#but after getting better at it I'd usually just fight creatures if I had a spear.

[cubicpeebles]

favorite "slug" "cat" ?

Probably either Enot or Saint. Saint had my favourite campaign, but I find Enot the most fun to draw. I know I'm a bit of a broken record, but it really is so hard to choose!

[wannastayugly]

After watching Blood Origin, I kept wondering "what if the storyteller chose to show itself to Jaskier as Geralt?", and then this little thing happened. I hope you enjoy!

-

"Hello?" he whispered, getting no response. Elves and soldiers stood in place, stopped in the middle of a deadly dance.

Jaskier gets up from the bloody floor, with a heartbeat so desperate he could hear it in that deafening silence that had suddenly taken the battlefield. A fear he knew too well tightening his throat.

"Hello?" He calls, louder this time.

Jaskier had never been one to appreciate silence. It was a hard truth to admit: that while bringing music and warmth to others, the thing he craved the most was filling his own ears with their voices, whether they were singing back or telling him to leave, and that, while doing that, the bard had never really learned how to hear nor deal with his own thoughts, much less to be on his own.

Now, looking around, not really knowing what he is looking for, he feels the tears starting to come out and he closes his eyes, allowing them to wash away the dirty on his cheeks as a soldier stares in his direction, but doesn't really see him. No one to perform to tonight.

"I'll haunt you, witcher!" he roars. His chest aching. "Do you hear me? Maybe if you had treated me a little better, I'd never have tried to play hero!" I'd never have tried to be more like you.

He falls to his knees, covering his face and pulling his own wet hair with his tied hands. I don't want this to be how I end, he thinks. And he hurts his throat screaming one more time. Anger, desperation and fear taking him whole.

"Geralt!" don't leave me alone.

"Hello Sandpiper" a familiar voice reaches him, and Jaskier lets out a scream of fright as he immediately gets up and takes five steps back, almost falling to the floor when he stumbles on a death man. And then he sees him. His eyes go wide.

Geralt looks at him with the ghost of a gentle smile on his lips. He is wearing his usual black clothes. White hair falling in front of his face, moving with the wind. Jaskier's mouth is half-open, but he doesn't pronounce any sound. There's a moment of relief, a moment of wanting to run to that man and feel those strong arms around him again; to go back to the safest place he had ever known. But that moment doesn't last long, because that can't be him.

Jaskier wonders if that's just how angels look like when they come to guide you into the afterlife, then: safety. And, somewhere between the mess that is his mind, somehow he finds the strength to laugh at himself, because, if that's right, then even the angels know he'd follow Geralt again, anywhere, and that he'd do it with gratitude.

"Am I dead?" he asks, sounding like defeat. The angel denies. "What are you?"

"I'm many things. Many faces, many places" the white-haired man walks slowly, getting closer. Jaskier feels his heartbeat going fast again, frozen in place not by magic but by something else that had always been inside him, but he had always been too coward to name. And as the man approaches him, so close he can feel his breath over his face, that something screams even louder.

"Why do you look like him?" Jaskier whispers, lost in those golden eyes like a stupid moth attracted by light. But Jaskier already knew why.

I'd follow him anywhere.

"Because you love him"

The creature disappears. Becomes wind. And the next second Jaskier sees himself in the middle of the woods, in another place, maybe another time, and under daylight. He feels nauseous. The elven lady talks to him in a calm, gentle tone. A storyteller, he learns. And she tells him the story of seven warriors who came together to fight for their people, a story he is meant to sing to the people the Sandpiper now protects. But there's also something else there. Something that tears him apart.

"I know why you chose me" he says when she is done, impatient, reading what he just wrote, "It's not only because I'm helping them, is it? It's this… This stupid, tragic love story. But you're wrong about us. You're wrong, because we were never like this."

But when he looks up, the woman isn't there anymore. It's him. Close. His nose touching his. And Jaskier feels like a fool because his heart skips a beat; because he holds his breath, and because, even though he knows that isn't really Geralt, he can't help but being inebriated by the sight of him; can't help but wanting to press their lips together and taste his tongue as that thing tears his clothes apart and makes him his.

"You two are way more like them than you realize."

And just like that, Jaskier is back in the battlefield, surrounded by blood, screams, swords and arrows, with the papers in his hands being the only proof of the reality of what he had just heard and seen.

-

PART II

[notsoimportantaoi]

To say that the boar looked distraught was probably an understatement. He burst from the bushes where he'd been hiding, waiting for Aoi to come hang some fresh laundry to the clothesline outside. Little twigs and leaves decorated his boar hide, while his hands were buried in the deer fur that encased his waist. A rare sign of devouring nervousness.

"O-Oi! Blue nurse! I have something to tell you, so... listen! Are you listening?!"

She probably was, given that he stood right in front of her, close enough that he would only have to lean forward for his snout to touch her face.

"I don't usually let people tell me what to do, but this sounded like an okay idea, so... I'm doing it! I'm gonna tell you how I feel when I see you!"

He took a deep breath, throwing his head back to better guide the air flow into his lungs. This had to be the most difficult thing he had ever done in his life.

"When I see your face, I feel my heart beating faster! My throat is tight, and my stomach is squirming like there's something tickling it inside, but I also feel warm! Really warm! Not the kind of warm that burns and hurts like when you put your hand in boiling oil, but... the kind of warm that feels good! Like when you sit next to a fire after going out in the snow!"

Quick, quick, keep going. Before the self-awareness hits.

"You're always pissing me off, but even when I'm mad at you, I want to see your face again! One time, I punched a tree really hard just so I'd be hurt enough to come see you!"

"... you don't have to say anything. I don't care what you think! No, actually, I do, and if you get mad now, I'll punch your face! But I don't really wanna punch you, so... do whatever you want!"

╰┈➤ @whirling-fangs

she glanced at the rustling, before looking back the way she came from-- two little boars were play fighting and rumbling about. so, it wasn't them. it didn't take long for her to let out a breath of relief upon seeing the bigger boar burst out from bushes, getting in her space almost immediately. her hands moved without thinking, picking off little twigs and leaves from the tufts of fur on his head, tossing them around, an action which caused little squeaks of delight by the two little ones which were quick to chase the leaves which landed about in wide spirals. it took so little to make them happy.

his next statement made her glance up, brows arching so high that they basically disappeared within her bangs. how he felt when he saw her? she could feel pulsating in her throat immediately, as if her heart leapt into it. right after growing two sizes.

could this really be happening?

Aoi kept her hands busy, combing the specks away from his hide, even brushing her fingertips against the snout. once he was done with his ramble Aoi did something unexpected, something impossibly gentle. a sweet touch against the snout, gentlest of bumps against it. much better than when.... she gave him concussion few days ago. what was she thinking back then?

"you piss me off like no one else, but I hate when you're not around! I want to see your face with or without the hide!" He was most beautiful creature Aoi has ever seen, and yet... it was the least special thing about him. he made her stupid with affection and the need to take care of him... tended to be overwhelming. "I always wait for you to come back from your quests! even if I know you're powerful and able, I still worry! I want to know you're safe, and not just safe-- fed and cared for! and I want to do feeding and caring!"

okay, stop yelling.

"so i guess what i am trying to say!" again with the yelling. "is that I feel the same way about you!"

[justabooknerdposts]

Hey! I think you've been taking prompts recently which made me very happy (if not, then totally fine) I'd love to read one where Percy and Annabeth sleep tgether for the first time in the Poseidon cabin (not in the sexual way, but wud still be a huge moment for them kind) for sm reason, ive always felt Annabeth wud bethre shyer one in this scenario xD also a moment of them in uni as they're maturing and their relationship is getting more serious (cud be in a physical way too?) would be awesome.

I'm lovingg reading all the other prompts, immediately canonizing them in my mind. Hope you're doing grt <3

Hi! Happy Annabeth's Birthday! Here are the responses to the two parts of this prompt. If you go to Fanfiction.net or Ao3 (which is working again, yay!), they're two separate chapters in my Tumblr Prompts fic, if anyone would rather read them that way. Hope everyone is doing well!

In the Poseidon Cabin

I DO really like this prompt because they're so calm in MoA when Frank catches them in the stables that it definitely feels like it’s not the first time they’ve woken up together.  Like, they were kind of embarrassed about getting caught, but neither of them acted at all embarrassed about having fallen asleep together, which I thought was interesting.  So, yay for this prompt and the opportunity to explore that lol thanks!

The guilt was stupid.  Annabeth knew that.  But still, two days after Percy’s disappearance, she couldn’t help mentally beating herself up.  They’d been searching for him night and day with no luck.  She’d hadn’t initially been too worried—he occasionally disappeared for a few hours, or even half a day, on random quests or to help sea creatures.  He’d never been gone this long, though, without alerting someone.  But Sally hadn’t heard anything and neither had anyone else.  There were no leads.  He was really and truly missing.  And, Annabeth had to admit, she hadn’t been holding out much hope.  It was the way his bed looked—the covers weren’t tossed back or rumpled like they normally were when he climbed out.  They were just limp and crumpled, still pulled up as if he’d simply disappeared out from beneath them.  Which meant that something worse than a random small quest was going on.  Annabeth just couldn’t figure out what.  The lack of information was infuriating.  To be honest, that felt better than the guilt, but the guilt kept creeping back.

She should have stayed in the Poseidon cabin that night.

There was no logical reason for her to be feeling this way.  Percy hadn’t asked.  She hadn’t offered.  And it probably wouldn’t have changed anything if she’d been there.  But what if it had? 

That was the thought which kept threatening to drive her crazy, like a pesky gnat she couldn’t swat.  It was possibly tied to her fatal flaw, thinking that she could have prevented whatever this was.  But she couldn’t help it.  She felt as if she had failed Percy at a moment when he needed her.  And that hurt.

After scouring the forest again for any sign of him (there was none) and then checking in with Tyson and Rainbow at the beach to see if there was any update from under the sea (there wasn’t), Annabeth felt herself start to crumble.  And it wouldn’t do any good for the other campers to see her like that.  So, needing a quiet place to get away from everyone for a few minutes, Annabeth went to the Poseidon cabin.

She perched on the edge of Percy’s bed and closed her eyes.  Maybe, if she listened very hard, the room would whisper to her what had happened.

But it didn’t.  She was just there, alone.

Tears burned Annabeth’s eyes.  She took a deep breath, fighting them down, because if she started crying now, she wasn’t sure she would stop.  And that wouldn’t do any good.  Instead, trying to distract herself, she thought of the first time she’d fallen asleep in the Poseidon cabin.

In the four months that she and Percy had been dating, they’d accidentally fallen asleep together a handful of times.  Usually, it was on the couch at Percy’s apartment while watching a movie, and once at her dorm.  But the first time had actually been in the Poseidon cabin, about a week and a half after they’d started dating.  It wasn’t anything scandalous.  They’d just wanted a few minutes away from everyone else.  So they were lying side by side on Percy’s bunk, watching the hippocampi swim across the ceiling.  It had been a long day.  There’d been a very intense post-war Capture the Flag game.  Everyone had seemed eager to throw themselves into a battle that wasn’t actually life or death.  Clarisse, in particular, had been spoiling for a fight.  Annabeth’s shoulder was still aching where she’d taken a hard hit from the daughter of Ares while doing guard duty near the creek.  Of course, Clarisse hadn’t come away unscathed.  Percy had drenched her in a wave of creek water.  While she’d been shouting at him and threatening him with her spear, Malcolm darted across the creek with the flag and the game was over.  Clarisse had been even less happy about that.

“How’s your shoulder?” Percy asked, probably because Annabeth had just winced when she shifted it.

“Sore,” she admitted.  “But I’ve had worse.”

“It was the shoulder where you took that knife, though, wasn’t it?”  Percy’s brow wrinkled with concern.  “That’s a low blow.  Clarisse should have known better.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes.  “Percy, that was almost two weeks ago.  The wound is completely healed.  Plus, you’re assuming Clarisse is observant enough to even realize that.”

He made a face at her, but didn’t argue.

Annabeth slid her fingers along the inside of his arm until she could take his hand.  “Besides, you got her back pretty good.”

Percy grinned.  “Yeah, that was fun.  Reminded me of old times.”

“At least you didn’t get me, too, this time.”  Annabeth nudged him with her good shoulder, remembering one of his first days at camp, when he’d drenched Clarisse and her cronies (and Annabeth) in toilet water.

“My bad.  That was friendly fire.”  Percy turned his head to kiss her cheek and Annabeth felt a flutter run through her.  “Plus, I had literally no control over my powers at that point.  I’m still not actually sure how I made those toilets explode.”

“Maybe you should practice?” Annabeth suggested sweetly.

Percy considered this.  “I could probably hit the Stolls the next time they steal something.”

“I like that idea.”

They both laughed.  Annabeth scooted closer until she could lay her head on Percy’s shoulder.  Golden afternoon sunlight made the bronze hippocampi shimmer against the stone ceiling.  Everything felt warm and calm and peaceful.  Percy squeezed her hand, but didn’t say anything.  Annabeth felt her eyelids getting heavy.  Outside, campers’ voices rose and fell, the usual sounds of talking, shouting, swords clanging from the arena, the climbing wall rumbling.  Inside the cabin, the only sound was the rush of their breathing.  Eventually, they’d both fallen asleep, only waking up when the conch horn had sounded for dinner.  Annabeth had been a bit embarrassed at first, and Percy’s face had been red, but after a few moments, they laughed it off and headed to dinner.  After all, they’d been sleeping beside each other on quests for years.  It wasn’t that different.  Except, Annabeth thought when Percy took her hand as they crossed the green, it also kind of was.

Now, sitting alone in the Poseidon cabin, Annabeth looked up again at the hippocampi, but sunset was nearly past and the cabin was dark, the stone walls reflecting a pale gray light.  There was no wind, so the bronze figurines just hung limply on their strings.  Everything felt darker and dimmer than that memory, which made everything hurt worse.  Annabeth bit her lip, forcing herself not to cry.

The cabin door swung open.  Annabeth jumped.  For one moment, she felt a disbelieving surge of hope, already imagining that it would be Percy in the doorway.  Her heart plummeted, though, when she realized that the figure standing there was Tyson.

“Sorry, Annabeth,” he said.  “I did not mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay,” Annabeth said, trying to hide her disappointment.  “I mean, I’m sorry about being in here.  I didn’t mean to intrude.”

Tyson shrugged.  “It is okay.  I don’t mind.”

“Thanks.”  Annabeth wondered if she should get up, but she couldn’t seem to find the energy.  Plus, it appeared that Tyson really didn’t mind, as he came over and sat down beside her on Percy’s bed.

They were quiet for a few moments. Then Tyson said, “I miss him, too.”

Annabeth crumbled.  She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, and buried her face in her hands as the tears fell.

For a while, they just sat there, tears dripping from Annabeth’s hands onto her jeans as Tyson patted her back.  Finally, though, Tyson said, “We will find him, Annabeth.”

Annabeth couldn’t understand how he could have so much confidence in his voice.  But still, she raised her head enough to look at him.  “Do you think so?”

“Yes,” Tyson said without hesitation.  Annabeth almost believed him.

A gust of sea breeze blew through the open windows and a last glimmer of gold from the sunset broke through, gilding the bronze hippocampi now gently twirling above their heads like weathervanes unsure of which direction to point.

2ND RESPONSE: SOCKS

Set during either their freshman or sophomore year of college.

As she flipped through her textbook and shuffled her notes, Annabeth felt a pounding headache start behind her left eye.  It was nearly midterms and she’d been studying for what felt like hours, sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed in her New Rome University dorm room.  Her roommate had gone home for the weekend, so Annabeth had the room to herself, which was a rare treat.  And Percy was on his way over with dinner, so that was good news, because on top of developing a headache, she was starving.  She’d skipped lunch to keep studying.  Which was starting to feel like a huge mistake. 

A knock at the door signaled Percy’s arrival.  Annabeth bounced up from the bed.

“Hey.”  She smiled as she opened the door.

“Hey.”  Percy grinned back as he held up the takeout bags from their favorite Mediterranean restaurant.  “Dinner is served.”

“You’re the best.”  Annabeth kissed him, then shut the door behind him as he walked in and kicked off his shoes.

They ate sitting cross-legged on her bed while her laptop, balanced on top of the stack of books on her nightstand, played reruns of a TV sitcom.  Annabeth tried not to groan as she bit into her falafel pita, but it was tough.  She hadn’t realized just how hungry she was until now.

“Oh gods, this is so good.”  She poured more tzatziki sauce over her pita and took another bite.  “Magnus would be so jealous right now.”

Percy laughed, then frowned thoughtfully.  “Wait, can’t he order whatever he wants from that hotel?”

Annabeth shrugged and took another bite of falafel.  “According to him, there’s nothing like falafel from a real Earth restaurant.  Apparently there’s a specific one in Boston that’s the best.”

Percy’s frown deepened, a furrow appearing between his brows as he tapped his index finger against his own pita.  “I bet New York has a place that’s even better.”

“Getting a little competitive there, New Yorker?”  Annabeth nudged his socked foot with her own. 

Percy’s frown melted into a grin.  “New York City over Boston every time, baby.”  He nudged her foot back, then took another bite of his own food.  She returned his smile, even as she shook her head.

Suddenly, for no obvious reason, the easy intimacy of the moment hit Annabeth.  Just the two of them hanging out in her tiny college dorm room on a Saturday evening.  Nothing special, just cozy and comfortable.  A frisson of tension buried between her shoulder blades loosened as she took a deep breath in and allowed herself to relax.

Reaching out, she put a hand on Percy’s knee, giving it a light squeeze.  He met her eyes with another smile, then put a hand on the small of her back, leaned over, and kissed her cheek.

“How was your day?” he asked her.

“Ugh, so much studying.”  Annabeth crumpled up her falafel wrapper, tossed it into the brown paper takeout bag, then scooted closer to Percy, laying her head on his shoulder.  “How was yours?”

And with that, they settled into the familiar, contented ease of the evening.

*Thanks for reading!!*

[cruncherzz]

⚠️Shadows of Rose Review⚠️

On my initial playthrough of the Shadows of Rose DLC, I expressed a lot of facts that weren't true and had been explained to me. So, I thought I'd do the people justice and actually review this game after reading every note I could fucking find on my second and third playthrough:

Exposition/Story-

Alright, so, on my first post I made a lot of judgements on the story and plotholes that I didn't bother to look into. People brought to my attention that I was wrong about a few so I'm gonna review them.

The Masked Duke- He's not really changed in my eyes. Like, I understand that a lot of people came at me for accusing the Duke of being evil for no reason which still stands. I understand that Miranda experimented and made this new entity but the plot devices that he's used for also don't really hold profit? I stand by my complaint that he was evil for no reason, in general. Capcom could've picked anyone else.

Actual story-wise? Yeah, it still doesn't do it for me, gotta be honest. I may not like Ethan or Rose very much but this isn't a bias towards either. I just think the plot wasn't fleshed out and the character "Rose" wasn't developed very thoroughly. I mean, for god's sake, she was a baby in the last game. She was never very memorable other than people poking fun at her looking like a mini version of the Duke. The exposition is rushed and characters aren't really put into the story in a way that makes you think this is cohesive to Rose's development. Like, who the fuck is this "K" guy? Lol, he shows up once and then Miranda says it was her all along? Just a little bit wasted.

Voice Acting

So, I didn't do this in my last post because it was a rant not a review but this is so yeah... voice acting.

Liked it a lot. Rose sounded like she was actually reacting to stuff unlike her dear old Dad so it was an immersive DLC, for sure.

The reverb on Eveline's voice during the mannequin Mia challenge was great. "Don't let Mommy catch you," was just chilling and just really sold me on the creepiness factor.

Ethan was alright as usual, he was meh. Y'all know my opinion on him. Although, he was better as Michael in my eyes. I liked the words and nonverbal communication between him and Rose. It was cool.

Miranda was lovely as usual, her laugh still gives my spooky goosies, so yeah. Voice acting was nice.

Castle Segment -

This part of the game was easy enough, you find the masks, get the fuck out. Simple. I will say that the lack of ammo was a bit challenging and irritating. Yes, it felt a lot like RE7 where you had limited everything which was good but when you're trying to cleanse one of those flower cores and 5 dementor ripoffs just pop out of the ground and you have 2 bullets to your mf name; you're gonna freak out a bit. WHEEZEE! The fight with the Gardener hybrid looking thing was cool, I guess. It was kind of annoying to have to unlock the hallways with the cores everytime you downed him once but I suppose there's not much else to do in a battle pit in a lush castle, lmao.

Overall, okay section.

Dollhouse/Beneviento House-

Fucking adored it. Holy shit. I loved it so fucking much. It really just sold that horror theme to you on a platter.

The Mia Mannequin challenge was fucking horrifying for me who has a more than slight phobia of mannequins and faceless creatures; it was terrifying to see them Pinocchio speed walk at me while I'm trying not to shit myself and just get to the kitchen doorway.

The hide-and-go-seek game with the dolls was really entertaining, I really enjoyed how everything was big compared to me. I felt like a toy in a toy set and it just sold me on this area. I was having a blast just letting myself get caught to see these dolls attack. Their little chittering laughs were adorable and so refreshingly childish. Just like Eveline--speaking of Eveline...

Eveline was an excellent addition given she's Rose's "sister" and she was with Mia first. She believes herself to be in the right to be upset about this girl who stole her mother from her. She's this bioweapon who was never given the chance to be a kid. She's tormented by this feeling of uselessness because of Miranda throwing her away, Mia rejecting her, and even the Bakers freeing themselves of her influence. She's alone in this moldy super hell and she has literally no one.

Overall, great fucking section and I have a save for it just to replay it over and over again.

Miranda-

Miranda is an interesting character, I'm not gonna go into detail about her because I'm making that RE8 character post soon anyway but yeah... she's Miranda! Her section gave all the plotholes of the game a relative fix. Aside from the obvious ones I'll point out soon, I read them all and sort of just... don't get it.

I understand her motivations and all but that Mold and Megamycete just... don't make sense. The way that the Megamycete is presented in RE8 suggests that once you die with its gift in your system, you'll go to that Mold Hell we see the Baker's in and just live there. Yet, Miranda can influence the outside world and even shapeshift when she has no physical form anymore? Like, K was literally Miranda. It's just confusing.

Her fight is really entertaining but the new controls for the fight are jarring and the instructions for how to use them didn't show up on my screen. Overall, it was cool... enough.

The mold and Miranda have always been confusing, moving on!

Rose-

Okay, so, she's still not... good in my eyes. She's really just not a good protagonist. Her motivation is literally to be normal. Okay? Cool, I can get behind that--wait, you want to be normal because a few kids bullied you when you were younger? You were essentially raised by Chris--which I'll get to why that ticks me off later--who is the Alpha/Head Honcho/Big Man of the BSAA striking team. He's a fully decorated bioweapon-fighting war hero? And you're afraid of a few "you're a loser" insults? There are worse backstories in the franchise that deserve more focus but do they get their own DLC? Nuh-uh. She's just not a very fleshed out entity in all this and I just... could care less.

Mia -

A thing that REALLY bothers me is that Mia Winters, the mother of Rosemary Winters, her last living parent, isn't in her daughter's life?! Rose establishes in one of her notes that: "I haven't seen Mom in ages," which just completely boggles my mind? Her own mother let a criminal organization take her and experiment on her in subtle ways for years? My personal headcanon is that Chris had her killed so she couldn't stop Rose from joining them. That's the only acceptable answer, I mean, really? You expect me to believe that after everything Mia endured and everything she fought to protect Rose from, she'd hand her own baby over to the same organization that delves into the suffering she endured? Bruh.

Overall, the DLC wasn't the best and not the worst but it is low and down there so yeah.

[twst-the-night-away]

☔️🥂 for Leona and Caroline!

(There is a lot of off-site backstory building I've done about these two, so pardon me for jumping right into the answer without explaining anything. It involves, through various twists and turns, Leona becoming a pro Spelldrive player and signing up with the Port O'Bliss Hex. If you'd like me to tell you more about this uncanny couple, I'd be happy to in the future.)

OTP HC questions

☔️ How do they make up after a fight?

Leona isn't the type to apologize outright - that's way too soul-baring and humbling for him - but he will apologize through an action. He'll try to make the wrong right. They argue about him not wanting to go to a certain event, and Caroline says she'll go on her own, and when she gets there, there's Leona. (Sometimes he has flowers. He's learned that flowers help with this one. Herbivore women are so funny about flowers ...) He'll say it's because Caroline wouldn't stop pestering him if he didn't, but Caroline can see through that by now. She knows it's also because he misses her smiling at him, and he especially misses her physical presence at his side. (Especially if it goes on for several days and she sleeps in another room, that's just torture.) If it's Caroline who needs to apologize (honestly, their fights usually mean both of them have to), she knows better than to go into it right away - Leona needs some time to let off steam before talking to him will do any good. Usually, if they fight, the best way for them to make up starts with giving each other space.

Of course, they don't go into it right away knowing all this. There will be some bumpy moments. Good thing they like each other a little too much to give up so easily.

🥂 - How was their first date? 

Caroline contacted Leona to make an appearance at a charity event. After all, he was the hot new draft pick for the Hex this year, and everybody wanted to meet him. Leona wasn't having any part of it. He could think of no worse way to spend a day off. But just like her sister, Caroline wouldn't let it go. Unlike Savvy, however, it seemed like she would be willing to do whatever was necessary to make things easier for him, if he only agreed. More honey than vinegar.

Almost jokingly, Leona said, "I'll show up if you take me out to a steak dinner afterwards."

Caroline laughed. "You think I wouldn't be ready for some steak after all that standing around, playing nice and nibbling on canapes? You're on, but you're buying dessert. That's my fee for putting up with your attitude."

The unexpected boldness from this fluffy blonde creature ... it was Leona's turn to laugh. Anyhow, dessert was a lot cheaper than steak, and Leona had quite the appetite for meat.

As he watched Caroline chow down on her own Porterhouse, hungrily tearing into it, still wearing her fancy dress from the event but having done a complete 180 on her daintiness, Leona wondered if he'd really been right to classify her as an herbivore after all. Maybe she'd be worth sticking with. She seemed interesting.

[storylocke]

Alolan Dusk 14

Burnet:

[There wasn't really much else to say after that, but it still makes her feel so helpless] …After a while, I was able to get Kukui well enough for me to help him walk inside. We got him cleaned up, bandaged… I got him to drink, but he didn't eat anything until this morning. He's been sleeping off and on since then, but every time he wakes up, it's always sudden and alert like he heard something; which has got me paranoid now since every time I wondered if he was right. It wouldn't be so bad, but it took everything I could think of to keep him inside the apartment. I was scared if he got out, I'd never see him again. 

Guzma:

I can believe it. After seeing him today, as wrapped up as he is, he acted like he's still looking for Round 3. [Awkward glance at Gladion as he remembers their earlier conversation.] And as battle obsessed as the guy is, it's like even as a Shadow he's been able to channel all the usual aggression into focus on a singular opponent. It's just… There's a fire in him we can't put out. 

Lillie:

[Nods along as he describes it] The three of us were able to get him here, but given the circumstances, we had to put him in an isolated cell. I just hope Necrozma isn't mad enough to come looking for him…

Wicke:

I'm afraid we'll have to deal with the beast regardless of what he's after. We learned that it's already aware and angered by the evacuation, and we heard the creature may have been targeting individuals specifically because they knew too much about it. I doubt that, even if it is injured, Necrozma will sit idly by with Burnet as a liability. 

Burnet: 

[Sinks down a bit as she knows she's probably right.] Should I go, then? I wouldn't want to put anyone else in danger over all this. 

Molayne:

Of course not. That just gives us more reason to get a hold of the monster before it can come to that. [*Despite not seeing it for himself, he's unsure how to react to the news that his old friend has ended up in such a state. Thinking over the story gives him some hope as he tries to lighten things up.] We might be in luck. Since it sounds like Necrozma got a taste of its own medicine, it must be pretty hurt to run off like that. I'm still concerned for Roark's sake, but the brute might be laying low for a while to recover. 

Gladion:

Depends on how it usually recovers. If it needs sleep and herbs like most Pokemon do, you'd be right. But if it's just a matter of energy, most of our investigation showed the break in at Po Town was probably after the fight. What would you say, he attacked you somewhere between eleven and two last night? 

Burnet:

[Straightens up with new concern. A break in?] Not too far after midnight, I think. 

Guzma:

If it was after, then this thing has possibly consumed an entire trunk worth of Z-Crystals to replenish its energy. 

Lillie:

I doubt crystals give as much energy as living things do, but if Roark was the one in control, he might have gone there to keep from hurting anyone else. He would have known about the chest, wouldn't he?

Guzma:

[Gets his blood boiling just thinking about it] Tch, yeah. There's not much to be done in fixing Po Town, but that didn't stop Roark and Kukui from stopping by to help with repairs. Little maniac probably had his eye on it, just waiting for-

Quips:

[Softly] Roark never could say what happened to Hau that day. [He'd been quiet during most of the story, and the remark catches everyone's attention.] To think he may have been under that monster's spell that long ago… 

Burnet:

[Her heart sinks as she can only imagine how that hurt him. He would have been closer to Roark than any of them. Except maybe Lillie. Clears her throat.] I can't think of a better way to describe it, but the way he acted, I genuinely don't think he knows. He and Hau were so close, he'd never hurt him on purpose. I don't think Roark would hurt anyone if he could help it. 

Quips:

That's not what worries me. [Leans back in his seat to face the group. Don't give him that look, he'll be alright. Deep breath he debates how to explain this] Back when I was about their age, I knew two other Chosen. Being a former Chosen, Roark would have been used to blacking out, which he always told me is what happened when he and Hau were attacked. I wouldn't think passing out like that would continue after the Voices left, but I couldn't argue it when both my brother, Devin, and our friend, Nigel, had lingering health problems after their journeys. It scared Roark, but we both thought it was a residual effect he would have to learn to deal with. But now? 

Faba:

[More annoyed than concerned] Yes, the problem now is it sounds like Roark is as aware of this as we are. What he plans to do with that knowledge could spell trouble for all of us. 

Dexio:

How's that? Before, it was suggested we just try to keep him away without causing a scene when he finds out he's not allowed on board. If he knows it's because he's a threat to us and the whole operation, wouldn't that make our job easier? 

Faba:

For one, we can't predict his mental state after discovering such news. If he's alone and away from us while he sorts this out, then that's wonderful. But if he's panicking, he could come here seeking help and accidentally put us all in danger. Or if he and Necrozma are in a confused and disoriented state together, the monster may be ripe for a rampage like when it first escaped Ultra Megalopolis. It could also be that if Roark is trying to fight back, and Necrozma realizes it no longer has a puppet, it might be pushed into drastic action. 

Gladion:

[Solemnly] Drastic like taking complete control because it can't trust Roark to enter places for it willingly anymore. If it dropped him to take revenge, it has no shield against Pokeballs, and if it tried to take someone else, it would risk exposure for an attack. Desperation or retaliation seem most likely. And if it's smart enough to not only possess but try to impersonate its host, our only solution may be to attack or capture Roark on sight. 

Lillie:

[Frowns] But how are we supposed to capture him? Unless you mean physically with nets and a chamber or something. 

Faba:

Hmph. I don't suppose you two know how your mother went about freezing things, do you? 

Gladion:

[Tenses up, trying to keep his temper in check as that's the second time he'd been accused of doing such a thing] No. But I have a feeling it would take too long anyway. 

Colress:

[While they're all debating, leans over to whisper to Molayne] I guess that means we won't have much time for research. Are you ready for a long night?

Molayne:

[Soft sigh and nods. Olivia was going to kill him. He perks up when remembering they may have extra help now.] Actually a net and chains may not be such a bad idea if we can stun it long enough to get close to it. Burnet? [She seems nervous as she sits at alert] That mirror you were using was able to somehow seal Necrozma within Roark, didn't it? Not fixing him, but it seemed to calm him down? Or at the very least, if we see him, we can see what state he's in. 

Colress:

[Intrigued what the Elite could be thinking now] Yes, what is that exactly? Keeping it hidden in a lockbox and having such an effect on the creature makes it sound extraordinary. 

Wicke:

The Reveal Glass? [Excited] Oh, it is fascinating. My team discovered it ages ago when studying the Dreamworld. It was hidden in this old shrine, but since it was said to have some ties to the Interdream Zone, we just had to have it~! I eventually had to give it to the Dimensional Research Lab for protection, but who would have thought after all these years, the mirror would be protecting us! 

Burnet:

Heh, hadn't thought of it like that. I didn't bring it to dinner, but I have it secured in my new office. It's not exactly something to be passed around. [Concerned] No one knows how Reveal Glass was made or how it works, but there are so many stories of people who believe what they see in these mirrors as their real self. Tales of those staring into the pool or reflection so long that it led to obsession, paranoia, using the mirrors to determine major alliances, and often falling into self-fulfilled prophecies. 

Wicke:

That much seems true. I'd say this thing played a role in the Dreamyard's destruction, which is why I gave it away. 

Burnet:

And I still study it because of the interdimensional connections, but we don't leave it out where the staff can readily access it. 

Colress:

Astonishing! [They may be telling him this as a warning, but it only makes him even more eager to get his hands on one and learn for himself. Just gives the women a smile] We don't want to take it from you, I'm simply thinking it might play a key role in our plans to face the creature. Is that right? 

Molayne:

Yes. If it can be used to paralyze or confuse Necrozma, it might buy us some time to enact some countermeasures. 

Gladion:

And if we tie it down and shove it in a room, then what? Do you honestly think some chains are going to hold it when the dedicated and more advanced prison in Megalopolis couldn't? 

Lillie:

And what about Roark? Do these measures have a plan for saving him? 

Quips:

We all want to save him, my dear, but I think sealing the beast away is everyone's top priority. If that means he has to be sealed away with it until new tools can be made, it's an unfortunate risk we have to take. 

Burnet:

I'm not sure it would work anyway. I understand these rare mirrors were apparently made to replicate the sacred lakes that are said to connect to other worlds, and only certain Pokemon can pass through the gateways which would cause some sort of transformation. Humans can't pass through the looking glass, but I don't think what they see is what they really are at their core, it's just another version of themselves. The figure in the reflection does exist, but it's still a play on our own internal perception and hidden ambitions. [Deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts on the subject since she's been all out of sorts today.] I just say this because Roark is a strange case. We're not even in full agreement to what Necrozma even is. The Reveal Glass can cause a form change with some Pokemon, so that might be how our friend regained control. But for how quickly they switched back, I'm not sure if the reflection would be considered his "other form" since there was no physical change in the real world. Could be that the way he was talking to me before the fight about everything being his fault, it just happened that his guilt lined up with the truth. It might even be that the light attack is what stunned Necrozma enough for Roark to finally see it. 

Faba:

Hmph. Somehow, if that were the case, I highly doubt Necrozma would fall for the same trick twice. 

Molayne:

[Understandable, but that puts a damper on things] I didn't say it was the best plan, I'm just trying to assess what all we have at our disposal in order to keep us and our Pokemon from having to challenge this monster directly. 

Guzma:

[Crosses arms over his chest, closes his eyes] Y'all can plan all you like, but you know that if and when that moment comes, it's going to be chaos. Practice your reactions, maybe and keep the tools nearby. Take it from me, there's no "planning" for what that thing will do.

Everyone:

[That certainly brought the mood down.] 

Gladion: 

As I said before, we don't have many leads to go on right now. Might be wise though to keep our strongest partners and these "tools" on hand if anything comes up, and find out as much as we can about our options between now and when we leave. [Looks the group over to see any objections.] Now, unless anyone else has anything to say, we should split up for the night and try to get some rest. Even if we're preparing for an encounter, we can't forget that our main priority is the evacuation.  [They all agreed, and prepared to leave. With that in mind, though, it would be a hard time for anyone to think about sleep.]

~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: With the gang all here, it's time for a break. There's a lot to think about and arrangements to be made, so the next chapter or so will just be some character interactions before we get back into the action. I debated about including it or not, but it's got some fun world building.

Archive

[walkingtalkingawkwardmachine]

Dear I don’t know who,

Hi. It's me again.

Well in the last article I wrote how I'd hate it that once I get married, Rish and I may not talk anymore, because you know we are not that close…….

Well, I am okay with it now. And I really think it's for the best anyway. Better for him also.

So today, I will tell you something I have never really told anyone. It has been there with me since forever, but this is something, I don’t think I have told anyone.

Since childhood or maybe since my college, Rish, my brother has been ashamed of me. He may deny it how much ever he wants. But the truth is that, he is. We both know it. And I don’t blame him. I have no looks, no personality, no friends. Well about him. He is everything I am not.

Honestly, I am okay with that. But I don’t think he will ever be…….

This is the reason, I stay clear of his friends as well. Because I know big fat judgments are in order. Since a long time I have tried to keep my interactions with them as minimal as possible. And I know for a fact that Rishith, is more than thankful for it.

One thing I did right for him na?!

Every time we fight and I hate him for that moment but after that I get over and become selfish. Well selfish, why you ask. As Rish conveniently points out everything, I always have some or the other work to get it done from him. Yes guyss, I am boneless, I have no self-respect or ego.

Every time fucking time he reminds me that I am just a big fat loser of the house and in the house. But I forget it in no time because I need his help. I don’t want to but somehow it comes to that………

He thinks so little of me. By blood he may be my sibling, but if you ask him to rank all the cousins, leave last, I wouldn't be on the list only. He is just tolerating me because we share the same bloodline that's it.

I thought I had started learning how to not take what he says to heart. They may be true, but not good for my mental health. Already have 1000 other insecurities to worry about. Don’t want to add this on my list.

Yet sometimes, it's difficult, to a point where I might have suicidal thoughts. Not because of him but just thinking about what I am brining to the table. I mean it's okay only if a worthless creature like me isn't there anymore. I mean sure people will cry for few days but they move on. In my case they definitely will. One less burden on earth.

Don't worry readers, I won' do anything. As I told you above, I am boneless. I am coward to even self-harm myself. I mean what should even stop me but meh, can't do it.

I am trying to keep my interactions with Rishith to a minimum for now. But I know after few days I will again go for him to help. And as usual, he will be there to remind me just how much of a worthless creature I am…….

Fun, right?!

It’s just sad the person I wished to be my best cheerleader is in fact my worst nightmare

[astral-actias]

6 and 10 for the horror ask game!

6.   Do you do anything with kills besides just eating them? collecting bones, a graveyard for remnants, burying it for storage, studying or soul absorption?

Fae: I mean even if I did have to kill something, which has happened but only rarely, it's usually for a specific reason so it would vary based on why. For plain self-defense, nah, I just leave the whole thing. Astral creatures tend to get better after a while even if they're dead and usually the lesson sticks, unless it's something destructive enough that it needs to stay gone.

Reploid: I think I'd have found it incredibly creepy to do anything at all with someone's parts after they were decommissioned, unless it was for some sort of funeral. Plus anyone I killed (if I did, I'm very foggy on the later end of events which was the only time it would have happened) wouldn't have been my problem to clean up anyway, so I don't think I even thought of this as a question.

10. How does your kintype view death?

Fae: A normal stage of life. Yeah, it sucks, but it's not something to fight any more than any other biological process. But also, at least astrally, there's a difference between 'haha you died, get rotated idiot' in which they'll probably be back sooner or later feeling grumpy about the whole thing, and 'oh you actually DIED died, and now you're off to the next existence, good luck' in which you really can't expect to see them again as they were.

Reploid: A waste, and scary, and something that didn't have to be inevitable. All things break down, but what does that really even mean when you have replaceable parts? Yeah, biological things die, but did we really have to, too? Couldn't you just...not do that? And yet a lot of us were built to be disposable, more or less, so it made sense why someone would choose to rebel against that and get labeled irregular. I lucked into close to full personhood, but it wasn't at all a guaranteed situation for a lot of reploids.

And yet I still managed to die(-ish) twice, and still boot up again afterwards, so after that it really made death seem even more like a stupid idea imposed by a bunch of outsiders that had no business dictating our own processes to us. There were laws about not being allowed to repair reploids once they were declared dead beyond a certain point, but also no law saying that if you did repair someone they had to be scrapped again, so it really felt arbitrary.

[thisisjusticeformalinalxochitl]

July 2010 - Loss

CW: SA, DV, miscarriage.

My sister accompanied me to my first official ultrasound to see the baby. We got to hear the heartbeat and saw the little creature on the screen. We were both amazed. I asked the U.S. tech if the heartbeat was a strong one. She said that there wasn't necessarily a way to know if it's strong and whatnot. I was like "...ok...". She quickly and quietly collected her equipment and said she'd have I was like, ok cool. I went to the bathroom to clean up and noticed I was still spotting. A week or so prior, Samuel and I were being intimate when he noticed I was bleeding. I had called the doctor on-call and she said that it happens sometimes during sex because the cervix is more sensitive and has an increased blood flow. I was relieved. So, the doctor called me into her office and asked my sister to wait in the waiting room. I was given the ultrasound pictures. She told me the fetus was underdeveloped and the amniotic sac was too small. She asked how long had I been bleeding; I told her. She looked concerned and said that bleeding after sex shouldn't have lasted that long and it looked like it may become a miscarriage. She gave me a script for progesterone pills. I informed Samuel. He was supportive and hopeful. He still loved me so much, and we'd get through this together. The doctor had advised against sex and tampon usage, but Samuel found me irresistible. I didn't want to disappoint him and have him leave me at this delicate stage, so after it was clear he wouldn't take no for an answer, I just let it happen. At my follow-up, I was told the fetus had stopped growing completely, and having stopped bleeding didn't mean anything. I was given a script for Norco to help with any cramping that would eventually happen. She told me that we would wait and let mother nature do her job. It wasn't until many years later that I realized she was telling me in a nice way that she wouldn't provide abortion care, so she would not do a D and C unless absolutely needed. I kept on with my daily life, not realizing that a miscarriage was inevitable. I went to work at my stressful job, kept on fighting with Samuel like usual. Only my coworkers seemed concerned that I continued to work, my boss was relieved that he wouldn't be short-staffed. My parents and sister came to visit one weekend. My mom was very worried about me, especially since I was so far from her and from my fiance. She had me lay in bed, feet elevated. She brought me nutritious foods, and basically mothered her own baby. My baby sister was 11 at that time and had never really had to deal with this type of loss. She started crying because "it's sad because it's like a person is so happy about a thing and then that thing isn't gonna happen". I comforted her. That same weekend, Samuel called. He had told me he was on a road trip to drive a buddy of his to El Paso and would get a PS3 in return. He told me that he didn't want to hurt me, so he had to break it off with me. The wedding, engagement, relationship, everything. He said he couldn't do it anymore. I was devastated. My parents were horrified. After recovering from her shock, my mom got pissed. She called him every name under the son and said I was better off without a so-called man like that. I didn't want to hear it. My little family was falling apart, and the future I had been looking forward to was no longer possible. After that weekend, my mom offered to stay with me. I declined, saying I would be ok. She took a picture of me on her new digital camera. She printed it and still has it. I'm smiling and I look happy and hopeful. No wonder she thought I'd be ok on my own. Samuel called back that Monday and said that he'd been wrong, that he did want "us". That he just got scared especially with the miscarriage. I was emotionally exhausted and took him back. Later that week, I was at work when I got the worst cramps of my 22 yo life. They were so bad, they brought me to my knees. I took a 7.5mgHydrocodone as directed, and it did nothing. I even asked my boss, a pharmacist, if it would be ok if I took a second one.

He looked concerned and said no. I was finally able to get off the floor and continued my work. Suddenly, I felt it. Something sliding out of me. I ran to the bathroom. Nobody told me how it would happen. To this day, I don't see anyone talk about what exactly happens during a miscarriage. 22 yo me certainly didn't have a clue. WARNING this WILL get graphic. I ran into a bathroom stall and pulled down my pants and underwear. There, on the pad I was wearing, was a red gelatinized...thing. I eventually recognized it as the placenta. It wasn't very big, about the size of my palm. I was in shock, so I sat down on the toilet. I immediately noticed there was something else in my underwear, towards the back. When you hear "miscarriage", what you don't think about is smell. There's a specific smell associated with it. It may also be associated with full-term, live births. I haven't had one of those yet, but I've had 3 miscarriages. I knew at that time, that it was a smell associated with amniotic fluids and placenta. How did I know? We did an experiment during 8th grade advanced science that included observing chicken fetuses at various stages of development. We'd open an egg, cut the spinal cord, and identify structures. That's what my fetus smelled like. I somehow was able to scoop this little thing (again no bigger that the palm of my hand, maybe even half the size) out of my underwear. I studied it like I did those unborn chicks. I identified the structures: the buds that would have become the upper and lower limbs; the two round, dark beads that would have become its eyes; the spinal cord; the beginnings of a head. Everything is kinda hazy, even then. My mind was blank. I felt shock, and even a little horror at being face-to-face with my dead fetus. What should I do? What does one do with an 11 week old fetus that you "birthed" in a grocery store pharmacy?? I stood in that bathroom stall for a while, I don't know how long, trying to figure out what to do.  I said a little prayer over it.  And I flushed it.  I leave the stall, wash my hands, and as I turn around, I see my coworker coming in.  All the numbness and shock I had been feeling washed away.  My voice cracked as I told her "I think I need to go home".  She just nodded and hurried back to the pharmacy to inform our boss.  I took a breath before I left the bathroom but it didn't do much to stop my shaking.  I started crying, and I got mad at myself for crying in public.  I quickly grabbed my things, said a quick bye, and ran to my car.  As I drove away, I dialed Samuel's number.  He answered and all I was able to do was let out a sob as I said "it happened". He told me to focus on driving, and he would request leave from his unit.  I hung up and somehow made it home.  I don't remember going up the stairs to my apartment door.  I don't remember if I was fumbling with the keys or if I didn't have my house key.  I just remember my sister opening the door, surprised to see me home from work so early.  I just threw myself into her arms and started crying uncontrollably.  I don't remember how I made it into my bed, but I remember hearing her voice quietly telling someone over the phone what happened and asking what she should do; she was 18 at the time.  I don't remember much else from that day.

[thatalicornstallion]

For my second interview, I spoke to Crab Rave. Here’s what he had to say.

“To start, is there anything you’d like to let the readers know about yourself?”

CR: "Well uh, let's see...my name is Scott Dorsey, I'm part of Delta Zeta's Magma Squadron, and I'm Crab Rave."

“What did you do before you came to Delta?”

CR: "Pfft, very good question. I used to sell drugs, actually. Amphetamines."

“And Delta helped you get out of that?”

CR: "It did, yeah. Delta's probably the best thing that ever happened to Klugetown."

“Do you have any words for fans who may be involved in that world you came from, buying or selling?”

CR: "Nothing they haven't heard a million times. That world can be impossible to get out of. It's a matter of taking responsibility for yourself. I'm not going to act like I'm a martyr or anything though. I didn't pull myself out of that life, Sequence pulled me out."

“I understand. When you’re not on duty, what do you do?

CR: "Training takes up a lot of my time, but outside of Delta I've got my own company that keeps me pretty occupied. I don't really get a spare second in the day anymore. Honestly though, I'm fine with that, I like being busy. Anything's better than being bored."

“I see. Your power is crustacean swarming, is there a minimum number of crabs that you can turn into?”

CR: "Three hundred seems to be the bare minimum I can do. I prefer to keep it in the thousands."

“Is Crustacean Swarming the core you had in mind when going into Delta?”

CR: "I didn't have *anything* in mind when I first went to Delta. I hadn't even heard of it when I was scouted. When they had me looking over the shortlist of powers, I didn't really feel strongly one way or the other about any of them. I was apathetic. Sequence came down and talked to me because I couldn't decide, and when he was done talking to me, he thanked me for the meeting and then left. He picked out my core that night and I got it the same night. It was a perfect fit. No idea how he knew."

“What is it like inhabiting multiple bodies at once?”

CR: "Surprisingly normal. It feels just like having one body. You're perceiving a lot more with your senses, but you're still one mind. It just feels like being a bunch of little chunks of yourself, I guess."

“I imagine it might be a disorientating experience at first. Is that accurate to how it was when you first began using your power?”

CR: "Oh yeah, for sure. You're perceiving so much at once that you can't really tell where you're facing or which way is up or anything. Definitely disorienting."

“I see. Are you happy with how you performed in the recent tournament?”

CR: "The Neph? Yeah, sure. I mean, it was just for fun anyway, but I still made it pretty far. I'd say that's good enough for me. Mostly I'm just really happy that Berg won. She's a good friend of mine and a really incredible super."

“When one of your crabs are hit by an attack, how are the rest affected?”

CR: "They're super tiny crabs, so they can't really take a hit. They just poof if they do. Then they're just out of the hivemind, simple as that."

“Would you be able to reform yourself from a single crab?”

CR: "If the number went under 300, I'd turn back into me."

“I see. As for the mechanics of your core, does your entire body transform regardless of the number of crabs? Or would it be possible to have smaller swarm and still fight with your regular body?”

CR: "I have to give up my whole body."

“Ah. I had a theory about hiding a small swarm in a secure location, but it seems that strategy wouldn’t really be as viable as I hoped for the tournament.”

CR: "Hah, nah. Wouldn't work."

“Has being in the form of a crab affected your opinion on eating them as food?”

CR: "Hah! No way. Crab's delicious."

“Have you had any trouble with wild creatures trying to eat your crabs while working?”

CR: "Nah. I don't usually end up working out where wild animals are. I work for the city, after all. Besides, Klugetown's in the desert, not a lot of animals."

“I see. Are there any media projects that you’re currently working on for Delta that you can talk about?”

CR: "Nah, nothing right now. I can say that pretty confidently. There are a lot of supers and a lot of squadrons in Delta. Working their way down to us Zeta teams takes a while."

“About your suit, were you involved in the design process?”

CR: "I was! A bit, at least. I was consulted on what I'm comfortable wearing and I was interviewed a bit to get a feel for my personality. Ultimately, the design comes down to Seam Splitter's amazing mind."

“Were there a few different concept sketches, or is the first design she came up with the one we know and love?”

CR: "There were definitely a few different sketches, she's got sketches all over her office. None that I got to see, but there were definitely a couple iterations of the suit before she got to this one. Her job's super complicated, it's hard designing clothing for someone who turns into a thousand crabs."

“I imagine it is. Do you have any fond memories or stories that the fans might be interested in from back when you were training to use your core?”

CR: "I mean, I wish I had something exciting to say, but not particularly. My core's pretty straightforward in use, unlike some of my friends' cores. It's kind of an on or off thing, I'm crabs or I'm not crabs. Luckily I've never had any trouble switching between the two forms."

“Is there an upper limit to how many crabs you can turn into?”

CR: "As long as I don't exceed my own mass, nope."

“Ah. So you can only produce a number of crabs, the combined weight of which can’t exceed your own weight. So then higher numbers mean smaller crabs?”

CR: "Exactly."

“Have you had any interesting fan interactions since starting this career?”

CR: "Well pr-"

Wouldn’t you know it, the interview got cut short by a call to super duty. It was incredible and exciting! I can only hope that the interview didn’t have an impact on whatever happened. I apologize for the delay in the article being posted, I’m currently working on some changes to be made to my interview format. Watch for my next interview, featuring Dreamwalker, coming soon!

[tomhardyspinkyfinger]

The New Girl

Masterlist

Request:

Ooh ooh! Could you please do something with Forrest? Maybe she runs a shop in town and he’s found himself smitten, but of course, doesn’t do anything about it. Even still, he can’t help but find reasons to stop in more frequently than he truly needs to— his brothers know it’s just to see you and joke behind his back about it.

A/N: On a writing roll today! Here's another request fulfilled! I absolutely love Forrest and I think this might be one of my favorite fics. I hope you enjoy!

Warnings: light language and violence

Forrest cursed Howard the entire way into town. His only job was to pick up the food crates for the station and he couldn't manage even that. Forrest grumbled about how unreliable his brothers could be. When he parked the truck and got out he noticed something different about the small grocery mart.

The open windows held beautiful potted plants and flowers that swayed in the breeze, the front door was propped open and Forrest could hear light jazz playing from the radio. This was confusing to Forrest, the old man who owned the shop always had the doors and windows closed, and was usually a grump.

Forrest carried in the crates of moonshine he traded with the shop owner for better deals on food. When he entered he saw what he assumed was the cause of all the changes in the shop. A young woman was restocking a shelf and swaying her hips to the music playing, her dress moving in tune with her movements. Forrest froze and watched the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen.

Forrest knew everyone in town, he would definitely remember seeing a face and body as beautiful as hers. She turned fully and jumped a bit when she saw Forrest, but replaced her shock with an equally as beautiful smile.

"Oh! Hi there! I'm Y/N, is there anything I can get you today?" She asked. Her voice held a light southern drawl, one that wouldn't be noticeable if Forrest wasn't as southern as he was.

"Did Clyde sell this place? He's usually the one runnin' things around here." Forrest questioned, placing the crates of shine on the counter.

"Oh no I'm Clyde's niece. He came down with an awful sickness so my aunt asked me to come down from New York to help run the store while she helps him recover." She explained with that same beautiful smile on her face. Forrest nodded and shuffled awkwardly on both feet.

"Well uh- I'm Forrest Bondurant, my brothers an' I live just down the road at the station. I pick up a big load here every Tuesday." Forrest explained. She perked up.

"So you're the Forrest Bondurant I've heard so much about! You boys are practically living legends in this town so they say. My uncle left me a list of regulars, so I have your food all packaged and ready to go!" She spoke, rounding the counter and grabbing four prepared brown bags full of groceries. After placing them on the counter she ran up the till.

"That'll be five dollars, my uncle also wrote down your discount for the shine, awful stuff that is." Y/N giggled, smiling wider as Forrest cracked a small smile.

"It ain't for little women like you, that's for sure." Forrest responded, handing her the bills. She took the payment and scoffed playfully.

"Little? You haven't seen me in a fight, Mr. Bondurant." She said, flexing her bicep. Forrest shocked himself by letting out a quiet chuckle. This girl had managed to make him smile and laugh all in a span of five minutes. Something no one had ever done.

"I'd pay good money to see you in a fight, Mrs. Y/N." She smiled and handed him back his change.

"It's just Miss." He nodded and felt a lurch of excitement in his chest. He thanked her for the groceries and she smiled back, telling him to come back soon. He drove home with the hint of a smile on his face, fantasizing about her laugh and her bubbly personality the whole way back.

For the next few weeks Forrest found any and every reason to go back to the shop. Whether it was for a single piece of bread or a cold soda, Forrest was in the shop.

If Forrest wasn't in the shop, he was driving by it and admiring her from afar. He knew it was creepy, but when he saw her petting and feeding a stray dog, giving free candy to kids who stopped by, and waving and smiling at every passing soul he knew he was hooked by her.

One day as Jack was walking back from Crickets house, he stopped at the sight of the truck the brothers shared. He furrowed his brows and watched Forrest, following his eyeline to see him admiring a woman watering a few plants in an open window sill. At first Jack smiled, he hadn't ever seen his brother with such a look in his eyes. Once the initial sweetness of the situation passed, Jack rushed home out of Forrest's view to tell Howard, they never got the chance to tease Forrest and Jack wasn't going to pass this up.

Hours later, when Forrest came home from a moonshine drop he found his brothers sitting at the bar sipping on shine. He nodded to them and started to walk towards the office.

"Jack, go on and take the car to the grocers, we're out of bread again." Howard spoke, hiding his smirk. Jack nodded and hopped off the stool, grabbing his hat from the bar. Forrest turned and walked towards them.

"Don't bother Jack, you'll just get the wrong kind. I'll go." Both brothers began to laugh at Forrest.

"What the hell is so funny?" He questioned, already irritated at his brothers antics.

"Jack said you had it bad for that girl working at Clyde's shop, sittin' outside starin' at her n' all. I didn't believe 'em till now." Forrest rolled his eyes at his immature brothers and walked off to the exit nonetheless. While Forrest was a bit embarrassed having been caught, it still gave him an excuse to see her again.

In reality the brothers were happy Forrest had found someone, he had been miserable for years until recently. Meeting her was not only beneficial for Forrest but for the brothers as well. He wasn't such a hard ass all the time, as Jack would say.

Forrest drove into town fairly quickly, it was late so the roads were empty. He knew she'd still be there, during one of their daily conversations she expressed how she usually stays late to clean up and lock up. Forrest pulled up and immediately knew something was wrong.

The front door was wide open like usual, but the glass panels were shattered and the lights inside were flickering. He rushed inside and his heart fell to his toes. The shelves were knocked over, produce littered the floor, as well as soil from Y/N's plotted plants that had been smashed. The radio was smoking and fried and Forrest was yet to find her in this mess.

"Y/N?" He called out, his anxiety rising, his hand reaching for his brass knuckles he kept in his cardigan pocket.

"Forrest?" Y/N's quiet, shaky voice called out from behind the counter. Forrest rushed to her and dropped to his knees where Y/N was rested against the wall. Her cheek was split and her makeup was running, tears falling down her face.

"What happened?" Forrest questioned, picking her up like she weighed nothing, placing her on the counter. As she spoke Forrest grabbed a rag and dabbed her cheek with some water from the sink.

"I-I was closing and a few men came in and started yelling about some safe they heard my uncle kept hidden here. I told them the truth, that there wasn't a safe and if there was I wouldn't know where it was. O-one of them hit me to try and get me to talk but decided to ransack the store instead." Y/N sniffled a few more tears falling down her face. Forrest put the rag down and wrapped her up in his big arms, rubbing her back gently.

"You just cry now, let it out." He instructed. She complied and began sobbing into his shoulder. He remained calm for her but in the inside he was fuming, he knew he would find them and when he did they would regret even laying eyes on such a perfect creature as her.

When she wiped her tears and leaned away from Forrest she let out a forced chuckle and sniffled.

"I got your sweater all snotty." She muttered. He forced a small smile and pushed her hair back away from her face.

"That's alright now, don't you go worryin' about that." He instructed. Forrest's eyes wandered around the store and landed on a small pistol that he hadn't seen before. It was on the ground next to where he found Y/N. He picked it up and returned to where she was sitting.

"Why ain't you use this, Y/N?" He questioned, slightly irritated that she had the option to protect herself and didn't use it.

"I-I was going to but I couldn't. I didn't want anyone to get hurt." She muttered tears forming again. He sighed and put the gun down. Her soul was so unbelievably pure that he felt he didn't deserve to be in her presence, but he knew she needed him now.

"Please don't be angry with me Forrest, I knew I should've used it but I really couldn-" Forrest cut her off.

"Enough of that now, you ain't makin' anyone angry so stop thinkin' that. You're gonna come stay at the station until we get this figured out, alright?" Forrest explained gently. She nodded and wiped her nose again.

"I'm staying at the hotel down the road, my aunt didn't want me catching whatever my uncle has so I'm not staying with them." Y/N explained. Forrest nodded and they left the store to collect her things.

When they arrived at the station Forrest ushered her in and both of his brothers halted in conversation, perking up and dropping the cards they were playing. Forrest dropped Y/N's bag by the door.

"Jack, Howard, this is Y/N, someone robbed her store so she'll be stayin' here until the men are.. caught." Forrest explained. Both men stood to introduce themselves and she smiled wide which shocked Forrest who assumed her bubbly personality would have taken a hit tonight. She wrapped her arms around Howard and then Jack.

"It's so lovely to finally meet you! Forrest has told me quite the stories about you two! I hope I'm not imposing on you by staying here." Y/N spoke. Both brothers were shocked nearly silent, Forrest hadn't ever told anyone anything about the brothers. This crush was deeper than either of them knew.

Howard was the first to wipe the shock away.

"Ain't no trouble, you know who roughed ya up?" He questioned in his deep southern drawl. She nodded.

"Not by name, I had seen them a few times around town, they have rotten teeth and oily hair, that's all I really remember. Oh and they all looked alike." Y/N recounted. Howard looked to Forrest and Forrest nodded. Howard knew he and Forrest would be paying these gentleman a visit. The brothers knew the men to be the Fuller brothers. They were a small gang that lived on the outskirts of town and constantly caused trouble.

Forrest showed Y/N to the guest room and dropped her bags by the foot of the bed. When he turned Y/N had wrapped her arms around Forrest for the second time tonight. He immediately responded and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Thank you, Forrest. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here to help." Y/N muttered into his burly chest. He pulled away and nodded.

"Ain't nothin'. You get some rest now." He instructed. She nodded and he left the room, closing the door. He waited at the bar with Howard for an hour or two, until he knew she was fast asleep. The two brothers instructed Jack to sit up and keep watch if anything were to happen. He protested but a stern look from Forrest shut him up.

The brothers left the station and headed towards where they knew the Fuller brothers were cooped up.

Meanwhile, Y/N struggled to sleep. She was unsettled by the nights events, and her mind refused to let her fall asleep. After about two hours of tossing and turning Y/N gave up and traveled downstairs to find a glass of milk or something of the sort. She hoped she wasn't overstepping by rooting through the kitchen. When she arrived downstairs she saw Jack sitting alone at one of the tables, head thrown back as he snored.

"Jack?" Y/N called out. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking at the voice who called him. He thanked god that it was Y/N and not Forrest who caught him sleeping.

"What you doin' up so late?" Jack questioned. She sat across from him and shrugged.

"Was havin' trouble sleeping is all." Jack smiled at the slight southern accent piercing through. Too much time spent with Forrest, he assumed.

"What are you doing up so late?" She questioned Jack. It was then that he realized he wasn't keeping watch for intruders, he was keeping watch to make sure Y/N didn't see the state of Forrest and Howard when they came home from their late night activities.

Before he could attempt to sway her to her room, Forrest and Howard entered through the front door. All was quiet as Y/N stood and approached Forrest, his shirt, face, and hair covered in blood. He avoided looking at her, he couldn't bear to see the look of fear in her eyes. She grabbed his hand and led him to the upstairs bathroom quietly.

She grabbed a wash rag and cleaned off his face. After tossing the rag into the tub she pushed his cardigan off and began unbuttoning his shirt. His hand grabbed hers.

"What're you doin?" He questioned. She pushed his hand off and continued unbuttoning, pushing his shirt off ad throwing both items of clothes in the tub.

"Don't want you to stain your favorite sweater." She explained simply.

"You're not.. scared?" Forrest questioned quietly. She shook her head and finally halted her movements, looking into his eyes.

"I know what you did for me Forrest. I'm not scared of you and I never will be, I love you too much to be scared." She admitted. He swallowed and shifted uncomfortably.

"I know you're not used to hearing that, I don't expect you to say it back but it is how I truly feel." She continued, now moving to the tub to scrub the clothes. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his bare chest, pressing his plump lips to hers. They kissed for what felt like an eternity before Forrest pulled away.

"I-I love you too, what do you say about marryin' me?" He questioned. She smiled and pecked his lips.

"Forrest, I thought you'd never ask."

[venusjeon]

from the depths

you've spent years sailing the Mediterranean hoping to come across the ethereal creature that saved you from a shipwreck as a child, but being forced to accept your suitor's marriage proposal makes you abandon all hope. it is when you're headed to your new home that you meet Jungkook again.

♔ PAIRING: siren!jungkook x human!reader

♔ GENRE: historical/fantasy au, angst, fluff

♔ WORD COUNT: 7k

♔ WARNINGS: minor character death, blood licking, reader and her mum kinda find the shipwreck triggering, period-typical sexism, YEARNING, koo is bioluminescent :o, talk of animal hunting, cliff jumping.

♔ AUTHOR'S NOTE: i never thought i'd write a siren au and much less be happy with the result but here we are!

1727, the Mediterranean

You stepped on a ship for the first time at the age of ten, the occasion being a visit to some distant relatives. It was to be a short trip, just a few days spent on open sea, but nevertheless you were thrilled.

To be drifted by the gentle waves and a nice breeze towards your destination instead of driven through the bumpiest roads while sat inside an uncomfortable carriage felt like a reward, even if you hadn’t done anything to earn it—you had subjected your parents to endless pleas about changing the travel route for months, but that likely didn’t have anything to do with it...

The point was that you got to keep yourself entertained during the trip, mainly by listening to the crew’s alleged feats.

They claimed they’d fought evil pirates, been to legendary islands, resisted the alluring songs of sirens, and even smuggled exiled kings and queens out of their kingdoms. Young and naïve as you were, you believed every single word that came out of their mouths, and as you witnessed the sun slowly disappear below the horizon and the stars map the dark sky, you dreamed of taking part in such adventures.

Years later, you would blame those thoughts for what happened; tell yourself that fate had taken the fantasies that sprouted in your mind as a prayer, and decided to teach you a lesson on what to wish for in the worst way possible.

Because on that tempestuous night, a pirate ship laid waste to yours.

The details of the episode were now as blurry in your memory as the pirates were merciless, but you heard it all happen from the wardrobe you and your mother were hiding in. How enemy swords had cut short the battle cries of the brave men who dared fight back, including that of your father’s, and how some had jumped out of the ship, preferring the winter waters to a violent death. Your mum covered your mouth to muffle your sobs as she held you close to her chest and this time, fate played in your favour, for you weren’t discovered.

After killing nearly everyone aboard, the pirates took every spoil they could find, and seeing as the rain had stopped by then, burned down the ship. It was once they were gone that you and your mum jumped away from the flames and into the blue, but the force of the waves soon managed to separate you.

For what felt like hours you struggled to stay on the surface, but when the sea calmed, things didn’t get any better, since you were all alone in the freezing water. Having lost all bearings, how were you supposed to get back?

If there was even anything to get back to...

In an impossible situation where you knew you were doomed, all you could do was cry uncontrollably and call for your mum like the scared child you were. The only sounds filling the air were the subtle winds, the movement of the waves, and your screams. It was terrifying.

Sucking in breaths between sobs, you wondered how long it would be until you either froze to death or inevitably tired of swimming and drowned.

Meanwhile, down in the depths of the sea, Jungkook heard something.

It wasn’t that loud, but enough to pique his interest, curious a creature as he was. There where he usually dwelled not even sunlight touched, but he could still see to a certain degree. He was... special.

So once he’d made his way to the source of the noise, he realised it was a sunk ship. He didn’t know what these giant wooden vessels were, who’d built them, or what they were for, but every once in a while he’d find them half buried in the seabed. This was the first time he’d witnessed the arrival of one to the bottom.

After some minutes of rumination, he decided to swim all the way to the top for the first time in his twelve years of life.

The journey to the surface would’ve taken much longer for any other fish, but for Jungkook it only took about an hour. Yet he halted the moment a striking amount of light he wasn’t sure what to make of hit him, hurting his eyes enough to have them close against his will. He almost took that as a sign that it was a mistake to leave his habitat, but then, he saw you through the lashes of his narrowed eyes.

You had two tails! Except, they weren’t exactly tails... at least not like any Jungkook had seen before. Not like his, doubtless. As his eyes adjusted to the moonlight, he crept closer to inspect them, but they were forgotten as soon as the distressing noises you were making reached his ears.

You sounded like you were in pain, but Jungkook didn’t understand. Surely, remaining at such a vulnerable place and being so loud would attract predators—or were there none up there? He himself should be wary in these uncharted waters, but something told him you were harmless.

Could the light be affecting him somehow? He had never worried for anyone other than himself before, but rather than eat you without a second thought like he would’ve done down in the deep, he wanted to help you.

It had been hours since you’d last seen your mum, and you weren’t sure you had much time left. Even if your legs weren’t so tired and the water so cold, or if any survivor found you, there was no chance you’d make it. Out there, you’d either starve or become the food of sharks. Perhaps both.

And if your mother had perished as well as your father... What was the point? What would you do in a world without your parents? You were only ten.

Whatever energy you had left, you were wasting crying at the prospect of giving up. But all of a sudden, a head emerged in front of you, causing you to shriek.

It was a boy, not much older than you. No... he wasn’t quite that.

He resembled a fish more than a human. Although, he was so beautiful... You would have noticed if he’d been a passenger on your ship. His clear blue irises moved as he studied your own features in wonder, but they were larger than they should be, and he also had fins of a darker shade for ears, hidden behind the long locks of silky hair which landed on his bare shoulders. Never mind his ethereal appearance, this boy wasn’t even using his arms to swim, he was simply... floating.

Jungkook had never seen a creature so similar to him, and he would’ve loved to observe you all night had you not gone back to crying. He flinched at how loud you were, and followed after you when you tried to swim away in panic.

What else could you do? What might as well be an alluring demon had presented himself to you in the middle of the sea. You were living the worst nightmare anyone could ever have. Thankfully, he was no longer there by the time you turned around, and you told yourself he’d been a figment of your imagination. A glimmer of hope then flickered inside your heart when it crossed your mind that there just might be some ship nearby who could rescue you. If only they heard you.

“Help! Please, help!” you shouted at the top of your lungs without pause, your breath visible like fog from how cold it was. But a while went by and your throat began to hurt. The flicker was extinguished as fast as it had been set alight at the realisation that you would soon lose your voice, along with any chance of surviving. You were done for.

Well, Jungkook didn’t think so.

He’d noticed you were desperate to stay up there, but that you were struggling with those two slim tails of yours, so he had left to go find something to help you with. Now, he was back carrying a ripped piece from the sunken ship, as he knew wood floated.

When you saw him, you shrieked again, tears leaking from your irritated eyes. Why was he back? To torment you in your last moments with a... door? A door!

He gestured to it with his head, and you nodded in understanding. Effortlessly, he helped you get on it, though the process would’ve been much easier were you not wearing that long white cloth, which Jungkook considered unnecessary. If you had any brains, you would take it off.

Aching body collapsing on your stomach, you cried out of both relief and exhaustion while the boy held the raft under you in place. How wrong you’d been about him... He was no demon, he was an angel sent from Heaven.

Now from up close, he continued to inspect you with those wide eyes of his. Afraid as you still seemed, perhaps you were of a different, inferior species who didn’t belong in the sea. A species that lived afloat on ships, breathed the air, and could hardly fend for itself.

That was it! Your ship had sunk, of course you were frightened.

Setting aside the question of your origins, Jungkook averted his gaze to a cut on your temple, from where blood slowly trailed down your cheek and dripped into the water. It made you an attractive target, and that was a problem—sharks might be close by. He leaned forward to lick your wound, but you whimpered in protest, and he realised you probably thought he meant to eat you when he saw how tight your hands were gripping the edge of the door. Carefully, he reached out to hold them.

His touch was as cold as the water, but what shocked you when you glanced down were his fingers. Not only were they webbed, but they ended in sharp stonelike claws. He could rip you apart with them if he wanted to, but instead he sought to comfort you. Relaxing, you let him finish licking the blood off your face, however strange you found it.

“What are you?” you uttered, but Jungkook didn’t answer. The fact that he could understand that—as well as breathe air—took him by surprise, but he still wasn’t sure of how to communicate with you. Face void of any emotion, he just continued to stare until, without warning, his hands let go of yours and started pushing the raft. You had no choice but to let it happen. “Where are we going?”

Again, no answer.

The boy seemed to know where he was headed, and your suspicions were confirmed when you heard the faintest noise from afar. Like a startled cat, you raised your head and looked around, but saw nothing. The boy kept driving you towards it, and the closer you got, the more convinced you were that it was men calling out your name.

“Survivors... You’re taking me to them.” The boy gradually slowed down his pace until stopping, and you frowned. “What is it?” He sank all the way to his nose the same way you would cover yourself with a blanket whenever your parents read you a scary bedtime story. “You don’t want them to see you.”

His reaction to your words was trying to push the raft away, towards the shouting men, but you were quick to place your hands over his. He froze.

“Thank you so much,” you cried. “What’s your name? W-What do they call you?”

A name? Jungkook didn’t know what that was. He opened his mouth to copy your speech, and you couldn’t miss his dagger-shaped teeth. Thank God he didn’t see you as food.

Copying your speech turned out to be harder than you made it seem, and so Jungkook was growing frustrated, even though you were wating patiently. What finally came out of his throat was more of a choking sound.

“Chsh... Gkhhh...”

Confusion shaped your expression. Well, if he didn’t have a name, you might as well give him one. “Chookhoo, Chogoo... Jungkook?” He didn’t know how to tell you that he was just trying to say anything you might understand, but the last word you had pronounced was to his liking. If you wanted to call him that, he wouldn’t oppose. “Jungkook... I’m Y/N.”

The smile of gratitude you gave him made his lips part in awe. If the name you’d given him was pleasing to his ears, your curved lips were even more so to his eyes.

“Y/N!” the voice of your mother called, and you turned your head around to see her standing on a boat in the distance, alongside a few members of your ship’s crew.

“Mum!” you yelled back, and turned back to face Jungkook again, or what little of him that wasn’t underwater.

You didn’t want to leave his side—he was your hero, after all—, but you didn’t know what to say either, so the two of you just contemplated each other in silence.

And when he felt your mum’s boat was too close, he reluctantly pushed your raft in that direction and dived under. You watched him go quickly so as not to be seen, a tail resurfacing for a second as he propelled himself down to the depths. Your jaw dropped.

He was a siren.

Ten years later, you stood on the deck of another ship reminiscing about that night. You’d been rescued by passing merchants within hours and had safely made berth a few days later, but your life would never be the same.

Your noble dad gone, your mum of humble origins had to remarry not to fall in station, and her new husband was all but kind to you. One might think it paradoxical that he would cover the expenses of your studies abroad, but doing so meant he’d get you out of his sight.

Taking advantage of the generous sum of money in your budget, then, you went sailing quite often. Your mum dreaded getting on ships, having experienced a shipwreck, but not you. You would consider yourself lucky if you went through another one. That way, you might meet Jungkook again.

A decade had not been enough to forget him... If anything, you’d grown obsessed with him.

He was a siren who couldn’t sing and that instead of luring you in, had saved your life. You needed him to still be out there and to come back to you... if he remembered you, that is. And if you ought to take every ship that travelled through the same route you engraved in your mind that night, so be it.

However, this was to be your last voyage.

“Y/N,” your mum called as she approached you, the seasickness obvious in her face despite her effort to overcome it. “Jungkook again?” She put an arm around your waist and gently said, “Lord Hoseok might not find too compelling the fact that his bride still believes in fairy tales.”

Your gaze fixed on the sun, which was beginning to brush the horizon. Love her as you did, you couldn’t help but hate it when she mentioned Jungkook’s name in one breath and your betrothed’s in the next.

“I believe in what I see,” you muttered, but she chuckled.

“What you see in dreams doesn’t count, my darling.” You took a deep breath to prevent yourself from starting an argument by gracing that with a response. But your mother would not let it go. “You must focus, Y/N. Marriage is not to be taken lightly, you can’t stare at the sea and live in your imagination any longer. You’re lucky enough to be loved by the man you’re engaged to, but if you neglect him in favour of a fantasy, you’ll miss out on a happy life. Your father would tell you the same thing.”

“There’s no sea where he lives,” you bitterly pointed out, ignoring the rest of her speech. “I couldn’t stare at it even if I wanted to.”

Courtship with Lord Hoseok had begun a few years ago, soon after you’d been introduced at a party. His family was friends with yours but the political aspect of your union they all sought to benefit from was irrelevant to him. He truly loved you, and was willing to give you anything you asked for.

You were fond of him as well, but finding Jungkook was all you cared about. If your stepfather wasn’t forcing you to marry to get rid of you completely and you had a say in things, you would’ve turned down Lord Hoseok’s offer.

“It’ll do you good,” your mum said, “leaving the shadows for others to chase, I mean.”

You nodded, a part of you admitting she was right. Jungkook was real, but you’d never find him, even if you spent every waking moment of the rest of your life sailing the Mediterranean. “At what time do we arrive tomorrow?”

“In time for lunch with Lord Hoseok and his parents,” she brought a hand to her chest and closed her eyes. “Now come downstairs with your mother, I feel sick out here…”

Later, when the moon was at its highest point, you couldn’t fall asleep.

Every person you’d told about your encounter with a siren had either called you mad or tried to convince you that you’d hallucinated it due to the traumatic situation you were in, but you always believed in yourself. It would just be nice if your mum, of all people, did too. She was going back home after the wedding—your stepfather hadn’t bothered to come—, so you didn’t know how long it would be until you saw her again, and you didn’t want your last memory of her to be thus.

Tired of tossing and turning, you decided to go get some fresh air. It wouldn’t be appropriate if anyone saw you in your nightgown and without your hair combed, but the whole ship was asleep; since you were anchored near an island for the night, there was no need for anyone to be up.

The deck was therefore deserted when you got there and walked to the gunwale to rest your elbows on it, head tilted down.

For ten years, you’d been asked time and time again by those who knew about Jungkook why you were so keen on finding him. Even if he were real, what would be the point, they argued, when he can’t even speak, or leave the water? You yourself didn’t know the answer until recently.

The closer the date of your wedding got, the more certain you were, and it made you feel beyond guilty. Lord Hoseok didn’t deserve a wife who was in love with a ghost of her past.

Once sleep finally began to put weight in your eyelids, you stood straight to head back to bed, but as you glanced one last time to the sea, your heart stopped.

It couldn’t be.

Jungkook.

Not that far from the ship, he was watching you, head barely out of the water. You blinked a few times and rubbed your eyes, but they were not deceiving you, he was really there.

Hastily, you lowered one of the stowed boats to the water. It proved to be a difficult task to do on one’s own, but you’d seen it be done a million times, so you managed. As you went down the rope ladder, you prayed you hadn’t been loud enough to wake anyone up, or you’d get in trouble.

The moonlit sea was calm tonight, so being drifted away by the waves once you stopped rowing wasn’t likely to happen. No, the problem was that Jungkook had vanished. You were at a fair enough distance from the ship, but no matter how many times you called his name in whispers as you leaned over the dark water, your reflection was the only thing you could discern. A reflection…

Could it have been that all along? A mirage of sorts with the likeness of Jungkook? Maybe you were indeed losing your mind. With a sigh, you turned your head to get back to the ship, but what you were met with made you gasp.

Jungkook was leaning on the edge of the boat.

Now a young man in front of you, time had treated him more than kindly, for he was even more handsome than the last time you’d seen him. Were he to be immortalised in a painting, he’d put to shame every model that ever lived—if, that is, the painter was able to reproduce his shining beauty.

“You’ve come back…” was all your shock would allow you to say, but it didn’t matter. Jungkook lived among fish, there was no reason why he’d understand your language.

“I never left,” he replied—ironically—after a moment with a subtle accent, and your eyes widened.

“Y-You can speak?”

“I’ve been watching humans. I learned so I could talk to you.” You had daydreamed conversations with him, sure, wondered whether his voice would sound as angelical as his appearance was, but it had never crossed your mind that it could actually be possible for him to learn to speak, much less on his own, so you were disappointingly unprepared. There were so many questions you wanted to ask, but your brain couldn’t decide on which one first. Jungkook must have luckily noticed your faltering, because he continued, “I used to be… somewhere dark and without much life, but after I met you, I stayed where there was light. I’ve been following your scent ever since. Every time you were on the sea, I knew. But when you weren’t, I followed other ships to learn from humans.”

You discreetly pinched your hand to confirm you were awake. Not one of your theories entailed him remembering or caring about you.

“Why didn’t you show yourself to me before? All this time, I’ve been looking for you. I sailed hoping I’d see you again.”

Jungkook looked down and the simple action brought pain to your heart, even without knowing what was wrong yet. Whatever it was that made him sad, you wanted off existence.

“The humans on ships– the sailors, told tales about creatures like me. They said sirens have seductive voices used to lure humans and drown them. It’s not true, but I don’t think they’d stop to listen to me. I’ve seen how they fight amongst each other with their weapons, how they let fear guide them… I feared too that you would fear me.”

“But you saved me, Jungkook,” you frowned, and he looked back at you. “How could I ever think ill of you? I don’t believe the legends.”

You were sick of them, in fact. Every goddamn trip, the crew would gather at night and tell stories to pass the time, and there’d always be murderous sirens in them. When you were younger, you’d chime in to correct them on their inaccurate portrayal of the mythical creatures, but the crew would laugh at you for taking it too seriously and insisting to have sighted one.

“You don’t want to run for help at all?” Jungkook needed reassurance. He turned his head to the ship. “The men there, they wouldn’t hesitate to hurt me, or capture me as a prize.”

Not that they ever could, but the point was that they would try.

The sound of you sitting on the floor of the boat to be closer to Jungkook made him turn back at once. He glanced down at your legs and even though they were bent under your long nightgown, knees close to your chest, he knew they’d grown longer because you’d got taller.

He had seen the whole of you grow up, going from a scared, crying child to a strong-willed young woman. However, despite being at the top of the marine food chain, Jungkook was the terrified one.

He wasn’t sure he could take it if you broke his heart. But having you so close… It calmed him.

“They’d have to go through me first,” you joked, and he found himself smiling. If only you knew how tiny and frail you looked next to the robust men on that ship… You’d never have a chance in a fight, but you knew that. And Jungkook knew you’d try to protect him anyway.

Slowly, his smile faded. “Earlier, you said there was no sea where you were going. That’s why I showed myself to you. I misheard, didn’t I?”

The way your eyes filled with sadness told him otherwise. “My husband-to-be lives far inland and as a married woman, my place will be at home. I’ll never be at sea again, tonight is the last time.”

Jungkook was in denial. He couldn’t go inland so, how was he supposed to see you again? No, this wasn’t happening. He’d unknowingly spent ten years watching you long for him only to lose you now that he’d found out? For the sake of his feelings, he was changing the subject. He’d deal with never seeing you again once he’d fully processed it.

“You dream about me?”

The question made you blush. “What?”

“Your mother said it,” he sank a little so he could rest his chin on the edge of the boat, and the way his big eyes looked at you melted your heart.

“I-I don’t! She thinks you’re part of my imagination, that you’re not real,” you explained. “No one believes that a siren saved me, they call me mad. I never doubted my memory, but I did end up agreeing when they said I was wasting my time trying to find you. This sea is vast… I still can’t believe you’re here with me.”

Jungkook had never lost track of you, but he could relate to your discouragement. On more than one occasion he’d tried to forsake you, but your scent always drew him back to you.

Still, he asked, “Why did you look for me?”

“Why did you follow my scent?”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“We share a motive, then,” you smiled shyly and immediately, he did too.

It couldn’t be denied that he was an intelligent being, as he’d quickly learned the ways of humans, but did that make him one? He still had a tail, and lived underwater. Due to that, you’d been asking yourself for a while whether your feelings were wrong. He was more animal than human when you had met, after all. Perhaps still.

“It’s so different close to the surface,” Jungkook started, snapping you out of your thoughts. “There are so many colours, reefs, and animals. I like the small ones, like seahorses or turtles... I follow them around…” his voice sank into a whisper, as though he was embarrassed, but you found it adorable. The sea was a mystery to you, and therefore scary, but the way Jungkook painted it made you want to explore every corner with him. “Every time I see something beautiful, it reminds me of you, and I want to show you.”

Was he aware in the slightest of how his words were affecting you? Years of courtship with Lord Hoseok hadn’t made your heart race thus.

But that child-like enthusiasm for little things of his, and the desire to share them. That was human, for you had it too. You wondered if Jungkook would like the plot of your favourite book, if he’d feel the same when looking at a work of art, if he’d have a sweet tooth too… Maybe humanity was something you could learn and there was nothing wrong with what you felt for him.

“I’d like you to show me, everything,” you confessed. “And to teach me about the sea. What that green light that sometimes glows on the water at night is, or what whales say to each other, or if there are more sirens out there.”

Jungkook’s head cocked to a side, drops of water dripping from his still-wet hair. “If there are more sirens, I’ve never seen them. It’s always been just me... And I can’t understand whales, or fishes.” Thinking about it, it was a stupid question. He couldn’t understand sea animals the same way you couldn’t earthy ones. “But many of us can glow, maybe that’s what you see.”

You hummed a laugh, “You glow?”

“Yes, when it’s very dark,” Jungkook said as he rose to rest his elbows on the edge of the boat. Unconsciously, you glanced down at his chest. More often than not, the ship’s crew would work shirtless, but no matter how attractive they were, you felt nothing. Now, the air seemed to have run out. “We can lure prey in that way, or m-mates… Do you want to see it?”

Excitement sparked in your eyes, “You can show me? Now?”

Jungkook nodded, a smile playing on his lips. “Do you trust me?”

“I do.” You may know him of only a few hours in total, but he’d been in your heart for a decade. To you, that was enough of a reason to trust him.

He swam backwards, a bit away from the boat, “I can’t sing like in the tales, so I’ll just ask you to get into the water.”

You chuckled despite your surprise at his proposition, given that you’d thought you could see him glow from your seat.

“Are you sure about this? I’m a little scared, I haven’t swum since the shipwreck,” you admitted, hugging your knees closer.

“I wouldn’t let you sink, I’d catch you,” Jungkook assured you. “I’m really fast.”

After a second, you agreed, and the siren approached the boat to hold it in place, his toned arms quite distracting. You counted to three and holding your nightgown in place, jumped as carefully as you could so as to not make much noise. It being August, the water was pleasantly cold, but that made you get flashes of that horrible night and the feeling of being lost at sea. There were no waves, but you held onto the boat. Just in case.

Jungkook noticed the discomfort in your expression, so he hurried to your side and held your hands over the water. You felt better instantly, his touch bringing you a comfort you’d never had before.

“Are you ready?” his voice awoke you from your trance, busy as you were admiring his features.

“Oh– yes, sorry…”

Hands locked together, the two of you dived under.

A wall of bubbles blocked your way when you opened your eyes, but once they cleared, the moonlight showed you Jungkook in all his glory.

Your gaze travelled south to his naked torso. Most sources on sirens claimed they were one of the strongest creatures of the deep, but you never imagined Jungkook would be that muscular. The thought of tracing his abs with your fingertips crossed your mind, but it was higher where your attention soon shifted to. Along his ribs on each side were three gill slits, through which Jungkook was exhaling water.

His skin had been smooth like yours up there, but here, it seemed to sparkle as though thousands of tiny stars were bathing in it. Even so, it was no rival for the way some of the scales on his otherwise dark-coloured tail shone in a light shade of blue, forming a line that led to a somewhat translucent caudal fin. Awed, you looked back at Jungkook’s face to see him grinning, his pointy teeth contrasting with the innocence in his eyes. As his hair flowed around, you spotted his fin ears, which glowed as well.

The sight would certainly frighten anyone else, especially if the moon wasn’t as bright and the siren was lurking in the darkness, but you found it breathtaking.

Running out of air faster than you would’ve liked, you kicked your legs to get back to the surface.

Once you had caught your breath, you told him, “You’re beautiful, Jungkook,” and if your stinging eyes weren’t making you blink repeatedly, you’d say he was blushing. What you could confirm, though, was that he was holding your hands a tad tighter.

But without moving your arms, you struggled to stay afloat, so he pulled you closer and placed your arms around his neck. “Wrap your legs around me,” he asked, “I can hold you so you don’t have to swim.”

Cheeks ablaze, you nodded and obeyed, hoping Jungkook wouldn’t notice how much you were trembling—he did, as well as hear your heartbeat accelerate. Having you so very close, he was nervous too, so he couldn’t blame you.

He gently caressed your legs with the back of his hands so he wouldn’t cut you with the claws he had for fingers, and then gripped your waist. It wasn’t sexual, you knew, but the action still sent shivers down your spine. Lord Hoseok had barely brushed your skin in three years of courtship, so you’d never been anywhere close to such a position with a man.

When Jungkook looked up, it was your pendant that now attracted his attention. His curiosity endeared you.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, it’s shiny,” he said, “I find a lot of these on the seafloor.”

Another man would’ve found more interesting your body, given that your wet nightgown stuck to your shape and left little to the imagination, but Jungkook didn’t care about that. He just liked your shiny necklace.

Without hesitation, you took it off and put it on him, leaning forward a bit to clasp it properly. Jungkook was confused for a moment since he had no need for it, but when he saw your wistful smile, he realised you might be giving it to him so he would have something to remember you by.

“Pretty…” you murmured, and Jungkook suddenly buried his head in the crook of your neck. You hugged him back and even though the two of you were technically strangers, it felt right. Closing your eyes, you enjoyed the moment, wishing it’d never end.

After a while in a comfortable silence, he mumbled, “I wish I could walk onshore.”

“I wish I could swim with you.”

Jungkook pulled back with a laugh, “You are swimming with me!”

He smoothly moved around in the water, and it seemed like you were dancing. You held firmly onto him, giggling like a child, until he stopped.

“I mean down there,” you clarified. “It makes me sad to know you’re all alone, and that I’d never know if something happened to you.”

His smile only widened, “I eat sharks, you shouldn’t worry about me.”

That took you aback, for some reason. The fact that he was telling you the most charming things through the same mouth he used to rip sharks apart was a bit unsettling, even if you were sure he’d never hurt you.

He caught your reaction, “Are you afraid?”

“No, no,” you hoped he’d believe you, “I just can’t imagine you doing that…” You’d never hated yourself more than when his head lowered in shame. “But, uhm… you would be the one afraid if you saw me hunting.”

Jungkook looked up, and tilted his head, “Humans hunt? You hunt?”

Playfully, you slapped his shoulder, “What’s that tone supposed to mean? Yes, I hunt!”

He failed to suppress a chuckle, “You look more like prey, even next to other humans.”

With a scoff, you shook your head.

“Perhaps next to sailors because they are big men, but other people aren’t that different from me in size,” you explained. “We don’t hunt like you do, anyway, we use arrows or guns. I’m pretty good with them both, and mother says I look quite scary killing bunnies.”

“Bunnies?”

“Oh, right… They’re small, fluffy animals who hop, and have long ears and big teeth… like you.”

He smiled, “I’m sure they’re all terrified of you.”

You nodded, and began stroking Jungkook’s hair, which made his whole body relax at once. “Are you sure you’re not lonely out there?”

“I never was,” he said, gazing into your eyes, “but after meeting you, I wanted to be with you again, every day. I could’ve shown myself to the sailors of the ships I followed, but I didn’t care about them, it was you alone I wanted.”

Missed, was the right word.

The warmth of his words took your breath away, and to find out your feelings were reciprocated felt like having a weight lifted off you. Staring at his lips, you let yourself lean forward, eyelids shutting closed.

But before you could reach his mouth, Jungkook’s fin ears perked up, and he let go of you to dive underwater.

It was so sudden that you shrieked, and not much later, a male voice shouted from the ship, “Lady, what on earth are you doing?!”

You turned to face him, feeling a pair of arms embrace you round your hips. It was Jungkook, of course, letting you know he was still there, but he couldn’t be seen by the captain, who was standing far away on the deck.

“I…” you truly didn’t know what to say.

“Just, stay there, I’ll get you,” he shouted again before disappearing to lower another boat. Jungkook then resurfaced to see you pant anxiously.

“No, not yet…” you complained. “It’s too soon, we’ve only just found each other.”

Disappointed himself, the siren helped you get back on the boat the same way he’d helped you get on that raft when you were ten. Kneeling on its floor, you held hands with him.

“Promise me we’ll meet again,” he begged, dreading leaving you as he glanced to the ship to make sure the captain wasn’t looking.

Cupping his face, you kissed him desperately. Jungkook had seen humans join lips before, but he’d never understood the point of it until now. The way his heart accelerated as though he were running after a prey and yet he felt as vulnerable as one told him how serious this was, how meaningful.

Tears were streaming down your cheeks by the time you separated. “I promise.”

And after a nod, he left. The captain reached you in no time and stepped in your boat.

“What could you possibly be doing outside the ship at this hour, my lady?” he frowned as he tied the empty boat to yours with a rope.

“I don’t know, I must have been sleepwalking… I can’t remember.”

How you could have lowered a boat to the water while asleep was a mystery to the captain, but he wasn’t going to interrogate you. You were highborn and he wasn’t, who knew how you’d twist the story to his disadvantage if his questions angered you?

As he rowed towards the ship, you looked back in case Jungkook might still be there, but you were mistaken.

He’d gone back to the depths.

Four years later, you stood atop a cliff.

In other circumstances, you would’ve been thrilled to have the sea before you again, but today you were crying. The last few weeks had been so difficult…

After a deep breath, you took your black dress off and the spring breeze blew your chemise, the only garment you were left with. You thanked God for the agreeable weather, as it made what you were about to do easier.

Leaning forward on the edge of the cliff, you looked below. Even though the sea wasn't entirely calm, there weren’t high waves, so if you managed to survive the fall, you wouldn’t be dragged by the force of them and clash against the rocks. Now, there were less dangerous ways to dive in the sea, but you couldn’t wait any longer. You needed him.

So plucking up your courage, you closed your eyes, sprinted, and jumped.

It was four seconds before you hit the water, and the impact hurt as hell, but you were alive. And more importantly, you were being kissed by a certain siren, whom you had no doubt would catch you. Opening your eyes once he pulled back, you smiled at the fact that he was still wearing your necklace, but he didn’t seem all too happy.

Fortunately, the surrounding area was void of people, so there was no chance anyone would see him drag you up to the surface and then away from the cliff—without saying a word. When you were at a calmer place, near the beach, he turned to you. Angry as he was, you thought he looked dazzling under the sunlight.

“Why did you do that? You could’ve died!” Jungkook asked in a scolding manner, his tone softening when he saw you were crying. “What’s wrong?”

“My husband’s gone. He died of sickness,” you struggled to say between sobs. Just hours before, you’d been holding Hoseok’s hand as he breathed his last, so you were distraught. “He was a good man, and I loved him dearly... but my heart was always yours.”

Jungkook’s lips parted. Sinking a little, he wrapped his arms around you and stuck his cheek to your bosom, hugging you as tightly as possible without hurting you. He’d missed that feeling terribly.

Picking up your scent after so long had made him question his awakeness, but seeing you jump from such a high cliff had concern replace his confusion. And to be greeted with such news… It saddened him to see you like that, but he couldn’t deny that he was glad you weren’t another man’s anymore.

“What will you do now?” you heard him muffle under your chin.

“I don’t know,” you confessed, cupping his face so you could look into his eyes as you told him, “I just know my place is by your side.”

[rawrienstein]

Late night Elden Ring thoughts.

So I beat the game a little less than a week ago and just let my thoughts float around about it.

I honestly don't think Open World is a good genre and Elden Ring being the best at it is more because it already had an established formula it adapted. I keep imagining the better traditional Souls style game in my head. The most interesting/fulfilling things to navigate are the dungeon-esque areas because they have all the stuff you expect from a traditional Souls style game as opposed to, "Well I'll just horse past this dumb shit later nerds."

Density.

It's not feasible to make an open world game dense. Elden Ring is one of the few that I've completed because it does it's best to be as dense as it can. But the further you go, the copy pasting to get dense just gets more obvious.

It took me 100 hours to beat to satisfaction, but I'd gladly give back 50 of those if I could not fight the same boss 7 times. Or bosses that whose new challenge is, well there's two of them. Or well now he's got a friend. Or there's literally no difference this is just a regular dude now you deal with all the time.

I don't want to look at this same mini dungeon tileset for the 10th time in a row. Oh, this is new, wait this is a new cave mini dungeon tileset, I'll be seeing these 5 times again. Cool.

Ah, palette swap dragons, usually one of the coolest creatures reduced to "Well each one gets two unique attacks."

I think exploration is my favorite part of From Software games. They generally come up with really interesting takes on traditional fantasy, and their level design is really good. They really figured out what a jump button means for exploration! It's really good! But the practically over-reused assets stuff just kinda kills it for me.

I'm glad they figured out horseback combat. It's good and works, but fuck that if I can get more unique areas/creatures instead.

I'd also really appreciate more non-aggressive overworld creatures. I really like the jellyfish. I'm glad I can just chill with most of them. Wish there were more like that. Friends...

To get off the open world rant I also just need to scream about how Souls combat will always be shit with it's three fatal flaws that it's kept for the past every game in the series.

Input buffer and lack of consistency of it. Sometimes it holds on to an input for a full 5 seconds and will perform it at the earliest opportunity and usually the worst. And other times it's just doesn't at all. It's difficult to figure out what triggers this and I still don't know. I just know one easily repeatable excessive input buffer example is jumping heavy attack and then any attack right after pressing the heavy. It usually forces the next attack or input after the jumping attack finishes. Which is just way too long to hold onto an input.

Lack of input buffer override. The input buffer could be overcome if I could just put a different input in the front of the queue instead of the follow up attack I got interrupted from I'd like to just guard instead now, oh it's just going to attack after being combo'd for 3 seconds. Cool. Thanks. Gonna horse back here from the grace site now.

Somehow an even worse camera with worse lock-on/targeting. Some of the white target placement on enemies just don't make sense and result in frequently whiffing while literally in their boundary boxes. I cannot be in any closer but my thrust weapon is pointing somewhere in the sky and not a hurtbox at the feet. Cool design for this enemy. Camera also being too close so I can't see the enemy except for parts of their feet. Please just zoom out a little? Just a widdle?

Okay I lied, here's a fourth. Input delay for rolls due to being the same button as running, that's just stupid. Like, just extremely stupid. No.

I'm just going to end my gamer rant here. There's a lot of cool stuff in Elden Ring. It's still worth exploring. I hope everyone enjoyed their time. The bespoke stuff is really cool and what I expect from FromSoftware, but I also don't want an Elden Ring 2.

[obae-me]

Hi! If your inbox is open, I'd like to request a scenario with all (or any) of the demon brothers, + undatables reacting to a blind MC? Like, none of them expected to have a blind human and Devildom and they have to revamp everything to make it as safe for MC as possible. Can be she/her or they/them pronouns for MC. Bonus points if MC is extremely talkative and won't shut up lmao. Thank you!

I’m still learning how I best want to write the Undateables, so I’m sorry if they’re a bit lacking. This was really wholesome to write, thank you for your request! 💜

Lucifer

When first summoned down to the Devildom, MC looked more disoriented than he would’ve expected. “Where am I? Who are you guys?” They hadn’t managed to look at Diavolo yet, even while he was speaking to them. They already put him in a bad mood.

“Didn’t you learn its bad manners to ignore the people that are talking to you? Look at Lord Diavolo while he’s speaking.” Lucifer growled, leaving MC with an exasperated expression.

“I’m BLIND.”

Error.

They were blind?? Humans were so fragile that they could just lose their eyesight?? Permanently?! He’s already got several new grey hairs. He’d have to entirely change up the house, he’d need to have someone with them at all times. How would they read? How would they get school work done?

MC has to explain to him that they’ve been this way for a long time, so they can handle themselves. They’ll have to tell him about things they use to help them out, like a cane for starters. They’ll tell him later how they best do schoolwork, but he’s already busy contacting someone about a cane.

It doesn’t matter what MC says, he now feels obligated to keep them under his watch as much as possible. He’s responsible for keeping them safe after all, and he can’t feel relaxed until he can confirm that they’re okay.

Although he did find out that MC was as talkative and feisty as a human could be. If things went too quiet they’d quickly fill up the empty space with chatter. Not to mention anytime he, or any demon for that matter, went into demon form, the intimidation factor was lost. MC never budged. They didn’t mind standing up to him, which annoyed him greatly, but absolutely blew his mind. How such a tiny human, who didn’t have a major part of functioning, could easily stand up to a demon was beyond him.

When MC first asked if it was okay to ‘see’ him, he had no idea what they meant, but was curious to see where it would lead. He wasn’t aware that MC knew any magic. He didn’t expect MC to come over and gently touch his face, running their fingers gingerly over his features. MC politely asked if he could show his true self, and he agreed. MC drifted their way up to his horns, feeling the texture and shape. They had an expression of awe on their face, probably because they now knew that it was real, he wasn’t human. They struggled to find these supposed wings of his, and with one of his gloved hands, Lucifer took their wrist and guided MC along. They made a little gasp as the feathers brushed against their skin.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen, his demon form was supposed to strike shock and fear into people. He was supposed to be respected. He was supposed to be above this. So how was it he was sitting here, MC running their hands all over him, and he was the one who was shocked and speechless. He hated how MC had lost their eyesight, but in this one moment he was grateful that they couldn’t see his reddened face with such an embarrassing expression plastered over it.

Mammon

“What do you mean they can’t see? It’s not that dark in the Devildom. Oi, human, just open your eyes, don’t you know how seeing works?!...Oh...Oooh...”

He had a less than grand first impression when he first met MC, and to be honest, it kept getting worse before it got better. He didn’t know when to shut his mouth. He tried asking Lucifer if they could get a different human, one that wasn’t broken. He must’ve somehow thought that whispering from only about a foot away would keep MC from hearing him.

He didn’t get a different human, he was stuck with them, and he was going to receive a particularly severe punishment that night for how poorly he treated MC. He was in a bad mood, not to mention out of his mind with panic.

“I don’t know what to do with people who can’t see? Can we fix ya? Surely there’s some magic here that’ll make you good as new!”

He tried spells, he tried potions, he even paid a fortune to one of the Devildom’s best doctors. None of his antics worked, and out of all the brothers, Mammon took the longest to process that this was how MC was. It was a part of them. They would be like this forever.

He’ll stay by their side constantly, escorting them by the arm and hand, talking their ear off about this and that to keep them distracted. It causes MC to laugh about it every time. Who needs a seeing eye dog when you’ve got a wonderfully trained seeing eye Mammon. Sometimes he would even pick them up to go up and down stairs if he felt they would be too dangerous.

Anytime they’re at any sort of store, MC will have to touch almost everything, and if their hands brush across anything they like, even if only for it’s tactile nature, Mammon will buy it for them at the drop of a hat. It’ll drive Lucifer a bit crazy over the fact that MC won’t ever have a need for most of the things Mammon buys, but he’ll not bother them about it if he sees it makes MC happy even just to hold it.

MC is super talkative, but it’s typically just to fill empty dark space and make things seem more comfortable, but when they’re with Mammon, they don’t need to say a word. He does all the talking, and MC’s grown accustomed to the sound of his voice. It’s so different from his other brothers, the mannerisms he uses and the slight accent to it. Mammon still doesn’t realize that, for this reason, MC can single him out among the crowds at RAD, or how Mammon can never seem to sneak up on them. MC loves how loud he is. No matter how quiet he tries being, MC can always pick him out of the darkness, for them, he’s always there. Mammon will never say it, but he loves how his human knows him apart from everyone else.

Levi

“Huh, so you don’t watch anime, what a typical normie.”

“I actually can’t watch anything, just for your information.”

Fatality.

He knows the concept of blindness from anime and manga, but it almost seemed as foreign to him as magic seemed to MC. Typically in the stories he saw, it was never permanent, always the cause of some curse or spell or even a fight! MC had gone through none of that, it was what it was.

He almost found it relaxing for a moment, because he felt a bit more confident in himself. MC couldn’t see what an ugly shut-in looked like. However, his moods were quickly dashed when MC tripped over an empty can he had lying on the floor. He caught them from falling but quickly went into a state of despair. He was a dirty trashy shut-in. Lucifer would later find that Levi now had his room clean of trash at all times, his floor spotless.

Levi would absolutely cry, and I mean cry, over the fact that MC would never be able to fully enjoy anime or manga or video games. They could maybe enjoy some Dubbed shows but it wouldn’t be the same. If MC hangs out with him, Levi will give them the full commentator experience. He’ll explain what’s going on in his games or shows in hopes MC can still enjoy his favorite form of entertainment.

The first time in his Demon form, MC stepped on his tail in attempt to get to his wings. He yelped in shock. MC was vastly confused. What was that? Where was his wings? Lucifer and Mammon had wings so where were his? He hated being compared to them like that. He couldn’t fly, he couldn’t look nearly as intimidating. No he didn’t have wings, he just has this clunky ugly tail. MC grabbed his tail, making him turn bright red. They ran their fingers over his scales, petting it, pulling it out to see how long it was. MC endlessly talked about how cool it was, and how it felt amazing to touch. Lucifer and Mammon didn’t have a tail. Levi never felt envious of not having wings ever again.

Satan

He can’t believe his brothers didn’t know that humans were capable of being blind. They were extremely fragile creatures but somehow were heartier and more stubborn than they looked, capable of thriving despite everything they go through.

He didn’t know everything about being blind, since it never seemed to come up often enough for him to need to learn about. So you can bet that in just the first few days MC was there, he thoroughly studied up on anything he thought would help him.

He was surprised to find that there was a form of reading available for people who had lost their sight. He had never heard about Braille before this. As a demon who wanted to learn as many languages and reading forms as possible, he was angry he missed something like this. 

He wasn’t as angry, however, when MC offered to help teach him how to read Braille if he helped them with their schoolwork and studies. The Devildom school was surprisingly accommodating but until Diavolo and Lucifer finished sorting things out, they couldn’t read any of their schoolwork.

He usually preferred silence, but he didn’t mind when MC would come in his room and feel comfortable enough to talk in detail everything that had happened that day. In return, he liked when MC would listen intently as his narrating voice filled up the room while he would read his favorite stories to them. He loved the way their face would crinkle when he’d attempt to voice a particular character. They put their hand on his chest and would beg him to do it again with a laugh. He’d attempt the line again, MC feeling the deep rumble in his chest. Reading would now not be the same without them. 

The more he got to know them, the more the heat in his chest over their blank non-focused eyes grew hotter. How could they not see? How could someone like them be deprived of something like that? He couldn’t show them art, photographs, the beauty of the Devildom’s stars. MC assured him that it was alright, anytime they wanted to know what something looked like, they would ask him. Anything he described sounded like poetry. With him around, his words would be enough. 

Asmo

Blind, as in they couldn’t see anything, see him?! His radiant shine? His picture perfect features? His allure? They wouldn’t see any of that? He was astounded. He was upset. He was dramatically depressed. He got over it pretty quickly, though, he’s very attractive yes, but all of his other qualities were just as attractive.

He’ll help tweak their uniform, he’ll buy them clothes that not only feel amazing, but look amazing. If touch is important to them, he’ll get them lotions, skincare products, anything they wanted to keep them well taken care of. Their hands will never worry about being dry. 

He loves when MC touches his face to know what he looks like. He’ll use this as an excuse. “How do you know it’s Asmo? I might have put a spell on my voice, double check.” He’ll put his hands over theirs while they amuse him and feel the details on his face down to the bridge of his nose.

One particularly pleasant evening for Asmo, he goes on and on about new clothes he bought, and then brings MC into it. 

“Right right? I think it’ll look ravishing on me, the color matches MC’s eyes.” MC smiles and states that they had forgotten their eyes were that color. Asmo sits there for a moment before shrieking, standing up so fast his chair falls over. “You don’t even know what you look like!”

Of course MC had a pretty general idea of what they looked like, but yes he was right for the most part. They didn’t understand why Asmo was so shocked about it. However, Asmo refuses to let this go, and he takes them to his bedroom describing MC down to the bone. He’ll tell them what their eye color reminds him of, the particular way their eyelashes curl, how their complexion looked under the moonlight. He’ll go on and on and on, not realizing that he’s never ever spoke so long about someone else before, so MC lets him continue. They’ve never cared about appearances before, but the way Asmo talks about them makes them cozy on the inside. He made them feel like the most gorgeous thing on earth.

They’ll then change it up, making Asmo close their eyes as they talk about all the things about him that they love. The way the air smells around him when he comes into the room. The way his tone raises up when he’s excited about something. The way his footsteps sound on hard surfaces. They adore how one side of his hair is longer than the other. They love his presence. Asmo is dumbfounded, no one has ever described him in that way before. He’ll melt and might call a doctor for this strange new feeling in his chest. 

Beel

They can’t see anything? Can they at least eat?? Well then it’s not the end of the world. If MC had somehow been deprived of taste, he would’ve really been upset. Food doesn’t have to look great to taste great. Still, the fact that they couldn’t see made the Devildom even more dangerous, and he didn’t want anything to happen to them. He couldn’t let anyone get hurt around him, not again. 

He’s among the most considerate of the brothers even though he’s not used to being around someone that can’t see. He’s real worried he’ll hurt MC, so he’s always extra careful. He’ll announce that he’s beside them even though they heard his footsteps near them and could feel the heat coming off of his body. He’ll always ask them first if it’s okay to touch them so he can help them out. He’s even extra wary about hugs at first, what if he just...breaks them even more? As time goes by he learns he doesn’t need to walk on eggshells.

He finds it a fun game to let them try to figure out what stuff he made for them before they eat it, more times than not, they figure it out. Then he’ll eat it with them, unnecessarily guiding the fork to their mouth.

If Mammon isn’t by their side, it’s usually Beel who’s next. If he’s not busy with sports or working out, he’ll stick around by MC wherever they want to go. However, it’s usually MC who stays by him whenever he sees something tasty to make sure he doesn’t run off.

MC knew he worked out, but had always envisioned him to be like a big teddy bear. It wasn’t until MC asked to feel him until they understood just how strong Beel was. Under his soft clothes, they felt his tough muscles. He was built like a brick, no matter where they felt him, his arms, his sides, he was completely different than they had expected. His face was soft at least. His hair fun to play with. In his demon form adored touching his horns, exclaiming that they were perfect for fitting doughnuts. He didn’t need to know that, now Lucifer’s going to have to question why in the world Beel has doughnuts stacked on his horns. His wings felt silky and surprisingly fragile despite how strong he felt everywhere else. They were sure they weren’t as weak as they felt, but it let MC know that Beel was still soft. MC couldn’t stop gawking over how big and strong Beel was, pretending to punch him in the gut even though they could probably punch him for real and he wouldn’t feel it.

All Beel wanted was to tell MC how strong he thought they were.

Belphie

At first, he couldn’t believe that, somehow, they had chosen someone who couldn’t even see to be a part of the program. He felt like this supported his idea that it was a terrible idea to begin with, but fortunately, he thought, this made it easy for him to manipulate MC’s actions. How guilty this made him feel, afterwards.

He’d stay silent and sneak around MC, feeling that it was best if they didn’t even know he was there. They knew where he was, no matter how hard he tried. They could follow his dragging footsteps as he lazily walked through the house. His sighs and breathing were also very distinguishable.

They didn’t start getting to know each other till MC was wandering through the house, trying to still burn the number of steps in their mind in this massive place. Their cane found a strange obstacle in the middle of the floor, something that wasn’t usually there. They poked it, it was surprisingly soft. They got down on their knees and reached over, feeling cozy clothes and skin. They found a face and traced it over. It wasn’t anyone they had memorized, so it must’ve been Belphie. Made sense that he was the only one crazy enough to sleep in the middle of the floor. They loved how soft he felt, softer than any of his other brothers. Even his hair was like a velvety down you’d find in a pillow.

They knew he had woken up from his nap. The little muscles in his face were twitching, and his breathing was strained. He was trying to pretend he was asleep, but MC just kept going. They traced down his slender arms to his hands. They were free of any callouses or cuts. They took his hand and grasped it firmly in their own.

“I forgive you, you don’t need to avoid me anymore, or pretend that you’re asleep.” They heard his breathing go still, and then he sat up.

“You knew?”

“I’m not as stupid as people think I am. I may not be able to see, but I can still figure things out just fine.” They gently whacked him with their cane. “So I know you’ve been sneaking around me.”

Belphie didn’t think they wanted him around, after everything he’d done. He was still surprised his brothers kept him around at the end of the day. He just sighed. Emotions were exhausting. 

MC felt for his waist and then gave him a tight hug. They knew what it meant to be ashamed of you you were, of the things you’d done, but it didn’t matter. They wanted bygones to be bygones, and they wanted to learn about Belphie for who he really was, not what grief had made him out to be. 

MC now finds a new lump in their bed every so often. A lump that moans when you lie on it apparently. Naps are pleasant with him around. MC loves sleeping with their hands in his hair. 

MC can’t dream, not in the same way other people do, so Belphie does enough dreaming for the both of them. He’ll share stories of rippling meadows and drifting clouds. He’ll make sure they hear all sorts of pleasant things before they fall asleep. He hopes he can make it up to them.

Diavolo

Figuring out MC was blind didn’t come as a shock, he knew they were after all. He wouldn’t choose someone without knowing the important things about them, and having no eyesight definitely checked out as important. 

Knowing him, he did this as a test. He was testing out how the brothers would react and if they indeed could keep MC safe. If a blind human could make it through an entire year in the realm of demons, it would be more than a major success for his program.

The more he got to know about MC, the more he grew close to them instead of just treating them like a test subject or a campaign plan. He loved how they weren’t intimidated by him in the slightest, and he also loved how he could spend hours with them, MC talking the entire time. It drove Lucifer wild, but Diavolo found it fascinating and fun. 

“Is this what having friends is like? Amazing.”

He’ll have things all set up for them in a matter of days, having whatever accommodations they need to make their school life as easy as possible. Of course, this supposed ‘special treatment’ didn’t go well over demons who opposed the program. Some demons who disapproved didn’t have the courage to defy him directly at first, but now they were starting to scurry out of the sewers like rats. They headed straight over to Diavolo’s new ‘pet’.

They would abuse MC’s lack of sight to mess with them, stealing their things, purposefully knocking them around since they wouldn’t be able to tell who they were, but any demon who thinks Diavolo doesn’t see everything is sadly mistaken. MC tried standing up for themselves, but they could feel a tremendous and overwhelming presence behind them, larger than anything they had felt before. The demons would gasp, and the bullying would stop. Diavolo would put a hand on MC’s shoulder and they’d never be bothered again.

MC knew that this was the Lord of Demons, but they wanted to feel him in his demon form anyway, should he permit. He did permit, and at last MC was able to figure out this terrifying form of his. In his human form he was large, yes, but in demon form he was even bigger, impossibly big. Demonically big. His horns and wings were sharp and decorated in all manner of jewelry. The skin that stretched over bone to serve as his wings were littered with veins, and even just touching them allowed MC to feel the power pumping through them. He was intimidating yes, but after running their hands over his features, they were able to see how beautiful he was in his frightening glory.

Diavolo won’t tell them this, but they’re the only human who has ever laid a hand on him without immediately perishing or being subjected to torment. He’ll let MC do it again too, if they ever ask him.

Barbatos

The fact that he could’ve chosen a timeline where MC wasn’t like this is irrelevant. MC remained relatively the same throughout the different branches, blind or not. He does have control over time but mostly he’ll let time decide for itself, and he’ll take whatever MC the thread of fate decides to give him in this universe. No matter who shows up, he’ll take care of them.

He’s their secret shadow. MC’s working eyes. Diavolo always has him keeping tabs on them, keeping them safe whenever the brothers can’t. MC at first didn’t understand the whisper in the wind that told them to move to the side right before a demon blazed past. They were confused about the phenomenon of something wrapping around their leg to pull them down to the floor before an object whizzed above their head, causing something to explode behind them. It took MC until they finally heard Barbatos’ voice before it clicked.

When they asked to associate a form with that soft voice, he accepted, the normally even and calm tone just slightly more enthusiastic than normal. He had very wide shoulders and strong hands. Serving hands. Hands that felt almost familiar in a funny way, almost like they were hands that had pulled them away from an problem or two. His hair was longer on one side than the other, and they loved that. Even his demon form was intriguing. In every way that Diavolo’s presence boldly screamed, his aura clearly there, Barbatos was subtle. His horns were different than any horns MC had felt thus far. They were slender, bony, like two skeletal hands were reaching around his face to rest just above his forehead. Even his tail was different, splitting off near the bottom to have two controllable ends. He almost scared MC more than Diavolo. 

Sometimes MC will talk to themselves alone in their room, filling up the silent space with their voice so it’s not as dark, not as dismal. Occasionally MC will feel like there’s someone there. Like there’s something nodding along with their ramble in the darkness as shadows quietly tidy up their room. MC will find their clothes folded in distinguishable piles. The floor clear of any potential obstacles. Their cane is easily accessible right near their bed.

“Thank you, Barbatos.”

Sometimes the shadow will answer MC back, quietly drifting across the room to touch MC’s cheek before disappearing like a whisper. The darkness doesn’t seem as lonely anymore.

Simeon

He’s definitely going to be the kind of person who says “There must be a reason if God intended it.” MC had heard that throughout their life too many times. Religious or not, they hated when someone took their life and their disability and summed it up to God’s works. Their life was theirs alone, it belonged to no one else. They have a hard time around this angel at first.

Like Barbatos, Simeon can be impossibly quiet, which makes it hard for MC to be able to tell if he’s moving around. The only giveaways are the sounds his cloak makes, the little diamond shaped decor making slight clinking sounds as he moves. It’s melodic in a way, which MC sums up to angelic grace.

He’s not all bad, though. Yes he does believe God has his hands in all things, but that doesn’t mean he pities MC. That he thinks any less of them as a being. It doesn’t mean he’s chalking up their life to a charity case. He’s actually very sweet and fun. He’s one of the only people besides perhaps Solomon who believes MC is stronger than what they seem.

MC will admit sometimes they absolutely love how much the demons coddle and pamper them, but it can get too much too quickly. So sometimes they’ll run off and hang out with Simeon. He treats them like a person, not like a disability, not like a fragile little flower, but...normal. 

“Hello, Simeon here...yes, MC is here...stop screaming, they’re fine...we’ve just been talking.”

He’ll let them talk and talk and talk. He’s quiet himself but he loves to hear MC’s voice. How happy they sound when they share stories and discussions and things that happened during their day. 

MC can’t get enough of him now, they love hanging around this angel. There’s no sun in the Devildom, but anytime they’re around Simeon, they feel the same rays of warmth the sunshine gives. 

Simeon will never call MC ‘human’ sometimes God’s Miracle, sometimes a Godsend, more often than not, a blessing, but never just ‘human’.

Solomon

Yes, MC is blind, and? He doesn’t care what disability they do or do not have, he still finds them intriguing, and they’re his sole human companion in this place, a kindred spirit.

He’s also mischief wrapped in mystery, so he does his best to teach MC some simple spells to make their life a little easier down in the Devildom. Letting things they drop come right back into their hands, giving a shock to anyone who touches them that they don’t know, simple things like that. He did underestimate MC’s power, though. He may or may not have had seven demons at his door the next day when he learned that MC had accidentally dragged all the furniture in the living room towards them at a disturbing pace after they dropped a schoolbook. He did find it very funny, but taught them how to control their powers better. 

MC also doesn’t realize how much magic Solomon uses for their benefit. Objects they feel around for sometimes drift towards their hand. They will magically walk over holes in the ground. If any little pesky demon even dares try to mess with them, they’ll find themselves cursed. He knows that MC has nine powerful demons and two angels looking after them, but he does his part. 

When he finally does let MC touch his face, they’re disappointed to find that Solomon is very much in control of his expressions. They can’t get a reading off of what he’s feeling at all. They love anytime the brothers can’t help but let their lip quiver or their eyes flutter. Solomon stays blank, maybe letting them feel a smile on his face, nothing more. However, they are pleased to find not even Solomon can control his temperature, they can feel his cheeks get warmer by the second as they caress his face. 

They run their hands though his hair and find that touching him gives them a strange sensation. It’s something akin to static, but without the shock. It’s wonderfully addictive and strange. It leaves their fingers tingling and their nerves vibrating. 

Because of this sensation, MC has to touch him anytime they meet. Solomon doesn’t mind, in fact he lives for this. He’ll look over MC’s shoulder and give a small smirk to any of the demon brothers standing behind them. The expressions they pull make everything so much better. 

Luke

He’s ready to fight every demon in the Devildom when he learns they’re blind. Everything bad comes from demons, so it had to be one of them, not even hours they had been there before they took MC’s sight!

MC had to calm down the small yapping angel and tell them that they had been this way for a very long time. It just happened, it was just life. He has a very hard time dealing with this.

“But you’re so nice and sweet and wonderful, why can’t you see?” Was he crying?

MC has to promise him that it is okay, there’s still plenty to enjoy in their life. Humans don’t have it easy but they learned to move on anyway. He still doesn’t understand how MC’s not an angel. He suddenly shakes off their supporting words because he’s supposed to be the protector, not a human! He swears to protect them no matter what, no demon will stop him!

He loves to hang out with them, making sure they’re away from demons every now and then for the sake of their soul. He makes sure they’ve been treating MC okay. Even if the answer is yes, he doesn’t care what MC says, he cannot trust demons. So he brings MC the sweets he made to make sure they get plenty to eat. (No, he doesn’t know they can’t live off of sweets just yet)

If he lets MC touch his face, MC cannot get over how soft and squishy this little angel is. He’s just as cute as he sounds.

[salsadips]

If I Could Fly - Harry Styles

This was just a cute little thing I had in mind and I really didn’t use that much time on it so it’s not perfect, but I still think it’s sweet and I hope you like it<3

Summary: Harry has to do a show on your anniversary, but he still finds a way to express his love to you

This is just pure fluff

Gif’s not mine, creds to the owner

You and Harry had been together for a little less than a year when you wrote If I Could Fly together. You were sitting by the Piano Harry had placed in his living room around 2 am and the song almost wrote itself as you looked into each other's eyes, feeling like the world was yours to conquer. Maybe a little bit of alcohol had been consumed through the night, but when the song was finished after approximately thirty minutes and you stared into the green forest of Harry's eyes and he the blue ocean of yours (I'm really sorry if you don't have blue eyes I just thought it fitted), you were both sure that you wanted to spend a very long time together.

You wrote songs for a living. Writing them, selling them, and then often seeing them on the hit lists a couple of months later. You were talented and you had written many songs throughout the last couple of years, but never had you written a song with as much emotion as when you and Harry made If I Could Fly.

When Harry's fellow bandmates asked him one night about a week later if he had any new songs up his sleeve, Harry played them the beautiful song the two of you had written together. Both Louis, Niall, and Liam absolutely loved it and immediately started trying to convince him to put it on the album they were in the middle of making. Of course, they would've respected if Harry said no because they knew the song meant a lot to him. Actually, the song meant absolutely everything to Harry, and that was why he wanted it on the album. Because he was so in love with you that he wanted to scream it so loud that the whole world would've been able to hear. It had been physically impossible for him to do that though, so what better way to tell the world than through a song?

You were excited to see all One Direction's fans react to the song and once it was released many of them quickly figured out that it was about you and Harry's relationship because your names were the only ones on the credits given to the writers of the song.

Now, five years later, you and Harry still loved each other more than anything and you knew that you wanted to spend the rest of your lives together. You'd had If I Could Fly on repeat for many occasions during the last five years and the song had never failed to make you smile. That's why whenever you were sad you put on the song, whenever you and Harry were in a fight you put on the song, whenever he was on the other side of the world and you missed him like crazy you put on the song, whenever he was only ten minutes away but you still missed him you put the song on, but during the last scenario you would usually play the song on the way to his house.

Harry would do the same, but he would be listening to an old recording on his phone of the day you'd written the song together where your voice would echo beautifully through the speakers instead of the album version with his old bandmates.

The song meant everything to both of you and it had been written with so much love and emotion that it was almost impossible for you to listen to it without your eyes glassing over slightly, and that is exactly why Harry had planned to play it at his concert tonight. It was your six-year anniversary and even though Harry would much rather be cuddled up with you on the couch and watching old movies while drinking expensive wine as you usually did, he had been forced to have a show tonight.

When he had planned his tour many months prior, he had made sure to keep the date of your anniversary off his schedule so that he could grant all his attention to you solely, but his plan had been changed when it had been necessary to cancel one of his shows in London. He'd then been offered to change the date so that thousands of fans wouldn't get disappointed and of course, Harry had immediately said yes, disappointing his fans was the last thing he wanted. When Harry found out that they'd moved the date to today, your anniversary, he regretted the decision though.

Even though you'd told him several times that you really didn't mind he's still been unsure whether to do the show or not. "But I want to be with you" he had pouted like a puppy and your heart had completely melted. "You will be, I'll come to the show and we'll go home and be together afterward" you'd kept reassuring him. You'd always loved to watch Harry perform, so you were always happy when you got the chance to.

You did end up convincing Harry to do the show, but he still felt like he needed to make it up to you and he knew the perfect way how to.

All that led up to this moment, Harry on stage just having finished Sweet Creature, you backstage and the crowd screaming at the top of their lungs. "So," Harry started, the screams of the crowd dying down a bit, "today is a very special day."

"The day you realized you're shit at making jokes" a fan standing in the front line yelled from the crowd which had gone almost quiet. Laughter broke out through the room and Harry tried to look offended but couldn't quite keep his own laughter back. He walked closer to the edge of the stage to look down at the girl who'd yelled and pointed a finger at her once he found her. "I tell very very good jokes" he stated, trying to sound as serious as possible. The whole crowd broke into laughter again and Harry looked up with his mouth agape, "what? Why are you laughing? You shouldn't be laughing, I tell extremely good jokes" he said, playing offended.

He turned to you, standing on the left side of the stage, "y/n, my jokes are good, right?" he almost pleaded. The crowd went absolutely crazy at the mention of your name and you could only laugh in response which made him raise his eyebrows and his eyes widen, "why are you laughing?"

You blew him a kiss which he huffed at and turned to the crowd, "she blew me a kiss as if that makes it better" he rolled his eyes playfully, but the room went loud again as screams filled the air. "Let's get back to the point before my ego starts hurting too much," Harry said, making his fans laugh.

"I'm not good at telling jokes, but I still make you laugh don't I?" He just had to get his point through before continuing, which made the crowd erupt in laughter again. As he was proved right, he was able to continue. You shook your head at his narcissistic ass, but couldn't possibly wipe the huge smile you had on your face off.

"Today is a special day because," he squinted his eyes at the girl who'd offended his jokes before continuing, "six years ago I grew balls big enough to ask this girl out," he said and your heart automatically sped up as the crowd screamed uncontrollably, what was he doing?

"I love her a lot and I want today to be very special for her," he said as another microphone was carried onto the stage and placed beside his. Harry turned to you and motioned for you to come onto the stage as the screams from the thousands of people in the room went crazy. Your eyes widened and you quickly shook your head, whatever he had planned you weren't doing it. You knew Harry and all his "good ideas" and you were not doing something which required you and a microphone and a whole lot of people. Harry put up his finger and spoke to his fans, "one second" before running across the stage and towards you.

When he approached you he didn't say anything, just gave you a quick kiss on the cheek and pulled you onto the stage with him. He placed you in front of the microphone next to his own before holding your hand up in the air, "y/n everyone!"

Being in front of so many people had always made you uncomfortable, but Harry's naturally relaxed personality always shined through in situations like these and you immediately felt more comfortable being next to him. You locked eyes with him as he let your hand back down and he quickly leaned over to give you a peck on the cheek, before turning around and sending a thumps up to his band.

The melody to If I Could Fly started and a smile broke onto your face at the sound of your favorite song. You looked at Harry who was already looking at you with the goofiest smile you had ever seen on his face, and your smile only grew as he started singing the first line of the song.

"If I could fly, I'd be coming right back home to you" he sang and the crowd went crazy at the sound of the familiar song. His eyes remained on yours though as he continued, "I think I might give up everything, just ask me to."

"Pay attention, I hope that you listen 'cause I let my guard down" he gave your hand, which he was still holding, a squeeze, "right now I'm completely defenseless."

"For your eyes only, I'll show you my heart For when you're lonely and forget who you are I'm missing half of me when we're apart Now you know me, for your eyes only For your eyes only"

He finished the chorus and gave you a reassuring nod, encouraging you to sing. You eyes didn't leave his once as you sang,

"I've got scars even though they can't always be seen And pain gets hard, but now you're here and I don't feel a thing Pay attention, I hope that you listen 'cause I let my guard down Right now I'm completely defenseless" He joined you as the song came to the chorus again and your voices melded together beautifully and you knew you were never gonna forget this moment, with the screaming fans in the background. Harry was a very private person towards the public, so you knew that him presenting you to the crowd like this meant a lot and even though you'd been taken aback by his request to sing with you, you realized at that moment that there was nothing you loved more than singing with him.

When Harry was just about to start the third verse of the song, he turned his microphone so it was facing you, and let go of your hand to grab your microphone and turning it as well. You were standing face to face as Harry started singing, making your heart almost burst with all the different emotions currently occupying it.

"I can feel your heart inside of mine" he sang and you smiled, his voice had always been the most beautiful sound to you.

"I've been going out of my mind, know that I'm just wasting time" you continued before he finished the verse, "and I hope that you don't run from me."

As you sang the chorus together again, you looked directly into each other's eyes, your faces close as you sang your hearts out. You got lost into the deep depths of his eyes and it was like the rest of the room disappeared, only you and the man who carried your heart present. Harry looked at you and you were the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. As his eyes pierced into yours, they carried all the love he had for you and as the song ended he embraced you in a tight hug and you couldn't stop the tears welling up in your eyes.

"I love you so much, baby" he whispered into your ear and kissed you on the forehead before letting you go and made sure you returned to the side of the stage safely to watch the rest of the show.