#i highly suggest everyone have at least once in their lives

[dyrewrites]

My son came running downstairs to ask me what I needed, because I keep messaging him on Steam.

"I'm not messaging you, look, it's all from yesterday..."

"But you were saying stuff like 'lol' and 'that's so funny'"

"I wouldn't say either of those things. Show me."

So he takes me upstairs and we prove that there are no new messages in his Steam chat, it was just the popups he was seeing.

I ask, "What game are you playing?"

"Pony Island."

"Oh...oh. Yeah. That's not me. That's the game. Have fun with that."

He was shouting for me to come back and please explain but some things you just have to work through on your own.

[exhaslo]

Hello exhaslo! I was wondering if you could write something for me🥺

I had this idea in my head for a while. ( Don't mind my English, it's my second language-) Soo can you write about Psycho Miguelx shyreader? I want to see miguel stalk reader, obsessed over reader, steal her clothes or panties for "whatever" purpose.. watching her sleep like a psycho- you know-

Until one point he kidnap and locked her up. Torture her but he still love her like a crazy obsession (dark scene maybe). He would try to be good to her (like try to bath and feed her) but she's just doesn't cooperate and miguel piss off easily.

If you do write it pls tag mee? This is my first ever request in thumbler. (I don't know how this app works) 🕴️

Hello! Hello!! Gotta love me some crazy Miguel. I'd feel like after a while a shy reader would give into the psycho bc they'd be too scared to escape. Maybe like Stockholm Syndrome?

I believe you will already receive a notification since I'm replying to your request, not quite sure how it works either, haha.

Warning: MINORS DNI, Smut, stalking, kidnapping, p in v, Stockholm syndrome, abuse, will try and make this as not concerning as possible, but if you remotely are not comfortable with any of these topics then I highly suggest avoiding

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Spiderman is a hero! Spiderman does nothing wrong! Spiderman will help the citizens of Nueva York! Spiderman! Spiderman! Spiderman!

"Silence." Miguel hissed lowly.

It was a quiet night aside from the constant voices that reminded Miguel of his responsibility. The annoyance that he had to burden himself with and live to those standards. So many people treated him like a God. Everyone worshiped him, but none of them were willing to give him what he wanted.

At least, until you came along.

Miguel sat against a building, watching you leave work. It was only a short while ago that you started to work for Alchemax. You were a ray of sunshine in Miguel's life. He had to have you for himself. A beautiful, shy angel who just moved into the city.

His angel.

Miguel had already approached you at work, revealing to be the kind coworker to help you with anything. He wanted to start off well, at least the side that he was going to show you. Afterwards, he was going to find out everything about you as Spiderman.

"She lives so close to me," Miguel whispered, watching you enter a building.

His eyes sparkled as he followed your sweet scent up the floors. Once you stopped and entered your apartment, Miguel nearly groaned at the sight. He watched from the window as you stripped and prepared for a shower. Such a clueless beauty.

"She left her window unlocked for me," He whispered, entering your apartment.

You were humming quietly to yourself as you showered. Such a soft and low voice that should only be for him. Miguel would listen to you forever, but he didn't want you to catch onto him, yet. Grabbing your panties, Miguel inhaled towards you scent, groaning lowly.

"H-H-Hello?! I-Is...Is anyone there?!" You squeaked, turning the water off.

Miguel cussed to himself, quickly fleeing the scene. He stuffed your panties in his pocket and watched as you hesitantly stepped out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel and a bottle of shampoo. How cute. Like that was going to stop him.

"P-Please...I-If anyone is...is there...I-I don't have anything." You cried, shaking in fear.

Miguel resisted a chuckle. You had everything. You were everything. Miguel was going to have you for himself. He just needed to wait for the right time.

-------

"I-It was so scary! I-I really thought someone broke in!" You cried your eyes out at work towards Miguel.

"Don't cry, amor (love)." Miguel whispered, wiping your tears away with his thumb. You sniffed, staring at your wonderful coworker,

"S-Sorry...I...I just...I didn't expect this...I'm new to the city...and...and I just..." You felt your lips quiver as you tried to think, "A-Also, my underwear disappeared...m-maybe my apartment is haunted!"

"I'm sure you just misplaced them," Miguel lied knowing full well that your panties were now covered in his cum, "It could be the stress of moving to a large city. It will take some time to...adapt," He whispered, patting your head.

You rubbed your eyes, smiling brightly towards Miguel. He was just a nice coworker and good looking too. You were happy to have gotten close to him during your stay here. Thanking Miguel again for letting you vent, you pecked his cheek before hurrying off to work.

Miguel just smiled wickedly as he watched your scurry off. Those hips of yours just begging to be grabbed by him. Your soft voice just waiting to cry his name out. Miguel needed more of you. He had to have more of you.

---------

There he was again, outside your window, watching you walk around your place half naked. Oh, how tempting you were. His shy little angel just walking around in nothing but your panties. You were just asking him to go in there and fuck you.

Miguel decided to leave your clothes alone today, for he had something else in plan. He waited for you to fall into a deep slumber before entering the apartment. His eyes sparkled brightly as he saw you clearly in the dark.

"Oh, my lovely (Y/N)," Miguel whispered, stroking your naked body, "I know you must be dreaming of me,"

"Mhm~" You shifted slightly in your sleep.

Miguel hummed quietly as he started to stroke his dick beside your bed. He wanted to touch you, but he was afraid of waking you. Miguel had to be patient. Resisting a moan, Miguel kept pumping his dick to the sight of you sleeping. Oh how he wanted to see you wrapped around him.

"Fuck," Miguel whispered as he cummed over your body.

He sighed softly in relief before cleaning you up. He didn't want you getting anymore scared and locking your windows. Once you were cleaned, Miguel swiped the panties you were wearing and left to finish relieving himself at home.

---------

"I-I don't know what to...to do. I-I've never been asked out before," You whispered, hiding in Miguel's lab.

It had been another week of your panties going missing and you were officially scared. The last two nights you had stayed at a coworker's place, wanting to sleep easy. This made Miguel angry. He couldn't find you and now someone had the nerve to confess to you?

"M-Miguel? A-Are you okay? I...I can come ba-"

"I'm fine, just haven't slept well these past two nights." He told you. You slowly approached him, stroking the bags under his eyes,

"Oh, Miggy. I'm sorry! I-I've been ranting this whole time while y-you're this tired!" You whined softly. Miguel grabbed your hands, kissing them softly,

"Dios Mio (My god), you make me want to steal you away, (Y/N)." Miguel whispered, watching you grow flustered, "Will you let me do that?"

You squeaked, feeling your cheeks grow hot. Honestly, you weren't expecting that from Miguel. Yes, you liked him a lot, but this was straight up flirting. Trying to hide your face from embarrassment, you just smiled, wanting to play along.

"S-Sure," You said sweetly.

--------

You whimpered lowly as you slowly felt yourself come to your senses. You vaguely recalled what happened before you lost consciousness. It was time for you to clock out and you saw Miguel waiting for you. He offered you a ride and then you knocked out.

Rubbing your eyes, you looked around and noticed that you were in an unfamiliar bedroom. Tears started to form as your heart raced in fear. Even your clothes were changed. You were wearing a long night gown.

"M-Miguel...A-Are you there?" You cried softly.

Crawling off the bed, you gasped as you felt something tied to your foot. You whimpered, spotting the cozy chains that held your ankles in place with a long chain connected to the bed.

"(Y/N), you're awake." Miguel hummed as he entered the room with a tray of food, "I brought you dinner."

"M-Miguel...I-I'm scared..."

"Shh, it's okay, baby. I know, but it's all going to be okay now. You did give me permission to take you away after all." He said with a sadistic smirk. You trembled slightly,

"I-I thought...y-you were just...just flirting..." You tried your best not to cry, "M-Miggy, p-please...I'm scared."

"I'm going to take good care of you, (Y/N)"

Miguel placed the tray to the side and crawled onto the bed. He pulled you closer to him and captured your lips into a forceful and deep kiss. You were shaking as you tried to push him away, but he was too strong for you.

You whimpered as Miguel's tongue ravished the inside of your mouth. His hands holding your wrists in place as his body pinned you to the bed. You were terrified. The man you thought who cared for you was a psychopath.

"You taste just as sweet as your panties," Miguel whispered, pulling you onto his lap and grabbed the tray.

"W-Wait...y-you took...h-how?"

"Ah, since you're going to be my wife, I suppose you should know. I'm Spiderman. I've been watching you, making sure no harm came to my beautiful wife,"

"H-Huh!?"

Your face turned bright red at the thought. This whole time it was Miguel who snuck into your place and stole your underwear. Now, he had stolen you. Trying to free yourself, you whimpered as Miguel forced you back into his lap. You cried, feeling his bulge press into your ass.

"Don't cry, eat. You need your energy."

"N-No! I want...I want to go home!"

"You are home!" Miguel yelled.

Sighing heavily, Miguel watched as you shook in fear and covered your ears. He moved the tray away and turned you around to face him. He wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his head in the crook of your neck. You were crying. Shaking in his arms.

"I won't ever hurt you, (Y/N). I promise to take care of you." He whispered.

--------

It had been a week since you were held hostage by Miguel. Each day he brought more of your stuff to his place, wanting you to feel comfortable. You couldn't forgive him though, but you were too scared to disobey him.

You poked your head out of your room, spotting the front door open. Miguel had placed an ankle bracelet on you, but that couldn't stop you from trying to escape and getting someone to break the device. You just needed to be fast.

Hurrying towards the door, you yelped as you got yanked back. You cried as webs locked your arms behind your back. Miguel approached you, bending you over the living room table,

"Oh, (Y/N), why are you trying to leave?" He asked, pretending to sound hurt.

"M-Miguel...I...I..." You knew better than to lie.

"I'm going to have to give you a punishment."

Tears rolled down your cheeks as you felt Miguel tear your panties off. You begged him to forgive you, but Miguel had already started to grope your ass. You trembled and whimpered as you felt his fingers rub your folds.

"I know you love me, (Y/N), you're just confused right now." Miguel whispered in your ear as he started to pump his fingers into your pussy.

You gasped and whimpered, trying to distract your brain. Miguel's thick fingers were stretching your pussy out, making your body grow hotter with each pump. You cried out a moan as his fingers curled and rubbed your gummy walls.

"See, look how wet you are. Just stop trying to lie to yourself."

"M-Miguel," You whimpered, your face pressed against the table, "I-I'm scared."

"Shh, you'll feel so much better after this. Honestly, it isn't even a punishment, baby."

Miguel chuckled darkly as he pumped his fingers faster into you. Your juices spilling against his fingers and onto the table. You cried, arching you back as you cam against his fingers. Miguel hummed to the sound of your moans and your throbbing pussy.

"Good girl,"

You panted heavily, shaking from your high. You yelped as you felt Miguel grab your hips and something thick poke your hole. You tried to raise your head, but Miguel pushed you back down. He lifted your hips and shoved his dick inside you.

"Ah! M-Miguel! S-Stop!" You cried, taken back from the pain.

Miguel slapped your ass as he pounded your poor cunt. Groans and moans escaped his throat as he finally enjoyed the feeling of his dick inside you. Your tight gummy walls sucking him in so much. The sounds of your bodies slapping against each other. Everything about his moment made him horny.

"Fuck, (Y/N), I've been waiting for this. You feel so fucking good. Your pussy just loves my dick. You're doing so good." He rambled, slapping his hips into yours harsher.

"A-Ah~ M-Mig~ W-Wait...I-I'm d-dizzy~" You moaned out.

"You're doing so well, baby. Just relax for me,"

You whimpered lowly as you felt your mind grow hazy. His dick was thrusting so deep inside you that you swore his tip kissed your cervix. Your body shook and trembled as it grew hotter. Another knot forming as you felt the pain turn into pleasure.

"Mhm~ M-Miggy~" You cried out, feeling your orgasm approaching.

You wanted to hate this. You wanted to, but you couldn't deny that deep down before he kidnaped you, you wanted this. Before Miguel showed his true colors, you liked him a lot. You weren't sure if it was your past emotions and feelings, but you were giving into him.

"Good girl, such a fucking good girl," Miguel groaned as you cam against his dick, "See? Already used to me."

Miguel inhaled to the sound of your moans and sobs. He grunted as he slapped his dick deeper into you, filling your womb. He let out a sigh of relief before removing the webbing from your hands. He flipped you over, enjoying your fucked out expression.

"I'm not done with you, baby. I'm going to show you how much I love you."

--------

It had been a year since Miguel kidnapped you. You weren't sure when, but eventually you gave in to him. Miguel was only trying to protect you after all. You were just being unreasonable. He loved you so much and you finally shared that love.

"M-Miguel, W-Welcome home...I...I made you dinner." You whispered shyly, gripping the bottom of your new night gown he bought you.

"(Y/N), how was my beautiful wife today?" Miguel hummed, taking off his mask and picking you up. You wrapped your legs around his waist,

"I missed you," You whispered, kissing him sweetly, "Miggy, can you stay home tomorrow? I...I'm a little lonely."

"Of course. I know just how to spend the day tomorrow."

Miguel smirked as you cheered, hugging him. He stole your lips in a passionate kiss, enjoying your submissiveness. It took some time, but he was glad that you finally saw what he was trying to do. Miguel knew that you loved him.

You were just too shy to admit it yet.

"Why don't we start tomorrow's plan now?"

You squeaked, covering your face as Miguel tore your panties again. Miguel chuckled lowly as he spent no time abusing your cunt with his dick. He was going to make sure that you weren't lonely anymore. What better way than to impregnate you?

"C'mon baby, tell me what you want." Miguel hummed as he slapped his hips into yours.

"Y-You! M-Miguel, I want you!!"

"That's right. You're mine."

And Miguel was never going to let you go.

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Haha, kind of got a little worried with how dark I was going to make this. I hope this met your expectations!!

[gotham-daydreams]

Is it possible that one of the villains of Gotham to develop an obsession with the reader like batfam? Like for example one of them once attended or attempted to attack at one of their performance but got mesmerized by them and decided to stalk them instead

I am now very much thinking about and considering this anon. Thanks for the new idea, I'll be thinking about all day 🙄 (okay, first, /pos, but really- this can easily change up a few more things and add some more conflict. I love it!!! Though maybe I'll make it a sub-series if I actually write it, since the "Not [ ]" is mostly focused on the Batfam, so kind of like an alternate universe type deal? I'm willing to know anyone's thoughts and suggestions on this.)

That can definitely happen, and it makes a lot of sense too when you really think about it (at least the part leading up to where the villian runs into the reader and encounters their music), especially when the reader is not only a well known musician- but known to be the kid of Bruce Wayne.

Even if no one really knows the identity of Batman, everyone and their dog knows Bruce Wayne. You'd have to do more than just live under a rock to not know that guy — especially in Gotham.

Just that fact alone — the reader being another kid adopted by Bruce Wayne — is definitely going to paint a target on their back, especially when they're in a big industry like music. The "well-known" part is just the sprinkles on top of the "you're fucked" cake. Even if I have said before that the reader isn't well-known to the point where they'd be considered super famous or popular, but enough to where people can still recognize them on the street and just kind of say "hey, isn't that the musician who played ( ) the other night? i heard they're pretty good, y'know."

Basically, someone trying to attack them for whatever reason, or even trying to kidnap them, is very possible and highly likely.

I can't say who in particular I think the villian would be? Only because I'm not sure myself, with how flexible the situation is.

The villian could be going to one of the reader's performances simply because there are a lot of other people attending, and if they want to make a grand performance of their own, or have a grand opening to a game, one of the reader's performances seem like the easiest way to do just that. So they settle in a little, waiting for everything to be just right... then they see the reader and whatever instrument they'll be playing, as they and the other performers wait for everyone to get in and settle down.

Maybe the villian hardly notices it at first, or it immediately catches their attention. Maybe they just roll their eyes and scoff or just become curious in some way. Maybe what makes them hate it/curious about it at first is the reader themself. The villian thinks the reader is just another rich kid trying to show off their 'talent'... or notices that the reader is from the Wayne family and that catches their attention, maybe.

Or, alternatively they try to assassinate or kidnap the reader. Maybe just rob them too while they're at it.

It doesn't matter how they get in- what does matter is that they don't know much about the reader besides that they're a musician of some kind and the kid of Bruce Wayne, and maybe for whatever mission they're doing- that's all they need to know. Or all they feel they need to know, as maybe they catch the reader in the middle of a performance no matter how they try to go about their mission — either planning to take the reader out from the backstage, drop them from beneath the floor boards, or snipe them from up top — and the villian hesitates as they really listen to the reader play once their focused is centered on them.

Regardless of how it starts, once it does- they're captived, near mesmerized by what they hear.

Before the villian even knows it, they're watching the entire performance. Any compliments they have towards the reader's music turn to the reader themself, and by the end of the night... the villian is caught in a trap of their own making.

If they were looking into the reader before, that research only delves deeper as they try to figure out each and every little thing about the reader. If they weren't really looking at information about the reader before, they definitely are now.

A simple 'interest' turns into a whole obsession, and now, as you've mentioned, are stalking the reader.

Maybe the villian even dedicates certain atrocities they do in the reader's name, maybe they attend and try to ruin the reader's performances because they believe they should be the only one to hear the reader's music, or just want to be all that much closer to them.

Maybe the villian tries to kidnap the reader, but just so that they can hold them close, or have them play all the tunes they wish to hear from the reader for the rest of eternity... however long that lasts. Who knows?

Tldr: It is very possible, and if anything, more likely than you think!

I hope this answered your question! If you or anyone else has another question, feel free to send in an ask! I'll try to answer them when I can!

[panbotter]

Hey so in reference to my previous ask, can you do one were the reader is having trouble controlling their powers (you can decide those) and either Kurt or Erik comfort them after a bad day and end up confessing to the reader. You can ad smut if you want but if not that's totally fine too☺️.

Your Existence is Grand

Erik Lehnsherr x gn!reader

Erik notices you having a rough day with your powers and decides to shower you with praise.

(This is my first fanfic literally ever so feedback appreciated, but also... Sorry for any mistakes!!!!)

Trigger warnings: cursing, suggestive themes (I don't know what else to write here, pls let me know if there's anything else I should add!)

The air around me begins buzzing and crackling, becoming charged with electricity and I sigh, deeply frustrated before I reach for the metal doorknob in front of me and receive a shock so strong that all the muscles in my arm cramp up painfully. I curse under my breath, forcing my arm to bend and stretch the tense muscles as I walk into the lounge, getting a glimpse of the others outside. Some might say I’d been gifted with a particularly powerful mutation, that it made me strong and intimidating. That I am admired for it, as if it’s a blessing to be grateful for.

But in this god-forsaken world, all I could see was a curse that plagued my body. I never bothered to understand the science behind it, as much as others might have tried to explain it to me. Something about the electricity in my body behaving abnormally, affecting the air around me and in turn, other electronics or conductors of electricity, turning me into a walking hazard around power lines, or thunderstorms. Let's not even mention the sheer amount of electrical fires I’ve caused. Sure, it sounds cool. But the reality is basically hell.

One of the ‘best’ parts about my mutation is that it is terribly unstable, especially when you’re constantly surrounded by electricity no matter where you go. Everyone else who charges up some static then touches a piece of metal receives a little sting from a silly little shock. It might be a little funny or perhaps surprising! Maybe it happens when you touch fingers with someone else and you shock each other, what a cute moment!

Try getting fucking electrocuted every single time.

Nowhere near as cute, nor as fun.

Some days are worse than others and the more restless I become, the worse it is for me in the end. But unfortunately, I can’t lay in bed immobile for an entire day to lower the voltage my body is producing, resulting in my current conundrum. Avoiding the rest of the X-Men in order to avoid any potential accidents, especially with Jubilee. Fireworks and a highly-charged mutant body surrounded by a bunch of high-tech only spells out bad news. Luckily, it seems like most of them were outside on the basketball court. That’s what I thought, at least.

“I take it you’re having a bad voltage day?” the voice of none other than Magneto startles me out of my thinking. It’s been more than a few months of him living here with us, but his presence is still unexpected. I had a hard time training the knee-jerk defensive reaction out of my body for the first few days, my body becoming charged up so quickly that I wouldn’t even have the chance to blink before I shot a bolt of electricity at him.

He was quick to show that a little spark didn’t do much to him, given that he was essentially a walking magnetic field.

I turn to him, his large form standing at the entrance to the lounge, “What makes you say that?” I turn back to watch as Scott and Logan start another argument, their voices muffled by the glass.

“The air keeps crackling and I have a hard time believing there’s a storm inside the building” he approaches until he pauses at my side. I chuckle a little, giving a wince once I feel my sore muscles constrict. He turns to watch me.

“Hm, I don’t know, maybe Storm has had enough of those two at each other’s throats” I try to joke but my voice falters, as my heart begins to race again and the sound of the air buzzing around me becomes overwhelming. Tremors begin rippling across my muscles, a mixture of them cramping and relaxing too fast for me to keep up with. Losing the strength in my legs, I stretch a hand out toward the glass in front of me to hold myself up but I miss the glass by a couple inches. Erik’s hands are quick to grab onto my arms before pulling me into his chest, supporting my weight as the crackling noise fills my ears and I let out a pained shout. My body releases a strong burst of electricity, most of it absorbed by Erik’s magnetic field, whilst the rest causes the power in the building to go out. I pant loudly, trying to catch my breath, feeling like my heart might’ve stopped in the middle of that.

The lights flicker around us before the power in the school hums back to life. Erik’s hands are still around me, I realize before beginning to step away, but his hold on me tightens. He pulls me back against his chest and I try to fight back the heat that’s slowly creeping up to my face. This is a bit embarrassing. I’ll admit it, I had grown to like Erik in the time he’d been with us, not to mention I had quite a few run-ins with him before I ever joined the X-Men. He always seemed so… Powerful, he always felt safe to be around. As radical as the Professor may claim he is, he always seemed… Right. You could hear the passion in his voice when he spoke of mutantkind and it made you want to side with him, to be loyal and to follow him to the ends of the Earth.

He had a powerful presence, and as I am now discovering, a powerful touch. One of the very few people who could come near me without fear of being electrocuted. My muscles had begun to twitch in the aftermath of the shock. These are the unfortunate moments where I wish I could be rid of my mutation. I could barely hold myself up and here I was in Erik’s arms.

“You should be resting” his voice was stern, but there was a hint of concern in there. I raise my gaze to meet his, feeling a bit of shame.

“I can’t just lay in bed all day, the world is still turning, there’s things to do…” I muttered.

“Precisely, the world is still turning and it will still continue to turn if you are at rest. You, on the other hand, are not a planet and you need to care for yourself”

I stare into his eyes, feeling them pierce through my soul. He always seemed to be right about everything… I chuckle under my breath as I regain some strength in my legs, straightening back up.

“I’m sure you must be tired of having to run after all of us like a babysitter” I joke as his arms come to rest on my shoulders once I’m stable on my feet.

A glint crosses his eyes, “I do wonder how Charles managed, and then I remember he’s a telepath, so it must’ve been quite easy for him” he replies with a smirk gracing his face that makes me laugh a little.

“He still struggled, you shouldn’t compare yourself to the Professor”

He begins to lead me toward the couch behind us, helping me take a seat before joining me. I still feel a hot streak of shame across my stomach, having him help me. Burdening him.

“Sorry, by the way… You’re right, I should be a little more considerate of others” I mutter.

Erik turns to look at me as I avoid making eye contact, “I don’t believe those were my words…” his hand reaches out toward my chin, gently turning my head to face him, “I only ask of you to rest and care for yourself, forget what the others may think”

I blinked up at him, “The Professor always wanted me to push past my limits, so that I can perhaps get stronger… Control my powers better”

“In a perfect world, you wouldn’t have to restrict your abilities, you could rule this planet with a wave of your hand, what you have is something to be proud of, not ashamed” he places his hand against my cheek and I find myself leaning against his warm touch, “Your mutation is a blessing, not a curse”

I scoff, “Sure doesn’t feel that way, I can’t even live among humans without shutting down an entire city’s power”

“Your powers shouldn’t be hidden, controlled, or restricted for the sake of humanity” he says the word with disdain, “but those are my beliefs, your existence is grand mein liebling”

My heart thumps against my chest loudly at his words. It feels… Intimate. How could he speak such high praise toward me?

“I see you hurt and I watch as you restrain yourself around others, as your mutation basically eats your body alive and it pains me…” his eyes gaze across my face, pausing at my lips before trailing back up to my eyes, “It pains me that you live in a world where you feel you cannot rest, where you feel you must hide the power within you”

“Erik…” I whisper, almost afraid to shatter the moment between us, “What are you… What are you saying…?” I peer into his eyes, seeing something brewing behind his gaze. Could it be possible that he’s… No, there’s no way.

“What do you believe I’m saying?” he whispers softly, leaning in toward me. I jump as a few sparks fly out from where he has his hand on my cheek. I can’t help my eyes dropping to his lips before rising back up to his eyes.

I feel the tension rise and in a desperate attempt to avoid it, I joke, “If I was delusional, I might think you’re trying to confess to me right now” I laugh a little to dispel the tension. His gaze was still just as intense so I failed, but I tried my best.

A smile graced his features, “Yes… Perhaps if you were delusional, you might see that I am actually confessing my feelings for you right now” he says it so casually I almost think he’s playing along with my joke, but as my eyes widen, so does his smile.

“Are you…?” my voice wavers a little. I feel my heart drop, realizing he’s probably joking with me. I turn away from his hand, lightly pushing his chest to put distance between us.

“Is this some sort of joke? Come on, Erik… You know that’s… It’s unrealistic” I mutter, a man like him would never love someone like me, that’s not how it works… Maybe in the movies, or in a fairytale perhaps.

“Mein liebling, perhaps I haven’t been clear enough with you” he wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me in close, closer than before, “do you prefer a visual demonstration instead? I can give you that, you only need to ask” he smiles before slowly leaning in, giving me enough time to back out if I wished, but I find myself leaning in, eager to feel his lips against mine.

As soon as our lips locked together, sealed at last, a burst of electric sparks flew out from our lips and I giggled into the kiss. I mean, how ironic is that? I felt real, literal sparks and fireworks from the kiss and it made my lips tingly. Erik smiles into the kiss before deepening it, his hand rising up toward my hair while the other trailed down my back and I found myself desperate to be closer to him, wrapping my arms around his neck, clumsily climbing over to sit on his lap. We part right as I begin losing my breath and he trails a burning, tingly trail of kisses down my jaw before he stops by my ear.

With a whisper that blew across the nape of my neck, “I see more than just greatness in you, so much more…” The words are charged with intention, passion, and sincerity. I shudder as the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I bite back a moan as he continues kissing down my neck. I take a sharp breath in as he begins sucking on a tender spot before I suddenly realize what we’re doing…

Where we’re doing it.

I turn slightly to peek at the windows, making sure the others are still thoroughly distracted with playing before I feel Erik bite my skin and a moan breaks out, “Wait! Erik… We’re… In the lounge…”

He lifts his head, and the dark look in his blue eyes makes me clench my legs in anticipation, “We’ll just have to be fast… And quiet… Can you do that?” He taunts me with a question I don’t even get the chance to answer before he lays me down on the couch, climbing over me, “I’m just helping you relax, that’s not a sin, is it?” He looks down at me with a hungry gaze and I feel my cheeks burn.

“I guess not”

“Show me what else you can do with these sparks of yours”

[ppaleoartistgallery]

Protemnodon viator for Reconciliation Week

Protemnodon viator was a large quadrupedal kangaroo which inhabited Australia from the Pliocene to the late Pleistocene

this #ReconciliationWeek, I want everyone to remember something:

Australia has been inhabited by Aboriginal Australians for at the very least 65,000 years. When we remove their traditional knowledge we quite literally damage the land they once lived in freely, the bushfires over east are a testimate to that.

They've been taking care of country and passing on the oldest continuous knowledge for far longer than the colonisers who usurped them even existed, if anybody is the rightful owners of this country it's the people who have been coexisting with its flora and fauna for centuries.

For the Australians following me, I highly recommend you look at what mob's country you're on, try to learn some of the language if you have the time (I'm privileged to be on Noongar boodja where the Noongar language is still actively spoken).

Non-Australians following me, I suggest you take a look at whether or not you're situated on first nations land, learn the history of the first people of the land, not the history of the people who usurped it. Even learn some of the language if you have the time.

What's important to remember is that we still benefit from colonisation, the bare minimum of what we should be doing to atone for the sins of the past is reconciliation. Acknowledging country at the start of important events, knowing the land you're on, etc. it's all important.

[avelera]

I’ve been enjoying the Wondrium course, “The Birth of the Modern Mind: The Intellectual History of the 17th and 18th Century” much more than I expected to (based on the title). It certainly helps that the lecturer is extremely passionate about the subject. He also has a thick Jersey accent which makes it feel a bit like being lectured to by Danny DeVito.

But what really enraptured me about the course was its focus on how historical peoples thought differently than us, through the lens of how ideas we take for granted today were first introduced.

For example, one might think it obvious that, ideally, the pursuit of philosophy (as in literally “the love of knowledge”) and intellectual pursuits should be with the overarching goal of bettering the world. But that wasn’t a given, necessarily, before Francis Bacon who pioneered and championed this idea. His views became central to the later established British Royal Society, which formed a backbone of intellectual pursuits in England to this day, and likely plays a large part in just why this philosophy is deemed central to the sciences to the point of being self evident (at least, again, as an ideal).

Now, the reason I’m interested in this beyond basic curiosity is that I write historical and fantasy fiction. One goal I have when writing other times and places (real or imagined) is to capture or at least suggest and invoke a different thought process from our own. So this course is very useful in understanding how early modern people (in Europe) thought but also by extension how to create other, fictional ways to depict a different thought process. One of my favorite quotes already from this course, paraphrased, is that if we were sent back in time to a totally foreign, perhaps ancient era, we’d probably grasp pretty quickly what the rules for survival are. Like, how to make a living. Or how to not piss off the powers that be.

However, why everyone is doing what they do, how they think about the world, what basic assumptions they take to be self-evident and immutable, might be harder to grasp. For example, why do they simply accept the divine right of kings? Or that a deity makes the sun rise and set? Because they just do. That might be quite hard for a modern person to reckon with or accept.

(This particular question is quite close to my heart because I once disagreed with my Classics advisor about whether we’d get along with Bronze Age people if we ever got the chance to meet them. My advisor stated that ancient people would be utterly alien to us. Perhaps all she and I really had was a failure to communicate nuance, but I was baffled and outraged by the notion. Ape mothers with their babies have been able to recognize and on a basic level, identify and communicate with human mothers holding their babies sympathetically. Both understand they were mothers with babies and bonded over this. You’re telling me that I, as a fellow homo sapien, couldn’t communicate and understand a fellow homo sapien from a mere 3,000 years ago?? However, if the nuance instead was, “You could figure out quickly how to work within their society but you’d struggle with the rationale of the why of their society, it would be utterly alien to you.” That I would much more readily accept.)

Anyway, I highly recommend this course, especially for fiction writers who want to capture and understand that the way we think has evolved (speaking for the predominantly “Western” Anglosphere) and by extension, how to understand and portray other more archaic forms of thinking.

[inkpot909]

Their Favorite Part of You Headcanons (Jotaro Kujo, Noriaki Kakyoin)

↳ Reader is written as gender neutral. It’s stated that the Reader goes along with the crusaders on their trip to Egypt (+takes place after the journey as well). Everyone lives AU.

A/n: Wow, I actually posted something! Jokes aside, this summer has been rough so I’ve been trying to take it easy when I can. I missed writing, though, and hope y’all enjoy.

Warning(s): Slightly suggestive content.

Jotaro Kujo

He appreciates your eyes best.

Considering the apparent intimacy that results from direct eye contact, it makes the question an easy one to answer.

In fact, it’s highly probable your eyes were what he first noticed about you upon the initial meeting. Whether he has to bend his neck downward or you manage to stand at eye-level, it’s a moment he’s likely replayed over and over in his mind.

Another reason behind this choice is also a simple one (If you ask Jotaro, at least).

He didn’t fall easy and not at all for shallow reasons. Many of his classmates throughout high school would fuss over him seemingly due to his outwardly appearance and reputation. Because he was the “popular guy to like,” a diverse range of people were noticeably into him.

And taking into account how much he loathed a particular group of girls that would follow him around constantly, his perspective on love doesn’t tolerate anything he would deem shallow.

So, in short, what he cherishes most about you tends to be very personal to who you are.

It also plays into his communication preferences. Unsurprisingly, he tends to stare at you…. a lot.

It was definitely awkward in the early stages of your platonic-at-the-time relationship.

Throughout the duration of the journey to Egypt, you’d lost count of the times you’d stand face-to-face without a single word being exchanged. He didn’t ever wince or turn away, and you fondly recall the sheer intensity of those moments having kept you perfectly still.

Understanding Jotaro better as an individual- as well as how he feels about you -progressed his stares into something you find to be heartwarming. Just catching him in the act makes your heart leap, and your mind reels with wonder over what’s going through his head.

A little over a year after the aforementioned trip, and a relationship forms. It’s by then that he finds himself okay with getting lost in your lovely irises.

Your light giggle when you finally meet his gaze, flustered and gentle… it’s worth it. He always catches the moment your smile reaches your eyes, slightly creased by upturned lips. It’s a breathtaking sight, having twice now caused a cigarette to fall from his mouth while watching in awe.

His knack for nonverbal communication is pretty much universally understood by the few especially close to him. However, when it comes to you specifically, it reveals a rather bashful approach to the relationship that you might not have expected. It makes sense, as the likelihood of you being his first love is... more accurately labeled a certainty.

Jotaro can be observant after forming a connection with someone. When it comes to you, this is definitely the case. Any excuse to look at you is fine in his book.

However, it’s been long-established that he’s not exactly chatty, so he responds best to reactions he can see with his own two eyes. And it’s in the depth of your pupils that he finds doing so the simplest (If not simple, it’s at least selfish given his own bias).

The main aspect of this type of communication involves him looking at you intensely while his body language makes the tiniest adjustments in order to voice whatever he’s thinking.

For example, him holding out his palm to you, as his eyes cling to your person, is his way of asking you to hold his hand. He trusts that you know him well enough to get the point. And while you work on decoding his own subtle actions, his gaze never once pulls away from yours.

He simply cannot help it; there’s really something special about your eyes. He searches for your gaze constantly, and lingers for as long as he possibly can. It’s as if he’s always seeking your approval, reaction, and attention.

Now, as the relationship turns serious, he prefers to keep his eyes locked on you whenever he can. Once the two of you start becoming intimate, it’s quickly apparent he likes positions where he can keep his face close to your own. Or at the very least, hold eye contact.

Jotaro’s shockingly passionate, holding your hand in his own while he directs his hips accordingly. Lips slightly parted and gaze locked onto yours without fault. The emotion radiating from him is nothing short of immovable devotion.

Noriaki Kakyoin

Asking him this question yourself garners a flushed appearance and a hasty answer. He’ll stutter, telling you it’s your voice that he likes best. From the way it’s delivered you wouldn’t be able to tell if he’s practiced his response in advance or simply grasping at straws. Still, it’s an adorable sight and your quite pleased with his reply. Seeing your reaction, Kakyoin would feel a hint of shame.

Because he would be lying though his teeth.

He wouldn’t dare admit it initially, least of all to you, but he loves the sight of your legs.

Perhaps you tend to have them exposed. If that’s the case, he’s ashamed that he noticed such a thing so early on. A lump made its home in his throat that day, halting his words and making his mind run wild.

Or alternatively, you may mainly keep them hidden. Whatever it was that first prompted you revealing your bare legs- a couple hours at a hotel pool possibly -he undoubtedly finds himself sneaking more glances in your direction than usual.

It’s going to take him a bit to mentally process this.

Even in it’s more innocent connotations, he cannot help growing flustered. He just can’t help but find it a bit risqué. Although not exactly self-prescribed, despite his occasional arrogance, Kakyoin is certainly the gentleman type. Far from the kind of guy to be caught eyeing up someone’s legs in any shape or form.

That being said, the closer you become, the more difficult avoiding it gets. He focuses so much of his energy on not even glancing at your legs that he does, in fact, notice them quite often.

It doesn’t help being stuck in a car for hours on end right next to you. Thighs brushed against one another by sheer circumstance. It didn’t matter how many times it occurred throughout the trip to Egypt, he would think about it afterwards each time.

And it took only one sly comment from Polnareff or Mr. Joestar to prompt a myriad of fierce denials from the redhead. They’d egg him on, speaking a bit too loudly about how he’s “checking you out.” His cheeks would turn fiercely pink while rushing out a defense, which did not do much to help his case.

Eventually, the journey reaches its end. The group inevitably dissolves, but the two of you remain very close after the fact.

By then, your feelings for one another are certainly apparent. It’s hard for you to deny it when the excuse of looming danger is no longer present, and in turn he couldn’t imagine any other reason as to why you clung so close to him during his recovery period.

And even after becoming an official couple, understanding how to express his affection is met with bashfulness and hesitancy. If you’re inexperienced like him, it’ll likely be comforting for you. If you aren’t, it probably comes off as endearing.

Yes, you both have explicitly admitted to each other how you feel. Will Kakyoin still keep himself from eyeing you in any way? Absolutely.

A discussion will likely need to be had between the both of you before he loosens up a bit. A clear omission that you like him looking at you will help put his mind at ease (Man’s so smitten he feels guilty noticing that your beautiful god bless him).

Once he grows used to the relationship and starts showing just how touch-starved he is, the favoritism he holds for your legs finally becomes clear to you.

He’ll snuggle between your legs while he games, perfectly content within your hold. Even if you fall asleep, he doesn’t necessarily mind.

A lot of the clothes he buys for you leaves your legs exposed. The expression of awe he has whenever you wear something he’s bought is special to that occasion only. A strange mix of adoration and pride.

You also start catching him on his stares. Teasing him over it is a sure way for you earn a blush, as well as a weak comeback. However, the smile adorning his features exposes fondness. Only you’re allowed to say anything, though.

As intimacy blooms, he gladly indulges himself more. It strengthens his confidence in his actions, and turns the tides. Moving frustratingly slow, he glances up at you after leaving an array of kisses and bites up your inner thighs. All while he’s mumbling sweet nothings, pure honey oozing from his hushed tone.

Of course, he adores everything about you. But there’s a certain vigor in his actions when he continues moving upward that’s hard to miss.

[forgeofthenine]

So the tiefling Batchelor trio who's s/o turns out to be a blood hunter. What would their takes be on that?

Hi Anon, this was a very interesting request and I actually had to look into blood hunters as I've never heard of them before! For anyone like me that's never heard of them, I highly suggest taking a few minutes to read up on them. Hope everyone enjoys :)

The bachelors with a blood hunter partner

Dammon

Dammon is easily the one most accepting of his partner being a blood hunter

This man talks about how he misses working with infernal iron, a dangerous and underesearched material that he learned to wield while in the hells

He's in no position to judge you for your abilities and he realises it

Honestly, I feel like he'd be pretty curious about what you're able to do and why you do it

Once you too are quite far into your relationship there are more than a couple nights where you two stay up having deep conversations

You talking about your life as a blood hunter and what drove you to it, and him talking about his time in Avernus

If your abilities or past alter your physical appearance in any way you already know this man is telling you how good you look and how much he loves you

Dammon is always your number one hype man

Zevlor

To be honest, Zevlor thought he'd seen everything already, but seeing you use hemocraft in fights is new for him

He's honestly shocked, especially if you haven't already told him about your abilities

It takes a while for things to settle in for him, particularly when you tell him about the drawbacks of your fighting style, he's particularly worried about you giving up your own health to fight

Zevlor comes to terms with it with a bit of help, despite initially being unsettled

To be honest, the fact blood hunters are often driven away by unsettled people or seen as 'devilish' strikes a cord with him

After years of living through that same hell, there's no way he's letting you go through it anymore

If anyone dares insult you in front of him Zevlor will be throwing hands

You can take care of yourself, but that won't stop your paladin from taking the reins sometimes

Rolan

Now Rolan isn't superstitious, and he's a smart man, but blood magic unsettles him

He's cautiously curious but keeps a certain distance when he first finds out

At least give him a week or so to scour his library for relevant books so he can research

Once he's done, he'll come back with an apology, but don't ask for him to repeat himself lest Rolan tease you for being greedy

Over time he'd like to learn more about how you do what you do, hemocraft in particular being a secretive and misunderstood type of magic

Rolan would want you to help with teaching his apprentices, he'll happily start breaking down the stigma that he unintentionally perpetuated

He's completely unbothered by any changes your magic may make to you physically, as long as you're healthy he's happy

Though, Rolan will still tease you about how you're a 'big, bad blood hunter' and yet you're snuggled up against him reading a book he's picked out for you

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 11: Air.

I suggest listening to Why'd only call me when you're high? and I wanna be yours both by Arctic Monkeys while reading this.

Part 1 here - part 12 here.

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

TAG LIST: @kats72 ; @mischief2sarawr

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

Mobius and Loki's mission in Chicago had been successful. Theoretically.

Renslayer and Miss Minutes had not yet been taken into custody, but they had returned with the less cocky and more useful Variant of He Who Remains to help prevent the collapse of the universe. And Sylvie. Again.

Lydia wanted to slap her. She couldn't stand her. She didn't like the way she looked at him, the way she stood near him, or even just the way she breathed his same air. Besides the fact that wherever she was, chaos ensued.

Like at that moment, in O.B.'s lab, as he tried to explain the (hypothetical and highly risky) plan to save the TVA, while Loki and Mobius competed over who shouldn't risk their lives for everyone.

"The problem is that there are much more radiation out there than there were before," O.B. explained.

"Well, then Loki will have to run a lot, right?" Mobius shrugged.

"What? Why me?"

"Well, because it's your turn."

"Says Who? Why?"

"Exactly, why him?" Lydia interjected.

"There, thanks. At least someone here doesn't want to see me roasted," Loki shot Mobius a dirty look.

"I believe it should be Sylvie," Lydia tilted her head, shifting her eyes to the other girl, "she created the problem, it seems fair to give her the chance to fix it."

"Only if you hold my hand along the way," Sylvie taunted.

Bitch.

"Also, the plan is only theoretical," O.B. continued, adjusting his glasses, "and we still need to finish the range multiplier, integrating the booster that Mr. Timely" – the latter smiled embarrassedly – "created."

"Very well, we'll leave you to work," Mobius clasped his hands in front of him before turning to the others, "let's go, kids, leave the adults to their spaces."

Lydia crossed her arms and followed the others out of O.B.'s office.

“I think we could use some cake, don't you think?" Mobius started walking towards the cafeteria.

"Cake?" Sylvie spat, turning towards Lydia and Mobius who closed the line.

"Yes..." Mobius furrowed a brow.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Lydia gave her a glance.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Sylvie raised her voice. "The world, no, the universe is collapsing and you want to eat cake while everything goes to hell?"

"And whose fault is that?" Lydia took a step towards her.

"Ah, so I'm the bad guy?" Sylvie mocked her. "It's not my fault if the fragile system you liked so much collapsed."

"Oh really? Because it wasn't me who assassinated the only being capable of making it work, this fragile system." Lydia made air quotes with her fingers.

"I gave freedom of choice, the same one that led you here," Sylvie indicated the ground.

"You created chaos, Sylvie." Lydia got closer to her. "Chaos so great that the universe can't handle it, and now everything is collapsing. And what for?" At that point but a few inches apart and Lydia didn't wait for an answer.

"For your personal vendetta." She spat in her face.

She got punched in the face by Sylvie so hard it made her head spin.

"You know nothing about me!" Sylvie screamed as Loki grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her back.

"I know how to recognize a selfish whore when I see one" Lydia managed to say through the pain as Mobius dragged her in the opposite direction.

---

Lydia should've learned, by that point, that provoking a Loki wouldn't lead to anything good.

As she dabbed her cheek with a towel, she also started to think that there was some sort of fate's design. In the sacred timeline she had seen how Loki had reacted when she had provoked him, and now nothing particularly different had happened. In both cases, she was the one who came out worse.

"Free will my ass" she scoffed as she sat on a cabinet in the bathroom where Mobius had sent her to cool off.

The bathroom door creaked open, and Lydia looked up to see Loki. Probably the last person she wanted to see at that moment.

"Are you okay?"

Lydia lowered her gaze but didn't respond.

Loki closed the door behind him and approached her. Seeing that she didn't look up, he bent down trying to enter her line of sight, but she turned her gaze away.

Loki sighed and straightened up, taking the towel from her hand gently.

"I'm not your enemy, Lydia" he said as he delicately took the towel from her hand.

"You have nothing to do here, Loki. Go back to your variant" she snapped.

“So that’s your trigger, jelousy” Loki chuckled.

“Why should I be jelous?” Lydia faked nonchalance, he ignored her.

"When I met you here at the TVA, I would have never said you were such a jealous type," Loki approached one of the sinks to wet the cloth with cold water "but thinking back that you and the girl I knew on Midgard are the same person, I should've remembered that you have a hot head."

"If you've come here to give me a lecture, I don't need it, Mobius already did" she swung her legs on the cabinet.

"I'm not here for that, I'm here because, despite your terrible personality" he shook his head approaching her "seeing you in pain hurts me, a lot."

"Is that why you were with her, until now?" She had to bite her tongue, provoking him wouldn't have had a different outcome, but Lydia just couldn't help it. Fortunately, Loki had developed enough self-control for both of them.

"Lydia" he grabbed her face from the non-sore side so she was forced to look into his eyes, "every wound, every mark on your body, and every tear of yours is a punch in the gut for me."

Lydia's gaze softened, and she had nothing to retort. Perhaps because the absolute sweetness and sincerity with which he looked at her while saying those words had brought down the concrete wall she had quickly erected against him.

Seeing the cat retracting its claws, Loki brought the cloth to her face, and Lydia flinched slightly, but Loki's hand held her steady.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

"Not much."

"I could fix it, if you want."

"With a magic touch?" she smirked.

"If you want."

"No," she replied after a second of thought "I'd like to keep it, like a war trophy."

"Sylvie is not your enemy either, Lydia" Loki whispered, dabbing her face again.

"Why do you defend her?" Her voice was calm, though perhaps slightly hurt.

"I don’t," Loki lowered the cloth "I agree with you. Probably if she hadn't killed He Who Remains, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"It's not just a mess, Loki. It's a crisis, a desperate situation," Lydia let her concern show.

"And you're right," Loki took her hands, bringing them between his, "but that's exactly why we need all the help we can get, including hers."

Lydia lowered her eyes to their joined hands and let out a sigh.

"And what if we don't find a solution?"

"We will find it, I promise you."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Loki," she looked back at him.

"I promise" he repeated "trust me."

Trust. Did she trust him? Did she believe he could prevent the end of times? She wasn't sure, but she knew he was damn stubborn and that the TVA was his home, as much as hers. Maybe she didn't believe he would succeed, but she believed he would try everything, and that was enough.

"Okay" she nodded.

"Okay."

---

And Loki? Did Loki trust her? He wasn't sure he had an answer yet, as much as he was attracted to her and cared about her; she made him feel calm, even more when she was the chaotic one, and understood.

But when Timely failed in his mission, dissolving into space spaghetti, Lydia's hand was the first thing Loki grabbed, and her eyes were the last thing Loki wanted to see before the frame collapsed and the radiation destroyed everything.

Terribly sorry for the late update, my new situationship/"short-term, short-distance, low-commitment casual friend" (comment if you get the reference) kept me up too late on saturday and I needed recover, rest and some paracetamol. ALSO I was thinking of writing an extra streamy, maybe smutty chapeter to be added to this one (like a 11.5 chapter), like a missed scene or stuff. Let me know if you're interested pleaseee Thanks again for all the support shown me up till now, again, if you wanna join the tag list, let me know! My pc is dying, byeeee

[charliedawn]

Morpheus x Hope! Reader

~request

Tag list : @aurorarevenclaw1927

"What day are we today, Lucienne ?"

Lucienne peered up from underneath her imposing heap of books and important texts to glance at her lord's morose expression. If the heavy rain outside was anything to go by, she would say lord Morpheus was feeling quite melancholic..She sought to find the correct answer right away, surely his lordship already knew the time of day to its very second..So, it had to be an important day for him ?

She thought back and forth of all the possible answers, but couldn't find anything to say other than the shameful truth.

"I..do not know, sir. Forgive my ignorance."

Morpheus didn't reply, he kept staring at the rain and sighed. He should have known. He had done his very best to hide it from everyone, even his own subjects..Of course she wouldn't know. He hadn't celebrated it for such a long time, it sometimes even eluded him.

"...It's my birthday.", he half-heartedly disclosed and Lucienne's eyes widened at the revelation.

At their birth, each Endless had been given a special day of celebration, one that solely belonged to them by their parents, their "birthday".

Morpheus had never actually divulged the date to anyone, not to Lucienne nor to any resident living in the Dreaming. She had asked once, but he had glared at her with such animosity that she had promised herself to never ask again.

It did raise the question as to why he would break his resolve today—of all days ?

He had disclosed this long-hidden secret so nonchalantly, he could have as well waved it off as unimportant. But by the way her lordship's mood seemed to be highly affected by that fact, she didn't know if she ought to wish him a happy birthday, or keep quiet.

She picked the second option and waited for her lord to speak more. But, he didn't. They stayed in perfect silence until Lucienne decided it was best to speak, before her lord found offense in her lack of reaction.

"Would you want me to...tell the kingdom ?", she risked—unsure of what the right thing to do would be in the current circumstances. "I am sure we can still throw you a party or even find something to give you.."

"No.", he replied curtly—his eyes still staring far ahead at the gloomy landscape.

His answer left her dumbfounded. No ? Why ? Morpheus seemed to read her mind and his expression hardened as he promptly added.

"You have your responsibilities. You do not have the time to worry about such a fiddle thing. I just...wanted someone to know.", he confessed at the end and even though Lucienne knew he was right, she couldn't help but feel bad for her lord.

"Well..May I suggest something else then, my lord ?"

He didn't move, but didn't deny her request and she took it as a go ahead and continued.

"The humans are celebrating what they call 'Halloween' today. It is a sort of celebration of dreams and nightmares, and maybe would it interest you to..go down there and have some fun ?", she asked with uncertainty—as she didn't know how her master would react to the proposition.

Morpheus stilled for a moment before pondering on her suggestion. It would allow him to take some time away from the kingdom and furthermore, he never thought of Halloween as a feast for his creations, but now that he thought about it..Humans liked being spooked on that day, right ?

A sinister smile drew on his face. It promised to be entertaining to say the least. Humans were naturally scared of him, but he wondered if their reactions would change upon this unique night.

He summoned a mask and disappeared in a swirl of sand while Lucienne smiled knowingly to herself and returned to her duties. Morpheus would never pass on an opportunity to spend time with humanity, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

In a city somewhere :

Morpheus appeared and even though he was not alone, nobody noticed his rather dramatic entrance as he stepped out of the storm of sand with his arms raised and outfit perfectly unscathed by the waves of sand swirling around him.

He saw all those people dressed as many of his nightmares and couldn't help but smile at the tender picture it portrayed. All of those humans, unknowingly honoring him and his Dreams and Nightmares.

Morpheus still remembered the day he was created, he rose up from the very everlasting being of Time and Space and took his role as the guardian of dreams right away. There had been no warmth nor love in his conception, only duty to a people he still failed to understand fully. Everything seemed so chaotic and—even though he would never admit it—scary..But, he had succeeded in learning how to appreciate the things in his life, until they would eventually leave him.

But, knowing humans kept celebrating his work was enough to make him feel better.

He didn't know why they had started celebrating on this day, maybe a coincidence—or another one of his siblings' failed attempt to provoke him ? Nonetheless, it was entertaining to say the least.

He smiled.

But, as he was distracted by the many lights and decorations, he failed to notice the kid running right towards him. They bumped into each other and Morpheus frowned as he felt the contact and lowered his gaze to find a little boy there—out of breath and who fearfully looked up to stare at him. The little boy—who was dressed in a skeleton costume—momentarily forgot his initial fear as their eyes met and a wide grin spread across his face.

"Wow ! Sick costume !"

Morpheus opened his mouth to reply, but the little boy's face twisted back into an expression of fear. Morpheus thought it was because of him, but was surprised when the little boy hid behind him and gripped the fabric of his robe tightly as other boys arrived. They stilled for a second when they saw Morpheus, but one of them—the leader no doubt—took a step forward to laugh at the little boy.

"Look at that ! Jamie made a friend !", he mocked and the young boy's eyes widened significantly, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes.

When the mean boy grabbed the one hiding behind him, Morpheus instinctively grabbed the bully's arm. The young man froze and his face twisted in fear as Morpheus' face morphed into one of a creepy doll. Morpheus was surprised to find himself surrounded as they dragged the young boy he was trying to protect away.

He could easily take them all down, but he didn't want to make a scene or use his magic in such a crowded area..

Morpheus didn't know how to act and he knew he shouldn't interfere with human affairs, but when he heard the small child's—that he guessed the name was Jamie—screams as he was dragged away..A strange urge to protect him surged through him.

Rain started pouring around them and in a matter of seconds, he was standing before them in all his endless might, his hands raised and summoning black sand all around them. The band didn't know how he had moved so fast nor how he managed to summon send and when Morpheus' eyes glowed yellow in the darkness, they all stopped to stare at him, speechless at the inhuman apparition.

"...Release him this instant.", he ordered in the authorative low tone he reserved for his undisciplined Nightmares and it didn't take long for all the kids to release the kid and scurry off, crying and screaming in fear. He watched them flee before returning his attention on the kid who was still on the floor—stunned.

Jamie stayed shocked for a few seconds more before shaking his head and qui8 stood back up on his feet.

"Thanks..I'm Jamie. Jamie Larusso.", he introduced himself sheepishly before looking around, searching for something and Morpheus tilted his head to scrutinize the little boy. He knew he shouldn't be spending more time than absolutely necessary with him, but Morpheus was inexplicably intrigued by the young boy.

"Where were you heading ?", Morpheus inquired, partly because he was indeed curious—but also because he was worried the boys would attempt to attack him again. Jamie hesitated before admitting.

"I was going to see my grandma.."

Morpheus nodded understandingly before declaring.

"Very well. I shall accompany you then.."

The young man's eyes widened in surprise at the generous offer and another wide grin split his face as he asked excitedly.

"You..would do that ? Really ?!"

Morpheus nodded once more, even though puzzled by the genuine happiness the news caused the young boy. Was he expecting him to leave him stranded all on his own for some reason ? The boy took his hand and pulled him forward towards the outer ridge of the village and Morpheus frowned in confusion. Was the young man's grandmother living outside the residential areas ?

It only hit him when they both stopped in front of a tall and imposing gate where he could see graves through the bars.

Larusso opened the gates expertly by sliding his hand down through one of the openings to unlock the door from the inside. When he stepped inside, he turned around to tell Morpheus he could leave if he wished to, but Morpheus followed him promptly.

He knew this cemetery..He was sure of it.

His feet led him to one particular spot where the half washed away name of Jessamy Maria Larusso was written down..He had never asked for her full name. He didn't see it as important at the time, nor did she. But, he should have. He should have known she had a family and a grandson, but he hadn't.

They stopped in front of the familiar tombstone and stayed still, memories of who he used to call friend returning to him..The dear and brave raven who had stood by his side until the very end. Jessamy...He then turned towards the young boy who had tears in his eyes and was desperately trying not to let them fall. He was Jessamy's grandson. It made sense.

"Hey, grandma'. It's Jamie. I know we didn't really get a chance to talk a lot this year, but I miss you. Ma doesn't like to talk about it, but she does to. I just hope..I just hope you're having fun, wherever you are.."

Morpheus felt his heart squeeze at the memory of how Jessamy had sacrificed herself in order to save him. He had never entertained the thought of telling her family the truth. But, now that he knew about Jamie..He was considering paying her back by another means. He knelt on the ground and Jamie sniffled before looking at him with his brow furrowed slightly in incomprehension.

"Wh..What are you..?"

He bowed his head.

Dream of the Endless.

The king of Dreams and Nightmares.

The Keeper of Sleep and one of the most powerful beings in the universe..bowed his head in front of a human.

"I. Dream of the Endless. Promise to keep you safe and pay back my debt to my dearest raven. May your dreams be filled with joy and peace. You shall never know pain in my realm."

Jamie didn't know what to say or do. He had never seen this man before in his life but—for some strange reason—he believed him. He smiled and shrugged.

"Hum...Thanks I guess ?"

Morpheus didn't move and even though he knew this promise would be difficult to be kept, it didn't make him any less determined. Jessamy had been his most trusted advisor for years, and he would ensure her legacy lives on on Earth as much as in his realm.

Jamie looked up at the sun slowly disappearing behind the trees around the cemetery and smiled apologetically at his new friend.

"Listen, I gotta go home, or my Ma is gonna be worried. But, I'll see you around ! Promise.", he held out his pinky and Morpheus stared at it for a second before wrapping his own around his. Jamie smiled and waved him goodbye before running out of the cemetery. Morpheus' eyes stayed on him until he was out of view before returning to the tombstone before him.

He had never even gotten the chance to say goodbye. Maybe, was it time ?

He sighed and rested his palm upon the cold stone, his composed expression breaking into one of loss and mourning.

"My dear raven..To think so many years have passed since your departure to my sister's realm. I have met your grandson. A charming young man who makes me think of you. He is fragile, but his heart beats strong. I have pledged to protect him. I hope this pleases you, Jessamy.", he hesitated for a second before adding. "I'm..getting better. Or, I try to be. There are still so many things that I do not understand, but I..I still can't seem to love them as much as I loved you. I lack the words to tell you how much I miss you. I need you. Now, more than ever. I need..I need hope."

He waited. He didn't know for what. Was he expecting an answer ? No. He knew he wouldn't get any. He just..He just hoped Jessamy could hear him—that she would send him her strength and what he so desperately needed, what he had always needed—even after all these years..

A rattling noise cut him out of his thoughts and his head snapped in its direction, only to find a woman there—gathering dead leaves with a rake. As if she could feel his eyes on her, she looked up at him and her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you.", she apologized and stilled her movements, letting a few leaves escape the pile she had succeeded in collecting. He frowned at the unexpected sight and shook his head.

"No. My apologies. I shouldn't be here. I'll leave at once..", he said promptly.

But, he didn't.

He kept staring at the half-erased name on the tombstone, as if it would somehow make the resident come back to life.

The woman stared at him for a while before asking knowingly.

"You lost someone..Haven't you ?"

Morpheus' throat constricted at the memories of his sweet Jessamy and even though he had no intention to share his burden with anyone, he couldn't see the harm of sharing it just once. Just this once.

Your pov :

The stranger remained silent, but you had seen that face too many times to mistaken it..He was mourning. You put your rake aside to join him, even though he hadn't asked for your company. You read the name on the tombstone and sighed. Of course..

"Jessamy Maria Larusso. A lot of people have come to visit her, especially that nice grandson of hers. I'm sure she was loved..", you mused and Morpheus tilted his head to look at you and he could tell you were speaking the truth. It made him smile. At least, Jessamy did have a good life.

"Who are you ?", he asked after a moment and you almost laughed at the question. Who were you ? As if he didn't know..But, you would keep the mystery for now.

"Me ? I'm the caretaker.", you glanced around significantly at the many tombs displayed around and the rake now laying on the ground by your side. You still had to sweep the rest of the dead flowers and leaves discarded around, but Morpheus really seemed down..He nodded wordlessly and returned his focus to the tombstone, deposing beautiful purple flowers there. You hadn't even noticed the flowers before, but didn't linger on that detail as he clearly needed some time to grieve.

You then thought about leaving him to his grieving, and maybe come by later to check on him ?

"Well, I'll leave you to it then."

You picked up your rake and started walking towards the area you still had to take care of. You thought he would let you, but were surprised when his voice sounded behind you.

"Stay..", he grabbed your wrist and you shivered slightly at the coldness of his skin against yours.

You stopped dead in your tracks and stared at the hand around your wrist quizzically, but didn't voice a question aloud. Morpheus opened his mouth to apologize for his abrupt and unproper behavior, but other words escaped his lips.

"It is my birthday today."

He didn't know why he wanted to tell you, but he did and the need for company overruled all of his usual concerns.

After the information finally settled in, you smiled widely and clapped your hands together.

"Oh ! You were born on Halloween ? Cool ! Happy birthday !"

"It is not.", he immediately replied and you frowned a little at his curt answer—wondering what he meant by that.

"It is not a happy day..", he repeated and his brow furrowed slightly as he kept staring ahead at the tombstone.

Oh..Right.

"Who did you lose ?", you repeated your earlier question—hoping for an answer this time around.

"Everyone..", he confessed. "My son..My wife..And every single lover I've ever had until now.."

You stayed silent. To tell the truth, you hadn't expected him to come clean so earnestly. Most people rarely opened their heart the first time, but you could hear in his weak and strained voice that he was tired and really wished to talk.

Well, you were all happy to listen..Only, you still had more sweeping and cleaning to do. You looked around and sighed loudly.

"Well, let me get back to my job for a bit and I'll be all yours for the night ! What do you say ?", you asked with a large grin—hoping he would grace you with the same—but Morpheus frowned.

Your occupation was taking care of a place dedicated to the dead. The dead would never see nor care about it—and yet—you seemed genuinely set on making him wait.

He didn't understand.

Why ?

"The dead do not care.", he found important to remind you, and you let out a small laugh. "Yeah. They probably don't. But, their descendants do. Besides, I'm pretty sure a lot of people buried in here were important to someone at some point. I don't think they would like their purchase to go to waste now, would they ?"

Morpheus fell silent after that and even though he wanted to deny, he had to admit he would want Jessamy's tomb to remain as beautiful as she had been.

"I'll...help.", he said and you laughed at his hesitation. It took a while for you to realize he was being serious.

"Wait...Really ? No offense. But, you don't seem like a guy who knows how to handle a broom...or a sponge...or even cleaning spray...", you continued and even though Morpheus had to admit manual work wasn't exactly what he excelled at, he did want his friend to have the resting place she deserved.

You must have seen the determination in his eyes, as you stopped rambling and only sighed loudly in defeat.

"Fine. You take this part, and I'll go finish the other end. Try not to break anything..", you said before giving him one of your cleaning buckets, filled with soapy water and a sponge. Morpheus stared at them quizzically and you had this feeling that you had assumed right..He didn't know how to use those.

"Do you need me to show you or..?", you ventured, but the Endless—who hated receiving help—shook his head stubbornly. "No. I will be fine.."

You raised a skeptical eyebrow at him before shrugging.

"Suit yourself.", you walked away and Morpheus waited until you were out of sight before tentatively approaching the bucket, poking the sponge inside and wondering if he would have to ask Lucienne for its use ? But, remembered she was busy and he didn't want to bother her. He had seen sponges before of course, but dreams never really included cleaning. People had better things to dream about, and worst things to nightmare about too..But, he still grabbed the sponge and threw it against one of the tombstones, expecting it to work on its own...But, was only met with disappointment.

He crouched down to pick up the sponge again and after a few seconds of consideration, decided it was unfit for an Endless to do such cumbersome chore.

He clicked his fingers together and in a second, all of the leaves were gathered into a neat pile near the entrance. Even the tombstones looked like they had been restored.

But, something didn't feel quite right..He looked at your end of the cemetery and saw it was almost as good as his, but you had done it with your own hands..You had spent hours on each of them—no doubt..

"Wet the sponge."

Morpheus was startled by the familiar voice and looked up to see Matthew. He frowned disapprovingly at the spying raven, but before he could voice his disapproval—Matthew didn't leave him the time.

"I know that look. You are upset that I followed you and wanna send me back to the Dream world. But, hear me out first. I've been a worker, and a husband. And by the face you were making a few seconds ago ? You feel guilty, sir. And if you want the feeling to go away, I highly suggest you start with wetting the sponge."

Morpheus felt...guilty ? He shook his head. It couldn't be. He couldn't feel guilt for a human. It didn't make sense..But, Jessamy's tombstone was facing him—as if silently judging him for his lack of dedication to the task. And finally, he begrudgingly agreed.

"Alright. As you are of use, I won't send you back..Yet."

Matthew held a small victory caw before repeating.

"Wet the sponge and use it to scrub the surface. Trust me."

Morpheus sighed in resignation and clicked his fingers again, putting everything back as it was before. He then picked up the sponge and soaked it in the water before starting applying himself to scrubbing the moss off her tombstone—under the raven's watchful gaze.

Two hours later :

Once your side taken care of, you decided to go see Morpheus and ask if he needed any help. However, you were surprised to find the man deep in concentration, putting the effort into the work. You looked around and whistled appreciatively at the sight of Morpheus actually dedicating himself to it and it alerted Morpheus of your presence.

He stilled and slowly turned back towards you.

"It's..not finished.", he informed you and you smiled at the somehow endearing dedication of the young god to the task..Well—young compared to yourself.

"Well—even though—consider me impressed.", you said approvingly and Morpheus found himself at a loss. He had never been congratulated for his work before. As master of the Dreams, people usually loved or hated him..But, it was the first time he was actually praised. It made him feel good, but at the same time all the more suspicious of you. Why were you acting so nice to him ?

He must have voiced the question out loud, as you chuckled and rested your hand on his shoulder.

"I didn't expect the place to be spotless. I'm just happy to see you actually put some effort into it. It means a lot.", you explained and Morpheus stayed silent—pondering on your words. You were happy for a job half-done and one in front of which—if any of his subjects had dared present to him—he would have been dissatisfied. But, you were smiling so brightly..You were genuinely satisfied ? He stared at you for a while in wonder, to the point where you thought there was something wrong with your face—until he bluntly spoke out.

"You are odd."

You burst out laughing at his brutal honesty, but didn't try to deny it. Morpheus' eyes flickered briefly from the tomb to your face...

Your laugh ressembled hers so much.

It was uncanny.

"Wow. I clearly didn't expect that. But, I did promise to stay with you once my work done and, here we are. So..How about I reward you ?"

He tilted his head quizzically—unsure as to what you meant exactly.

"What do you mean ?"

You leaned forward and grinned widely.

"Spend the night with me. And I promise I will make this a happy day for you."

After a moment, he returned your smile at the challenge and decided to accept—his interest was picked after all.

"Bold of you to assume you could ever impress me.", he said with a pretentious little smirk and your eyes gleamed with unspoken wisdom—as if you knew something he did not.

"Bold of you to assume I cannot.", you shot back and Dream decided that—for the first time in his long life—he didn't mind losing a bet..

But, he frowned again as he thought of the uncanny situation he found himself in. He didn't know you. And—most importantly—you didn't know him. And yet, you wanted to spend time with him ? He did ask for your company, but he didn't think you would accept.

"You aren't..afraid ? Of being alone ? With me ? We don't even know each other..", he asked after a moment—more by curiosity than worry—and you chuckled—as if the question itself was absurd—while shaking your head.

"Not a lot of things do now. I've seen many dark places and unsavory people. But, you just aren't it.", you said confidently and Morpheus smiled.

"Merely a few hours by my side, and you already think you know me ?", he asked—expecting you to lose that overconfidence of yours—but it failed.

"Oh, yes. I have figured you all out, Morpheus.", you declared confidently and the corner of Morpheus' mouth raised imperceptibly into a doubtful smile.

"Oh, have you now ?", he asked with a hint of playfulness in his voice.

You nodded and clasped your hands behind your back in a childlike manner before walking backwards to face him while you talked.

"Yup. You don't want anyone to know, but you're actually very sweet and fun. Don't worry though. Your secret is safe with me."

You winked playfully at him and another wide grin extended on your face.

"Well, you'll find me relieved.", he replied with a small amused smile and didn't protest when you took his hand and led him forward to your favorite place in the whole city. You walked past the Halloween decorations and the busy streets filled with dressed-up people trick and treating. Morpheus had seen Halloween in many kids' dreams before..Just never in person. Many said this day was his sibling Death' celebration alone. But, he had to disagree.

As all the people were dressed differently—not all of them as horrific or deadly creatures—and he found his siblings' influence as well as himself in all of them. It made him smile. It felt as if this wasn't only Halloween, but a day where all the Endless were reunited..Desire, Death, Destruction, Destiny, Delirium and even Despair..It made him think of their birth, where they had all shared the same purpose and weren't yet split by their own goals and selfish purposes.

A time where the Endless wished to learn about humans and understand them, rather than dominating them..Simpler times.

He closed his eyes and let himself be guided by you through the crowds. He didn't know where you were taking him—and maybe was that what they called the thrill of the unknown ?

A few minutes later :

You walked side by side in the busy streets and Morpheus found himself enjoying your company. You talked a lot, and he loved to listen. It felt nice to have someone to talk to listen to, other than his subjects and their constant demands..

"Dream..You've been quiet for some time now. Am I boring by any chance ?", you asked and broke him out of his thoughts. He hadn't noticed your sudden halt and turned around to face you with an impassive expression—all hints of his previous thoughts gone in an instant.

"Not at all.", he replied in a monotonous tone and you tilted your head with an eyebrow raised skeptically. But, you didn't insist. You kept walking and suddenly, Morpheus' ears were filled with music—a soft melody of forgotten days..He stopped to listen attentively to the melody and even though he was certain to have already heard the song before—he couldn't pinpoint the exact time and place. He closed his eyes and felt a delightful chill run down his spine as the memory seemed to bring him a joy he had never experienced before..Or, had he ?

He then felt a light tap on his shoulder and finally opened his eyes to find you in front of him, a knowing twinkle in your eyes. You seemed so much older now..Older than Time itself.

You smiled at him and extended your hand with a small smile.

"Dance with me, Dream ?"

He could only accept. There was something about the moment that inexplicably pulled him in, pulled him towards you. He was about to take your hand when one of the earlier rude children who had bullied Jamie ran past you and made you fall backwards.

You fell with a loud splash in the square's fountain and the music covered the sound. But, Morpheus' eyes widened and he glared at the crowd, searching for the kids with hid eyes and promising to give them very bad nightmares later..

But, far from feeling disappointed or upset about the situation: you smiled and started dancing—completely soaked and apparently careless as waved of water crashed all around you.

Morpheus stared at you in disbelief..He didn't understand.

You laughed at his puzzled expression and kept dancing in the water, even going as far as to throw water at Morpheus who took a couple of steps back, sending you a glare at your weak attack.

"Are you mad ?", he asked—dumbfounded by your strange reaction. Everything about you made him reconsider what he already knew about humans..

You giggled and gave him an enigmatic smile before gesturing for him to move closer, so you may whisper something to him. He hesitated, but finally indulged.

However, you didn't say anything and suddenly leaned forward to grab him by the lapel of his coat. He didn't expect it when you pulled him towards you and he fell in the water too.

For a few seconds, Morpheus was found speechless.

He didn't know if he should be upset about being so easily tricked or not, especially since your faces were now mere inches away from each other and your smile turned mischievous. His lips parted and his breath hitched as you whispered.

"Maybe I am, Morpheus..You tell me."

There was a seductive edge to the slight tug of the corner of your lip, as if you were waiting for him to prove it to you. The lights of the Halloween decorations twirled around your eyes and made them look as if a rainbow was dancing in them.

Morpheus prided himself on his absolute self-control, but there was something about you that made him want to lose it and just drown into madness with you. He pulled you flushed against him and Morpheus didn't care if you were still in the fountain and looked like lunatics under the moon light: he danced with you.

He danced with you, and he enjoyed every second of it. Let it be said, Morpheus was perfectly aware the situation to be absolutely absurd—as much as all the quizzical passers by—but he didn't find the will to care. He was having fun...Fun. Something he thought he would never experience..

He laughed. He laughed and you found the sound so beautiful—it brought tears to your eyes. Finally, Morpheus was happy. You thought the day would never come, but the rich and deep laugh was unmistakable.

He was so beautiful..

However, you unfortunately had to stop because of being wet to the bone and people throwing you quizzical and doubtful looks. You knew some of them would probably call the cops on you and didn't want your night to end in a police station..Dream clicked his fingers and you were both instantly dry.

It was the first time he had used magic if front of you. He thought you would be distressed—surprised at least. But, you weren't.

"Wow. Neat trick.", you simply noted—unfazed—and Morpheus' eyes searched an answer in your reaction, anything that would explain the reason for your complete lack of reaction—anything. But, he was not met with the answer he seeked as he only saw genuine warmth in your eyes.

"Whatever you are searching for, you won't find it, Morpheus.", you gently warned him—but Morpheus' expression darkened as he realized something..Something that made him draw back from you and wariness bloom in his chest.

"...I never told you my name."

You stilled at the realization and—knowing it was no use hiding it any longer—smirked and grabbed his arm. You were both teleported to another place, a high tower with wold flowers blooming everywhere and white marble columns—far away from the human world. He then noticed your appearance had changed as well. You now wore a long white toga and your hair was braided like times of old with flowers and gold sand which also decorated your eyelids and cheeks. You looked ethereal. Inhuman..

"Why did you bring me here ? Do you intend to destroy me ?", he inquired—his voice not betraying any emotion beside a mild curiosity as to the following of your plan. But, he eyes betrayed hurt and even betrayal..You almost felt bad about lying. You just needed to be sure of his intentions..It had been a long time since your last lover and even though the seers had predicted him to be your soulmate..You couldn't believe them without knowing him first.

However, now that you had spent the whole day with him, you were certain of his heart and worth. You had no doubt he was your destiny..

You intertwined your fingers with his and closed your eyes, leaning forward so your foreheads were touching. You ignored his earlier inquiry and asked another question instead.

"Tell me, Morpheus..Do you believe in destiny ?"

Morpheus didn't understand the purpose of the question, but still answered.

"He is my brother."

Your eyes widened slightly at the revelation and you clasped your hand in front of your chest with a large satisfied grin.

"Oh. Well, great ! I'm sure he warned you about me then."

Morpheus was even more at a loss..Why would his brother know about you ?

"He didn't.", he replied curtly. But, you didn't mind. You were used to his short answers by now.

"Well, your brother must be blind or senile, for it was written from the very beginning that we were meant for each other.", you informed him and Morpheus found it even if more confusing. How you could you be so confident over things that were so out of your reach ? Meant for each other ? What did it even mean ?

"Who are you ?", he asked for the second time and in a matter of seconds, your look of pure innocence turned into a mischievous one as you tightened your hold on his hands and whispered.

"Well, why don't you find out ?"

He risked his eyes downwards at your lips and licked his own. You were so very confusing, but also very tempting...You were his very own flytrap. You were an enigma he wanted to solve, but every time he thought he thought he had the right answer—it turned out to be false or the real answer to be fleeting away further from his reach. He really wanted to give in to you, but there was one question he needed the answer to first.

"What is your name ?", he uttered in a whisper and you smiled knowingly—as if you expected it. You leaned forward until your noses brushed against each other and smiled.

"...Ask me. One more time. And you will have your answer, Dream of the Endless.", you promised and Morpheus didn't hesitate before asking you once more with more purpose in his demand, desiring the answer even more than anything else in the world right now.

"What is your name ?", he repeated—firmer and more urgently this time around.

You giggled childishly, even though your eyes seemed old..far older than him. You clicked your tongue and gently ran your hand along the side of his face tenderly, your eyes sparkling with golden dust as you fixed your attention on the Endless before you.

"You know who I am, Morpheus. You've always known. You've asked for me every night since your birth. Well, here I am.", you pressed your cheek against his—leaving a light kiss there—and Morpheus marveled at the uncanny softness. He wanted to fall to his knees before you and grip the hem of your toga like a distressed child finally receiving the present he had always dreamed of.

"...Elpis. Hope of the Ancient.", he finally uttered your name in a whisper and you giggled again before wrapping your arms around his neck.

"Here we go ! I knew you would eventually figure it out..", you shouted cheerfully, but Morpheus' brow furrowed as he remembered all the lonely nights he had called out for you. All the nights he had felt his life devoid of purpose and in his prison of glass..

"I called for you..For centuries. You never answered my calls."

It was your turn to frown at the accusation and your smile turned upside down at the reminder of your poor Morpheus—trapped away in this cold house..You slid your arms away from him to wrap them around yourself defensively instead. Your eyes flickered downwards and you bit your lower lip guiltily as you confessed.

"And I heard you. Every single time."

Morpheus felt rage replace the warm feeling in his heart as he suddenly grabbed your wrists to pull you flush against him, forcing your eyes to look up at him in surprise.

"...You left me to rot. You heard my cries for help, and decided to stay immune to my pain.", his voice deepened and trembled—as if his voice was about to shatter at any moment.

Your eyes filled with tears at the unfairness of the object of your affections. He didn't know what he was saying..He didn't know how it felt to leave him alone—even though you knew how much he needed you.

"I couldn't help you. You weren't worthy back then. Your heart filled with want of revenge, instead of letting me in..I had to make sure you were worth it first. See, Morpheus..I do not give my favors to just anybody..I am Hope, it doesn't mean everyone deserves me.", you tried to explain, but your clumsy explanation only fueled Morpheus' rage as he spat angrily.

"You are cruel."

You closed your eyes at the coldness behind his words—but you had expected it. A lot of people thought Hope to be heartless, to appear when you don't need it and disappear when you need it the most. But, the truth is ? Hope was to be nurtured, fed by potential and efforts..

"I am fair.", you replied impassively and tear yourself away from his possessive grip. He was still angry, and you only realized now that you had acted too impulsively—thinking he was ready to meet and love you.

Another mistake.

You talked out of experience..You had tried to help people like him before—but some were simply not worthy of your love. Morpheus used to be one of them. He used to despise humans and find every reason to be condescending towards everyone..He had prayed to you, but had never worked for it.

But, seeing him today—actually enjoying himself among the humans and witnessing his respect towards Jessamy's offspring made you reconsider your decision. But, you were afraid you hadn't waited long enough..

"You feed on the suffering of others.", Morpheus then remembered with a slight frown—a lesson his mother had once taught him—and you sighed loudly. Of course he would know that.

"I do. I knew you since the moment you were born, little Morpheus. I could feel your pain. I was alive before you and will live long after you will have disappeared..I knew we were linked from the start. And you don't know how much it hurt to see you get rejected over and over again..But, I had to stay away. I had to wait for you to be ready..", you looked away and Morpheus noticed how sorrowful you seemed. You had bared alone the truth of your connexion for years..And then, the moment of your meeting was brought back in his mind.

Jamie.

You were there for him..The little boy seemed truly happy with you by his side. His heart longed to know that happiness.

"...If I let you in, will it hurt ?", he finally asked—wary of the consequences of your presence in his life—and you smiled weakly at him.

"I would never hurt you—Not purposefully at least. Are you scared ?", you replied—even though your eyes betrayed uncertainty—and your lips inches from his. His own eyes lingered there for a moment and desire overrode all cautiousness.

He shook his head negatively and you grinned widely at his response.

"Good..", you closed the gap between the both of you and Morpheus didn't hesitate before kissing you back. He wanted to be relieved of all that pain and regret he felt. He didn't want to think of his past failures and in just a kiss, he found his wishes granted. It was as if all of his worries were being sucked out of him and turned into bliss.

He had waited so long for you..He pulled you closer.

"Happy birthday, Morpheus.", you muttered against his lips and Morpheus smiled. For the first time since his birth, he had hope..He kissed you again and in the dark of the night, no one noticed the two shadows keeping each other steady.

Hope could be cruel, Hope could lead to madness, Hope could even hurt and yet—Hope was beautiful and irresistible.

Morpheus couldn't stay away, as much as you couldn't stay away from his delicious suffering..You needed each other and now that he had you, Morpheus would make sure you would never be separated..

[stressed-out-sloth]

SBI Vampire AU: Millennium Snow

A few months ago, I wanted to read some Vampire SBI fics, but I noticed that most of them have Dark!SBI, especially if Tommy starts out human. So I decided that I wanted to make a more wholesome crimeboys-centric vampire AU without Dark!SBI. Don’t worry, there’s still angst.

This Au is based on the manga “Millennium Snow”, which was created by the same author as Ouran Highschool Host Club. I highly recommend it, but this AU does have some minor spoilers about the manga so be warned.

Without further ado, here’s the AU!

Tommy is a human who was born very weak and sickly. He’s practically lived his whole life in the hospital. He’s determined to get better though, he constantly tells everyone about his list of things he wants to do once he’s healthy 

Unfortunately, Tommy isn’t always cooperative, which often leads to him escaping the hospital whenever he’s too bored of being cooped up inside

One day during one of his escapes, Tommy runs into Wilbur, who he accidentally discovers is a vampire

Being the curious little gremlin he is, Tommy is determined to follow Wilbur and pester him with questions about vampires. At first, Wilbur refuses but is worn down by Tommy’s stubbornness and persistence

So Wilbur tells Tommy about vampires, the kind of powers they have, how a lot of info about vampires are inaccurate. Eventually, they get to the topic about food and lifespans

Wilbur tells Tommy that the average vampire’s lifespan is around 1,000 years, and that usually when a vampire becomes an adult they look for a human to form a contract with.  

When a contract is made, the human will age at the same rate as a vampire, can’t get sick, and will heal from injuries slightly faster than normal. In exchange, the human becomes a consistent and reliable source of blood for the vampire. 

Both parties have to agree in order to establish the contract, it can’t ever be forced. Vampires can only make this contract once in a lifetime, if their contracted human dies they can’t do it again. The same goes for the human, and if the vampire dies then the human goes back to being a normal human

Wilbur tells Tommy he should have formed a contract a few years ago, but didn’t because he hates the taste of blood and can gain energy other ways

After Wilbur’s explanation, Tommy asks if he can see Wilbur again, and Wilbur agrees

For the next few days the two of them start hanging out and start to become friends. Tommy tells Wilbur about his list and all the things he wants to do (but doesn’t mention being sick/hospitalized) and Wilbur shows Tommy his music and tells stories about his family. 

But then, they witness a car accident. The driver is ok for the most part but they cut themselves pretty badly and are bleeding a lot. Tommy looks at Wilbur and sees that he has a wild, hungry look in his eyes

Tommy manages to drag Wilbur away and asks what happened. Wilbur confesses that he lied when he said he didn’t like blood and admits that he’s suffering from severe anemia because he refuses to drink blood

Tommy then begs for Wilbur to make the contract with him. Wilbur refuses and is actually hurt that Tommy would suggest that. He thought Tommy would be different, that he wouldn’t be greedy and ask to make the contract just because of a longer lifespan

Wilbur’s about to walk away when Tommy collapses all of a sudden. He is rushed to the hospital and all the doctors and nurses try to help him but there’s nothing they can do

Tommy is dying

Right before he dies, time freezes and there’s Wilbur. He tells Tommy that he can only freeze time for a few minutes, and that he wanted to talk to Tommy one more time

When Wilbur asks Tommy why he didn’t tell him he was sick, Tommy says he didn’t want pity and he wanted at least one person to not treat him like he was fragile

Tommy apologizes to Wilbur for asking to make the contract even though he knew there was a reason why Wilbur didn’t want to 

Tommy then confesses that he knew he was going to die soon, that he wasn’t going to get better no matter how much he wanted to. The list of things he wanted to do was just him lying to himself and to make others feel better

He thanks Wilbur for being his friend, for helping him make some good memories and staying with him in his last moments

Tommy then says he hopes that one day Wilbur will find someone to form a contract with, someone who will love and accept him no matter how ling they’re together

He thanks Wilbur for everything one last time before time restarts and Tommy is dying again

For a while, Wilbur just stands there, frozen, still comprehending what Tommy said. It isn’t until he hears the the heart monitor flatline that Wilbur decides he has to do something

He rushes to Tommy’s side and bites his wrist so that he’s bleeding and then somehow force feeds it to Tommy. A few seconds after he swallows, Tommy’s heart restarts

When Tommy wakes up, he’s surprised to find out that not only is he not dead, but that he somehow feels better than he has in a long time. He actually feels healthy

Wilbur pays Tommy a visit and explains that he gave Tommy his blood, which gave him some of his life essence. This has made Tommy 100% healthy, but it won’t last forever. Wilbur estimates that Tommy has a year before the life essence wears out and he’s back to being sick again

Tommy is more than fine with that, he now has a chance to get to do all the things he wanted to do once he was healthy. He invites Wilbur to come along, and he agrees

So Crimeboys go out on these adventures, trying to do as many things on Tommy’s list as possible before the year is up

Along the way, Tommy meets Phil, Wilbur’s vampire father along with Technoblade, Phil’s best friend, contract human, and pseudo-uncle to Wilbur. They all get along great and once Phil and Techno find out about Tommy’s situation, they decide to tag along 

As they go out on these adventures, Wilbur grows a lot closer to Tommy to the point where he sees him more as a little brother than a friend. He also slowly begins to heal from whatever trauma/insecurities made him not want to form a contract in the first place

Wilbur realizes that he doesn’t want his time with Tommy to end, he doesn’t want him to die. He wants Tommy to always be by his side, smiling and laughing and bickering the way brothers do

But Wilbur also doesn’t want to force Tommy into a contract if he doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to take advantage of Tommy’s illness and essentially blackmail him. He wants Tommy to also want to make the contract. So he doesn’t bring it up

Tommy also feels the same way. He thought that knowing he would die in a year would make it easier to not have regrets, but that’s not the case. He doesn’t want to die, but more than that he wants to be with Wilbur (and also Phil and Techno)

But Tommy doesn’t want to be selfish and ask to make a contract when Wilbur doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want Wilbur to think he’s greedy and only wants to form a contract so that he’ll live longer. So Tommy doesn’t ask

Meanwhile, Techno, Phil, and everyone else around them are tired and frustrated because it is so obvious how they feel but they refuse to actually talk to each other

A year goes by and they got most of the things off of Tommy’s list. Soon enough, Wilbur’s blood wears off and Tommy is back to being sick in the hospital again

As they’re sitting together in the hospital together with Tommy slowly dying again, Tommy thanks Wilbur for everything he’s done for him. Tommy then confesses to Wilbur about wanting to form a contract so that they can stay together but was afraid to say anything because he didn’t want to seem selfish or greedy

Wilbur tells Tommy he also wants to form a contract, and when Tommy asks if he’s sure, Wilbur says there’s no one else he’d rather have by his side for the next 1,000 years

They form the contract then and there, Soon, Tommy fully recovers and leaves the hospital for the last time. He goes to live with Wilbur and with Phil and Techno, they go on even more adventures, together.

And that’s the AU! Wow that took a lot longer to write than I thought. Let me know what you think! Until next time!

[theamityelf]

Okay, I was asked which canon DR characters would serve as animatronics to the DR protags in the FNAF AU, which opened up a new world to me, so let's do this:

First of all, Komaru. (The other protags will get separate posts.)

Komaru I think would have the Warriors of Hope as animatronics. She's in a Security Breach type setting, which is already fun because she could either be (as the original premise suggests) the security guard or (as the game Security Breach suggests) a random person who isn't supposed to be in the Pizzaplex after hours. Maybe a scenario where Komaru is just a rando in the Pizzaplex and Toko is the Security Guard trying to get her out of the building despite the malfunctioning animatronics.

(For the record, in another branch of the FNAF AU, Toko is FNAF 3. She passes out from a ventilation error and Syo demolishes Springtrap, the end. 🤣)

If Komaru is the security guard, then her objective isn't to leave but instead to help the animatronics fight off whatever virtual presence is hacking their system and making them act violently toward everyone, including her.

Narratively, Masaru is the Chica equivalent, in that he's the first threat Komaru faces. I'm going to say he operates similar to Foxy from the first game, in that he's the fast one of the group. He's the one you need to either be paying attention to or have really good reflexes. Once he's rebooted and back to his normal self, he goes around dismantling STAFF bots to make Komaru's job a little easier, in that she no longer has to evade them. He has star-shaped shades and he still has his red hair. If all the animatronics are animals, he's a rabbit.

Jataro stations himself in the security office so he always knows where everyone is. He doesn't attack by himself, but he plays blaring music from the loudspeakers in whatever room Komaru enters, so the other animatronics always know where she is hiding. (This is why Komaru probably reboots him either first or second. He is really bad for her stealth, and because he stays in the security office, it's easy to find him. Ironically, it's almost like he's playing FNAF against her.) He's the least popular character in-universe, so he wears a Masaru mask from the gift shop. The Pizzaplex is full of unsold plushies of him that have had their heads ripped off by either Jataro himself or Kotoko. If all the animatronics are animals, he's either a tortoise or a groundhog.

Kotoko operates similar to Monty, in that she's the bruiser of the group. Where Masaru is fast, Kotoko is strong. She can pry elevator doors open, throw tables, and stuff like that. Komaru is just running through the atrium and Kotoko is lobbing STAFF bots at her. I'm going to say she's highly susceptible to music, and specifically lullabies. It's impossible for Komaru to reboot her before Jataro, because she needs Jataro to play a lullaby in order for Komaru to even approach Kotoko. Her branding is very pink. If all the animatronics are animals, then she's a coyote.

Nagisa is the Freddy equivalent, in that he's the animatronic who is helping from the start, but he has a different mechanic than Freddy, in that he will act against Komaru when the other animatronics are watching, so not only can't he be used against them, but he is in fact dangerous when they're around. If all the animatronics are animals, he's an owl.

Monaca is interesting, because I could see her taking on the role of Gregory in a way. Maybe Komaru finds her in the Pizzaplex and is like "Little girl, where are your parents? You shouldn't be here alone after hours?" But when she tries to approach her, the animatronics attack and Komaru later finds out that Monaca was the one who hacked their system. Maybe Monaca is living in the Pizzaplex to escape her awful family and is using the animatronics to protect herself so she can't be made to leave. Or maybe Monaca is also one of the animatronics who was hacked, and she's the last one who needs to be rebooted. If she is an animatronic, and if the animatronics are animals, then she's gotta be a cat.

Nagito is the Daycare Attendant. Sun and Moon, Hope and Despair, c'mon. Sometimes he's accompanying Komaru through the Pizzaplex cheering her on, and sometimes he's siding with the other animatronics and putting obstacles in her path.

[pareidoliaonthemove]

Trick or Treat! 🎃

How's about a extract from a WIP that I've been fighting with for the last (checks notes) eight months?

I'll let you decide if it's a trick or a treat!

It didn’t take him long to regain his bearings once inside, the receptionist, a wizened old lady of unknown antiquity (rumoured to have been the receptionist when his parents had attended the school) simply nodded him straight through the heavy doors into the administration proper, and Jeff followed a well-trodden path to the principal’s office.

The door was open, and Sam Osborne called him inside. She was standing in front of her desk, with a young, nervous looking woman at her side. It took Jeff a minute to recall her name. “Miss Watson, Sam. I take it we’re here about Virgil, then?”

Miss Watson began wringing her hands, and Jeff eyed her a minute, trying to decide if she was naturally anxious, if he scared her, or if the situation was really as bad as her demeanour suggested.

Sam nodded. “As I said on the phone, Jeff – ah, Mr Cranborne, thank you.”

Jeff turned and exchanged pleasantries with James Cranborne, Virgil’s form advisor. The man was carrying a large covered object, but twelve years living with Virgil meant he could recognise an art canvas, even if it was in a packing crate.

The object was rested with obvious reverence against the principal’s large desk, and Sam motioned to a circle of chairs around a low table. As they settled, she started again. “As I said on the phone, Jeff, we’re worried. And, to be perfectly honest, none of us know what to make of this. We were hoping you might have some … insight.”

Jeff’s frown deepened. “That sounds ominous, Sam.”

Cranborne stepped in. “Sorry, Jeff, but this is so far out of our field of experience, and considering Virgil’s … background …”

Jeff winced. Yes, Vigil’s background. A highly sanitised way of acknowledging his son had been caught in an avalanche with his mother. God only knew when Lucy had died, and how long Virgil had lain trapped in his dead mother’s embrace.

“What happened?” Everyone in the room ignored how rough Jeff’s voice had become.

Sam and Cranborne looked at Miss Watson – what was her Christian name? – who, if anything became more agitated. “It’s … It’s the project he turned in, Mr Tracy,” she whispered.

Jeff frowned. Virgil’s teachers had never done anything but sung Virgil’s praises when it came to art. The boy’s whole life had been an unending choir of art authorities praising him with almost religious fervour. So this was … unexpected, to say the least.

“I’m no authority on art, Miss Watson, so if it somehow falls short …” Jeff spread his hands helplessly.

[queer-auntie]

AEW Full Gear 2023... puzzles of mismatched pieces?

There are few things that are inevitable in life: Death, Taxes, and the Internet Wrestling Twitter bitching about wrestling.

Last night was AEW’s Full Gear PPV. While some spent it in the comfort of their own home, struggling with the BR Live app, I went to a wrestling viewing party with a handful of friends to watch. We typically go to the movie theater to view AEW PPV but we combined friendsgiving so here we were. (I highly suggest viewing a PPV in a theater at least once)

The best part of a viewing party is the friends part. This requires you to have friends, which I definitely recommend some of you get some friends (and some deodorant), YOU NERD.

*** cue the laugh track ***

All jokes aside, I felt it was important to be IN THE MOMENT with my friends. I love viewing parties with friends. These friends can be of all different levels of knowledge and experience with wrestling. Some have been wrestlers themselves. 

My fiance, who has been watching wrestling since the 80s/90s was sitting next to someone who had never watched a wrestling program in their life last night. The varied levels of knowledge and experience made the viewing party exciting. While I am usually sucked into my phone watching my twitter feed, it felt necessary to experience it with my friends.

Here is what I experienced, from memory, complete with quotes and inner thoughts of a person on the spectrum. ENJOY.

—--------

I won’t be talking about the pre show as much because we arrived late. I know. There was traffic and I was cooking Buffalo Chicken Dip. I heard Eddie Kingston won and the preshow was very exciting. I love that for them. 

The main show started with the six-man tag team match of Darby Allin, Sting, & Adam Copeland versus The Patriary. The lights went up… and there are children in turtlenecks being forced to acapella sing Christian Cage’s theme…. Were these fatherless children? Should we be supporting them monetarily? That’s when I heard one of the friends at the party who has never watched the wrestling show go… 

MR CHOW DOES NOT APPROVE! 

(Celebrity sightings literally doing their job here.)

I think Entrances (and I mean to capitalize it) are very special for the casual as well as the expert viewer. They are special, they showcase the wrestlers creativity, and are also COOL AS FUCK. 

OH LOOk, STEVE-O!

Hearing the crowd sing “Metalingus” after the music cut is where I started to cry. This match is a special moment and rightfully so to start the show. This is Sting’s last time wrestling in the state of California. He announced his retirement from in-ring activity at AEW Revolution in 2024, five months from now. While I mourn the ending of Sting’s wrestling career, I need reminding that this man is 64 years old WRESTLING ACTIVELY week after week. He deserves the time off and time away. We learn at the end of this match that Sting’s son is ringside which is truly special. 

Something I love about AEW PPV is that each show gives you a match style and type for everyone. You like tag matches full of story and emotion, watch the six-man tag team match that starts the show. You want a match stipulation you know will be violent? Stay tuned because we have a Texas Deathmatch to enjoy. You love watching OSHA Violation videos? We have a four-way ladder match to fill that void. Wrestling is truly FOR everyone. 

Opening with the six-man tag match full of layers upon layers of storytelling was a great starting point for this PPV. There is the layer of Sting’s last match in California, second to the last big PPV for Sting. There is the layer of Darby being betrayed by his mentee Nick Wayne, whom he trained at his father’s wrestling academy when he was just starting out. You have the layer of Christian Cage and Adam Copeland, real life friends and seven-time tag team champions, on opposite sides of the ring. You have Luchasaurus, trapped under the spell of Christian Cage’s spell. And then for some reason, Ric Flair is here… because everyone loves a good nostalgia pop. 

And layers like an onion, this match started with tears and ended in tears. 

After back and forth, in and out of the ring, Christian Cage showed how cowardly he was… The Patriary lost as Adam Copeland covered Luchasaurus for the 1-2-3!

The next segment of this show happened to be Tony Schiavone, the National Treasure, announcing that MJF could not compete in tonight’s main event for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship. As Tony was announcing everyone’s worst nightmare, Adam Cole’s music hit… and on crutches, he hobbled to fight in MJF’s place. This brochacho-ship… an unlikely friendship… has truly captured the viewers hearts, a bromance to last a lifetime. This main event match should be an easy win for Jay White, but we’ll talk about that in due time. 

The AEW International Championship match is next, Orange Cassidy, accompanied by Hook, defending against the FORMER champion who is out for Blood, Jon Moxley. The promo segment beforehand had Mox’s wife, Renee, say he will do ANYTHING to get that championship and no one will stand in his way. 

I turned to my fiance and said, if I ever acted like this to PLEASE stand in my way. He laughed… Am I the Jon Moxley of my relationship? Will I risk it all, concussion and all, for what I want and thirst for the taste of another man’s blood?  Honestly, I can see it… but I digress…

The match started with Moxley exploding with energy to gain the advantage over the casual Orange Cassidy. The friends who had never watched wrestling recognize Orange Cassidy from the show “The Floor is Lava” which everyone should watch as well. The brutality juxtaposed to Moxley’s brutality may seem like dirty mismatched socks… but this match truly brought out the intensity and focus each wrestler initially lacked. The usual feral nature of Moxley seemed focused tonight while Orange’s demeanor seemed to be far more serious and violent. Between suicide drives to the ring announcers desk to scratching backs & biting noses, the play by play of this match told the story of changed men willing to do anything for a championship. This championship means something to both men… and with the title of international means either men could defend this championship ANYWHERE to further their dominance. 

The friends in the room who participated in the predictions chatted back and forth on who would win this match. With the NJPW WrestleKingdom, their Wrestlemania, on the horizon, my friends argued that Moxley would win as to take this title to Japan and defend it there, a place he’s been before. However, I argued that Orange has been showing a more focused intense side of him we’ve only begun to see.

Moxley’s fighting like he’s the final boss… and Orange, after FIVE Orange Punches, finally brought the monster to his knees. After the three count, and still your AEW International Champion, Orange Cassidy.

This show fifty minutes in this PPV, has started off with thunder and lightning. Full Gear has been the event to sign off the wrestling year. It’s the final test, the crossed T’s and dotted I’s… this event has been known for title changes, surprise debuts, and unforgettable moments. 

Timeless Toni Storm’s music hits… and the screen goes to black and white. 

This match up is between Hikaru Shida, a three time AEW Women’s Champion,  versus Timeless Toni Storm, a two time AEW Women’s Champion. Both women have trained in Japan. Both women have gone through changes and progressions throughout the years. Toni Storm a 28 year old NewZealander faces Hikaru Shida, a 35 year old Japanese wrestler. Both women started wrestling at the end of the 2000s. Both women are from each other’s Roman Empire. (photo credit: AEW)

This character for Toni Storm has been my favorite. She combines that old Hollywood charm, the looks of Marilyn Monroe with the psychosis of Joan Crowford. The smeared lipstick, the dramatic robe, all the way down to the tray where she places her golden shoe. This is the same shoe she uses behind the referee’s back to take down her opponent. She truly is a star.

The match is a war of blows. Toni Storm emptied her arsenal and couldn’t get the advantage over Shida. Shida emptied her arsenal as well but came up short. What would it take to end this battle of forces? Well, a steel plate aptly placed on the hip of Toni Storm is what would end this battle crowning Timeless Toni Storm a three-time AEW Women’s World Champion. 

I really enjoy how new signee Maria Mae has interwoven herself into this storyline. This just makes me excited to see this admiration-ship of Maria with Toni unfold week after week, which is a different tone from a few months ago with the AEW Women’s Championship scene. 

Here we are… the AEW World Tag Team Championship Ladder match. Four teams participated in this tag team match. The moment the bell rang, everyone squared up, including the big meaty men. I am simply a human who lusts after big wrestling meaty men slapping meat. 

La Facción Ingobernable are high risk, high reward wrestlers willing to put their bodies into the match. FTR, in the last two years with AEW< has proven they are all fists no flips in their search for gold once again. The House of the Dark recently dropped the trio's titles and have shown no mercy to their opponents. These opponents would not make this first title defense on a PPV easy for Rikcy and Big Bill. 

“Why are there ladders in this match? They have to climb those to get the ....”

“Yeah, they have to climb it to get the belts. That’s how they win.” “Why are there different size ladders?” “They need options.” :”Okay, but why are there so many? Isn’t that setting them up?” “Exactly” *looks nervous* “Okay….”

Watch a ladder match with a new wrestling fan. It feels special again, I promise. 

I am a gimmick girlie, as they say. Anyone can be a gimmick girlie. I bet you are a gimmick girlie. You like a stipulation, an elevation, upping the stakes kind-of-thing. I bet you do… and if you don’t, I think you’re lying. Have you ever said, “It’s so easy, I can do this with my eyes closed?” Well, most people aren’t usually referring to defending their title belts in a wrestling match, something that would be actually VERY HARD and more DANGEROUS given most of us aren’t trained wrestlers. Well, Ricky and Big Bill have solidified they can defend their new titles anywhere… and to up the stakes, they can *metaphorically* do it with their eyes closed. (OH GOD, WE ARE NOT DOING A BLINDFOLD MATCH… no matter how loud your TNA chants are….)

This ladder match had so much going on, I had to watch it THREE TIMES. No joke, something new popped up in this match every time. The crowd is heavily behind Rush. He’s been a highlight of AEW’s saturday night “Collision” programming… Yet, overwhelmingly, in the middle of the match, “MEAT!” chants are overpowering as Big Bill, who stands at almost 7 feet tall, goes toe to toe with Brodie King, who stands at a slightly smaller six feet five inches. These boys are big meaty sons of bitches. 

Every wrestler in each team was insanely over in this match. And each wrestler would have been fined by OSHA for how they all used ladders as weapons. There was a sequence between Cash Wheeler and Maliki Black used a ladder leading against the top rope as a slingshot against a moving Cash Wheeler as he bounced off the ladder and into the floor… which precariously transitioned into a piledriver on another ladder leading into the corner square on his head. The crowd cheered “HOLY SHIT!” (you'll see what I mean here)

The ending of this ladder match saw every wrestler on one side of a ladder, three in a row, fighting to get to the title belts above. This match felt like a BIG DEAL. It felt important. And the weighted cost of each move, each bump, each impact was felt in every fan watching on. Ladder matches are for everyone. If you don’t agree… you are a liar.  (Photo credit: AEW)

I haven’t seen enough love for this ladder match so please go back, watch it if you can… better yet, play it on a loop at my funeral and invite everybody.

We transitioned into the AEW TBS Championship three way match between the champion Kris Statlander, Julia Hart, and SKye Blue. In the last few months, both Julia Hart and Skye Blue have had more character and in-ring development than I have seen of any other women’s wrestler. Julia Hart, once a bubbly cheerleader valeting for the Varsity Blondes, now channeled into her spooky bitch era. She’s focused with a killer moonsault. Skye Blue has blossomed into a spunky yet moody wrestler. “She might be Skye Blue but the skies are certainly in for a storm.”

Kris Statlander out wrestles, outweighs, and could bench BOTH Julia and Skye on her shoulders. Yet, the three of these women put on one hell of a showdown. Nearfall after nearfall, each woman unloaded everything they had. There was a great moment where Kris and Julia were on the outside of the ring. Kris baited Julia to bring it, but Julia got sucked into the most gnarly powerslam. Kris’ power is absolutely unmatched here but Julia and Skye have to use her power SOMEHOW against her. While Julia had Skye in a submission hold, Kris picked up Julia from the ground into a German suplex. 

She did this FOUR times in a row with Julia and Skye.

As Kris landed a piledriver on Skye, Julia came in with a closeline, picking up the scraps… and stole the victory. Julia Hart became the youngest champion in AEW at the age of 22.  (photo credit: AEW)

I really enjoy the hype over the new AEW Signing. It felt very important for AEW as a company. After the firing of CM Punk, many online voices have voiced their concerns on AEW being a comparable alternative to the mainstream WWE. It’s important to remember that AEW is not going to be LIKE or the same flavor as WWE. They are there to provide the alternative. They exist to showcase all different types of wrestling and wrestlers. That is important. While some could describe it as bad patchwork, I feel this promotion is more like those pictures that, as a whole, is one image… but are composed of a bunch of little images. As we slide right into the next match, I want to preface that this match could be its own article. It stands alone as a masterpiece. It is the blueprint for all deathmatches in AEW Hall of Fame. (There isn’t one, but there should be… it’s been three years already.) Texas Deathmatch existed long before November 18th, 2023. A little google search could not confirm the origin of the wrestling Deathmatch (capital D!). However, the 1980s really captured the Deathmatch art in Abdullah the Butcher, The Sheik, Atsushi Onita, and Terry Funk. These wrestlers match after match put their whole bodies on the line in the name of violence. (There is a whole episode of Dark Side of the Ring about FMW where Onita started these Deathmatches…. Absolutely brutal)

AEW has had a few Texas Deathmatches since its inception. The first AEW Texas Deathmatch was July 21st, 2021 with Lance Archer vs. Jon Moxley. The two had fought previously in a Texas Deathmatch at Wrestle Kingdom 14 where Moxley defeated Archer. The last two Texas Deathmatches have involved “Hangman” Adam Page, one against Adam Cole in 2022 and one against Jon Moxley in 2023. With two Texas Deathmatches under his belt but a loss at Wrestledream against Swerve, “Hangman” already had a taste for brutality. So, in the middle of Swerve asking the audience WHOSE HOUSE it was, Adam Page attacked him before the bell rang.

(Also, side note, it is surreal hearing an arena with 13k fans chant “SWERVE HOUSE” after hearing a room of a few hundred chant it not a few years back… Simply wild.)

The story between “Hangman” and Swerve is personal. This feud has changed both wrestlers, and especially after this match, it has changed both men to their core. 

Weapons, in this match, come out early as “Hangman” initiates with duct taping Swerve’s wrists and using an industrial stapler on his chest. Staple after staple into Swerve, the crowd gasps at the flood dripping from Swerve as “Hangman” staples his son’s artwork onto Swerve’s face… and then drops the blood off Swerve’s INTO HIS MOUTH. Hangman spits into the sky as the crowd chants “YOU SICK FUCK.”

Deathmatches are for SICK FUCKS. And Hangman? He’s won TWO of them. 

The continued staples, chairs, barbed wire plywood boards (even a piece of barbed wire that clips Hangman's lip from above) unlock brutality needed in this personal feud. Both of these men showcase how they will do anything to settle the match in their favor, a true fight vs. flight scenario. These men are not scared to face their demons… but only one can be victorious tonight. (photo: AEW)

I believe this is one of the bloodiest matches I’ve seen in AEW. The bright red blood flowing down Swerve’s forehead… to Hangman’s crimson blood congealing into his hair like a gelatin. 

It was believable, credible, and a candidate for Match of the Year. This was real to me, damnnit. 

The camera with blood splattered on the lens. The ring canvas dripped with these men’s blood like an art piece you’d hang in your house.

The image of Swerve dumping glass on the back of Hangman, climbing to the top rope, doing a 450 splash, and then a JML Driver (thanks Excalibur) will live rent free in my mind. I see it when my eyes are closed. (photo: AEW)

This match was a masterpiece. And Swerve coming up on top, the look to the crowd, this was magic. If you got to see this live in person, I am incredibly jealous of you.

 The show could have stopped there. I honestly forgot about the last two matches left on the card. I could have done without the next match. 

I wish I was more invested as Kenny Omega is one of my favorite wrestlers. 

Alas, the Texas Deathmatch was such an emotional high that dropped the moment this match came on. Was this match on its own great? Sure! Kenny, Matt, Nick, and Jericho could wrestle a paper bag and it’d be great. I just wasn’t as interested until the last 3 minutes of the match. Kenny pinning Matt was absolutely the right call and having the Bucks continue their little tantrums added to the story. I just want Kenny out of a Jericho angle. That’s all.

The main event seems to be where the discourse lies. It is the AEW World Heavyweight Championship. I get it. However, the story they are telling really mirrored what they were telling at All In just a few months ago. Jay White thought he had it in the bag facing Adam Cole, still recovering from surgery… with MJF out of action and a crippled Adam Cole, he should have been able to win the triple B…. but he just wasn’t able to beat him. 

MJF risked a FELONY to defend the title he rightfully won. 

Once MJF entered the match, Jay White singled out his hurt leg. That would be the logical thing to do, find the area of weakness and get your opponent off their feet. 

Every time Jay White did something to get the advantage, MJF did squeeze his way out of the situation. MJF was taking risks he hadn't taken before in a match. Defending his title with such a difficult injury put MJF task, so to speak. He had less of an advantage than starting the match healthy. In my opinion, having the AEW World Heavyweight Champion ALSO holding the ROH World Tag Team Championships seems to cheapen the AEW World Heavyweight Championship's prestigious nature. It’s not that I think the champion should not defend the title but it puts the champion at a disadvantage so his competitors don’t have the option they should get to a fair fight with MJF. If I am going to fight and become the new champion, I want to prove I don’t need to win by taking advantage of an injured wrestler. To me, that cheapens the match for me. 

This match did nothing but just make MJF look risky working hurt, and in kayfabe, putting other wrestlers at risk by not being 100% healthy. Jay White (and Bullet Club Gold) looked silly and weak, not being able to capitalize on an injured wrestler. And MJF had to rely on the diamond ring once again to take the advantage. 

I get that they are telling a story. Maybe that is the point… MJF is SO strong that he could not merely be taken down like a regular man. No, he is superior. He is our scumbag.  (photo: AEW)

Whatever the case, not seeing a final shot or even reference to the Devil seemed like… incomplete. The last two matches are fine on their own but seem a little misplaced in such a great show. Full Gear 2023 lived up to the hype promised yet… I’m waiting for the metaphorical fat lady to sing. I am waiting for the final number. I am waiting to finish… and feel a little… regular. The ending was just… regular. And that kind of sucks after such a great show with a Match of the Year candidate of Swerve vs. Hangman. But that’s the beauty of an opinion… the beauty of having likes and dislikes. That’s the beauty of the alternative. Each match doesn’t have to complete the set to be worthwhile. Many of those matches in Full Gear 2023 PPV can be their own hit single… performing better than the main event. That is alright. I liked it.

But, I felt like it was a show full of great puzzle pieces that seemed to not fit in the order presented… all great storylines, great talent, great momentum… they just, didn’t come out with a crystal clear picture needed to be a Show of the Year contender. What did you think of Full Gear 2023? Did it live up to the hype or did you feel it fall out of sync?  Let me know!

I love you. You’re wonderful.

[acutiewithagun]

I am now certified with First Aid, CPR, and AED training. I have a card that's good for two years to prove it.

I highly suggest everyone learn these things. The more people that know, the more lives that can be saved potentially

Also CPR is constantly changing so I would suggest relearning it every few months or once a year. Heck I actually took a class a few months ago and just got certified.

Most fire departments in the USA provide the training, at least that I'm aware of. But you may want to do your own research.

Anyway, have a thing I found at Walmart.

[porkcracker]

New Years Headcanon

It's New Years Eve I'm bored and thus I shall best upon ye some New Years headcanons for some of my favourite blorbos of a variety of my fandoms. Happy New Years everyone.

Characters: Ratchet , Tuffnut, Undertaker, Rung and Ghost

Warnings: Hinted Suicide in Undertaker

Ratchet

Cybertronians get way way older than humans, so they do not celebrate such small amounts of time

There is a celebration similar in meaning on Cybertron too, but for a human it would be around 5.000 +/- years between each celebration

The first New Years Eve on earth, Ratchet doesn't even notice at first

It is only once their human companions start to mention it, or rather to celebrate, that he hears of it

Considering humanities short lives and Cybertrons own celebration, it doesn't surprise him much

Really, the celebrations are quite similar, there is food, music, drinks and people one likes

Still Ratchet doesn't join the celebration like some of the other bots

He understands the meaning for humans, but to him it is unnecessary to celebrate it

During the Cybertronian equivalent he'd be busy working on mechs that got overcharged and did stupid things, so he is at least glad he doesn't have to do so now

Might be swayed by Optimus later in the evening to at least join for a bit

He doesn't get much out of the celebration, but he likes the fireworks at midnight

Tuffnut

They don't celebrate New Years Eve on Berg, but instead they have Yule

Considering it covers both Christmas and New Years Eve it's way cozier

Usually he is spending time with Ruffnut, not that that is new to anyone

During the day they act mostly the same

But towards the evenings and nights they calm down and spend time together without much fighting

One of his favourite things about Yule is the food

But a close second are the stories

He likes to listen to them a lot and it isn't unusual for him to end up telling stories to younger children

They aren't always age appropriate, but he is highly regarded by the children for his voices and acting out the stories as he tells them

Will deny being soft for the kids forever

Undertaker

New Years isn't really that special to the Undertaker

There have been times, that Vincent Phantomhive would invite him to a New Years party, but only rarely

Similar there have been times in which he was invited to Shinigami New Years parties

Nowadays he either sits and makes himself some tea

Or he takes over the work so the others can celebrate

Sometimes he only joins additionally to pick up the slack

There is a certain inflation of work and newcomers around New Years

It always makes him chuckle just a bit, when he thinks about the way New Years often tends to be the time people make life changing decisions

That all, of course, only applies, if he doesn't have a body to care for or bury

Or a certain young Earl shows up at his shop

Rung

The idea for a New Years celebration came from Swerve after he realised the planet they were currently visiting was just having them

Most didn't really get the why, but it was a reason to celebrate so it was quickly approved and planned

Rung pretty quickly notices the connection this celebration and the one back on Cybertron has

If asked for his opinion or otherwise given the opportunity he will suggest things that were part of the celebrations on Cybertron

Once the celebration is held, he is quite amazed by the mix of new and old happenings

The crew is more or less happy and relax, so he is happier and more relaxed too

He's happy to see that the celebration is lifting everyone's mood

The party itself is loud and chaotic, but it's also homey in a way, reminding him of previous celebrations before the war

He knows, if there would have been invitations, he wouldn't have gotten one, so he's glad its for everyone no invitation needed

Will sip a mild drink and watch the other bots

He's one of the last bots online and standing and he makes a quick image capture for himself

Ghost

After the infection and near eradication of Hallownest, they don't really have a calendar anymore

The survivors pretty easily agree to make the new year start with the defeat of the Radiance

Seeing as this decision is made a bit after the Radiance is defeated, they have a late celebration that is a combination of New Years celebration and a celebration of Ghost defeating the Radiance

Ghost vaguely remembers similar celebrations they witnessed in the Waste

But they have no idea, which celebrations were for a new year and which for something completely else

Considering they were the one to defeat the Radiance, Lemm, Quirrel and Hornet want them to have decision power too

It turns out that they have no clue, when they accidentally start to mix in other celebrations as well

In the end they leave most to the three

Ghost really just cares about spending time with their friends and family