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etherealphosphor · 9 months

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Stay With Me, Please.

⟡ Contains: Dottore x Gn!Reader, Reader has an incurable disease, Reader is married to Dottore, Sfw, Angst, No happy ending, Death, Mentions of blood

⟡ Edited <3

Dottore valued you above anything else in his life; you were his one real joy. Before he met you, his life had been dull and monotonous, the days almost seeming to blend together. Passing out at his desk after working too late into the night was a common occurrence back then. However, that wasn’t the case anymore, as his career was far from his biggest worry.

You, his lover and his number one priority, suffered from an incurable disease. That ailment caused your body to become fragile and weak, and as time went on, more and more of your strength was slipping away without any hope of recovery.

You coughed quite a bit, too; the sound made Dottore’s heart sink awfully every time he heard it. It was beyond painful for Dottore to see you in that state, and he tried his best to make life as easy as he could for you.

However, naturally, he did mess up on occasion. Although he promised to stay by your side every night and never to choose work over being next to you, he’d sometimes lose track of time. When that happened, you’d slowly walk step after step to the door of his office to ask him to come back to bed.

When he’d see you standing at the door, your legs shaking with the effort to keep standing, a wave of guilt would come crashing over him. Immediately, Dottore would drop all of his research and run to wrap you up in his arms, apologizing over and over for working as late as he did.

You’d always put your arms around Dottore’s neck as he carried you, resting your head on his shoulder. Even just walking to his office drained you of all your energy. As you two reached the bedroom, Dottore gently set you down before laying down next to you and pulling you into his arms.

He’d stroke your hair gently as you were lulled by his heartbeat, whispering to you about how much he loved you and how things would be okay. Only in those moments did you feel truly alright, as you almost forgot all about your debilitating sickness. If only things could stay the same way forever.

As the months passed, your body only got weaker. Your hands shook any time you tried to use them, and when you walked, you’d only fall over. You could feel your time slipping away. You would die, and you could only wait for it to happen. Stuck in the same bed, day after day.

All you wished for was to become even a just a little bit stronger. To regain the strength in your hands so you could pick up a hobby or two would be a miracle. But as much as you wished for your disease to be gone, nothing would improve.

Dottore could sense you were dying as well. Your cough had gotten worse as of late, and when he held you at night, your body was so fragile it was almost like glass. He was terrified he’d break you just by being beside you.

He knew something had to be done. Dottore began working all day—and some nights—on a cure for your disease. Since you could no longer walk properly, you weren’t there to remind him to come to bed, and he’d get swept up in his experiments.

On the nights he didn't end up by your side, you cried yourself to sleep, hugging your pillow for the comfort you were missing, until you eventually ran out of energy and passed out. You couldn’t let Dottore see you like this; you knew it would absolutely break his heart.

Dottore hated being away from you all day, but he felt that if he put in enough effort, maybe he could find a breakthrough. Maybe he could save you if he tried his hardest. All the time he spent away from you would pay off once he was able to cure you, right?

This was the only time in his life that he was really, truly worried about anything. And he’d never say a word out loud, but this was also the first time he doubted his abilities on a subject. You were what brought him joy when nothing else did; you were his entire world. He couldn’t lose you. He needed to try everything in his power to keep you alive.

One night, while you were lying in his embrace, you spoke slowly, your voice shaking. In recent times, you hadn’t been speaking much since your throat had begun to feel painful due to how much you had been coughing.

"Dottore.."

His eyes widened; your tone sounded serious. "Yes, my love..? What is it? Also, please try not to speak too much; I know how much it has been hurting you."

"There’s no progress, is there? In the cure, I mean. Love, I think you should just drop it at this point." You said, coughing a little.

"What? Why would you suggest that? Don’t.. don’t you want to live?" Dottore stared at you with a worried look in his eyes. He didn’t like what you were suggesting at all.

"I do, darling.. I do, but I don’t have much time left as it is, and we both know that." You stared into those deep red eyes of his. When you first met him, you thought of them as quite unsettling, but now they were one of your favorite things about him.

Dottore ran his hand across your cheek, giving you a sympathetic gaze. "Just give me a while longer, okay? I promise you, I’ll make progress, just—"

You cut him off. "No, darling. If you keep trying to cure me, I’ll be gone before you know it. Just.. spend these last few months with me, okay? I just want to make every second last with you."

Dottore’s voice was filled with concern. "But then.. [Name], you’ll surely die; shouldn’t I at least try to save you? There’s still a chance; I’ve made a little progress—I just need more time, my love. Don’t give up yet."

You put your hand on his, the one that was already stroking your cheek. "Darling, I know it won’t work; I’ve already come to terms with that. I just need your company, that’s all. I can’t die without regrets if you stay in your lab all day."

Dottore tried to object again, saying, "I—[Name], we can still spend time together. I can set up a bed in my lab for you to rest in while I work; I promise you won’t be lonely again. I have to try to save you, don’t I? We’ll never know if we don’t try, [Name]."

You felt awful; you knew that you were all Dottore had, and telling him this was making the realization sink in: he was going to lose you. He had tried to deny it, ignoring it by working on a cure, but the truth was that you were dying, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"[Name].. please. Let me try it." Dottore begged you, his eyes shimmering with tears.

It hurt you to see him like that—it really did. But you couldn’t give in. If you did, you wouldn’t be able to spend your last days the way you wished. You knew Dottore was desperately holding on to hope; he was the smartest person you had ever met, so of course he already knew that his efforts were of no use.

"Dottore.." You reached out to stroke his hair, which was something that always calmed him down. "You know that it’s not going to work, right? You’re the one who’s been studying my disease for years now; there’s no way you don’t know."

A tear fell from Dottore’s eye, and it rolled down his cheek. A couple of years ago, Dottore practically didn’t even know how to cry. He was a stern man back then who showed no weakness.

Nowadays, though, it was commonplace to see him with tears running down his face. Often times, he would lay his head on his desk in the middle of his research and let himself sob where nobody could hear him. Dottore never let you see him cry, as he didn’t wish to make you lose hope in finding a cure.

However, now that you had accepted your fate, silent tears flowed down his face. You tried wiping them away and saying gentle words to soothe him, but it seemed like nothing would calm him.

"I— I.. I don’t want to lose you, [Name]. There has to be another way, something.. anything. What can I do? I don’t want you to die. You’re my everything, [Name]. I can’t live without you. If only I could just switch our places.." Dottore’s voice was choked up, and he was speaking in between sobs.

"Dottore, my love, it’s okay. Please don’t worry so much. I still have a couple months left, maybe even a year. We’ll spend every minute together, and make the most out of what we have. That, or you can spend your time cooped up in your laboratory. How does the first option sound to you?" You continued to stroke his hair, speaking in a very comforting tone.

Dottore just nodded, tears still flowing down his face. He wanted to make you happy, but it was so hard to let go of his hope of saving you. Eventually, you and Dottore fell asleep together, with him holding you tightly.

In the month following that conversation, Dottore reluctantly dropped his research on your disease to spend all of his time with you. Winter was soon approaching, and your condition was only getting considerably worse. Dottore could feel that you didn’t have as much time left as you thought you did.

One day, Dottore woke up to the sound of your coughing. You were sitting on the edge of the bed, hunched over a little.

"Love..? What’s wrong?" Dottore asked, moving closer to you.

When you turned your head toward him, Dottore’s eyes went wide. Blood was dripping from your mouth.

"[Name], are you okay!?" Dottore took your face in his hands, gently wiping the blood off of it with his thumb.

"I’m alright, Dottore.. it doesn’t hurt too much." You assured him.

"I need to get you to my lab immediately." Dottore said, moving an arm around you to pick you up.

"Love, I’m not getting any better; there’s no need." You objected, but he scooped you up regardless.

"I didn’t say I was going to cure you, darling; I intend to get you some pain medication." Dottore explained, faking a calm tone as he walked.

Once you reached his lab, Dottore sat you down on the medical bed and began to look around the shelves for the correct medicine. Once he found it, he brought the little orange bottle back to you.

"Here, take one of these with water; it might hurt a little, but I promise you’ll feel better in the end." Dottore handed you a glass.

You quickly took the pill, wincing as the water touched your throat.

"Good, good.." Dottore said, distractedly. It seemed his mind was elsewhere at the moment, but you didn’t know exactly why. He snapped back into reality and went to pick you up again, saying, "I’ll take these pills with us."

Throughout the rest of the day, you coughed up small amounts of blood. The next day, it was more. And the day after that, still more. You could see it in Dottore’s eyes; you didn’t have long left to live. At night, Dottore silently cried while holding you in your sleep. He knew you’d leave him eventually; he always did, but not like this. Not this soon.

Another month passed, and now you could barely keep yourself awake. Dottore had to make sure you took your pills and that you didn’t choke on the blood you coughed up. Blood stained your white bedsheets, a constant reminder to Dottore that you had a couple of days left, at most. In the few minutes you were awake at any given moment, he had to tearfully tell you how much he loved you, or else he might never get another chance to.

You were so exhausted. Mentally and physically. At this point, you just wanted the pain to be over. At the same time, you wanted to cling to life, but archons, you were so tired. You drifted in and out of consciousness, almost to the point where you didn’t know what reality was anymore. All you knew was that tears flowed down your beloved husband’s face, and he was desperately trying to take care of you.

"Please drink your water; you’ll feel better, okay?" Dottore put the bottle to your lips, his voice shaking with sobs.

You just stared at him. You really didn't have the energy to drink water right then. However, you took little sips anyway, hoping that maybe he’d smile just a little bit.

"There you go, [Name].. that’s good.. drink some more. It’ll help you." Dottore spoke gently as you drifted off into sleep again. The last thing you saw was him trying to force a smile to encourage you through his endless tears.

Your dreams were all odd and terrifying, blending together into a chaotic mess. This made for restless sleep, contributing to your drowsiness and lack of energy.

The next time you woke up, it took a minute to make sense of where you were. However, once you remembered what was going on, you felt strangely calm. Blood flowed slowly from your mouth, making new stains on the sheets.

".. Dottore.." You managed to sputter out.

"Yes, my love?" Dottore said calmly, but inside he was quite surprised that you were speaking. He hadn’t heard your voice for a while now, due to your condition.

"I love you, Dottore.." You smiled at him, blood still leaking from your mouth.

Dottore stroked your hair gently and cleaned the blood from your face. Tears still fell from his eyes, soaking into the fabric of your shirt. However, he smiled back to reassure you, his voice breaking. "I love you too, [Name], more than anything."

You gazed up into those deep red eyes of his. Oh, how you loved those eyes. "Can I have one more kiss?"

Dottore nodded. "Of course you can, my love."

Dottore gently tilted your chin up and leaned in slowly, pressing his lips to yours. Your lips tasted distinctly of blood, but that was the last thing he cared about. He hugged you closer to him, running his hands through your hair and kissing you passionately. Tears still flowed steadily down Dottore’s cheeks as he pulled away from you. He could feel your breathing getting slower.

"No.. no, don’t leave me now. [Name], hang on!" Dottore’s eyes went wide, and he spoke in a panicked tone.

You simply gave him the faintest of smiles, whispering again, "I love you, Dottore."

Dottore held your face in his hands, desperately willing you to stay alive. "No, no, no, no! Don’t give up! You’re all I have left; you can’t leave me now!"

However, he could feel your heartbeat slow. His tears were flowing down his face faster than ever. "Please, [Name]! I can’t take this, please!"

Dottore had his arms tightly around you, and so he knew exactly when you took your last breath. He knew there was nothing he could do now.

The sorrow was too much to bear, and Dottore began to scream in pain. "NO! PLEASE COME BACK, [NAME]! DON'T LEAVE ME! I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU! STAY WITH ME, PLEASE!"

That scream was the anguished scream of a man who had just lost everything he had left to live for. He buried his face in your chest and let out a wail of pure agony.

You were gone, and you took everything Dottore loved with you.

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freak-fortress · 1 year

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fuck canon, embrace headcanon

(long post, sorry!!!)

Besides her fear of commitment, Spy ran off when Scout was born because she had recently discovered that she was transgender. She didn't know if Scout's mom (im gonna use my hc name for her from here on out— Julie/Julianna) would be approving and didn't want to hurt Julie because she knew she probably wouldn't love her anymore (newsflash, she still would). Spy knew she deserved better, so she ran, but she never really went far. She simply moved to New York (Albany— or Salem, i like that better), where she could still keep an eye on them.

Of course, she traveled all the time for her assassination jobs, but every now and then she would visit Boston, walking down the street of their home in a different disguise each time. She did get to watch Scout grow up, but from afar. It hurt her every time she saw him alone. There were a couple of times she came by later at night (just to see if Julie had moved on to a new man), and saw her precious Jérémy sitting in the backyard all alone. In those moments, she wanted nothing more than to run up and embrace him, but she couldn't.

^^ (That could have been a reason she said, "You're stronger than you'll ever know, Jeremy," in the comics. She knew some of what he had been through by those check-ins.)

She was already working for Red a little before Scout was, and she begged Pauling to get him in discreetly. By the luck of whatever god was up there, it worked. It was her first time seeing her son face to face since he was just a baby, but she couldn't find it in her to tell him. She never could.

She did (eventually) reach back out to Julie, showing up at her doorstep one night and apologizing profusely. She had drunk a bit before she came, maybe a little more than she should have. Spy just had to dull the pain or she might die just looking into Julie's eyes. Julianna was rightfully upset, but she could see that Spy was genuinely distraught. She asked her to come inside and talk, as the boys weren't home then. Spy explained everything, leaving out the bits about who she really was, though she hinted at it here and there, but was too scared.

Julie saw right through that. She understood her immediately. Spy nearly exploded into tears when Julie told her that she would love her no matter who she was. She cried in Julianna's arms harder than she had ever cried before. Julie could also see that she was clearly a little drunk, and she didn't want to leave her alone in this kind of state, so she let her stay the night.

Even after that, Spy made Julie promise not to tell Jeremy. She had to be the one to tell him face to face, and she knew that. Spy held it off for years; she was terrified of how Scout would react. Would he be angry? God, she hoped not. Then they were fired, and she was so, so upset. It hurt her, God, why had she held off for so long? Now, what if she never got to tell him?

The comics took place (even though comic 7 doesn't exist, shhh), and once everything went back to "normal", she told him. Actually told him.

How Scout took it is up to interpretation. I have so many different ideas I couldn’t possibly explain them all (most of them are sooooo angsty btw. hurt no comfort type angst.)

#tf2 #team fortress 2 #tf2 headcanons #transfem spy #tf2 spy #scouts mom #tf2 scout #-breifly #dadspy #spydad #spymom #(?)#also this is specifically red spy!#cw: long post #tw: angst #savvy speaks

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half-oz-eddie · 4 months

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My OC! Nero Castiel Ramsay

TW for graphic depictions of violence, death, mass murder, suicidal thoughts (and angst!)

For context, the military has seized control of his country, killing, weaponizing and experimenting on people with abilities. After causing a horrific accident with his fire ability, he eventually meets a girl who went AWOL from the military, who took her away from her father as a child so they could use her as a weapon. The two team up to find out where their abilities came from and what the government has planned.

His full backstory is below the cut!

"My story? Well..." My name is Nero Castiel Ramsay. I’m 25 years old. I was born July 26th in Shrill City General Hospital.

When I was born, I nearly blinded the midwife. They had to wrap my hands in foil gloves and give me cold baths. My temperature was nearly 200 degrees.

My mother said the pregnancy was difficult. She always had hot flashes and indigestion, but at least labor and delivery was easy, right?

When I was brought to NICU-II, my father had my files deleted and destroyed, which is an easy task when you're the hospital director.

None of the nurses really wanted to take care of me, let alone touch me, except Evander. It was a blessing to have an older brother that was a nurse.

It was a blessing to have siblings that loved me the way they did...

When I was brought home, my family wasn’t nearly as ready as they thought they were.

I was burning through mattresses in my sleep for the first 2 years of my life, until the fire was a bit more under control. It wasn’t as explosive anymore.

For awhile, my family thought maybe...it went away. Until I would throw a tantrum and set my high chair ablaze.

I was only a toddler, and yet, I still remember the horrified look on my mother’s face.

After that, she was always dumping me on my father and my siblings. I hardly saw much of her. She’d peek into my room, say good morning or good night, and keep walking past.

Physical contact was never really happening before anyway. Vega used to put foil around her hands and arms to give me hugs or head pats, but I was a really unstable kid.

I was constantly uneasy and had anxiety. If I was really upset, I’d burn through the foil too.

Vega was covered in burns from always trying to interact with me. She’d hold my hand when I was scared, until her hand was blistered.

When I got a bit older, I convinced her to stop coddling me and just help me become stronger.

She was 12 when I was 7, so she was teaching me whatever she was learning in school. My mother hardly did any homeschooling with me. I’m surprised I’m not stupid.

Vega studied a lot of pyrotechnics. She told me to try lotion on my hands and body to keep it slick so I wouldn’t set anything on fire. The lotion worked a bit, but then my hands were still too warm to touch.

So then, we tried gloves. I’d burn through them within a week or so, and then need replacements.

Then...finally...we tried both. Vega kept a “burn chart” for me. And as long as I kept my hands lotioned every 3 hours and kept my gloves on, I was able to manage for an entire month without setting a single thing on fire.

My body was still too warm, though. I tried going outside on the front porch, instead of just staying in the yard like always.

I saw a baby, and I ran inside and had a panic attack.

I imagined accidentally setting the baby on fire and I lost it.

“I’m too dangerous.” I cried.

Vega held me and tried her best to calm me down. She held and squeezed until it was too warm, too hot, burning. I burned her clothes onto her body. She was in so much pain.

Luckily it wasn’t as bad as i thought it was. Mom, being a retired nurse herself, was able to tend to her wounds.

“I told you, don’t touch Nero. I’m tired of seeing you covered in burns. What if he burns your face next? People will start asking questions!”

“I don’t care about questions! I care about my little brother. He’s 13 years old, and he has no friends. You won’t even let him go to church!”

“If I take him to church, everyone will just think he’s the devil.” My mother snapped.

I overheard everything from the doorway. I ran out into the yard and climbed the big oak tree. It was at least 20 feet tall.

I looked up at the moon, then down at the grass. I was getting ready to jump from the highest branch and kill myself.

I heard Evander slide the back door open. “Nero, you out here? You want some pizza? I’m buying...Nero? Yo!”

I didn’t reply. I wanted him to go away so I could finally die.

“Please don’t look up, Please don’t look up.” I told myself.

He took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and looked up.

Damn.

“Hey, get down! That’s dangerous.”

“I know. I was...just trying to get a view of the city.” I came up with a quick lie.

“I told you, if you’re willing to take some pills, I’ll drive you around. Your fire seems to be triggered by your anxiety. And since we can’t take you to the doctors, I’ll get you a script for something.”

“I...I don’t know if that’ll work. I don’t know if anything will work...”

“Wait...are you trying to kill yourself?”

“No, it's just..I um...”

“Idiot. I’m coming up.”

Evander scaled the tree like a superhero and sat next to me.

“This is really high up, Nero. You actually can see the city from here.”

I shrugged. “I’m not supposed to be alive. What if I really am the devil like mom said?”

“She said that?!”

I answered with an embarrassed nod.

“Nero. I’m so sorry, kid. I know that hurts, but I think you were born this way for a reason. You have to discover that reason. You won’t get answers from death.”

“Maybe.”

“You can get pizza though, and extra cheese if you get down.”

My brother always knew what to say.

I decided to keep on living, and keep trying to be better.

Vega convinced me to try finger painting to calm myself.

I spent a lot of time in the backyard painting, imagining what the rest of the world was like.

My father started taking some of my paintings around and sold them. He put money in a trust fund for me, so one day I could have a life of my own.

Lots of people around the city wanted to meet me, but my father would lie and say I had a very serious autoimmune disease and couldn’t be around others.

Really...I was the disease.

“As the years had gone by, I was trying to get better, but I was just fucking up everyone’s life, honestly.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” His friend said comfortingly.

“To me it was...”

Vega had declined a full ride scholarship to the top university in the country because she didn’t want to leave me.

Evander was putting his life on hold. He was working per diem hours making below his salary because he considered me a priority.

My mother just seemed pale and miserable. Our relationship was strained for such a long time, until I turned 17.

I found it helpful to intentionally let out a little fire every once in awhile. I’d burn wood in the fire pit, and then started finger painting with soot.

One day, my mom asked me to paint her. When I was finished, she smiled, then pulled a piece of foil out of her pocket, placed it on my forehead and kissed me over the foil.

I cried a bit, after she took the canvas inside. Then, it started raining. I’ll never forget that day. It was one of the few good days of my life.

I felt like things were going to start getting better.

I started going out front again. The neighbors wouldn’t stand too close, since they thought I was so susceptible to germs. But, they’d say hello. They were kind.

I started painting out front. About a week in to my porch painting, I noticed a new family was moving into the house across the street.

It was an older looking couple, older than my parents, a son around Vega’s age and a daughter around my age.

God...she was beautiful. Short with long hair, a cute voice, even cuter laugh, warm green eyes. I wanted to...

“Fuck her?” His friend interrupted.

Nero narrowed his eyes. “Paint her. I wanted to...paint her...and I did. A lot.”

When she made eye contact with me as she headed into their new house, I felt my heart skip a beat.

Later that day, my family was heading over to do their neighborly welcoming committee bullshit...and of course, I stayed behind.

I was staring at that girl through the window.

“Want me to ask her name for you?” Vega said, startling me.

“What? Are you fuckin crazy? I can’t talk to no girl.”

“Sure you can. You haven’t hurt me any more than I’ve let you. You can at least make a friend.”

I watched my family head over with a casserole and the father welcomed them into the house.

They were in there for hours. I guess they were really nice.

Later that evening, Vega came rushing into the house first. I was sitting at the table eating the food my mother cooked.

“Her name is Corinne. She asked about you. She wanted to know about ‘the boy whose eyes look like sunlight that was sitting on the porch.’ So I told her a million great things about you.” She smiled at me.

I felt like I was going to be sick.

“Oooh you’re blushing!” She gushed. “So her name is Corinne Baker. She’s your age. She wants to be a veterinarian, she likes to sing, she was a Girl Scout, and her family moved here from Senkil because her father got some fancy schmancy corporate job offer.”

“She uh...sounds nice.”

“Her whole family is really nice. The brother seems pretty shifty, though. Call it my gut.”

I shrugged off what Vega was talking about. I knew getting close to anybody was a terrible idea.

The next day, I was back to my front yard painting, when Corinne came outside. I tried to stay hyper focused on my newest piece, but I noticed out the corner of my eye, she was coming closer.

“Hello!” She called out from the driveway. “I’m Corinne. You’re Nero, right?”

“Uh...yeah. Nice to...meet you.” I hoped she wouldn’t come closer.

She didn’t. She’d come back everyday, stand in the driveway, and ask about my paintings. We’d exchange idle small talk. She’d tell me about something funny at school, or her homework. I liked seeing her every afternoon after school, and in the mid-morning on weekends.

One day, she decided to ask vague questions about my health.

“I’m not contagious, you know. Is that why you stand so far away?”

“N-no! I didn’t think that...I just...was worried I could get you sick. I-I go to school a-and I-I—“

I laughed. “I’m just messing with you.”

I started getting comfortable with her.

“You can come a little bit closer. You know. So you can see what I’m painting.”

She slowly ascended the steps, and stayed a few feet away from me. My heart was fluttering.

“It smells like smoke.”

“I paint with soot, that’s why.”

I smelled like soot, and she smelled like flowers. We were like life and death.

One day, she came by during a thunderstorm. I wasn’t expecting to see her. I wasn’t even painting that day. I just liked rain. It was the only time I could be comfortable outside.

“Why’d you come today? It’s pouring!”

“I come see you everyday!”

I sat in the grass, and she plopped down near me.

“You’re gonna get dirty. You’re...too pretty to be covered in dirt.”

“I love the rain.”

“Me too.”

We sat a few feet apart, and she revealed something really personal to me.

“Really? What’d she say?”

“I’m omitting that part.”

“What?! Why?”

“I’d never tell another woman’s business. What kinda man do you think I am? Anyway...”

I asked her if I could paint her. I worked on it for months. I never let her peek, no matter how many times she came back.

I finished it toward the end of the school year.

“It's so, so beautiful! Can I take it with me? To college, I mean.”

“Oh...you’re going away to college?”

“Yeah, but I’ll come home for breaks. And we can video chat. Do you...have a phone?”

“No...”

“Please get one!” She begged with her eyes sparkling.

“Um...okay.”

I knew damn well I couldn’t have a phone. It would fucking explode in my hand.

But, of course, Vega had a plan.

“Here.” She said as she plopped a tablet onto my nightstand. “You can video call with Corinne. And it’s voice activated, so you don’t have to worry about blowing the shit to bits.”

“Um...thank you.”

Once Corinne was at university, she’d video call me all the time.

To tell you the truth, I found it weird. I didn’t understand why she wanted to talk to me so much. She told her friends about me and everything. I guess it didn’t really occur to me that she liked me too.

Over the years, she’d gotten a few inches closer to me whenever we sat together on the porch.

I was getting older and controlling my fire much better than before.

I was able to hug my sister and only feel a little warm. I couldn’t stop the fire from coming out of my hands, though. So I had to keep up my lotion and glove regimen.

Fast forward to two years ago...

I was going out more often. I had even gotten a job at the mall kiosk.

My boss was a good friend of my dad’s. So he told him I needed these bathroom breaks every 3 hours because of my condition. It worked. I was able to lotion my hands during my breaks and keep interacting with the customers.

Life was fantastic for once.

6 months in to my job and nearly normal life, Corinne had moved back home for good. She was a college graduate and a veterinarian.

“So, you seem to be doing better now. Can I...have a hug yet?”

I didn’t want to lose her.

“Let’s...work up to that.”

She sat inches away from me. “Fair enough.”

We went to parks and beaches together all the time. One day, we went to a restaurant.

“Is this a...date?”

“I...think so? I do like you. B-but it doesn’t have to be a date.”

“I want it to be a date.”

I liked Corinne so much, but I was so scared. What if I had to tell her about my abilities one day?

I walked her to her door, and said goodnight.

“Nero! I don’t get a hug at least?”

“Uh...well. I’m really old fashioned. I don’t want to make any physical contact too soon. It uh...gives us time to work on the bond.”

She looked at me like I was a dumbass, but she went along with it...

For about 2 weeks.

One night, she video called me.

“Nero. I have feelings for you. Deep feelings. I want to hold hands and kiss you. I know maybe you’re worried about your illness, but I promise I’m healthy, and your parents say you’ve gotten better. You haven’t been sick at all lately, right?”

“Uh...well I ha—“

“So, tomorrow! After you get off work. Meet me at the park across the street from the mall. I want to kiss you.”

“B-but—“

“Nero! We’re not kids anymore. I have needs too.”

“Needs...?”

“Yeah, like closeness. Physical touch...maybe...more?”

When she said more, I got nervous. The last time I thought about sex, I set my bed on fire—again. I tried to stay focused.

“Uh...okay. Let’s meet tomorrow.”

The next day, I went to work, nervous and uneasy. I didn’t know what would happen if I kissed her.

To make my day even more stressful, my boss’s son was filling in for him. He wasn’t as understanding about my breaks. I asked to take my first one, and he groaned about how much I was needed since we were 1 person short.

I was feeling the warmth underneath my gloves, between that and the thought of kissing Corinne, or seeing her naked...I felt nauseous. I wanted to touch her, but I didn’t want to hurt her.

I asked for my second break. Still a no.

Now I was getting scared. I felt it coming. I knew if I set that kiosk on fire I was gonna GET fired. And have to lock myself in my house again.

I asked for my third break...I fucking implored.

“Please wait 20 more minutes Nero? Regular break time is around then. I really need you out here.”

I couldn’t think straight.

My gloves were getting hot.

I was supposed to kiss Corinne today.

My gloves were hot.

Corinne’s lips.

I waited 10 more minutes, then asked if I could go home early.

“Seriously, Nero? Just wait 10 damn minutes. I promise you can take an hour break, okay?”

My face was covered in sweat. The thoughts swarmed back again. The customers came in droves. My hands were shaking and I was breathing heavily.

I tried to calm myself with happy thoughts of painting once my shift was over. Then, I started thinking of excuses to not kiss Corinne, and the customers were crowding and making so much noise, and my gloves were starting to burn.

Suddenly, I lost control. Flames flew from both of my hands and body at an unbelievable degree, charring through people and stores. I heard agonizing screams and saw people turning to ash, begging for mercy as their skin melted from them within moments.

I heard brief shrieks as the flame ate away at them.

I was horrified as I watched everything burn. It felt like hours but...it was probably 2 or 3 minutes. And for some disgusting reason, I was the only survivor.

I ran like hell from the rubble...and kept running, and running...and running. I had no intention of seeing my family, or Corinne ever again.

I knew my family would resent me, and I knew I was too much of a monster for Corinne. I hid in an alley for 2 days until there was a thunderstorm. That was my sign that it was time to say goodbye forever.

“Then, I met Yuka in the Obsidian Forest and killed more people, this time soldiers, and this time on purpose. Then...wound up here.” Nero shrugged. “Your turn.”

#ivy's precious OCs #OC: nero ramsay #ivy.doc #writing

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puffybottomslvt · 1 year

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You made the mistake of being his type. You made the mistake of cutting through that alley. You made the mistake of stopping when he asked you if he could borrow your phone, which he smashed on the ground before he forced you to your knees and shoved his cock in your mouth. The smell of it was awful. You've never smelled another man's balls before, but as he rammed his dick down your throat and they slapped against your chin, you started to not mind the smell. Every time he thrust in and your nose went into his untrimmed bush, you got a whiff of his manhood and realized struggling wasn't going to do anything. He was much stronger than you, and you had no phone or car. Everything around you was closed, and nobody could see you from the streets. You eventually just relaxed and let him use you. The moment this shift happened, he pulled his dick out of your mouth and slapped you across the face with it. The drool, precum, and snot from your nose mixed together and ran down your chin, and when he hit you with his dick, it flung this viscous mixture all over your face. He forced your face up so your eyes met his. He was smiling, but he had this blankness in his eyes. He was totally using you, with no regard to your personhood. "That's right" he said, putting his cock back in your mouth and shoving it all the way down your throat, his pelvis pressing up against your open mouth, hurting your lips and jaw. "Just give into it. Get used to it." Just as you began to wonder what that meant, he picked you up by the hair and turned you around. "That sloppy whore mouth got this dick nice and wet." As he said that, he pulled your pants down and pressed his throbbing cock against your tight hole. You remember thinking about how you've never had anything in your ass before, but TV and movies always made it sound painful. It definitely was. He pressed against you a few times, and on the last he entered you with a rush of hot pain. He didn't care at all. Just like he didn't care if anyone walked by, or if he got caught, he didn't care if he hurt you at all. In fact, he seemed to revel in it. The more you squirmed and cried, the deeper he went in. It hurt so bad, you let out a scream. "Shut the fuck up" he yelled, clamping over your mouth with his left hand. He was hurting your neck as he pulled on you, still fucking you mercilessly. As you kept whimpering, he tightened his grip, until he clamped your nose shut with his thumb and forefinger. After a few seconds, partially due to the pain, and definitely due to the oxygen deprivation, your vision closed in and went dark.

The next thing you know, you're in the back of a van, face down. The same man is still fucking you, practically lying on top of you to hold you down, now that you're awake again. You don't know how long you've been out, but you notice his dick feels different. It doesn't hurt as much, and when he goes in balls deep, he hits a spot that makes your legs quiver. "Looks like you're starting to like this dick" he says right before slapping you hard across the face. "Yeah tighten that little pink pussy around daddy's dick," he says, slapping you again, then grabbing your hair. He lifts your head and upper torso off of the van floor and whispers in your ear, "I got big plans for you. I don't know what you were a few hours ago, but now you're mine." He then wrapped his hard, dense arm around your neck and gave a squeeze. Your hands grab at his jacket sleeve, but your vision closes in again, and as you feel yourself drift off, you hear him laugh, and the dial tone of an outgoing call. Your head hits the floor and he continues fucking for a few minutes until he cums inside you, deep enough he does worry about it leaking out while he ties your ankles to your wrists behind your back. He leaves you there, hobbled, face down on the dirty van floor, gets in the driver's seat, and drives away.

Part II coming if y'all want it

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creteevidence · 1 year

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OK AFTER SOME THINKING I think I finally understand lore-wise why Bendy looks different and can talk now in Batdr (outside of just regular design changes between games)

(Also to preface I’ve only finished the main storyline so if this is explained elsewhere uhh well that’ll be embarrassing)

So his “perfect form”, like the cartoon bendy, is obviously “what he should look like”, but because of his lack of soul and the corruption from the greed of Joey (which i believe in a way corrupted the ink that was used to make everything), he became the monster he was when he was created. Then Joey locked him up and tried to get rid of him and continue to try and make a perfect one

he probably didn’t (and doesn’t) even understand his existence and was just locked alone for probably years and so that confusion turned to anger and festered, making him probably even more monstrous looking.

(Off topic but maybe Joey was like “well I need a use for this horrible monster I created” and so he put him in the ink machine realm that he’d put Henry in (and same for all the imperfect monsters he created, both the soulless and the old employees.))

And so Ink Demon Bendy sort of represents everyone who was hurt by Joey and is now trapped inside this realm.

Then after Wilson arrived inside the ink realm and he and the keepers got ahold of Ink Demon Bendy and tried to kill him, he was tortured even more, as stated by the one tape in Batdr in the Gent lab place.

They eventually “compressed” him into the more “perfect” bendy to make him weaker and easier to kill. This “perfect bendy” is closer to what he was supposed to look like when he was created, but it seems to me whenever he’s hurt or filled with anger again he reverts back to the monster. (ex. when audrey accidentally shocked him with her hand and he ran away, he became monstrous again and goes after her, which could mean she broke the “compression” and made him switch back or just that she set him off.)

And so, as his pain and rage increases, his “monstrous” form does as well, getting stronger and more powerful, explaining why his design changed in between games and why he can talk now. It’s just like at the end of the original game when he became the (though goofier looking) huge monster.

idk that’s my best guess lmao

#might not be the canon reason #but i like it #batdr #batim #bendy and the ink machine #also bendy looks so good in this game #bendy and the dark revival #bendy and the dark revivial spoilers #batdr spoilers #batim bendy #batdr bendy #ink bendy #ink demon #crete’s ramblings

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huntiesworld · 1 day

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Envious | Chris Sturniolo

Chris Sturniolo x Reader

Summary: Y/n and Chris had a heated argument about Chris spending too much time with other girls. Causing Y/n to finally snap at him and ask him to leave her house. Will she forgive him?

Warning: Cheating! I'M NOT PROMOTING CHEATING! AT ALL. This is fiction, please DON’T CHEAT ON ANYONE!!! ALso this will be a lyric fiction!!

Requested?: Nope!

Author's note: That is my work, Please DON’T COPY MY WORK!

I'm in my penthouse half-naked

I cooked this meal for you naked

So where the hell are you at?

There's just one shot left of this drink

In this glass, don't make me break it

Y/n sat at the kitchen table, her heart heavy with disappointment and anger. Chris had canceled on her at the last minute, so he could go to a party. Leaving her alone to eat dinner by herself. As she stared at the empty chair across from her, her frustration boiled over. She felt a surge of emotions, a mix of hurt and betrayal.

Without thinking, she started throwing everything off the table- plates, cutlery, glasses. The sound of crashing dishes filled the room, echoing her inner turmoil. With each crash, she felt a release of pent-up emotions, a cathartic release of her frustrations.

Wish that you were me

So you could feel this feeling

I never broke one promise

And I know that you're not honest

Now you got me yellin'

That's because I'm jealous

As the last plate shattered on the floor, Y/n sank into her chair, breathing heavily. The kitchen was a mess, but she felt a strange sense of clarity. Feeling restless and upset Y/n decided to go out to a party herself. As she arrived, she saw her ex-boyfriend in the crowd, sending a wave of conflicting emotions through her. Deciding to push aside her feelings, she headed to the pool table and started playing with her ex-boyfriend and his friends. Trying to distract herself with the game.

As the night went on, Y/n found herself drinking more than she intended, the alcohol fueling her emotions and numbing her pain. Despite the chaos of the party, she couldn't shake the feeling of loneliness that lingered inside her.

Boy, you been hanging out at night

I'm staying out until tomorrow

Dancing on them tables

Ain't got no cares no sorrows

I ran into my ex

Say what up to his bestest

Now we reminiscing

How we used to flex in texas

Don't be jealous

Eventually, Y/n made the decision to head back home, the events of the evening swirling in her mind as she walked through the empty streets. She bumped into couples that made her feel sick that she couldn't have what they had. When she finally arrived back to her apartment, she collapsed onto her bed, tears streaming down her face as she tried to make sense of the whirlwind of emotions that had consumed her that night.

In the quiet darkness of her room, Y/n realized that she was stronger than she thought. Despite the disappointment and heartache, she knew that she was gonna forgive Chris for canceling. She layed in bed thinking how she was gonna talk to chris. Even if he was being a jerk, she's gonna choose to be with him. She soon drifted of to sleep, ready to face whatever challenges may be had tomorrow,

Sometimes I wanna walk in your shoes

Do the type of things that I never ever do

So I take one look in the mirror and say to myself

"Baby girl, you can't survive like this"

I wanted to make a Chris Sturniolo series. So, tell me what you guys think!!!

Part 2???

#chris sturniolo #jealousy #Spotify

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sarcasmsweetie · 1 year

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After the Mountain

So, I've had this idea of what it was like immediately after Amarantha was defeated, how her victims responded in the aftermath of her defeat. I tried writing it solely from Rhys' perspective, but discovered I was awful at that. So I created Ava to help tell the story for me where I couldn't for Rhys. Most likely will be a standalone, but I am already picturing a Part 2 where Feyre comes for Velaris and is finding it difficult to come to terms with her new life. We shall see. No romantic entanglements in this one, but my love for our Shadow Boy is LOUD.

Word count: 4.4k

Taglist: No taglist while shadow ban is still in place.

I watched with tears in my eyes as all of the High Lords banded together to bring Feyre back to life. Drops of light landed on her chest, and she soon woke with a gasp. Almost as if he were waiting for confirmation the revival is sticking, my dear friend moved back to my side, linking his arm with mine.

Nothing will be the same, he whispered in my mind. I leaned my head on his shoulder, tears silently falling down my face.

No. But like everything else the world has thrown at us, we’ll navigate this together. I looked up at him, his violet gaze meeting mine. With our family. Tears gathered in the corners of his own eyes as if just realizing now we’re truly free. 50 years of pain and suffering, trapped under the thumb of one of the cruelest creatures either of us have encountered in our long lives, suddenly over in a snap.

We stood in silence for a moment, both watching over the countless souls crying in relief of their newfound freedom. Some winnowed out the moment Amarantha perished, whereas others are finally taking a moment to mourn loved ones who were lost in this wretched place, having been too terrified to let their masks slip in the moment that someone passed.

I watched a few of the angrier ones lash out against any remaining guards or steadfast followers of Amarantha, no one taking steps to stopping them. A few more ran out of the hall, either in search of an exit as they are unable to winnow, or possibly to the dungeons to release whoever may be locked up down there. It was certainly chaotic, but Rhys and I just watched from the sidelines.

I got the sense that Rhys was waiting for something, and as badly as I wanted to leave this place, I trusted him to know that this was important enough to delay our departure. While we were close prior to Amarantha destroying everything, our time trapped under here caused our friendship to grow deeper, stronger. I suppose that’s one saving grace to this entire endeavor - I finally understand my High Lord. Being best friends with Mor, we certainly spent a lot of time together over the centuries, but never did I feel like I had an understanding of what was going on in his head until neither of us had a choice but to rely on one another to survive.

Over time, my room eventually became our room. There has never been a romantic component to our relationship (Mor would beat both of us if it ever came to that), but the comfort of not spending nights alone was what drew us closer. A shoulder to cry on, a safe space to rage and confide, a comfortable place to sleep knowing someone you care for is there to protect you. I’ve always been an outcast in the belief that you could have multiple soulmates, that their sole purpose isn’t to be your perfect romantic partner. But rather people who challenge you to be better, who help strip away layers of yourself in order to truly discover your deepest potential. Most importantly, they are people who stay, accepting and loving this evolved you. I realized Mor was one of my soulmates when we were young and she helped me escape the Hewn City, and I can now confidently say that Rhys is another who fits into the puzzle that is my soul.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Rhys shifted, posture straightening ever so slightly. Without needing to follow his gaze, I watched as Feyre broke away from the crowd. “Will you be okay here for a moment, little nightingale?” My heart tightened at the nickname and he squeezed my arm, almost as if in apology.

Of course. I’ll be here when you’re ready to go home. His hand slid down my arm to my hand, offering another squeeze before turning towards where Feyre disappeared to.

I remained where he left me, not wanting to move too far away so as not to delay our departure when he comes back. I continued to look over the room, noticing significantly fewer figures as the majority left to go home themselves. A few walked past me, offering brief farewells and sad smiles, but one eye I did catch was that of the new High Lord of Summer. He said something to those around him, before he made his way towards me with his entourage a few steps behind, seemingly terrified to leave their new High Lord on his own even though the biggest threat has already been neutralized. Certainly can never be too careful these days. Can’t be too trusting of anyone, especially those who have worn masks for half of a century in order to survive. No way to tell what anyone’s true nature is unless you knew them prior to the Mountain.

“I do hope you won’t be staying here much longer. We are soon to be leaving now that all that remains of our court are accounted for.” I smiled softly at Tarquin and those behind him, recognizing the flashes of grief in their eyes as they thought of those they’ve lost. I nodded, trying to swallow before opening my mouth.

“Soon.” I whispered, more of an exhale of breath than anything that resembled a voice. Tarquin’s gaze dropped briefly to my neck before meeting my eyes once more.

“Take care of yourself, Ava. Hopefully, if we meet again, it will be under much better circumstances.” I offered him and his court a deep bow, silently wishing they all take care of themselves as well. As I straightened, I watched as they turned towards one another and began winnowing out. Tarquin’s gaze caught my own before he left, and I waved goodbye as he vanished from sight.

I dropped my arm to my side on a sigh, glancing around the room a final time. I tried to avoid looking, but with the crowd so significantly thinned out, I couldn’t help but look at the stage I was forced to perform on every night for 50 years. I moved my hand to my throat, tracing the jagged scars as I remembered every horrid moment I spent down here. Screams echoed in my mind, both of strangers and my own. The cool metal slicing across my neck time and time again if I was deemed to be “pitchy,” a blade striking down over Jasker’s wrists, severing his talented guitar-strumming hands from his arms. I felt my heart begin to race as each new memory passed along my vision, breath picking up as I began to enter a panic attack - a feeling I am unfortunately all too familiar with.

Before I could fall any further, Rhysand stood in front of me looking frantic. He placed his hands gently on my cheeks, making me meet his gaze. It’s time to go. We need to go. I nodded, feeling myself calm down slightly but only due to the rising panic I was sensing growing in him. I grabbed for his hands, holding tightly as he winnowed us from our personal hell.

We stumbled into the foyer of the townhome, seemingly gasping for breath as we both teetered on the edges of our own panic attacks. Rhys was muttering under his breath, but I couldn’t hear him due to the blood pounding heavily in my ears. He still looked frantic, eyes wide but glazed over as he tugged at his hair. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flurry of red and gold run into the room, but her gasp cut through the noise in my head as I met her brown eyes. She brought her hand to her mouth as tears fell freely down her cheeks as she looked between both of us. I longed to run to her, but I could finally make out what Rhys was muttering over and over again: She’s my mate.

I moved to him, placing a hand on his cheek, while my other grabbed one of his and held it against my chest. Directing his gaze to mine, I took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and slowly released. I repeated the action while staring into his terrified eyes, praying it wouldn’t take too long for him to become grounded. After a few more breathing repetitions, he grasped the hand I held to his cheek and held on tight as he then followed my lead, taking deep breaths in before releasing. I watched as his eyes began to gain focus again, but continued to breath with him, doing my best to keep my mind as empty as possible in case anything I think pushes him over the edge again. A few minutes passed and I knew he was back with me as his eyes watered while he leaned forward to rest his forehead against my own. I closed my eyes, feeling the tears starting to build yet again, but began to project my thoughts to him.

We’re free. We’re safe. We’ll figure it out. One day at a time. We’ll get through this.

I felt him nod, so I opened my eyes to see him with a small smile. Seeing as he was centered again, I remembered where we were. I pulled back and turned to where I saw Mor only to find two Illyrians flanking her. All three were crying, though that didn’t stop Mor from throwing herself at me as Cassian and Azriel enveloped Rhys into a long overdue hug.

Mor and I sank to the ground as we cried, clutching onto each other tightly. I was vaguely aware that I hadn’t bathed in some time, but clearly that didn’t matter (or I didn’t smell as bad as I assumed I did). She pulled back far too soon, hands brushing up my arms and over my shoulders before hesitating at my neck. Her hands hovered while she looked over what was a new scar to her. Ever so gently, she traced from one exterior jugular vein to the other - essentially ear to ear across my neck. The scar was thickest, and therefore cut the deepest, over my vocal cords.

“What did she do to you?” she whispered, and I smiled sadly. I watched as the tears started anew at my nonverbal response. I noticed movement behind her as the three males moved to us, and I nodded my head towards her cousin. They need their own reunion as much as we needed ours. She helped me stand before pulling Rhys into a tight hug.

Cassian’s smile was bright as he moved to me and I watched the exact moment he clocked the scar on my neck, but that didn’t stop him from pulling me into one of the most bone-crushing yet comforting hugs I’ve encountered in a long time. I tried to hold onto him just as tightly, but knew my strength was nothing compared to his. “I’ve missed you so much, nightingale. We’re never letting either of you out of our sights ever again. I swear it.” I pulled back slightly so I could reach up and wipe away some of the tears on his cheeks. His is a face that is meant to be smiling and tears have no place there.

A small shadow mimicked my actions, and I turned to Azriel with a smile. Normally uncertain as to what the stoic male is thinking, I pushed all thoughts aside as I moved from Cassian to Azriel, embracing him as tightly as I did Cass. Without hesitation, his arms moved around me and held on tight. Almost as tight as Cassian’s embrace, causing my smile to widen. Cass had come up behind us at some point and began stroking my hair, still wanting to maintain some sort of contact to prove to himself this wasn’t another dream.

As I pulled back from Azriel, Rhysand cleared his throat. “You have no idea what it means to us to be back home.” He glanced at me. “Especially what it means to us to be back to healers.” The look I gave him clearly conveyed anything I could possibly think, but the three others looked back and forth between us.

We know exactly what she’s going to say, Rhysand.

“Actually, we don’t know exactly what she’s going to say. Which is precisely why we need you to see Madja as soon as possible.”

There’s nothing to be done about the scar, and my voice is gone, Rhys. It’s been getting worse over the last 15 years, and there’s nothing left.

“For all we know, you just need some rest, Ava. It could come back.” My eyes began to water as I finally began to accept what I’ve been putting off for so long.

Even if it comes back, I don’t want it anymore. She destroyed it in every way possible.

“Aves, don’t say that.” Rhys looked heartbroken, but Cassian cleared his throat.

“As much as I love one-sided conversations, can we be clued in? Little nightingale, why aren’t you speaking up?” He was looking at me like he knew the answer already, but didn’t want to hear it. I reached for his hand, holding tightly as I shook my head.

“Her voice is currently gone, courtesy of Amarantha. I believe she just needs some rest, some time to let it come back on its own after half a century of being overused.” I stood there for a moment, waiting for him to continue. When it was clear he wasn’t going to share my perspective, I blew up, pulling my hand from Cassian’s grasp in order to point my finger at him in anger.

“When you are acting as my voice, you do not get to decide what is or isn’t said on my behalf.”

My mouth was moving, but no sound came out. I felt as if I was screaming at the top of my lungs, and I noticed that Mor started crying again and Az’s jaw clenched tightly. I felt Cassian shift closer to me but stopped just before making contact. I suppose it’s one thing to be told someone’s voice is gone, almost as if they’re ill and they’re just a bit raspy, but another thing to witness firsthand that it is destroyed.

“You have no right to censor me like that, Rhysand.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry Ava. It is a horrid disservice to you to cut out your thoughts and opinions like that because I don’t like what they could mean.” Mor growled under her breath, and Rhys glanced at her. “My apologies to all of you. As Ava just pointed out, I have to be her voice for her right now, so it’s not fair of me to not give the whole story.” Cassian placed what was supposed to be a comforting hand on my shoulder, but a sense of vulnerability hit me so suddenly that I stepped away, crossing my arms over my chest.

“We’re going to have to figure out a way to communicate with you, Aves. Rhys isn’t always going to be around to play interpreter.” I nodded, but unfortunately looked to Rhys to speak for me again.

“We actually talked about that a while ago, what she would do if we got out. I know there are books for signing in the library, and a few of the priestesses would be able to work with her as well. For now, I suppose you’ll just be carrying around a notebook if I’m not with you to translate.”

“The priestesses would be able to work with all of us. Not just Ava.” Everyone turned to look at Az. “You learning to sign would be pointless if we don’t learn as well.” Mor nodded along.

“Az is right - completely pointless for you to learn a new method of communicating with us and we still don’t understand what you’re saying. I’m in!”

Cassian draped an arm around my shoulders, nodding with a smile. “We just got you back. No way are we losing you because of something that we can overcome.”

“And I bet this will wind up all being for nothing as I am certain Madja will confirm what I’ve known all along in that your voice will be back before we know it.”

Before Az stepped away to collect Madja, he gently reached for my hand. “We’re together now. No matter what happens, we face it as a unit.” I smiled at how similar this was to what I said to Rhys earlier today. Squeezing his hand didn’t feel like enough, so I pulled him into another hug. I couldn’t blame myself – he’s usually pretty selective when it comes to showing affection and I’m going to take every advantage as possible to have the soft spymaster in our presence before he goes back into hiding behind his shadows.

He chuckled as if he knew exactly what game I was playing but didn’t put up a fight. Before he pulled away, he whispered softly in my ear, “I’ve missed you terribly, sweetheart.” His mask was back in place as he moved into the shadows to find the healer.

Either I did a great job at hiding a blush, or Cassian decided to humor me in pretending it didn’t exist when he directed Rhys and I into the living room. “Is there anything I can get you before they get back?”

I doubt we have time for a bath that would let me scrub myself raw, so I’ll settle for some tea. Rhys smirked, and shared we would both appreciate tea, if it wasn’t too much trouble. Mor scoffed and ran off to the kitchen to brew something for all of us. Cassian continued to look us over as we sat, probably looking to see if there were any other injuries he missed before. I held my hand back out to him, admittedly feeling a little bad for shying away from his affection in the foyer. He quickly took hold, grip tight as he smiled at me. We remained silent, content to just be in this moment while we waited for Mor and Az to come back. Luckily, the wait wasn’t long.

Mor walked in with a tray at the same time shadows appeared and both Az and Madja walked out. Madja ran to Rhys with a cry, pulling him into a motherly embrace. I turned away to hide my tears, busying myself with adding honey to the cup Mor passed to me. “Thank the Mother you’re back. Sit down, let me take a look at you.”

Rhys started to object, but I cut him off. You first, High Lord. Your health and safety, whether you like it or not, is far more important than mine. He gave me a hard look. For me. Please? With a sigh, he sat back down in the chair as Madja looked between the two of us. If it weren’t for her years of healing, I’m sure she would have gaped at my neck. Instead, she looked between us again, weighing who she should look over first. I pointed to him, settling into Cassian’s side as I sipped my tea. Clearly showing I had no intention of going anywhere any time soon and can wait my turn.

“I can assure you, Madja, that I am physically uninjured. Deprived of the sun, absolutely. But I imagine this will be very quick for you.” She narrowed her eyes, and I smirked at the I-will-be-the-judge-of-that attitude that Rhys is rarely on the receiving end of.

Madja’s hands began to glow slightly as her healing magic flowed through her, and she hovered them over various parts of Rhys, sensing what may or may not be healthy. I always marveled at the magic of healers, wishing I had a gift similar to theirs.

Mor sat on the arm of the couch beside Rhys while Az sat on the other arm. As I was still leaning against Cassian, the position made it easy for Az to reach behind Cassian and play with strands of my hair. I sighed into my tea, finally feeling safe in the arms of my family. Cassian glanced at me briefly when I sighed, but I smiled up at him and Azriel. They both smiled back, and I leaned deeper into Cassian and Azriel’s touch.

Looking back over at Rhys, I watched as Madja was wrapping up her exam, noting exactly what Rhys said: nothing was physically wrong. She turned to me, and I pointed to my neck as a sign that this is the only area that’s physically harmed. Rhys quietly interpreted that, in case it wasn’t clear.

“If it’s all the same, I’d still like to look over the rest of you to be safe.” I nodded, and Cassian grabbed my teacup and set it on the table for me while I sat up. I felt a trail of warmth where her hands moved across my legs, torso, and arms. She bypassed my neck for a moment to look over my head for any fractures before settling into the biggest issue. “May I ask what happened here?”

I glanced at Rhys, and he took in a deep breath. “I can start with what I’ve seen, and you can stop me to fill in any gaps as I go?” I nodded. The warmth of Madja’s hands grew while she examined my neck, as if her healing was digging deeper for answers.

“To start at the beginning, we all know that Ava was invited to perform at the gala Amarantha was hosting, which we all now know was a trap. Amarantha apparently went to a few of Ava’s performances over the years, enraptured with her voice.

Once the trap was set, she demanded Ava sing every night we were under the Mountain. Amarantha tried to make every night seem like a party in the early days. A bit deranged at times, but a party nonetheless. At first, the amount of time Ava performed on stage was manageable, nothing different from what she would do when she was touring Prythian. The first marker for us that things were taking a darker turn for the worse is when Amarantha would force Ava to be on stage all night, singing nonstop.”

Not just me, but the other performers as well. Her attention to them became all-consuming.

“Yes, you’re right. There were other musicians that would accompany Ava, and Amarantha turned her wrath to them before she turned to Ava, almost as if she didn’t want to hurt her at first. She would break the bones in the hands of the percussionist over and over until her could no longer hold drum sticks. She would slice off the fingers, then hands, of any guitarist who was on stage. Finally, she would take a blade and slice across Ava’s throat. She’d allow a healer on the stage to do the bare minimum to get them ‘back at it as the party isn’t done yet.’” He trailed off, and I think we were both seeing the same images of mutilated musicians and blood pooling on the floor of the stage after an Amarantha Tantrum. “There was never a way to tell what would set her off. Reasons she clung to would be those such as not wanting to hear that particular song, or Ava was ‘pitchy’ or a musician played the wrong chord. Sometimes weeks would go by, and she wouldn’t lash out. Sometimes, I would watch her slit Ava’s throat upwards of 5 times a performance.”

Wild how a singer doesn’t sound great when she’s actively bleeding on stage…

“It was about 15 years ago that Ava stopped speaking completely in an attempt to save what little voice she had left for the stage. We had seen Amarantha kill the percussionist and numerous guitarists over the years when she grew bored of them, tired of ‘correcting’ their performance.” Rhys looked over to me and grabbed my hand. “Ava and I did everything we could to keep her from that fate.”

As Rhys shared this, Madja had been looking me over as thoroughly as she could. She sat back with a sigh, and I knew what was coming. Rhys’ grasp on my hand tightened, as Cassian grabbed my other hand. Mor followed Azriel’s lead in leaning over to grab hold of a shoulder while we waited for Madja’s verdict.

“I could tell you that you need months of rest and tea blends to aid in the soothing recovery of getting your voice back.” She met my gaze, and I resigned myself to what she wasn’t saying. “But I’m not in the business of false promises. Maybe one day, a whisper can come back to you. From what I am seeing, though, I am so sorry to say that there is nothing I can do for your condition.” Her fingers trailed a bit over the scar. “I may be able to soften the scarring a bit, but I will leave that up to you.”

I shook my head. I’ve lived with it for so long, there’s no need to try and do anything here.

Rhys cleared his throat. “She says she’s lived with it for so long already, there’s no need.” Madja nodded in understanding.

“I’m more than happy to check in with you as time goes on to see if there’s any changes. You know where to find me.” I released my grasp on Cassian’s to grab hers in thanks. Azriel stood to escort Madja back to her home, but everyone remained quiet in the living room.

We expected this, Rhysand.

“Expecting didn’t mean accepting, nightingale. But for now, let’s just take the time we were given and enjoy being safe, being home.”

“I will cheers to that, brother.” Cassian moved to the liquor cabinet and Mor helped pass along the glasses to us. Once the last glass was handed off, Azriel emerged from his shadows. He looked around with a slightly raised brow, curious as to how we went from somewhat sad news to a somber, but still celebratory drink.

I moved to hand Azriel his glass, and his shadows swirled around our hands at the exchange. I smiled to him, then at everyone else, and he seemed to figure out the reason for the drink.

The other moved to us and we stood in a tight circle as we raised our glasses. “To coming home.”

#bri writes #acotar #acotar fanfic #under the mountain #acotar x reader #acotar x oc

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mari-lair · 1 year

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@ur-local-remy-kinnie showed so much love for this au, I got inspired to continue!

(Angels and Demons AU: Part 1)

Teru has no idea what to do when he gets tainted, all he has ever learned about fallen angels is that they need to be destroyed quickly.

A lot of feelings that are normal for humans are terrifying for him. He feels dangerous, which he is, considering he used to be one of the strongest angels, and the fallen tend to be stronger once they get fully transformed, so Teru runs far away, getting the bad habit to rip his darkest feathers when the stress gets too high, reaching a breaking point when he notices he have horns too.

In a fit of insanity and pure wrath at his situation, he breaks one of his horns, which hurt enough to brieftly regain his sanity, cleaning himself in a lake so he doesn't leave a trail and heading somewhere no angels would ever look for him: A ruined city that was destroyed in a battle between demons and angels ages ago, an infamous massacre where the angels were defeated. The mere sign of it filled them with shame.

He stays in one of the few decrypted houses that are still standing, switching between trying to find ways to ease the pain or hurting himself to not focus on the 'unholy' emotions he is experiencing.

When a weird moth comes to his hideout, he recognizes it as a demoniac creature, and gets ready to destroy his visitor, not expecting Akane to come for him.

Akane's presence makes everything worst. Teru doesn’t know what to do with these desires, most of which he can barely understand, and he’s both terrified he’ll hurt Akane and ashamed of his pathetic look, so he kicks him out. Lock the door. It’s personal but he is also genuinely furious to see Akane. It has grown easier for Teru to feel rage after he had fallen. Scarily so. Teru's screams are far more violent than usual when he scowls Akane for being careless. After he ran away, Akane was their town's biggest defense, he put everyone at risk when he left. Teru genuinely likes the city he was assigned to take care of. One of the first lessons he taught Akane is to never leave the city ungarded, so he shouldn't be here.

Akane doesn’t care about the city as much as he cares about Teru, so he declares he won’t come back if Teru doesn’t come with him. Teru insists he is being stupid, so Akane breaks the windows of his hideout and jumps inside.

Their meeting is very strange for Akane, because Teru changed a lot, there are clear physical changes, which look painful, but his behavior is what stuck with Akane the most, making him deeply worried. Teru is very jumpy, he lost his confidence but he is far more aggressive. He is also surprisingly easy to read, he’ll hold his head when his thoughts give him a headache, and openly stare at Akane’s lips if he wants to kiss him, losing his composure and yelling when Akane tries to use a gentle tone and running from him when he tried to get closer.

Akane is gentle but stubborn, running after him until Teru gives up, and cleaning his bruises with a half empty water bottle he brought for his journey since holy water proved to just burn him in his current state. He reassures Teru he’s still easily the most beautiful angel he has ever seen, none of their church sculptures and mosaics could compete. He doesn’t deny when Teru accuse him of being blinded by his devotion, but he is not bothered by the idea either.

He mostly explained and reassured Teru about his new feelings, trying to stay calm and help out despite being over-excited to be near his angel after two weeks searching for him. Teru eventually confesses that he wanted something from Akane but he wasn't sure what. Is something insane and violent, that should scare Akane and make him run before Teru eats him alive. The explanation is so bad, it takes Akane some time to realize Teru is having human desires. He laughs in a bittersweet way and kisses him, taking a more hands-on approach when explaining lust.

It’s the slowest and most awkward make-out session imaginable, because Teru has an angelic upbringing, he may not have been the sweetest of angels but he grew up with their values: He never had any education. He considers showing skin scandalous, the most sensual a ‘respectable’ angel can be, is to not wear gloves. And Teru used to look down on sinners while proud of his status, which Akane knows, so he's very patient, occasionally touching Teru under his robes when Teru gets enough confidence to urge him to "keep doing whatever he's doing" but not taking a single piece of clothes or even jewelry off him.

Akane doesn’t have the same restraints, he gives Teru permission to do whatever he want with him, which drastically accelerates Teru’s corruption. By the time the moon is high, Teru is more demoniac than angelic, both his wings lost all their feathers, and he has grown comfortable enough to steal kisses whenever he pleases, being possessive and reckless enough to give Akane hickeys and significant bruises from holding too tight. Teru clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing, but Akane doesn’t mind, it's nice to be so close, and he can tell it distracts Teru from the pain.

They do have a problem, however: this city is abandoned, it does not have supplies for people to live in it, and they both need to eat to survive now. Akane also isn’t sure how hidden from heaven this city is.

Akane is stumped at first, not sure where is both safe from heaven and full of supplies, but the moth that guided him here gives him an idea: He proposes to leave the city and go hide in Aoi's lair.

Teru doesn’t like to wear a cape like a criminal in hiding when they march to the city Aoi’s home is located, he also dislikes this mysterious underground demon Akane seems to respects. In his mind, she is a horrendous bug creature that his foolish priest is too nice to judge, but he doesn’t complain when Akane stops to buy her a present, aware of how dire his situation is.

Originally, the present would be a thank you gift, but now it was to put her in a good mood, give Aoi reasons to let Teru hide with her. When Teru questions how well a simple music box would be taken by a queen, Akane laughs: He spent a whole night talking with her, he could sense she doesn’t care about riches and prestige like angels do, only caring about entertainment value. And if there is one thing he know for sure, is that the sneaky bitch loves to dance, so she’ll enjoy music.

They are instructed to turn their lights off when she finds them in her tunnels. Teru was surprised to be greeted by a very melodic and feminine voice, that didn’t give the ‘bug’ vibes he expected, his prejudice with demons far higher than Akane's.

Teru is even more on edge, but Akane convinces him to turn his fire off, offering her the music box and hearing her get way too close before snatching the present off his hands.

Aoi adores the music box, playing it on repeat while they talk. She agrees to hide Teru in her lair and let him eat some of her bugs to survive on two conditions, the first is that the fallen angel must never create any light here and the second is that Akane must brings her gifts as good as this music box each time he comes to visit Teru, entertaining her when possible.

When Akane agrees, she twirls him in delight, giggling at the way his angry curses from their first meeting have grown to sound merely exasperated. She also notices his new injuries, amused that the proud priest was okay with being used by a demon. Truly, she is fascinated by him.

She moves her focus to Teru at his wary and possessive growl, curious, very curious about him. She keeps one hand on Akane's wrist, but pokes Teru as one would a new toy, finding his jumpy attitude funny, but his comments too harsh, the rough way he seized her wrist when she stretched his demoniac wings, nearly getting him to lose his hand. She claims that while Teru is allowed to stay here, if at any point he proves to be too much to handle, she'll kill him. This is her house, it should have went unsaid that he will respect her.

She is only fond of Akane after all, she doesn't even know Teru.

When Akane leaves to check on the city he's in charge of protecting, needing to make preparations so the place is safe and he can visit Teru more. The atmosphere in Aoi's lair grows awkward. Teru clearly still doesn't trust her.

Aoi tries to teach him about demons, knowing far more than Akane. Cause yes, while Akane can help Teru handle his new vulnerability to the seven deadly sins influence he is still a priest, he has very little idea of how demons work, he was only taught how to hurt them.

Aoi can tell exactly what kind of demon Teru is, so his behavior greatly amuses her. While eating nutritious bugs with him, she questioned him for holding on to his holy necklace, looking for comfort in it as if unaware the blessed item is the source of his headache. Teru feels dread at her words, but even when he's proven the necklace that used to give him authority in his old church is detrimental to his health, Teru still refuses to throw it away.

She judges him for it, but doesn't comment, having nothing with this 'sentimental value' he speaks of. They talk a lot in this gigantic labyrinth realizing they are surprisingly similar in many cases, bored and prideful and loved and feared.

Teru misses his old church, and even heaven, but he grows to tolerate the caves, see it good points: The tunnels are big enough so he can stretch his wings if he so desires, and there is something comforting about being unable to see himself. Even if he is curious about their mysterious host.

When Aoi grows fond of her demoniac guest, she tricks him into drinking human blood to quench his thirst and give him the strenght to regenerate his horn, as well as heal any burn from his stubborn refusal to abandon holy items. Teru adores the drink at first, but grows appalled when she tells him what it is. They fight, and Aoi is surprised by how powerful Teru is. This is her lair however, she knows how to move in the darkness, and she is surrounded by bugs that obey her, so she wins thanks to the enviroment, locking him in a prison as punishment, where he'll stay until he apologizes.

It takes three whole days for him to apologize, and he urges her to give an apology too.

She doesn't. His horn is back, his strength too, why would she ever apologize for helping? He needs to wake up, he is a demon now, it's stupid to try to keep acting like an angel. Akane may tolerate idiots but she doesn't.

They are able to stay relatively respectful, but they are colder with each other after this fight.

#tbhk #terukaneaoi #terukane #aoikane #teruaoi #all your reblogs on this au were my main motivation #but just tell me if you don't like it and i'll untag you!#i love how teru aoi and akane are kind of awful here #juuust a little bit of bastard #angels and demons au

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starlight-vixen-emiko · 1 year

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The Melody of Your Heart - Chapter 3

ao3 ff.net

Yay! It’s finally here! I hope all of you enjoy more Vipernette! 🐍💕

Jeez Tumblr! Thank you for giving me the right gif for once!

~~~~~~

Could life get any weirder? Marinette would scream on the rooftops to ask The Universe that very question...

...If she wasn't running for her life from a creepy apparition made by the Akuma of the week.

There were enough sinister akumas in Paris to fill an encyclopedia, but what type of Akuma makes apparitions in broad daylight to scare everyone? Marinette was only slightly relieved that she was somewhat good in gym class and close to the building she would take cover in.

There were nights when she wished she could see her hero again, but this was more than what she bargained for. The apparition was closing in on her, and she was making it to safety by the hairs on her head.

Before Marinette could give up, she felt a crash behind her. She nearly fell and dropped her harp. The apparition was crushed and dispelled by a giant regal white harp. Marinette was speechless by this amazing gift from above, but a familiar snake hero revealed himself and gave her a bright smile.

"Viperion!"

The hero winked at her. "Hey Marinette."

Suddenly more creepy apparitions appeared, and Viperion quickly got in front of Marinette to shield her.

"Marinette, head to the nearest building!"

He then got in front of the harp. "I'll use your gift to get rid of these ghosts!"

But Marinette couldn't bring herself to move. Viperion used the giant harp she gave him to make powerful sound waves that caused the apparitions to screech and fade away.

Marinette smiled and knew she was safe with Viperion around, but when she attempted to run to the nearest building, she felt herself stopping. While Viperion was busy defeating evil with the power of his music, she ran back to the other side of the big harp. Before Viperion could tell Marinette not to be so reckless, she smiled at him and started running her fingers through the strings. And Viperion nearly lost his mind for multiple reasons.

"Mari–"

Marinette grinned. "I want to help you!"

Marinette kept playing the magical harp with both of her hands, and the apparitions were overwhelmed by her beautiful music.

Viperion was starstruck as he watched Marinette's harp playing unleash colorful sound waves and musical notes that purified evil apparitions. But eventually, he had to snap himself out of his captivation and get back to his job of being a hero.

"Your melody is amazing!" Viperion cried before running his hands through the strings.

Marinette giggled. "Aw thanks!"

As dangerous and bold as Marinette was, she was having the time of her life, fighting evil firsthand and with Viperion. The two of them closed their eyes and played in sync. Their beautiful duet carried on to the sky and in the clouds, and the army of apparitions grew smaller.

Viperion couldn't tell her that the melody of her heart was making his song stronger and stronger. So strong that fighting the Akuma of the week was becoming a cakewalk.

The song he played with her colored his entire world. But soon, their duet reached a finale, and every last apparition disappeared in purifying lights. Marinette sighed in relief, and Viperion smiled down at her.

He wished he could let this moment play out a bit longer. In all his years of living, breathing, and adoring music, this was a whole new world to him. It made his heart sing, seeing the girl who was originally a bird in a cage playing pained music play a new song that made the world brighter and healed any evil energy.

"Thank you, Marinette…."

Marinette blushed hard and looked away. "Oh! It was nothing! I just wanted to help you!"

Viperion took one step closer. "No really, that was amazing! I was moved!"

Marinette blinked her eyes and took a step closer as well. "Oh really? You thought I was amazing?"

The two grinned at each other, but then they were cut off by someone calling out for Viperion. Marinette and Viperion turned to see Chat Noir and two other male heroes calling Viperion over. Chat and the other boys praised Viperion for his efforts, but Chat Noir noted that Viperion was stealing all the fun as he was the MVP of this hero's mission. Viperion didn't boast because he usually wasn't that strong. He couldn't take all the credit for that win.

The snake hero was about ready to join his teammates, but he turned to Marinette and smiled down at her. "I gotta go," he whispered.

"I know," Marinette gave him the biggest smile, trying to hide her disappointment.

But his adorable smile didn't waver as he placed his hand on the big harp and used his teleportation powers to teleport to his teammates. Once again, he teleported the harp with a crash and caught his teammates off guard. The heroes bantered momentarily, and Marinette couldn't look away. After waiting a moment, Viperion took a moment to wave at Marinette again, and Chat Noir cut him off by teasingly punching him in the arm.

The heroes teleported away with the help of Viperion, and Marinette smiled as the wind blew through her hair. The day was saved again, and Paris could rest easily.

Marinette held her magenta harp close and sat down with her legs crossed as she smiled warmly.

~~~~~

The rest of the day, Marinette walked the streets of Paris and noticed every beautiful melody as she walked by. A man was drumming random objects with his drumsticks, a group of band kids were practicing their instruments, and an adorable little girl was trying to be an up-and-coming singer. Marinette didn't expect to walk into another chapter in the world of music. Occasionally while listening to everyone play their music Marinette would feel inspired and run her hands through her pink harp. She couldn't stop thinking about the chance encounter of her and Viperion playing a harp duet together. And now every melody she heard felt all the more sweeter, but then she stopped when she heard familiar guitar music.

Marinette searched around all the happy people enjoying the peace and musical melodies in Paris. She searched until she found Luka sitting with a content look on his face as he played his guitar.

"Luka!" Marinette cried as she reached out her hand.

She got so excited that she forgot that she may have ruined his guitar playing. But she ran over to him, and Luka slowed his guitar playing and opened his beautiful aquamarine eyes.

Marinette's bluebell eyes shined, and she giggled. She didn't notice that Luka had the most beautiful glint in his eyes as he rested his chin on his hand and smiled at her.

"Hey Marinette!"

Marinette and Luka walked together, enjoying the sound of music being made by up-and-coming musicians and those eager to express their inner melody. Marinette kept her pink harp close to her heart, and Luka was so cool holding his guitar case behind his back. The two of them talked and laughed about fun little things and took inspiration from their fellow musicians, but eventually, Marinette talked about her progress with playing her harp.

Marinette smiled to herself as she stroked her harp tenderly. "I feel myself getting closer to my harp. I can express anything when I run my fingers through strings."

Luka smiled proudly but was also focused on his phone, which was in his free hand.

"Yeah, you put on a great performance today during the Akuma attack," Luka said.

Marinette gasped and quickly peered at Luka's phone, which showed a news article and an image of herself and Viperion playing the harp together.

"Oh my!" Marinette blushed.

Luka chuckled to himself, and Marinette hid her blush and played with her pigtails.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you during the Akuma attack," Luka said.

Luka looked at her with such relief, and his concern for her safety was so sweet. And it also made her feel that similar feeling of deja vu.

But Marinette felt she was probably thinking too deeply about it and brushed it off like dust.

"Oh, that's alright Luka!" Marinette gaped. "I am just grateful that you were safe from the Akuma attack. These akumas just get weirder and weirder!"

Luka said nothing. What Marinette said made him even more guilty that he wasn't by her side.

Marinette sighed. "It was actually really scary, one of those akumas nearly got me but then Viperion appeared. And when he appeared, I just felt so brave…."

Marinette took a moment before wincing, realizing she had confessed some affection to Luka.

Luka gave her a concerned look, but as soon as she met eyes with him, his concern melted away into a warm smile with his calm ocean-blue eyes shining like sunlight.

Marinette started to wonder why Luka was so easygoing while she was so frantic. Some of her friends said she was an out-of-control fireball.

"I understand," Luka said gently.

Marinette gave Luka a stunned look, and she couldn't ask him for an explanation. Then again, her expression said everything.

"He really inspires you…." Luka said.

Marinette thought momentarily, but all her thoughts felt like a bunch of ingredients in a pot that didn't mix well.

"Yes but…" Marinette bit her lip.

But even if Marinette couldn't find the words to say, Luka continued to smile at her and shake his head.

"I think that's beautiful," Luka said.

Marinette couldn't help but blush at Luka, smiling at her like sunlight. Her heart even thudded and made herself feel warm. He was a great friend. And cute and also very inspiring with his passion for music. And it's not like she put Viperion on a pedestal! She had just a lot of feelings for him that she could not shake.

But still, Luka blinked his eyes before turning his back on her. Marinette was taken aback as she attempted to place her hand on his shoulder.

"I need to go…." Luka said.

"What?" Marinette cried. "Are you sure?"

Luka paused momentarily, and Marinette hoped to convince him to change his mind.

Marinette frowned and hung her head. "I mean, I would love to practice my harp with you…."

Marinette heard a small gasp from Luka, and then she felt guilty, thinking she was guilt-tripping him, but Luka turned to her and gave her another sweet reassuring smile. "Unfortunately, I got some responsibilities I have been putting on hold," he said.

Marinette still looked disappointed, but Luka cupped her face with his hand and lifted her chin to lock her eyes on him. "I believe in you. You got what it takes. But we'll play again during band practice."

Marinette knew that, but he didn't have to spend time and practice with her only during band practice. She was especially considering that Luka was super smooth placing his hand under her chin like that. And then Luka let her go, and Marinette held her harp close.

"Ok…" Marinette said.

And Luka left with style carrying his guitar case on his back. Jumping on benches like he was a skateboarder, Marinette was in awe. But Luka turned back again to give Marinette a wave, and Marinette waved back. At that point, she was in a bit of a trace waving at the blue wonder before he finally left.

Marinette's cheeks glowed a bright pink, and she quickly slapped her face a few times, snapping her out of it.

She wouldn't allow herself to become part of a complicated love triangle.

~~~~~

Still, Marinette couldn't hide the desires deep in her heart. Would it be too much to wish for a romance with a superhero instead of a rich jerk? Why must she only have desires that are out of her reach?

She spent so much time out that it was getting dark, and the streetlights were on. But it was a wonderful day nonetheless. And she was going to have another quiet evening with her harp until she stopped at the door of her home when she heard beautiful harp music.

Marinette gasped when she spotted Viperion under a streetlight across the street—playing his harp passionately as if he were on stage under a spotlight.

She couldn't help but place her hands over her mouth, nearly crying happy tears as she saw her hero again. It almost seemed like a dream.

"Viperion," Marinette whispered.

When Viperion finished playing his music, he opened his eyes and waved to her.

As unreasonable as it was, Marinette ran across the street to reach him, and Viperion didn't turn away.

Marinette panted when she reached him and then looked up at him with a smile.

"I am so happy to see you again!" Marinette cried.

Viperion smiled down at her as he kept his harp close to his heart. "I am happy to see you too."

Marinette still wondered if she was resting in her bed covered in homemade knitted blankets and hand-crafted pillows, having the most beautiful elaborate dream of being with her hero again.

"But why…" Marinette said.

Viperion took a moment to rub the back of his head nervously.

"I just had a hunch that I should meet you," he said.

Even if Marinette knew she wasn't dreaming, the two of them under their beacon of light on a quiet night in Paris seemed too perfect.

"Well, maybe we could–" Marinette quickly cut herself off by covering her mouth.

"Hm? What is it, Melody?" Viperion asked.

Marinette squeaked for a moment. She didn't expect Viperion to give her such a cute nickname.

But she wasn't against it…

Marinette quickly tried to find the right words as she circled her index fingers like knitting needles.

"I was suggesting…." Marinette said.

Marinette blushed so hard as she couldn't bring herself to look into Viperion's eyes, but Viperion respectfully tried to meet her eyes and give her another reassuring smile.

"You can tell me anything Marinette. I want to hear it."

Marinette sucked in her breath and clenched her fists as she looked up at him.

"Can I take you somewhere?"

Viperion looked as if he stifled a gasp and gave her an unmistakable sorrowful look. Marinette bit her lip, wondering if she had said the wrong thing.

"Marinette…" Viperion rubbed the back of his head again. "I would like that a lot, but…." He lifted his harp close to his face.

Marinette swiftly took his hand, and Viperion followed as they ran together. For once, the gallant hero Viperion was caught off guard by an ordinary girl.

"Marinette!" Viperion cried.

Marinette turned back to him as they continued running.

"I just need a moment!" Marinette cried.

Viperion smiled at her, and this time he nearly outran her until Marinette got tired and let go of his hand as the two of them continued to walk together, occasionally walking under street lights.

"I know it goes against all reason, but I can't let you slip by right now!" Marinette said.

She may have been an ordinary girl, but to Viperion, she was extraordinary. And he was captivated by every sweet word from her mouth and every smile she flashed at him.

It took Viperion a moment to realize his hero persona was fading in and out. Thankfully Marinette continued walking forward as optimistically as ever with her back turned to him. Not to mention the streets of Paris were dark except for the streetlights, so he cautiously concealed himself away from those streetlights. But Luka still had to do something about his green scales fading back into human hands.

"You and the other heroes carry Paris on your backs," Marinette said.

For a moment, Viperion changed completely back to Luka. But for some miraculous reason, Luka managed to change back into Viperion the moment Marinette stood right under a streetlight and turned to smile at him. Viperion still looked at his hands and arms in bewilderment, but at least this time, he didn't have to conceal himself. Marinette knew her dear snake friend was still with her even if he was hidden in the dark of the night.

"Right Viperion?" Marinette's bluebell eyes glimmered to Viperion.

Viperion gulped. "It certainly keeps life interesting." He was still incredibly bewildered, and Marinette was clueless.

Boldly Viperion walked into the streetlight with Marinette, and Marinette moved closer to Viperion and looked up into his mint-green eyes. She didn't realize how much she was catching him off guard and making him blush under his mask.

"Yes, life is certainly interesting living in a superhero city," Marinette giggled. Viperion took a moment to cover his mouth with his hand. "I must thank you for coloring my life," she said.

Marinette retook his hand; it was like being under a spell where Viperion found it hard to argue. "We're almost there. Just let me steal you away for a little while longer," Marinette winked at him.

Viperion did a low sigh before smiling down on Marinette.

"Ok Marinette, I will go wherever you go."

"Eee!" Marinette cried as she led him into a marathon race again.

Marinette could get used to showing a cute superhero boy around.

And when Marinette finally took Viperion to the destination in mind, Viperion smiled as they stood by the entrance.

"Here we are!" Marinette beamed.

Viperion knew this place. It was the special garden in Paris where everything was in harmony. There were legends that lifelong love bloomed here. But this was also a garden where people could grow with the flowers and plants and find themselves. They were the only two people in the garden, and the whole place looked serene, with all the water fountains flowing water along with the gentle noises of the crickets.

Marinette brought him here, with him as Viperion.

Maybe this was just a dream.

"I know this is a bit much," Marinette said. When Viperion turned to Marinette blushed hard and looked away.

In Viperion's heart, he begged the young girl to tell him whatever was on her mind, but he knew Marinette needed time to find the courage. She was so similar to his sister.

Marinette then let out a dramatic sigh. "I don't know! I just felt like I should bring you here!"

And against all reason, Viperion smiled at her. He smiled at her like she was everything beautiful in the world. Marinette went from the girl on her balcony with a giant regal harp caged by the world and forced to play music to appease others to a girl who went wherever her heart desired and played music to make the world a better and brighter place.

Marinette was taken aback by the warm smile he was giving her.

"I'm happy you brought me here Marinette," Viperion said.

Marinette paused. "Are you sure?"

Viperion took a step closer to her.

"Yes." He felt that with all his heart.

Marinette felt her face heat up again, but she took a moment to giggle and then wiped her eyes.

"Well, I want to show you my favorite parts of this garden," she said.

But then Marinette gasped when she heard the familiar beep of Viperion's hero bracelet. And it was disheartening to see Viperion's usual optimism replaced with a more serious expression.

With a heavy heart, Viperion placed his hands on Marinette's shoulders.

"I need to take you home," he said.

"But Viperion!" Marinette cried.

Viperion's face was crestfallen when Marinette witnessed Viperion's powers up close and personal. Green magic surrounded them as Viperion held Marinette in his arms, and even if Marinette tried to hold on to him, he disappeared before her as she was teleported back to the front of her home.

And this time, no one was under the streetlight across the street.

Marinette fell to her knees and confided quietly to herself.

"I brought you to the special garden because you made me feel like I can do all things."

Marinette was starting to wonder if that was only a dream, but farther away from the bakery Marinette lived in, Luka sat on the steps of someone else's house, allowing the dark of the night to conceal him. He ran his fingers through his hair and hung his head, whispering about all his regrets.

"I'm getting too close…."

"I shouldn't be getting so close…."

But Marinette and Luka looked up into the night sky, wondering about the paths they crossed, the boundaries they pushed, and the memories they would never forget.

"I guess I will see you later," Marinette said as she opened the door of her home.

"I'll see you tomorrow Marinette," Luka said as he picked himself up and walked back home to The Liberty. But the memory of Marinette's beautiful melody at least gave him the strength to believe that tomorrow would be a better day.

~~~~~

Up in a sleek penthouse apartment on a tall building, a light from the window shined in the night like the eye of a storm.

A rich boy sat on his leather reclining computer chair with a keyboard attached. He was awfully pleased about whatever internet browsing he was doing, with his three large computer screens being the only thing lighting his dark room.

But eventually, the door opened, and a servant woman smiled, but the rich blonde-haired boy kept his eyes on his screen.

"You have a visitor, a young master."

"Hm, and what have I told you about bothering me at this time of night," said the rich boy.

Suddenly another woman wearing a news cap appeared beside the servant.

"I got the picture Sir!" The other woman said.

"Ah!" The boy's keyboard moved past him when he pulled the lever. He turned his couch-like computer chair around as the other servant gleefully handed him a photograph. The young boy with blonde hair and shiny green eyes gave a pleased grin.

"Thank you for your service," the boy said.

"The pleasure is all ours, young master," the servant ladies said in unison as they left the boy's room.

The boy turned his chair back to his computer screens and smiled when he was back in solitude.

"It appears Miss Dupain Cheng has been getting better at her harp playing."

The middle computer screen brought up the news article with the image of Marinette and Viperion playing a giant magical harp together, saving Paris from scary apparitions.

Felix Graham De Vanily rested his face on his hand and gave a deviously pleased smile seeing Marinette playing her harp again, even if it was only an image.

And Felix also glanced at the photograph of Marinette and Luka walking Paris together. He saw Luka was a boy with a guitar, and Marinette had a tiny pink harp of her own.

He took a moment to let out an amused laugh before giving a content sigh.

"This is going to be interesting."

Author’s Note: ....What? You honestly didn’t think Felix was gone did you?

I guess it goes without saying that next chapter is going to be interesting teehee!

Until next chapter! 💙

#lukanette #pro lukamari #my writing #my fanfiction

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serialdesignationm · 4 months

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I can’t sleep so wanted to share the lore about how Suzumi became an onryō in the first place, so buckle in folks, this is gonna be a wild ride.

It all started when she was alive, and was about 7-8 years old, and was supposed to be attending a Halloween party her parents were hosting, but at this point was hurt by her dad so much to the point where she was only 1 or 2 hard hits away from death, so she was in bed, resting. But Suzumi had so much adrenaline she couldn’t tell how hurt she was, so she decided to finally run away from this toxic environment while she still could.

So she put on a plain white, loose kimono, and backed a small backpack with some food she had stored under her bed, her Daisuke doll, and Daisuke’s suicide note. Suzumi walked over to her bedroom window and took one more look at the place she felt safest, her bedroom, before gathering all the courage she could and jumping out the window.

Luckily the fall wasn’t high, but it did hurt a bit. But Suzumi didn’t care, she was determined to make it to the forest, where no one would find her. She ran and ran and ran, until she made it to a strange part of the woods she had never seen before. The Hinterlands. Suzumi had heard of the Hinterlands in stories before, but the thought had never crossed her mind that it was real.

As Suzumi was thinking this, the adrenaline started to finally wear off, and suddenly tripped over a stick. She hit the ground, and that was the last straw for her small and weak child body. The last thing she saw before her consciousness left her, was a jack-o-lantern carved into a tree trunk.

Suzumi woke up sitting up against a tree in a dark forest that didn’t look like the forest she last remembered being in. She knew she should be panicking, but felt weirdly calm. She also felt unusually light, like she could jump and start floating. Suzumi got up and started exploring this place for a bit, and eventually came to a small town. As she scanned the town and townspeople, she realized what this strange, dark, spooky place was: Halloween Town, a.k.a. The Between Heaven and Hell, where dead people go if they’re not entirely good or bad.

Before Suzumi had the chance to approach the town, she felt a strong attraction to somewhere in the forest. She decided to follow the attraction and it led her to an abandoned 1 story house, and as soon as she saw it, she knew this is where her grave would be in the realm she was alive in. But the attraction was still there, but stronger now. Suzumi entered the house, following the weird force through until it led her to an empty room in the middle of the house.

And even without any hint or evidence, Suzumi knew this is where her and Daisuke’s graves would be. As she stepped further in, the attraction disappeared. She sat down, took off her backpack and took out her brother’s suicide note and read it to comfort her. She read the part where he said they would meet again someday, and she decided to wait there for him to find her.

Suzumi used a piece of rock she found to make tally marks whenever a year passed. She eventually stopped counting at 88 years. One day, on the 99th year of waiting, she had slept to pass the time and had a dream about her death, and knew it was her dad that had killed her and her brother. Suzumi woke up feeling angrier than she ever had before, and she had been really angry since she had died. She finally let herself leave the house to go into woods and find her way back home. She only had one goal in mind: kill her father.

Suzumi ran as fast as she could through the woods, and she was faster than she remembered. As she ran, her anger grew every time her foot touched the ground. Suddenly she had to stop. Suzumi felt a pain all over her body at a level she had never felt. It felt like she was on fire while being stabbed. She screamed in pain, hoping someone would come help her, hoping the pain would stop, or at least lessen. It never did. She could tell things about her were… changing. Like she was growing more powerful. Then, to her relief, the pain stopped. Suzumi fell to her knees, still clutching her body in shock. Then she fell asleep.

When Suzumi woke up, the pain had subsided. But she had an overwhelming urge to hurt something. To kill something. She was angry. She was scared. She felt so many things at once, and couldn’t tell what to focus on. Her pitch black hair fell in front of her face, but didn’t bother to move it. She stood up fully, understanding at last what was happening.

Suzumi had become an onryō.

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kusagrasskusa · 1 year

Text

Thin Man X Lady - “An unwanted answer”

“I know it is not the answer you would have wanted. But, if it makes you feel better, seeing who you are is not what I wanted either.”

The night where the little boy had risked it all for the sake of his dear friend would be the night where his heart was broken for the last time. Although he was so young, he knew he was in love with the lovely girl he had saved twice before the tall, thin man would take her away. The pain he felt in his chest and the tears he shed just at the thought of what could have happened to her whenever the school children took her hurt enough- and a man much stronger, scarier, and mysterious hurt much worse. With a name like Mono, the boy was destined to be alone. Ironically, it was his biggest fear as well. It concerned him when his dear friend rushed ahead of him when the cursed world inside the Signal Tower began to falter, but how his smile grew and his body relax when she caught him on the bridge. Surely, he believed, that he would be pulled up and they would hold hands as they ran out the door.

But there was nothing in those eyes he saw as he looked up at her. It seemed the Tower had not only taken away his friend, his joy, but also his best friend. His young love. He couldn’t even feel his body as he began to fall into the endless depths of the disgusting world; and the blurry view of Six leaving the ledge replayed in his mind for years.

It was so unfair. It’s hard for anyone- even himself as he went through it- to imagine day after day being spent inside a hell. Sitting, waiting- hopping to starve to death. Biting his tongue to hopefully drown his blood before growing too weak to go through with it. Feeling his legs hurt as the growing pains set in, hoping it’s some God blessing him with any kind of death, only to watch himself grow old. How his eyes strained after years of not blinking; all while replying the image of his dear friend and young love betraying him.

He eventually had a new thought- regret. At first he regretted saving her from the Hunter before coming saddened. He was so happy he got to gain her trust. He regretted not leaving the school by himself. But then again, he felt sad because he saved her from whatever they would have done to her. Then, he realized that he regretted only one thing.

Mono had regretted what he did to himself. How he destroyed the thin man from trying to save him from his miserable fate.

The day that he felt the Signal Tower be used once more was the day that it was broadcasted that there was a voyage for people to take. They would be boarded on a ship and sent to a large ship called “The Maw.” These unsuspecting people would bring their televisions and others that carried the Signal with them, and he got to watch these free people succumb to a fate almost as terrible as his. These people would eat and eat until they just morphed so disgustingly. But Mono, this aged thin man, would simply ignore what the signals showed him as he had always done. Nothing seemed more important than to reply the betrayal in his mind a million more times.

The Signal is unlike a regular signal for it was capable of reaching whatever it affected and infesting it no matter where it went. Once a person is victim to the Signal, they can never truly escape it. Especially to those who believed they could escape; a child who had nothing good left inside her and had that emptiness filled with the infestation of the Signal. She had first arrived in the Maw as a child but grew to become the one to shape it into the disgusting place it became.

She was a beautiful lady who had grown up cursed since the day she left Pale City. Perhaps she could no longer see value in anything other than herself but she still carried the weight of her sins for each time she looked in the mirror, all she saw was the hideous person she truly was on the inside. She had worn a mask to conceal her inner ugliness but the sins of that fateful night seemed to burden her forever.

Something unlike anything she believed a god could have done would occur the day the Pale City people would board her Maw. She saw herself- Six, this little girl in a yellow raincoat- who came to the Maw with the same goal that the lady felt when she first arrived. Something so paranormal must be destroyed. But this girl took advantage of the Lady’s sins by revealing her inner ugliness via a mirror.

Her pained screamed were powerful in the ears of anyone unfortunate enough to be around. Anyone could detest to the pain she felt with how strongly it weighed down on the room- like anyone who was in it could just break down as if they were feeling what she was feeling. At last, the curse of the Lady’s sins would bring her to her knees and make her fall victim to the little girl’s hunger.

But, no one can ever escape the Signal. Even on The Maw, miles away from Pale City.

Despite everything that happened, the lady still didn’t feel sorrow at the sight of her pained friend even if he felt just as terrible as her. When she appeared in the cursed world of the Signal Tower, she was confused and almost scared. It was all too familiar and so sudden but seeing the tall, thin man in front of her in the chair seemed to bring her to her knees once more. But in utter shock instead.

“I don’t understand,” she mumbled, slowly taking off her mask. “Mono had killed you years ago.”

The thin man would stand up from his seat that he had waited on for decades, unable to register what he was seeing before him. His lips cracked as they opened- it had been a very long time since his last scream on the night of her betrayal- and he answered with, “I am Mono.”

With the Signal on his side, she knew he could do anything with her. Even if she was just a mere ghost- or something, whatever she was in the Signal Tower even though she must had been dead in the Maw- it was apparent she had no where left to run. She relieved now that seeing her child self and seeing the Thin Man decades prior must had been part of some sick time loop that forced the two to feel endless pain no matter what. But it remained that there truly was no good left inside her and no pity for her to feel for her dear old friend.

“I only did it because I knew you would be like a slave to me forever, and I can never trust someone who lacks free will. But, Mono, I do suffer as well thanks to that… incidence. You can look at me and see what you had done to me.”

Mono looked around the lady, unable to see a single problem with her. Her beautiful hair, soft facial features that were naturally perfect, body fit for a princess, and voice as lovely as a perfect note was all that he could observe.

“I am ugly,” she answered his confused expression. “Each day I shatter anything with a reflection. You made me like this, Mono. When you fell, you must have cursed me to be as ugly as those gluttonous, man-eating monsters.”

“You look beautiful,” Mono replied, “you always did. I never would have wished a single bad thing on you.” He reached up to grab his hat, taking it off and pressing it against his chest. His uncovered face looked nothing was sorrowfully as Six gazed upon it, making her sigh. “I always hoped you did it to me for a good reason. I always hoped you had a good reason that I just didn’t understand, Six. I even hoped it was at least because it would help you live longer; that maybe I was just in your way.”

Six stared blankly at the Mono, her straight face as lifeless as the day she betrayed him.

“Your reflection just shows how you are on the inside, dear friend. You are so ugly on the inside.”

Six just replied in silence, eventually staring at the ground before closing her eyes with a sigh. “I am, aren’t I,” she said, “well I won’t weep over it. I will never regret the day I left you behind; but, I regret that it didn’t kill you. You deserve to die, Mono.”

Mono had always been pushed aside and treated like something worth abusing. So while her words didn’t affect him much, it still hurt to just know why everything had happened. He was betrayed simply for protecting her- and that was something he had been thinking about nonstop. And yet the answer never relieved him from his pain. Perhaps his only relief would be to die- for he had suffered enough and it was time he was finally put to rest.

#thin man #the lady #lady #the thin man #little nightmares #little nightmares 2 #little nightmare mono #little nightmare thin man #little nightmare six #little nightmare lady #mono x six #thin man x lady #the lady x the thin man #six is the lady #i know it isn’t cannon but its okay

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sailorgreywolf-legacy · 9 months

Note

Ale healing from the back wound Alfie left

Mexico woke up in pain, horrific pain. His back felt like it was on fire, and he could hardly move. He kept his eyes closed and hoped to fall back to sleep. Unconsciousness was his only respite from the pain, and he would rather not be awake.

His stomach growled, telling him why he was awake. He groaned and opened his eyes. He was almost alone in a dimly lit room, except for the young soldier who was tasked with watching him.

The young man was half-asleep and not paying attention. Mexico cleared his throat loudly to get his attention. The soldier jerked awake and looked around. He met Mexico’s gaze and said, without Mexico prompting him, “Oh right, food.”

He scrambled to get up and leave the room. Mexico sighed as he was left alone again. He knew the guards had been Santa Anna’s idea to make him feel safe and to make sure that he was not left wanting. Mexico was well aware that every time he got out of the bed it ripped open his back wound. He had bled out and woken up in bed enough times to know it was a bad idea. But he felt like an invalid.

He gingerly sat up and tried to prop himself against the pillows. It had been months since he was wounded, months he had spent as a prisoner. He was used to being healed from anything no matter how grievous, but it seemed that having territory ripped from him had stalled the process entirely.

He thought to himself: Even if I was human, I would have healed by now. The agonizing pain in his back told him that it wasn’t healing, and that he had no way of knowing how long it would take.

The door opened and the soldier reappeared with food in hand. Mexico was more interested in the figure leaning heavily on a cane behind him. He looked so unsteady on his feet since the Americans had taken the prosthetic leg that fit. Yet, Mexico was still glad to have someone familiar there.

Santa Anna sat down in the closest chair, and then seemed to wait for the soldier to leave. Mexico started picking at the food as soon as it was placed in front of him. He said, “How much longer are you going to stay, Antonio? I thought you said you were leaving.”

Mexico wasn’t sure how he felt about the concept, but Santa Anna had promised that he was ending the war by leaving.

Santa Anna looked at him with something like concern and said, “Do you know how long you’ve been asleep?”

Mexico shook his head. To him it felt like it had been unending time in the half-lit bedroom.

His stomach growled gladly as he started to eat. Answering the question, he said, “I have no idea. How should I know? I’ve been asleep.” Santa Anna sighed and replied, “It’s been days. We were worried that you'd stopped breathing.”

Mexico simply responded by saying, “Huh, it hasn’t felt like it.”

To himself he added that if he was going to sleep so long, it should have actually healed him.

There was a pained crease appearing between Santa Anna’s eyebrows as he tried to find words. He opened his mouth and then reconsidered. Mexico ate quietly while he waited for Santa Anna to speak. Eventually the man settled on, “I intended to leave immediately. I cannot in good conscience leave you alone when you are still healing. Not when I can't be sure that you'll be taken care of.”

Mexico felt a twinge of guilt followed by a stronger twinge at the absurdity of feeling guilty. If he could have made himself heal, he would have done it already. He didn’t want to say it out loud, but he appreciated that Santa Anna was concerned.

He said between bites, “You don’t have to stay. I am sure other people will make sure I don’t die.”

Santa Anna took another deep sigh and ran his hand over his forehead. He said, “I don’t believe that. I don’t know what will happen to you if I leave.”

Mexico sighed, “Why is it that you think you are the only one who can save me?”

The man looked remarkably old in the low light, and he looked pained by what he was about to say. The answer sounded strained as he said, “I don’t trust-“ He stopped himself before he could say more and added, “I will leave when you can get out of bed.”

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risu5waffles · 9 months

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And a rare score of TEN from Sweden.

i don't know what that's even supposed to mean. What sport would i possibly be playing at the international stage? Competitive Vague Weird Girlery? Whatever. i decided we'd work wiv TEN for this bit, and i'm sticking to it.

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A fun enough level for what it is. i always feel like, when i run into these old, straight-forward races, that they must have been a hoot multiplayer. You can still get a feel for it, but it's just not the same by yourself.

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This is a cute little one. It's rare to run into one of the old Pitagora Switch levels that actually still run, tho' this one is probably saved by having no pistons in the mix. Even then, you can see some of the bigger dominos really struggling wiv momentum. i'm glad it all ran smooth in the end.

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Those bikes were always so easy to turn turtle, weren't they? i don't know what was going on at the midpoint of the level, maybe if i had waited around longer an elevator would have dropped, but i figured it was broken, so i took the scenic route of "LBP1 players didn't know they'd eventually add 16layers to the game." i was lucky the scoreboard was on the floor. i've run into levels on stream where we could use that trick to get around a break, but the scoreboard was up someplace we couldn't access anymore. i think it's kind of cute i'm the only person who beat this level. Like, even the creator said, "i dunno, it's kinda shite, tho'?" i didn't think it was shite, Snakeryder. Not, perhaps, particularly great, but i had my fun wiv it.

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We talked about this one last Friday. It's still as weird as it was then.

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So... this one starts as a "save the kids, destroy the kindergarten" level, and it ends as an offroading, mountain climbing adventure(?). Really liked the 4WD, it was a neat little vehicle, and i'm wondering how they set up the suspension. The first half is definitely the stronger bit, a lot of little details, or at least as far as we could get from simple LBP1 techniques. It's fun enough, and worth a quick playthrough.

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We talked about this one a little along wiv Vanilla Breeze last week, and it's still a neat, inventive, artistic, frustrating as heck piece of work. Like i love the presentation, and i dig what Kipmonlin was trying to pull off, but gods... just such a pain in the butt from almost start to finish. i wonder how this played natively in LBP2. i know the jump off paint technique doesn't quite work in LBP3 the way it did back then; but i don't think translation would account for things like how poorly the sackbots track you during the paint the targets bit. Still love the animated paint(? liquid? something?) bit. Like, that's just magical.

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i wanted to like this one more than i ended up doing. Alpenglow02 does really good work, and there're some solid ideas here, but i feel like the presentation can get a bit confusing in what platforms you can actually interact wiv, and it's just a touch overbight. i really liked the sine wave platforms in concept, like, they're really cool to look at, but the longer section before the secret kirb was just miserable to try to time. i actually got to talk to Alpi some about that, and he did say that he struggles nailing proper difficulty at times, and that's a feeling i can definitely understand. That being said, the glowworms? Loved 'em. Neat effect, cute as heck, right level of challenge for the area. And the central mechanical conceit was a cool one that really added to the level. i feel like i've only seen folx go all in on that idea a couple of times, so it was really nice to see it here.

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i am cursed by LBP1-era horrible gas. It is just the worst. i would have given this one more chance, but having to redo the entire slow section, just to get to a bit i could barely visibly read, get killed, and have to do it all over again? Like, i'm sorry, i really am, but i only have so much time to work wiv, and 14minutes was more than this one deserved. The submersible was nice, an interesting workaround to that kind of vehicle in LBP1, and i did dig on the eely enemies (even if they were a total pain in the bum to actually hit); but, yeah... this one really needed checkpoints.

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A level that plays itself?! Naw dog, sorry, changes to physics and pistons makes this a level that throws you into spikes whether you touch the controller or not. i was disappointed, but it wasn't the creator's fault. Although, to be vaguely fair to Sumo, which is as much as i ever feel like doing, these kinds of levels tended to be fiddly even in their native state, and plenty of them wound up broken all on their own. Can't say for certain which is the case wiv this one.

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i really wound up liking this one, even if i struggled wiv it at times. A really neat take on the Wedding theme, using a lot of the decorative and collected objects flourishes, but to its own ends. Really the best way these kinds of levels can end up. i'm going to have to go back to anrga7ightwish on one of our streams; i'd love to see if they have some other levels that'll click wiv me like this one did.

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

So, that's our TEN this go about. Some real nostalgic ones in there, and some very solid on-their-own standouts, and aside from the Minisub one, nothing i feel like i could walk away from and say i didn't enjoy at least something in them.

We're going into another really busy period here in meatspace. Well, kinda meatspace. i'm going to have to scramble after blowing through the entirety of a three week backlog on a mixture of a depression spiral (really bad) and gender clinic-ery (really good! But kind of annoying! But really good!). i want to try and rock up to the next clinic on Monday. Their website said there was no appointment necessary, which is good, because i couldn't get ahold of them by phone. i'd wanted to spend yesterday boning down (shut up, it doesn't mean that!) on some HRT specifics that i could talk to the doctor about. The scuttlebutt i've heard is Japan's not super great on what and how much they prescribe, and i want to be able to say to the doc "ok, but what about [X], [Y], and [Z]?" And not have to say, "[osmotically sourced, but ultimately vague, nimbus of knowledge from a dozen different conversations]" Like, i feel like specific details would help my case, but specific details are very much a sometimes treat when it comes to memory retention for me. i mean, even if i do get to talk to the doc, it won't be more than bloodwork, and initial talking points, but still. Here i am, i want to keep moving.

#littlebigplanet #little big planet #lbp #lbp1 #lbp2 #lbp3 #LittleBite-sizedArchive #LBsA #just a tired little trans lass #Youtube

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