#he's like a spooked animal - afraid but bearing the care

[uuuhshiny]

Sean Bean in Stormy Monday

Aftercare

[amywritesthings]

A FIRST FOR BREATHING

Pairing: Steven Grant x Reader (+ Marc Spector x Reader)

Word Count: 1.6K

Summary: (Spoilers) At the end of Episode 5, Steven wakes up.

Warnings: Smut, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Porn with Feelings

A/N: Marvel owes me compensation for my emotional state this morning, so here’s a little hurt & comfort smut to hopefully make you feel better. (Because I did it so I felt a little better lbr.)

Also dedicating this to the Moon Knight besties @prolix-yuy & @iamskyereads​ , ilu both.

( Read on AO3 )

It’s as if he’s taking his first gulp of air.

With an anguished gasp, Steven Grant jolts from his mattress in a cold sweat. Sometimes it’s always like this: seconds that feel like minutes, minutes that feel like hours, to get his bearings of where he’s been. Tingles at the tips of his fingers are a good sign. It means his body’s working — their body, the body that was once torn apart — and his second instinct is to stare.

In the dark, in the mirror, until he sees a familiar silhouette.

Except it isn’t his, not really. Not entirely.

The sheets beside him move, and in the gentle hue from the London street lights peering through the bedroom window he can see the relief in Marc’s face when you wrap a hand around Steven’s bare bicep.

“Steven?”

Concern. You’re not meant to be concerned, not about him. And if Steven wasn’t so frightful at the idea of Marc’s eyes disappearing from view, then maybe he would have turned faster.

“Are you alright?” he asks, but not to you.

Swallowing thick to calm the tremble in his throat, Steven waits for Marc to say something, anything, between the reflection keeping them separate.

(There was a space where the alters were tangible. Is that how close they’ll ever get, when Death is a mere few feet away?)

“Answer her, Steven,” Marc answers instead, jaw tense. 

Always so closed off. Always so worried about everyone else.

“Is Marc okay?” you murmur, cautious in your approach to be the middleman of the equation. Approaching the two can often feel like trying not to spook a wild animal — while one will respond, the other is prone to run. 

When you stare into the mirror, it’s only Steven’s wide eyes and wild curls matted to his forehead. He looks like he’s seen ghosts. The worry festers in the bottom of your stomach.

“Tell her we’re okay,” Marc urges, gaze focused on you behind Steven as if he can tell you himself without the buffer of another person.

“I— yeah, think so,” Steven finally answers for the both of them, blinking to glance at you through the reflection. 

“What about you?”

It’s eerie, how you and Marc seem to echo the same concern in different octaves. The question is spoken at the same time, further confusing reality from his own mind.

Steven squeezes his eyes shut, making a noise of discomfort. “Oh, god, dunno what the hell happened. Felt like I— like we got separated and it all went black and I couldn’t feel a bloody thing…”

“Separated?” 

You shift on the mattress to sit in front of Steven, but he’s already meeting you in the middle. With desperation, he turns from the mirror to quickly pull your face into his large hands. He inhales sharply, as if the mixture of your lingering perfume and the ability to expand his lungs will be enough to bring him solace.

Right on the precipice of what it means to be alive and dead.

“You’re real,” he whispers in the space between you, but it doesn’t sound certain. Steven sounds like he’s one crackle away from a plea, too afraid to hope, and you rise to your knees to hold his face in your hands. 

Forehead to forehead, you nod so he feels it.

Then you realize the tremble in Steven’s hands, so you let go of his face to settle your hands over his, fingers curling around his palms. With the utmost care, you pull his left hand to lay along your chest, and Steven’s shoulders slack at the sensation of a beating heart.

“Wasn’t sure if I was ever gonna see you again,” Steven admits, eyes still closed with purpose. You stare, dragging a thumb along the back of his hand. “Neither of us knew.”

Marc protests somewhere behind his shoulder, but Steven ignores the warning signs. He isn’t willing to shut you out, not in the way Marc wants to keep everything in perfect alignment. That isn’t the way this continues to stay good, for both their sakes.

Steven is raw and honest and soft. Has to be.

(Was designed to be.)

“You’re here. See?” You wait until thick eyelashes flutter to turn your head to his right hand, kissing the center of his palm. “Right here. This is real. You’re here.”

Steven relaxes further, hesitant in his movement, before going for it. You can’t remember a time where he’d simply gone in for a kiss — that’s Marc’s style, the urgency of feeling anything beyond his own torment. While frantic, the press of his lips to yours is careful, giving you ample time to leave if you don’t want this.

But you want this. You want them.

You meet him with the same energy, crawling into his lap for ease. He makes a strained sort of whimper, the kind that says he’ll never get tired or used to the closeness of you. Your tongue gently slips along his lower lip and he makes the same noise, dropping his hand from your heart to clutch at your side.

Steven always forgets how strong he is, sharing a body with a system that can bring grown adults to their knees. You don’t mind the pain so long as you feel him — but Marc must have said something about it with the way Steven’s grip eases to a soothing glide up and down your side.

“What do you want?” you ask, pulling away just enough to check in and stare at his face. Steven’s pupils are blown, lost in the sight and feel of you, before he remembers he can speak.

“...to feel alive, I think,” he finally admits, eyes dropping to the base of your neck. “For us both.”

“Marc?” You ask, but it’s not to Steven. Not directly.

Steven nods adamantly. “Says it’s fine. Says you look, um, you look lovely like this.”

The awkward stammer only brings a growing smile to your face. “He didn’t say it like that, did he?”

“Gods, no, but don’t ask me to repeat,” he quickly corrects, breathless in his laugh.

His hand falls lower, trailing along your bare thigh to inch the night gown further to your hips.

(He works better when he doesn’t call out his actions.)

“I’d never.” A promise you’ve made a thousand times. Your breath hitches when Steven’s timid fingers disappear along your inner thigh, head tilting back to relish. Steven places a small kiss to the base of your throat before returning with an open-mouthed kiss, peppering along your neck with growing confidence.

It’s muscle memory by this point. Marc points the way, and Steven obliges. The circular roll of rough-padded fingertips causes you to moan to the ceiling, encouraging Steven to continue. He rubs at your clit languidly, as if mesmerized by the way you respond to it. 

You drop a hand to the center of his chest, relieved to feel the pounding of his heart beneath muscle and bone.

Steven is quiet, too busy marveling at his own body being able to make yours feel good. Marc would have had a hand in your hair by now, mumbling obscenities and praise. And with the way his hand speeds up, you imagine this is a combination of them both, a cocon, to get you there.

When the familiar waves begin to rise from your toes to the tingles in your head, you quickly drop your hands to make way with Steven’s sweatpants. He makes a noise of protest, as if this was meant to be about you, but you shake your head without another word and kiss him.

He kicks the sweatpants to the edge of the bed at his feet, mindful of the strap keeping his ankle in place, before you rise and line yourself up over his rock-hard length.

All it takes is a “please” to sink down onto him, inch by inch, until you bottom out in his lap and you’re back to being forehead to forehead.

Steven makes a strangled sound in his throat, mumbling several oh gods under his breath until he nods frantically to urge you on. You grin, lifting your hips to ride him with a slowness only built for Steven. His strong arm loops around your back, allowing you to set the pace while he clings for dear life.

He is alive.

They are alive.

And he feels it, deep in his chest. The rumble of Marc, the way you look in the mirror grinding on their cock. It’s almost too much, but Steven refuses — refuses — to look away.

This is what it means to be breathing, to have a life, and he will cherish this.

(God, do they cherish you.)

Steven rarely lasts, overwhelmed by the sensation and the noises you make, so he works overtime on your clit to get you there. He keeps the rhythm locked when your hips stutter, inner walls clenching around him, and he tries to speak — something you don’t recall him ever doing before.

“That’s right, dove. Love how you look like this. So lovely, all — ours, you’re ours.”

The surprise praise makes you crash like a tidal wave, orgasm ripping through your body and subsequently setting up the dominos to knock him over the edge. Steven presses you hard to his mouth, cutting off the loud groan bubbling in the middle of his throat as he bucks once, twice, into you, only to go slack.

He struggles to stay like this, but tenses to keep you both in place.

His heart still beats wildly in his chest.

Steven pulls away to nod at nothing in particular, perhaps at something Marc said, before sighing like breathing is wondrous.

“We’re alright,” he says, and you open your eyes when he prompts you with a gentle touch to the bottom of your chin. “More than alright, now.”

[pinknatural]

After a long while, Jack straightens back up, wiping away his tears.

“Sorry about your shirt,” he says again. Dean waves his hand in dismissal. What’s some snot and tears? 

“It’s fine,” he says again. “I mean it, kid.”

Jack looks like he might begin to cry all over again, but he sniffs and makes a valiant effort not to. They’re in a motel room--Dean couldn’t bear the Bunker, and Sam and Eileen’s honeymoon phase. He’s happy for them, of course he is, but seeing them so in love is kind of painful, and Dean could tell Sam was trying not to be overt about it to spare Dean’s feelings, and Dean just felt that, well--he might as well remove himself from the situation, at least for a little bit. 

(Plus, now he has some peace and quiet--the motel room is littered with books and research, scrolls and files and other pieces of lore--all on the afterlife, of course. All on how to get there.)

“Okay,” Jack says. “Okay.” He raises a glowing hand to his own forehead, but he pauses when his fingers are about an inch away. He swallows. 

“Come on, kid, what are you waiting for?” Dean asks. 

“I could bring her back,” Jack whispers. “I should bring her back.” 

He lowers his hand, turns a stricken gaze to Dean. 

“Who?” Dean asks. He thinks, Kelly. He thinks, Maggie. He thinks, absurdly, Charlie. 

“Emma,” Jack says. 

Dean feels as if he’s been hit over the head. 

“What?” he says. Has he turned into a fish and been left out on the docks? Where did all the air go?

“You’ve been thinking about her,” Jack says, like a confession. “Praying.” He has, if only because he’s been wallowing in what he can’t have, the husband, the daughter. He has, if only because he’s been wondering if the way to the Empty could be through Purgatory. Would he have time to sweep the place first? Would he be able to find her, unlike the last two times he was there?

“Yeah,” Dean tries to say, but no sound comes out. He tries again. “Yeah. You could really…?”

“I can do anything,” Jack says, with a sad, bitter smile, and Dean reaches for him. Jack falls into the embrace, wrapping his arms around Dean’s back, clinging to his shirt. Dean runs a hand up his back, cups the back of his neck. 

“You don’t have to,” Dean says. It’s one of the hardest things he’s ever said. “God, kid, I’d like nothing more, but you don’t have to. You gotta do what’s best for you, you hear me?”

“I know,” Jack says. He sniffles. Dean thinks he might be crying again. “And I love Claire so much but I just want my sister. Dad, I want to bring her back.”

Dean squeezes his son. He closes his eyes. 

“Then bring her back,” he whispers, and one of Jack’s hands leaves Dean’s back. Golden light shines, starting behind Dean and filling up the room, making it brighter and brighter and Jack gets smaller and smaller and Dean just holds on, tighter and tighter. 

The light fades. 

A little boy has his face buried in Dean’s gut, arms wrapped tight around Dean. They don’t even go all the way around, anymore. Dean runs a hand through Jack’s hair, stunned even though Jack told him this was what he wanted, even though they’d talked and talked about it before Jack decided to go through with it. 

“What?” a tiny voice says, and Dean turns around. 

Emma is standing there, only she’s not--she’s not exactly the Emma Dean remembers. Instead of being sixteen, she’s something like eight years old, eyes wide and hair tangled with leaves. She’s splattered with blood, and wearing the same clothes she’d died in--the same clothes Dean buried her in. They’re too big for her, and she looks like she’s on the verge of tears. 

“What happened?” she asks, looking around the motel room wildly. “Where am I?”

“Emma,” Dean says, untangling himself from the three year old on the bed and kneeling, reaching out gently. He stays near the bed, afraid of spooking her. “You were rescued from Purgatory. You’re safe.” He turns to Jack. “Why is she little?”

“She’s human,” Jack says, shrugging. He’s chewing on the end of his sleeve, eyes wide. His clothes, at least, are three-year-old sized. Dean wonders where he’s supposed to get Emma some clothes, but there’s a pink suitcase sitting beside Dean’s duffel. The sight of it is too much, and he looks back at his daughter. 

“Safe?” Emma repeats, looking down at her hands. She flexes her tiny fingers. 

“Eight years have passed,” Dean says, still holding out his hands--he’s not sure if he’s trying to soothe her or reach for her. “You’re safe, you don’t have to kill anyone, I won’t hurt you.”

Emma looks around again. She sees her suitcase and stares at it, then swings her gaze back around. “Who’s that?” She points at Jack. 

“That’s Jack, that’s my son,” Dean says. “Your brother. He brought you back.”

“How?”

“He was powered up--he was God--but now he’s just a kid,” Dean says. “He, um, wanted to bring you back.”

“Dada was prayin’ for you,” Jack says, voice muffled around the sleeve he’s still chewing. Dean reaches out and gently removes it from his mouth. “He wanted you to come back. I wanted to meet you.”

“Oh,” Emma says. She looks down at her pants. “I’m all dirty.”

“Yeah,” Dean says. “The bathroom’s over there if you want to--shower. I can help you if you want.”

Emma shakes her head and reaches for her suitcase. She goes into the bathroom, turning around and looking back at Dean and Jack, eyes wide, until she shuts the door behind her. Dean collapses back onto his feet, running his hands over his face, laughing incredulously. 

“I did good?” Jack asks, sliding off the bed and crawling onto Dean’s lap. “I did good?”

“Yeah, buddy,” Dean says, voice cracking. He hears the shower turn on, the water begin to run. He curls up tight over Jack. “You did great.”

--

The first thing Cas is aware of is big blue eyes. The rest of the features on that face sharpen into a nose and mouth, grace smearing around the small face, and although it seems impossible, it can only be--

“Jack?”

“Daddy!” Jack cries, and he throws himself onto Cas. Cas catches him easily, holds his tiny body within his arms. Oh, he’s so small. His golden wings stretch as big as they go, which is not very big, to wrap themselves around Cas, and reflexively he wraps his own around Jack as well, holding him tight, rocking slightly back and forth.

Then he remembers--everything, and that he’s supposed to be dead, and he looks up.

Green eyes. Freckles, slightly crooked nose, beloved mouth, beloved jawline.

“Cas,” Dean croaks, and he falls to his knees. Cas is on the floor, legs crossed and Jack curled up on his lap. Cas doesn’t want to let go but Jack wiggles away, and Cas is afraid to reach out but helpless to do anything else.

Dean crawls toward him, falls against him. He presses his face into Cas’ neck and breathes, in and out, and Cas thinks he might be crying. But Cas is breathing Dean in, and he smells like the Impala (home) and guns (safety) and lemon (Dean) and Cas’ eyes aren’t very dry, either. 

“You dumb son of a bitch,” Dean says, voice tucked safe into the place between Cas’ neck and shoulder. “You goddamned idiot. You stupid fucker. You dumbass, you, you.”

“Dean,” Cas says, and Dean shudders out a shaky breath, breathes heavily against him. Dean is alive in Cas’ arms, and he couldn’t be happier.

He tilts his gaze up, looking for Jack, and he finds instead a little girl with brown-blonde hair. She’s wearing a pink t-shirt and denim shorts and one of Dean’s flannels. She’s practically swimming in it, but her sleeves are rolled up and her eyes are the same apple-green as Dean’s, and Cas holds Dean tighter. 

“Emma?” he asks. She nods and looks away uncomfortably. 

“Emmie, Emmie, my daddy’s back,” Jack says, bouncing over to her and dancing around, wings flapping madly. 

“Yeah,” Emma says. 

Dean clears his throat and finally leans back from Cas. He reaches out an arm and Emma comes over to him, sitting on the floor beside him and tucking herself against his side. Dean wipes away tears with his other hand as Jack barrels back around, throwing himself into Cas’ lap. Cas holds him and looks around. 

They’re in a motel room, two queen beds, identical to the countless ones Sam and Dean have stayed in over the years. But there’s a pink suitcase next to the TV and a blue duffel with sharks on it beside it. On one of the beds there’s a pair of stuffed rabbits, one pink and one yellow. There are various books and scrolls piled on the little table beside the couch and also piled onto the couch itself. Spell ingredients are on the floor, spread out over a placemat. 

“Daddy,” Emma says, and Cas looks at her, tugging on Dean’s overshirt. His heart melts. Dean deserves nothing less, of course, but he knows what toll gaining then losing a daughter has had on Dean. He’s so glad that Dean can have her back, that she can have Dean, too, that she can have another chance. She deserves it, and already Cas looks at her and sees her hair in a careful braid and her Wonder Woman socks and he knows he would die for her. “If me and Jack are siblings and you’re Jack’s dad and that’s Jack’s dad, too, then. Um.”

She looks at Cas nervously. Dean squeezes her shoulders. 

“Me and Cas have to talk about all that,” Dean says. Cas is astounded that it’s not an instant denial. 

“We do?” he asks, and Dean meets his gaze head on.

“Yeah,” he says. “We got a lotta stuff to talk about, you and me. Kids, why don’t you watch some TV and Cas and I’ll go outside.”

Jack scrambles off of Cas’ lap and turns around, presses a wet kiss to Cas’ cheek, then he climbs onto the bed with the stuffed animals. He grabs onto the yellow bunny and Emma crawls beside him, putting the pink bunny on her lap and pointing the remote at the TV. Cas stands and offers his hand to Dean, who takes it, lets Cas pull him up.

Dean goes outside and Cas follows, of course he does. They don’t let go of each other’s hands. 

“Why are we in a motel?” Cas asks. Dean shrugs. 

“Needed some space,” he says. “Then I wasn’t sure how big of a house to get.”

“A house?”

“Yeah,” Dean says. He rubs at the back of his neck with his free hand. “Can’t raise kids in a bunker, come on man.”

“What about Sam?”

“He’s fine,” Dean says. “On a hunt with Eileen.”

“Oh,” Cas says, slightly confused. 

“Yeah, I dunno,” Dean says. “Salt-and-burn in Orlando, I think. So, um, listen, man…”

“Thank you for getting me out of the Empty,” Cas blurts, afraid Dean is about to reject him. He has always known Dean would do so, but he thinks to hear it would be--upsetting.

“Of course,” Dean says. “You’re, um. I couldn’t just leave you there, you’re--”

“Family?” Cas suggests.

“Yeah,” Dean says. He takes a step forward. “Though, you know, I’ve been thinkin’ about what we are to each other.”

“You have?” Cas takes a step back when Dean takes another step forward. 

“Yeah,” Dean breathes. “Living together, raising a kid together, dying for each other. Never wanting to be apart.”

“Oh?” Cas says, and his back hits the wall. Dean stands over him, caging him in with only one hand--the other still wrapped around Cas’ palm, their fingers intertwined. 

“You know what that sounds like?” Dean asks, breath ghosting along Cas’ jaw, and Cas can’t really think. Why is Dean standing so close to him?

“Family?” Cas croaks, brain stuck on the word. Family, they’re family.

“I was thinking it sounded like husbands, Cas,” Dean says, and then Cas doesn’t have to worry about why Dean is standing so close anymore, because Dean kisses him, and Cas’ brain ceases functioning--but it’s okay, because if Dean says they’re husbands, who is Cas to argue?

--

Sam pulls up to the motel after dropping Eileen off at the Bunker. She was tired from driving all night and Sam doesn’t blame her, but he can’t believe he’s missed everything while he went to one measly salt-and-burn.

He parks the car and gets out, crossing the parking lot. He knocks on the door and Claire opens it. She looks the same as always, except she has a purple stuffed bunny peeking out of her jacket pocket. Sam is smart enough not to comment on this. 

She steps aside and lets him in, and Emma squeaks and practically climbs up Dean when she sees him. It’s a work in progress, with her, and Sam feels terrible but he’s not sure what he can do besides give her time, so he looks away and instead turns to Cas, who smiles when he sees him. 

“Sam!” he says, and he stands up from the couch, crosses the room and hugs him. 

“It’s good to see you,” Sam says, clapping Cas on the back.

“Sam!” Jack says, and he barrels towards Sam’s legs with the determination of a battering ram, and Sam intercepts him before he can make contact, picking him up and swinging him over his shoulder. Jack laughs and laughs, and Kaia waves at Sam from her spot curled up on the couch. 

“This motel room is very full,” Sam says, looking around, and Dean grins at him. 

“That’s why we’re shopping, Sammy,” he says, and he points at his laptop. 

“Find anything good?” Sam asks, crossing the room to sit on the couch so he can see the computer. He deposits Jack into Cas’ arms, and Dean comes to sit on his other side. Emma stays on the bed, hiding behind Claire, who’s obviously taking guard-duty pretty seriously since she’s half-glaring at Sam.

Sam looks away and turns his gaze toward the computer. 

“We weren’t finding any good listings so we’re looking for some land, now,” Dean says. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay in the Bunker? We’ve got a lotta room,” Sam says. 

“Nah,” Dean says. He slings his arm around Cas, who’s perched on the arm of the couch. “We need a house.”

“Windows,” Cas says solemnly, tangling his and Dean’s fingers, and Sam notes the movement with a pleased smile. 

“But if we build a house we can add-in wards and stuff, right into the foundations,” Dean says. “We can make sure it’s safe, and good.”

“Will you build it?” Sam asks, even though he knows the answer. 

“Damn straight,” Dean says. The silver band on his ring finger flashes as he shuts the laptop. Jack crawls into Kaia’s lap, and she wraps her arms around him. 

“I think it’s a good idea,” she says. 

“Yeah,” Sam says. He meets his brother’s eyes. “Me too.”

(ao3)

[zackcrazyvalentine]

Hiyo! This is gonna be a bit specific so i hope you dont mind haha;;

Would it be alright to request for HC's for Mammon, Beel and Belphie(if you only take one char per request then Mammon's fine!) with a GN! reader, where in the reader is extremely obssessed with bug critters? Like tarantulas, moths, all that jazz and they often have a lotta them in their room

Im a big bug lover myself but it often freaks people out when i show them a beetle i caught but honestly its just pretty funny to me more than anything haha

Sorry for this long ask!! And take care~☆

Oh~ this is an interesting prompt :o

I myself am squeamish with bugs, but very much respect enthusiasts and entomologists!

Without further ado, here’s your request!!

-- -- --

😈💛 Mammon 💰💸

“Yo... think we can sell these to witches for some cash? Y’kow, for their rituals and generally to keep as pets? Think ’bout- OW, HEY!!”

This one I see recoiling back once you show him a bug. Doesn’t matter if it’s trapped in a jar, or held by your hands, he will get surprised if the critter is shoved in his face

Back in the Devildom, if you ever wandered out and somehow caught one of the unique dangerous bugs within, he would freak out and worry about your safety

“WTF [Name], put that down!! Its bite/sting is dangerous and hurts a lot! PUT IT DOWN!” “Relax, Mammon, your panic will distress it and provoke it to attack! I’ve got this.”

However, in the first weeks of your stay with them, he won’t care at all. Remember how he acted all irritated and mad when you were lumped onto him, right? Yeah, that’s it

Things change when Lucifer gave a stern warning, in his own Lucifer way, to keep you safe at all times

“Drop that, you don’t want to anger it”  “How many times do I need to tell you to stop with that?! Pesky human..”  “Oi, ya dumb mortal! Hands off, no pets allowed!”

Little “I’m not interested” warning will be given, which then morph to “Not worried about you but in reality I very much am” as time goes on and he warms up to you (damn tsundere, this one)

Once he grows fond of you and a friendship is established (and maybe other feelings surface), he will issue the more panic filled warnings

But otherwise, he will admire the little things. The ones with shiny exoskeletons and vibrant colors immediately catch his eye

He will eventually look forward to see what new friends you bring, even more so once you go over to the human world

Just...keep an eye out for his typical Mammon shenanigans of taking stuff to sell. He knows witches who would absolutely love to have some of your critters so, watch out.

You may find him baby talking to a particular bug he’s fond of from time to time (Mammon and the cat audio drama~)

Takes some time for him to stop being squeamish and handle the bugs

Totally the one to look at whichever critter, point at it and go “haha...Lucifer/[any other of his brothers]” (he may have led you to name a scorpion ‘Asmo’)

If he sees accessories or keychains that are bug related, he’ll buy them for you  “D-Don’t take it out of context! It just reminded me of [bug] and thought of getting it… totallydidn’tremindmeofyou,no”

Any colorful and/or shiny insects interest him, but I can see him loving centi- and millipedes (and pill bugs too, but those are crustaceans aha)

👿❤️ Beelzebub 🍔🤤

“Ah, I can do that too!”   “Beel, don’t! My papers-!!”   *cue him buzzing his wings and all documents are blown away*

At the beginning of your friendship? He’d just be like “...cool…” and keep doing whatever he was doing

Not one to flinch away from the bugs (he welcomes them)

Tell him ants or X bug/s are exceptionally strong, and he’ll begin to take interest in your bug keeping shenanigans

He feels for them, the strength of the tiny things. He’s one half of the youngest brothers, and very physically capable, one could say he relates to them (so tiny, but oh so strong = youngest brother, but oh so buff)

His signature animal is a fly, claims he has a special connection to bugs, but this “sense” was previously not explored… until you came to his life~

Out of the three, I think Beel will be the one to get on with the idea faster, even helping you take care of the bugs. Will also go out of his way to catch a particularly eye catching one for you.

“[Name], look! This one was hanging out near me/was on my path when going somewhere, thought of you and caught it” (insert Reader’s heart full of soft feelings for this teddy bear)

He’s the enabler of you keeping dangerous Devildom bugs. He can do the catching if you’re afraid of getting hurt

Just say the word and he’ll help you clean enclosures, feed critters, free them back to nature, anything

Honestly, you may very well wake up a hidden talent and surprise hobby of his

Please, introduce this boy to any and every bug you come across in the human world! Show him pictures and tidbits of information about all of them, but more so the ones you previously told him are so strong

If you introduce him to an ant farm, he will sit down and eat his snacks while observing the colony closely

Not afraid to handle your bugs at all, likes the sensation of their little legs crawling up his arms

Says he doesn’t have favorites, but absolutely does (he sneaks his favs snacks from time to time, it’s so cute)  Beetles and ants are in his top 5

Mixed feelings about entomophagy (insect eating)

Congratulations! You now have a bug enthusiast buddy to fan with!

👿💜 Belphegor 🛏️💤

“That one’s fuzzy… Can I pet it, hold it maybe?”

Belphie is pretty chill in general, so I don’t see him making a fuzz whenever a bug is brought up to his face

He may act indifferent to your obsession at first, perhaps Beel’s curiosity rubs off on him eventually

Very curious about your moths and tarantulas, and bees (when you get the chance to introduce him to them)

He’s drawn to the fuzzy fluffy bugs because they look comfortable to pet and hold (and sleep with lol)

Beware: DO NOT wake him up to introduce him to a bug, he WILL be cranky. On the same note, don’t even DARE let a critter crawl on his body while sleeping, won’t hesitate to exterminate the thing

This one… edgy boy… The one to warm up and love your arachnids (technically not insects, but let’s let it slide~   remember you’re talking to a biology nerd here, me)

Introduce him to the deadly insects of your word and he will repay the favor by teaching you about any highly dangerous Devildom bugs he knows about

Butterfly magnet. Let your moths and butterflies free in the room and most likely, they’ll land on him. His calm demeanour seems to attract them

Along with Beel, he will invite yourself to you room to look at the fluttering wings of butterflies   “They lull me to sleep”

Perhaps the one that gained a soft spot in his heart is the tarantula. Relates to it in a sense: people are afraid to approach it when it’s actually quite chill (when not provoked)

If you have Madagascar roaches… This was one of the first times you saw him flinch and let out a (very monotone) yelp, the hissing spooked him good

He may buy a blanket with bug patterns on it because it reminds him of you, sleeps with it when missing you

He’s more of taking pictures and sending them to you if cool bugs, spiders, and even snails cross his path. He will text a “Reminds me of you”  “Cool bug”  “Is this a bug?” along with the pics

Up in the human world: PLEASE catch a jar of fireflies for this boy! His eyes will light up at the amazing little natural light bulbs trapped within

Will want to take some fireflies back to the Devildom bc they remind him of the night sky and its stars

A very chill boy towards your obsession, but will eventually encourage you to keep doing what you love

Thank you for your request~! This was great to think about, if I do say so myself Hope it is to your liking!

You take care as well, anon~ ❤️

[soldmysoultootomeboys]

Demon MC with Human Obey Me Brothers Reverse AU

Okay but what if the brothers were all ‘normal’ humans who ended up summoning a demon, who is MC.

I’m in love with this idea. Lowkey might write a fic about this  jk...unless? Levi’s was surprisingly the most fun to write. Also I guess tw for normal demon things??? Nothing too graphic tho

Part 2

Lucifer

As a human he was a high ranking businessman. While still a formal person on the outside he had a perverse interest in the occult that he hid from the rest of his coworkers.

Due to his important position and large pay he manages to get his hands on some rare books on demon summoning. After a lot of research he tries them out.

When he summons you he doesn't look surprised or afraid and is quite clinical about it at first. The first thing he does is bind your powers so they can never be used against him. After he informs the rules you must follow if you're to be living with him.

Even as a human he is quite prideful and controlling and he wants to remind you who's really in charge.

At first he only sees you as a demon. He lets you do your own thing when he isn't ordering you around and when the two of you do go out in public he only introduces you as an acquaintance of his. People are rather surprised at this as he's not the type to walk around with others and rumors quickly fly off about you two.

It's not until you two are walking home from a shopping trip that you really start to bond. It was a late night and no one was around so the two of you take your time, enjoying the cool air and stars.

All too late that you hear the click of a gun. From the shadows steps a man, weapon pointed straight at you. Seeing your nonthreatening human form as well as Lucifer who practically reeks of wealth he thought the two of you easy targets. Wrong.

With inhuman speed you lunge forward shifting into your demon form. The gun clatters to the floor as you rip him to shreds with no remorse. It's only when Lucifer finally calls you away that you realize he's dead.

Once you manage to get home he is immediately lecturing you about how risky the actions you just did were. Someone could have seen you or more importantly seen him. What would you have done if the cops got involved? Eat them?

Once he's done though he thanks you and a few days later a gift ends up in your room. He never claims it, even though you can smell his cologne all over it.

After that night Lucifer treats you different. Not better, but not worse either. If anything he's a bit kinder but in a cold sort of way and he keeps his distance when anything gets too serious. At first you think its because he's scared of you. It isn't till he finally approaches you, a stern look on his face and orders you to transform that you realize he was working up the courage to see what you really looked like.

The pact urges you to turn, so you do and you let him examine you, circling several times. He's most interested in your wings, asking if he could touch them and when you consent he gently runs his hands over them. Despite you being a demon he treats you delicately shifting aside feathers with a careful hand and running a light fingertip over leathery skin.

It's a strange feeling at first, but not bad and you're practically purring by the end

After that he asks to see your true form more and more

Mammon

He didn't mean to summon you.

He just wanted to make a quick buck. It was getting close to Halloween people were starting to be interested in demons and spooks once again. That's why he thought it would be a great idea to start a seance business.

Twenty dollars for him to pretend to summon a demon, maybe shake a table once or twice, have some scary sounds playing in the background, nothing too big. Who would have known that the book he stole as his main prop would really work.

When he first sees you he screams.

He immediately tries to shove you back into the book to no avail. As he has no clue how to get rid of you he ends up stuck with you, a terrifying demon.

At first its very easy (and amusing) to scare him. Bear your teeth, mumble in a made up language, threaten to rip him to shreds.

You can actually see his soul leave his body when he faints.

However in typical Mammon fashion he gets used to you surprisingly quick, especially when you don't come through on your promise to eat him.

After that he figures that together the two of you could start scamming people for even more money. After all, he does own a real live demon now.

You two make bank stealing and tricking people. With his knack for creating schemes and your powers the two of you are rolling in money in no time, although it always seems to be lost pretty quickly thanks to his terrible gambling habits.

It's in the middle of a heist that something goes wrong. Someone, you don't know who you can only hear the click of a revolver, pulls out a gun. With lightning fast reflexes you’re tackling Mammon shielding him with the tip of your wing and just in time as something is shot into it tearing through muscle and sinew.

The urge to rip them to shreds overtakes you, growing with every second that your human is in danger. But there was so many of them and you couldn't protect Mammon and yourself at the same time. The need to get somewhere safe is much more important so you leave.

It's only your quick reflexes that get the two of you out alive.

When you finally get home Mammon laments over all of the money he lost on the deal. acts like it doesn't affect him. His complaints last exactly till he sees the blood staining your form.

He almost faints right there.

Once he recovers he's immediately running to get ice packs and gauze, fussing over your injured wing. It's obvious he’s worried even though he tries to hide it under his tsundere act. When you’re finally bandaged up he thanks you glancing at your wound the entire time.

It's hard not to appreciate the gesture.

You just don't know how to tell him that your going to be perfectly fine in like two days (thank Diavolo for demon healing)

After this you two are a lot closer. Even before you were friends, but now the relationship has morphed into something different.

The two of you do less dangerous scams and while Mammon doesn't act too different he gets super weird when you're too close. Blushing a terrible crimson and freaking out when you touch.

Even for a demon its not hard to see that he has a crush.

Levi

Also summoned you on accident.

He was actually trying to summon Ruri-chan. You have to admit when it comes to her he does his research. Drew a full pentagram and everything and as a final touch placed a little plushy in the middle.

He absolutely panics when you arrive here instead.

Used to humans being afraid you, you ignore him at first. You fall to one knee eager to pledge your loyalty in exchange for his soul when you land on something squishy.

Pulling it out from under you see a plushy??? Of some anime character??? TF???

This pulls him from his stupor and he snatches it from you and begins to lecture you on the importance of Ruri-chan and anime on human culture.

You have no clue whats going on at this point.

When he finally stops talking he actually gets kind of excited. He summoned a hot demon??? Woah! This is just like his anime 'I accidentally summoned a demon from Hell who became my roommate and now I might be falling for them.' 

At your confused look he immediately turns it on and has you watch it. You two end up having an entire movie night together.

After that the two of you mostly act like roommates.

He often compares you to his favorite series TSL where 7 humans summon a demon named Henry and go on crazy adventures with him. The first time he accidentally calls you Henry he blushes like crazy.

At first he acted like you were annoying him most of the time but it was pretty easy to catch on to his tsundere act. He actually loves having you around and will whine when you have to leave. He says its because he can't play two player games without you but you know the truth.

On the rare occasions the two of you go out he gets jealous of anyone with even the slightest interest in you. Your HIS demon why are you giving someone else your attention?

Its pretty easy to distract him though. Just the slightest touch and hes flushing and stuttering. You can do whatever he won't get the hint that you like him the most.

'There's no way you meant to do this. This must be some weird demon norm I don't know about. Yup that's it.'

Satan

Summoned a demon on purpose. And not just that summoned you on purpose.

With his extensive library he had more than enough information to figure out how to summon a demon. After that it was just a matter of choosing which one. He finally settled on you.

You don't need to worry about explaining how a pact works to him. He already knows everything on it. Maybe even more than you. Nerd.

Don't express this opinion out loud. He will be furious.

Even so he'll still make you tell him about summoning a million times just to see if you know anything different.  

Mostly you’re an over glorified assistant/labrat to him. MC grab that book. MC draw this summoning circle. MC stick your hand in this flame.

Of any of the brothers he is the one who sees your demon form the most and the one who asks the most questions about it. You have very sharp claws what are those used for? Four sets of wings? I wonder why you have so many. Slitted eyes? Do you have any idea why they are like this?

He is very interested in the differences between humans and demons so you end up performing a lot of tests.

He would also be curious about the celestial war and your part in it. Its up to you to choose to answer him or not.

If you ignore any of his questions he will get annoyed and be snippy. But just tell him an interesting tidbit about hell and he'll be back to normal in no time.

As for his actual job he works as a researcher at a big lab. You go there often to help him with his work. He used to have a lot of assistants but none could handle his terrible rage.

Its one of the reasons you work so well with him. An angry human? That's no big deal. Now if he was a demon that would be something to talk about

His tantrums are actually kind of cute. Like a fussy kitten.

Telling him this has a 50/50 chance of either making him blush or rampage.

If its possible he uses you to annoy his colleagues

Janice talked shit about his theories on planetary alignment? Poison her

Jk not really but maybe just, like, make her day a hundred times worse?

Thanks MC you're great

A power team at its best. His need to get back at people he hates works well with your general need to cause mischief 

Asmodeus

An orgy summons you obvious reasons. Although technically not the one who summoned you, you end up making a pact with Asmodeus before the nights over.

It was inevitable really, of all the humans there how could you not choose him? His overblown confidence and cocky insistence that he was perfect was practically adorable. I mean here you are, a demon of all things, and yet this little human is here insisting that he was perfection himself. You just wanted to eat his soul right up he was so cute.

To him its obvious why. After all, he was so beautiful that even demons fell in love with him, he couldn't blame you.

Even if you tell him the real reason he won't believe it.

Immediately starts bragging about how he could seduce demons

If you leave a pact mark on him though he will complain

As for actual duties you don't have a lot

At parties you work as his wingman but at home the two of you have more of a domestic role. He treats you more like a best friend than a demon.

He has a lot of spa days, something he immediately insisted that you take part in too.

One day you bring him a bottle of demon moisturizer. Big mistake

When he finds out about all the different demon beauty products he immediately orders you to get him some.

Your poor wallet.

He's always ordering new things. He really wants to go down to Devildom so he could look himself instead of having to order off Akuzon. One day you'll figure out a way to show him the eternal night.

He's also very flirty towards you, something your not surprised about. Hes always on your lap or petting your head or asking for affection, and he constantly alludes to the things the two of you could do. As time goes on he begins to get even more needy, sometimes ignoring others at parties just to flirt with you. He wants all of your attention all of the time.

Beelzebub

Did not mean to summon you but now that your here hes pretty okay with it

Of all the brothers he the one to treat you the most like another human.  

However you have one duty that you take very seriously

You must protect his brother, no matter what.

Other than that you two are like roommates. He doesn't really ask you of much except to keep the fridge stocked (which is a bigger job than expected this guy eats a lot) and he'll take care of the rent and everything else.

Sometimes he'll ask if you want to head to the gym with him. You thank your demon metabolism since every time you end up going he always stops for burgers and shakes at his favorite place on the way home.

He lifts a lot for a human, no surprise since you've seen how sculpted his body is. Seriously he's like a Greek statue. You spot him while doing reps and help correct his form while necessary. It's a bit of a switch from dealing with demon biology to human biology though so you have to make sure that you don't accidentally hurt your new friend.

Sometimes the two of you have movie nights, although its more of an excuse for him to buy a bunch of human food and you to buy a bunch of demon food and pig out. He still manages to out eat you somehow.

Occasionally the two of you will go out with his brother Belphie although it usually ends up with either you or Beel carrying him when he falls asleep. But it gives you time to chat with Beel on your own which you don't mind

The two of you end up with a good bromance, sometimes minus the b.

He treats you like an old friend and even ends up telling you about Lilith, his dear sister who died when a car hit her. He had only managed to pull his brother out of the way at the time and he still remembers it well. You can practically smell the guilt that hangs off him when he tells you that. It's hard not to feel touched after that story even for a demon.

He confesses a lot of things to you, things he has a hard time saying to other people. He never calls upon his pact to swear you to secrecy. He trusts you.

Belphie

Also summons you on purpose

When you first meet Belphie he's angry, uncontrollably angry. It's at the point where it almost surprises you. After all a human filled with so much wrath is no small feat.

His first order is a tough one but one you have no choice but to accept. 

Kill the man that murdered his sister

The two of you work hard to hunt him down, spending many days brainstorming late into the night. Although it always ends up with just you working, as Belphie has the strangest tendency to fall asleep while talking. (Narcoleptic maybe? Or just lazy?) Whatever the case you don't terribly mind.

Even just his presence helps, in some strange way.

When you finally track him down Belphie insists on going too. He wants to see the man die with his own two eyes.

It's not a hard fight but it is an emotional one. Through the bond you two share you can feel Belphies anger, his pain, his desire for revenge, and then finally an emptiness.

When its over the two of you go home, still covered in whatever bits of him were left. Belphegor shows no emotions and you wonder if hes in shock from seeing someone die so suddenly, but all you feel is a tired yet content thrum through your bond.

When you finally get home Belphegor immediately tries to go to sleep and its only through a little nagging and a lot of manhandling that your able to convince him to shower first. By now the bloods beginning to dry into a nasty goop and once he's done you jump in too, soothed by the steam and clouds of soap drifting around you.

To no ones surprise Belphie is asleep when you get out. It's then when you realize that you have nothing left to do. 

With that one action your purpose here is done, and yet your pact remains. Your thoughts begin to rise Belphie who clings stubbornly to sleep. It's no use though. The two of you are too connected for it to stop. 

You hear the sheets rustle and he raises one hand patting at the covers. A universal sign to come here.

"You're so loud" He mutters even though you haven't said a word. "Just sleep already."

A useless answer but a comforting one. You curl up at his side, feeling the tiniest bit like an obedient dog, but his arm settles over your shoulder and he drapes himself over your chest erasing the thoughts from your mind.

You eyes flutter close, at least for the moment. You can decide what you should do when you wake up.

[dreamtbydaylight]

I made this one a while back, but felt like sharing it anyway! Time for a little story time starring Corytha at the House of Lamentation.

Corytha in general is a shy, timid person, so first coming to the Devildom would be scary in the beginning for her. But she’s also creative and kind, so over time she’d be able to develop a few friendships once she realizes she won’t get hurt.

Here’s my ideas for how I think her interactions/relationships with each of the brothers would go (outside of the main story line, as a lot of the actions available she would not have taken, haha). And maybe eventually I’ll do a bonus with the other characters as well!

-

Lucifer: She’s terrified of him. His power is frightening, as well as his occasional temper. However, she respects him and has caught glimpses of how he cares for his brothers, so despite her fears she tries her best to be courteous (of course he can still tell she’s afraid). With everything he has to put up with, she extends her kindness even to him and doesn’t want him to feel left out. Whenever she bakes something she’s sure to leave a plate where he’ll find it, often times knocking on his door then fleeing the area. Although he finds her somewhat weak compared to most humans, he appreciates her thoughtfulness and the effect she has on his brothers, as well as her hardworking attitude with her assignments at RAD.

Mammon: Oh boy, how he looked forward to messing with her when she first started the exchange program. She was a spooked mess, and he hated that he had to look out for her thanks to Lucifer. But over time he found her interesting and calming to be around, and she never called him names. Basically her kindness won him over and he saw her as something he wanted to protect. Corytha was likewise frustrated when he constantly made her do tasks for him as though she were a human servant. It was when he started calling her by her name instead of ‘human’ that she felt they were friends. They spend a lot of time together. He is also one of two options she’d develop feelings for.

Leviathan: To be honest, they don’t talk much. Their interests don’t tend to overlap, though she wouldn’t turn down watching anime with him or hearing about his favorite things. They could definitely play some things together, like Devil Crossing. I can also see her making him cute cookies of characters and things just to make him happy. Their mutual lack of confidence in social situations could also lead to them being wall flowers at any events. Perhaps their friendship could grow through spending a little more time together, but she has other hobbies outside of games she’d rather be doing.

Satan: They get along fairly well overall. Corytha enjoys reading books, researching varied topics and making tea or hot chocolate. She finds him calming to be around and enjoys learning new things from him. Since she stays out of trouble and is careful, he appreciates her quiet company compared to his troublesome siblings. Honestly they don’t even need to talk- they can enjoy silence while reading their respective books in the library. 

Asmodeus: Good heavens someone help her when Asmo’s around. Given her shy nature, at times his flirty comments are too much for her to handle, but he enjoys seeing her flustered because of COURSE she would be, he’s just that beautiful! As much as being around him can feel nerve wracking, she doesn’t mind letting him arrange her outfits or help him with his own, and he enjoys an excuse to gossip or do her nails. Sometimes his tendency to cuddle up without warning can also startle her, though with time she’s grown used to it. In the least she doesn’t find him as frightening as the others can be.

Beelzebub: At first in her eyes he was ‘scary buff hungry man.’ With time he became ‘oversized teddy bear.’ The main reason she even started spending more time around him was after forming a loose friendship with Belphegor. After a night where Lucifer made him go without dinner, feeling sad for him she cooked a meal late that night and snuck it to his room before making a run for it. Belphegor saw her do it. She made more things for him and, with time, he became her taste tester while she learned how to use Devildom ingredients. Corytha finds him scary when he’s in a bad mood, but most of the time he’s a soft person who she comes to feel safe around, similarly with Mammon. He is the second option she could develop feelings for.

Belphegor: Arguably one of the first demons she’d manage to befriend for a few reasons. One, she’s normally quiet so he can sleep if she’s present. Second, her talent with playing relaxing piano music helps put him to sleep when he naps in the planetarium. Third, she showed kindness to Beel in secret. He also finds her reactions entertaining. The three become somewhat of a trio as time goes by.

-

Well, that’s about it for this one! There’s a lot of other aspects I could explore but this post feels long enough. :P

[ultraintrovertedgryffindor]

Not Alone - Peter Rumancek (Hemlock Grove) Part 1 of 2

*shrug* I was bored

~~~~~~~~~~

"Y/n! Y/N! Get the fuck back here!"

You ignored your father's shouting and kept running, as far away as you could not knowing where you were going. And until you didn't recognize where you were.

You eventually stopped running, leaning your hands on your knees, trying to catch your breath.

After you caught your breath, you looked around and only saw trees. Miles and miles of trees. 

You sighed heavily, frustrated that you didn't pay attention to your surroundings. But you couldn't help it, you just kinda blacked out once you got hyped up on fear that your father instilled in you.

After being called useless one too many times, you finally got the courage to defend yourself, but all that did was get you a smack in the face.

So you ran, and now…you were fucking lost.

You just walked through the dense forest, hoping that you'd reach a clearing eventually. But after walking for what felt like an hour, you started to lose hope.

You hated the woods, and of course out of any direction, you had to run towards the woods. Hearing all the breaking of branches and animal noises really didn't help. The only real light you had was the light from the full moon.

You've always been easily spooked, so it was no surprise to you when you almost screamed when you heard the muffled thumps of what sounded like footsteps.

You turned to look every which way, but it was so dark that all you could see were shadows.

The footsteps kept getting closer and closer, and you felt more and more helpless.

"Hello?" You shouted out, a stupid idea really but you didn't know what else to do.

Suddenly, you heard growling. You quickly turned around only to be thrown to the ground, pinned down by an unknown creature.

You quickly came back to reality to see who or what your attacker was.

You were face to face with a large black wolf. You tried you push it off, but the creature was so heavy. It's breath was heavy on your face, looking down on you, almost seeming angry.

You started to cry. You weren't ready to die, you had so much to experience in the world. You didn't wanna be mauled to death by this dumb animal who didn't know any better, yet here you were.

Another stupid idea you had was to beg for your life, although you knew the animal wouldn't understand. And yet, "please don't. I don't wanna die." You muttered out, already trying to accept death.

The wolf suddenly stopped growling and got off you, almost like it actually understood you. But you were grateful anyway.

You sat up and scooted away, wide eyed at the creature that could kill you. A sudden pain in your upper arm made you hiss. You looked to see claw marks, bleeding. "At least I'm not dead…yet." You chuckled breathlessly.

You looked back at the wolf who was watching you intensely, you noticed he kept looking back at your arm, like he was regretful. "It'll heal." You voiced, then laughed. "Ugh, why I am talking to you like you can understand. I must be going crazy."

The wolf whimpered.

"If I stand up, you're not gonna kill me right?"

The wolf backed away a few steps, bowing his head slightly.

You carefully stood up, still aware that this was a wild animal that you did not want to spook. You looked around once more, unable to get your bearings. "If only wolves could navigate, then I'd be all set." You joked.

The wolf only tilted in head in confusion.

"I ran into the woods, without really paying attention to where I was going. Of course, now I'm lost. Fuck me." You groaned and sighed. "I'm probably gonna die here. Great. Maybe it would've been better if you had killed me, wolf friend."

The wolf suddenly walked towards you, making you step back cautiously. The wolf stopped, it then lowered itself to the ground and slowly crawled to you.

It was like it was trying to gain your trust, it made you feel weird. Why would an animal do this?

The wolf slowly stood up, lifting up his head and started to lick your hand. "Well, I'm not sure if you're apologizing or just tasting before you dine. Either way, it's cute."

The wolf bit onto your long sleeve gently, pulling you in a direction. "God, this is weird. I'm actually letting a dog drag me to who the fuck knows."

Eventually, the wolf let go of your sleeve and kept walking, assuming that you'd follow him. You did. You had no idea where to go anyways, so why not follow a wolf?

After a few minutes of following after the wolf, you legs started to ache. The wolf would occasionally look back to see if you were still following.

It was kind of like a leap of faith, following after an animal that seemed like it had some sort of intelligence. "If I wasn't as smart as I am, I would actually believe you could understand everything that's happened tonight." You chuckled softly.

The wolf suddenly stopped, and you were afraid that your luck had finally run out.

The wolf upturned it's head. You followed it's gaze, it was looking at the moon that was going down. You didn't bring your phone with you, but you figured it was almost sunrise.

The wolf turned to you and started to whimper. You furrowed your brows when it didn't pounce on you like thought it would, but instead, it kept whimpering.

"What's wrong, bud?" You asked softly.

The wolf started to lower itself to the forest floor. You had no idea what was happening. The wolf then laid on its side.

"Oh, no, no. You're not dying, are you?" You asked nervously. "I need you to get me out of this damn forest!" You kneeled beside the animal, seeing that it was closing it's eyes. "Damn it, bud. I was starting to get emotionally attached."

You didn't know what to do now that your buddy as taken the forever nap. You just decided to sit there, your back to the wolf. You thought that it would just be easier to find your way out of the woods when the sun came up.

You didn't expect to fall asleep, but you did. The one thing that woke you up was suddenly hearing fleshy noises from behind you, that scared you enough to wake up.

You stood up and backed away from the wolf, who you realized was the culprit of those noises.

You mouth was agape as you watched piece after piece of the wolf come apart. "What the fuck?" You almost screamed when you saw a human come out of the wolf. "I must be tripping balls…" You muttered, slowly walking towards the human.

The closer you got, the closer you recognized who the naked human was. "Peter?"

The boy suddenly opened his eyes and bolted upright, looking around frantically before landing his eyes on you. "…what…the…fuck…"

Peter smiled nervously. "I, uh…I can explain."

"Uh, yeah. Please explain why you were just a fuckin wolf and now you're not! What the fuck?!" You rambled, starting to hyperventilate.

Peter stood up and walked over to you when he saw you were starting to freak out. He out his hands in your shoulders, trying to steady you. "Hey, hey, hey, Y/N. Chill out, okay. Deep breaths, come on." He spoke softly.

You took many deep breaths, hoping you that you were just dreaming somehow. But after a couple minutes, you finally calmed down. You definitely weren't dreaming.

You started to blush furiously when you briefly glanced down. "Oh my god, you're naked."

Peter chuckled. "You just noticed this?"

"Sorry, I guess I was too busy noticing you coming out of a fucking wolf."

"Well, come on. My house isn't that far away." Peter said, taking your hand and pulling you along with him.

"Uh, wait." You said, taking off your jacket and handing it over to the Rumancek boy. "Don't want your dick to get hypothermia." You joked, chuckling.

Peter chuckled and nodded gratefully. "Right. Thanks." He grabbed the jacket and wrapped it around himself.

"So, do you like remember everything when you were a wolf?" You asked.

Peter sighed. "Here come the questions." He mumbled under his breath. "Yup. Everything."

"Oh." You whispered.

"What were you doing out here anyway, huh?" Peter asked.

"Oh, uh. I told you…just ran into the woods." You tried to deflect.

"Nobody runs into the woods without a reason."

You sighed. "I…I was running away from my dad. He's not a nice man. That's all I'll say."

Peter turned to look at you briefly, but turned back. "Oh." Is all Peter said.

"Have you always been a wolf?"

"Enough with the questions." Peter snapped.

It only took a few more minutes to get to Peter's rundown single wide trailer. He took a table cloth off and wrapped it around himself, handing you back your jacket.

"Well, thanks for getting me out of the woods." You said, getting Peter's attention. "I can find my way home from here. Or…to an urgent care." You chuckled.

Peter sighed. "You can't."

You raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Please, just stay here for today. There's...a lot to talk about now."

"If you're worried about me telling someone, I won't. I promise. I'm no snitch."

Peter sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "It's not that!" He snapped, making you flinch. "Just come in. Lynda will patch you up."

You sighed. "Fine."

Upon entering his home, you saw Peter’s mother sitting on the couch. "Peter, who's this?" Lynda asked nervously.

"This is Y/N. She was in the woods. I thought she could be…you know. I…scratched her." Peter told her.

Lynda suddenly was wearing a face of deep concern. "It was just a scratch, Ms. Rumancek! It's not too bad." You voiced.

"You scratched her?" Lynda asked, a bit too loud.

You started to get nervous. "Jesus, guys, it's just a flesh wound."

Everyone in the room seemed to sigh in unison.

"Okay, can someone explain what the hell is going on?!" You yelled.

Lynda walked up to you. "Why don't you sit down, dear." She suggested. Her tone was sweet enough to persuade you. "Peter, get dressed please." She ordered.

After a minute later, Peter came back in some sweats and sat next to you, making you even more agitated. "Okay, now that everyone's here…please fuckin explain." You huffed.

"When I was out there," Peter started, “I caught the scent of something bad. I followed it, and it lead me to you. The scent was so close. I thought it must’ve been you. But when I...attacked you...the scent started to go away.”

"So, you attacked me for no reason...okay. That's fucked up."

"So, the reason I asked you to stay was…" Peter sighed.

"Tell her, Peter." Lynda said.

"I don't know how well you know about werewolves, but usually, it's said that if a wolf scratched you…you'd turn into one."

You gasped, unable to speak. There's no way. There's just no way. So you laughed, making everyone confused. "Nice prank. You almost got me there."

"This isn't some joke, Y/N. You saw me out in those woods." Peter said angrily, Lynda putting her hand on his arm to try and calm him.

"We just wanna help you now, Y/N." Peter sighed.

After giving it some thought, you decided. "You guys are fucking crazy. No way I'm stuck turning into an animal my whole life." You stood up and walked to the door. "You're secret is safe with me, Peter, but that is it. Sorry…"

You made sure to slam the door on your way out.

~~~~~~~~~~

[urproblematicfav-arsonk]

There's a lot of things about Borderlands 3 that makes it kinda a garbage game. And all of those things are valid and true but a aspect of bl3 that deeply bothers me isn't something I've really seen people talk about?? Maybe they have but I missed it but I want to say my interpretation. (Also like, spoiler warning throughout all of this post)

To start off with: hi, I'm a autistic afab nonbinary person and this is relevant for this little rant I'm bout to go on.

I want to begin by stating why I love this franchise so much.

Borderlands, whether you like it or not, is INCREDIBLY queer. And not in a coded kind of way, it's just flat out gay as fuck. And that means so fucking much to me. Borderlands 2 was one of the first times I ever felt fully represented in a game. Zer0 being this dumbass making Yugioh references and generally being a fun garbage boy and also being nonbinary meant a lot to me and I adore him to this day (nonbinary people can use gendered pronouns fuc off). And getting more and more into this series and finding out that basically every character was on some level queer was really cool to me. Maya being asexual and most of the characters being attracted to multiple genders so honestly and off handily was so refreshing and amazing to get to play through. The casual mentions of a woman's wife or some man's husband in the echo's you find or Moxxi talking about her ex girlfriends was one of the reasons I loved this so much.

Another thing I loved particularly about Borderlands 2 was how feminist it was. I can not tell you how quickly I lost my shit at Mr. Torgue talking about the friend zone being misogynistic(it is btw). And the repeated jokes about fully murdering men for being rude to women was some of the highlights of my first playthrough. Punching a guy till he explodes because he disrespected a sex worker?? Fucking immaculate.

SPEAKING OF SEX WORK.

Mad Moxxi is a icon. She is a mother of MULTIPLE children, a survivor of rape and assault and a fucking bad bitch who runs a now intergalactic titty bar. Getting to have not only a sex worker be respected in a narrative, Moxxi is fun and a genuinely complex character who isn't defined by her job or her appearance. She is emotional and strong and funny and flawed but amazing person.

And then there's the way the male characters a represented and treated. I'll be honest here, I haven't really played Borderlands 1, mostly because have been spoiled by auto pick up and also I just didn't feel like it. So my idea of most of the men are based entirely off of Bl2, the pre-sequel and Tales. Anyway, Mordecai in particular is a character I really liked upfront. I love how a lot of his motivation and character is driven by his love of animals and Bloodwing. He's kind and though troubled knows when to get his shit together and be there when he needs to be. His casual "are you okay?" After the latter falls in the Arid Nexus was such a nice moment and the way he genuinely tries to be there emotionally for all of the people around him who he cares for is so fucking rare to see in a male character. And his arc of giving up alcohol to focus on being a better bird dad and you getting to help Brick make Mordecai a special gift to celebrate his sobriety is so amazing and I'm so proud of him.

Mr. Torgue is my dad and I love him. As mentioned, he is normal and believes that the friend zone is absolute garbage talk is ICONIC™ and the best scene in that game fight me. Torgue is a crybaby. He is an emotional person who is not afraid to express his pain and hurt when people are mean to him. He respects women and loves unicorns. The fact that is physical appearance is a big muscle guy who screams but is the literal opposite of toxic masculinity will forever make him the best male character of all time and I love him and he is my dad.

Roland was a character that I was never in particularly attached to but I still respect him and did enjoy his presence. I really appreciated his leadership style being primarily based on empathy and logic as opposed to him being a big meanie man with a HUGE dick who yells at people. I always really resonated with the echo from Tannis talking about how she came to Sanctuary. Roland going out of his way to bring Tannis to safety while completely respecting her autism and struggle with socializing really made his death hit harder when Tannis was very obviously distraught by losing him. It really seems that Roland was the only one who didn't treat her differently. And as someone who's autistic, finding people who legit 100% understand and respect you and just let you live the way you want/need to is kinda hard and those are the qualities I'd personally want in a leader.

Angel is also a big spot of affection for me. Handsome Jack being a irrefutably horrible person who Angel flat out says gaslights people and killed her means a lot to me considering 99% of Bad Parent stories end with "I forgive u" getting to see an abusive victim take that narrative and say fuck you was powerful and meant a lot to me coming from my own abusive home life.

There's a lot of other things I love about Borderlands but if I keep going I won't stop lol so let's get into why Borderlands 3 makes me so uncomfortable.

One of the main things that bothered me was the sexism. Its nothing too horrifying but given how feminist bl2 was it was really shocking and a bit hurtful the number of times women are called bitches or made to seem crazy. If you recall I brought up how you punch a man to death for calling a woman a bitch? Yea no, in this game we mock women for having boundaries and opinions because lol she's just a CRAZY BITCH who just needs to stop acting so hysterical am I right guys?

Yea the whole mission with that stupid bear thing and his ex robot girlfriend made me insanely uncomfortable and upset. I kept waiting for the gotcha moment where it says actually this bear guy is a dick and he shouldn't use language like that but no we just,,,,,, are supposed to laugh along. I hate it.

Even though Borderlands 3 is still very much queer, this game introducing 2 new trans characters as well as a whole DLC about a gay marriage and one of the playable characters being a lesbian there was this some shit that bothered me.

The mission where you crash and ruin a lesbian wedding.

That mission made so upset and uncomfortable. I hated how traumatized and hurt Tumorhead was as I murdered her family and wife. I hated how unfulfilling the mission was where PLOT TWIST the lady was actually a spy or whatever. I hate how there's a mission about ruining some poor psycho ladies wedding. I would've much more preferred a mission where Idk Bloodshine asks you to help her kill a spy who's causing problems and then fucking go around Promethea collecting wedding decorations or something. OR MAYBE JUST NOT A MISSION WHERE YOU KILL LESBIANS FOR NO FUCKING REASON.

I'm mad, anyway.

I also hated how Tannis was treated in this game. Under absolutely no circumstance would Doctor Patricia Tannis ever willingly take up a position of leadership. She is a severely autistic woman who gets nose bleeds from talking to people she wouldn't just be like "I'm in charge now pls talk to me!!!" Fuck off. And the joke about her dating a minecart isn't funny. The whole thing with the chairs, though funny in its absurdities was still a very important and powerful moment of character exploration. Tannis is insane. She is traumatized and hurt and in a moment of severe torture, she humanized some inanimate objects to cope. Tannis crying over the echo over Phillip is a heartbreaking moment of true vulnerability. It is also funny, because that's how good dark comedy works. It can be both hysterical and emotionally ruining at the same time. So what exactly does Tannis divorcing a minecart mean? What is this saying about her character? Why is it funny? Because lol lol reference??? Again, fuck off.

I hate how the Calypso twins childhood is handled. Troy implies it was horribly abusive and traumatic. But when we met Typhon whatever, he acts like it wasn't that bad??? He acts like he just didn't buy his kids the latest iPhone and oh no whoopsie now they're evil, my bad guys. It feels super weird and I don't like it.

Speaking of abusive parents. THEY DID MY GIRL ANGEL DIRTY SO BAD. This was literally when I decided I hated this game. Angel being the one who killed her mother and not Jack was fucking horrible. Especially after the literal foreshadowing in borderlands 2 implying he did. The fact that Jack is treated like a fearful man making what he thought was the right decision was insulting. I get that MattPat manipulated the fandom into thing Jack is a uwu bean but fuck you, you're the writers and you should fucking know better. Handsome Jack saw his daughter had power and turned her into a living battery for him to use as he saw fit. He was not scared and he was NOT right. Fuck you and fuck you for framing child abuse as chill and ok if your spooked enough like that. And the mission directly contradicts the echo's in Get To Know Jack. If Angel killed her mom why does she ask Jack where her mommy is when he's putting her in her chambers?? Why is it in the echo Jack is aggressive and forcibly and hurtfully makes her go into her chambers but in the memory, he's quiet and passive about it?? That's literally just flat out bad writing. Also fuck you.

Anyway,

I think that's really all I wanted to say about this topic. Obviously, there are also things that suck about bl3 but I'll try to chill and not make this too long.

I mostly wanted to make this to see if people cared/are bothered by the same things I am. I've seen how some of the fandom treats the more emotional and gay aspects of this franchise(the people throwing a fit over Amara, the friend zone line, not respecting trans peoples pronouns, sexualizing and being gross about Moxxi)

Anyway that's it byeeeeeeeeeeeee

[letsbenditlikebennett]

It Must Be Bunnies! || Ariana & Carrington

TIMING: Prior to the most recent full moon during the Living Nightmares POTW PARTIES: @carringtonblackwood & @letsbenditlikebennett SUMMARY: Prone to meeting in the woods, Ariana discovers Carrington lost in the fog. This time Ari helps him find his way home, but not before running into someone’s worst nightmare.  CONTENT: Bunnies? 

Even in the midst of somewhat surreal movements and weather around town, Ariana couldn’t stay away from the forest. It left Luna a bit on edge, but with the full moon having just passed, she trusted her other senses to take her where her sight wouldn’t be able in the thick cloud of fog that seemed to sit in town. Was it mystical? Probably. Did she care? Not entirely. She had a bit of an advantage and it was hard for anything to sneak up on her. Sticks and leaves crunched underneath her light steps as she navigated the trail she’d walked dozens of times before. Something familiar picked up on her radar and she followed the scent. That night had been a blur to her, but she did remember the vampire’s kindness and wondered if he fearlessly trekked through here as well. She did her best to make her steps heard as she approached Carrington and called out before she reached him, “Carrington?” She hoped her voice alerting of her presence wouldn’t startle him and smiled though she could only see an outline of his form. The fog really was getting thicker. “Hey, is everything alright? I know it’s a bit hard to see out here.” 

Carrington was no stranger to fog. London, Paris, Tokyo, Amsterdam… all had their own brand. And even if his vision was limited, he still had his other senses. His hearing and his sense of smell. Or… he should. So when he finally stopped to get his bearings before he became completely lost in the thick, white cloud that rose up from the forest floor, Carrington knew something was wrong. This was no ordinary fog. Though he could hardly expect anything less from this cursed town. So he stood very still and tried to find something… anything… that might tell him which way was the right way. But as luck would have it, something - or rather /someone/ - found /him/. He tilted his head, eyes still closed, towards the familiar voice. “Ariana?” The vampire gave a small huff of laughter. How the tables had turned, hm? “Yes. I’m alright.” He turned slowly towards the young wolf, smiling softly when she came into view. “But a bit lost I’m afraid.”

Even if sight wasn’t her primary way of navigating through the world, Ariana was still growing annoyed by the ever persistent fog. At least for the moment, it didn’t appear that one of those giant fish were present. It wouldn’t be White Crest if they just had normal weather like anywhere else in the world she supposed. She answered easily, “Yes, it’s me.” It was a relief to know he was alright. She wasn’t sure if one of those fish things were actually dangerous, but she wasn’t too inclined on taking her chances. Being lost was something she could easily help with. She’d walked these woods enough to smell her way around with her eyes closed and this fog was essentially that. “Where are you heading? I can navigate the area pretty well on smell alone. I’ve been told I make a pretty good werewolf tour guide.” 

The fog was maddening. It turned Carrington’s senses upside down. Made him feel like a lost child waiting on someone to come save him. Thankfully, his savior came in the form of a young woman - a young wolf - he just happened to know. And when Ariana called out to him in return, Carrington felt relieved. He’d seen - or thought he’d seen - things moving in the fog. But he couldn’t be sure, his senses tripping over themselves like they were. “I was walking like I normally do - no real destination I suppose - and then this fog just… drifted up from the ground. Next thing I know, I finding my own tracks again.” He gestured to the overlapping footprints nearby and made a sheepish face. “Well, I’d be ever so grateful to get that tour right about now. Everything smells… damp.” He frowned as something seemed to shift in the distance again, but it was beyond his ability to see it clearly. “Things move out there.” His eyes fell back to the young wolf. “In the mist. Have you seen them?”

Ariana was no stranger to taking aimless walks in the woods. It happened to be one of her favorite pastimes seeing as she was a werewolf. The woods had always been where she felt most comfortable though this fog was taking away a bit from that. Her other senses were still sharp, but she preferred being able to utilize every advantage she had. “I get that, I usually don’t have a destination in mind either. Nose just kind of leads the way,” she explained with a laugh, “I can lead us generally out of here and toward town though.” She smelled the fish again and let out a groan. At least Carrington probably wouldn’t want to film them, but she’d much rather keep her distance all the same. “The giant fish? I can smell one nearby. They look creepy as hell, but last time I saw one they just kinda swam right on past me and my friend. That being said, I’m not too eager to take my chances in annoying one.” 

Carrington enjoyed the forest as well. Despite the strangeness to be found in Whitecrest, it had a beauty and a surrealness all its own. And he found the forest and it’s moonlit paths helped quiet his mind. But not tonight. Tonight his mind felt trapped. Suffocated like the senses he had relied on for four centuries. So he was quite relieved when Ariana said she was capable of getting them out of the worst of it. “I’ll be eternally grateful for your nose then,” he said, giving her a wry smile. “And yes. The fish. They don’t seem aggressive, but I find them… unnerving. If that serves.” He couldn’t explain the feeling. It was like seeing a phantom image of something that was once living. Even though the fish weren’t dead. Not at all. Ghosts didn’t usually have a smell. 

“Me either,” Carrington agreed. He closed the distance between himself and the young wolf, keeping an eye out - not that it did much good - for any shapes in the mist. “My luck with supernatural creatures isn’t the best.” Alghouls and that cat-fae creature from the shelter were just two of the things he’d been accosted by recently. “So I’m ready when you are.” 

There was no denying the fish had an eerie way about them. Maybe the fog contributed to all of that, but Ariana was sure she’d be inclined to agree even if she saw one on a perfectly sunny day. She’d rather not take her chances and piss one off. “Oh yeah, they’re pretty chill, but definitely creepy. I’m not a fan,” she agreed. 

Ariana took a moment to gather her sense of direction back into the main part of town before she finally advised, “This way. Follow me.” Her nose led her down a path to the right. Being able to feel out the terrain as they walked would have been preferable, but for the most part, she knew the little intricacies of the trails, even if they were ever changing. Each step she took was careful and deliberate so she could determine if she needed to warn Carrington of any slippery or unstable spots. Did vampires have good balance? She wasn’t entirely sure. Carrington was the only vampire she knew. A chill ran down her spine as she heard a sort of dissonance around them. It wasn’t loud or overwhelming, it just sounded wrong. She grumbled slightly and asked, “Did you hear that?” 

“Me either,” Carrington agreed. He wasn’t one to spook easily. He’d lived a long time and seen many things. Fogfish were hardly the worst of it. Though he wouldn’t appreciate meeting one unexpectedly. 

He waited patiently as Ariana found the right way, and then followed close behind, so as not to lose her in the thick fog. His balance was just fine - it would be quite hard to twist an ankle or injure himself without decided effort - but he appreciated the warnings Ariana gave him regardless. The journey was slow, but steady, and Carrington almost believed they would come out the other side unscathed. But a strange sensation prickled against Carrington’s skin just before Ariana spoke. He frowned, turning his head slightly as the strange sensation became audible. The dissonance made Carrington feel slightly ill, but he shook it off. 

“Yes.” His tone betrayed his disquiet, but he kept pace with Ariana. “We should hurry.” He was unsure what made him say such a thing, but it felt pertinent. 

They were making a pretty quick pace despite the fog clouding their vision which was a relief to Ariana. While her senses were spot on, she had been hoping for a relatively calm walk through the woods to clear her head. With everything that was coming up, she needed a bit of de-stressing in her life. So obviously the fog had to roll in. The shuffling noise didn’t actually do much to comfort her. “Yeah,” she agreed, “Let’s keep moving.” 

However, she stopped in her tracks when she felt the breeze of movement only a couple feet in front of her. “Fuck,” she half shouted, half whispered as she squinted her eyes. “Back up,” she instructed as she sniffed around her to get a good idea of what they were up against. Nothing smelled out of the ordinary. It smelled like wet dirt and wood and animals. What didn’t have any sort of smell? Finally, she saw a few small forms hopping around and took a few cautionary steps back before one brave little rabbit hopped up to her. She jumped slightly before realizing, “Oh.” 

Carrington hated the fact that the fog was throwing off his senses. It was absurd. Though the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced it was a psychosomatic response to the overwhelming feeling of claustrophobia the fog brought with it. Small spaces weren’t Carrington’s favorite. Spending a week buried alive in a coffin would do that to someone. So with that thought in mind, although it didn’t make him feel any better, Carrington followed Ariana through the mist. 

He nearly trod on her as she stopped abruptly a few moments later. “What the-” Carrington pulled up short, but was almost immediately ordered backwards. He did as asked, completely capable of taking orders in the name of good sense and self-preservation, and watched as Ariana seemed to survey the area. Carrington couldn’t smell a damn thing except the damp earth directly beneath his feet, and the smell of the young wolf. But he did notice the cluster of small, round shapes that were uncomfortably close (close enough for him to see). His mind immediately ran through a list of possible dangers that came in miniature form. It was unlikely to be anything that could harm him or Ariana irreversably, but one never knew for certain. With his senses dulled and his fear of enclosed spaces having been dragged to surface in the name of explaining away the aforementioned dulling of his senses, Carrington was in a strange headspace. 

Which meant he didn’t realize it as he - a 420 year old, 6’ 1” vampire - took a step behind the much smaller, and very mortal, teenage werewolf. It was not his best moment. Nor was the startled jump that followed Ariana’s own - much smaller - startled jump. But then… 

“Good Lord… is that…” Carrington peeked cautiously over Ariana’s shoulder. “...a rabbit?” 

Ariana felt herself relax a bit as she realized they were just rabbits. She even quickly picked one up to give it a good sniff. It’s back feet kicked at her, but it was decidedly just your standard rabbit. Nothing special or supernatural about it. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t tempted to bring one or two home for a good stew. It had been one of her favorite childhood meals back when she was still too small to effectively take down a deer on her own. If anyone else in the building saw her, they’d definitely think she was bringing them home as pets. 

“It’s definitely a rabbit… or, rather rabbits,” she answered as the tension left her shoulders. She couldn’t believe they’d both been startled by a group of bunnies. It really was quite laughable. The fog and White Crest had clearly gotten to both of them. With a laugh, she said, “Maybe we skip out on telling anyone we both just got frightened by bunnies. I think I’ve caught and eaten too many rabbits for this.” 

The bunnies still kept hopping around them. It was odd they didn’t seem to sense she was a predator and they were one of her natural forms of prey. Hell, she felt hungry just looking at them and they kept congregating around them “I will admit they usually run from me… because well, wolf.” 

Carrington was about to ask if Ariana was certain they were just rabbits… he was even on the cusp of asking if she could give one a sniff to make sure… but the young wolf was already a step ahead of him. The vampire watched with no small amount of cautious amusement as the little creature kicked its feet in protest of being handled in such a way. The other rabbits continued to hop aimlessly around them, snuffling the dirt and cleaning themselves as if they hadn’t just simultaneously scared the life out of a werewolf and a vampire. 

Ariana’s comment made Carrington laugh. It was a soft sound, low and quiet, but it was genuine. “Yes, I’d say this is best kept between us. I’ve hunted my share of them over the years as well.” He glanced down as one of the rabbits nibbled on his shoelace, seemingly unafraid of either of them. A gentle push with his boot sent the creature hopping slowly back into the fog. Carrington shook his head. Rabbits. Of all the things. This fog was getting to him. Correction. It had gotten to him. There was no denying it. 

Carrington stood still as the group of creatures mingled around their feet, seeming unfazed by the two predators (for lack of a better term) in their midst. “Same. Do you think the fog has affected them as well? Perhaps it… takes away their fear… whereas it heightens our own?” It was a loose theory, as neither of them were overly terrified; a bit on edge, yes, but nothing that would qualify as true fear. 

Once she finally felt a bit more confident there was nothing around but rabbits, Ariana set the kicking bunny back down on the ground so he could hop about with his friends. They were oddly brave, but they didn’t seem violent in any way, so she figured she could leave them to their business though she was tempted to take on home for a stew. They seemed to somewhat clear the way, but she could feel an occasional one brush past her ankle. It was hardly worth being startled over. Still, paired with the impossible to see through fog, any little surprise became more alarming. 

“Trust me, this secret is safe with me. I’m not sure I’d hear the end of it if someone found out I was startled by bunnies. Although maybe we shouldn’t talk about eating them… Just in case, you know.” They were still hopping about as normal as they reached the edge of the woods, but there seemed to be wildy high amount of them. If there was some sort of weird rabbit magic going on here, she didn’t want to be the one to piss them off. Hell, it’s not like vicious bunnies would even be the weirdest thing she’d seen in White Crest. This town was quickly teaching her better to be safe than sorry. 

As they made their way on to the road, the fog lifted a bit. “Who knows, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many here at once. Wouldn’t be shocked one way or the other.” She shrugged lightly and got them to the main road. “Looks like it's clearer out here and we found the main road. Shouldn’t be too far off now. If it’s all the same to you, I’m gonna say we stick together. My truck isn’t too far off, I can give you a ride.”

[revengeisalwaysanoption]

FIC: MIO FIGLIO

So, this is something I wrote back in February from Anna’s (Nico’s mom) point of view. I’m very proud of how it turned out, so I hope you’ll enjoy it too :D... Despite the title, IT'S IN ENGLISH

Somewhere in Italy Early morning of a day in 1999

He’s so tiny. So small. So soft and breakable. Perhaps not the most beautiful, but surely the most precious creature on Earth. Her baby.

She can’t bear not to check on her son every five minutes, afraid he might have stopped breathing. It’s awfully stupid, and illogical, she knows that. The midwife she hired came with great recommendations, so there’s no reason not to trust her with both their lives, but... He took his sweet time coming into this world - a little later than scheduled, but who can blame him - and now it’s hard to tear her gaze from him. She keeps covering him in kisses, whispering how much he loves him already.

Ni. Ninì. Nico. Nicolì. Niccolò. Like the singer that brought her and Gioele together, on that sunny 1st of May in Piazza San Giovanni. It was the only name they agreed on, since her husband choices felt too extravagant - “They are going to be the ones having to live with a name like Gertrude, Genoveffa, Gervasio or Giosuè… what’s with you and names starting with a ‘G’, anyway?" - and all her favourites reminded him of people he couldn’t stand.

“We can name her Gertrude, okay?” She tilted her head back then, flashed him her cheekiest smile and pointed at the plush giraffe Gabriella - her sweet sixteen-year old sister-in-law, who had sworn she would make a great pianist out of her first nephew - had brought as a present.

“You don’t have to be a pianist. You can be a singer, a painter, a cartoonist… An engineer, a teacher, a doctor, a bricklayer, a plumber, an electrician… Whatever you wish, Ninì. I swear I’m going to do my best to help you find your call. And when you’ll stumble, mama is gonna be there to catch you before you get hurt too bad. Always.”

Empty promises? Is she going to turn into one of those ‘mother knows best’ ladies, who ignore their children wishes? Is she going to screw up - screwing him up, in the process - along the way? She’s so terrified of all that can hurt him, out there. Including herself.

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

Rome, Anna Furlan & Gioele Fares Apartment Early morning of a day in 2020

He's happy. Happier than she's ever seen him in a really long time. And when she says 'happy', she doesn't mean the euphoric "LOOK, MOM! I'M ON TOP OF THE WORLD!!" state that always leads to a catastrophic crashing down… No, it's more like a calm soothing feeling that has him smiling fondly when she playfully slaps his hand - no, he's not allowed to have a taste before it's ready or, worse, dip his fingers into the batter: who raised him? - and shoos him out of the kitchen with a

"Go make yourself useful, Ninì. There’s some stuff in your old room that need to be sorted.” He looks touched, like he can’t quite believe he’s being trusted to actually know what can be tossed away and what should he should take with him.

He's content, yeah. But for how long? How can she soften the blow, when everything will inevitably fall apart?

She tried, so hard, to teach him not to rely on others when it comes to his own peace of mind… Made sure he'd give his best in trying to build a future for himself. But he's so… Spooked, and vulnerable, always on the lookout… Terrified he might end up alone. Unloved.

How… How can anybody meet her sweet, wide-eyed, cheerful Niccolò and not be instantly charmed by him? Not want to spend the rest of their life by his side?

Okay, he's got his flaws and his fluctuating moods can be hard to deal with. One might end up being his doctor, instead of a parent or a lover… She often catches herself going down that road, and she must admit it's nice to have Martino around to make her notice that. Maddalena would never have dared.

She might have not been exactly thrilled that Nico had fallen in love with him - up to the point she doubted the love itself, preferring to chalk it up to an obsession, an hyper fixation - but he sure won her over with his attentiveness, his willingness to learn from his past mistakes and not let the bad times spoil the best ones. Either the instants they would cherish for the years to come, or the momentary bliss that would be forgotten as soon as they closed their eyes. Both were worth being lived to their fullest.

He is human, imperfect, and proudly so.

And Niccolò wouldn't leave him just because he’s not infallible, would he? So why can’t he extend the same courtesy to himself?

Why, why would he think - even for a second - that he doesn't deserve all the best that the world can offer?

It must have been something she said. Something she did. The therapists have been pretty adamant on that.

‘Stop. Stop there. Stop making this about you. It isn’t. It never was. It will never be.’ She reprimands herself, as soon as she realises where her thoughts are leading her to. ‘Stop regretting what you can’t change, and work on what you can do better from now on. Remember he’s not your baby anymore, he’s an adult who will soon find out that being grown ups doesn’t mean you’ll get handed the answers and that everything will finally make sense in your life. He’s going to have to deal with that on his own… Or with Martino, who’s going through the same earth shattering revelation. You need to step down, step aside… And let him fall, let him live, Anna.’

It’s harder than usual to listen to the rational part of her brain, today, with him having just turned 21. He’s still so tiny… and small… Not weak, though.

She smiles, as she recalls the last meal they had with their relatives down in Gubbio - where her mother-in-law whispered into her ear “I like this one, he gives the best hugs. Reminds me of my dear Giorgio…” while looking at Martino - and all the teasing Niccolò had to endure from them… Until he got up, and said “Bet none of you can do this.” and proceeded to carry a disgruntled Martino over his shoulder. “Mh? What? Can’t hear you over the sound of my amazing strength, Marti. Told you I could do it, but you didn’t believe me…”

“Mom? Mom! You kept her?” Nico snaps out her reminisces, waving a tattered stuffed animal in front of her eyes. She jumps back, nearly dropping the baking tray. He saves it with his free hand, and together they put it in the oven.

“You kept her? Gertrude?” He asks, once again, after she has set the timer and sat down with him at the table. The poor giraffe has lost all of her spots - if she hadn’t seen her in her prime, back in 1999, she might have mistaken this Gertrude for a cow - and an eye. That had caused quite the scare, when she and Gio asked Nico where it had gone and he pointed at his mouth, giggling…

Poor chap, she had been dragged all over the floors and up on every tree that Niccolò had climbed as a child. And then she disappeared, after Maddalena's first visit. He needed to show her he was a man, not a little boy.

“Of course I did… I figured you might want to hand her down to…Another generation?”

“Mom, please…” He rolls his eyes, sighing.

“Hey, hey…” Fingertips on his cheekbones. A kiss on his forehead. Small gestures to reassure Nico that he’s not going to let her down because he won’t ever see himself raising a kid. “You know I don’t really care for a grandchild. It could be the gift from a cool uncle. Fitting, since you got it from your coolest aunt, right? Gabi wouldn’t want Gertrude to end up all alone, forgotten, at the bottom of a dusty box. Didn’t you promise them both a big adventure?”

“You... “ Niccolò whispers, tearing up a little.

“... remember? Of course I do, sweetheart. I’ve still got the birthday card you wrote them when you were five, after all… And what bigger adventure than the life you just started building for yourself?"

"I'm hardly doing that on my own."

"So? Don't sell yourself short. You're doing great..." Oh, is he really too old for a cuddle? Because she definitely feels like they should walk over to the sofa and just thread her fingers through his curls as he dozes off and forget all about his troubles.

The buzzing of the intercom has them getting up at the same time, racing to get it first. He's a damn cheat, no better than his father - what a pair of sore losers - and wins without breaking a sweat. She's hasn't been this silly in a long, long time... and she doesn't even know why.

"Marti?"

Well, maybe she can leave the cuddling to the expert.

[faelune-home]

FFXIV Write 2020 #23: Shuffle

(A/N: Kind of a follow on from what I implied in my last ffxivwrite prompt from yesterday, but now fleshed into an actual fic, since that throwaway line gave me the spark to write this in the first place. Focuses more in on a broad allusions to miqo!Fu’s other jobs, with a bigger segment actually featuring some Astro focus.

Player wise, I’m trying to level them all for the fun to try them all, and for the Amaro mount. Character wise, miqo!Fu definitely only specialises in Bard and Dancer and a little bit Red Mage, but she’s tried everything. Some parts click and other parts less so. She can heal in a pinch if you need it at least.

Prompt def focuses more on the astro side of things with card shuffling, but I’d like to think of it like ‘shuffling through her jobs’ as well. Mostly focused on Alphi’s perspective of my WoL tbh.

I guess as a final comment, just one part of the fic to mention; Alphi being more uncertain about the Dark Knight job is kind of a mix of the wildness of the job itself and how miqo!Fu takes to it, and still some early characterisation of his own mixed in. It’s something that would balance out as miqo!Fufu gets more skilled with the job and less feral as she evens out with Fray, as well as a closer growing friendship.

Set mid Heavensward before the Aery, no spoilers mentioned. Being pre-Dancer unlock level and story wise is also why it stars with saying the favours the bow only.

Word count: 1363

@ffxiv-writers)

Though she favoured the bow, Fufu often liked to dabble in other trades. When questioned about it, she simply said the experience was good for her, expanding her repertoire of available skills should she ever need them.

Even after the hurried exodus to Ishgard, she yet made trips outside the city, returning with reassurances that she was fine, that she’d been careful around the cities, even if she hadn’t even entered them herself. Though it hardly placated him, Alphinaud couldn’t help but still be curious at her studies, even if she treated them like a simple pastime.

The weapons and tools she accrued in her gifted room at the manor for a start -- enchanted crooks and bejeweled staves, sharpened katanas and rusty knives, a serrated axes and magnificent broad swords as tall as himself that seemed to pulse with a heavy energy that made him dare not touch them.

He had once almost tripped over a pile of tomes left in the corner of the room, initially mistaken for library books until he opened one and found the familiar arcane symbols within.

“You’re studying arcanima?” he had asked her after the discovery.

To Alphinaud’s disappointment, she’d grimaced and replied, “A little, but don’t ask for any demonstrations. I’ve been at this for weeks and I’ve only the other day figured out how to summon a basic beginner’s Emerald ‘Buncle.”

He bit back the offer to teach, not wishing to push the miqo’te if she already struggled with the simple elements of the craft.

Nevertheless, she put in the effort to learn and practise her trades all the same. Some few times, the boy was actually able to see her work; one such case was their return to the manor after the trial by combat and her visit to the Archbishop. She’d offered to heal his wounds, and for all she derided herself as a novice, he was well within minutes, scratches stitched together, and the ache in his sides from the grip of the chains faded to nothing.

Another, more terrifying case that still plagued his mind was her rescue of him from a wild bear while traversing the frozen highlands toward the old mill. Where the bear seemed to materialise out of nowhere, Fufu had appeared even quicker, one of those broadswords in hand to gut the bear and cleave it almost in two. The dark spark in her eyes, the way she bared her teeth at the animal, hovering protectively over her friend.

Though he would never say he wasn’t grateful for the safeguard that day, to see her so unlike herself - the woman normally so cheerful and friendly suddenly so hostile and twisted, even aimed at another - he almost would prefer her more harmless surprises such as her sneaking in the shadows to frighten him over seeing that again.

Still, Alphinaud wouldn’t ever tell the girl that. Nor would he wish her to cease in her training. She had the right of it that the skills would be a boon to her someday, plus there was a certain feeling of delight at seeing her so enamoured with a new craft.

He got acquainted with another of her fresh hobbies during a period of downtime in Ishgard. A surprisingly tepid day for the frosted city, he’d been left idly waiting in the Pillars for word from either Cid or Tataru -- for either the Manacutters to be ready for Fufu and Estinien’s perilous journey into the Aery (One that he wished to join them on, but had ruefully accepted their advice that he remain behind), or word from Ul’dah and the next step in finding the Sultana and restoring order to the government.

He almost had nothing else to do but wander and wait, too roused at the events still to come to consider sitting still. His roaming feet took him aimlessly through the city, past the markets, the hoplon, and hurriedly away from the Tribunal, until he came to a stop by the airship landing. A fresh wind blew over the polished stone, bringing a chill back into the upper reaches. At least with Ironworks engineers buzzing around the landing, anyone could alert him to an update from Cid with a quick linkpearl call. Better to remain there for convenience.

Yet just as the thought crossed his mind, a hand shot in front of his face, a fan of cards spread in the grip, the backs facing him. He stepped back suddenly, spooked at the gesture, only to bump into someone behind him, who giggled, “Pick a card, any card!”

Reassured at the familiar voice, he turned, Fufu herself adjusted the card fan to press it flat against her chest, hiding the fronts. She gave him a broad smile then held it out to him again.

“What’s this for then?” Alphinaud asked, looking carefully at the cards then at the woman’s attire -- a white robe and tan long boots, and some decorative gold frames perched on her nose. 

Her ears flicked playfully. “A little something I’ve been practising in my spare time.” He spied the card holder hanging from her belt, and the edges of a globe attached to her back. The design of the cards had already seemed passingly familiar, and now he was a bit more certain.

“Is this astrology? I’m aware the Ishgardians use it to monitor the Dravanians, but this bears a resemblance to the Sharlayan variety.” While not a field he was interested in, the study of the stars and use of magicks in healing was a speciality of his home, he could still recognise it in passing. Perhaps the rumours he’d heard of a Sharlayan dignitary being in the city and telling tales of ‘odd star magic’ had some weight to them. Fufu’s grin widened.

“Maybe it is, maybe it’s not. Pick one!” she insisted, bouncing impatiently on the spot. Finally deciding to amuse his friend’s whimsy, he plucked one from the centre of the deck. A tree.

“Well then, what does this mean?” he inquired, showing her the card while she shuffled the remains. Slotting them back into her holder and taking it back, Fufu stared intently at the image, humming loudly as she thought.

“I can foresee,” she droned, voice dipping deeply in exaggeration, making the boy chuckle, “fire and lightning, and wild winds! But! I also see us all safe back here in Ishgard.” She nodded sagely, a serious look on her face, until she grinned, breaking the effect.

“Is that truly what the stars say?” Alphinaud asked with a mirthful tone, clearly entertained at her theatrics. The miqo’te blinked, pocketing the card into her holster and shielding her eyes to look at the clouded skies, answering, “I’m not actually sure, I can’t see the stars.”

Then with a sheepish chuckle, she added, “And I’ll confess the whole star reading thing hasn’t sunk in much. I don’t get it. But I’m good with the magics! I don’t need to worry about the fortune telling stuff. Not now at least.” She planted her hands on her hips, confidence radiating. Despite her positivity, Alphinaud couldn’t help but sink, thoughts returning to what was yet to come.

“Would I be a poor player if I asked if that was to reassure me? Given the upcoming mission?” He was proud, he’d admit, but she was his friend, and their extended travels through the Dravanian wilds had seen them grow closer. He liked to think at least. He was less afraid of openly admitting to worrying for her.

Her tail flicked. “Maybe a little. But I know you only want us both to be safe.” She turned back to him and ruffled his hair, his protests weak at the act. It was already a habit of hers, dare he think he was adjusting to it. Yet before he could voice his objections to the act, he stopped, seeing her stare intently at him. Then she smiled.

Her smile was warm and comforting, all traces of teasing or exaggerations gone. “We’ll be fine, I promise. No need to look to the stars to say that.”

He hesitated at first. Then a nod. “Of course. I trust you completely.”

[thesurielships]

We are golden stars upon silver seas

Word count: 2.1k

Summary: Feyre hates Rhys. She ruins his chances with the new girl.

Masterlist

Feyre Archeron wasn’t drunk. She was in her favorite bar, in her favorite seat, served by her favorite barista, in her best drinking gear, and she was not drunk. Nor drinking. 

Why, then, wasn’t she drunk?

Raucous laughter reverberated through the bar. Feyre glared at the bane of her existence, whose sheer presence made everything - including the wine in her mouth - turn sour.

Rhysand was guffawing with his Inner Circle. He seemed to be telling a story so funny that they dissolved into laughter every two sentences. Of course, he would be the life of the party. Of course, he would choose this bar to have his party at. Of fucking course.

‘You’re staring,’ Alis chided.

‘He’s an eyesore,’ Feyre sighed.

‘Sure he is,’ her friend chuckled. ‘Oh, there is Viviane.’

Feyre looked up, and sure enough, the new girl had just entered the bar. She had porcelain skin and white blond hair, her eyes a striking icy blue. In short, she was beautiful. And, Feyre noted regretfully as she watched her eyes zero in on Rhysand, interested in that asshole.

Feyre let out an all suffering sigh. ‘Here is to another girl who’s about to get her heart broken,’ she toasted Alis, then took a ravenous sip of her drink.

Alis merely shook her head, an indulgent smile on her face. She was used to Feyre ranting about everything related to Rhysand, be it fact or speculation or merely something she conjured from her imagination.

‘This happens every time,’ Feyre went on. ‘New girl falls for Rhysand. He takes her on a couple dates, has his fun, then dumps her ass. How many more times do I have to watch this scenario unfold? How many more times am I going to sit on my ass while a girl gets her heart broken by the devil?’

Something suddenly occurred to her. To get to Rhysand, Viviane would have to get past her table.

‘But maybe I can do something this time.’

‘Oh, no.’

‘Maybe I can be this nice, sweet girl’s salvation.’

‘Feyre, stop.’

‘Viviane,’ Feyre called, standing on her seat, waving her arms enthusiastically. 

Alis covered her face with her hands. ‘You’re embarrassing.’

Feyre paid her no heed. ‘Viviane!’

Viviane looked at her, confused. To be fair, it was their first time talking.

Oh whatever, Feyre thought, heroes never bother introducing themselves.

‘Hi, honey. You’re the transfer girl, right? I’m Feyre. I’m an art major, too. We’ll probably have many classes together. And this is Alis.’

‘Hello,’ Viviane said, nodding shyly to both of them.

‘What do you think of our town so far? I can show you around, if you’d like.’

‘Thank you so much, but I wouldn’t want to be a bother.’

‘Bother? Oh, not at all. Did you know that when I first came here, my family had just gone broke, my sister had run away to someplace, and my other sister had gone sick with shock?’ Feyre was a very chatty drunk-even when she was only slightly buzzed. ‘It was awful. Thank God I met Alis to show me around the town, or else I would’ve wallowed in misery in my dorm room forever.’

Viviane’s eyes had drifted away about halfway through Feyre’s monologue.

‘Viviane?’

She let out a dreamy sigh.

‘Viviane!’

‘Oh yes. Feyre, was it? I’m sorry, it’s just… he’s so hot.’

‘Who?’ Feyre turned around, then back. ‘Oh, you mean Rhysand?’

Viviane nodded, still staring at him with moony eyes.

‘Yeah. It’s amazing how all the hot ones turn out to be gay, right? You should see his boyfriend. He has these gorgeous lashes and - ’

Viviane’s eyes snapped to her. Well, that got her attention. ‘Wait. What did you say?’

Feyre barely managed to hold back her smirk. ‘His boyfriend has - ’

‘You mean he’s gay?’

‘Oh. You didn’t know. Sorry. But I guess better hear it from me than from him, right?’

Viviane had gone very red. Feyre was getting worried. ‘Viviane?’

Suddenly she grabbed Feyre’s glass and chugged it down. Then she grabbed Alis’s glass and chugged it down. Then she started crying.

Feyre looked at Alis.

Alis looked at Feyre. Told you so, her look seemed to say.

What do we do now, said Feyre’s.

Alis shrugged.

They both let out a sigh, then grabbed a shoulder each and welcomed Viviane into their little group.

***

Viviane, it turned out, was an even chattier drunk than Feyre. She was also much more morose. Once the dam had broken, she told them all about being unhappy in her former uni and major, and having trouble to transfer as she was a few years older than them. She had struggled to take the leap and switch to art as, though it had always been her dream, 25 seemed like a bit too old for a beginner artist. This, Alis and Feyre were quick to reassure her, was not at all true. Many people started college at 25 or more, and they knew a middle aged couple in their class who were having the time of their lives exploring their artistic abilities.

‘And Kallias,’ she sobbed, her tears starting anew. ‘I love him and now I will never get to tell him.’

‘Kallias?’

‘My best friend. I’ve been in love with him since I was sixteen, overweight and desperate to grow some self confidence. He went on a diet with me so I wouldn’t feel alone. He picked me up on his way to school for basically all four years of high school because I was too scared to get a license. He always left secret gifts in my locker when he knew I was on my period, or took me to my favorite bakery. And when he found out I wanted to do arts instead of political science, he became my number one supporter. He even mailed my application for me. How was I supposed not to fall for him?’

‘Wow. That’s really sweet.’

‘I know! He’s such a sweet guy. I’m sure his girlfriend agrees,’ she sighed dejectedly. 

Alis and Feyre exchanged a panicked look. They simply could not sit through another bout of tears.

‘He has a girlfriend?’

‘Well, not exactly. There is this girl in his class, Adrienne, and they meet up a lot to study.’

At Alis and Feyre’s raised brows, she groaned, rubbing her face with both hands.

‘But you should see them! They might as well be dating. She texts him a lot and he always remembers her birthday, when it usually takes him like five weeks to remember people’s names.’

Feyre was dubious. If anything, Kallias seemed to have feelings for Viviane, not whoever this Adrienne girl was. ‘Okay…’

‘Oh, and she has this nickname for him that’s just ridiculous. Kally Bear. Who the fuck comes up with such a stupid nickname? Actually, no.’ Viviane straightened, composing herself. ‘I shouldn’t act like this. I really like Adrienne. She’s nice and she always asks me to come with them when they hang out.’

Alis shrugged. ‘I don’t see why you mind them being together, since you’re always there too.’

‘Oh, I never actually go with them.’

‘What? » Feyre asked incredulously. ‘Why not?’

‘It’s not like she means it. I’m sure she just invites me to be polite. So I tell them to have a good time and send them on their way.’

‘Viviane,’ Alis started carefully. ‘Are you sure Kallias is even interested in Adrienne?’

Viviane pursed her lips. ‘Pretty sure. One time, we were playing truth or dare and I asked him if there was anyone he liked. He said yes, but he didn’t know how to ask her out. He was afraid she would say no and ruin their friendship.’

‘But that could be any friend of his,’ Alis pointed out, her voice blank and ever so careful, the tone she would use on a deranged animal she didn’t want to spook. Or, in this case, a lovesick drunkard she didn’t want to encourage with false hope.

‘She’s his only female friend. Aside from me, that is.’

Feyre had no such qualms. ‘Could be you, then.’

Viviane’s shoulders slumped. ‘No.’

From the way she finished the rest of her drink in one shot and called for seconds, studiously avoiding eye contact, Feyre guessed the conversation to be over.

‘Gotta go powder my nose,’ she said as she stumbled away to the loo.

Oh, how she loved British expressions.

She chuckled on her way, trying her best not to bump into people, and failing miserably as she collided into a deliciously muscled chest.

‘Archeron.’

She looked up at her nemesis. Oh, she had gotten him well.

She couldn’t stop the smirk that bloomed on her face as she replied, ‘Rhysand, darling.’

His eyes narrowed. ‘Darling? What did you do?’

‘What, so you’re the only one allowed to call me that?’

‘You hate it when I call you that.’

She tapped a finger against her chin. ‘True. But I like it when I call you that. You are such a darling,’ she giggled - actually giggled. ‘Especially when you don’t know what’s coming to you.’

Rhysand’s voice was stern. ‘Feyre.’

‘Feyre? Oh my, what a special day it is when Rhysand Fahrenheit calls me by my given name. Did you run out of sarcastic endearments?’

‘I saw you with the new girl.’

Her smirk grew infinitely wider. ‘Did you, now?’

‘What did you tell her?’

‘Nothing you haven’t heard before, I’m sure.’

‘Feyre.’

‘You can keep gritting your teeth till you choke on their dust, and I won’t tell you.’

He breathed deeply, loudly. Once, twice.

‘I can’t deal with you while I’m still sober.’

‘Then go get yourself a drink. And while you’re at it, maybe get one for your boyfriend, too.’

He froze in the middle of turning around, his violet eyes flashing in the dim light of the bar. Oh, how she longed to paint this moment. The Devil Defeated, she would call it.

‘Wait. What did you say?’

‘Funny. Those are the exact words Viviane said when I told her you were gay. A match made in heaven, the two of you. Too bad it’s never going to happen.’

‘You… what?’

‘Are your ears going bad, Rhysand? Are you already that old?’

He rolled his eyes. ‘I am two years older than you, Feyre. And what. the. fuck?’

‘I wasn’t going to let you break another girl’s heart, was I?’

He tensed, anger swirling in his eyes. A second later, he changed. His tense shoulders slowly loosened. He tucked his hands in his pockets, and tilted his head roguishly. His eyes sparkled with devilish amusement, and his favorite smirk perched on his lips. It was not a noticeable change, not if you didn’t know what to look for. But Feyre was a pro in Rhys metamorphosis, as she liked to call it. She watched it all unfold in less than a heartbeat, trying in vain to catch all the details. Somehow, she could never capture it on canvas. Her paintings never had the same vibe-or enough flair.

‘What business is it of yours, Feyre darling, which hearts I choose to break?’

His sensual voice reminded her of silken sheets and sinful touches, and ironically startled her awake. ‘Unlike you, Rhysand, I do happen to care for the common good.’

His smirk was insufferable. ‘You don’t strike me as a selfless person.’

‘Maybe I should strike you, period.’

He leaned forward. ‘How about we strike a bargain instead, darling. You stay away from my business, and I try not to break your heart next.’

She crept forward as well, unwilling to lose the unspoken game, even as her heart beat a tattoo in her chest. He was so close she could touch him. If she dared.

‘Break my heart, Rhysand. I dare you.’

His breath caressed her own when he spoke next. ‘Is that a challenge?’

She snaked a hand between them and laid it flat on the center of his chest. His heartbeat ricocheted against her palm. She smirked. ‘Is it?’

His pupils flared. She gazed into his eyes for what felt like an eternity, transfixed.

Cauldron, she hated his eyes.

She flipped her hair defiantly as she sauntered off, hips swinging, reveling in the way his eyes trailed her the entire way to the bathroom.

Tag list: @joyceortiz13 @bailey-4244

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

[gaamagirl565]

Matters of the heart Ep 6

Matters of the heart Episode 6 Spook spectacular {OPENING CREDITS} {Cut to morning in Old Corona; Varian is hitching the horse up to the wagon; Ruddiger paws at the horse and it snorts at him startling him and making him retreat to behind Varian’s neck} Varian: *laughs* I told you, Ruddiger! Chessie isn’t fond of other animals! *he pats the horse* Ruddiger: *chitters angrily* Varian: let’s see… I got gout gel, feverfew essence, apple salve, lavender calming elixir...yeah I think that’s it! Ruddiger: *chitters happily* Varian: Isaiah?... Isaiah come on son! I have to deliver this stuff to the main city. {Isaiah walks out with a giant knitted covering over his head making Varian drop his clip board} Varian: umm...Isaiah..Wha...What are you wearing? *snerks* Isaiah: it’s a babushka...It’s called fashion Dad! Read about it! Varian: *laughs* Isaiah why are you wearing that? Isaiah: I have my reasons! {he goes to get in the wagon but Varian stops him} Varian: is this about your scar? {Isaiah visibly flinches} Varian: oh buddy, I know you’re scared but- Isaiah: I’m not scared! Varian: O-okay! Okay!... Isaiah, I swear it’s going to be okay...don’t let people’s opinions dictate what you think of yourself...I don’t… I believe in you buddy… Isaiah hesitates: he reaches up and takes off the babushka revealing a large scar on the left side of his face; he looks up at Varian and smiles} Varian: That’s my boy... {Varian lifts him up onto the tailboard of the wagon; he walks around to the front and gets on the driver’s seat; looking back at Isaiah he smiles and flicks the reins} {cut to the Main city of Corona; Rapunzel(holding baby Flynn}, Eugene, and Lily walk down the main road} Lily: um...dad? Eugene: yeah princess? Lily: is there a reason we’re all going out into town or is mom being in one of her crazy happy moods again? Rapunzel: Hey! Eugene: *chuckles* ok firstly, your mother is always crazy happy like that. Rapunzel: um I’m right here! Eugene: and secondly, We have very special visitors coming today? Lily: not more diplomats! Rapunzel: no not more diplomats...Your uncle Lance and Aunt Adira… Lily: Really!? I haven’t seen uncle Lance for so long! Eugene: well this time they’re staying for a while! Lily: oh my gosh! Really!? Why!? Rapunzel: Your auntie recently had a baby boy. They’re considering moving here for safety. Lily: aw why couldn’t it have been a girl!? {Lance comes in off screen}

Lance: hey come now! Boys aren’t that bad… {Lilly turns around and squeals before running over and jumping into Lance’s arms} Lily: Uncle Lance!!! Auntie Adira!! Lance: Hey there kiddo! Give your uncle Lance some love! {He hugs her tightly; Rapunzel and Eugene walk over and hug them as well} Eugene: Good to see you, man… Lance: you got old! Haha! Eugene: look who’s talking! Rapunzel:: Hi Adira! Ohhh! Is that your baby!? He’s beautiful! Adira: thank you, your majesty. {Adira looks around worriedly} Adira: Earrings, she’s gone again... Lance: huh? Oh for the love of...Akina!! {A girl a bit younger than Lily pops out from behind a stall; she has dark olive skin, brown almond-shaped eyes; and black hair pulled back into a short poofy ponytail} Adira: come small one. There is no danger here… {She walks over and hides behind Adira} Rapunzel: Hello Akina!...I’m Queen Rapunzel but you can call me Aunt Punzie...okay? Hmm...oh! This is your cousin! Lily! You met when you both were little!..say hello Lily. Lily: Hi! {Akina hides herself behind Adira} Lily: I promise I’m not mean! Come out! Adira:...go on small one...give your greetings… {She slowly comes out} Akina:...h-hello… {Lily squeals and hugs her making her scream and run behind Adira again} Lily:...too soon? {lance looks over to one of the stalls and gasps; he proceeds to rush over} Lance: oh no no no no! Look at this tall lanky man! {He laughs and picks up Varian and spins him around before crushing him in a bear hug} Varian: augh! Oof! L-Lance!? Lance: how ya been little man!? Haha! Varian: i’ve been..ack..great! Isaiah: dad? Who is…? Lance: hmm? Oh, no...now way this is that little small fry from before! Varian: yup that’s my boy. {Lance picks Isaiah up and lifts him up high} Lance: C’mere little guy! Let me get a good look at ya! {Isaiah stares at him Confused and slightly afraid} Lance:.......what happened to his face? Isaiah:......put me down… {Lance gingerly sets him down} Adira: Last time I saw this one he was quite young...hmmm...what to call you… Isaiah: huh? Eugene: Adira tends to give nicknames… Isaiah: if she calls me “scarface” we’re going to have problems… Eugene: *snerks* Rapunzel: hmm..Oh! I have an idea! Why don’t Lily and Isaiah go play with Akina! Varian: sounds good to me! Lance: adira...hmm? Adira: I...Suppose small one could use the interaction… Lily: Yay! Come on Akina this will be so much fun!! Eugene: just so long as they don’t go looking for the “ghost of the dungeon” {all three looks up} Isaiah: What? Varian: an old legend a man named Xavier told me...they say a prisoner went mad in the dungeon and scratched the days into his cell wall...when he died he proclaimed that anyone whom sought out his spirit and gave him an offering of food, water, or clothing would have a wish granted for them. All 3: wowww…. Rapunzel: but it’s just a legend and that’s all it’ll ever be! That part of the dungeon has some very real dangers! I forbid any of you to go there! Lily: aww mom….finnneee...come on guys… {all three leave} Rapunzel: Really? Eugene? Eugene: Relax Sunshine! That part of the dungeon has been condemned for years! The kids aren’t that gullible. Especially our lily! She’s got my mind remember? Rapunzel: that’s what I’m afraid of… {Varian sees Zapada pass by} Varian: uh...you guys...I’ll ummm...see you later...welcome back Lance… {He walks off} Lance: speaking of minds...haha what’s on his? {cut to the kids walking into the castle} Lily: okay...so...lets go ghost hunting! Isaiah: wait what? Akina: A-Aunt Punzie said no! Y-your highness… Lily: just Lily is fine Akina…I know the way down to the dungeon and everything! There’s this passageway that takes you to all the parts of the castle! Isaiah: she’s right Lily! And I’m in enough trouble as it is! Lily: we won’t get in trouble! Think of it as an adventure that ends in- {She runs into a door} Lily:....Glory…. {Isaiah face palms; cut to the Cult HQ and Cassandra is sparring with some members} Noremoth: m’lady she is close to mastering her capabilities. Cult leader: indeed she is...she was a good choice… {Cassandra  blocks an attack and throws her opponent against a wall} Noremoth: m’lady if I may speak freely? Cult leader: please Noremoth...call me Larkspur… {Noremoth blushes slightly} Noremoth: o-oh alright...Larkspur...I have worries that we should merely retrieve the moonstone sliver ourselves… Larkspur: hmm? Why would this be? Noremoth: although she is a strong vessel Zhan tiri’s power can only control her actions for so long. And Corona is of personal value to her. Her mental state out of trance is delicate and if people who once knew her become wiser to her act...plus what if turns against us and asks for help. Larkspur: *giggles* Noremoth...sweet little Noremoth Noremoth: ehh? Larkspur: you worry too much...her close relations are precisely the thing we need to obtain access to Corona...they’ll be so naively trusting of her...and as for her spilling the truth….the lastest infusion took care of that...if the power within her senses her attempting anything of the sort it will pilot her subconscious from there….and she doesn’t want that… {Cassandra yells as she releases a shock of pink and green lightning electrocuting her sparring opponents; she gasps and covers her mouth in horror at what she has done} Larkspur: *watches her cry* hmmm..Perhaps you’re right...I’ll send you and a few others to watch over our vessel from a safe distance. Do not let yourself be seen… Noremoth: yes m-...Larkspur… {cut to the kids walking a dusty, dark, corridor with Lily holding a map; Lily stops walking, Isaiah and Akina run into her making her step on a trap} Isaiah: GET DOWN! {Isaiah jumps on them and forces them to the ground as arrows fly over them} Isaiah: Lily we should go back Akina: Scarface is right. Isaiah: I said we’d have problems if I was called that Akina: sorry… Lily: We can’t go back now! We’re so close! It should be right around the corner here! Akina: but it’s so dark!...i’m...I’m frightened… Lily: Hey Isaiah? Do you have anything that glows? Isaiah: wait what the f-why would I have something that glows? Lily: seriously? Mr.Varian is always carrying some sort of science like thing, shouldn’t you!? Isaiah: Lily in case you haven’t noticed I kinda...lost any and all alchemical privileges so… Lily: Oh?...ohhhh… Isaiah: yeah...sorry… Akina: um...Lily? Lily: I think we found it… Akina: yeah...was gonna say… {infront of them is an old stone door with two lit torches by it} Isaiah:..ladies first? {both girls look at him} Isaiah: ...no?...fine… {he opens the door and it turned out to be a secret passage to the condemned part of the dungeons} Lily: well? Isaiah: oh yeah...we found it… {They all walk in and look around at the crumbling medieval dungeon; Isaiah looks in one cell and gasps; on the wall are thousands of scribbles counting the days} Isaiah: guys...this is it… Lily: mother of the sun… Akina: wow.. Lily: so an offering of food, water, or clothing...I have a muffin from the royal kitchen… Isaiah: I have my goatskin I filled with water… {both look at Akina; Akina looks at them and hesitantly takes out her hair tie} Isaiah: food, water, and clothing...ok… {They lay out the objects on the ground} Lily: don’t speak your wish...or it won’t come true!...think it only! {They close their eyes; Lily wishes to be a good leader; Isaiah wishes for his family to be happy and whole again; Akina wishes for friendship; as they make their wishes the ground beneath Akina begins to give way} Akina: {Screams in terror} Isaiah: AKINA! {Isaiah grabs onto her arm and starts sliding} Isaiah: LILY HELP! {Lily grabs onto Isaiah} Lily: nghh...A-Akina… reach up with your other hand...and we’ll pull you up… Akina: I-i’m frightened!...I can’t! Lily: Yes you can! Look at me, Akina! {Akina looks} Lily: We won’t let you fall… Isaiah: We promise! {Akina nods and reaches up; Isaiah grabs her other hand; He and Lily pull her up} Akina: *sobs once safe and hugs them* Lily: see? You can trust us. Akina: hehe...is everyone this friendly here? Isaiah welcome to Corona… {they laugh; cut to the castle living room; the fire is glowing and the gang is back together laughing; all three kids walk in filthy and with tattered clothes} Varian: Isaiah what the-!? Lance: AHH! My baby!? What did you do!? Akina: Mama! Papa! {Akina runs over and hugs them} Adira: Small one y-you’re wearing your hair down! Akina: It was so much fun! We explored and dodged arrows and Mama I made friends! Real friends! {all eyes glare at Lily and Isaiah} Eugene: Young lady… Varian: Isaiah… Both: we know...Grounded… {END CREDITS}

[somethinwickedthiswayrides]

Animal Affinity

So I had a thought rolling around in my head, about the reader having an uncanny affinity for animals, like Fallout's 'Animal Friend' perk levels of affinity. So, this is what I came up with, this is my first ever delve into headcanon territory and I haven't been playing RDR2 for very long, so please forgive me if someones out of character.

Reader is Gender-neutral, but I wrote it with a female in mind. Sorry if it's a bit long, I wanted to include everyone in camp and use different animals.

They always said they had this strange way with animals, they couldn't really explain it, but animals never attacked them and didn't really spook around them. No one really believed them until they saw it.

Cougar;

Arthur, Sean, Javier, and you were out on a scouting trip of a house not to far north of the Black Bone Forest, they decided to make camp for the night and were joking around and trying to not knock Sean's loud mouth out.

You were all knocked out of your reverie when you suddenly felt hot breath on the back of your neck which was soon followed by a powerful bunt to your shoulder. The looks on your partners faces were concerned as they slowly reached for their sidearms.

You slowly turned and there was a cougar blinking at you. With a small smile you reached up and gave the lesser cat some scratches and the cat slowly came around and plopped its entire front half into your lap, gently purring.

Sean wanted to scream, but was too confused as to the how and why of a cougar laying in your lap like that was where it belonged. He settled for muttering 'what the fuck' under his breath.

Javier stayed tense the entire time, never really quite sure if the large cat was going to try and maul them or it just wanted petting.

Arthur slowly pulled out his journal to sketch out the scene before him, having never been this close to an animal that usually wanted to claw his face off.

You and the other hand were used to this and simply let the large cat lay in your lap while you gave all the love and attention the cat wanted, before it decided it was enough and stalked back off into the forest, leaving behind the small camp.

Wolf;

You, Lenny, and John were having a small camp out after a few successful stagecoach robberies, and were taking a break before heading back into camp. Everyone was joking and having a good time when a whimper caught everyone's attention. You all turned and saw a limping lone wolf, what looked like porcupine quills were sticking out of its leg and around its mouth.

"Oh, you poor thing," you exclaimed, "here, let me help you." With that you left your spot and slowly made your way to the miserable pup, ignoring John and Lenny's whisper shouts.

They watched in awe as you calmed the wolf and as gently as your could, plucked out the offending quills. The wolf, quite happy that it no longer had those painful irritations stuck in it, wagged its tail and licked your face, trying to worm his tongue in your mouth in what it thought was a proper thank you.

Lenny, having heard about the cougar incident, was a bit more relaxed then John, but still wary as this was a predator, and didn't want anything happening to you.

John, on the other hand, was nearly having a panic attack. The memories of his last tussle with wolves still fresh in his mind, and he kept his hand on his pistol, just in case the wolf wanted to make you a meal.

Deer;

You and Charles were out in the woods near camp, planning on bringing in a couple deer for Pearson. As he helped you off your horse, he noticed a doe with her fawn, and gently smiled at the sight.

Charles smile only grew when the young fawn bounded over and nuzzled your hand, looking for scratchies before delightedly prancing back to its mother, its little tail waggling all the while.

Bear;

Arthur had told you where Micah was after he broke him out of the Strawberry jail, and after the ensuing fire fight. Somewhat irritated with him, but also wanting to be sure he didn't die on you just yet, you pack up a few supplies and went out to where he was located. It took a little while, but, you did end up finding him.

You put up with his needling and teasing about being worried about him, but soon you two found yourselves in somewhat of a pleasant conversation. Which was soon stopped when he noticed something entering camp, you looked over and it was a small bear cub. You shushed Micah and told him not to worry as the little cub waddled over, gave you a sniff before deciding that your lap was a great place to take a nap.

You shrugged and gently pet the cub and picked right back up where the conversation had been left, as if you didn't have a bear on your legs. Micah, confused and a bit unnerved continued the conversation and once actually reached out to pet the little bugger himself.

The conversation abruptly cut off once again, this time with a more panicked expression from Micah, mama bear had decided to show up. Once again you shushed the blond man as mama walked her way over to you, gave you a nudge and then gripped her cub by the nape of it's neck, causing the little one to let our a cry of indignation about being ripped away from its comfy bed. Before she nudged it along to wander out of the camp.

Micah had just stared, slack jawed, at the display, there was no need for a fight, no need to defend, just a mother picking up her child from a babysitter. He spared a glance at you, smiling at the bears, and decided that you were either incredibly brave, or exceedingly stupid. Either way, he was slightly afraid of you now.

Wild Horses;

You and Kieran were out having a little ride, since Branwen very seldom left camp, as Kieran very seldom left camp, you decided that a little run around in the open plains would be good for the both of them. So with a few harsh words toward Kieran from the other camp members about keeping you safe, and Dutch's farewell you two set off.

The ride was peaceful, and quiet, there was little in the way of conversation as Kieran wasn't quite sure how to approach you just yet. You had stopped out in near Emerald Ranch, in the little patch of wetlands, to let the horses run around in the water and play, while you two were resting nearby.

There was then a sound of hooves as a herd of wild horses had galloped up to the water for a drink, not too far from you. You gave a smile and stood, making your way to the herd.

Kieran watched amazed as the horses didn't spook from your presence, to the point that you could walk right up to them and give them pats and scratches, cooing at how pretty they were, before pulling out some sugar cubes from your satchel to feed them. The sight put a soft smile on his face as to how calming you were that even the most skittish of horses trusted you.

Snakes;

Nearly all the members of the gang were out on jobs that day, barring the women, little Jack, Pearson, Reverand Swanson, Dutch, and yourself. Karen had just walked up and was relieving you of an all night guard duty. You smiled in appreciation as you turned to make your way back into camp, before you and Karen had to go bolting in at the sound of Tilly and Abigail screaming.

Turns out little Jack had managed to catch himself a snake, and was holding his squirming target trying to show his mother, who was less than pleased. You took a quick look and sighed a breath of relief, deducing that it was a harmless corn snake, though where in the world Jack found it was beyond you.

With a chuckle you gently took the small snake from his grasp, and the little guy coiled around your hand and wrist, content in the warmth you were providing, rather then Jacks tight grip. While the little guy was calming down and warming up you had to gently explain to Jack that he couldn't just pick up a snake he finds, he was lucky that this one wasn't venomous.

Jack nodded and you showed him how to gently pet the little snake, and it gave a happy little wriggle. Which caused Jack to giggle.

Susan, Mary-Beth, Abigail, Tilly, and Molly were too freaked out to really care much about you holding the snake and simply wanted the offensive little bugger out of the camp.

Karen was laughing boisterously about the commotion.

Sadie simply chuckled and said it could've been worse.

Pearson was impressed that the wriggling and hissing little thing had calmed down as soon as you got hold of it, chuckling to himself as he went back to work on the food preparation.

Dutch didn't care too much and simply wanted the thing gone so the women would calm down.

Swanson... He was still dead asleep, having missed the whole thing.

Fox and Coyote;

It was a rather quiet day in the Van der Linde camp. Most everyone was in camp, quietly taking a day of rest and doing their own thing, while others were hard at work doing their chores. Uncle was trying to teach you how to play poker, trying being the key word here.

Everyone's head perked up when Pearson gave a shout and they caught sight of a little fox and coyote leaping around camp and playing. Pearson was trying to shoo them away, but they weren't having any of it.

You gave a small chuckle and got up from the table and cooed at the duo, they couldn't have been more than a couple years old, still young and playful. By this time most everyone had shared their experiences with you and wild animals, and there were a few rumors floating around that you were a witch. But you didn't pay those no mind.

You had managed to catch and calm down the rambunctious pair and called Bill over to give you a hand. Bill, unsure as to why you needed his help, walked over and let out a small grunt of surprise when you plopped the fox down in his arms. The little canine wriggled and squirmed in his arms until you sweet talked it and gave it a little head scratch, and it gave a huff and settled down.

Bill had stared at the little fox in his arms, while you were picking up the coyote, and smiled to himself a bit. Reaching up to scratch at its neck, the little one seemed quite happy with this and snuggled into his arm and chest. Bill was sure he'd melt into a puddle on the spot.

Strauss had watched the goings on from a distance, but didn't seem to care too much before returning to his ledger.

Uncle gave a laugh and made a comment about being able to tame even the mightiest beast. Causing a few laughs, and a couple blushes within the group.

Dutch, now having his full attention, was wondering just how far your affinity with animals could go and if you were able to get them to follow basic commands.

Everyone else simply wanted the little trouble makers out of camp.

Birds;

Another quiet day in camp, it had been rather peaceful as of late so everyone was enjoying it while it lasted. You had taken up your usual feeding spot to watch and listen to the various birds in the area. Several people poked fun at you for feeding the birds, but you paid no mind to it. You were joined by Hosea and Swanson, though they did less feeding and more watching.

Swanson relaxed against the tree with closed eyes and a cup of coffee, enjoying the soothing chips.

Hosea gave a small smile as he watched some of the smaller cardinals resting on your fingers while your palm was covered in seeds. The birds literally eating out of your hand.

All in all, a rather peaceful time. Until a crow with something in it's beak landed by you feet, dropped it object and cawed until it was sure it had your attention, jolting Swanson and Hosea out of their peaceful stupors.

Once the crow had your attention it rolled the object toward your feet before hopping off to partake in the seeds. With a raised brow you reached down and picked up the object, wiping it off, and your jaws dropped. The little crow had gifted you a small gold nugget.

You all looked at each other, and with a small smile you realized that maybe feeding the birds wasn't such a bad idea after all.

[plumblossomkun]

Headstones

word count: 1602

synopsis: in which the boys dare you and Haechan to explore an abandoned house, because it’s supposed to be haunted and they want a little bit of Halloween fun.

warning[s]: this might be a little spooky? idk the last line had ME spooked and i’m the writer... horror isn’t my thing, but i think if i tried it, i’d be pretty good at the gross details. yikes. 

a/n: anyway, i had this song on repeat the whole time i was writing this. there are no spoilers for Gaenari in this, but you might be able to see just how much Hyuck cares about you as his noona, i guess.

“Hyuck, I don’t want to go out there.” You cross your arms and plant your feet firmly on the floor as he tries to drag you out the door by the sleeve of your hoodie (well, it’s his, really, but you took it so long ago that he’s probably forgotten it belonged to him at all).

“Are you afraid, noona?” he teases, dangling your phone in front of you.

“Hey, when did you steal that?” You lunge for it, but he yanks it away. “Give it back!”

“When you were talking to Jisungie.” He tucks it into his jacket pocket. 

You reach into it to grab your phone, but he tangles his fingers with yours instead, grinning when he captures you. 

“Gotcha.”

“Let me go!” you squeal, but he doesn’t budge, only drags you out the door again, which is being held open by Chenle. He grins and waves goodbye as Donghyuck hauls you towards the taxi waiting outside.

“Jaemin and Jeno are waiting for you there,” he calls after you, giggling.

“Where are we going?” you mumble sullenly, resenting the way Hyuck’s hand still holds yours captive as the taxi ascends a steep, one-lane road up into the mountains. “I don’t like this.”

“It’s an easy bet, noona.” Absentmindedly, he strokes his thumb across your hand. “We get it done, and then Jeno and Jaemin will buy us dinner all Halloweekend.”

“You dragged me into this bet for food?” you hiss incredulously as the car comes to a stop in front of a dingy iron gate. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, why else would I make you come out to the dorms on a Saturday?” he hums. “You told me not to bother you on your days off unless it was for good food.”

“I meant actual good food, Hyuck,” you complain as he helps you out of the taxi. “I don’t want to have to work for my food.”

“...isn’t that what you do, as an adult?” He pushes the gate open and leads you through, starting up a hill so steep you can’t even see what’s at the top.

“Ugh, you know what I meant!” you huff. “...you still haven’t told me where we’re going. Why are we hiking up this hill?”

He doesn’t answer you, at least, not until the two of you near the top. Even he is a little breathless when he speaks. “A real haunted house,” he gulps, wiping sweat from his brow.

You lean on your knees, wheezing. “I’m too old for this.”

“If you’re old, that makes me almost-old.”

The house at the top of the hill is dilapidated to the point of almost collapsing, sways in the wind like a reed, but that certainly doesn’t stop Hyuck from approaching. He pulls a pair of tiny flashlights out of his pocket and hands you one, without ever letting go of the hand he has already clamped onto yours.

“Are you ever gonna stop holding my hand?”

He flashes you a grin. “Nope.”

The door swings open in the wake of the autumn breeze, and you squeal. “I don’t wanna go in!”

Hyuck peers inside. “It’s just Jaemin.”

Jaemin’s blonde head peeps out from behind the battered door frame. “Hi, noona.” Just behind him, you see another flash of platinum, and then Jeno, too, is grinning back at you, the two of them bouncing on the creaky, unhinged floorboards. 

“Please don’t tell me you guys are going to be trying to spook us the whole time we’re here,” you sigh.

“Oh, no,” Jeno assures you, “I’m staying outside. This place gives me the shivers.”

“Anyway,” Jaemin chirps, stepping down from the front onto the wispy grass lawn, Jeno on his heels, “there’s nothing dangerous in there, not really. Just don’t go upstairs; I don’t think it’s safe to go up there, seriously.” He waves the two of you off as Hyuck moves forward, and you are forced to follow.

Hyuck’s eyes gleam in the dark at the prospect of danger, and you warn him, “If he says it’s dangerous, we really shouldn’t go up there.”

“How bad can it be?”

“We could die,” you suggest, gritting your jaw as you duck underneath a fallen post. “That looks like it was a load-bearing post. I don’t want to be upstairs looking at debris and then become debris.

Hyuck snorts, but doesn’t make a beeline for the stairs just in front of the entrance like you thought he would, instead taking a sharp right into what looks like it might have been a kitchen. The room on the left is a living room, but it’s in such disarray that there’s no picking through it.

“Look at this island,” he marvels, flicking his light towards the marble counter top, which is the only thing that seems to have survived the carnage of the elements. “Bet you this place belonged to rich people and they just kind of forgot about it.”

“Shame. It has a nice view, too,” you say, looking out the window to forget the pungent smell of some sort of animal’s living quarters, and the line of creepy-crawlies that is surely just beneath the rotting wood. “God, don’t touch anything, Hyuck.”

He laughs, but takes his hand away from the shambles of a dining table. “Look at the silverware. It’s like someone was about to eat, but something went wrong.”

“Oh, no no no. Don’t you start weaving some creepy narrative about this place.” 

Suddenly, something creaks loudly on the floor above. You glance outside; Jeno and Jaemin are still waiting out there, talking animatedly about something. “...did you hear that?”

“Yeah. Let’s go check it out.”

“No!”

“Why not? If we fall I’ll catch you.”

“As if!”

“Come on, noona. We’ll go upstairs and check it out and then we’ll come back out and tell Jaemin and Jeno that there’s nothing spooky about this place, and we win the bet~!” He pouts, then leans down to look into your eyes. “Noona, if you’re really scared, we should do it so we can get out of here sooner.”

“...nngh.” You can’t deny that. “Fine.”

The second floor is just as horrifying as you’d imagined it to be. Floorboards coming apart, doors unhinged, windows all broken and glass on the inside, like something outside had torn into the house. There are even bite marks and gashes from claws in one of the door frames.

“Hyuck, I don’t like this.”

He stares at the clear teeth markings. “Yeah, me either.”

Still, he tiptoes towards it, flashlight held tight in his hand. He doesn’t seem to notice that he’s unconsciously shielding you with his body, pushing you behind him, or that his breath has audibly quickened.

Quickly, you glance at the bottom of the stairs, where Jaemin is looking up at you for the signal.

So, with an exaggerated gasp, you drop your flashlight, and shriek. It actually goes better than you intended, because you inhale so violently that you end up choking on your own breath.

Hyuck immediately whirls to look at you, and you point at the window and whisper hoarsely. “There’s a hand!”

And there is a hand, hanging limp over the windowpane, covered in [fake] blood. It’s Jeno’s hand, and he’s on a ladder probably giggling his head off, but Hyuck doesn’t know that.

He takes your hand, and pushes you towards the stairs, fumbling with his flashlight. “Uh, let’s get out of here.”

Right on cue, Jaemin throws a stone through the front entrance, and it crashes into the marble countertop with a loud CRACK. 

Hyuck shrieks something unintelligible, and then he’s hauling ass down the stairs, tugging you behind him. It’s all you can do not to burst into laughter as he practically throws you over the threshold of the house, sprinting out onto the lawn and only stopping when he realizes that Jaemin is on the floor not because he’s been incapacitated by a ghost, but because he’s crying of laughter, and that you are kneeling beside him, pretending to try and shock him back to life.

Jeno comes around from the back, ladder tucked under his arm, grinning proudly. “Did I do good, noona?”

“You did good, Jeno,” you giggle, looking up at Hyuck, who is still white as a sheet.

“Who did the bite marks?” is all he says, massaging his jaw.

“Oh, those were already there,” Jaemin wheezes, sitting up. “The house is pretty cursed, but I didn’t see any ghosts or anything while we were scoping it out yesterday.”

“They didn’t tell me about it till today,” you say disapprovingly, swatting at him, then standing to wipe leaves off of your jeans. “I said, you think we can spook Hyuck? They said, only if I helped. So I did.”

“Noona,” Hyuck whines, draping his arms around your shoulders and burying his head in your neck. “That was spooky.”

“Says the boy who constantly stands behind doors trying to scare me into dropping my coffee,” you reply testily, though you pat his head reassuringly. “Happy Halloween. What was the agreement, Jaemin?”

“That he’d buy us jokbal [pig’s feet] for two weekends.”

Hyuck groans. “Next Halloween can we just have a potluck? I don’t want to do this again.”

“Neither do I,” you shudder. “Are we done, guys?”

“Yeah, I’ll call the car.”

“I call shotgun!”

“Be my guest. I don’t wanna talk to the driver.”

You glance over your shoulder, one last look at the house, and you swear you see something moves in the doorway, see the silhouette of a small child flash past. You shiver. 

“Then let’s get out of here.”

[internetremix]

In IR lore, what are the personalities of your personas? Basic likes and dislikes?

Kristen: Goggles is An Child and behaves as such. She's very cheerful, very curious, a bit mischievous and also 100% obsessed with making fanwork of her internet family... like a goddamn weirdo. She'll usually be hanging out with everyone, spot some sort of inspiration, squeak with joy and then rush off to write or draw. She's also the defacto leader of the Smol Squad, which is composed of herself, Shyner, Jojo and Chi-chi, and she's usually the one squeaking out ridiculous plans in muppet for dumb shit like stealing cookies and trying to trap people in fanfiction scenarios. She likes to help and can often be found doing such things as assisting Xander in his many schemes or just popping up to provide shit like charts or hold things for other people- basically whenever it would be funny to have some goddamn muppet backing something up.

She loves plush toys, particularly Crockernanner, and also loves sugar, star decorations, and cuddles. She likes being picked up and loves attention, and she's pretty consistently attached to at least one person, often her big brother Split if she's not with the Smol Squad. She is in eternal war with Phill since he bullies her constantly, and will occasionally try to set up elaborate traps for revenge only to fail miserably. Also she's a huge weeb. She does not like to sleep and will often go days without it before being dragged off by some bigger person to take a goddamn nap you ridiculous child.  She is also very afraid of thunderstorms, she doesn't like loud noises or the dark.

She also has... various flaws and problems. But those are spoilers and I have no idea when/if we’ll be doing story stuff with IRsonas so I don’t want to give too much away with that.

Sorry this is very long, I think about my child a lot.

Jojo: JoJo is also a very happy child... like, stupid happy all the time. Like, they don't really have a concept of being angry. they're either manic happy or a bit sad. They love to find any way to make anybody smile or laugh, whether it be a somber happy, or a crying fit of laughter. They thrive off of happiness. They're a bit mischievous as well, and will try to play pranks and swipe things to chew on. They'll just appear in random places you'd never expect. like, in the pantry, the vent, or in your drawer. They chew things all the time to keep their dragon teeth sharp! They do tend to come off as obnoxious and kind of useless sometimes? But that's ok.

They love happiness, rocks, swimming, sandwiches, Vanilla coke, coffee, pianos, stars, ghost stuff(horror genre), and laughter. JoJo is pretty similar to Goggles now that I think about it x_xJoJo is best friends with Phill, and will always be on him in some way. Like his leg, back, holding onto his scarf by their teeth, etc. They're also very close with Goggles and Shyner, and Scott (even though Shyner tries to chase JoJo off with knives, JoJo will take it as a game of tag or something)JoJo doesn't like being yelled at or being told to go away. They get spooked easily by loud noises. They always get paranoid when they think someone is mad at them and will go to ungodly lengths to make them not mad or slightly annoyed with them, which sometimes makes people more annoyed with them than they were before.

JoJo is just an exaggerated version of me XD

Atwas: Atwas is fairly easy going. They make light of things often, and often hide serious sentiments behind jokes. They’re the type to roll with goofy and silly situations, and are very “yes and” type that enjoys escalating things in the name of light-hearted fun. They enjoy playing pranks, especially ones that take advantage of their hologrammatic nature (being able to enter and ‘possess’ electronics is something that they take advantage of often). Being technically in the cloud and a part of the internet at all times, they will often chime in with fun (often unrelated or humorous) metrics about situations and people as they occur—and often forgets that having a HUD isn’t something everyone has access to.

Being ‘technically’ invulnerable, atwas isn’t phased by the more dangerous things that go on in the IR tower, but usually prefers being a spectator or commentator as opposed to being an active participant in general shenaniganry. They don’t have any particular animosity towards anyone, and will occasionally help manage technical parts and functions of the tower.

They enjoy things like tech, cold weather, tea, fun statistics, darkness; and aesthetics like Film Noir and Retrowave.

They dislike things like excessively hot weather, being interrupted, getting too personal, having to put in a lot of “effort”, and being out of the loop.

Shyner: Shyner can easily be summed up to a tsundere in denial, and is the definition of an agent of chaos. If something goes wrong, she’s the one pouring a trail of kerosene to let the fire spread. She's loud, impulsive, and really doesn't give two shits. While quirky and charismatic, she’s also sarcastic and witty, reveling in the amusement of making fun of others. She’s often stubborn and impatient, thinking highly of her own beliefs and angered by those who dare to challenge her ideals. She also lacks a filter, and enjoys garnishing her words with colorful profanities. Filled with gripes of past trauma, she’s engaged in a constant internal war of turmoil and grief. She’s incredibly cautious and closed off around those she doesn’t trust, and can be very selfish.  Despite this, she’s loyal to the few people she cares about, going out of her way to put them first if a dire situation were to arise. She’s also very sneaky and mischievous, often finding amusement in spying on others. Her MBTI is INTP-T.

Her hobbies include stargazing, ghost hunting, spying, and Satanic worship. She enjoys melancholy vibes, horror movies, animals, thunderstorms, and has an unhealthy obsession with sweets. Yes, this child will stab you without hesitancy if you take her cookies. She dislikes seafood, big crowds, kiddie leashes, and is afraid of experiencing intense emotion she doesn’t understand.I love my satanic smol bean very much. If I may be so bold as to dive into the nitty-gritty psychology, Shyner possesses many flaws, a lot of which I personally struggled with growing up. She is a reflection of my past self, some gripes with my current self, and the perception of how I could have turned out if I hadn’t met my family at IR. Hiding behind the exterior of being a merciless bully, she still has an intense internal desire to be a good person, but gets frustrated and often derails herself in the process of fighting her desire to act on impulse. She keeps most relationships with people at arm's length, fearing that if someone were to think highly of her, it would only be a matter of time before they’re disappointed. If we were to go full-fledged story mode, she would most definitely have an intense character redemption arc, making the revelation that being shitty to those who care about her isn’t the way to run from her problems and hide away from her own sense of self-insecurity/hatred.

Phill: Phill likes mischief, bad jokes, sexual undertones, Jojo, sexual overtones, bullying Kristen, and the colour pink. That's it xD

Jojo: :D yay

Alex: Alex don't give a shit but is for whatever reason the bossman and is also as powerful as silver age Superman, just don't try actual murder of the crew and he won't yeet you into the sun

Moon: 2019 Moon is an idiot. If we didn't know any better, we would assume he was born from nothing but an old head of lettuce in Satan's refrigerator. Think like Scott from Monster Prom, but different. He knows his right from his left, but the compass is still just "NESW" to him. Impulsive, lovable, and kinda loud, this muscley dumbass will do practically anything you tell him to if he finds it enjoyable. When paired with a few people, he works well as a second to many dynamic duos. Brodingles and Moon/Split and Moon are two really good ones, dangerous shenanigans ensue. Can and will rap like a beast, any challenge to a freestyle will result in a career ending and a death being sentenced. Extroverted people pleaser, definitely shooting high to perform and when adapting to a character, goes a little too hard. This man played Gander in Charlottes Web and didn't stop making goose sounds for months. Did I mention he's also a disney princess? Singing, animals, mortal enemy falling to their death? Everything

Dawn: ToonWolf/Dawn's personality falls within the confines of recklessly adventurous who doesn't think things through entirely. They like to try and rope others into going on various hikes, treasure hunts, mythic/cryptid searches, etc. Unapologetic sailor mouth. They will fight for friends and family. Various animals, trinkets, treasures, and cool but useless garbage are brought back to the tower often (oops theres a liiiiiiitle bit of hoarding). Sometimes those animals consist of dogs, cats, lizards, bears, wolves, The Great Noble One, horses, lions, elk, you get the idea (Can I keep them?Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaaaseeeeee??????????).

Overall they are most comfortable and relaxed in/around water and likes a whole lotta things including sailing, swimming, adventure, stargazing, animals, mythology/legends, friends, family, and drawing.

They dislike waking up early, limitations, being talked down to, boredom, desert/hot/humid/dry weather, coffee, and the movie "Cube"

Tex: Tex is an avid cryptid detective + has a surprisingly good intuition when creating conspiracy theories about them to follow. Mm lots of memes and disguises. Smart, but usually just off on their own thinking about other stuff.Totally has a wall in their room dedicated to figuring all the cryptids out with like, red string and everything.