#feel free to send more things while i get rid of the old!

[empathos]

like for some memes while i clear out my askbox (for here & anelitistsnob).     i’m gonna keep as much as i can imagine doing but i want to clean up & make room for new things. so if anything is lost along the way i promise i want to write with you & answer memes from all mutuals. i just need some clean up <3

[firelilyfox]

Nightmares & Soft Words

Dune : Paul Atreides x female reader

Warnings : fluff / mention of loosing someone / mention of war / teasing

You had a nightmare & Paul comforts you

(English is not my first language so please excuse spelling and grammatical mistakes)

Words : 1033

______________________________

Your breathing is shallow as you wake up in the middle of the night because of another horrible dream. Beside you lays Paul who is still peacefully sleeping. His dark curls have managed to fall all over his beautiful face and you resist the urge to touch it to remind you that you are back in reality. Weeks have passed since you were able to sleep peacefully. Too much worries and sorrows filled your mind with fear.

Fear to loose Paul. Fear to see all your friends die. Fear that this brutal war will never end. 

But you haven’t told him about any of that. Paul has such a big responsibility to carry around, that the thought alone telling him about your stupid litte nightmares was pathetic. He deserves to rest and not have to think about his girlfriend being anxious about something that hasn’t even happened yet. 

You take a last look at him and deciding to go for a litte walk through the halls of your underground home. The massive, old stonewalls always seemed to calm you down since you were a little kid. You imagined all the stories that they had been witnessed and all of the Fremen that were here before. 

Every footstep of yours sends a little echo through the empty hallways and while you let your thoughts run free, you somehow find your way to the waters of the souls that died for the greater good. Normally this place would make people sad, but for the Fremen it is a great honor to still be a part of the remaining for eternity. 

The torches on the walls flickers and their light is reflected by the water, wich made the big hall looked warm and gloomy. Before you could take a seat near the water, something catches your attention. Paul was leaning against a wall right behind you. The look on his face made you nervous. 

„Why are you up? Did something happen?“ 

He comes towards you with a frown. „That’s what I should ask you, Y/N. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?“ 

„Oh it’s nothing. I-I just needed fresh air“, you shrugged. 

Paul shakes his head with a smile of disbelief. „You are terrible at lying, love.“ He puts his arms around you and pulls you closer to him. You let him, but still trying to avoid direct eye contact. You are more than sure about the fact, that Paul would be able to see all the horrible things you dreamed about in less than a second. So you just leaned against his touch and trying your best to put on an effortlessly smile for him. 

„Really it’s nothing. Maybe I ate something wrong or haven’t drank enough. We should go back to bed.“ You are trying to get out of his grip, but instead you can feel it tightened around your waist. 

„I won’t let you go anywhere now, until you told me the truth. You seem upset and I will be dammed if I let you go back to sleep like that.“ Paul puts his finger under your chin to force you softly to look at him. That’s when you start to tear up a little. „Talk to me, love.“ 

You sigh. „I had a nightmare again.“ 

His thumb softly wipes away a tear that was rolling down your cheek. „You haven’t told me you were haunted by nightmares before.“ 

„I didn’t want to stress you about something pathetic like that. With all that is going on with the war and the revolution right now … and the Fremen seeing you as their leader … there is no room for something irrelevant like that.“ 

Paul shuts you up with a soft kiss on the lips. Your hands grabbing the thin fabric of his shirt to hold him close to you. 

„Never say something like that again or I’m forced to use the voice on you to get rid of that stupid idea that your nightmares are irrelevant or that there is no room for you coming to me with your problems.“ His words were determining but his voice sounded so very soft, that your heart melted a bit. „I couldn’t possibly do any of this … crazy Lisan al Gaib stuff without knowing that you are alright by my side.“ 

You couldn’t hold back a little smile. „You are very good at finding the right words, Usul.“ 

You using his Fedaykin-Name always had the impact of lightens up his gaze. It reminds him, that you two are very much equal and that he is a part of something worth fighting for. 

„Now tell me what this nightmares are about.“ 

And you did. You told him everything while going back to your room and he hold your hand the entire time. The words came out like a waterfall but now that you hear them out loud, they not seemed so scary anymore. You felt the moment the tension left your body when the two of you got back to bed, lying next to each other so close that no nightmare can come between. 

„If you ever have thoughts like that you need to tell me, love. It is unbearable to me if I can’t be sure, that you and that pretty little head of yours are doing okay.“ He tapped his finger against your forehead. „Do you understand?“ 

„I do understand. But for now…“ You say while you sit up again and take a seat on his lap with spread legs. Paul leaned back on his forearms, admiring you as if there is nothing more beautiful in this world. And to him, there is none. „For now my head is doing more than just okay.“ 

He gives you a little smirk. „That’s good to know. Maybe there is a way we could make your body feel the same way.“ Paul grabs your hips and you start kissing him passionately while your fingers run through his hair. A dark sound escapes his throat as you are slowly moving your hips to create pressure to his growing length between your legs. 

„We should figure out how good you can make me feel, Muad’Dib.“ 

[watatsumiis]

Stealing Clothes!!

Been getting rid of some old clothes today and now I've got Genshin fluff on the brain, so have some silly headcanons below the cut about 'borrowing' clothes from some of my faves!

Characters: Ayato, Capitano, Childe, Dottore, Lisa, Pantalone, Pierro, Thoma, Yae Miko, Zhongli

Content: Gender neutral reader, platonic relationships with the characters (though could potentially be read as a little romantic knowing me), Pantalone refers to the reader as 'dear', reader has a shorter/smaller body type than the mentioned characters (simply because I do and that's how I project with my writing - if you'd like an alternate version, feel free to let me know and I'll do what I can :D

Word count: ~1,740

I've always found something really comforting about borrowing clothes from others so this will definitely be a self indulgent drabble about that!

Ayato's coat would be the perfect article to steal - he takes it off during long meetings and when he's training, leaving it neatly folded off to the side, just begging for you to steal it. It's long and the sleeves border on inconvenient, but it's made of a soft, cool material and smells like a mix of Ayato's perfumes and whatever Thoma uses to wash it. He'd be so sweetly surprised when he comes back to retrieve his coat, only for you to be wrapped up in it - his eyebrows would go up in that cutely shocked way as he stares for a few moments - you worry you're about to get scolded, but he quickly breaks into a warm smile and narrows his eyes as he leans down to button it up for you. "If you were getting cold, you could have just let me know, I would've been more than happy to send somebody to fetch you a coat."

Capitano is usually wearing some form of armour - it's like a safe shell for him to hide away in, he's like a big turtle. The rare times he's not, he layers himself up with sweaters and the like. In timelines where he's not just a possessed suit of armour, he rarely takes his helmet off, but when he does is the perfect opportunity to strike. It's heavy and cold, weighing you down awkwardly - it's overall not very pleasant to wear and you can't understand how he manages to see out of this thing, let alone fight in it. He'd furrow his brow as he spots you wearing it for the first time - he has kind of mixed feelings about his helmet, and seeing you willingly put it on, seemingly just for fun, baffles him a little. Secondary to the helmet, his sweaters and coats are always brilliant to steal - super comfy and cozy, made of really nice thick material that's still breathable. He's almost unnaturally stocky so even his tighter-fitting clothing would hang off your frame, making it all the more pleasant. He always seems a little confused, but not upset - if stealing his clothes is what makes you happy, by all means, go ahead.

Childe's scarf is a nice boon - it's so easy just to tug it off while he's walking by you or distracted with something. It's tattered, but super duper soft and cosy. It probably doesn't get washed as often as it should, but it's really nice, especially on cool days. The length means you can wrap it around your neck several times and nuzzle into it! So snug! Childe gets really confused the first few times, incessantly prodding and asking you why you stole it - it's a pretty sentimental item to him, but you two are close, so he supposes you can wear it... for now. Sometimes he may just adjust his scarf and offer one end to you - its length means you can both wear it at the same time as long as you're walking side-by-side! Eventually it'd just become a normal thing between you two, and you might find him borrowing some of your clothes or accessories in exchange.

Dottore has a myriad of interesting accessories and the like to borrow. That weird bird cloak thing is a definite candidate for stealing, it seems cool and fun, his mask too. Sadly he doesn't often take anything off or leave it laying around, even when he's just running around his lab, and if you try to 'steal' anything he sets down, you quickly find it snatched back and either put back on or put away - not because he doesn't want you to have it, he just doesn't seem to realise that's what you're aiming for. Stealing one of his lab coats, however, is easy peasy! Just a simple task of finding one hanging up in a closet somewhere and ta-da! Now you look like a real, bona fide mad scientist! Dottore's double take as he sees you walking around in the coat (so long it's almost dresslike on you) is almost comedic, he frowns behind his mask and tilts his head to the side like a curious bird. "What are you doing that for?" Will be his first question, soon to be followed by about a million more as he tries to figure out exactly what compelled you to wear his clothes specifically. There are also tons of weird/interesting things to fidget with in the pockets.

Lisa's hat is both stylish and comfortable. She occasionally takes it off just to fix up her hair, so that's always the best opportunity to snatch it away and put it on, especially on a nice sunny day, it protects your face and eyes from the sunlight. She probably thinks it's super cute and after the first time, she may take her hat off around you a little more often in hopes of goading you into 'borrowing' it again. She'll make sure it's sitting at just the right angle, cooing and fussing at how sweet you look, how she might just get you a similar hat for your next birthday!

Pantalone wears so much nice clothing, so many fancy expensive accessories and jewelry, it's hard to decide what you want to take! When he's in his own space, he tends to just leave things laying around - someone else can clean them up (unless you get there first of course!). Trying on his jewelry is quite fun, he has some really nice necklaces and earrings and rings (though the rings don't often come off, nor do the gloves). If he catches you, he smiles smugly and asks if you'd like your own replica of whatever it is you've been caught in. His dress shirts are also really, really nice - they're made of the finest fabric and are so extremely comfortable - they smell like expensive perfumes too. If you get caught in one of those, Pantalone gets pretty confused/almost flustered, and may offer to go fetch you a clean one. "Come now, dear, you don't want that one, I wore it for hours yesterday! It's filthy!" It is not filthy in the slightest. All he did yesterday was sit in his office. Though he breaks into a smug little grin as he realises that you specifically chose one he wore because that provides more comfort to you. He might tease you for that later, but for now, he's perfectly content to allow you to keep wearing it.

Pierro probably wears a lot of heavy cloaks and coats. They're absolutely brilliant to steal if you get the chance. If you see an opening, take it quick, Pierro will probably put his coat back on or fold it up and toss it over his arm or give it to a subordinate within moments. He gives you this absolutely baffled look as you snatch up his discarded cloak, exchanging a confused glance with the person he was about to hand it off to as he waits to see what you'll do with it. He gives you this analysing kind of look as you wrap it around your shoulders, snuggling your face into the soft, fur-lined collar. As you blink at him all innocently, he softens, just a little. His shoulders slump in acceptance as he shakes his head good-naturedly. It seems harmless enough.

Thoma is more than happy to share his clothing, he absolutely revels in it. If it gets even slightly chilly, he'll offer his jacket, even if you're already wearing a coat or something. It's super comfy, and he seems to like the fact that he was able to help you out (even if he's now getting cold). His dog tags are also an item of interest, but he never ever seems to take them off, so there's not really an opening there. The headband, however, he takes off every now and then just to mop the sweat off of his brow or fix up his hair - it's comfy and keeps your hair out of your eyes, and his happy laugh when he sees you wearing it is so sweet and genuine that you can't help but grin along with him!

Yae Miko doesn't really wear enough clothing for you to be able to steal (much to your chagrin). However, if you're very lucky, she may take off her headdress while you're around as she combs through her hair. The look she gives you as she sets the accessory down is almost expectant - she knows of your affinity for borrowing wearables from others, if anything this is her testing just how much you like her (she already knows you're going to take it though, of course she does). It's heavy and kind of awkward to put on yourself, and Miko definitely chuckles in amusement as she strides over to you, tapping the top of your head in a non-verbal instruction for you to tilt your head down so she can help you put it on as she makes a teasing comment. "You must truly look up to me to go so far as to want to dress up as me, hm?"

Zhongli. Coat. It's the coat, that's his signature accessory and he rarely ever takes it off. It's of gorgeous make and quality, and if you get the opportunity, you grab it right away and you RUN, this chance may never come again (/j). It's almost silky in texture and super comfy and cozy. There's a few inside pockets that he keeps things in (more along the lines of pens and notes and the like - there's no mora pouch to be found). He's more than happy to allow you to wear his coat (he would've let you borrow it earlier if he'd known how much you'd been eyeing it off), he's a little endeared by the sight, and will help you roll up the sleeves and do up the buttons, all the while going into one of his signature spiels, this time about some old folk tale surrounding energy and memories lingering in hand-me-down clothes. He runs his hands over your shoulders to smooth out the crinkled top of the coat and smiles warmly at you and delights in your quirks that are so sweetly human in nature.

This got a little longer/ramblier than I was anticipating, oops-- as always, feel free to add on or send requests/ideas! I'm not sure how good/accessible this post length is to some people, so if there's any feedback on that please feel free to let me know, I might start splitting it up into individual characters and just do a series instead?

Please don't copy, steal, repost or otherwise plagarise my work!

[chaoticbardlady99]

Darling, Never Stop Haunting Me

Spawn! Astarion x F! Reader

Chapter Three: The Sun is Freezing

Synopsis: (1 year post Netherbrain) You and Astarion search through an abandoned ruin in the Underdark for a Ring of Sunwalking. Unfortunately, it doesn't go as planned.

CW: Violence, mentions of Gore, character death

*This chapter is the beginning of the main story

Disclaimer- I put together the picture for the banner, but I do not own any of the pictures. Birdie is a stock image. I will not describe the readers body in detail- she is just merely on the banner for ✨drama✨. I believe the picture of Astarion is from @cheekylittlepupp . And then the symbol of Orcus in the back is a free image off the internet.

Chapter Two: Chapter 4 : AO3

“I don’t like this, Astarion,” you peer into the open door, “this feels like a ‘with friends’ kind of place.” 

 “I have a friend- you’re here!” The vampire says all too cheerily.

  You turn to leer at him through unamused eyes.

 “May I remind you that I am only 12 pounds and I’m still a CAT!?” 

  Astarion tuts at you while lacing up his other boot, “Cats are ferocious creatures and if all else fails- you can irritate the monsters to death.” 

 It hurts your feelings when Astarion says things like that- it almost makes you feel like he wants you to die on these missions.

“If you want to get rid of me so badly, you can just say so,” you say with an awkward chuckle, “no need to send me off to be killed on purpose. Gale sai-“

 “That is not my intention,” Astarion says sharply before scratching between your ears- a smirk on his face when you begrudgingly lean in for more, “I jest.” 

  You aren’t entirely convinced but that’s okay. You find yourself staring back into the entrance of the ruin. It’s pitch black and you can hear something down there. You can hear chattering and the scrapping of feet against stone. It feels all too…. Evil. 

  You peer back at Astarion who is now doing a final check on his equipment and is grumbling as he looks for something in his bag. 

 His curls fall into his face and Gods if only you were a person like you are supposed to be- you’d push them out of his face, trace the curve of his lips with your thumb before guiding his face to-

 NO! You shake your head violently, those are living people thoughts- not Ghost person or cat person thoughts. 

  An emotional support Cat Ghost could dream though. 

   You gulp when you look into the vault again. You’d prefer to stay up here in the Dwarven Ruin that is built on top of the massive Catacomb where an ancient and prominent Drow Leader has been laid to rest. 

  Why is he important? Well, he has a Ring of Sunwalking on his crusty old hands. 

    “Pspspspsp, come here kitty, kitty.” 

  All the hairs on your spine raise as a disembodied voice whispers through the cave. You hoped the “no one ever returns” warning would have discouraged Astarion from pursuing this lead, but no. He just saw it as a guarantee that no one else has the damn Ring- “always the optimist” or so his pessimistic, lying ass says.

 “Oh good, a crazy, cat loving, disembodied voice,” Astarion scowls, “because descending into a Catacomb isn’t enough of a horror already.” 

 “I really don’t like this,” you whisper. 

  Astarion scoops you up from the ground and puts you in his empty pack with a bag of holding. He contemplates for a moment before taking something out of his pocket.

 “Here,” he slips a ring onto your paw like a bracelet, “maybe you can try to cast sunbeam using it. I’m not sure how the logistics work with you being a cat and everything, but I’m sure it’s not, not doable.

“Just please, for both of our sake’s Darling, try not to use it unless you absolutely need to.” 

 “Aye aye captain,” you grumble and use your front two paws to help you see over his shoulder, “I’ll do my best.” 

   The darkness of the Catacomb is all consuming and heavy. A thick, rolling fog covers the ground and the smell of rotting assaults both of your noses instantaneously. The halls leave little to be desired and it seems this place has been abandoned for a long time now.

 “What in the wretched hells is this place?” Astarion asks quietly, “it’s atrocious down here! Not even a hint of decor- no one appreciates the dead anymore.” 

 “And never did, apparently.” 

   He snickers as he walks forward. You can smell his anxiety rolling off of him and you try to calm every instinct inside you that says to flee. This is a truly terrible idea- you can feel it in your paws. 

  Astarion continues to quietly creep along the wall and you continue to monitor the area for any nasty, creepy crawlers. It doesn’t seem too scary and you feel yourself and Astarion begin to relax.

 Then the trumpet comes on. 

   Astarion freezes and has his back against the wall to protect you. Using his shoulder as leverage, you peer in the direction of the trumpet sound and you nearly yowl in horror. 

  A massive, skeleton Drider is staring back in the darkness as he toots his trumpet for another group of skeletons awkwardly dancing- one of their ribs hits the floor with a hollow CLUNK. It’s friends look at the rib, pause their dancing to clap, and then continue to dance again. This cycle continues until the skeleton is completely broken apart on the floor.

 “It’s tooting a diddy of death,” you whisper in an attempt to break up the tension sitting like a weight in your chest.

 “He should really go back to his day job,” Astarion mutters in response, “I almost want to fight him just to get the music to stop.” 

 “Really? I think he’s quite good.”

 “Of course you do.” 

  Astarion side steps even slower now, being careful not to attract the attention of the Drider and his dancers. You are surprised at how attentive Astarion is being in regards to where he is stepping. Maybe you won’t have joint second funerals together after all. 

  The deeper you descend, the worse the creatures seem to become- skeletons that are at least seven feet tall, wraiths with piercing eyes, Black Pudding aimlessly wandering for another meal, and grim locks. Even worse- the entire Catacomb structure is in a circle that just keeps descending until you get to the ground floor so even if you do manage to find the ring, you’re going to have to go past all of these creatures again. 

  You realize you are holding your breath once Astarion steps onto the main floor and you force yourself to slowly release it. Your whole body feels like it’s ready to run and that chittering you heard earlier is back. 

  The main floor is decorated in gore- fresh and old bodies are strewn about, some unlucky individuals are petrified versions of themselves, and it smells awful. 

  There are open archways along the wall and the nicely adorned one is the room you’re looking for. Astarion goes to step onto the platform, but you hiss at him to stop just in time. 

  Seeing a Grick before it sees you is a blessing. From the third level to your right, you barely caught a glimpse of the creature's beak. The platform is a death sentence so back to crawling along the wall it is. 

 “This is such a pain in the ass,” Astarion mutters under his breath, “nothing can ever be easy, can it?” 

  You shake your head in agreement, but you are far too afraid to speak prematurely. Your eyes are zeroed in on the Grick and you are already planning how you’ll distract it so Astarion can at least make a run for it. It would have been nice to know a Grick was down here because they could have starved the creature out- now they are forced to work within it’s limitations. 

  It feels like eons before you reach the lavish archway, but you direct Astarion to the archway next to it. He gives you a look, but you just keep your paw pointed at the next archway. The book specifically said that the fancy archway was a trap.

  Astarion steps across the archway and you are instantly reassured that you made the right decision when a massive fireball sends the Grick flying across the room and splattering against the wall. You had sworn it hadn’t moved from it’s spot so thankfully it didn’t have the 411 about the traps. 

  As Astarion moves through the corridor, it begins to look more and more like a prominent member of society is buried here. The walls are painted brightly and, despite the lack of attention, the tomb seems to be holding up very well. 

 There are four coffins in the middle, each one side by side. The wall behind the coffins is full of slots for urns- several of them have crumbled under the test of time, but the drawings on the wall suggest that they served this man in some capacity. 

  You study the pictures in awe- whoever this was lived a very large life. A sad pit of envy fills your stomach. You wish you had paintings with you going into battle and saving the day or at least a family portrait. 

  The man had two children and a lovely wife. His wife adorns a beautiful ruby ring and he, shockingly, does not adorn any jewelry in any of the paintings. The wife is obviously the one who demanded luxury and evidently so did the man’s youngest daughter. The older daughter is dressed head to toe in knight armor and has a stern look on her face. 

 “Gods below!” Astarion whisper yells, “he’s not wearing the damn thing- hells, he’s not even here!”

“What!?” 

  You look over Astarion’s shoulder and sure enough- the man is gone and so is the rin- WAIT A MINUTE.

 “Open the wife’s,” you whisper, “in the paintings, she’s the one wearing the ring I think.”

 Astarion looks around the room to figure out what you are talking about and looks incredibly pleased with your detective work.

 “Look at that- you’re officially more useful than Gale,” he teases.

  The lid opens without any issues and it’s nicely intact- unlike her husband’s. Other people must have not noticed the paintings because there it is on her finger. The ring shines brightly and you feel like you are basking directly in the sunlight and not in this stinking cave. 

  Astarion gently slides the ring off the woman’s skeletal hand and puts it on his own- it adjusts to fit to his ring finger. He looks positively giddy when he looks over at you on his shoulder.

 “Now we just need to find out if it works.” 

 You go to speak, but another voice beats you to it. 

 “Come here kitty, kitty,” a creaking voice calls out from the statue of the man in the room, “I promise it won’t hurt.”

  You feel absolutely frozen in fear. Whatever this creature is thinks you are a normal house cat or they are trying to lure you both further into the tomb. Astarion’s entire body looks like he’s ready to pounce, but you gesture to just leave. Whatever this creature is- it is not friendly and it’s hiding somewhere neither one of you can see. The map shows that there is a hidden room somewhere, but neither one of you could decipher where. 

  Astarion casts Invisibility and begins to quickly sneak out of the room, but it’s too late.

 A lich comes out of absolutely nowhere and begins to cast a spell, but Astarion’s faster. It swipes out at you and Astarion barely dodges in time to save you. The lich goes down when it’s hit with an arrow of Arcane Interference and Astarion goes sprinting towards the door.

 Ignoring every safety precaution you’ve taken so far- Astarion attracts the attention of literally every creature in the Catacomb. An angry Beholder beast is somewhere because tentacles with eyes and mouths come sprawling out of the ground and reach for Astarion’s limbs. 

  You hold onto Astarion’s shoulder for dear life and scan your surroundings the best you can. Astarion leaps and dodges the slashing blades of skeletons and the hungry goo of the Black puddings, and all that is left is the damn Drider.

 “Trumpet man is on your right! His friends are laying down in the middle,” you scream. 

 “I KNOW!” 

   A flash of fire goes whirring past both of your heads and he begins cussing up a storm- finally using misty step to get by the musical Drider and his funky friends. Your head is positively spinning, but you are so grateful to see the entry way- you’re so close! 

  Astarion’s pace slows down for a fraction of a second and you see why almost instantly. The Lich is in front of the door and it’s waiting. 

  Time for some kitty magic. 

  You rub your paws together and focus really hard on the weave while you say the words for sunbeam. You hit the Lich and it goes up in flames- it’s enough to distract the creature and Astarion goes flying by him and out of the Dwarven ruin. The Lich and his various friends are hot on your trail (oops, didn’t close the vault door) and you have given up on all hope of surviving, but Astarion keeps running at a full sprint. Thank the Gods he doesn’t need to breathe.

  The exit portal is so close and right as Astarion steps into it- you feel an arrow go straight through you. You don’t even yowl, the shock in your body causes you to freeze instantly. You’re dying and there isn’t going to be anything you can do.

 Astarion is cheering and you feel the sun on your own fur. It feels nice, but you feel so so cold. 

  A pained scream and the feeling of grass makes you realize that Astarion has noticed the current predicament you are in.

“No- you cannot die,” Astarion chokes out, “don’t you dare die on me right now!”

  You nod in acknowledgement and you are struggling to hang on. You know you aren’t going to make it, but Astarion doesn’t know that. 

  You’re afraid to be completely honest. Will you just be kicked out of the body or will you be dragged down the ethereal current and to the afterlife? You want to stay with Astarion. You aren’t ready to leave him yet at all and you just found the Ring of Sunwalking for Gods sake!

  Only, it seems the world doesn’t care about that as you feel yourself being pulled away into the coldness of death once again.

******************************************************************

Author note: Likes, Comments, and Reblogs are always appreciated! Please let me know if you would like to be on the tag list! I am using the Ghostwalk campaign for NPCs, locations, etc. It is a 3e Campaign and doesn’t mirror 5e Ghosts. I have tweaked some of the ghost powers and such for the sake of the story, but if you would like more information on Ghostwalk and the City of Manifest, there is a PDF online that is free to download :)

Tag List: @n3rdybirdee @fandomarchiveilyd @dajeong @hotmesshobbit @godoffuckedupcats @bitchstarion @hereliesblackdragon @pebble-bb @preciouslittlebhaalbae @lavvyan

[pinkcherryblossomphonecase]

A unwanted reminder

(TW: Unhealthy relationships, SA, not getting over abuse. Please do skip this one if you feel uncomfortable.)

(The people I tag so thay can hate me more for making Cooper suffer once again: @tatsuhikoshibusawa @oscarsgallery @lets-play-a-game @soonyouwillgo )

A hotel room. I should be able to stay in here for a while, while Master and Sigma spend time together for a few days. They wanted me out of the house, which I don't mind. But where I'm staying for the time I do mind. Something about this hotel room sends me chills.

I can't remember the exact last time I was in one. Expect for who I was with. Him.

Of course it was him I was with.

It always was.

It became a routine, one that has been perfected. Master- X would always take me to his important business trips and meetings. I was just a little doll for show after all, a butler to do minor work for him during these trips. Not that I minded, it was same old boring work that I would do in the manor. Except in a hotel room....

Snap out of it, Cooper. He's dead now. You finally killed him and became free from his control and bond. X is forever gone, so stop thinking about him.

Just stop thinking about him..... yet the memories are still there to haunt me. Plaguing my mind as I stepped into the hotel room.

I take a shaky breath as I step in and took off my shoes. Being here alone feels so odd. It doesn't feel right, like I need someone with me. Why? Is it because I'm alone for once? On my own with no one to keep my company?

Perhaps it's the memories again that remind me of the unfortunate times I had in any hotel room that I can remember. Ones I cannot forget no matter how hard I try to. Being there will always be something there to remind me.

I look around the room, taking it all in. It's a fancy little hotel room, having all your standard stuff you would expect and one bed for me to rest on. The lightning is warm and inviting, but that welcoming feeling is killed when I turned towards the bathroom.

The dark room gave off a eery mist and even when I turned on the light, it barely gave the room any comfort. That's when I wish left the lights off when my eyes fall upon a hanging white robe for me to us.

My breathing hitched once I saw it, and my hand gripped the door handle. Those unwanted memories started to return when I wanted to start crying. No, why must they return now? Those are a thing of a past. I don't have to remember. I don't have to.

But I can still hear his voice. I can still picture the day we came back exhausted and tired from work. His soft voice mumbled to me, "Cooper let's take a bath together." And so we did that day. The warm water soothing us both. My head resting against his chest. Us washing each other. Him just touching me in all the wrong places.....

Even to this day, I can't take a bath on my own without forgetting about how it all felt to be touched like that by him. I can't wear white robes anymore because a feeling of dread stirs up in my gut every time I see one. Every time I did wear one was for X.... and even those memories still play on repeat when I'm alone for too long.

The white robe before me I wish to rip it and burn it away from my sight. Too many times I had to wear one for him. Too many times I felt good in bed with him. Too many times I sung out his name. I hate it.

I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I HATE IT!

I hate this. I don't like this. I want to get rid of these memories, even if it means if I have to bash my head against the wall. I don't want to be reminded anymore. I want to finally move on and live without the remainder of how disgusting I was. How I felt disgusted every time.

Yet that robe taunts me. The whiteness of it reminding me that I will never be pure again. It's mocking me, shaming me for something that I did not want. For something that wasn't in my choice or control.

It taunts me that I'll be stuck back in the same old lifestyle one day. Maybe that's why I hate it the most. It's like if I put it on I'll be back to my old roots.....

It feels unfair though.... by now I'm supposed to be free. He's gone now, he won't ever bother me again. I'm free from him physically, yet never free from him in my memories....

As long as I see a white robe, I'll always still be chained to those memories....

[topaz-witch-tea]

To your last post: I love a hc that all the protection charms Yanqing wears are from Jing Yuan: he's proud of his student (son) and is confident in his abilities but deep down as a parent he's deeply worried about Yanqing's well-being, especially when he isn't near to personally insure his safety. (and Yanqing certainly doesn't make his life easier, running away to fight criminals and go on solo missions kskdkd). He totally prays to Lan

P.S. I love your fics and headcanons about the HCQ and Yanqing so much! Thank you for writing them!!

Hello!!!! I'm so glad you love my work, I really enjoy making them for everyone to read!!!

I know this reply is a bit late, I am behind on answering all my asks 😅

In canon, I have a headcanon that Jing Yuan took Yanqing in when he was a little baby, barely a month old. Jing Yuan was already so tired of his role and his life when he came across Yanqing. He was absolutely taken in by the baby, who seemed to babble endlessly and cry when Jing Yuan set him down. With this new sense of fatherhood also came a sense of fear and anxiety since babies are so fragile and Yanqing was so, so very curious.

The first was the silver lock charm, which was originally on a silver hoop to prevent Yanqing from choking. Jing Yuan got it not long after he took in Yanqing. The charm was decorated with auspicious symbols for Yanqing to live a long and healthy life. He knew a long life was a small ask for Xianzhou Natives, but he had seen war and knew full well how easy it was to die. Yanqing enjoyed the charm greatly, especially the little tinkling sounds the bells made.

The second was the red string on his ankle, a symbol of protection and good fortune. Yanqing was probably about 6 months old when he got the anklet. A gift from Jing Yuan, he had heard of the tradition from Yukong when she got Qingni and Tingyun a red bracelet. Survival is based on luck 50% of the time and he prayed that Yanqing could receive all the good fortune he could get.

The last one was the bells, a bracelet that was also given to babies for good luck and protection. The bracelet was bought in conjunction with the lock charm but Yanqing had a habit of sticking the bells into his mouth so the bracelet was removed of out of fear it was a potential choking hazard. It was given to Yanqing at 1 year old when he outgrew the phase of shoving things in his mouth and instead started the crawl off. The jingling of the bells quickly signaled his location and allowed everyone to keep an eye on him. In the early years, the bells were the most useful protection charm Yanqing had.

While they did not get rid of his anxiety, they did assuage it a little bit. A little bit of hope for Yanqing's safety and survival and a symbol of Jing Yuan's love for his only son.

Please feel free to send more 🥰

[4thwallbreakerdraws]

IT IS TIME PEOPLE

Since Kat asked to show off Self-insert OCs for the Blank Script AU, I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce my own self-insert OC to you.

Meet Xaviar Bellon, businessman and employees at Innova Corp. who also works as correspondent between his and Black’s company.

Basic information:

Xaviar is 26 years old, male and goes by he/him. Neck, part of his face and back as well as his complete right arm are replaced through cybernetics. They cannot be removed as they are parts of his body. He’s your typical rich boy who often acts like a snob and putting his main focus on the profit.

Personality:

Like mentioned before Xaviar often comes of as a snob who likes to brag about his wealth. He’s also very cocky to those around him, not afraid to give a snappy comment. However, he’s also a massive coward, immediately losing his entire attitude when he feels like his life is threatened and becoming a nervous wreck. Xaviar does not believe in actions without benefit or rather doesn’t see the significance I’m actions if they don’t benefit him. So love for him is just people wanting to use him or his money, same goes for friendships.

Deep down Xaviar is deeply insecure about his looks and existence. Without money he thinks he’s worth nothing and weak. Ever since he got parts of his body replaced, he also questions if he’s even really human anymore, reacting especially aggressive when someone calls him a robot.

Backstory:

Xaviar grew up in a rich family with two younger brothers. Due to their successful and wealthy status it made them targets in the eyes of people who felt mistreated, gangs and other criminal groups. While his parents always warned him about leaving home without any sort of security, Xaviar ignored them until the day he was kidnapped and held for ransom.

Due to his family refusing to pay ransom, Xaviar was supposed to be killed, but managed to free himself and fight his kidnappers. However this quickly escalated and ended in an explosion that killed almost all of the kidnappers and injured Xaviar heavily.

But even in that condition, his family did not pay his treatment, leaving it to Xaviar to pay everything on his own and making realize then that without money you’re nothing and that it’s the only thing you can rely on.

Despite that however he never founded his own company, instead traveling from company to company who often searched for any way to get rid of him due to his cocky behavior.

His little travel eventually led him to Innova Corp. where every employee immediately started hating him in the span of a few days. However, the boss is too afraid to catch a bad reputation by firing him so this is where Xaviar resides for now. That doesn’t mean however that his boss doesn’t send him to a certain life threatening parable.

Xaviar and the parable:

Before we go into the specific people and how Xaviar thinks of them it should be of note that Xaviar does not like visiting the parable. It creeps him out, it makes him question his sanity and he would rather not think about half the things he witnesses there. Yet he still continues to work there for the money. His job is being the middleman between Innova Corp. and Black, informing the narrator over new business ideas, opportunities and offering some advice.

Black:

Xaviar doesn’t know what exactly it is about the Narrator that creeps him out more. The eyes? The height? The weird heavy feeling he gets whenever he’s around? Maybe all of it. Fact is that the Narrator has his whole respect and attention whenever he grazes Xaviar with his presence.

Stanley:

Now Stanley is another story. His introverted attitude and slightly malnourished look don’t exactly make Xaviar respect him in any way, if anything he’s below him. Still, Xaviar is aware of Blacks and Stanley’s relationship and therefore does his best to be as nice as possible to Stanley in the Narrators presence. That fake smile however immediately drops when they are alone.

The Children:

The stuff of Caviars nightmares. You would have to pay him very good money to get him anywhere near these monstrosities. Unfortunately he had a meeting with one right on his first day in the parable which left him a bit traumatized even though he didn’t even saw it’s face. If anything keeps Xaviar out of the lower levels, it’s them.

The Maiden:

While they are still creepy to Xaviar, he doesn’t fear them as much as any the Children. They are robots, they work on calculations and orders. He knows as long as he doesn’t accidentally get on Blacks bad side, he doesn’t need to fear them. They even protect him. So he’s a lot more relaxed with them. At least after he got used to them randomly showing up out of now where.

Mariella:

Much like Stanley, he doesn’t have an ounce of respect for her, but he stays away. There is something about this woman that makes him think that she wouldn’t hesitate to stab or beat him up right in the spot.

I don’t know Xaviar, maybe it’s because you have a very punchable personality

Other Blank Script AU Self Inserts and Xaviar:

Sies ( @corelex):

Since Sies gives him a similar vibe to Black, he is decent enough to know when to back off with the short jokes. Yet, he also doesn’t get as appalled from her as from the others, as he understands her to some degree or at least what it’s like to be judged based on rumors. He’s also trying to get to hire her as her bodyguard but fails miserably.

Steve ( @xandyprojects):

While the chef is by far one of the most neutral inhabitants of the parable, Xaviar can’t help but get slightly nervous whenever he takes a knife in his hand. Steve’s no food gets wasted rule and his spoiled mannerisms also slightly clash which often ends in him getting picked up like a wet cat.

To you others out there, I’m always happy to let our sillies interact more🫵

Other Fun Facts:

Xaviar loves to skateboard and is quite good at it

Despite his declaration that children are like the plague, he likes them (but would never admit it)

he goes to therapy

Xaviar gets freaked out by fire and loud noises

Xaviar can often be seen scratching or brushing over his prosthetic arm

he doesn’t like looking into mirrors

Despite trying to avoid his family, he still visits their parties to keep up his image

He would scam you

he’s the type of businessman who you immediately shut the door in the face

Xaviars cybernetic face parts can extend into a full face mask, but he rarely uses it as it makes him look even more inhuman

Other images:

Bonus:

X, my self insert Maiden who I’ve been neglecting lmao

WOW YOU HAVE REACHED THE END!! Can you tell who of these two OCs is my favorite? /silly

@blackkatdraws2

[befuddled-calico-whump]

putting one more Cinderglass drabble request in your askbox (i am so sorry for the spam but i’ve been thinking about them nonstop aghfsk). again, feel free to ignore this!

i‘d love to see Sarah help Lex work through a panic attack or a traumatic flashback! maybe either so that he doesn’t have to drown himself in alcohol about it or she’s helping and calming him down while he’s drunk

Wildefire Masterlist

cw: alcoholism, emeto, hallucinations, withdrawals

He'd been sober for thirty seven hours.

Not long at all, really, but it was something, and he was trying, and it was fine.

Well, it was fine for thirty seven hours.

Outright quitting was the only thing Lex dared to do. Trying to just cut back wouldn't work, because what was cutting back? He didn't keep track of how much he drank anymore, he just drank until he felt like it was enough. Even just trying to regulate himself to one a day seemed risky business. Would he be able to stop, once he started?

He didn't want to find out.

Lex didn't tell Sarah, didn't want her saying it was a bad idea or insisting on staying with him. It was a rough ride ahead, and he didn't want to somehow hurt her in the throes of his panic or sickness. He... He didn't want her to see him like that.

So he locked himself in his room, told her not to bother him this week, that he'd be busy. The safehouse was old and decrepit but huge, and his room had a small bathroom attached, something he was doubly grateful for now.

He stocked his room with water bottles. It was impossible not to think of Sarah whenever he looked at their plastic cases now, Sarah staying up until early daylight, because she was worried. That was good. He could use his guilt there as a reminder; a reason to hold out.

He sipped at them and stared at the wall, every light in the room on, the old radio Sarah had gotten for him positioned at the foot of his bed. She'd given him a battered CD case with it, packed full of a few dozen discs. A Guns n Roses album was currently in, playing just loud enough to pull his thoughts.

She's got a smile that it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories

By now, Lex was pretty good at doing nothing, letting himself sink into the thankfulness that nothing was being done to him. Even a year after the Tower and weeks free of Uriah, the talent hadn't faded. Day one turned into night, and he didn't dare fall asleep. Just swapped one CD for another and let his mind cling to the lyrics.

Too late, my time has come

Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time

It was around hour twenty two that the headache started, and it only got worse from there. Not long after that, Lex was clinging to the toilet bowl, heaving up the half-dozen water bottles he'd drank throughout the day, his head swimming, the pit in his stomach insisting couldn't he just do this later? Would it hurt to have one drink, to get rid of this shitty feeling?

No. All or nothing.

He moved the radio to the bed, putting his ear to the speaker, trying to drown out everything else. The album came to an end, and he replaced it with another, as quick as he could without scratching the disc with his stupid metal fingers.

Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile

The girl with the kaleidoscope eyes

Fuck. He just needed to hold out, just for a few days, and this would be over. A little self control, and maybe he could call himself worthy of the people here. Not a loose end. Not an ex-enemy or a liability. Something better.

Lex wrapped the sheets around himself, held the pillow over his head to try and ease the pounding in his skull with the pressure. It didn't help. He almost fell asleep, but the nausea pulled at his stomach and his skin was crawling and too hot, and then he was throwing off the blankets; stripping down to his boxers in an effort to ease the heat.

Exhausted but unable to find sleep, he sat with his back against the cool wall and sipped water, trying to find the lyrics again and hold them.

I don't really want to stop the show

But I thought you might like to know

That the singer's gonna sing a song

And he wants you all to sing along

It didn't help, it wasn't enough. His own body was fighting him, roiling nausea and sickness insisting all he needed was one drink and it could all go away, it could all be okay (fray, gray, stay).

The radio hummed as the CD came to an end, a few seconds passing before the album began again.

What would you think if I sang out of tune?

Would you stand up and walk out on me?

At long last, his own exhaustion was catching up to him, and he dragged himself back onto the bed, the heavy feeling in his chest spreading to his eyes and mind, as the music faded to a buzz and sleep overcame him.

He woke in the Tower.

It was impossible, he knew it was, but the fear seized him all the same, the crushing weight of walls he couldn't escape, the knowledge that this time, there would be no one to free him; this time he was here for good.

And the floor was wrong and Lex knew there was never music, but he fucking knew where he was.

He sat up, wincing at the sharp pain that rang through his skull at the movement, forcing down rising nausea. No one here cared if he was sick, if he was hurt, they'd hurt him more anyway, they'd do what it took to keep him down, keep him in line. He wrapped his arms

(Arms? It's wrong, stop, you aren't---)

around himself, squeezing his torso with a pressure that wasn't comforting. He felt shaky, blurred, weak. Had they drugged him?

(just one drink and this all goes away)

He tried to reach for the techniques he'd used to get through the days, tried to remember the things he'd done to stay sane, to stay alive, but any useful memory fell through his hands like sand, leaving nothing but the shadows, the nightmares (snares, glares, spares).

He knew what happened here, in his cell (hell). He knew what was waiting to spring on him at any moment, what would surely come for him if he let his guard down (drown), if he fell asleep, if he---

"Morning, scum."

Lex froze as the door swung open. Morning? But it was so dark, but it was always dark, the light never hits you here, and when it does there are worse things waiting---

"I knew you'd come crawling back. This is where you belong, it's home."

He could hear the voice clear as day, but couldn't see its owner. It didn't sound like Wade. It almost sounded like...

"Alexei. Did you really think you could hide from me?"

Uriah Fox stood over the bed, a smug smile plastered on his face.

"No," Lex choked out. "Y-you can't--"

"You always knew it would end this way."

(Fray, pray, stray)

He climbed onto the bed, straddling Lex, easily pinning him despite being so much smaller, despite Lex being so much stronger, and he couldn't move, he couldn't breathe---

"Lex."

The pressure in his chest faded, and he gasped for air, squinting into the dim light, unable to make out anything. A hand fell onto his shoulder, giving it a light shake, and he flinched back.

"Sorry."

Sarah? He forced himself to breathe deeply, ease his eyes open. Her silhouette was blurry above him, and it was only then that he realized he was crying.

He brushed the tears away hastily with the back of his hand. "You... You should go," he managed to say.

She sighed. "I'm sorry if I scared you, I just... I heard you... screaming. Not loud or anything, but..." She tapped her earlobe. "Can't get much past these."

He swallowed, trying to push himself into a seated position, but his shoulders shook, his stomach twisting, and he fell back onto the pillow.

"Lex..." She bit her lip. "You could've told me. You know you don't have to do this alone."

He almost laughed out loud at that. What other way was there? It was his body, his choices, his mistakes. He'd drowned himself for too long, hoping it could save him, knowing it never would. He was reaping his rewards. No one else should have to deal with the mess that was him.

"I'm not your problem," he murmured, letting his eyes close again. What could she do, besides be there to fill the silence when music wasn't enough? Besides grounding him and telling him it wasn't real, he wasn't there?

"You're not a problem, Lex," she said, her voice serious. Tired. How late was it? Even trying to be fucking better, he was still screwing up her life.

"I just want you to take care of yourself, okay?" She kicked at an empty water bottle. "Is this the best way? I'm glad you're trying, I am, but don't you think it'll be easier on you if you come downstairs and hang out?"

He didn't want any of them to see him like this. "What good would that do?"

"Distract you, for one. For another, it'll be easier to remember meals. When's the last time you've eaten something?"

He sank further onto the bed, his gut twisting again at the thought of food. "I don't know."

"And have you been drinking anything besides water?"

"No, that's--that's the whole point, I'm not---"

"That's not what I meant. Electrolytes? A protein shake, maybe?"

"No," he answered after a moment.

She dropped her eyes, a grimace tugging at her mouth though she seemed to be trying to hold it back.

"Do you not think I can do this?"

"I think you're punishing yourself," Sarah said. "And I think you should stop."

Was he? His head spun almost too much to think about it. This wasn't self-inflicted punishment, it was cause and effect. It was something he had to get through if he ever wanted to move past the Tower.

"It'll be over soon," he muttered, and he hoped he was right.

She dipped her head, pressing her lips together tightly, and pushed off of the bed, moving to sit cross-legged on the floor.

"Sarah..."

"Look, I don't wanna push your boundaries, but I can't leave you like this. It's not safe."

"It'll get worse from here."

"Which is why I'm staying." She gave him a stern look. "If you want to be alone, I'll leave, but I'll be right outside your door."

Lex clenched his jaw. "I'll be fine."

"You're detoxing. You're already feverish. What if you start seizing up?"

"Then I've already dug my own grave."

"Lex." Her expression darkened. "You can't keep doing this."

"This is the only time--"

"Not this. Self-destructing. You..." She did grimace then, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You keep hurting yourself, and I can't keep watching."

He pressed his cheek further into the pillow, knees drawing to his chest. "Then why do you?" he said. "Why haven't you thrown me out yet?"

The words came out too angry. Accusatory. His own fault. Any filter he had was lessened by the pain in his head and the nausea and the fucking exhaustion. He didn't want her to throw him out, he... he needed her. Not in some bullshit emotional way, but as a reminder that there were still good things. Things worth fighting for, worth living for.

"I'd never throw you out," Sarah said, her expression turning to something that bordered playful. "I like you too much for that, you know. I just..." She exhaled through her nose, pushed soft dark hair over her shoulder. "I want you to try, okay? Can you agree to try to do what's best for yourself? To stop taking the harder path just because?"

Could he? Even if he wanted to? The harder path was what he was used to. Less traveled, less trapped. Suffering for a goal was a habit. Muscle memory.

Would the path to freedom be as clear if there was no pain to pave it?

Still, something in her voice pulled Lex to nod against the pillow. "I'll try."

Her smile shifted to something more genuine. "That's all I'm asking." She began to push herself up. "I'll, uh... I'll be in the hall then. You are eating breakfast in the morning, mister."

"You... You don't have to do that," he started.

"Do what? Bring you food? Or stand guard? I already said I'm not leaving you alone--"

"You don't have to stay in the hall." Lex swallowed (followed), and it took him a second to form the words. "You can stay here. If you... If you want to."

Her expression softened. "Yeah. I do."

She found a spare pillow and blanket in the room's closet and began to settle down on the floor beside him, picking out a new CD to start the music playing again.

While we're on the subject, could we change the subject now

"I'm here if you need me."

"I know." I need you.

It was a paradox. The easier path to recovery, to a clear head, to control being the more difficult one. Because it was untravelled. Because he almost felt he didn't deserve it, that he should bear the punishment for his own vices.

But even if the path was unchartered, he had a guide. For once, he didn't have to walk it alone.

oh, and we carried it all so well

•°•°•

Tag List:

@whumpacabra @enteredin2eternity @kixngiggles @whumpsday @kiichu @whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump @shywhumpauthor @distinctlywhumpthing , @bloodinkandashes , @fleur-alise , @whumpy-daydreams , @whumpwillow , @honeycollectswhump , @snakebites-and-ink

[astrodances]

Oooo for the drabble thing how's about

"Would you kill me if I sent you flowers?"

and you know this just oozes scroldie 😆

Yes, it most certainly does!! 😁 And thank you for the prompt!

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day, and I hope you enjoy this! 💜

AO3 link here

_____

The Love Language of Nature

Want to send a special message to your Valentine? Say it with flowers!

Goldie’s eye caught on the flier taped to the inside of the window in front of her. She’d been walking through downtown Duckburg, between errands, heist-planning, and errands for heist-planning, doing some window-browsing. Every window display was making her painfully aware of the upcoming holiday, yet she still took time to take note of things she couldn’t help but want to get for her special someone. Because of course she would.

The flower arrangements displayed before her were admittedly beautiful, and Goldie had seen plenty to compare around the world in her years. But these were close, were here, and the store offered free delivery with purchase if booked a week or more before the big day.

And the flier’s implications were making it all the more tempting. It listed a whole slew of flowers, and their special, hidden meanings.

She wasn’t the best with words, she knew that; maybe flowers were her love language?

Browsing through the list still, she pulled out her phone and asked Siri (Louie had given her a smartphone 101 walkthrough a while ago, insisting that she needed to “up her tech game to at least the basics, c’mon” if she was going to pull off schemes in the modern age, and especially with him) to call Scrooge. She couldn’t wait around for him to answer a text (which she was very good at, thank you very much) lest she lose her nerve.

It took him three rings to answer.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Sourdough. Would you kill me if I sent you flowers?”

“That depends, are they poisonous?” Scrooge asked, not missing a beat.

There was an elevator ding in the background on his end, then more of an open din, and Goldie knew he was at the Money Bin. She automatically turned to the behemoth structure in the distance, as if it would amplify their conversation, and her ensuing indignation.

She let out an offended squawk. “Hey! No they are not, thank you, but if you’re gonna be like that, then never mind!”

He laughed, and the sound reminded her why she did want to send the flowers, darn him. “Hey, it wouldn’t be the first time,” he unfortunately had to point out.

“Yeah, well...”

So sending him a bouquet of lilies, tulips, and lupine from a mythic beast’s wedding from the Underworld to rid herself of a curse hadn’t been her finest hour.

He lived.

“Would you kill me if I sent you flowers?” Scrooge asked, reversing the question.

A blush bloomed through her cheeks instantly. “I...n-no...” So much for not being cursed - her heart was getting softer by the second these days, it seemed.

“Then there’s your answer, dear. Look at you, being so thoughtful.”

Goldie’s brain was ready to self-combust at that, but she had to recover some of her dignity as this call came to a close. A quick, stabilizing breath, and- “Yeah, yeah, just try to forget this conversation ever happened, Sourdough. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Sounds grand.” There was a squeak of his old desk chair as he sat down. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Despite the teasing, the warm smile was what remained as Goldie hung up and scanned over the flower list once more before strolling into the flower shop. The air was intoxicating with lovely, fresh scents - heck, all flowers were poisonous if they made her feel like this, this...light, giddy, and airy, and despicably drunk with love.

“Hey there, welcome to Rhoda’s Dendrons! Anything I can help you with today?” the young duck with curly black hair behind the front counter asked.

Goldie’s roving gaze snapped to her as she approached. She tapped a finger on an identical flier from the window that was laminated and taped to the counter’s glass top. “Yeah, I’d like to order some flowers for delivery...”

_____

On the evening of Valentine’s Day, an elaborate arrangement of flowers sat atop Scrooge’s dresser in a tall, multi-tiered golden vase. A pamphlet version of the store’s flower guide, with the bouquet’s choices checkmarked with hearts in a sugary pink ink, laid waiting on the floor next to the bed, its seal broken despite the bashful protests the sender had put up for its recipient to wait to read until the next day (or until her near-impossible death, thanks immortality).

(She had insisted that the pamphlet be included, on a whim of courage, because as embarrassed as she would be, she was also pretty sure he wouldn’t have a clue about the language of flowers, as far as she knew.)

And thankfully, he had read it (as she sat next to him on his bed in half-mortification, half-burning-desire, holding his hand and looking away, his own squeeze growing stronger by the second between sounds of amusement and adoration), because she had been immediately bombarded with hundreds of loving kisses when he finished reading, and now they laid entangled together, happily exhausted, utterly closer in heart, and basking in a symphony of floral aromas.

On the pamphlet, the following flowers were checked off:

Blue salvia - I think of you

Dahlia - good taste

Heliotrope - eternal love, devotion

Lady’s slipper - capricious beauty

Lilac - joy of youth

Pink rose - happiness

Red camellia - you’re a flame in my heart

Red carnation - I admire you and am missing you

Red rose - love, I love you

Red salvia - forever mine

White camellia - you’re adorable

White chrysanthemum - truth

White clover - think of me

Yarrow - everlasting love

[starsandgutters]

Good morning! May I ask for prompt 42 "true love's kiss/breaking a curse"?

Also can't wait to see the secret project, have a good day! :)

42. True love's kiss/breaking a curse [read on ao3]

I was still debating what curse to go with for this while I was writing for my Grease AU prompt. I accidentally typed Geese AU in the summary for it and so divine intervention (my clumsy typing) demanded I turn Aaron into a goose.

Aw thanks, it's my fall exchange piece so secret because of that hehe

CWs: Goose inflicted violence

There is an annoying honking sound in Kevin’s dream. The longer it persists, the more annoying it gets, until Kevin realises it is actually his alarm. He reaches out blindly for his phone, fumbling with it. Squinting open his eyes, Kevin glares at his phone screen when the honking fails to cease. There is no alarm currently on his phone. He blearily looks to his side. There is a bird standing right next to his bed. It honks at him.

Kevin does the only reasonable thing his sleep hazy mind can think to do. Which is squawk loudly in alarm and try to escape the menacing figure which has teeth what the fuck.

Nicky finds him almost at the top of the bunk bed ladder, still yelling in alarm. Also maybe a bit of hope the sound will scare off the bird. The bird has tilted its bird head and is watching Kevin. Birds don’t really have expressions, as far as Kevin is aware, but he does feel like he’s being judged.

“Holy shit,” Nicky says. “Why is there a goose in our room? Hey, Aaron, why is- Where’s Aaron?”

“I don’t know,” Kevin says, kicking out a leg at the goose. His foot comes nowhere near it, as it has not moved from where it is standing by the bed. The goose looks at Nicky and honks. Nicky squeals, and Kevin feels better, because at least he didn’t scream like a four year old girl.

“Move, Kevin, move. Let me up.”

Nicky has to text Andrew SOS BIRD EMERGENCY BEDROOM PLS HELP. Andrew finds them both huddling on the bunk bed, staring down at the goose. The goose tilts its head back and looks up at them. It shuffles, feathers puffing up like it is annoyed. Turning, the goose pushes the desk chair back. It jumps up, wings fluttering, sending papers spilling off the desk in a flurry. The goose then hops up on the desk. It stretches its head to look into the bunk bed. Nicky squeals and Kevin squawks and Andrew slowly pushes the door open. 

“Why is there a goose in your dorm?” Neil asks. The goose hisses at him in response. 

“It’s attacking us. Andrew, get rid of it,” Nicky says, pressing right against Kevin’s side. The goose honks again and hops off the desk. It waddles over to Andrew. Andrew pulls one of his knives from his armband. The goose takes a step back. It hisses. It looks around the room, before tapping its beak against Kevin’s laptop.

“Hey.” He sticks his head over the side of the bed. “Stop that.”

The goose taps more insistently. 

“Hey! Andrew, stab it.”

“I’m not going to stab it.”

“Why not? It’s threatening us,” Nicky says. 

“I’m not killing a goose in the dorm.” 

Giving up on Kevin’s laptop, the goose starts pushing things around the desk with its beak. It finds a pen and fumbles, trying to catch it with its creepy goose teeth. Clearly having some trouble. 

“It’s armed,” Kevin says. “If you kill it now it’s self defence.”

“Wait.” From the aerial view of the top bunk, they can see the goose is trying to scribble with the pen. Nicky gasps. “I think it’s trying to write.”

“How did a goose even get in here?” Neil asks. Andrew steps forward across the room. The goose has managed little more than a squiggly arrow. It turns its head to check its work and makes a sad goose noise. With some effort, it scratches a line across what it has already drawn. Maybe Kevin is dreaming after all. Andrew lifts the shape of paper. He rotates it. Neil steps up behind him. “Kind of looks like an A.”

The goose honks, pen falling free from its mouth. Andrew lowers the paper and stares blankly at the goose. The goose makes a low rumbling sound and goes back to pecking at Kevin’s laptop, trying to push it open. Neil, because he is an instigator even when it includes poultry apparently, reaches out and pushes the lid of the laptop open.

“Hey! If it eats any of my keys, you’re replacing them,” Kevin says. The goose stretches up and starts to peck a series of keys. It repeats the pattern over and over. 

“Oh shit,” Nicky says. “It’s typing Aaron.”

The goose lifts its - his? - head and honks victoriously.

“No,” Kevin says. The goose - definitely not Aaron, surely - looks at Andrew, then crosses to the other side and pokes at a pile of clothes on the ground. Aaron’s clothes. That they all overlooked with the big bird distraction. 

“Oh my god, Aaron’s a goose,” Nicky wails.

“He’s not a goose,” Kevin argues.

“It would be so funny if he were a goose,” Neil says. The goose hisses at him in response. Andrew says nothing.

“Okay, if you are Aaron, honk twice,” Nicky says. The goose does so. “See?”

“That could just be a coincidence,” Kevin says.

“Okay then, honk twice for yes, once for no. Are you Aaron?”

“Honk honk.”

“That doesn't mean anything.”

“Are you just randomly making noise?”

“Honk.”

“You’re just projecting the answer you want to hear,” Kevin says, and suddenly the goose starts flapping his wings and hissing, raising his neck up towards the top bunk. Andrew looks at him evenly. He kneels down. The goose stops flapping. He stares back. Andrew holds a hand out. The goose tilts his head, staring at the hand. He makes a soft whistling sound, taking a step back from Andrew’s hand.

“You have the same eye colour,” Neil says, looking between Andrew and the goose. 

“And it does seem to especially not like Neil,” Nicky says. The goose hisses in assent.

“We’re going to have to come up with a rota,” Andrew says, rising to his feet.

*

Being a bird sucks ass. Aaron is used to being overlooked and talked about like he is not there, but usually he can just go about his business by himself. It is very hard to get on with things when he has no arms. He’s currently waddling around the kitchen of the dorm, trying to work out if he can feed himself, since no one else seems to have considered the fact he did not get to eat either breakfast or lunch as a goose.

“No Coach, I am not fucking around,” Nicky says over the phone. “I’m not! Andrew will back me up. Andrew.”

Nicky hands the phone across to Andrew. Andrew lifts it to his ear, looking blankly at Aaron as he answers: “Yeah. He is.” 

A beat of silence.

“I’m certain.”

The volume of Wymack’s voice picks up over the line. Aaron can’t hear what he’s saying, but he can imagine it is plenty colourful. As Nicky takes the phone back and discusses with Wymack that he’ll need Abby to cover Aaron’s absence from classes until they can work out how to “ungoosify” him, Kevin brings his laptop out and sets it on the kitchen island. It had taken him far longer than Nicky to come down from hiding on the top bunk, and even now he looks wary, standing at the far side of the kitchen from Aaron.

“What do you even do with a goose? We can’t keep you in the dorm.” Kevin looks back at his screen. Aaron stretches his neck, waddling closer. Kevin clutches his laptop and steps away with a distressed sound. Aaron pauses. Part of him wants to lunge at Kevin because it’s hilarious, but he fears he is going to have to rely on other people until he gets his hands back again, so probably best not to make an enemy of one of his best allies. Aaron steps back, making a low, unhappy sound. He doesn’t entirely know how his vocalisations work. Half times the noises that escape his throat surprise even him. “Tch. Fine.”

Kevin tilts his laptop towards Aaron, and Aaron can see he is researching geese. He shuffles closer, arching his long neck to get a better view.

“Apparently geese are really social birds. Doesn’t sound like you.” Kevin huffs. Aaron tries to give a stern side eye. He is not sure how effective it is with his bird eyes. It doesn’t feel like he can narrow them, but he can definitely blink. “Bet you didn’t think you could get any shorter.”

Aaron hisses. Kevin frowns severely at him.

“Hey. Stop that.” 

Aaron pads closer. Kevin retreats again. Aaron wishes he could roll his eyes as a goose, but instead he takes advantage of Kevin abandoning his laptop to try and type on it. Kevin does not like this either, trying to shoo Aaron by waving a hand at him. Aaron parts his beak and bares his teeth. Kevin swiftly pulls his hand back. Aaron types out: casnj geersee b link n The result flags up: Including results for can geese b linkedin. Aaron honks in displeasure. 

“Good job,” Kevin says sarcastically, and retypes: can geese blink? Aaron is quietly satisfied that Kevin knows what he wanted, even if Google didn’t.

Do geese blink? The answer is yes, but they do so in a way that is quite different from the way humans blink. Geese keep their upper and lower eyelids open and instead draw their third eyelid, called the nictitating membrane. This special membrane sweeps across the eyeball and helps to keep the eye of the bird moist and clean.

“You have a third eyelid. That seems excessive,” Kevin says. Aaron bites his arm. Kevin yelps and pulls away from him, even though Aaron definitely only caught his hoodie sleeve. “Is it safe for us to have him in here? What if we get bird flu?”

“Wouldn’t Aaron have to get bird flu first? He hasn’t been around other birds,” Nicky says.

“It would be pretty funny if he got bird flu,” Josten says, grinning when Andrew sends him an unamused look and Aaron hisses at him. Aaron turns back to Kevin and honks, trying to explain that the chance of getting bird flu even from an infected bird is pretty low. Of course, because he is currently a bird, the message does not really translate.

“Stop making that noise at me,” Kevin says, while typing signs of bird flu in geese. “Sudden death. Helpful.”

“He does not have bird flu,” Andrew says.

“You know, geese apparently only usually live around twenty years,” Kevin says quietly. A hush descends over the room. A heavy moment of realisation of what that might mean if Aaron is stuck as a goose. It’s an entirely unhelpful line of thought. Aaron tells Kevin as much, hoking loudly.

“Don’t be sad, Aaron.” Aaron would like to tell Nicky he is not sad. He is irritated. He thinks that should be clear in his tone of honk. “We’ll get you back before you die.”

“And the oldest goose in captivity was forty nine,” Kevin adds in a voice that suggests he thinks this is helpful information. “So even if you’re stuck as a goose, you could have a good twenty plus years still.” 

Aaron moves to bite Kevin again. He squawks in protests and takes off across the room to hide behind Andrew.

*

Kevin opens the door when the knocking that has been persisting for the past three minutes does not stop.

“What?” he snaps, door halfway open, only to freeze when he sees who it is. Katelyn puts her hands on her hips, expression one of fierce annoyance Kevin has never seen on her pretty features. 

“Is Aaron here?”

“Uh.” Technically, yes. “No.”

“Honk honk!”

“What was- Do you know where he is? Or if he’s okay?”

“Oh, he’s just not feeling great at the moment. Maybe he’s at Abby’s.”

“He’s not. I already checked with her, and he’s not replying to my messages. Even if he were sick, he’d get back to me.” Her expression softens into concern. “Is he alright?”

“Ah. Yes. Maybe he doesn’t have his phone-”

“Honk!” 

Katelyn yells out in surprise as Aaron sticks his goose head past Kevin’s leg. Kevin tries valiantly to push him back. Okay, maybe he kicks him a bit, but come on. How are they supposed to explain this? Surely the less people that know, the better. Aaron seems to disagree, biting Kevin on the soft flesh at the back of his thigh. Kevin makes an undignified sound. Aaron didn’t bite hard, but he’s sensitive there, and even the light nip is enough to have him jumping aside.

“Is that a goose?” Katelyn takes a hesitant step back, but she looks interested in the bird. 

“Yes.” Kevin’s teeth are grit. He glares at Aaron, but Aaron is ignoring him, waddling slowly closer to Katelyn, head lowered. Katelyn goes very still as Aaron walks to her side. He leans his head against her waist, looking up at her. Kevin’s unimpressed frown deepens. Oh, so he gets bit, but Aaron is going to be all cute with Katelyn? Double standards. When Kevin was the one that actually looked up what geese eat and made sure Nicky didn’t poison Aaron.

“Why do you have a goose?” Aaron honks softly. Slowly, Katelyn lifts her hand. When Aaron doesn’t move away, she brushes two fingers over his feathered head. Aaron makes some weird, quiet, guttural sounds of contentment, and a brief smile flickers across Katelyn’s face. Her voice softens, low and sweet. “Hello you.”

Kevin folds his arms and looks at Aaron with all the disapproval he can manage.

“Oh, Katelyn. Hello. You told her about Aaron then,” Nicky says as he comes through from the bedroom.

“What?” Katelyn’s head snaps up. “No, that’s what I’m here to ask about. Where is he?”

“Uh, right beside you.” Nicky points at the goose. 

“You’d better come in,” Kevin says, sighing as he puts a hand to his face.

*

“So I’m supposed to believe Aaron turned into a goose.”

Aaron has stuck close to Katelyn’s side since she came into the dorm, protective. When she sits on the couch he positions himself by her feet like a loyal guard dog, or guard goose, eying Nicky and Kevin. Kevin looks incredibly pissed off. If he even thinks of taking his bad mood out on Katelyn, Aaron is going to bite him again. 

“Yeah, it’s a bit insane,” Nicky says.

“A bit?”

“But it’s true,” Kevin says, voice sharp. Aaron gives a warning hiss. 

“He can type,” Nicky says. “Get your laptop, Kevin.”

“Why does it always have to be mine!”

Aaron explains that it is because none of them have had the good sense to give him access to his laptop, but since this comes out as a series of honks, he goes ignored. Kevin stomps his way through to the bedroom in a huff, but delivers his laptop, opening up a word document. Aaron works very, very hard to purposefully type one key at a time, going slow to try and not overlap others with his beak.

Hio

“Sometimes he hits extra letters. Due to the beak.”

Aaron doesn’t think it’s necessary for Kevin to explain this, but since Kevin is good at correcting his typing, he lets it go. He might need Kevin’s assistance.

“This doesn’t mean anything,” Katelyn says, pointing at the laptop. “You could have just trained a goose to do that.”

It nis mew 

Kevin reaches down and corrects Aaron’s typing to it is me. Aaron bobs his goose head in agreement. Katelyn arches one eyebrow, focusing her no nonsense gaze on him. It is a look she knows he always caves beneath. Aaron stares back unfaltering, because he is not lying to her.

“Prove it. Type something only you would know.”

1sr anniversssrt earringvfs

“I think he’s trying to say-”

“I get it,” Katelyn cuts Kevin off. “The earrings he gave me for our first anniversary. Shit. It is you.”

“Honk honk.”

“Two honks mean yes,” Nicky says. “One means no.”

“How did this happen?”

“We don’t know.”

“Oh, Aaron.” Katelyn very gently takes his little head in her hands, smoothing her thumbs over his feathers. “Are you okay?”

Aaron considers this. On one hand, no. He’s very much not fucking okay, because he is a goose. That’s not great. He doesn’t love that. On the other hand, he’s physically fine otherwise, and he doesn’t want to worry Katelyn.

“Honk honk.”

“Being a goose aside?”

She gets him. Even now. Even since they split up six months ago and Aaron turned into a goose, Katelyn still gets him. He adores her for that.

“Honk honk.”

“Can I do anything?”

Aaron nods. He turns back to the laptop. He types clkass noites. Katelyn laughs, a breathy, disbelieving sound. She kneels down beside him on the floor, wrapping her arms around his torso.

“Yeah. Yeah, Aaron. I can get you class notes, but you’d better get back to yourself, okay? We’re supposed to be doing this together, remember?” Katelyn draws back. There are tears in her eyes. Aaron ruffles his wings, wanting desperately to reach out and stroke her cheek, wipe away any of those tears that may fall. All he can do is flap his wings helplessly. “I don’t know that they’ll let a goose into med school.”

Aaron honks softly. He presses his head to her cheek, nuzzling against her. Katelyn sniffs, but she blinks the tears back, smoothing a hand over his back feathers.

“You’re gonna come back, yeah? I’m not giving you a choice.”

“Honk honk.”

“Yes. That’s the attitude I want to see.”

“Do you want to be on the rotation?” Nicky asks. “We have a timetable for taking care of him.”

*

Kevin is afraid at some point someone will check the Fox Tower CCTV and they’re going to get in shit for taking a goose in and out of the building, but, well, they can’t really keep Aaron cooped up all the time. Pun unintended. Kevin carries him downstairs, ignoring Aaron’s initial protests when Kevin scoops him up. 

“Fuck off, Aaron. Can you not put your beak near my eyes? Do you really want to try and walk down the stairs with your bird legs?”

Aaron makes a fuss of honking, clearly trying to communicate something, but goose is one language Kevin does not speak, so he ignores him. 

“Yeah yeah, honk honk.”

Aaron hisses. Kevin jostles him an unnecessary amount in response for a few stairs, but he is concerned about actually hurting him, so after that he slows down and readjusts Aaron more securely in his arms. Since, you know, he could turn human again at any point, and if he gets injured as a goose, that might carry across to his human form, which would impact his ability to play exy. No other reason.

“What are you doing?” Neil asks when Kevin comes out of the building carrying Aaron, his jacket thrown over him to obscure him.

“Well he can’t walk down the stairs.”

“Elevator,” Andrew says bluntly, and Aaron honks twice in agreement. Ah. So that’s what he was trying to say earlier. “Why have you dressed him? We told Nicky not to do that.”

Nicky had decided it would be hilarious and adorable to try and dress goose Aaron in his human clothes, until Kevin had pointed out he probably needed his wings to balance. Having them pinned inside a t-shirt was putting him at risk. Aaron biting Nicky had also been discouraging. They’re not actually true teeth that Aaron has. Kevin has learned this in his goose research. They are serrated cartilage protrusions on the tongue and beak called tomia, but they function similarly to teeth. Kevin constantly wishes Aaron could have turned into a bird with a less destructive peck. A chicken, for example. He would be much easier to transport as well, and Kevin feels like in general people would ask less questions about a rooster than a fucking goose.

“I was just trying to hide him from the cameras. We’re not supposed to have pets in the dorms.” Kevin sets Aaron down. Aaron steps away from him, ruffling up his feathers, hissing in protest. “Yes, I know you’re not a pet, but other people won’t know that.”

“Why are you talking to the goose?” Neil asks.

“I’m talking to Aaron.” Kevin pulls his jacket on, frowning at Neil. Just because Aaron can’t talk back in a way Kevin always understands doesn’t mean he should just ignore him. Andrew is watching him with an expression Kevin can’t read, eyes moving over Kevin’s face. It makes Kevin’s skin feel a touch too tight. He clears his throat. 

“So, we should probably take him somewhere he can run around and get some fresh air.”

“I don’t particularly want a bird in my car,” Andrew says, and Aaron ruffles his feathers again, wings and neck extended. “You’ll have to go in the trunk.”

Aaron hisses.

“What if I go get a towel to lay over the back seat?” Kevin says. He can see the point of putting a goose in the trunk, but then he thinks of doing the same thing to Aaron, and it feels kind of shitty. Andrew hums thoughtfully, then nods. Kevin sighs, but turns to jog back upstairs again.

*

They take him to a park. It’s late enough there’s no one else there. Aaron feels awkward with them all watching him as he waddles around, but it actually is nice to get out of the dorms for a while. He always has to be so careful. There’s not much room for him to spread his wings without hitting into something. He can properly stretch out here, flapping experimentally.

“Oh my god, Aaron, can you fly?” Nicky asks. 

“Yes. Geese can fly long distances. They can also engage in unihemispheric sleep while flying. That’s when one side of their brain rests and the other remains active.”

“You’ve learned an awful lot about geese,” Josten says, narrowing his gaze at Kevin. Kevin huffs and folds his arms defensively. 

“It makes sense we should do research.”

Geese cannot smile, which is probably a good thing, because Aaron fears he wouldn’t be able to hide his at that. 

“Try flying!” Nicky runs over to him, flapping his hands like wings. Aaron takes a step back. He doesn’t know how to fly. He doesn’t want to fall, and he feels self conscious with all of them watching him. Most birds learn from their parents how to fly; Aaron does not have that generational knowledge. Despite this, a part of him is curious about what it would be like to fly. 

“Honk.”

“Aw, come on. Everyone wants to fly. You actually have the chance, you’re not even going to try?”

“Honk.”

“Wasted opportunity.” Nicky throws his hands towards the sky. 

“There’s a pond here. Geese are meant to enjoy swimming,” Kevin says, walking to the edge of the water. Aaron looks at him blankly. As if he is going to get in some cold, dirty pond. He doesn’t know what’s been in there. 

“Go on, Aaron.” Nicky tries to shepherd him towards the water. Aaron hisses and flaps his wings in warning. He pads off around the edge. It’s the furthest he’s been able to walk on his bird legs, and he does feel a bit unsteady at the increase in speed. He makes his way over to Andrew, if only because he’s certain he won’t try to make him engage in any stupid bird behaviour. Aaron still leaves a safe metre between them, knowing Andrew doesn’t like to be crowded. Andrew observes him levelly.

“Do you even want to be here?”

“Honk.”

“We’re going back,” he says, pulling his key out of his pocket. 

“What? But we just got here,” Nicky says.

“Now.” Andrew gets in the car without another word. Josten looks at Aaron like he’s going to say something, but decides against it. Nicky pouts as he makes his way back. Kevin uses the towel he brought to clean any mud off Aaron’s feet, then lifts him into the middle of the back seat. 

Aaron settles himself down. He knows from his and Kevin’s research that geese can sleep with their head tucked in behind their wing, but it always feels unnatural to his human mind twisting his neck like that. He’s tried, but he has ended up mostly sleeping with his head resting on one of the beanbags or the arm of the couch. He tries it again now, but once again finds it uncomfortable. Kevin touches his neck, guiding his head to his thigh without saying anything. Aaron is in what would be concerningly close proximity to Kevin’s dick if he were human, but it feels less weird like this. 

As they drive back towards the dorms, Kevin draws his fingers along the back of Aaron’s head and down his neck, a surprisingly pleasant sensation. Aaron goes still in the hope Kevin will keep doing it, and is rewarded as he pets him the rest of the way back to the dorms.

*

“Brought your notes from Katelyn,” Kevin says when he comes through the door. “Did Nicky just leave?”

“Honk honk.” Aaron waddles across the room to Kevin, biting the edge of his shirt. Kevin’s no longer afraid when Aaron races towards him, or puts his beak near him. Even though Aaron has bitten him quite a few times. It’s never that hard, usually just Aaron’s way of making a point rather than actually hurting him. The same way Aaron would punch him in the arm sometimes, but never hard enough to bruise. Right now Aaron tugs on his shirt. 

“Show me what you want.”

Aaron makes his way to the bathroom. Kevin opens the door for him. Aaron pecks the glass of the shower. Kevin opens it and he hops in. 

“Oh. You want a shower? I suppose we don’t have a bath. You do kind of smell.”

Aaron hisses.

“You do! I’m just telling the truth.” Kevin unhooks the shower. He aims it away from Aaron as he turns it on and tests the heat, then crouches down and holds it over Aaron. “Do you know how to clean your feathers out?”

“Honk.” Aaron tries to stretch his wings out, but there’s not enough room in the shower to expand them fully. He ruffles his feathers. He ducks his head up under the flow of the water, then shakes it rapidly, sending water droplets everywhere. Kevin laughs. He turns the water off. Aaron honks in protest.

“One minute.” Kevin strips off. Aaron starts to honk much louder when he reaches to remove his underwear. “Grow up. We’ve used changing room showers together before.” 

Aaron hisses, baring his tomia. Kevin doesn’t really believe Aaron would bite his dick, but he thinks it is better not to test that. 

“Fine. I’ll keep the underwear on if you’re going to be such a baby about it.”

Kevin gets in the shower, closing the glass door behind him to keep the water from spilling out. He sits cross legged on the floor beside Aaron, water seeping through his briefs. Aaron shuffles around to face him. Kevin turns the water back on and holds the shower head up, running it over Aaron. He uses his fingers to gently part Aaron’s feathers, running water between them. He’s not entirely sure if this is the right thing to do, but he read that geese preen themselves in water with their bills to get clean, so he assumes they must push through their feathers with their beaks.

“Apparently, you’ve got an oil gland around here.” Kevin touches the base of Aaron’s tail. Aaron puffs up his damp feathers. “And you’re supposed to spread that over your feathers to stay dry and keep parasites away.”

Aaron honks.

“Well, you’re probably safe from parasites. Considering you live in a dorm.”

When they get out of the shower, Kevin towels himself down first. Aaron ruffles his feathers and shakes off in the shower, but Kevin gives him a pat down when he gets out as well. He’s got the afternoon shift with Aaron while everyone else is in classes. He flicks through the TV channels until Aaron honks for him to stop. Kevin leaves the TV on for him and stretches out on the couch to read part of his book. Aaron flaps his wings, jumping up on the couch over Kevin’s legs. Kevin lowers his book, looking at Aaron.

“Did you just fly?”

Aaron puffs out his wings and honks.

“I think you did. Have you done that before?”

“Honk.”

“Do you think you could fly across the dorm?”

Aaron’s head turns, surveying the space. He shakes his head.

“I guess it is quite small. You would probably have enough room at the court. Don’t look at me like that. You would. Do you want to try? Wouldn’t be anyone else there at this time of day.”

Aaron is quiet for a long moment, before he honks twice. Kevin smiles. 

“Right. Just have to smuggle you to the court.” This is easier said than done without a car. Kevin puts Aaron in his duffle bag, his head still sticking out. He drapes his jacket over him, hushing Aaron’s honking protests, and hauls him across campus. His shoulder does not love the increased weight, but Kevin has experienced worse pain. He manages. Once they’re in the court, he lets Aaron out. Aaron shuffles around for a few moments, stretching out after being trapped in the confined space of the bag. 

“Okay. I think you need a running start for take off.” Kevin jogs along beside Aaron as he waddles down the court, expanding his wings experimentally. Aaron flaps them, catching small periods of air, but always landing back on his webbed feet. He stumbles the first few times, then seems to get the hang of landing after his airborne bouts. They make it to the away side of the court without Aaron flying any real distance. “Are you scared?”

“Honk!”

“Then stay in the air longer.” Aaron hisses and snaps at Kevin, but Kevin is used to the pattern of this by now. He steps back, a smile cutting across his face. “Come on, Aaron. You got this.”

*

Aaron tilts his head, observing Kevin curiously. It is not often Kevin is so encouraging, and he seems practically giddy in his support of Aaron’s flying endeavours. It makes him feel less nervous about it. Aaron turns himself around, fluffing his feathers up. He knows how to get into the air now, is familiar with the feel of his wings, but he lied to Kevin. He is scared. He’s afraid he’s going to get to a certain height in the air and then forget what to do, or have his wings give out, or not know how to stop. He doesn’t want to plummet down. His legs are not particularly sturdy. He’s not sure how they will cope with him crash landing from any height.

Aaron steadies himself, then takes off running. He stretches his wings out, honking as he flaps them, pushing off the court floor with his feet. This time he tucks his legs closer to body and flaps his wings hard, a bit unstable, but definitely flying. Kevin cheers, running alongside Aaron until Aaron outpaces him. He quickly remembers he’s in a court surrounded by plexiglass though, and he soon runs out of room. Aaron tries to turn, but he’s not used to navigating in the air. His body slams into the plexiglass, and he flaps his wings helplessly to try and slow his descent as he falls down.

He hears Kevin hit the ground, and he also slams into the plexiglass, having slid on his knees across the court to get below Aaron in time. He doesn’t so much catch Aaron as Aaron falls on top of him, but it breaks his fall all the same. Aaron honks weakly. Kevin groans. He shifts to lean his back against the plexiglass, gently adjusting Aaron until he’s upright in his lap.

“You okay?”

“Honk honk.”

“Should have known that wouldn’t be far enough. Geese can fly up to forty miles an hour, you know. Seventy if they catch a strong tailwind.”

Aaron is torn between affection and exasperation. On one hand, he really does not want to hear about this after he almost concussed himself. On the other, it is touching that Kevin is the only one in their group that has bothered to research geese for him. Well, the only one that admits to it. Aaron has a feeling Andrew also has.

“Do you want to play some exy?”

“Honk.”

“I know you can’t hold a racquet, but you could push a ball around with your beak. Could be good exercise. Ow, okay, okay! Stop biting me. We can go back to the dorms.” Kevin pushes himself to his feet, brushing off his clothes. He looks down at Aaron and smiles; a softer, warmer smile than Aaron is used to seeing from him. Aaron ducks his head. “You did fly though. Even if it wasn’t for very long. That’s pretty cool.”

Aaron bobs his head and honks softly. That is pretty cool.

*

“Mmm.” Kevin burrows further into his pillow, ignoring the soft, nasally, barely audible honks by his ear, and the cold sensation on his neck. For a wild moment he thinks it is Aaron, his fingers always so, so cold, before he remembers Aaron doesn’t have fingers anymore. The cold brush of contact turns into a bite, and Kevin shifts away. “Hey.”

He squints his eyes open angrily, rubbing the side of his neck. As usual, it is not a hard bite, but he doesn’t want to explain if he gets a bruise on his neck. Oh, sure, no big deal, just a hickey from my goose teammate. Don’t worry about it.

“What?”

Aaron pecks at Kevin’s blanket. Kevin tries to bat him away. Aaron bites and pulls the duvet down.

“Aaron, stop.”

Aaron honks softly, waddling back from the bed, bobbing his head. His white body is illuminated by the streak of light coming through the dorm curtains. He looks like a ghost. A goose ghost. Kevin rubs his hands over his eyes. 

“Do you need the bathroom?”

“Honk.”

“Then what?” Kevin’s voice is whiny, but he does roll out of bed, pulling on a hoodie over the shorts he’s sleeping in. Aaron shuffles excitedly at the sight of Kevin getting up, waddling out to the living room. Kevin trails after him blearily, still barely managing to keep his eyes open. Aaron points his beak at the door. “You want to go outside?”

“Honk honk.”

“Why?” Kevin shakes his head, since obviously Aaron can’t tell him. He lifts Aaron, hiding his body inside his unzipped hoodie, pulling it around him as best he can. A half assed effort to hide him, but Kevin is too tired to care. He puts Aaron down when they get outside, and Aaron takes off with as much speed as his goose feet can manage. Kevin jogs after him. “Where are we going?”

Kevin doesn’t get his answer until nearly ten minutes later, when they arrive at the football field. Aaron runs ahead. He takes off into the air, and Kevin understands now. He wanted to try flying in the open air. Somewhere he wouldn’t hurt himself. Kevin tucks his hands into his hoodie pockets and watches as Aaron lifts into the air. He doesn’t go too high, not much higher than Kevin’s head, but he clears the length of the football field in little time. There’s a few moments where he disappears from Kevin’s view, and Kevin’s heart rate picks up. What if the longer Aaron is a goose, the more bird-like his brain gets? What if he instinctively starts to migrate now he is in the air, and Kevin has to explain to Andrew that he lost him?

While Kevin is worrying about this, the pale shape of Aaron’s goose form cuts through the night air, making his way back down the field. He tilts his body up and flaps his wings more as he approaches Kevin’s side, trying to slow down and land. He does not manage this with much grace, landing hard on his legs and tumbling over. Kevin can’t help but laugh. Aaron hisses at him.

“That was cool. Was it fun?”

“Honk honk.”

“I always wanted to fly. Used to imagine getting out of the Nest and just flying away.” 

Aaron struggles back to his feet and comes over to Kevin’s side. He lingers, hesitant for a moment, before pressing his body to the side of Kevin’s leg.

“But the Master made sure to keep his Ravens’ wings clipped.”

Aaron gives a low, sombre honk.

“It’s okay. Over now. You want to try again before we go back?”

“Honk honk.”

“Go on then. I’ll race you,” Kevin says, knowing he has no chance against the swift power of Aaron’s wings.

*

Aaron is getting very bored of his goose diet. According to Kevin’s research, they mostly eat plant matter, and thus he has taken to cutting up raw vegetables for Aaron. To be fair to Kevin, he does make an effort to vary it. Putting chunks of carrot in with Aaron’s leafy greens, holding a banana for him to eat as a treat, he’s even scrambling eggs for him this morning.

“I mean, you’re supposed to scramble them so the geese don’t associate their own eggs with food and go cannibal,” Kevin says to Nicky. “Which isn’t an issue with Aaron, but I thought he’d rather have them cooked.”

“Honk honk!”

“It’s cute how serious you take your goose sitting duties,” Nicky says. Aaron hisses at him. He personally thinks Nicky could stand to take his goose sitting duties more seriously, rather than constantly trying to put Aaron in funny outfits and take cute photos of him. At least Andrew treats him largely the same as he did when they were human; which is barely taking much notice of him at all, but Aaron takes less offence from their silences when he can’t talk anyway. 

“Aaron would do his best by us,” Kevin says quietly. Aaron’s not entirely sure if he would, but it’s nice of Kevin to defend his character. He shuffles over and presses against his leg. Kevin smiles down at him. “I’ll get some strawberries today. They’re supposed to be a good treat.”

“Honk honk.”

“Yes, I know you like strawberries. That’s why I’ll get some.”

“I think you just pretend to talk to him,” Nicky says, leaning down so his face is closer to Aaron’s. “There’s no way you know what he means.”

Aaron snaps at Nicky’s nose. Nicky almost falls backwards.

“He’s quite good at letting me know.” Kevin tilts the pan down so Aaron can see it. Kevin is a disaster in the kitchen. The eggs are just barely a step away from liquid. “Does this look okay?”

“Honk.”

“Longer?”

“Honk honk.”

“Okay.” Kevin sighs, putting the saucepan back over the heat. Aaron moves back to stand by his leg again. Prime position for his sous chef duties, after all. No other reason.

*

“So, we found out what happened,” Neil says. His eyes are far too bright. Kevin doesn’t like it. It is the kind of expression Neil has when he’s enjoying something other people very much will not enjoy. 

“What?”

“It was never meant to be Aaron,” Andrew grits out. He is the opposite of Neil. His expression is pure darkness. It doesn’t look much different from Andrew’s usual expression, but Kevin can sense the sheer anger beneath the surface. Aaron pads over to Andrew, his goose feet smacking on the ground. He looks up at him, honking inquisitively. 

“Basically, Andrew offended this girl in his class-”

“I kindly informed her that her boyfriend was cheating. Which, as she later discovered, he was. I was being helpful.” 

“And it turns out she’s like a witch-”

“Witches don’t exist,” Kevin says.

“Kevin.” Neil looks purposefully at Aaron. Aaron hisses at him. 

“Yes, okay.” Kevin sighs and rubs his hand over his eyes. He would have argued people don’t get turned into geese a week ago. His knowledge of what are acceptable truths in the world is obviously no longer up to date.

“Anyway, she was trying to curse Andrew and got Aaron instead.”

Aaron starts honking loud and angry. Andrew looks at him flatly. Neil rolls his eyes. Nicky gasps, hand to his mouth. 

“Stop that,” Kevin says. “That’s not solving anything.”

Aaron hisses at him. Kevin hisses back. Aaron tilts his head, baffled by that.

“So, what, he’s stuck as a goose forever now?” Nicky asks.

“We know how to break the curse,” Andrew says.

“Yeah, she so kindly told us with some… gentle encouragement.” Neil grins, a sharp and vicious thing. Kevin purses his lips.

“So?”

“True love’s kiss,” Andrew says grandly. He leaves it to hover in the air between them all for a few moments for extra impact. “Cliche.” 

“But Aaron and Katelyn broke up!” Nicky looks at Aaron with big, wide eyes. Aaron shuffles backward, drawing his head closer to his body, looking between them all. He bumps against Kevin’s legs, looking at him upside down. “It would have been better if she’d got you, Andrew. At least you have Neil.”

Neil looks at Andrew with a barely repressed smile. Andrew purposefully does not look back at Neil.

“So what do we do?” Kevin asks. 

“We should get Katelyn to kiss him anyway,” Nicky says. “Just in case. Maybe she’s still his true love, and this will show their breakup was a mistake, and they can get back together! I’ll go call her.”

Andrew exhales a long sigh out of his nose. He and Neil have some conversation with their eyes. Neil nods.

“We’re going to go talk to the girl again. See if there are any other potential fixes. She said she couldn’t lift the curse, but maybe we just weren’t persuasive enough.” 

Aaron has gone very quiet at Kevin’s shins. Andrew looks back at him once when he’s at the door, before he and Neil leave. Nicky is talking to Katelyn on the phone in the kitchen. Kevin runs his fingers over the back of Aaron’s head. Aaron starts, looking up at him. 

“We’ll work something out,” he says, with a confidence he absolutely does not possess. Aaron makes no noise. He shuffles to the living room and tucks himself small against the side of the couch until there’s a knock at the door. 

“I don’t know that this is going to work,” Katelyn says, twisting her braid around her fingers. She looks at Aaron, her mouth pressed into a thin, grim line. “I hope it does, but-”

Aaron gives a small, sad honk of understanding. Kevin’s chest hurts. He really, really wants Aaron to not be a goose anymore, but there is a small, twisted part of him that will also be quite bitter if Katelyn’s kiss is what brings him back. Kevin knows how Aaron was in the wake of that breakup. He is still not entirely happy with Katelyn after that, even if she and Aaron seem to have moved past it.

“Come back for me?” Katelyn kneels down on the floor beside Aaron, taking his head in her palms. She leans in and presses a kiss to his head, leaving a pink lip gloss kiss mark on his white feathers. They all wait with baited breath. Nothing happens. “Maybe it has to be on your beak?” 

Katelyn kisses him again, but it doesn’t work. She dots more kisses over his head and bill with increasing urgency, until Aaron pulls away from her with a protesting honk. Katelyn sniffs, closing her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she says, voice thick. Aaron presses his head to her cheek, nuzzling against her, murmuring small, comforting sounds. 

“Aw, boo, there goes my rom com ending,” Nicky says.

“So what do we do now? We can’t just get random women to kiss him in the hopes one of them undoes the curse. How will that work? Just kiss our goose. It’s not weird, we promise. Tch.” Kevin folds his arms, expression sour. 

“Kevin,” Nicky says, looking between him and Aaron, who has gone quiet and still in Katelyn’s arms. Kevin frowns. Aaron slowly draws himself back. He presses the side of his head to Katelyn’s cheek once more, then looks at her for a long moment, before shuffling off to the bedroom. Katelyn nods, getting to her feet.

“I’m sorry,” she says, voice quiet. “I really wanted that to work.” 

“It’s okay.” Nicky walks her to the door. “It’s not your fault.”

Kevin feels horrible for the curling satisfaction in his gut, but guilt does not cancel out the fact the feeling is very much still there.

*

Aaron is hiding, which is not really a very mature way to deal with things, but he doesn’t get a lot of privacy anymore. The only time he really gets left alone is when everyone is at practice, or the very few occasions they all have class at the same time. He’s tucked himself under Kevin’s bed and is trying to read some of his class notes by the light leaking in from the room, but he can’t really focus. He’s too busy thinking about the fact that he’s probably going to be stuck as a goose forever, forever being his now limited goose lifespan, and that it’s a huge waste of his time to even be trying to keep up with his class notes, as geese can’t go to med school.

Despite his poultry melancholy, a part of Aaron is relieved. It shattered him when he and Katelyn separated, and it has taken a long time to piece back together the broken shards of them in a way where they are no longer cutting themselves against the sharp edges. Had Katelyn’s kiss worked, Aaron is not sure where they would have gone from there. He has processed their breakup. He has moved on. He is grateful to have Katelyn in his life as his friend now.

It’s just a shame best friend’s kiss can’t undo curses. No, it always has to be true love. Aaron is not sure true love exists for him. He’s half convinced he’s fundamentally unlovable, really, at the core of himself. Too much damage from his childhood.

“Aaron?” Kevin lies down on the floor, looking under the bed, and Aaron realises he’s been making soft rumbling cooing sounds without realising it. “What are you doing in there? Hiding?”

“Honk honk.”

“We’ll find a way to fix this.”

“Honk.”

“We will. We have to. I need my best backliner back. The freshmen can’t carry us.”

Aaron hisses. Kevin smiles; but it is a tight, unhappy kind of smile. He reaches his hand under the bed. Aaron stretches his neck out and rests his head on Kevin’s skin.

*

“Still no luck,” Kevin says when he comes in from class. Aaron is nesting in one of the beanbags. His head perks up when Kevin comes through the door. It feels strange to Kevin now that he was scared of him once. He finds Aaron’s goose form adorable now, automatically smiles at the sight of him. Usually. He doesn’t smile now, with the news he’s bearing. “Can’t find her again at all.” 

Kevin drops his backpack by the couch and flops onto it, putting his palms over his eyes. He sighs, long and drawn out. He hears a fluttering of wings, then feels the warm weight of Aaron landing on his shins. Aaron fluffs up his feathers and settles between Kevin and the back of the couch. Kevin goes still at the close contact. The main weight of Aaron’s body is tucked in beside his thigh, but his neck is so long his head is resting on Kevin’s chest. It’s a bit of an awkward position. If Aaron would just move his weight to Kevin’s hip instead..

“Here.” Kevin pushes his thigh against Aaron until he’s forced to shuffle on top of it, then bends his leg to push Aaron further up. “Just- Here.”

When Aaron lies down again, his head is resting in the dip of Kevin’s collarbone, his feathers grazing Kevin’s jaw when he turns to try and look at him. 

“There. That’s more comfortable for both of us.” Kevin pulls Nicky’s throw blanket off the back of the couch because he knows Aaron is always cold - or was always cold as a human, anyway - and he’s not sure if his feathers keep him as warm as he likes. Aaron honks softly, tilting his head up so his beak bumps against Kevin’s neck. Kevin draws careful fingers along the back of his neck, smoothing his hand out over Aaron’s back. He’s got a distinct bird scent, but Kevin’s gotten used to it. It doesn’t bother him anymore. “We’ll look after you. Even if you are stuck as a goose. But I really hope you’re not.”

Aaron pushes his head up, the top of it nuzzling against Kevin’s cheek. Kevin turns his head automatically. Later, Aaron will accuse him of doing it on purpose, but it is without thought that Kevin presses a kiss to Aaron’s feathered head. Just some secret soft desire to express affection making itself known. Aaron honks softly, and the suddenly he starts to feel very warm where he is pressed against Kevin. A bright flash beams in the room, forcing Kevin to shut his eyes against it. Aaron’s body is radiating an unnatural amount of heat, and then he is a heavier presence sprawled across Kevin’s chest, his breath shaky on Kevin’s cheek.

“Shit.” Aaron’s voice is hoarse with disuse. He clears his throat. Kevin’s eyes shoot open.

“Aaron!”

“Uh. Hi.” Aaron’s cheeks are pink, but he’s grinning as he looks at Kevin. “This is awkward.” 

It takes Kevin a moment to realise what Aaron means. Of course his clothes fell off him when he turned into a goose, so in reverse… Kevin tightens the throw blanket around his shoulders.

“That doesn’t really change the fact my dick is against your thigh,” Aaron mutters, but he’s still smiling, like he can’t help it. Giddy relief is pouring out of his body language.

“After you wouldn’t even let me in the shower naked with you.”

Aaron tries to press his face against Kevin’s shoulder, but the significance of this has just occurred to Kevin. He catches Aaron’s face in his hands, tipping it up.

“Hey. You’re back. You’re human again.”

“Well noted,” Aaron says dryly. His tone is contradicted by the fact he is rapidly going from pink to bright red, freckles popping against his flush. Kevin can’t help but return his grin. 

“You turned back when I kissed you,” he says quietly. Aaron tries to turn away again, but Kevin keeps his face in place. “That means-”

“Shut up.”

“I won’t shut up, because I’m your true love.”

“Oh my god, maybe the bane of my existence also works,” Aaron says, pushing Kevin’s wrists down so he can burrow into the space between him and the couch. Kevin twists them so Aaron ends up trapped between him and the back of the couch. 

“Hey!” Aaron grabs at the blanket, fixing his glare on Kevin, but Kevin only sees it for a second because then he is kissing Aaron. On his mouth this time. His very human mouth. Lips warm and soft, tongue tasting of strawberries when Kevin finally gets him to open his mouth for him.

*

Aaron initially resists when Kevin kisses him. For the principle. Though his hand has kind of already been played, considering the whole magical transformation thing. Can’t really keep your cards close to your chest from the person who broke the curse only true love’s kiss can break, can you? Aaron’s still a bit put out that, out of everyone, it is apparently Kevin Day he is stuck with as his true love, but the way Kevin is kissing him with full enthusiasm may be swaying him. By maybe two percent. Kevin’s going to have to keep working hard for a long time if he wants to get that percentage up to one hundred.

“You are so annoying,” Aaron murmurs.

“I’m your true love,” Kevin repeats, sounding way too thrilled about that.

“That means I’m your true love too.”

“Does it? I mean, I broke your curse. You’ve never broken a curse on me.”

Aaron tenses immediately. He presses himself back from Kevin, but there’s nowhere really to go with the couch at his back. He’s very, extremely aware of his nakedness, feeling at a distinct power disadvantage in this situation. 

“What?” Kevin’s eyes flick over Aaron’s face, concern creasing his brow. “Aaron.”

Aaron shakes his head. He starts to sit up. He feels like a damsel clutching the blanket to his chest. It is all very demeaning, which is saying something, considering he has been a goose for the better part of the past week. 

“Aaron.” Kevin sits up with him, hands on his shoulders through the blanket. “What is it? Do you just want to get dressed? Why have you gone all quiet?”

“Doesn’t matter. This is stupid. Thanks for degoosifying me, I guess. Whatever.” Aaron swings his leg over Kevin and stumbles off the couch. It feels weird to be on human legs again. He staggers on his first step. Kevin jumps up after him, sweeping Aaron into his arms bridal style. Aaron shoves at his chest.

“Put me down.” 

“Aaron. Come on. You have your mouth back. Talk to me. Did I do something?”

Aaron looks Kevin directly in the eyes and very purposefully and flatly says: “Honk honk.”

Kevin’s nose scrunches up, and then realisation dawns.

“I was just being a dick. I mean, I don’t know that I believe in true love, but I do… I do love you, Aaron. Obviously. I mean. Do you know how much research I did on geese? I wouldn’t do that for just anyone. And I was kind of happy when Katelyn’s kiss didn’t work, even though I shouldn’t have been, because I didn’t want you to be a goose anymore. Geese don’t make for good backliners.”

“Oh my god.” Aaron turns his head and bites Kevin’s shoulder. He’s glad to have his human teeth back. He can feel the solid meat and bone of Kevin better as he presses them into him.

“Hey.” Kevin laughs, drawing his shoulder back from Aaron. He shifts to hold most of his weight with one arm - Aaron really shouldn’t find that as attractive as he does - and tips Aaron’s jaw up with the other, bumping their noses together. “Some things never change, huh? I’ve missed you.”

“I was right here.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I missed me too.” 

“Are you going to say it back?”

“Do I need to? Does you breaking my curse not say enough?”

“I’d like to hear it.” Kevin noses at Aaron’s cheek. Aaron tries his best not to smile. He fails.

“Ugh, I love you, you annoying asshole.” 

“Maybe you shouldn’t get dressed,” Kevin says, securing both his arms back around Aaron and shifting him further up in his arms. “Maybe I should just get undressed too.”

Aaron rolls his eyes, but he’s still smiling as he curls his arms around Kevin’s neck and kisses him again.

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

Can you make a list of fics where prim lives, she could have never gone to the capital or survived the bombing just in the end she is alive, please and thank you

Hello!

Sorry, this took some time! I knew there were some out there and wanted time to gather them but I still struggled to locate them so I'll be updating as I find more!

Burned Bread and Wilting Petals-SpringSagittaria (ao3) Summary: This is an alternate post-Mockingjay story. Changes were made from Mockingjay: Peeta was never hijacked, Finnick survives, and Prim isn't injured in the Capitol bombing- Peeta is. Katniss is still forced to remain in District 12 while Peeta is stuck in the Capitol. She’s devastated and misses him. The story starts 1 month after Katniss, Prim, and Haymitch arrive in District 12. There are lots of happy changes, but Peeta deteriorates mentally. It will get better, but slowly. Curious Kat-MissprissHG (ff.net) Summary: While on the Victory Tour, Katniss suddenly becomes very curious and Peeta is the only one who she feels safe enough to ask. Will he answer her questions? Will he show her what she wants? Find out how Katniss explores her newfound sexuality with Peeta. Mature content. I'd Fly the River-loveleee (ao3) Summary: Haymitch sighs again. “Well, no point in dragging this out. I got a phone call yesterday.” He pauses. “The boy’s coming back.” (Prim didn't die, Katniss didn't burn, Gale didn't sin…and Peeta comes back to District Twelve three months after the end of the war. Post-Mockingjay AU.) Sing You Back Home-thesweetnessofspring (ao3) Summary: After the war, Katniss returns to Twelve with her family and Gale following close behind. When Haymitch tells her that Peeta plans to move to District Four after his therapy is complete in the Capitol, Katniss has to figure out how to rebuild her life without her dandelion in the spring. “We had to be. In the Games…” I stop, unable to go further. I can’t speak of it. I’ll fall apart if I do. Instead I concentrate on the slanting of the sun through the window, but somehow even that feels connected to Peeta, of our day lounging on the roof with the sunshine in our hair. A day that we’ll never see again. I was supposed to be dead, though, for those days to end. “Yes. Yes, those horrifying experiences you two had together. You had to depend on one another during those times.” “Always,” I whisper. “Not just when there were cameras. I always needed him.” Slaughterhouse (Seven) Five-quothme (ao3) Summary: "Our next move," Peeta says, "is to kill me." 7 things that should have happened at the end. Slow and Steady Wins the Race-PoppedTheP (ff.net) Summary: Over the years he waits to stop feeling like a five year old with a crush around her. He doesn't. AU. Prim & Peeta weren't Reaped. Without Hunger Games throwing them together will Peeta get a chance with his dream girl? Oneshot. Moments from their lives. Sure thing-kardamon Summary: "She remembers fire. Not the comforting fire glowing at the hearth that provides warmth and light during long winter nights or the exhilarating, beautiful flames Cinna used to dress her into, but angry, scorching blaze of explosion that burns everything to the ground. Sometimes she thinks it was white-hot and blinding. Sometimes she’s sure it was red as blood. Sometimes she cannot get rid of the idea that it was black and cold and swallowed her whole." (the one where Prim lives)

Happy reading!

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please feel free to send an ask!

-E

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: A girl with dangerous magic makes a risky bargain with a demon to be free of her monstrous power in this young adult fantasy perfect for fans of An Enchantment of Ravens and House of Salt and Sorrows.

Liska knows that magic is monstrous, and its practitioners are monsters. She has done everything possible to suppress her own magic, to disastrous consequences. Desperate to be free of it, Liska flees her small village and delves into the dangerous, demon-inhabited spirit-wood to steal a mythical fern flower. If she plucks it, she can use its one wish to banish her powers. Everyone who has sought the fern flower has fallen prey to unknown horrors, so when Liska is caught by the demon warden of the wood—called The Leszy—a bargain seems better than death: one year of servitude in exchange for the fern flower and its wish.

Whisked away to The Leszy’s crumbling manor, Liska soon makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain, and all her predecessors have mysteriously vanished. If Liska wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her taciturn host’s spool of secrets and face the ghosts—figurative and literal—of his past. Because something wakes in the woods, something deadly and without mercy. It frightens even The Leszy…and cannot be defeated unless Liska embraces the monster she’s always feared becoming.

Review:

Howl's Moving Castle mixed in with Polish mythology and so much more. This was a gorgeous story filled with magic, romance, dangerous monsters, and deals with demons and old gods. Liska is a girl cursed with uncontrollable magic, every time she lets it out someone ends up hurt... or dead. In an attempt to finally get rid of it she decides to wander into the woods to make a deal with a demon. But deals with demons always comes with a cost... so when she meets the Guardian of the Woods, Leszy, he asks for one year of her servitude in exchange for her magic. For one year she will live in his manor and work under him and to her surprise he even begins to train her as his apprentice. One year should go by right? For a village girl shunned by everyone in town for being a "witch" Liska strangely begins to feel like she has found a home for herself with this strange demon and his sentient house and talking cat. Liska and Leszy are polar opposites, she is sunshine while he is darkness, she is a curious and open while he has so many guarded secrets. Yet Liska finds herself drawn to his secrets and his past, trying to figure out why he wants her magic and what happened to the previous apprentice who lived her as well as why a mysterious ghost dog keeps haunting her at night. Liska discovers more than she could ever imagine about the demon boy she lives with and that beneath his gruff exterior lies a boy who is cursed. Liska discovers that Leszya got his power from a deal with a powerful demon himself and that he gave his heart up... yet if she wants to save the boy she has begun to fall for she'll have to break his curse and save his heart before it's too late. This was an absolutely fantastic and stunning read, I adored this book so much, It's such a perfect read for fans of Howl's Moving Castle and Uprooted, it's got a great world and the relationships between the characters was absolutely perfect. My only thing is I wish there was a bonus chapter or a bit of an extended epilogue so I could see more of Liska and Leszy together again after everything. I just wanted one more happy scene for them after everything they went through so badly because I love them so much. I seriously loved this book and can't wait to recommend it!

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[goji-pilled]

MK-S: (Unmarked talk about the final boss of the Elden Ring DLC ahead, but you already know about him. This warning is more for anyone else reading. Though feel free to PM me if you’d like me to resubmit this ask with any redactions, if you want to respond but don’t want the spoilers mentions, as I just saw you were censoring spoiler information.)

I was randomly thinking one day and decided to give myself a challenge to defend Miquella’s actions. (I don’t agree with them, but that’s what makes it a challenge; trying to think of things in a different way, and see if I can stumble across new ideas/theories in the process.) That’s when I realized something, and I’ll start a new paragraph for dramatic effect and intro. (Please keep in mind this isn’t my “headcanon”, but rather a possible “interpretation” of events.)

I had wondered for the longest time how Miquella’s “eternal youth” could be considered a curse. On its surface, it seems more like a minor inconvenience, especially compared to Rot. But as I was thinking about Miquella’s actions and this notion, a thought struck me: What it’s not just his body that was eternally young, but his mind/maturity? Physically unable to emotionally mature, and being stuck with a child’s outlook of the world. Now THAT could definitely qualify as more of a curse. And makes events take on a tragic new light.

Miquella seems to want to help people, like a kindly child, but he’s not able to truly grasp concepts like the importance of choice and free will. So in his mind, if he wants people to stop fighting and get along, the simplest thing to do is brainwash them and then problem solved, they stopped fighting each other. But he fails to truly grasp that he took something important from them.

Come think of it, maybe that’s what his promise with Rahdan was; if a truly young Miquella, as in only 12 years old and named an Empyrean, a god to be, sought comfort from his older half brother Rahdan, Rahdan may have made an offhand promise or agreement to help calm the distressed child. But since, under this interpretation, Miquella remains immature, then like other children he just operates under the mindset of “a promise is a promise”. So when Rahdan doesn’t follow through on a promise he didn’t really mean, or even thought was taken seriously, Miquella throws a tantrum and sends Malenia after him.

No wonder Malenia describes him as “the most fearsome Empyrean of all”; He has all these powers, he’s a genius as evidenced by the spells he’s created along with the Needle, and he’s too emotionally immature to be responsible with his gifts.

Hope this was entertaining to read. Again, I’m not saying nor suggesting “this is official, how it’s meant to be”, but just thinking about a different interpretation of the circumstances, and how those interpretations result in new stories and motivations. Good day to you!

See when it comes to Miquella I have many thoughts, especially with the vow he and Radahn made.

While I certainy see and understand the argument that perhaps his eternal youth also refers to his emotional maturity and mental state, I'm not a fan. But that's more a personal thing.

I feel like something that helps a lot with understanding him is the fact that he and Ranni are very clear parallels/foils in terms of their characters.

Unless of course someone doesn't understand Ranni either, in which case we get the takes such as "They're both evil but Ranni gets excused because she's hot" lmfao

They're both Empyreans, possible canidates to succeed Marika and become a god and when you think about it they take quite similiar paths in the end.

Ranni -> Orchestrates the Night of Black Knives in which she uses her step-half brother Godwyn to rid herself of her empyrean flesh -> Radahn and the Radahn festival play a key role -> The Tarnished essentially becomes her Promised Consort -> Age of Stars

Miquella -> Bewitched his half brother Mohg to use him for his plan -> rids himself of his empyrean flesh -> Radahn and the Radahn festival play a key role -> Promised Consort Radahn / Radahn Consort of Miquella -> Age of Compassion (Had he suceeded)

And there's of course the two most important points:

A god who forces his will onto the people, a god who grants the people true free will and their perception of love.

Love is something natural to Miquella. Love and affection are given to him freely by so many, for him love may very well have been taken granted, and why shouldn't he? Like I said everyone loved him, gave it to him freely as if it's the easiest thing in the world. And why shouldn't someone who's kind at heart wish to share this with the world? To unite all beings in a kind, gentler world.

And then he make his gravest mistake: to abandon his kindess and love. To rid himself not just of his flesh, but of the very thing he had promised to use to make the world better.

But he still wants to lead the world into an age of compassion, of love! And if someone rejects his love? Well, he'll just make them accept, makes them love him. It's better for their own good if he is the one who makes this choice for them.

Yet the truth is: What meaning holds "love" and a supposed "Age of Compassion" forced upon you by a god that cannot even love anymore?

But to Ranni? Oh to Ranni love is a precious thing. She's a carian, and boy, carians simply love at their very core. From Rennala, to Rellana, Rykard, Radahn, Ranni herself and even Blaidd: They all love. She loved and trusted her brothers, she loves Blaidd and Iji, sounds guilty when she speaks about how much they're both willing to give her, she chooses the Tarnished as her consort and let's them hold her heart in their palms. She does not give her love out lightly, because it is a precious thing, but she treasures it.

And on top of that she stands for the right to choose, to dictate your own fate without any god or order forcing their will onto you, to not be controlled by these things. That's the order she envisons, led by the moon into the dark night and far away from the world. Even if it means facing uncertainty amd being afraid, from that day on the people will have the chance to truly choose their fates without gods.

And this shows with their chosen consorts too.

Although they made a vow, it is entirely possible Radahn did not actually want to be part of this after the Shattering (unless I'm missing something), which possibly may have led to the Battle of Aeonia and could explain Malenia's line "Miquella awaits thee, O Promised Consort" right before she blooms. Even more so because I vaguely recall hearing something about Jerren and Radahn having made a promise to have Radahn die an honourable death at the Festival.

If that is the case, and the Consort Radahn we face may as well be charmed like Mohg was (it is his body too so like...) it yet again parallels with Ranni.

Because Ranni chooses the Tarnished, we are her only choice, and yet she does not force them. In fact, Ranni does everything in her power to ensure the Tarnished is well aware of everything even before she gives them the key, as shown through the conversations during the hunt for the Shadow in Nokstella. Hell, the ring itself holds a warning!!

Yet even after all of that, she still makes sure to let us know what the Age of Stars entails.

She has made her choice, and she chose us and she has been open and honest so that we can make a choice too.

I have said this before but all things considered, especislly the nature of the ring, the game could've easily locked us in the Age of Stars ending but it doesn't. And it is extremely reflective of Ranni as a character. She will not ever force us to do anything even if it means losing the chance to realize her order, even if it means experiencing heartbreak, well aware of what it can do.

Fate and love are things not to be forced no matter what, they are choices, because Ranni may have rid herself of her flesh, may be ready to betray everything, but she still holds onto her heart, her ideals, her love and the ability to love.

To Miquella love is a means to an end, a weapon if need be, and the right to choose does not matter anymore, because he not just rid himself of his flesh but of his love and ability to love. In the name of achieving godhood he has lost himself, he is but a husk with the empty ambition to fulfill a child's dream.

The worst part? Saint Trina, the part that was his love begs you to kill him, because godhood would be a prison for him.

Miquella is not evil, nor is he good.

Miquella is a tragedy.

[ratwars]

Housekeeping. Long af, but important if you give a shit about my tagging system or actively use it to filter or regularly search my blog.

When I first started this blog I didn't know wtf I was doing or how to use tumblr. However as someone who loves making things searchable and sortable I quickly fell in love with the tagging system, and started extensively using organizational tags. I quickly settled on a consistent system I have been using ever since.

I used to never talk on here either but eventually decided to do that more but when my follower count was lower (which I miss tbh) it was super obvious when ppl would unfollow me, which tended to happen after personal posting. So I created a -pers tag so ppl could shut me up but still get 24 hr reblogs. Because I did have a queue going for the better part of those 2 years.

My queue ended a couple times in the past 6 months and I haven't had the time or energy to put it back together again. I miss having it. I also have less time and energy to deal with my own tagging system causing me to do most of my reblogs in 2 parts. Drafting things when I see them. Tagging and posting them later sometimes weeks later as my drafts build up. I have been even worse about leaving compliments and comments in tags as well because of this. I am tired and busy but I miss it.

In order to combat my issues and take the burden off of myself that I put on myself, and allow me to hopefully do more of what I enjoy while still sharing lots of rbs with yall, I am doing the following:

I will no longer be consistently tagging individual bsd characters except for a few. Fyodor, Nikolai, Sigma, and Dazai (because I regularly search them on my own blog). And possibly characters who it is more of a rare treat to rb fanart of them, like Higuchi and Mori. I will no longer be tagging bsd posts that have other bsd tags in them as bsd separately (so the common "bsd fyodor, bsd fanart, bsd, would become bsd fyodor, bsd fanart.)

I will still tag new chapters on chapter release days and the day after, as well as continue to use the bsd spoilers tag for even longer.

For other series that are not bsd, I will only tag the series and no longer tag characters or use a fanart tag separately, with the exception of the dialovers Carla and Yui Komori tags.

I will no longer tag nature.

I will no longer tag quotes.

I will only use the "art" tag for non fandom related art, I will no longer use the illustration (or illlustration) tags.

I will use weirdcore or dreamcore tags but not both on the same post. It is important to me that ppl can still filter these out.

I will use -pers and -vent still, but with absolutely zero further promises that I will tag my own talking consistently. I will still put long or (things that I think would be) super upsetting under cuts like I have in the past. I will probably still delete things regularly.

I will no longer tag me reblogging my own posts as self rb.

I will keep my -whump on main tag, so ppl can filter that still. I will still tag cw eyestrain and cw flashing for accessibility. I will still tag blood and gore if it is intense and I post it here instead of my sideblog but I do not promise consistency.

I will still use my ask and tunes tags, and if I do special queues (like the friday fyo queue) I will tag those. I do plan on using my old queue tag as well or making a new one.

If I have gotten rid of anything that you actively filter please feel free to unfollow me even if we are mutuals. I also don't find it weird for people to visit my blog and interact with me without following me, so if you do feel you need to unfollow me but still want to search your blorbos on my blog, send me asks, or talk in my tags and replies, please do so and of course reblog and spam reblog from me to your heart's content. If you want to unfollow me and we have ever talked in dms before my dms are still open to you then as well. It doesn't bother me at all. This isn't so much of a new thing either in regards to my feelings about that, just a clarification I thought I should explicitly point out rn given the fact more of you might want to bail if you can't hide my bird posting for instance.

I might change or drop any of this if I feel like it. I enjoy being consistent, but I don't like feeling bound to it. And I realized I was which made me want to abandon my blog and start over without the imagined expectations. Instead I am trying this.

[button-cat]

hihiihi !! welcome !! ^^

this is a little introduction post about myself and what i will post in the future (i recommend you to read pls)

i go by Cat here (its a nickname to my actual name however i am not comfy saying my real name here :b) however I do not mind being called other things as long as it's not rude !! :D however if I don't really know you, i prefer you to call me "Cat" instead !! If we have already talked a couple or bunch of times before, you can call me other things if you want :3

I go by She/they pronouns!! pls respect it :D

I am a minor!! (not saying my age but my age is between 13-17) please don't be weird :(( i may block you if you make me too uncomfortable

I don't really have a schedule in posting, i'll just post whenever I want to :b i'll probably post my art or doodles here as well and probably other things !!

Asks are open !! u can ask me whatever you want as long as it isn't too personal !! If I feel uncomfy responding to your question, I may not respond ^^

you can send some art requests in the asks btw !! i may do some of them, depending on your request. It's most likely tho i'll do art requests of characters that I know. If I don't do your art request, i'll respond with a decline. If i do, i'll respond that i'm working on it !! If i don't respond, it's most likely i haven't seen it

please do not ask anything nsfw-related, like I said before, i am a minor

and please respect my boundaries !! If you make me uncomfortable, i will tell you and ask you to respect my boundaries ! however if you continue crossing my boundaries multiple times, (or if you respond rudely to me by confronting you about my boundaries) I may end up blocking you.

now about myself :

I am a hispanic latina !! I may sometimes mess up while talking so sorry if some things i say don't make sense ^^ you can tell me if you don't understand something i said and I'll try to explain it better !! :3

I usually play roblox !!

I'm currently quite obsessed with regretevator (mach and folly ily ❤️❤️) however there are other games im interested in like Undertale, deltarune, etc !! However it's most likely i'll post about regretevator :D

i have a pet !! he's a silly happy dog (he peed in my room 5 times when he was a few months old i think and legit left a stain on the floor in my room that i cant get rid off but i still love him)

i identify as girlflux !!

i am a greyromantic women lover (yes I'm a lesbian)

I have a bunch of ocs however i may or may not show them !!

there's not really any specific aesthetics im into!! like i really like weirdcore and cottagecore but there's probably a bunch of other aesthetics that i like that I just don't remember the name of :b

my birthday is in May 18 :3

i really like horror, especially playing horror games (even though i get scared always)

i really love animals !! they're so cute :D

i may be sometimes completely dumb in some topics so I do appreciate it if you correct me and inform me ^^ please don't be mean to me about it tho

I may be awkward in conversations- if i am im sorry !! D: i get pretty nervous for some reason whenever talking in real life or online (especially in real life tho) so i really do apologize if i am kind of awkward !!

And also another thing about the last thing i said- i may also take a longer time to respond if i get a bit too nervous- i also apologize for that !! pls don't take it personally if I don't respond right away :(((

that's mostly all !! i'll try to post daily however i may not be able to mostly because im busy with school or other personal things !

Currently at the time when I'm posting this i am going to enter winter break in a few days so i'll probably have much more free time !! ^^ don't be afraid to talk to me if u want !! i hope u enjoy ur stay here :D byebye !!

(drawing made by me btw :3)

[den-kunn]

Raycoon Lore

because I will never finish the fics I have for him.

- × - Basic Data - × -

Timeline: Inception (combination of 1st and 2nd)

Set: After Shao Kahn's invasion (MK3)

Involved Characters: Dennis "Raycoon" Raymond, "God of Thunder" Raiden, "God of Wind" Fujin, Kung Lao, Liu Kang, Commander Hotaru, The Senate.

Additional Info: Alternative Universe, Implied Character Death, Backstory, H/C, M/M, Reboot, Self Insert.

The story begins with Den waking up inside a pool in the Temple of Water, Chaosrealm. He suffers a slight amnesia as he follows a bright orange light, growing slightly conscious when he comes out, noticing his clothes are damaged and his body feels different. Nonetheless he ventures outside the temple asking for help, where he comes across a group of soldiers not so far away. Den approaches the soldiers carefully but stops the moment they draw their weapons at him, speaking japanese. He attempts to communicate but is interrupted when the soldiers surround him and knock him out.

Den wakes up in a prison cell, attempting to gather his thoughts until his memories begin to return, wondering what happened to himself as the guards take him to court.

He's given two translators, for hearing and speaking, while the gods of Orderrealm and Earthrealm join the trial. Den is charged of disrupting the guardsmen's mission and trespassing, sentenced to death by the Senate, until Fujin protests and Commander Hotaru intervenes. Hotaru suggests to keep Den alive as a test subject to develop a cure for chaos, explaining it could protect the citizens of Seido and possibly get rid of Chaosrealm entirely once and for all.

The trial changes in favor of Den staying in Earthrealm with the condition of sending him to Orderrealm regularly for examination and experimentation. Raiden signs the contract and both gods and the chaosrealmer are free to leave, not without putting an electric collar on Den.

The first week consists of Den getting to know the gods and their responsibilities. They ensure Den will be safe as long as he does what the scientists want.

The first examination is a checkup to gather every single detail of him, trying a few some tests to determine approximately his old human resistance.

The second week is about Den learning how to get used to live with Raiden and Fujin, how to keep himself busy as well as helping around the temple. It isn't until he watches Raiden and Fujin spar that he wants to train as well, noticing his body is weak and bringing up it could benefit both himself and the researchers.

The second visit to Orderrealm is a short one about getting samples.

Training starts in the beginning of the third week but is Fujin who wants to be in charge of it. It's evident Den is frustrated with his lack of progress through the week as Fujin wants to take things as slow as possible. After Den meets with Raiden during meditation, he starts to develop some feelings.

The third day of examination is about testing Den's regeneration, instructing him with the knowledge of the guardsmen who faced other chaosrealmers.

Fourth week is a more productive one as Den has motivation after the examination, asking Fujin to make his training harder to continue testing his new abilities. Throughout the week, Fujin is worried Den might feel bored of only talking with him and Raiden, so he brings Kung Lao to help him during the training.

Den instantly bonds with Kung Lao during and outside of training, both realizing they have some similarities that connects them, causing Raiden to get a small hint of jealousy.

In the fourth day in Orderrealm, Den is required to give more tissue for testing, amputating a whole arm and leg (which he immediately regenerates) and is later told next week he only has to sign up his weekly attendance.

Once he returns, the gods offer Den a training schedule involving Fujin, Raiden, Kung Lao and Liu Kang, which the chaosrealmer accepts.

As the week progresses, Den begins to feel comfortable around the gods and seeing them as friends instead of power authorities, acting more like himself.

Kung Lao introduces Liu Kang to Den and the shaolin duo teach and bond with Den, telling stories about the Mortal Kombat tournament, causing Raiden to supervise them (as well as teach Den about the history of the shaolin). Liu and Lao immediately notice how Den looks at Raiden.

During the checkout of the fifth day, Den overheard some of the scientists talk about doing tests with his brain tissue, leaving him worried.

Throughout the first days of the sixth week he has been distracted, thinking if the test could leave some permanent damage (as he never once tested if his head could regenerate) or straight up kill him. Growing fond of the friends he made these past weeks, he fears he could lose them forever after that test, getting increasingly anxious as days pass.

The last day before the examination is when Den's worries were clouding his judgment. Thankful he was alone that day, he tried to get his mind off it, being unsuccessful. At the verge of panic, he spots a familiar figure outside, meditating. It takes Den some time until he finally decided to approach Raiden to talk, hoping he would understand his situation and his worries. Assured everything will be alright, Den feels slightly less anxious.

In the sixth day of examination, Raiden takes Den to Orderrealm himself and insists on watching the procedures, stating it's his right as his god to know what is being done to him.

The checkup goes as usual up until Den is strapped to a chair. He struggles once he notices the machines approaching his face, making loud noises which the chaosrealmer tries to cover from.

Raiden asks what test will they perform on him as Den begins to visibly panic. Some of the scientists call the guards once Raiden demands an answer, which they later respond with brain examination.

Seeing Den in such amount of distress is what drove Raiden to completely overcharge the energy until the electricity was fried, leaving the entirety of the district without power. The god quickly releases Den from the room and both exit the laboratory, but they're quickly surrounded by the seidan army. Leading them is Hotaru who tries to persuade Raiden into giving Den back to the realm, reminding him of the deal they made, which Raiden complains the tests could've killed Den.

Hotaru, astonished by Raiden's boldness, reminds him the specifics of said deal, which makes the god furious. Attempting to keep a cool head, he realizes the consequences of fighting Orderrealm could be catastrophic, so Raiden did what first came to his mind: flee with Den to Outworld, where he releases the chaosrealmer from the collar with tracker, and both go into hiding.