corner of your lips, jawline, neck, and then right at a certain spot where she feels your pulse. it’s slow and steady. a hand trails up your arm and eventually three fingers press against the opposite side of your neck. a blue light and a warm tingle follows suit.

“ ruan mei, you don’t have to do all of that. i’m alive. “ you sighed. ruan mei moves back a bit to peer into your eyes, she touches your cheek. “ i’m aware. “ she says softly, contrary to the glint in her eyes, a emotion that you can’t recognize—a emotion so passionate yet ominous that it sends a chill down your spine.

“ and I’ll keep it that way. “

I LET YOU GET TOO CLOSE, JUST TO WAKE UP ALONE

AND I KNOW YOU THINK YOU CAN RUN, YOU’RE SCARED TO BELIEVE THAT I’M THE ONE

BUT I CAN’T LET YOU GO

ACHERON allowed herself to get swallowed up by the waves of love—she allowed it to rush through the cracks of her heart and fill up the emptiness within. you’ve imprinted on her soul and now she’s hopelessly devoted to you. if the world must burn for you to be by her side, so be it. the world means nothing if you’re not in it.

her white tresses flows into the wind as she calmly walks towards you. her ruby eyes settled only on you as the once blue sky is ripped apart with one clean red slash and ruins scattered everywhere behind her. “ acheron. .what have you done? “ you asked in disbelief, holding onto your shattered blade. “ what needed to be done.” acheron merely replies, snatching your forearm and pulled you into her possessive embrace.

“ you didn’t need to do this and you know it! why did you fight me to stop me?! i could of saved millions of lives if it meant giving up my own. a whole civilization is gone now! people—ch-children! “ you sobbed, pushing your palms against her shoulders to escape her hold. acheron holds you tighter into her strong body and buried her nose into the side of your neck. it’s wrong, so, so wrong for her to do something so reckless—so selfish to discard innocent life for the safety of your own. but she’s gone through enough loss and suffering and the hole in her heart is full of you—her everything. if you died, she fears that she would of. .

“ forgive me, forgive me, “ acheron mutters into your skin like a prayer, “ i’m truly a coward but i’d gladly continue to be so if i can hold you in my arms like this. “

FEAR IN THEIR EYES, ASH RAINING FROM THE BLOOD ORANGE SKY, I LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT YOU’RE MINE

jingliu is letting everything burn. you’re her beloved— she would do anything for you. her blade will cut through anything and everything, even the moon itself to prove that to you.

her glowing, red feral eyes matched the color of the sky as corpses of the cloud knights laid around her like a ritual circle. jingliu looks at you and smiles lovingly in contrast to the horrific act she’s done. “ darling, come here. “ she softly commands, lifting her hand (which is stained with the blood of many!) out to you, waiting for you to take it and join her. you shake your head with terror, your body trembling. “ n-no, jingliu. th-this is madness! “

jingliu tilts her head to the side, her expression falls expressionless. then, she takes a step towards you, her hand falling limp to her side. “ this is madness you say? how laughable, my dear, “ she lets out a breathy laugh and casts you a chilling smile. “ this is hardly anything. once i annihilate the abundance in your name, only then you can speak to me about madness.”

honorable mention

I’D LET THE WORD BURN, I’D LET THE WORLD BURN FOR YOU

STELLE intentionally and unintentionally would let the world burn for you without a doubt. she’d choose you over the world, not caring about how bad it’ll make her seem. all she’s really thinking about is you and not the full consequences of her choice. and because of the astral express, things will get complicated. ultimately, you’ll be the one to give yourself up if the situation really requires you to step up. she’ll prob need to be held back.

“ we don’t have much time, i’ll go. i’ve dropped it anyways. “ you volunteered with a heavy heart, looking back at the city covered in flames. dan heng and march quickly opens their mouth to speak but stelle beats them to it, “ no, you’re not! i-if you’re going, then i’ll go with you! “ she shouts, taking your hand into hers, “ it’s just an artifact—“

“ an artifact that is needed to save this planet and it’s not like dan heng can use his powers either because he’s just going to flood everything and march you already exhausted yourself which means i have to—“

march chimes in, “ h-hold on a minute, even i think it’s a bad idea to go back in by yourself!everything is covered with smoke and ash, there’s no way you can find it on the ground somewhere and you can’t see anything! we need to call welt and himeko—“

“ okay, you call them and i’ll go find it. i know it’s a terrible plan but we’re out of options guys. stelle. please, let go of my hand and stay with dan heng and march. “

stelle stubbornly refuses, “ no. i said i’ll go with you so i am. if you think you’re going to go by yourself then you’re absolutely silly. if it was my choice, i wouldn’t let you go at all. “

your brows furrow with frustration, “ no, you’re being silly, stelle. look—we don’t have time to argue! you’re not going with me! “ without thinking, you jabbed your fist hard into her stomach, causing her to gasp and kneel over in pain. she still holds onto your hand but you hastily break free from her weakened grip. “ i have to go! dan heng! hold stelle back if she tries to follow me! give me 5 minutes tops, i’ll come back! promise! “ you dash towards the burning city, covering your nose in search of finding the lost artifact.

“ no! “ she screams horsely as she watches your figure run further and further away and eventually disappear into the sea of smoke. although in pain, stelle attempts to get back up and run after you. dan heng swiftly restrain her. “ l-let me go, dan heng! can’t you see what’s they’re doing?! it should of been me! no, not even me—the world should just burn! “ she screams at the top of her lungs, tears rolling down her cheeks.

[too-much-tma-stuff]

Mutually Assured Disaster

How I imagine the first meeting from @the-b1ah  AU here. I plan to write Danny’s first patrol with Jason and maybe the training as well.

This isn’t edited so if you see any errors please let me know.

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

Danny skidded around a corner, his shoulder slamming into the brick wall but there was no time to worry about that bruise and it did stop him faster. He took off again down this ally, a energy blast slammed into the wall just behind him and he gritted his teeth, flinching but not making any noise or slowing down, he needed all the air he had to run. He was already so weak from what the GIW had already done to him but this was his only chance, the transfer to their facility in Gotham. He could sense that the city was a never-born in its own way and it was closing ranks to protect him, walls shifting in perceptible ways to open up passages for him, guiding him towards something and slowing the agents down.

He was so weak and the cuffs still on his wrists stopped him from phasing through anything, all he could do was run, feeling the blood and ecto pumping through his veins quicker with each step. It stained the white pants and scrub shirt they had given him, he was getting dizzy, his quick breathing rasping over a dry throat and his legs burning but he couldn’t stop. Not when he had just now started to sense what Gotham was sending him towards.

It was a signature like his own! Another undead, someone who could help him and hopefully would. Gotham felt to warm to be sending him to someone who would hurt him or be taken too, he trusted her as one of the never-born ancients, she wanted what was best for the city that was hers. He tried to turn another corner, fell, rolled and managed to stagger back to his feet though it sapped his momentum and tore open a few more old wounds. His eyes landed on a tall, broad man wearing a red helmet that completely covered his face. That was him!

“Help me,” Danny gasped desperately, “Please.” He hadn’t even noticed there was a gun trained on him until it snapped to the opening of the ally. Danny scrambled behind the strange man, making himself small as the guys and white came sprinting around the corner as well, blasters pointed at them.

“Return the fugitive!” They demanded as Danny’s abused legs finally gave out and he sunk to his knees with a soft whine, praying that this man would be enough to keep them both safe.

“Fugitive? That’s a whole ass child, why are you chasing a child with guns?” Red Hood demanded furiously, his own guns trained on the two agents.

“They might look like a child but their an extremely dangerous meta. We know Batman doesn’t like metas in Gotham, so we’ll just take him and go.” The agent said starting to approach only for hood to fire a warning shot at his feet making the man step back.

“Fuck what batman wants, this is my territory and I don’t let anyone hurt kids. Meta or not,” He snarled.

Danny heard the sound of one of the blasters charging up and gasped, looking up frantically. “Look out,” He yelled, lunging forward just in time to accidentally take the blast to the side instead, well he had meant to push hood out of the way but this worked too he supposed. He didn’t even have enough air to scream, whining through gritted teeth as he collapsed to the ground, curling in on himself and shielding his head as the air around him was filled with the sound of gun shots. It felt like forever that he lay there curled in on himself defensively as his head swam and blood and ectoplasm seeped out the new hole in his side, joining the dozens of other injuries he had.

Then it was quiet, and after another second there was a hand on his shoulder, Danny flinched violently away from the touch. “Hey kid, it’s just me,” the robotic voice assured and in that moment Danny had never found anything more comforting. He looked up and around, seeing that he and the man in the red hood were the only things left alive in that alley.

Danny gasped and nearly threw himself into the older man’s arms, he gave a startled sound but caught Danny as he trembled and clung, tears running down his cheeks as he struggled to catch his breath. “It’s alright kid, I’ve got you,” Red assured, shifting his hold on Danny so he could pick up the teenager when he stood. “Let’s get you to a hospital huh?” He asked, only for Danny to choke and frantically shake his head. “Alright, no hospital, will you let me patch you up then?” He asked, nodding firmly when Danny sniffled and nodded as well.

“Alright, I have a safe house near here,” He said, turning away from the small pile of bodies he’d left in the alley and carrying Danny towards, hopefully somewhere safe. The way that Gotham curled protectively around them seemed to say it would be. “I’m Red Hood, what’re you called kid?”

“Danny Phantom,” The kid whispered against Jason’s chest.

“That’s an odd name,” Hood said blandly and Danny might have laughed if he had the breath, if it wouldn’t have hurt to much to do so.

“So is Red Hood. I had another name, but I can’t use it anymore,” he murmured brokenly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jason asked, and only received a little shrug in return. “Alright fair enough,” Jason said with a shrug, shifting to hold Danny with one arm so he could jump up and drag down the fire escape, climbing up so he could duck through the window of one of his many apartments scattered through his territory.

He carried Danny through into the bathroom, putting him down on the edge of the tub carefully before flipping on the light. “You up to having a shower before I look after your wounds, just to rinse off the blood? I’ll grab you some clean clothes, my little brother left some stuff here that should fit you.”

“Sure,” Danny agreed softly. “It’s not as bad as it looks, I’m pretty damn tough. But, before that could you.. try and take these off please?” He asked, holding out his arms to show Hood the cuffs still around his wrists, the suppressors. There had been a chain between them but it was broken, he’d managed to snap it during the chase.

“You’re not going to cause any problems for me or my city are you? I know suppressors when I see them,” Jason asked, low and dangerous. Danny’s eyes widened and he shook his head vigorously, slowly pulling his arms back and hugging himself.

“No, I know what they said, but I’m not actually dangerous I promise. I mean I probably could be dangerous if I wanted to be, but I don’t, I’ve only ever wanted to protect people but they-, they just didn’t see that.”

Shit the kid was crying again, Jason hadn’t meant to do that, but he had needed to know and Danny’s answer was obviously true, kid wore his heart on his sleeve. Jason sighed and dug in his pocket for his lockpicks before holding out his hand for Danny’s. “Alright, I believe you, let me get those off for you,” He agreed.

Danny reluctantly let Jason take one of his wrists, watching as Jason struggled a little with the cuff, muttering a little about paranoid people. The second one was faster, Danny rubbed his wrist and murmured thanks. “No worries,” Jason said as he stood. “Now you shower, I’m going to grab you some clean clothes.

Danny watched Hood leave, taking the cuffs with him before quickly stripping off the bloody clothes and getting into the shower. He flushed out the worst wounds before icing them over and scrubbing the blood and filth off of him from weeks of imprisonment. Jason knocked to make sure he was alright a couple of times before Danny finished and got out, wrapping a towel around his waist and sitting back down on the edge of the tub. “Alright, you can come in. You don’t have to worry about the cuts really though, I’ll heal.”

Jason let himself in, pausing for a moment when he saw the ice, or maybe the extent of Danny’s wounds which were… well they were pretty damn bad. At least they hadn’t gotten around to fully vivisecting him yet. “Whether you’ll heal or not you’ll heal faster and with less scarring with some proper stitches. Can you melt the ice as well?” Hood asked and Danny nodded. “Good, you can melt it as we deal with them then. Do you want a painkiller first?”

“No point, they don’t work properly on me,” Danny said with a shrug making Jason wince.

“That must suck,” He sympathized as he got out the first aid kit and set up what he’d need to clean and suture the wounds. Danny shrugged again, he didn’t seem talkative but he was very cooperative as Jason asked him to melt the ice on various wounds to let him check them.

“So did those guys do all this to you?” Jason asked and Danny blinked at him.

“You don’t know about them?” He asked, already knowing the answer when Red hood gave him a pointed look Danny could sense even through that helmet.

“Nooo,” he drawled, “Should I?”

“They’re a government agency called the Ghost Investigation Ward,” Danny told him softly. Jason snorted only to realize Danny was completely serious. “They’ve been hunting anything with a high enough ecto-signiture for years, so you need to be careful Red. Gotham is hiding you, but especially after they see how they helped me they’ll be after you too.”

“Ecto-signiture?” Jason asked blankly, what the Fuck was that?

“Anything like us. People who died, and didn’t come back, or came back wrong,” Danny explained and Jason let out a soft startled sound.

“How the fuck did you know that?!” he asked, defensive on instinct, only calming down a little when Danny lifted his hands in a pacifying gesture.

“Like often recognizes like,” Danny said with a little shrug again.

“Fine,” Jason grumbled, letting it go for now rather then thinking anymore about his own death, or Danny’s for that matter, the kid didn’t look any older then Jason had been when he had died, younger maybe. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving,” Danny said, sounding relieved. Grabbing the clothes that Jason had brought for him since they were done looking after his wounds now. “Those idiots wouldn’t believe I actually needed to eat no matter how many times I told them I did. They just punished me for pretending to be human,” Danny said making Jason freeze as rage flared inside him, breathing through the green flickering on the edges of his vision as he thought about how Danny had been treated. “Hood,” Danny said softly, and Jason felt a hand on the vigilantes arm.

Danny started to hum, an odd purring sound that didn’t sound particularly human, and to Jason’s surprise after a moment something within Jason started to resonate to the sound. Jason calmed quickly as the place reverberating inside him sent waves of calm the way the pit usually radiated rage. “Okay now?” Danny asked with a smile and Jason nodded, blinking out of the slight daze before he cleared his throat and turned away abruptly, heading to the kitchen to start cooking, Danny following him like a silent shadow, his feet not making any sound on the floor.

“You just lay down on the couch and rest, any allergies?” Jason glanced over and Danny shook his head, Jason nodded, made a choice and took off his helmet, glad he’d warn a mask under it tonight. He wouldn’t exactly be able to taste the food or eat with the mask on after all, and he had a feeling that he was going to be spending more time with Danny, at least until he was healed.

“Do you have anywhere else to go?” He asked, just to confirm his thoughts. He decided to make omelettes since they were quick and it was fun to have breakfast for dinner sometimes.

“No, my sister doesn’t have a place of her own, and my parents would either sell me back to the GIW or dissect me themselves. I can look after myself though, now that you’ve got the cuffs off and the GIW off my tail I can avoid them from here. Something to eat and a little sleep and  I can be gone by morning,” he said with a determined set to his jaw.

“Absolutely not!” Jason said, pointing the spatula at Danny and lowering it quickly when the boy flinched. “I’m not leaving a kid alone on the streets, let along one who’s not from Gotham! You’ll stay with me till we find you somewhere else safe to go,” Jason said firmly and Danny hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“Okay, but once I’m healed I can help! You’re one of Gotham’s vigilantes right? I’ll fight with you.”

“Also no, I’m a vigilante but I’m no Batman, I don’t do kid-heroes, you’re to young for this life,” Hood insisted, flipping the eggs.

“You’re about two years to late for that,” Danny snorted and Jason nearly dropped the food, cursing softly when he messed up the omelette. Oh well it would still taste good it just looked a bit more ugly.

“Excuse me? How old are you?”

“I’ll be 16 in a bit more then a month,” Danny said sounding sulky. “And I’m not going to stop helping people no matter what you think. I have these powers, I want to use it for something good.”

“You’ve been acting as a hero on your own since 14!?” Jason demanded, and the look of shame on Danny’s face was all the answer Jason needed. “Fine, you can come with me. But you have to hang back, stay safe, and fucking listen to me. Got it? I’m not having your death on my conscious!” Jason insisted and tried not to be pleased by how Danny immediately brightened and grinned at him.

“Thank you! It’s going to be so nice not to have to do all this alone! To have a proper mentor, maybe?” He asked, getting softer and more uncertain at the end.

“Sure, sure. The bats are gonna have a heart attack when they find out. They’re probably going to try to steal you,” Jason joked and Danny snorted.

“I don’t want that, they’re too goody goody for me thanks. Besides, you’re like me and I was able to calm you down wasn’t I? I can help you more,” Danny said, and Jason decided not to suggest Danny might be better off with the bats. Maybe it was selfish, but he did want the help Danny offered, and he was already attached to the kid.

“Fine, but you’re not going anywhere until you’re completely healed, and you’ve showed me what you can do. We’ll practice together and once I think we’re a good enough team then you can come out with me. And I want to know everything you know about the GIW and whatever laws enable them to get away with this bullshit, because we’re going to have to do something about that too.”

“Of course!” Danny agreed and Jason could see him practically vibrating with excitement, he had to suppress a smile so Danny wouldn’t catch on to how cute Jason found that. He really shouldn’t, but it was to late now.

“Good. Now come eat,” Jason grumbled, transferring the first omelet onto a plate and handing it to Danny.

Part 2: here

[miniisunshine]

It's here! My Kappa x new girl is out

Synopsis : Was he yours if he wanted me so bad

Warnings : AFAB ready, P in V, swearing, dubious consent?, dom Kappa, sort off humiliation kink

Being the new girl in an already established group is never easy, even harder when there's princess treatments for one, but boy oh boy were you determine to move that bitch and take her place sooner or later.

You've met Kappa for the first time in an alleyway; while you were trying to steal from a creepy guy, your plan failed miserably and you ended up trap inbetween him and a brick wall. Trying to escape from his strong grasp, delaying the horrible nightmares who would come next, you were lucky enough to be saved by the long black haired cult leader. Immediately hypnotised by his cold icy gaze, you didn't need to think one minute to accept his invitation to join his "human-robots killers group". I mean, you were already in the crime industry, what could go wrong?

Already head over heels for this man, you were greeted with a cold shower when you first met Kappa's favorite one : Theta. And she made it veeery clear to you that he was hers and she was his, like a prince to his princess.

But what she didn't know was, at night, the one she called "mine" was in your bed, carressing and kissing you, whispering sweet words into your ears as he fucked you until you couldn't see clear and you loved it, even though you still wanted to be more than just his midnight love.

So one night, as you were laying on his chest, drawing circles on his skin, you poured your heart out for Kappa.

"Are you gonna claim me as yours one day?"

"Why are you asking that Sugar?"

You sighed

"I'm tired of being your dirty little secret, i should be the one you show proudly, not Theta.."

"But i love you just like i love her, isn't that enough?"

"No it's not! And you clearly don't LOVE her if you keep coming in my bed every night! Stop lying with those words."

You almost screamed.

Shocked by your anger he got off the bed, raising his hand to slap you, but didn't, like a force prevented him from doing so. Without a word, he stormed out the room, leaving you crying quietly on your matress, deeply affected by his unequival feelings to you.

As the night goes by, sadness grew into anger and anger became vengance: let's see how long he could resist keeping you a secret to the rest of the group.

In the morning, you threw off the sluttiest nightgown you could find, parading in front of everybody, purposefully getting the attention of every man who would get an eyeful of your body.

Bending over to grab the milk in the fridge, your eyes met Kappa's furious gaze, as you slowly poured the liquid in a glass. Because Theta was peacefully eating her breakfast next to you, he knew nothing could be done right now to stop this show you put on before lunch, preventing "his" men from looking at you like lions looking at their prey.

You finished your milk, winking at him while licking your lips, as you went back into your room, changing yourself, ready to attack this beautiful day.

Since nothing was scheduled today, you decided to take on the tasks you were given one your first day : cleaning the house. Washing and scrubing was something you enjoyed a lot and with a boring day like this, it was the perfect activity to waste your time one.

As the hour passed, you were left all alone in the house, cleaning the dining room, while the others benefited from the great warmth outside, or so you thought.

Deeply focus into your work, you didn't heard Kappa's footsteps rapidly approaching, caging you with his chest on your back and his hands trapping yours on the table.

"You have 5 seconds to explain what happened this morning Sugar."

He asked calmly, with a bittersweet undertone.

"I don't know what you're talking about.."

You said innocently, but deep down, this moment was all you hoped for after what you have done earlier.

"Don't act fucking stupid with me. Is it because of last night? Are you now punishing me for telling you the truth sweety?"

You couldn't respond. His dark tone and his tall body towering behind you were making you unable to let any sound come out of your mouth.

"Let's see who's really getting punish in all of this."

You couldn't process what he had said before he forcefully slamed your upperbody on the table, pressing his hard on in your ass.

"W..wait Kappa.. We can t..talk!"

"Too late pretty face, you've reached my limit and now you have to pay for it."

His peaceful voice would have calmed everybody, but the situation made it bone chilling as the words reached your ears.

He cuffed both your hands behind your back with his right hand while he stripped you from your pants and underwear before doing the same with his.

You couldn't deny the excitement in that moment, but you could also feel the anxiety going up as you knew you were in for a rough one.

Against all odds, you felt Kappa's fingers carressing your wet folds, making you whimper.

"Already so wet for me.. Do you really think i believed you when you told me you didn't put that little show on purpose this morning?"

He landed a hard slap on your ass, obtaining a hiss from you, as he lower himself to your ears.

"You want me to show everybody who you belong to?"

You nodded weakly before he inserted himself harshly into you, with a low groan. You loudly cried out of pleasure, but also from pain, as a tear made his way on your cheek.

"Nhg... K..Kappa.."

You tried to tell him to go softer with you but his rapid thrusts could only make you moan.

"Yea, keep calling my name like that"

He grabbed your waist, bruising it with his grip, as if he was scared you were gonna try to escape, but you weren't. The pain you felt earlier was far gone and replaced by pure enjoyment created by Kappa's dick into you.

Both your moans filled the dining room, creating a perfect melody for anybody to hear, and by anybody you meant Theta, who was watching everything from the window, outside. You catched her staring as Kappa kept drilling into you and that's what pushed you to the edge: knowing his favorite girl was watching him gaining pleasure by you was enough to make you come.

Screaming his name, you gripped the table as hardly as you could, legs shaking from the things you were feeling.

"Is my girl already done?"

Kappa's didn't let you came down from your high as he grab you by the shoulders, forcing you to face him and kneel before him.

"Now finish me off"

You licked your lips, pumping his length with your hands before licking it from balls to tip, making him drop his head backwards. As precum started to leak, you take him whole into his mouth, adjusting to his size while your fingers found their way on his balls.

His hands firmly grabbed a chunk off your hair, as he guided your head, sucking him off just the way he liked it.

"F...fuck just like that.. Good girl.."

Tears were creeping from your eyes and spit dripping from your mouth, butyou could only focus on the ungodly sounds Kappa was producing, making you unable to not touch yourself as your clit was throbbing.

Both your paces increased as his breath fasten, signifying he was reaching his limits. Your moans vibrating on his dick, he released his load into your mouth while you came for a second time on your fingers.

Swallowing the milky concoction, Kappa helped you get on your feet, dressing him and you back as he placed small kisses on your body, telling you how good you did today.

You innocently smiled as you leaved the room to go wash yourself up in the bath before Theta blocked you in the hallway

"What do you think you're doing with MY man?"

"I mean, is he really yours if he wanted me so bad?"

Omg i am so sorry it took so long and it being so badly written. I had an idea, but it was done poorly! Hopefully at least one you appreciate it lol

[picturesofthegoneworlds]

Be it from the services of her silver tongue or her presentation, Laudna is not out of place on the deck - welcomed aboard, with her skeleton rendered in driftwood and encrusted with barnacles.

The veil is back.

It shrouds her face and billows with the same breath as the tattered ship-sails.

Imogen wasn’t certain that she had seen it. Her eyesight bein’ a little dodgy at the best of times-

Fog rolls

Laudna’s chest pulled open by her own hand, ribs piercing from out of fabric and skin-

That wasn’t unusual. Not now, anyway. The blood-wet snout and teeth bared from torn and blistered flesh and gums, the jaw that would open on two hinges from a central axis as a guttural howl leaking with gore emerged along with the leap of the hound-

Except no hound came.

Laudna holds the captain’s hand between both her own,

encourages it into the newly opened cavity,

Imogen squints through the fog for any sight of a dim-green glow-

the veil is back.

What if Laudna’s hands weren’t moving of their own dictation? Crushing rock and crumpling robot-skull-

She isn’t certain, but the captain’s hand is on her heart, marrow ghostly and cursed.

Laudna should be free.

Imogen knows the taste of her own jealousy.

A store room - a cramped old pantry - provisions that had rotted so long ago that they had solidified all over again, like pearls from sand in oyster shells or however it works, cartilage rendered into putrid gemstone and shelves made from wood so soft that maybe at one point if daylight were to ever have made it into the hull the seeds of the bloated apples and oranges could have grown between the decomposing woodgrain.

Their room for the night, for the upcoming nights.

Imogen lays out her bedroll on the floor, attempts to make space to spread Laudna’s next to it but the stack of hemp sacks labelled as oats have turned to bricks.

It’s not like they’re not used to sharing a single bed.

It had only been so many nights, but Laudna's routine had changed now that she got her new attire - that old routine being one of not getting undressed for bed. Now she hangs her dress when she can, over the back of a chair or sometimes using the immovable rod as a sort of travelling coat-hanger - ‘wouldn’t want any creases’ - despite the still present ichor and the filth they find themselves in and how either of them could still prestidigitate the fabrics clean again. Maybe it’s ‘cause they changed themselves on that same day Laudna bought the dress, just before it, maybe there was intention to the new presentation beyond retail therapy. New routine. Maybe. A shift in self-worth. It’s only been a handful of nights. Imogen isn’t sure. She can’t hear Laudna's thoughts anymore. And some things it feels too soon to ask, she doesn’t want to stumble Laudna with the call out of her behaviours-

but she can lie back, head propped on hands weaved and cradling behind her head as Laudna undresses, can watch as she goes about her new-nightly routine.

Pate and his birdhouse get allocated to a clearing on a higher shelf, the belts of red ribbon that have replaced the ones given to her to outfit her as her death sentence are unravelled, ceremoniously rolled again and placed with scissors neatly aligned to the side of the wooden house, and the bunting of bones displayed like a necklace on a velvet cushion of an old cigar box.

Naked, she tip-toes around the floor, between Imogen's outstretched legs and their belongings.

Laudna's skin is cloudy like the fog that surrounds the islands.

What Imogen saw through it-

Imogen’s eyes fixate on the scar that runs down in front of Laudna’s sternum, the one Otohan had left the Hells to stitch, the one Laudna unthreads the seams from each time she calls forth her hound-

The captain’s hand on her heart.

Does it hurt?

Laudna pauses her movements, ready to turn and crouch at her backpack to retrieve her nightgown.

I’m sorry?

When ya…when you tear your chest open and that.

Imogen sits up from the bedroll, her spine leaning against the wall sodden with algae.

Laudna visibly considers her answer.

It doesn’t physically damage me, it’s all magic and illusion I suppose.

But when you’re like that, it’s real, right? I’ve felt it before. You’re occupyin’ that space.

Yes, but it abides by different rules and logic. That’s the fun of it; I get to play around with my ideas and surroundings.

You’re real good at that.

Thank you.

Laudna carries on, shimmying dress over her shoulders and pinning the many sections of hair that have fallen stray back into the bun.

The lace that wraps from neck to corset obfuscates it somewhat -the imprint of the noose that is, same for the mark from Otohan, same as Imogen's scars under the sheer fabric of her sleeves that now spill over her chest. Covered, but not hidden anymore.

They have bared themselves to each other a couple of times by now.

Imogen isn’t certain, but she has to know.

Could you feel it- did you feel it when he touched your heart?

Laudna pauses again. This time her look is calculated - calculating, assessing Imogen on the floor in front of her. Part of Imogen wants to take the circlet off, get back into an old routine of her own.

Imogen knows the taste of her own jealousy. She wonders if Laudna could discern the palette on her lips.

The shadows in the room shift, and there are plenty of them, the only light given by a dull but unnaturally white glow from a brass lantern hanging in the middle of the ceiling.

The shadows stain the fabric of Laudna's nightgown first, shredding into tatters and peeling off into a gauzy swatch that drapes over her head.

Her arms and legs and spine extend, the joints bending unnaturally, backwards and crooked and almost arachnid, the bones lancing through the fog-grey flesh, and the bone is indeed bleached and brittle like driftwood, barnacles and limpets where there had before been sprouting shoots and flowers, her body creaks and groans (or maybe it’s the ship) as she leans down towards Imogen, crouches over and up to her, her form almost as hulking as the most Imogen had seen it as such, when they had jumped down from the tower ruins together and Imogen woke to Laudna snarling and braced over her.

Imogen sinks back down to the floor, Laudna's arms (she thinks it’s her arms) bracketing either side of her head.

Through the veil she sees the rows of teeth, the formations on her forehead and high cheekbones looking like fossils left in rocks

her eyes holding Imogen still in place.

And maybe it isn’t her arms either side of her head, but ruptured bones of petrified wood, splintering out in all directions as talons that are made of the shrapnel of razor-clam shells cut through the linen covering Laudna’s chest, flaying flesh and severing sinew made of seaweed, her ribcage pulling apart (again, Imogen knew she had seen it), except this time each rib seems to elongate, definitely does so, piercing into the bedroll around Imogen and locking her in her own cage, sinking further and pinning fabric through and into the floorboards.

Her chest held open, it drips with briny ichor that Imogen can smell the salt of, eyes transfixed on the slow undulation of all of her innards exposed, lungs that branch off into seaweed and intestines tangled like the eels displayed curled up in shallow cases at the market

Her heart a clump of coral, deep red and its surface a complex fractal pattern, arms of sea urchins reaching across it for arteries.

It’s yours, if you want to hold it.

If Imogen takes long enough, Laudna will transform back; Imogen's hand imbedded in its grip permanent, the stretched and skewed rules of magic thrown and bastardised as muscle and bone and organ materialise around her wrist, Imogen able to influence the beat of blood around Laudna's body by the clench of a fist-

The captain’s hand in all of its platinum rings, greedy, blindly driven. Delilah and her hold, a boiling heartbeat, controlling. Imogen wants to be better, wants the feel of coral against her palm.

I want to…

Then I do too.

Imogen lifts the veil.

Barnacles scrape at the swell of her cheek, sharp teeth nick her tongue and Laudna’s mouth tastes like saltwater, blends with the iron of her own blood, the acid of her jealousy.

Imogen's fingers cover the rough surface of coral, sink into the spaces between it and seaweed-lungs. It swells in her hand, kicks, beats. A minute must be nearing over. It beats again, and Laudna holds her, pinned under her cage of ribs.

Her eyes flutter and she lets out a dripping melodious chuckle.

I can feel it.

[anya-anya002]

𝑶𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆 (ⅈ)

PastTeacher! Alex Turner x PastStudent! Reader

Summary: You decide to return to your high school, just to look around when you find a familiar friend…still there.

(So I basically got stuck mid story and feedback would be lovely 🧍🏿)

The frigid air kept your cheeks tingly as you walked towards the familiar block. Your heart thumped loudly; you crossed the street you’ve traveled thousands of times before.. Who was still there? Did they even remember you? Were you even that memorable?

Suddenly, you stopped; the big brick building was only an alley away, thinking it all over. You just leaned against the wall of a café for a second. The air-nippy crab apples lay on the sidewalk rotten, half-eaten by insects as their trees stood bare. Windows of nearby houses now closed, no longer friendly to the cold air, and your heart still thumped. What would you do if all your teachers had quit? What would you do if he left? And that's what got you to keep walking.

Your boots clacking against the sidewalk replaced the maddening banging within you. Everything was just how you left it: the uneven pavement, the traffic cone that sat since freshman year still lay broken and scuffed, the reflective tape now gone.

'The Marligian High School for Integral Art,' such a pretentious name, you still cringed, realizing this was your school. You climbed up the stairs and, with a deep inhale, entered.

At the front desk sat the same security guard, except gray and wrinkled. While he drank his coffee idly, you approached.

"Uh, hi," you smiled awkwardly, mind zipped with all possibilities as you watched him look up at you with wide eyes.

"Y/N! Look at you!" he smiled.

The two of you conversed while discussing your reason for being there: just visiting some old teachers and getting a bit of a look at the place while you're here. The security guard smiled, writing out a visitor pass.

"You remember how you were always ringin' that doorbell?" he joked; your cheeks tingled again as you smiled brightly and giggled in embarrassment.

"Stop! Y'know traffic here's ass, and I took the bus with Fredickson, Doogan, and Harrison kids...being early was a mission," you quipped, your smile growing ever so vast, scratching the back of your neck. He chuckled and shook his head.

"You still talking to Sofie?"

"No sir,"

He nodded in response, handed the pass to you, and sent you on your way, at least without worrying about being late like you used to be. Yet, something from here still gnawed at you.

"Uh," you stopped, turning back to the security guard.

"Is Mr. Turner still here?" you asked, hope sprinkled throughout your words. You saw him think about it momentarily. Your cheeks hurt from trying not to smile so hard.

"He's teaching 4th block... The bell ends in like a couple of minutes," he said. Your smile dropped slightly.

"Well, I'll just hang with Mrs. Theroux-" you said, turning the corner, down the long hall towards the music rooms, pass in hand. Pass the walls lined with paintings, the artwork was drawn by students; this time, it was still lives of the city, and the kids today were damn good compared to your friends. You moved closer to even one of the paintings of the train line, and damn, the sunset looked so real. The shades of orange, blue, and purple were blended so well that another smile snuck onto your face. The more you stare at the painting, the more you remember your adolescence, the more you remember him.

Examine the art a bit more, the bell rang. The monotonous, robotic 'beeeep' of it gave you flashbacks of running through those same halls to get anywhere. You shuffled quickly back around to Mr. Turner's room, heart revving up once more.

Your relationship with Mr. Turner was...confusing. You'd heard of him before when you were a freshman; you assumed he was an "arts" teacher with a name like that, but alas, he was just an English teacher with a 'cool' accent.

[softlymaximoff]

Wanda assumed that Nat and Steve are together cause they are always close. Cooking together, workout out and sparring at the same time. Wanda even saw Nat laying her head on Steve 's lap during movie night. To top it all, Wands caught Nat hugging Steve from behind while he is frying some pancakes. It hurts Wanda everytime they see them being so close to each other and would suppress her feelings towards Nat.

But Wanda also enjoys the moment where she is being flipped on the mat by Natasha when they are training. She would blush non stop and Nat would tease her for it. From then on, they also became friends and got to know each other more. Then one time, Wanda was being bold cause she's super jealous of Steve and outright asked Nat if they were together. Nat just laughed at Wanda and said that they were only friends and she only see Steve as her brother.

Oh poor wanda was always insecure of overstepping the friendship she already had with nat and just tried to avoid her at all costs when she realised that “shit I’m falling for the damn widow” And natty ends up all moody cause her best friend was suddenly shutting her out.

Comes training one day and Natasha had enough, flipping the witch, thighs on either side of her head for a little too long. “Nat- c’mon let me up, you win, you pinned me, your score” the sokovian mumbled blushing as the widow pressed further. “Why are you avoiding me” “you’re insane I’m not doing anything” and with a flash of gentle red, Natasha was lifted off her and tossed to the side. Wanda had never used magic on her? “Fine be like that” the spy grumbled and stormed out of the training room leaving a very guilty wanda on the mat.

><><><

Two nights later tony was hosting one of his monthly get-togethers where the team was exempt of missions for a couple of days. And Steve had of course asked his long time best friend to accompany him as his little arm candy. Wanda of course had vision but he was a last minute desperation. The poor robot was completely unaware of his date’s jealousy. “Care for a drink Wanda?” “Not now vis, I’m gonna go play pool” She grumbled when she saw the other coupe-like pair already at the bar.

Unbeknownst to Wanda, as soon as she walked in Steve motioned over to her “there’s your girl Tasha” “she’s not my girl Steve, she’s been avoiding me and I haven’t even done anything wrong” the Russian sighed and downed her shot of vodka when Bruce passed it to her. “Alright calm down widow, the nights still young” Steve chuckled at his teammate but tensed when he felt eyes on him.

“Oh for goodness sake nat do something, she’s burning holes on the side of my head I can feel it” he practically whined to the readhead and she rolled her eyes before venturing off to find said angry witch. “You’re up Sabrina” Tony snickered at the young witch’s scowl “you’re so lame Tony, shouldn’t you be trying to find a heart with Dorothy on the yellow brick road? Tinman looking ass” she challenged back and set up her shot but a chuckle made her freeze. “Finally someone’s putting him back in his place” Natasha giggled, the vodka making her a little less cold and a lot more flirty.

“Here, line it up like this moya lyubov” she whispered and guided Wanda’s position. The interaction making her blush furiously. “Uh, nat why aren’t you with Steve?” She mumbled and moved out of Natasha’s little body trap, just letting her take the shot. “Cause he’s flirting with Bucky” she smirked at Wanda’s prominent blush. “Why, you’re dating him aren’t you?” She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, a frown forming on her lips.

“Oh my god, is that why you were avoiding me? He’s like a brother! Ew he’s so old and gross, Wanda, I’m part of the alphabet mafia” the redhead chuckled drunkenly and cheered when she sunk her number in a pocket. “You’re- you’re not straight?” Wanda was dumbfounded. “No you goof, i don’t sit properly on chairs, I wear boots, listen to girl in red and Taylor swift religiously, and tony won’t let me get a cat for the compound but I’ve managed to convince pepper so we’re halfway there already!” All Wanda could do was blush at her own obviousness

“Oh”

“Yeah oh, now come here and taste some vodka you fool”

[marcyification]

"Get down." The loud voice above you echoed, but you didn't pay any mind to him. You pulled yourself up onto the small house roof, you could feel his frustration building.

"I don't want to get you down myself. Get down." His voice dropped to a low growl. You didn't listen, instead you began to dash across the roof. The snow fell heavy around you and you didn't know why or how it happened but- you felt yourself loose your footing.

You let out a scream as you fell onto your back, your body involuntarily rolling to the side. You weren't able to stop- you hit the snow covered ground with a soft thud.

Pain shot through every inch of your body and you laid there, squeezing your knees to your chest. Thankfully the snow had broken the fall but..it still hurt. Badly.

There was a sharp exhale that broke the silence and a shadow cast over you. There wasn't much light to begin with, but as you peaked out from your arms- what was left of it was blocked by the biggest hand you'd ever seen. You gasped and tried to back up but you hit the rough brick wall. You groaned and began to cry as the hand stopped in front of you.

You were waiting for him to grab you- but it never happened. Instead he laid his hand out as much as he could in the slightly narrow walkway for you to climb on. That was unusual. Normally he just grabbed you whenever he wanted. You looked up and he had an unreadable expression on his face.

"Let me make sure you didn't hurt yourself." He said in a slightly commanding voice. You shook your head and tried to turn away, but his hand got just a bit closer. "Please." He added, though it still wasn't very genuine. He sounded monotone, almost robotic.

You shook your head and looked away, upset and angry that he was even trying to help. "I don't want to force you. Please let me see." He said in a still-cold voice. You whimpered but looked back at his hand, slowly nodding. You stood up and shakily approached his hands, limping rather terribly.

You stared at his hand..the fact that it was so much bigger than you was horrifying. He could crush you with a finger if he wanted too, without even realizing it too. You..you didn't want to think about that.

You shakily climbed onto his hand, avoiding eye contact. He couldn't tell if you were cold or scared..he guessed it was both. The man was completely still as you climbed onto his hand. You made your way to his palm and almost collapsed against him. He was so overwhelmingly warm..

He raised you up to his face, which honestly made you feel rather dizzy and almost sick. He was so large, it felt like forever before his hand stopped just short of his chin. He gently moved your weak body with his finger..for somebody so large he was scarily cautious. "You don't appear to be harmed. Why would you do something like that?" He huffed, making you flinch.

You were too weak to respond..you just shook your head and cried into his hand. He looked slightly uncomfortable..but he let you cry. He slowly lowered his hand down to his chest, depositing you just below one of the buttons on his shirt. You were confused for a moment, before realizing he'd put you there for a reason.

"Rest. Take a nap, just lay there, I don't care. Just please don't move around too much." He said. You didn't even have time to respond before his hand covered your body- and the space around you. You laid there for a moment before curling onto his side. This was better than just laying out in the cold like you usually did.

At least you had somewhere warm to sleep.

[grimmswan]

Love Bites (But so do I) part one

for Captain Swan Supernatural Summer 2023

Vampire Emma and Werewolf Killian investigate, hunt down, and eliminate those who prey on the innocent and disturb the peace between the humans and the supernatural beings.

Supernatural Steampunk Detective Horror Adventure

He watched from the shadows. Waiting for the perfect specimen to walk by.

Another lovely young lady to add to his collection. A beautiful woman to aid him in his experiments.

He was determined to find a way to turn people into mindless slaves. Beings of flesh and blood that could serve the wealthy and elite in much more pleasurable ways than any robot could.

He smiled in glee when he spotted her. A stunning creature with golden hair.

Her body was accentuated by a red dress that molded to her form. The corset was low cut and pushed up her breasts. The ruby pendant she wore further aided in drawing the eye to her chest.

 It was obvious she wanted to be desired. Everything about her appearance demanded attention.

This one he would keep for himself.

He tightened his black cloak around himself and drew out his syringe.

He knew he needed to be quick. Not just to inject her with the drug to put her to sleep, but to get her back to his lab before she wakes up and before anyone could see and interrupt his task.

Luck was on his side. There was no one around.

The heels of her shoes clicking on the stone paved walkway were the only sounds to be heard.

He crept behind her, as quickly and quietly as possible. Watching for any sign that she had noticed him.

Women such as her, who made their living selling their bodies, often kept a weapon on hand to protect themselves from customers who got too aggressive.

He needed to be careful to reach her before she could take out her dagger.

He raised his hand with the syringe, aiming for her neck.

Suddenly he found himself pressed to the wall of an alleyway. A searing pain coming from the gash in his arm.

Blood was spraying everywhere.

The syringe, along with two of his fingers and his thumb, were laying on the ground.

“You have been a very bad man, professor.” The beautiful woman smiled.

Shock made way for terror when he saw the sharp fangs.

He had made the mistake of following a vampire.

“Please.” He begged. “Don’t kill me. I can get you girls. Young virgins. I work for a school. You can have your pick.”

He nearly lost consciousness when his head was snapped back and struck on the brick wall.

“You were entrusted to educate those children. Not experiment on them and manipulate them.”

She turned to face the darkness.

 From it emerged the massive head of a wolf. Its fur was as black as an abyss and it’s eyes glowed a hypnotic blue.

 “Get his scent, my love. We need to destroy his lab. And I doubt he will be willing to tell us where it is.”

Too paralyzed by pain and fear, he could do nothing to defend himself from the creatures of the night. Even his screams were silent.

Carrying him as if he weighed nothing, they moved with great speed through the back alleyways.

The door to his lab was locked tight by a code box. He thought that they might ask him for the code. But as it turned out, they didn’t need to.

With one swipe of his enormous paw, the werewolf broke the box from the door.

The professor was laid on the table where he had performed experiments on his drugged and helpless victims. Now it seemed, he would be the recipient.

“Make no mistake; you are going to die. But my lover and I are being paid to make your end as slow and agonizing as possible.”

The professor could see the vampire's lips move, but could hear nothing except for the crash and clang of metal. 

The werewolf was literally tearing his lab apart.

He had a strong feeling he would be next.

Pained shot through him as the vampire broke every bone in his arms and legs.

“I’m not going to drink from you. You don’t deserve to feel my lips on your skin.” She looked at the beast. “But my lover will be hungry once he’s done with your machines.”

Sparks flew when the last of the monitors were pulled from the wall.

The werewolf then moved to the vampire, who looked at him with love and affection clear in her eyes.

The professor swore he could see that same love and affection mirrored in the beast’s eyes.

But that was impossible. Wasn’t it? The creatures of the night could not possibly feel love. And most certainly not for a being who was not of their own kind.

But the way the vampire stroked her hand through the fur of the werewolf made the professor question everything he had once believed.

He only had a moment to ponder this new information before he was filled with terror once again when he heard the vampire say,

“We should wrap things up here. I’ll send word that our task has been completed. You enjoy your meal.”

This time, the professor's scream was loud when a large muzzle and powerful jaws descended on him.

In the morning, passerbys noticed the lab door open. The remnants of the lab were scorched by a fire that surprisingly stayed contained.

“There must have been an explosion.” The constable proclaimed. “Whatever it was that the professor was working on got him killed and his lab destroyed.

“The constable is half right.” Nemo smiled, setting his Farnsworth tablet. A handheld device that allowed a being to see and hear whatever was transmitted on the frequency the machine was set on. “That evil professor should not have used his position as a teacher to experiment on children. It caused him to have an encounter with the best agents in the business.”

He looked up and grinned knowingly at the couple in his office.

The vampire Emma, and the werewolf Killian, were not only a deadly and attractive couple, but they were talented with investigating and solving the cases that plagued society.

“If the professor hadn't been done away with, it’s highly likely that his doing would have been blamed on a supernatural creature.” Killian said.

“The two of you have done an amazing job, as always.” Nemo praised. “Justice was served. The children are now safe. And the school can keep their reputation intact. They paid extra as thanks for ensuring the professor's death looked like an accident.”

“How generous of them.” Emma smiled. Knowing Nemo had probably insisted on the extra payment.

“It was well earned.” He took out some papers and handed them to the couple. “As will the money from this next case.” Turning to Killian he advised, “You might want to get some reinforce armor for your wolf form. There’s reports of a large creature terrorizing communities. Different towns, but residents gave the same description. It looks to be a werewolf. One that is using its form to scare people out of their wealth, and hide its identity. If anyone can put a stop to it, I know the two of you can.”

[ifuckinglovedinosaurssomuchjesus]

GODZILLA MOVIE MARATHON: Godzilla vs Megalon (1973)

Oh hey, remember when I was doing this? I am at the whim of my hyperfixations and, luckily, I'm in a Goji mood again. So it's time to pick up right where we left off a year ago and keep this marathon going.

We're deep in the champion series, where Godzilla movies were made every year for Toho's annual movie festivals, which meant cookie cutter scripts and shoe string budgets.

The script is pretty standard by this point, except with the aliens replaced by hilariously incompetent Atlantians. It gets the job done ok, it keeps itself relevant and is relatively entertaining, even if you're still spending most of the runtime waiting for a rubber suit monster to show up.

Speaking of monsters, the plot mainly revolves around a little robot by the name of Jet Jaguar. He spends most of the movie getting yanked around by whoever is in control of him till he inexplicably against consciousness and joins the battle for good. He's an obvious Ultraman rip-off, but he's also a cult favorite for his goofy design and his antics. He gets a lot of love from fans, Evangelion even references him in the Jet Alone episode, and it's easy to see why. He's not the strongest, but he's got spunk, character, and a catchy theme tune. You can't help but love him.

The same goes for the other debut creature, the titular Megalon. The Kaiju in this movie have so much personality, Megalon especially is super expressive. I love his child-like personality, where he gloats and taunts when he's winning but throws a tantrum when he isn't. He cackles and claps and slaps his butt, and despite having no facial expressions, he might as well be talking with how well the suit actor portrays his thoughts. My favorite is his obvious "what the hell" pose when Jet Jaguar and Godzilla escape his fire trap. He's also ridiculously pathetic, dumb as bricks, he ultimately gets knocked down by swallowing one of his own bombs. I love how he just lays there while Goji and JJ just stare at him with contempt. Even his final departure is hilarious with him face planting into a hole as it collapses onto him.

Gigan also makes his return, as cackling and sadistic as ever, and he matches Megalon's energy perfectly. They really do make a perfect duo, real team rocket energy of bumbling bafoons thinking they're badder than they actually are. Gigan's justification for being here is the best, the Atlantians straight up just call the cockroach aliens from the last movie and ask to borrow their monster. Sure, why not?

And of course, Godzilla is here too. He's a full on children's hero, accentuated by the goofy circus music that plays as he walks up to the battle. He's got some cool moments, like singlehandedly stomping both Megalon and Gigan when he first arrives and of course the iconic tail-slide kick.

Overall, many people lump this movie in with vs Gigan as the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the franchise, which I think is unfair. They're both similar movies in that they both live and die by the final battle. While vs Gigan had a really slow, boring fight that really didn't justify having to sit through the rest of the movie, vs Megalon has one of the most fun final battles in the series. If you can sit through the rather tediousn, but not all bad first hour of human plot, you get 20 minutes straight of some of the most expressive and enjoyable Kaiju action of the Showa era.

Interestingly, for some reason a US executive decided this was going to be the Godzilla movie to grab that American demographic, and it was marketed and distributed far more than nearly any film before it. While not an immediate success, it did result in this easily becoming the most common Godzilla outing in video rental stores and late night TV reruns. It shaped Godzilla's image in America more than any other film, for decades the name was synonymous with cheap costumes, goofy effects, and bad dubs. Even to this day, the Monsterverse's take on a heroic Godzilla fighting evil monsters has its roots going back here. Some people may hold resentment towards it for that, but for me personally, I really enjoyed it. It's not the best the Showa era has to offer, but it's certainly up there, so 7/10 seems fair to me.

[bagog]

Japanese Brandenburg Concertos

Hiroto slumped against the wall, let his back slide all the way down the bricks till he sat with his knees to his chest on the floor. The music conservatory was frigid: out the massive windows, the world was a frozen white-out. Flakes were still coming down.

Hiroto cracked his knuckles and blew on them to warm them up. His first round performance had gone well—almost as well as he had hoped it would—and once the hundreds of other competing pianists had their turn, he would find out if he had qualified for the second round. Passing through the second round would earn him a master-class with C.K. Higgins. That was the kind of thing you put in your portfolio. Watching the flakes cling to the window, Hiroto shivered, then laid down on the floor. He pulled his jacket over his face like a blanket and tried not to think about how stiff the competition was going to be in the next round.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” a few voices were coming down the hallway. Hiroto almost peeked out to get a look, before hearing the same voice utter an exasperated slur. “You just know he’s going to get the master-class, the sneaky little robot.”

“You did great, what are you worried about?” Came another voice. The group was now at the lockers across from where Hiroto lay pretending to sleep, head covered.

“If only doing great were good enough! Unfortunately, I’m white, so doesn’t matter if I’m channeling Glenn fucking Gould. They’re still going to pick the Mitsubishi to win the master-class.”

The other voice laughed at the ‘Mitsubishi’ line. Hiroto barely revealed one eye to the hall to get a look at who was talking. Another university student, about Hiroto’s height. Dark, curly hair and a corduroy jacket over a band t-shirt. Hiroto recognized him from some of the competition rooms this morning. He’d been in the audience for Hiroto’s performance, and Hiroto had noticed the other student giving him strange looks when they passed in the halls.

“You kicked ass in there, Adam, you’re definitely going to get to the next round. He’s not worth your time, dude.”

“It’s the principle of the thing,” Adam rejoined. “You get all these foreign exchange students with their tiger moms and shit, pushing them to be perfect little musicians. But they’ve got no soul, it’s like a computer playing Bach. In fact, I would rather hear an AI perform than listen to another stale Japanese Brandenburg Concerto.” Adam closed the locker and leaned against it. He was fidgeting with a small American flag lapel pin on his jacket, trying to get it to sit right. Below it was a pink breast-cancer awareness ribbon.

“I mean, you’re not wrong!” His other companion chuckled.

“You think he even practices, or just downloads the sheet music directly to his CPU?” Adam responded, keeping his friend laughing. “It just pisses me off, is all. It’s not fair. Like… it was my ancestors wrote this music, it’s my inheritance, practically! Then in comes a Toyota or a Mitsubishi or whatever and plays it perfect, easy, but soulless. It’s not fair to me as a Western man, and it’s not fair to the music to let it be played with no soul.”

“Yeah, to me the problem is the judges are listening for accuracy, not soul.”

“You’re right about that. It still pisses me off.” Adam stretched his arms. He had the longest fingers Hiroto had ever seen, a natural pianist. He had that hunch in his back that said he’d spent more time practicing his scales than his posture. His eyes were a flashing blue, narrowed as they were, and his lip curled into a smile. “It’s like when you meet a trans and he’s hotter than you are, and it’s like ‘not fair, I’m supposed to look like a man.’”

Adam’s companion continued to laugh as the two walked away down the hall. Hiroto continued to lie there on the floor, face and ears heated. He sat up, leaned against the wall. He could still hear the two white students cackling on their way to watch someone else’s performance. Out the window, the snow fell exactly where it meant to fall, and frosted the whole world over.

[talesfromsiteredacted]

The Garden of Inter-Site Tranquility

Everyone here has a side project, it seems. Dr. Gears builds robots, Dr. Clef tortures people via ukulele, Dr. Iceberg is a very good archer. Me? I like playing in the dirt, planting stuff. And, thanks to a little help from my friends... hard work is paying off handsomely. We have the only rooftop park/zen garden/flower garden in the Foundation, so far.

It took years, and tons of wheeling, dealing, and in one memorable case, outright stealing, but... it is finished. The Garden of Inter-Site Tranquility. A quaint little rooftop slice of heaven. Pretty sure Granddad would love it. He ought to, he inspired it in a way.

It's no Shangri-la, nor will it ever be anything as grand as Eden, but it's ours. A modest little gazebo with seating, surrounded by roses and other delightful flora. A brick path to a Zen garden, a small tea area, and the tool shed. There's even a small koi pond, with a stone fountain. There's a bonsai pine in the corner, this Hogswatch I'll decorate it.

First though... I need to plan a bit more. If I want this to be something everyone enjoys, I need ground rules. But... I can't resist the urge to show off the hard work. I get an idea. 166 never gets to do anything outside. Since technically neither of us are leaving Foundation grounds, maybe Meri would like a bit of fresh air?

I head to her quarters, and knock on her door.

"Hi, Meri? I'm Dr. Snow, and I'd like to ask a tiny, harmless favor, if I may."

"Dr. Snow? Ah, I think I remember you. The Hoodoo doll lady, right?" I could listen to Meri all day, there's just something about an Irish accent that sits right in the ear, Nan says. I have to agree.

"Yep, that I am. Only today I have something different in mind. I kind of did a thing, a rooftop oasis in this depressing concrete labyrinth. I'd like your honest informal opinion on it, if you're willing?"

"Absolutely, my dear Dr. Snow. Any excuse to breathe nonrecyled air. Lay on, good Doctor." The door opens, and we head to the roof. I open the access door, and Meri laughs.

"Dr. Snow, this is incredible. It's a little miracle from God. Sister Agnes, rest her soul, would love this. There's even a rose garden! I love roses. You didn't do all this by yourself, did ye?"

"I had a lot of help, from 343 and Cain helping plan the layout, the boys in Procurement getting me supplies and plants, had tips on koi pond management from Agent Arrisoka's granddad, I even bribed a few D-Class with free beer and pizza to help with planting and labor. It was a huge project, but worth it." I ran a hand through my messy hair. "Since you don't get out a lot, I thought you'd like a sneak peak before the grand public unveiling."

"Rather sweet of you, Dr. Snow. I have to say, this is lovely." So is the smile on Meri.

"Once I open it to everyone, I'll have to schedule some time blocks so that you and some of our other residents can enjoy it too. After all, it's nice to see the flowers, hear the bees and birds flying about, and get away for a bit even if we never actually leave the grounds."

"Aye, that it is." We take a stroll along the path leading to the koi pond. "Dr. Snow... do the other doctors know about this? I'd hate for you to get into trouble."

"They know. Dr. Gears even sent up the gravel for the Zen garden. Dr. Clef helped too, just don't ask where those koi came from."

"I'm more worried about how he got them here."

"Very carefully, was the answer I got. I didn't want to know more."

"Probably best not to look gift koi too deeply in the mouth anyhow." We have a good chuckle over Clef. I love him, but he does tend to be a bit of a kleptomaniac. He's certainly always stealing kisses from me, at least.

After a while, the daylight begins to fade.

"We should head back, they'll miss me at head count if I'm not there."

"Good idea. I did promise Dr. Gears first rake of the Zen garden, there's just enough light left by the time we get you home."

Speaking of Dr. Gears, I ran into him once I got Meri in her quarters. I just wordlessly handed him the gravel rake, and headed back up to the roof with him in tow. I must have outdid even my expectations, I never heard Dr. Gears whistle before. Yet, here he is, whistling as he rakes. 343 help me, I think I might be on to something here.

[willcodehtmlforfood]

Dutch startup Monumental is using robots to lay bricks | TechCrunch

A gépek elveszik a kőművesek munkáját!

[shroompunk]

from hourly comics day 2021, with some pages completed after the fact.

if u wanna throw a few bucks my way or see it in higher res, you can pick it up on itch.io: https://shroompunk.itch.io/double-sharp

ID under cut

ID 1: Comic cover in purple and pink tones, showing an abstracted view of two pine trees in the foreground and a figure with a floating drone walking into the sunset. The title shows two musical sharp signs, and in parentheses reads "Double-Sharp."

ID 2: 3 panel comic in cool, mostly purple tones. top panel shows a figure walking into a forest with a mile marker in the foreground. middle panel shows same figure from behind, looking at a downed bridge, with a flying robot drone more obviously visible next to him. third panel shows the figure climbing across the rope from the bridge, and reveals his face to be a robotic face.

ID 3: 4 panel comic page in mostly purple tones. top panel shows a pair of robot hands struggling ti climb up onto a ledge while a flying robot drone watches. middle two panels show the robot getting up over the top of the ledge and then collapsing forward, exhausted. final panel shows the robot sitting on the ledge and reading a map. with his backpack off, he has visible orange wings.

ID 4: 4 panel comic grid in mostly purple tones. first panel shows a figure with a checkered blanket approaching an abandoned, snow-covered house. second panel shows him entering through the broken door. third panel shows him climbing up onto a table to reach into a high cabinet, but the table has a visible spot of damage that makes it unsafe to climb. final panel shows him falling off the table when it breaks, and his robot drone friend freaking out watching him.

ID 5: 5 panel comic. top panel shows a robot figure sitting on a couch, having his arm fixed by his flying drone buddy, while he sips from a bottle with a bendy straw. middle panel shows the robot asleep with his drone passed out on top of him as well. bottom three panels show a series of backgrounds that indicate they are traveling further into civilization, with less trees and more buildings, as well as the sun rising and setting across the three panels.

ID 6: 2 panel comic page. top panel shows a figure entering a brick building with a burnt out neon sign on the front that says "Live Music". bottom panel shows the flying robot in the foreground, while the main figure is pointing excitedly at a piano that appears to be in pristine condition.

ID 7: 3 panel comic page. top panel shows the robot pianist sitting down at the piano and preparing to play. in the middle panel, a lot of sharp signs confirm that the piano is badly out of tune. in the final panel, the robot is walking away with his flying drone comforting him. in the background of the final panel, the piano has been smashed.

ID 8: 4 panel comic page. top panel shows just the lower half of a figure walking through deep snow, leaving bird foot shaped footprints behind him. second panel is the front of a department store with decorative columns, and the flying drone is pointing it out to the main robot. in the third panel, the robot pianist is seated at an enormous organ, wings out and fluttering, looking completely blissed out. in the final panel, he begins to play, and this organ is also badly tuned.

ID 9: 3 panel comic page. top panel shows a robot figure lifting up a piano stool to use as a weapon. middle panel shows the robot laying on the ground reading a map while his flying drone fixes his arm. final panel shows them both hanging out near the edge of a cliff, staring into the distance, with a city silhouette in the far background.

ID 10: 3 panel comic page. top panel shows a robot figure and his flying drone napping in the snow, covered only by a blanket. middle panel shows them making their way up a rocky hill, and in the final panel it's turned into a cliff that the robot his having to climb while his drone struggles alongside him, holding his backpack.

ID 11: 4 panel comic page. In the top panel, we see the figures from the prior page viewing a mansion from a low view, showing huge columns in the front of the building. The middle panel shows the robot figure laid out on a fancy couch. In the last two panels, he's shown in front of a flaming piano, reading his map, then shown resting his face on an unplugged keyboard with the rest musical notation floating in the air, representing silence.

ID 12: 3 panel comic page. In the first panel, the robotic bird figure looks across a canyon to a garbage dump on the opposite side, then flies across in the 2nd panel with his drone struggling to carry his backpack. In the final panel, he walks carefully along the edge of the cliff, holding out his arms to the sides to balance in a T pose.

ID 13: 3 panel comic page. In the top panel, the robot bird figure pushes past an old cabinet, looking into the garbage dump with an exclamation mark showing his excitement. The second panel shows him sitting at an upright piano, and the third panel shows him starting to play with a natural musical symbol, showing that this piano is not off-key as the others have been.

ID 14: 4 panel comic page. The top panel shows the robot bird figure cheerfully playing the upright piano in the garbage dump. The next two panels show a zoom on him playing the pedals, while a small piece of wood that was supporting the piano cracks. In the final panel, the piano begins to fall down the pile of garbage, making a number of sharp sounds as it falls.

ID 15: Two panel comic page. In the top panel, the flying drone saves the backpack while the bird robot stares into the canyon, where the piano just fell. The second panel shows the drone gently placing his blanket over his shoulders while he stares down into the canyon, silent.

ID 16: Back splash page for the comic, showing the robotic bird figure wandering into the snow, reading a map while his drone follows. In the bottom right, it reads: End?

[unundria]

News Post #1

Hello everyone!

Welcome to our new periodic updates blog! It's been a while, hasn't it?

Today we have news, annoucements, as well as a whole bunch of works-in-progress... work-in-progresses?

First off, Cerasus is moving along well behind the scenes. Here's a mini-preview to keep you fed and watered! Thank you all so much for your support and feedback on the game so far.

Yummy toilet water, right?

(You can download the latest version of Cerasus here)

Now for the main update. We've dropped bits and pieces about this game, but it's time for a proper announcement to launch a proper blog. Right now, work is ongoing for...

Unundria

You like robots? You want more robots in our robot games? Well then.

So what is this game exactly? It's an RPG set in the same universe as Cerasus and its predecessors, but with a lot more worldbuilding, areas, characters, and active gameplay.

The Future Earth of Unundria lays in the faint shadow of an inter-species war, two hundred years ago. Humans are effectively no more; in their wake are the various surviving races and new creatures, inderectly created by a long-banished, near-mythical entity. The last lights of Humanity only persist in their successors, the synthetic Dolorians...

And we'll make a post about all of them, soon. Keep an eye out!

Story

We follow our good men Rook and Theodore as they try to uncover the mysteries surrounding their new amnesiac friend Forbert, all while fighting off their strange new enemies, the phantoms, who have appeared to attack their homeland...

With Rook troubled by bizarre dreams and some apparitions, and distrubed by the guidance of an unknowable Voice, there's more to their predicament than meets the eye.

Sadness is overtaken, leaving only rage.

Exploration

You'll be able go to certain points (in either red or green when available) on the overworld map, and have some fun enjoying the world and talking to people. Sometimes, you'll have to wander pretty far. There's a lot to see!

Combat

Every character has their quirks. The game uses a recognisable RPG system; some characters need to use a combination of glyphs to do their attacks. Others need TP, which you can obtain in battle.

Our friends are in the process of being balanced and tested to make combat challenging, and as enjoyable as possible.

Also Theodore can throw bricks at enemies. It's cool.

We hope you enjoyed this long-awaited airing of our developments. If you have feedback or questions, the ask box is open! Please drop in, your support helps a lot!

Thanks for reading!

[pan-fried-autism]

Would You Like To Study The Stars?

Characters: Swap!Grem, Swap!Nikolai (@bowlerhatwearer)

Summary: Sometimes it's nice to study with a friend. Especially if you're studying the beauty of the universe.

... and perhaps the beauty of your friend.

1:59 am.

Grem slept soundly in a rustic queen sized bed. The warmth of the quilt under the blanket was as if a hug from the heaven, soothing her in her sleep.

Next to her, a small robot slept as well, his eyes closed like a camera lens. Beside him, a cord lay beside him coming out of his tail, plugged into the wall behind them.

Both slept very soundly.

...

*knock knock knock*

...

*knock knock knock*

Grem stirred a bit, before waking up slowly. She propped herself up on her elbows and smacked the lips she didnt have, slowly looking around and taking view of the dim surroundings.

M0u5e was sound asleep next to her. He was almost as heavy a sleeper as she was.

The mirror above the dresser facing the bed showed her own reflection-- a messy furred, tired cat with dull grey eyes.

The window showed--

A face was in the window.

Grem nearly screamed at the sight. That is, until she took note of the face-- gaunt features, a small tear of the skin on the upper lip, eyes mostly hidden by a hood.

It was Nikolai.

Grem breathed a huge sigh of relief. Thank god, she thought, I thought it was fuckin' Jack.

The cat stared back at the lich with an unamused expression, putting her hands out in exasperation.

The lich pointed to the side.

Then he dipped out.

Grem said nothing. What the hell was that? What did THAT mean? Perhaps he wanted to talk to her? She looked at the clock, making sure her eyes didn't deceive her. What could he possibly want at this hour??

Grem slowly and quietly got out of bed and headed to the living area, turning on the light and opening the door.

As she did, however, she remembered what she was wearing.

So, while wearing a Bass Pro Fishing Shop T-shirt and pajama shorts with a shrimp pattern, she opened her front door to an undead man at 2 in the morning.

The cold air hit her like a brick as she stood there like a deer in the headlights, trembling and praying to God he didn't think he looked stupid.

"Good evening, Grementine." he greeted her. "Sorry for waking you at this hour."

"Y'- Ya better be!" she shivered out. "It's 2 in the morning!! What could ya need at this hour of night?!"

The lich looked at his hands which were folded in front of him, clearly embarassed.

"... Again, my apologies, Dr. Mewton. I was wondering something." He admitted quietly.

"And what would that be?"

"Well, it's-- the stars look very nice at this time of night."

Grems left eyebrow went up. "Yes...?"

"I-- well, would you like to see them?"

Grems eyes widened a little. He wanted to go... stargazing with her? She'd never done that before. The most she had done before is look longingly out the window at night as a child, wishing that someone would take her away to a kinder place, where you don't come to school with marks and bruises on your arms.

.... It didn't sound so bad.

"Let me get a coat and... and some pants on."

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

Grem walked with Nikolai to a small hill about 5 minutes away. The region was surprisingly peaceful this night. The snow had stopped falling and the night was still. The snow made a light crunch as she walked, the only noise besides Nikolais own footsteps.

"So... I guess you're taking me to a clear area?" She spoke.

"Yes. It's the best way to see the stars." he replied.

"Is it normally a nice starry night out here?"

"Normally not. The snow can continue long into the night if it wants to. But we're in luck today."

"Hm!"

Grem continued to walk with him. The land began to rise as Grems feet started walking uphill. The snow was a tad thicker as they went up, a little harder to walk up in the darkness and cold. Grem wanted to see the stars, however-- she wanted to see what they would show her.

What Nikolai wanted to show her.

Finally, they reached the top-- a small, flatter area with nary a tree or plant in sight. Grem walked up next to Nikolai where he stood.

"So... are the stars out?" she asked.

He didn't look as she spoke. "Look up."

And she did.

The dark sky, so black it looked blue, was dotted with a multitude of stars. Brilliant shining white dots speckled about, sparkling with their glory as they lit up the sky. The stars collected together in a cloud of orange and white and violet, swirled into a shape of perhaps a distant galaxy. The moon was off to the side in its own little world, bright as it always was.

The view reflected in her wide grey eyes and mouth agape. It was... it was beautiful. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. Any other time, she'd only seen a dark sky with a slight blue undertone, a few dull spots of white in the sky. She'd only seen beauty like this in a textbook.

All she could say was one word.

"... woah."

Nikolai looked down at the cat next to him, a light smile on his face.

"I take it that you like it?"

"It's amazing, Nik..."

"We are far away from the cities, and so there is no light pollution. We can see the stars, the moon, and I think even one of the planets in the sky. How they shine so bright, without any interference from the worlds progress."

Grem nodded sagely, staring in silent awe for a few seconds. She spoke up, taking a deep breath.

"... Man, astronomers are so lucky. Just-- just imagine having a job where you can see things like this all the time. All the things they get to see... too far away for us to perceive."

Nikolai nodded at Grems musings.

"I'm glad you like the stars, Grem." he added. "You know, in the past, I loved to look at the stars. I often did after..." -- He took a shuddery breath-- "... after everything that happened in my past."

"I can see why." The spellbound feline replied. "It's a very calming sight.

"It swallows ya up in its beauty until ya forget... y'know, you're only here. You're only on Earth. But you're swimmin' around in the cosmos with the rest of 'em."

Nikolai was silent for roughly 3 seconds, before turning to look at Grem.

"Did you ever take poetry lessons at any point, Grementine?"

She blushed and looked off to the side.

"Well... when ya spend a lot of time thinking, ya sometimes get stuff like that." she responded quietly.

He gave a gentle smile. "I think the way you described the stars and the sky is very beautiful, Dr. Mewton." Nikolai remarked as he looked back up at the sky

Grem looked up at him. From this angle, she could partially see his eyes.

They weren't too bad looking.

"... Thanks, Nikolai. That means a lot to me."

She took another deep breath before continuing.

"I feel like I'm smarter than I realize, sometimes. I guess that sorta thing is hard to notice when... other people don't see any of it."

Nikolai turned around again, facing her once more.

"Dr. Mewton," he began, "Allow me to say this with all honesty-- I believe you are one of the kindest and smartest people I have ever met."

Grem eyes widened a little, looking back up at him.

"... really? You think so?" she asked softly.

"Of course, Dr. Mewton." Nik responded. "Look at you... you are a researcher and scientist through and through. You have created your own assistant... one who you clearly and dearly care about, I would like to note! You are smart... and a caring person."

Grem said nothing.

... then felt herself tear up a bit.

Nikolai must have seen it, too, because his face immediately turned into an expression of concern.

"OH- Oh I am sorry, Grementine--"

"N-No! It's okay!! I just... that's probably one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me. Or even-- even about me."

Nikolai didn't reply for a second. The cat could see a look of shock on his face.

"But... it is the truth, Grem... it's the complete truth. You are a kind person... through and through. You are so kind." He looked at the ground. "You even befriended me-- and for that, I will always be thankful."

Grem was... well, she was speechless for a couple seconds. She broke out into a nice, big smile.

"You know something, Nikolai? I think... I think I could say the same about you."

This truth of hers seemed to surprise Nikolai quite a lot.

"You- you would?" he stuttered out.

Grem continued. "Well, yeah. You're one of the only real friends I've made in like... 10 years. Ya took me into your life, and ya treat me really nicely. And you're really fun to talk to!

"... And you're a very intelligent guy as well! You're passionate and kind, too."

Nikolai turned away from Grem, seemingly speechless.

"... Thank you. That is very kind of you, Dr. Mewton."

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true."

With that, Grem went back to staring at the stars wordlessly. She took in their glow, their shine. The sparkles scattered across the sky before her. This was quickly becoming one of the best days of her life.

Suddenly, Nikolai said something that took her a little by surprise--

"Hey, Grementine, would you like to get on my shoulders? So you may see the stars closer, of course."

She wasn't even looking, and she could tell he was smiling. She knew what her response would be.

"Sure!"

She turned around to see a definitively smiling Nikolai bowing down a bit, to which she got behind and climbed on his back up to his shoulders. The cognizant cadaver of a man shook a bit as he stood upright.

She looked down at him while she sat-- getting a glimpse of his clouded blue eyes-- asking, "You're not in any pain or anything, right?"

"Of course not, Dr. Mewton," he replied with a smile. "You feel like a... feather."

"I AM a little underweight..." she whispered to herself.

Grem looked back up at the sky. Though it didn't make TOO much difference, she was glad she could see it just a little closer... reach for her dreams and all she ever wanted a little better. It was all still so far away, but she could yearn closer now.

Eventually, she was finished wishing.

"Thank ya for the help, Nikolai! You can put me down." she purred to the lich.

Nikolai bowed down again as he responded. "Of course, Dr. Mewton. For you always, my friend."

Grem got off his shoulders and shimmied down his back, before doing a roll off of him onto the ground.

"Thanks for taking me out here, even if it was at butt o'clock. It was..." she got a far away look in her eyes-- "... wonderful."

Nikolai nodded his head at her. "You are welcome, Dr. Mewton. Thank you for taking the time, and for having accompanied me."

Grem gave a soft smile.

"I hope we can... do this again sometime, possibly." She admitted, looking down at her feet.

"Likewise, Dr. Mewton. I would lo--"

The lich stopped, before shaking his head a bit.

"... like to do it again sometime."

A warm, happy feeling engulfed Grems mind, and briefly took over as she suddenly hugged Nikolai.

The unexpected embrace lasted a few seconds, before Grem gained clarity and realized what she was doing, pulling away.

The cat looked up wide eyes at the lich, her cheeks burning red.

The lich had a very surprised look on his face. She almost swore she saw a touch of pink on his cheeks.

The cat stared for a couple seconds... before running away.

........

After a couple minutes of flustered running, Grem flung open the door to her cabin, still pink in the face from what she had done.

She silently changed out of her winter clothes and into her pajamas, before sneaking into bed with M0u5e again.

Grem, a bit wide eyed still, stared up at the ceiling for what felt like an hour (though truly it was only a minute).

Suddenly, a loving smile broke across her face, and she hugged the quilt draped over her and the robot.

She couldn't wait to do it again.