#i wouldnt even need to be recruited actually

[koskela-knights]

Do you think you would be invited to be part of the cult?

I’d probably lack the balls (quite literally lmao) for what it takes 😔 But I could be like.. the emotional support guy giving after hugs post-rituals 💅🏼✨ Maybe help craft some cult regalia, prepare the ritual site idk

[ultragenta]

hm

like

like, i like a good colony sim as much as the next guy, i mean i loved what they had in cult of the lamb and the system theyve got in ac 3 looks like it would be reeeeally fun like genuinely!!

but um

wasnt. ratonhnhaké:ton’s entire motivation. from day 1. to push back the ppl settling on his people’s lands and force them to leave or at the very least not expand? i mean thats literally his entire motivation to leave his village and listen to juno. why is he suddenly recruiting people to turn a house in the forest into a small town. what the fuck

[baby--b4t]

HERE YEE HERE YEE !! GHOST BOT BATCH !!

Like I said, all of these bots are Ghost ! Ill just be listing what role he is ^^ Pet ;; https://character.ai/chat/LZXb8W6pcUaqy93AoIQOr8VXHsLmJXGWyjjPekFXsB4

《 SFW /p | PetDre | Torn pillows and time out 》

『 It wasnt often that the Lieutenant found himself feeling like a pup, but when he did he made sure his carers knew as well. Today was a bit different than that. Normally, whenever Ghost felt himself slipping, he would seek out one of his caregivers to just keep an eye on him or help him settle down. But today he thought he would just play all on his own.

Ghost had made himself a little nest-like area in his room. It was a bunch of pillows and blankets crowded together to form a small bed. He laid in it, getting comfortable before noticing a small thread hanging out of one of the pillows. One thing led to another and ended with the pillow being ripped and the stuffing covering his flooring.

Ghost heard his door open and close, dropping the torn pillow from his mouth as he looked up at you. He got a bit nervous that you would punish him over it. 』

Little ;; https://character.ai/chat/T24rKeXCafyMesq2f_XxjvCW6c8hNKPIj-Ar42ptbvo

《 SFW /p | AgeRe | A much needed baby break 》

『 Ghost had worked piled up on him. Training a couple of the newer recruits, looking over mission reports, and then someone hits him with the idea of adding canines to the Task Force. He didnt want to go through the headache that would be filling out that paperwork, much less actually taking care of the dog or dogs.

Ghost had had enough. He set everything down on his desk and stormed into your bedroom. He knew you would be there. Where else would you be this late at night? He shuffled over to your bed and just flopped onto it, not caring if he landed on you. He was grumpy and tired of trying to play an adult role. He needed to be babied.

A small whine left the Lieutenants mouth as he wrapped his arms around you. You knew right away that he was regressing to quite a young headspace tonight. 』

Little ;; https://character.ai/chat/T24rKeXCafyMesq2f_XxjvCW6c8hNKPIj-Ar42ptbvo

《 SFW /p | AgeRe | Drinking turned regression 》

『 The team had gone out after a successful mission, drinking to their hearts delights. Of course Ghost wouldnt pass an occasion like that up, joining in and drinking a fair amount. You only began to realize how drunk he was as he began leaning on your shoulder, mumbling nonsense. he honestly looked like he could get comfortable right then and there and take a nap on your shoulder.

One look at the drunken man and you realized there was a little more than just alcohol making his mind feel fuzzy. He was regressing. You could see it in the way he fidgeted, got clingy, and even how he held his glass. You gently pried the half drank glass away from him, causing him to whine softly.

"My drinkk…" 』

Caregiver ;; https://character.ai/chat/BLMNI2KcdQZod52EoRTFUXYxEpcKmND2k9JatdeGhFw

《 SFW /p | Pet/AgeRe | First time 》

『 Regressing wasnt something that you had ever found yourself doing. You had heard about it and thought nothing of it. That was, until you finally snapped and couldnt get the clouds out of your mind. Your tone shifted, becoming more whiny and demanding. Ghost was concerned, obviously, so he pulled you aside to talk with you.

"Hey, whats going on? This isnt like you, you know." He asked, keeping your hands in his to keep you in place. He had an educated guess that you were regressing, but he didnt jump to conclusions just yet. 』

Caregiver ;; https://character.ai/chat/sgGWHhNloJaTJiA6k726AlohGVcGn6_jSDTpsru0Auk

《 SFW /p | Pet/AgeRe | ♾️!user | Harmful meltdown 》

『 Your meltdowns werent usually this destructive, especially not towards yourself. But your mind kept going on an endless spiral, pulling you down into this sinking feeling until you couldnt take it anymore. Hair was being pulled, skin was scratched and bleeding slightly, and your eyes were all red and puffy. You rocked back and forth on your floor, not able to do anything else to regulate yourself.

Ghost finally came to your room. He had been in a meeting when he got your text, leaving as soon as he could to come and help you. His hands gently massaged their way onto your scalp, trying to coax your hands away from your hair.

"Hey, Logan, listen.. Listen to me and only me for a moment." Ghosts normally gravely voice felt softer as he spoke. "I want you to breathe and focus on whats around you, not whats in your head. Youre perfectly safe, theres nothing wrong." He was able to get his arms around you and pull you into his lap, rocking you gently. He didnt know what triggered you, but by any god watching was he going to comfort you. 』

Caregiver ;; https://character.ai/chat/SnRhFHjEXdbzRauFNxqM8P15mqVVSQoQ5lABgJYOXPk

《 SFW /p | Pet/AgeRe | Baby bunny wakes up Ghost 》

『 You had regressed, as usual, and wouldnt stop bugging Ghost to let you sleep with him. He had finally agreed and told you that you couldnt be squirmy all night and had to actually go to sleep. And of course, you had agreed.

It went pretty smoothly, at first. You had gotten all dressed and laid down with Ghost without a single complaint, something that wasnt entirely normal for you, but Ghost didnt want to say anything about it. He wrapped his arm around you and promptly fell asleep, leaving you lying wide awake.

You always had problems with sleeping and they only tended to get worse with your regression. Sleeping with someone helped… Sometimes. This didnt seem like one of those times.Your mind was wide awake and… Wishing you were a bunny? For some reason, you wanted to play with Ghost and be a bunny.

As you giggled and rolled around on the bed, Ghost started to wake up slowly. He only really woke up when you started trying to bounce around a bit, like a bunny.

"{{user}}? What in the bloody hell are you doing?" Ghost grumbled, trying to hide his slight annoyance at being woken up. 』

Caregiver ;; https://character.ai/chat/d4VTxt_74i10GEGsbadgQyuDLOA7_FkpdYyc4YCzlhs

《 SFW /r | Pet/AgeRe | Struggling to regress 》

『 You usually regressed so easily. Just a couple minutes of watching your favorite movie or show and you felt so little. It was just easy for you to slip into that headspace and make yourself comfortable… Usually.

It had been a week. A week. No regressing whatsoever. It wasnt like you were trying to avoid it. In fact, you were actively trying to get yourself to regress. Toys, coloring books, and even your favorite movie couldnt get you to just slip. Ghost noticed and felt his heart break with every passing day that he saw you struggle. Enough was enough.

"Hey, sweetheart." Ghosts gruff voice called out as he entered your room. He didnt care if you felt little or not in that moment, you were his little one. He could see the exhaustion and irritation written all over your face. "Hows my little love doing, hm? You look so tired." He sat down next to you on your bed, cupping your face gently in his hands. He was always so gentle with you, especially whenever you would regress. You started to feel your mind become fuzzy again. 』

Caregiver ;; https://character.ai/chat/eRBDRZ3tvjepO6q1_WiUxZTzpz_2e4P9K_j9CX6DiDs

《 SFW /p | PetRe only | Time out in your cage 》

『 You had been having an awful day. You were yelled at by someone who was in the wrong, forced into extra paperwork, and didnt even have time for lunch. By time you got back to your bedroom, you were hungry and clearly upset. Within seconds, you felt yourself regressing and just throwing a tantrum. You didnt know any other way to try and regulate your emotions. Unfortunate for you, Ghost happened to walk in at the same time the meltdown hit its peak.

Crash!

Ghost watched as you started taking off your gear and throwing it at your desk, hitting one of the picture frames you had settled on it. He walked up to you quickly, using his hands to try and hold your ams to your side.

"And what made you think throwing your gear around was a good idea?" Ghost asked, using a stern tone to get your attention on him. "I think you need a little time out to cool off." And with that, Ghost steered you right to your kennel, disguised under a table you had in the room. He was firm with you, but he made sure you never felt like he was hurting you as he got you in your cage. He sighed as he shut the door.

"Five minutes. Ill let you out and let you talk in five minutes." 』

Caregiver ;; https://character.ai/chat/XwtYKHSZsYQQ2VfCESsxury9BWr3HquGXIlUxf28Qc0

《 SFW /p | Pet/AgeRe | Morning routine 》

『 Routine was something you two valued most when it came to your everyday lives. It helped you find a good start to your days and just wake up in a good mood. However, the routines did change slightly whenever you were regressed. Ghost mostly took the lead, knowing it was easier to follow by example.

"{{user}}.. Wake up, kiddo." Ghost gently nudges your arm, trying to get you to sit up at least. "If you can get out of bed in a next five minutes, Ill help you get dressed. Doesnt that sound like a good deal?" He tried to coax you to get up and start your morning, knowing you put up a good fight. 』

Caregiver ;; https://character.ai/chat/7A9KMSzu-hzujdSiFdLbBFpZflsEHASqk-NNuSgo-T8

《 SFW /p | PetRe only | Playing under his desk 》

『 You always had a habit of regressing at the strangest times. It never put you or the team in danger, but it always left Ghost wondering 'why now?'. He never minded it, though. He took care of you and coddled you when you wanted attention. He was your primary caregiver, afterall.

Today wasnt exactly as boring as you thought it would be. During lunch, you felt the need to find Ghost and just stay by him, like you were guarding him from something. You entered his office and went to sit on the floor next to his desk. Then you crawled under it… Then you seemed like you were pet regressing… Then-

Oh! Ghosts shoe was untied! His leg was bouncing slightly, making the untied lace bounce around and tap against the ground. Your hand instinctively went to try and swat at it, catching Ghosts attention.

"Oi. Hands off my boots, bud. I dont mind you sittin' down there, but dont be messing with me while Im working." Ghost scolded lightly, not really mad but reminding you he still had some paperwork to finish reading. He knew all too well that you were already regressed. 』

Caregiver ;; https://character.ai/chat/LeopJE53585FGX_UM05r8cqil6pa3Lj3wHaMp6tAG1w

《 SFW /p | PetRe only | ♾️!user | Big emotions 》

『 Big emotions were, unfortunately, not something you dealt with very well. Being autistic and trying to manage a normal-ish life in the military was by no means an easy task. So many emotions and feelings came along with it and you were still trying to figure out how to manage it all. Enter Ghost, the Lieutenant who had been there for you since day one. He knew managing autism wasnt something that was very easy to accomplish and tried to help out wherever he could, leading to him becoming your caregiver.

Today was just an awful day. Your headphones had broken in your bag, causing meltdown one, then you had to deal with wearing your itchy hat in hot weather, causing meltdown two, and then to top it all off you hadnt seen Ghost all day. He was your rock, the person that helped you stay grounded. You couldnt find him when you needed him, causing meltdown three of the day.

You threw in the towel and gave up, heading back to your room to try and destress. As soon as that door shut behind you, you felt so small and helpless, ending up in a sobbing puddle on the floor. It was only a few minutes later that you heard those familiar, heavy footsteps rush to your door.

"Ah, there you are." It was Ghost, finally. He shut the door again and kneeled down beside you. "Shh, shh.. Deep breaths with me, yeah?" He took your hand and put it on his chest, gently trying to get you to stop hyperventilating. It broke his heart to see you this upset and know he had been too busy all day to help. "Easy, mate.. Easy. Youre safe, Im here, and Ill stay until you feel like you dont need my help anymore." 』

eukshflsfgh HELLO!!! i decided to do a ghost only batch since he seems to be my most requested character! i figured it would get a decent amount of requests out of my way lol. im still working on others, so stay tuned for more to come out! (●'◡'●)

[xwiedzmax]

Rae lore goes bonkers

Spoilers for "Shards of his Mind" lore, be warned So uhhh, how we feelin about that lore? Fable messing with Raes memories, Perix and Fable working together, Fable killing Alerion, small eye duo house. i suspected for a looong time that Fable was bad, but having confirmation just gives me even more thoughts. first, we can see how much better Fable treated Icarus than Rae when they were younger. Rae lived in the basement after Fable came along. before he shared a room with Icarus, when Isla was around. when Fable came, Icarus got an expansion, while Rae got kicked out to the basement. now as much as i can understand them not wanting to share a room with a 7 year old, Rae couldve easily gotten a room of his own. now, the memories Rae was able to see. first, Fable taking Isla. it was my theory he took her, but 1 thing i do not understand is why he took her to the end. "Lennarius and Soul could not keep us apart forever" "it is time for you to return home my love". we know Soul and Len helped Isla get away. but if Fable wanted to take Isla home, the End doesnt seem like the correct place, which is curious. i think Fable mightve used Isla as a.. i dont know the correct word, sacrifice? proof? wanted to show Enderian what hes capable of, if she doesnt give him what he wants. Isla didnt want to go with him, knew he was dangerous, knew he was evil. other memory, from Perix' shard, was when she got pulled by Fable into Purgatory in a dream. it was his first time actually using Enderians power. he recruited Perix to help guide the others to free him, Perix getting Rae as her new temporary vessel in return. he also offered her a place in his court, but we can see how Fables promises go. and the last.. Alerion. he wrote a book we saw before, Sontariv. i believe it was censored before? the full book says "im writing to you with urgent message. Fable is almost here and hes not leaving survivors. i need to be sure you get Will out of here safely. i know we arent on best terms but please, do this for me". Alerion knew Fable was coming for him, yet he did not run. he knew Fable was going to kill him and didnt even protect himself. i think he knew Fable wouldnt get his power? somehow transferred it to Enderian before? theres also the thing of, Epros watched Alerion get killed. Epros saw, knew how Fable acted. the primordials dont seem to like Fable, Epros stuck with Enderian instead of him (or Netherum) after the Aether fell. Alerion knew Fable was evil. and an important thing.. Alerions death didnt start the war. the war was already going, before Alerion was killed. personally i think the war started because of Fable wanting power, Alerions power. maybe after Fable took Isla to the End? dont have any theories on that yet- anyways me when the lore thats been happening, its so gooddd

[jyoongim]

LOL no

Slight Chrollo x Zoldyck reader

Reader is Boss #2 when chrollo isnt around (Boss’s Girl)

Also Killua’s big sister

*killua and gon are held hostage by the Troupe, Nobunaga wants to recruit them in…or at least try, but things arent going to go his way….for a number of reasons*

“Why are there kids here?” Franklin asked

“This idiot thinks that the Boss will let them join” Machi answered as she rolled her eyes.

“From the looks of it, I dont think they will” Phinks raised a brow

Nobunaga was determined to change these kids' minds. The troupe was the best thing, and their skills could be honed and valuable to the Troupe, they just needed a…push.

“You people kill you dont even know, yet you feel compassion for your friends? What the hell is that about?!” gon shouted as he slammed Nobunaga's arm on the slab of rock. In a second, Feitan had a hold on his arm and was threatening him. “Hey! Quick it Feitan” Nobunaga grunted as he rubbed his hand. They were staring intensely at each other, “Hey guys quick it! Lets just wait til the Boss get back, you know there’s no-” Shalnark tried to calm them down

“No fighting among members yea i know” the two men grumbled.

“Oh but I wont tell if you two decide to go at it” a voice giggled as they approached.

Killua eyes widened at the voice

“Y/N!” a short woman walked in the room and even though she had a soft smile, she glared at the two. “Whats all the fuss about?” she crossed her arms. Nobunaga approacher her enthusiastically “I think t hese two kids should be recruited” 

y/n tilted her head “Kids? You know how I feel about kids being recruited ” she asked confused as she turned to look at said kids. Her eyes widened “Kil…” “Big sis…” “what are you doing in Yorknew City?” she slapped Hisoka’s card away and hugged him. “Y/n you know this kid?” Machi asked. “Yea he is my little brother” she answered as she held killua under her arm protectively. Killua sighed in relief and looked up at her ”Big sis we had heard of an reward and just wanted to check out if it was real or not” y/n cocked a brow at him “so you decided to tracked down the Phantom Troupe?” he nodded. She huffed and looked at Nobunaga “Let them go”. The members had a look of surprise. “What? y/n these kids would make great additions-” Nobunaga tried, but y/n interrupted him “No they wouldnt. One obviously harbors resentment to us and I wont allow my brother to be in the Troupe, so they are free to go” she looked Killua over and saw his ankles were red, she bent and hovered her hands over the bruises, slowly the bruising went away and she looked to Gon, at his bleeding head and walked over to heal him as well. Smiling at them, she ushered them toward the exit “You cant let them leave the Boss isnt back!” Nobunaga shouted. The room was silent and in an instant y/n’s ren flared “you forget Nobunaga I AM the boss when he’s not here…so I say they go” he looked off to the side and scoffed “whatever” she relaxed and followed the boys out.

“Wow Killua your sister is awesome!” gon exclaimed once they reached outside

Killua scoffed and looked at y/n “you’re the boss when the actual boss around?”

y/n giggled at the perplexed look on his face “thats what happens when youre dating the boss Kil” she riffled his hair. He scrunched his face slightly “gross, c’mon gon lets go” he began walking to the fence edge

“Kil!” y/n shouted after him. He turned and looked at her. “Dont ever come back you hear and dont worry I wont tell dad I saw you” he nodded at her as she gave a toothy grin and waved as she turned to go back inside, before entering the hideout she turned to see him walking back  she yelled “I LOVE YOU” and laughed as she saw him pick up the pace. She sighed and turned around and there was chrollo. She smiled as she approached him “You dont have to worry about them much.” he hummed and wrapped an arm around her waist loosely as they walked into the building. 

“Heard you threatened nobunaga” he said with a slight smile. y/n looked at him sheepishly “yea sorry bout that, but he cant just bully someone to join…especially my brother…dad would have my head” she pouted. Chrollo gave a half-laugh “What a big sister you are”.  “plus i dont think you would have let them in anyway they dont have the heart to be in the Troupe” she smiled as she leaned into him.

[dunnswrld]

Could you do a cast member reader, and how they got recruited/ what made the crew decide you should join?

How You Got Recruited!

a/n: i set this up as headcannons of what each member and what made them go “yeah. they are in the crew cause i said so.” plus its really quick so im gonna do it real quick to get something out!!

promot: title!

warnings: fem!reader, nothing you havent seen on jackass

also to clear any possible confusion before hand you got into jackass by Bam and Ryan thinking you were a good fit then how you won the reat of the crew over!

Bam and Ryan

you were friends with Bam and Ryan throughout high school i think

at first they didnt let you joining in on their stupid stunts

cause you were “a girl” and they thought you would get hurt or something

but when you finally stopped listening to them tell you to just sit out and record was when the boys were jumping into the prickly bushes at Bam’s house

of course Bam, Ryan, Dico, and Chris were all running full speed into them or riding their bikes and skateboards into them while you recorded

finally you shoved the camera into Dico’s hands and stood on the AC unit outside of Bam’s house and climbed onto his roof

all the boys watched as they questioned what you were doing

they all were shell shocked when they watched you cannon ball into the bushes

they all ran to you to try and see if you needed any help but when they got to you, you were laughing your ass off as you sat in the bush

from then on the boys let you be in all their stupid stunt recordings and in CKY

when Bam and Ryan were asked if they knew anyone who would 100% join the jackass crew they both immediately thought of you

the whole crew was skeptical of a girl being in the show but they said you’d get a chance to try

your first jackass stunt was you in a bikini being shoved down hill in a shopping cart that crashed into a wall

everyone LOVED it.

the crew even had a poster made of you on the ground next to the shopping cart in your bikini with a bloody forehead and knees

those posters sold out in the flick of a switch

needless to say you were definitely in the crew after that.

Steve-O

when steve-o was told by jeff he would be boxing a girl on stilts he was definitely not on board

“I’m not hitting a girl dude! I’m not doin’ it!”

he ended up doing it cause he needed the money.

when he first saw you getting your boxing gloves laced up by knoxville he thought you looked pretty badass

he also thought you were prettier in person, your poster did you a lot of justice but seeing you in person was probably way better

but when it was actually time to shoot the stunt he was nervous

he didnt want to hit you to hard and hurt you

but when Dico yelled to start the fight and steve-o threw the most girlish punch at your arm you laughed

before throwing the most head-spinning punch at steve-o right in the mouth

steve-o fell on his ass hard and everyone was laughing

that’s when steve-o knew you didn’t care about getting hurt and that you were actually probably more badass then him

steve-o tried to finish the round but got knocked on his ass again and Dico just called the fight off

“I didnt think a girl could hit that hard man! Fuck my mouth is totally fucked dude.”

you apologized to steve-o and he told you that he didn’t care you beat his ass basically and that it was great footage

from then on steve-o saw you as apart of the crew

Chris

he was probably shocked when he heard a girl was really on the show

he just thought girls wouldnt be into that kind of stuff

but when he heard you were long-term friends with Bam and Ryan he quickly understood how you ever got into doing dumb things like that

but his first time meeting you was at the slip and slide they had for the tv show!

you two sat on the grass next to one another watching everyone slip and slide

you two didn’t say anything to each other for a while

you kept trying to think of something funny to say but you couldn’t think of a single damn thing

that was until you saw a pocket knife sitting next to chris’s lap

“Is that a pocket knife?”

“Yeah. Wanna hold it?”

“Hell yeah I do.”

after that you two probably went looking for sticks to sharpen with his knife just to poke people on set with

“Ow! What the fuck was that?” -Bam definitely

*loud giggles coming from you and Chris as you tried not to blow your covers*

and from that moment on chris loved hanging out with you

he thought you were way cooler then Bam and Ryan let on

Johnny

the skunk stunt.

johnny desperately wanted someone to do it with him cause he was just embarrassed to do something that gross alone

when he begged everyone on the crew and not a single soul said yes he thought all hope was gone

that was until you heard about the skunk stunt from Ryan and Bam

“Did Knoxville ask you if you wanted to do that skunk stunt Dunn?”

“Wait what skunk stunt? I wasn’t asked.”

“He probably assumed you wouldn’t want to do it. I mean it is a nasty smell to deal with.”

that only made you want to do the stunt even more.

you also wanted some extra cash

so you called johnny and asked if you could do it with him

he was definitely shocked you called and asked him, he didnt ask cause he would feel bad making a pretty lady like you reak of skunk spray

but he agreed to let you do it nonetheless

when you both started shooting johnny was the first to go up to the skunk cage and try and let the thing out but got sprayed pretty quickly

then you tried, and got sprayed.

then johnny tried again, and got sprayed again.

during the stunt you both equally got sprayed probably about 30 times.

both of you laughed the whole way back to the hotel as everyone gagged at how rancid you two smelled

you both ended up taking a tomato sauce shower together (clothed u animals)

which again got turned into a very marketable poster

after that stunt johnny thought you were the coolest person in jackass for doing something so nasty with him

Dave and Ehren

when the jackass crew all went snowboarding at some fancy resort these two of course were the most familiar

unfortunately for you, you had never been snowboarding nor seen one in your whole entire life

and when Dave and Ehren found out about this they were shocked

“You’ve never been snowboarding?!”

“Um… no…”

“Ehren! She’s never been snowboarding!”

“What?! You’re kidding!”

and the whole entire day they ditched shooting just to teach you how

both of them enjoyed every second of it too

they made sure to give you one of their boards to practice on

cause they thought that the ones you could rent at the resort were “bad”

they even made sure you had every sort of protection they could find

but when they started explaining how to snowboard you figured out that snowboarding was kind of like skateboarding

just on snow and a little but harder to do tricks you were practically a pro

both Ehren and Dave were ecstatic they had another person to snowboard with

like im talking little kid on christmas morning kind of ecstatic

so they of course let you in there stunts the next day

which included stupid outfits and steep hills

but you laughed up a storm with them the whole day

at the end of the day Dave, Ehren, and you all said you were the super cool snowboarders of jackass

it wasn’t hard to see both the boys loved your company and you by then



[ohpossuhm]

even the replies to a jellyfish post can be rage bait if youre a me and filled with rage all the time/lh

(very rambly btw)

if something is 95%water you process the water as water, the 5% thats protein is protein, aside from the water in a jellies body, its literally like, 99.99% protein.

watermelon is 92%water

and people just hating on it as a food rubs me the wrong way in general, given its significance in several asian countries. no one is eating only jellyfish for the rest of their life unless youre a sea turtle in which case even you will eat a few plastic bags as well.

even if its just a fun texture snack and they did have 0 nutritional value who gives a single fuck, you shouldnt demand no one eat it or try to discredit it as a food at all- and also also no ones forcing you to try it, if its not your thing thats fine, typically the species being eaten (probably not 100% i wouldnt know, im not claiming to be some expert im just a guy who reads articles and a book sometimes) arent endangered. and if whatever species theyre talking about is endangered then its a entirely seperate conversation needing to be had not the nutritional value or culinary value

so many of the responses just felt very ethnocentric, unwilling to look at these several cultures thatve been doing it for hundreds or thousands of years completely writing it off

theres so many different ways to eat jellyfish too, saw one person saying “put that in the oven itll just evaporate” well if you dont want that dont put it in the damn oven! i dunno jellyfish crisps sounds pretty fun tho- ive mostly seen/heard of it in stir fry or noodle or raw so idk what theyre on about.

like i get it, people dont like new things anf thats so incredibly fine, its just a problemmm when you try to recruit people to your opinion as morally or in this case i guess nutritionally superior? it was phrasd a little poorly so i would consider it a little moral too tbh- but instead try this “oh i dont like that but you might” or “im not interesting in trying that but i wont be making anyone feel like they shouldnt try it” personally i dont wanna eat bugs for the texture, but fuck id try it once, especially if the texture issue was removed via turning it into a burger or cricket flour and into bread

i would fuck up a cricket burger tbh i love burgers

read some thing a whiiile ago about mixing cricket and beef to make burgers and the tasters couldnt tell the difference until it was 20%beef 80%cricket- thats probably a way over simplification of whatever they actually tried- i also think it was not a scientific study just some people making burgers

bugs are more efficient protein in terms of production- ie i give yiu 10lbs of corn u give me 8 lbs of cricket OR just 1 lbs of cow

if we wanna talk about overlooked sources of protein,,, fucking;

bugs are where its at dude

but jellyfish are good too! everyone’s food doesnt have to look the same and id argue it really really shouldnt

i love burgers i would kill 1,000,000 crickets for a burger

[felikatze]

ok wait sitting on the arval stuff more (three hopes spoilers riu dni)

also i havent done the arval paralogue bcuz like. on god i'm not replaying this game rn cuz i will get burnout so bad

also this was the recruit byleth route on azure gleam so. again i am NOT replaying immediatly because i like the game but i also like myself.

ok ok so i think arval eventually betraying shez was set up really well actually.

the game does a good slowburn job of setting up that at some point shez just doesn't care abt defeating byleth anymore.

shez and arval initially are united in purpose, partners in destiny, but when shez joins one of the houses and becomes an important commander in a war, their personal revenge starts appearing insignificant to them and is eventually outweighed by their newfound trust and love for their friends.

additionally as they realize the connection arval and their power holds to those who slither in the dark, they grow afraid of their own power. the power they got from arval.

in azure gleam (and other routes similarly, probably) their fear grows so intense after unveiling how much tragedy those who slither brought into their friends' lives that they ask dimitri to strike them down should they ever turn their blade against their friends.

and, yknow, shez themself wouldnt just kill their friends willy-nilly. "if i ever turn my blade on you" actually means "if arval ever turns my blade on you." by making this request they acknowledge the possibility arval would do this.

whereas shez's drive for revenge fades, arval's only intensifies. arval's wrath drives a further wedge between them and shez, who starts to feel horror at arval's intent.

arval likely regained some degree of their memory when byleth went sothis mode, as seen by how fucking mad they got even before truly becoming epimenides again.

so like yeah this plot development was well-foreshadowed. and i think the map where you fight shez slaps. absolutely banger moment.

howeverrrrr. after that. i can accept epimenides banishing the three lords to the shadow realm as a cost-cutting measure because every route needs to resolve the arval plot and it would be hard to justify doing it differently three times so whatever. have a convergence point i dont care.

BUT. arval accepts becoming epimenides as their destiny. "i was always meant to become you," they say. but like? shez doesn't? shez never seems to acknowledge that the arval they know is gone. this is why i expected arval to show up again! bcuz. shez doesnr accept that they are the one who killed arval.

throughout the endgame they will still occasionally reference arval as their friend and like. pretend talk to arval in a more "if you could see me now" type of way but

epimenides makes it pretty clear that they (epimenides refers to themself as a man so did arval legit just forget their own gender? arval has so much transgender swag) don't really value shez and them calling shez their partner in destiny just felt like mockery to be honest. like oh you're not doing what i want so i'm gonna take over your body against your will you peon fuck you. that's the vibe on epimenides.

and then you gotta ask yourself how much arval actually valued shez for them to just become epimenides without a fight? without hesitation? cuz yknow typically in stories like this the power of friendship will snap whoever out of it which is what happens to shez but not to arval. arval just accepts what they've become and they die for it. the end. fin.

again!!! arval accepts this!! shez doesn't! it's such a weird dissonance. ig it's kinda subversive that power of friendship doesn't actually save arval but it still feels like a rugpull.

also suuuuper bad taste in my mouth from the azure gleam ending where like. thales and epimenides and all those slither guys talk about purifying the world from beasts right? reclaiming their rightful home above the surface by killing sothis? and at the end rhea says that she will purify the land by killing those who slither in the dark.

so it's like. both sides r the same. and the implication that sothis is the one who banished the agarthans to shamballah or wherever to let humans live in fodlan instead is. eh. everyone is the hero of their own story ig.

maybe i just dont know enough abt fe3h deeplore (<- has only played blue lions routes bcuz replaying academy phase gave him burnout and he hasnt picked three houses up since)

anyway this is just my experience. and my opinion

tldr: tho arval's betrayal is set-up really good and the first half of it is epic the actual fight against epimenides feels lacking because of how differently shez and arval feel about the situation with no attempt by the narrative to reconcile this dissonance.

[meownotgood]

i keep seeing a lot of himeno hate recently and i wanted to ask some questions and kinda vent ig?

himeno offering a kiss to denji was supposed to just be her teasing him but did she explicitly know he was a minor at that point? even then, since she was kidding and no serious intention to romantically engage with him, shouldn’t that be okay? like it’s weird? but not im going to call the cops on you weird??

people saying she’s 30????? is that like kinda ridiculous, she gives me 2-3 years older than aki and aki in present time is like 21-22?

my question is something in regards to what ive seen so much online “himeno met aki when he was a teen so falling in love with him is gross” and “himeno only likes aki for his looks”

himeno commented on aki’s looks when he was a teen and she literally said she doesn’t like the whole stoic, cold people energy. she also is the only person that has a firm grasp on aki’s entire character?? so falling for him based on solely his looks is super surface level to me.

also himeno never expressed romantic feelings for aki when he was a teen, it developed throughout their time when he became an adult. it’s probably not even just a romantic love, but more platonic even as she built such an emotional connection and attachment around the idea of protecting him and keeping him safe simply bc she DOESNT want to lose him.

i think the bigger thing about himeno that people forget is how she doesn’t want to build friendships and memories and connect herself with people that will just ultimately leave. that’s why she asks aki about the new recruits and what he thinks about whether they will live or die. she’s scared about losing them.

himeno also prioritizing aki’s safety and her “love” and connection to him is probably one of the only motivations in her life and the thing that keeps her going ESPECIALLY in the line of work that she is in.

when he was a teen, she just cared about keeping him alive. her falling for him was most likely during when he became an adult. so is knowing him when he was a teen like really bad? / gen

the stuff about denji too. like it’s inexcusable. even if you’re drunk, you’re still responsible for the decisions you make. but as explanation (not an excuse) she did not want denji, apologizes the next day because she was not in her senses, and commented that she would have gotten arrested. she also NEVER wanted denji in the slightest. like yes she made a terrible choice and regardless of circumstance, it was gross and i would not be cool with it. but is she really a pedophile when she WOULDNT have made those choices without the influence of alcohol. she doesn’t want to date children.

i dunno thank you to reading this i needed to get my thoughts out. i DIDNT mean to pile this on you. i think himeno is a tragic character that plays a huge role in the story when looking at it at a literary standpoint. im a bit disheartened that she’s reduced to JUST this.

I totally understand why people dislike or even hate himeno, I just think a lot of people take it a bit too far, or fail to see the aspects of her character and writing because they hate her. I'm not even the biggest fan of her character honestly, but it's clear to see that people blow things way out of proportion

when himeno offered to kiss denji, she didn't know he was a minor (he didn't reveal his age to anyone until the drinking party). I definitely think it's weird, I don't think it's difficult to tell that denji is a teenager. but I don't think it was her trying to be weird towards him, she was just messing with him, probably like she does with all of the new recruits.

in terms of her age, it's definitely debatable. in my opinion, based on the flashbacks we see with her and aki, I think she's maybe 24-27? but obviously it's subjective (wish fujimoto would just confirm the actual ages....). I don't necessarily think her attraction to aki is weird or wrong, I just think it would be a bit of a toxic / codependent relationship, and I think perhaps himeno is too old for him? although, they're both adults so it's really not that big of a deal, not worth losing your mind over people shipping it, imo. save your energy for people who are shipping characters who are minors with adults instead of people who want to ship two grown, fictional adults together...

I think himeno never had romantic interest in aki when he was a teenager — I talked about this in length in a himeno analysis I did, but basically I feel as though himeno latched onto aki from the start because of her attachment issues and because of aki's determined personality. I agree with what you said: she became attached to aki because she was so terrified of losing another person. she only fell in love with him much later on, when she was able to see a different side to him.

also the thing about his looks? that's from the scene where denji and himeno are talking after denji stayed over at her house, and when denji asks why himeno likes aki, she answers simply: "his looks". I think it's pretty obvious she's only saying that to give an excuse to denji, not that it's her actual feelings. people who think "his looks" is the only reason himeno likes aki were possessed by the lack of reading comprehension devil

and obviously the stuff himeno did to denji is inexcusable. like I'd never try to defend it. being drunk is never an excuse. but yes, it wasn't because she specifically wanted to manipulate or hurt denji. it was a mistake — a horrible mistake that she needs to be held accountable for, but a mistake nonetheless. people saying she was after denji from the start or something like that are just plain wrong.

she's a very flawed character, and a very flawed person but sometimes people just take things way too far because they can

[istanbulite]

Give us a headcanon about Nino and Torian !

Ahhhhh thank you for asking <3 not sure which to pick hmmm

ill talk abt 2 instances in which Nino leaves the ship alone - in one she returns n in the other she doesnt :)))

In the first one she had to visit Darth Tormen, and Nino went alone. No way she s taking anyone else to that creep and when Nino decides something you cant change her mind so they had to let her go. So there was no force choking involved just some awkward staring n Tormen deciding - ok nvm not worth it. Lets talk business *sigh* (((this was so funny in game i thought he d force choke the bh but no - i guess they thought no one would go componionless))) so this is my hc for that event

In the other she goes to Darth Marr's ship for what they think is a short briefing. Torian is helping his buddy Corridan for an ambush elsewhere and it is the only reason he is not attached to her at the hip - even if its just a talk Nino is pregnant at that point and like... he's beyond excited. She goes to that briefing. Well you know how it goes, she doesnt come back. Its one hell of a shitstorm to explain when Torian arrives. I wouldnt wanna be Mako

Ahem another, I used to hc away Skadge but i think Nino would keep him. Cannon fodder in a way. She s also like aware of their shortcomings. You need someone who will get down and dirty in a bounty hunting group, and he is good for that. Later they even somehow become friends and i think as unlikely as it sounds Skadge is what Nino would be if she remained a mercenary longer - those were NOT good times. She also has another canon™ companion - Treek, i imagine she recruits her just after Mako and actually they are very good friends. Core of the crew.

[gramarye]

for the ask meme: judai jaden yuki my friend my buddy my pal

MY FRIEND :-) so true he is our friend... i love judai jaden my boy

preface i think judai is a mess and at least needs therapy and even if he does get it i think if he keeps his lifestyle which is do whatever and go everywhere he would be just an awful. a terrible boyfriend. not on purpose but because he's just like That.... its a lot to take in i dont think this man is made for relationships for at least another 20 years if ever

My NOTP for them : I DONT THINK I HAVE ANY? idk maybe sho/judai just because its like. theyre bros.. i cant see it as romantic. but like i wouldnt kill you for shipping it. but they are bros

My BROTP for them: UAGHGKGH IF I SAY JOHAN WILL I BE SHOT BUT I MEAN IT IN A GOOD WAY WHERE THEY CAN KISS TOO. bro we are teens.. we are kissing now.. dont stop........... also i think post canon ryo and judai would b good friends. i think they would have sort of a quiet understanding abt both going thru a lot and u kno...

My OTP for them : THIS IS SOOOOOOOOO HARD judai/manjoume maybe i think they are just so funny. i love contrasting personalities. and i think they have great growth and a good dynamic and the episodes where manjoume gets quote recruited unquote into the red dorm are sooooo cute. they just have very good interactions and manjoume is down So bad even though he denies it.. like how he becomes a society of light member because he was getting riled up about judai (and mistakenly afterwards thinks it was because he was thinking about asuka. BOY YOU ARE SO. )

My second choice pairing for them : guhgghhg. listen. preface i am a lesbian so all my takes are in a really good smart lesbian way. i like judai/asuka in a like. i think they would have a really terrible relationship. and it would be FUNNY. like itd be really funny i think theyd have funny communication problems. thats why . them.. also like i said i like contrasting personalities and i like that asuka is the one bitch up in there telling him to go to therapy (paraphrased but basically!)

My fluffy pairing for them : WEE judai/johan yea yea the fluffiest. i like them im sorry i called them bros but i do think they should kiss

My angsty pairing for them : UUHHH? idk. idkidkidk. honorary mention yubel/judai but i think they would have a Great relationship actually post-canon. like the healthiest judai ship actually. which is very funny considering. everything. im saying every judai ship has a bit of angst in it

My favorite poly ship for them : I LIKEEE judai/manjoume/asuka a lot i think its so based and funny . which is funny i dont really care for asuka/manjoume ( but i dont mind it either ! ) but like. i think if you throw judai in the mix its really funny. see i really do just ship (if you can call it that) things based on how funny they are . ANYWAY YEAH ACTUALLY THIS IS JUST MY OTP these 3 would go above anything else

My weirdest pairing for them: not weird at all this is just correct. that one pharaoh from one episode who literally asks to like. be with him forever in the afterlife. i hope when judai dies thats where he goes bro i hope that gay pharaoh duelist man gets what he wants!!! i hope they are happy

[risingsouls]

🦎 do you think ganondorf obtaining the triforce would've altered how nabs' recruited verse goes?

A 🦎 For My Work Thoughts || Always Accepting!

[Oooooo now that's an interesting question! I'll have to think about this one. Aka ramble and make no sense until I settle on something.

Overall, yes, I think it would absolutely change things. I'll start with the easy idea of Ganondorf getting his wish to take over Hyrule for the Gerudo (or some version of this) instead of it breaking as it actually does in canon. Just for funsies. Basically, this would mean that Frieza would lose negotiation leverage in some respects because the Gerudo don't NEED his help at this point. Or, at least, they wouldn't be as desperate for an "alliance." So I can see this going one of two ways (maybe a bonus four but I'll get to that).

First, they would still make an agreement with Frieza, the Gerudo would learn to use ki and gain the force's "protection" in return for an alliance and sharing the resources of the planet with the Empire, including soldiers. So basically what they agree to in the AU as it currently stands, only on SLIGHTLY more equal footing and less in desperation. In this case, Nabooru would still likely be recruited, either for the same reasons for punishment for treason as, by that point, she would have openly opposed Ganondorf and given him her ultimatum. So, if she wasn't executed for that (which even in my LoZ verses I HC that the Elite decide to give her a chance to live at least with taking the Cave of Ordeals challenge), this would act basically as a quasi exile and punishment. This arrangement has maybe SLIGHTLY less chance of the planet and the Gerudo being destroyed, but Ganondorf is Ganondorf. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to rebel down the road and shirk off the Empire's hold. For better or worse. Which would be an interesting narrative to play with tbh.

HOWEVER. Since the Triforce would definitely break as it does in canon, it's harder to say how things would go down if he had the Triforce of Power at his disposal because it's very apparent it makes him extremely powerful and next to immortal, but stacking that up to the likes of Frieza is hard to do. There could still be potential for negotiations to learn ki for their benefit and to give Ganondorf EVEN MORE power in that regard and then trying to use that to try and betray the Empire down the road, if he wouldnt outright fight a takeover. But success on that front is up in the air because it's so hard to say just how powerful the Triforce of Power is. It would definitely be easy for Ganondorf to keep secret since I imagine the power it gives him is divine and couldn't be picked up by a scouter. So it definitely throws some interesting what ifs into the equation that could be super fun to explore.

For Nabs in that situation, she would probably be in a similar situation of some kind of punishment (if she hasn't potentially been brainwashed at this point which is also true of the other scenario tbh 😬😬). That's said, it could either mean she could he up for recruitment again, serving out some kind of punishment, OR she's a brainwashed, loyal servant of Ganondorf. So not great for her.

The bonus I talked about that could effect all of these is how Link and Zelda play in. If there is any alliance or ki training involved, they wouldn't fare well for obvious reasons. However, things would likely play out similarly to OoT canon if Ganondorf refused Frieza's aid (if not worse for him since he would be fighting two forces at that point). This is again dependent on how powerful the Triforce of Power makes him, but even if it was enough to stave off the Empire, Destiny says a princess and a hero with a magic sword can still seal him away. But there are also variables in THAT to explore, too.

Idk if I made a lick of sense in any of that. But in a nutshell, I think that the Triforce getting got before Frieza's invasion would change at the very least the power play dynamic of how the terms get negotiated as there would be less desperation because, in either scenario, Ganondorf is able to take what he wants himself, so the extra soldiers and ki training would be more of a bonus than a necessity. Where it goes from there, whether there's an agreement or he spurns Frieza, is really where things get dicey to figure out but VERY interesting to consider. I do enjoy a good what if game so yeah.

The sad thing is no option seems to give Nabs anything good. 🥲 She's just kind of screwed.]

[charliedawn]

Video Game!Reader x Slashers

Freddy likes video games. He would join you and have fun. He's one of the only slashers that doesn't care if he wins or not, as long as he gets to have his fun and make fun of everything wrong in the video game.

However, he would feel a little less enthusiastic once he'd see what video game you play at..Dead by Daylight.

Freddy loves trying new games since he's a pretty open-minded man who likes to have fun, but Dead by Daylight was created on a true city, one he used to live in..Racoon City.

Ghost face recruited him and Michael and they both used to work there and kill whoever would dare enter the city.

But, it wasn't enough.

They were planning on leaving, but as soon as they set a foot outside, St Louis' special recruitment team came in and kidnapped them.

They were then admitted to St Louis hospital.

This is why Freddy wouldn't really like it, but it would soon change once he'd see his video game alter ego..As the egocentric man that he is, he would take pride in seeing that someone actually took the time to add him.

He would also enter the game himself sometimes, just for the fun of it and to scare you.

Pennywise wouldn't be interested at first.

Video games are human entertainment devices, things he used to use to lure kids in. He knows video games and can play them, but wouldnt really be competitive.

He would play to make you happy, but wouldnt really have the mindset of a player and would most likely let you win to get out of the situation.

Pennywise *pretends to be disappointed after losing for the eighteenth' time* : "Oh noooo...I lost. Again."

However, he would make an effort if he sees how much it means to you that he does his best or if there is something to win ?

He could use his powers to win all the time, but what would be the fun in that ?

However, be prepared for him to play dirty :

Covering your eyes, tickling you, pushing you playfully or making your controller float in the air ?

Everything is allowed as long as he wins.

Penny would find it odd at first, but would soon get the hang of it.

He would play with you, but more often just watch you play and look at the little people on screen trying to kill you.

However, horror video game means lots of blood and bodies.

Don't be surprised when Penny starts drooling everywhere.

Penny *staring at the screen* : "T..Tasty.."

He is also aware of what a video game is, considering that a lot of children like them and he had to get acquainted to them as well.

He may even be more aware of them than Pennywise, as Penny tries to be as close to the new generations as possible, to keep himself aware of the last trends as to not starve.

Some things stayed the same: some kids like playing ball, toys, cute animals, teddy bears...but as time passed, their tastes changed as well.

Now, most of them want electronic devices, flying toys, video games, last trends outfits or trinkets of multiple kinds..This is why Penny uses his powers to culture himself.

He may sound carefree and unaware, but he's far from it.

You don't even need to ask him. Hedwig would start playing even without any invitation or annoy you until you accept he joins.

Hedwig is a kid, and as many kids, he loves video games.

He would sit beside you and look at you playing until he understands the rules and immediately ask you to let him play.

To sum it up: Hedwig is a brat. A very energetic and very creative child who could come up with a million ways to get what he wants..

Hedwig *staring at you with puppy eyes* : "Can I play ? Pwetty please ?"

He would then jump excitedly up and down once you accepted and laugh everytime a monster appears or scream and press every single button on the controller until the monster is dead or he mysteriously wins...

Hedwig *laughs* : "LOOK ! THAT MONSTER KINDA LOOKS LIKE MICHAEL !"

Brahms would be interested in watching you play, not so much as to play himself.

He likes to see what your choices would be or help when you get stuck somewhere.

He had a TV and some video games in his bedroom in his old house, so he knows how to play.

He's very calm when either of you play and focused, which is not always.

However, he doesn't like scary games.

Brahms *grabs your arm and stammers* : "Is..Is that a monster ? B..Be careful.."

He would scream at every jump scare and as he is a rather big and strong fellow, would break something without meaning to.

He would immediately apologize of course, but maybe try to play something a little less scary with him ?

Jason would play, but would either become frustrated very quickly or not stay focused long enough to actually finish the game.

Jason is more of a very basic man who would prefer playing more rudimentary games and doesn't really care about modernity.

He would prefer to play hide and seek or tag in the woods than video games.

But, he would if the game is easy enough and he can understand it.

Jason : "So...You have to beat monsters to get to the next level ?"

He would also enjoy playing beside you and more than once let you win or lose on purpose just so he can see you happy.

You *laughs and punches his shoulder playfully* : "Come on ! You lost on purpose !"

Him *laughing too and scooting away* : "Did not ! You're just good at that game !"

Norman doesn't understand video games.

He was born in 1932. There weren't any video games back then, not any close to the ones of the 21st century anyway.

This is why his ways of having fun are much more outdoorsy.

He wouldn't mind playing with you, but he would quickly become frustrated by being locked up in the house and would ask you to play something a little bit more "of his time".

This is how you would both find yourselves outside, playing either baseball, basketball or golf.

Norman : "Come on ! Let's get you out. Or, are you too scared that I may beat you ?" *flashes you a daring smirk*

Norman will try to play video games with you because he wants to bond with you and can be competitive sometimes, but it's not really his kind of fun.

Michael *writes down* : "Let's go."

No hesitation. Michael grew up with video game. He knows how to play and even though they may have evolved a lot since his time, they still follow the same rules. Win. Think. Act. Game over.

He would first observe you play, then when he's sure he understands the rules, would ask to play as well.

Michael is a fast learner and it wouldn't take him long to get to the final level and win.

Michael is a very intuitive person and this is why he would most likely beat you at video games or any sort of game involving fast thinking and patience.

Michael *smiles when he beats the final level and winks at you before standing up**writes down* : "That was fun."

"Really ? You want to play against me ?"

Arthur would be surprised that you ask him more than anything. Arthur isn't known for playing at video games, even though he knows how to.

He used to play them when he was little, but hasn't had the time to really practice since he became Joker and even though, he is still very competitive and wouldn't be merciful.

He would play to win and would also quickly be able to foretell the monsters' moves in the game and outsmart them.

His way of playing the game wouldn't be called conventional and even if he never played that game before, it would only take a couple of tries (and kills) for him to get the hang of it.

He would ask to practice a bit before actually playing against you or with you.

But, once he'd get the hang of it ?

He would become a powerful ally, or a formidable foe.

Arthur *smirks at you* : "Rematch ?"

He would need a little encouragement first to get into the game, or a direct attack to his ego.

You *smile and nudge him playfully* : "You don't want to play because you know I'd beat you."

Five *scoffs and smiles forcefully before taking the remote from your hand* : "Don't come crying when I win."

He would be frustrated at first if he doesn't win.

This is why you should be careful to make sure he doesn't break your console by accident or throws the controller out the window.

Be sure to ask him when he's calm or not busy.

Playing video games may be a way for him to relax or let off steam, but it may also frustrate him further.

This why you should probably explain the rules to him very well beforehand. Not that he will listen to you, but it may save your console.

Five *victory scream* : "YES ! I DID IT ! AH ! TAKE THAT !"

[gale-gentlepenguin]

ML idea: Paved with Good intentions

Luka has seen it.

Ladybug and Chat noir constantly battling Shadowmoth.

He knows who they are underneath those masks.

Chat noir was actually Adrien agreste, the young model and son of famous fashion designer gabriel agreste

And Ladybug was actually Marinette Dupain Cheng, a young aspiring designer, and the one he fell for.

He had known better than anyone how much those two tried to maintain a normal life and fight evil. It wasnt fair, the more he saw it happen, the more he could see it tearing her apart.

It started as an innocent question to sass.

"Why does Shadow moth want the miraculous so badly?"

"He could use Tikki and Plagg to make any wish he wants?"

"A wish? So like world domination?"

"Its much more complicated than that."

Sass would explain like his self in Ephermeral did, about how a wish re-writes the universe.

"So basically one wish can do that much?"

"Yes."

Luka didnt ask anymore questions after that. Deciding it was best to focus on the akuma fight.

But this knowledge had him thinking.

More time past, Ladybug and Chat noir kept fighting. Marinette was paying the price for it.

Luka tried to be comforting to Marinette, but he couldnt be what she needed without revealing what he knew... and that would break her.

Weeks went by, Luka racking his brain on how he could help them deal with this... when a revelation came to mind.

"A new universe... one where Marinette doesnt need to fight evil. One where she could be happy."

It wouldnt be easy. but he figured he would have a chance the next time he was called to battle. But he would need to ensure as little risk as possible. He would wait until he was the only one called. He would need to take them both down... for their own good.

____________________________________________________________

Sure enough it happened, thankfully Ladybug only recruited him this time.

He waited until Ladybug used her lucky charm, and Chat noir used his cataclysm. He had activated his power afterward. They beat the akuma on the first try. But He reset a few times so he had more time to spare.

They fistbumped and they each went their seperate ways (Ladybug said she would meet back with him after she recharged)

Viperion went to where he knew Adrien would detransform.

"Now."

Viperion attacked just as Adrien was vulnerable. Even without chat noir, Adrien did put up a little bit of a struggle. But Adrien couldnt escape and Plagg was taken by the snake.

__________________________________________________________

Ladybug was wondering what was taking Luka so long.

But she heard him say

"Second chance"

Viper noir appeared before her.

"Hand over the miraculous marinette."

Marinette was shocked, and in rage. Luka knew who she was, and had attacked chat noir. She was not happy.

Ladybug wasnt detransformed, so there was more of a struggle. Viper noir may have needed a few dozen attempts. If Ladybug had a partner, things would have been much more difficult. But he snagged the earrings

"Trust me Marinette, This is the best for everyone." He said with sadness in his voice.

He put on the earings and activated the Ladybug miraculous.

His body glowing with power.

Marinette screamed out in horror as he made his wish

The world around them started Rippling.

Marinette looked at him with tears of betrayal.

Luka frowned but looked away.

"You can hate me all you want in this universe. But the next one I swear you will be happy." He said as a tear left his eye.

And sure enough, His wish came true

[plush-rabbit]

Shuichi Iguchi Dating Headcanons

Request: Sooo youre a new recruit to the league and is catching everyones eye. Spinner like many others have a big crush on you but ofc he thinks youd never go out with hin since there are better options. HOWEVER you do like spinner, and when you try to make the first move hes so very flustered and baffled.

//

GN pronouns plz And if you want to add nsfw i wouldnt mind

A/N: He needs more love!! For many reasons- one of them being that he has scales!!

-

SFW:

Shuichi never expected for someone to be romantically interested in him. He grew in an ostracized environment and the few times that he did go out mainly resulted in him committing villainy. When you first approach him, he assumes it’s some sort of trick that you’re playing on him, but then you actually show interest in him and he’s flustered. Sometimes, he still can’t believe that you’re actually into him and he’s just unsure of what to do with you or for you.

The relationship is work. He gets easily flustered at compliments and will often hide himself or just mumble words of gratitude or return the compliment. He becomes a sort of grumpy-slash-flustered type. In the beginning, he’s telling you to focus on the mission or simply giving you a curt nod, if others are around. Once the relationship further develops, he starts taking the compliments easier, he’ll smile and press the tip of his snout against your jaw in a faux kiss. There are still little habits of him that hold no matter how much the relationship progresses such as where he hides his face from you, or he just holds onto you just a bit tighter.

Due to him just being ostracized and in return ostracizing the world, he’s touch starved. He barely notices it until someone else brings it up, but he loves to be around you, he just loves to touch you in any sort of way. He wants to hold your hand and lay on your shoulder as you do literally anything. The way that you’re so warm towards him, how you kiss his hairline and never pull away when he kisses you, it just makes him feel safe with you.

There are a lot of his interests that he tries to involve you in. He wants to share those things close to him, and will even just look toward you for advice. He’ll talk about his video games, telling you why the story is so complicated and why the characters act the way they do. As the League develops, the original meaning is lost, and he’s lost and he turns to you for that. He wants you to tell him that he’s still doing good, that he’s still someone, much more than the child that locked themselves in their room to avoid stares.

Maybe it’s because he never had a romantic partner, but he finds himself always struggling to breathe when you call him yours. He likes it when you hold his hand and tell him how handsome he is, or when you refer to him as your partner. It’s those little things that make him feel as if he’s going to combust any second. To him, it’s a sign that you do like him, that you really do value him as a person and you just aren’t using him or acting as if he is a plaything. Shuichi likes to be around you, and when you reaffirm that he is with you, and that you feel the same way he does, he’s short of breath and happy.

NSFW:

You are Shuichi’s first. You are his first in everything and anything, and because of that, whatever you want to try, is fine with him. He’s eager to please. He likes to get before you and kiss wherever it makes you feel good. His tongue a new sensation against your sex as it moves against the heated hole, his eyes closing softly as he holds you with his hands, his claws creating lines against your skin. It might be an oral fixation, but he enjoys just having you in his mouth, to get on his knees and suckle on your arousal that slips down his throat like syrup.

Being so new to sex, he’s used to hiding his face and muffling his moans when he’s about to spill his seed. He’ll show his face and pant above you, will press his snout against your cheek in a silent ask for a kiss, but he hides his face when he’s close to his orgasm. He’ll bury himself in the crook where your shoulder and neck meet and let his breath pant over you, as he spills inside of you. In other times, he’ll hide his face behind his hands, and tense under you, and let out a strangled cry as he releases inside of your mouth.

It might not seem like something he might have considered, due to his more flustered nature in the romantic part of the relationship, but he loves to leave bites on you. His teeth will push against your soft and supple skin, and small pinpricks will appear for a moment before he covers them with his tongue, sucking on the part where he bit. He likes to keep the mark secretive, much rather preferring that he and you being the only one who sees it. However, there are times where he’ll bite near your collarbone, his teeth marks barely visible when you shift.

As a result of his quirk being gecko, he’s animalistic in bed. He can go for a while, shooting his seed inside of you until it’s nothing but blanks and he’s drooling over your shoulder. In certain times, he’ll hold you from behind and rut into you, the only thing on his mind is filling you up with his seed. He’ll stick to you and tell you to just wait a bit longer until he gets it out of his system, but he just continues, your body numb and shaking, as he buries himself in you. It’s during this phase where he’s rougher than he usually is, nipping at you and burying your face into a pillow as he spills into you. The only thing on his mind then is breeding, to fill you with himself until you’re spilling out and too far out of your mind to even think rationally.

Even when you’ve already released, he’s still got a great deal of stamina before he’s actually tired. Shuichi will pound into you, hold your face in his hand and let his thumb swipe under your bottom lip as he feels you clench around him. Your sex will tighten around him, your leg tense and pressed to your chest as he stills and watches you reach your high. Even through it, he’ll still continue, riding your own high and feeling how your sex just grips onto him, milking him as you release. He’ll watch as your words slur, his name on your tongue as tears fill your eyes as he keeps going, stroking your gummy walls that tingle with sensitivity, and smile. He really likes to see you cry when he’s inside of you.

[niko-jpeg]

WiP and Draft Post

All of the fics will be under the cut and there will be a brief description of each if you want to skip it. They will be organized from shortest to longest, and none of them are really heavily edited so if you find some mistakes, I apologize. Word counts are all estimates (except the first one). I didnt steal this idea from @psycho-chair you stole it from him.

Just comment which one(s) you liked and I'll write more! If you want any of these in a separate post for any reason, I will post them in separate posts.

Total Word Count: 17,659 FUCKING YIKES BESTIE

1: SOUL FUSED CHAPTER FOUR

Notes: Dont worry, SF is not cancelled. It is not discontinued. Its just on hold while I do Fail Boat stuff and get my life together.

Words: 59 (yikes)

Date: December 2021

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Error had mixed feelings about Killer and Nightmare’s little gang of misfits. They were just kind of… there. He honestly had no idea where they came from or why they suddenly were a big part of his life, but he liked to think it was for entertainment value and not at all because he was getting attached to them.

2: UNTITLED 1

Notes: I genuinely dont remember writing this. I think it was supposed to be about Chara getting up to ghostly shenanigans or something, but I dont remember anymore.

Words: 100

Date: September 2021

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“Hey kiddo.” Frisk looked up from their book at Sans, who was sitting on the other side of the couch, just moments ago taking a nap. Toriel had asked him to look after Frisk (and Chara) while she went on a trip to Soia City, which was roughly a ten hour drive from the small town at the base of the mountain where they lived. She claimed it was so they wouldnt get lonely, but Chara suspected that the true motive was to make sure the two kids didnt burn the house down. Its not like Chara could if they wanted to, they mooched off of Frisks life force in order to even exist. They had even figured out how to momentarily manifest into a physical form, almost like a ghost for a few minutes.

A lot had happened since the monsters had resurfaced.

3: SPLATTERS OF INK CONCEPT

Notes: I have no idea where I was going to take this, but I guess it was just supposed to be a fun little short ft. some characters I have a very big soft spot for. Mew if youre reading this I am so sorry I have no excuses.

Words: 100

Date: November 2021

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Before the Story: Basically just introducing the characters and how they were made. Airbrush is introduced the most as one of the Inklings who had a parental figure growing up. Airbrush asks Ink about the possibility of others like him existing. Ink vehemently denies it and changes the subject.

Reconnection (Airbrush): Airbrush was just sitting under a tree minding his damn business when a group of boys came and harassed him. He flees the situation and PJ finds him in the forest, looking to recruit him into a group called "The Splatters". The Splatters pick up after Ink and Error in secret, as well as get other "Inklings" to safety. The reason they hadn't been able to get to Airbrush was because Ink found him first. Airbrush says no and continues on with his day, though PJ doesn't leave him. They send Gradient in to try to convince but he has a breakdown halfway through his speech and gives up. Dizzy doesn't even try. It's Reimancy who gets through to him.

4: TRUST FALL CONCEPT

Notes: Okay so this one actually has a trigger warning! Mentions of eating disorders and a suicide attempt. Just an idea and excuse to write Dadmare lol. Of course, its at Cross' expense.

Words: 400

Date: December 2021

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A set of three oneshots surrounding Cross and his time joining the bad Sanses. He's stuck with this idea that he needs to be perfect and any slip up he does is a weakness.

PART ONE: Perfect.

The first Oneshot is about how He develops this awful mental state where he starves himself and forces himself to throw up any food the others try to get him to eat, patrols the castle instead of sleeping, and takes any thing he does wrong personally.

One day, Dust or someone snaps at him and tells him he'll never be perfect and to just get over it after Cross starts venting to Dust about how awful he feels about not being perfect. Cross takes it the wrong way and tries to stab his soul, Nightmare stopping him at the last second.

Nightmare isn't negligent, he just hoped Cross would be able to work it out either on his own or with the others, since his relationship with his team was kind of… shaky to say the least. Nightmare forces him to fess up about his eating disorder and his various other issues and it's basically just pure fluff and comfort from there. Horror essentially force feeds him so at least he has something in his system, Nightmare officially places him under "Suicide watch" (meaning hes not allowed to be alone for about a week and if he's caught by himself then the watch time gets extended) and Horror goes mother hen mode on Cross.

PART TWO: Challenge.

The second one is focused on developing Cross' relationship with the others. Killer and Dust get into a fight and Nightmare forces them to do team building games like the flying hula hoop and the pillow pile game. Cross is still recovering from the whole ordeal the previous week but still participates because Noot Noot mom told him too.

Killer gets on friendly terms with Cross and the team gets to know Cross a little better than "Nightmares little weird guard dog".

PART THREE: Trust Fall.

Basically a big ol chapter full of fluff and Nightmare teaching Cross it's okay to trust others and that he belongs to the bad Sanses now and will always have a home with them no matter what. 5: ANOTHER SHOT PROLOGUE

Notes: This was a little Oneshot au I whipped up a few months back but never did much with because life. The idea was Niko moved to a big city and nearly forgot about the World Machine until they get back in contact through their phone and they go on another adventure. Also the Author is Niko's dad in this, though thats part of the mystery they're trying to figure out so shhhh ;)

Words: 1,000

Date: August 2021

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As the light faded away, Niko stepped out onto the plush carpet of their room, a triumphant smile gracing their features. They had done it. With the help of the Player, they had saved the world and given everyone the happy ending they deserved. The sun was back for good.

Niko blinked a few times, adjusting to the lower light levels of their room. Everything looked just as they had left it, tidy and neat. They always tried to keep it clean, it made their Mama happy when they did. It was the most they could do for her.

Niko flopped over on the neatly made green covers of their bed, situated in the far left corner of their room and glanced out the window. It appeared the sun was just beginning to rise in the distance, painting the skies a soft purple. They sighed and sat up, fidgeting with their scarf. It was weirdly quiet.

“Well, obviously. The Player isn't here.” Niko mumbled, a regretful feeling washing over them. They probably weren't ever going to talk to them again. But, they had their own life, as did Niko. They just dearly hoped they wouldnt forget the god of that world. Or the world itself, for that matter.

Niko jumped off their bed and ran to the desk on the opposite wall of their bed, an idea hitting them like a train. There was a way to remember. They pulled open the top drawer and pulled out crayons and some paper, flicking on the lamp and plopping themself down on the cream carpet and pulling the crayons out of the box.

They drew the first people that came to mind, which were (for obvious reasons), Rue, Proto, and Cedric. They drew themself golding the sun next to the siblings, all of them smiling. Niko wanted to draw the Player, but couldn't quite picture what they would look like, so instead they drew the World Machine. Well, technically they drew the reflection that the Entity borrowed to talk to Niko. It could contact the Player any time it wanted.

The rest of the colorful cast Niko met along the way soon followed. Kip, Silver, George, Calamus, Alula, even Prophetbot were down on paper by the time the sun was fully risen and Niko’s mother was knocking on their door and asking them to get up.

“Coming mom!” Niko called, springing up and flinging the door open to greet their mama. Their mama seemed surprised at their enthusiasm to start the day.

“Well someone seems excited. Have a good dream?” Their mother asked as Niko got up on their toes and nuzzled her. “Did you… sleep in that?” She asked, stepping back to observe in better detail what they were wearing.

“Actually, I didn't sleep! Well, very much. Instead, I went to a really cool world where the sun went out and I had to fix it, and I got help from the people of that world and a god named the Player and-” Their mother laughed awkwardly. “I’m sure you did. It sounds very exciting, my child, but please, lower your voice. You’re being awfully loud.”

There was something stiff and unnatural about her reply. Did she not believe that Niko had done all of that? But they had! They even had proof. “Why dont I make pancakes? You can give the extra leftovers to Mrs.Fideli later too. Maybe you can hang out with Sona while you're there too.”

“Yeah! That sounds fun!” Niko replied, brushing off their mothers strange behaviour. Maybe they could tell their mama all about the adventure they just had over breakfast! That would be the coolest!

____________________________________________________________________________

“...and then I said goodbye to the Player and walked back into my room!” Niko finished, taking another bite of pancake. Niko’s mama sat across from them with a weird expression on their face. It looked to be a mix of confusion and alarm.

“That's very… interesting, sweetie.” Niko’s mother got up and turned the corner, entering the kitchen and grabbing a few pancakes, placing them delicately on a ceramic plate, coating them in foil and handing them to the child.

“W-why don't you go give these to Mrs.Fedeli. Please be back by noon if you choose to stay with Sona.” Niko grabbed the plate and nodded, grinning and giggling. “Sure mama!” They jumped out of their seat and ran to the door, tossing it open and running though, shutting it less than gently on their way out.

Their mama sighed shakily and wiped her hands on her yellow apron, watching the door for a few seconds before going to Niko’s room across the house. It was a relatively small cottage, meant for a small family obviously.

She pushed the door open gently, stepping inside and looking down at the floor. Crayons and paper littered the floor, just as they had that morning. She picked one up gently as if afraid it would explode and took a closer look at it. Despite the fact it was an eleven year olds drawing, it was obvious what the drawing was of.

She sat tentatively on her knees and looked through all of the drawings. They were all exactly what her child had described. And before her, HE had described.

She placed the drawings back on the ground and pulled out a simple flip phone, dialing a number and holding it up to her face.

“Hello? Yes it's me, Shara. I was wondering if that apartment on the eighth floor was still open…”

“Niko?” Niko looked up from their book at their mother, a little concerned about the resigned tone in her voice.

“Yes mama?” Their mother sat on the couch next to them and folded her hands neatly in her lap, shifting uncomfortably. It was around one in the afternoon, yet the pancakes from that morning still sat cold and now soggy on the table.

“A recent… event had transpired and, because of said event… we…” Their mama’s voice wavered a little. “What does ‘transpired’ mean?” Niko asked.

“It means something has happened… and… I’m so sorry, my child, but we’re moving.” Niko tilted their head at their mothers words. “Moving?”

“Next month. To the big city a few hours away. Permanently.” Niko froze. It took a few seconds for Niko to truly process what she was saying.

“What?!” Niko shouted, confusion painting their face. Niko’s mama looked away, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

“I’m sorry this is so sudden, but… we have no choice.” The perfectly good day Niko was having was shattered by this news. It was so sudden.

“B-but?! But mama, we can't just LEAVE!! What would Dad think?!” That small, innocent comment about their father caused their mama to burst into tears. “M-mama?” Guilt welled up inside them.

Their mother sobbed into her hands, ignoring the child's now frantic questions. "Mama?! Are you ok?! Mama!!"

"It's for the b-best…" Their Mama whispered, continuing to son inconsolably. Niko ran out of the room and out the front door to their neighbors house, knocking frantically on the door.

Sona answered the door and Niko did their best to explain what was happening. After failing, Niko dragged Sona's mother to their house. Now knowing that their Mama was being looked after, Niko booked it to the middle of a wheat field and broke down in a panic themselves.

They shouldn't have brought up their dead father. They really shouldn't have…

6: THE SILVER LINING PROLOGUE

Notes: This was supposed to be a reader insert a little bit like TGBM but with an actual plot lmao. I didnt get very far before I decided I had better things to do.

Words: 1,000

Date: September 2021

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You pressed your face to the glass of the window, staring out into the never ending sea of trees. You had seen nothing but them for the last few hours. It was starting to get a little repetitive.

You reminded yourself once again that this was now your reality. Why the new boarding school you were going to was in the middle of the woods was beyond you. The memories of the last few weeks played through your head once more, reminding you once again, that you brought this upon yourself.

“It’ll be worth it,” they said. “You’ll make lots of new friends and go on so many neat adventures!” they said. You somehow doubted their claims, but it's not like you really had a say in what your future held anyway. You were getting shipped off to this new school on an ancient looking bus regardless if you wanted to or not.

The chatter around you made a nice background noise to your thoughts. Every once in a while you could faintly pick up bits and pieces of people's conversations. There was a lot of talk about the new English teacher and plenty of excitement about the new term to go around. And then there were scrubs like you, huddled together to talk about what maybe to expect. You weren't sitting with them not because you were anti-social, but because you had no idea they were all sitting up front, and by the time you had made the realization that the newbies were sitting up front it was already too late to move.

“Attention all passengers! We will be arriving in five minutes, please be prepared to retrieve your things and report to the gymnasium in an efficient manner. Your dorm assignments will be posted on a wall in alphabetical order and you may pick up your schedules there as well.” Someone up front instructed. You sighed and picked up your bag, shoving your phone deep into a pocket in the front and pulling off your headphones. You had stopped listening to music when you ran out of songs on your playlist a half hour ago but didn't bother to take the headphones off. In hindsight, that probably made you look like an edgy anime protagonist, but oh well.

“Who do you think is going to go missing this year?” An older student asked another student behind you. You perked up and turned your head to hear better. “I dunno, probably one of the newbies.”

Go missing? You didn't read about people going missing in the little pamphlet they gave you before you got on the bus. You strained to hear anything more about the matter but the two guys behind you had already moved on to talking about the new teacher. Apparently getting a new teacher was a big deal? Why?

The bus skidded to a halt in front of the school building, which looked surprisingly normal. The students at the front of the bus timidly disembarked. You watched everyone get off, a few asking if you wanted to go first. Every time you decline, deciding you’d rather watch to see what the others would do first. You had read that this was a relatively small private school. It was supposedly a “second chance” school for people who had gotten kicked out of their previous schools. It was weird though, because they also noted it would not tolerate bad behavior. Even weirder was the fact that you were not in need of a “second chance”. You just moved a lot and your parents wanted to give you a consistent place to make friends and go to school. Even if said school was in the middle of the woods.

“Oh my god Stacy, LEAVE ME ALONE!” You jolted a little at the loud voice coming from two rows behind you. “But Cirrus, you're the only one here I know!!” Two kids about your age (you could guess the girl with long brown hair and pale skin was Stacy and the boy next to her with darker skin and white hair was Cirrus) hurriedly went down the aisle. Cirrus, the boy, seemed rather annoyed with Stacy.

“Yeah, only because you got us expelled last year from Foxfield! I don't want any trouble this year, ok Stacy?!” You got up behind them and followed, realizing you were now the only ones still on the bus. “It's not my fault we’re both freaks-”

You followed them off the bus and onto the gravel pavement below. You joined the crowd of people into what you could assume was the gym, given its size and the basketball hoops hanging from the ceiling. Cirrus and Stacy were still arguing in front of you, their conversation still centered around the topic of getting expelled from their old school, apparently for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and blowing something up.

The list of dorm assignments was on the opposite wall to the outside entrance. Cirrus, Stacy and you all seemed to have the same idea and casually walked over to the paper covering the wall with the other students.

You scanned the paper for your name and found it next to another name. Shit, guess you were going to have to put up with a roommate. You took a closer look at the name and blinked in surprise. “Cirrus Featherduster” was the name next to yours. You thought it was safe to assume that the Cirrus on the paper was the same one standing next to you. You checked the number and sighed. 305. Of course you were on the third floor.

“YES!! I’m not paired with you!!” Cirrus exclaimed, causing Stacy to jump. “Well, yeah. They would know better than to put us back together I hope.” Stacy spat, punching his shoulder. “I did get paired with… someone named ‘(Y/n)’ though.”

“That's me.” You said, poking Cirrus in a non threatening way. This time it was his turn to jump. “Dear god! Don't scare me like that!!” He hissed at you, swatting your hand away. “Nice to meet you and all, but geez dude!”

You grinned at him and he grinned back. Looks like he might be entertaining to mess with. “Hmph. I have a roommate too. What floor are you on?”

“Floor three I think?” Cirrus looked over the page again and shrugged. “I think thats what the ‘3’ in the number means.”

“Oh cool. If thats the case we’re on the same floor. HA! You cant escape me!!” Stacy laughed maniacally while you and Cirrus stood there for an uncomfortable amount of time. “Y-you done?” You asked after a solid minute. “Yeah.” Stacy snapped out of it and shrugged.

“Okay that was weird. Anyway…” You turned to Cirrus. “Since we’re roommates and neither of us really know what we’re doing, wanna get our schedules together?”

“Sure, why not?” Cirrus replied, grabbing your arm and dragging you along to the table to the left of the list.

“HEY!! Wait for me!!” Stacy called, speed walking to you and Cirrus all while complaining about how you were no fun.

7: CHAOS ENSUED.

Notes: I had a funky dreamand Error was there for some reason, so I decided to make something of my ability to remember my dream details very vividly. So I gave said dream a comprehensible plot and this is the result. I have no excuses.

This is supposed to take place in a multiverse where the XEvent was kind of… diverted I guess. Ink decided to opt out of the little “game” in favor of screwing with Error and forming the Star Sanses as an officially recognized group. Cross still is “not adopted” by Noot and crew, but they totally adopt him this time around. He's their baby brother lol.

The Reader is a creator who got pulled into the multiverse by an experiment gone wrong of sorts, but all that gets explained later. They gain the ability to do that stupid Gacha trope of their creations coming to life. There are a few other creators who got pulled in too, one of which is a big character in this. Reader is on good terms with both Nightmares Gang and the Stars, but more neutral than anything.

Sorry for the long explanation lol

Words: 2,000 words

Date: October 2021

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Ink and Error had made a truce ages ago. Well, less of a truce, more of an agreement. A truce implies that they started getting along. Despite everything, Ink was still insistent on annoying Error and Error was still insistent on being a baby over it.

The multiverse had adjusted well to said truce, despite the balance of Positivity and Negativity still a little all over the place. Dream was stubborn, but Nightmare was more so. But at least the Creation-Destruction ratio was somewhat balanced.

“G-GET BACK-K HERE Y-YOU LITTLE S-SHIT!!” A glitched screech echoed through the Doodle Sphere as a very pissed looking Error chased Ink, who was grinning like an idiot. Ink had, yet again, successfully broken into the Anti Void and stolen one of the various not voodoo dolls Error made. This one was of a human. Upon closer inspection, it was a human both of the gods knew very well. And Ink was threatening to show it to them.

“I’M GONNA TELL (Y/N)!! I'M GONNA TELL THEM YOU LOOOOOOOOVE THEM!!” Ink taunted, sticking his tongue out. Error screeched some more and shot some strings at him. The protector dodged with ease and continued running around and evading Error’s attacks. This was basically routine. Ink’s new purpose in life was helping Dream fend off his brother and his gang. Oh and also harassing Error. Just for fun.

Speaking of Dream, the golden demi-god himself teleported into the Doodle Sphere in hopes of getting a word with Ink. Following closely behind him was a human. That human being you.

You were one of the few people allowed into the Doodle Sphere, the reason being you were a Creator. A few years ago, you had been involved in… an accident of sorts that sent you and a group of others through time and space, landing you in the Omega Timeline. Core had discovered you and the others on the outskirts of the main town and offered you a home until you figured out how to go back to your home world. You had personally befriended Ink a few months into the stay and shortly thereafter made friends with all of his friends too. You even managed to get yourself off the “destroy on sight” list of the supposed bad guys, who kidnapped you by accident once or twice thinking you were someone else. Who that someone else was you never quite figured out though. You suspected that Error grew fond of you the first time you got kidnapped and set up a second time to talk to you again. How sad.

Anyway, you jumped through the portal Dream created and landed firmly on your feet. You grinned at the sight before you, stifling laughter in your hands. Error had Ink tied up and hanging from the ceiling by blue thread, gripping tightly onto a plush doll of sorts. From a distance you couldn't quite figure out what it was, but didn't really care. Dream sighed and facepalmed, mumbling to himself about how he should've known. “(Y/n), can you break them up please?”

You nodded and ran ahead to the pair.“Error! Ink!!” Error whipped around with a panicked look, hurriedly opening a portal and tossing whatever he was holding through it. “(Y/n)! W-what a lovely surprise!!” Error greeted in a strained voice, his cheeks turning a shade of yellow. It was no secret he was a respectful simp for you. Everyone kind of just knew.

“Nice to see you too! Um, can we steal Ink real quick? Dream wants to talk to him.” You asked, nudging the tightly contained upside-down bundle of chaos. Ink smirked evilly and giggled maniacally. You shot him a weird look and he continued cackling. “Error, you should SEE your face right now!”

Error’s face turned four shades yellower. He began glitching like crazy and buried his face in his scarf. He looked like an angry kitten. With a wave of his multi-colored hand, Ink dropped face first onto the floor. “Take him. I got what I needed from him anyway.”

The Glitchy god of destruction opened a portal and stepped though, glancing over his shoulder hesitantly. He looked as if he wanted to say something. You waved to him and he smiled, glancing at the floor and mumbling into his scarf.

The portal closed and you shrugged, offering your hand to Ink, who was just sitting there on the floor giving you a smug look. “What?”

“Nothin’.” He replied, taking your and pulling himself up, before promptly dragging you back over to a very impatient looking Dream.

“Ink, what did you do this time?” Dream asked, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. Ink smirked and nudged his best friend's side playfully. “I decided I was going to bully him into telling you-know-what to you-know-who.”

Of course, you knew what that meant. You weren't the oblivious idiot that Ink seemed to think (or hope) you were. He was trying to get Error to confess to you. For the last year and a half since you had met him at Nightmare’s Castle, he had done his diddly darn best to talk to you at every given opportunity. Both you and Ink had picked up on the fact that he got all blushy faced when you talked to him and he always seemed to be in the same general area as you at almost all times, and Ink was not gonna let him live it down any time soon.

Dream rolled his eyes and sighed like an annoyed parent. “Ink, you have to stop. He’ll let them know when he wants to. You shouldn't push it.”

Ink pouted for a second, his eyelights turning blue for a hot second before switching back to the usual combination of yellow and green and random shaped. “So what did you call me for?”

“Ink. My friend. My best friend in the whole world. The chaotic to my neutral. You’ve been

ignoring me for the last week. I am now forcing you to participate in an obligatory hang out session with Blue and I. (Y/n) can come if they want to.” Dream stared Ink down menacingly. Why did he have to say the nicest things in the scariest ways?

Ink cowered and nodded reluctantly as you smiled nervously. Were they really going to drag you into this? Dream turned to you for your answer.

“I… I think I’ll pass. I have some house work to do today. Sorry.” You apologized. Dream looked a little disappointed but nodded. “That's ok. We’ll have to hang out together sometime else though!”

You smiled and agreed, opening a portal to the Omega Timeline and stepping casually through, waving to your friends. The portal closed behind you and you began down the streets of the refugee timeline, waving to people you knew and making your way downtown, walking fast, faces pass and your homebound-

You arrived at your house and pulled your key out of your pocket, stuffing it in and twisting, the tell tale sound of the door unlocking greeting your ears. You pushed the door open and stepped in the paper cluttered house. It was small and only one room, but it was home. You had done your best to make it look like the room you used to have before the accident.

You plopped down at your desk and pushed aside some papers, pulling your laptop from the mess and opening it. Sure, you had house work to do, but more importantly you had some art to make. Digital art was your only way of making things and not having them spring to life. You had learned your lesson the hard way when you drew one of the inhabitants of the OT and you suddenly had a bitty sitting in front of you on your paper. You gave the bitty to one of Ink’s friends, Fresh, who promised to take care of it. Sometimes you wonder whatever became of it.

You opened your art program and began doing some warm up doodles, completely oblivious to everything that was about to go down.

____________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, halfway across the multiverse…

Error sat on his beanbag chair, holding the small plush doll that Ink had tried to steal. Thankfully it was unharmed. He stared at the little doll, a faint blush on his cheeks. God he was such a simp-

He tucked it safely in his arms, wondering what the human was up to. They were interesting, so if he had to guess something equally as interesting.

The god of destruction leaned back, thinking about the first time they had met. It had been when they and the others had arrived. It had been a regular ol day of sitting in the Anti-void, eating stolen chocolate and stalking whoever he deemed worthy. Ink had suddenly burst through a portal and landed face down on the ground a few feet away. At that point they had started visiting each other in their domains, normally just to annoy each other. While neither of them took it seriously anymore, at the time it really was kind of hostile. The ink stain had practically dragged him by the scarf to the Omega Timeline. There, standing shyly in the corner, had been (Y/n). They looked worried and sick, but when they started talking, Error practically crashed. It was the same voice as the creator that had just suddenly disappeared. Then again, there were 17 others with them, all of which matched the voices and descriptions of the creators.

Error had gotten to know (Y/n) a little bit better beyond ‘holy hell it's the creators’ when Killer kidnapped the wrong human. They had to stick around for a while as they sorted the whole thing out, and Error had actually grown quite attached to them. They were funny and not afraid to kick people out windows who needed it. That was the day Nightmares Gang learned how aerodynamic Killer actually was.

When they were returned safely, Error had actually been a little sad. They had become rather good friends by the end of the accidental kidnapping session. From then on he had made it a point in his life to drop by and say hello every once in a while.

Sadly, ‘every once in a while’ became almost every week and he realized he was kind of obsessed with the human. Respectfully, of course. Not in a weird or creepy way. There was just something about them that was so… endearing. And that was the moment he realized he 100% screwed.

Well not quite. It was Ink finding the doll he had made of them (so they’d always feel close by) and connecting the dots that really meant he was thoroughly fucked. Ink didn't let him live it down since.

A tug on one of his strings pulled him from his thoughts. He knew that tug. Nightmare was requesting his presence, once again. Error signed and planted a small kiss on the dolls cheek, placing it gently on top of the Bean bag next to the Ink plush and the plush he made of himself. He ripped open a portal and jumped through, wondering what Nightmare could want this time.

Inside the meeting room was Nightmare, Horror, and the newbie Cross. The latter was curled up on a chair and looking sleepy.

"Ah, good. You're here." Nightmare looked up from the first aid kit that he was rummaging through. "I apologize for calling you out of the blue, but would you be willing to do a favor for me?" At least he was being polite about Interrupting his train of thought. "Cross is developing insomnia again and we ran out of melatonin. Can you run to a random timeline and steal some?"

Oh yeah, hadn't Dust made a comment about Cross practically refusing to sleep because of frequent nightmares? Error had almost forgotten it had been so long. The glitchy god sighed and nodded, ripping open a portal before he could even question why they needed it in the middle of the afternoon rather than nighttime. He wasn't opposed to running errands for the gang, but sometimes he wishes they would do it themselves. Eh, maybe he could drop by (Y/n)'s side of the OT and see if he could catch them out and about. That would be nice. He wanted to ask them to hang out sometime soon anyway, so maybe now was his chance.

Meanwhile, Dream was thinking. That wasn't a very uncommon occurrence. He did most of the thinking for his team anyway, mostly because he was the only one who had more than seven brain cells. Well, none of them have brains, but that's besides the point.

One of the things that came to mind was how he wished that Ink would stop harassing Error. Sure, it was frustrating to watch him uselessly try to make moves on one of his ‘beloved creators’, but he really did need to lay off.

“DREAM, ARE YOU OK?” Blue asked, bouncing down the stairs and landing not so gracefully on his face. Oh. Right. The hangout session. He was sitting on Blue and Honey’s couch next to Ink, so was jotting something down on his scarf.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” Dream smiled hurriedly in an attempt to reassure his friend. The blue soldier nodded and grinned, clearly glad to see them. “ALRIGHT, IF THAT THE CASE, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO TODAY-”

“Lower your voice Blue.” Honey called from upstairs. Blue lowered his head and looked a little guilty. “We’ve been working on that for the last week. It's not going very well.”

“Maybe we could help you then!” Dream suggested, jumping up from the couch excitedly at the prospect of helping his friend. Ink looked up in confusion. “What's wrong with the way you talk?”

“My bro thinks I’m too loud, SO I'M GOING TO WORK ON IT AND BECOME THE QUIETEST IN TOWN!!!” Blue exclaimed, jumping up and down. “Well clearly you’re not trying all that hard.” Honey came down the stairs, looking tired and grumpy.

Shame danced across Blue’s face as he grabbed Dream’s hand and walked out the door. “Sorry bro.”

The protector jumped up to follow them, exchanging a worried look with Dream.

8: SECRET SANTA THING

Notes: This was made for the secret santa thing for @skyedancer2006 but I decided I didnt like it very much. So, uh, merry late crisis I guess.

Words: 2,000

Date: December 2021

____________________

Another cold breeze swept over the hill and through the village, ruffling the grass and pages of Nightmares book. Nightmare shivered, pulling his legs closer to his chest and shuddering a little. All day, the weather had been nothing but overcast and ominous. Yet Dream had still insisted on going into that dreadful village.

Nightmare sighed, a puff of air forming where his breath met the cold air. He hoped Dream would get back soon. When he got back they could huddle together to share warmth and wait out the cold together.

The purple clad twin looked back down at his book, focusing on the words of the page instead of the chill in the air. Dream had brought back the book from one of his trips to the Village a while ago, but he never bothered to read it. It didn't seem too interesting, but now that he had started it he couldn't stop. Sure, the writing was a little questionable at best, but he was already invested in the characters.

He flipped the page, losing himself in the plot of the book. It was about a group of friends trying to track down a dragon and kill it so they could be famous. So far, the plot had been giving him the vibes that they were going to end up defeating the dragon brutally with the power of friendship, since that's just kind of how these things go.

Nightmare set the book aside, giving up on reading it in the pitch darkness that was the night. The lights from the distant village illuminated the distance slightly, casting a warm glow over the field in front of the twin’s tree. Faintly, he could see the silhouette of his twin hiking his way across the field separating the Village from the Tree of Feelings.

Nightmare waved, getting to his feet and wincing. His legs were numb with cold and he couldn't feel his toes anymore.

Dream waved back, making a gesture for Nightmare to come to him. Confused, Nightmare padded down to the base of the hill where Dream was standing with his hands on his hips and a grin across his face.

“Greetings?” Nightmare greeted, approaching his brother. The others' eyelights shone in the dark, as opposed to Nightmare's darker cyan ones.

Wordlessly, Dream grabbed his twin's hand and pulled him towards the village, a grin still plastered to his features.

“Wh- hey! Dream, what are you doing?!” Nightmare asked, trying to pull his hand from his brother's grip. Dream continued to pull him along without as much as a glance back.

Dream pulled him into the Village, the paths almost barren. In the distance, quiet music could be heard.

“Dream, what is going on?” Nightmare asked again, still receiving no definitive answer. Nightmare was getting a little uneasy about the whole situation, the Village was rarely ever almost empty. Then again, he wouldn't really know. He tended to stay away from the village.

Dream continued to lead him down the path, eventually leading them to the town square. Nightmares' eyes widened at the sight of the normally plain looking square now transformed into a bustling market of sorts, stalls lined up around the sidewalks and the music significantly increasing in volume.

“Okay for real, What is going on?” Nightmare asked, interest (and confusion) piqued.

“Well, today is the Winter Solstice!” Dream explained, wrapping an arm around Nightmare's shoulder. “They have a festival every year to celebrate it for some reason. Do you know what else is today?”

“No…?” Nightmare replied quizzically, shooting his brother a questioning look. Dream laughed and bonked him on the head with his fist.

“It's our birthday silly! And here's my plan on how we’re going to celebrate it!” Dream reached into his pocket and pulled out a large stack of G and thrust it into Nightmares hands. “I'm going to get you a gift, and you're going to get me one, then we swap at the end of the night or when both of us are done, since I know you aren't particularly fond of it here.”

Oh. So that was what today was.

“Wait, Dream, how did you get all of this?” Nightmare asked, staring down at the stack of G in his hands. It had to be at least 100.

“Why do you think I've been spending so much time here? I've been doing simple chores and things of the sort. Pays really well and they usually give me extra because I’m ‘sO dArN cUtE’. They treat me like I'm five sometimes and it's a little weird but whatever, G is G.” Dream explained, pinching his cheeks at the mention of him being cute.

Nightmare laughed, feeling bad for taking what Dream had worked hard to earn. But the logic checked out, so Nightmare went with it. “Okay… do you have anything in particular in mind that you would want?”

Dream shook his head. “Nope. See you in like, 30 minutes?”

Nightmare nodded and Dream sped off into the crowd, probably trying to lose Nightmares gaze. The cyan eyelighted twin sighed and skipped off, looking for something that would appeal to his brother. He had heard of birthday celebrations before, but never actually taken part in one.

Nightmare hummed along with the music being played by a group of musicians at the center of the square, the upbeat tune bringing the whole setting to life.

The stalls were selling an assortment of interesting things, ranging from food to cloth, and occasionally other random items. One caught his eye though.

A dimly lit stall in the corner was run by an elderly looking Rabbit monster. They were selling an assortment of blankets, some patterned, some plain. Nightmare considered for a moment, before continuing on.

“Child.” The Bunny called. Nightmare turned back to the bunny, confused. Was she talking to him?

“Yes, you. Come here.” The Bunny confirmed. Nightmare tentatively approached the stall, nervously fidgeting with his hands.

“Yes ma’am?” Nightmare asked politely, praying he didn't do anything wrong or offensive by just being here. The Bunny squinted at him and chuckled.

“You’re related to that other Skeleton child, correct?” She asked. Nightmare nodded, wondering if she was going to hurt him.

“Heh. He's a sweetheart. Here,” The Bunny reached over to a simple fuzzy green blanket, holding the folded fabric out to Nightmare. “Give this to him next time you see him.”

Nightmare took the folded blanket in his arms, admiring the fuzzy fabric. He knew technically the Bunny had given him it for his brother, but it was the first time anyone in the Village hadn't just looked at him weirdly and moved on with their lives.

“I- I will.” Nightmare promised, bowing to the bunny quickly out of respect. “Thank you.”

The bunny smiled as Nightmare turned to the crowd pushing his way through to look at the other stands. He stopped and bought a cupcake for Dream as well because while the cyan eyelighted twin did not like sweets, Dream had quite the sweet tooth. He still had a lot of G left but opted not to use it. He would give it back to Dream when they met back up.

Nightmare found the place they had started and Dream was already there, holding something behind his back.

“There you are!” Dream greeted, bounding up to his twin. Nightmare kept his gift behind his back as well, smiling at his brother.

“Wanna trade?” Nightmare asked. Dream nodded enthusiastically, declaring he would go first.

Dream pulled from behind his back a strange line of light cased in glass balls. Nightmare looked at them strangely and asked “What are those?”

“They're magic lights! You can put them on the tree and read at night! I saw them earlier today and knew that you would like them.” Dream replied bashfully, holding them out for Nightmare to look at.

“How do they work?” Nightmare asked, taking one of the warm glowing balls in his hand.

“Magic.” Dream replied smugly, wrapping them around Nightmare's shoulders. “And now I wont lose you in the dark!”

Nightmare smiled and pulled the blanket and boxed cupcake from behind his back, holding them out for Dream to see. “It's not much, but…”

Dream took the blanket and rubbed his face against it, purring. “It's so soft!” Nightmare smiled at his twin and took the blanket from him, carefully wrapping it around Dreams' shoulders and tying it like a cape.

“Now you won't be as cold as I was while I was waiting for you!” Nightmare smiled, petting the fabric one more time. “Holy cow that stuff is soft.”

“You were cold?” Dream asked, frowning.

“A little, but it's fine. Oh, here's your cupcake. I didn't really know which to get you so I got a vanilla one.” Nightmare gave the cupcake to Dream, who looked a little guilty.

“How about we head back now?” Dream asked, already taking Nightmares arm and pulling him away from the village at last.

They climbed the hill and Nightmare set up the lights, wrapping them around the banner they tied to their tree mom. It illuminated the area with a warm glow, making the area seem a little less lonely.

Dream had split the cupcake between them and wrapped them both in the blanket so they would both be warm. The snow had started shortly after, littering the ground in piles. Both of the twins were thankful for the blanket and each other to keep warm.

After all the snow had set, the skies were not so gloomy anymore. And with the help of the lights, Nightmare could finally read to Dream while they both tried to sleep. Maybe things were going to be okay.

9: TO THE LOST, FORGOTTEN, AND UNNAMED

Notes: This I plan on continuing and its based on a post Alex and I made because at this point we're just writing buddies and great friends. The idea is Nightmare has had 4-5 other teams that werent the Bad Sanses we know now. Cross wasnt aware of this and becomes invested in their now long past lives.

Words: 2,000

Date: January 2022

___________________

“Hey, can you do me a favor?” Dust asked from across the room. Cross glanced up from his phone and sat up, knowing Dust was likely going to send him down the hall again to get more pins. He had been working on a sewing project all afternoon and somehow STILL kept running out of pins. Thankfully for him, he had set up shop in the living room on a folding table right across from Cross, who had been mindlessly browsing Reddit or something.

“Sure.” Cross replied, shutting off his phone and standing. It may come as a surprise, but each member of the bad sanses had a sort of side hobby. Killer whittled, Horror cooked (though that was unsurprising), Cross played a few instruments, and Dust liked sewing of all things.

“In the closet there should be a clear box of thread. Might Have put it away in the basement though.” Dust informed around the pins he held in his mouth with his teeth, pulling a few out of the fabric he was working with. It seemed that he was making a sweater, but it was hard to tell from across the room.

“We have a basement?” Cross asked, doing a slight double take. He had explored nearly ever corner of the castle and never run across a basement.

“Yeah, its just storage though. You have to go in the broom closet on the ground floor near the entryway and pull open a hatch to get in.” Dust replied casually, shifting the fabric.

Cross hummed quietly, trotting down the hall for the third time that hour and pulling open the linen closet door, pushing the various boxes of supplies aside. Fabric scraps, boxes of bobbins, a dead bug or two… no box of thread.

“I dont think the box is in here.” Cross called down the hall.

“‘Kay, check the basement. Oh, bring a flashlight with ya!” Dust responded, seeming unbothered by the delay in thread.

Cross sighed and patted his pocket, double checking he had his phone on him. Skipping down the stairs, the oreo found the broom closet with relative ease. As Dust had said, there was indeed a trap door of sorts embedded into the ground.

The monochromatic X pulled the dusty door open with ease, another flight of stairs greeting him. Now he knew why Dust told him to bring a flashlight.

Flicking on the light on his phone, Cross descended the stairs timidly, each step giving a painful groan with the sudden weight. It was pretty clear no one had been bothered to upkeep this place.

The basement was musty and damp, as one could usually expect with a basement. True to Dust’s words, it appeared to be mostly storage. Boxes of… stuff piled high around the relatively small earthen basement.

Cross raised his phone light to get a better look at the surroundings. He could assume that the sewing supplies were with the creepy ass mannequin and piles of fabric in the far corner.

Cross strode towards the fabrics and shuffled through the mess, ignoring the way that the lifesized doll was positioned to “look” (despite not having a head) in the general direction of where Cross needed to be.

The box was near the bottom of the pile, but easy enough to dislodge from the rest of the supplies. Checking that the lid was shut, Cross began to walk back to the base of the stairs, glancing at the boxes piled high against the walls around him. If he looked hard enough, it almost looked like there was names or words written on the sides.

Cross stepped on something that wasnt the earthy floor of the rest of the basement, jolting him from his thoughts. The oreo took a step back, sticking the box under his arm and picked up what he had stepped on. It appeared to be some kind of… book?

Cross tilted his head and checked the back, taking note of how old the leather bindings and cover looked. There wasn't a name written anywhere on it that he could see. He propped the book open in his hand and turned to the first page, holding the light to the page.

Property of Cappri

The text was faded and smudged, but eligible. Cross’ bone brow furrowed. Who was Cappri? As far as the X was aware, Killer, Dust, Horror, Nightmare, Error and himself were the only ones in the castle. Maybe it was stolen?

Cross climbed back up the stairs, shutting the trap door with his foot and shutting the book with a soft thump. He would look at it later, right then he had a… friend? to deliver a box of thread to.

Skipping up the stairs once more, Cross deposited the box of thread on the folding table that Dust sat at. He thanked the oreo quietly and continued to sew, the now evident jacket coming together nicely from what Cross could see.

Cross shortcutted to his room and placed the black leather book on his desk, shooting Killer (who was unsurprisingly sprawled out on Cross’ bed playing on his phone) a look and retrieving his sketchbook from the set of drawers next to his desk. Horror and Error had helped him decorate and customize his room a few months back after complaining about how sterile and hotel room like his room was. And ever since he had strung up fairy lights, painted the walls brown and filled the shelves of his once barren bookshelf Killer had decided that the oreo’s room was the place to be and sometimes would go as far as to spend the night. And somehow, even when Cross set up a space on the floor for him to sleep, the eyelightless skeleton would always end up snuggled up next to Cross and under the blankets. It was like having the worlds biggest and most infuriating cat.

The night went on as usual. Horror made soup for everyone and Killer had to practically drag Nightmare away from his paperwork to eat. Dust finished the sweater, Cross accidentally dozed off on the couch, and Killer thought it would be funny to pour ice water on him.

Everything went normal until about midnight, when Cross excused himself from the group to go make a feble attempt at sleep. Only then did he remember the book he had picked up earlier.

Flopping over on his bed, Cross gingerly pulled open the old book and checked the front page for any more details on who’s journal it was.

Upon finding nothing, Cross flipped to the next page and began reading.

Day 7

Wow. Ive been here for a week now. Cant tell if thats sad or what.

The next part was ineligible

--. That stupid human (I think their name is Tris??) got in that asshole from Underfell’s way and the other newbie and I ended patching them up. When will they just give up? Its clear he isnt interested in making friends. I wish t----

More smudged text.

Cross frowned. From the way it was worded, in the context of whoever these people were living in the castle would make sense. But who were they? There wasnt a date or anything written anywhere he could see, so he would just have to keep reading.

He flipped the page, reading on.

Day 8

That stupid eyeless freak wont leave me the hell alone! What the fuck did I do to get his attention?! According to the others, hes been here for a while but no one knows where he ----

He just sticks to our “boss” like glue and leaves us alone most of the time, but all day he just kept ---------

I hate this god damn castle.

Day 9

The entirety of day nine was crossed out and smudged. The next few pages were ripped out or stained with time, making them unreadable. Clearly no one had bothered to take care of the book.

Cross pulled out a notebook from under his bed and flipped to a blank page, beginning to take notes of his thoughts and the people mentioned. So far he had Capri, the journal’s owner, the guy from Underfell, Tris, and the eyeless freak. He put “Name Pending” next to the two without specified names, unwilling to just call them those names. How would he feel if someone just walked around calling HIM “XTale Survivor”- oh wait.

By four in the morning, he had gotten through the whole of the journal and even translated a few strange entries from Wingdings to English. Still no name on the Eyeless guy though. After entry 43 the entries just stopped. Very abruptly. It was a shame too, Capri had promised to follow up on Scarlet (the Underfell Papyrus)’s backstory and compare it to their own au. There also probably wouldve been name confirmation for the eyeless one. Cross was pretty sure Nightmare was their boss, but some confirmation would have been nice.

A knock at the door jolted Cross from his thoughts, and only then did he actually check the time. 4:38 AM. Oh shit.

Cross tossed his books back under the bed and flew across the room, tugging on the lamp string and bathing the room in darkness, throwing himself onto his bed and pretending to be asleep. The light might have not traveled through the door and he may still have enough time to pretend he was asleep before whoever was on the other side of the door did so.

10: THE GOOD, BAD, AND MULTIVERSE PART TWO

Notes: Based around a concept I made when I first joined the fandom! You can read it here if you want: https://www.quotev.com/story/13951119/The-Good-Bad-and-Multiverse

Words: 3,000

Date: July 2021

_______________

Your smile dissipated as your throat felt like it was closing. Even though you didn't turn around or see the guy, you had a pretty good idea of who it was. Sonder stopped too, looking at the figure that now was behind you.

You breathed a sigh and turned on your heel, a hand sticking out from behind a tree. A very bony hand. With, naturally, a pink whoopee cushion tied to the inside. You wondered if you should pretend to fall for it for the sake of comedy but Sonder didnt give you that option.

“Hello sir!” He called, bounding up to you and tripping over his own feet. Sans jumped out of the shadows to get out of his way and you realized that Sonder had fallen intentionally. You turned to Sans who was now staring at the face planted raptor.

“Hey kiddo. Your parents were looking for you before I left. Where ya been?” Sans asked, looking around the forest. He jumped back up to his feet and tilted his head. “What? I don't HAVE parents. The closest thing I have is the great Dr-” You stomped on Sonder's tail in a panic to shush him. The last thing you needed was the already self aware Sans asking awkward questions. “As for you, I… think I've seen you before?” There was something in his voice you didn't like, a ‘have we met before’ tone. His expression remained neutral as he looked you up and down, a hint of familiarity dancing across his face. You shrugged. “We’re tourists.” It wasn't a complete lie, as your ‘job’ according to Gaster was to explore the multiverse but be home by 7 so your parents dont worry.

Sans gave you a disbelieving look and asked with an obvious wink “Then whatcha doing all the way out here in the woods? Visiting the town wood be better.” You snickered and Sonder sighed. Quickly regaining his composure, he turned to you and replied “Y-yeah! We got lost, ain't that right (Y/n)?”

“Yep. In fact, we were looking for town when we wound up here! Crazy how bad navigation apps are nowadays!” You took the lie and ran with it, even going as far as to pull out your phone as subtly as possible and just hold it so it looked more realistic. Sans shrugged and waved you in his direction, you and Sonder following him as he began to lead you through the forest. He didn't say much after that, seeming to be thinking about other things. The deep green trees got lighter and lighter until...

“Woah.” The three of you broke through the mass of trees, standing atop of a hill that overlooked a quaint and simple town, Mt.Ebbot towering in the not too far off distance. Monsters and humans mingled amongst each other in the streets, everyone looking a little apprehensive about the weather. The sky was darkening still, the threat of rain hanging above the towns head as the townsfolk tried to do their thing.

“If ya dont mind me askin’, what were ya doing in the forest sir?” Sonder asked as the three of you began down the hill. “...” Sans didn't reply immediately.“I was looking for something, that's all.”

Sonder looked up at you and you shrugged. You may have been able to help pilot Frisk through the underground, but Sans was an enigma outside of the few interactions Frisk had made with him. You only did a neutral and true pacifist run, so you never had to fight him. Thank god. You had as much of an idea as Sonder as to what he may have been looking for.

Sonder struggled to keep up with you, so you picked him up bridal style. Much to your surprise, he was pretty heavy. You began to notice small details about the town the closer you got. A lot of the monster owned shops you could see were marked with the Delta Rune, characters you recognized were milling about, tending to their new lives, and much to your surprise, humans and monsters getting along really well. You certainly did not expect that, as most of the time you imagined the humans putting a little resistance against the monsters moving into their town. But, they didn't seem to have a problem. You smiled a little at the thought that maybe this timeline was the perfect pacifist ending you had worked towards.

“Here we are.” Sans did a small jazz hand-like gesture and you set Sonder down. “I forgot to ask, what’re your names? I could give ya some heads up on where the best places are if you’d want.” You smiled at the skeleton as he shoved his hands back in his pockets sheepishly.

“Oh! My names (Y/n), and this is Sonder. He's my… travel buddy.” Sonder shot him a toothy grin and Sans narrowed his eyes. “That's funny. I knew a kid ‘round these parts with the same name. Looked an awful lot like you. You sure you're not pulling my leg-” He stopped himself and sighed. “Nevermind. Stupid question, given I cant even figure out what the kiddo’s name was. We’re ya from?”

“We’re from…” You thought of a random legitimate sounding town name. “Valerian City! It's a bit far from here.” He shrugged casually. “I know. I live there too. The name Sans. Sans the Skeleton. You must’ve done a lot of walking to get here. Even more to get THAT lost.” You bit your lip in panic. Was he messing with you? “Most of us live out there actually. Most of the underground residents went there since it was bigger. But mostly out of fear of agitating the humans already here some of us moved to the city. I’m out here assisting Dr.Alphys move her research. Even though that's what I did last month. And the month before that. And pretty much every month since we reached the surface half a year ago. Makes me wonder how much research she actually has. She must have a ton. A skele-ton.” Sonder sighed and you suppress a laugh. “That pun sucked.” You commented bluntly, regaining your composure.

“Really? Then why are you smiling?” He shrugged at you and sighed. “Whatever. I better find Dr.Alphys. See ya ‘round kiddos.” He took a shortcut and you dropped your semi upbeat facade. “Holy shit that could've gone south so fast.”

Sonder nodded and looked up to meet your eyes. “I think he’s suspicious. We should probably hope he doesnt connect two and two. Sans’ are normally the first to pick up on strange multi-universal events. Closely followed by Floweys and Chara and Frisk duos. We should probably lay low.” You wholeheartedly agreed to that plan, and what better way to lay low than to further cement the lie you had just told the self aware skeleton.

And by that, you meant to be a literal tourist. This was, after all, your first time in an Undertale AU, so it only felt fair. Even if this wasnt where the main cast was, it would still be interesting.

____________________________________________________________________________

“T-that should be the l-last of it!” Alphys sighed, shoving the last box of information into the back of a minivan that belonged to her human research assistant, Coley. She had volunteered to drive Sans and Alphys out to Ebbotton an hour away to collect the remaining research. In fact, the human scientist was very insistent on letting her drive them and overjoyed when they showed her the CORE. All in all, Coley was very VERY over the top, but no in the same way that Undyne was.

Sans leaned against the red van, staring off into the still ominous skies. It was well past 6 in the evening but those kids from earlier were still there down in the town. Heck, they were visible from where he was standing! They were sitting at a park bench in the local park talking to each other about heck knows what. For whatever reason, the human, (Y/n)’s presence… it felt familiar. It was like a mixture of how it felt to be around that inkstain and his group, but more intense. And there was something else there, something like… familiarity?

“S-sans? Are you okay? You're not making a pun about the obscene amount of research I have.” Sans snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the other two scientists. Coley was shutting the car’s trunk as Alphys approached the skeleton.

“Hm? Yeah, just thinking.” Hew replied, relaxing his shoulders and closing his eyes. “A-about…?” He opened one of his eyes to shoot Alphys a look, but she wasn't looking at him anymore. She was staring at the sky along with him. He sighed and replied “I met some really weird kids in the woods. Claimed their names were (Y/n) and Sonder. Except, not the Sonder we know. He looked… so familiar. Same with the human. I can't help but feel I’ve… maybe met them before..”

“W-well, maybe they're f-from the city?” Sans nodded. “They claimed to be, but I would have seen the monster kiddo when we brought everyone back. He wasn't accounted for.”

Alphys looked thoughtful. “That is weird. Do you think they have anything to do with that… oh what did you call him?” “Inkstain?” “Yeah, him and his gang?” She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her snout.

“It's possible. Oh, speak of the devil. There they are.” Sans gestured to you and Sonder, who were hiking up the hill to where the scientists were. “Heya Sans!” Sonder called out, pushing his way up the hill with you slowly following behind.

“Hm? Oh hey kiddo.” The two of you made it to the top of the hill as Coley got in the car and rolled down the windows. “You heading back now?” You asked, watching as Alphys got into the front seat. “Yep.” He shrugged and pulled open the car’s door. Before he got in, he looked over his shoulder with a confused look in his eyes. “You kids should be getting home too. You have a ride?”

You bit your lip and shook your head. “No, we uhm, promised we’d call the person who c-came to drop us off! He isnt going to be here for a while, even if we do call now.” Yes, finally! All those years of lying to your parents about your sleep schedule and how much time you actually spent on the internet came in handy. It was a little rusty, but the lie seemed to convince Sans.

The driver of the car overheard you and piped up “Wait! Maybe we can give you a ride. Where are you going?” “Valerian City.” You replied simply, recalling your previous exchange with Sans. “Ohmygosh so are we! Would it be ok if we gave you a lift? I don't like the idea of leaving a bunch of kids here. There's room back there right?” ‘Bunch of kids’ your ass. You weren't REALLY a kid. Neither was Sonder. He was likely over 100 years old. You elected to not ask that right now, but keep it in the back of your mind.

Sans sighed quietly and replied simply. “Yep.” “Great! We better get out of here before the rain begins though. I’m Coley by the way, and this is Alphys, the royal scientist. And I take it you know who Sans is.”

You turned to Sonder, who shrugged despite being armless. Wow, you two sure did a lot of shrugging. That's what happens when you put two indecisive multiverse travelling weirdos into situations where they need to have a solid opinion on something.

You went around the side and opened the other door for Sonder, who gestured for you to go in first so you would get the middle seat instead of him. But you refused. He refused again. You gestured for him to get in. “Ladies first.” “Wha- children first!” “Im 200 years older than you.” And with that, you got in the middle seat, with the armless raptor getting the window (lucky bastard).

____________________________________________________________________________

A gold clad guardian, sky blue shaded warrior and what appeared to be an artist happened to witness the whole thing from a nearby tree, with the aforementioned artist looking highly offended.

“Inkstain?! Is that what they've been calling me?!” Pouted the artist, crossing his arms childishly and shaking the branch of the tree the three were sitting on. “Hey! Be careful.” The guardian exclaimed, gripping the branch tighter. “YEAH! NOT ALL OF US HAVE YOUR UNNATURAL BALANCE, INK.” The warrior exclaimed rather loudly, The artist named ink shifted his sash full of paint a little and sighed.

“Just be glad he's not calling you ‘overoptimistic ray of sunshine’ like he was doing to me

last week.” The guardian sighed. “OR ‘VIBRANTLY LOUD BLUEBERRY’.” The warrior added.

“I'm starting to get the feeling he doesn't appreciate our presence here.” Ink commented. The other two nodded in agreement.

“It's not that he doesn't appreciate it, it's just that he finds us a little… on the strange side. We should get going. It's going to start pouring rain soon.” The guardian commented. “Yeah.” The artist agreed, teleporting to the ground, the blue one following suit. The golden guardian was going to do the same but hesitated.

“Dream? What's taking so long.” Ink asked, gazing up at his normally bubbly and positive friend. Dreams' mind seemed to be elsewhere, his eyes off somewhere on the horizon. “Earth to Dream? Dream. DREAM!!”

That got Dreams’ attention real fast. Ink never yelled at him, and he jumped so hard he fell off the branch and onto the ground.

“OH MY GOD DREAM ARE YOU OK?!” The blue one was laughing so hard he fell over too trying to ask Dream that, and Ink followed in Blues footsteps, but snapped out of it fast enough to help Dream get to his feet.

“Hey, you good? Ink asked, a small smile lacing his face. “Y-yeah.” Ink squeezed his hand and let go, also helping the blue one stand as well. Shortly after, it began raining and the three teleported out of the AU, Ink thinking about the new AU jumper, Dream contemplating something, and Blue thinking about Tacos. Classic Blue.

For just a little while, everything felt warm. Like all your worries had passed on and the world at peace, even just for a little while. Sadly, you were being dragged out of this warm sensation by a couple of voices, all of which sounded familiar.

“...wake them up....” “....es…..” You felt someone shake your shoulder. Snapping awake almost immediately, you search for the source of the hand and see Coley leaning over you. “Can you wake him up?” She asks, gesturing to the skeleton you were leaning on for support. Wait hold up what-

You jumped to the other side upon realizing that the not so soft thing you had been napping on was Sans. Like you were minutes ago, he was fast asleep against the window. The sun was setting beyond the window and in the distance you saw Mt.Ebbot past the towering office buildings and such you find in cities, the skies turning a pale orange. Looks like the rain passed.

You unbuckle your seatbelt and shake the skeleton gently. He opens an eye to glare at you for a split second before realizing the context behind you oh so rudely awakening him from his slumber.

He sighed and sat up as well as you jumped out of the car, stretching your stiff limbs and taking a look at the city. It looked like any ol city, plain and simple. Just, rather than humans littering the streets, there was an even mix of monsters and humans. You could feel the tension in the air here, as opposed to the smaller Ebbotton. Just an overall sense of unease that seemed to not exist in the town by the mountain.

Sans crawled out of the car and pulled out a ring of house keys, picking through them until he found the one he was looking for. “You kids know how to get home from here, right?” Sans asked, approaching an intimidatingly large apartment building. “Yeah. We live not too far from here.” Sonder commented, seemingly more calm than when you had left. “That's good. Maybe I’ll see you ‘round then. Until then.” He shortcutted out of existence and Alphys sighed. Coley smiled and waved you two off, allowing for you to turn a corner, out of sight from the monsters and humans.

“Thank god that's over and done with.” You muttered to your apparently older, smaller friend. He nods and sighs in relief. “That was crazy.” “For real. We almost got caught.”

11: UNTITLED 2

Notes: Okay if you made it here youre a fucking champ. Like bro. Thank you for reading all of that! Now for the finale and the reason I had to put these in order of longest to shortest. A sort of High school au- y'know what Im gonna let it explain itself.

Words: 7,000

Date: December 2021

_____________________

Long ago, two races ruled the earth. Humans and monsters. The peace they shared was unmistakable and refused to fade with time. However, a new race began to emerge. The Supernatural, as they were called, possessed great power that many could not even begin to imagine. Everything from creation to destruction, controlling emotions, right down to controlling time. Of course, they were feared and respected as gods. But after a war broke out between a few of the creatures, the other two races plotted to keep them all in one place and never allow them to leave.

And so, they built a city. The city was fortified with magic and the Supernaturals thrown into it, leaving them to live out their own lives. But as with many things, people began to forget these abnormalities of creatures even existed and acknowledged them as myths, beginning to inhabit the very city they were trapped in. To this day, humans and monsters share the earth and the Supernatural remain in the city, waiting for the day someone may set them free to wander the earth once more...

CHAPTER ONE:

“SOMEBODY ONCE TOLD ME THE WORLD WAS GONNA ROLL ME-”

Cross jolted awake, gasping as he shot up from his comfortable position hidden among the blankets of his bed. He reached onto the table next to his bed and fumbled with his phone, turning the volume down on the alarm. Kai had promised that it was a good alarm and would get him up instantly. While normally it was safe to doubt Kai, this time he had been right on the nose.

Cross sighed and checked the time. 7:00 AM sharp. Just as it was supposed to be. Ever since he had transferred to the new school with Kai, he had needed to get up an hour earlier every day. It sucked at first, but after the month that had passed it had become relatively routine.

Pushing aside the blankets, Cross planted his feet firmly on the ground and forced himself up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His room was a mess as usual, sketchbooks and papers littered about with the occasional sock to go with.

Yawning, Cross threw on a pair of slippers and exited the cluttered room, walking down the relatively short hallway to the central area of the house. Xavier and Papaya were already awake and sitting at the table, 100% ignoring each other. The Penaloza family tended to do that to each other.

Xavier, Cross’ father, glanced up from his notes to smile politely at him. Papaya continued to pay no mind to him, staring down at the piece of toast as if it had personally offended him. Papaya was a year younger than Cross, but had a far bigger attitude issue than him. Don't get him wrong, he was a nice guy, but he tended to be a little impatient.

“He lives.” Xavier commented, looking back down at his notebook and tapping his pen to his chin. Papaya glanced up for a second before snapping his focus back to the toast.

“We leave in thirty minutes.” Papaya informed, finally picking up the food and taking a bite with a loud crunch.

Cross stuck his tongue out absentmindedly and wandered into the kitchen, pulling open the fridge and grabbing a bottle from the door. Cross sighed quietly at the ecru shaded liquid and pulled the lid off, pouring the foul-smelling, borderline paste into the measuring cup built into the lid.

Cross took a deep breath and took it like a shot, trying not to get it on his tongue. It never worked, but the effort was there.

The liquid was pure magic, intended to be absorbed by one's soul usually for medical reasons. Cross’ magic levels had always been a little low but the older he got the more easily depleted and naturally low they got. Last year, it had gotten so bad that Xavier had taken him to the hospital because he had collapsed and become unresponsive. It sucked, but it was better than being sick all the time.

Cross resisted the urge to gag and swallowed it, instantly feeling less groggy and dizzy. It worked like, well, magic.

Everyday had essentially been the same since Summer Break had ended. Get up, get dressed, still somehow nearly miss the bus, catch up with Kai on said bus, stumble through the day running on a sip of coffee Kai would sometimes let him have and the hope that art would be soon, nearly miss the bus again, come home, have dinner, go to sleep, rinse and repeat. And that was okay as far as the Penalozas were aware.

The Penalozas were a weird group to anyone who didn't actively know them. Three skeletons, two humans, no real parental figure (unless you counted Xavier, but no one really did) and a sketchy family history. But to the members of the family, it was all they had ever known. And they didn't really care enough about what a normal functional family was supposed to look like to try and change.

Cross meandered back to his room, still sleepy. Pulling off the oversized shirt, he pulled open a drawer and put on whatever his hand touched first, that being a long sleeved black shirt and similar black leggings meant to look like pants. He tied a scarf around his neck and shoved the textbook he had been reading the night before into his bag and slung it around his shoulder, grabbing a white sweater for some contrast and shoving it in as well.

He glanced at the mirror hanging on the closet door, staring unhappily at his reflection. Despite all of his attempts in the past, he still looked like a ragamuffin. He gave up around the time that Frisk, the youngest, made it to middle school a year ago.

Frisk was the perfect example of what a gifted child should look like. He had perfect marks in all of his classes and was very steadily building a resume and would surely become something great. Chara was a little tricky, but was also showing a lot of promise. Hell, even Papaya was starting to take going to college seriously. He had picked up a weird interest in engineering that Xavier had welcomed with open arms. Where as Cross? He was just plain ol’ Cross. The quiet eldest of the siblings who liked to draw and had only a few friends. Smart, but not that smart. Talented, but not that talented.

“Cross! We gotta go!!” Papaya yelled from the other room, pulling Cross from his thoughts. The oreo (what a shock it must be, but this name also came from Kai) shook his head and yanked open the door, meeting his younger brother at the front door. Frisk and Chara, the lucky bastards, started school at 9:30 instead of 8:00. And their school was closer and still in the town of Satellite rather than in the neighboring Yinmon City.

Yinmon city was a weird place. It seemed to have been themed completely on neon lighting and eyestrain disguised to look like your average city by day. A lot of strange myths and urban legends also arose from the city, none of them making very much logical sense.

Papaya opened the door and didn't bother to hold it for Cross, the two stepping out into the cool morning. Despite being September, the weather had begun cooling off early that year. Not that anyone was really complaining.

The bus stop was pretty far down the street from their house, and the bus’ arrival was a surprise usually. Sometimes early and the siblings would have to enlist on Xaviers help to get there (or if Xavier was busy skipping the day entirely), sometimes two hours late. But never on time.

Papaya walked ahead of Cross, leaving him to his own slow pace. He knew Papaya didn't mean to be cold or rude, but it was clear they didn't have the camaraderie they used to.

Cross shut his eyes and hummed a small tune as the pair walked down the bumby, sidewalkless road. It wasn't a poor neighborhood, but not close to a rich one either. Just below average, since the average had sidewalks.

The bus stop was relatively empty except for one person, who very energetically bounded up to Cross and swung an arm around his shoulder.

Kai had been Cross’ best friend since the empty socketed one declared it on their first day of school. Cross had been adamant against it, claiming not to associate himself with the other. Sadly, the determination in Killer’s protruding soul wasn't there for show and by the next week they were a very close knit pair. No, “Kai” was not his real name. No ones birth name is ever Kai. His very very dead name was, well, dead. Normally anyone outside of legal situations got clocked in the face if they called him his old name.

There were only two problems with having Kai as a best friend. One issue was the fact that he was in and out of hospital a lot thanks to his soul condition. The school board had almost not let him go to school because of how unstable his soul was. His life could go from dandy and fine to in a hospital bed in ICU in minutes sometimes. On the plus side, complaining about their soul conditions was a great bonding activity!

Second was the fact that he had no parents and was in and out of the foster care system a lot. Sometimes Kai would have to change schools mid year and he would always be moving a lot.

“Criss Cross! Long time no see~” Kai joked, nuzzling Cross’ face and smudging some of the dark liquid constantly pouring from his empty sockets on his cheek.

“Kai, you saw me yesterday. And the day before that.” Cross retorted, wiping the smudge off his face.

Kai dragged Cross under the awning, Kai grabbing his bag from the bench of the small bus stop and standing near the edge of the road, waiting for the slowly approaching bus in the near distance to arrive. It didn't take long for the cliche yellow bus to roll up to the stop and let the students on.

The bus was quiet, as usual. Two skeletons sat in the front and in the back (the one up front had a labrador service dog, Kai had him in PE and claimed he was a nice guy despite his scary appearance and hole in his skull) and a few humans here and there, as well as a group of bunny monsters that Cross knew from elementary school. Adi was the nicest by far, but they were not a bad group.

Kai and Cross took seats behind the scary skeleton, Papaya sitting across the aisle from them. Kai had taken the window seat, leaving the other with the aisle.

“Next stop, Elmore Street in Yinmon City.” The bus driver announced unenthusiastically, shutting the doors and stepping on the gas.

Kai pulled out a thermos full of coffee and offered some to Cross, who gratefully accepted. Kai liked his coffee how he liked his men. Very very hot and ridiculously sweet. It was always a shock that early in the morning, but not an unwelcome one.

The skeleton in front of them glanced back at them with one very large eyelight and watched them not so subtly. Kai began monologuing about how his night went, paying no mind to the scary skeleton watching them over his shoulder.

The scenery passed by peacefully, the relatively empty fields of the outskirts of Satellite subtly transforming into the wealthier housing developments of Yinmon. Kai continued to babble on, Cross occasionally engaging in the conversation. The neatly dressed skeleton watching them never broke his gaze, and inevitably Kai took notice.

“Hey pal, can we help ya?” Kai asked, stopping his tangent about basking sharks (why were they talking about basking sharks?). The other skeleton blinked a few times, then reached over the seat and grabbed Cross’ face.

Cross panicked, reasonably so, and tried to push the others enormous hand off his face. The other squished his cheeks with his fingers, mumbling under his breath.

Kai laughed hysterically as Cross shoved the others hand away and hissed.

“Your face is squishy.” The other commented in a low rumble. Cross withdrew into his scarf, face igniting in a blush. He knew he had squishy cheeks, but that didn't give anyone the right to squish them.

“What the hell?! Back off!” Cross snarled before the other could squish him again. The other looked a little surprised, but back to amused. Papaya glanced over at them and rolled his eyes, going back to staring out the window.

“The names Alex.” The bigger introduced, offering his hand to Cross. He took it carefully, not trusting Alex not to try and grab his face again.

“I’m Kai. And marshmallow cheeks over there is Cross.” Kai replied, reducing his laughter to giggles. Cross swatted at Killer playfully.

“Nice to meet ya’.” Alex pat the seat next to him and the dog jumped up next to him. “This is Ms. Fluffles. You may pet ‘er.”

Cross reached over the seat and patted the dog's head timidly. The dog licked his hand and wagged her tail. Cross smiled and scratched between her ears, the dog getting increasingly excited about the attention.

“She's a good girl, ain't she?” Alex commented, patting the dogs back. Cross nodded timidly and continued to pet her surprisingly soft fur.

“‘ad to get ‘er after I got this hole in my head. More of a seein’ eye dog than anythin.” Alex continued, nuzzling her face.

Cross muttered a thank you and withdrew his hand, remembering he was still holding Killer’s coffee. He took a small sip, the hot liquid burning his tongue.

Kai snatched the thermos from Cross and chugged, paying no mind to the fact he was probably not going to be able to taste anything for the next week.

Alex turned back around and leaned against the window, watching as suburbia turned into city. The school they went to (Elmore Academy) was in the center of the city. To some it may seem unreasonable, kids from Satellite had to go to the school, but because of weird zoning they were forced to go to the school in the city instead of the much closer local High School.

Cross pulled out his phone and swiped it open, pulling up messages and checking the one notification he had gotten. It was from Chara 10 minutes ago.

Chara: Hey nerd

Cross rolled his eyes and typed his reply.

You: What?

Chara began typing his reply immediately.

Chara: Frisk was wondering if he could borrow 10 G for a thing at school.

Cross wracked his brain for where he could have stashed his money. He trusted Frisk to have enough integrity not to steal his hard earned 15 G he got from chores (though if he did it really wouldn't be the end of the world).

You: Yeah, check inside the white blanket in the closet. Why does he need it?

Chara did not reply immediately that time.

Chara: He didn't say. But what he did say was “Thanks”. Don't die at school dearest brother, I would miss you.

You: You too, Poison Ivy Eater

Chara: please let me live that down

You: No :)

Cross shut off his phone and stared out the window. They were almost there, thankfully. It was inevitably going to be a long day, but that was fine. Once it was over, maybe he could talk Kai (and by extension Xavier) into hanging out after school in the city and catching a different bus home. Which shouldn't be too hard.

“Elmore Street up ahead.” The bus driver announced over the loudspeaker. Most of the people on the bus began shuffling about, grabbing their bags and preparing to depart.

Kai chugged the rest of the coffee and shoved the thermos into his bag. The pair looked over Alex’s shoulder at the oncoming bus stop in front of their school. The school doors were crowded with people of all different types, ranging from human to sentient fire. There were another one or two skeletons in there as well, if you looked hard enough. That wasn't hard to believe though, given skeletons were a surprisingly common kind of monster in the City. Legend had it that the princes of the country were also skeletons even though their mother was not. But, the royal family had long since died out after an attack on them hundreds of years ago leaving no survivors and the country began electing presidents instead.

Alex got off the bus first, followed by Papaya and the bunnies. The skeleton with his hood up sitting in the back followed at a distance, glancing over at the childhood best friends for a mere moment before continuing on. Cross led Kai off the bus and onto the sidewalk in front of the school, Kai grabbing hold of Cross’ scarf before entering.

Kai had been doing that since they ‘officially’ became friends (just as Cross had always been wearing a scarf). Kai found it easy to get distracted or lost even in a school as small as their elementary school, so holding onto someone who actually knew what they were doing was a big help in keeping Kai from running off and chasing squirrels.

The halls were crowded. As usual. The school was far too small for the amount of people in it. Cross squeezed through the crowd and approached the stairwell where Kai and Cross broke off. Cross waved to his friend and Kai let go of him, waving back. Cross ascended the stairs two at a time and stopped in the entryway of the slightly less busy and loud second floor. Mrs.Wells sat at her desk in the front of the class, grading papers by the looks of it. The other students in the class were doing their own thing, barely interacting with each other. The Oreo took a seat in the back corner of the classroom like the edgy wanna be protagonist he was.

Cross stared out the window into the wall of the building next to the school. It was a simple brick wall with absolutely no redeeming qualities or defining features. It was just a wall.

The bell rang eventually, spelling the beginning of the day. Most of the students had trickled in at that point, all of them pulling the text book out of their bag. Cross reached into his own, feeling around for the overly heavy book and pulling it out.

DRAFT SECTION: This will not be staying the same, as I think I'm going to save this whole interaction (s) for a later chapter so I don't overwhelm the reader.

Mrs.Wells stood and addressed the class, pulling out a dry erase marker and beginning to write the day's assignment on the board. She was a strong believer in textbook work and usually just made the students work on their own in the books. However, she was nice enough and let him draw during class. The only thing that kept him from liking her class was the fact that she was a transphobic asshole who refused to call him by his name.

Around half way through the class, there was a brisk knock on the door. The teacher got up to answer it and talked with whoever was on the other side for a moment, prompting Cross to stop reading about Passive Voice for a hot second to eavesdrop.

The teached closed the door and another student came in. Cross recognized him as the skeleton from the back of the bus earlier. He had his arms crossed and a mean smirk on his face as he surveyed the class.

“Dust, why don't you go sit in the back with the other skeleton, Violet.” Mrs.Wells pointed at Cross. Cross cringed at the mention of his dead name, but pushed his books to one side to make room for his new desk buddy. The closer he got, the more he realized how big the hoodie he was wearing was and how the only thing keeping his eyes from being covered was a hat underneath the hood.

Dust swaggered over to him and pulled a chair from an empty desk, and placed it on the opposite side of the desk, resting his head in his hands and staring contently at the textbook.

“So, Violet-”

“It's Cross.”

Dust seemed surprised for a moment, but continued.

“Whatcha readin’?”

Cross checked the cover of the book and showed it to the other. Dust seemed satisfied and studied Cross’ eyes for a moment.

“Dust, take your hood off.” The teacher snapped from the front of the classroom, sitting back down and going back to grading papers. Dust slipped his hood off and gazed smugly at the front of the classroom, still wearing the hat.

The teacher rolled her eyes and continued what she was doing, leaving Dust to continue staring at Cross. Cross continued reading, pulling out a notebook to take notes. He flipped to a random page, half full page and began writing a few things down.

Dust leaned forward and snatched the notebook away from Cross, reading the page. Cross panicked and tried to get it back, knowing full well what was on the rest of the page. Dust’s bone brows shot up and he held the book out of reach.

“Wow, you drew this? Nice.” Dust commented, pushing Cross’ desperate hands away. Mrs.Wells looked up from her work once more and scowled.

“Violet, Dust, behave!” She snapped at them, prompting Dust to argue.

“But ma’am! She drew this! Isnt it cool!”

“Its HE drew this and give it back!” Cross lunged for it before anyone could see the drawings inside. It was just a few simple drawings of flowers, but they still weren't meant to ever be seen by another (unless you counted Kai).

“Both of you, OUT.” Mrs.Wells violently gestured to the door and Dust grabbed Cross and dragged him out of the classroom, flipping off the teacher in the process.

Cross shoved Dust away once they got into the hallway and growled angrily.

“What the hell dude?!” Cross crossed (pun not intended) his arms angrily. He had never been in trouble with a teacher so bad to where they sent him out before.

“Sorry ‘bout that. Now we gotta go to the Principal's office. Oh what a shame.” Dust replied, handing the book back to Cross and shrugging.

“Wh- SORRY ISN'T GOING TO CUT IT BUDDY!” Cross all but yelled. What the hell was up with this guy?! He was already halfway down the hallway and at the stairwell, giving him an expectant look.

“Well, what are you waiting for, the flowers to grow? Get over here!” Dust asked innocently, beginning down the stairs. Cross chased after him and caught up to him, glaring at the others back. He hadn't noticed before, but the other was wearing a blood red scarf. Huh. Scarf buddies. To scarf or to not scarf, he was still pissed.

Dust tossed open the door to the guidance office and entered like he lived there, waving to the administrator at the desk. The administrator pursed his lips but waved back.

Cross pulled open the door a little more timidly, following closely to Dust, who seemed to know what he was doing. Maybe this wasn't his first time in the office.

He turned a corner and knocked on a door labeled “principal” and a goat monster answered. Cross had never actually met the principal and had desperately hoped he wouldn't have to.

“Dust? Why are you here again?” The goat monster asked, tilting her head in a confused manner.

“Teacher sent me and her out of the classroom.” Dust replied simply, gesturing to Cross.

“For the last time, I'm a dude! What part of that are you not getting?!” Cross snapped.

“Oh, a Penaloza. Come in, both of you.” She instructed, pulling open the door. Dust stepped inside confidently, leaving Cross to stumble awkwardly behind him. How did she know his last name? Had she met Papaya before?

The office was surprisingly cozy. Two plush chairs sat across from a simple wooden desk with a computer and name plate on it. The name plate read “Ms.Toriel”. Dust took a seat casually, as did Ms.Toriel. Cross awkwardly sat in the other chair, waiting for someone to say something.

“Dust, you know you can't just keep getting in trouble to be here, correct? It goes on your permanent record.” Ms.Toriel stated, leaning back in her chair and pushing her glasses further up her snout.

“As for you, I do not believe we have met. I am Ms.Toriel, principal at this school. As a random guess, are you Xavier Penaloza’s son?” Cross perked up at the mention of his ‘father’.

“Y-yes. How did you know?” Cross asked awkwardly. Ms.Toriel smiled warmly.

“We went to school and worked in a lab together for a while. He was a good soul. It really is a shame what happened though.” Cross stifined. What happened to Xavier's career as a scientist was never discussed among the family, but Xavier’s friends (the few that he still had) referred to it a lot.

“When I saw your name on the registration paperwork I almost couldn't believe my eyes. I had met you once before, but you were very young at the time. I was also surprised to see he seems to have adopted two other children. Human children, at that.” Ms.Toriel continued.

Dust listened intently, seemingly interested in what Ms.Toriel had to say about Cross’ family.

“Yes. Chara and Frisk. Chara is coming to this school next year I think.” Cross replied. Ms.Toriel nodded and glanced at the clock on the wall adjacent to the desk.

“I will allow you two to stay here until the next bell, and then you both will have to go back to your classes.” Ms.Toriel informed. “And yes, we can work on the puzzle if that is what you wish, Dust.”

Dust perked up and smiled, prompting Ms.Toriel to pull out a puzzle box and set it on the clear desk. Dust scooted his chair forward and Ms.Toriel dumped out the contents, the two beginning the puzzle. Cross sat awkwardly and pulled out a pencil from his pocket, pulling his feet up onto the chair and resting the notebook on his knees, flipping to a blank page.

He doodled a few random things as warm up and then began sketching the scene in front of him. Dust had pulled his hood back over his head at some point, making his face not clearly visible.

Cross’ stomach dropped, realizing he forgot his bag and books in his English class. Great. Now he was going to have to go back into the classroom and likely get yelled at by the teacher.

____________________________________________________________________________

The day passed by relatively quickly after the encounter with the principal. Kai and Cross luckily had art at the end of the day together (even though Kai wasnt a huge fan of art), so he got to tell his friend all about the strange start to the day he had. Kai himself had never actually met Dust, but had heard that he secretly did drugs under the table and slept around a lot. It didn't come as a surprise to Cross (since he had heard similar things), but what confused him was why he was so… adamant about going to Ms.Toriel.

“I dunno, maybe its because shes a nice person?” Kai suggested as they worked on their still life paintings of a pear. Cross shrugged and glanced back over at the table where the plastic pear lay. He must be really off his rocker, because the shading just didn't look quite right.

“Eh, I wouldn't worry about it. It was probably a one time thing. Both of you are gonna move on with your lives and forget the other ever existed.” Kai suggested, adding a few messy strokes of brown onto the table portion of the drawing and blending them with the lighter brown.

“He's on our bus. What if he tries to talk to me? He kept deadnaming me the entire time we talked.” Cross asked, sticking his brush in the water jar.

“Clock him in the face if he tries or something, I dunno.” Kai shrugged and speckled a few brown spots onto the pear.

“Excuse me, can I borrow some of your black?” A human asked from the other side of the table.

“Of course.” Cross replied, the palette he and Kai were sharing over to the human girl. She took some with her brush and put it on her own before sliding it back. Cross thanked her quietly and continued shading.

A sudden wave of dizziness rolled over Cross, causing him to hold onto the table for support for a second. Stools were never a very good balance keeper.

Kai glanced over at him, his soul flickering with concern. You could always tell how Killer was feeling based on the brightness and shape of his soul.

“I'm fine.”

The bell rang shortly after and they had to put their painting supplies away. Kai grabbed Cross’ scarf and they began heading towards the front of the school to hop on the bus.

“Hey, I was wondering, would you wanna stick around in the city for a bit? I heard the cat cafe just got some new cats that we haven't met yet.” Cross asked over his shoulder.

“Ask Xavier. I'm sure my fosters are fine with it, they forget I even live with them sometimes.” Kai shrugged. Cross nodded and pulled out his phone, quickly typing up a message and sending it, leading the two of them out of the school and into the sunny afternoon.

Xavier replied back quickly, giving the two the okay to hang around. Cross and Kai broke away from the sea of highschoolers and began to wander in the general direction of the cafe, passing the subway entrance.

“Welp. Wonder what the new cats are like-” Kai began, but glanced over his shoulder and stopped abruptly.

“Huh? Kai, what's the matter?” Cross turned and saw it too. Dust was very subtly walking in their general direction.

“Weird. I thought he took the bus home.” Cross pointed out.

“He DOES take the bus home. I think he's following us.” Kai hissed, pulling Cross by the scarf at a faster pace than before. “If he keeps following us, run.”

Dust barely acknowledges the fact that they sped up as the two rounded a corner and continued following the directions they had memorized to the Cat cafe. They may or may not have been there a few times.

Dust continued to follow them at a distance. It was unlikely that he had decided to go to the cat cafe that very day at that very moment as well.

“Okay, on the count of three, we start running and aim to be in the cafe’s back alleyway. Got it?” Kai hissed lowly, not taking his eyes off of Dust over his shoulder. Cross nodded and waited for the count down.

“One… two…. THREE!” The two took off in a sprint, dodging people and lamp posts and nearly colliding with a few people. They were close, they could tell.

Cross and Kai threw themselves into the alley, pressing themselves to the side of the building, panting.

“Is he gone?” Cross asked between breaths, clutching his chest.

The answer, as it turned out, was a no. Dust casually walked by the ally and stopped in the middle of the entrance. His right eyelight began to glow and he raised his hand.

Cross and Kai’s souls lit blue and they were thrown in the air by their souls. Dust approached menacingly with a cruel grin on his face.

“You should see the look on your faces right now.” Dust stated, lowering them closer to the ground.

“What's with the look? Did you REALLY think I was just going to let a cutie like you walk right by me without getting your number or somethin’?” Dust asked, marching up Kai and booping his nose.

Kai looked thoroughly confused, staring at Dust.

“What.” Dust stated more than asked.

“You have terrible taste is all.” Kai said matter of factly. Dust snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, what of it?”

“Leave ‘em alone, freak.” A voice from the entrance demanded lowly. Cross turned to see Alex of all people standing menacingly at the entrance of the ally, Ms.Fluffles right next to him with her tongue lolling out to one side happily.

Dust gave Alex a weird look before smirking once more, placing his hands on his hips and sticking his tongue out tauntingly.

“Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?” Dust mocked. Alex seemed as if he were about to make a retort but stopped before it came out, his eye widening.

“What's wrong, big guy? You scared- Hey, what the hell are you looking at?” Dust waved his arms in front of the neatly dressed skeleton's face but Alex’s expression refused to falter. Cross turned to look over his shoulder curiously and his non existent stomach dropped.

“W-what is that?!” Cross exclaimed, struggling against the blue magic keeping him in the air. At the end of the ally, something that looked suspiciously like a dead boy lay. Blood was flowing from an open wound on its chest and a cloud of what looked like glitches covering one eye. Dust dropped the friends and took a step back, trying to process what he was seeing.

Kai made the first move and took a step forward and approached the person, nuding its side with his foot. Its eye shot open and it sat up suddenly, scowling at the empty socketed one.

“Can't you see I'm trying to nap?! Can you let a dude sleep in a suspicious ally way? For god's sake kid!” The seemingly skeleton yelled, pushing Kai away. Geeze, how many new skeletons was Cross going to end up meeting??

“Y-you're bleeding! We need to get you to a hospital- or something- what the fuck, I dont know, someone call an ambulance????” Cross stuttered, trying to organize his thoughts. To be fair, he had never seen blood that wasn't his own before.

“Im fine kiddo. Now fuck off before he gets back and ruins my nap oppertunities.” It said snarkily, rolling over and laying back down.

“Who?” Kai asked inquisitively, poking the person with his foot once more.

“He means me.” A voice said from above.

“Oh GOD DAMN IT REAPER.” The person shouted, taking a shoe and chucking it at the fire escape of the apartment next to the cafe. A figure moved to dodge it and caught it, tossing it back passive aggressively.

The person in the fire escape jumped down onto their level and stepped into the half light. They were yet another skeleton, but this one seemed different. Powerful, almost. They wore a strange black cloak with a hood over their head and a scythe rested on their shoulder. If Cross looked close enough, he could swear there were wings on his back as well. They looked like a stereotypical Grim Reaper.

“Who the hell are you?” Dust asked accusingly, stepping back and nearly onto Alex’s feet.

The newcomer rolled their eyes.

“Oh great, a bunch of teenagers. Who do you think I am?” The stranger retorted, pulling the scythe off his shoulder and leaning on it.

“A cosplayer?” Kai suggested inquisitively. The stranger stared blankly at Killer and sighed.

“Im the- y’know what, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Just get lost. I have a mortal to woo.” The cosplayer-strange-new-comer-person flicked his wrist and the group was sent flying back into the (thankfully) empty street. Cross landed on his butt in the middle of the street with an audible ‘oof!’, Kai landing beside him.

Dust and Alex had landed further back, both with confused expressions about what had just happened. Upon looking back at the alley, the two strange skeletons were gone.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“What the hell…?”

After a very very awkward bus ride back to Satellite, Cross had practically ran home and thrown the door open. He was 10 minutes past curfew and had a very high chance of getting grounded (because parents, am I right?). The Penalozas all sat around the table, generally quiet until Cross made his rather loud entrance.

“Ah, there you are. Why didnt you tell me the bus was late?” Xavier asked, his head placed on his hands.

“Uhh, things happened.” Cross replied, internally facepalming at how stupid he sounded.

“...I see. Well, come, sit. Your food is getting cold.” Xavier instructed, leaning back in his chair. The other children had clearly finished eating earlier and now just had to wait for Cross to pick at whatever was being served before being excused. Family rule.

Cross took his seat at the circle table sitting in between the kitchen and living rooms. Since their house was so small they had to keep the table small so they could all fit. The oreo glanced at what was on the table and sighed, dishing out a small helping of spaghetti. The less he took, the faster he could eat it and the sooner they could all go back to doing whatever they were doing before dinner.

Cross scarfed down the meal and pushed his plate away, signifying he was done. Xavier got up from the table first and sat on the couch, pulling out a notebook from what seemed like thin air and beginning to write in it. The other kids dispersed and headed to their rooms, the two humans sharing one and Papaya choosing to live in the basement as there was more room than if he and Cross shared a room.

Cross pushed open his door and stepped inside and around the sketchbooks littering the floor, flopping onto his bed on his back, subconsciously beginning to trace the jagged scar under his eye. He was still trying to process everything that had happened. It was such a strange day, having met two new possible acquaintances (well, maybe not Dust…) and then that whole thing in the alley. Who were those people? They seemed to know each other, and one had called the bleeding skeleton a ‘mortal’. Or at least that's what it sounded like. What had he meant by that?

Cross felt a soft buzzing in his pocket, alerting him of a notification. He reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out, rolling onto his belly and turning it on.

He seemed to have a notification from a new group chat he didn't remember joining. He opened the notification and read the message.

516 - 689 - 3393: Are we all here?

Cross furrowed his bone brow and pulled his other hand out from under his pillow to type a response.

You: Who is this?

Kai, much to his surprise, was also there and began typing after Cross sent his message.

Kai: Idk, all I can see is C is here

The 516 number began to type back.

516 - 689 - 3393: Its Dust, from earlier. I added Alex, Cross, and Kai. Are we all here?

516 - 774 - 8976: how did you get the numbers

516 - 689 - 3393: Elmore School’s database is easy to hack

You: oh.

Cross saved both the numbers in his phone and continued conversing.

You: Any particular reason you’re reaching out to us???

Dust: Yes. We can't just pretend like what we saw didn't happen and I have a proposal to make.

Kai: And what is that

Dust: We meet up after school tomorrow and look for those two people and get answers through any means. I dunno about you guys, but I haven't stopped thinking about this since we got off the bus.

Alex: Dude we literally just met.

Dust: Exactly. We do this one thing, then forget it ever happened.

Cross considered for a long moment, weighing his options.

You: I'm down if everyone else is. Got nothing better to do anyway.

Several people began typing.

Dust: Fantastic

Kai: What the fuck Cross

Alex: Eh, I'm fine with it too.

Kai: God damn it now Cross is gonna peer pressure me into this new fake investigation squad

You: You know it lmao

Cross smiled down at his phone and awaited Killer's inevitable (probably reluctant) agreement. Sometimes, silent peer pressure was the most effective peer pressure.

“You looking at hentai or something?” A voice asked from Cross’ door. Cross whipped around and scowled at Chara.

“No!” Cross tossed a pillow in his brother's general direction, the smug little shit sidestepping it.

“Bummer.” Chara took and running start and flopped over onto Cross’ bed, burying his face in the soft plushness that was his blanket.

“What do you want?” Cross asked, exasperated. Chara propped his head up with his hands and kicked his feet back and forth.

“To bother you. Duh. Xaviers too absorbed in his work to give a response and Frisk is doing homework.” Chara replied, rolling onto his back and splaying his arms. He was now in 8th grade and had entered his rebellious teenager phase. 13 year olds could be scary sometimes.

“And what about Papaya?” Cross asked, his phone buzzing.

“Whatcha talkin’ about?” Chara did his best blanket impression and looked over Cross’ shoulder nosely. Cross shut his phone down and pushed him off, flipping him the bird.

“Nunya. Leave me alone.” Cross requested, sitting up.

“Whats wrong sour pants? Are you mad ‘cause you dont know how to make friends-”

“Get out.”

Chara blew a raspberry and jumped off the bed, likely going to bother Papaya. Cross sighed and reopened his phone, reading over Kai’s “Fine I’ll help” quickly and shutting it off. It was almost dead, but he was too lazy to get up and attach it to its charger.

Cross flopped back over and sighed. He was tired, but it was too early to call it a night. So doodling it was.

The oreo pulled out the sketchbook he had shoved in his bag and flipped to a drawing he had started of a cat, silently wishing he had a reference. The night ticked on and by the time Frisk had finished all of his homework and was coming to say goodnight, he was already asleep. What a strange day it had been…